University of Virginia Library

The House of Fame.

Dedicated to all the noble attendants of Royaltie in the Campe of Vertue, who fight for the honor of the Church, and Common-wealth.

Fame that in Homers time a vagrant was,
Without a house and home, did after passe
In stately structures all the mixed race
Of Semdeities, and euery place
Built her a Court, assisted by the Rages
Of sundry Poets in succeeding ages.
For euery one did something adde, to frame
More space and roome for their friends narrow fame.
Which as they purchast, still to her they gaue
And that's the cause, themselues so little haue.
This Fame hath now her house glazde all with eies,
The rafts, beames, balkes, nerues, sinewes, arteries;
The dores wide open, eares; hangd round about
With nimble tongues, and couerd so without.
All things are seene and heard the wide world ore
Which touch that place, and farthest off the mone.
The House of Fame built vp foure stories hie,
Stands in an open plaine, in which doth lie
Foure sister twins, True same, and good the first,
And eldest are; false and had fame the worst.
And youngest payre, yet swiftest are in flight
And though last borne, yet oft come first to light.
These last dwell in two darker roomes below,
Among the thicke Crowdes where all errors grow.
There keepe they Court, where Scandals, Libels, lies,
Rumors, Reports, Suspicions, calumnies,
Are fauorites and Gouernors of State,
Whose practise 'tis true worth to ruinate.
False fame liues lowest, and true Fame aboue,
Bad Fame next false, good fame next, true doth moue:
Yet good fame somtime doth with false fame stay,
And bad fame sometime doth with true fame play.
But false and true (opposd) will neuer meete,
Nor bad and good fame, one the other greete.
It so fell out (as oft strange things befall)
A gallant Knight, ariued at that faire Hall,
Attended on with such a noble sort,
Of warlike squires, as fild this spatious Court.
Who curiously enquiring of the rout,
Whose Court it was, could no waies find it out.
For contradictions crosse each other so,
As truth from falshood he could no waies know.
Bad fame did call it hers, and said, she was
A guide to such as vnto glory passe.
False Fame did call it hers; he saw they lide,
For 'boue their heads, two brighter Queens he spide.
True fame spake to him then, and let him know,
That she and good fame did the building owe,
Being eldest borne, to Titan and the Earth,
Before the Gyants war: when th'others birth
Long since was subiect to their parents sinne,
And heauens curse which now they liued in.
For as those Gyants gainst the Gods did war,
So these to truth professed enemies are;
Had by strong hand, and fraud, vsurpd her state:
And to expresse to vertue vtmost hate,
Had bard all passage to their houses hie,
That mortall men might in obliuion die
Or haue their memories blasted, glories kild
By eating time, with lies and slanders fild.
She wisht him then if he his good desired
To haue repeated, or his spirit aspired
To worthy honor as old knights had wont,
(Whose swords not rust, but too much vse did blunt)
That he would vse some meanes to set them free,
Whereby his blest name might eternizd be.
Good Fame then told him, that the only way,
How he this enterprize accomplish may,
Was by the helpe of mercy, prudence, art,
Iustice and zeale, and Constancy of heart.
All their knowne friends to summon vp in armes,
To force the place, and to disperse those swarmes
Of idle vagabonds; who kept below
And hated good Fame, would not true fame know.
Then (since the stayres of fame were broken downe,
And does stopt vp to glory and renowne)
She wild him make an engine wherewithall,
He might her lodging and her sisters scale.
And so himselfe in spite of perill, raise
Aboue the reach of enuy, or dispraise.
The Knight (in spirit rauisht with delight
To heare their speech, to see their goodly sight)
Mounts his fierce Coursers backe, with which at hand
His Squires attend vpon his strict command.
Wils euery one of them to take a dame,
Such as the Ladies of the house did name,
Who there attended that they might direct
This high attempt, with order and respect.
The Squires with willing minds the knight obaide,
And each behind them tooke a louely maide.
Prudence directs her Squires to lead the way,
(Who followes her direction cannot stray,)
At length they come vnto a fruitfull wood,
Wherein a world of vpright timber stood;
Tall Cedars, Cypres, Pine and royall Okes,
With country Elmes, and Ash for plow and yokes.
The learned Laurell, and the weeping Mirrh,
The smarting Birch, and the sweet smelling Firr
Grew there in order, and all trees beside,
Wherein the thrifty Woodreeue taketh pride,
The knight suruaies all this, yet finds not one
Fit to be feld; till Prudence lights upon
A proud straight Aspe, whose wauing top did leane
On a slight Poplar, with some shrubs betweene.
The cursed Eldar, and the fatall Yewe,
With Witch and Nightshade in their shadowes grew;
Whose saples tops, with mildewes often stood,
And grew self-feare, and ouertopt the wood.
The Rauen & Shreikeowle there did build their neasts,
And at their roots did harbour harmefull beasts,
Which Prudence saw, but mercy would not see,
Till she perceiu'd how euery other tree
Droop'd vnderneath the height of these alone,
And could not thriue, or grow till these were gone.
She therefore (ioynd with Constancie and Zeale)
Besought sharpe Iustice, who doth euenly deale
Her warie blowes, to fell all these with speed;
Who soone consents, and soone, performes the deed.
At euery stroke she fetcht, the trees did grone,
The rest did eccho laughter to their mone.
And now they lye along, their branches topt,
Their barke pild off, their trunks asunder chopt.
Then Art with rule and line, these vselesse payer
Frames (engine-like) a straight clowd climing stayer
To mount Fames house; this euery Squire doth reare
And brauely on their backs do thither beare.
But Mercy seeing all the other ment
To burne the Chips, to saue them she is bent.
And, with her Squire, the knight praies, let them lye,
For he shall gaine, and glory get thereby.
Since chips which cut from Aspe and Poplar bee,
Do soone take roote, each growes a goodly tree.
The knight consents, and fenceth round the spring.
Whose forward growth doth hope of profit bring.
And now, together to the house of Fame
With speede they passe, where first the falsest Dame
Salutes them with a lye, and saith she heares
Her Sisters are together by the eares,
And haue destroyde each other; this she had
From her Twin sister, who tells rumors bad.
They slight her leasings, and with speedy assay
To raise the lather, where bold Zeale makes way;
But false Fame and her Sister, lay about
To hinder her, with all their rascall route.
Slander, foole-hardines and heartles feare,
With foolish Pittie, and false Loue was there,
Damnde Infidelitie, and secret Hate,
And treason too, that close dissembling mate.
Who all with open mouth, and open lyes,
All waies to stop his honord worke deuise.
They raile, and fight, intreat, and curse and ban.
The Knight proceedes, in scorne of what they can.
And mounts the ladder, with his sword in hand,
Which soone disparkles, such as dare withstand.
Zeale hales him vp, and Prudence guides him right,
True Constancie encourageth the fight,
Mercy saues all the innocent, who swarme
For companie, not with intent of harme;
Art orders euery act, the engine staies
And helpes the Knight step after step, to praise
The lusty squires below, with sword and lance,
Withstand bad fame, whilst Iustice doth aduance
Her heauy hatchet, and strikes off the head
Of both the leaders, and there leaues them dead.
Which when their troopes discouer, they forsake
Th'vsurped fortresse, and themselues betake.
To heady flight, into a marsh neere hand,
Where many whispering reeds and Osiars stand.
There they like out-lawes do themselues inclose,
In wilfull banishment, with all the foes
Of this good knight, whose valure vndertooke
This high attempt, that Fame might rightly looke
On all deseruers, and that man might finde,
Like freedome for his tongue, as for his mind.
That vertue might be crowned by true fame,
And honest meaning liue with honored name.
Which promise gladly both the sisters swore,
In solemne forme; and now as heretofore
The freedome of their tongues they both possesse;
And worth is knowne from base vnworthinesse.
The knight they humbly thanke, and him they crowne
The Soueraigne of glory and renowne.
Which stile, Fames trumpetters the foure winds blow
Through th'earths foure quarters, that the world may know
Th'extent of vertuous actions; how no power
Can stop their passage, nor lanke time deuoure
Their sweet remembrance; which shall liue as long
As nature hath an eare, or eye, or tongue.
To euery Squire then they this fauour giue,
That after death their Fames shall euer liue;
For still those Ladies, whose imploiment they
So well aduanc' t'shall duly night and day
Repeate their labors, and prefer them far
Beyond Alcides workes, as peace doth war
Surpasse in glory, or those works we doe,
When others wills, and ours we conquer too.
Now 'tis proclaimd that if we tell no lies,
We may with boldnesse speake and feare no spies.
That what this age hath done, this age may heare,
As well repeated now as the next yeere.
That all our words our selues shall first expound,
And that no forc't construction shall confound
Our honest meaning, but bee't ill or well,
We may with freedome our opinions tell.
Since no man dares to doe the thing which he,
Would haue all the world both heare and see.
These orders ratified, they fall to sport,
And fill with maskes and reuells all the Court.
The sequel I refer to Fames relation,
Whose golden trumpe sounds vs a blessed nation.