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316
IN THE DESERVED HONOUR
of my honest and worthie Captaine,
John Smith, and his Worke.
CAptaine and friend; when I peruse thy booke
(With Judgements eyes) into thy heart I looke:
And there I finde (what sometimes-Albyon knew)
A Souldier, to his Countries-honour, true.
Some fight for wealth; and some for emptie praise;
But thou alone thy Countries Fame to raise.
With due discretion, and undanted heart,
I (oft) so well have seene thee act thy Part
In deepest plunge of hard extreamitie,
As forc't the troups of proudest foes to flie.
Though men of greater Ranke and lesse desert
Would Pish-away thy Praise, it can not start
From the true Owner: for, all good-mens tongues
Shall keepe the same. To them that Part belongs.
If, then, Wit, Courage, and Successe should get
Thee Fame; the Muse for that is in thy debt:
A part whereof (least able though I bee)
Thus heere I doe disburse, to honor Thee.
(With Judgements eyes) into thy heart I looke:
And there I finde (what sometimes-Albyon knew)
A Souldier, to his Countries-honour, true.
Some fight for wealth; and some for emptie praise;
But thou alone thy Countries Fame to raise.
With due discretion, and undanted heart,
I (oft) so well have seene thee act thy Part
In deepest plunge of hard extreamitie,
As forc't the troups of proudest foes to flie.
Though men of greater Ranke and lesse desert
Would Pish-away thy Praise, it can not start
From the true Owner: for, all good-mens tongues
Shall keepe the same. To them that Part belongs.
If, then, Wit, Courage, and Successe should get
Thee Fame; the Muse for that is in thy debt:
A part whereof (least able though I bee)
Thus heere I doe disburse, to honor Thee.
Rawly Croshaw.
[_]
8. Perhaps read: "(what sometimes 'Albyon' knew)." Parentheses were "the general
way of indicating a short quotation" during the late i6th century and on into the early
17th century (Ronald B. McKerrow, An Introduction to Bibliography for Literary Students
[Oxford, 1965 (orig. publ. 1927)], 317). Here, the reason for the punctuation is not
clear.
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