University of Virginia Library

White is here vermillioned,
Mutuall strife of white and red:
Here an arburating field,
Both the Roses reconcil'd.

How much inconstancie, what Innouation?
Hath wizzard Time seene since the worldes creation.
Many September Moones which haue recanted,
Transported Monarchies, and states supplanted.
VVhat change in others, and what personate,
How much varietie might Time dilate?
There was a time, fore Gods did disaccord,
Obseru'd none els but the first moouing Orbe,
Then errant stars, and then the firmament
No Motion knew, but what was violent
And from an outward cause: Yet was it thus,
Till Sonnes of heauen became licentious.
First was Monarchall rule, but Tyrannie,
VVhich now no longer had his sufferancie.
Then they enquir'd into their optimates,
And held it for a too ambiguous state:
And then anon was faire Democracie
Turnd Pop'lar licence and free Libertie:
Then subiects spheres turn'd head against their Mouer.
Some err'd, some in their doubtfulnesse discouer
A voluntary course and free incesse,
To which they toyle in moouing tardinesse.
And semble laggie spiders most in this,
That slow, do yet aspire the Pyramis
Of some erected spoke within the wheele
That's downeward driu'n, or Mariners in keele,
VVhere sayles are spread before some boysterous gale;
They backeward walke, with face on wind and saile,
And like rebellious Libertines insist
To make the primate violence remisse:
It forceth them, they him againe recall,
And still the while, Time must obserue them all.
Looke downe on Ismarus, and Time well knowes,
That in his memorie it had a Rose,
An only Rose, and that, as onely white,
Amongst the rest her fayrest Ismarite.
It saw one age in white, so had it more,
Had not this Rose bin steep't in royall gore:
Vntill the greatest of Nobilities
Did gaze on beauties worth with lustfull eyes;
Till Lust or'ecame, and Beautie rauished,
Then was the white turn'd to vermillion red.
Some say loues Queene pursuing her belou'd,
Despair'd, because vntimely death improu'd
And check't her in the course of fairest hope,
She gaue her swelling heart a pulsiue scope:
And all enrag'd, all naked, all vnmaskt,
Vpon a roseat bed herselfe she cast;
And the vermilion drops which issued,
Tinguisht the palefac't Rose in deepest red.
Others say it was Nectar from aboue,
Which when the wanton boy in dalliance stroue
To free him from his mothers armes yfolding,
Checkt with his wings the faire Mounteagle holding
An ample Cœnophron with Nectar crownd,
Which from his hand admou'd, bedewd the ground,
And sperst his moyst vpon a roseat bed,
What time her white was all vermillioned.
Hower'e it was, lust caus'd them both to fall,
And Beauties wracke was the Prouinciall:
And now the Rose was red, and now the rather
Men lou'd it for the shape then for the sauor.
For though it had the shape of seeming Rose,
It sauour'd but of some Abrotonos.
The sent was of a practicke deepe intention,
When swelling blood exceeding veines dimension,
By strong eruption sought to coole their heate,
And turne the sourse out of his current quite.
T'was deadly imposition to the braine
Of vertue to enrage, infect, inflame:
Besides it had such strong intent of taste
As families extinguisht, and layd waste
The fruitfull Ismarus. This Age of red,
Long kept the Rose, and long continued;
Vntill the earth fearing her owne estate,
Least such continuance might depopulate
Herselfe: least Time protracted might discouer
Her nakednesse to those which liue aboue her,
Coniur'd the faire assisting hand of Nature,
By laying forth, how but a subiect Creature,
Inspir'd by Arte, had brought vpon her head
Strong imputation, chang'd her white to red.
How red had stain'd her with discoloured gore:
And any thing she spake, which might implore
Or call reliefe; and powerfully she spake.
For now the rose and red were separate.
And now the earth prepar'd a subiect matter,
Able to entertaine, not Arte, but Nature:
A speciall forme which might distinguish it,
From flowers of other kind, not of her sect;
A rose in which there was no ministrie
For colour to detaine the busied eie.
But yet the while, Art out of sound inuention,
Contriu'd to abrogate her owne suspension,
Applying colour of the deepest graine,
That euer did this Microcosme sustaine.
Much matter of her owne she ministred,
With more supplie of bloud disentralled,
Much more in vaine of wealthy veines made poore,
Which to this worke did emptie all their store,
And all to little conquest or successe:
For now no tinguishment might here impresse,
And euery present might haue beene the same;
And had not white blusht at such homebred shame,
Now did she blush, that could not yet forbeare,
To looke vpon this natiue massacre,
This Summers heate gaue wings vnto the red.
Which warre ycleept and earst discomfited,
That warre I count, that vnto this dissent,
Prescrib'd a rule and strong arbitrement:
I count it warre, the rather for his might,
That powerfully call'd backe the red to white.
Thus mutually the roses dimicate:
Now this aspir'd, or that held principate,
Till white at length assum'd a paler forme.
(O crooked age! where whites in white forlorne,)
And borrowes terrible, aspect from death,
Who whilom her of soueraigntie bereft.
This pale-fac't Rose was fearefull to her selfe,
Vntimely borne a Rose, and borne by stealth.
T'extirp the goodliest plants that beutifide
The Tharcian Ismarus on fruitfull side.
How like a Boare enlarg'd and free of head,
Ranging through desert soile vnpeapleld,
Where not the wandring Pilgrime hath accesse,
Applies his fangs with doubled meagernesse
On trees and mushrom shrubs, disheuering them,
Euen from the highest capreolls to the stem?
So did he tyrannize: yet seems it me,
To speake of satiue Rose in modesty:
Sufficeth that the Bor's incontinent,
Prowd of his prey, yea, and so insolent,
That now insulting pride seemd to implore,
Some venturous Knight t'encounter with the bore.
This cal'd the worlds assoyler from a farre,
Who now to Erymanthus did repaire,
By Iunoes imposition, so to free,
Th' Arcadian hill, from death and tyrannie.
This was the worlds rich Rose, and fairest red,
That euer palled Monster sequestred.
And now the Bore espied his Hunteresse,
Who! (fearing lest he promised successe
Might intercept his friends and call supplie
From other beastes of his conspiracie)
Vpon a champion strond he her accoasted,
With doubled strength, vnworthie to be boasted;
Vnworthie any glory, had it bin,
Had he stood Epilogue vnto this Scene,
That vnder retinue seem'd to containe
The greatest ones that did possesse the plaine.
How much the greater was that Victory,
Where Red or'ecame in his minority;
And wrought more wonders in his pupill age,
Than euer was presented to this stage;
That reconcil'd the simple to her red,
Mixture that might not be distinguished;
And this was neither red nor white I weene,
But that of Prouince or the Damascene:
That Rose, whose zulape in the fourth degree,
Is much astringent for her qualitie;
The Floramour of fields, that sists the course
Of bloods incontinence and liberall sourse;
That fans exulcerations feruencie,
Calls hot to temperate, cold and moist to drie:
Such is our Rose. O Gods may neuer shee
Exceed her Prouince or the fourth degree.