A gorgious Gallery, of gallant Inuentions Garnished and decked with diuers dayntie deuises, right delicate and delightfull, to recreate eche modest minde withall. First framed and fashioned in sundrie formes, by diuers worthy workemen of late dayes: and now, ioyned together and builded up: By T. P. [i.e. Thomas Procter] |
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NARSETVS a wofull youth, in his exile writeth
to Rosana his beloued mistresse, to assure her of his
faithfull constancie, requiring the like of her.
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 | A gorgious Gallery, of gallant Inuentions |  |
NARSETVS a wofull youth, in his exile writeth to Rosana his beloued mistresse, to assure her of his faithfull constancie, requiring the like of her.
To stay thy musinge minde: hee did this pistle frame,That holds the deere, & loues thee most: Narsetus is his name
Would God thy frend had brought: ye health yt here he sendes
I should haue seene my lacking ioy, and heale that hart that rendes.
And redy is eche hower: to sunder still in twaine,
Saue now this pistle that I write: doth lessen wel my paine,
And helpes mee to vpholde a lingring lothsome life,
Awaiting still the blisfull hower, when death shall stinte the strife.
What dooth it mee preuaile: to haue king Cresus wealth,
Or who doth ioy in golden Giues, imprisoned with his health,
I sweare by Ioue to thee, whose godhead is aye iust,
These wordes I write are not vntrue: then do mee not mist rust.
Thy selfe shalbe the iudge: and if thou list to vewe,
The bared bones, the hollow lookes, the pale and ledy hew,
The stealing strides I draw: the wo and dreadfull feares
The boyling brest with bitter brine, the eyes be sprent with teares
The skant and hungry meales: the seldome slepe I take,
The dainty dames that others ioy, no iest to mee do make
These hated hatefull harmes: when I them feele to greeue mee
Remembrance of thy beuty bright, doth straight again releeue mee
And then I cal to minde, thy shape and cumly grace,
Thy heauenly hew thy sugred words, thy sweet entising face
The pleasant passed sportes: that spent the day to ende,
The lothsom loekes that liked not to leue so soone thy freend.
Sith froward fortune hath, my Mystresse thus bereft mee,
Perforce I yeeld and am content, to like the lot is left mee.
If Pyramus were sad, when hee found Thisby slayne,
If Cresseds craft and falsing fayth: did Troylus turne to payne,
With bloody woundes and murdering sword, Queene Didos lyfe hath rid
If these haue won by death and end of pyning payne,
And I aliue with torments great in dying deathes remaine.
The sound of instruments: or musickes pleasant noyce,
Or riches rule, or proude estate, doth cause mee to reioyce
Or Venus damsels deere, do please mee euen as well,
As dying bodies ioy to here, for them a passing bell.
The greefes that gripe my hart, and dayly do mee slay
It lessen would much of the smart, if thou vouchsafe to say:
God graunt his weary life: and sorrowes to asswage,
God yeeld him health and happy dayes with honor in his age.
These wordes would win my life, dispaired now to death,
Thou should but saue that is thine own, while I haue liuing breath
What heapes of haples hopes, on me shall chance to fall,
So thou doo liue in blisfull state: no force for mee at all.
Amid my greatest greefe, the greatest care I haue,
Is how to wish and will thee good: and most thy honor saue.
Bee faythfull found therfore, bee constant true and iust
If thou betray thy louing freend, whom hensforth shall I trust?
When shal I speake with thee? when shal I thee imbrace?
When will the gods appease their wrath? when shal I haue sutch grace?
Hath Ioue forgotten dame Lede for loue: and how hee prayed her,
Transformed like a swan at length: the seely soule hee trayde her.
When faire fresh Danae was closed vp in tower:
Did hee not raine himselfe a drop, amidst the golden shower
And fell into her lap: from top of chimney hie?
The great delight of his long loue: hee did attaine thereby,
What cruell gods be these? what trespasse haue I doone?
That I am banisht thus from thee, what conquest haue they woon?
I know their power deuine: can for a while remooue mee,
But whilste I liue, and after death, my soule shall likewise loue thee
Not Alcumena shee, for whom the treble night
Was shaped first, can well compare with thee for bewty bright
Not Troylus sister too, whom cruell Pirrhus slew,
Nor shee, the price of ten yeres wars, whom yet the Grekes do rew
Can match with thee Rosina chaste: I see her blush for shame.
The childe of mighty Ioue, that bred within his braine
Shall yeeld the palme of filed speche, to thee that doth her staine.
And euery wight on earth: that liuing breath do draw,
Lo here your queene sent from aboue, to kepe you all in awe
But nowe I fine my talke, I finde my wits to dull,
There liueth none that can set forth thy vertues at the ful.
Yet this I dare well say, and dare it to auowe,
The Gods do feare Rosinas shape: and bewty doth alowe.
In Tantalus toyle I liue: and want that most I would,
With wishing vowes I speake, I pray: yet lacke the thing I should
I see that I do want: I reach, it runnes mee fro:
I haue and lacke, that I loue most, and lothest to forgo.
But oh Rosanna dere: since time of my exile
How hast thou done? and doost thou liue: how hast thou spent the while
How standeth health with thee? and art thou glad of chere?
God graunt those happy restful dayes, increase may still each yere.
If any greefe or care, do vex thy wofull hart,
Then God I pray to giue thee ease, and swagement of thy smart.
Yet this I doo desire, that thou be found to abide
A freend: euen such as shal mislike, with sodaine change to slide.
If pleasure now thou hast, to spend the dreiry day,
Read then this pistle of my hande, to driue the time away.
If all thy freendes aliue: would from thy frendship swarue,
A thousand deathes I do desire, in wretched state to starue.
If I amongst the rest, should alter so my minde,
Or thou shouldest charge I promise brake, or els am found vnkinde
Though Argus ielus eyes: that daily on vs tend,
Forbid vs meat and speech also, or message for to send.
A time will come to passe, and thinke it not to long
That thou and I shall ioyne in ioy, and wreake vs of our wrong.
Which time I would abide: though time too long doth try mee
In hope againe when time shal serue, thou wilt not then deny mee
Thus hope doth mee vpholde: for hope of after blisse,
And lose therby my present ioy, in hoping still for this.
Commaund them both as thee best likes: to lose or els to saue.
I am no more mine owne, but thine to vse at will
The same is thine without desert, if thou mee seke to kill.
Bee glad thou litle quere, my mystresse shall thee see
Fall flat to ground before her face: and at her feet doo lie:
Haste not to rise againe, nor doo her not withstand
If of her bounty shee vouchsafe, to rayse thee with her hand.
Say thy maister sent thee, and humbly for mee greete her,
Thou knowest my selfe doth wish full ofte: to be in place to meete her.
If any worde in this, hath scapte and doo her greeue,
A pardon craue vpon thy knee, and pray her to forgeue
A giltles hand it wrote, thou mayst be bolde to tell:
No minde of malice did mee moue, her self doth know it well.
Thou canst and I deserue: make glad my wofull sprite,
I craue no answer to thy payne: nor force thee for to write.
It should suffise if thou: voutchsafe to reade the same,
This pistle then if thou mislyke, condemne it to the flame.
But now there needes no more, I will this pistle ende,
Esteeme Narsetus alwayes well: that is thy faythfull freend,
FINIS.
| A gorgious Gallery, of gallant Inuentions | |