 | Dedicatory poems to the Odcombian banquet |  |
ASINVS
PORTANS
MYSTERIA.
PORTANS
MYSTERIA.
To Topographicall Typographicall THOMAS.
I sing the man, I sing the wofull case,
The shirt, the shoes, the shanks that seru'd to trace
Seuen Countries wide, the greater was his paine,
That two to one he euer came againe,
Yet two for one he came: O Muse, O Maid,
(If Maid or Muse) say what hath so beraid
This silly soule, and droue him to such labours,
As had his hide bin onely made for tabours?
Recount my Girle, what did he with the French,
Before he courted the Venetian wench?
How could he leaue his well-boyl'd beere, and scape,
To drinke the raw bloud of the Germane grape?
Wherewith his watrie teeth being set on edge,
He nigh had lost of teeth his double hedge.
At home much did he suffer, much abroad,
And neuer once (poore Asse) did cast his load,
Yet further went then Scaracalasino,
And after litter'd lay at Bergamo.
This vsage did he beare abroad vnciuill.
At home too was he borne not farre from Euill.
In Odcombe parish yet famous with his cradle,
A chicke he hatcht was of an egge vnaddle.
Whence a yong Cockrell he was sent for knowledge
To Winchester, and planted in the Colledge:
Not there to prooue a goose (for he is none)
But that hee might with other cocks come on.
Where loe a dwarfe in stature he so pliant
Grew in the Greeke, that he became a Gyant,
Pronouncing then Demosthenes each letter
More plaine, and reading all then Homer better,
This Prince of Poets, that of Rhetoritians.
His Latine too deserues more praise then Priscians,
For Coryate hues, and Priscian he is dead,
No maruaile; Coryate brake so oft his head.
Now when in Greeke and Latin he could grauel
His schoole fellowes, forsooth he needs wil trauel,
Not for bare language, but (his charges earning
On the by) on the maine, for real learning.
Be Basil proofe and Zurick too, and Frankfor't.
As thou in print maist see, if thou him thanke for't.
What would he with more tongues? He hath enough,
That which hee hath is fine neat-leather tough:
And yet at Calais to confound the Masse
Some say he spake the tongue of Balaams Asse.
And others, that with Sampsons Asses Iawbone
He slew whole hoasts: so is he rough and rawbone.
T'were but a frump to name the Asses backe,
Each common traueller beares thereon his packe:
I therefore leaue the Asse for feare he doubt,
Or others for him, that I should him flout.
But as the Serpent (not the goose) that hisses,
So is he wise, and equald with Vlysses.
Who townes of many men hath seene and manners:
The more was he beholding to the tanners.
If he had but one onely paire of shoos,
Then how much leather thinke ye could he loose?
The shirt, the shoes, the shanks that seru'd to trace
Seuen Countries wide, the greater was his paine,
That two to one he euer came againe,
Yet two for one he came: O Muse, O Maid,
(If Maid or Muse) say what hath so beraid
This silly soule, and droue him to such labours,
As had his hide bin onely made for tabours?
Recount my Girle, what did he with the French,
Before he courted the Venetian wench?
How could he leaue his well-boyl'd beere, and scape,
To drinke the raw bloud of the Germane grape?
Wherewith his watrie teeth being set on edge,
He nigh had lost of teeth his double hedge.
At home much did he suffer, much abroad,
And neuer once (poore Asse) did cast his load,
Yet further went then Scaracalasino,
And after litter'd lay at Bergamo.
This vsage did he beare abroad vnciuill.
At home too was he borne not farre from Euill.
In Odcombe parish yet famous with his cradle,
A chicke he hatcht was of an egge vnaddle.
Whence a yong Cockrell he was sent for knowledge
Not there to prooue a goose (for he is none)
But that hee might with other cocks come on.
Where loe a dwarfe in stature he so pliant
Grew in the Greeke, that he became a Gyant,
Pronouncing then Demosthenes each letter
More plaine, and reading all then Homer better,
This Prince of Poets, that of Rhetoritians.
His Latine too deserues more praise then Priscians,
For Coryate hues, and Priscian he is dead,
No maruaile; Coryate brake so oft his head.
Now when in Greeke and Latin he could grauel
His schoole fellowes, forsooth he needs wil trauel,
Not for bare language, but (his charges earning
On the by) on the maine, for real learning.
Be Basil proofe and Zurick too, and Frankfor't.
As thou in print maist see, if thou him thanke for't.
What would he with more tongues? He hath enough,
That which hee hath is fine neat-leather tough:
And yet at Calais to confound the Masse
Some say he spake the tongue of Balaams Asse.
And others, that with Sampsons Asses Iawbone
He slew whole hoasts: so is he rough and rawbone.
T'were but a frump to name the Asses backe,
Each common traueller beares thereon his packe:
I therefore leaue the Asse for feare he doubt,
Or others for him, that I should him flout.
But as the Serpent (not the goose) that hisses,
So is he wise, and equald with Vlysses.
Who townes of many men hath seene and manners:
The more was he beholding to the tanners.
If he had but one onely paire of shoos,
Then how much leather thinke ye could he loose?
He hath seene Paris gardens and the Lions;
And Paris Garden of all France, and Lyons,
With all the townes that lie twixt this and Venice,
Where (howbeit some say he played at tennis)
He more preual'd against the 'xcoriate Iewes,
Then Broughton could, or twenty more such Hughs.
And yet but for one pettie poore misprision,
He was nigh made one of the Circumcision.
But holla, that's a part that must be priuy,
Now goe we to the towne of learned Liuy.
Where being before Licentiat, he proceeded
To beg like a poore Paduan, when hee needed.
Then through Vicenza and Brescia doth he goe
Among the Cogleons, those of Bergamo.
Who made him lie in litter like a Villan:
Then viewes he, in his case of sustaine, Milan.
(Not Milan sustaine though) yet such a trophæ
As might become a Soldan or a Sophæ.
Which in his frontispice he doth extol,
Like those of Marius in Romes Capitol.
And well the case was lin'd with poudred Ermin:
Though others thinke it was some stranger vermin.
Now should I tell his trauels with the Dutch,
But that my Muse doth feare to drinke too much.
For, if the water of poore Hippocrene
Doth make her drunke, what wil the wine of Rhene?
Both Heidelberg I passe, and the great hogshead,
Which he bestrid himselfe, like a great hogs-head.
Who list the paines or pleasure take to looke,
Shal this and more finde printed in the booke.
VVhose merits here I wil no further raise:
That were my friend to sell, and to praise;
Perhaps I know some that haue seene the Turke,
Yet would bee whipt ere they wrote such a worke.
But what a volume here wil rise anone,
VVhen he hath seene both Turke and Prester Iohn?
Enough: yet in his Crudities behoofe,
This will I say: it is a booke of proofe.
VVherein himselfe appeares (I will be plaine)
No foole in print, nor yet a knaue in graine.
And Paris Garden of all France, and Lyons,
With all the townes that lie twixt this and Venice,
Where (howbeit some say he played at tennis)
Then Broughton could, or twenty more such Hughs.
And yet but for one pettie poore misprision,
He was nigh made one of the Circumcision.
But holla, that's a part that must be priuy,
Now goe we to the towne of learned Liuy.
Where being before Licentiat, he proceeded
To beg like a poore Paduan, when hee needed.
Then through Vicenza and Brescia doth he goe
Among the Cogleons, those of Bergamo.
Who made him lie in litter like a Villan:
Then viewes he, in his case of sustaine, Milan.
(Not Milan sustaine though) yet such a trophæ
As might become a Soldan or a Sophæ.
Which in his frontispice he doth extol,
Like those of Marius in Romes Capitol.
And well the case was lin'd with poudred Ermin:
Though others thinke it was some stranger vermin.
Now should I tell his trauels with the Dutch,
But that my Muse doth feare to drinke too much.
For, if the water of poore Hippocrene
Doth make her drunke, what wil the wine of Rhene?
Both Heidelberg I passe, and the great hogshead,
Which he bestrid himselfe, like a great hogs-head.
Who list the paines or pleasure take to looke,
Shal this and more finde printed in the booke.
VVhose merits here I wil no further raise:
That were my friend to sell, and to praise;
Perhaps I know some that haue seene the Turke,
Yet would bee whipt ere they wrote such a worke.
But what a volume here wil rise anone,
VVhen he hath seene both Turke and Prester Iohn?
Enough: yet in his Crudities behoofe,
This will I say: it is a booke of proofe.
VVherein himselfe appeares (I will be plaine)
No foole in print, nor yet a knaue in graine.
A parallel betweene Don Vlysses of Ithaca and Don Coryate of Odcombe.
The Preamble to the Parallel.
If moral Plutarch had done nothing else,Yet should we praise him for his parrallels;
Where hee with euery Greeke doth match a Roman.
I that would be his Ape, can fancy no man,
(Though learned Hackluyt hath set many forth)
Amongst our English, who for wit and worth
May be compared with the Ithacan,
Vnlesse that Brute the braue Odcombian.
What doe you tell me of your Drakes or Candishes?
We neuer were beholding to their standishes.
This man hath manners seene, and men outlandish,
And writ the same: so did not Drake nor Candish.
If Drake be famous because he did wander
About the Seas, Tom may be wel a Gander,
That rauisheth with his harmonious quil
More eares then any Swan on Parnasse-hil.
The Parallel it selfe.
Vlysses
was a merry Greeke they say,
So Tom is, and the Greeker of the tway.
Ulysses left at home an aged Syre,
And Tom an aged mother by the fire.
Ulysses was an Islander I trow,
How then? I pray you is not Coryate so?
Perhaps Vlysses did in wit excel,
Our Coryate though doth of more learning smel.
Ulysses had a ship of no great bulke,
And Coryate went to Calais in a hulke,
Ulysses in the Troyan horse was hid,
The Heidelbergian barrel Tom bestrid.
Good harnesse did Vlysses guarde and grace,
Where Coryate nought had but a fustian case.
Vlysses hardly from his Circe sluncke,
As hardly Tom from his Venetian Punke.
By land Vlysses in a Chariot rode,
And Coryate in a cart, the greater lode.
Vlysses with sterne Aiax had to doe,
With the Dutch Boore so had poore Coryate too,
At home left Vlix store of beasts and chattel,
And Coryate home came guarded with more cattaile.
Vlysses vs'd to drinke the Æthiop wine,
With whitson-ale his cap doth Coryate line.
Iust twenty yeeres Vlysses with his Greekes
Did wander: Coryate iust as many weekes.
Vlysses all that while had but one caruel,
Tom but one paire of shoos, the greater maruel.
Minerua holpe Vlysses at a lift,
And Pacience Coryate, for there was no shift.
Vlysses heard no Syren sing! nor Coryate
The Iew, least his præpuce might prooue excoriate.
Vlysses had a wife to lust vpon,
But Coryate hath a chaster, hauing none,
Ulysses seem'd a beggar all to torne,
So Coryate did; and was, I dare be sworne.
Vlysses in his trauel builded Flushing,
Where Coryate ending, or'e the Sea came brushing.
One Homer onely sung Vlysses praise,
But Coryate all the Poets of our daies.
So Tom is, and the Greeker of the tway.
Ulysses left at home an aged Syre,
And Tom an aged mother by the fire.
Ulysses was an Islander I trow,
How then? I pray you is not Coryate so?
Perhaps Vlysses did in wit excel,
Ulysses had a ship of no great bulke,
And Coryate went to Calais in a hulke,
Ulysses in the Troyan horse was hid,
The Heidelbergian barrel Tom bestrid.
Good harnesse did Vlysses guarde and grace,
Where Coryate nought had but a fustian case.
Vlysses hardly from his Circe sluncke,
As hardly Tom from his Venetian Punke.
By land Vlysses in a Chariot rode,
And Coryate in a cart, the greater lode.
Vlysses with sterne Aiax had to doe,
With the Dutch Boore so had poore Coryate too,
At home left Vlix store of beasts and chattel,
And Coryate home came guarded with more cattaile.
Vlysses vs'd to drinke the Æthiop wine,
With whitson-ale his cap doth Coryate line.
Iust twenty yeeres Vlysses with his Greekes
Did wander: Coryate iust as many weekes.
Vlysses all that while had but one caruel,
Tom but one paire of shoos, the greater maruel.
Minerua holpe Vlysses at a lift,
And Pacience Coryate, for there was no shift.
Vlysses heard no Syren sing! nor Coryate
The Iew, least his præpuce might prooue excoriate.
Vlysses had a wife to lust vpon,
But Coryate hath a chaster, hauing none,
Ulysses seem'd a beggar all to torne,
So Coryate did; and was, I dare be sworne.
Vlysses in his trauel builded Flushing,
Where Coryate ending, or'e the Sea came brushing.
One Homer onely sung Vlysses praise,
But Coryate all the Poets of our daies.
The Epilogue of the Parallel.
Take Reader with a laughing lookeThis Odcome new-come wel-come booke.
In sober sadnesse we shal marre al else.
For Coryate with vs both wil quarel,
And teare himselfe out of his parel.
In each point though they doe not iumpe,
I trust they doe yet in the lumpe.
Nor would I ioyne them head and feete;
Lines parallel doe neuer meete.
Yet one day meete may thou and I,
And laugh with Coryate ere we die.
| Dedicatory poems to the Odcombian banquet | |