University of Virginia Library

Vertves Encomivm. Or, The Image of Honour.

TO THE MOST noble Ladie, the Ladie Honoria Hay, wife to the right honourable the Lord Hay, sole daughter and heire to the right honourable the Lord Dennie.

Though (noble Ladie) in your Honors prayse,
Beneath the shadow of your fauours wing
A sweet Siluester Nightingale doth sing:
The graceful musick, of whose heauenly laies,
From times bests wits, now beares away the baies.
Yet (Beauties best) since meanest birds, ech Spring,
To choisest cares some pleasing sounds do bring;
Vouchsafe to heare my Muse in her Essayes.
Where vrg'd by hope, thogh yet not free frō doubt
That once her sisters teares did fauour find,
Your Honours image heere doth portrait out,
As th' humble pledge of my true thankfull mind.
If that did erre, I hope in this alone;
Since Honours chiefe, this image is your owne.

Epig. I.

Vertues, wits, beauties, riches perfect Honour)
Though my meeke Muse to weake to take vpon her
Vertues Encomium, t' Epigrams confin'd;
Yet being bound to honour women kind,
And quit her selfe of late imputed blame,
Doth neere presume to vse your Honours name,
That women-hating madmen, that of late
Haue lost their wits; yet still retaine their hate,
By looking on you image, may restore
Then little wits and so be mad no more.

Epig. II. Apoll.

Honour is masculine Gramarians say,
Nor by a woman pourtrait heere I may
Honours true image yet the vertues all
Are feminine and Honour needs must fall
If vertue failes 'tis vertues cheife reward;
Then women in this fæminine regard,
Since all the vertues doe attend vpon her,
I heere present, for th' image of true Honour.

Epig. III. In templum Honoris.

Vpon a hill, whose height doth reach the starres,
Honour hath rais'd her phane: true vertue barres
The passage to the same, whose Temple stands
In the mid-way. Without industrious hands,
Things great and glorious no man may attaine.
He that wil clime this hil to Honours phane,
First, like the mysterie-supporting asse,
Through vertues temple must with patience passe.

Epig. IIII. In habitum Honoris.

Times Swan-white wings illustrate Honour weares,
With which frō earth she mounts vnto the Spheares:
Truths azure robes are her immortall weeds,
Painted with Fames bright star-made glorious deeds,
They then that Honour seeke by deeds of fame,
Through time and truth must first attempt the same.

Epig. V. In Caput.

A crowne of Roses pluckt by her owne hand
From Fames faire tree, vpon her head doth stand
Whose amber tresses flowing downe thereby,
Seeme golden ensignes of Eternitie.
He then that gets a tramell of that heare,
Or Rose, for pledge of Honours grace to weare,
The gallant is, whom Fame shall eternize.
For Honours gifts are glorious in all eyes.

Epig. VI. In frontem.

Vpon that Christall table of delight
The Iuorie front, Faith seemes in open sight
To sit in triumph with each heauenly grace,
Nere maskt, or hid beneath an other face:
And as the louely fronts rare formed feature
Most beautifies that angel-like faire creature:
So constant Faith more graces fame-grac'd Honour,
Then all the graces heauen bestowes vpon her.

Epig. VII. In oculos.

The two star-twinckling twins, those lampes of light
The bodies sentinels, so quick of sight
Beneath her Christal brow, hopes windowes are,
Out of the which when danger and despaire
Doe threaten mischiefe, hope lookes vp at heauen,
From whence for her deare sake all power is giuen,
When sad dispaire doth fill the heart with feares
In Honours eye, Hope most of all appeares;

Epig. VIII. In Buccas.

Vpon the cheekes, on which, as on a bed,
Of snow-white l illies Roses haue beene shed,
Sits, Charitie and with the sweet delight
Of cheareful lookes, that feed the gazers sight,
Where milke commixt with wine doth seeme to flow,
Her bounteous gifts doth chearefully bestow;
Not dead but liuing Charitie, that giues
With chearful count'nance honour'd euer liues.

Epig. IX. In labra.

The red-soft-silken lips, those leaues of Rose,
Are the two doores of Corrall, that inclose
The closet vp, where prudence day and night
Doth worke vpon the honie of delight,
The which the Muses thither bring with paine,
And after poores it through those lips againe,
For Prudence selfe, her selfe doth honour'd proue,
When as those lips be stil, or else doe moue.

Epig. X. In dentes.

The teeth, those two euen rankes of pearle do seeme
To be the place, which Iustice doth esteeme,
Who querne-like grinding not for their owne food,
So much as for the bodies common good,
Doe daily worke and though they daily weare,
Yet in the publike cause doe not forbeare,
True iustice heere on earth most Honour gaines,
When most for common good it suffers paines.

Epig. XI. In collum.

The neck, more white then snow on mountaine tops,
As Fortitudes faire columne vnderprops
Her Globe-like head; which though but smal in sight,
With Maiestie still stately stands vpright;
If it doe bow, 'tis but to grace the frame
Which it supports: it neuer failes the same.
Honour true Fortitude then most esteemes,
When Fortitude is more, then what it seemes.

Epig. XII. In mamillas.

Those twin-like pretie buds of crimson Rose,
The daintie pappes, you may compare to those
Two springs of Temperance; which a little sweld,
The milke of goodnesse moderately doe yeild
To nurse the vertues: powring out no more
Then will suffice, yet euer yeilding store.
This part of Honour Temperance doth chuse:
Amidst her store the golden meane to vse.

Epig. XIII. In Pectus.

The snow-white brest where vertue keeps the treasure
Of golden thoughts, the garden is of pleasure,
In which the flower of Chastitie doth sprout;
Whose spreading leaues Honour laps vp from doubt
Of bitter blasts, and keepes them curiously
From scorching of the Sunnes loue-burning eye.
Pure Chastities faire flower which doth grow
In Honours bosome, makes the goodliest show.

Epig. XIIII. In gremium.

The red-cheekt daughter of the blushing morne,
Sweet modestie, of all the World forlorne,
On Honours lap nurst vp in safetie lies,
With vnknowne graces hid from sight of spies:
I thinke, except in Honours selfe alone,
Modestie's more imagined then knowne.

Epig. XV. In Manus.

Those Lille hands, when they with curious cunning
Doe touch the Lute or Viol with swift running,
Concord so sweetly, that to heare such sounds,
Windes would be stil and Seas would keep their bounds:
And those fiue Champion brethren, that doe stand
As arm'd with Iuorie helmes on either hand,
To guard the bodie safe doe all agree,
When any harmes by foes intended be.
Concord in peace, a Musick is therefore;
In war a safetie honour'd euermore.

Epig. XVI. In Crura.

Patience of all the vertues and the Arts
Is the maine prop. And as those daintie parts
The neat-proportioned pillers, that doe beare
The bodie with quick motions heere and there,
For comely shape, are the most gracefull limmes:
So gentle patience all the vertues dimmes.
Cheife glorie by true patience Honour gaines:
Patience alone the vertues all sustaines.

Epig. XVII. In Pedes.

Low at the feet Humilitie doth rest;
Yet is a vertue equall to the best.
As the feetes feature, those two pretie bases,
That glorious creature woman no lesse graces,
Then any part of all that goodly frame,
Nor lesse doth please the eye that sees the same:
So her Humilitie, which heere I place,
Lowest of all with heauen's in highest grace.

Epig. XVIII.

He that shall aske, what reason I can shew
Why vertue should be Fœminine, may know,
The faire Pandora, vnto whom was giuen
Each seu'rall vertue by the Gods of heauen,
A woman was: who askes, what Honour is,
An Angel vpon earth and not amisse
Let him suppose; else Honour let him take,
For that Pandora, which the Gods did make.

VERTVES ENCOMIVM.

Epig. XIX.

Good , gracious, vertuous, all I can picke forth,
Are needlesse attributes t'explaine your worth.
For (Nole Ladie) your owne proper name
Vniuocally doth expresse the same.
Deigne then, that I your Charitie may place
Among'st these few of vertues honour'd race:
And though I heere, vnfitly in rude rimes,
Present to you the labour of lost times;
Yet at the least these children looke vpon,
The naked Graces, sure they be your own.
This, Ladie, please to know, that they be three,
And of true Charitie the children be.

Epig. XX. In Aglaiam.

As faire Aglaia is the first in birth,
So is she first in bountie; and from mirth
Or true delight deriues her name: which shewes,
That what she giues, she chearefully bestowes.
Naked she is, that we by her may see
True benefits without imposture bee:
Bathing in th' Acidalian spring she sayes,
Who giues, must giue for no reward or praise.
Who these three properties conceiues, must yeild
Aglaia to be Charities own child.

Epig. XXI. In Thaliam.

Thalia is the next, a noble Grace,
Belou'd of God and man, and takes her place
At Bounties shrine, there offering thankes and prayse.
For hiting grosse ingratitude, she sayes,
From euer-flourishing, I take my name,
That gifts in mind receiu'd, may, as the same,
Be euer greene; for vnto Charitie
Ingratitude is cheifest enimie.
Therefore this name Thalia she did giue,
The second Grace, that grace might euer liue.

Epig. XXII. In Euphrosynem.

Evphrosyne is, though the last of three,
A Grace not least belou'd of Charitie,
She's her delight. Euphrosyne therefore
Shee calles her name: and as the first before
Giues chearfully, the second thankfull takes,
This third a double restitution makes.
Since then these three true Charitie explaine,
To giue, to take, and to restore againe;
The Graces t'all from Charitie say this,
Giue, take, restore, and neuer doe amisse.

Epig. XXIII.

Since Beauties faire strikes blind the eyes of those,
That vnto beautie are but seeming foes:
Since Vertue doth conuince them being blind,
That are but seeming foes to women kind:
(Mirrour of beautie and of vertue both,)
My humble Muse vnknowne, and therefore loth
T'attempt your name, yet knowing well your worth,
Meekly craues leave, that she may portrait forth
Your beautie and your vertue; not to flatter,
But to oppose't against our woman hater.
For not so much your owne worth, as in you
The worth of women, I present to veiw:
In whose defence your name shall stand in sight,
Like Beauties pearle or Vertues Margarite.
Which to behold, please to reflect your eye
Vpon these three, Vnus, Vnam, Vni.

Epig. XXIIII. Vnus.

One more then excellent, we know, did make
One woman excellent, whom we may take
To be the Margarite; and gaue that woman
The same which with the Margarite is common:
Beautie he gaue to her. The Margarite:
Excels all other things, for Christall bright:
He gaue the woman vertue to sustaine
That Beautie giuen. Such vertue doth remaine
In this faire pearle or Margarite, that none
'Mongst gems most precious of more worth is knowne.
For which 'gainst enuie, in all womens right,
We may present the precious, Margarite.

Epig. XXV. Vnam.

One woman made was giu'n to one man,
Which in the Margarite wise nature can,
And doth expresse. The woman men doe honour,
For those chast thoughts which doe attend vpon her
Affecting only one. The Margarite
Doth neuer prosper being indiscrete,
Or separated by it selfe alone:
Which caus'd the Romans call it Vnion.
For which 'gainst enuie heere in womans right,
We may present the precious Margarite.

Epig. XXVI. Vni.

To one alone one woman thus was giuen,
That man might take it, as a gift from heauen:
And keep it euer with such care and loue,
That from it nothing should his heart remoue.
The precious Margarite all men doe couet,
And hauing gain'd it, doe so dearely loue it,
No Coffer, Cabinet, can be so strong,
As they doe thinke to keepe it safe from wrong,
With men therefore let women haue this right,
That euery one may be a Margarite.

Epig. XXVII.

True perfect image of that ancient worth
Deriu'd from parents at your happie birth
Yet grac'd in mind with heauens more faire perfection:
Grant that my Muse, who vnder your protection
Englands Eliza once did safely sing,
May in the ranke of honor'd women bring
Your worthie selfe, that of your Vertues Cleare
To women-hating want-wits may appeare.
So, noble Ladie, shall my Muse goe free
From enuies touch: for men in you shall see
What some men say is wanting in your kind,
In your faire Clere such worth shall all men find,

Epig. XXVIII.

If't be a vertue, speaking vertues prayse,
The sleeping vertues of the dead to raise,
(Vertues deadliuing mirror) leaue I craue
To ope the entrance to thy honor'd graue.
Cleros his name was giuen at his birth;
For liuing, he was vertues heire on earth.
Cleros his name to him still dead is giuen;
For heere though dead, he liues an heire in Heauen.
On earth his vertue's cleere from enuies blame:
In heauen he shines a starre Clere as his name.

Epig. XXIX.

VVits second vnto none, worthes excellence
My pen oblig'd by that due reuerence
I owe to you, craues leaue by you to show.
What honour to your sex all men doe owe
The sparkling gem, whose worth all men esteeme,
The precious Pearle, which all men rich doe deome,
The dazie which men call the dayes delight,
All three the Romans title Margarite.
Much worth is in the gem, that beares that name,
More worth in you that double beare the same:
Rich is that pearle; but Rich is more your due:
Faire is that flowre, but farre more faire are you:
This may susfice, who seekes, in you shall find,
All faire, Rich, Worth, in bodie name and mind.

Epig. XXX.

VVorthes chiefe is dead, since worthie he is gone,
Who of that name most worthie was alone;
(Yee poore and hungrie all) his graue goe find,
That holds the bodie of so faire a mind.
There sit yee downe and sigh for bountie dead:
Bountie with that braue Knight to Heauen is fled:
Where since he came, heauen as it doth appeare,
Wanting a starre to set by bounteous Clere;
In Wroth did place the O before the R,
And made it Worth, which since is made a star.

Epig, XXXI.

Earthes fairest figures of the Saints in Heauen,
T'whose angel-like rare beauties powre is giuen,
Their healthes to dying men for to restore,
And strike them dead, that had their healthes before:
Giue life vnto these lines, with gracious view,
Where though your Honours prayses want their due;
Yet Honours image your ensample be,
And euermore be honoured of me.
My Muse for vertue women shall adore:
A modest Epigram can say no more.