The Works of William Fowler :: :: University of Virginia Library

This statelie, brawe, and weill disposed, this gallant, glorious Dame,
that is a naked spreit and peace of earth within the same,
Who sometymes was the Pillar heigh, the fortrest full of store
of Valeur, and of worthines, returned bak with glore
Moist Ioyfullie from these hir wayes, triumphing over hir foe,
that all the world dois with his craft and his desait ourthroe;
And not with other armes or strenght this foe she hes subvert
than with a visage fair and mylde, and with a chaistly hart,
With thoughts most poore, with speache most wyse, with langage most discr[eit],
that ay wer freindis to honestie, with shamefastnes repleit.

A wounder great it wes to sie, a thing bothe strange and rare,
the armes, the bow, the shafts of lowe for to ly brokned thair,
And round about him to aspye sa manie thair lye slane,
with manye captiwed presoners that did in lyfe remane,
This ladie with hir chosen folk bak makking thair retrait
from hir Triumphant victorie marche vnder clothe of stait;
In number few hir people were, this is no strange to heir,
becaus that trew and solide glore is seildome sene appeir;

Yit everie one who wes with hir deserued worthie praise
in historie, in loftye verse, in statelie style and phraise.

At that tyme was thair Enseingȝie, within a feild of grene
ane Ermind whyte depainted was, all lyllie whyte and clene,
Whose nek did beare a Topas chane insert with fynest gold,
To witnes weill that Puritie which they did alwayes hold.
No humane pace nor earthlie stepps thair walking was & trace,
bot hevinlie all, and all thair wordis wer full of hevinlie grace.
O blist be these! weill be these blist! and happie thryse agane
that to suche destine creat be and such good fate sustane!
As Twinkling starris they all appered in midst a Sun of light,
decoring thame evin with these beames which daisled not thair sight;
Thair headis with garlandis wer bedect of reid incarnat rose,
with violes of brawest hewis, and flouers of brawest chose;
And as a noble gentle hart great glorie dois obteane,
so did this Ioyfull cumpanie with Ioy eache fitsteppe trane.

Quhen then I saw, evin suddanelie, a banner borne of blak,
and in the same, of that same hew, a furious woman shak;
Sad, paill, obscure, and sensles shee appeared, alace, to me,
with fureis wrapt and fureis worne at that tyme seamed shee;
The sight heirof so hideous was as skairslye I can tell
gif suche a sight at Phlegia was when that The Giantis fell.
Than did this greiȝelie, ghaislie ghaist addres hir to me dame,
with trotting trace and haistie voyce did call hir by hir name:
“O ladie fair, that so dois go decord with youthe and grace,
and dois not knaw of this thy lyfe the fixed terme and space,
I she am she that importune and Cruell cald by yow,
who ar a people deafe and Blind, and makis all creaturis bow,
Who fearfullye dois all arrest evin be my force and might,
that shortis the day, and haistis before or evening come the night;

I she am she that hes conwoyed the Greikis vnto thair end,
The Troians and the Romans to I haif maid to discend
Within thair dreidfull grawe and tombe be this my fatall brand,
That sheares and slayes, that prikis and cuttis, and killeth owt of hand,
With manye other people moe, both Barbar, gross, and strange,
arryving first before they know thair lyfe for death to change,
Ransakking all thair pansiwe thoughts long ludged in thair mynde,
and brakking doun thair vane conceattis to death they haif declynde.
And now to yow, when yow must list to liwe in lyfe so long,
I do adres my deidlie course with deadlie Dart and strong,
Before dame fortoun with hir wheill in sum vnhappie houer
with luckles happ ourcross your hope, and mixt your sweit with souer.”

Than answered she who was within this world onlye one,
“thow hes not in these cumpaneis no right nor reasoun none;
Thow may in me far less pretend, bot gif that thow wilt haiff,
The onelye spoyle is that thow shalt my corss conwoy to graiff.
Bot thair is one who sall hawe more displeasour be my deathe,
For in my weilfair and my helth depends his lyfe and breathe.
It sall to me most thankfull be from this world to goe,
which is the Port of Miserie, and harbrough for our woe.”
Than as a man who bendis his eyes on vncouthe things & new,
and seing thame more than first he spyeth far vtherwayes ensew,
With wounder is astonished, and than him self dois blame,
so dois this ferse and cruell death with wounder pause for shame;
And as be chance she mused awhyle these words at lenth she spak,
“I know the tyme wherin my teith ar drest to spoyle and sak.”
So afterwart with calmie face, less vglie than before,
she thus began to speik: “o dame, adorned so with glore,

That dois conduct this chaistlye band, yit though thow hes not knowen
my poysned shafts and deidlie dartis which many hes ourthrowen,
if to my counsell at this tyme thow bothe gif trust and eare,
what I enforce is for the best, and so it sall appeare.
Ould, harie, lothesom, crooked age I far from the sall chase,
with all the cairis and fashereis that dois with age recrease;
I am resolwed and purposed now suche honour the to doe,
Sawe the to none was never before such fauour shawin vnto;
Thou shalt exchange thy lyiff for death, thy spreit sal part but feare,
no sorrow thairby sall thow feill, Nor dollour sall the deir.”
This earthlie Sant this spak agane: “evin as it pleass the lord
that standis in heavin to rewll from thence all thingis in gude accord,
Who gowerneth all this vniuerss, and reullis this massiue round,
do he to me and in suche sort as other folkes hes found.”

Thus as she spak: then suddanlie behold the spacious place
was quiklye with deid bodeis filled whom death did so deface;
The number was so hudge and greit as none culd hawe tham pend,
suppose he shuld in prose and verse thame prease to comprehend;
Of India, Cataia, with Marracos, and of Spane,
of all these people wes the midst replenisht with the plane;
The lowest partis and hollow place the multitude vpfilled,
whom death with longer tract of tyme had cruellie so killed.

Thair was these men whom men most cald most happie & most blist,
Triumphant kingis and empreouris, and Popes whose feit men kist,

Who now lyes spoyled of thair Pompe and skant dois plague þair pryd,
and poorer ar then beggaris be who oft for crommes hes cryed.
Now tell me than, whair is thair welth, whear is thair glorie great?
Whair ar thair Gems and pretious stones, and Sceptaris of estait?
Whair ar they now? whair ar they gone? whair ar thair princelie crownis?
whair ar thair forked myters now? whair are thair purple gownis?
O wretched he, and Miser more, that fixis so his trust
on mortall things to which all men that mortall be hawe lust!
But who is he that dois not so? yit they salbe in end
with reasoun iustlye scorned and scuft that to that course did tend.
O blinded folk to toss yow so! what Ioy can yow befall?
vnto your mother ould yow must returne bothe one and all,
And than your titillis and your stylis sall so obscured lye,
that yow sall all forgotten be, none sall yow hawe thairbye.
Than tell me now for what effect do yow youre cair intend,
although one gane for thousand panis do to yow ryse in end;
Who dois not sie [that] all is vane, a folye flatt exprest?
Or what awaillis that be your force suche countreyis be posest
Which ar not yours, and Tributare to mak the strangeris sole,
with dommage of your corpss and soule that for your sinnis sall thole?
Or after perrellous interpryse, bothe bloodye, vane, and wrong,
To purchess land be loss of bloode that dois yow not belong?
Or yit to muk and gather gold, and so your handis defyle?
It better for your soules had bene to liwed with breid this whyle,
And water more had yow beseamed, rough treis, and brittill glass
had more besett than Gems and gould in which your glorie wass.

Bot now will I draw in my saillis and to my purpose Turne,
which is the subiect of my woe that makis me so to murne.

So when I say the houer was come, Alace, that latter houer
of that hir short and glorious lyfe which death did so dewouer,
Wherein she must that doubtfull pace and passage than assey,
whereof the fearfull world standis in dreid and in a fray,
Thair cam a troupe of valerus dames, a band so chaist and fair,
To sie if this fair ladie lewed, or deathe hir lyfe would spair;
About hir bed they gathered thame to mark and vew the end
To which bot ones, bot no more oft, must all inclyne and tend.
As all hir freindis and nighbouris neir hir bewtie did behould,
death rooted wp and did dissolue hir hair as fyne as gould,
So that the choisen fairest flouer that in this world did sprout,
death fouly to the worldis disgrace did rywe and pull it owt,
Nor for to hate nor yit Envye that he to it did beare,
but that in thingis most excellent his pouer might appeare.
Sore sad laments, and sparpled teares, deip sighs, and reuthfull cryes
was thair amongs these wemen all that rave to reuth the skyes.
O what a hart brek was it to see these eyes so fair and bright
for which I manye a Sonet maid to lose thair lucent light!
Betuix sa manye scalding sighs and havie layes of woe,
betuix sa manye shrilling shouts and sobbis in number moe,
That hevinlie Dame, that Ladie fair, did peacelye sit but bruit,
and of hir vertewis deidis did rype the glorious gane & fruit.

“O mortall goddes, go thow hence! in peace dois thow depairt!”
so said the people who wer thair with sad and murnfull hart.
“Quhat sall be cum or yit befall to others, mortall wights,
sen suche a dame hes brunt and fresed, and past in such few nights?”

Thair speache forsuith deserwed praise, bot it not muche awaild
against that death that in hir rage so roughlye hir assaild.
O Trustles hope of humane thingis! O hope bothe blind & vane!
Incerten ar thow in thye course, and so sall ay remane.

If that for pittie of hir death the earth was washt with teares,
as he best knowest who saw it so, so lat him think that heares.
It wes the sex day of Appryle, thairof the Primal houer,
in whiche my fervent flam began be cupids puissant pouer;
And looke what houer she did me in her loyall lowe insnair,
The self same tyme now by hir death renewed hes my cair;
Att that same day that hes me bound the same hes sett me frie,
As fortoun in hir fickill course hir style dois change we sie.

None evir yit did so complane, none ever so bewaild
his fredome lost, or dreidfull death that over him prewaild,
Than I of this my libertie brought by hir loss of lyfe,
whose threid by gretar richt suld bene first cutt by fatall knyfe:
For thow suld first, o death, me kild, my debt by age wes dew,
that formast stood vpoun that front from which hir glorye grew.
Who can beleif my doolefull woe, my dollour, and my cair,
my sadnes, and my loude lamentis, my sorrow, and dispair?
No none thair is Imagine may the greatnes of the same;
how than can I in prose and verse them bouldlye furth proclame?

These ladeis fair that stoode about that ladeis chaistlie bed,
with wofull woe, with murning mone, and cheikis with teares ourspred,

Began to crye, “now, now, alace! Dame vertew is decayid,
fair Beutye now hes lost hir lampe, and courtsie is astrayed.
Woe! woe! alace! who sall ws sawe? what sal be come of ws?
since she is deid what sall we hope, who sall this doubt discus?
Who evir saw in suche a dame suche perfyte proofes of praise?
who evir hard so sweit a speache so full of wit alwayes?
Who evir hard, or yit did sie, though he suld liwe to long,
from suche ane Angell Angellis voyce so Angelic a song?”

Her spreit before it did depairt from bosome of hir rest,
and from that place which to toe short it shortlie had possest,
With all his vertewis and his giftis conioyned vnto one,
did light the air in euerie part, and cleir the heavinis anone;
Nor none of all the furious Spreittis durst than ones vndertak
for to compeir before that dame with visage foule and blak,
Before, alace, that dreidfull death, that dame but blame or fault,
vpone hir chaistlye cumelie corss had finisht his assault.
Bot after they had end thair plaintis and left thair lowde lament,
and by dispair war maid seceur, they had thair eyes all bent
Vpon hir visage meik and myild, and markt hir angellis face,
Most bewtifull, most angelik, and full of hevinlie grace.

Not as a fyre of flamming flame blawen owt by busling blast,
bot as a spark that through hir self consumis and deith last,
And as we sie a sweit cleir light that cummeth to decay,
whose nurishing by peice and pece dois softlye weir away,
And to the end hir ancient vse and custumes keipis eache on,
So to hir fading deing lyfe hir deing day drew on.
And so but pane so dyed my Dame, hir lyfe so past and went,
hir hevinlie soule to hevinlie rest in peace did pairt content.
Not Paill that lowely ladie lay, bot whytar than the snow
which gathered is in flokkis but winde, and dois togeather row;

And as a man through Trawell long and exercise is faint,
in suche a sort my ladie lay when deathe did hir attaint.
Her soule than being parted so, that which maid foolish men
Callis vglie death a plesant Sleip did in hir eyes seme then,
So that that deidlie Monster wyld, that dois all folk disgrace,
did than appeir most bewtifull within my Ladeis face.

Finis .i. cap.