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The Forrest of Fancy

Wherein is conteined very prety Apothegmes, and pleasaunt histories, both in meeter and prose, Songes, Sonets, Epigrams and Epistles, of diuerse matter and in diuerse manner. With sundry other deuices, no lesse pithye then pleasaunt and profytable [by H. C.]

Constable, Henry (1562-1613)

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The Booke speaketh to the Buyers.

The Authour to the Reader.

R. W. to the Reader, in the Authours behalfe.

The Forrest of Fancy.

[Thy cruell dealing hath procurde]

A warning to yong men to flye the flattery, and shun the deceiptes of dissembling dames.

A plaine description of perfecte friendship.

An Inuectiue against couetous persons.

Of fayned friendship.

The commodities of Mariage.

Of the wickednesse of women and howe prone they are to the procatious of the flesh.

What small trust there is to be reposed in friendes or kinsfolkes.

A Letter written by a yong maiden to a Louer of hers, wherein she detecteth the trechery of many men, and their great dissimulation.

A yong man enamoured of a very fayre Gentlewoman, declareth the dollorous passions that he suffereth for her sake, and craueth mercy at her handes.

Certaine Verses written in commendation of the Nut cornell.

A Louer whose friend for his sake was frowardlye delte withal, writeth vnto her, to perswade her with pacience, to suffer it for a season.

An admonition to Maisters, how they should behaue themselues towardes their seruauntes.

A yong man finding her to whome he had plighted promise, to be fraught with another mans fruicte, wrighteth vnto her as followeth.

A pretty fancy of the fynding of a Whyte, wherein is collourablely included the course of a Captiue Louer, in purchasing his desyred purpose.

How Altamenes hauing vnwares slaine his owne Father Cartareus died for sorrow, when he had knowledge thereof.

The Authour writeth this in commendation of his mistresse.

An Exhortation to Pacience.

The Aucthour wrighting to a friend of his, that was toward mariage, exhorteth her to make choyse of a wyse and verteous person.

Of the great patience and clemency of King Antigonus.

What misery and misfortunes mankinde is continually subiecte vnto.

A louer hauing long concealed his loue, at the last reuealeth it and craueth grace at the handes of his beloued mistresse.

Certaine verses written in commendation of the Rose.

Of a Souldyer who for couitousnesse of a little money, lost his owne lyfe.

The complaint of one Sidaspo, who was imflamed with loue through the bewty of his seruaunt Aletha.

A Letter which the said Sidaspo sente to his seruaunt Aletha.

The abiect Louer complaineth of the crueltye and disdainefull lookes of his Lady.

A commendation of the Cock.

A commendacion of the Robin redde brest.

The long acquainted Louer writeth to his beloued, whose grace he desyred.

Of one Vrbina a Virgin vestall, taken in adulterye.

Of one Cianippus, who in his dronkennesse deflowred his owne daughter ciane.

Of one Ceselius Bassus a Carthagenian, who deceiued the Emperour Nero.

The tragedy of Meliager, sonne to Oeneus King of Calcedonia.

Lenuoy.

A yong Gentlewoman wrighteth this for aunswere to a Gentlemans Letter, that craued her loue and exhorteth her to keepe promise with him, wherein excusing her selfe, by her ouer yong yeres, and his vnhabillitye; she prayeth him to cease of his sute.

The lamentable complaint of a louer, who notwithstanding his diuerse daungerous trauailes, and continual sorrow sustained coulde fynd no fauor at al at her hands that was the causer of his callamity but cruell contemt, to counteruayle his curtesy.

How foolish women are in the choyse of their Louers.

Varinus hauing found in the night time that which plesed his fancy he commendeth it much, and craueth to be accepted for her seruant whom he intyrely loued.

The great loue that Itafernes wyfe bare to her brother.

The straunge pangs of a pore passionate Louer.

Of the thankefulnesse of a Dragon towardes a man that had brought him vp.

R. D. Being inflamed with the loue of a very bewtifull Gentlewoman, by a sodaine view that he tooke of her, doth colourably declare his case vnto her.

An aunswere to a Letter that was not onely darke, but also so disordered, as their could no sence be perceiued in it.

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The complaint of one Sidaspo, who was imflamed with loue through the bewty of his seruaunt Aletha.

O lothsome lyfe, oh frowning fate,
Oh Fortune most vnkinde,
Oh death come pierce my painefull brest,
to ease my troubled minde.
Oh loue, nay lust, oh fonde desyre,
oh cursed blinded boye,
What meanst thou thus to worke my wo,
and breede my great annoy,
I burne alas continually,
in such excessiue heate,
That nothing may therewith compare,
it semes to me so great,
More hote it is a thousand times,
then Lothsome Limbo lake,
Or Ætna hill, whose flashing flames,
no thing hath power to slake,
And yet some time more cold than yce,
I am pore wretch againe,
Then by and by aboundantly.
the raging herte doth raine,
Whereas I was a mayster late,
and had ech thing at will,
Now must I serue as seruill slaue,
to please my seruaunt still,
What remedy, it boteth not
for me at all to striue,
Against the mighty power of loue,
or any man aliue,
The Prince for all his Princely power,
cannot his force withstand.

The valyauntest wight that euer liude,
durst not hold vp his hand,
Against Cupido for to striue,
or combat for to make,
The wisest can not shun his wiles,
he causeth all to quake,
Yea euen the Gods themselues I fynde,
doe rest at Cupids grace,
And be but Subiectes vnto him,
in euery kinde of case,
Then how should I a mortall man,
deuise to shunne the same,
How dare I once resist the wight
that euery thing can tame,
Aletha oh my darling deare,
thou thou a lone art she,
Which so hast laid thy snares abroade
for to intangle me.
Thou art the dame that I desyre,
to serue and honour still,
Thou art the iewell of my ioy,
thou maist me saue or spill,
But stay: what wordes be these I speake,
shall I become a slaue,
And bondman to my seruaunt so,
her fauour shall I craue,
That should by reason still remaine,
at my desyre and will,
To doe the thing that I commaund,
though it be good or ill.
No no I rather fyrst will choose,
vnto the naked knyfe
My throte to yield, that so I might,
bereaue my lothsome lyfe,
What if I should attempt the same,
what if I should requyre,

The same of her, I am not sure,
to purchase my desyre,
But why doe I misdoubt the same,
before I haue it tryde,
Why he that loueth feruently,
feares not to be denyde,
Why should I any daungers dread,
to winne so fayre a dame,
Well hoping for to gaine some grace,
my letters will I frame.
In dolefull wyse vnto my deare,
whose splendent bewty rare,
Hath so inflamde my hart with loue,
and cloyde my mynde with care,