A Courtlie controuersie of Cupids Cautels Conteyning fiue Tragicall Histories, very pithie, pleasant, pitiful, and profitable: Discoursed uppon wyth Argumentes of Loue, by three Gentlemen and two Gentlewomen, entermedled with diuers delicate Sonets and Rithmes, exceeding delightfull to refresh the yrkesomnesse of tedious tyme. Translated out of French as neare as our English phrase will permit, by H. VV. Gentleman [i.e. Henry Wotton] |
 |
A welcome of Peace into Fraunce.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 | A Courtlie controuersie of Cupids Cautels |  |
22
A welcome of Peace into Fraunce.
1
Oh puissant Ioue on high,VVhat pleasaunt Musicke rare,
Dothe fill my senses with delightes
Proceeding from the ayre?
I feele my daselde eies,
By leamings lose their light,
VVhich farre excell the Sunny beames
Or glary morning brighte:
The sounde of straunge Consorts,
Contents my listening eare,
More gallant heauenly harmony
On earth may no man heare.
2
I see out of the cloudes,A Virgin doth decline,
In Sattyn clad, as white as swan
VVith maiestie diuine:
Vpon hir heade she beares,
A garlande like the grasse,
Of Laurell tree, in hewe this Nimph:
Dame beauty doth surpasse:
Hir countenaunce presents
The glorie of the Lorde,
In hand she holdes an Olyue braunche,
The ensigne of Accorde.
3
But as I doe suppose,This Princesse I do know,
VVho nowe forsakes the Heauens aboue,
To visite vs belowe:
Tis Peace, tis euen the same,
VVhome our incessant cries,
By earnest sute hath called downe
23
VVhere she (O noble dame)
Constrained was to flye,
And keepe hir close, to shunne the force
Of VVrath and Tiranny.
4
From whence she did beholdeThe bloudy furious flame,
VVherin all Fraunce consumed is,
To our eternall shame:
Howe Discorde hatched first
The fire of all our feares,
Then viewyng our vnhappie state,
She shed moste bitter teares:
And dyd bewayle our want
Of Peace, exilde by spight,
Lamenting with a heauie heart,
Our sorrowes daye and night.
5
In this our deepe distresse,VVe praide with one consent,
Entreating Faithe to be our friende
To God omnipotent.
He did present our sute,
To Christe the virgins sonne,
The mediatour of mankinde,
By whome our sute was wonne:
VVherein we did beseeche,
Almightie God to cease
His plagues deserued for our sinne,
And graunt to vs his peace.
6
Our prayer being heardeBy him that seeth all,
Presented by his onely sonne,
Didde graunt his grace, and calde
Necessitie in haste,
And did dispatche wyth speede,
From Heauen to Earth the Angell rude,
20
VVhose force and power is suche,
Once being out of bande,
As nothing liuing in the world
Can shunne hys mightie hande.
7
Thou Angell (saide the Lord)Giue eare, this is my minde,
Do thou my will vpon the earth,
As duty doth thee binde:
Goe downe into the worlde,
I giue thee perfecte power,
To apprehende that bloudy VVarre,
VVho doth my flocke deuoure:
Abate his cruell pride,
And see thou cheyne hym well,
Imprison hym in Limbo lake,
Among the fiendes of hell.
8
This chardge pronounced, IoueDid glaunce his eie aside,
And did espie the virgin peace,
VVho waited but hir tyde:
My daughter deare (quoth hee)
That haste thy dwelling place
Among my Saintes and blessed traine,
VVith speede goe shewe thy face,
Vnto the toiled troupes,
That for thy absence mourne,
Plante amitie, and pittie them,
That VVarre hath quite forlorne.
9
The Angell and the Maide,No sooner knewe the will
Of Ioue, but downe they driue amaine,
His pleasure to fulfill,
Like as the Arrowe shotte
Out of a mightie bowe,
21
Themselues more swiftly throwe:
Auoide you souldiers nowe,
Oure comforte is in place,
Nowe Murther, Theft, and Treason hide
Your shamelesse cruell face.
10
Oure happy dayes approche,Oure ioy shall nowe abounde,
And peace shall giue vs precious oyle
To heale oure mortall wounde:
She bringeth Charitie,
VVith Concorde, Faith, and Loue,
Companions sente for oure reliefe
From mightie Ioue aboue:
VVith garlandes crowned all
Of moste immortall fame,
Giue laude therfore with one accorde
To hys eternall name.
11
Delay no tyme (oh Fraunce)Be gladde and now reioice,
Praise him on high, that hath giuen eare,
To thy lamenting voice:
Let vs (O people) kneele
Before the Lorde of might,
And humbly thanke him, sith we finde
Suche fauour in his sight,
As pleaseth him to sende
These Nimphes of heauenly race,
To ease our griefe, release our woe,
And all our foes deface.
12
Peace hated of the ill,Of God the darling deare,
VVe celebrate thy name (O Peace)
In Fraunce with mery cheare:
Thy Altar will we builde,
18
To thee, of Furie and Disdayne,
VVhiche thou doste from vs take.
By Heraulds shall thy praise
Be blasde in riche aray,
And Trumpets shall thy fame resounde,
VVhich neuer shall decay.
13
Our weale do the ryse by thee,For thou by thy puissance,
Compellest Fraunce to knowe hir king,
And hym to knowe his Fraunce:
By thee, the Henries three,
To pleasure chaunge their rage,
And doth allie their loue anew
Vnto their parentage.
All bloudy combates cease,
All malice doth assuage.
Triumphes approche to beautifie
A noble mariage.
14
All garnisons departeOur Cities by thy stroke,
VVho didde oppresse our Citizen,
By force of seruile yoke.
Our fieldes are cleere by thee,
From all the wicked traine,
That haue destroyde our country wealth,
And all oure tillmen slaine:
VVho to excuse the crime,
VVherein they dayly sinne,
Alleage the deede that they haue done,
Theyr leaders did beginne.
15
By thee the aged man,Shall see his faithfull wyfe,
To whome with teares she will vnfolde
Hir wearye passed lyfe,
And tell what care of mynde
19
VVhat feare and sorrow day and night
For hym she did endure.
In recompence of paine,
The hoarie headed sire,
Renues with looke their auncient ioyes,
Reuiued by desire.
16
By thee the Virgins walkeThe Gardens of delyght,
Conducted by their louyng makes,
In place of open syght:
They trace the pleasant groues,
And gather floures sweete,
They do appoynte the secrete place
Of loue where they muste meete,
And sure guages giuen,
To keepe the tyme is sette,
VVhere wished wedlocke trappeth them
VVithin hir ioyfull nette.
17
By thee dame Iustice shallHir ballance beame redresse,
To yelde the wicked their deserte,
And aide the comfortlesse.
By thee the holy Churche,
Shall praye bothe day and nighte,
And preache the God of heauen to bee
The king of powre and might.
The merchaunt shall by thee
Applye his Traffike so,
As Tauernes shall not him compell
His profyte to foreslowe,
18
By thee the pesant poore,VVith trauayle shall begin
To sowe, to plante, and till the lande,
That long hath barreyn bin,
24
Shall stande hym nowe in steede
Vppon a poll to fraye the birdes,
That doe destroye his seede:
His Morion of defence
He vsed for his hatte,
Shal serue his wife to put in corne
To make his pulleyn fatte.
19
Thou Peace the springing wellOf euery happy thing,
I can not speake, ne yet conceale
The goodnesse thou dost bring:
Thou doest reioyce our hearts
VVith presence of thy syght,
More than the risyng of the Sunne
Doth ioye eche earthly wight.
VVhose golden glittring beames
Dothe chase and put to flighte
Dame Sadnesse, Feare, and Drowsinesse,
The daughters of the nyght.
20
Thy merrie moode, oh Peace,Doth cause eche thing to growe,
VVhose fruite once yelded, thou agayne
The same doste ouerthrowe:
Thou doste appease the rage
And storme on seas and lande,
To mitigate the furious force
Of heauen, is in thy hande:
All seasons, tymes and tydes
In thee accord by kynde,
The hydeous tempeste in the ende,
By Peace a calme dothe fynde.
21
Thou makest euery birdIn tyme to buylde their nest,
Thou dost ordeyne in craggye rockes
A denne for euery beast.
17
By thee their force appease,
By thee the Gallies rowe with ores,
Amid the rolling Seas:
In fine, eche gifte of grace
Proceeding from aboue,
Like hony dewe is powrd on vs
By concorde, peace, and loue.
22
Oh blessed lucky houre,O happy wished daye,
VVherein dissention and despight,
By peace are chasde awaye:
Goe harbour with the Turke,
VVho pufte with pride doth swell,
Or packe you to your auncient denne
VVith Pluto god of hell.
If you on earth will bide
To Persia hye with speede,
Or Cacebas, whose enuious mindes
Your cankerd counsell neede.
23
The realme of Fraunc hathe sworneThat peace shall be their stay,
To whome their hand and harts be giuen
For euer to obey:
And haue decreed all,
That who so breakes his vowe
In lewe of his disloyaltie,
Shall hang vpon a bough.
And he that seemes to lodge
Ambition in his minde,
The same rewarde, that Amon had,
For his deserte shall finde.
24
If any wretche there be,That dare presume to stande
26
VVith force of armed hande.
VVe feruently beseeche
The thundring God of myght,
That all the plagues of heauen and earth
Vppon the wretche maye lyght,
That furye freate his gall,
His payne may neuer cease,
Ne fynde no friende in his distresse,
That may his woe release.
| A Courtlie controuersie of Cupids Cautels | |