An Alarum against Usurers Containing tryed experiences against worldly abuses. Wherein gentlemen may finde good counsells to confirme them, and pleasant histories to delight them: and euery thing so interlaced with variety; as the curious may be satisfied with rarenesse, and the curteous with pleasure. Heere unto are annexed the delectable historie of Forbonius and Prisceria: with the lamentable complaint of truth [etc.] [by Thomas Lodge] |
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THE DELECTABLE Historie of Forbonius and Prisceria. |
 | An Alarum against Usurers |  |
21
THE DELECTABLE Historie of Forbonius and Prisceria.
22
The Turtle pleased with his she compeare,
With sweet aspects, and many a turning lure,
Describes the zeale in tearmes should well appeare,
If nature were so gratious to assure
The silly bird with speech as well as I:
Who stopt of speech by turnes my woes descrie.
With sweet aspects, and many a turning lure,
Describes the zeale in tearmes should well appeare,
If nature were so gratious to assure
The silly bird with speech as well as I:
Who stopt of speech by turnes my woes descrie.
And though perhaps my tearmes by distance be,
Seaioynd from thee: I wis my mournfull mone,
Doth pearce thine eares, and Eccho tells for me,
In sowre reports: would she and I were one.
For whom I liue, and whom I onely loue,
Whose sweet aspects my dying fancies moue.
Seaioynd from thee: I wis my mournfull mone,
Doth pearce thine eares, and Eccho tells for me,
In sowre reports: would she and I were one.
Whose sweet aspects my dying fancies moue.
And if the aire by yeelding calme consent.
Make sweet Prisceria priuie to my suite,
Vouchsafe deere sweet, that beautie may relent,
And graunt him grace, whom distance maketh mute:
So either hope shall make me climbe the skie,
Or rude repulse enforce my fancies flie.
Make sweet Prisceria priuie to my suite,
Vouchsafe deere sweet, that beautie may relent,
And graunt him grace, whom distance maketh mute:
So either hope shall make me climbe the skie,
Or rude repulse enforce my fancies flie.
[29]
Amidst
these Mountaines on a time did dwell,
A louely shepheard who did beare the bell.
For sweete reports and many louing layes:
Whom while he fed his flocke in desart wayes,
A netheards daughter deckt with louely white,
Behelde and loude the lasse Corinna hight.
Him sought she oft with many a sweete regard,
With sundrie tokens she her sutes preferd,
Her care to keepe his feeding flocke from stray,
Whilst carelesse he amidst the lawnes did play.
Her sweete regards she spent vpon his face,
Her Countrie cates she sent to gaine his grace,
Her garlands gaie to decke his temples faire,
Her doubled sighs bestowd on gliding aire,
Her pleasant kisse where she might steale a touch,
Corinnas zeales to Corulus was such.
He wanton shepheard glorying in her sute,
These signes of zeale to folly did impute:
Not waying of her many louing sightes,
Her watrie eyes, her secret moane by nights:
Her carelesse comfort in her fruitfull ewes,
Her monefull Aeglogs full of carefull shewes,
But scorning that, (which might that Godhead moue,
Who in a shepheards forme, for Ioues behoue,
Did charme the watchman of the heifer faire,
For whose behoofe the thunder left the aire.)
He left the place where she did loue to bide,
And draue his flocke another way beside.
Whose dire disdaine (the God that kindles loue,
And makes impressions straungly from aboue
Misliking) strake with fancie at that stower,
The silly shepheard wounded by his power.
Now sought for that which he tofore did shun,
And now the heat of fancie first begun,
To straine a yeelding in his restlesse minde:
Such are the wounds that passe from fancie blinde,
That Corulus will now Corinna wee,
Though earst he loathd and scorned so to dooe.
Now she that sought with many a sweete aspect,
Is sude to now by him that did neglect.
Now bountifull is sweete Corinnas grace,
Now like the Sunne in welkin shines her face,
Her eyes like Gemini attend on loue,
Her stately front was figured from aboue,
Her daintie nose of Iuorie faire and sheene,
Bepurfurate with ruddie roses beene.
Her cherie lips doth daunt the morning hiew,
From whence a breath so pleasant did insew,
As that which laide faire Psiches in the vayle,
Whome Cupide woode and woed to his auayle.
Within the compasse of which hollowe sweete,
Those orient ranks of siluer pearles doe meete,
Prefiring lyke perfection to the eie,
As siluer colde amidst the summers skie:
For whence such wordes in wisdome couched be,
As Gods from thence fetch their Philosophie:
Her dimpled chin of Alablaster white,
Her stately necke where nature did acquite
Her selfe so well, as that at sodaine sight,
She wisht the worke were spent vpon her selfe,
Her cunning thus was showde vpon the shelfe:
For in this pile was fancie painted faire,
In either hand an asure pipe she bare:
By one repeating many a sweete consent,
By other comfort to the heart she sent.
From which a seemely passage there doth show,
To strangers pleasures that are plast alow,
Like to the forrowe Phaeton did leue,
Amidst the welkin when he did receiue,
His Fathers charge, and set the world on fire:
In this faire path oft paced sweete desire,
At euerie turne beholding with delight,
That Marble mount that did affect the sight.
Of virgins waxe the sweet impression was,
The cunning compasse thereof did surpasse,
For art concluding all perfections there,
Wrote this report, All graces bideth here.
Which Cupide spying built his mansion so,
As scorning those swæte graces to bestoe
On mortall man, with bowe ibent doth waite,
Least Ioue should steale impressions by deceit.
And wondring at the crisped coment faire,
In thought concludes it meeter for the aire
Then mortall mould: next which the stately thies,
Like two faire compast marble pillers rise,
Whose white dooth staine the daintie driuen snow:
Next which the knees with lustie bent below
Conioynd with nerues and cords of Amber sweete,
This stately pyles with gladsome honour greete,
Such stately knees as when they bend a lite,
All knees doo bend and boow with strange delyght.
Her calues with stranger compasse doo succeed,
In which the asures streames a wonder breede,
Both art and nature therein laboured haue,
To paint perfection in her coulours braue,
Next which, the pretie ground worke of the pile,
Doth shew it selfe and wonder doth beguile,
The ioyntes whereof combind of Amber sweete,
With corall cords, yeeld bent to seemely feete.
From which, whose lift to lift his gasing eye,
Shall greater cause of wonder soone espie.
When on the backe he bends his wauering looke,
In which the worke and taske Diana tooke,
When with Arachne for the prise she straue,
Both art and nature there excelled haue.
Where from Pigmalions image seemely white,
Where close conueiaunce passing Gordians plight,
Where louely Nectar drinke for all the Gods,
Where euerie grace is stained there by ods.
Will not content with gasing looke for more,
And spie those armes that stand his sight before,
Which for their mould the Aegyptian wonders passe,
Which for their beautie staine the Christall glasse,
Which in their motion maister natures sweete,
Where blushing streames present a secrets meete,
Will now amazde, conclude at last of this,
That in the hands all grace concluded is.
Where Nature limits euer fatall time,
Where Fortune figures pleasure in her prime,
Whence spred those fingers tipt with Iuorie,
Whose touch Medusas turne may well supplie,
Where to conclude as now the shepheard deemes
All grace all beautie, all perfections seemes.
Thus Corulus with many secret thoughts,
Diuines on her whom erst he set at naughts:
And forst by scorch of inward shrowded fire,
He seekes for her his fancie did require.
Who fraught with woes in secret shrewdes renude,
Her silent griefe vnsure of that insude.
Her Corulus with warie search at last
At sodaine found: and as a man agast
At that he saw, drew backe with feare, and than
Remembring of his woes his sute began:
O sweete Corinna blessed be the soyle
That yeelds thee rest amidst thy dayly toyle,
And happie ground whereon thou satest so:
Blest be thy flocke, which in these lawnes doo go,
And happie I, but hauing leaue to looke:
Which said, with feare he pawsd, and bloud forsooke
His palie face, till she that wrought the fire,
Restorde the red, and kindled sweete desire.
And with a bashfull looke beholding him,
Which many months her pleasant foe had bin:
She cast her armes about his drooping necke,
And with her daintie fingers dawde him vp.
And kissing of his palie coloured face,
(Like as the Gods) by touch did soone displace
The sowre, that alterd the poore shepheards sweete,
When thus she gan her Corulus to greete:
O louely shepheard happie be the hower,
In which (I know not by what secret power)
The Gods haue sent thee hether to thy frend,
Alas what griefe should Corulus offend?
Whom fairest Nimph might well a liking lend.
Thy grasing Ewes with vdders full of milke,
With fruitfull sleece and wooll as softe as silke,
Take glory in the fatnesse of this soyle
And praise theyr Mastres care and busie toyle:
And now accuse thee of thy drooping mone,
Tis but enough for me to wayle alone
For why Corinna onely haplesse is.
Poore Corulus at last reuiude by this,
Gan sighing silence now to interrupt
And banish feare which did his hope corrupt.
And thus he said: O Nimph of beauties traine,
The onely cause and easer of my paine:
Tis not the want of any worldly ioy,
Nor fruitlesse breed of Lambes procures my noy,
Ne sigh I thus for any such mishap:
For these vaine goods I lull in fortunes lap.
But other greefes and greater cause of care,
As now Corinna my tormenters are.
Thy beautie Goddesse is the onely good,
Thy beautie makes mine eyes to streame a flood,
Thy beautie breakes my woonted pleasant sleepe,
Thy beautie causeth Corulus to weepe:
For other ioyes they now but shadowes be,
No ioye but sweete Corinnas loue for me.
Whereon I now beseech thee, by that white
Which staines the lilly, and affects my sight,
By those faire locks whereas the graces rest,
By those sweete eyes whereas all pleasures nest:
Doo yeelde me loue, or leaue me for to die.
Corinna studious for to yeeld reply,
With many teares bedewd the shepheards face,
And thus at last she spake: O happie place.
The which the Gods appoynted for my good.
What blessed Nimph within this sacred wood
Hath pleaded poore Corinnas lawfull cause?
Or be they dreames that now my fancie drawes?
O Corulus ne readst thou sue to me,
Nor spend the teares for to accepted be,
Since long ere this I would haue bent to bow,
If modest feare could well haue taught me how.
In happie bonds of Himen I am thine:
Ne plead thou grace to her that dooth incline.
Thus with a kisse she sealed vp the deed:
When as the shepheard glad of happie speed
Embracing her he had desired long,
Gan call for grace to her he so did wrong.
Confirmed thus with mutuall glad consent,
They finisht vp the marriage that they ment.
Great was the day, and euery field compeere
Delighted in the pleasure of his deere.
Poore I alone in sad lamenting layes,
Depriued of the pleasure of my dayes,
In carefull tunes in briefe concluding thus:
O happie times and planets gracious.
When in a mirrour beautie did behold
The hidden woes, my muse could wel vnfold:
And with a liking looke shape some replie.
But woe is me, since fathers crueltie
In changed formes hath altred termes of sute,
And altering place hath made my Goddesse mute.
Who honouring Pan, may hap the person see,
Whom habit strange perswades it should be me.
A louely shepheard who did beare the bell.
For sweete reports and many louing layes:
Whom while he fed his flocke in desart wayes,
A netheards daughter deckt with louely white,
Behelde and loude the lasse Corinna hight.
Him sought she oft with many a sweete regard,
With sundrie tokens she her sutes preferd,
Her care to keepe his feeding flocke from stray,
Whilst carelesse he amidst the lawnes did play.
30
Her Countrie cates she sent to gaine his grace,
Her garlands gaie to decke his temples faire,
Her doubled sighs bestowd on gliding aire,
Her pleasant kisse where she might steale a touch,
Corinnas zeales to Corulus was such.
He wanton shepheard glorying in her sute,
These signes of zeale to folly did impute:
Not waying of her many louing sightes,
Her watrie eyes, her secret moane by nights:
Her carelesse comfort in her fruitfull ewes,
Her monefull Aeglogs full of carefull shewes,
But scorning that, (which might that Godhead moue,
Who in a shepheards forme, for Ioues behoue,
Did charme the watchman of the heifer faire,
For whose behoofe the thunder left the aire.)
He left the place where she did loue to bide,
And draue his flocke another way beside.
Whose dire disdaine (the God that kindles loue,
And makes impressions straungly from aboue
Misliking) strake with fancie at that stower,
The silly shepheard wounded by his power.
Now sought for that which he tofore did shun,
And now the heat of fancie first begun,
To straine a yeelding in his restlesse minde:
Such are the wounds that passe from fancie blinde,
That Corulus will now Corinna wee,
Though earst he loathd and scorned so to dooe.
Now she that sought with many a sweete aspect,
Is sude to now by him that did neglect.
Now bountifull is sweete Corinnas grace,
Now like the Sunne in welkin shines her face,
Her eyes like Gemini attend on loue,
Her stately front was figured from aboue,
Her daintie nose of Iuorie faire and sheene,
Bepurfurate with ruddie roses beene.
[30]
From whence a breath so pleasant did insew,
As that which laide faire Psiches in the vayle,
Whome Cupide woode and woed to his auayle.
Within the compasse of which hollowe sweete,
Those orient ranks of siluer pearles doe meete,
Prefiring lyke perfection to the eie,
As siluer colde amidst the summers skie:
For whence such wordes in wisdome couched be,
As Gods from thence fetch their Philosophie:
Her dimpled chin of Alablaster white,
Her stately necke where nature did acquite
Her selfe so well, as that at sodaine sight,
She wisht the worke were spent vpon her selfe,
Her cunning thus was showde vpon the shelfe:
For in this pile was fancie painted faire,
In either hand an asure pipe she bare:
By one repeating many a sweete consent,
By other comfort to the heart she sent.
From which a seemely passage there doth show,
To strangers pleasures that are plast alow,
Like to the forrowe Phaeton did leue,
Amidst the welkin when he did receiue,
His Fathers charge, and set the world on fire:
In this faire path oft paced sweete desire,
At euerie turne beholding with delight,
That Marble mount that did affect the sight.
Of virgins waxe the sweet impression was,
The cunning compasse thereof did surpasse,
For art concluding all perfections there,
Wrote this report, All graces bideth here.
Which Cupide spying built his mansion so,
As scorning those swæte graces to bestoe
On mortall man, with bowe ibent doth waite,
Least Ioue should steale impressions by deceit.
31
In thought concludes it meeter for the aire
Then mortall mould: next which the stately thies,
Like two faire compast marble pillers rise,
Whose white dooth staine the daintie driuen snow:
Next which the knees with lustie bent below
Conioynd with nerues and cords of Amber sweete,
This stately pyles with gladsome honour greete,
Such stately knees as when they bend a lite,
All knees doo bend and boow with strange delyght.
Her calues with stranger compasse doo succeed,
In which the asures streames a wonder breede,
Both art and nature therein laboured haue,
To paint perfection in her coulours braue,
Next which, the pretie ground worke of the pile,
Doth shew it selfe and wonder doth beguile,
The ioyntes whereof combind of Amber sweete,
With corall cords, yeeld bent to seemely feete.
From which, whose lift to lift his gasing eye,
Shall greater cause of wonder soone espie.
When on the backe he bends his wauering looke,
In which the worke and taske Diana tooke,
When with Arachne for the prise she straue,
Both art and nature there excelled haue.
Where from Pigmalions image seemely white,
Where close conueiaunce passing Gordians plight,
Where louely Nectar drinke for all the Gods,
Where euerie grace is stained there by ods.
Will not content with gasing looke for more,
And spie those armes that stand his sight before,
Which for their mould the Aegyptian wonders passe,
Which for their beautie staine the Christall glasse,
Which in their motion maister natures sweete,
Where blushing streames present a secrets meete,
Will now amazde, conclude at last of this,
That in the hands all grace concluded is.
[31]
Where Fortune figures pleasure in her prime,
Whence spred those fingers tipt with Iuorie,
Whose touch Medusas turne may well supplie,
Where to conclude as now the shepheard deemes
All grace all beautie, all perfections seemes.
Thus Corulus with many secret thoughts,
Diuines on her whom erst he set at naughts:
And forst by scorch of inward shrowded fire,
He seekes for her his fancie did require.
Who fraught with woes in secret shrewdes renude,
Her silent griefe vnsure of that insude.
Her Corulus with warie search at last
At sodaine found: and as a man agast
At that he saw, drew backe with feare, and than
Remembring of his woes his sute began:
O sweete Corinna blessed be the soyle
That yeelds thee rest amidst thy dayly toyle,
And happie ground whereon thou satest so:
Blest be thy flocke, which in these lawnes doo go,
And happie I, but hauing leaue to looke:
Which said, with feare he pawsd, and bloud forsooke
His palie face, till she that wrought the fire,
Restorde the red, and kindled sweete desire.
And with a bashfull looke beholding him,
Which many months her pleasant foe had bin:
She cast her armes about his drooping necke,
And with her daintie fingers dawde him vp.
And kissing of his palie coloured face,
(Like as the Gods) by touch did soone displace
The sowre, that alterd the poore shepheards sweete,
When thus she gan her Corulus to greete:
O louely shepheard happie be the hower,
In which (I know not by what secret power)
32
Alas what griefe should Corulus offend?
Whom fairest Nimph might well a liking lend.
Thy grasing Ewes with vdders full of milke,
With fruitfull sleece and wooll as softe as silke,
Take glory in the fatnesse of this soyle
And praise theyr Mastres care and busie toyle:
And now accuse thee of thy drooping mone,
Tis but enough for me to wayle alone
For why Corinna onely haplesse is.
Poore Corulus at last reuiude by this,
Gan sighing silence now to interrupt
And banish feare which did his hope corrupt.
And thus he said: O Nimph of beauties traine,
The onely cause and easer of my paine:
Tis not the want of any worldly ioy,
Nor fruitlesse breed of Lambes procures my noy,
Ne sigh I thus for any such mishap:
For these vaine goods I lull in fortunes lap.
But other greefes and greater cause of care,
As now Corinna my tormenters are.
Thy beautie Goddesse is the onely good,
Thy beautie makes mine eyes to streame a flood,
Thy beautie breakes my woonted pleasant sleepe,
Thy beautie causeth Corulus to weepe:
For other ioyes they now but shadowes be,
No ioye but sweete Corinnas loue for me.
Whereon I now beseech thee, by that white
Which staines the lilly, and affects my sight,
By those faire locks whereas the graces rest,
By those sweete eyes whereas all pleasures nest:
Doo yeelde me loue, or leaue me for to die.
Corinna studious for to yeeld reply,
With many teares bedewd the shepheards face,
And thus at last she spake: O happie place.
[32]
What blessed Nimph within this sacred wood
Hath pleaded poore Corinnas lawfull cause?
Or be they dreames that now my fancie drawes?
O Corulus ne readst thou sue to me,
Nor spend the teares for to accepted be,
Since long ere this I would haue bent to bow,
If modest feare could well haue taught me how.
In happie bonds of Himen I am thine:
Ne plead thou grace to her that dooth incline.
Thus with a kisse she sealed vp the deed:
When as the shepheard glad of happie speed
Embracing her he had desired long,
Gan call for grace to her he so did wrong.
Confirmed thus with mutuall glad consent,
They finisht vp the marriage that they ment.
Great was the day, and euery field compeere
Delighted in the pleasure of his deere.
Poore I alone in sad lamenting layes,
Depriued of the pleasure of my dayes,
In carefull tunes in briefe concluding thus:
O happie times and planets gracious.
When in a mirrour beautie did behold
The hidden woes, my muse could wel vnfold:
And with a liking looke shape some replie.
But woe is me, since fathers crueltie
In changed formes hath altred termes of sute,
And altering place hath made my Goddesse mute.
Who honouring Pan, may hap the person see,
Whom habit strange perswades it should be me.
[33]
FINIS.
| An Alarum against Usurers | |