University of Virginia Library

SONNETS

I. [TO MARGAREIT.]

More chest then fair Diana, first in place,
From quhose fair eyes floues loue's alluiring springis;
Secund to none in bonty, beutie, grace,
Quhoise heavinly hands holds proud Cupidois stingis;
Endles repoirt, wpon aspyring wingis,
Thy hie, heroick verteues hath stoired.
Admir'd, but maik, euin in a thowsand thingis,
To eternize ye fame hath endeuoired.
Miraculous, machles Margareit, decoired
With all preferments natour can afford!
Favourd from heauins aboue, in earth adoir'd,
Extold by treuth of thy most loyall word,
With vertue grac'd far more yen forme of face,
Ȝit Venus in ye same doth ȝeild ye place.

II. [TO THE SAME.]

[Mairgrait then I can any wayes deserue]

Mairgrait then I can any wayes deserue,
Mair rair then fair, ȝit machles in ye same.
Quho with thy eyes, (least my puir lyfe sould sterue),
Wouchaiffes to look wt pitty on my paine.
Heir I avou thyne ewer to remaine,
To serwe ye still, till breath and lyfe depairt,
Reviu'd by vertue of thy sacred name.
Cum death or lyfe, in loue I find no smairt.
Let Cupid wreck him on my martyred hert;
Let fortoune froune, and all ye world invy;
Gif I be thyne, no greiff can death impairt
Sall mak me seime thy service to deny.
I liue mair weil contented thyne to die
Then cround wt honour, and disdain'd by the.

III. [TO THE SAME.]

[Can any crosse, sall ewer intervein]

Can any crosse, sall ewer intervein
Mak me to chaunge my neuer chaunging mynd?
Can oght, yat my puir eyes hath ewer seine,
Mak me to hir quho holds my lyfe wnkynd?
O no! euin thot ye worldis beutie schyn'd,
To try my treuth and temp my loyall loue,
I more esteime for hir to liue still pynd,
Then any other be preferd aboue.
My constant hert no tortour sall remoue,
Thoght duilfull death and frouning fortoune threat.
No greif at all, no paine that I can proue,
Sall mack me ewer loath of my estait.
I glaidly ȝeild me; let hir saue or kill,
I heat to liue except it be hir will.

IV. [TO THE SAME.]

[Alace! (sueit love,) yat ewer my puir eyes]

Alace! (sueit love,) yat ewer my puir eyes
Presum'd to gaize on yat most heauinly face.
Alace! yat fortoune ewer seimd to ease
My endles woes, but now wold me deface.
Alace! yat ewer I expected grace,
To snair myselfe in hope to be reliued.
Alace! Alace! that loue wold now disgrace
My loyall hert, qch once to serwe him liued.
Alace! Alace! yat ewer I surviued
Ye fatall tyme, quhen first appeir'd my joy:
For now, alace! I die: bot ȝit reviued,
In hope thy love my luck sall once injoy.
Still to remaine, resolued then sall I liue,
Thy humblest servant, ewin till breath me liue.

V. [TO THE SAME.]

[Lyk as Actaeon fand the fatall boundis]

Lyk as Actaeon fand the fatall boundis
Qr as Diana baithed hir by a well,
Quhich hie attempt, punisch'd by his awin hounds,
Turn'd in ane timorouse hert, he fled, bot fell.
Sua, qll my Cynthia, quho doth hir excell,
I did behold, cruell Cupid invyed,
And myne awin eyes to crosse me did compell,
Still gaizing on ye goddesse they espyed.
At liberty befoir, alace! now tyed,
I live expecting my Dianais doome;
Ather to be prefer'd, or die denyed,
Wnworthy of ye honour to presume.
Ȝit thot I die, (for sua I ewer doe,)
Had I mo lyfes, tham sould I hazart too.

VI. [TO THE SAME.]

[Since fame's schril trumpet equal'd wt the skyes]

Since fame's schril trumpet equal'd wt the skyes
The rair perfectiounes and miraculous art,
Natour and educatioun did impairt
To mak the wondrouse to amazed eyes,
Thy beutyes did my sensses suire suppryse,
Or eir thy sight my ravischt eyes did blesse.
Bot now I fynd Fame too, too niggard is,
Or thy deserts above hir reach aryse.
All loue, all joy, all sueitnes, all delight,
The heawins into thoise angel's eyes haue plac'd.
Thryse happie he quho may the rosis taist,
And pull the lilies of those cheeks so quhyt.
But those fayre brests' rype clusters quho myt presse
Wt Jove may weel compair in happines.

VII. [TO THE SAME.]

[Adieu! my loue, my lyfe, my blesse, my beeing]

Adieu! my loue, my lyfe, my blesse, my beeing,
My hope, my hape, my joy, my all, adieu!
Adieu! sueit subject of my pleasant dying,
And most delichtfull object of my view.
Bright spark of beutie, paragon'd by few;
Wnspotted pearle, qch doth thy sex adorne;
Loadstar of loue, quhose puir vermilion hew
Makes pale the rose & stains the blushing morne;
That zeale to the qch I haue ewer borne,
Sole essence, lyfe and vigour of my spreit,
By tract of tyme sall newer be out worne;
My secund self, my charming syren sueit.
And so, my Phoenix & my turtle true,
A thousand, thousand tymes adieu! adieu!

VIII. [TO THE SAME.]

[Some gallant spreits desyrouse of renowne]

Some gallant spreits desyrouse of renowne,
To climb wt pain Parnassus do aspyre.
By Natour some do weir ye Lawrell croun,
And some the poet proues for hoip of hyre.
Bot none of those my spirits doth inspyre,
My muse is more admird then all the nyne,
Quho doth infuse my breast wt sacred fyre
To paint hir foorth most heavinly and dewyne.
Hir worth I raise in Elegiak lyne;
In Lyricks sueit hir beuties I extoll;
The brave Heroik doth hir rair ingyne
In tyme's im̄ortal register enroll:
Since thou of me hath maid thy poet, then
Be bold, (sueit Lady), to imploy my pen.

IX. [THE POWER OF BEAUTY.]

In bewty, (loue's sueit object), ravischt sight
Doth some peculiar perfectioun pryse,
In which most worth & admiration lyes,
The sensses charming with most deir delight.
Some eyes adoir, lyk stars, cleir glistering bright;
Some, wrapt in blak, those comets most entyse;
Some ar transported wt pureayn dyes,
And some most value greene about ye light.
Awrora's flam̄ing hayre some fondly love.
Quhyt dangling tresses, yallow curls of gold,
Wthers in greatest estimation hold.
All eyes alyk, each bewty doth me move;
Eyes lovely broun, broun chastnut color'd hayre
Enflame my hart, and sensses all ensnair.

X. [ON A VILE PRIEST.]

Faith, now, & wryt all falsifyed ar found
By one, quho must be faithles, fals, perjur'd;
Quhose othe & promeis ar a slidrie ground
To build wpon, to make a man assuird.
My modest muse must keip his name obscur'd;
His epithets do sound the same a-loud.
A drunkin divin, by the devil obdurd,
A preacher, oh! a persecuter proud,
To Bacchus great, quhose knees ar oftest boud.
Devoirs tabacco, Cupid's plagues to quenche;
Quhose paralytik lips and tounge vntrou'd
Hath oft intrappit many a wanton wench;
This Priest, or beist, doth weir a fylthy fame,
A blotted conscience, and a spotted name.

XI. [THE SAME.]

[Name spotted, fame defyld, saule fraucht wt sin]

Name spotted, fame defyld, saule fraucht wt sin,
Too long in such a carioun vyle inclois'd;
Presumptuous, puir, aspyring for a pin,
Adulterous, double, deuilischly disposit,
A sensual slaue, quho sence of schame hath loosit;
False, flatt'ring, fickle, and defamed for ay,
Quhose doating and deceat ar oft discloisd;
Earth's excrement, heavin's hatred, Plutoes pray,
A parlage cur, a brokin staffe for stay;
A Turk but treuth, a Pagane for a preist,
Quho, for his faults, sall render count one day,
Qll wormes wpon his filthy fleche do feast.
Sua, till the feinds this fyre brand fetch, I . . .
Wt such a subject loath to stain my . . .

XII. [THE SAME.]

[Puir, perjurd palliard, plaged wt the parls]

Puir, perjurd palliard, plaged wt the parls,
By quick repentance heavin's just wrath prevēts,
Of paine to come the gallouse is but arles,
Qlk for the gaips, and laiks but ones consent.
Thy epitaph sall then be putt in prent,
To blaize abroad how leudlie thou hath liued;
Religioun's foe, against thy brethren bent,
Quho one and all, (and not but cause), ar greeued
------the rape hath not thy lyfe berewed.
------thy calling, to the churche a curse
------thou thy birth had not survived
------no conscience for to fill thy purse.
Adieu till death; to die a slauchterd oxe
How punisht wt the palsie & the poxe.