University of Virginia Library

TREATISES

The Writer to his Booke.

Whether thus hasts my little booke so fast?
To Paules Churchyard. What? in those cels to stand,
With one leafe like a riders cloke put up
To catch a termer? or lye mustie there
With rimes a terme set out, or two before?
Some will redeeme me. Fewe. Yes, reade me too.
Fewer. Nay love me. Now thou dot'st, I see.
Will not our English Athens arte defend?
Perhaps. Will lofty courtly wits not ayme
Still at perfection? If I graunt? I flye.
Whether? To Pawles. Alas, poore Booke, I rue
Thy rash selfe-love; goe, spread thy pap'ry wings:
Thy lightnes can not helpe, or hurt my fame.

The second Chapter, declaring the unaptnesse of Rime in Poesie.

[Goe, numbers, boldly passe, stay not for ayde]

Goe, numbers, boldly passe, stay not for ayde
Of shifting rime, that easie flatterer
Whose witchcraft can the ruder eares beguile.
Let your smooth feete, enur'd to purer arte,
True measures tread. What if your pace be slow,
And hops not like the Grecian elegies?
It is yet gracefull, and well fits the state
Of words ill-breathed, and not shap't to runne.
Goe then, but slowly, till your steps be firme;
Tell them that pitty or perversely skorne
Poore English Poesie as the slave to rime,
You are those loftie numbers that revive
Triumphs of Princes, and sterne tragedies:
And learne henceforth t'attend those happy sprights
Whose bounding fury height and waight affects.
Assist their labour, and sit close to them,
Never to part away till for desert
Their browes with great Apollos bayes are hid.
He first taught number, and true harmonye;
Nor is the lawrell his for rime bequeath'd.
Call him with numerous accents paisd by arte,
He'le turne his glory from the sunny clymes,
The North-bred wits alone to patronise.
Let France their Bartas, Italy Tasso prayse;
Phaebus shuns none, but in their flight from him.

The fifth Chapter, of the Iambick Dimeter, or English march.

[Raving warre, begot]

Raving warre, begot
In the thirstye sands
Of the Lybian Iles,
Wasts our emptye fields;
What the greedye rage
Of fell wintrye stormes
Could not turne to spoile,
Fierce Bellona now
Hath laid desolate,
Voyd of fruit, or hope.
Th'eger thriftye hinde,
Whose rude toyle reviv'd
Our skie-blasted earth,
Himselfe is but earth,
Left a skorne to fate
Through seditious armes:
And that soile, alive
Which he duly nurst,
Which him duly fed,
Dead his body feeds:
Yet not all the glebe
His tuffe hands manur'd
Now one turfe affords
His poore funerall.
Thus still needy lives,
Thus still needy dyes
Th'unknowne multitude.

An example Lyrical.

Greatest in thy wars,
Greater in thy peace,
Dread Elizabeth;
Our muse only Truth,
Figments cannot use,
Thy ritch name to deck
That it selfe adornes:
But should now this age
Let all poesye fayne,
Fayning poesye could
Nothing faine at all
Worthy halfe thy fame.

An example Epigrammaticall.

Kind in every kinde,
This, deare Ned, resolve,
Never of thy prayse
Be too prodigall;
He that prayseth all
Can praise truly none.

The sixt Chapter, of the English Trochaick verse.

The first Epigramme. Lockly spits apace, the rhewme he cals it

Lockly spits apace, the rhewme he cals it,
But no drop (though often urgd) he straineth
From his thirstie jawes; yet all the morning
And all day he spits, in ev'ry corner;
At his meales he spits, at ev'ry meeting;
At the barre he spits before the Fathers;
In the Court he spits before the Graces;
In the Church he spits, thus all prophaning
With that rude disease, that empty spitting:
Yet no cost he spares, he sees the Doctors,
Keepes a strickt diet, precisely useth
Drinks and bathes drying, yet all prevailes not.
'Tis not China (Lockly), Salsa Guacum,
Nor dry Sassafras can helpe, or ease thee;
'Tis no humor hurts, it is thy humor.

The second Epigramme. Cease, fond wretch, to love, so oft deluded

Cease, fond wretch, to love, so oft deluded,
Still made ritch with hopes, still unrelieved.
Now fly her delaies; she that debateth
Feeles not true desire; he that, deferred,
Others times attends, his owne betrayeth:
Learne t'affect thy selfe, thy cheekes deformed
With pale care revive by timely pleasure,
Or with skarlet heate them, or by paintings
Make thee lovely; for such arte she useth
Whome in vayne so long thy folly loved.

The third Epigramme. Kate can fancy only berdles husbands

Kate can fancy only berdles husbands,
Thats the cause she shakes off ev'ry suter,
Thats the cause she lives so stale a virgin,
For, before her heart can heate her answer,
Her smooth youths she finds all hugely berded.

The fourth Epigramme. All in sattin Oteny will be suted

All in sattin Oteny will be suted,
Beaten sattin (as by chaunce he cals it);
Oteny sure will have the bastinado.

The fift Epigramme. Tosts as snakes or as the mortall Henbane

Tosts as snakes or as the mortall Henbane
Hunks detests when huffcap ale he tipples,
Yet the bread he graunts the fumes abateth:
Therefore apt in ale, true, and he graunts it;
But it drinks up ale, that Hunks detesteth.

The sixt Epigramme. What though Harry braggs, let him be noble

What though Harry braggs, let him be noble;
Noble Harry hath not halfe a noble.

The seaventh Epigramme. Phoebe all the rights Elisa claymeth

Phoebe all the rights Elisa claymeth,
Mighty rivall, in this only diff'ring
That shees only true, thou only fayned.

The eight Epigramme. Barnzy stiffly vowes that hees no Cuckold

Barnzy stiffly vowes that hees no Cuckold,
Yet the vulgar ev'rywhere salutes him
With strange signes of hornes, from ev'ry corner;
Wheresoere he commes, a sundry Cucco
Still frequents his eares; yet hees no Cuccold.
But this Barnzy knowes that his Matilda,
Skorning him, with Harvy playes the wanton.
Knowes it? nay desires it, and by prayers
Dayly begs of heav'n, that it for ever
May stand firme for him; yet hees no Cuccold.
And tis true, for Harvy keeps Matilda,
Fosters Barnzy, and relieves his houshold,
Buyes the Cradle, and begets the children,
Payes the Nurces, ev'ry charge defraying,
And thus truly playes Matildas husband:
So that Barnzy now becomes a cypher,
And himselfe th'adultrer of Matilda.
Mock not him with hornes, the case is alterd;
Harvy beares the wrong, he proves the Cuccold.

The ninth Epigramme. Buffe loves fat vians, fat ale, fat all things

Buffe loves fat vians, fat ale, fat all things,
Keepes fat whores, fat offices, yet all men
Him fat only wish to feast the gallous.

The tenth Epigramme. Smith, by sute divorst, the knowne adultres

Smith, by sute divorst, the knowne adultres
Freshly weds againe; what ayles the mad-cap
By this fury? euen so theeves by frailty
Of their hemp reserv'd, againe the dismall
Tree embrace, againe the fatall halter.

The eleventh Epigramme. His late losse the Wiveless Higs in order

His late losse the Wiveless Higs in order
Ev'rywere bewailes to friends, to strangers;
Tels them how by night a yongster armed
Saught his Wife (as hand in hand he held her)
With drawne sword to force; she cryed; he mainely
Roring ran for ayde, but (ah) returning
Fled was with the prize the beawty-forcer,
Whome in vaine he seeks, he threats, he followes.
Chang'd is Hellen, Hellen hugs the stranger,
Safe as Paris in the Greeke triumphing.
Therewith his reports to teares he turneth,
Peirst through with the lovely Dames remembrance;
Straight he sighes, he raves, his haire he teareth,
Forcing pitty still by fresh lamenting.
Cease, unworthy, worthy of thy fortunes,
Thou that couldst so faire a prize deliver,
For feare unregarded, undefended,
Hadst no heart I thinke, I know no liver.

The twelfth Epigramme. Why droopst thou, Trefeild?

Why droopst thou, Trefeild? Will Hurst the Banker
Make dice of thy bones? By heav'n he can not.
Can not? whats the reason? Ile declare it:
Th'ar all growne so pockie, and so rotten.

The seaventh Chapter, of the English Elegeick verse.

An Elegye.

Constant to none, but ever false to me,
Traiter still to love through thy faint desires,
Not hope of pittie now nor vaine redresse
Turns my griefs to teares, and renu'd laments.
Too well thy empty vowes, and hollow thoughts
Witnes both thy wrongs, and remorseles hart.
Rue not my sorrow, but blush at my name;
Let thy bloudy cheeks guilty thoughts betray.
My flames did truly burne, thine made a shew,
As fires painted are which no heate retayne,
Or as the glossy Pirop faines to blaze,
But, toucht, cold appeares, and an earthy stone.
True cullours deck thy cheeks, false foiles thy brest,
Frailer then thy light beawty is thy minde.
None canst thou long refuse, nor long affect,
But turn'st feare with hopes, sorrow with delight,
Delaying, and deluding ev'ry way
Those whose eyes are once with thy beawty chain'd.
Thrice happy man that entring first thy love
Can so guide the straight raynes of his desires,
That both he can regard thee, and refraine:
If grac't, firme he stands, if not, easely falls.

Example of Epigrams, in Elegeick verse.

The first Epigramme. Arthure brooks only those that brooke not him

Arthure brooks only those that brooke not him,
Those he most regards, and devoutly serves:
But them that grace him his great brav'ry skornes,
Counting kindnesse all duty, not desert:
Arthure wants forty pounds, tyres ev'ry friend,
But finds none that holds twenty due for him.

The second Epigramme. If fancy can not erre which vertue guides

If fancy can not erre which vertue guides,
In thee, Laura, then fancy can not erre.

The third Epigramme. Drue feasts no Puritans

Drue feasts no Puritans; the churles, he saith,
Thanke no men, but eate, praise God, and depart.

The fourth Epigramme. A wiseman wary lives, yet most secure

A wiseman wary lives, yet most secure,
Sorrowes move not him greatly, nor delights.
Fortune and death he skorning, only makes
Th'earth his sober Inne, but still heav'n his home.

The fift Epigramme. Thou telst me, Barnzy, Dawson hath a wife

Thou telst me, Barnzy, Dawson hath a wife:
Thine he hath, I graunt; Dawson hath a wife.

The sixt Epigramme. Drue gives thee money, yet thou thankst not him

Drue gives thee money, yet thou thankst not him,
But thankst God for him, like a godly man.
Suppose, rude Puritan, thou begst of him,
And he saith God help, who's the godly man?

The seaventh Epigramme. All wonders Barnzy speakes, all grosely faind

All wonders Barnzy speakes, all grosely faind:
Speake some wonder once, Barnzy, speake the truth.

The eight Epigramme. None then should through thy beawty, Lawra, pine

None then should through thy beawty, Lawra, pine,
Might sweet words alone ease a love-sick heart:
But your sweet words alone, that quit so well
Hope of friendly deeds, kill the love-sick heart.

The ninth Epigramme. At all thou frankly throwst

At all thou frankly throwst, while, Frank, thy wife
Bars not Luke the mayn; Oteny, barre the bye.

The eight Chapter, of Ditties and Odes.

The English Sapphick.

The Example.

[Rose-cheekt Lawra, come]

The Example.

[Just beguiler]

The ninth Chapter, of the Anacreontick Verse.

[Follow, followe]

Follow, followe,
Though with mischiefe
Arm'd, like whirlewind,
Now she flyes thee;
Time can conquer
Loves unkindnes;
Love can alter
Times disgraces;
Till death faint not
Then, but followe.
Could I catch that
Nimble trayter,
Skornefull Lawra,
Swift foote Lawra,
Soone then would I
Seeke avengement.
Whats th'avengement?
Even submissely
Prostrate then to
Beg for mercye.