University of Virginia Library

2a.

[When Diophantus knew]

When Diophantus knew
The destinies Decreete,
How he was forced to forgoe
His deare and Lovely sweete,
Ou'r volted with the vaile
Of Beame rebeating trees
And Ghostly gazeing on the ground
Even death struck in his eyes,
Oft pressed he to speake
But when he did Essay
The Agonizeing dreads of death
His wrastling voice did stay.
At last as one that strives
Against both woe and shame
Deare Charidora, ah, he cryes
My high adored Dame,
First I attest thy Name
And then the Gods above
But cheife of those the boy that beares
The stately styles of love.
Let those record with mee
What was my constant part
And if I did not honour thee
With an well hallowed heart.
I sacrafic'd to thee
My secreete chast desires
Vpon thy beauties Altar burnt
With never quenching fyres.
Thou was that Idoll still
Whose Image I ador'd,
The Saint to whom I made my vowes
Whose pittyes I implor'd,
The starr that sav'd my shipp
From tempest of Dispaire
When the Horizon of my hope
Ov'r clouded was with care.
Thou was that Soveraigne balme
That sweete Cathalicon
Which cured mee of all my cares
When I did greive and grone,
Though now such strange Events
Are interveen'd since syne
As I dare not avow to say
Or thinke that thou are myne,
Which makes mee thus insert
In those my sorrowing songs
The Histories of my misshapps,
My miseryes and wrongs.
Not that I can accuse
My Charidora, noe
I only execrate the Fates
Cheife worker of my woe.
Should she whome I have lov'd
Soe many Loathsome yeares,
For whome my due disstilling Eyes
Have shedd such streames of teares,
Should she I say be made
A prey to such a one
Who for her sake yet never gave
Not one vntymely grone?
Noe surely, surely noe
The Fates may doe me wrong
And make her by there badd decreete
To whome they please belong, [OMITTED]
Yet dare I boldly say
And peradventure vant
That she is myne by lott of love
Though luck in love I want,
And though my Horiscope
Invy my worldly things,
Yet into love it gave mee leave
For to compare with Kings.
And if I knew there were
Vnder the starry skie
That durst avow to love my Dame
More faithfully then I,
I should teare out this heart
Which Entertains my breath
And cast it downe before her feete
To dye a shamefull death.
But since both time and she
Have try'd mee to be true
And found such faithfullness in mee
As shall be found in few,
I rest secure in this
And cares not who pretend,
The moe persue the more my part
Proves perfect to the End,
And others faithless faiths
In ballance weigh'd with mine
Shall make my faith for to triumph
And as the Sunn to shine.
There shall noe change of things,
Of tyme, of soyle, of Ayre,
Inforce mee to forgoe the vowes
Made to my fayrest faire,
Which here I doe renew
In solemne forme againe
To wittness as I did begin
Soe shall I still remaine.
I sweare by these two Eyes
My only dearest deare,
And by the Stygian stankes of hell
Whereby the Gods did sweare.
That thou are only she
Whose countenance I crave
And shall be both in life and death
Thy best affected slave, [OMITTED]
That ther shall noe deceits
Of lovely laughing eyne,
Noe suggred sounds of Syren songs
With farr fetch'd sighes betweene
Deface out of my minde
What love did soe ingrave
Thy words thy lookes and such things Els
As none but Angells have. [OMITTED]
And this which here I sweare
And solemnly protest
Those trees which only present are
Shall wittness and attest,
But cheif and above all
This Holly sad and greene
On which the Cyphers of our Names
Charectered shall be seene.
O happy happy Tree
Into whose tender rynd
The Trophies of our love shall live
Eternally inshrin'd,
Which shall have force to make
Thy memory remaine
Sequestrat from the Bastard sort
Of Trees which are profane,
For when with careless lookes
The rest or'e past shall be
Then thou shall be ador'd and kist
For Charidoras tree.
And peradventure too
For Diophantus sake
Some civill person that comes by
Shall homage to the make.
Thus blest shall thou remaine
While I vnhappy prove
And doubtfull where I shall be left
When I shall leave my love.
Indeede all is in doubt
But this I must depart,
The body must a Pillgrime be
And she retaine the heart,
The thought of which Exile
And dolourous devorce
Workes sorrow, sorrow, doth from me
Those sadd complaints inforce.
For while I was resolv'd
To smoother vp my greife
Because it might but move in men
More marvaile then beleife,
The never seasing frownes
Of Malencountrous Fates
Extorted those Abortive birthes
Of importune regraits
To wittness to the world
That my misshapps are such
Although I mourne like one halfe madd
I cannot mourne to much.
For if of all misshapps
This be the first of all,
To have bin highly happy once
And from that height to fall,
I'm sure I may well say
That Diophantus Name
Is the Synonyme of misshapps,
Or els Exceedes the same.
Or if there be no hell
But out of Heaven to be,
Consider what her want should worke
Whose sight was such to mee.
I thinke all those that speake
Of sorrow should thinke shame
When Diophantus shall be heard
For Charidoras Name.
Her worth was without spott,
His truth was vnreprov'd,
The one deserv'd at least to live
The other to be lov'd.
Yet hath the Divelish doome
Of destinyes ordain'd
That he should loose both life and love
And she a Faithful freind.
Wherefore all you that heares
Those Amorous tragick playes,
Bestow on him a world of plaints
On her a world of praise.