University of Virginia Library

AN EGLOGVE Vpon the death of the Right Honorable Sir Francis Walsingham late principall Secretarie to her Maiestie, and of her most Honourable Priuie Councell.

Corydon. Tityrus.
[Corydon.]
Nowe Tityrus, since wee at ease are lade,
And both our flockes orespred the flowrie plaine:
Sweete friend vnfolde vnder this platan shade
The secrete cause of thy concealed paine,
How haps thy sighing threats the cleered skie,
with gentle Zephyr waging often warres,
Whose Muse of yoare with hunnie melodie,
did calme fierce winds, & cease their boistrous iarres?
What means this moorning weed? thy weeping eine?
thy pale aspect? thy murmuring complaints?
O speake, that I may ioine my teares with thine,
and ease thy burdened heart before it faints.

Tityrus.
O Corydon forbeare by deepe inquire
to rip the skarred wounds of my vnrest:
No teares, no counsell can abate the fire,
which louing sorrow kindles in my brest.
I all alone in darkesom vnkoth place,
I all alone must like the Turtle Doue,
Whose ioy is slaine, bewaile my wretched case,
and powre out plaints agenst the gods aboue,

Corydon.
By syluane nymphs, and louely Graces three,
that on our lawnes doe sport them to and fro;
By countrie powres of what so ere degree;
by Floraes chaplet; by Dianaes boe,
By fruitfull Pales, Ceres wheaten crowne,
by siluer Thamesis old Oceans dame;
By chang'd Amintas flow'r, that decks the downe;
and lastlie by Elisaes vertuous name,
By these, and those that guide cælestial spheares,
I here coniure thee to discloase thy griefe,
That I maie slake thy sighing with my teares,
whose comforts oft haue bred my harts relief.

Tityrus.
Then thus (though loath) as griefe will suffer me,
my faltring tongue shall tell my discontent:
That cares by sympathie maie worke on thee,
And thou vpholde some part of my lament.
Alas too soone by Destins fatall knife
Sweet Melibœus is depriu'd of life.
Now Corydon (for eurie shepheard swaine
reports thee skilfull in a sacred verse)
In such a meeter helpe me to complaine,
as maie besit great Melibœus hearse.

Corydon.
I now beginne: Apollo guide my sounde,
And weepe yee sisters of the learned hill:
That your Pægasean springs may leap their boūd,
and from their floate maie seas of teares distill.
Let deadly sorrow with a sable wing,
throughout the world go brute this tragedie:
And let Arcadians altogether sing
a woefull song agenst heauns tirannie.
Alas too soone by Destins fatall knife
Sweete Melibœus is depriu'd of life.

Tityrus.
Thy tunes haue often pleas'd mine eare of yoare,
when milk-white swans did flocke to heare thee sing,
VVhere Seane in Paris makes a double shoare,
Paris thrise blest if shee obey her King.
But now ô Corydon, that lightsome vaine
is changd from youth to aged grauitie,
That whilst I heare thee bitterlie complaine,
me thinks Apollo sings in Arcadie.
And yet afford thy moorning Muse some rest,
while I (though skil & voice are both decaide)
VVith termes of duetie from a pensiue brest
bewaile my friend, whom cruell Fates betraide.
Alas too soone by Destins fatall knife
Sweet Melibœus is depriu'd of life.

Corydon.
O Tityrus thy plaint is ouerlong,
here pause a while, at Corydons request:
Of what is wanting in thy farfet song,
my moorning voice shall striue to tell the rest.
But I must sorrow in a lower vaine,
not like to thee, whose words haue wings at wil:
An humble stile befits a simple Swaine,
my Muse shall pipe but on an oaten quill.
Immortall Fauni, Satyrs, and great Pan,
the Gods and guiders of our fruitfull soile,
Come seat your selues by me, and waile the man,
whose death was hastned by his vertuous toile.
Yee comelie Graces neither dance nor plaie,
nor kembe your beauteous tresses in the Sun,
But now since Melibœus is awaie,
sit downe and weepe, for wanton daies are dun.
Now in the woods be leafelesse eury Tree,
and beare not pleasant fruits as heretofore:
Myrrha let weeping gums distill from thee,
and help to make my dolefull plaint the more.
Now in the woods let night-rauns croak by daie,
and gladles Owles shrike out, & Vulturs grone:
But smaller birds that sweetly sing and play,
be whist and still: for you can make no mone.
Now in the fields each corne hang down his head,
since he is gon that weeded all our corne:
And sprouting Uines wither till you be dead,
since he is dead, that shielded you from storme.
Now in the fields rot fruits while you are greene,
since he is gon that vsde to graff & grace you:
And die faire Flowres, since he no more is seene,
that in Dianaes garland vsde to place you.
O heards & tender flocks, ô handsmooth plains,
Ô Eccho dwelling both in mount and vallie:
O groues & bubling springs, ô nimphs, ô swains,
Ô yong and olde, ô weepe all Arcadie.
Alas too soone by Destins fatall knife
Sweete Melibœus is depriu'd of life.

Tityrus.
O let me interrupt thee yet once more,
for who should more lament his losse then I,
That oft haue tasted of his bounteous store,
and knew his secret vertues perfectlie?
VVe haue alreadie summond eurie part,
excepting that which in the Ocean lies:
To stand copartners of our wofull smart,
and beate the senselesse aire with Elegies.
Now therfore Neptune grant me this one boone,
depose great Ioue for so misguiding fate:
That Melibœus wounded all too soone,
by Mortaes malice dies before his date.
And thou old Glaucus with diuining blest,
Prophet to him that neuer speakes but truth,
Come with Palæmon, Phorcus, and the rest,
and here giue oracle of endles ruth.
Come Tethis come with Thetis after thee,
and all thy watrie nymphs, a louelie traine:
Vouchsafe to sit vpon these bankes with me,
that I may heare both thee & them complaine.
And thou great Triton with thy sounding shell,
impart my grieuance vnto eurie shore:
And with a murmure make the waues goe tell,
that worthie Melibœus breaths no more.
Now let no Dolphins seeke Arions Muse,
nor play by shore to ketch vp heedles boies:
Let them suppose sweete Musicke out of vse,
and wanton louetricks to be foolish toies.
Deceitfull Mermaids leaue your auncient guise,
forbeare to sing while tempest troubles vs:
Let me behold whole fountains in your eies,
for weeping fits vnhappie Tityrus.

Corydon.
But Tityrus inough, leaue of a while:
stop moorning springs, drie vp thy drearie eine,
And blithlie intertaine my altred stile,
inticd from griefs by some allure diuine.
For now my mind reclaimd from carefull mone,
gins fault hir giuing place to sorrows sourse:
And in hir change intreats thee cease to grone,
that as we grieud, so we may ioie by course.
In iust complaint though sorrowes were begun,
and all too litle for the man we waile:
Yet now at last our sorrows must be done,
and more then moorning reason must preuail.
Iniustlie grudge we Melibæus death,
as though his worth were buried in his fate:
But neither are his vertues drenchd in Leath,
nor vertuous soule remoud to meaner state:
His faith hath framd his spirit holie wings,
To soare with Astrophil aboue the Sun:
And there he ioies, whence eury cōfort springs,
and where the fulnes of his blisse begun.
Let vs be ioifull after long annoie,
Since Melibœus lius in perfect ioie.
Our Melibœus lius where Seraphins
doe praise the Highest in their glorious flames:
VVhere flowes the knowledge of wise Cherubins:
where Throans exhibit earthlie deeds & names:
VVhere Dominations rule and yet obaie:
where Principalities to lower powers
Deepe hidden misteries doe still bewraie:
where arms are vsd by foe-subduing powers.
Where Vertues practise miracles and wunder:
where both Archangels and sweet Angels sing,
VVhose office is, to vs, that liue here vnder,
from heaun cælestiall messages to bring.
Let vs be ioifull after long annoie,
Since Melibœus lius in perfit ioie.
Now Melibæus in comparelesse place,
drinkes Nectar, eates diuine Ambrosia;
And hath fruition of eternall grace,
and with his countnance cheeres Arcadia.
Then while his spirit dwels in heaunlie towres,
let vs performe what honor dutie willes:
Let vs adorne his sacred tumb with flowres,
and sweete it with the riches of our hilles.
Our vernall Flora that bewailes our losse,
will gladlie let hir flowrie locks be rent:
And clad hir selfe in moornfull roabes of mosse,
if all the treasure of hir buds were spent.
Then Flora lend vs thime and violets,
sweete balme and roses for his buriall:
Bestow no wealth on wanton amorets,
but spare it to adorne his funerall.
And Pales bath his lims in fluds of milke,
and couer him with costly ornament:
Inshrine his corps in sheetes of softest silke,
for he deserus Mausolus monument.
And Tityrus let vs before the rest
set holie lights, and watch his breathles corse,
Singing sweet himns for him whose soule is blest,
though parted frō his flesh by deaths diuorce.
Now cheere we Dryas in hir miserie,
who ouerlong bewailes hir haplesse case:
Lest ouerlouing like Laodamie,
shee loose hir selfe in deepe supposd imbrace.
Now call we Hyale from whispring streames,
increast with teares (true seruants of annoie)
VVho takes no pleasure but in griefs extreames,
nor ioies in ought but in hir want of ioie:
Faire Hyale, who wringing oft hir armes,
hir armes far whiter then Sythonian snoa,
with doubling sighs bewails hir helples harmes,
Alas that helples harmes should vexe hir so.
Yet beuteous Nymph thy carefull mother liues,
(long may shee liue, and liuing ease thy hart)
Accept what comfort hir suruiuing giues,
and in lifes comfort drown thy sorrows smart.
Helpe thou with vs, and eurie countrie wight,
to chace all grieuance from Dianaes minde:
From drad Diana, earths and heauns delight,
Diana, glorie of hir sexe and kinde;
Diana, wondrous mirrour of our daies;
Diana matchlesse Queene of Arcadie;
Diana, whose surpassing beauties praise
Improous hir worth past terrene deitie;
Diana' Sibill for hir secret skill;
Diana, pieties chiefe earthlie friend;
Diana, holie both in deede and will;
Diana whose iust praises haue no end.
Ah but my Muse, that creeps but on the ground,
begins to tremble at my great presume,
For naming hir, whose titles onelie sound
doth glad the welkin with a sweet perfume.
For in hir minde so manie vertues dwell,
as eurie moment breed new pieties:
Yet all in one conioind doe all excell,
and crowne hir worth with sundrie deities.
But that vnwares my sorie stile proceeds
drad Cynthia pardon: loue desires dispense:
As Ioues high Oaks orelook Pans slender reeds,
so boue all praising flies thine excellence.
Yet lest my homespun verse obscure hir worth,
sweet Spencer let me leaue this taske to thee,
Whose neuerstooping quill can best set forth
such things of state, as passe my Muse, and me.
Thou Spencer art the alderliefest swaine,
or haply if that word be all to base,
Thou art Apollo whose sweet hunnie vaine
amongst the Muses hath a chiefest place.
Therefore in fulnes of thy duties loue,
calme thou the tempest of Dianaes brest,
VVhilst shee for Melibæus late remoue
afflicts hir mind with ouerlong vnrest.
Tell hir forthwith (for well shee likes thy vaine)
that though great Melibæus be awaie:
Yet like to him there manie still remaine,
which will vphold hir countrie from decaie.
First name Damætas, flowre of Arcadie,
whose thoughts are prudēt, & speech vertuous,
VVhose looks haue mildnes ioind with Maiestie,
whose hand is liberall and valorous:
He is Damætas, that is wont to blame
extreamest iustice voide of equitie:
Diana terms him by an other name,
Hatton, vnlesse I faile in memorie.
Then name old Damon, whom shee knows of old
for such as Nestor was to Græcians guide:
VVorth ten of Aiax, worth all Cræssus gold,
if his deserts in ballance could be tride.
Damon is he that counsels still aright,
and heedfullie preserus Dianaes store:
And wakes when others rest them selus by night
we Arcads cald him Cecill heretofore.
Then name braue Ægon, that with ships defenc
about our coast orespreds the Ocean plaines,
To keepe fell monsters of the sea from hence:
we cleape him Howard, that are coūtrie swaines.
Name Mopsus, Daphnis, Faustus, and the rest,
whose seurall gifts thy singing can expresse:
VVhen thou shalt tell how shee in them is blest,
their verie names will comfort hir distresse.

Tityrus.
Castor and Pollux, Lædaes louelie twins,
whose bright aspect cheers moornful Mariners,
Shewing them selues whē pleasant calme begins,
of gladsome newes two welcome messengers,
Conuey great comfort to the weltred minde,
and with their sheen appearance breed delight:
Yet Corydon thy leare and loue combinde
please more by hearing, thē those twain by sight,
For they portending stormie windes surcease,
but by portending cause the hearts content:
Thy learnd persuades cōmand my sorrow cease,
and sweetnes doth allure to merriment.
But hie we homeward, night comes on apace,
weel learne beliue forget our doleful notes:
See where faire Uenus shewes hir radiant face,
lets hence, & shut our sheepfolds in their coat.