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The Poets VVillovv

Or, The Passionate Shepheard: With sundry delightfull, and no lesse Passionate Sonnets: describing the passions of a discontented and perplexed Lover. Diuers compositions of verses concording as well with the Lyricke, as the Anacreonticke measures; neuer before published: Being reduced into an exact and distinct order of Metricall extractions [by Richard Brathwait]
 
 

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Vpon the illustrate Prince Henrie, the Authors long meditated teares: Draigned from a fresh renewing spring euer distilling: Some whereof the passionate Elegiake offers to His neuer dying monument.
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Vpon the illustrate Prince Henrie, the Authors long meditated teares: Draigned from a fresh renewing spring euer distilling: Some whereof the passionate Elegiake offers to His neuer dying monument.

Hinc meamusa gemit, quæ seria non sera currit,
Non matura satis carmina: causa nimis.

Dost weepe to see him dead? or thou dost come
To view him liuing in his dying tombe?
Liuing (said I) and dying? yes: his death
Seems to infuse in him a liuing breath,
That being dead to earth, earth might transpose,
His earthy corps vnto eternall ioies.
Dead? yes, and aliue too; this seems strange:
For single death he gets a double change:
Of life and death: death to shut vp his eies,
Life to enthrone him in heauens paradice.
Mere heire vnto a king, but there he sings
A glorious pæan to the king of kings.
A good exchange: what better? none to thee,
Translated prince: yet no change worse to me,
And to the state: O enuy that our will
Should so depraued be, to wish him ill,
For our owne priuate good: Great good indeed,
And to be wisht for: O where shall we reade
So many vertues charactred in youth,
So rare a mirror in the Court of truth.
So pure intentions seconded by fame,
So hopefull diuinations in his name.


So generall affection as nere any,
In one heart, kept the hearts of halfe so many.
Ist then impiety to weepe, or show
Our zeale to him? whom there was none did know
That by relation wept not; O I see,
In euery face the face of Niobe,
Sencelesse and speechlesse: yet in sense and speech
Thus much entire affection seems to teach
Posterity hereafter: as't appeares
Both sence and speech supplied are by teares.
Teares inundation, so as we might feare,
And not without iust cause some deluge nere,
But that we see a rainebow which portends
Heauen has imposd vnto our sorrowes ends
And limits, which ore past can hardly be,
So soone slip griefes out of our memory.
So soone? indeede too soone: poems in blacke
Resemble the blacks we weare vpon our backe.
Which whilst we follow the sad mournfull beere,
Some more for fashion then compassion weare.
Vnworthy mourners, do your griefes extend
No further? must your teares with his blest end
Expire together? why then I pray retire
Let our sole notes sith that our notes be higher
And far more shrill, supply your place: ile find
Motiues of griefe vnto th' immotiu'sts mind.
You are blind with teares, I but of late began,
One eye may see more then another can.
Why should men thinke th' inuention halfe so rare,
Or worth record: to bring a stream: from Ware,
Of pure spring water? for without lesse charge
I could haue dreind a riuer full as large
Without ere pumping for't: and with a sluse
As artificiall: which could no way chuse


(Such is the force of an obsequious pitty)
But conuey water to most parts o'th city.
And this without a Iacobs staffe, or ought
Saue the dimensions of an aierie thought;
Which measures each proportion, onely griefe
Excepted, which the measure of reliefe
Could neuer compasse: yet there would be fault
In my conueiance, for my spring is salt
And mixt with briny vapors which distill,
Like pond or marish waters from a hill.
But theirs more sweet, so could I mine allay,
If I had been at so much cost as they.
Next wonder that we haue obserud this yeere,
Is that the winter did like spring appeare,
Garnisht with varied flowers, and euery sweet
Checkerd with borders for the Syluans meet
To frolicke on: and why? they are of that nature,
That when they'r merry, they presage some creature
Of worth or admiration must commend,
Their bones to rest by some approaching end.
Ill natur'd bugbeares, why should you delight,
To see that sunne lodge in eternall night
That gaue a lustre with his sparkling eie
To euery plant within his Monarchy
Each humble spray or flower that grew i'th field
Of honor, would he honor with his shield
Of eminent respect: respect lesse you,
That neuer giue to merit whats her due.
But I must cease, that I may weepe the more,
For ceaselesse though I weepe, I haue teares in store
Two buckets to one well, both of them goes,
The one for my teares, the other for my woes.
That teares and woes contracted both in one,
May pierce in time this monumentall stone.