 | Songs For The Lvte Viol and Voice |  |
To Mrs Anne Grene the worthy Daughter to Sr William Grene of Milton Knight.
That which was onely priuately compos'd,
For your delight, Faire Ornament of Worth,
Is here, come, to bee publikely disclos'd:
And to an vniuersall view put forth.
Which hauing beene but yours and mine before,
(Or but of few besides) is made hereby
To bee the worlds: and yours and mine no more.
So that in this sort giuing it to you,
I giue it from you, and therein doe wrong,
To make that, which in priuate was your due:
Thus to the world in common to belong.
And thereby may debase the estimate,
Of what perhaps did beare some price before:
For oft we see how things of slender rate,
Being vndiuulg'd, are choisely held in store:
And rarer compositions once expos'd,
Are (as vnworthy of the world) condemn'd:
For what, but by their hauing beene disclos'd
To all, hath made all misteries contemn'd.
For your delight, Faire Ornament of Worth,
Is here, come, to bee publikely disclos'd:
And to an vniuersall view put forth.
Which hauing beene but yours and mine before,
(Or but of few besides) is made hereby
To bee the worlds: and yours and mine no more.
So that in this sort giuing it to you,
I giue it from you, and therein doe wrong,
To make that, which in priuate was your due:
Thus to the world in common to belong.
And thereby may debase the estimate,
Of what perhaps did beare some price before:
For oft we see how things of slender rate,
Being vndiuulg'd, are choisely held in store:
And rarer compositions once expos'd,
Are (as vnworthy of the world) condemn'd:
For what, but by their hauing beene disclos'd
To all, hath made all misteries contemn'd.
And therefore why had it not beene ynow,
That Milton onely heard our melodie?
Where Baucis and Philæmon onely show,
To Gods and men their hospitalitie:
And thereunto a ioyfull eare afford,
In midst of their well welcom'd company:
Where wee (as Birds doe to themselues record)
Might entertaine our priuate harmonie.
But fearing least that time might haue beguild
You of your owne, and me of what was mine,
I did desire to haue it knowne my Child:
And for his right, to others I resigne.
Though I might haue beene warn'd by him, who is
Both neare and deare to mee, that what we giue
Vnto these times, we giue t'vnthankfulnesse,
And so without vnconstant censures, liue.
But yet these humours will no warning take,
Wee still must blame the fortune that wee make.
And yet herein wee doe aduenture now,
But Ayre for Ayre, no danger can accrew,
They are but our refusalls wee bestow,
And wee thus cast the old t'haue roome for new:
Which I must still addresse t'your learned hand,
Who mee and all I am, shall still command.
That Milton onely heard our melodie?
Where Baucis and Philæmon onely show,
To Gods and men their hospitalitie:
And thereunto a ioyfull eare afford,
In midst of their well welcom'd company:
Where wee (as Birds doe to themselues record)
Might entertaine our priuate harmonie.
But fearing least that time might haue beguild
You of your owne, and me of what was mine,
I did desire to haue it knowne my Child:
And for his right, to others I resigne.
Though I might haue beene warn'd by him, who is
Both neare and deare to mee, that what we giue
Vnto these times, we giue t'vnthankfulnesse,
And so without vnconstant censures, liue.
But yet these humours will no warning take,
Wee still must blame the fortune that wee make.
And yet herein wee doe aduenture now,
But Ayre for Ayre, no danger can accrew,
They are but our refusalls wee bestow,
And wee thus cast the old t'haue roome for new:
Which I must still addresse t'your learned hand,
Who mee and all I am, shall still command.
Iohn Danyel.
| Songs For The Lvte Viol and Voice | |