University of Virginia Library

Out of the sixe last Bookes.

The first Booke.

To the Reader.

Do'st maruell, why (since now adayes Men vse
Verses in prayse of th' Authour) I't refuse;
My Uerses need no Patron to protect them,
If Good th'are Good; if Bad th'are Bad, neglect them.

Epig. 4. To the Prince.

Thy Heart (in Brest, Hearts Chest) Sense, Reason, Will,
Thy Head, thy Wit, in Thee their Parts fulfill,
For, Reason, Sense; thy Wit, thy Will doth guide;
Thy Head is by thy Heart well rectifide.
Wales had three Princes stiled-Great; thy Brother
Made-vp the fourth; ith' fift place Thou art th' other.

Epig. 6. Orpheus.

Orpheus , his Wife Redeem'd from Hels hot flame,
Who e're knew Wife, for Husband do the same?

Epig. 8. Whether Saint Peter were at Rome .

Whether or no, Saint Peter were
At Rome, is Disputable;
But yet that Simon hath beene there,
Is most Vn-refutable.

Epig. 16. Honours Etymo/Genea logie.

Ebricians , Hon; French, O'r; doe Riches call,
Hence then we see Hon-ors originall.
And since that Wealth is Honors Pedegree,
No maruell, though Rich-Asses Honour'd bee.

Epig. 19. A Regular Woman .

A woman , to a Gen'rall-Rule,
We fitly may compare;
Why so? Those Rules doe oft deceiue,
And so doe Women faire.

Epig. 20. Salomons Wish.

Why did the Wisest King for Wisdome craue?
He had bin Wise t' haue wished Wealth to haue.
Hee wisht not Wealth, Wisdome was his best Prize,
Wisdome hee wisht, why? 'Cause he was not Wise.

Epig. 24. Blessed are the Power/Peace makers.

Great Britaines tott'ring State, affaires,
Munite'Vnited bee;
King IAMES our Gracious Peace-maker,
Power-maker blest is Hee.

Epig. 34. Irregularitie.

What I Require, I can't Acquire,
And what I Can, I Nill;
Thus all Mans Life, is nought but Strife,
Now Nill, anon hee Will.

Epig. 63. To a Batchelour .

A wife is Good, Better's a Good;
But Best is none at-all:
I wish the Best may be my Lot,
And none to thee may fall.

Epig. 66. Three Delta's.

That, ith' Worlds-Sea thou mayst not Ship-wracke make,
These Delta's three, as Rockes, see, thou forsake:
Dis (worldly Riches) Diuels and Delight,
These Three to th' Spirit beare a mortall spight.

Epig. 67. A Payre of Gallowes to P. L.

A Thiefes Hope is a Rope, Death is his Due,
The Gallowes all such Fellowes doth pursue,
But many scape? true, yet their Fates attend them;
And at the last, the horrid Hempe will end them.

Epig. 72. Whether Bacchus be a God. To a Drunkard.

Seest thou not when th'art Drunke with dulcid Wine?
How Bacchus makes thy Head to th' Foot decline:
Since, He low feet exalts, high Heads brings downe,
This shewes that He's thy God of high Renowne.

Epig. 76. The Priest, the People .

The Priests doe Pray both Night and Day,
The Lay-men they take paines;
These Plough the Soyle, those Plough the Soule,
These Teach, those Tithe their Gaines.

Epig. 58. To the most Learned King Iames.

To be a Poet-Good, (me thinkes) is much,
To be a Good-Man, is (me thinkes) as faire:
To be a Good-King, (I suppose) few such;
Thou art Good Poet, Man and King, most rare.

Epig. 44. Against Quintus a Dreamer .

I oft haue seene thee, Quintus, in sad plight,
And mourne ith'morne, when thou from sleep didst rise;
Because thy dreames did neuer fall out, right,
And maruell not, for, daily thou tell'st Lyes:
How then can Dreames the Truth to thee declare,
When all the Day to forge-Lyes is thy care?

Epig. 80. Deaths Indifferencie.

Flouds fight with Flouds: so Man with Mā's at strife:
The Ocean striues in's Motion, Man in's Life:
Riuers once Run to Sea, haue the same sauour,
Death equals All (as Waues Waues) without fauour.

Epig. 86. Against Cinna a Phisician.

Cinna cures sicknesse, how? he kils the sickly,
And what he doth, he (Iudas-like) doth quickly:
Happy, thrice happy are his Patients, sure;
A tedious sicknesse they shall ne're indure.

Epig. 92. To the Prince.

All Night I Dreame of nought but Gold and Gaine,
Thus am I Rich all Night, a Wretch all Day:
With Gold make-good my Dreames sweet Prince I pray.
So, Reall-Royall-Rich I shall remaine.

Epig. 94. A Court Louse .

The Smooth-boote Flatt'rer Runs about the Court,
And vnto Prince and Peeres doth most resort:
So Latines name the Louse for's many-feet,
Lice, much to th'Body, most to th' Head doe fleet.

Epig. 96. Against Galatèa .

Harts , yeerely, change their snaggie Hornes, they say:
Thy Husbands Hornes are changed euery-day.

Epig. 102. Against Gellia .

With Papists, Gellia, thou didst e're take part:
Worse art thou now, how? Catholike thou art.

Epig. 103. Against Aulus .

When Aulus is a little Sicke in bed,
Or hath the Tooth-ach, or distemp'red Head,
O would to God I were in Heauen, hee'le say;
So, th' Heyre for's Father, Would to God, doth pray.

Epig. 108. Against Festus .

Festus , th'art old, and yet wouldst marryed bee:
Ere thou doe so, this Counsell take of mee;
Looke into Lillies Grammar, there thou'lt finde
Cornu a Horne, a word still vndeclin'd:
This Counsell's good; take it not as a mocke,
For sure, I thinke, few old-men scape this Rocke.

Epig. 110. Against Cornelius .

Although Corn-elius know himselfe Cornute,
Yet hee with pacience, holds his peace, is mute;
Therefore, I thinke, hee's not Cornelius,
But fitlier may be termed Tacitus.

Out of second Booke.

Epig. 5. What Loue is.

A Iocund-Iayle, a wanton-warre,
A most unpleasant Pleasure;
A tottering Trust, a Bitter-sweet
Is Loue; Mirth without Measure.

Epig. 14. A Mathematicall Instrument, called a Iacobs-Staffe, to Mathematicks.

Thy Iacobs-Staffe take vnto thee,
Ile Iacobs-Ladder choose;
These Steps, more than thy Staffe can show,
If I them well will vse.

Epig. 17. Death's Epitaph, to the Death of Death .

Deaths Losse, was in Christs Crosse,
Thence ne're more rising:
Christs Death, Deaths Death,
Christs Crosse, Deaths Tombe comprizing.

Epig. 19. Of God and Man .

God is the Word, and by his Word,
God, All ith' World hath wrought:
Man vtters Words, Words Mans chiefe Marke,
than words, Man else is nought.

Epig. 21. Of Fasts .

Popes in the Yeere, as may appeare,
Doe many Fasts ordayne;
For to declare, that Peters Chaire
They rightly doe retayne.

Epig. 39. Socrates Wisedome.

When I was Yong, I thought I All-things knew:
The more I now-know, more my wants I rue.

Epig. 44. Earths Body.

Earths Sinewes, are her Mettels rich;
Her Bones, are Stones most strong;
Water's her Bloud; her Superfice,
Her Skinne; Grasse, her Haire long.

Epig. 54. The Religious Man .

What's Well-done, 's Ill-done, if too-Publikely.
Politician.
What's Ill-done, 's Well-done, if none doe it Spie.

Epig. 56. An English Proteus .

In Clothes, we Thrift and Honesty refuse,
For Pride and Pleasure's All, Nought, Long, wee vse.

Epig. 66. A Shrow Tamed .

Would'st Tame thy Wife? first, Tame her Tongue. as Dumbe:
Who thus his Wife Comes-o're, shall Ouer-come.

Epig. 74. Pride of Life .

Man swels, although his Gran-Dame is the Earth,
Earth swels, although from Nothing it had Birth:
So, Man, as Mould; Him, past Himselfe doth raise,
Mould swels with Mounts; Mans Minde his Pride displayes.

Epig. 81. Eues and the Serpents meeting .

Eves and the Serpents Prattling, wrought our Sin:
Oh would to God; Hee Dumbe, Shee Deafe had bin.

Epig. 85. Neyther too great a Good one,/too little a Bad one.

A Giant-like, tall, flammell-Wife,
Though Exc'llent, I'de not choose;
A Bad-condition'd, though a Dwarfe,
I will as soone refuse.

Epig. 88. Loue is Blinde.

Like one another, Drunkennesse,
And Loue, are, in effect;
Drunkennesse Blindes the Bodies Eyes,
Loue Blinds the Mindes aspect.

Epig. 87. An Amorous Epistle .

No Loue is Hopelesse, this makes Louers free:
The Thing, not Hope, I Loue; No-Thing but Thee.

Epig. 91. A Christian Zodiacke .

Th' Apostles goodly Fellowship,
Are my twelue heauenly Signes;
My Zodiacke, is perfect Faith;
My Sunne, in Iesus shines.

Epig. 100. To the Reader .

I leaue Narcissus when I Uerses write;
When thou do'st Reade them, banish Him thy sight.

Out of the third Booke.

Epig. 1. God the Beginning of All Things .

God was the first, ith' first God did reside,
Before the first, after the first shall bide;
First without firsts, and from this first, each thing,
That first was made, did first-beginning bring.

Epig. 4. The Art of Memory .

Simonides , found th' Art of Memory,
But none the Art of Wit could ere descry.

Epig. 6.

[Satan o'th' Woman Bought-vs; Christ re-Bought-vs]

Satan o'th' Woman Bought-vs; Christ re-Bought-vs;
Adam Impure, but Christ Most-Pure hath wrought-vs.

Epig. 7. The Prayse of Liberalitie .

What e're we Giue, doth euer liue,
Gifts follow Him that Giues;
The Giuer and the Taker both,
By Gifts the better Liue.

Epig. 10. To Queene Anne .

Wife , Daughter, Sister, Mother to a King,
What rarer Titles may wee to Thee bring?
With these foure Titles, thou foure Vertues hast,
With what more Glory may a Queene be grac't?

Epig. 13. A New-Man .

Driue what thou didst Deriue from th' Old-Man-Sinne,
Soone, to Refresh thy Flesh, from Sinne, Beginne.

Epig. 14. Health.

Even from my Heart, much Health I Wish,
No Health I'le Wash with Drinke:
Health Wish't, not wash't, in Words, not Wine,
To be the best I thinke.

Epig. 15. Forbidden-Fruit.

When Adam Ate Forbidden-Meate,
Deluded by the Diuell;
He was not Euils Primitiue,
But, worse than th' Apple of Euill.

Epig. 16. Troians and Greekes .

The Troian sayes, I much doe feare
The Greekes, when they bring Gifts.
Who is the Greeke? The Poore-Man. Who
Are Troians? Rich-Make-Shifts.

Epig. 21. N. A.

N's first; A, followes; Nought than All's more old:
That God of Nought made All, all Truth doth hold.

Epig. 23. Holinesse is Healthfulnesse .

No man can Long; Well, all Men may;
Yet no Man Will, Liue, Well:
If thou'lt Liue Long, endeuour then
In Vertue to excell.

Epig. 25. A Bride is a Ship .

The Taile's the Sterne; Fore-Decke the Beake;
The Keele, the Belly is;
Her Wings, the Sayles; a Bird, a Barke
Is then, not much amisse.

Epig. 30. Against Pannicus a Rich-Asse .

That Fortune fauours Fooles canst thou not see?
Beleeue thy Selfe, if thou'lt not Credit Mee.

Epig. 33. Homer.

Maruell not much though Homer blind tell Lyes,
Since He by Heare-say went, not Sight of's Eyes.

Epig. 35. Little, Nothing, Too-much, Enough.

The Poore haue Little, Beggers None,
The Rich Too-much, Enough not One.

Epig. 37. To the Right Honourable, William Earle of Pembrooke, &c.

Not Old in yeeres, nor Young in each rare Part,
One of the Kings and Kingdomes Props thou art,
That on thee this great Grace thy King doth Lay:
Or should I ioy thy Merit? Both I may.

Epig. 48. Humility.

As, Low-Dales beare more fertile Grasse,
More Sterill Mountaines-high;
In Wisdome, so, Meeke Minds doe passe
Selfe-flated Subtilty;
The Mind's a Mount, our Will's a Hill;
The Mounts Top is Wils Wit:
Each highest Hill is Sterill still,
And Nimblest Wit vn-fit.

Epig. 54. The Clyent .

If to thy Cause the Iudge shall Helpe apply,
Thy Knees to Him, Clyent, in-cline wisely.

Epig. 57. The Serpent, Eue, Adam .

The subtill Serpent, heed-lesse Eue
Deceiu'd, was not deceiued;
Not Adam Her, Shee Him made fall,
Both thus of Ioy bereaued:
Both Actiuely and Passiuely,
Shee therefore thus did Sin;
Deceiu'd Her-Selfe, deceiueth Him,
Snar'd, Snares Him in Deaths Grin.

Epig. 59. To Polydore .

O Polydore , to Men most Poore,
The Datiue-Case is best;
Your Ablatiue doth them depriue
Of Comfort, Ease and rest:
Giuers than Takers better are.
True, but these Ablatiues,
This Age doth see too frequent bee,
Seld' seene are Rich-Datiues.

Epig. 60. To ------

Alas, poore Creature-Seruing two,
Thou art in wofull state:
One-Master, nothing hath to Giue,
Thy tother is Ingrate.

Epig. 61. Three-fold Continency.

When thou dost any Ill-thing Heare or See,
Thy Windowes, Eares and Eyes fast shut let bee;
And that thou Speake-not vnaduisedly,
Locke-fast thy Doores, thy Lips; thy Tongue fast tye.

Epig. 62. Saturnes three Sonnes .

Three Sonnes had Saturne, Poets faine,
And of especiall fame;
Hell was ones place, Riches his Grace,
Nummi-potent by Name:
The Second had ith' Sea abode,
His Name Amni-potent;
To th' Third was giuen his seat in Heauen,
Call'd Ioue Omni-potent.

Epig. 63. The Old-man speakes to the Yong-man .

My Life is short, and Liue I cannot Long;
Thine shortly will bee short, though now th' art strong.

Epig. 67. To an Angry-Man .

Let Wrath and Anger with the Day decay,
Yet let them not with Phœbus next Day rise;
But as from thy Horizon Titan flyes,
Vnto th' Antipodes; there let them stay.

Epig. 73. The Lord loueth Liberality .

Thy Benefits, it not-be-fits,
When Giuen to count and tell:
God will them both Remunerate,
And Ruminate full well.

Epig. 77. Heauen.

Heauen is Gods Spacious, Spacious Throne of Grace,
The Lords All-potent and All-patent Place.

Epig. 80. Against Pontilianus .

Dogges on their Masters fawne and leape,
And wag their Tailes apace;
So, though the Flatt'rer want a Taile,
His Tongue supplyes the place.

Epig. 81. To Distrust.

Let none distrust (though Dust) Heau'ns light to see,
Nor none despaire, though's Soule a shaddow be:
Our Flesh is Dust, true, but o'th very same,
The glorious Body of Christ Iesus came.
And though our Soule in vs a shaddow bee,
Yet 'tis th' Idea of the Deitie.

Epig. 83. The Rich-Man .

That Man's most 'Retch which is most Rich,
Th' are oft defil'd that play with Pitch;
Men to be Great, not Good; desire
Greatnesse, not Goodnesse most acquire.

Epig. 87. To the Iewes .

The Law, is your Religion,
And ours is Faith most pure;
You, to beleeue, will not be-led,
Nor we Good-workes inure.

Epig. 97. Riches.

Gold 's th' onely-God, Rich-Men beare Rule,
Mony makes Maiesty;
Rich-Pluto, not Plaine-Plato, now,
Speakes with applause most high.

Epig. 98. Three Genders.

A wife, although most Wise and Chaste,
Is of the Doubtfull Gender;
A Queane, oth' Common; Fœminixes,
Are Women small and tender.

Epig. 99. ST. ST. a Signe of Silence .

St, ST, Men say, Silence to signifie:
S, Silence notes: T, Taciturnity.

Epig. 100. Where I Doe-Well, There I Dwell.

That , is my Country, where I'm Fed, not Bred,
Not where I'm Borne, but where I'm best-bested.
Where I may haue sufficient Sustenance,
And Liue in Loue, ther's my Inheritance.

Epig. 103. Actæon.

Actæons Dogs, his flesh, bones, skinne, ate cleane:
His Hornes remayne in London to bee seene.

Epig. 112. A Paradox of Dreames .

Dreames which be Bad, are very Good,
Dreames that be Good, are Bad:
For, if my Dreames be Good, I grieue,
But, being Bad, I'm glad.

Epig. 119. Scoffing, Prudence.

Wit without Wisedome, is Salt without Meate,
Rude-Literature, Meate without Salt, to Eate.

Epig. 123. Against a tedious Oratour .

When thou hast Said all thou wilt Say,
'T remaynes to Say, I'ue Said;
This onely-word would please mee more,
Than all the Speech th' 'ast made.