University of Virginia Library

5. FIFTH COLLECTION

FAIRE AND fowle weather:

OR A SEA AND LAND Storme, betweene two Calmes, WITH An Apologie in defence of the painefull life,and needfull vse of Sailers.

To the Iudicious vnderstanding gentleman, and my much approued and esteemed good freind, Maister Robert Branthwaite, Gentleman Iaylor of the Kings Maiesties Tower of London. Iohn Taylor Dedicates this his Poeticall Weatherworke, with his best wishes, for your hearts contentment.

Kinde Sir, my loue to you's ingag'd so deepe,
That were I Idle, I were much ingratefull:
Or should my thankes, forgetfull, euer sleepe
In me, 'twere base, vnmannerly and hatefull.
Then though I cannot pay you halfe my score,
Vouchsafe to take this trifle as a part,
As time enables me you shall haue more,
And therefore now accept my willing heart.
I know, you well doe vnderstand and know
The weake defects of my defectiue Muse,
Yet doe I hope you will this fauour showe
That loue may her vnwilling faults excuse.
And so to your protection I commend
This Pamphlet, as vnto my deerest freind.

Briefly to you that will Read.

Not vnto euery one can Reade, I write;
But onely vnto those that can Reade right,
And therefore if thou canst not Read it well,
I pray thee lay it downe, and learne to spell.
But if thou wilt be hewing, (like a drudge)
Hewe on, and spare not, but forbeare to Iudge.

To his friend and neighbour Maister John Taylor.

Fierce Neptunes wrath, and Eol's angry spleene
Full many a time I haue both felt and seene,
In leaking ship, and which hath grieu'd me more,
In a long night a darke Moone, and lee shore:
But such a storme as thou describest heere,
Amazeth mee with wonder and with feare,
And wert thou not both Water-man and Poet
Thou neuer couldest halfe so plainely show it,
I much reioyce thou safe on shore art come,
And bid thee very kindly welcome home.

To his friend Iohn Tailor.

I cannot tell, how other men may praise
The pleasing Method, thy Minerua layes
In whatsoe'r it workes on, but to me
It offers much desir'd varietie,
To passe dull howres withall: with that, affords
Much vsefull matter, which with Phrase, and Words,
And all the aptest ornament of writ
Thy pen doth furnish: This last birth of wit
Is witnesse, worth beleeuing. Like the Glasse
Great Arts-men vse, in shewing things that passe
In parts farre from vs. This presents a Flawe,
Or Storme at Sea: for what I red, I sawe.
I so may speake. Me thought I had in sight,
A Clowd, as blacke as the darke Robe of Night:
Saw that dissolue, and fall in such a showre,
As (mixt with lightning, and that voice of power,
Makes Towres and Castles totter) made an howre
Full of confounding horrour. Then againe,
Mine eyes sad obiect, was the troubled Maine:
Sweld vp, and curl'd, with that impetuous breath,
Makes Land-men quake, and Seamen oft see death.
On this, me thought, I sawe a vessell tost,
Higher then ken, and in a minute, lost
Betweene the Mountaine-billowes: At whose rise
I sawe pale lookes, and heard the heauie cryes,
Of those sad men that man'd her: After all,
I sawe this Storme into a Calmenesse fall,
As plaine, and smooth as Christall. In thy Booke
All this is seene, as on thy lynes we looke.
If where such life is, there can want delight,
Though oft I read, Ile neuer dare to write.

FAIRE AND FOWLE WEATHER.

An Apologie for Sea-men, or the Description of a Marriners paines and aduentures.

Vp sluggard Muse from Leathe's lazy Lake,
And in plaine tearmes, a true Description make,
Of toyles, of dangers, and excessiue paines,
That Sea-men suffer for the Land mens gaines.
The one doth hue a Shore, in wealth and ease,
The other furrowes through th'vncertaine Seas.
The one in pleasure liues, and lyes at home,
The other cuts the raging salt-Sea fome.
The one aduentures onely but his goods,
The other hazards all, both goods and bloods.
Mongst Pirates, tempests, rocks, fogs, gulfes and shelues,
The Sea-men ventures all, and thats themselues.
The Land-man (dangerlesse) doth eate and sleepe,
The Sea-man stems and plowes the Ocean deepe.
The one fares hard, and harder he doth lye,
The other lyes and faires, soft, sweet, and dry.
The one with dauntlesse vnrebated courage,
Through greatest perils valliently doth forrage,
And brings home Iewels, Siluer, Gold, and Pearles,
T adorne both Court and Citie Dames, and Girles.
They set whole Kingdomes both at wars or peace,
They make wealth flowe, and plenty to encrease.
The Countries farre remote, they doe vnite,
They make vs sharers in the worlds delight:
And what they get with paine, they spend in pleasure,
They are no Mizers, hoorders vp of treasure.
The oldest man aliue, did neuer see
A Sailer and a Niggards minde agree.
No, if their paines at Sea were ten times more,
Tis all forgotten when they come ashore.
And this much I dare publish with my pen,
They are the best of Seruiceable men,
The wals of Kingdomes, Castles of defence,
Against Inuasion of each forreigne Prince.
A torch lights not it selfe, yet wastes and burnes,
So they their liues spend, seruing others turnes.
The Marchant sits at home, and casts vp sums,
And reckons gaines and losse, what goes, what comes:
To what his whole aduentures may amount,
He Ciphers, numbers, and he casts Account.
And euery angy boystrous gust he heares
Disturbs his sleepe, and fils his heart with feares,
His goods at Sea awakes and startles him,
For with them, his estate doth sinke or swim.
But yet for all this heart tormenting strife,
He's in no daunger of the losse of life
By cut throate Sea-theeues, or a world of woes,
Which many a Sailers life and state or' throwes.
The Mariner abides the desperate shocks
Of winde and weather, Pirates, sands and rocks:
And what they get, they freely spend away,
A whole months wages, in a night, or day.
Their labours on the Sea they leaue a shore,
And when all's spent, then to't againe for more:
And pitty tis there should be such neglect
Of such, whose seruice merits such respect.
Whole spawnes of Land-sharks, and of guilded Guls,
Of painted Mammets, and ilfauoured truls,
Will hold their noses and cry fogh and fye,
When seruiceable Marriners passe by:
And then (their stomacks somewhat more to ease)
What stinking tarlubbers (quoth they) are these.
Then Mistris Fumpe troubled with the stitch,
She's poysned with the smell of tarre and pitch.
Some Frankinsence, or Iuniper, oh quick,
Make haste I say, the Gentlewoman's sicke.
And Mounsier Puffepast with the sattin slop,
That sits in a Tobacco-sellers shop,
And makes a stinke worse then a brace of Beares:
When with a whiffe his witlesse worship sweares,
How Sailers are Rude fellowes, and doe smell,
Of pitch and tarre worse then the smoke of hell.
But were the case now, as I erst haue knowne,
That vse of men should haue their seruice showne,
One Marriner would then doe much more good,
Then twentie of these Sattin Milksop brood.
Of all men then the Nauigator can,
For King and Countries cause, best play the man:
And howsoere they smell of tarre and pitch,
Their painefull toyles doe make great Kingdomes rich.
If we by foraine Warre should be annoyed,
Then chiefly Marriners must be imployed,
They on the Sea must bide the fiercest brunt,
Grim death and danger they must first affront.
One fight at Sea, with Ships couragious mand,
Is more then three great battels on the Land.
There men must stand to't, theres no way to fly,
There must they Conqu'rers liue or Conquerd die.
And if they dye not by some launching wound
They are in hazard to be sunke and drownd.
The murdring bullets, and the brinish waues,
Are many a valliant Sea-mans death and graues.
And tis a lamentable case to thinke,
How these mens seruiceable number shrinke,
Decreasing and consuming euery day,
Where one doth breede, at least fowre doe decay,
Some the Sea swallowes, but that which most grieues,
Some turne Sea-monsters, Pirates, roauing theeues:
Imploying their best skill in Nauigation,
Gainst their owne Prince, and kin, and natiue Nation,
By which meanes many a Marchant is vndone,
And Pirates nere the better for whats won.
For if (like Mosse his Mare) they be catcht napping,
They bid the world their last farewell at Wapping.
Which fatall Hauen, hath as many slaine,
As could disturbe and shake the power of Spaine:
And want of meanes, but (chiefly want of grace)
Hath made so many perish in that place.
But to conclude my Ryme, with heart and speach,
I doe my God (for Iesus sake) beseech,
That he for Sailors will vouchsafe to please,
To graunt them good imployment on the Seas.
So honest salt-Sea-watermen adiewe,
I haue bin, am, and will be still for you.

MERCVRIVS AQVATICVS;

OR, THE VVATER-POETS ANSWER TO ALL THAT hath or shall be Writ by MERCVRIVS BRITANICUS.

An Elegie on Master Pym.

No immature or sullen Fate
Did his immortall soul translate,
He passed gravely hence even
Kept the old pace, from earth to heaven;
He had a soule did alwaies stand
Open for businesse, like his hand,
He took in so much, I could call
Him more then individuall,
And so much businesse waited by,
Would scarcely giue him leaue to dye;
He knew the bounds, and every thing
Betwixt the people and the King;
He could the just Proportions draw
Betwixt Prerogative and Law;
He liv'd a Patriot here so late,
He knew each syllable of State
That had our Charters all been gone,
In him we had them every one;
He durst be good, and at that time
When innocence was halfe a crime;
He had seen death before he went,
Once had it as a token sent:
He surfeted on State affaires,
Di'd on a Plurisie of cares,
Nor doth he now his mourners lacke,
We have few soules but go in blacke,
And for his sake have now put on
A solemne Meditation.
Teares are too narrow drops for him,
And private sighes, too strait for Pym;
None can compleatly Pym lament,
But something like a Parliament,
The publike sorrow of a State,
Is but a griefe commensurate,
We must enacted passions have,
And Lawes for weeping at his grave.

AN HONEST ANSWER TO THE LATE PUBLISHED APOLOGIE FOR PRIVATE PREACHING.

THE SONG.

Down fall those Beetle-brains, who have expounded
False Doctrine in their Tubs, and truth confounded,
The glorious Peace we had by them lies wounded,
No men in thoughts so bad ever abounded:
That I could wish they were all hang'd or drownded,
We might say ther's an end of a Right Round-head.

THE NOBLE CAVALIER CARACTERISED, AND A REBELLIOUS CAVILLER CAVTERISED.

[But as poor silly Sheep run all together]

But as poor silly Sheep run all together,
And in confusion scud they know not whether,
So those mad People, pray, disburse, and fight,
Not knowing truths from lyes, or wrong from right:
The Multitude like Dogges with open jawes,
One bawles cause t'other barkes, yet knowes no cause:
Aske Rebells what's the reason they rebell,
And aske Dogges why they barke, they cannot tell.