 | Works of John Taylor the Water Poet not included in the folio volume of 1630 |  |
2
Taylor on Thame Isis:
OR THE DESCRIPTION OF THE TWO FAMOUS Riuers of Thame and Jsis, who being conioyned or combined together, are called Thamisis, or Thames.
With all the Flats, Shoares, Shelues, Sands, Weares, Stops, Riuers, Brooks, Bournes, Streames, Rills, Riuolets, Streamelets, Creeks, and whatsoeuer helps the said Riuers haue, from their springs or heads, to their falls into the Ocean.
As also a discouery of the hinderances which doe impeach the passage of Boats and Barges, betwixt the famous Vniuersity of Oxford, and the City of London.
3
TO The Right Honourable Lords, Thomas Earle of Arundell and Surrey, Earle Marshall of England: Edward Lord Viscount Wimbleton: Henry Lord Viscount Fawlkland: and Sir Thomas Edmonds, Knight, Treasurer of the Kings Houshold: Lords of his Maiesties most Honourable Priuy Councell, and Commissioners for the Nauigation and fishing of the famous Riuers of Thames and Medway.
Right Noble Lords, with sorrow I beheld,That which to write my duty hath compel'd,
And (from my pen) the Thames flow'd to the presse,
From thence it ebbes to you to finde redresse.
My Honourable Lord of Dorchester,
He truly noted in particular,
Dame Isis wrongs, and Thames great injuries,
For they were sad perspectiues to his eyes,
And had his Lordship liu'd his meaning was
To make the Riuer passable, to passe.
4
He view'd the helps, and the impediments,
Which aid, or hinder passage vp and downe,
Twixt Oxford City, and braue Windsor towne;
Yet as I sometimes row'd and sometimes steer'd,
I view'd where well, where ill the way appeard;
And here I haue describ'd the way we went,
Commixing truth with honest merriment,
My threed-bare wit a mad wooll gathering goes,
To shew the things in verse I saw in prose;
And (Honourable Peeres) I humbly craue,
My artlesse lines may your acceptance haue,
Wishing each fault remou'd (which stands vnfit)
As soone as you can reade what I haue writ,
Desiring God to giue you high content
Here, and hereafter glory permanent.
Humbly deuoted with his best endeuours,
to all your Honourable personages, Iohn Taylor.
5
TO The memory of the truly Noble deceased, Dvdley Carleton, Lord Viscount Dorchester, principall Secretary of State to his Maiestie of Great Britaine.
If He be blest that is of Noble bloud,And being made great, is both great and good,
Who is a Christian euery way compleat,
Who holds it better to be good than great,
Whose life was guided with good Conscience,
Whose end was sauing faith and penitence,
These blessings Noble Dorchester were thine,
And these haue made thee 'Immortall and diuine.
7
To any Body.
I that ne're tasted the Castalian fount,Or came in ken of the Thessalian Mount;
I that could ne're attaine to wet my lips,
With Tempes liquour, or sweet Aganipps,
Who neuer yet haue so much fauour won,
To purchase one carrowse from Helicon,
Who with good Poets dare compare no way
But one, which is in being poore as they;
And hauing neuer seene the Muses hill,
Am plentifully stor'd with want of skill,
Then Fount, or Mount, nor sacred treble trine,
Are no assistants in this worke of mine:
But ancient Isis current chrystall spring
Inspires my braine, and I her praises sing,
And Tame with Isis joynes his pearely streames,
Whose combination are my ample theames;
Though (for the most part) in the tracts I tread,
Of learned Camden, Speed, and Hollinshead,
And Draytons painfull Polyolbyon,
Whose fame shall liue, despight obliuion,
These are the guides I follow, with pretence
T'abbreuiate and extract their Quint-essence;
8
That I come after in the wayes they went,
For they of former writers followers be,
I follow them, and some may follow me;
And man to man a President is made
In Art or Science, mysterie or Trade,
As they before these Riuers bounds did show,
Here I come after with my Pen and row.
9
TAYLOR ON THAME ISIS.
Ovr patron Phœbus, whose sweet influence,Doth quicken all our reason, life and sense,
Tis he makes grasse to grow, & Riuers spring,
He makes both my songs, subiect, and me sing;
His beames the waters doe extenuate
To vapours, and those vapours eleuate
Into the middle Region, where they tumble,
And melt, and then descend and are made humble,
Moystning the face of many a spacious hill,
Where soaking deepe the hollow vaults they fill,
Where into Riuers they againe breake out,
So nature in a circle runnes about.
Large Downes doe treasure vp great store of raine,
Whose bowels vent it in the vales againe:
No place in England could a treasure keepe,
Thames to maintaine, but Coteswould (queene of sheepe.)
10
From whose faire City I deriue my birth,
Are Coteswould hills, and in the farthest cliffe
Of all those hils of Isis head is chiefe:
Schollers from Gloster that to Oxford ride
The truth of my assertion oft haue tride;
On their right hand neare Cubberley they passe,
Two Wells as sweet as milke, as cleare as glasse,
Whence Isis first doth pedegree deriue,
Those two are able there two mills to driue.
At Burton on the water, south from Stow
Vpon the Would, great vaines of waters flow
To Burford, and to Witney, and along
Till they make meadowes large, and Isis strong.
The famous Riuer Isis hath her spring
Neare Tetbury, and downe along doth bring
(As hand-maids) to attend her progresse, Churne,
Colne, Windrush, Yenload, Leech, whose windings turne,
And Meads, and Pastures trims, bedecks, and dresses,
Like an vnvaluable chaine of ESSES.
After releefe of many a Ducke and Goose,
At Saint Iohns bridge they make their rendeuous,
And there like robbers crossing London way,
Bid many a bare-foot Welshman wade or stay.
Close vnder Oxford one of Englands eyes,
Chiefe of the chiefest Vniuersities,
11
To zeale, and to be taught in Magdalen College,
The Riuer Charwell doth to Isis runne,
And beares her company to Abington,
Whil'st very neare that towne on Barkshire side,
The Riuer Ock doth into Isis glide;
These fountaines and fish-breeding Riuolets,
(The Countries nurses, nourishers, and teats,)
Attend Dame Isis downe to Dorchester,
Neare which her louely Tame doth meet with her,
There Tame his Isis doth embrace and kisse,
Both joyn'd in one, cal'd Tame or Tame Isis,
Isis like Salmacis becomes with Tame
Hermaphrodite in nature and in name.
Tame doth deriue his Spring or Pedegree
Neare Mesworth in the vale of Aylsbury,
From whence he many miles with strange meanders,
To finde his lovely Isis slowly wanders,
Through fertile lands a quiet course he keepes,
Till Southward vnder Whately bridge he creepes,
And (like a Pilgrim) trauels all alone,
No Brooke or Riuer waiting him vpon,
Onely three namelesse Riuolets and two springs,
Which very priuately their tribute brings,
Bewailing Isis absence, and his fate,
Poore Tame all heauie and disconsolate,
12
Hauing in vaine so many paces pac'd;
Despairing and quite desperate with these harmes,
He hurles himselfe vnwares in Isis armes;
Nor closer can the barke be to the tree,
Than their infoldings and embracings be;
They rise and fall together, and they are
In want and plenty to haue equall share;
And Tame with Isis will be both one riuer,
Till in the Ocean they their names deliuer.
At Wallingford and Pangbourne, two small rils,
Their homages to Thamisis instils.
The more the riuer runnes, the more tis spreading,
Till in it's course it falls as low as Reading,
Where Kennet kindly comes with force and source,
To aid and helpe Thamisis in their course.
The head of Kennet is neare Ramsbury,
Passing to Hungerford by Newbury.
The riuer Anborne out of Hampshire flies,
To Kennet with some namelesse small supplies
Of pettie rills, which passing here and there,
Who to repeat, teadious and needlesse were.
To Sunning and by Bisham Thames descends
To Marlow (called great) from whence it wends;
Whereas a little rill from Wickham towne,
To wait vpon the Thames comes gliding downe;
13
To Topley hills, by Maidenhead and Bray,
Till it to Windsor and to Stanes doth win,
And there the riuer Colne comes gliding in:
Colne hath its head or spring in Hartfordshire,
At Abbots Langley, or else very neere,
With some small petty rils and riuolets,
By Colbrooke vnto Stanes and Thames it gets,
The riuer Wey, with diuers namelesse springs
Neare Chertsey, vnto Thames their seruice brings.
Wey (beyond Guilford) help'd with creeks and crooks,
At last at Oatlands towards Sunbury lookes,
And there a little rill, (scarce worth a line)
In Middlesex doth with the Thames combine.
Neare Reygate towne the riuer Mole is found,
Bearing its course, runs (Mole-like) vnder ground;
But rising vp by Notbury againe,
At Molsey it the Thames doth entertaine.
From Ewell towne the riuer Brent makes haste,
Who by the Thames is louingly embrac'd:
Next which is Chiswicke towne, and Hammersmith,
It entertaines a rill, or little frith,
And after that below, neare Wandsworth mill,
Comes in another brooke or namelesse rill;
Thus I the riuer bring, and it brings me
From their first springs to London bridge you see.
14
Till Thames it selfe doth in the Ocean thrust,
And if my paines to good men proue a pleasure,
My gaine's beyond my merit, beyond measure,
Of Watermen, men scarce can finde a Slower,
Yet hey, to Grauesend hoe and somewhat lower.
Braue London Bridge claimes right preheminence
For strength, and Architects magnificence,
To be true None-such, for no eye beheld
A bridge which it each way hath paralleld.
The arches (Tame and Isis) shadie bowres,
Through which both East and West in twice twelue houres
Twice Neptune greets it flowing from the Maine,
And twice the riuer sends it backe againe,
And as the flouds or ebbes encrease or falls,
They through the arches murmure Madrigals,
Whil'st th'Eddies divers wayes doth turne and trace,
Tame doth with Isis dance the wilde goose chace,
From this rare matchlesse piece of workmanship,
I with the tide of Ebbe must quickly slip,
And downe into the Riuer Lea I hie,
That parts Midsaxon from East Saxony.
Which riuer fals from Ware to Walthamstow,
And downe by Layton vnto Stratford Bow,
Some call it Lea, but Camden calls it Stowre,
And neare Blackwall it in the Thames doth powre,
15
Which Foord from Berking into Thames doth fall.
From Hauering, Burntwood and from Ockingdon,
Three little Rils into the Thames do run,
Th'are namelesse, or scarce worth the nomination.
And so on Essex side I end my station.
And now I'le crosse into the County Kent
To note what riuers from her bound are sent,
To wait vpon the mighty bigswolne Thames,
Who now is grown the Prince of Brittains streams.
By Bromley glides the riuer Rauensburne
To Deptford downe with many a wandring turne,
The riuer Darrent is the next and last,
Which downe by Dartford into Thames is cast.
And thus from Glocester shire neare Tetbury
And Buckingham shire close by Aylsbury,
I haue brought Isis and her partner Tame
With twenty seven helpes losing each their name,
Who spend themselues to make the Thames grow great,
Till (below Lee) it lose both name and seat,
Through many Countries as these waters passe,
They make the Pastures fructifie in grasse:
Cattell grow fat, and cheese and butter Cheape,
Hey in abundance, Corne by stricke and heape,
Beasts breed, and Fish increase, fowles multiply,
It brings wood, Cole, and Timber plenteously:
16
And keepes whole townes and countries sweet and cleane;
Wer't not for Thames (as heauens high hand doth blesse it)
We neither could haue fish, or fire to dresse it,
The very Brewers would be at a fault,
And buy their water dearer than their mault,
And had they malt and water at desire,
What shift (a Gods name) would they make for fire?
There's many a Seaman, many a Nauigator,
Watermen, fishers, bargemen on this water,
Themselues and families beyond compare,
In number more than hundred thousands are,
Who doe their Prince and Country often serue,
And wer't not for this riuer might goe sterue;
And for the good to England it hath done,
Shall it to spoyle and ruine be let runne?
Shall priuate persons for their gainfull use,
Ingrosse the water and the land abuse,
Shall that which God and nature giues us free,
For vse and profit in community,
Be barr'd from men, and damb'd vp as in Thames,
(A shamelesse auarice surpassing shames;)
I speake not of the riuers bounds below,
Whereas the tides perpetuall ebbe and flow,
Nor is the riuer wanting much repaire,
Within the bounds of Londons honour'd Maior,
17
Beyond Stanes bridge (thats more than forty miles)
But I (from Oxford) downe to Stanes will slide,
And tell the riuers wrongs which I espide,
Not doubting but good mindes their powers will lend,
T'endeuour these abuses to amend:
Therefore I pray the Readers to dispence,
And pardon my abrupt intelligence.
From Oxford two miles Ifley distant is,
And there a new turne pike doth stand amisse,
Another stands at Stanford, below that,
Weeds, shelues, and shoales all waterlesse and flat;
At Newnham locke there's plac'd a fishing weare,
A grauell hill too high, scarce water there;
At Abington the shoales are worse and worse,
That Swift ditch seemes to be the better course,
Below which towne neare Sutton there are left
Piles that almost our Barges bottome cleft;
Then Sutton locks are great impediments,
The waters fall with such great violence,
Thence downe to Cullom, streame runs quicke and quicker,
Yet we rub'd twice a ground for want of liquor.
The Weare of Carpenter's sans fault I thinke,
But yet neare Witnum towne a tree did sinke,
Whereas by fortune we our Barge did hit,
And by misfortune there a board was split;
18
Which made vs wade, and wet like drowned rats,
The passage bare, the water often gone,
And rocks smooth worne, doe paue it like free stone.
From Clifton downe to Wallingford we fleet,
Where (for annoyance) piles are plac'd vnmeet;
From thence our Oares did downe the riuer draw,
Vntill we came vnto a mungrill Spaw,
A Bath, a Spring, a Fountaine, or a Rill,
That issues from the bowels of a hill,
A hill it may be tearm'd, or demie mountaine,
From out whose entralls springs this new-found fountaine,
Whose water (cleare as Chrystall, sweet as hony,)
Cures all diseases (except want of mony,)
It helpes the Palsey, Cramp, or Apoplexie,
Scab, scurfe, or scald, or dropsie if it vex yee,
The Plurisie, the Lethargie, Strangury,
It cures the Cataracke, and the Stone assure yee;
The head-ach, Megrim, Canker, or the Mumps,
Mange, Murrians, Meazles, Melancholy dumps,
It is of vertue, vigor, and of force
To driue all malladies from man or horse;
Help'd of a Tertian ague I saw one,
(Weake, and not worth the ground he went vpon)
Who drank the water mingled with the clay,
And presently the Ague ran away;
19
It made the deafe to heare, the lame to goe;
One dumbe came thither, and straightway disputed,
And on the trees are crutches executed;
To heale greene wounds it hath such Soueraigne power,
It cur'd a broken pate in halfe an houre,
Which sconce was crack'd on purpose to th'intent,
To try the vertue of the Element.
If any man imagine I doe lie,
Let him goe thither, breake his pate and trie.
Some say crack'd maidenheads are there new sodered,
I'm sure the hill with beggers is embroidered,
And all those beggers are with little cost,
With lice and scabs embroidered and embost;
And as it were the Well of Aristotle,
The water is farre fetch'd in many a bottle,
The clay mixt with the liquour kils the Cornes,
Ah could it cure some Cuckolds of their hornes,
It would haue patients out of euery climat,
More than my patience could endure to rime at,
And had it but the vertue to surcease
Some clamorous tongues, and make them hold their peace,
Thousands of husbands would their wiues send thither;
That they might be recouered all together.
Apothecaries I lament your lots,
Your medcines now will mould in Gallipots,
20
And waste and languish in obscurity,
Twill begger all the Quacksaluers outright,
And all our Mountebanks are vndone quite,
But whats become of me? can any tell?
Good Reader helpe me out of this strange well;
I with my pen its praise did meane to touch,
And it (I feare) hath made me write too much,
Which if I haue, let your constructions be,
Blame the strange working waters and not me:
But he that sayes that I doe ouer-doe,
Let him goe thither and hee'le doe so to;
So farewell, Well, well fare thou, still excell,
Increase in operation, Well farewell.
Beneath the fountaine, next is Cleaue locks fall,
And neare to that a locke men Goring call,
But hauing past the locke at Gorings there,
At Master Coltons house we had good cheare,
With hearty welcome, but 'twas for his sake
That did this hopefull businesse vndertake,
Yet with our hearty thanks we thanke them all,
That din'd vs like a solemne festiuall.
From thence to Harts locke downward we descended,
And next to Whitchurch locke which must be mended,
Because the waters turne so swift and various,
And gainst our wils to dangerous courses carry vs:
21
Should be well lib'd, or else remoued quite;
Below that Maple Ducham locke appeares,
Where stands three faulty and vntoward Weares;
Then neare the bridge of Cauersham there is
One Welbecks Weare, fit to be mou'd I wis;
As past the locke at Cauersham we row,
We found the riuer very foule below,
With weeds and hills of mud and grauell choak'd,
That with our Oares and staues we thrust and poak'd.
Next Breaches Weare near Sunning naught doth lie,
And Sunning locke the groundsill is too high,
Besides two Gin-holes that are very bad
And Sunning bridge much need of mending had;
Haules Weare doth almost crosse the riuer all,
Making the passage straight and very small,
How can that man be counted a good liuer
That for his priuate vse will stop a riuer?
Shiplocke, or Cottrels locke stand very neare,
Not from that farre is Elmes his fishing weare,
Whereas the riuers case is altered well,
For Master Ployden neare that place doth dwell;
Marsh locke is plac'd a little aboue Henly,
And there the Thames is kept indifferent cleanly,
And here at Henley once in fifteene yeares,
A Riuer stranger in the street appeares,
22
In that long space, and cannot get it rather,
But gotten out of high-way-flouds, and leaues,
As Dutchmen keepe the drops of their house-eues.
The cesterne fils and then the wals breake downe,
And send their stowage vnto Henley towne,
Another fifteene yeares the wals repaire,
And fill the place with raine or thawed ayre,
And being so replenisht in that space,
It runnes (rub rub) close by the bowling place.
Neare Henley (some three quarters of a mile)
A little Ile digresse and change my stile.
Should I forget the good Iudge Whitlocks loue,
Vnmanner'd and vngratefull I should proue,
It was about the time (as I remember)
In August, some fiue dayes before September)
We landed neare the noble Iudges harbour,
(With stomacks sharpe as razour of a Barber)
The time was short, we neither toyd nor trifled,
The Kitchin, Pantry, Pastry strait we rifled;
The Celler and the Buttery both we forrag'd,
By which braue booty we were much encourag'd,
Sacke and good Claret drawne from Tierce and Punchion,
That seru'd one whole day, and two euenings Nunchion;
Our bread as good as euer baker sifted,
Our wine (rare wine) as ere to mouth was lifted,
23
We did surprize an excellent Venson pasty,
We there did saue the labour of inuiters;
Whole ioynts of mutton prou'd vs good sheepe-biters,
Our beere was brauely boyl'd and strongly malted,
Our Pidgeon Pie was pepper'd well and salted,
Most tender Chickins, Pullet, and a Capon,
We (in our fury) did commit a rape on;
A mighty scarlet Lobster last we seased,
And so with these Acchats our minds were eased,
But that which made our viands taste the better,
Was welcome, which made each of vs a debter;
And long may he and his suruiue and flourish,
That did poore trauellers so kindly nourish,
These lines are writ in duty to expresse
Our loue, our duty, and our thankfulnesse.
From thence we hi'd vs with the streame and wind,
And in the Barge at noone we brauely din'd,
And as our meat our gratefull minds did moue,
We dranke Iudge Whitlocks health to shew our loue.
Then came we to a locke call'd Hambleton,
Whereas the streame a handsome course doth runne;
Next Mednam Weare doth speedy mending lacke,
It puts the Thames, and Thames puts it to wracke,
And neare Frogge-mill two paltry stops there are,
That in the Riuer take too great a share;
24
Almost a stop, (fit to be clear'd I know;)
Then Temple locke, 'boue Bisham Church there is,
Beneath which is a Weare somewhat amisse,
Then Marlow locke is worst I must confesse,
The water is so pinch'd with shallownesse,
Beneath which is a Weare should be defac'd,
And Cottrels Weare of Cookham be displac'd.
A Weare doth to one Holdernesse belong,
Which doth the riuer most iniurious wrong,
Neare which a Spring runs from the chalkie hills,
The which (not long agoe) did driue two mills,
A stop 'gainst Toplow Warren much doth spread
Next Bolters lock, (a mile from Maydenhead.)
Thus haue I past the locks, now weares and stops,
From thence as farre as Stanes mine Inkhorne drops.
'Boue Maidenhead bridge a stop and one beneath,
Which both to be amended I bequeath;
Against Bray church, and Bray mill, stand three more,
Indifferent bad as any were before;
A stop at Water Oakley naught doth lie,
At Rudles poole the grauell hills too high,
The water turnes so short, and runnes so quicke,
That oft the Barges there a ground doe stricke;
Neare Boueney Church a dangerous stop is found,
On which fiue passengers were lately drown'd;
25
Some needlesse piles stand very perillous:
Neare Eaton College is a stop and weare,
Whose absence well the riuer may forbeare;
A stop, a weare, a dangerous sunke tree,
Not farre from Datchet Ferry are all three;
A grauell bed, two stops and stakes beside,
Against and neare old Windsor Church we spide,
With two stops more we saw neare Ankerwike,
And neare my Lord Maiors stone we saw the like,
Besides an Aight or Island there we found,
Hedg'd farre into the streame to gaine more ground;
From Stanes we past to Lallum guls, most shallow,
Whereas fiue Barges fast aground did wallow;
And such a trowling current there did set,
That we were vildly puzzled by to get;
Tumbling 'twixt Middlesex and Surrey land,
We came where Chertseyes crooked bridge doth stand,
Which sure was made all by left-handed men,
The like of it was neuer in my ken;
Wiw waw to Oakam ward, kim kam, kiwwaw,
That through it men can hardly set or row,
That's the last fault I found that merits note,
And downe from thence we merrily did flote.
Thus haue I shew'd Thames wrongs in generall,
And wish they may be mou'd, or mended all;
26
These multitudes of mischiefes manifold?
Shall Thames be barr'd its course with stops and locks,
With Mils, and hils, with gravell beds, and rocks:
With weares, and weeds, and forced Ilands made,
To spoile a publike for a priuate Trade?
Shame fall the doers, and Almighties blessing
Be heap'd vpon their heads that seeke redressing.
Were such a businesse to be done in Flanders
Or Holland mongst the industrious Netherlanders;
They to deepe passages would turne our hils,
To Windmils they would change our watermils.
All helpes vnto this riuer they would ayd,
And all impediments should be destroyed;
Our vagabonds (the wandering brood of Caine,)
They would enforce those runnagates take paine,
Whereby much profit quickly would accrue,
(For labour robs the hangman of his due.)
In common reason, all men must agree
That if the riuer were made cleane and free,
One Barge, with eight poore mens industrious paines,
Would carry more than forty carts or waines.
And euery waine to draw them horses fiue,
And each two men or boyes to guide or driue,
Charge of an hundred horse and 80. men
With eight mens labour would be serued then,
27
And all the Countrey at cheape rates be seru'd.
T'is said the Dutchmen taught vs drinke and swill,
I'm sure we goe beyond them in that skill,
I wish (as we exceed them in what's bad,)
That we some portion of their goodnesse had:
Then should this worthy worke be soone begun,
And with successefull expedition done:
Which I despaire not of, but humbly plead,
That God his blessings will increase and spread
On them that loue this work, and on their heires,
Their goods and chattels, and on all that's theirs:
I wish them blest externall, and internall,
And in the end with happinesse eternall.
FINIS
| Works of John Taylor the Water Poet not included in the folio volume of 1630 | |