Times Cvrtaine Drawne :: :: University of Virginia Library

Hobb:
Many good morrows to my Land-Lords heire;

Nath:
The like to Hobbinoll, but pray thee tell
What makes my Chuff to looke so fat and faire,
Thy plump-cheekes (Hobb) mine looke not halfe so well.

Hobb:
Not yours (young-maister)! there's no cause they should,
Care kills a Cat, there's not a day you liue
But you haue cares, I warrant, twentie folde
More then we feele: for first, before you wiue
You mun goe common with your neerest kin,
And if they thinke it fit her portion be,
With other things amang well equalling,
Perchance they will (if they be brib'd) agree.

Nath:
Brib'd Hobb! why can none without bribing haue her

Hobb:
Not fitly Maister; some-thing has some savour:
And councell well deserues to haue his fee,
For it's their liuing, and they must liue by it;

Nath:
Friends counsell's free;

Hobb:
Nay, whosoere they be
This you shall finde probatum, if you'le trie it,
Brains are as good demaines where there be braines
And certaine too, as any on our Down.

Nath:
Indeed where friends make of their friends againe.

Hobb:
And pray you say, is that but seldome knowne?
Yes, Maister, there is one and one I know,
For hee is my doore-neighbour, and indeed
A very Cricket, but of late did grow
So very rich, that now for store of breed
There is no Heardsman like him; yet his wealth
Grew to this height by th'benefit hee made
Of his entirest friends: though, since his health
'Gan to decay, hee sorrowes as it's said,
And well he may, for nere did any Swaine
In such short time so great revenues gaine.

Nath:
Sorrow, good Hobbinoll, what causeth it!

Hobb:
Why his estate Man, indirectly got;
And he may thanke his over-weening wit
For all his griefe.

Nath:
I tooke him for a Sot,
A very Goseling, one that could doe nought
But prate of Sheep-skins, or a breeding Ewe;

Hobb:
Yea, Maister, but if he could profit ought,
He would soone make a Goseling-bird of you,
So quaint he is, for I haue throughly tride him,
As scarce a man can keepe his owne beside him.

Nath:
It makes me wonder; but good Hobb: proceed,
And proue what Libertie you haue 'boue vs
That are your Lands-lords.

Hob:
Shall I Sr indeed?

Nath:
Yes pray thee Hobb;

Hob:
Then I will proue it thus:
We may goe wooe ilke weeke a sundrie Wench,
And none talke on't; but when you goe to wooe
There's such a stirre as there is no defence
Against report, for all must know it too.
And than a thousand things are to be done,
As Iointures, feoffments, ere the match be made,
Which (wele I wote) wee never thinke vpon,
But locke and like, and then are bargained.
And is it not, I pray you Maister say,
A shrude vexation to be barr'd our sport,
By being cross'd by such a long delay,
And kept from that when we came thether for't!

Nath:
Why man, our state requires mature advice,
And better is that Match like to succeede,
Where rashnesse hath no sway nor getts no prize
Then such as yours that's finish'd with such speede.

Hob:
Nay, Maister, for successe 'mongst such as you,
If Truth were knowne, we should but finde a few;
But I may safely sweare ere I were crost
Of her I lou'd, if shee did fancie mee
I would loose whatsoere I prized most,
And neuer stand vpon't so curiously:
Roundly to worke wee goe without ere spech
Of any feoffments and we thinke we're sped
Of state enough if wee a Marriage reach,
Though foure bare leggs are not enough in bed.

Nath:
No by my Faith Hob: there is more to doe
Then name of Marriage, which is such a state
As th'knot we tie wee never can vndoe,
Till it be loos'd by th'ordinance of Fate.

Hob:
Yes Maister, such as you knows to dispence
With such good haly things, for if there be
Betwixt the married paire a difference,
Then streight divorce is sew'd and presently
A Separation made; in which respect
Hob must confesse you haue more freedome far
Then such as he; for where we once affect,
Without remoouing we are ever there.

Nath:
Hob you are knavish growne, but let that passe;
Proceede to show wherein our libertie
Is lesse then yours.

Hob:
I'le tell you Sr; tyme was.
But that was clep'd a golden time, when we
(As Sheepherds vs'd) might sport vs on the Plaine,
Where Phyllis danc'd with Coridon the Swaine;
Each Sheepherd culld his deare and colld her too,
And in dispite of Fate possest that blisse
Where they had time to chat, to sport, to wooe,
Where shee did call him hers, and he her his:
Then (ô thrice happie then) nought was more lou'd
Nor worthier louing then a vertuous life;
Where sweete experience onely that approu'd
Was free from difference and exempt from strife:
Then were our feelds so free we needed not
Merestones or Buttells, for none durst approch
With violent hands to seaze on that we got,
Or by deceite vpon our Bounds incroch.
But afterward (as after-times proue worse)

A greedie kinde of humour did possesse
The mindes of Sheepherds, altring quite the course
Which they before held: being conscionlesse,
Betroth'd to no especiall One, but all
In a Communitie; where small distasts
Made them remoue their loue, and so to fall
To lavish their affections on Out-casts,
Stale-mercenaries that their honour prize
No more then Hacknies that are put to hire;
Or like our Neighbour Eliots, who deuise
How to fulfill the height of their desire,
How sinfull ere the practise be they make
Which for their lust they onely vndertake.
Thus Sheepherds grew, but for their low estate
Being inferiour to the better sort,
Their vices were scarce tax'd or pointed at,
Till by report (what's swifter then report)
The sundrie mischiefes done vpon the Plaines,
As by eye-witnesse daily did appeare,
Committed by the practise of those Swaines,
Came at the last to great Pandoxus eare.
Hee, as a gracefull Guardian, tendring still
The state of Sheepherds, yet much discontent
His whilome honest Swaines should grow so ill,
Sent some choice men to giue them chastisement;
Which they receiu'd and kindly entertain'd,
Admitting them to dwell amongst them too,
And so they did, where they not long remain'd
Till as the Swaines did, they began to doe;
So as these goodly Tutors grew in time
As ill, or worse then ere the Sheepherds were;
Vice hugging-hanting Minions, who in prime

Of yeares, gaue their whole liues to ryoting.
Which in processe of time did so possesse
Pandoxus minde, who was the Sheepherds King,
As hee admir'd the brute hereof no lesse
Then if his royall Crowne had beene deprest,
Nor could he see how this might be redrest;
For thus he argued: Greater that's the State,
By so much more obserued, and the ill
Which great-men doe, the worse will imitate;
For it hath beene a granted Maxime still,
“The better sort, or men in higher place
“Giue forme and fashion to the lower rank,
“And whatsoere they doe, these thinke't a grace
To second them, and oft-times conn them thanke
For their vndoing: and where vice grows strong,
Gaining an habit without knowledge had
To vertues Lore, it will be very long
Ere th'roots can be destroy'd or withered,
For if Prescription of one age be such,
As those who stand vpon authoritie
Or ground of title, will thinke too too much
To loose what they possess'd so aunciently;
Much more where vice hath taken deepest root
In vulgar minds, drawne from th'example too
Of greater men, and now hath gott a foot
In mens affections, t'will be much to doe
Quite to extirpe it: and yet what are these
(The meaner sort I meane) but Syrian Currs
That barke at th'Moone, men onely made to please
The greater, on whose sleues they cleaue like Burrs!
Nor will they be shak'd off; but sticke so nere
As they will either grow or perish there.

Yet heauens know this (with which Pandoxus sigh'd)
How ill soere the Multitude appeare,
The blame vpon the better sort must light,
And they the burden of their shame must beare:
For why! What meane men doe is lesse obseru'd
Then what the Great commit; for each mans eye
Is levell'd at his actions vndeseru'd,
Whose acts will liue although the actor die:
And this we see approu'd by instances;
“The glorious Sunne, if it eclypsed be,
“As men struck with amazement, streight we prease
“And fix our eyes on't as some prodigie
“Boding a strange event; but if a Star,
“Or such inferiour bodie loose her light,
“We lightly at such Obiects moued are,
“For these oppose small darknesse to our sight.
The like we may obserue in colours too,
“Stains are not seene in blacke so soone as white;
For spotlesse white will any blemish show,
Resembling nere the puritie of light,
Which sallow blacke, if it a blemish get
Will hardly show, for blacke will couer it.
Even so, for Men plac'd in more eminence
May be compar'd, and fitly to the Sunne,
Or purest white, hauing their residence
Spher'd aboue others, whom more eyes are on
Then atoms in the Sun, Sands on the shore,
Grasse-piles on Earth: when men of higher place
Stray in their actions, they haue euer more
To eye their humours, and to lay disgrace
On their degenerate Greatnesse, which shall spread
In liuing infamie when they are dead.

And thus Pandoxus argued, nor could he
For all his Princely vertues (as who ere
Possessed more) waine his Nobilitie
From th'vicious life wherein they nuzled were.
Yet what they did (as well Pandoxus said)
Was quickly bruted; but what wee committed
The meaner Swaines I meane, was silenced:
For wee, whose actions our conditions fitted,
Were neuer noted whatsoere wee did;
Yea, what is more, none were more prone to speake
Of great-mens errors, which were seldome hid,
Then wee, whose liues did like affections seeke.
For euery day we drunke our Sheepherds health
In Wassell Cupps, not caring for our Heards,
How well or ill they far'd, a figg for wealth,
Wee made our chopps wagg, and our grisled beards,
(Our Maister-Sheepherds) still discharg'd our score,
And would haue done't, if't had bin ten times more.

Nath:
Why, this was excellent, but pray thee say
Were you nere chastis'd for't?

Hob:
No, never Wee;
We plide our merriments from day to day,
And past our iollie liues as pleasantly
As if wee had beene Lords, and they our slaues
Whom wee in dutie seru'd; yea, I may sweare
I nere receiu'd from Thyrsus any braues,
But was esteem'd of him and his so deare,
That some haue ask'd, seeing him vse me so
Whether I was his owne, or that he meant
On Hobbinol some doughter to bestow,
And that, I'me halfe perswad'd was his intent,
For wee were halfe agree'd.

Nath:
Pray thee tell true;

Hob:
Yes marie Maister, it may well appeare
That wee were halfe agree'd, I'le say to you,
For I was well agreed to marrie her.

Nath:
What Hob conceited growne! but I will yeeld
To thy Discourse, for I haue oft times found
By due experience, that the priuate field,
Where th'carefull husbandman manures his ground,
Makes her poore farmer in a better state
Then the Prime Lord: for he may merry be,
Yet shall his actions nere be glanced at,
For his low ranke makes him from Rumor free.

Hob:
Yea Maister, I'le ensure you, if hee should
(As when the drinke is in the wit is out)
Throw house quite out at Windows, yet hee would
Be little talk'd of: but if you should doe't
Your name would soone be rumord, for your place
Would make men note you.

Nath:
Most certaine Hobbinol,
Which should induce men of more generous race
Choice and select socitie to cull,
Since th'veriest slaue that makes of time abuse,
With vs compar'd, advantage hath of vs.

FINIS.