 | The Hunting of Cupid |  |
From Drummond's Commonplace Book.
on the snowie browes of albion. sueet voodes sueet run̄ing
brookes, yt chide in a pleasant tune and make quiet murmur
leauing the lilies, mints and vater flouers in ther gentle
glide: making her face the marke of his vondring
eies and his eyes the messengers of his voundit hart.
like a candle keepeth but a litil roome yet blazeth
round about. heardgroome vt his strauberrie lasse
some vt his suethart making false position putting
a schort sillabe vher a long one should be.
310
to celebrate Mistris holiday in Idlenesse.
vhat thing is loue for (vel I vot) loue is a thing
it is a pricke; it is a sting
it is a prettie, prettie thing
it is a fire it is a cole
vhose flame creepes in at eurie hole.
and as my vit doth best deuise
loues duelling is in ladys eies:
from vhence do glaunce loues pearcing darts
that mack such holes into or harts
and al the vorld herin accord
loue is a great & mightie lord
and vhen he list to mount so hie
vt venus he in heuē doth lie
and euer more hath been a God
since Mars & sche plaid euē & od
Kis a litle and vse not.
Q.
vhy kissings good.
R
to stirre your bloud to make yow
vel dispossd to play. ab aquilone omne malum.
vuld haue moued teares in vreath her selfe.
vrinckled sorrow sate in furrowes of a faire face
famous for his il fortune. yow yt thinke ther is no
heauen but on earth. yow yt sucke poison insteed of
honney. he excedeth fiēds in crueltie & fortune
in vnconstancie.
set vp cynthea by day and cytherea by nyt.
sche strakit his head & mist his hornes.
vho bluntly bespake her.
Grew this suet rose in this soure stalke,
at Venus entreate for cupid her sone
Cupids arrows
these arrowes by Vlcan are cunningly done.
ther first is loue the second shafte is hate
311
this Ielousie in bassest minds doth duell.
his mettal Vlcans cyclops fetcht from Hel
a smaking kis yt vakt me vt the dine.
knew good and eschew it praise chastness & follow
lustful loue like the old athenien
al quicklie com home by veeping crosse
highest imperial orbe and throne of the thunder.
et non moriers invltus schelter and schade
holdith them faster then vlcans fine vires kept Mars
a song to be sung for a vager a dish of damsons new
gathered off the trees.
Melampus
vhen vil loue be voide of feares
vhen Ielousie hath nather eies nor eies
Melampus
tel me vhē is loue best fed
vhen it hath sucke the sueet yt ease hath breed
licoris as sueet to him as licorice.
Cor sapit, et pulmo loquitr, fel com̄ouet,
splen ridere facit, cogit amore iecur
a hot liuer most be in a louer.
To commend aney thing is the Italian manner of
crauing
My hart is like a point of geometrie indiuisible
and vher it goes it goes al.
Hard hart yt did thy reed (poore schephard) brake
thy reed yt vas the trumpet of thy vit
yet thought vnvorthie sound thy Phenixs Praise
And vt. this slender pipe her glorie raise
Cupid enraged to see a thousand boyes
as faire as he sit shooting in her eies.
fel downe. and sche,
pluckt al his plumes, and made her selfe a fan
312
Muse chuse:
My mistris feeds the ayre ayre feeds not her
lyt of the lyt sche is, delyt supreame.
yet so far from the lytnes of her sex.
for sche is the bird vhose name doth end in X
Not clouds cast from this spungie elemēt
nor darkenesse schot from orcus pitchie eyes
yet both her sunes vailed vt. her arche beauties.
—her vords such quickning odors cast
as raise, the sicke and make the soundest thinke
ayre is not vholsome, til her valke be past
more then the fontaines til the vnicornes drinke
+ cupid
a thousand echoes vat vpon her voice
Those milkie mounts he eurie morning hants.
vher to ther drinke his mothers doues he cals
in my yonger dayes vhen my vitts rana vool
gathering. some prettie lye he coined.
fin.
| The Hunting of Cupid | |