6

scryde.'

[gay.

But I, by that which little while I prooved, But are like bladders blowen up with wynd,
Some part of those enormities did see,
That being prickt do vanish into noughts.
The which in Court continually hooved,
Even such is all their vaunted vanitie, [away;
And followd those which happie seemd to bee. Nought else but smoke, and fumeth soone
Therefore I, silly man, whose former dayes Such is their glorie that in simple eie
Had in rude fields bene altogether spent, Seeme greatest, when their garments are most
Durst not adventure such unknowen wayes, So they themselves for praise of fooles do sell,
Nor trust the guile of fortunes blandishment; And all their wealth for painting on a wall;
But rather chose back to my sheep to tourne, With price whereof they buy a golden bell,
Whose utmost hardnesse I before had tryde, And purchace highest rowmes in bowre and
Then, having learnd repentance late, to mourne Whiles single Truth and simple Honestie [hall:
Emongst those wretches which I there de- Do wander up and downe despys'd of all;
[spight Their plaine attire such glorious gallantry
Shepheard, (said Thestylis) it seemes of Disdaines so much, that none them in doth
Thou speakest thus gainst their felicitie,
call.'
Which thou enviest, rather then of right
"Ah! Colin, (then said Hobbinol) the blame
That ought in them blameworthie thou doest Which thou imputest, is too generall,
spie.'
[will As if not any gentle wit of name
'Cause have I none (quoth he) of cancred Nor honest mynd might there be found at all.
To quite them ill, that me demeand so well : For well I wot, sith I my selfe was there,
But selfe-regard of private good or ill
To wait on Lobbin, (Lobbin well thou knewest,)
Moves me of each, so as I found, to tell [wit, Full many worthie ones then waiting were,
And eke to warne yong shepheards wandring As ever else in Princes Court thou vewest.
Which, through report of that lives painted Of which among you many yet remaine,
Abandon quiet home to seeke for it, blisse, Whose names I cannot readily now ghesse:
And leave their lambes to losse, misled amisse. Those that poore Sutors papers do retaine,
For, sooth to say, it is no sort of life,
And those that skill of medicine professe,
For shepheard fit to lead in that same place, And those that do to Cynthia expound
Where each one seeks with malice, and with The ledden of straunge languages in charge:
strife,
For Cynthia doth in sciences abound,
And gives to their professors stipends large.
Therefore unjustly thou doest wyte them all,
For that which thou mislikedst in a few.'

To thrust downe other into foule disgrace,
Himselfe to raise: and he doth soonest rise
That best can handle his deceitfull wit
In subtil shifts, and finest sleights devise,
Either by slaundring his well-deemed name,
Through leasings lewd, and fained forgerie;
Or else by breeding him some blot of blame,
By creeping close into his secrecie ;
To which him needs a guilefull hollow hart,
Masked with faire dissembling curtesie,
A filed toung, furnisht with tearmes of art,
No art of schoole, but Courtiers schoolery.
For arts of schoole have there small counten-
ance,

'Blame is (quoth he) more blamelesse

generall,

Then that which private errours doth pursew;
For well I wot, that there amongst them bee
Full many persons of right worthie parts,
Both for report of spotlesse honestie,
And for profession of all learned arts,
Whose praise hereby no whit impaired is,
Though blame do light on those that faultie
bee;

For all the rest do most-what fare amis,
And yet their owne misfaring will not see:
For either they be puffed up with pride,
Or fraught with envie that their galls do swell,
Or they their dayes to ydlenesse divide,
Or drownded lie in pleasures wastefull well,
In which like Moldwarps nousling still they
lurke,

Counted but toyes to busie ydle braines;
And there professours find small maintenance,
But to be instruments of others gaines.
Ne is there place for any gentle wit,
Unlesse to please it selfe it can applie;
But shouldred is, or out of doore quite shit,
As base, or blunt, unmeet for melodie.
For each mans worth is measured by his weed, Unmindfull of chiefe parts of manlinesse;
As harts by hornes, or asses by their eares: And do themselves, for want of other worke,
Yet asses been not all whose eares exceed, Vaine votaries of laesie Love professe,
Nor yet all harts that hornes the highest beares; Whose service high so basely they ensew,
For highest lookes have not the highest mynd, That Cupid selfe of them ashamed is,
Nor haughtie words most full of highest And, mustring all his men in Venus vew,
Denies them quite for servitors of his.'

thoughts:

6

And is Love then (said Corylas) once What ever feeds in forest or in field,
knowne

In Court, and his sweet lore professed there?
I weened sure he was our God alone,
And only woond in fields and forests here :'
'Not so, (quoth he) Love most aboundeth
there.

For all the walls and windows there are writ,
All full of love, and love, and love my deare,
And all their talke and studie is of it.
Ne any there doth brave or valiant seeme,
Unlesse that some gay Mistresse badge
beares:

he

Ne any one himselfe doth ought esteeme,
Unlesse he swim in love up to the eares.
But they of love, and of his sacred lere,
(As it should be) all otherwise devise,
Then we poore shepheards are accustomd
here,

And him do sue and serve all otherwise:
For with lewd speeches, and licentious deeds,
His mightie mysteries they do prophane,
And use his ydle name to other needs.
But as a complement for courting vaine.
So him they do not serve as they professe,
But make him serve to them for sordid uses:
Ah! my dread Lord, that doest liege hearts
possesse,

Avenge thy selfe on them for their abuses.
But we poore shepheards whether rightly so,
Or through our rudenesse into errour led,
Do make religion how we rashly go
To serve that God, that is so greatly dred;
For him the greatest of the Gods we deeme,
Borne without Syre or couples of one kynd;
For Venus selfe doth soly couples seeme,
Both male and female through commixture
joynd:

So pure and spotlesse Cupid forth she brought,
And in the gardens of Adonis nurst:
Where growing he his owne perfection
wrought,

And shortly was of all the Gods the first.
Then got he bow and shafts of gold and lead,
In which so fell and puissant he grew,
That Jove himselfe his powre began to dread,
And, taking up to heaven, him godded new.
From thence he shootes his arrowes every
where

Into the world, at randon as he will,
On us fraile men, his wretched vassals here,
Like as himselfe us pleaseth save or spill.
So we him worship, so we him adore
With humble hearts to heaven uplifted hie,
That to true loves he may us evermore
Preferre, and of their grace us dignifie:
Ne is there shepheard, ne yet shepheards
swaine,

That dare with evil deed or leasing vaine
Blaspheme his powre, or termes unworthie
yield.'
{rage
Shepheard, it seemes that some celestiall
Of Love (quoth Cuddy) is breath'd into thy
brest,

That powreth forth these oracles so sage
Of that high powre, wherewith thou art
possest.

But never wist I till this present day,
Albe of love I alwayes humbly deemed,
That he was such an one as thou doest say,
And so religiously to be esteemed.

Well may it seeme, by this thy deep insight,
That of that God the Priest thou shouldest
bee,

So well thou wot'st the mysterie of his might,
As if his godhead thou didst present see.'

Of loves perfection perfectly to speake,
Or of his nature rightly to define,
Indeed (said Colin) passeth reasons reach,
And needs his priest t' expresse his powre
divine.

For long before the world he was ybore,
And bred above in Venus bosome deare:
For by his powre the world was made of yore,
And all that therein wondrous doth appeare.
For how should else things so far from attone,
And so great enemies as of them bee,
Be ever drawne together into one
And taught in such accordance to agree?
Through him the cold began to covet heat,
And water fire; the light to mount on hie,
And th' heavie downe to peize; the hungry
And voydnesse to seeke full satietie. [t' eat,
So, being former foes, they wexed friends,
And gan by litle learne to love each other:
So, being knit, they brought forth other kynds
Out of the fruitfull wombe of their great mother.
Then first gan heaven out of darknesse dread
For to appeare, and brought forth chearfull

day:

Next gan the earth to shew her naked head,
Out of deep waters which her drownd alway:
And, shortly after, everie living wight
Crept forth like wormes out of her slimie

nature.

Soone as on them the Suns life-giving-light
Had powred kindly heat and formall feature,
Thenceforth they gan each one his like to love,
And like himselfe desire for to beget:

The Lyon chose his mate, the Turtle Dove
Her deare, the Dolphin his owne Dolphinet;
But man, that had the sparke of reasons might
More then the rest to rule his passion,
Chose for his love the fairest in his sight.
Like as himselfe was fairest by creation:

ASTROPHE L.

A PASTORALL ELEGIE,

UPON THE DEATH OF THE MOST NOBLE AND VALOROUS KNIGHT,
SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.

DEDICATED TO THE MOST BEAUTIFULL AND VERTUOUS LADIE,
THE COUNTESS OF ESSEX.