As ceaseles start from Earth fresh sorts of flowers,
And bound that booke of life with euery section.
In these the Muses dare not swim for drowning,
Theyr sweetnes poisons with such blest infection,
And leaues the onely lookers on them swouning,
These forms so decks, and colour makes so shine,
That Gods for them would cease to be diuine.
61
Thus though my loue be no Elisium
That cannot moue, from her prefixed place;
Yet haue her feete no powre from thence to come,
For where she is, is all Elisian grace:
And as those happy men are sure of blisse
That can performe so excellent a race
As that Olympiad where her fauor is,
So shee can meete them; blessing them the rather
And giue her sweetes, as well as let men gather.
62
Ah how should I be so most happy then
T’aspire that place, or make it come to mee?
To gather, or be giuen, the flowre of women?
Elisium must with vertue gotten bee,
With labors of the soule and continence,
And these can yeeld no ioy with such as she,
Shee is a sweet Elisium for the sence
And Nature dooth not sensuall gifts infuse
But that with sence, shee still intends their vse.
63
The sence is giuen vs to excite the minde,
And that can neuer be by sence excited
But first the sence must her contentment finde,
We therefore must procure the sence delighted,
That so the soule may vse her facultie;
Mine Eye then to this feast hath her inuited;
That she might serue the soueraigne of mine Eye,
Shee shall bide Time, and Time so feasted neuer
Shall grow in strength of her renowne for euer.
64
Betwixt mine Eye and obiect, certayne lynes,
Moue in the figure of a Pyramis,
Whose chapter in mine eyes gray apple shines,
The base within my sacred obiect is:
On this will I inscribe in golden verse
The meruailes raigning in my soueraigns blisse,
The arcks of sight, and how her arrowes pierse:
This in the Region of the ayre shall stand
In Fames brasse Court, and all her Trumps commaund.
65
Rich Beautie, that ech Louer labors for,
Tempting as heapes of new-coynd-glowing Gold,
(Rackt of some miserable Treasurer)
Draw his desires, and them in chaynes enfold
Vrging him still to tell it, and conceale it,
But Beauties treasure neuer can be told:
None can peculier ioy, yet all must steale it.
O Beautie, this same bloody siedge of thine
Starues me that yeeld, and feedes mee till I pine.
66
And as a Taper burning in the darke
(As if it threatned euery watchfull eye
That viewing burns it,) makes that eye his marke,
And hurls guilt Darts at it continually,
Or as it enuied, any eye but it
Should see in darknes, so my Mistres beautie
From foorth her secret stand my hart doth hit:
And like the Dart of Cephalus dooth kill
Her perfect Louer, though shee meane no ill.
67
Thus, as the innocence of one betraide
Carries an Argus with it, though vnknowne,
And Fate, to wreake the trecherie bewraide;
Such vengeance hath my Mistres Beautie showne
On me the Traitor to her modestie,
So vnassailde, I quite am ouerthrowne,
And in my tryumph bound in slauerie.
O Beauty, still thy Empire swims in blood,
And in thy peace, Warre stores himselfe with foode.
68
O Beautie, how attractiue is thy powre?
For as the Hues heate clings about the hart,
So all Mens hungrie eyes do haunt thy Bowre,
Raigning in Greece, Troy swum to thee in Art;
Remou’d to Troy, Greece followd thee in feares;
Thy drewst each Syreles sworde, each childles Dart
And pulld’st the towres of Troy about thine eares:
Shall I then muse that thus thou drawest me?
No, but admire, I stand thus farre from thee.
69
Heerewith shee rose like the Autumnale Starre
Fresh burnisht in the loftie Ocean floode,
That darts his glorious influence more farre
Then any Lampe of bright Olympus broode;
Shee lifts her lightning arms aboue her head,
And stretcheth a Meridian from her blood,
That slept awake in her Elisian bed:
Then knit shee vp, lest loose, her glowing hayre
Should scorch the Center and incense the ayre.
70
Thus when her fayre hart-binding hands had tied
Those liberall Tresses, her high frontier part,
Shee shrunk in curls, and curiously plied
Into the figure of a swelling hart:
And then with Iewels of deuise, it graced:
One was a Sunne grauen at his Eeuens depart,
And vnder that a Mans huge shaddow placed,
Wherein was writ, in sable Charectry,
Decrescente nobilitate, crescunt obscuri.
71
An other was an Eye in Saphire set,
And close vpon it a fresh Lawrell spray,
The skilfull Posie was, Medio caret,
To showe not eyes, but meanes must truth display.
The third was an Apollo with his Teme
About a Diall and a worlde in way,
The Motto was, Teipsum et orbem,
Grauen in the Diall; these exceeding rare
And other like accomplements she ware.
72
Not Tygris, Nilus, nor swift Euphrates,
Quoth Ouid now, can more subdue my flame,
I must through hell aduenture to displease,
To tast and touch, one kisse may worke the same:
If more will come, more then much more I will;
Each naturall agent doth his action frame,
To render that he works on like him styll:
The fire on water working doth induce
Like qualitie vnto his owne in vse.
73
But Heauen in her a sparckling temper blewe
(As loue in mee) and so will soone be wrought,
Good wits will bite at baits most strang and new,
And words well plac’d, moue things were neuer thought;
What Goddesse is it Ouids wits shall dare
And he disgrace them with attempting nought?
My words shall carry spirits to ensnare,
The subtlest harts affecting sûtes importune,
“Best loues are lost for wit when men blame Fortune.
74
With this, as she was looking in her Glasse,
She saw therein a mans face looking on her:
Whereat she started from the frighted Grasse,
As if some monstrous Serpent had been shown her:
Rising as when (the sunne in Leos signe)
Auriga with the heauenly Goate vpon her,
Shows her horn’d forehead with her Kids diuine,
Whose rise, kils Vines, Heauens face with storms disguising;
No man is safe at sea, the Haedy rising.
75
So straight wrapt shee her body in a Clowde,
And threatned tempests for her high disgrace,
Shame from a Bowre of Roses did vnshrowde
And spread her crimson wings vpon her face;
When running out, poore Ouid hu
mbly kneeling
Full in the Arbors mouth, did stay her race
And saide; faire Nimph, great Goddesse haue some feeling
Of Ouids paines; but heare: and your dishonor
Vainely surmisde, shall vanish with my horror.
76
Traytor to Ladies modesties (said shee)
What sauage boldnes hardned thee to this?
Or what base reckoning of my modestie?
What should I thinke thy facts proude reason is?
Loue (sacred Madam) loue exhaling mee
(Wrapt in his Sulphure,) to this clowde of his
Made my affections his artillerie,
Shot me at you his proper Cytadell,
And loosing all my forces, heere I fell.
77
This Glosse is common, as thy rudenes strange
Not to forbeare these priuate times, (quoth she)
Whose fixed Rites, none shoulde presume to change
Not where there is adiudg’d inchastitie;
Our nakednes should be as much conceald
As our accomplishments desire the eye:
It is a secrete not to be reuealde,
But as Virginitie, and Nuptialls clothed,
And to our honour all to be betrothed.
78
It is a want, where our aboundance lyes,
Giuen a sole dowre t’enrich chast Hymens Bed,
A perfect Image of our purities,
And glasse by which our actions should be dressed.
That tells vs honor is as soone defild
And should be kept as pure, and incompressed,
But sight attainteth it: for Thought Sights childe
Begetteth sinne; and Nature bides defame,
When light and lawles eyes bewray our shame.
79
Deere Mistresse (answerd Ouid,) to direct
Our actions, by the straitest rule that is,
We must in matters Morrall, quite reiect
Vulgar Opinion, euer led amisse
And let autentique Reason be our guide,
The wife of Truth, and Wisdoms Gouernisse:
The nature of all actions must be waide,
And as they then appeare, breede loue or loathing,
Vse makes things nothing huge, and huge things nothing.
80
As in your sight, how can sight simply beeing
A Sence receiuing essence to his flame
Sent from his obiect, giue it harme by seeing
Whose action in the Seer hath his frame?
All excellence of shape is made for sight,
Else, to be like a Beast were no defame;
Hid Beauties lose theyr ends, and wrong theyr right:
And can kinde loue, (where no harms kinde can be)
Disgrace with seeing that is giuen to see?
81
Tis I (alas) and my hart-burning Eye
Doe all the harme, and feele the harme wee doo:
I am no Basiliske, yet harmles I
Poyson with sight, and mine owne bosome too;
So am I to my selfe a Sorceresse
Bewitcht with my conceites in her I woo:
But you vnwrongd, and all dishonorlesse
No ill dares touch, affliction, sorcerie,
One kisse of yours can quickly remedie.
82
I could not times obserue, as others might
Of cold affects, and watry tempers framde,
Yet well assurde the wounder of your sight
Was so farre of from seeing you defamde,
That euer in the Phane of Memorie
Your loue shall shine by it, in mee enflamde.
Then let your powre be clad in lenitie,
Doe not (as others would) of custome storme,
But proue your wit as pregnant as your forme.
83
Nor is my loue so suddaine, since my hart
Was long loues Vulcan, with his pants vnrest,
Ham’ring the shafts bred this delightsome smart:
And as when loue at once from East and West
Cast off two Eagles, to discerne the sight
Of this world Center, both his Byrds ioyned brest
In Cynthian Delphos, since Earths nauill hight:
So casting off my ceaseles thoughts to see
My harts true Center, all doe meete in thee.
84
Cupid that acts in you, suffers in mee
To make himselfe one tryumph-place of twaine,
Into your tunes and odors turned hee,
And through my sences flew into my braine
Where rules the Prince of sence, whose Throne hee takes,
And of my Motions engines framd a chaîne
To leade mee where hee list; and heere hee makes
Nature (my fate) enforce mee: and resignes
The raines of all, to you, in whom hee shines.
85
For yeelding loue then, doe not hate impart,
Nor let mine Eye, your carefull Harbengere
That hath puruaide your Chamber in my hart,
Be blamde for seeing who it lodged there;
The freer seruice merrits greater meede,
Princes are seru’d with vnexpected chere,
And must haue things in store before they neede:
Thus should faire Dames be wise and confident,
Not blushing to be noted excellent.
86
Now, as when Heauen is muffled with the vapors
His long since iust diuorced wife the Earth,
In enuie breath’s, to maske his spurrie Tapers
From the vnrich aboundance of her birth,
When straight the westerne issue of the Ayre
Beates with his flowrie wings those Brats of dearth,
And giues Olympus league to shew his fayre,
So fled th’offended shaddowes of her cheere,
And showd her pleased count’nance full as cleere.
Which for his fourth course made our Poet court her. &c.
87
This motion of my soule, my fantasie
Created by three sences put in act,
Let iustice nourish with thy simpathie,
Putting my other sences into fact,
If now thou grant not, now changde that offence;
To suffer change, doth perfect sence compact:
Change then, and suffer for the vse of sence,
Wee liue not for our selues, the Eare, and Eye,
And euery sence, must serue societie.
88
To furnish then, this Banquet where the tast
Is neuer vsde, and yet the cheere diuine,
The neerest meane deare Mistres that thou hast
To blesse me with it, is a kysse of thine,
Which grace shall borrow organs of my touch
T’aduance it to that inward taste of mine
Which makes all sence, and shall delight as much
Then with a kisse (deare life) adorne thy feast
And let (as Banquets should) the last be best.
89
I see vnbidden Guests are boldest still,
And well you showe how weake in soule you are
That let rude sence subdue your reasons skill
And feede so spoilefully on sacred fare;
In temper of such needles feasts as this
We show more bounty still the more we spare,
Chiefly where birth and state so different is:
Ayre too much rarefied breakes forth in fire,
And fauors too farre vrg’d do end in ire.
90
The difference of our births (imperiall Dame)
Is heerein noted with too triuiall eyes
For your rare wits; that should your choices frame
To state of parts, that most doth royalize,
Not to commend mine owne; but that in yours
Beyond your birth, are perrils soueraignties
Which (vrgd) your words
had strook with sharper powers;
Tis for mere looke-like Ladies, and for men
To boast of birth that still be childeren,
91
Running to Father straight to helpe theyr needs;
True dignities and rites of reuerence,
Are sowne in mindes, and reapt in liuely deedes,
And onely pollicie makes difference
Twixt States, since vertue wants due imperance,
Vertue makes honor, as the soule doth sence,
And merit farre exceedes inheritance,
The Graces fill loues cup, his feasts adorning,
Who seekes your seruice now, the Graces scorning.
92
Pure loue (said she) the purest grace pursues,
And there is contact, not by application
Of lips or bodies, but of bodies vertues,
As in our elementale Nation
Stars by theyr powers, which are theyr heat and light
Do heauenly works, and that which hath probation
By vertuall contact hath the noblest plight,
Both for the lasting and affinitie
It hath with naturall diunitie.
93
Ouid replied; in thys thy vertuall presence
(Most fayre Corynna) thou canst not effuse
The true and solid parts of thy pure essence
But doost the superficiall beames produce
Of thy rich substance; which because they flow
Rather from forme then from the matters vse
Resemblance onely of thy body showe
Whereof they are thy wondrous species,
And t’is thy substance must my longings ease.
94
Speake then sweet ayre, that giu’st our speech euent
And teach my Mistres tractabilitie,
That art to motion most obedient,
And though thy nature, swelling be and high
And occupiest so infinite a space,
Yet yeeldst to words, and art condenst thereby
Past nature prest into a little place
Deare soueraigne then, make ayre thy rule in this,
And me thy worthy seruant with a kisse.
95
Ouid (sayd shee) I am well pleasd to yeeld:
Bountie by vertue cannot be abusde:
Nor will I coylie lyft Mineruas shielde
Against Minerua, honor is not brusde
With such a tender pressure as a kisse,
Nor yeelding soone to words, though seldome vsde,
Nicenes in ciuill fauours, folly is:
Long sûtes make neuer good a bad detection,
Nor yeelding soone, makes bad, a good affection.
96
To some I know, (and know it for a fault)
Order and reuerence, are repulst in skaling,
When pryde and rudenes, enter with assault,
Consents to fall, are worse to get then falling:
Willing resistance, takes away the will,
And too much weakenes tis to come with calling:
The Complete Poetical Works of George Chapman Page 7
