Epigrams, Book 1
EPIGRAMS.
Out of the second Booke.
EPIG. 4. To the Lady MARY NEVELL.
IN Tables faire, our fading formes are painted,
That what 'ith face would fade, in Them may dure;
To paint in Tables I am vnacquainted,
My Verse shall pourtray what power can procure,
That what Frames cannot, Verse may keepe vntainted,
Yet, none but rare Apelles that can do;
And, none but great Apollo this can show.
EPIG. 10. A true Troian.
THe Troians Troy being brought t'annoy, grew wise;
Himselfe, this Troian, who doth not agnize?
EPIG. 16. To the Lord High Treasurer of England.
A Faithfull Treasurer thou art
VntoUnto thy King and State;
Than all rich Treasures, I, thy Faith
More precious estimate.
EPIG. 24. To Richard Vaughan, once Bishop of London.
THose Preachers are to be esteemed best,
Which Doe the things they Teach ought to bee Done;
Thou wast a Bishop learned best and blest,
Doing what thou hadst Taught men should not shun.
EPIG. 29. To Sir Philip Sidney.
HE which doth Deeds in Bookes to be exprest,
Or things worth reading rarely doth Indite,
Is blest; but thou who didst both these more blest,
Thou, Deedes worth writing, Workes to reade didst write:
Thy Writings doe thy Learning intimate,
Thy Vertuous Deeds thy Vertue demonstrate.
EPIG. 32. To the Right Honourable Lucy, Countesse of Bedford.
THe Light to thee (sweet Lu…y) giues a Name,
Which through the wo…ld shines to thy datelesse fame.
The Lustre of Illustrious Parēts wrought-Thee
Thy Wit, thy Vertue, to this Light hauehave brought Thee▪
EPIG. 33. An Honourable Gold-Ring: To Henry Goodyeer, Knight.
NObilitie's the Gold, Vertue the Stone;
For euer may'st thou by this Ring be knowne.
EPIG. 35. To D. B.
IF he Liue-well, that Liues a Quiet Life,
If Wisedome 't be, that Wisedome bee concealed,
Then thou Liu'dst-well, whose Wit and Wisedome rife
The more thou hidst, the more thy worth reuealed.
EPIG. 40. The Strength of England to the Prince.
ENglands safe Gates, are her Cinque-Ports;
Her stately Ships, her Walls;
Her Camps, the Sea; Bulwarkes, her Corps;
Her Heart, her Generalls.
EPIG. 41. The Terrestriall Globe.
THe Earth and Sea one Globe doe make,
And who would this suppose?
Earth firme Remaynes, the Sea Remooues,
Earth's fast, Sea ebbes and slowes.
EPIG. 42. Vn-Healthy Healths.
BY how much more thou Healths dost drinke,
So much lesse Health thou haste;
Thousand such Healths take thou, for mee,
That Health by Healths wilt waste:
To wisemen, that, is Healthiest,
To drinke no Healths at-all;
What Health can be in drinking Healths?
W…en Men like Beasts must crawle.
EPIG. 43. The Diuine, the Politician,
The Diuine.
WHat profits it that thou dost know,
Vnlesse another know it?
Politician.
What boots thy Knowledge vntounto thee?
If thou to others show it.
EPIG. 52. The Louer.
VNconstant-Hope, most Constant-Feare:
Vaine-Pleasure vanishing;
Ioy and Annoy, Hony and Gall,
LoueLove bitter-relishing.
EPIG. 55. The German-Death to Polynicus.
DEath,'s Not to be; so Seneca doth thinke,
But Dutch-men say tis Death to Cease to Drinke.
EPIG. 61. The Niggard, the Prodigall.
PRodigalls, are fre…-hearted Rhetoricians,
Niggards are hold-fast-close and slye Logicians:
The Clutch-fist Churle by Logicke vnderstand,
By Rhetorike the Spend-Thrifts Open-hand.
EPIG. 65. The Earle of Dorset his Adagie, Neyther furiously, nor fearefully.
DOubt all things wisely, wisely Hope for all;
Of all Take-heed, that thou mayst feare no fall.
EPIG. 66. Sir Henry Neuill his Adagie. Wish no vaine thing.
NO vaine, nor vile thing wish to hauehave,
This Counsell is both wise and graue:
For, base things are of base esteeme,
And wisemen, vaine things, nought worth deeme.
EPIG. 69. To his Friend.
I Will not be a Foe to any,
Nor be familiar with too many:
A…d twice I will not LoueLove my Friend,
But whom I LoueLove, I'le LoueLove to th' end.
EPIG. 70. Money ouercomes all.
SErpents that crawle, Fish in the Sea,
Yea Beasts and Birds of th' Ayre;
From Males and Females and All things,
LoueLove, once, did Conquest b'are:
But Gold the King with's Siluer Queene,
And Wealth their Eldest-Sonne;
With power, Now rife, to winne the Prize,
And it from LoueLove hauehave wonne.
EPIG. 73. Adulterie and Fornication.
TH' Adult'rer and the Cucko…l, diff…rent bee,
As Comedy is from a Tragedy.
EPIG. 74. Of Hercules to C. D.
WHom, neuer force nor fence of strongest arme▪
Could fell or quel, is vāquisht by Loues charme;
Who? prou'd so strong to wrong Al…des great?
'Twas LoueLove, but not by force but foule deceit:
He flew Leaena, Lena could not tame,
Monsters could ne're; his Mistresse wrought his shame.
EPIG. 85. Erasmus Fooleries.
THat old Erasmus, Foolishnesse, did prayse;
That, Foolishnesse, his wits fame much did rayse.
EPIG. 90. Against Vnfaithfulnesse.
TRusting false words, I learned to distrust:
False Hope hath forc't me feare, & that most iust.
EPIG. 94. Wisedome.
WHo's wealthy? Wisemen; who are Poore?
Rude Dolts, and Sots vnwise;
If I be wise then, qui…kly, I
To Riches may arise:
But tell me, Now, what Man is wise?
The Rich; who Fooles? the Poore;
Then, if not rich, though wise, I may
Goe begge from doore to doore.
EPIG. 96. Against a certaine Drunkard.
IF Gold could be as eas'ly Drunke,
As for it most men Thirst;
Sellers of Gold their Paunch would be
Stuft, till their Bellies burst.
EPIG. 99. Anger or Wrath.
IT seemes, that Aristotle vs'd
To …all Wrath, Vertues Spurre;
Because it Spurres, Spurnes vertuous men,
As being Enuies Curre.
EPIG. 106. To a certayne Dyer waxing-old.
THy Beard, which once was Blacke, is now turn'd white:
But that's by Nature, not by Arts be…t slight.
EPIG. 120. Against a great Clerke.
SIcke-stomakes, much doe swallow downe,
But Little doe Dig…st;
So, thou know'st much, but yet, in thee
Small Wisedome is exprest.
EPIG. 124. Against an Harlot.
OH, I could wish thou wert lesse faire,
Or else wert better giuen;
For, worser things than Harlots faire,
There are not vnderunder Heauen.
EPIG. 127. To Claudius, and Linus.
VNgodly Claudius, to be Good,
Wants nothing but a Will:
Lewd Linus, also, wanteth nought
But Power to be Ill.
EPIG. 131. Against Couetous and Lame Alanus.
IF thou to Lame Al…nus, Gi…e,
Than Thankes, …xpect no mor…;
In Thankes, th…n▪ like Centimanus
Hee'le be; though Lame before:
But if thou GiueGive, and some Reward
Expectest for the same;
Then, though in Power Centimanus,
Hee'le bee most Weake and Lame ▪
EPIG. 142. Against Marcus a Lawyer.
THe Lawyer Pleades his Owne not Clients Cause,
Yet Clients Mon…y he to London drawes;
Not for Himselfe, but for his Lawy…rs Fees,
This Lawyers get how ere the Client Lees:
The Law is plaine, the po…re mans Cause in doubt,
Thus Lawyers Gaine must hold the Client out.
EPIG. 148. Sir Francis Drake his Epitaph.
THough Pop'ry should (which Heau'n forbid) re-raigne,
They could not (Noble Drake) dig vp thy Graue;
Thy Bones to burne, as once with fell disdaine,
They did against good Luther rage and raue:
Thou need… not feare (I say) Romes wrath, for why?
Thy Bones ith' Bottome of the Sea do lye.
EPIG. 165. The King, the People.
AS, when the Head with Wine's orecome,
The F…et trip to and fro▪
So Princes that Illiterate be,
Their Subiects ouerthrow.
EPIG. 166. The Senate.
THe King doth Raigne himselfe alone,
Why then Rules he not All?
He which both Rules and Ruled is,
Rule others better shall.
EPIG. 168. Of Dyet, to I. H. Knight.
IF thou Old-age with healthfull-dayes,
Desirest to enioy;
Vse Food as Phisike, Phisike a… Food,
Neither of both t' annoy:
For Phisike, taken as 'twere Food,
The Health doth strangely wrong;
But, Food, as Phisike wisely vs'd,
Doth Life in Health prolong.
EPIG. 173. The fiue Senses.
THe Senses fiue, as Seruants waite on Man,
To Please his Will, or winne his Will to Pleasure,
Who vse them With or Without Wisdomes Measure,
Their Profit or Dis-profit publish can.
EPIG. 179. The Obiects of the Senses.
MY Hearing, Sight, my Smell, my Taste, my Touch,
Doe me affect and me infect as much.
EPIG. 185. The Phoenix, the Viper.
THe Phoenix, Dying doth her yong Regaine;
The Vipers brood doth breed her forced-bane.
EPIG. 186. The Silke-Worme.
MY Art drawes-out my Heart; my Toombe, my Toile;
My Worke workes-out my Life; I Spin my Spoile.
EPIG. 194. Manuring of the Ground.
THough Vile thou be, yet Vsefull th'art,
And for Manuring good;
For thou vntounto our Aliment,
Art Nutriment, though Mud.
EPIG. 196. The Parret.
IF lawfull't be, of things t' inuert the name;
With prattling Parret, Prater is the same.
EPIG. 206. The Souldier.
WArres wounding Weapons hurt not so my He…t,
As vnarm'd Venus pierceth with her Dart.
EPIG. 208 The Louers Teares.
AS Wood sends forth much sappe, when burnt ith' fire:
So, Louers weepe, when Crost in Loues desire.
EPIG. 213. Eccho.
NO Art can Graue or Paint Mans Voice in Table,
Eccho reflected Sounds t' expresse, is able.
EPIG. 214. The Looking-Glasse.
NOt famous Phidias, nor Apelles rare,
Can Carue or Paint Motion, thou'lt it declare.
EPIG. 215. Eccho and the Looking-Glasse.
ECcho hath nothing but a Voice to Liue,
The Mirreur nothing wants, if Voice you giuegive.
FINIS.