Epigrams, Book 4 – Book 5
EPIGRAMS.
Out of the sixe last Bookes.
The first Booke. To the Reader.
DO'st maruell, why (since now adayes Men vse
Verses in prayse of th' Authour) I't refuse;
My Verses need no Patron to protect them,
If Good th'are Good; if Bad th'are Bad, neglect them.
EPIG. 4. To the Prince.
THy Heart (in Brest, Hea…ts Chest) Sense, Reason, Will,
Thy Head, thy Wit, in Thee their Parts fulfill,
For, Reason, Sense; thy Wit, thy Will doth guide;
Thy Head is by thy Heart well rectifide.
Wales had three Princes stiled-Great; thy Brother
Made-vp the fourth; ith' fift place Thou art th' other.
EPIG. 6. Orpheus.
ORpheus, his Wife Redeem'd from Hels hot flame,
Who e're knew Wife, for Husband do the same?
EPIG. 8. Whether Saint Peter were at Rome.
WHether or no, Saint Peter were
At Rome, is Disputable;
…ut yet that Simon hath beene there,
Is most Vn-refutable.
EPIG. 16.
Honours Etymo logic.
Honours Genea logic.
EBricians, Hon; French, Or'; doe Riches call,
Hence then we see Hon-ors originall.
And since that Wealth is Honors Pedegree,
No maruell, though Rich-Asses Honour'd bee.
EPIG. 19. A Regular Woman.
A Woman, to a Gen'rall-Rule,
We fitly may compare;
Why so? Those Rules doe oft deceiue,
And so doe Women faire.
EPIG. 20. Salomons Wish.
WHy did the Wisest King for Wisdome craue?
He had bin Wise t' hauehave wished Wealth to hauehave.
Hee wisht not Wealth, Wisdome was his best Prize,
Wisdome hee wisht, why? 'Cause he was not Wise.
EPIG. 24.
Blessed are the Power makers.
Blessed are the Peace makers.
GReat Britaines tott'ring State, affaires,
Munite' Vnited bee;
King IAMES our Gracious Peace-maker,
Power-maker blest is Hee.
EPIG. 34. Irregularitie.
WHat I Require, I can't Acquire,
And what I Can, I Nill;
Thus all Mans Life, is nought but Strife,
Now Nill, anon hee Will.
EPIG. 63. To a Batchelour.
A Wife is Good, Better's a Good;
But Best is none at-all:
I wish the Best may be my Lot,
And none to thee may fall.
EPIG. 66. Three Delta's.
THat, ith' Worlds-Sea thou mayst not Ship-wracke make,
These Delta's three, as Rockes, see, thou forsake:
Dis (worldly Riches) Diuels and Delight,
These Three to th' Spirit beare a mortall spight.
EPIG. 67. A Payre of Gallowes to P. L.
A Thiefes Hope is a Rope, Death is his Due,
The Gallowes all such Fellowes doth pursue,
But many scape? true, yet their Fates attend them;
And at the last, the horrid Hempe will end them.
EPIG. 72. Whether Bacchus be a God. To a Drunkard.
SEest thou not when th'art Drunke with dulcid Wine?
How Bacchus makes thy Head to th' Foot decline:
Since, He low feet exalts, high Heads brings downe,
This shewes that He's thy God of high Renowne.
EPIG. 76. The Priest, the People.
THe Priests doe Pray both Night and Day,
The Lay-men they take paines;
These Plough the Soyle, those Plough the Soule,
These Teach, those Tithe their Gaines.
EPIG. 58. To the most Learned King Iames.
TO be a Poet-Good, (me thinkes) is much,
To be a Good-Man, is (me thinkes) as faire:
To be a Good-King, (I suppose) few such;
Thou art Good Poet, Man and King, most rare.
EPIG. 44. Against Quintus a Dreamer.
I Oft hauehave seene thee, Quintus, in sad plight,
And mourne ith' morne, when thou from sleep didst rise;
Because thy dreames did neuer fall out, right,
And maruell not, for, daily thou tell'st Lyes:
How then can Dreames the Truth to thee declare,
When all the Day to forge-Lyes is thy care?
EPIG. 8…. Deaths Indifferencie.
FLouds fight with Flouds: so Man with Mā 's at strife:
The Ocean striues in's Motion, Man in's Life:
Riuers once Run to Sea, hauehave the same sauour,
Death equals All (as Waues Waues) without fauour.
EPIG. 86. Against Cinna a Phisician.
CInna cures sicknesse, how? he kils the sickly,
And what he doth, he (Iudas-like) doth quickly:
Happy, thrice happy are his Patients, sure;
A tedious sicknesse they shall ne're indure.
EPIG. 92. To the Prince.
ALL Night I Dreame of nought but Gold and Gaine,
Thus am I Rich all Nigh…, a Wre…ch all Day:
With Gold make-good my Dreames sweet Prince I pray.
So, Reall-Royall-Rich I shall remaine.
EPIG. 94. A Court Louse.
THe Smoo…h-boote Flatt'rer Runs about the Court,
And vn…o Prince and Peeres doth most resort:
So La…ines name the Louse for's many-feet,
Lice, much to th' Body, most to th' Head doe fleet.
EPIG. 96. Against Galatèa.
HArts, yeerely, change their snaggie Hornes they say:
Thy Husbands Hornes are changed eueryevery-day.
EPIG. 102. Against Gellia.
WIth Papists, Gellia, thou didst e're take part:
Worse art thou now, how? Catholike thou art.
EPIG. 103. Against Aulus.
WHen Aulus is a little Sicke in bed,
Or hath the Tooth-ach, or distemp'red Head,
O would to God I were in Heauen, hee'le say;
So, th' Heyre for's Father, Would to God, doth pray.
EPIG. 108. Against Festus.
FEstus, th'art old, and yet wouldst marryed bee:
Ere thou doe so, this Counsell take of mee;
Looke into Lillies Grammar, there thou'lt finde
Cornu a Horne, a word still vndeclin'd:
This Counsell's good; take it not as a mocke,
For sure, I thinke, few old-men scape this Rocke.
EPIG. 110. Against Cornelius.
ALthough Corn-elius know himselfe Cornute,
Yet hee with pacience, holds his peace, is mute;
Therefore, I thinke, hee's not Cornelius,
But fitlier may be termed Tacitus.
FINIS.
EPIGRAMS.
Out of second Booke.
EPIG. 5. What LoueLove is.
A Iocund-Iayle, a wanton-warre,
A most vnpleasant Pleasure;
A tottering Trust, a Bitter-sweet
Is LoueLove; Mirth without Measure.
EPIG. 14. A Mathematicall Instrument, called a Iacobs-Staffe, to Mathematicks.
THy Iacobs-Staffe take vntounto thee,
Ile *Genesis 28.12.Iacobs-Ladder choose;
These Steps, more than thy Staffe can show,
If I them well will vse.
EPIG. 17. Death's Epitaph, to the Death of Death.
DEaths Los…e, was in Christs Crosse,
Thence ne're more rising:
Christs Death, Deaths Death,
Christs Crosse, Deaths Tombe comprizing.
EPIG. 19. Of God and Man.
God is the Word, and by his Word,
God, All ith' World hath wrought:
Man vtters Words, Words Mans chiefe Marke,
than words, Man else is nought.
EPIG. 21. Of Fasts.
POpes in the Yeere, as may appeare,
Doe many Fasts ordayne;
For to declare, that *Who was a FisherPeters Chaire
They rightly doe retayne.
EPIG. 39. Socrates Wisedome.
WHen I was Yong, I thought I All-things knew:
The more I now-know, more my wants I rue.
EPIG. 44. Earths Body.
EArths Sinewes, are her Mettels rich;
Her Bones, are Stones most strong;
Water's her Bloud; her Superfice,
Her Skinne; Grasse, her Haire long.
EPIG. 54.
The Religious Man.
WHat's Well-done, 's Ill-done, if too-Publikely.
Politician.
What's Ill-done, 's Well-done, if none doe it Spie.
EPIG. 56. An English Proteus.
IN Clothes, we Thrift and Honesty refuse▪
For Pride and Pleasure's All, Nought, Long, wee vse.
EPIG. 66. A Shrow Tamed.
WOuld'st Tame thy Wife? first, Tame her Tongue, as Dumbe:
Who thus his Wife Comes-o're, shall Ouer-come.
EPIG. 74. Pride of Life.
MAn swe…s, although his Gran-Dame is the Earth;
Ear…h swels, although from Nothing it had Birth:
So, Man, as Mou…d; Him, past Himselfe doth raise,
Mould sw…ls with Mounts; Mans Minde his P…ide d…splayes.
EPIG. 81. Eues and the Serpents meeting.
EVes and the Serpents Prattling, wrought our Sin:
Oh would to God; Hee Dumbe, Shee Deafe had bin.
EPIG. 85.
Neyther too great a Good one,
Neyther too little a Bad one.
A Giant-like, tall, stammell-Wife,
Though Ex…'lle…t, I'de not choose;
A Bad-condition'd, though a Dwarfe,
I will as soone refuse.
EPIG. 88. LoueLove is Blinde.
LIke one another, Drunkennesse,
And LoueLove, are, in eff…ct;
Drunkennesse Blindes the Bodies Eyes,
LoueLove Blinds the Mindes aspect.
EPIG. 87. An Amorous Epistle.
NO LoueLove is Hopelesse, this makes Louers free:
The Thing, not Hope, I LoueLove; No-Thing but Thee.
EPIG. 91. A Christian Zodiacke.
TH' Apostles goodly Fellowship,
Are my twelue heauenly Signes;
My Zodiacke, is perf…ct Faith;
My Sunne, in Iesus shines.
EPIG. 100. To the Reader.
I Leaue Narcissus when I Verses write;
When thou do'st Reade them, banish Him thy sight▪
FINIS.