The Shorter Poems

  Much was the whole assembly of those heards,

  Moov’d at his speech, so feelingly he spake:

  650

  And stood awhile astonisht at his words,

  Till Thestylis at last their silence brake,

  Saying, Why Colin, since thou foundst such grace

  With Cynthia and all her noble crew:

  Why didst thou euer leaue that happie place,

  655

  In which such wealth might vnto thee accrew?

  And back returnedst to this barrein soyle,

  Where cold and care and penury do dwell:

  Here to keep sheepe, with hunger and with toyle,

  Most wretched he, that is and cannot tell.

  660

  Happie indeed (said Colin) I him hold,

  That may that blessed presence still enioy,

  Of fortune and of enuy vncomptrold,

  Which still are wont most happie states t’annoy:

  But I by that which little while I prooued:

  665

  Some part of those enormities did see,

  The which in Court continually hooued,

  And followd those which happie seemd to bee.

  Therefore I silly man, whose former dayes

  Had in rude fields bene altogether spent,

  670

  Darest not aduenture such vnknowen wayes,

  Nor trust the guile of fortunes blandishment,

  But rather chose back to my sheep to tourne,

  Whose vtmost hardnesse I before had tryde,

  Then hauing learnd repentance late, to mourne

  675

  Emongst those wretches which I there descryde.

  Shepheard (said Thestylis) it seemes of spight

  Thou speakest thus gainst their felicitie,

  Which thou enuiest, rather then of right

  That ought in them blameworthie thou doest spie.

  680

  Cause haue I none (quoth he) of cancred will

  To quite them ill, that me demeand so well:

  But selfe-regard of priuate good or ill,

  Moues me of each, so as I found, to tell

  And eke to warne yong shepheards wandring wit,

  685

  Which through report of that liues painted blisse,

  Abandon quiet home, to seeke for it,

  And leaue their lambes to losse misled amisse.

  For sooth to say, it is no sort of life,

  For shepheard fit to lead in that same place,

  690

  Where each one seeks with malice and with strife,

  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 deuise,

  695

  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,

  700

  Masked with faire dissembling curtesie,

  A filed toung furnisht with tearmes of art,

  No art of schoole, but Courtiers schoolery.

  For arts of schoole haue there small countenance,

  Counted but toyes to busie ydle braines,

  705

  And there professours find small maintenance,

  But to be instruments of others gaines.

  Ne is there place for any gentle wit,

  Vnlesse to please, it selfe it can applie:

  But shouldred is, or out of doore quite shit,

  710

  As base, or blunt, vnmeet for melodie.

  For each mans worth is measured by his weed,

  As harts by hornes, or asses by their eares:

  Yet asses been not all whose eares exceed,

  Nor yet all harts, that hornes the highest beares.

  715

  For highest lookes haue not the highest mynd,

  Nor haughtie words most full of highest thoughts:

  But are like bladders blowen vp with wynd,

  That being prickt do vanish into noughts.

  Euen such is all their vaunted vanitie,

  720

  Nought else but smoke, that fumeth soone away,

  Such is their glorie that in simple eie

  Seeme greatest, when their garments are most gay.

  So they themselues for praise of fooles do sell,

  And all their wealth for painting on a wall;

  725

  With price whereof, they buy a golden bell,

  And purchace highest rowmes in bowre and hall:

  Whiles single Truth and simple honestie

  Do wander vp and downe despys’d of all;

  Their plaine attire such glorious gallantry

  730

  Disdaines so much, that none them in doth call.

  Ah Colin (then said Hobbinol) the blame

  Which thou imputest, is too generall,

  As if not any gentle wit of name,

  Nor honest mynd might there be found at all.

  735

  For well I wot, sith I my selfe was there,

  To wait on Lobbin (Lobbin well thou knewest)

  Full many worthie ones then waiting were,

  As euer else in Princes Court thou vewest.

  Of which, among you many yet remaine,

  740

  Whose names I cannot readily now ghesse:

  Those that poore Sutors papers do retaine,

  And those that skill of medicine professe.

  And those that do to Cynthia expound

  The ledden of straunge languages in charge:

  745

  For Cynthia doth in sciences abound,

  And giues to their professors stipends large.

  Therefore vniustly thou doest wyte them all,

  For that which thou mislikedst in a few.

  Blame is (quoth he) more blamelesse generall,

  750

  Then that which priuate 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,

  755

  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 vp with pride,

  760

  Or fraught with enuie that their galls do swell,

  Or they their dayes to ydlenesse diuide,

  Or drownded lie in pleasures wastefull well,

  In which like Moldwarps nousling still they lurke,

  Vnmyndfull of chiefe parts of manlinesse,

  765

  And do themselues for want of other worke,

  Vaine votaries of laesie loue professe,

  Whose seruice high so basely they ensew,

  That Cupid selfe of them ashamed is,

  And mustring all his men in Venus vew,

  770

  Denies them quite for seruitors of his.

  And is loue then (said Corylas) once 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.

  775

  Not so (quoth he) loue most aboundeth there.

  For all the walls and windows there are writ,

  All full of loue, and loue, and loue my deare,

  And all their talke and studie is of it.

  Ne any there doth braue or valiant seeme,

  780

  Vnlesse that some gay Mistresse badge he beares:

  Ne any one himselfe doth ought esteeme,

  Vn
lesse he swim in loue vp to the eares.

  But they of loue and of his sacred lere,

  (As it should be) all otherwise deuise,

  785

  Then we poore shepheards are accustomd here,

  And him do sue and serue all otherwise.

  For with lewd speeches and licentious deeds,

  His mightie mysteries they do prophane,

  And vse his ydle name to other needs,

  790

  But as a complement for courting vaine.

  So him they do not serue as they professe,

  But make him serue to them for sordid vses,

  Ah my dread Lord, that doest liege hearts possesse,

  Auenge thy selfe on them for their abuses.

  795

  But we poore shepheards whether rightly so,

  Or through our rudenesse into errour led,

  Do make religion how we rashly go,

  To serue that God, that is so greatly dred;

  For him the greatest of the Gods we deeme,

  800

  Borne without Syre or couples of one kynd,

  For Venus selfe doth soly couples seeme,

  Both male and female through commixture ioynd.

  So pure and spotlesse Cupid forth she brought,

  And in the gardens of Adonis nurst:

  805

  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 Ioue himselfe his powre began to dread,

  810

  And taking vp to heauen, him godded new.

  From thence he shootes his arrowes euery where

  Into the world, at randon as he will,

  On vs fraile men, his wretched vassals here,

  Like as himselfe vs pleaseth, saue or spill.

  815

  So we him worship, so we him adore

  With humble hearts to heauen vplifted hie,

  That to true loues he may vs euermore

  Preferre, and of their grace vs dignifie:

  Ne is there shepheard, ne yet shepheards swaine,

  820

  What euer feeds in forest or in field,

  That dare with euil deed or leasing vaine

  Blaspheme his powre, or termes vnworthie yield.

  Shepheard it seemes that some celestiall rage

  Of loue (quoth Cuddy) is breath’d into thy brest,

  825

  That powreth forth these oracles so sage,

  Of that high powre, wherewith thou art possest.

  But neuer wist I till this present day

  Albe of loue I alwayes humbly deemed,

  That he was such an one, as thou doest say,

  830

  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.

  835

  Of loues 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 diuine.

  For long before the world he was y’bore

  840

  And bred aboue 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,

  845

  Be euer drawne together into one,

  And taught in such accordance to agree?

  Through him the cold began to couet heat,

  And water fire; the light to mount on hie,

  And th’heauie downe to peize; the hungry t’eat

  850

  And voydnesse to seeke full satietie.

  So being former foes, they wexed friends,

  And gan by litle learne to loue each other:

  So being knit, they brought forth other kynds

  Out of the fruitfull wombe of their great mother.

  855

  Then first gan heauen 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 euerie liuing wight,

  860

  Crept forth like wormes out of her slimie nature,

  Soone as on them the Suns life giuing light,

  Had powred kindly heat and formall feature,

  Thenceforth they gan each one his like to loue,

  And like himselfe desire for to beget,

  865

  The Lyon chose his mate, the Turtle Doue

  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 loue the fairest in his sight,

  870

  Like as himselfe was fairest by creation.

  For beautie is the bayt which with delight

  Doth man allure, for to enlarge his kynd,

  Beautie the burning lamp of heauens light,

  Darting her beames into each feeble mynd:

  875

  Against whose powre, nor God nor man can fynd

  Defence, ne ward the daunger of the wound,

  But being hurt, seeke to be medicynd

  Of her that first did stir that mortall stownd.

  Then do they cry and call to loue apace,

  880

  With praiers lowd importuning the skie,

  Whence he them heares, and when he list shew grace,

  Does graunt them grace that otherwise would die.

  So loue is Lord of all the world by right,

  And rules the creatures by his powrfull saw:

  885

  All being made the vassalls of his might,

  Through secret sence which therto doth them draw.

  Thus ought all louers of their lord to deeme:

  And with chaste heart to honor him alway:

  But who so else doth otherwise esteeme,

  890

  Are outlawes, and his lore do disobay.

  For their desire is base, and doth not merit,

  The name of loue, but of disloyall lust:

  Ne mongst true louers they shall place inherit,

  But as Exuls out of his court be thrust.

  895

  So hauing said, Melissa spake at will,

  Colin, thou now full deeply hast divynd:

  Of loue and beautie and with wondrous skill,

  Hast Cupid selfe depainted in his kynd.

  To thee are all true louers greatly bound,

  900

  That doest their cause so mightily defend:

  But most, all wemen are thy debtors found,

  That doest their bountie still so much commend.

  That ill (said Hobbinol) they him requite,