Albe they worthy blame, or cleare of crime: Ne may this homely verse, of many meanest, More then my former writs, all were they cleanest Therefore do you, my rimes, keep better measure, And seeke to please ; that now is counted wise mens threasure. [From Bk. vii. (posthumous).] CLAIMS OF MUTABILITY PLEADED BEFORE NATURE. 'Yet mauger Jove, and all his gods beside, And, first, the Earth (great mother of us all) Yet is she chang'd in part, and eeke in generall: Unlike in forme, and chang'd by strange disguise: So turne they still about, and change in restlesse wise. 'As for her tenants, that is, man and beasts, The beasts we daily see massacred dy As thralls and vassals unto mens beheasts; And men themselves do change continually, From good to bad, from bad to worst of all: But eeke their minds (which they immortall call) Still change and vary thought, as new occasions fall.' [The Seasons and the Months pass by, and after them the Hours.] And after these there came the Day and Night, Th' one on a Palfrey blacke, the other white; The goodly Sun encompast all with beames bright. Then came the Howres, faire daughters of high Jove And timely Night; the which were all endewed With wondrous beauty fit to kindle love; But they were virgins all, and love eschewed That might forslack the charge to them foreshewed By mighty Jove; who did them porters make Of heavens gate (whence all the gods issued) Which they did daily watch, and nightly wake By even turnes, ne ever did their charge forsake. And after all came Life, and lastly Death; Such as they faine Dan Cupid to have beene, Full of delightfull health and lively joy, Deckt all with flowres, and wings of gold fit to employ. When these were past, thus gan the Titanesse : 'Lo! mighty mother, now be judge, and say Whether in all thy creatures more or lesse CHANGE doth not raign and bear the greatest sway; * * * * * 'Then, since within this wide great Universe So having ended, silence long ensewed; Ne Nature to or fro spake for a space, But with firme eyes affixt the ground still viewed. 'I well consider all that ye have said, And find that all things stedfastnesse do hate Then over them Change doth not rule and raigne, But they raigne over Change, and do their states maintaine. 'Cease therefore, daughter, further to aspire, And thee content thus to be rul'd by mee, For thy decay thou seekst by thy desire; But time shall come that all shall changed bee, And from thenceforth none no more change shal see.' Then was that whole assembly quite dismist, And Natur's selfe did vanish, whither no man wist. [Fragment of the last Canto.] When I bethinke me on that speech whyleare Me seemes, that though she all unworthy were Short Time shall soon cut down with his consuming sickle. Then gin I thinke on that which Nature sayd, Of that same time when no more Change shall be, But stedfast rest of all things, firmely stayd Upon the pillours of Eternity, That is contrayr to Mutabilitie; For all that moveth doth in Change delight: But thence-forth all shall rest eternally With Him that is the God of Sabaoth hight: O! that great Sabaoth God, grant me that Sabaoths sight! 1 silenced. COMPLAINT OF THALIA (COMEDY). [From The Teares of the Muses (1591).] Where be the sweete delights of learnings treasure O! all is gone; and all that goodly glee, And him beside sits ugly Barbarisme, And brutish Ignorance, ycrept of late Where being bredd, he light and heaven does hate: And the faire Scene with rudenes foule disguize. All places they with follie have possest, All these, and all that els the Comick Stage Was limned forth, are wholly now defaced; |