ALL AS A SEA.

ALL as a sea the world no other is,
Ourselves are ships still tossed to and fro;
And lo, each man his love to that or this,
Is like a storm to drive the ship to go;
That thus our life in doubt of shipwreck stands,
Our will's the rock, our want of skill the sands.

Our passions be the pirates still that spoil,
And overboard cast out our reason's freight;
The mariners that day and night do toil,

Be our conceits that do on pleasure wait;
Pleasure, master, doth tyrannise the ship,
And giveth virtue secretly the nip.

The compass is a mind to compass all,

Both pleasure, profit, place, and fame, for nought;

The winds that blow, men overweening call;
The merchandise is wit full dearly bought;
Trial the anchor cast upon experience,
For labour, life, and all ado the recompence.

WHITNEY'S EMBLEMS.

15

WHEN AUTUMN RIPES.

WHEN autumn ripes the fruitful fields of grain,
And Ceres doth in all her pomp appear,
The heavy ear doth break the stalk in twain,
Whereby we see this by experience clear,
Her own excess doth cause her proper spoil,
And make her corn to rot upon the soil.

So worldly wealth and great abundance, mars
That sharpness of our senses and our wits,
And oftentimes our understanding bars,

And dulls the same with many careful fits;
Then since excess procures our spoil and pain,
The mean prefer before immoderate gain.

OF FLATTERING SPEECH BEWARE.

Or flattering speech, with sugar'd words, beware; Suspect the heart whose face doth fawn and smile; With trusting these, the world is clogg'd with care,

And few there be can 'scape these vipers vile; With pleasing speech they promise and protest, When careful hearts lie hid within their breast.

The faithful wight, doth need no colours brave;

But those that trust in time his truth shall try,
Where fawning mates cannot their credit save,
Without a cloak to flatter, feign, and lie;

No foe so fell, nor yet so hard to 'scape,
As is the foe that fawns with friendly shape.

J. H. M.

The two foregoing Pieces are from "A Choice of Emblems and other Devices," &c. selected by Geffrey Whitney-1586.

16 WILBYE AND WEELKES' MADRIGALS.

FLORA GAVE ME FAIREST FLOWERS.

FLORA gave me fairest flowers,

None so fair in Flora's treasure;

These I placed on Phillis' bowers,

She was pleased, and she my pleasure:
Smiling meadows seem to say,

Come ye wantons here to play.

WILBYE-1598.

CONTENT.

THERE is a jewel which no Indian mines can buy,
No chemic art can counterfeit;

It makes men rich in greatest poverty;

Makes water wine, turns wooden cups to gold,
The homely whistle to sweet music's strain;
Seldom it comes, to few from heaven sent,
That much in little, all in naught-Content.

WILBYE-1609.

TO SHORTEN WINTER'S SADNESS.

To shorten winter's sadness,

See where the nymphs with gladness,

Disguised all are coming,

Right wantonly a-mumming.

Whilst youthful sports are lasting,
To feasting turn our fasting;
With revels and with wassals,
Make grief and care our vassals.

WEELKES' MADRIGALS.

For youth it well beseemeth,

That pleasure he esteemeth;
And sullen age is hated,

That mirth would have abated.

17

The above is from "Ballets and Madrigals to five voyces, by THOMAS WEELKES, Organist of the College of Winchester."Lond. 1598. 4to. Este.

IN PRIDE OF MAY.

IN pride of May, the fields are gay,
The birds do sweetly sing;

So nature would, that all things should,
With joy begin the spring.

Then Lady dear, do you appear
In beauty like the spring;
I will dare say, the birds that day
More cheerfully will sing.

WEELKES-1598.

COLD WINTER'S ICE IS FLED.

COLD winter's ice is fled and gone,
And summer brags on every tree;
The red-breast peeps amidst the throng
Of wood-born birds, that wanton be;
Each one forgets what they have been,
And so doth Phillis, summer's queen.

WEELKES-1600.

18 WEELKES AND YONGE'S MADRIGALS.

WHY ARE YOU, LADIES, STAYING.

WHY are you, Ladies, staying,
And your Lords gone a-Maying?
Run apace and meet them,

And with your garlands greet them;
'Twere pity they should miss you,
For they will sweetly kiss you!

Hark! hark! I hear the dancing,
And a nimble morris prancing;
The bagpipe and the morris-bells,
That they are not far hence us tells;
Come let us all go thither,

And dance like friends together.

WEELKES-1600.

THE WINE THAT I SO DEARLY GOT.

THE wine that I so dearly got,

Sweetly sipping, mine eyes hath blear'd;
And the more I am barr'd the pot,
The more to drink my thirst is steer'd;
But since thereby my heart is cheer'd,
Maugre ill luck, and spiteful slanders,
Mine eyes shall not be my commanders;
For I maintain, and ever shall,
Better the windows hide the dangers,

Than to spoil both the house and all.

From Madrigalles to 5 and 6 voices; translated out of sundrie Italian authors.-Yonge, London: 1597. 4to. Este.