Bidding them find their sepulchres in mud;
Found yet more letters sadly penn'd in blood,
With sleided silk feat and affectedly
Enswath'd, and seal'd to curious secrecy.

These often bath'd she in her fluxive eyes,
And often kiss'd, and often 'gan 9 to tear;
Cried, "O false blood! thou register of lies,
"What unapproved witness dost thou bear!
"Ink would have seem'd more black and damned
here!"

This said, in top of rage the lines she rents,
Big discontent so breaking their contents.

A reverend man that graz'd his cattle nigh,
Sometime a blusterer, that the ruffle knew
Of court, of city, and had let go by
The swiftest hours, observed as they flew;
Towards this afflicted fancy 10 fastly drew;
And, privileg❜d by age, desires to know
In brief, the grounds and motives of her woe.

So slides he down upon his grained bat, 11
And comely-distant sits he by her side;
When he again desires her, being sat,

7 sleided] i. e. raw, untwisted.

feut] i.e. neatly, curiously.

'gan] Malone's conjecture for "gave."

10 fancy] i. e. enamoured one: fancy occurs several times in this vol. in the sense of love.

1 bat] i. e. club.

Her grievance with his hearing to divide :
If that from him there may be aught applied
Which may her suffering ecstasy assuage,
"Tis promis'd in the charity of age.

"Father," she says, "though in me you behold "The injury of many a blasting hour,

"Let it not tell your judgment I am old; "Not age, but sorrow, over me hath power: "I might as yet have been a spreading flower, "Fresh to myself, if I had self-applied "Love to myself, and to no love beside.

"But woe is me! too early I attended "A youthful suit (it was to gain my grace) "Of one by nature's outwards so commended, "That maiden's eyes stuck over all his face : "Love lack'd a dwelling, and made him her place; "And when in his fair parts she did abide, "She was new lodg'd, and newly deified.

"His browny locks did hang in crooked curls; "And every light occasion of the wind "Upon his lips their silken parcels hurls. "What's sweet to do, to do will aptly find: "Each eye that saw him did enchant the mind; "For on his visage was in little drawn,

"What largeness thinks in paradise was sawn.19

12 sawn] i. e. sown.

"Small show of man was yet upon his chin; "His phoenix down began but to appear, "Like unshorn velvet, on that termless skin, "Whose bare out-bragg'd the web it seem'd to

wear;

"Yet show'd his visage by that cost most dear; "And nice affections wavering stood in doubt "If best 'twere as it was, or best without.

"His qualities were beauteous as his form, "For maiden-tongued he was, and thereof free; "Yet, if men mov'd him, was he such a storm "As oft 'twixt May and April is to see, "When winds breathe sweet, unruly though they be. "His rudeness so with his authoriz'd youth, "Did livery falseness in a pride of truth.

"Well could he ride, and often men would say
"That horse his mettle from his rider takes:
"Proud of subjection, noble by the sway,
"What rounds, what bounds, what course, what
stop he makes!

"And controversy hence a question takes,
"Whether the horse by him became his deed,
"Or he his manage by the well-doing steed.

"But quickly on this side the verdict went;
"His real habitude gave life and grace
"To appertainings and to ornament,

66

Accomplish'd in himself, not in his case:

“ All aids, themselves made fairer by their "Came for additions; yet their purpos'd tr “ Piec’d not his grace, but were all grac'd by

"So on the tip of his subduing tongue “ All kind of arguments and question deep, "All replication prompt, and reason strong "For his advantage still did wake and slee "To make the weeper laugh, the laugher w "He had the dialect and different skill, "Catching all passions in his craft of will;

"That he did in the general bosom reign "Of young, of old; and sexes both encha "To dwell with him in thoughts, or to rem "In personal duty, following where he hau "Consents bewitch'd, ere he desire, have gra “And dialogu'd for him what he would say "Ask'd their own wills, and made their wills

"Many there were that did his picture get, “To serve their eyes, and in it put their mi "Like fools that in the imagination set "The goodly objects which abroad they fin "Of lands and mansions, their's in thoug sign'd;

"And labouring in more pleasures to bestow "Than the true gouty landlord which doth them:

13 owe] i. e. own

"So many have, that never touch'd his hand, "Sweetly suppos'd them mistress of his heart.

66

My woeful self, that did in freedom stand, "And was my own fee-simple, (not in part,) "What with his art in youth, and youth in art, "Threw my affections in his charmed power, "Reserv'd the stalk, and gave him all

my flower.

"Yet did I not, as some my equals did, "Demand of him, nor being desired, yielded; "Finding myself in honour so forbid,

"With safest distance I mine honour shielded : "Experience for me many bulwarks builded Of proofs new-bleeding, which remain'd the foil

"Of this false jewel, and his amorous spoil.

"But ah! who ever shunn'd by precedent "The destin'd ill she must herself assay? "Or forc'd examples, 'gainst her own content, "To put the by-pass'd perils in her way? "Counsel may stop a while what will not stay; "For when we rage, advice is often seen "By blunting us to make our wits more keen.

"Nor gives it satisfaction to our blood, "That we must curb it upon others' proof, "To be forbid the sweets that seem so good, "For fear of harms that preach in our behoof. "O appetite, from judgment stand aloof!