VERSES ADDRESSED TO THE AUTHOR. A Vision upon this conceipt of the Faery Thy lovely Rosolinde seemes now forlorne, Queene. ME thought I saw the grave where Laura lay, Another of the same. The prayse of meaner wits this worke like profit written bin. [divine If thou hast beauty praysd, let her sole lookes Judge if ought therein be amis, and mend it by And all thy gentle flockes forgotten quight: Thy chaunged hart now holdes thy pypes in scorne, Those prety pypes that did thy mates delight; Those trusty mates, that loved thee so well; Whom thou gav'st mirth, as they gave thee the bell. Yet, as thon earst with thy sweete roundelayes Didst stirre to glee our laddes in homely bowers; And faire befall that Faery Queene of thine, In whose faire eyes love linckt with vertue sittes: Such high conceites into thy humble wittes, As doth the Cuckoes song delight when Philumena So mought thy Redcrosse knight with happy hand her eine. If Chastitie want ought, or Temperaunce her dew, sore Meane while she shall perceive, how far her vertues [of yore: Above the reach of all that live, or such as wrote And thereby will excuse and favour thy good will; Whose vertue can not be exprest, but by an Angels quill. Of me no lines are lov'd, nor letters are of price, Of all which speak our English tongue, but those of thy device. Subject thy dome to her Empyring spright, [light. Fayre Thamis streame, that from Ludds stately Runst paying tribute to the Ocean seas, crowne, Whose hand strowes Palme and never-dying bayes: W. L. Grave Muses, march in triumph and with prayses; What though his taske exceed a humaine witt, H. B. When stout Achilles heard of Helens rape, And brought him forth the chaunce of warre to try. When Spencer saw the fame was spredd so large, To seeme a shepeheard then he made his choice; And as Ulysses brought faire Thetis sonne Yet as Achilles, in those warlike frayes, To looke upon a worke of rare devise Doth either prove the judgement to be naught, To labour to commend a peece of worke, For when men know the goodnes of the wyne, Thus then, to shew my judgement to be such I here pronounce this workmanship is such And thus I hang a garland at the dore; And when your tast shall tell you this is trew, VERSES ADDRESSED, BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FAERIE QUEENE, TO VARIOUS NOBLEMEN, &C. To the Right honourable Sir Christopher To the Right Honourable the Earle of Oxen Hatton, Lord high Chauncelor of England, ford, Lord high Chamberlayne of Eng&'c. THOSE prudent heads, that with theire counsels wise Whylom the pillours of th' earth did sustaine, And taught ambitious Rome to tyrannise And in the neck of all the world to rayne, Oft from those grave affaires were wont abstaine, With the sweet Lady Muses for to play: So Maro oft did Cæsars cares allay. [sway land, &c. Receive, most Noble Lord, in gentle gree, Defended from foule Envies poisnous bit, And also for the love which thou doest beare deare: Deare as thou art unto thy selfe, so love That loves and honours thee, as doth behove. To the most honourable and excellent Lord the Magnificke Lord, whose vertues excellent, Doe merit a most famous Poets witt To be thy living praises instrument, Yet doe not sdeigne to let thy name be writt In this base Poeme, for thee far unfitt: Nought is thy worth disparaged thereby ; But when my Muse, whose fethers, nothing flitt, Doe yet but flagg, and lowly learne to fly, With bolder wing shall dare alofte to sty To the last praises of this Faery Queene; Then shall it make more famous memory Of thine Heroicke parts, such as they beene: Till then, vouchsafe thy noble countenaunce To these first labours needed furtheraunce. umberland. The sacred Muses have made alwaies clame And Registres of everlasting fame, T'embrace the service of sweete Poetry, By whose endevours they are glorifide; And eke from all, of whom it is envide, To patronize the authour of their praise, Which gives them life, that els would soone have dide, And crownes their ashes with immortall baies. To thee, therefore, right noble Lord, I send This present of my paines, it to defend. To the right Honourable the Earle of Ormond and Ossory. Receive, most noble Lord, a simple taste And roughly wrought in an unlearned Loome: The which vouchsafe, dear Lord, your favorable doome. Of the wilde fruit which salvage soyl hath To the right noble and valorous knight, [waste, bred; There, in deede, dwel faire Graces many one, Sir Walter Raleigh, Lord Wardein of the Stanneryes, and lieftenaunt of Cornewaile. To thee, that art the sommers Nightingale, Thy soveraine Goddesses most deare delight, Why doe I send this rusticke Madrigale, That may thy tunefull eare unseason quite? Thou onely fit this Argument to write, In whose high thoughts Pleasure hath built her bowre, And dainty love learnd sweetly to endite. My rimes I know unsavory and sowre, To tast the streames that, like a golden showre, Flow from thy fruitfull head, of thy love's praise; Fitter, perhaps, to thonder Martiall stowre, To the right honourable the Lord Ch. Howard, When so thee list thy lofty Muse to raise : Lord high Admiral of England, knight of Yet, till that thou thy Poeme wilt make knowne, the noble order of the Garter, and one of Let thy faire Cinthias praises be thus rudely her Majesties privie Counsel, &c. And ye, brave Lord, whose goodly personage To the most renowmed and valiant Lord, the Lord Grey of Wilton, knight of the Noble order of the Garter, &c. Most Noble Lord, the pillor of my life, [rife showne. berland. E. S. Through whose large bountie, poured on me To the right honourable the Earle of CumIn the first season of my feeble age, I now doe live, bound yours by vassalage; Sith nothing ever may redeeme, nor reave Out of your endlesse debt, so sure a gage, Vouchsafe in worth this small guift to re ceave, Which in your noble hands for pledge I leave Of all the rest that I am tyde t' account: Rude rymes, the which a rustick Muse did weave In savadge soyle, far from Parnasso Mount, Redoubted Lord, in whose corageous mind The flowre of chevalry, now bloosming faire, Doth promise fruite worthy the noble kind Which of their praises have left you the haire; To you this humble present I prepare, For love of vertue and of Martiall praise; To which though nobly ye inclined are, As goodlie well ye shew'd in late assaies, To the right honourable the Lord of Huns- And their disloiall powre defaced clene, E. S. To the right honourable the Lord of Buckhurst, one of her Majesties privie Counsell. In vain I thinke, right honourable Lord, By this rude rime to memorize thy name, Whose learned Muse hath writ her owne record In golden verse, worthy immortal fame : Thou much more fit (were leasure to the same) Thy gracious Soverains praises to compile, And her imperiall Majestie to frame In loftie numbers and heroicke stile. But, sith thou maist not so, give leave a while To baser wit his power therein to spend, Whose grosse defaults thy daintie pen may And unadvised oversights amend. [file, But evermore vouchsafe it to maintaine Against vile Zoilus backbitings vaine. grace: To the right honourable Sir Fr. Walsingham, For his, and for your owne especial sake, knight, principall Secretary to her Ma- Vouchsafe from him this token in good worth jesty, and one of her honourable privy| Counsell. That Mantuane Poetes incompared spirit, to take. E. S. |