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,
And Patrone of my Muses pupillage;
Through whose large bountie, poured on me rife
In the first season of my feeble age,
I now doe live bound yours by vassalage;
(Sith nothing ever may redeeme, nor reave1
Out of your endlesse debt, so sure a gage ;)
Vouchsafe, in worth, this small guift to receave,
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,
And roughly wrought in an unlearned loome:
The which vouchsafe, dear Lord, your favourable doome.
To the Right Honourable the Lord of Buckhurst, one of Her Majestie's 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 file,1
And unadvised oversights amend.
But evermore vouchsafe, it to maintaine
Against vile Zoilus backbitings vaine.
To the Right Honourable Sir Francis Walsingham, Knight, principall Secretary to her Majestie, and one of her honourable privie Counsell.
THAT Mantuane Poets incompared 2 spirit,
Whose girland now is set in highest place,
Had not Mecenas, for his worthy merit,
It first advaunst to great Augustus grace,
Might long perhaps have lien in silence bace,
Ne bene so much admir'd of later age.
This lowly Muse, that learns like steps to trace,
Flies for like aide unto your patronage,
(That are the great Mecænas of this age,
As well to all that civil artes professe,
As those that are inspir'd with martial rage,)
And craves protection of her feeblenesse :
Which if ye yield, perhaps ye may her rayse
In bigger tunes to sound your living prayse.
1 File, smooth or polish. 2 Incompared, incomparable.
To the Right Noble Lord and most valiaunt Captaine, Sir John Norris, Knight, Lord president of Mounster.
WHO ever gave more honourable prize
To the sweet Muse then did the Martiall crew,
That their brave deeds she might immortalize
In her shril tromp, and sound their praises dew?
Who then ought more to favour her then you,
Most Noble Lord, the honor of this age,
And Precedent of all that armes ensue ?
Whose warlike prowesse and manly courage,
Tempred with reason and advizement sage,
Hath fild sad Belgicke with victorious spoile;
In Fraunce and Ireland left a famous gage;
And lately shakt the Lusitanian soile.
Sith then each where thou hast dispredd thy fame,
Love him that hath eternized your Name.
To the Right Noble and Valorous Knight, 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,
Whenso thee list thy lofty Muse to raise:
Yet, till that Thou thy Poeme wilt make knowne,
Let thy faire Cinthias praises be thus rudely showne.
To the Right Honourable and most vertuous Lady, the
Countesse of Pembroke.
REMEMBRAUNCE of that most heroicke Spirit,*
The Hevens pride, the glory of our daies,
Which now triumpheth (through immortall merit
Of his brave vertues) crown'd with lasting baies,
Of hevenlie blis and everlasting praies;
Who first my Muse did lift out of the flore,
To sing his sweet delights in lowlie laies;
Bids me, most Noble Lady, to adore
His goodly image living evermore
In the divine resemblaunce of your face;
Which with
And native beauty deck with heavenly grace:
For His, and for your owne especial sake,
Vouchsafe from him this token in good worth to take.
Sir Philip Sidney, her brother.
To the most vertuous and beautifull Lady, the Lady
NE may I, without blot of endless blame,
You, fairest Lady, leave out of this place;
But, with remembraunce of your gracious Name,
(Wherewith that courtly garlond most ye grace
And deck the world,) adorne these verses base:
Not that these few lines can in them comprise
Those glorious ornaments of hevenly grace,
Wherewith ye triumph over feeble eyes
And in subdued harts do tyranyse;
(For thereunto doth need a golden quill
And silver leaves, them rightly to devise ;)
But to make humble present of good will:
Which, whenas timely meanes it purchase may,
In ampler wise itselfe will forth display.
To all the gratious and beautifull Ladies in the Court.
THE Chian Peincter, when he was requir'd
To pourtraict Venus in her perfect hew;
To make his worke more absolute, desir'd
Of all the fairest Maides to have the vew.
Much more me needs, (to draw the semblant trew,
Of Beauties Queene, the worlds sole wonderment,)
To sharpe my sence with sundry Beauties vew,
And steale from each some part of ornament.
If all the world to seeke I overwent,
A fairer crew yet no where could I see
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