POEMS

BY VARIOUS AUTHORS.

(Written between 1540 and 1612.)

POEMS

BY VARIOUS AUTHORS.

(Written between 1540 and 1612.)

John Haryngton [the Elder] to his Mother,

1540.

THERE was a battaill fought of late,
Yet was the slaughter small;

The stryfe was, whether I shulde wright,
Or send no thing at all.

Of one syde were the Captaynes names
Short Tyme and Lytle Skill;
One fought alone agaynst them bothe,
Whose name was Great Good-will.

Short Tyme enforst me in a strayte,
And bad me holde my hand;
Small Skill also withstoode desyre,
My writing to withstand.

But Great Good-will, in shew though small,

To wright encourag'de me,

And to the battaile helde on still;

No common thinge to see.

Thus gan theise busye warriours three,
Betwene themselves to fight

As valiauntlie as though they had
Bene of much greater might;

Till Fortune, that unconstant dame,
Which rules soche thinges allwaye,
Did cause the weaker parte in fighte
To bear the greater swaye:

And then the victour caused me,
However was my skill,

To write theise vearses unto you,
To shew my great good-will.

Verses made on Isabella Markhame, when I firste thought her fayer, as she stood at the Princess's Windowe in goodlye attyre, and talkede to dyvers in the Courte-Yard.

(From a MS. of John Haryngton, dated 1564.*)

I.

WHENCE comes my love? O hearte, disclose :—

'Twas from cheeks that shame the rose;
From lips that spoyle the rubies prayse;

From eyes that mock the diamond's blaze.

As Sir John Harington, the son of Isabella Markham, was

Whence comes my woe, as freely owne ;-
Ah me! 'twas from a hearte lyke stone.

II.

The blushynge cheek speakes modest mynde,
The lipps befitting wordes moste kynde;
The eye does tempte to love's desyre,
And seems to say, 'tis Cupid's fire;

Yet all so faire, but speake my moane,

Syth noughte dothe saye the hearte of stone.

III.

Why thus, my love, so kynde bespeake
Sweet lyppe, sweet eye, sweet blushynge cheeke,
Yet not a hearte to save my paine ?-

O Venus! take thy giftes again ;

Make not so faire to cause our moane,

Or make a hearte that's lyke our owne.

born in 1561, there is an anachronism in this date, which must be referred to the transcript, and not to the original copy, if the poem is rightly ascribed to the elder Harington. Perhaps the date should be 1546 or 9. At the same time, as is observed in Mr. Ellis's Specimens of the early English Poets, its author cannot be denied the singular merit of having united an elegance of taste with an artifice of style which far exceeded his contemporaries. 3d edit. vol. ii. p. 165.