THE Wood-mans BEAR.

A Poeme.

By Io. Syluester.

[...] omnes.

LONDON, Printed for Thomas Iones and Laurance Chapman. 1620.

To the Worshipfull, his most approued Friend, Mr. Robert Nicolson.

SIR, the kind welcome that you alwaies daigne
To the faire Muses, and their fauorites;
And chiefly me, the meanest of their traine,
(Too meane to meddle with their sacred rites)▪
My willing heart with thankefull hand inuites,
To offer you my busie-idle paine,
Il-shapen shaddowes of my yong delights,
Till better fruits my better Fates ordaine.
Yet (pray you) priuate let this Gigge be kept;
Ʋnworthy obiect for iudicious eyes:
Which but for you, eternally had slept,
And, but to you, from henceforth euer dies:
But lacke of better, forst me for a shift,
To bring you now this old new New-yeeres gift.
Semper Arcto-phylos.

To his diuine Arctoa, her de­uout Arcto-phylos.

BEcause I count a promise [...]bt (my Deere)
Especially vnto a speciall friend,
This promis'd pledge to your sweet selfe I send▪
A gloom [...]e glasse of your perfections cleere▪
A pourtraiture resembling nothing neere
Your heauenly features, that in worth extend
Beyond the reach of my poore rymes commend,
As in this plot I make too plaine appeare.
Yet since for you amid my dumps I drew it,
And since your selfe haue since desir'd to see it;
With mild aspect vouchsafe (bright-star) to view it.
To doome whereof, in your discretion beit:
But dee [...]e withall, that in this bitter story
I graue my griefes, and not your beauties glory.

Vincenti gloria Victi▪

The Wood-mans Bear.

1.
SEuenty nine skore yeeres and seuen
Were expired from the birth
Of a Babe, be got by Heauen,
To bring peace vnto the Earth,
Peace that passeth all esteeming,
Sinne-bound soules from Hell redeeming.
Ver. 2.
Phaebus in his yeerely race
(Hauing past the Ram and Steere)
Now began to post apace,
Through the Twinnes faire houses cleere,
Prancking in perfumed robes,
All these goodly nether Globes.
Aurora. 3.
And Aurora richly dight
In an azure mantle faire,
Freng'd about with siluer bright,
Pearle-deaws dropping through the aire,
Hung the gate with golden tissues,
Where Hiperions Chariot issues.
4.
At which sight (that all reioyoes)
All the cunning Forest Quyer,
Tuning loud their little voyces,
Warbled who should warble higher:
Striuing all to beare the Bell
(All in vaine) from Phylomel.
5.
When my ioylesse sences dulled
With the busie toyle of Cities,
Me from pensiue fancies pulled,
To goe heare their heauenly ditties:
To goe heare, and see, and sent,
Sounds, sights, sauours excellent.
6.
Wending then through Lawns and Thickets,
Where the fearefull Deere do brouze,
Where the wanton Fawnes and Prickets,
Crop the top of springing boughes:
Where the Stag, and light-foot Hinde
Skud, and skip, and turne, and winde.
7.
While I led my wandring feet,
Through a silent shady Groue,
Paued thicke with Primrose sweete,
As mine eyes about did roue,
Neere a spring I chanst to spie,
Where a wretched man did lie.
8.
Like a Wood-man was his weede,
Groueling on the grasse he lay,
Mourning so as doth exceed
All that euer I can say:
Beasts to bellow, birds to sing,
Ceast, to see so strange a thing [...]
9.
Wringing hands, and weeping eyes,
Heauy sighes, and hollow grones,
Wailing words, and wofull cries
Were the witnesse of his moanes:
Moanes, that might with bitter passion,
Mooue a flintie hearts compassion.
10.
Faine would I the cause haue kend,
That could cause him so complaine:
But I feard him to offend
With repeating of his paine;
Therefore I expected rather
From himselfe the same to gather.
11.
Sitting then in shelter shadie,
To obserue and marke his mone,
Suddenly I saw a Ladie
Hasting to him all alone,
Clad in Maiden-white and greene:
Whom I iudg'd the Forrest Queene.
12.
Who the eager game pursuing,
Lost her Ladies in the chase,
Till she heard the wretches ruing,
Vnto whom she hied apase;
Moouing him with mild intreat.
To vnsold his griefe so great.
13.
When the Queene of Continence,
With the musicke of her words,
Had by sacred influence
Charm'd the edge of sorrows swords:
Swords that deeper wound haue made,
Then the keene Toledo blade.
14.
Faine he would, and yet he fainted
To vnfold his fatall griefe:
Passions in his face depainted,
Striuing whether should be chiefe:
Thus at last, though loth and sorry,
Sigh'd he out his mournfull story.
15.
Madam (quoth he) (yet he knew not
What she was), that you may see,
That I cursed causelesse rue not,
Lend a while your care to me,
And you shall perceiue the source,
Whence my cares haue had their course.
16.
Whence my cares and sad incumbers
Haue arisen and proceeded:
Whose account of countlesse numbers
Hath the Oceans sand exceeded;
Whose extreme tormenting smart,
Passeth all conceit of heart.
17.
Thrice-seuen summers I had seene
Deckt in Floraes rich aray;
And as many winters keene,
Wrapt in sutes of siluer gray:
Yet the Cirian Queenes blind Boy
Crudged at my grieselesse ioy.
18.
But when on my maiden chin
Mother Nature gan ingender
Smooth, soft, golden doune, and thin
Blades of beuer, silke-like slender,
Then he finding fuell sit,
Sought for coales to kindle it.
19.
Coales he found, but found no fier,
For th'East Frisian icie skie
Made the sparkes of loues desier
Sudden borne, as soone to die:
Thus so long as there I bid
All was vaine that Venus did▪
20.
Seeing then that nought might boot,
Shee (consulting with her bastard)
Bid the busie wanton shoot:
But alas he durst not dastard,
In that quarter well he wist
Armes to meet with, me he mist.
21.
Therefore wearie of his toile,
Hopelesse still of better hap,
In that so vnhappie soile,
Where few Brutes he could entrap:
He forsooke the frozen Ems,
Soaring towards siluer Thames.
22.
On whose lillie-paued bancks,
Where saire water nymphes resorted
Plai'd he many wanton pranks,
While the silly damzels sported,
Wounding with his cruell darts,
Their vnwarie tender hearts.
23.
Chiefly in my Mother-Towne,
Where the Paragon of honor,
Vertues praise, and beauties crowne,
With sweet Ladies tending on her,
Kept her Court in Palla [...]e royall,
Guarded by attendants loyall.
24.
There the Paphian Prince (perceiuing
Lords and Ladies, young and old,
Apt (through ease) for Loues deceiuing),
Sends about hi [...] shafts of gold,
Striking all saue her he dares not,
Dians selfe, the rest he spares not.
25.
Hauing triumpht there a season
Ouer all degrees and sexes,
Planting loue, supplanting reason,
Where his darts dire venome vexes:
Suddenly he crost the stood,
To the famous Seat of Lud.
26.
Finding there sufficient fuell,
To maintaine his wanton fiers,
By and by begins he cruell,
To inflame both Sonnes and Siers,
Maid and Mistris, Man and Master,
Dam and Daughter, light or chaster.
27.
Thus he tortures, voide of pitie,
Rich and poore, and fond and wise,
Through the streetes of all the Citie:
Causing by his cruelties,
Sighing-singing, freezing-frying,
Laughing-weeping, liuing-dying.
28.
Fates by this time had contriued
Causes that me thither drew,
Which ere euer I arriued,
This detested Tyrant knew:
Wyling waiting time and place,
To reuenge his old disgrace.
29.
Oftentimes he did attempt
Euen in streetes of second Troy,
To haue punisht my contempt,
By bereauing freedoms ioy;
But vnable there tomatch me,
Else-where yet he thought to catch-me.
30.
I was wont (for my disport)
Often in the Summer season,
To a Village to res [...]rt,
Famou [...] for the rathe ripe Peason,
Where I en [...]th a Plumb-tree shade,
Many pleasant walks I made.
31.
Till a grasse-borne-kricket mounted,
On that goodly Trees faire top,
Made his fore-fruit (rare accounted)
Ouer-soone to fall and drop:
Loading euery branch and bow
With her brood of krickets now.
32.
Hether while I vs'd to haunt,
Cupid seeking change gf harbor,
Leauing stately Troy-nouant,
Lighted vnder this fresh Arbor,
Neere the hower when Titan wounds vs,
Hides our shaddowes wholly vnder-vs.
33.
When the Dwarfting did perceiue me,
Me Loues most rebellious skorner,
By some cautel to deceiue me,
Skipt he soone into a corner:
Where left I should spie the Elfe,
In a Bear he hid himselfe.
34.
Many Beasts, and Birds beside,
Adorned with the pride of nature;
Faire of fether, rich of hide,
Trim of forme, and tall of stature,
Vs'd this Orchard to frequent,
Till the Summers heat was spent.
35.
But the Bear was my betrayer;
Nay, she was my liues defender:
But she was my freedomes slayer;
Nav, she was my thraldomes ender:
But she fild my soule with sadnesse;
Nay, she turn'd my griefe to gladnesse.
36.
Blessed Bear that beares the bell
From the fairest of her kind:
Such a Bear as doth excell
Those to either Pole assignd:
Such a Bear, as 'twold not grieue me,
To be Bearward made, beleeue me.
37.
In a Crof [...]e where Musickes King
(Making mends for Daphnes wrong)
Made out of the ground to spring
Trees transform'd to Daphnes young:
In the Crofte so faire and pleasant,
Harbor of the Prince-dish Pheasant.
38.
Southward was this white Bear bred,
Yet not skorcht with Affrick heate:
For her Dam had dipt her head
In the Christall waters neat
Of a Spring cald Hambarwell,
Which can Sun-burnt spots expell:
39.
And besides, while young she was,
She was carried from that coast,
To be taught such practise, as
Makes such beasts beloued most.
Beast am I to call her beast:
Yet indeed a Bear's a beast.
40.
Bear in name, but not in nature,
Was this much admired creature,
Per [...]erlesse piece of perfect stature,
Full of all desired feature:
Feature such, as all too saint,
My dull pen presumes to paint.
41.
Louely Lilly-white she was,
Straight proportion'd, stately-paced,
Coy, or kind (as came to passe)
Curteous-spoken, comely graced:
Graces seem'd of graces lauish,
Eyes that gaz'd on her to rauish.
42.
Locks like streames of licquid Amber,
Smooth downe dangling seem'd to spred,
Hangings fit for Beauties chamber:
Curtins fit for Beauties bed:
Of which slender golden sleaue,
Loue his wanton nets did weaue.
43.
Fore-head faire as summers face,
Built vpon two Ebene Arkes▪
Vnder which in equall space
Stood two bright resplendant sparks:
Sparkes excelling in their shine,
Fairest beames of Ericyne.
44.
From those Arkes, betweene these eyes,
(Eyes that arme Loues Archers tillar)
Euen descending did arise,
Like a pale Piram [...]d pillar,
That faire dubble-doored port,
Where sweet Zephyr loues to sport.
45.
On each side whereof extended
Fields, wherein did euer grow
Roses, Lillies, Violets blended,
Steept in streames of sanguine snow:
Red-white hils, and white-red plaines
Azure vales, and azure vaines.
46.
Vaines, whose saphir seas do slide
(Branch-wise winding in and out)
With a gentle flowing tide
All that Little World about,
Vp and downe, aloft and vnder,
To fill all this world with wonder.
47.
With her mouth I meddle not,
Nor with Ecchoes dainty mazes,
Left these hearing any iot
Mis reported of her prayses,
That in forming it incense
To reproue my proud offence.
48.
But fond he that ouerskips
(Fearing fancies Had-I-wist)
Those smooth smiling louely lips,
Which each other alwaies kist.
Sweetly swelling round like cherries,
Fragrant as our garden-berries.
49.
Lippes like leaues of Damask Rose,
Ioyned iust in equall measure,
Which in their sweete folds inclose
Plenteous store of pretious treasure:
Treasures more then may be told,
Balme, and Pearles, and purest gold.
50.
Balme her breth, for so it smelt;
Pearles, those pales about the Parke,
Where that golden Image dwelt,
Her pure tongue that most I marke:
Such a tongue, as with my tung
Neuer can enough be sung.
51.
Now remaines of all this I [...]
Onely that white Iuorie Ball,
Dimpled with a chearefull smile,
Which the Cape of Loue I call.
[...]den was this Iland (Madam)
While I gaz'd, mine eye was Adam.
52.
Next he [...] Swan-like necke I saw,
Then those spotlesse snowie mountaines,
Which when Loues warme Sunne shall thaw,
Shall resolue in Nectar fountaines:
Twixt which mountaines lies a valley,
Like Joues heauenly milken alley.
53.
What my Song should further say,
Art enuying my delight,
(As the night conceales the day)
Shrowdes in shaddowes from my sight
Art that addes so much to others,
Here a world of beauties smothers.
54.
Yet not so, but that I saw,
As the Sunne shines through the rack,
Smalling downe by measures law,
Her straight comely shapen backe:
Which though well it liked mee,
Lest of all I long'd to see.
55.
But her slender virgin Waste
Made me beare her girdle spight,
Which the same by day imbraste,
Though it were cast off at night;
That I wisht, I dare not say,
To be girdle night and day.
56.
Left those hands that here I kisse,
As offended therewithall,
Rise to chastise mine amisse,
Though their rage be rare and small;
Yet God shield her praises singer,
Should offend her little finger.
57.
Yet I seare in much I shall,
For to say her hands are white,
Slicke and slender, fingers small,
Straight and long; her knockles dight
With curled Roses, and her nailes
With pearle-muscles shining skailes.
58.
These are praises great, I grant;
But full often heard I before,
Many may like honours vant,
Such as these haue many more:
Hers are such, as such are none,
Saue that hers are such alone?
59.
For, if she had liued, when
Proud Arachne was aliue,
Pallas had not needed then
To come downe with her to striue:
Her faire fingers, finely fast
Had Arachnes cunning past.
60.
But when to the musicke choice
Of those nimble ioynts she marries
Th' Eccho of her Angel-voice,
Then the praise and prize she carries
Both from Orpheus and Amphion,
Shaming Lynus and Arion.
61.
Here before her nimble feet
Fall we flat (mine humble muse)
To endeauour (as is meet)
All our errors to excuse:
For these are the beautious bases
That support this frame of graces.
62.
Now, like as a Princely building,
Rare for Modell, rich for matter,
Beautified without with guilding,
Fond beholders eyes to flatter,
Inwardly containeth most
Both of cunning and of cost.
63.
So this frame, in framing which
Nature her owne selfe excelled,
Though the outward walles were rich,
Yet within the same there dwelled
Rarest beauties, richest treasures,
Chiefe delights, and choicest pleasures.
64.
For within this curious Pallace,
Mongst the Muses and the Graces,
Phebe chaste, and charming Pallas
Kept their Courts in sundry places,
Lawes of vertue to enactize,
There proclaim'd in daily practize.
65.
Here the Foster waxing faint,
Looked on the louely Dame,
Sighing-saying, Gracious Saint,
Heere-hence all my sorrowes cam [...]
Lady, pardon, if my song
Haue detain'd yee ouer-long.
66.
Not your song you [...] sorrowes se [...]ne
Longer then I would (quoth she)
Yet, as yet I cannot deeme
How [...]our griefes with this agree:
For did this faire sight intrap yee,
This faire sight might make ye happie.
67.
Happie (me vnhappy most)
(Then replide he) had I been,
Had my life or light been lost
Ere my sight that sight had seene;
Then had I not liu'd to languish
In this ease-lesse end-lesse anguish.
68.
But because you doubt (faire Dame)
How from such a heauen as this,
Full of euery beauties flame,
Full of bounty, full of blisse,
Full of each delightfull ioy,
Could descend the least auoy.
69.
If you daigne attend Ile tell,
(As my feeble tongue will let me)
All misfortune that befell,
Though the thought thereof doe fret me:
Madam, so your kindnes moues me,
That to shew you all behoues me:
70.
Therefore thinke vpon (I pray)
What, when first my tale begun,
Was forespoken to bewray
Shifts of Cythereas sonne,
How, for feare I should haue spide him
In a Bear the Vrchin hid him.
71.
Thence from, crafty Cupid shot
All the arrowes of his quiuer:
But my heart that yeelded not,
Made them all in sunder shiuer:
Till he full of shame and sorrow,
Better bow and shafts did borrow.
72.
Borrow did he of that Bear,
Armes more apt to work my wo,
Stringing with her golden haire
Her faire browes, he made his bow:
Whence for shafts he shot likewise,
Beames of her keene-peircing cies.
73.
Of which Diamond-headed dartes,
Beating hard my bosomes Center,
Whence resisting power departs,
Where but these, none else could enter:
Some abiding, some rebounded,
Wherewithall the Bear was wounded.
74.
Wounded was the gentle Bear,
With the weapons that she lent,
That she lent (alas) for feare,
Lest the Loue God should her shent:
So we see, who lend their armes,
Oft procure their proper harmes.
75.
So did harmelesse she (alas)
That I euer must bemone,
Mone I must, for nueer was
Marble-hearted Mirmidon
But would mone, and morne, and melt,
To haue seene the paine she felt.
76.
To haue seene her pitious plaining,
To haue heard her loud lamenting,
To haue thought on her complaining,
To imagine her tormenting:
Eyes would weep, and eares would wunder,
Hardest hart would break in sunder.
77.
So mine eyes▪ mine eares, and heart,
Fild with waters, wonders, woes,
Drowned, deafned, dead in part,
Wel-nigh all their vertues lose
Euery sence and all my reason
Fled, and faild me for a season.
78.
Here when this he had rehearsed,
Ere the rufull rest could follow;
So the fresh remembrance pierced,
That his voice waxt weake and hollow:
Bitter teares abundant dropping,
Drowned words their passage stopping.
79.
Words were turn'd to sighes and sobbing;
Inward griefes did inlie grone:
Hopelesse heart with heauie throbbing,
Shew'd all signes of saddest mone.
Signes made mone, but voice was mum,
Small griefes speake, but great are dumb▪
80.
Woe begun, and wondrous sorry
Was the Goddesse to behold him,
Through repeating of his storie
In so sad a fit to fold him:
Fearing further to prouoke him,
Left new seaes of sorrow choke him.
81.
For as Sea-coales flame the faster,
When we cast cold water on them:
Or as Children vnder Master,
Morne the more, the more we mone them:
So the more she spake, her speeches
More increast his cries and skreeches.
82.
Yet she would not so forsake him,
Left some sauage hungry beast
In this tragick trance should take him,
Of his flesh to make a feast:
Danger of which dire euent,
Thus her pitie did preuent.
83.
Loud her bugle Horne she blew,
Babling Eccho voyce of vallies,
Aierie Else, exempt from view,
With the Forest musick dallies:
Doubling so the curled winde,
That the first was hard to finde:
84.
Yet her nimble Nvmphs inured
Often to the Fairies guile,
Could not be so soone allured
To ensu her subtle wile:
For where first they heard the blast,
Thither ward they trip it fast.
85.
But because these maids had follow'd
Egerly their game together;
They when first their Lady hollow'd,
Could not by and by be with her:
For before she sound the Foster,
All her traine (I told ye) lost her.
86.
In came these bright beauties than,
Where as they their Lady found
Standing by this wretched man,
That lay there vpon the ground:
With which wofull sight amazed,
Each on him with wonder gazed.
85.
To whom their Goddesse did relate
All before that he had told her,
All his miserable state:
Who did all the while behold her
With a heauy halfe shut eye
As a man at point to die.
88.
At which the Nymphes with pitie moued,
Somewhat to asswage his woe
For the Beares sake whom he loued,
And that him had loued so,
Bad him of their helpe assure him,
For they could the Art to cure him.
89.
For in a Groue thereby, there grew
An hearbe which could loues power expell:
Which (but they) none euer knew,
As how it prospered neere a well,
Where Diana vsed to bathe her,
When the scorching heate did scath her.
90.
Which the Siluans of those Groues
Held in very high account:
For therewith they [...] their loues▪
It was call'd Diana [...]s Fount,
And that Hearb, the pride of Summer,
Tooke that speciall vertue from her.
91.
And the swiftest of the traine,
Away to fetch the same was sent,
Which her nimble ioynts did straine,
And return'd incontinent,
And the simple with her brought,
By which the cure was strangely wrought.
92.
Which vnto the sence applied
As the iuyce thereof he tasted,
He might [...]eele euen in that tide
How his old remembrance wasted
By the medicine thus reuealed,
Was the wofull Wood-man healed.

Epithalamion.

O You that on the double mountaine dwel,
And daily drink of the Castalian Well;
If any Muse among your sacred number,
Haue power to waken from a dying slumber;
A dull conceit, drown'd in a gulph of griefe,
In haplesse ruine, hopelesse of reliese:
Vouchsafe (sweet sisters) to assist me so,
That for a time I may forget my woe,
Or (at the least) my sad thoughts so beguile,
That sighes may sing, & teares themselues may smile;
While I in honor of a happy choice,
To chearefull Layes tune my lamenting voice;
Making the mountaines and the vallies ring,
And all the young-men and the maideus sing,
All earthly ioyes and all heauens blisse betide
Our ioyfull Bridegroome, and his gentle Bride.
Thē peace cōplaint, & pack thee hence proud sorrow,
I must goe bid my merry Greeks good morrow:
Good morrow Gallants: thus begins our game:
What? fast asleepe? fie sluggards, fie for shame,
[Page] For shame shake off this humor from your eies▪
You haue ouerslept: tis more then time to rise▪
Behold, already in the ruddy East
Bright Ericyna with the beaming crest,
Calles vp Aurora, and she rose-like blushing,
Frō aged Tythons cold armes, quickly rushing,
Opens the wide gates of the welcome day,
And with a becke summons the Sunne away,
Who quickly mounting on his glistering chaire,
Courseth his nimble Coursers through the aire,
With swifter pace then when he did pursue
The Laurel changed Nymph that frō him flew:
Fearing perhaps (as well he might) to misse
A rarer obiect, then those loues of his.
Such, as at sight (but for the kind respect
Of loyall friendship, to a deare elect
Child of the Muses) had with hotter fier
Inflam'd the wanton Delphian Gods desier,
Altars adorn'd with blisse-presaging lights
In saffron roabes, and all his solemne rites
Thrice-sacred Hymen shall with smiling cheare hands,
Vnite in one, two Turtles louing deare:
And chaine with holy charmes their willing
Whose harts are linckt in loues eternall bands.
Milde vertues mirror, Beauties monument.
Adorned with heauens praise, and with earths perfe­ction:
Receiue (I pray you) with a brow vnbent,
This petty pledge of my poore pure affection.
Had I the Indians golden heapes and hoordes,
A richer present would I then present you.
Now such poore fruites as my bare feild affoordes
In stead of those, here [...]aue I rudely sent you:
Count not the gifts worth, but the giuers will:
Oft mighty Princes haue accepted small things;
Like as the aire all empty parts doth fill,
So perfect friendship doth supply for all things.
Obe it euer so: so neuer smart
Nor teene shall trouble the Soon calm in hart.
Mind first your Maker in your dayes of youth:
Aske grace of him to gouerne well your waies▪
Reuerence your Husband with vnspotted truth:
Take heede of pride the poison of our daies:
Hant not with those that are of light report:
Auoid the vile charmes of vnchast temptation.
Neuer lend looke to the lasciuious sort:
Impeach not any's honest reputation:
Comfort the poore, but not beyond your power:
Ouer your houshold haue a needfull care:
Lay hold on Times locke, loose not any hower:
Spend, but in season: and in season spare:
Ofspring of any heauen vouchfafe to send you,
Nurture them godly; and good end attend you.
So shall your life in blessings still abound,
So from all harme th'almightie hand shall shend you,
So with cleare honour shall your head be crownd,
So for your virtue shall the wise commend you,
So shall you shun vile slanders blasting voice,
So shall you long inioy your louing Pheare,
So shall you both be blessed in your choice,
So to each other be you euer deare:
O! be it euer so in euery part,
That naught may trouble the Soon calm in hart.
FINIS.

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.