CEPHALVS & PROCRIS.

NARCISSVS. Aurora musae amica.

LONDON Imprinted by Iohn Wolfe. 1595.

To the Right worshipfull Master Thomas Argall Esquire.

DEere Sir the titles resyant to your state,
Meritorious due: because my penne is statelesse,
I not set downe, nor will I straine it foorth,
To tilt against the Sunne, with seeming speeches,
Suffizeth all are ready and awaite,
With their hartes-soule, and Artes perswasiue mistresse,
To tell the louely honor, and the worth,
Of your deseruing praise, Heroicke graces:
What were it then for me to praise the light?
When none, but one, commendes darke shady night.
Then as the day is made to shame the sinner,
To staine obscuritie, inur'd supposes,
And mainetaine Artes inestimable treasure,
To blind-fold Enuie, barbarisme scorning.
O with thy fauour, light a young beginner,
From margining reproach, Satyricke gloses,
And gentle Sir, at your best pleasing leysure,
Shine on these cloudy lines, that want adorning,
That I may walke, where neuer path was seene,
In shadie groues, twisting the mirtle greene.
Thomas Edwards.

To the Honorable Gentlemen & true fauourites of Poetrie.

IVdiciall and courteous, least I be thought in this my boldenesse, to Imitate Irus, that car'd not to whome he bar'd his nakednesse, so hee might be clothed. Thus much vnder your fauours I protest, that in writing of these twoo imperfect Poemes, I have ouergonne my selfe, in respect of what I wish to be perfourmed: but for that diuers of my friendes haue slak't that feare in me, & (as it were) heau'd me onwards to touch the lap of your accomplished vertues. I haue thus boldly, what in a yeare bene studiously a dooing now in one day (as our custome is) set to the view of your Heroicke censures.

Base necessitie, which schollers hate as ignorance, hath beene Englanddes shame, and made many liue in bastardy a long time: Now is the sap of sweete science budding, and the true honor of Cynthia vnder our climate girt in a robe of bright tralucent lawne: Deckt gloriously with bayes, and vnder her faire raigne▪ honoured with euerlasting renowne, fame and Maiesty.

O what is Honor without the complementes of Fame? or the liuing sparkes in any heroicke gentleman? not sowzed by the ada­mantine Goate-bleeding impression of some Artist.

Well could Homer paint on Vlysses shield, for that Vlysses fauour made Homer paint.

Thrise happy Amintas that bode his penne to steepe in the muses golden type of all bounty: whose golden penne bode all knightes stoope, to thy O thrice honoured and honorable vertues.

The teares of the muses haue bene teared from Helicon. Most haue endeuoured to appease Iupiter, some to applause Mercury, all to honor the deities. Iupiter hath beene found pleasant, Mer­cury [Page] plausiue, all plyant; but few knowne to distill Ambrosia from heauen to feast men that are mortall on earth.

How many when they tosse their pens to eternize some of their fauourites, that although it be neuer so exquisite for the Poeme, or excellent for memoriall: that either begin or end not with the de­scription of blacke and ougly night, as who would say, my thoughts are obscur'd and my soule darkened with the terrour of obliuion.

For me this restes, to wish that such were eyther dum & could not speake, or deafe and could not heare, so not to tune their stately verse to enchant others, or ope their eares to the hurt of thēselues.

But why temporize I thus, on the intemperature of this our clymate? wherein liue to themselues, Schollers and Emperours; esteeming bountie as an ornament to dazell the eie, and telling to themselues wonders of themselues, wherein they quench honor with fames winges, and burne maiestie with the title of ingrati­tude, and some there are (I know) that hold fortune at hazard, & trip it of in buskin, till I feare me they will haue nothe but skin.

Silly one, how thou tatlest of others want? is it not an ordina­ry guise, for some to set their neighbours house on fire, to warme themselues? beleue me courteous gentlemen, I walke not in clouds, nor can I shro'dly morralize on any, as to describe a banquet be­cause I am hungry, or to shew how coldly schollers are recompenst, because I am poore, onely I am vrg'd as it were to paraphrase on their doinges with my penne, because I honour learning with my hart. And thus benigne gentlemen, as I began, so in duety I end, euer prest to do you all seruice.

Thomas Edwards.

CEPHALVS and Procris.

FAire and bright Cynthia, Ioues great ornament,
Richly adorning nightes darke firmament,
Scoured amidst the starry Canapie,
A pariphrisis of the Night.
Of heauens celestiall gouernement, well nie
Downe to the euer ouer-swelling tide,
Where old Oceanus was wont t' abide,
At last began to crie, and call amaine,
Oh what is he, my loue so long detaines!
Or i'st Ioues pleasure Cynthia shall alone,
Obscure by night, still walke as one forlorne:
Therewith away she headlong postes along
Salt washing waues, rebellious cloudes among,
So as it seem'd minding the heauens to leaue,
And them of light, thus strangely to bereaue.
A description of the Morning.
With that Aurora starting from her bed,
As one that standes deuising, shakes his head,
Not minding either this or that to doe,
So are her thoughtes, nor quicke, nor ouerslow;
Phebus halfe wrothe to see the globe stand still,
The world want light, a woman haue her will:
[Page] To post foorth gan another Phaeton,
And swore once more, he should the world vppon,
Or as tis thought to trie th'aduentrous boy.
Yet some suppose, he meant vpon this day,
A Sympathy of sorrowes to aduaunce.
The boy thus proude-made, hotly gan to praunce,
And now heauens coape, Ioues pallace chrystaline
Downe dingeth Atlas, and straight doth decline
In such aboundant measure, as tis said,
Since that same day the light of heauen's decaide,
A metamorphosis on earth mong'st men,
As touching constancy hath bene since then,
And this is true maidens, since that same day,
Are saide for louers neuer more to pray.
But to returne, Phebe in million teares,
Moanes to her selfe, and for a time forbeares,
Aurora she her swift bright shining rayes,
On Phebus charyot tosse, and oft assayes,
With her sweete lookes, her fathers wroth t' appease,
But all she doth, he tels her, doth disease,
Like to the vncorrected headstrong childe,
That neuer felt his parentes strokes but milde,
Growne vp to ryper yeares, disdaines a checke:
(For nature ouergon comes to defect:)
So now Aurora hauing felt the pride
Of heauen and earth, turning her selfe a side,
Rapt with a suddaine extasie of minde,
Vnto her selfe (thus said) Goddesse diuine:
How hapt that Phebus mou'd amid his chase,
Should such kinde frendship scorne for to imbrace,
I will no more (quoth she) godd it along
Such vnaccustom'd wayes, ne yet among
[Page] Such as is Titan, better fittes it me,
With Vesper still to liue, then such as he,
Though well I wot, honor is set on high,
Yet gentle Humilitie, is best say I.
No more she spake, but like the swelling tide,
That hauing passage skymes, scorning a guide,
Vntill the vaste receipte of Neptunes bower,
Kils the hoat fume, euen so, away she skoures,
Lawlesse as twere sans thought or any dread,
Like to banditos mong'st the mountaine heard.
And now vpon her gentle louely
Aurora filia Titanis & Terrae.
mother,
Bright as the morning, comes the mornings honor,
All snowy white, saue purpled heere and there,
So beautifull as beauty might despaire,
And stand amaz'd, noting her wanton eie,
Which at a trice could all the world espie,
Vpon her head, a coronet did stand,
Of seuerall flowers gathered by Titan.
An imitation taken from the Thra­cians called Acroconiae that vsually weare long haire downe to their wasts.
A vale she wore downe trayling to her thighes,
The stuffe whereof, I gesse, of such emprize,
As Gods themselues are doubtfull of the arte,
Seeming as aire with otomie disperst,
Her handes, a meny Poets
Dead as mē.
dead and gone,
Haue heretofore (excelling) wrote vpon.
It shall suffize Venus doth grace to her,
In that she waites before, like to a Starre,
Directing of her steps along'st the zone,
Neuer ouertaken by the Horizon,
Ne yet in daunger put of any Lake,
The frozen Pole she warnes her to forsake:
And all
Pleiades the seauen starres, supposed to be the daughters of Licurgus.
Licurgus daughters Dion noates,
Base in respect of duetie, and out-coates,

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