A Compleate Gentle-woman Described by her feature, Her person slender, her beauty admirable, her wit excellent, her carriage modest, her behaviour chast, with her constancie in love.
To the tune of Sabina.
YOu Muses all your aide to mée assigne
To speake in praise of the true loue of mine.
Strike up with ioy
Strike up with ioy
Strike up with ioy your instruments of mirth
Till piercing Ecchoes ring 'twixt heaven and earth.
Let Pan with spéed prepare himselfe to play,
And swéetly chaunt my loue a roundelay
While Satyres péepe
While Satyres peepe
While Satyres péepe to sée her louely face,
Let Citterne, harpe, and lute her meeting grace.
Let all the Poets company combine
Their wits in one for my swéet Rosaline,
And say that shée
And say that shée
And say that shée Quéene Venus doth excell,
For beauty, loue, and wit shée beares the bell.
And to recite the substance of her feature
That all may say shée is a comely creature,
From head to foot
From head to foot
From head to foot I will unfold aright
The shape of her which is my hearts delight.
First is her haire like threds of golden wyre
Vpon her head is set a seemly tyre,
Which doth protect
Which doth protect
Which doth protect her crimson chéeks from wind
From Titans heate and Boreas blasts unkinde.
Her glistring eyes excell the diamond light,
When I behold her countenance by night,
I doe admire
I doe admire
I doe admire to sée her beauteous brow
In whom Diana chastnesse doth allow.
The second part,
To the same tune.
HEr rubie lips which doth inclose the tongue
From whence rare elegies are swéetly sung,
That may amaze
That may amaze
That may amaze each rurall swaine to heare
Her Siren songs with voice so shrill and cleare.
Her Iuorie necke with golden gems compleate,
Her armes and shoulders framed fine and neate,
Her lilly hand
Her lilly hand
Her lilly hand and fingers long and small
With slender wast and person some-what tall.
And farther to devulge some other parts
Wherein dame nature shewes her chiefest arts,
I purpose to
I purpose to
I purpose to stoope downe unto the toe,
And so speake of the rest as up I goe.
Her pretty foot and nimble dapper héele
Her shaking legge haue showne such actiue skill,
Both Coridon
Both Coridon
Both Coridon and Phillis blush't to see
Her amourous cariage when shée bends the knée.
Not only this which nature in her plac't,
But Ladie vertue hath her further grac't
In all respects
In all respects
In all respects each creature doth her finde
To passe the Pellican shée is to kinde.
So constant in her actions still is shée
Shée may compare with chast Penelope,
Her minde once fix't
Her minde once fix't
Her minde once fix't it neuer will remoue,
Shée'l rather die like to the Turtle doue.
Her will to chastitie is so appli'd,
Shée scornes ambition, lust, and hatefull pride,
Whereby shée gaines
Whereby shée gaines
Whereby shée gaines good wil of great and smal
Strōg weak, high low, rich poore, they loue her al skil
But since my trembling hand and pen wants
To write her fame compleate unto my will,
I here conclude
I here conclude
I here conclude wishing each honest lad
May haue so true a choice as I haue had.
L. P:
FINIS.