English

A pretty toye wrytten in the praise of a straunge Springe in Suffolke
I NEUER trauailde countreys farre
whereby strange things to see,
As woods and waters, Beasts & byrds,
wherein such vertues bee,
As are not common to be had
but seeldome to be found:
And hearbes and stones, of nature such
as none are on the ground.
But as I haue red of many one
and surely, in my minde,
As well at home as farre abroad

Another Toye written in the praise of a Gilliflower, at the request of Gentle-women: and one, aboue the rest, who loued that Flower
I F I should choose a prety Flower
For seemely show and sweetest sente:
In my minde, sure the Gilliflower
I should commend where so I wente:
And if neede be, good reasen too
I can alledge why so I doe

The Crimson coulour, fyrst of all,
Dooth make it seemely to the eye:
The pleasaunt savour therewithall
Comfortes the braine too, by and by:

A prety Toye written vpon this Theame:

A man a sleepe, is not at rest

Although the heart a sleepe
the bones be all at rest,
Yet man a sleepe, his minde is oft
with many thoughts opprest.
He dreames of this and that:
sometime with trifling toyes
His onely minde is troubled sore:
sometime of pleasaunt ioyes
His minde dooth run in sleepe:
sometime, he dreames of Kinges,

A straunge Dreame.
Who so he be on earth
that wisely can deuine
Vpon a Dreame: come shewe his skyll
vpon a Dreame of mine:
Which, if that well he marke
sure he shall finde therein
Great misteries, I gage my life.
which Dreame did thus begin.

Me thought I walked too and fro,
vpon a hillie land,
So long, till euen with wearinesse
I could wel searcely stad.

The meaning of the Tale
But wherto tends this Tale?
what first may meane this Chase?
And then the Harte, which in y o same
doth keep one only place?
The Plot where stads the Lodge
the Lodge & then the Dame
Which hunts the Hart: & last the Dogs
which do pursue the game?
A meaning all they haue:
which meaning I must showe,
And that so plaine, as in each point

Harte, written by a Gentleman unto his Mistresse
T O reade a dolefull tale,
that tels of nought but greefe,
And of a man that pines in paine
and lookes for no-releefe;
Whose hope of death seems sweet.
& dread of life seems sower,
Who neuer bid on[e] merry month,
one weeke one day or hower
In such a tale, I say,
if any doe delight,
Let him come read this verse of mine

A prety toye written upon Time.
A S I, of late, this other day
lay musing in my bed,
And thinking vpon sundrie toyes
that then came in my head:
Among the rest, I thought vpon
the setting out of Tyme:
And thinking so vpon the same
I wrote this ragged rime.
Time is set out, with head all balde
saue one odde lock before:
Which locke if once you doo let slip,

Some other gentlewomen in the company, angrie with this toye, pleasde with these prety verses following.
A H , be not angrie so
my words were but in iest:
And more then that, I ment them not
by you, I doo protest.
I saw no lookes to light.
nor frowning ouer much,
Nor any such like sullein lookes,
as might shew inward grutch
Nor smiling wantonly,
but with such modestie
As might declare a merry minde

A Gentleman, marking his Mistresse angrie countenaunce without cause, tolde her of it in verse, as followeth.
By countenaunce a face, a man may fynde
(I say, fayre Dame, by outward view of face)
Such sundry thoughts, as occuple the minde:
Sometime by one, and efte another grace.
Looke, with that thoughts the minde is aye possessed
Straight by the lookes the same is plaine expressed.

The frowning face declares a froward harte,
And skouling browes a sullen stomack showes;

A prety Epigram, vpon Welth and Will.
Where Welth doth want, there Will can bear no sway;
And where Will wants, there Wealth can make no way
In many things, Welth greatly rules the roste,
In some things too, selfe will, will beare a sway
To winne the wager, Welth will spare no cost,
Which, to subuert, Will worketh many a way:
And in the end let Welth doo what he can.
Yet commonly, Will stands the stouter man.