Read Ebook: The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Volume 2 of 2. by Davies John Sir Grosart Alexander Balloch Editor

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Ebook has 343 lines and 54455 words, and 7 pages

r throng,-- So thoughts of drinking, thriuing, wenching, warre, And borrowing money, raging, in his mind; To issue all at once so forward are, As none at all can perfect passage find.

IN FLACCUM. 18.

The false knave Flaccus once a bribe I gaue: The more foole I to bribe so false a knaue: But he gaue back my bribe; the more foole he, That for my folly did not cousen me.

IN CINEAM. 19.

Thou dogg?d Cineas, hated like a dogge, For still thou grumblest like a masty dogge, Compar'st thyself to nothing but a dogge; Thou saith thou art as weary as a dogge, As angry, sicke, and hungry as a dogge, As dull and melancholly as a dogge, As lazy, sleepy, idle as a dogge: But why dost thou compare thee to a dogge In that, for which all men despise a dogge? I will compare thee better to a dogge: Thou art as faire and comely as a dogge, Thou art as true and honest as a dogge, Thou art as kind and liberall as a dogge, Thou art as wise and valiant as a dogge. But Cineas, I have heard thee tell, Thou art as like thy father as may be; 'Tis like enough; and faith I like it well; But I am glad thou art not like to me.

IN GERONTEM. 20.

IN MARCUM. 21.

IN CIPRUM. 22.

The fine youth Ciprius is more tierse and neate, Then the new garden of the Old Temple is; And still the newest fashion he doth get, And with the time doth change from that to this; He weares a hat of the flat-crowne block, The treble ruffes, long cloake, and doublet French; He takes tobacco, and doth weare a lock, And wastes more time in dressing then a wench: Yet this new fangled youth, made for these times, Doth aboue all praise old George Gascoine's rimes?

IN CINEAM. 23.

When Cineas comes amongst his friends in morning, He slyly spies who first his cap doth moue; Him he salutes, the rest so grimly scorning, As if for euer they had lost his loue. I seeing how it doth the humour fit Of this fond gull to be saluted first, Catch at my cap, but moue it not a whit: Which to perceiuing, he seemes for spite to burst: But Cineas, why expect you more of me, Then I of you? I am as good a man, And better too by many a quality, For vault, and dance, and fence and rime I can: You keep a whore at your own charge, men tell me, Indeed friend therein you excell me.

IN GALLUM. 24.

Gallas hath beene this Summer-time in Friesland, And now return'd, he speaks such warlike words, As, if I could their English understand, I feare me they would cut my throat like swords: He talkes of counter-scarfes and casomates, Of parapets, of curteneys, and palizadoes; Of flankers, ravelings, gabions he prates, And of false-brayes, and sallies and scaladoes. But, to requite such gulling tearmes as these, With words of my profession I reply; I tell of fourching, vouchers, and counterpleas, Of withermans, essoynes, and Champarty. So, neither of us understanding one another, We part as wise as when we came together.

IN DECIUM. 25.

Audacious painters have Nine Worthies made; But poet Decius, more audacious farre, Making his mistris march with men of warre, With title of "Tenth Worthy" doth her lade. Me thinks that gull did use his tearmes as fit, Which tearm'd his loue "a gyant for her wit."

Jonson told Drummond "That S J Davies played in ane Epigrame on Drayton's, who in a sonnet, concluded his Mistress might been the Ninth Worthy; and said, he used a phrase like Dametas in Arcadia, who said For wit his Mistresse might be a gyant." 'Notes of Ben Jonson's conversations with William Drummond, of Hawthornden,' p. 15 . The sonnet by Drayton, which our author here ridicules, is as follows:

"TO THE CELESTIALL NUMBERS.

IN GELLAM. 26.

If Gella's beauty be examin?d, She hath a dull, dead eye, a saddle nose, And ill-shap't face, with morphew ouer-spread, And rotten teeth, which she in laughing shows; Briefly, she is the filthiest wench in towne, Of all that doe the art of whoring use: But when she hath put on her sattin gowne, Her cut lawne apron, and her velvet shooes, Her greene silke stockins and her petticoat Of taffaty, with golden fringe a-round, And is withall perfumed with civet hot, Which doth her valiant stinking breath confound,-- Yet she with these additions is no more Than a sweet, filthy, fine, ill-favoured whore.

IN SYLLAM. 27.

Sylla is often challenged to the field, To answer as a gentleman, his foes: But then he doth this answer onely yeeld,-- That he hath livings and faire lands to lose. Silla, if none but beggars valiant were, The King of Spaine would put us all in feare.

IN SILLAM. 28.

Who dares affirme that Silla dares not fight? When I dare sweare he dares adventure more Than the most braue and all-daring wight, That euer armes with resolution bore; He that dares touch the most unwholsome whore That euer was retir'd into the Spittle And dares court wenches standing at a doore, ; He that dares give his dearest friends offences, Which other valiant fooles doe feare to doe: And when a feaver doth confound his sences, Dare eate raw beefe, and drink strong wine thereto: He that dares take tobacco on the stage, Dares man a whore at noone-day through the street: Dares dance in Paul's and in this formall age, Dares say and doe whateuer is unmeet; Whom feare of shame could neuer yet affright,-- Who dares affirme that Sylla dares not fight?

Cf.

IN HAYWODUM. 29.

Haywood, that did in Epigrams excell, Is now put downe since my light Muse arose; As buckets are put downe into a well, Or as a schoole-boy putteth downe his hose.

IN PRISCUM. 31.

When Priscus, rais'd from low to high estate, Rode through the street in pompous jollity; Caius, his poore familiar friend of late, Bespake him thus: "Sir, now you know not me.' "'Tis likely friend," "to be so, For at this time myselfe I do not know."

IN BRUNUM. 32.

Brunus, which deems himselfe a faire sweet youth Is thirty nine yeares of age at least; Yet was he neuer, to confesse the truth, But a dry starveling when he was at best: This gull was sicke to shew his night-cap fine, And his wrought pillow over-spread with lawne; But hath been well since his griefe's cause hath line At Trollup's by Saint Clement's Church, in pawne.

IN FRANCUM. 33.

IN CASTOREM. 34.

Of speaking well why doe we learne the skill, Hoping thereby honour and wealth to gaine; Sith rayling Castor doth, by speaking ill, Opinion of much wit and gold obtaine?

IN SEPTIMIUM. 35.

Septimus liues, and is like garlick seene, For though his head be white, his blade is greene: This old mad coult deserves a Martyr's praise, For he was burn?d in Queene Marie's daies.

OF TOBACCO. 36.

IN CRASSUM. 37.

Crassus his lyes, are not pernicious lyes, But pleasant fictions, hurtfull unto none But to himselfe; for no man counts him wise To tell for truth that which for false is knowne. He sweares that Gaunt is three score miles about, And that the bridge at Paris on the Seyn Is of such thicknesse, length and breadth throughout, That sixe score Arches can it scarce sustaine; He sweares he saw so great a dead man's scull At Canterbury, dig'd out of the ground, That would containe of wheat three bushels full; And that in Kent are twenty yeomen found, Of which the poorest euery yeare dispends, Fiue thousand pounds: these and fiue thousand mo, So oft he hath recited to his friends, That now himselfe perswades himselfe 'tis so. But why doth Crassus tell his lyes so rife, Of Bridges, Townes, and things that haue no life? He is a Lawyer, and doth well espie, That for such lyes an Action will not lye.

IN PHILONEM. 38.

Philo the Lawyer and the Fortune-teller; The Schoole-master, the Midwife, and the Bawd, The conjurer, the buyer, and the seller Of painting, which with breathing will be thaw'd, Doth practise Physicke; and his credit growes, As doth the Ballad-singer's auditory, Which hath at Temple-barre his standing chose, And to the vulgar sings an Ale-house story: First stands a Porter; then an Oyster-wife Doth stint her cry, and stay her steps to heare him; Then comes a Cut-purse ready with a knife, And then a Countrey clyent passeth neare him; There stands the Constable, there stands the whore, And, listening to the song, heed not each other; There by the Serjeant stands the debitor, And doth no more mistrust him then his brother: Thus Orpheus to such hearers giueth musick, And Philo to such patients giueth physick.

IN FUSCUM. 39.

Fuscus is free, and hath the world at will; Yet in the course of life that he doth lead, He's like a horse which, turning round a mill, Doth always in the self-same circle tread: First, he doth rise at ten; and at eleuen He goes to Gyls, where he doth eate till one; Then sees a Play till sixe, and sups at seven; And after supper, straight to bed is gone; And there till ten next day he doth remaine, And then he dines, and sees a Comedy; And then he suppes, and goes to bed againe: Thus round he runs without variety, Saue that sometimes he comes not to the Play, But falls into a whore-house by the way.

IN AFRAM. 40.

IN PAULUM. 41.

IN LICUM. 42.

Lycus, which lately is to Venice gone, Shall if he doe returne, gaine three for one: But ten to one, his knowledge and his wit Will not be bettered or increas'd a whit.

IN PUBLIUM. 43.

Publius student at the Common-law, Oft leaves his Bookes, and for his recreation, To Paris-garden doth himselfe withdrawe; Where he is rauisht with such delectation, As downe among the beares and dogges he goes; Where, whilst he skipping cries "to head to head," His satten doublet and his veluet hose Are all with spittle from aboue be-spread: When he is like his father's countrey Hall, Stinking with dogges, and muted all with haukes; And rightly too on him this filth doth fall, Which for such filthy sports his bookes forsakes; Leaving old Ployden, Dyer, Brooke alone, To see old Harry Hunkes, and Sacarson.

IN SILLAM. 44.

When I this proposition had defended, "A coward cannot be an honest man," Thou Silla, seem'st forthwith to be offended, And holds the contrary, and sweares he can; But when I tell thee that he will forsake His dearest friend, in perill of his life; Thou then art chang'd, and sayst thou didst mistake, And so we end our argument and strife: Yet I think oft, and thinke I thinke aright, Thy argument argues thou wilt not fight.

IN DACUM. 45.

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