The Choise of Valentines | Page 5

of more price,

You'll smell it out, though I be nare so nice. 60
As you desire, so shall you swiue with hir,
But think, your
purse-strings shall abye-it deare;
For, he that will eate quailes must
lauish crounes,
And Mistris Francis, in her veluett gounes, 64
And ruffs and perwigs as fresh as Maye,
Can not be kept with half a
croune a daye."
"Of price, good hostess, we will not debate,
Though
you assize me at the highest rate; 68
Onelie conduct me to this bonnie bell.
And tenne good gobbs I will
unto thee tell,
Of golde or siluer, which shall lyke thee best,
So
much doe I hir companie request." 72
Awaie she went: so sweete a thing is golde,
That (mauger) will
inuade the strongest holde.
"Hey-ho! she coms, that hath my hearte in
keepe
Sing Lullabie, my cares, and falle a-sleepe." 76

Sweeping she coms, as she would brush the ground;
Hir ratling silkes
my sences doe confound.
"Oh, I am rauisht: voide the chamber
streight;
For I must neede's upon hir with my weight." 80
"My Tomalin," quoth shee, and then she smilde.
"I, I," quoth I, "soe
more men are beguild
With smiles, with flatt'ring wordes, and fained
cheere,
When in their deedes their falsehood doeth appeare." 84
"As how, my lambkin," blushing, she replide,
"Because I in this
dancing schoole abide?
If that it be, that breede's this discontent,

We will remoue the camp incontinent: 88
For shelter onelie, sweete heart, came I hither,
And to auoide the
troblous stormie weather;
But now the coaste is cleare, we will be
gonne,
Since, but thy self, true louer I haue none." 92
With that she sprung full lightlie to my lips,
And fast about the neck
me colle's, and clips;
She wanton faints, and falle's vpon hir bedd,

And often tosseth too and fro hir head; 96
She shutts hir eyes, and waggles with her tongue:
"Oh, who is able to
abstaine so long?"
"I com! I com! sweete lyning be thy leaue:"

Softlie my fingers up theis curtaine heaue, 100
And make me happie, stealing by degreese.
First bare hir leggs, then
creepe up to hir kneese;
From thence ascend unto her mannely thigh--

(A pox on lingring when I am so nighe!). 104
Smock, climbe a-pace, that I maie see my ioyes;
Oh heauen and
paradize are all but toyes
Compar'd with this sight I now behould,

Which well might keepe a man from being olde. 108
A prettie rysing wombe without a weame,
That shone as bright as
anie siluer streame;
And bare out like the bending of an hill,
At
whose decline a fountaine dwelleth still; 112

That hath his mouth besett with uglie bryers,
Resembling much a
duskie nett of wyres;
A loftie buttock, barrd with azure veines,

Whose comelie swelling, when my hand distreines, 116
Or wanton checketh with a harmlesse stype,
It makes the fruites of
loue oftsoone be rype,
And pleasure pluckt too tymelie from the
stemme
To dye ere it hath seene Jerusalem. 120
O Gods! that euer anie thing so sweete,
So suddenlie should fade
awaie, and fleete!
Hir armes are spread, and I am all unarm'd,
Lyke
one with Ouid's cursed hemlocke charm'd; 124
So are my Limms unwealdlie for the fight
That spend their strength
in thought of hir delight.
What shall I doe to shewe my self a man?

It will not be for ought that beawtie can. 128
I kisse, I clap, I feele, I view at will,
Yett dead he lyes, not thinking
good or ill.
"Unhappie me," quoth shee, "and wilt' not stand?
Com,
lett me rubb and chafe it with my hand! 132
Perhaps the sillie worme is labour'd sore,
And wearied that it can doe
noe more;
If it be so, as I am greate a-dread,
I wish tenne thousand
times that I were dead. 136
How ere it is, no meanes shall want in me,
That maie auaile to his
recouerie."
Which saide, she tooke and rould it on hir thigh,
And
when she look't on't, she would weepe and sighe; 140
She dandled it, and dancet it up and doune,
Not ceasing till she rais'd
it from his swoune.
And then he flue on hir as he were wood,
And
on hir breeche did hack and foyne a-good; 144
He rub'd, and prickt, and pierst her to the bones,
Digging as farre as
eath he might for stones;
Now high, now lowe, now stryking shorte
and thicke;
Now dyuing deepe, he toucht hir to the quicke; 148

Now with a gird he would his course rebate,
Straite would he take
him to a statlie gate;
Plaie while him list, and thrust he neare so hard,

Poore pacient Grissill lyeth at hir warde, 152
And giue's, and takes, as blythe and free as Maye,
And ere-more
meete's him in the midle waye.
On him hir eyes continualy were fixt;

With hir eye-beames his melting looke's were mixt, 156
Which, like the Sunne, that twixt two glasses plaies,
From one to th'
other cast's rebounding rayes.
He, lyke a starre that, to reguild his
beames
Sucks-in the influence of Phebus streames, 160
Imbathes the lynes of his descending light
In the bright fountaines of