The Choise of Valentines | Page 6

hir clearest sight.
She, faire as fairest Planet in the skye,
Hir puritie
to noe man doeth denye; 164
The verie chamber that enclouds her shine
Lookes lyke the pallace of
that God deuine,
Who leades the daie about the Zodiake,
And
euerie euen discends to th'oceane lake; 168
So fierce and feruent is her radiance,
Such fyrie stakes she darts at
euerie glance
As might enflame the icie limmes of age,
And make
pale death his seignedrie to aswage; 172
To stand and gaze upon her orient lamps,
Where Cupid all his
chiefest ioyes encamps,
And sitts, and playes with euery atomie

That in hir Sunne-beames swarme aboundantlie. 176
Thus gazing, and thus striuing, we perseuer:
But what so firme that
maie continue euer?
"Oh not so fast," my rauisht Mistriss cryes,

"Leaste my content, that on thy life relyes, 180
Be brought too-soone from his delightfull seate,
And me unwares of
hoped bliss defeate.
Together lett us marche unto content,
And be
consumed with one blandishment." 184

As she prescrib'd so kept we crotchet-time,
And euerie stroake in
ordre lyke a chyme,
Whilst she, that had preseru'd me by hir pittie,

Unto our musike fram'd a groaning dittie. 188
"Alass! alass! that loue should be a sinne!
Euen now my blisse and
sorrowe doeth beginne.
Hould wyde thy lapp, my louelie Danae,

And entretaine the golden shoure so free, 192
That trikling falles into thy treasurie.
As Aprill-drops not half so
pleasant be,
Nor Nilus overflowe to Ægipt plaines
As this
sweet-streames that all hir ioints imbaynes. 196
With "Oh!" and "Oh!" she itching moues hir hipps,
And to and fro
full lightlie starts and skips:
She ierkes hir leggs, and sprauleth with
hir heeles;
No tongue maie tell the solace that she feeles, 200
"I faint! I yeald! Oh, death! rock me a-sleepe!
Sleepe! sleepe desire!
entombed in the deepe!"
"Not so, my deare," my dearest saint replyde,

"For, from us yett, thy spirit maie not glide 204
Untill the sinnowie channels of our blood
Without their source from
this imprisoned flood;
And then will we (that then will com too
soone),
Dissolued lye, as though our dayes were donne." 208
The whilst I speake, my soule is fleeting hence,
And life forsakes his
fleshie residence.
Staie, staie sweete ioye, and leaue me not forlorne

Why shouldst thou fade that art but newelie borne? 212
"Staie but an houre, an houre is not so much:
But half an houre; if
that thy haste is such,
Naie, but a quarter--I will aske no more--

That thy departure (which torments me sore), 216
Maie be alightned with a little pause,
And take awaie this passions
sudden cause."
He heare's me not; hard-harted as he is,
He is the
sonne of Time, and hates my blisse. 220

Time nere looke's backe, the riuers nere returne;
A second springe
must help me or I burne.
No, no, the well is drye that should refresh
me,
The glasse is runne of all my destinie: 224
Nature of winter learneth nigardize
Who, as he ouer-beares the
streame with ice
That man nor beaste maie of their pleasance taste,

So shutts she up hir conduit all in haste, 228
And will not let hir Nectar ouer-flowe,
Least mortall man immortall
ioyes should knowe.
Adieu! unconstant loue, to thy disporte
Adieu!
false mirth, and melodie too short; 232
Adieu! faint-hearted instrument of lust;
That falselie hath betrayde
our equale trust.
Hence-forth no more will I implore thine ayde,
Or
thee, or man of cowardize upbrayde. 236
My little dilldo shall suply their kinde:
A knaue, that moues as light
as leaues by winde;
That bendeth not, nor fouldeth anie deale,
But
stands as stiff as he were made of steele; 240
And playes at peacock twixt my leggs right blythe,
And doeth my
tickling swage with manie a sighe.
For, by saint Runnion! he'le
refresh me well;
And neuer make my tender bellie swell. 244
Poore Priapus! whose triumph now must falle,
Except thou thrust this
weakeling to the walle.
Behould! how he usurps, in bed and bowre

And undermines thy kingdom euerie howre; 248
How slye he creepes betwixt the barke and tree,
And sucks the sap,
whilst sleepe detaineth thee.
He is my Mistris page at euerie stound,

And soone will tent a deepe intrenched wound. 252
He wayte's on Courtlie Nimphs that be so coye,
And bids them
skorne the blynd-alluring boye.
He giues yong guirls their gamesome
sustenance,
And euerie gaping mouth his full sufficeance. 256

He fortifies disdaine with forraine artes,
And wanton-chaste deludes
all loving hartes.
If anie wight a cruell mistris serue's,
Or, in
dispaire, (unhappie) pines and staru's, 260
Curse Eunuke dilldo, senceless counterfet
Who sooth maie fill, but
never can begett.
But, if revenge enraged with dispaire,
That such a
dwarf his wellfare should empaire, 264
Would faine this womans secretarie knowe,
Lett him attend the
markes that I shall showe:
He is a youth almost two handfulls highe,

Streight, round, and plumb, yett hauing but one eye, 268
Wherein the rhewme so feruentlie doeth raigne,
That Stigian gulph
maie scarce his teares containe;
Attired in white veluet, or in silk,

And nourisht with whott water, or with milk, 272
Arm'd otherwhile in thick congealed glasse,
When he, more glib, to
hell be