On his Mistris.
By our first strange and fatall interview,
By all desires which thereof did ensue,
By our long starving hopes, by that remorse
Which my words masculine perswasive force
Begot in thee, and by the memory
Of hurts, which spies and rivals threatned me,
I calmly beg: But by thy fathers wrath,
By all paines, which want and divorcement hath,
I conjure thee, and all the oathes which I
And thou have sworne to seale joynt constancy,
Here I unsweare, and overswear them thus,
Thou shalt not love by wayes so dangerous.
Temper, ô faire Love, loves impetuous rage,
Be my true Mistris still, not my faign'd Page;
I'll goe, and, by thy kinde leave, leave behinde
Thee, onely worthy to nurse in my minde,
Thirst to come backe; ô if thou die before,
My soule from other lands to thee shall soare.
Thy (else Almighty) beautie cannot move
Rage from the Seas, nor thy love teach them love,
Nor tame wilde Boreas harshnesse; Thou hast reade
How roughly hee in peeces shivered
Faire Orithea, whom he swore he lov'd.
Fall ill or good, 'tis madnesse to have prov'd
Dangers unurg'd; Feed on this flattery,
That absent Lovers one in th'other be.
Dissemble nothing, not a boy, nor change
Thy bodies habite, nor mindes; bee not strange
To thy selfe onely; All will spie in thy face
A blushing womanly discovering grace;
Richly cloath'd Apes, are call'd Apes, and as soone
Ecclips'd as bright we call the Moone the Moone.
Men of France, changeable Camelions,
Spittles of diseases, shops of fashions,
Loves fuellers, and the rightest company
Of Players, which upon the worlds stage be,
Will quickly know thee, and no lesse, alas!
Th'indifferent Italian, as we passe
His warme land, well content to thinke thee Page,
Will hunt thee with such lust, and hideous rage,
As Lots faire guests were vext. But none of these
Nor spungy hydroptique Dutch shall thee displease,
If thou stay here. O stay here, for, for thee
England is onely a worthy Gallerie,
To walke in expectation, till from thence
Our greatest King call thee to his presence.
When I am gone, dreame me some happinesse,
Nor let thy lookes our long hid love confesse,
Nor praise, nor dispraise me, nor blesse nor curse
Openly loves force, nor in bed fright thy Nurse
With midnights startings, crying out, oh, oh
Nurse, ô my love is slaine, I saw him goe
O'r the white Alpes alone; I saw him I,
Assail'd, fight, taken, stabb'd, bleed, fall, and die.
Augure me better chance, except dread Iove
Thinke it enough for me to'have had thy love.
[Elegie XVI. &c. Ed: Elegie on his Mistris. 1635-54
where, and in 1669, it appears among Funerall Elegies:
Elegie. 1669: among Elegies with or without heading or
number, A18, A25, B, D, H49, JC, Lec, M, N,
O'F, P, S, TCC, TCD, W: B heads His wife would
have gone as his page.]
[1 interview, Ed: interview 1635-69]
[3 starving] striving 1669, B, P: starvling A18, N,
TC]
[7 beg: D: beg. 1635-69
fathers 1635-69, O'F: Parents A18, A25, B, D,
H49, JC, Lec, M, N, P, S, TC, W]
[11 Here I] I here 1669]
[12 wayes 1635-54, O'F: means 1669, and rest of MSS.]
[14 still ... faign'd] 1669 om. still and reads faigned]
[18 My soule ... to thee] From other lands my soule towards
thee A18, A25, B, D, H49, JC, Lec, M(to), N,
P, S, TC, W
soare. Ed: soare, 1635-69]
[21 harshness] rashness P. Compare Elegy V, 8]
[23 Faire Orithea] The fair Orithea 1669]
[26 Lovers] friends P]
[28 mindes; A18, A25, B, JC, N, TC, W: minde,
1635-69, D, H49, Lec, O'F, P]
[29 onely; A18, D, N, TC: onely. 1635-69]
[35 Loves fuellers,] Lyves fuellers, 1669, B, D, H49,
JC, Lec, S96, P]
[37 Will quickly know thee, and no lesse, alas! 1635-54,
O'F: Will too too quickly know thee; and alas, 1669: Will
quickly know thee, and know thee, and alas A18, N, S
(omitting second and), TCD, W: Will quickly know thee,
and thee, and alas A25: Will quickly know thee, and alas
D, H49, JC, Lec, P, S96, TCC]
[39 Page, Ed: Page 1635-39]
[40 hunt 1635-69, O'F: haunt most MSS.]
[42 hydroptique] Aydroptique 1669]
[46 greatest 1635-69, B, O'F, P: greate A18, A25,
D, H49, JC, Lec, N, S, TC
call] doe call A18, N, TC
to] in to A25, JC, S]
[49 me, nor blesse] me; Blesse A18, D, H49, JC, Lec,
N, TC, W]