Save of them all the Sun doth stray least from the

straight:

The starry sky hath but one course, that we have call'd the eight.

And all these movings eight are meant from west

to east;

Although they seem to climb aloft, I say from east

to west.

But that is but by force of their first moving sky, In twice twelve hours from east to east, that carrieth them by and by:

But mark we well also, these movings of these seven Be not above the axletree of the first moving heaven. For they have their two poles directly the one to the other,' &c.

SONGS AND EPIGRAMS.

A DESCRIPTION OF SUCH A ONE AS HE WOULD LOVE.

A FACE that should content me wondrous well,
Should not be fair, but lovely to behold;
Of lively look, all grief for to repel;

With right good grace, so would I that it should
Speak without word, such words as none can tell:
Her tress also should be of crisped gold;

With wit, and these perchance I might be tried, And knit again with knot, that should not slide.

WHY LOVE IS BLIND.

Or purpose Love chose first for to be blind,
For, he with sight of that, that I behold,
Vanquish'd had been, against all godly kind:
His bow your hand, and truss should have unfold;
And he with me to serve had been assign'd:
But, for he blind, and reckless would him hold,
And still by chance his deadly strokes bestow;
With such as see, I serve, and suffer woe.

THE LOVER BLAMETH HIS INSTANT DESIRE.

DESIRE, alas, my master and my foe,

So sore alter'd thyself, how mayst thou see?
Sometime thou seekest, and drives me to and fro;
Sometime thou lead'st, that leadeth thee and me.
What reason is to rule thy subject so,
By forced law, and mutability?

For where by thee I doubted to have blame,
Even now by hate again I doubt the same.

AGAINST HOARDERS OF MONEY.

FOR shamefast harm of great and hateful need,
In deep despair, as did a wretch go,
With ready cord out of his life to speed,
His stumbling foot did find an hoard, lo,
Of gold, I say, where he prepar'd this deed,
And in exchange he left the cord tho.

He that had hid the gold, and found it not,
Of that he found he shap'd his neck a knot.

DESCRIPTION OF A GUN.

VULCAN begat me, Minerva me taught,

Nature my mother, craft nourish'd me year by year; Three bodies are my food, my strength is in nought, Anger, wrath, waste, and noise are my children

dear;

Guess, friend, what I am, and how I am wrought, Monster of sea, or of land, or of elsewhere:

Know me, and use me, and I may thee defend, And if I be thine enemy, I may thy life end.

OF THE MOTHER THAT EAT HER CHILD AT THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM.

IN doubtful breast whilst motherly pity
With furious famine standeth at debate;
The mother saith, 'O child unhappy,

Return thy blood where thou hadst milk of late;
Yield me those limbs that I made unto thee,
And enter there where thou were generate;
For of one body against all nature,
To another must I make sepulture.'

TO HIS LOVE WHOM HE HAD KISSED AGAINST HER WILL.

ALAS, Madam, for stealing of a kiss,

Have I so much your mind therein offended?

Or have I done so grievously amiss,

That by no means it may not be amended?
Revenge you then: the readiest way is this;
Another kiss, my life it shall have ended;

For to my mouth the first my heart did suck;
The next shall clean out of my breast it pluck.

OF THE JEALOUS MAN

THAT LOVED THE SAME WOMAN, AND ESPIED THIS OTHER SITTING WITH HER.

THE wand'ring gadling in the summer tide,
That finds the adder with his rechless foot,
Starts not dismay'd so suddenly aside,

As jealous despite did, though there were no boot,
When that he saw me sitting by her side,

That of my health is very crop and root.

It pleased me then to have so fair a grace,

To sting the heart, that would have had my place.

TO HIS LOVE FROM WHOM HE HAD HER

GLOVES.

WHAT needs these threatening words and wasted

wind?

All this cannot make me restore my prey.

To rob your goods, I wis is not my mind,
Nor causeless your fair hand did I display.
Let Love be judge, or else whom next we find,
That may both hear what you and I can say.
She reft my heart, and I a glove from her:
Let us see then, if one be worth the other.