Lucasta [63]
retreat. But the bold gen'ral, never lost, Hath won again her airy post; Who, wild in this affront, now fryes, Then gives a volley of her eyes.
The desp'rate heron now contracts In one design all former facts; Noble, he is resolv'd to fall, His and his en'mies funerall, And (to be rid of her) to dy, A publick martyr of the sky.
When now he turns his last to wreak The palizadoes of his beak, The raging foe impatient, Wrack'd with revenge, and fury rent, Swift as the thunderbolt he strikes Too sure upon the stand of pikes; There she his naked breast doth hit, And on the case of rapiers's split.
But ev'n in her expiring pangs The heron's pounc'd within her phangs, And so above she stoops to rise, A trophee and a sacrifice; Whilst her own bells in the sad fall Ring out the double funerall.
Ah, victory, unhap'ly wonne! Weeping and red is set the Sun; Whilst the whole field floats in one tear, And all the air doth mourning wear. Close-hooded all thy kindred come To pay their vows upon thy tombe; The hobby<70.2> and the musket<70.3> too Do march to take their last adieu.
The lanner<70.4> and the lanneret<70.5> Thy colours bear as banneret; The GOSHAWK and her TERCEL<70.6> rows'd With tears attend thee as new bows'd, All these are in their dark array, Led by the various herald-jay.
But thy eternal name shall live Whilst quills from ashes fame reprieve, Whilst open stands renown's wide dore, And wings are left on which to soar; Doctor robbin, the prelate pye, And the poetick swan, shall dye, Only to sing thy elegie.
<70.1> i.e. VERVELS. See Halliwell's DICTIONARY OF ARCHAIC AND PROVINCIAL WORDS, art. VERVEL.
<70.2> A kind of falcon. It is the FALCO SUBBUTEO of Linnaeus. Lyly, in his EUPHUES (1579, fol. 28), makes Lucilla say-- "No birde can looke agains the Sunne, but those that bee bredde of the eagle, neyther any hawke soare so hie as the broode of the hobbie."
"Then rouse thee, muse, each little hobby plies At scarabes and painted butterflies." Wither's ABUSES STRIPT AND WHIPT, 1613.
<70.3> The young male sparrow-hawk.
<70.4> The FALCO LANIARIUS of Linnaeus.
<70.5> The female of the LANNER. Latham (Faulconrie, lib. ii. chap. v. ed. 1658), explains the difference between the LANNER and the GOSHAWK.
<70.6> Here used for the female of the goshawk. TIERCEL and TASSEL are other forms of the same word. See Strutt's SPORTS AND PASTIMES, ed. Hone, 1845, p. 37.
LOVE MADE IN THE FIRST AGE.
TO CHLORIS.
I. In the nativity of time, Chloris! it was not thought a crime In direct Hebrew for to woe. Now wee make love, as all on fire, Ring retrograde our lowd desire, And court in English backward too.
II. Thrice happy was that golden age, When complement was constru'd rage, And fine words in the center hid; When cursed NO stain'd no maid's blisse, And all discourse was summ'd in YES, And nought forbad, but to forbid.
III.<71.1> Love then unstinted love did sip, And cherries pluck'd fresh from the lip, On cheeks and roses free he fed; Lasses, like Autumne plums, did drop, And lads indifferently did drop A flower and a maiden-head.
IV. Then unconfined each did tipple Wine from the bunch, milk from the nipple; Paps tractable as udders were. Then equally the wholsome jellies Were squeez'd from olive-trees and bellies: Nor suits of trespasse did they fear.
V. A fragrant bank of strawberries, Diaper'd with violets' eyes, Was table, table-cloth and fare; No palace to the clouds did swell, Each humble princesse then did dwell In the Piazza of her hair.
VI. Both broken faith and th' cause of it, All-damning gold, was damn'd to th' pit; Their troth seal'd with a clasp and kisse, Lasted until that extreem day, In which they smil'd their souls away, And in each other breath'd new blisse.
VII. Because no fault, there was no tear; No grone did grate the granting ear, No false foul breath, their del'cat
The desp'rate heron now contracts In one design all former facts; Noble, he is resolv'd to fall, His and his en'mies funerall, And (to be rid of her) to dy, A publick martyr of the sky.
When now he turns his last to wreak The palizadoes of his beak, The raging foe impatient, Wrack'd with revenge, and fury rent, Swift as the thunderbolt he strikes Too sure upon the stand of pikes; There she his naked breast doth hit, And on the case of rapiers's split.
But ev'n in her expiring pangs The heron's pounc'd within her phangs, And so above she stoops to rise, A trophee and a sacrifice; Whilst her own bells in the sad fall Ring out the double funerall.
Ah, victory, unhap'ly wonne! Weeping and red is set the Sun; Whilst the whole field floats in one tear, And all the air doth mourning wear. Close-hooded all thy kindred come To pay their vows upon thy tombe; The hobby<70.2> and the musket<70.3> too Do march to take their last adieu.
The lanner<70.4> and the lanneret<70.5> Thy colours bear as banneret; The GOSHAWK and her TERCEL<70.6> rows'd With tears attend thee as new bows'd, All these are in their dark array, Led by the various herald-jay.
But thy eternal name shall live Whilst quills from ashes fame reprieve, Whilst open stands renown's wide dore, And wings are left on which to soar; Doctor robbin, the prelate pye, And the poetick swan, shall dye, Only to sing thy elegie.
<70.1> i.e. VERVELS. See Halliwell's DICTIONARY OF ARCHAIC AND PROVINCIAL WORDS, art. VERVEL.
<70.2> A kind of falcon. It is the FALCO SUBBUTEO of Linnaeus. Lyly, in his EUPHUES (1579, fol. 28), makes Lucilla say-- "No birde can looke agains the Sunne, but those that bee bredde of the eagle, neyther any hawke soare so hie as the broode of the hobbie."
"Then rouse thee, muse, each little hobby plies At scarabes and painted butterflies." Wither's ABUSES STRIPT AND WHIPT, 1613.
<70.3> The young male sparrow-hawk.
<70.4> The FALCO LANIARIUS of Linnaeus.
<70.5> The female of the LANNER. Latham (Faulconrie, lib. ii. chap. v. ed. 1658), explains the difference between the LANNER and the GOSHAWK.
<70.6> Here used for the female of the goshawk. TIERCEL and TASSEL are other forms of the same word. See Strutt's SPORTS AND PASTIMES, ed. Hone, 1845, p. 37.
LOVE MADE IN THE FIRST AGE.
TO CHLORIS.
I. In the nativity of time, Chloris! it was not thought a crime In direct Hebrew for to woe. Now wee make love, as all on fire, Ring retrograde our lowd desire, And court in English backward too.
II. Thrice happy was that golden age, When complement was constru'd rage, And fine words in the center hid; When cursed NO stain'd no maid's blisse, And all discourse was summ'd in YES, And nought forbad, but to forbid.
III.<71.1> Love then unstinted love did sip, And cherries pluck'd fresh from the lip, On cheeks and roses free he fed; Lasses, like Autumne plums, did drop, And lads indifferently did drop A flower and a maiden-head.
IV. Then unconfined each did tipple Wine from the bunch, milk from the nipple; Paps tractable as udders were. Then equally the wholsome jellies Were squeez'd from olive-trees and bellies: Nor suits of trespasse did they fear.
V. A fragrant bank of strawberries, Diaper'd with violets' eyes, Was table, table-cloth and fare; No palace to the clouds did swell, Each humble princesse then did dwell In the Piazza of her hair.
VI. Both broken faith and th' cause of it, All-damning gold, was damn'd to th' pit; Their troth seal'd with a clasp and kisse, Lasted until that extreem day, In which they smil'd their souls away, And in each other breath'd new blisse.
VII. Because no fault, there was no tear; No grone did grate the granting ear, No false foul breath, their del'cat