THE AUTHOR TO HER BOOK

Thou ill-form'd offspring of my feeble brain,

Who after birth did'st by my side remain, Till snatcht from thence by friends, less wise then true

Who thee abroad, expos'd to publick view, Made thee in raggs, halting to th' press to trudg,

Where errors were not lessened (all may judg)

At thy return my blushing was not small, My rambling brat (in print) should mother call,

I cast thee by as one unfit for light,
Thy Visage was so irksome in my sight; 10
Yet being mine own, at length affection
would

Thy blemishes amend, if so I could:

I wash'd thy face, but more defects I saw, And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw. 1 Rev. ii. 17.

My chilled limbs now nummed lye forlorn;

Return, return sweet Sol from Capricorn; In this dead time, alas, what can I more Then view those fruits which through thy heat I bore?

Which sweet contentment yield me for a space,

True living Pictures of their Fathers face. O strange effect! now thou art Southward gone,

I weary grow, the tedious day so long; But when thou Northward to me shalt return,

I wish my Sun may never set, but burn 20 Within the Cancer of my glowing breast, The welcome house of him my dearest guest.

Where ever, ever stay, and go not thence, Till natures sad decree shall call thee hence;

Flesh of thy flesh, bone of thy bone,
I here, thou there, yet both but one.

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BY THOMAS MORTON

Drinke and be merry, merry, merry_boyes; Let all your delight be in the Hymens joyes;

Joy to Hymen, now the day is come, About the merry Maypole take a Roome.

Make greene garlons, bring bottles out And fill sweet Nectar freely about. Uncover thy head and feare no harme, For hers good liquor to keepe it warme. Then drinke and be merry, etc. Joy to Hymen, etc.

Nectar is a thing assign'd

By the Dieties owne minde

To cure the hart opprest with greife, And of good liquors is the cheife. Then drinke, etc.

Joy to Hymen, etc.

Give to the Mellancolly man

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A cup or two of 't now and than; This physick will soone revive his bloud, And make him be of a merrier moode. 20 Then drinke, etc.

Joy to Hymen, etc.

In Breaches integrant, 'tween Principalls of States,

Due Justice may suppresse, but Love redintegrates.

COUNTRY HOBNAILS

There, lives cannot be good, There, Faith cannot be sure, Where Truth cannot be quiet, Nor Ordinances pure.

No King can King it right,
Nor rightly sway his Rod;
Who truely loves not Christ,
And truely fears not God.

He cannot rule a Land,
As Lands should ruled been,
That lets himself be rul'd
By a ruling Romane Queen.
No earthly man can be

True Subject to this State; Who makes the Pope his Christ, An Heretique his Mate.

There Peace will go to War,

And Silence make a noise:
Where upper things will not
With nether equipoyse.

The upper World shall Rule,
While Stars will run their race:
The nether World obey,
While People keep their place.

The Clench

If any of these come out

So long's the World doe last Then credit not a word

Of what is said and past.

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