GRACCHUS

My gracious Lord? o, My good and gracious Lord; but poverty, Is able to oppress maturity Of diligence, of judgement, of designs, Each liberal Art and Science does submit Their ends and occupations to obtain The true terrestrial Saint, the sacred gloss, Of all-effecting riches; every man Will hazard his damnation to adore A thing so blessed, so licentious: The weak-brained gallant in extremity, Will change Religion, will aequivocate With mental reservation, rack the joints Of his benumbed conscience, will provoke A lethargy of sharp distinction: will out-puffe The Cardinal four winds, when they oppose Each other all at once (and procrea e A whirlwind) these will he out-puffe alone, With some insuffe'rable oath, which far exceeds The three dimensions, dares ploclaime himself A perjured villain, to appropriate Sixpence, upon trivial mistake. Arts-masters will transgress the rule of Art; Nay our precisest schoolmen will forsake The principles which they have authorised, In cases that concern self-avarice, And greedy lucre: knowledge is enforced To follow by constraint, abuse of time, Wit mis-imploy'd gapes at improper ends: Strong men are impotent without rich friends. And while I do re-volue the misery Which happens by constraint of beggary, Then I remember what my plague must be. Your gaming fool is most ridiculous: Oh Fortune, Fortune hath infringed the web Which I with painful diligence did weave, Whereto the pillar of my state was pinned: Some little store I had (not looking higher) A household smoke our-warmes my neighbours fire. In a task That may require my soul then I beseech thee; May stretch sincerity with tenters: o Impose and ample burden; o some task That will survey the depth of love indeed: Favour beyond men merit, does exact A most unquenched servor; not his vow, But sinews active, and a sweating brow. My life lies prostrate to predominance, Of your commanding voice: I will bestow My reeking blood in recompense of love Ready, without all first or second cause: I wish some Doctor in extremity Of unknown sickness, which may seize upon Your most respective honour; would prescribe The marrow of a man, medicinal; You should not be indebted to the bones Of a forsaken caitiff, new condemned, Whose pocky pith might be infective: No, My supple fingers should unloose a joint From off this flexile carcase. I would bruise A luculent and luscious mari-bone, (The best I can style proper ) to appease The sharp divulsions of such new disease. Here in the Village does your Goddess live? (Madam) no, What is a woman's love? when to revenge And empty out the poison of her gall Against some Lady her malignant foe She does forget compassion, does refuse Friendship to neighbours, duty to her Spouse, Respect of parents, piety to blood: Nay, above these; abhor celestial good. Oh do not offer headstrong violence; Delay makes modest women more propense. Am I upbraided? noble sir I thank The bounteous alms you lent my bore estate, And I as freely do desclaime desert, As you did freely give them; yet in-faith I was not lousy (Lord) consider well, Though Lords be lousy too sometime; if hell Heaven, earth, and men, be not so gracious, As to conceal infirmities of state. Can pox forbid? But I must give him better language now: No (my respected sir) I dare not tax Especial favorites, of lice or pox, amongst whom you are the chief, but milky skin That hath fair outsides, may be fowl within. And I again do in despite aver, 'Voidance of lice from our nativity. Reclaim then that aspersion (Lord) and know I was not lousy, but Like midnight snow, Pure, when thy self (now seeking to supplant) Tookest me to rescue from the jaws of want: I was not lousy (Lord) look big and burst, I will maintain my credit, though accursed. Without collusion I do strictly swear. I am your footstool, tread upon my teeth, And so charm silence if you do misdoubt. Cut then my servile tongue out of my head, Slit my suspected organs, make me dumb, Handless and sighlesse if you think me false, For I must otherwise be false indeed: Men that admonish to avoid some vice, Must not inculcate motives more then thrice; Pupils much tutored with Identity Of reprehension, prove but spurgall Jades; Because they think the vicious estate Of things habitual, do argue fate, Which to resist, they think impiety, Exclude me therefore from society Of human habitants, or leave to vex, Which is a torment to all human sex. Sir, I have broke the Ice to Appetite, And with a studied phrase did I begin, Hoping to thaw the coldest frosty North By representing multitude of fears. Oh she hath given his fury a full stab, My sweet-mouthed Courtier swallows down a crab. The Eel is in a sandbag, some good man See how the mimic scrues and Alphabet Of hungry faces, how the maggot crawls To feed upon the kernel. Again, again (for loves sake) spur the Jade: Give him another pill, provoke the slave, And make him spue his heart with madness; melt His larded veins with striving to extend A lousy answer; but the Idol speaks. Look for a subtle rare-compacted lie. Ridiculous, Indeed you are a Goat libidinous. (Wise woman) I adore The quick invention, and if Gods agree Will in despite of falsehood set her free. Will you neglect my counsel to escape? Will your deluded love to innocence Not reckon means ordained for innocence? Protection does imply our vigilance, Else virtue is reputed arrogance; Honest and simple hearts alone deserve That in extremity pure holiness Should make means thrive, not without good means, bless. (Madam) I swear they lack humanity Who will teach men to tempt their destiny; Believe it (Favorina) I should fear The doubtful mercy of a hungry Bear: They who desire to feel the Lyons paw May live in compass of the Lyons Cave; I know good means, neglected, make a slave. (Madam) you are deluded; I can give A testimonial that both do live. Who can escape the lime-twigs which are set By lose affections to ensnare himself? Man does about him carry watchful foes And must be careful to encounter those; For all without him, though by troops they come Cannot offend, who is in peace at home: Hamilcar (Madam) is now riding post Upon exact employments; his return Is doubtful, therefore to avoid delay, The love and duty of my zeal obey. A friend in whom I claim full interest Does give attendance to accompany Your Grace, till I can truss a farthel up And follow. Put on the wings of speed; fly fast away I follow (Madam) before peeping day. Yes, to the devil; death! is he returned? I am undone, I am undone; (good genius) Help me; (good Angels) be auspicious, Or I shall perish passed recovery: Senge me some lightning, though invisible; Oh burn my bleeding heart; consume, consume! Fly from my nostrils and infectious fume! Stop all my organs, o commiserate The bade misfortune of a poor estate: He comes, he comes— No: I am troubled with a falling rhume. She overcame me with incessant tears; To those I yielded, o forgive my fears. Pity did prevail, For she did weep, nor did of passion fail: Her eyes (good Lady!) did with weeping smart, Which made me give her licence to depart. Oh feel compassion, for I do repent. Your meanace and commotion do torment Above all suffering; o I will repent Six thousand times a day; devour my flesh, Feed upon frogs, or quaff down aconite, Kiss and embrace, a fearful Succubus, If you but leave to terrify me thus. If no true mercy then may mitigate Thy dull and stupid deafness. I do dare The utmost of your frantic violence, Cast all thy Adder-stings upon my heart; Be thy conceited cramps more exquisite Then is a terrible tormenting Bull; Break forth ( Hyaena ) get some peevish dwarf To hack me down at leisure; till I stand Like a Colossus, Like a Cedar tall And yet immovable with smarting wounds: Stab me now (tyrant) or inflict full pain Upon each noble joint and glorious vein, Virtue shall keep me with a sacred charm Against the strength of a stipendious arm: The challenge of my cause being herd at large All (to thy damage) would my griefs discharge: Mock babes and children (sir) with rods in piss, I did approve no true defence Like this, That I have done uprightly; knit your brow, Swell with a crabbed face conformable, Let your offended garbage fry in steaks, Truth will aver, and honest dealing speaks That I have done uprightly; be ashamed Of thy unjust revenge, and murder named. Do I deserve such pains? no fiery youth I have done most uprightly, will discharge A good officious partly, if you proceed, I will unmask your shameful tricks indeed. Hark how the monstrous whale does roar aloud. No huge sea-wonder) I a swordfish am, Who will by virtue most upright and plain, Sting thee, and thresh thee, till thou roar with pain: Proud man, remember what thou well deservest, Think who hath tempted royal chastity; Who Like a cheating thief did steal the Queen, With lying vows, and studied shameless oaths, Did play the Juggler; left the Kings highway, And went about to break enclosures: think Who did excel in mischief, who did strive To worship Devils, who did seek by Just, And means new moulded, most inordinate, To make a Heavenly Saint a Sodomite, Compel pure thoughts to worship Priapus. Think who portended to defile the Queen, And did (above pretence) affirm the death Of mad Maenander, the deluded King, And vow Lucilla's death: observe young sir The suitable description to the end; And tell us if it be significant: Or if the language be too blunt; observe; Tell your opinion of the congruence, And spew a whetstone up ere I proceed: Think if I use (sir) and affected style, Think also of the strange absurdities, Think who's the subject of my railing theme, And when thou dost consider heavily It is thy wicked self whereof I speak And all uprightly spoken; you'll perceive You want much leisure (friend) to punish me For mischiefs nearer hand-doe threaten thee: Except thou dost despair and hang thy self. I cannot now withstand hostility, But follow death with such alacrity As one resolved upon religious war, Such death's do purchase a triumphal car. Some fifty hundred crowns. And have known me honest. Of millstones (my good Lord) for lime & chalk Cannot express the full comparison: Cold Images of Ice, and frozen snow, Had been dissolved with my summer speech Piercing unto the quick, but constant she, Like to some Aegle on a Cedars top, Disdaining idle nets, will perch above, In spite of Cupid, and his potent love. Yes melted into tears, But was a stranger to my wanton tales: She comes whom your hight love so close empales. both do live. A Fencer. Do but employ your bondslave (mighty Lord) If Kings command not, how can slaves accord? The blessings of my body, breath and soul, Be so engaged, as their existence knows No one redeemer amongst all the Gods, (Fabulous things to me) except your self: You have replenished my poor empty veins, Have lent new spirits to despairing hope Nay have bestowed a whole creations work Upon mê off all-caitife, who adore Impression of your footsteps; that is all: Expecting hourly on the happy time When you shall dare command what I dare do: When with advantage you will but pronounce Oh Gracchus, give me of thy blood and ounce: And ounce? take fifty pottles Id'e reply, Open your self a passage to my soul, To take a lawful debt who dares control? Nor do impute this love to lack of wit, Or some disjointed weakness of the brain; For if I argue as the thing demands, Unless my life, what with your honour stands? Let me profess, unto the Saints and you I do desire employment, will be proud Of death or life, being by your self allowed.