Epigrams by J. D[avies]. AD MUSAM. I. Fly merry Muse unto that merry town, Where thou may'st plays, revels, and tri umphs see, The house of fame and theatre of renown, Where all good wits and spirits love to be. But to define a gull in terms precise, A gull is he which seems, and is not wise. IN RUFUM. III. Rufus the Courtier, at the theatre, Fall in between their hands, that praise and Leaving the best and most conspicuous love thee, place, Hence is it, that we seldom hear him swear; For those poor slaves which have not where- Feed on the rich, till they devour them quite. And so like Pharaoh's kine, they eat up clean, Those that be fat, yet still themselves be lean. IN LEUCAM. XIV. Leuca in presence once a fart did let, And mad with shame, did eke her glove Which she returned to fetch with bashful grace: And when she would have said "[I seek] my glove, "My fart" (quod she), which did more laughter move. IN MACRUM. XV. Thou, doggèd Cineas, hated like a dog, Thou canst not speak yet, Macer, for to I will compare thee better to a dog. Is to distinguish sounds significant; But what thou utterest common sense doth Half English words, with fustian terms among, Much like the burthen of a northern song. IN FAUSTUM. XVI. "That youth," said Faustus, seen, Thou art as fair and comely as a dog, But Cineas I have often heard thee tell, IN GERONTEM. XX. Geron his mouldy memory corrects 'hath a lion Old Holinshed our famous chronicler, With moral rules, and policy collects Out of all actions done these fourscore year. Accounts the time of every old event, Not from Christ's birth, nor from the prince's reign, Who from a dicing house comes moneyless." But when he lost his hair, where had he been, I doubt me he had seen a lioness. IN COSMUM. XVII. Cosmus hath more discoursing in his head, Than Jove, when Pallas issued from his brain, "And still he strives to be delivered, Of all his thoughts at once, but all in vain : But from some other famous accident, The going to Saint Quintin's and New. The rising in the North, the frost so great, The cart-wheel prints on Thamis' face were graven. The fall of money, and burning of Pauls' steeple, The blazing star, and Spaniard's overthrow: But most of all, he chiefly reckons by This is to him the dearest memory, IN MARCUM. XXI. When Marcus comes from Mins', he still doth swear By, "come on seven," that all is lost and gone, But that's not true, for he hath lost his hair Only for that he came too much on one, IN CIPRIUM. XXII. The fine youth Cyprius is more terse and neat, Than the new garden of the Old Temple is, And still the newest fashion he doth get, And with the time doth change from that to this, He wears a hat now of the flat-crown block, The treble ruff, long cloak, and doublet French; He takes tobacco, and doth wear a lock, And wastes more time in dressing than a wench. Yet this new-fangled youth, made for these times, Doth above all, praise old George Gascoigne's rhymes. As, if I could their English understand, He talks of counterscarps and casamates, But to requite such gulling terms as these, Of withernams, essoines, and champarty: IN GELLAM. XXVI. If Gella's beauty be examined, And rotten teeth which she in laughing shows. Briefly, she is the filthiest wench in town, Yet she with these additions is no more, Than a sweet, filthy, fine, ill-favoured whore. IN SYLLAM. XXVIII. He first taught him that keeps the monu ments At Westminster, his formal tale to say, Though all his poetry be like to this, IN PRISCUM. XXXI. When Priscus, raised from low to high estate, Rode through the street in pompous jollity, Than the most brave and most all-daring Caius his poor familiar friend of late, wight, He that dares take tobacco on the stage, Bespake him thus, "Sir, now you know not me:" ""Tis likely, friend," quoth Priscus, "to be so, For at this time myself I do not know." IN BRUNUM. XXXII. Brunus which thinks himself a fair sweet Is nine-and-thirty years of age at least ; Dares man a whore at noon-day through And his wrought pillow overspread with the street, lawn; But hath been well since his grief's cause hath lien At Trollop's by Saint Clement's Church in pawn. IN FRANCUM. XXXIII. When Francus comes to solace with his whore, He sends for rods and strips himself stark For his lust sleeps, and will not rise before I envy him not, but wish I had the power, IN CASTOREM. XXXIV. Of speaking well, why do we learn the skill, Hoping thereby honour and wealth to Sith railing Castor doth by speaking ill, |