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THE TEARES OF THE MVSES 481
Clio
Heare thou great Father of the Gods on hie
That most art dreaded for thy thunder darts
And thou our Syre that raignst in Castalie
And mount Parnasse, the God of goodly Arts
Heare and behold the miserable state
Of vs thy daughters, dolefull desolate 60
Behold the fowle reproach and open shame,
The which is day by day vnto vs wrought
By such as hate the honour of our name,
The foes of learning, and each gentle thought,
They not contented vs themselues to scorne,
Doo seeke to make vs of the world forlorne
Ne onely they that dwell in lowly dust,
The sonnes of darknes and of ignoraunce ,
But they, whom thou great Ioue by doome
vniust
Didst to the type of honour earst aduaunce, 70
They now puft vp with sdeignfull insolence,
Despise the brood of blessed Sapience
The sectaries of my celestiall skill,
That wont to be the worlds chiefe ornament,
And learned Impes that wont to shoote, vp still,
And grow to liight of kingdomes gouernment
They vnderkeep,and with their spredding armes
Doo beat their buds, that perish through their
harmes
It most behoues the honorable race
Of mightie Peeres, true wisedome to sustaine,
And with their noble countenaunce to grace 81
The learned forheads, without gifts or game
Or rather learnd themselues behoues to bee ,
That is the girlond of Nobilitie
But (ah) all otherwise they doo esteeme
Of th'heauenly gift of wisdomes influence,
And to be learned it a base thing deeme ,
Base minded they that want intelligence
For God himselfe for wisedome most is praised,
And men to God thereby are nighest raised 90
But they doo onely stnue themselues to raise
Through pompous pride, and foolish vanitie ,
In th'eyes of people they put all their praise,
And onely boast of Armes and Auncestne
But vertuous deeds, which did those Armes first
giue
To their Grandsyres, they care not to atchiue
So I, that doo all noble feates professe
To register, and sound in trump of gold ,
rhrough their bad dooings, or base slothful
nesse,
Finde nothing worthie to be writ, or told 100
For better farre it were to hide their names,
Than telling them to blazon out their blames
SPENSER
So shall succeeding ages haue no light
Of things forepast, nor moniments of time,
And all that in this world is worthie hight
Shall die in darknesse, and lie hid in slime
Therefore I mourne with deep harts sorrowing,
Because I nothing noble haue to sing
With that she raynd such store of streaming
teares,
That could haue made a stonie heart to weep,
And all her Sioters rent their golden heares, III
And their faire faces with salt humour steep
So ended shee and then the next anew,
Began her gneuous plaint as doth ensew
Melpomene
O who shall powre into my swollen eyes
A sea of tearts that neuer may be dryde,
A brasen voice that may with shrilling cryes
Pierce the dull heauens and fill the ayer wide,
And yron sides that sighing may endure, no
To waile the wretchednes of world impure ?
Ah wretched world the den of wickednesse,
Deformd with filth and fowle miquitie ,
Ah wretched world the house of heauinesse
Fild with the wreaks of mortall miserie ,
Ah wretched world, and all that is therein
The vassals of Gods wrath, and slaues of sin
Most miserable creature vnder sky
Man without vnderstanding doth appeare ,
For all this worlds affliction he thereby,
And Fortunes freakes is wisely taught to
beare 130
Of wretched life the onely loy shee is,
And th'only comfort in calamities
She armes the brest with constant patience,
Against the bitter throwes of dolours darts
She solaceth with rules of Sapience
The gentle minds, in midst of worldhe smarts
When he is sad, shee seeks to make him merie,
And doth refresh his spnghts when they be
werie
But he that is of reasons skill bereft,
And wants the staffe of wisedome him to stay,
Is like a ship in midst of tempest left 141
Withouten helme or Pilot her to sway,
Full sad and dreadfull is that ships euent
So is the man that wants mtendiment
Whie then doo foolish men so much despize
The precious store of this celestiall riches ?
Why doo they banish vs, that patronize
The name of learning ? Most vnhappie
wretches,
The which lie drowned in deep wretchednes,
Yet doo not see their owne vnhappines 150