The Poetical Works of - OUDL Home

486 COMPLAINTS
Polyhymnia
A dolefull case desires a dolefull song,
Without vaine art or curious complements,
And squallid Fortune into basenes flong,
Doth scorne the pride of wonted ornaments
Then fittest are these ragged rimes for mee,
To tell my sorrowes that exceeding bee
For the sweet numbers and melodious measures,
With which I wont the winged words to tie,
And make a tunefull Diapase of pleasures,
Now being let to runne at libertie 550
By those which haue no skill to rule them right,
Haue now quite lost their naturall delight
Heapes of huge words vphoorded hideously,
With horrid sound though hauing little sence,
They thinke to be chiefe praise of Poetry,
And thereby wanting due intelligence,
Haue mard the face of goodly Poesie,
And made a monster of their fantasie
Whilom in ages past none might professe 559
But Princes and high Priests that secret skill,
The sacred lawes therein they wont expresse,
And with deepe Oracles their verses fill
Then was shee held in soueraigne dignitie,
And made the nourshng of Nobihtie
But now nor Prince nor Priest doth her main
tayne,
But suffer her prophaned for to bee
Of the base vulgar, that with hands vncleane
Dares to pollute her hidden mystene
And treadeth vnder foote hir holie things,
Which was the care of Kesars and of Kings
W Rong'd,
Vtrgils Gnat.
Long since dedicated
To the most noble and excellent Lord,
the Earle of Leicester, late
deceased
yet not daring to expresse my
paine,
To you (great Lord) the causer of my care,
In clowdte teares my case I thus complaine
Vnto your selfe, that onely prime are
But if that any Oedipus vnware
Shall chaunce, through power of some dtutinng
spight,
One onelie hues, her ages ornament, 571
And myrrour of her Makers maiestie,
That with rich bountie and deare cherishment,
Supports the praise of noble Poesie
Ne onelie fauours them which it professe,
But is her selfe a peereles Poetresse
Most peereles Prince, most peereles Poetresse,
The true Pandora of all heauenly graces,
Diuine Elisa, sacred Emperesse
Liue she fo euer, and her royall P'laces 580
Be fild with praises of diuinest wits,
That her eternize with their heauenlie writs
Some few beside, this sacred skill esteme,
Admirers of her glorious excellence,
Which being lightned with her beawties beme,
Are thereby fild with happie influence
And lifted vp aboue the worldes gaze,
To sing with Angels her immortall praize
But all the rest as borne of saluage brood,
And hauing beene with Acorns alwaies fed,
Can no whit fauour this celestiall food, 591
But with base thoughts are into blindnesse led,
And kept from looking on the lightsome day
For whome I waile and weepe all that I may
Eftsoones such store of tcares she forth did
powre,
As if shee all to water would haue gone,
And all her sisters seeing her sad stowre,
Did weep and waile and made exceeding
mone,
And all their learned instruments did breake,
The rest, vntold, no louing tongue can speake
FINIS
To reade the secrete of this riddle rare,
And know the purporle of my euill plight,
Let him rest pleased with his owne insight,
Ne further seeke to glose vpon the text
For griefe enough it is to grieued wight
Tofeele his fault, and not be further vext
But what so by my selfe may not be showen,
May by this Gnatls complaint be easily knowen