WAY mice, full blythe and amicable, Batten beside Erle Robert's table. Lies there ne trap their necks to catch, Ne old black cat their steps to watch, Their fill they eat of fowl and fish ; Feast lyche as heart of mouse mote wish. As guests sat jovial at the board, Forth leap'd our mice: eftsoons the lord Of Boling, whilome John the Saint, Who maketh oft propos full queint, Laugh'd jocund, and aloud he cried, To Matthew seated on t' oth' side; To thee, lean bard, it doth partain To understand these creatures tweine. Come frame us now some clean device, Or playsant rhime on yonder mice: 10 They seem, God shield me, Mat. and Charles.* But could I chaunt, or rhyme, pardie, weene, Reply'd the friendlike peer, I That cup-board, where the mice disport, 20 30 40 + Francis Quarles. For elke comrade to come and goe: They cease to skip, and squeak, and play; Dear Robert, quoth the Saint, whose mind, I deem this matter well made out. 50 60 IN THE SAME STYLE. ULL oft doth Mat. with Topaz dine, Eateth baked meats, drinketh Greek wine; But Topaz his own werke rehearseth; And Mat. mote praise what Topaz verseth. Now sure as priest did e'er shrive sinner, Full hardly earneth Mat. his dinner. IN THE SAME STYLE. AIR Susan did her wif-hede well menteine: Algates assaulted sore by letchours tweine: Now, and I read aright that auncient song, Olde were the paramours, the dame full yong. Had thilke same tale in other guise been tolde; Had they been yong (pardie) and she been olde; That, by St. Kit, had wrought much sorer tryal; Full merveillous, I wote, were swilk denyal. A FLOWER PAINTED BY SIMON VARELST.* HEN fam'd Varelst this little wonder drew, Flora vouchsaf'd the growing work to Finding the painter's science at a stand, Simon Varelst, a Flemish painter, born at Antwerp. He settled in England, and became very celebrated for painting fruits and flowers, and received greater sums for his performances than had ever been paid before for the like kind in London. Mr. Pilkington says, 66 as to his flower and fruit subjects, he handled them in a charming manner, and gave them force and relief by a judicious management of the chiaro scuro. He painted his objects with great truth and resemblance of nature, and his colouring was fresh, but as to his portraits, they were not much to his honour, though he finished them as highly as he did his flowers, which he always took care to introduce in every portrait." He died 1710, aged 46. See Pilkington's Dictionary of Painters, p. 667. TO THE LADY ELIZABETH HARLEY, SINCE MARCHIONESS OF CARMARTHEN, ON A COLUMN OF HER DRAWING. HEN future ages shall with wonder view These glorious lines, which Harley's daughter drew, They shall confess, that Britain could not raise A fairer column to the father's praise. M PROTOGENES AND APELLES. HEN poets wrote, and painters drew, Liv'd there, a burgess, scot and lot; 10 * See C. Plinii Nat. Hist. lib. xxxv. cap. x vol. iii. p. 181 ed. 1669. |