TWAY mice, full blythe and amicable,
Baten befide 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;
Feaft lyche as heart of moufe mote wish.
As guefts fat jovial at the board,
Forth leap'd our mice: eftfoons the lord
Of Boling, whilome John the Saint,
Who maketh oft' propos full queint,
Laugh'd jocund, and aloud he cried,
To Matthew feated on t' oth' fide;
To thee, lean Bard, it doth partain
To understand thefe creatures tweine.
Come frame us now fome clean device,
Or playfant rhyme on yonder mice:
They feem, God fhield me, Mat and Charles.
Bad as Sir Topas, or fquire Quarles,
(Matthew did for the nonce reply)
At emblem, or device am I :
But, could I chaunt, or rhyme, pardie,
Clear as Dan Chaucer, or as thee:
Ne verfe from me (fo God me fhrive)
On moufe, or other beaft alive.
Certes I have this many days,
Sent myne poetic herd to graze.
Ne armed knight ydrad in war
With lion fierce will I compare :
Ne judge unjuft, with furred fox,
Harming in fecret guife the flocks:
Ne priest unworth of goddess coat,
To fwine ydrunk, or filthy ftoat.
Elk fimile farewell for aye,
From elephant, I trow, to flea.
Reply'd the friendlike peer, I weene,
Matthew is angred on the spleen.
Ne fo, quoth Mat, ne fhall be e'er,
With wit that falleth all fo fair:
Eftfoons, well weet ye, mine intent
Boweth to your commaundement.
If by these creatures ye have feen,
Pourtrayed Charles and Matthew been ;
Behoveth neet to wreck my brain,
The rest in order to explain.
That cup-board, where the mice difport,
I liken to St. Stephen's Court * :
Therein is space enough, I trow,
For elke comrade to come and goe :
And therein eke may both be fed
With fhiver of the wheaten bread.
And when, as thefe mine eyne furvey,
They cease to skip, and fqueak and play ;
Return they may to different cells,
Auditing one, whilft t' other tells.
Dear Robert, quoth the Saint, whose mind,
In bounteous deed no mean can bind;
Now, as I hope to grow devout,
I deem this matter well made out.
Laugh I, whilft thus I ferious pray?
Let that be wrought which Mat doth say: -
Yea, quoth the ERLE, but not to-day.
ULL oft' doth Mat with Topaz dine,
Eateth bak'd meats, drinketh Greek wine;
But Topaz his own werke rehearseth ;
And Mat mote praise what Topaz verseth.
Now, fure as prieft did e'er fhrive finner,
Full hardly earneth Mat his dinner :
AIR Sufan did her wif-hede well menteine,
Algates affaulted fore by letchours tweine :
Now, and I read aright that auncient fong,
Olde were the paramours, the dame full yong.
Had thilke fame tale in other guise been tolde;
Had they been young (pardie) and she been olde:
That, by St. Kit, had wrought much forer trial;
Full marveillous, I wote, were filk denyal.
A FLOWER painted by SIMON VARELST.
WHEN fam'd Vare!ft this little wonder drew;
Flora vouchfaf'd the growing work to view :
Finding the Painter's fcience at a stand,
The goddess fnatch'd the pencil from his hand;
And, finishing the piece, the fmiling faid:
Behold one work of mine, that ne'er fhall fade..
To the Lady ELIZABETH HARLEY, Afterwards Marchionefs of CARMARTHEN. On a COLUMN of her Drawing.
They fhall confefs, that Britain could not raise
A fairer column to the Father's praise.
PROTOGENES and APELLES.
WHEN poets wrote, and painters drew,
As Nature pointed out the view:
Ere Gothic forms were known in Greece,
To fpoil the well-proportion'd piece :
And in our verfe ere monkish rhymes
Had jangled their fantastic chimes:
Ere on the flowery lands of Rhodes
Those knights had fix'd their dull abodes,
Who knew not much to paint or write,
Nor car'd to pray, nor dar'd to fight:
Protogenes, hiftorians note,
Liv'd there, a burgefs, fcot and lot;
And, as old Pliny's writings fhow.
Apelles did the fame at Co.
Agreed thefe points of time and place,
Proceed we in the prefent cafe.
Piqu'd by Protogenes's fame,
From Co to Rhodes Apelles came ;
To fee a rival and a friend,
Prepar'd to cenfure, or commend;
Here to abfolve, and there object,
As art with candour might direct.
He fails, he lands, he comes, he rings;
His fervants follow with the things:
Appears the governante of th' house;
For fuch in Greece were much in ufe ::
If young or handsome, yea or no,
Concerns not me or thee to know.
Does fquire Protogenes live here?
Yes, Sir, fays the, with gracious air,
And court'fey low, but just call'd out
By lords peculiarly devout;
Who came on purpose, Sir, to borrow
Our Venus for the feaft to-morrow,
To grace the church: 'tis Venus' day:
I hope, Sir, you intend to,ftay,
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