[1]
Calme
CAlme
was the day, and through the trembling ayre,
Sweete breathing
Zephyrus did softly play
A gentle spirit, that lightly did delay
Hot
Titans beames, which then did glyster fayre:
When I whom sullein care,
Through discontent of my long fruitlesse stay
In Princes Court, and expectation vayne
Of idle hopes, which still doe fly away,
Like empty shaddowes, did aflict my brayne,
Walkt forth to ease my payne
Along the shoare of siluer streaming
Themmes,
Whose rutty Bancke, the which his Riuer hemmes,
Was paynted all with variable flowers,
And all the meades adornd with daintie gemmes,
Fit to decke maydens bowres,
And crowne their Paramours,
Against the Brydale day, which is not long:
Sweete
Themmes runne softly, till I end my Song.
2
Prothalamion.
With
[2]
There, in a Meadow, by the
Riuers
Rivers
side,
A Flocke of
Nymphes I chaunced to espy,
All
louely
lovely
Daughters of the Flood thereby,
With goodly greenish locks all loose
vntyde
untyde
,
As each had bene a Bryde,
And each one had a little wicker basket,
Made of fine twigs entrayled curiously,
In which they gathered flowers to fill their flasket:
And with fine Fingers, cropt full feateously
The tender stalkes on hye.
Of
euery
every
sort, which in that Meadow grew,
They gathered some; the Violet pallid blew,
The little Dazie, that at euening closes,
The virgin Lillie, and the Primrose trew,
With store of vermeil Roses,
To decke their Bridegromes posies,
Against the Brydale day, which was not long:
Sweete
Themmes runne softly, till I end my Song.
3
Prothalamion.
A3
Eftsoones
[3]
With that I saw two Swannes of goodly hewe,
Come softly swimming downe along the Lee;
Two fairer Birds I yet did
neuer
never
see:
The snow which doth the top of
Pindus strew,
Did
neuer
never
whiter shew,
Nor
Joue
Jove
himselfe when he a Swan would be
For
loue
love
of
Leda, whiter did appeare:
Yet
Leda was they say as white as he,
Yet not so white as these, nor nothing neare:
So purely white they were,
That
euen
even
the gentle streame, the which them bare,
Seem’d foule to them, and bad his billowes spare
To wet their silken feathers, least they might
Soyle their fayre plumes with water not so fayre,
And marre their beauties bright,
That shone as
heauens
heavens
light,
Against their Brydale day, which was not long:
Sweete
Themmes runne softly, till I end my Song.
4
Prothalamion.
Then
[4]
Eftsoones the
Nymphes, which now had Flowers their fill,
Ran all in haste, to see that
siluer
silver
brood,
As they came floating on the Christal Flood,
Whom when they sawe, they stood amazed still,
Their wondring eyes to fill,
Them seem’d they
neuer
never
saw a sight so fayre,
Of Fowles so
louely
lovely
, that they sure did deeme
Them
heauenly
heavenly
borne, or to be that same payre
Which through the Skie draw
Venus
siluer
silver
Teeme,
For sure they did not seeme
To be begot of any earthly Seede,
But rather Angels or of Angels breede:
Yet were they bred of
Somers-heat they say,
In sweetest Season, when each Flower and weede
The earth did fresh aray,
So fresh they seem’d as day,
Euen
Even
as their Brydale day, which was not long:
Sweete
Themmes runne softly till I end my Song.
5
Prothalamion.
Ye
[5]
Then forth they all out of their baskets drew,
Great store of Flowers, the honour of the field,
That to the sense did fragrant odours yeild,
All which
vpon
upon
those goodly Birds they threw,
And all the
Waues
Waves
did strew,
That like old
Peneus Waters they did seeme,
When downe along by pleasant
Tempes shore
Scattred with Flowres, through
Thessaly they streeme,
That they appeare through Lillies plenteous store,
Like a Brydes Chamber flore:
Two of those
Nymphes, meane while, two Garlands bound,
Of freshest Flowres which in that Mead they found,
The which presenting all in trim Array,
Their snowie Foreheads therewithall they crownd,
Whil’st one did sing this Lay,
Prepar’d against that Day,
Against their Brydale day, which was not long:
Sweete
Themmes runne softly till I end my Song.
6
Prothalamion.
So
[6]
Ye gentle Birdes, the worlds faire ornament,
And
heauens
heavens
glorie, whom this happie hower
Doth leade
vnto
unto
your
louers
lovers
blisfull bower,
Ioy
Joy
may you haue and gentle hearts content
Of your
loues
loves
couplement:
And let faire
Venus, that is Queene of
loue
love
,
With her heart-quelling Sonne
vpon
upon
you smile,
Whose smile they say, hath vertue to
remoue
remove
All
Loues
Loves
dislike, and friendships faultie guile
For
euer
ever
to assoile.
Let endlesse Peace your steadfast hearts accord,
And blessed Plentie wait
vpon
upon
you bord,
And let your bed with pleasures chast abound,
That fruitfull issue may to you afford,
Which may your foes confound,
And make your
ioyes
joyes
redound,
Vpon
Upon
your Brydale day, which is not long:
Sweete
Themmes run softlie, till I end my Song.
7
Prothalamion.
B
At
[7]
So ended she; and all the rest around
To her redoubled that her
vndersong
undersong
,
Which said, their bridale daye should not be long.
And gentle Eccho from the neighbour ground,
Their accents did resound.
So forth, those
ioyous
joyous
Birdes did passe along,
Adowne the Lee, that to them murmurde low,
As he would speake, but that he lackt a tong
Yeat did by signes his glad affection show,
Making his streame run slow.
And all the foule which in his flood did dwell
Gan flock about these twaine, that did excell
The rest, so far, as
Cynthia doth shend
The lesser starres. So they enranged well,
Did on those two attend,
And their best
seruice
service
lend,
Against their wedding day, which was not long:
Sweete
Themmes run softly, till I end my song.
8
Prothalamion.
Yet
[8]
At length they all to mery
London came,
To mery London, my most kyndly Nurse,
That to me
gaue
gave
, this Lifes first
natiue
native
sourse:
Though from another place I take my name,
An house of auncient fame.
There when they came, whereas those bricky towres,
The which on
Themmes brode aged backe doe ryde,
Where now the studious Lawyers
haue
have
their bowers
There whylome wont the Templer Knights to byde,
Till they decayd through pride:
Next whereunto there standes a stately place,
Where oft I gayned giftes and goodly grace
Of that great Lord, which therein wont to dwell,
Whose want too well, now feeles my freendles case:
But Ah here fits not well
Olde woes but
ioyes
joyes
to tell
Against the bridale daye which is not long:
Sweete
Themmes runne softly till I end my Song.
9
Prothalamion.
B2
From
[9]
Yet therein now doth lodge a noble Peer,
Great
Englands glory and the Worlds wide wonder,
Whose dreadfull name, late through all
Spaine did thunder.
And
Hercules two pillors standing neere,
Did make to quake and feare:
Faire branch of Honor, flower of
Cheualrie
Chevalrie
,
That fillest
England with thy triumphes fame,
Ioy
haue
have
thou of thy noble victorie,
And endlesse happinesse of thine owne name
That promiseth the same:
That through thy prowesse and victorious armes,
Thy country may be freed from forraine harmes:
And great
Elisaes glorious name may ring
Through al the world, fil’d with thy wide Alarmes,
Which some braue muse may sing
To ages following,
Vpon
Upon
the Brydale day, which is not long:
Sweete
Themmes runne softly till I end my Song.
10
Prothalamion.
A2
There
[10]
From those high Towers, this noble Lord issuing,
Like Radiant
Hesper when his golden hayre
In th’
Ocean billowes he hath Bathed fayre,
Descended to the
Riuers
Rivers
open vewing,
With a great traine ensuing.
Aboue
Above
the rest were goodly to bee seene
Two gentle Knights of
louely
lovely
face and feature
Beseeming well the bower of anie Queene,
With gifts of wit and ornaments of nature,
Fit for so goodly stature:
That like the twins of
Ioue
Jove
they seem’d in sight,
Which decke the Bauldricke of the
Heauens
Heavens
bright,
They two forth pacing to the
Riuers
Rivers
side,
Receiued
Received
those two faire Brides, their
Loues
Loves
delight,
Which at th’appointed tyde,
Each one did make his Bryde,
Against their Brydale day, which is not long:
Sweete
Themmes runne softly, till I end my Song.
FINIS.