An Elegie I VVith With An Elegie, or friends pas-sion, for his Astrophill. VVritten Written vpon upon the death of the right Honourable sir Phillip Sidney Knight, Lord gouernour governour of Flushing. AS As then, no winde at all there blew, No swelling cloude, accloid the aire, The skie, like grasse of watchet hew, Reflected Phœbus golden haire, The garnisht tree, no pendant stird, No voice was heard of anie bird. There might you see the burly Beare, The Lion king, the Elephant, The maiden Vnicorne Unicorne was there, So was Acteons horned plant, And what of wilde or tame are found, VVere Were coucht in order on the ground. Alcides speckled poplar tree, The palme that Monarchs do obtaine, And VVith With Loue Love iuice juice staind the mulberie, The fruit that dewes the Poets braine, And Phillis philbert there away, Comparde with mirtle and the bay. The tree that coffins doth adorne, With stately height threatning the skie, And for the bed of Loue Love forlorne, The blacke and dolefull Ebonie, All in a circle compast were, Like to an Ampitheater. Vpon Upon the branches of those trees, The airie winged people sat, Distinguished in od degrees, One sort is this, another that, Here Philomell, that knowes full well, What force and wit in loue love doth dwell. The skiebred Egle roiall bird, Percht there vpon upon an oke aboue above , The Turtle by him neuer never stird, Example of immortall loue love . The swan that sings about to dy, Leauing Leaving Meander stood thereby. And that which was of woonder most, The Phœnix left sweet Arabie: I2 Such And on a Cædar in this coast, Built vp up her tombe of spicerie, As I coniecture conjecture by the same, Preparde to take her dying flame. In midst and center of this plot, I saw one groueling groveling on the grasse: A man or stone, I knew not that, No stone, of man the figure was, And yet I could not count him one, More than the image made of stone. At length I might perceiue perceive him reare His bodie on his elbow end: Earthly and pale with gastly cheare, Vpon Upon his knees he vpward upward tend, Seeming like one in vncouth uncouth stound, To be ascending out the ground. A grieuous grievous sigh forthwith he throwes, As might haue have torne the vitall strings, Then down his cheeks the teares so flows, As doth the streame of many springs. So thunder rends the cloud in twaine, And makes a passage for the raine. Incontinent with trembling sound, He wofully gan to complaine, You Such were the accents as might wound, And teare a diamond rocke in twaine, After his throbs did somewhat stay, Thus heauily heavily he gan to say. O sunne (said he) seeing the sunne, On wretched me why dost thou shine, My star is falne, my comfort done, Out is the apple of my eine, Shine vpon upon those possesse delight, And let me liue live in endlesse might. O griefe that liest vpon upon my soule, As heauie heavie as a mount of lead, The remnant of my life controll, Consort me quickly with the dead, Halfe of this hart, this sprite and will, Di’de in the brest of Astrophill. And you compassionate of my wo, Gentle birds, beasts and shadie trees, I am assurde ye long to kno, VVhat What be the sorrowes me agreeu’s agreev’s , Listen ye then to that insu’th, And heare a tale of teares and ruthe. I3 VVas Was You knew, who knew not Astrophill, (That I should liue live to say I knew, And haue have not in possession still) Things knowne permit me to renew, Of him you know his merit such, I cannot say, you heare too much. VVithin Within these woods of Arcadie, He chiefe delight and pleasure tooke, And on the mountaine Parthenie, Vpon Upon the chrystall liquid brooke, The Muses met him eu’ry ev’ry day, That taught him sing, to write, and say. When he descended downe to the mount, His personage seemed most diuine divine , A thousand graces one might count, Vpon Upon his louely lovely cheerfull eine, To heare him speake and sweetly smile, You were in Paradise the while. A sweet attractiue attractive kinde of grace, A full assurance giuen given by lookes, Continuall comfort in a face, The lineaments of Gospell bookes, I trowe that countenance cannot lie, Whose thoughts are legible in the eie. Our Was euer ever eie, did see that face, Was neuer never eare, did heare that tong, Was neuer never minde, did minde his grace, That euer ever thought the trauell travell long, But eies, and eares, and eu’ry ev’ry thought, Were with his sweete perfections caught. O God, that such a worthy man, In whom so rare desarts did raigne, Desired thus, must leaue leave vs us than, And we to wish for him in vaine, O could the stars that bred that wit, In force no longer fixed sit. Then being fild with learned dew, The Muses willed him to loue love , That instrument can aptly shew, How finely our conceits will moue move , As Bacchus opes dissembled harts, So loue love sets out our better parts. Stella, a Nymph within this wood, Most rare and rich of heauenly heavenly blis, The highest in his fancie stood, And she could well demerite this, Tis likely they acquainted soone, He was a Sun, and she a Moone. Did Our Astrophill did Stella loue love , O Stella vaunt of Astrophrill, Albeit thy graces gods may moue move , Where wilt thou finde an Astrophill, The rose and lillie haue have their prime, And so hath beautie but a time. Although thy beautie do exceed, In common sight of eu’ry ev’ry eie, Yet in his Poesies when we reede, It is apparant more thereby, He that hath loue love and iudgement judgement too, Sees more than any other doo. Then Astrophill hath honord thee, For when thy bodie is extinct, Thy graces shall eternall be, And liue live by vertue of his inke, For by his verses he doth giue give , To short liude livde beautie aye to liue live . Aboue Above all others this is hee, Which erst approoued approoved in his song, That loue love and honor might agree, And that pure loue love will do no wrong, Sweet saints it is no sinne nor blame, To loue love a man of vertuous name. This Did neuer never loue love so sweetly breath In any mortall brest before, Did neuer never Muse inspire beneath, A Poets braine with finer store: He wrote of loue love with high conceit, And beautie reard aboue above her height. Then Pallas afterward attyrde, Our Astrophill with her deuice device , VVhom Whom in his armor heauen heaven admyrde. As of the nation of the skies, He sparkled in his armes afarrs, As he were dight with fierie starrs. The blaze whereof when Mars beheld, (An enuious envious eie doth see afar) Such maiestie majestie (quoth he) is seeld, Such maiestie majestie my mart may mar, Perhaps this may a suter be, To set Mars by his deitie. In this surmize he made with speede, An iron cane wherein he put, The thunder that in cloudes do breede, The flame and bolt togither shut. VVith With priuie privie force burst out againe, And so our Astrophill was slaine. K The His word (was slaine) straightway did moue move , And natures inward life strings twitch, The skie immediately aboue above , Was dimd with hideous clouds of pitch, The wrastling winds from out the ground, Fild all the aire with ratling sound. The bending trees exprest a grone, And sigh’d the sorrow of his fall, The forrest beasts made ruthfull mone, The birds did tune their mourning call, And Philomell for Astrophill, Vnto Unto her notes annext a phill. The Turtle doue dove with tunes of ruthe, Shewd feeling passion of his death, Me thought she said I tell thee truthe, Was neuer never he that drew in breath, Vnto Unto his loue love more trustie found, Than he for whom our griefs abound. The swan that was in presence heere, Began his funerall dirge to sing, Good things (quoth he) may scarce appeere, But passe away with speedie wing. This mortall life as death is tride, And death giues gives life, and so he di’de. This The generall sorrow that was made, Among the creatures of kinde, Fired the Phœnix where she laide, Her ashes flying with the winde, So as I might with reason see, That such a Phœnix nere should bee. Haply the cinders driuen driven about, May breede an offspring neere that kinde, But hardly a peere to that I doubt, It cannot sinke into my minde, Than vnder under branches ere can bee, Of worth and value as the tree. The Egle markt with pearcing sight, The mournfull habite of the place, And parted thence with mounting flight, To signifie to Ioue Jove the the case, What sorrow nature doth sustaine, For Astrophill by enuie envie slaine. And while I followed with mine eie, The flight the Egle vpward upward tooke, All things did vanish by and by, And disappeared from my looke, The trees, beasts, birds, and groue grove was gone, So was the friend that made this mone. K2 The This spectacle had firmly wrought, A deepe compassion in my spright, My molting hart issude me thought, In streames forth at mine eies aright, And here my pen is forst to shrinke, My teares discollors so mine inke.