THE COMPLAINT OF VTER PENDRAGON.

Howe Vter Pendragon was inamoured with Duke Garelus wife, and howe by lawelesse loue he lost his kingdome. This example is most necessary for the present time.[1198]

We leade our liues by fancies fonde delight,

For kingdomes some doo busy much theyr brayne,

But Cupid’s curse that wretched litle wight,

That blinded boye vnto my pynching payne,

Dubde me a knight of dayntie Venus’ trayne,

Where beames of beautie brought me by and by,

To cast my care to please my ladye’s eye.

O beautie braue, thy gladsome glittering gleames,

With smilyng cheare and wildie winking eyes,

Doth drowne with dole amidst the surging streames

Of deepe despayre, the wightes which be most wyse:

Aye me, my wit, my penne cannot deuise

Of beautie braue to make a true discourse,

To thinke thereof I feele my selfe the woorse.

I Pendragon of Britaine crowned king,

The fretting force of beautie’s hateful hewe,

Those frying flames I felt, that hateful sting,

Which quickly me from crowne and kingdome threwe,[1199]

Whil’st with delight I did thy vaunting vewe,

I like the halke which sores in good estate,

Did spye a stale, I stoopte, and tooke a mate.

For at what tyme the Saxons dyd assayle

My Britane state, and tooke eche man a share,

My kindome they, euen for their best auayle,

Dyd then deuide: for which wyth carking care

Them thence to dryue, I did my powre prepare:

And beyng come to Cornewal with my bande,

I ment to haue duke Garelus helping hande.

[I knewe right wel the valure of his minde,

Me to my crowne his courage did aduaunce,

Him for my good most forwarde I did fynde,

He neuer fearde the force of chaunging chaunce:

Here I intrapte did stande as in a traunce,

Amazde I gazde, as one bewichte, my hart

Was wounded deep with Cupid’s cruel dart.]

In sacred church[1200] I set to sacrifyce,

Those holy vowes, which victories require:

Euen whilst I did with al my harte deuise,

Howe to subdue my foes with swoorde and speare,

Euen then there did this peerlesse pearle appeare,

Duke Garelus wife, whose gallant gate and grace,

Stealing myne heart, my honour did deface.

When Vortiger my brother did oppresse,

In exile then my youthful yeares were spent,

At my retourne his fault he did confesse,

And from his crowne the crowne in haste I sent:

Then my delight was in the diery dent

Of wrackful warre, but nowe transformde I stande,

The auncient oke must growe nowe lyke a wande.

I marueilde muche how Cireus[1201] songes might please,

But now I muse that Circes sorcery,

Doth not from euery man bereaue his ease:

Calipsoe’s cuppes with poysoned trechery,

Cannot so much abridge man’s liberty,

As Circus[1202] songes, and Circe’s suttle art,

Whose chaunting charmes inwrapt with wo my hart.

Vlisses sayling by the perilous place,

Where these to please the passours by, did play,

Where lady Loue doth vante with garishe grace,

Her daynty damsels, gallant gyrles, and gaye

Intycing trulles, they causde the Greeke to say:

“With cables come and tye me to this mast,

Lest I my selfe to pleasures court me cast.”

10.

Muse not therefore though feature fine of face,

Though comely corps, and trim intysing cheere,

Made me obay sir Cupid’s mightie mace:

The force whereof Vlisses wise did feare:

He sail’d aloffe, he from these bankes did beare

His shaking shippe, but other many moe

Did there ariue, and weau’d the web of woe.

11.

There Salomon did reape the croppe of care,

There Dauid loude as I, Vrias’ wife,

There Samson strong was snarled in the snare,

There Paris liude, euen there he lost his life,

There Helen’s hate, brought Troy her final strife,

Alcides he the myghtie Herculus,

There to ariue, did finde it dangerous.

12.

And I did learne with losse of lyfe at laste,[1203]

That he who doth delyght in lawelesse loue,

Must play the foole eare al the partes be past,

And taste the sauce preparde for his behoue:

Let men take heed how they their fancies moue,

Let man beware where he doth cast his eie,

The lymed byrde doth proue in vayne to flye.

13.

O ancient Rome, thou did’st ordayne of yore,

That women should no banqueting frequent,

At Rome she was esteemde a harlot whoore,

If from her house without her veyle she went,

Which lawes no doubt were made to good intent,

For why the beames of beautie’s sanguynde sight,

Like Basilisco spoyles the gazing wyght.[1204]

14.

Therefore the maydes, and Roman matrons all,

A shadowing veyle before their face did weare,

Their heauenly hewe did throwe no man to thrall,

They were content with playne and decent geare,

They hufte it not wyth paynted frisled heare:

The marryed wyfe, the matron, and the mayd,

They of there veyles were glad and wel apayde.

15.

If women thus had walked in my time,

I had not stoopte vnto that paynted lure,

Which did intice me to committe the crime,

Which to the pearch of leudnesse tide me sure,

For her disport my ladye could procure

The wretched winges of this my muting minde,

Restlesse to seeke her emptie fiste to finde.

16.

I thus ariude in pleasure’s cursed courte,

I lothed Mars, I hated Mercury,

It was me thought a passing pleasant sporte,

Leauinge the feeldes at Bacchus brauery,

Sometime to sit vpon my mistresse knee,

Where that I might be at my pleasure plaste,

I sent the noble duke to warres in hast.[1205]

17.

You which haue playd with pleasure’s banding bales,

You knowe the life which lingring louers lead,

You know how sweete it is to scale the walles

Of her good wyl, who liude in feare and dreade,

You know right wel how wel those wightes haue sped,

Who haue at last by driftes of long delay,

Their hoped meede, and wished pleasant praye.

18.

[Which pray when I by tract of time obtaynde,

And had my wyl when best it did me please,

As I three monthes amidst my blesse remaynde,

The duke’s returne, return’d me from my ease,

No promise myght his raging wrath appease:

But when he knewe the drifte of my delayes,

To cause my death he sought an hundred wayes.

19.

Then I the wrath of rash reuenge to flye,

Thinking that time myght mitigate his moode:

To Troynouant in haste I did me hye:

Which when the wrathful duke once vnderstoode,[1206]

He raysde my realme, and by his myght and powre

I lost my lyfe, my crowne, and princely bowre.][1207]

20.

Learne they which line in high or lowe degree,

To flee the foyle which I by folly felt:

Let them refrayne those lofty dames to see,

They know howe lofty lookes with me haue delt,

You se how sight did make my honor melte:

Let al men know man’s heart did neuer rue

The thing which he with sight did neuer vewe.

21.

But how may men the sight of beautie shunne,

In England, at this present dismal daye?

All voyde of veyles (like layes) where ladyes runne

And rome about at euerye feast and playe,

They wanderyng walke in euery streete and way:

With loftie luering lookes they bounsing braue,

The highest place in al men’s sight must haue.

22.

With pride they pranke to please the wandring eye,

With garishe grace they smyle, they iet, they iest:

O English dames, your lightnesse veryly,

The curtizantes of Rome do much deteste,

In closets close to liue they count it best:

They geue not grace to euery wandring wight,

Your smiling chere doth euery man delight.

23.

The poet’s goddes Saturne, and Iupiter,

To beautie’s becke their highnesse did obay,

Pluto of hel did plead at beautie’s barre,

And Phillis causde Demophoon to stay:

Pasiphäe a bull brought to the baye:

So goddes and diuilles, both men and beastes, they all

By women’s wyles are slaues to beautie’s thrall.

24.

What gayne is got by lyght and wanton wayes?

You reape reproche, a guerdon got thereby:

Men by your meanes do cause their owne decay,

And you your selues al souste in sinne muste die:

Refrayne therefore to please man’s gazing eie,

Let men likewise the bayted hookes refrayne

Of luering lookes, their vaunting vowes be vayne.