Classic Poem

Franke , when this Morne the harbinger of day
Blush'd from her Easterne pillow where shee lay,
Clasp'd in her Tythons arms red with those kisses
Which being injoy'd by night, by day shee misses:
I walk'd the feilds to see the teeming earth,
Whose wombe now swells to give the flowers a birth.
Where while my thoughts with every object tane,
In severall contemplations rapt my braine,
A suddaine lustre like the Sunne did rise,
And with so great a light eclips'd mine eyes.
At last I spyed a Beauty, such another,
As I have sometimes heard call thee her Brother,
And by the chariot, and her teame of Doves,
I guest her to be Venus , Queene of Loves.
With her a pretty boy I there did see,
But for his wings I 'had thought it had been thee.
At last when I beheld his quiver of darts,
I knew t'was Cupid Emperour of our hearts.
Thus I accosted them, Goddesse divine,
Great Queene of Paphos and Cytherian shrine:
Whose Altars no man sees that can depart
Till in those flames he sacrifice his heart.
That conquerst Gods, and men; and heaven divine,
Yea and hell too: Beare witnesse Proserpine .
And Cupid , thou that canst thy Trophies show
Over all these, and o're thy Mother too;
Witnesse the night which when with Mars shee lay,
Did all her sports to all the Gods betray:
Tell me great Powers; what makes such glorious beams
Visit the lowly banks of Ninus streams?
Then Venus smil'd, and smiling bid me know
Cupid and shee must both to Weston goe.
I guest the cause; for Hymen came behind
In saffron robes, his Nuptiall knots to bind.
Then thus I pray'd: Great Venus by the Love
Of thy Adonis ; as thou hop'st to move
Thy Mars to second kisses; and obtaine
Beauties reward, the Golden fruit againe:
Bow thy faire eares to my chast prayers, and take
Such Orisons as purest Love can make.
Thou, and thy boy I know are posting thither
To tye pure hearts in purest bonds together.
Cupid thou know'st the maid: I'have seen thee lye
With all thy arrowes lurking in her eye.
Venus thou know'st her love, for I have seene
The time thou would'st have faine her Rivall been.
O blesse them both! Let their affections meet
With happy omens in the Geniall sheet.
Both comely, beauteous both, both equall faire,
Thou canst not glory in a fitter paire.
I would not thus have praid if I had seen
Fourscore and ten, wed to a young fifteen.
Death in such Nuptials seems with love to play,
And January seems to match with May:
Autumne to wed the Spring; Frost to desire
To kisse the Sun; Ice to embrace the fire.
Both these are young, both sprightfull, both compleat,
Of equall moisture, and of equall heat;
And their desires are one; were all Loves such
Who would love solitary sheets so much?
Virginity (whereof chast fooles doe boast;
A thing not known what 'tis, till it be lost)
Let others praise; for me I cannot tell
What vertue 'tis to lead Baboons in hell.
Woman is one with man when shee is brided;
The same in kind, only in sexe divided.
Had all dy'd maids, we had been nothing then;
Adam had been the first, and last of men.
How none O Venus then thy power had seen?
How then in vaine had Cupids arrows been?
My selfe whose coole thoughts feele no hot desires,
That serve not Venus flames, but Vestas fires;
Had I not vow'd the cloysters, to confine
My selfe to no more wives then only nine
Parnassus brood; those that heare Phaebus sing,
Bathing their naked limbs in Thespian spring.
I'de rather bee an Owle of Birds, then one
That is the Phaenix if shee live alone.
Two is the first of numbers; one naught can doe,
One then is good, when one is made of two.
Which mistery is thine great Venus , thine;
Thy union can two soules in one combine.
Now by that power I charge thee blesse the sheets
With happy issue where this couple meets.
The maid's a Harvy , one that may compare
With fruit Hesperian , or the Dragons care,
Her love a Ward ; not he that awed the seas,
Frighting the fearefull Hamadryades .
That Ocean terrour, he that durst outbrave
Dread Neptunes Trident, Amphitrites wave.
This Ward a milder Pirat sure will prove,
And only sailes the Hellespont of Love,
As once Leander did; his theft is best
That nothing steales but whats within the brest;
Yet let that other Ward his thefts compare,
And ransack all his treasures, let him beare
The wealth of worlds, the bowels of the West
And all the richest treasures of the East .
The sands of Tagus , all Pactolus ore,
With both the Indies; yet this one gets more
At once by Love; then he by force could get
Or ravish from the Marchants; let him set
His Ores together; let him vainely boast
Of spices snatch'd from the Canary coast;
The Gummes of Ægypt , or the Tyrian fleece
Dyed in his Native purple, with what Greece ,
Colchos, Arabia , or proud China yeilds,
With all the Metals in Guiana feilds.
When this has set all forth to boast his pride
In various pompe; this other brings his Bride,
And I'le be judg'd by all judicious eyes,
If shee alone prove not the richer prize.
O let not death have power their Love to sever!
Let them both love, and live and die together.
O let their beds be chast, and banish thence
As well all Jealousies, as all offence!
For some men I have known, whose wives have been
As chast as Ice; such as were never seen
In wanton dalliance, such as untill death
Never smelt any, but their husbands breath.
Yet the Good-man still dream'd of hornes, still fearing
His forhead would grow harder; still appearing
To his own fancy, bull, or stagge, or more,
Or Oxe at least, that was an Asse before.
If shee would have new cloaths, he streight will feare
Shee loves a Taylour, if shee sad appeare
Hee guesses soone it is 'cause he's at home;
If jocund, sure shee has some freind to come.
If shee be sick, he thinkes no greife shee felt,
But wishes all Physitians had been guelt.
But aske her how shee does, sets him a swearing,
Feeling her pulse, is love tricks past the bearing
Poore wretched wife, shee cannot looke a wry
But without doubt 'tis flat adultery.
And jealous wives there be, that are afraid
To entertaine a handsome Chamber-maid.
Farre, farre from them be all such thoughts I pray,
Let their Loves prove eternall, and no day
Adde date to their affections, grant (Queene)
Their Loves like nuptiall bayes be alwaies greene.
And also grant — But here shee bid me stay,
For well she knew what I had else to say.
I ask'd no more, wish'd her hold on her race
To joyne their hands, and send them night apace.
Shee smil'd to heare what I in sport did say,
So whip'd her doves and smiling rid away.