Horace his arte of poetrie, pistles, and satyrs Englished and to the Earle of Ormounte by Tho. Drant addressed.

To Mecenas.

FYue dayes my promisse was to the in countrye towne t'haue bene, And now am wanted (false of worde) all Auguste, as I wene. If thou wouldste haue me safe at ease, that nothinge should me greue, What thou doste graunte me beinge sicke, the verie selfe same leue Thou wilte graunte me, that stande in dreade of sicknes, more, and more. Whilste sommer swage, and the figge trée hyr pryme frute haue I bore: Whilste the Indytors of the deade, (For so theire name theye haue) Be led by pompe wyth Sergeaunts sad the Epigrammes to graue: Whilste parentes paile, do dreade, and feare theire children should be sicke: Whilste busie toyle, and woorke abroade make feuers gréene to pricke: Whilste heade doth rageand sicknesse raines, and eche man breakes his will, And makes a new, at pointe of death (Syr) let me tary still▪

On Albane hilles when wynter shall spitte out his flaggie snowe, Thy poete shall cumme to the sea and soiorne there belowe. Framinge him selfe to plye his booke with lesser gréefe of mynde He will sée the (my dulcet frinde) with warmie westerne wynde: And wyth the swallowe verye firste that cummes into that place, If he maye be safe conducted and welcum to thy grace. Mecenas thou haste made me ritche not as the Calabere Dothe rych his gueste, who when he cūmes doth set him downe a peare. Fal to (saieth he)

Gueste.

I haue enough

Oste.

well if you liste not eate, Yet beare them to your babes at home Perhappes a welcum cheate.

Guest.

Myne oste, I am as well contente I thancke you to my paye As if I shoulde eate all your fruite and carrie it awaye.

Oste.

Sythens I can not rid them▪ hence and that you will forsake them, I meane to geue them to the swyne to sée if theile forsake them.

Horace.

Of foolishe and of prodigall this is the proper guyse "To geue such things as theye them selues and others do dispise. "Those francklings who by such a sorte perswade them to be francke, "Ne shal, •…•…e haue at anye tyme deserued anye thancke.

The wyseman knowes both what he geues, how worthie that theye be That take, and is discreate enoughe the brasse from drosse to sée. I for my parte will neuer faile to be a thankefull man: Woorthie your praysed benefitts by all the meanes I can. If thou wouldste haue me kepe with the, and neuer to departe, Thou muste call backe my yeares of youth my lustie sydes and harte. Restore myne hayre, my foreheade once with abrune haires yclad. Where nothing now but scaulpe alone, and baldnes can be had. Restore to me my fyled speache, the causes why I smyled The doulefull dumpes in Bacchus feaste whilste Cupid me begyled.

Fable.

Once through a narrow rifte did créepe an emptie cub with paine, Into a basket full of wheate: and beinge faste, againe With pragged paunche assayde to goe out of the same in vaine. To whom the wesell: to escape quod she thine onelye shifte Is, to créepe out as thou camste in all emptie throughe the rifte: This same, or such lyke parable if thou applye to me, I muste cum emptie from thyne howse if thyne I leaue to the. For all was thyne, throughe the came ease to lyue at my desyer.

As cloyde with wealthe, or stryfe not I this call my lyfe requyer. And yet this ioy so cleare, so sounde which in this lyfe I fynde, I would not chaunge for all the gould of Arabie, and Inde. Ofte haste thou praisde my shamfastnes, my father, and my kinge: I haue praysde the before thy face in absence eke the thinge. If I thy bountye can acquyte consider thou my beste, With all my harte, what so I can it euer shalbe preste. Telemachus, Vlisses childe the marke at full did hit, Who vsde to saye that Ithacke grounde for geldinges was not fit. For that the grounde in houltes, and hilles and dales consumed was, Not euenlye stretched out in plaine nor prodigall in grasse. I leaue {quod} he to the Atryde the things that fitter be, So I Mecenas graund affayres leaue fullie vnto the. Small men small iestes. Not regall Rome standes now with me in grace: But desert Tyber and Tarente that sluggishe warlesse place

Fable.

Philippe a famouse counsailor an hartie, and a stowte, Came from the hall at eighte a clocke to suppe, or there about. And beinge nowan aged man and therefore not so stronge

Complainde, that from the hall to home his iorney was so longe. And spyinge in a barbars shop a younge man in a chare At ease yplasde, who quyetlye his nailes did purge and pare: Sir boy {quod} he, goe learne, tell me, (the boy did streight obey) Who? whence he cam, what wealth, what frēds what parentes, and what stay? Goes, commes and brings him word, how that Vulteus was his name A prayser, hamsumlye to liue. Whom no man can defame. A spéedie, and discret worker in bountie franke, add frée, Fiew frendes, and commonly at home he vseth for to be. And when he hath dispatche himself, of busnes for that day, Then with a menny of his mates, abrode he goes to playe. This tale thus tolde Phillippus longde Wtth Vulte himselfe to talke. And bad his boy incontinente backe to the shop to walke, To pray the younge man suppe with him, The page returnes againe: He halfe mistrustes the case, saithe he, and thankes me for the paine, But cannot cume: and as I gesse by vysage made to me, The horesonne eyther doth contempne, or feare to mell with the. Next day Philippus went to him and founde him sellinge geare:

Ragges to the countrie rusticall. approching very nere Philippus firste saluted him: Vultie himselfe did purge, Because his busie bargaininge, so dayly did him v rge, That he ne came, and spake not first. Vultie I perdon al,

Phi

If thou wilt sup to night with me▪ what time I shall the call, Yours to cōmaunde Phi: at nine a clocke I truste you wil not fayle.

Vult

Whilst that, goe make your marchandize God sende you good retayle. At supper when he had at full Layde out his lauishe mynde, At length to bed to take a nap he fraighted, was assynde. Next daye this Vultie cums againe for lawe matters to looke. When that the fishe was knowne to like this secret hidden hooke, They dubde him for a dayly gest. next holly day abroade To sée the suburbs not far thence with Philip forth he rode. And comming to his iorneys ende he gan to mar uaile sore, At Sauines pastures, at the ayre, and praysde it more, and more. Philli p he smyled in his sleeue, and hopeth more to smyle, Willing this Cokney to intrap, With this same merrie wyle: Hée geues to him seuen sextarcies, and promiseth seuen more

To bye this ferme: with fayre swete wordes he egges the cockescome so That for to make the ambage shorte, and not to draw it on More then it néedes, our cittizen is now a Corridon. He trimmes his vlmes, bosting of landes and vyneyardes, he doth raue: Consumes with carke, and waxeth ould with couetose to haue. But when his gotes through ill disease, his sheepe decaid through theft, His corne deceaude his gredie hope, his oxe at ploughe dead left: Displeased w^t his damagies, at midnight on a iade To Philippes house al sodainly hee posteth in a br ade. Whom when Philipp sée ouerspred with scurfe▪ and busshie here, You studie Vultie ouermuch you toke to much of care, Sayth he) forsouth quothe thother tho, the name of wretch is due To me (landes Lorde) cawle thou me wretch if thou wilt cawle me true. By thy good nature, thy right hande, and househould goddes therefore, "Humblye I praye my former plighte to me pore wretch restore. "He that doth se his owne offence how that he did retyre "From better trade, and better things then those hee did desyer: Let him not shame, but streight returne with all possible spede, And willingly resume the trade, and life, which he did leade,

This is from me the best aduise, that he is like to gett, Let eche man meysure out him selfe with his owne foote, and met.