[A sweet nosgay, or pleasant posye] [contayning a hundred and ten phylosophicall flowers &c.]
Whitney, Isabella.

¶Another Letter sent to IS. VV by one: to whom shée had written her infortunate state.

YOur Letter (Cosin) scarley scene,
I catcht into my hand:
In hope therby some happy newes,
from you to vnderstand,
But whē I had surnaid the same, & waid the teuor well
A beuy heap of sorowes did, miformer ioyes expel.
Page  [unnumbered]I do reioyes, as doth the Swanne, who redy for to dye,
With buryall songe salutes, her hard and dolefull destiny.
In deed, I se & kno to wel, how fortune spites your welth:
And as a tirane Goddesse, doth disdain your happie health.
Whose poyson serpentine I trust, in tyme shal wasted bee,
Let time entends the greatest misse, & lets the captiue free.
VVherfore (good Cosyn) as before, so now my barren quill
Disdayneth not in simple sorte, so vtter his good wyll.
And to discharge the dutie that, belōgeth to a frend,
Whose welth, I wold to God wer such, as might your case a∣mēd
But luck preuēting euery meane, that might your harms re∣dresse
Denieth power to me that do, a frēdly mind possesse
Yet Cosyn, rest in perfect hope, to see the happy day,
That shal vnlade your heped, grief, & driue your cares a way
And sith the con̄sel of the Gods surpasse the humayne wit.
Remēber what the {pro}uerb saith: hereafter coms not yet.
And pōder wel ye Shipmās case, whose deth, ye tossing tyde
Doth threaten of reassaulting sore his shakē Ship with pride
Yet whē NEPTVNVS staieth, & calmes the Seas again,
His ioyes more ample are by farre, then theirs ye did cōplain
He tels at home with iocund mind amōg his friend & kyn
The danger great, & deep dispair, that erst his life was in
Triūphyng ouer Neptunes spite, whose force he felt before:
And ioyes to vew the Seas, when he obtained hath ye shore
So whē the floods, of Fortunes spite ye swel wt foming rage
Shal stīt their struglīg strif, & whē their malice shal as wage
Then may you gain, & long enioy the Hauen of good hap:
For Nurses chideful oft, before they lull their child in lap.
Page  [unnumbered]And take delight perhaps to tel, what trobles erst I knew,
whose bare rehersal might enforce, a stonie hart to rew.
why shuld we thē, wt such disdain: endure the chastismēt
wherbi, perhaps, the Gods in vs, som further harms p̄uent
Aud sith no creature may deserue, Dame Iunos graces well
Whi shuld we grudg, & blame the gods, whose goodnes doth excel
Whereas our dutie bindeth vs, their doyngs to allow:
Whose actions all ••e for the best, whē we perceiue not how
We rather should with 〈◊〉 minde, abide the dated time
Wherin the Goddes shal vs accompt, as worthy for to clime.
Whiche after trial shal betide, to those that suffre smarte:
For: he doth yll deserue ye sweet, yt tasteth not ye tarte
Which argueth those ye for a while, doth hide ye brūt of pain
To be the owners of good hap, when Fortune turnes again
Whose nūber, I beseech the Gods your self may furnish out,
And that his eies may see you plaste, amid that happi rowt
Whose great good wit shal neuer dy: althogh the wāt of time
Hath don me wrong, & euer doth: in shortning of my rime.
Your most louyng Cosyn.

G. VV.