Englands Parnassus: or the choysest flowers of our moderne poets, with their poeticall comparisons Descriptions of bewties, personages, castles, pallaces, mountaines, groues, seas, springs, riuers, &c. Whereunto are annexed other various discourses, both pleasaunt and profitable.

Ʋertue.

What one art thou thus in torne weede yclad? Vertue, in price, whom auncient sages had: Why poorely clad? for fading goods past care: Why double fac'd? I marke each fortunes rare: This bridle what? mindes rages to restraine: VVhy beare you tooles? I loue to take great paine: Why wings? I teach aboue the starres to flie: Why treade you death? I onely cannot die. S. Th. Wiat.

The path that leades to Vertues Court is narrow, Thornie, and vp a hill, a bitter iourney: But being gone through, you find al heauenly sweets, Th'entrance is all flintie, but at th'end Two Towres of pearles and cristall you ascend. Th. Dekkar.

Vertue is fayrest in a poore art aye. Idem.

Vertue abhorres too weare a borrowed face. Idem.

The wisest scholler of the wight most wise, By Phoebus doome, with sugred sentence saies, That vertue If it once meete with our eyes, Strange flames of loue it in our soules would raise. S. Ph. Sydney.

That growes apace, that vertue helps t'aspire. M. R••••don.

When vertue riseth, base affections fall. Ed. Fairfax.

Like as the horse well mand abides the bit,

And learnes his stoppe by raine in riders hand, Where mountaine colt that is not sadled yet, Runnes headlong on amidst the fallowed land, Whose fierce resist scarce bendes with any band. So men reclaim'd by vertue tread aright, Where ledde by follies, mischiefes on them light. D. Lodge.

Vertue doth ••urb affection, and for conscience flieth sin, To leaue for imperfection feare or shame no praise doth winne. W. Warner.

Vertue it selfe turnes vice, being misapplyed, And vice sometime by action dignified. W. Shakespeare.

Vertue in greatest daunger is most showne, And though opprest, yet nere is ouerthrowne. S. Daniell.

In vertue it is said, that men themselues suruie. W. W.

Honour indeede, and all things yeeld to death, (Vertue excepted) which alone suruiues, And liuing toyleth in an earthlie gaile, At last to be extol'd in heauens high ioyes. T. Kyd.

All things decay, yet vertue shall not die, This onely giues vs immortallitie. M. Drayton.

Whence is it that the flower of the field doth fade, And lyeth buried long in winters bale, Yet soon as spring his mantle doth display, It flowreth fresh, as it should neuer faile, But thing on earth that is of most auaile. As vertues and beauties bud,

Releeuen not for any good, The branch once dead, the bud needes eke must quaile▪ Ed. Spencer.

All that wee had, or mortall men can haue, Seemes onely hut a shadow from the graue, Vertue alone liues still. Th. Dekkar.

Vertue is more amiable and more sweete, When vertue and true maiestie doe meete. E. Spencer.

—All the sorow in the world is lesse Then vertues might and valures confidence, For who will bide the burden of distresse, Must not heere thinke to liue, for life is wretchednes. Idem.

Vertue makes honour, as the soule doth sence, And merit, farre exceedes inheritance. G. Chapman.

—Vertue of the ••uncient bloud and kin, Doth onely please the parties shee is in. M. of M.

—Onely vertue noblenesse doth dignifie, And vicious life a linage base doth signifie. S. I. Harrington.

The simple vertue may consist alone, But better are two vertues ioynd in one. D. Lodge.

What vertue gets, once got doth neuer waste, And hauing this, this thou for euer haste. M. Dryaton.

Ioy grauen in sence, like snow in water wasts,

Without preserue of vertue nothings lasts. G. Chapman.

Vertue obscurde yeeldes small and happie gaines, But actiuely imployed, shee worth retaines. D. Lodge.

VVhat vertue breedes, iniquitie deuours, VVe haue no good at all that we can say is ours▪ But ill annexed oportunitie, Or killes his life or else his qualitie. W. Sh.

Vertue dies not, her tomb we need not rayse, Let them trust tombs which haue out-liu'd their praise. Th. Bastard.