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.

Of Dearth.

—Dearth the liuely forme of death, Still yawning wide with lothsome stinking breath, VVith hollow eyes, with meger cheekes and chinne, VVith sharpe leane bones, piercing her sable skinne, Her emptie bowels may bee plainely spide, Cleane through the wrinckles of her withered hide, Shee hath no bellie, but the bellies seate, Her knees and knuckles swelling very great, Insatiate Orque, that euen at one repaste, Almost all creatures in the world with waste, VVhose greedie gorge dish after dish doth draw, Seekes meate in meate, for still her monstrous maw Voydes in deuouring, and sometimes she eates Her owne deere babes, for lacke of other meates, Nay more sometimes (O strangest gluttonie,) Shee eates her selfe, her selfe to satisfie, Lessning her selfe, her selfe so to inlarge, And cruell thus, shee doth our grandfire charge, And brings beside from Limbo to assist her, Rage, feeblenesse, and thirst her ruthlesse sister. I. Siluester.