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.

Fortune.

Fortune as blinde as he whom she doth lead, Her feature chaung'd each minute of the houre, Her riggish feete fantastickly would tread: Now would she smile, and suddenly would lowre, And with one breath, her words are sweete and sowre. Vpon her foes she amorously doth glaunce, And on her followers coyly looke askaunce, About her necke (it seem'd as for a chaine) Some Princes crownes and broken scepters hung. Vpon her arme a lazie youth did leane, Which scornfully vnto the ground she flung, And with a wanton grace passing alone, Great bags of gold from out her bosome drew, And to base Pesants and fond Idiots threw. A duskie vale which hid her sightlesse-eies Like cloudes, which couer our vncertaine liues, Painted about with bloodie Tragedies, Fooles wearing crowns and wise men clog'd in giue••

Now how she giues againe, how she depriues: In this blacke map this she her might discouers, In Camps and Courts, on souldiers, and on louers. M. Drayton.

A hap, a chaunce, a casuall euent, The vulgars Idoll, and a childish terror: A what man will, a silly accident The maske of blindnesse, and disguise of error, Natures vile nickname, follies foolish mirror: A terme, a by-word, by tradition learn'd, A hearsay, nothing not to be discernd, A wanton feare, a silly Infants dreame, A vaine illusion, a meere fantasie: A seeming shade, a lunaticke mans dreame. A fond Aenigma, a flat heresie. Imaginations doting emperie. A folly in it selfe, it one selfe loathing, A thing that would be, and yet can be nothing. Disease of time, ambitions concubine: A minde intrancing snare, a slippery yce, The bait of death, destructions heady wine. Vaine-glories patron, the fooles paradice. Fond hope wherewith confusion doth intice. A vile seducing f••end, which haunts men still, To loose them in the errors of their will. Idem.

O fortune the great Amorite of kings, Opinions breath, thou Epicurian aire: Inuention of mans soule, falsest of things, A step beyond our iudgement, and a staire Higher then men can reach with reasons wings.

Thou blindfold Archeresse, thou that wilt not heare: Thou foe to persons, manners, times and all, That raisest worthlesse, while the worthiest fall. I. Markham.

Ah fortune, nurse of fooles, poyson of hope, Fuell of vaine desires, deserts destruction▪ Supposed soueraigne, through our vaine construction Princes of Paganisme, roote of impie••ie, Diuell on earth, masked in pietie. Scorne of the learned, follies elder scholler, Bastard of time, begot by vaine opinion: Against thy power, a peeuish proud resister. Mother of lies, and witnesse of illusion: Lampe of vain-glory, double faced shroe, Who smiles at first, succesfull, ends in woe. D. Lodge.

Who wins her grace, must with atchiuements wo he•• As she is blind, so neuer had she eares, Nor must with puling eloquence go to her: She vnderstands not sighes, she heares not praiers. Flattered she flies; controld she euer feares. And though a while she nicely do forsake it, She i•• a woman, and at length will take it. Nor euer let him dreame once of a crowne, For one bad cast that will giue vp his game, And though by ill hap he be ouerthrowne, Yet let him manage her till she be tame. M. Drayton.

Fortune the folly is, and plague of those Which to the world their wretched will dispose. M. of M.

All flesh is fraile and full of ficklenesse, Subiect to fortunes charme, still changing new, What haps to day to me, to morrow may to you. Ed. Spencer.

Fortune the foe to famous chieuisance, Sildome or neuer yeelds to vertue aide: But in her way throwes mischiefe and mischance, Whereby her course is stopt, and passage laide. Idem.

Mocke Gods they are, and many Gods induce, Who fortune faine to father there abuse. M. of M.

—In vaine do men The heauens of there fortunes fault accuse, Syth they know best what is the best for them, For they to each such fortune do diffuse, As they do know each can most aptly vse: For not that which men couet most is best, Nor that thing worst which men do most refuse. But fittest is, that all contented rest With that they hold: each hath his fortune in his brest. Ed. Spencer.

No fortune is so bad, our selues ne frame There is no chance at all hath vs preseru'd. There is no fate whom we haue need to blame: There is no desteny but is deseru'd: No lucke that leaues vs safe, or vnpreseru'd. Let vs not then complaine of fortunes skill, For all our good descends from Gods good will, And of our lewdnesse, springeth all our ill. M. of M.

—They that do dwell on fortunes call, No sooner rise, but ready are to fall. D. Lodge.

Looke how much higher fortune doth erect The climing wight on her vnstable wheele: So much the nigher may a man exspect To see his head where late he sawe his heele. Policrates hath prou'd it in effect, And Dyonisius that too true did feele Who long were luld on hie in fortunes lap: And fell downe suddenly to great mishap. On th'other side, the more man is oppressed And vtterly ouerthrowne by fortunes lowre, The sooner comes his state to be redressed, When wheele shall turn and bring the happie howre. Some from the Blocke haue growne to be so blessed. Whole realmes haue bene subuerted to their powre. As Marius and Ʋentidius sample is, In former age, and Lewes of France in this. S. I. Harr. Transl.

—As the boystrous winde Doth shake the tops of highest reared towers, So doth the force of froward fortune strike The wight that highest sits in haughtie state. G. Gascoigne.

—So wills the wanton queene of chance, That each man trace this Labyrinth of life: With slippery steps now wrongd by fortune strange, Now drawne by counsell from the maze of strife. D. Lodge.

We all are proud when fortune fauours vs, As if inconstant chaunce were alwaies one: Or standing now, she would continue thus, O fooles looke backe, and see the rolling stone Whereon she blindly lighting sets her foote, And slightly sowes, that sildome taketh roote. Th. Kyd.

Fortune the first and last that gouernes states. I. Markham.

The blind-fold mistresse of vncertaine chaunge. D. Lodge.

The wayward lady of this wicked world. Idem.

Blind fortune faileth mighty ones, & meaner doth aduance. W. Warner.

Blind fortune findeth none so fit to flout As Sures by sotts, which cast no kind of doubt. M. of M.

—Fortune cannot raise Any one aloft without some others wracke, Flouds drowne no fields vnlesse they finde a bracke. Idem.

Where power dwelles and riches rest, False fortune is a comely guest. E. of S.

Think fortune newly hatcht is fledge, & waggeth wing to flie All suffer chāge, our selues new born, euen then begin to die. VV. VVarner.

The man that fortune at commaund will keepe, He must be sure he neuer let her sleepe. M. Drayton.

There neuer yet was Emperour or King, Could boast that he had fortune in a string. S. I. Harr. Transl.

—All things to fortune are subiected, Chiefly in warres, that are by chaunce directed. Idem.

Wheresoeuer fortune her bountie will bestow, There heauen and earth must pay what she doth owe. M. of M.

The man whose thoughts to fortunes height aspires, Were better die then liue in lowe desires. Th. Achelly.

Admit thou hadst Pactolian waues to land thee gold at will, Know Craesus did to Cyrus kneele, and thou maist speed as ill. W. Warner.

Attempt not things beyond thy reach, ioyne fortune to thy will, Least Phebus chaire do els surcharge rash Phaethon his skill Idem.

If fortune help whō thou woldst hurt, fret not at it the more, When Aiax storm'd, then from him the prize Vlisses bore. Idem.

Good fortune drawes from heauen her descent, Making hie Ioue the roote of her large tree: She showes from him how many Godheads went, Archangels, Angels, heauens posteritie, From thence she showes the glorious thrid she lent, To Monarkes, Emperours and Kings in fee. Annexing as collateralls to her loue, Honour, vertue, valour and endlesse time. N••thelesse ill fortune will be elder borne She saith she springs from Saturne, Ioues wrongd syre,

And heauen and earth, and hell, her coate haue borne Fresh bleeding hearts within a field of fyre: All that the world admires she makes her scorne, Who farthest seemes, is to ill fortune neere. And that iust proofe may her great praise commend, All that good chaunce begins, ill chaunce doth end. I. Markham.

Ill fortune is attended by reproach, Good fortune fame and vertue stellifies. Idem.

—What man can shun the happe, That hidden lies, vnwares him to surprise: Misfortune waits aduantage to entrappe The man most wary, in her whelming lappe. Ed. Spencer.

The fortune that misfortune doth affoord, Is for to liue and die vnfortunate. Th. Achelly.

Misfortune followeth him that tempteth fortune. Ch. Fitz Ieffrey.