Wittes pilgrimage, (by poeticall essaies) through a vvorld of amorous sonnets, soule-passions, and other passages, diuine, philosophicall, morall, poeticall, and politicall. By Iohn Dauies
Davies, John, 1565?-1618.
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The picture of Formosity.
WHo would my LOVES diuine Idea see
(So to diuine his humane fantasie)
Looke in these Lines which her delineate
And see an heauuly Forme in earthly state!*
Hir Haire, Golds Qninteslence, ten times refind,*
(In substance far more subtill then the Wind)
Doth Glo•ifie that Heauns Diuexity
(Hi• Head) where Wit doth raigne inuincibly.*
Her Front's the Field wherein, in loue, contends
True Grace and Grauity for gracefull Ends;
Whose doubtfull Conflict giues vndoubted grace
To Loues extreamst Horizon,* hir sweet face.
On the declyning of this vpper Plaine
(Where Modesty in Maiesty doth raigne)
An heaunly Hemispheare ore Canopies
Two Sunnes,* the Lights of earthly Paradise:
Who,* with the force of their faire influence,
Delight Mens inward, light their outward sense.
In which faire Mirrors all Eyes loue to prie,
Sith there themselues they glad and glorifie.*
Hir Cheekes! Lyllies, and Roses are too fowle
For Similies, t'xpresse true Beauties Soule:
For, there that Soule imparadized lies
Like Grace, alone, that made it ioy of Eyes!
Two Dimples, like two Whirlepits, there appeare,
More beauty to deuoure then Fle•h can beare!
Hir No'e,* the Gnomon of Loues Diall bright,
Doth, by those Sunnes, still shadow out that light
That makes Times longest howres, but Moments seeme:
Fo• Months but Minuts Senses, ioyd, esteeme.
Hir Lips!* blush Cherries, Currall, Rubies blush:
For your Prim's far inferior to their Flush:
〈◊〉 gaine the Prize if you, with Them, contend,
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Whose Beauty's more then Hues can comprehend!
Hir Teeth. A Row of rarest Margarites,
Impale a Tongue that giue all Tongues their Rights;
From whom their Dialect deriues such grace,*
As Eares it drawes with it from place to place:*
VVho, when she lifts (with Balme-breaths Ambrosie)
Shee it enaires in Prose, or Poësy;
That flow so boldly from her fluent Tongue
As if they could not, though they would, go wrong▪
But ô her Voice! ô fie I wrong the same,
To call much more, no more but by that name;
But, briefly thus;* It is That of those Quires
That wonder rap diuine, and humanes Eares!
VVhich when she tunes to Siluer-sounding strings,
Hir voice much more then Siluer-sounding rings;
So that though she thereto her Voice doth fit
Yet sweetest Strings she makes but foiles to it.
Hir Chin (where GRACE hir glory brings about)
Is like a Promontory iutting out
Where Beauties* Billowes rest still in vnrest?
Whose seemly Swellings beating on this Point
Doth Beauties Deluge seem to disappoint:
So, BEAVTY sits in Dimple of this Chin
To ouersee the Sweets this Sea within:
Who can but touch this Cape (Cape of good Hope)
The way from thence, to Pleasure lieth ope,
Which lieth on hir Lips, which if Lips touche
Pleasure her selfe will at that pleasure gruche.
Fall from these Eaues of BEVTYES heaunly house
(Where Grace, and Natute are miraculous)
Along the Christall* Columne that it staies,
Then Mount my Muse and fly ore Pleasures* Seas
Into Desires delicious Continent,
Where Loues Desire liues, couertly, content▪
Hir Belly bounds the life of Loues desire,
With all the Comforts, that it can require:
There is the Milky waie that doth direct
To loues hid Court, the Court of LOVES Elect,
Is is th' Olimpus where Sense-pleasing sweetes
In actiue games to striue for glory meets:
Where zealous Thoughts their Children sacrifize
In slames of lawfull Lust, to Lawlesse LOVE,
Where they, with ioy, sweete Martirdomes do proue!
Iust at the foote of this my Muses Mount,
There lies, but what! that doth my Muse surmount,
T'expresse It as It is, without offence,
Such is this Secrets vnknowne Excellence!
But, at Olimpus Foote runns Helicon;
Then thinke what makes good my Comparison
(With purest Thought) and so perhapps yee shall
Neere gesse from whence Loues Helicon doth fall.
Hir Thigh•s▪* bee snowy Standards, gracefully great,
Which are (strange Paradox) congeal'd with Heate!
Whose Bases, lifted vpwards, hold on hic
That Mount, and Fount of Earthes felicitie;
And, growing downwardes, small, or Taper-wise,
Two Pirameds, reuersed, make hir Thighes:
Whose Pointes, depending on a Bony Bowle,
With motion meete them to,* and fro doth rowle.
The Biace of which Boowles doth make the Knees
From whence Lo•es lightest Muses take theír veeze
To leape into those Seas, which Cares destroy,
Where to be drownd is to be drunke with ioy,
Those well compacted Knees (vnknowne to all
Saue knowne by measures▪ Geometricall)
Are Beauties Hinges: which each Legge, and Thighe
VVith nimble-welmade •oynts togeathertye:
So, that faire Frame which on these Hinges playes
Doth, by a Consequent, implie their praise
Then, from hir Knees slide downe hir Leggs alonge
(Dull muse, that dost hir Partes perfection wrong,*
And right them in Discription of this Parte
VVhich, in a worde, surmounts Discriptions Arte!)
Vnto hir Foote, Perfections Pedestall,
No more, nor lesse then keepes hir Corpes from fall:
VVhich,* for the quaint propo•tion, doth perswade
It rather is imagined, then made!
Now, from hir He ele, to Head, climbe back my Muse
Alonge hir Back Parts and those Parts peruse,
With forward• backwardnesse, because they are
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More Common to hir Kind though no lesse rare:
Hir Butt, but ô!* quick VVitt lend me a Worde
That fairely may that Part a name afforde
Fitt for the fairenesse of hir fowlest Parte,
But thinke what tis to spare new words of Arte:
To call them Hanches were but to prophane
Their names that are for Globes-Celestiall tane:
For, they are so composd by Natures Skill
That Agent, mixt with Azure, them do fill!
But, leaue these Partes (lest partlie some perceaue
That I am lothe these pleasant Partes to leaue)
And scale Beauties * Meridian which doth lie*
Vpon theis Christall Heauns pluralitie.*
There Lock the * Side-railes of this totall Frame*
VVithin a * Propp, that vpright holds the same:
And, for that Propp of many Ioyntes consists
It seemely stands or bowes which way shee lists.
She bows to all, yet none can make hir bowe:
For, with the high, Shees high, and low, with lowe▪
VVhose Back beares witnesse that hir Brest is such
That stifly stands, or bows, still more then much!*
A Trench, wise Nature, in the same hath Cutt
Where all the hottest Shot of Loue are shutt,
That can orecome what ere their force withstand
And, though by Loue cōmaunded, Loue Command.
Vpon the Marg•ns of this Trench do •e
(That slow lie, by degrees, mount meanely highe)
Beauties faíre Walkes, or Daízie couerd Downes
Whereto She flies,* for solace, when She frownes:
And all alonge downe to the Posterne Gate
Where Nature thrusts out that which shee doth hate.
Beauties do run neat Bace, and kindlie take
Each other Prisners for sweete Beau•ies sake!
Hir Shoulders broade; whereto hir Armes are knitt,
Within whole Circuit Ioy doth sadly sitt:*
Because, that Ioy shee will impa•t to none
But vnto Fames Superlatiues alone!
Along those Armes (like Armes of Seas, and Brooks]
VVhich, in a Soile, with Milk cleane ouerflowne,
Do darkly make those Riuers Channells knowne.
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But ô hir Hand! (which my Muse Captiue holds
And drownes hir in drie•moisture in the Folds)
Is a m•ere Laborinth of Faries, farre sought,
That yeelds no comming out 〈◊〉 wandring Thought.
•hat Hand, in faire Hands, can so show hir mynd
That in that show Witt may Witts Substance finde:
And handles so eache praised Instrument
As Shee of them had supreame gouerment.
What should I speake of other Qualities
Done bly that Hand (the Hand of Sciences)
Sith no Skill that doth Greatnesse glorifie
But hir Hand can, their rarenesse, •arifie!
The Tables of those Hands LOVES Tables are;*
Hir fingers are the Points, both whitest Ware:
Whose Sides are edged with the sweetest Aire,
So to distinguish them, more sweete, pure, faire!
Here LOVE at Tick-tack plaies, or at Queens•game;
But, Irishe hates, for hauing Trickes too blame:
Here Hee casts Doublets, Double Points to take,
(The Hart, and Hand) both which an end do make
Of all LOVES Games, saue •hen the Vies are paid
Hee playeth with the Prize, for which he plaide▪
But to paint out hir Part these Parts within
I might much more then Zeuxis glorie winn:
But, as he drew a Vaile vpon that Parte
Hee could not show by Coulors, nor by Arte:
So must I do, aud say, nay sweare, it is
Vertue Contracted, to abstracted Blisse!
For, all hir Parts are the true Properties
Of diuine Grace, and Princlie Qualities!
O Dull Inuention how dost thou abuse
This Quee•e of Beauty Subiect of my Muse?
For that too base is eache Comparison
Arre yeelds too blaz on Natures Paragon.
Then, ô Inuention make my Muse confesse
Shee's more then Arte, and Nature can expresse.
So, not as I began, my Songe I ende,
My LOVES Idea none can comprehend.
