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To his deere friend the Author on his Tragedie of Cola's fury, or Lirenda's misery.
WHen first I read your Tragedy and meete Truth, wit, and judgement trip with equall feet, VVithout th' expence of paines, that all may know They unconstrayned from your pen doe flow. I could not choose, but wonder that your braine VVithout great Arts could hit so high a straine, Such as the power of each line alone Is able to transforme a man to stone: Nor is it strange, when that therein wee see Such bloodie massachers and crueltie, As doth transcend what cruell Nero and Great Dyonisius acted in each land. Had Rubens and Vandike liv'd and at strife VVho should pourtray best, Cola to the life, Their curious Art, the way could never find To Paint his body, as thy Muse, his minde; Thou hast so liuely him exprest that I Reading was rapt into an extasie, But straight againe perplext with so great feare As if that cruell Cola present were, Deere friend since then this peece so well limn'd As most would thinke 'twas by Ben: Iohnson trimm'd, That Shakespeare, Fletcher, and all did combine To make Lirenda through the Clouds to shine, Enfrranchise her, and let her come th'view Of publique Censure, where the best (be sure) VVill give her welcoms such as shall endure, Els as a Miser you'le be understood That hoords up gold, and does the poore no good, Feare not the Zoyly nor the Criticke faces That barke and snarle at th' Muses and the Graces, Their anticque mouthes and squinted eyes shall be, Stopt and obscur'd when they Lirenda see: Breake through the mists of Enuy and dispence Light, vigour, Motion and intelligence, To all that Candid art, whose votes shall Crowne The Worke and Author, with a smile, not frowne And to augment the Trophies of thy prayse Impale thy browes with wreathes of Delplique bayes.Daniell Breed••.