The Harmony of the muses, or, The gentlemans and ladies choisest recreation full of various, pure and transcendent wit : containing severall excellent poems, some fancies of love, some of disdain, and all the subjects incident to the passionate affections either of men or women
R. C., Donne, John, 1572-1631., King, Henry, 1592-1669., Strode, William, 1600 or 1601-1645.
Page 24
T•a Wench desiring Money.
AS fair as she that made two husbands jar,
Raising 'twixt Troy & Greece a ten years war
As white as feather'd Laeda, great Ioves rape,
She that was chang'd into a Swan-like shape:
As red as is the Emony, even so bright
Wer't thou my Love, that which the Poets write
Of metamo••hos'd Iove, how oft love changd him,
And from his own celestial shape estrang'd him
Into an Eagle, or Bull, I fear lest he,
Should fr• high Heaven likewise descend on thee.
I am not jealous now, my thoughts are vanisht,
And the hot ardor of affection banisht;
My fire is cool'd, reason assumes the place,
And now methinks thou hast not thine own face;
Dost thou demand why I am chang'd, behold,
The cause, Ile tell thee, thou dost ask me gold,
Thou look'st that for my pleasure I should pay,
And that alone still frighteth me away;
Whilst thou wert simple, and in all things kind,
I with thy sweet content did like thy mind,
Now thou art cuning grown, what has that gaind?
Thy bodies beauty by thy mind is stain'd:
Look on the beasts that in the Medows play,
Shall women bear more savage minds then they?
Page 25
What gifts do Kine from the rude Bull enforce?
What rate demands the Mare fro the proud horse?
Or from the Ram the Ewe? they couple twice,
Ere once they do debate upon a price;
Women have learn'd alone to bargain well,
Their pleasures born with them alone they sell,
Alone they prize the night, and at a rate
Chaffer themselvs with strangers; O vild state!
Alone for mutuall pastime, coyn they crave,
And e'r they sport, ask first, What shall I have?
That which delighteth both, to which both run,
And (but by joint assistance) is not done,
The pleasures which on even terms we try,
Why should one party sell, the other buy?
Why should the sweets which we alike sustain,
To me be double loss, thee double gain?
That which comes freely, much by that we set,
Thou giv'st it me, and I am still in debt;
Love that is hir'd, is plainly sold and bought,
Thou hast thy price, and then I owe thee nought:
Then O ye fair ones, all such thoughts expell,
What Nature freely gives you, spare to sell;
Let not your bodies to base lust be lent,
Goods lewdly got, are ever loosly spent.
