Carmen Deo nostro, te decet hymnus sacred poems, / collected, corrected, augmented, most humbly presented. To my Lady the Countesse of Denbigh by her most deuoted seruant. R.C. In heaty [sic] acknowledgment of his immortall obligation to her goodnes & charity.

ALEXIAS THE COMPLAINT. OF THE FORSAKEN WIFE OF SANITE ALEXIS.

THE FIRST ELEGIE.

I ••••te the roman youth's lou'd prayse & pride, Whom long none could obtain, though thou∣sands try'd, Lo here am left (alas), For my lost mate Tembrace my teares, & kisse an vnkind FATE. Sure in my early woes starres were at strife, And try'd to make a WIDOW ere a WIFE. Nor can I tell (and this new teares doth breed) In what strange path my lord's fair footsteppes bleed. O knew I where he wander'd, I should see Some solace in my sorrow's certainty

I'd send my woes in words should weep for me. (Who knowes how powrfull well - writt praires would be?) Sending's too slow a word, my selfe would fly. Who knowes my own heart's woes so well as I? But how shall I steal hence? ALEXIS thou Ah thou thy self, alas, hast taught me how. Loue too, that leads the, would lend the wings To bear me harmlesse through the hardest things. And where loue lends the wing, & leads the way, What dangers can there be dare say me nay? If drown'd; sweet is the death indur'd for HIM, The noted sea shall change his name with me; I, 'mongst the blest STARRES a new name shall be. And sure where louers make their watry graues. The weeping mariner will augment the waues. For who so hard, but passing by that way W••ll take acquaintance of my woes, & say Here' was the roman MAID found a hard fare While through the world she sought her wan∣dring mate. Here perish't she, poor heart, heauns, be my vowes As true to me, as she was to her spouse. O liue, so rare a loue! liue! & in thee The too frail life of femal constancy. F••rewell; & shine, fair soul, shine there aboue Firm in thy crown, as here fast in thy loue. There ••hy lost fugitiue thou' hast found at last. Be happy; and for euer hold him fast.

THE SECONDE ELEGIE.

THough All the ioyes I had fleed hence with Thee, Vnkind! yet are my TEARES still true to me I' am wedded ore again since thou art gone; Nor couldst thou, cruell, leaue me quite alone. ALEXIS' widdow now is sorrow's wife. With him shall I weep our my weary life. Wellcome, my sad sweet Ma••e! Now haue I gott At last a constant loue that leaues me not. Firm he, as thou art false, Not need my cryes Thus vex the earth & teare the skyes. For him, alas, n'ere shall I need to be Troublesom to the world, thus, as for thee. For thee I talk to trees; with silent groues Expostulate my woes & much wrong'd loues. Hills & relentlesse rockes, or if there be Things that in hardnesse more allude to thee; To these I talk in teares, & tell my pain; And answer too for them in teares again. How oft haue I wept out the weary sun! My watry hour-glasse hath old time out runne. O I am le••••ned grown, Poor loue & I Haue study'd ouer all astrology.

I'am perfect in heaun's st••te▪ w••••h euery starr My skillfull greife is grown familiar. Rise, fairest of those fires; what e're thou be Whose rosy beam shall point my sun to me. Such as the sacred light that erst did bring The EASTERN princes to their infant king. O rise, pure lamp! & lend thy golden ray That weary loue at last may find his way.

THE THIRD ELEGIE.

RIch, churlish LAND! that hid'st so long in thee, My treasures, rich, alas, by robbing mee. Needs must my miseryes ••we that man a spite Who e're he be was the first wandring knight. O had he nere been at that cruell ••ost NATVRE'S virginity had nere been lost. Seas had not bin rebuk't by s••way oares But ly'n lock't vp safe in their sacred shores. Men had not spurn'd at mountaines; nor made w••rrs With rocks; nor bold hands struck the world's strong barres. Nor lost in too larg bounds, our little Rome Full sweetly with it selfe had dwell't at home.

My poor ALEYIS, then in peacefull life, Had vnder some low roofe lou'd his plain wife But now, ah me, from where he has no foes He flyes; & into willfull exile goes. Cruell return. Or tell the reason why Thy dearest parents haue deseru'd to dy. And I▪ what is my crime I cannot tell. Vnlesse it be a crime to' haue lou'd too well. If Heates of holyer loue & high desire Make bigge thy fair brest with immortall fire, What needes my virgin lord fly thus from me, Who only wish his virgin wife to be? Wittnesse, chast heauns! no happyer vowes I know Then to a virgin GRAVE vntouch't to goe. Loue's truest Knott by venus is not ty'd; Nor doe embraces onely make a bride. The QVEEN of angels, (and men chast as You) Was MAIDEN WIFE & MAIDEN MOTHER too. CECILIA, Glory of her name & blood With happy gain her maiden vowes made good. The lusty bridegroom made approach young man▪ Take heed (said she) take heed, VALERIAN▪ My bosome's guard, a SPIRIT great & strong, Stands arm'd, to sheild me from all wanton wrong. My Chastity is sacred; & my sleep Wakefull, her dear v••wes vndefil'd to keep. PALLAS beares armes, forsooth, and should there be No fortresse built fortrue VIRGINITY? No gaping gorgon, this. None, like the rest Of your learn'd lyes. Here you'l find no such iest. I'am yours, O were my GOD, my CHRIST so too, I'd know no name of loue on earth but you.

He yeilds, and straight Baptis'd, obtains the grace To gaze on the fair souldier's glorious face. Both mixt at last their blood in one rich bed Of rosy MARTYRDOME, twice Married. O burn our hymen bright in such high Flame. Thy torch, terrestriall loue, haue here no name. How sweet the mutuall yoke of man & wife, When holy fires maintain loue's Heaunly life! But I, (so help me heaun my hopes to see) When thousand sought my loue, lou'd none but Thee. Still, as their vain teares my firm vowes did try, ALEXIS, he alone is mine (said I) Half true, alas, half false, proues that poor line. ALEXIS is alone; But is not mine.