The card of courtship: or the language of love; fitted to the humours of all degrees, sexes, and conditions. Made up of all sorts of curious and ingenious dialogues, pithy and pleasant discourses, eloquent and winning letters, delicious songs and sonnets, fine fancies, harmonious odes, sweet rhapsodies.

The Lover betwixt hope and despaire to attaine his Mistress love, she telling him she hath vowed never to marry.

Dearest mistress,

EVen as my hand my pen to paper laies, My trembling hand my pen from paper staies; Lest that thine eys, which shining, made me love you, Should, frowning on my suit, bid cease to love you: So that my nurfing murth'ring pen affords A grave, a cradle, to my new-born words.

But whilst like clouds tofs'd up and down by aire I wracked hang, 'twixt hope and sad despaire; Dispaire is beaten, vanquisht from the feild, And unto conqu'ring hope my heart doth yeild. If of my eyes you also could bereave me, As you already of my heart deceive me; Or could shut up my ravisht ears through which You likewise did my inchanted heart bewitch; To root out love all means you can invent, Were all but labour lost, and time ill spent:

For as these sparks, being spent, which fire procure, The fire doth brightly burning still indure; Though absent, so, your sparkling eyes remove, My heart still burnes in endless flames of love.

Then strive not gainst the stream to no effect, But let due love yeild love a due respect; Nor seek to ruine what your self begun, Or loose a knot that cannot be undon. Why were you fair, to be sought of so many, If you live chaste, not to be lov'd by any? For if that Nature love to Beauty offers, And Beauty shun the love that Nature proffers; Then either unjust Beauty is to blame, With scorne to quench a lawful kindled flame; Or else, unlawfully if love we must, And be unlov'd, then Nature is unjust. A marble heart, under an amorous look, Is of a flattering bait the murth'ring hook; For from a Ladies shining frowning eyes, Death's sable dart, with Cupids arrow flies.

Since then from chastity and beauty spring Such various streams, where each a bide as kin; Let Tyrant Chastitie's usurped throne Be made the seat of beauties grace alone; And let your beauty be with this suffis'd That my heart's City is by it surpriz'd Raze not my heart, nor to your beauty raise Blood-gilded Trophies of your beauties praise. For wisest Conquerours do Towns desire, On honourable tearmes, and not with fire.

Cruel faire one,

thy bleeding servant, T. P.