people-of-tudor-england

"In a slombrynge slepe with slouth opprest As I in my naked bedde was leyd Thynkynge all nyght to take my rest Morpleus to me than made abreyd And in my dreme me thought he sayd Come walke with me in a medowe amerous Depeynted with floures that be delycyous."

"O mortall folke, you may beholde and see Howe I lye here, sometime a mighty knight; The ende of joye, and all prosperitie Is death at last, th[o]rough his course and myght: After the day there cometh the darke nyght, For thoughe the day be never so long, At last the belles ringeth to evensong"

"For knighthode is not in the feates of warre, As for to fight in quarell right or wronge, But in a cause which trouth can not defarre; He ought him selfe for to make sure and stronge Justice to kepe mixt with mercy amonge; And no quarell a knight ought to take, But for a trouth or for the comins sake."

"Among the Muses Nine a tenth if Jove would make, And to the Graces Three a fourth, her would Apollo take."

"For many blessèd gifts, O happy, happy land! Where Mars and Pallas strive to make their glory most to stand! Yet, land, more is thy bliss that, in this cruel age, A Venus’ imp thou hast brought forth, so steadfast and so sage."

"What one art thou, thus in torn weed yclad? "Virtue, in price whom ancient sages had." Why poorly 'rayed? "For fading goods past care." Why double-faced? "I mark each fortune's fare." This bridle, what? "Mind's rages to restrain." Tools why bear you? "I love to take great pain." Why wings? "I teach above the stars to fly." Why tread you death? "I only cannot die.""

"What sweet relief the showers to thirsty plants we see, What dear delight the blooms to bees, my true love is to me! As fresh and lusty Ver foul Winter doth exceed— As morning bright, with scarlet sky, doth pass the evening’s weed— As mellow pears above the crabs esteemèd be— So doth my love surmount them all, whom yet I hap to see!"

"A thousand doltish geese we might have spared, A thousand witless heads death might have found, A taken them for whom no man had cared, And laid them low in deep oblivious ground: But fortune favors fool, as old men say, And lets them live, and takes the wise away."

"Let some for honour hunt, and hoard the massy gold: With her so I may live and die, my weal cannot be told."

"O happy dames! that may embrace The fruit of your delight; Help to bewail the woful case, And eke the heavy plight Of me, that wonted to rejoice The fortune of my pleasant choice: Good ladies! help to fill my mourning voice."

"But by and by, the cause of my disease Gives me a pang, that inwardly doth sting, When that I think what grief it is again To live and lack the thing should rid my pain."

"When raging love with extreme pain Most cruelly distrains my heart; When that my tears, as floods of rain, Bear witness of my woful smart; When sighs have wasted so my breath That I lie at the point of death: I call to mind the navy great That the Greeks brought to Troyè town: And how the boisterous winds did beat Their ships, and rent their sails adown; Till Agamemnon's daughter's blood Appeased the gods that them withstood."

"Then think I thus: "Sith such repair, So long time war of valiant men, Was all to win a lady fair, Shall I not learn to suffer then? And think my life well spent to be, Serving a worthier wight than she?""

"I know she swore with raging mind, Her kingdom only set apart, There was no loss, by law of kind, That could have gone so near her heart; And this was chiefly all her pain: "She could not make the like again"."

"Wyatt resteth here, that quick could never rest: Whose heavenly gifts increased by disdain; And virtue sank the deeper in his breast: Such profit he by envy could obtain."

"London! hast thou accused me Of breach of laws? the root of strife! Within whose breast did boil to see, So fervent hot, thy dissolute life."

"Death is a port whereby we pass to joy, Life is a lake that drowneth all in payn."

"So cruel prison how could betide, alas, As proud Windsor? where I, in lust and joy, With a King's son, my childish years did pass, In greater feast than Priam's sons of Troy. Where each sweet place returns a taste full sour."

"With silver drops the mead yet spread for ruth, In active games of nimbleness and strength, Where we did strain, trained with swarms of youth, Our tender limbs that yet shot up in length. The secret groves, which oft we made resound Of pleasant plaint, and of our ladies' praise; Recording oft what grace each one had found, What hope of speed, what dread of long delays."

"Thus I alone, where all my freedom grew, In prison pine, with bondage and restraint: And with remembrance of the greater grief, To banish the less, I find my chief relief."

"Surrey, the Granville of a former age: Matchless his pen, victorious was his lance; Bold in the lists, and graceful in the dance."

"Surrey, for his justness of thought, correctness of style, and purity of expression, may justly be pronounced the first English classical poet."

"The soote season, that bud and bloom forth brings, With green hath clad the hill, and eke the vale: The nightingale with feathers new she sings; The turtle to her make hath told her tale; Summer is come, for every spray now springs."

"And thus I see among these pleasant things Each care decays, and yet my sorrow springs!"

"Love, that liveth and reigneth in my thought, That built his seat within my captive breast; Clad in the arms wherein with me he fought, Oft in my face he doth his banner rest."

"Brittle beauty, that Nature made so frail, Whereof the gift is small, and short the season; Flowering to-day, to-morrow apt to fail; Tickle treasure, abhorred of reason: Dangerous to deal with, vain, of none avail; Costly in keeping, past not worth two peason."

"Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt As well as I, may spend his time in vain! And graven with diamonds, in letters plain, There is written her fair neck round about: "Noli me tangere; for Cæsar’s I am, And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.""

"I cannot * * * say that Pan Passeth Apollo in music manyfold; Praisé Sir Thopas for a noble tale, And scorn the story that the Knighté told."

"When her loose gown from her shoulders did fall, And she me caught in her arms long and small, "Therewith all sweetly did me kiss And softly said: "Dear heart, how like you this?""

"They flee from me that sometime did me seek With naked foot, stalking in my chamber. I have seen them gentle, tame, and meek, That now are wild, and do not remember That sometime they have put themselves in danger To take bread at my hand; and now they range, Busily seeking with a continual change."

"Can ye say nay, But that you said That I alway Should be obeyed? And thus betrayed, Or that I wist! Farewell, unkist!"

"What should I say? Since Faith is dead, And Truth away From you is fled?"

"My lute, awake! perform the last Labour that thou and I shall waste, And end that I have now begun; For when this song is sung and past, My lute, be still, for I have done."

"Behold love, thy power how she despiseth: My great pain, how little she regardeth The holy oath, whereof she taketh no cure Broken she hath: and yet she bideth sure Right at her ease, and little she dreadeth."

"And wilt thou leave me thus? Say nay! say nay! for shame! To save thee from the blame Of all my grief and grame. And wilt thou leave me thus? Say nay! say nay!"

"Forget not yet the tried intent Of such a truth as I have meant; My great travail so gladly spent, Forget not yet!"

"Whoso list to hunt? I know where is an hind!"

"And I have leave to go, of her goodness; And she also to use new-fangleness."