The Author in this Passion taketh but occasion to open his estate in loue; the miserable accidentes whereof are sufficiently described hereafter in the copious varietie of his deuises: & whereas in this Sonnet he seemeth one while to despaire, and yet by & by after to haue some hope of good successe, the contrarietie ought not to offend, if the nature & true qualitie of a loue passion bee well conside­red. And where he mentioneth that once hee scor­ned loue, hee alludeth to a peece of worke, whiche he wrote long since, De Remedio Amoris, which he hath lately perfected, to the good likinge of many that haue seene and perused it, though not fully to his owne fancy, which causeth him as yet to kepe it backe from the printe.

In this passion the Author describeth in how pitious a case the hart of a louer is, being (as he fayneth heere) seperated from his owne body, & remoued into a darksome and solitarie wildernes of woes. The cōueyance of his inuention is plaine & plea­sant enough of it selfe, and therefore needeth the lesse annotation before it.

This passion is all framed in manner of a dialogue, wherein the Author talketh with his owne heart, beeing nowe through the commandement and force of loue separated from his bodie miracu­louslie, and against nature, to follow his mistres, in hope, by long attendance vpon her, to pur­chase in the end her loue and fauour, and by that meanes to make him [...]elfe all one with her owne hearte.

The chiefe grounde and matter of this Sonnet stan­deth vppon the rehearsall of such thinges as by reporte of the Poets, are dedicated vnto Venus, whereof the Authour sometime wrote these three Latine verses.

And Forcatulus the French Poet wrote vppon the same particulars, but more at large, he beginneth thus,

All this Passion (two verses only excepted) is whol­ly translated out of Petrarch, where he writeth,

Heerein certaine contrarieties, whiche are incident to him that loueth extrèemelye, are liuely expres­sed by a Metaphore. And it may be noted, that the Author in his first halfe verse of this translation va­rieth from that sense, which Chawcer vseth in tran­slating the selfe same: which he doth vpon no o­ther warrant then his owne simple priuate opini­on, which yet he will not greatly stand vpon.

This passion is a translation into latine of the selfe same sonnet of Petrarch which you red lastly allea­ged, and commeth somwhat neerer vnto the Ita­lian phrase thē the English doth. The Author whē he translated it, was not then minded euer to haue imboldned him selfe so farre, as to thrust in foote amongst our english Poets. But beinge busied in translating Petrarch his sonnets into latin new clo­thed this amōgst many others, which one day may perchance come to light: And because it befit­teth this place, he is content you suruey it here as a probable signe of his dayly sufferance in loue:

This pàssion of loue is liuely expressed by the Au­thour, in that he lauishlie praiseth the person and beautifull ornamentes of his loue, one after an other as they lie in order. He partly imitateth here in Aeneas Siluius, who setteth downe the like in de­scribing Lucretia the loue of Euryalus; & partly he followeth Ariosto cant. 7. where he describeth Al­ci [...]a: & partly borroweth from some others where they describe the famous Helen of Greece: you may therefore, if you please aptlie call this sonnet as a Scholler of good iudgement hath already Christe­ned it [...].

A laeon for espying Diana as shee bathed her naked, was transformed into a Hart, and sone after torne in pieces by his owne houndes, as Ouid describeth at large lib. 3. Metamorph. And Silius Italicus libr. 12. de bello Punic [...] glaunceth at it in this manner.

The Author alluding in al this Passion vnto the fault of Actaeon, and to the hurte, which hee susteined, setteth downe his owne amorous infelicitie; as Ouid did after his banishmente, when in an other sense hee applied this fiction vnto himselfe, being exiled (as it should seeme) for hauing at vnawares taken Caesar in some great fault: for thus hee wri­teth.

Clytia (as Perottus witnesseth) was a glorious Nimph, and thereof had her name: for [...] in greeke sig­nifieth glorie: and therfore she aspired to be the loue of Sol him selfe, who praeferring Leucothoe be­fore her, she was in short space ouergonne with suche extremitie of care, that by compassion of the Gods shee was transformed into a Marigolde; which is significantlie called Heliotropium, be­cause euen nowe after change of forme shee still obserueth the rising and going downe of hir belo­ued the sunne, as Ouid mentioneth,

And by this it maie easilie bee ghessed, whie in this passion the Authour compareth him selfe with the Marigold, and his loue vnto the Sunne.

The Authour hath made two or three other passi­ons vpon this matter that is heere conteined, al­luding to the losse of his sight and life since the time he first beheald her face, whose loue hath thus bewitched him. But heere hee mentioneth, the blindnesse of Tyresias to proceed of an other cause, then he doth in those his other Sonnettes, And heerein he leaneth not to the opinion of the greater sorte of Poets, but vnto some fewe, after whom Polytian hath written also, as followeth;

In this sonnet is couertly set forth, how pleasaunt a passiō the Author one day enioyed, whē by chance he ouerharde his mistris, whilst she was singinge priuately by her selfe: And sone after into howe sorrowfull a dumpe, or sounden extasie he fell, when vpon the first sight of him she abruptlie fini­shed her song and melodie.

The subiect of this passion is all one with that, which is next before it: but that the Authour somwhat more highly here extolleth his ladies excellencie, both for the singularitie of her voyce, & her won­derfull arte in vse & moderation of the same. But moreouer, in this sōnet, the Authour relateth how after the hearing of his mistris sing, his affection towardes her by that meanes was more vehemēt­ly kindled, then it had bin at any time before.

The Authour descanteth on forwarde vpon the late effect, which the song of his Mistres hath wrought in him, by augmenting the heate of his former loue. And in this passion after he hath set downe some miraculous good effectes of Musicke, hee falleth into question with him selfe, what should be the cause, why the sweete melodie of his Mi­stres shoulde so much hurte him, contrarie to the kinde and nature of musicall harmonie.

The Authour still pursuing his inuention vpon the song of his Mistres, in the last staffe of this sonnet he falleth into this fiction: that whilest he gree­delie laied open his eares to the hearing of his Ladies voice, as one more then halfe in a doubt, that Apollo him selfe had beene at hand, Loue e­spiyng a time of aduantage, transformed him selfe into the substance of aier, and so deceitfullie entered into him with his owne great goodwill and desire, and nowe by mayne force still hol­deth his possession.

Still hee followeth on with further deuise vppon the late Melodie of his Mistres: & in this sonnet doth namelie preferre her before Musicke her selfe, and all the three Graces; affirming, if either he, or els Apollo bee ordeined a iudge to giue sentence of their desertes on either side, that then his Ladie can not faile to beare both pricke and prize a­waie.

In this passion the Authour vpon the late sweete song of his Mistres, maketh her his birde; & ther­withall partlie describeth her worthines, & part­lie his owne estate. The one parte he sheweth, by the coulour of her feathers, by her statelie minde, and by that souereintie which she hath ouer him: the other, by description of his delight in her companie, and her strangenes, & drawing backe from a dewe acceptance of his seruice.

The Authour not yet hauing forgotten the songe of his mistres, maketh her in this passion a seconde Phoenix, though not of Arabia, and yet no lesse ac­ceptable to Apollo, then is that bird of Ara­bia. And the cheife causes why Sol shoulde fa­uour hir, he accounteth to be these two, hir ex­cellent beawtie, and hir skill in musike, of which two qualities Sol is well knowen to be an especiall cheife patrone, and sometimes the only author or giuer of the same.

This sonnet is perfectly patheticall, and consisteth in two principall pointes: wherof the first cōteyneth an accusatiō of Loue for his hurtfull effects & vsu­all tyrannie; the second part is a sudden recanta­tion or excuse of the Authors euill words, by cast­inge the same vpon the necke of his beloued, as being the onely cause of his late frenzy and blas­pheamous rage so lauishly powred forth in fowle speaches.

The Author in this passion reproueth the vsuall de­scription of loue, which olde Poetes haue so long time embraced: and proueth by probabilities, that he neither is a childe (as they say) nor blinde, nor winged like a birde, nor armed archer like with bowe & arrowes, neither frantike, nor wise, nor yet vncloathed, nor (to conclude) anie God at all. And yet whē he hath said al he can to this end, he cryeth out vpon the secret nature and qualitie of Loue, as being that, whereunto he can by no meanes attaine, although he haue spent a long & tedious course of time in his seruice.

In this passion the Authour being ioyfull for a kisse, which he had receiued of his Loue, compareth the same vnto that kisse, which sometime Venus be­stowed vpō Aesculapius, for hauing taken a Bram­ble out of her foote, which pricked her through the hidden spitefull deceyte of Diana, by whom it was laied in her way, as Strozza writeth. And hee enlargeth his inuention vppon the french prouer­biall speech, which importeth thus much in effect, that three things proceed from the mouth, which are to be had in high account, Breath, Speech, and Kissing; the first argueth a mans life; the second, his thought; the third and last, his loue.

In the first staffe of this passion the Authour imita­teth Petrarch, Sonetto 211.

And the very like sense hath Seraphine in one of his Strambotti, where he beginneth thus,

The substance of this passion is taken out of Sera­phine sonetto 127. which beginneth thus.

But the Author hath in this translation inuerted the order of some verses of Seraphine, and added the two last of himselfe to make the rest to seeme the more patheticall.

The Author in this passion wisheth he were in like estate and condition with the Loooking Glasse of his mistres; by that meanes the oftner to be made happie with her fauourable and faire aspect. And in the last staffe he alludeth somewhat to the inuē ­tion of Seraphine, where he vseth these wordes, in writing vpon the Glasse of his beloued.

Seraphine in his Strambotti hath many prettie inuen­tions concerning the Lookingglasse of his Mi­stres: wherhence many particulars of this passion are cunningly borrowed, part beeing out of one place, and part out of an other. And in the latter end is placed this fiction by the Authour, that Cu­pid shooting his arrowe from out the faire eies of his Mistres, did so wounde him with loue and de­sire, that nowe he is past all recure by any phisicke, and therefore is faine to vse the olde verse, ‘Hei mihi ꝙ nullis amor est medicabilis herbis.’

It is to be considered in reading this Passion, howe in some answeres, the accent or poynting of the wordes is altered, and therewithall howe the Authour walking in the woods, and bewayling his inward passion of Loue, is contraried by the replies of Echo: whose meaning yet is not so much to gainsay him, as to expresse her owne miserable estate in daily cōsuming away for the loue of her beloued Narcissus; whose vnkindnes Ouid describeth at large, Lib. 3. Meta­morph. together with the ex­treme loue of Echo.

Here the Author as a man ouertaken with some deepe melan­cholie, compareth him selfe vnto the Nightingale, and con­ferreth his vnhappie estate (for that by no meanes his Mi­stresse will pitie him) with her nightly complaints: to whose harmonie all those that giue attentiue eare, they conceiue more delight in the musicall varietie of her noates, then they take iust compassion vpon her distressed heauines.

In the first sixe verses of this Passion, the Author hath imitated perfectly sixe verses in an Ode of Ronsard, which beginneth thus:

And in the last staffe of this Passion also he commeth very neere to the sense, which Ronsard vseth in an other place, where he writeth to his Mistresse in this maner:

In this Passion the Authour doth very busilie imitate & ang­ment a certaine Ode of Ronsard, which hee writeth vnto his Mistres; he beginneth, as followeth,

The Authour in this Sonnet in a large maner setteth forth the surpassinge worthines of his Ladie, reporting her beawtie and forme to be so singuler, that neither Appelles can per­fectly drawe her portraicte; nor Praxiteles trewly frame her image and likenes in any kinde of mettall. And the like vnablenes he awardeth vnto Virgill and Homer the two Pa­ragons of Poetrye, if they should but once endeuour to praise her. And the like insufficiencie he sayeth would be found in Tullie him selfe, if he should endeuour to commend her. And thē finally he excuseth his owne bould hardines shewed in praysing her, vpon the forcible extremitie, which he abi­deth in Loue, and the earnest desire, which he hath to please.

In the first part of this Passion the Author prooueth, that hee abideth more vnrest and hurt for his beloued, then euer did Laeander for his Hero: of which two paramours the mutuall feruency in Loue is most excellently set foorth by Musaeus the Greeke Poet. In the second part he compareth himselfe with Pyramus, and Haemon king Creons Sonne of Thebes, which were both so true hearted louers, that through Loue they suffered vntimely death, as Ouid. metam. lib. 4. writeth at large of the one, And the Greeke Tragedian Sophocles in Antig. of the other. In the last, in making comparison of his paynes in Loue to the paines of Orpheus descendinge to hell for his Eurydice, he alludeth to those two verses in Strozza,

There needeth no annotation at all before this Passion, it is of it selfe so plaine, and easilye conuayed. Yet the vnlearned may haue this helpe geuen them by the way to know what Galaxia is, or Pactolus, which perchaunce they haue not read off often in our vulgar Rimes. Galaxia (to omit both the E­timologie and what the Philosophers doe write thereof) is a white way or milky Circle in the heauens, Metamorph. lib. 1. which Ouid men­tioneth in this manner.

And Cicero thus in somnio Scipionis; Erat autem is splendidissimo can­dore inter flammas circulus elucens, quem vos (vt a Graijs accepistis) orbem lacteum nuncupatis. Pactolus is a riuer in Lidia, which hath golden sandes vnder it, as Tibullus witnesseth in this verse,

Here the Author by fayning a troublesome dreame, expres­seth a full Passion of Loue. And how soeuer some wil conster of this kinde of Inuention, it is euident, that the like hath bin vsuall amongst those that haue excelled in the sweetest vaine of Poetrie. And (to let the rest goe,) it may please him that is curious to finde some president hereof, to visite but the workes of Hercules Strozza, Eroticon. lib. 2. who in his Somnium hath writtē so exquisitely, that the Dreame will quite his trauaile [...] that shall peruse it with due attention.

In this Sonnet the Authour is of opinion, that his Mistres (by the fatall appoyntement of destinie) was from the begin­ning reserued to liue in these times, and to bee the onely gouernesse & subiect of his thoughtes: whereas: if either she had bene borne, when Paris was to giue sentence vpon Ida for bestowing the Golden Apple; she had (as he suppo­seth) bene preferred before Iuno, Pallas and Venus, & more­ouer supplied that place in the loue of kinge Priams sonne, whiche Helen of Greece obteined: or if shee had then liued when Bacchus tooke Ariadne to wife, she had bene conuayed in her steede, vnto that place in heau'n, where nowe the Crowne of Ariadne called Cuius ot [...]u [...] & occasū me morat Plimus nat. hist. lib [...]. c. 28. &c. 31. Corond Gnosia doth shine conti­nuallie, beinge beautified with greate varietie of lightsome starres.

The Author in this Sonnet very highly commendeth the most rare excellencies of his mistres, auouching her to haue no equall. And he imitateth the second Sonnet, Nelle rime di messer Agnolo Fiorenzuola the Florentine, whose beginning is all one with that heere; and this it is:

In this Passion the Authour, as being blinded with Loue, first compareth himselfe with Tiresias the old Soothsayer of The­bes, whome Iuno depriued of sight; but loue rewarded him with the spirit of prophecy. Then he alludeth vnto Actaon: And lastly he sheweth why he is in worse case, then those, which by vewing Medusaes heade were turned into stoanes, leesing both life and light at once; and so concludeth, that olde accursed Oedipus of all other best befitteth him for a companion.

Here the Author misliketh of his wearisome estate in loue, for that he neither obtaineth any fauour at the handes of his Mistres for his good thought or speach, nor by his louinge lookes, or presents, nor by his humilitie in writing, or long sufferance in seruitude. And herehence he blameth her o­uerhardnes of heart, and the froward constellation of his owne natiuitie: and therewithall abandoning all further desire of life, hath in request vntimely death, as the only end of his infelicitie.

The Author in this passion doth by manner of secret compa­rison preferre his beloued before all other women whatsoe­uer: and persuadeth vpon the examples of all sortes of Goddes (whom loue hath ouertaken at one time or other) that the worthines of his Mistres being well considered, his owne fondnes in loue must of force be in it selfe excusable.

In the firste staffe of this Passion the Authour expresseth howe fondly his friendes ouer trouble him, by questioninge with him touching his loue, or accidents thereof. In the two last verses of the second staffe he imitateth those verses of So­phocles:

which may be thus Englished, In Trachi­nijs.

And in the last, he setteth downe his mind fully bent to per­sist constantly in the loue & seruice of his Ladie: like to that, which Stephanus Forcatulus (an excellent Ciuilian, and one of the best Poetes of Fraunce for these many yeares) wrote vn­to his beloued Clytia:

The second part of this Passion is borrowed from out the fifte Sonnet in Petrarch part. 1. whose wordes are those,

The sense contained in this Sonnet will seeme strange to such as neuer haue acquainted themselues with Loue and his Lawes, because of the contrarieties mentioned therein. But to such, as Loue at any time hath had vnder his banner, all and euery part of it will appeare to be a familier trueth. It is almost word for word taken out of Petrarch, (where hee be­ginneth, Parte prima Sonet. 105.

All, except three verses, which this Authour hath necessari­ly added, for perfecting the number, which hee hath deter­mined to vse in euery one of these his Passions.

This Passion is framed vpon a somewhat tedious or too much affected continuation of that figure in Rhethorique, whiche of the Grekes is called [...] or [...], of the La­tines Reduplicatio: whereof Susenbrotus (if I well remember me) alleadgeth this example out of Virgill,

In this Passiō the Authour vnder colour of telling his dreame doth very cunningly and liuely praise his Mistres, so farre forth, as not onely to prefer her before Helen of Greece for excellencie of beautie, but also before howe many soeuer are nowe liuing in this our age. The dreame of it selfe is so plainely & effectually set downe (albeit in fewe wordes) that it neede no further annotation to explaine it.

The sense or matter of this Passion is taken out of Seraphine in his Strambotti, who writeth thus,

In this Passion the Authour misliketh one while his estate, & by and by after liketh of the same againe, vppon hoape and likelyhoode of amendment, & throughout the whole Son­net hee fayneth his Mistres to bee a Second Sunne: and by ex­pressinge his priuate infelicitie, in either alwayes meltinge away with Loue, or growinge stiffe throughe Death approa­chinge neere him by reason of dayly cares; hee maketh allu­sion vnto the diuerse effectes of the Sunne, whiche maketh the clay much harder, and the wax softer, then it was before.

The Authour vseth in this Passion the like sense to that which he had in the last before it, calling his Mistres a Second Sunne vpon earth, wherewith Heauen it selfe is become in Loue: But when he compiled this Sonnet, he thought not to haue placed it amongst these his English toyes.

Here the Author bewaileth the extremitie of his estate gro­winge dayly to be more troublesome then before, and all through the hard hart of his beloued: whome he therefore aptly compareth vnto a stony rocke, which nothinge can moue or waste awaye but longe continuance of time. And hereuppon, after hauing longe striued with himselfe and his passions, hee is quyetly resolued to haue patience, & so long to perseuer in the still hoping minde of a trewe louer, till by long continuance of time Loue be induced to stande his friend.

This Passion conteineth a relation through out from line to line; as, from euery line of the first staffe as it standeth in order, vnto euery line of the second staffe: and from the se­cond staffe vnto the third. The oftener it is read of him that is no great clarke, the more pleasure he shall haue in it. And this posie a scholler set down ouer this Sonnet, when he had well considered of it: Tam casu, quàm arte & industria. The two first lines are an imitation of Seraphine, Sonnetto 103.

This Passion conteineth two principal pointes. In the first are placed two similitudes; in both which the Authour expres­seth his own wilfulnes in loue. In the second, he compareth the beautifull eyes of his Mistresse vnto the eyes of the Ba­silique, which killeth a man with his onely sight being a farre of: whereof Lucan lib. 9. saith thus,

And Mantuan in like manner,

The Author in this Song bewrayeth his dayly Passions in loue to be so troublesome, that to auoide the flames thereof, hee gladly & faine would yeelde himselfe to die, were it not that he feareth a further inconuenience would then arise. For he doubteth least those flames, wherein his soule continuallye burneth, shall make Charon afraide to graunt him passage o­uer the Lake of Stix, by reason, his old withered boat is apt to take fire.

In this Passion is effectually set downe, in how straunge a case he liueth that is in loue, and in how contrary an estate to all other men, which are at defiaunce with the like follye. And this the Authour expresseth here in his owne person: there­withall calling vpon Loue, to stand his frend; or, if he faile, vpon death, to cut of his wearysome life.

Tityus was the sonne of Iupiter, and for attempting to dishonest Latona, was slaine by Apollo. Since which time the Poetes faine that for punishment he lieth in hell, miserably tormen­ted with a rauening Vulture, which feedeth vpon his bowels continuallie: and they as they are consumed, still miracu­lously growe vp againe, to breede his endlesse miserie, as the Poet witnesseth, Claud. in Gi­gantomachia.

The Authour compareth his passions with the paines of this Tityus, and imitateth Seneca writing to the like effect,

Here the Authour after some dolorous discourse of his vnhap­pines, and rehearsall of some particular hurtes which he su­steineth in the pursute of his loue: first questioneth with his Lady of his deserte; and then, as hauinge made a sufficiente proofe of his innocency, perswadeth her to pitie him, whom she herselfe hath hurte. Moreouer it is to be noted, that the first letters of all the verses in this Passion being ioyned to­gether as they stand, do conteine this posie agreeable to his meaning, Amor me pungit & vrit.

The two first partes of this Sonnet, are an imitation of certaine Greeke verses of Theocritus; which verses as they are transla­ted by many good Poets of later dayes, so moste aptlye and plainely by C. Vrcinus Velius in his Epigrammes; hee begin­neth thus,

In this Passion the Authour boasteth, howe sound a pleasure he lately enioyed in the companie of his Beloued, by pleasing effectually all his fiue senses exterior, and that through the onely benefite of her friendly presence, and extraordinarie fauour towards him. And in many choyse particulars of this Sonnet, he imitateth here and there a verse of Ronsardes, in a certaine Elegie to Ianet peintre du Roy: which beginneth thus,

The whole inuention of all this Passion is deducted out of Se­raphine, Sonnet 63. whose verses if you reade, you will iudge this Authors imitatiō the more praise worthy; these they are

The first Staffe of this Passion is much like vnto that inuention of Seraphu [...]e in his Strambotti, where he saith,

The second Staffe somewhat imitateth an other of his Stram­botti in the same leafe; it beginneth thus,

The Authour in the laste Staffe, returneth to entreate Death a new, to ende his dayes, as being halfe perswaded that Loue would restore vnto him his hart againe.

Here the Authour cheerefully comforting himselfe, rebuketh all those his frendes, or others whatsoeuer, which pitie his estate in Loue: and groundeth his inuention, for the moste part, vpon the old Latine Prouerbe, Consuetudo est altera natu­ra. Which Prouerbe hee confirmeth by two examples; the one, of him, that being borne farre North seldome ketcheth colde; the other of the Negro, which beinge borne vnder a hote climate, is neuer smoothered with ouermuch heate.

Aetna, called in times past Inesia, as Volaterranus witnesseth, is a hollow hill in Sicilia, whose toppe burneth continual­lie, the fire being maintained with a vaine of brimstone, and other such like Mineralles, which are within the said Moun­taine. Which notwithstanding, the bottome of the hill is verie pleasant, as well for the aboundance of sweete fruites and flowers, as for the number of freshe springes and foun­taines. The Poetes faine, that when Iuppiter had with his thunderboltes beaten downe the Gyantes of the earth, which rebelled against heauen, he did forthwith couer and oppresse them all with the weight of this hill Aetna. These thinges being well considered, together with the verse of Horace;

It may easily appeare, why the Author in this passion compa­reth his heart vnto the hill.

The Author in this passion accuseth his owne eyes, as the principall or onelie cause of his amorous infeli [...]itie: wl er in his hearte is so oppressed continuallie with euils, which are contrarie in them selues, that reason can beare no swaye in the cause. Therefore in the ende, he instantlie entreatet [...] his Ladie of her speedie fauoure and goodwill, alleaginge what hurte may growe through her longer delaye.

The Authour groundeth this Passion vpon three poyntes. In the first, he sheweth howe he witting and wilfully followeth his owne hurt, with such like words as Medea sometime v­sed,

In the second, he excuseth his fault vpon the maine force and tyrannie of Loue, being the onely gouernour of his wil. And lastly, he humbly entreateth his Lady for the restitu­tion of his wonted libertie: desiring her not to exact more of him, then his abilitie of bodie or mind can well susteine, according to the olde verse,

The inuention of this Passion is borrowed, for the most parte from Seraphine Son. 125. Which beginneth,

That the vulgar sorte may the better vnderstand this Passiō, I will briefly touch those, whom the Author nameth herein, being al camned soules (as the Poets faine) & destinate vnto sundrie punishmentes. Tantalus hauing his lippes still at the brinke of the riuer Eridanus, yet dieth for thirst. Ixion is ti­ed vnto a wheele; which turneth incessantly. A vulture fee­ [...]eth vpon the bowels of Tityus, which growe vp againe e­uer as they are deuoured. Sisyphus rowleth a great rounde stoane vp a steepe hill, which being once at the top presēt­ly falleth downe amaine. Belides are fifty sisters, whose con­tinuall taske is, to fill a bottomlesse tub full of water, by la­ding in their pitchers full at once.

Loue hath two arrowes, as Cōradus Celtis witnesseth in these two verses:

The one is made of leade, the other of golde, and either of them different in quality from the other. The Authour ther­fore faineth in this Passion, that when Cupid had strokē him with that of lead, soone after pittying his painefull estate, he thought good to strike his beloued with the other. But her brest was so hard, that the shaft rebounding backe againe, wounded Lone him selfe at vnawares. Wherehence fell out these three inconueniences; first, that Loue himselfe be­came her thrall, whome hee shoulde haue conquered; then, that she became proud, where she should haue been friēdly. and lastly, that the Authour by this meanes despaireth to haue any recure of his vnquiet life, & therefore desireth a spee die death, as alluding to those sētētious verses of Sophocles Electra.,

which may be thus Englished paraphrastically.

This Passion is of like frame and fashion with that, which was before vnder the number of XLI. whetherto I referre the Reader. But touching the sense or substance of this Passion, it is euident, that herein the Authour, by layinge open the long continued grieuesomnes of his misery in Loue, seeketh to moue his Mistres to some compassion.

In the first and second part of this passion, the Author pro­ueth by examples, or rather by manner of argument, A ma­iori ad minus, that he may with good reason yeeld him selfe to the imperie of Loue, whome the gods them selues obey; as Iuppiter in heauen, Neptune in the seas, and Pluto in hell. In the last staffe he imitateth certaine Italian verses of M.

This Latine passion is borrowed from Petrarch Sonett [...] 133. which beginneth.

And this Author presumeth, vpon the paines he hath taken, in faithfully translating it, to place it amongst these his owne passions, for a signe of his greate sufferance in loue.

A man singuler for his learning, and magistrate of no small ac­coumpt, vpon slight suruey of this booke of passions, eyther for the liking he had to the Author, or for his owne priuate pleasure, or for some good he conceyued of the worke, voutchsafed with his own hand to set down certaine posies concerning the same: Amongst which, this was one, Loue hath no leaden heeles. Whereat the Author glaunceth throughout al this Sonnet; which he purposely compyled at the presse, in remembrance of his worshipfull frend, and in honour of his golden posie.

The Author hath wrought this passion out of certaine verses of Stephanus Forcatulus, which are these,

And whereas the Author in the end of this passion, alludeth to the woundes of Telephus, he is to be vnderstoode of that Telephus, the Sonne of Hercules, of whose wounde, being made and healed by Achilles onely, Ouid writeth thus.

Suidas mentioneth an other Telephus, an excellent Grāmarian of Pergamus.

In the first staffe of this Passion, The Authour as one more then halfe drowping with despaire, sorowfully recounteth some particular causes of his vnhappinesse in Loue. In the residue, he entreateth a better aspecte of the Planets, to the end, that either his life may bee inclined to a more happie course, or his death be hastned, to end all his misery at once.

In this passion the Authour some what a farre off imitateth an Ode in Gervasius Sepinus written to Cupid, where hee begin­neth thus:

The Authour writeth this Sonnet vnto his very friend, in ex­cuse of his late change of study, manners, and delights, all happening through the default of Loue. And here by exam­ples he proueth vnto him, (calling him by the name of Ti­tus, as if him selfe were Gysippus) that Loue not onely wor­keth alteration in the mindes of men, but also in the very Gods them selues; and that so farre forth, as first to drawe them from their Celestiall seates and functions, and then to ensnare them with the vnseemely desire of mortall crea­tures, a Passion ill befitting the maiesty of their Godheads.

In this Sonnet The Authour seemeth to specifie, that his Belo­ued maketh her aboade in this our beautifull and faire Citty of London, situate vpon the side of the Themse, called in la­tine Thamesis. And therefore, whilst he faineth, that Thame­sis is honourably to be conueyed hence by all the Gods, to­wardes the Palace of old Nereus, he seemeth to growe into some iealosie of his mistres, whose beautie if it were as well known to thē, as it is to him, it would (as he saith) both de­serue more to be honoured by thē, and please Tryton much better, then Thamesis, although she be the fairest daughter of old Oceanus.

Here the Author, by faining a quarrell betwixt Loue and his Heart, vnder a shadow expresseth the tyrannie of the one, & the miserie of the other: to sturre vp a just hatred of the ones iniustice, and cause due compassion of the others vn­happines. But as he accuseth Loue for his readines to hurt, where he may; so he not excuseth his Heart, for desiring a faire imprisonment, when he neded not: thereby specifying in Loue a wilfull malice, in his Heart a heedlesse follie.

The Author in this passion, vpō a reason secret vnto him selfe, extolleth his Mistres vnder the name of a Spring. First he preferreth the same before the sacred fount of Diana, which (as Ouid witnesseth 3. Metam:) was in the valley Gargaphie, adioyning to Thaebes: then, before Tagus the famous riuer in Spaine, whose sandes are intermixt with stoare of gold, as may be gathered by those two verses in Martiall lib. 8.

And lastly, before Hippocrene, a fountaine of Boeotia, now called the well of the Muses, & fained by the Poëts, to haue had his source or beginning from the heele of Pegasus the winged horse.

In this passion the Authour boroweth from certaine Latine verses of his owne, made long agoe vpon the loue abuses of Iuppiter in a certaine peece of worke written in the com­mendation of women kinde; which he hath not yet wholie perfected to the print. Some of the verses may be thus ci­ted to the explaining of this passion, although but lamelie.

In this Sonnet the Author being, as it were, in halfe a mad­ding moode, falleth at variance with Loue himselfe, & blas­phemeth his godheade, as one that can make a greater wounde, then afterwardes he him selfe can recure. And the chiefe cause that he setteth downe, why he is no longer to hope for helpe at Loues hande, is this, because he him selfe could not remedie the hurt which he susteyned by the loue of faire Psyches. Vide Apul.

The chiefe contentes of this Passion are taken out of Seraphine Sonnet, 132.

But this Authour inuerteth the order, which Seraphine vseth, some times for his rimes sake, but for the most part, vp on some other more allowable consideration.

This Passion concerneth the lowring of his Mistres and here­in for the most part the Authour imitateth Agnola firenzuola; who vpon the like subiect, writeth as followeth,

The Auhour in this Passion seemeth vppon mislike of his wea­risome estate in loue to enter into a deepe discourse with him selfe touching the particular miseries which befall him that loueth. And for his sense in this place, hee is very like vnto him selfe, where in a Theame diducted out of the bow­elles of Antigone in Sophocles (which he lately translated into Latine, and published in print) he writeth in very like man­ner as followeth.

In this Sonnet the Author hath imittaed one of Rionsardes [...] Odes; which beginneth thus.

The Authour in this Sonnet expresseth his mallice towardes Venus and her Sonne Cupid, by currying fauour with Diana, and by suing to haue the selfe same office in her walkes and forrest, which sometimes her chast and best beloued Hippo­kins enioyed. Which Hippolitus (as Seruius witnesseth) dyed by the false deceipt of his Stepmother Phaedra, for not yeel­ding ouer himselfe vnto her incestuous loue: whereuppon Sen [...]ca writeth thus,

The cheifest substance of this Sonnet is borrowed out of cer­teine Latin verses of Strozza a noble man of Italy, and one of the best Poëts in all his age: who in describing Metapho­rically to his friend Antonius the true forme of his amorous estate, writeth thus:

The sense of this Sonnet is for the most part taken out of a let­ter, which Aeneas Syluius wrote vnto his friend, to persuade him, that albeit he lately had published the wanton loue of Lucretia and Euryalus, yet hee liked nothing lesse then such fond Loue; and that he nowe repented him of his owne la­bour ouer idlely bestowed in describing the same.

The Authour in the firste staffe of this Sonnet, expresseth how Loue first went beyond him, by persuading him that all was golde which glistered. In the second, hee telleth, how time broughte hym to trueth, and Trueth to Reason: by whose good counsell he found the way from worse to better, & did ouergoe the malice of blinde Fortune. In the third staffe, he craueth pardon at euery man for the offences of his youth; and to Loue, the onely cause of his long errour, hee geueth his vltimum [...]ale.

This whole Sonnet is nothing els but a briefe and pithy mo­rall, and made after the selfe same vaine with that, which is last before it. The two first staffes, (excepting onely the two first verses of all) expresse the Authours alteration of minde & life, and his change from his late vaine estate and follies in loue, by a metaphore of the shipmā, which by shipwrakes chaunce is happely restoared on a sodeine vnto that land, which he a long time had most wished for.

The two first staffes of this Sonnet are altogether sententiall, and euerie one verse of them is grownded vpon a diuerse reason and authoritie from the rest. I haue thought good for breuitie sake, onelie to set downe here the authorities, with figures, whereby to applie euerie one of them to his due lyne in order as they stand. 1. Hieronimus: In delicijs difficile est seruare castitatem. 2 Ausonius: dispulit inconsultus amor &c. 3. Seneca: Amor est ociosae causa sollicitudinis. 4. Proper­tius: Errat, qui finem vesani quaerit amoris. 5. Horatius: Semper ardentes acuēs sagittas. 6. Xenophon scribit amorem esse igne, & flamma flagrantiorem, quòd ignis vrat tangentes, et proxima tantū cremet, amor ex longinquo spectante torreat. 7. Calenti: Plurima Zelotipo sunt in amore mala. 8. Ouidius: Inferet arma tibi saeua re­bellis amor. 9. Pontanus: Si vacuum sineret perfidiosus amor. 10. Marullus: Quid tantum lachrimis meis proterue Insultas puer? 11. Tibullus: At lasciuus amor rixae mala verba ministrat. 12. Virgi­lius: Bellum saepe petit ferus exitiale Cupido.

In this Latine passion, the Authour translateth, as it were, pa­raphrastically the Sonnet of Petrarch, which beginneth thus.

But to make it serue his owne turne, he varieth from Petrarches wordes, where he declareth, howe manie yeares he liued in loue, as well before, as since the death of his beloued Lawra. Vnder which name also the Authour, in this Sonnet, speci­fieth her, whom he lately loued.

In the latter part of this Sonnet the Authour imitateth those verses of Horace. Me tabula saeer

Whom also that renowned Florentine M. Agnolo Firenz [...]ola did imitate long agoe, both in like manner and matter, as followeth.

Here the Author by comparing the tyrannous delightes and deedes of blinde Cupid with the honest delightes & deedes or other his fellow Goddestes and Gods, doth blesle the time and howre that euer he forsooke to follow him; whom he confesseth to haue bene greate & forcible in his doings, though but litle of stature, and in apparence weakelie. Of all the names here mentioned, Hebe is seldomest redde, wher­fore know they which know it not alreadie, that Hebe (as Seruius writeth) is Iunoes daughter, hauing no father, & now wife to Hercules, and Goddesse of youth, and youthlie spor­ting: and was cupbearer to Ioue, till she fell in the presence of all the Goddes, so vnhappelie, that they sawe her priui­ties, whereupon Ioue being angry, substituted Ganimedes into her office and place.

In the first and sixt line of this Passion the Authour alludeth to two sentencious verses in Sophocles; whereof the first is,

The second, In Trachini­i [...].

In the other two staffes following, the Authour pursueth on his matter, beginning and ending euery line with the selfe same sillable he vsed in the first: wherein hee imitateth some Italian Poets, who more to trie their witts, hen for any other conceite, haue written after the like manner.

In this Passion tho Authour hath but augmented the inuenti­on of Seraphine, where he writeth in this manner.

A Labyrinth is a place made full of turnings & creekes, where­hence, he that is once gotten in, can hardly get out againe. Of this sorte Lib 36. ca 13 Pliny mentioneth foure in the world, which were most noble. One in Crete made by Daedalus, at the com­maundement of king Minos, to shut vp the Minotaure in: to which monster the Atheniens by league were bound, eue­ry yeere to send seuen of their children, to bee deuoured; which was perfourmed, till at the last, by the helpe of Ari­adne, Theseus slewe the monster. An other he mentioneth to haue beene in Aegipt, which also Pomponius Mela describeth in his first booke. The third in Lemnos, wherein were erected a hūdreth & fifty pillers of singuler workmāship. The fourth in Italy, builded by Porsenna king of He [...]ruria, to serue for his sepulchre. But in this Passion the Authour alludeth vnto that of Crete only.

In this Passion, the Authour in skoffing bitterly at Venus, and her sonne Cupid, alludeth vnto certaine verses in Ouid, but in­uerteth them to an other sense, then Ouid vsed, who wrote them vpon the death of Tibullus. These are the verses, which he imitateth,

The Authour in this passion alludeth to the fable of Phineus, which is sette downe at large in the Argonauticks of Apollo­nius, and Valerius Flaccus. He compareth him selfe vnto Phi­neus; his Mistres vnto the Harpyes; and his thoughtes vnto Zethes, and his desires vnto Calais, the two twinnes of Boreas; and the voyce of Ne plus vltra spoaken from Heauen to Calais and Zethes, vnto the Diuine grace, which willed him to follow no further the miseries of a Louers estate, but to pro­fesse vnfainedlie, that his Loue is past. And, last of all, the Author concludeth against the sower sawce of Loue with the French prouerbe: Pour vn plaisir mille douleurs.

The Author is this passion, telling what Loue is, easeth his heart, as it were, by rayling out right, where he can worke no other manner of reuenge. The inuention hereof, for the most part of the particulars conteyned, is taken out of cer­teine Latine verses, which this Authour composed vpon Quid Amor. Which because they may well importe a passi­on on of the writer, and aptly befitte the present title of his o­uerpas [...]ed Loue, he setteth them downe in this next page fol­lowing, but not as accomptable for one of the hundreth passions of this booke.

This passion is an imitation of the first Sonnet in Seraphine, & grownded vpon that which Aristotle writeth Lib. 9. Hist. animal. of the Aegle, for the proofe she maketh of her birdes, by setting them to behold the Sonne. After whom Pliny hath written, as fo­loweth:

Aquila implumes etiamnum pullos suos percutiens, Subinde cogit aduer­sos intueri Solis radios: et si conniuentem humectantem (que) animaduer­tit, Nat Hist lib. to cap. 1. praecipitat e nido, velut adul [...]erinum at (que) degenerem: illum, cuiu [...] acies firma contra steterit, e [...]ucat.

The Authour faineth here, that Loue, essaying with his brand, to fire the heart of some such Lady, on whome it would not worke, immediately, to trie whether the old vertue of it were extinguished or no, applied it vnto his owne brest, and ther­by foolishlie consumed him selfe. His inuention hath some relation vnto the Epitaph of Loue, written by M. Girolimo Parabosco;