A web-based edition of early seventeenth-century political poetry from manuscript sources. It brings into the public domain over 350 poems, many of which have never before been published.
Nv6 The day was turnd to starrelight, & was runne
Notes. This poem was clearly written on the assumption that the Spanish Match would be completed during Prince Charles and Buckingham’s visit to the Spanish Court (February-October 1623), and may well have gained wider currency had this in fact occurred.
“On the Princes goeinge to Spayne”
The day was turnd to starrelight, & was runne
Where Neptune1 sate at supper with the sunne.
Queene Thetis2 askd him of the newes that day,
And busines of the world. Should I bewray
Said hee (and smild) fayre Lady what I spy
5I oft might use a nett. Venus3 satt by
And blushinge thought of Mars.4 with that one knockt
Aloud at Neptunes gate which shakd & rockd
His castle made with shells. Nereus5 brought word
Clad in a sea calfes mantle to his Lord.
10Without there stood a legate come from Spayne
To crave safe conduct ore his marble playne
Tis true said Sol,6 for I at noone before,
Observd the navy ready at the shore:
And as I past Parnassus hill,7 amonge
15The nine,8 sate Hymen9 with a marriage songe.
For whom I askd and sent him there my Lute,
And Mercury10 lett Euterpe11 have his flute.
Then Neptune seald his graunt to him, & swore
Himselfe would bring her to the brittish shore.12
20The Sunn that best can judge of beauty, said
Shee was a second to his lawrell mayd.13
Hee praisd her birth & royall parentage,
How faire, how lovely, wise above her age.
And at her birth, said Venus, Jove14 and I
25Ore Mars and Saturne15 had the victory.16
Neptune extolls the princely match: sure hee
That springes from these must bee some deity
Then Sol recountinge said that hee would bee
Ascendent Lord at her nativity.
30The Moone was sportinge with the starres above
Whilst Sol & Neptune thus discoursd with Jove.
The night and banquett was farre spent in talke
And Phœbus17 said t’was time for him to walke
Then came Auror’18 & blushinge told the clocke
35Shee was ore clad in scarlett & a Cocke
Stood by her side as herald of the day,
Chasinge the starres unto their watry bay.
Then Phœbus halfe out of the sea was seene
And tooke his leave of Neptune & the Queene.
40Nights twinc’linge eyes ’gan blind, while his bright torch
Shin’d to the world from out the Indian porch.
Neptune then calld to Triton19 for his coach
And bid him sound his trumpett, and to broach
His comminge towards Spayne; His robe was blew
45Spun by a Syren20 richly to the view.
Trimmd all with gemms, which Thetis fore had choosd
Out of the Indy shore, where oft shee usd
To play amonge the Nymphs: sixe broad find payre
Of yoked dolphins drew his watry chaire.
50Such was his pompe: and as hee rode alonge
The fish him homage did: the scaly thronge
Swam by his chariott, like an harnest hoast
Till shee arrivd uppon the Lysbon coast.21
Hymen was there in consort with the nine
55Both Jove & Bacchus22 there did come to dine
Hymen hee bare the base & lowd did gape,
The golden starre, & fayre Io’s rape.23
Neptune then left his coach in Proteus24 hand
And for to grace the princesse came on land.
60The sea Nymphs meete her, & about her skipp
Whilst all the nobles lead her to the shipp.
Noe Nymph soe fayre as this! both Doris gazd
And Nois25 at her beauty stood amazd.
The flatnose Satyres26 from the wood that spyed
65Her lipps of Currall27 fell in love & dyed.
Her shipp was chard with thunder: and each sayle
Wrought full of storyes, flourisht with a gale
Of wind, which Jove bespake, who chasd from heaven
The weeping clusters of the Sisters seaven.28
70The Kidds darest not bee seene, the windy starrs
Now durst not breath! Arcturus29 oft at warres
With marriners was still. The twins30 had charge
(Oh happy couple) to attend their barge.
The’Hesperian31 Lords then tooke their leaves, & shee
75At Spayne still lookinge wondred much to see
The shores to fly away: then oft shee thinks
Of golden Tagus,32 and his yellow brinks.
There was she wont to bath; there stood a grove
Where oft her with Diana33 shee usd to rome.
80Thus thinkinge wept, & Hymen wip’t her eyes,
O save those pearlee dropps (quoth hee) and prize
Each teare before a gemme. Then straight hee tooke
Apolloes lute: and each Muse sange by booke.
And charm’d all care. Hymen did nere soe move
85His learned quill, since Juno34 marryed Jove.
The sea nymphs had theyr Consorts & for bells
About theyr Timbrells35 range a peale of shells.
Each had her fish shee road on: some bestride
The brideled Conger, some on Sturgeons ride.
90Triton hee spurrd a dolphin richly trapt
And had about his wreathed trumpett wrapt
A scarfe wherein both Jason36 and his shippes
Yet liv’d in needle worke. Then to his lippes
Hee putt his shell, and made the Ocean roare
95And blew the fame unto the Brittish shore.
Proteus rode on a Crab, whose oares were clawes
Moving in order kept the shippemens lawes.
The Lady saw him turnd into a Stag
Now like a dragon, then anon a Nagg.
100Foorthwith a Bull, and quicly with a wish,
A princely sturgeon, or a lesser fish.
Neptune did turne his coach wher hee was sate
And askd how hee did like the Sea: with that
Hee reach’d, and kissd her twice, & road along
105Praysing the art of Navigation.
Not far of stood a fleet of Pyratts, who
Sayld to this prize, as swift as shaft from bowe:
Then Neptune calld two monsters from the deepe
Two bellowing whales which were beneath a sleepe,
110As low as hell; and bids them straight deliver
Those slaves to Charon at the Stygian river.37
And thus in pompe th’arriv’d in Brittaines land
Where Prince and Nobles stood upon the sand.
The King38 thankd Neptune for his princely Care
115Who answerd hee nere had a pledge soe rare
Committed to his slippery trust. The Nymphes
Then tooke their leaves, & still desyrde a glympes
Of her fayre eyes, and gave her guifts each one,
This gave a shell, and shee a ruby stone.
120One gave a combe, another gave a ring,
And Neptune gave his Charriott to the king.
Take heere sayd hee the Ocean crowne & bee
Next under mee the monarch of the sea.
Then came the land nymphs with a rurall ditty
125And singing brought him to the royall cittie
The auncient river39 with his frizled heyre
Striving with Christall from his Amber chayr
Where hee with Isis40 sate, rose when hee heard
The Princesse was at hand & brushd his beard
130Which age had spun to silver, and putt on
His azure mantle, stiffe with pearle and stone.
Soe was my country Tagus clad said shee
When at his banks hee tooke his leave of mee.
With that the reverend Genius of the towne,41
135Came forth to meet her in his purple gowne.
Hee gave her jewells in a cupp of gold
Whereon were graven storyes done of old
And in his hand hee had a booke which shew’d
The birth starres of the citty which Brutus42 plowed
140The furrowes of the wall: on every page
A Kinge was drawne, his Fortune, & his age.
But shee likes best & lov’d to see againe
The british Prince43 that should now match with Spayne
Thus entred shee the court where every one
145To entertayne her made provision.
Nois had angled all the night & tooke
The troute, & gudgeon with her silver hooke.
The graces44 all were busy on the downes
Gatheringe of salletts & in wreathinge crownes.
150The wood Nymphs ranne about & while twas darke
With light & lowbell45 caught the amazed larke
One with some hayre pluckt from a Centaurs tayle
Made springes to catch the woodcocke in the dale.
One spreade the nett the cony to ensnare
155Another with the hounds pursued the hare.
Diana early with her beugle cleere
Armd with her quiver shott the fallow deere.
The stately stagge hott with the fatall shaft
Shedd teares in fallinge whiles the hunter laughd.
160All sent their games to Hymen with a præsent
The buck, the partridge, and the painted pheasant.
And Jove to grace his feast of Hymens joy
Sent thither Nectar by the Trojan boy.46
The graces & the Dryades47 were there
165The Queene of Fayries with her golden hayre
The mountaines, Nymphs, Diana, & the nine
Invited there by Hymen all did dine.
Pan48 stood & whilst, Vulcan49 turnd the spitt,
And Pallas50 at the table shewd her witt
170The Cumane Sybill and the Tyburtine51
Like two old statues did by course divine.
One seemd old Saturnes Mothers midwife & the other
Soe cramp’d with age, old Dæmogorgons52 Mother.
The night gan now both feast & mirth surprise,
175And th’azure turnd to sable in the skyes.
The royall couple then great Hymen ledd,
With noise of musicke to the marriage bedd.
Hee drew the curtaynes biddinge them good night
Soe Pallas & the Muses tooke their flight.
180The Glosse.
This Poeme is noe Sybill or a Prophett
In future mysteryes of state & though it
May seeme of thinges not acted to divine
Yett thinke it means Princes Arthurs Katherine.53
Source. Folger MS V.a.162, fols. 46r-48v
Other known sources. Bodleian MS Ashmole 47, fol. 25r; Bodleian MS CCC. 309, fol. 80r; Bodleian MS CCC. 328, fol. 70v; Bodleian MS Malone 19, p. 21; BL Add. MS 47111, fol. 18r; BL MS Egerton 923, fol. 40v; BL MS Sloane 542, fol. 21r; Brotherton MS Lt. q. 11, no. 41; Rosenbach MS 239/27, p. 1
Nv6
1 Neptune: god of the sea. <back>
2 Thetis: a sea goddess. <back>
3 Venus: goddess of love. <back>
4 Mars: god of war, and Venus’s lover. <back>
5 Nereus: a sea divinity, often identified with the Aegean. <back>
6 Sol: the sun god, Apollo. <back>
7 Parnassus hill: Mount Parnassus, sacred to the Muses. <back>
8 The nine: the nine Muses. <back>
9 Hymen: god of marriage. <back>
10 Mercury: the messenger god. <back>
11 Euterpe: Muse of lyric poetry. <back>
12 bring her to the brittish shore: i.e. bring the Infanta Maria to England. <back>
13 lawrell mayd: Daphne, a nymph transformed into a laurel tree to enable her to avoid Apollo’s lascivious pursuit. <back>
14 Jove: king of the gods. <back>
15 Saturne: the most ancient of the gods, and father of Jove. <back>
16 And at her birth...victory: this couplet is best read in loosely astrological terms; the Infanta’s birth was under the signs of Love and Happiness, rather than Strife and Sadness. <back>
17 Phœbus: the sun god, driver of the chariot of the sun. <back>
18 Auror’: Aurora, goddess of the dawn. <back>
19 Triton: mythic sea creature, whose trumpet controlled the waves for Neptune. <back>
20 Syren: siren, or sea nymph. <back>
21 Lysbon coast: the western coast of Spain—Portugal was at that time under Spanish rule. <back>
22 Bacchus: god of wine. <back>
23 The golden starre...Io’s rape: Io was transformed into a white heifer (probably by the queen of heaven, Hera/Juno) to thwart the desires of Jove. According to some versions of the myth, Jove then transformed himself into a bull in order to have sex with her. <back>
24 Proteus: a sea god, able to assume many shapes. <back>
25 Doris...Nois: sea nymphs. <back>
26 Satyres: satyrs; forest divinities. <back>
28 Sisters seaven: the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, all but one of whom had affairs with the gods. <back>
29 Arcturus: one of the brightest stars, especially prominent in the northern spring skies. <back>
30 The twins: the constellation Gemini. <back>
31 Hesperian: Western; here Spanish. <back>
32 Tagus: the River Tagus in Spain. <back>
33 Diana: maiden goddess of the hunt. <back>
34 Juno: queen of the gods. <back>
35 Timbrells: tambourine-like percussion instruments. <back>
36 Jason: legendary leader of the Argonauts, and winner of the golden fleece. <back>
37 Charon at the Stygian river: Charon ferried the souls of the dead across the River Styx to Hades. <back>
39 auncient river: personification of the River Thames. <back>
40 Isis: the River Isis <back>
41 Genius of the towne: mythic personification of London. <back>
42 Brutus: mythic Trojan founder of London (“Troynovant”). <back>
43 british Prince: Prince Charles. <back>
44 The graces: goddesses (usually three in number) often associated with Venus. <back>
45 lowbell: a bell used for hunting birds at night. <back>
46 Trojan boy: Ganymede, Jove’s cupbearer. <back>
47 Dryades: driads; wood divinities. <back>
48 Pan: god of shepherds. <back>
49 Vulcan: the metalworking god. <back>
50 Pallas: Athena, goddess of wisdom. <back>
51 Cumane Sybill...Tyburtine: the Cumaean and Tiburtine Sibyls, aged prophetesses. <back>
52 Dæmogorgons: infernal deity, glossed as hellish demon in Christian tradition. <back>
53 This Poeme...Katherine: the “Glosse” appended to this poem disingenuously denies contemporary applicability, claiming the poem refers only to the 1499 marriage of Prince Arthur, eldest son of Henry VII, to the Spanish Princess Catherine of Aragon. <back>
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