Chapman; We finde by thy past-prized fraught,What wealth thou dost vpon this Land conferre;Th'oldeGrecianProphets hither that hast brought,Of their full words the true interpreter:And by thy trauell, strongly hast exprestThe large dimensions of the English tongue;Deliuering them so well, the first and best,That to the world in Numbers euer sung.Thou hast vnlock'd the treasury, wherein10All Art, and knowledge haue so long been hidden:Which, till the gracefull Muses did beginHere to inhabite, was to vs forbidden.In blestElizivm(in a place most fit)Vnder that tree due to theDelphianGod,Musæus, and thatIliad Singersit,And neare to them that nobleHesiod,Smoothing their rugged foreheads; and do smile,After so many hundred yeares to seeTheir Poems read in this farre westerne Ile,20Translated from their ancient Greeke, by thee;Each his goodGeniuswhispering in his eare,That with so lucky, and auspicious fateDid still attend them, whilst they liuing were,And gaue their Verses such a lasting date.Where slightly passing by theThespianspring,Many long after did but onely sup;Nature, then fruitfull, forth these men did bring,To fetch deep Rowses fromIouesplentious cup.In thy free labours (friend) then rest content,30Feare notDetraction, neither fawne onPraise:When idleCensureall her force hath spent,Knowledgecan crowne her self with her owne Baies.Their Lines, that haue so many liues outworne,Cleerely expounded shall base Enuy scorne.Michael Drayton.
Chapman; We finde by thy past-prized fraught,What wealth thou dost vpon this Land conferre;Th'oldeGrecianProphets hither that hast brought,Of their full words the true interpreter:And by thy trauell, strongly hast exprestThe large dimensions of the English tongue;Deliuering them so well, the first and best,That to the world in Numbers euer sung.Thou hast vnlock'd the treasury, wherein10All Art, and knowledge haue so long been hidden:Which, till the gracefull Muses did beginHere to inhabite, was to vs forbidden.In blestElizivm(in a place most fit)Vnder that tree due to theDelphianGod,Musæus, and thatIliad Singersit,And neare to them that nobleHesiod,Smoothing their rugged foreheads; and do smile,After so many hundred yeares to seeTheir Poems read in this farre westerne Ile,20Translated from their ancient Greeke, by thee;Each his goodGeniuswhispering in his eare,That with so lucky, and auspicious fateDid still attend them, whilst they liuing were,And gaue their Verses such a lasting date.Where slightly passing by theThespianspring,Many long after did but onely sup;Nature, then fruitfull, forth these men did bring,To fetch deep Rowses fromIouesplentious cup.In thy free labours (friend) then rest content,30Feare notDetraction, neither fawne onPraise:When idleCensureall her force hath spent,Knowledgecan crowne her self with her owne Baies.Their Lines, that haue so many liues outworne,Cleerely expounded shall base Enuy scorne.
Michael Drayton.
If in opinion of iudiciall wit,Primaleonssweet Invention well deserue:Then he (no lesse) which hath translated it,Which doth his sense, his forme, his phrase, obserue.And in true method of his home-borne stile,(Following the fashion of a French conceate)Hath brought him heere into this famous Ile,Where but a stranger, now hath made his seate.He liues a Prince, and comming in this sort,Shall to his Countrey of your fame report.M.D.
If in opinion of iudiciall wit,Primaleonssweet Invention well deserue:Then he (no lesse) which hath translated it,Which doth his sense, his forme, his phrase, obserue.And in true method of his home-borne stile,(Following the fashion of a French conceate)Hath brought him heere into this famous Ile,Where but a stranger, now hath made his seate.He liues a Prince, and comming in this sort,Shall to his Countrey of your fame report.
M.D.
Douer, to doe thee Right, who will not striue,That dost in these dull yron Times reuiueThe golden Ages glories; which poore WeeHad not so much as dream't on but for Thee?As those braueGreciansin their happy dayes,On Mount Olympus to theirHerculesOrdain'd their games Olimpick, and so nam'dOf that great Mountaine; for those pastimes fam'd:Where then their able Youth, Leapt, Wrestled, Ran,10Threw the arm'd Dart; and honour'd was theManThat was the Victor; In the Circute thereThe nimble Rider, and skill'd ChariotereStroue for the Garland; In those noble TimesThere to their Harpes the Poets sang their Rimes;That whilstGreeceflourisht, and was onely thenNurse of all Arts, and of all famous men:Numbring their yeers, still their accounts they made,Either from this or thatOlimpiade.SoDouer, from theseGames, by thee begun,20Wee'l reckon Ours, as time away doth run.Wee'l haue thy Statue in some Rocke cut out,With braue Inscriptions garnished about;And vnder written,Loe, this was the man,Dover,that first these noble Sports began.Ladds of the Hills, and Lasses of the Vale,In many a song, and many a merry TaleShall mention Thee; and hauing leaue to play,Vnto thy name shall make a Holy day.TheCosswoldShepheards as their flockes they keepe,30To put off lazie drowsinesse and sleepe,Shall sit to tell, and heare thy Story tould,That night shall come ere they their flocks can fould.Michaell Drayton.
Douer, to doe thee Right, who will not striue,That dost in these dull yron Times reuiueThe golden Ages glories; which poore WeeHad not so much as dream't on but for Thee?As those braueGreciansin their happy dayes,On Mount Olympus to theirHerculesOrdain'd their games Olimpick, and so nam'dOf that great Mountaine; for those pastimes fam'd:Where then their able Youth, Leapt, Wrestled, Ran,10Threw the arm'd Dart; and honour'd was theManThat was the Victor; In the Circute thereThe nimble Rider, and skill'd ChariotereStroue for the Garland; In those noble TimesThere to their Harpes the Poets sang their Rimes;That whilstGreeceflourisht, and was onely thenNurse of all Arts, and of all famous men:Numbring their yeers, still their accounts they made,Either from this or thatOlimpiade.SoDouer, from theseGames, by thee begun,20Wee'l reckon Ours, as time away doth run.Wee'l haue thy Statue in some Rocke cut out,With braue Inscriptions garnished about;And vnder written,Loe, this was the man,Dover,that first these noble Sports began.Ladds of the Hills, and Lasses of the Vale,In many a song, and many a merry TaleShall mention Thee; and hauing leaue to play,Vnto thy name shall make a Holy day.TheCosswoldShepheards as their flockes they keepe,30To put off lazie drowsinesse and sleepe,Shall sit to tell, and heare thy Story tould,That night shall come ere they their flocks can fould.
Michaell Drayton.
These notes are not intended to supply materials for the criticism of the text. So freely, indeed, did Drayton alter his poems for a fresh edition, that the ordinary machinery of anapparatus criticuswould be overtasked if the attempt were made. All that has been undertaken here is to provide the requisite information in places where the text followed seemed open to suspicion.
It may be added that the punctuation of the originals has in general been preserved; in a few flagrant instances, where the text as it stood was misleading, it has been modified. Such changes are not noted here.
2,1,l.14vertues] vertuous 16193,3,l.1Ioue] loue 1599, 1602, 1605l.3them forth,] them, forth 1599.But the 1619 version supports the reading in the text.5,8,l.8men] ones 1599: women 1619l.9to 1599, 1619: of 15946,9,l.11in] on 160210,l.12her] his 1602: their 16198,14,l.14anatomize 1599.But there is ground for believing thatanotamizerepresents a current pronunciation.9,15,l.10She'st] ? She'll10,17,l.9Were] Where 159418,l.5Elizia] Elizium 159911,20,l.10whir-poole] whirl-poole 1602l.12Helycon] Helicon 160214,26,l.5Thy 1599 etc.: The 159415,27,l.4Thus] This 1594l.12depriued] ? depraued18,33,l.3Wishing] Wisheth 159919,36,l.13And others] And eithers 159920,37,l.4euer-certaine] neuer-certaine 160228,1,l.4song] sung 161331,10,l.2bids] bad 1619l.12my ... his] his ... my 161937,30,l.14hollowed] halowed 1605: hallow'd 1619.But cf.94, l. 18.38,43,l.3Wherein 1602, 1605: Where, in 1619: Wherein 159939,44,l.4Paynting] Panting 1608l.8Wherein 1602, 1605, 1619: Where in 159940,55,l.7forces heere,] forces, here 161956,headingA Consonet] A Cansonet 160241,57,l.13yet] then 159542,17,ll.4, 13Promethius] Prometheus 160543,27,l.2Who can he loue? 1608: Who? can he loue: 1619l.12They resolute,] They resolute? 1608, 161944,31,l.4appose] oppose 1608, 1619l.9They 1619: The 1602, 1605, 160848,47,l.8a 1619: and 1605, 160849,51,l.1to 1608:omitted in160553,21,l.11soe] ? loel.13Troth] Froth 161971,l.16scowles] scoulds 1606l.37whome 1606: whose 1619l.41rage 1606: age 161974,l.25he 1619: shee 160677,l.34some few 1606: some, few 161979,l.10their] ? there.83,l.72Stuck]The emendationStruckis tempting (the form is somewhat uncommon but not unparalleled); especially in view ofl. 80.94,l.18hollow'd]cf.37, 30, l. 1496,l.120the]no doubt a printer's error forthey97,l.125be lowe] belowe 162797,l.126whether] whethet 162798,l.37it]omitted in1627101,l.62be] ? been104,l.88him] ? theml.94ceaze 1620: lease 1627106,l.37his]omitted in1631l.56warnd] warne 1627110,l.105Neat] Nextconj. Beeching118,headingChaplaine] Chapliane 1627120,l.81extirpe 1631: extipe 1627146,l.90fett] settandfretthave been conjectured.153,l.92debate] delate 1627154,l.115claue] ? cleaue156,l.220euery] euer 1627174,l.225wither] whither 1630177,l.343rawe] taw 1748192,l.18there] they 1630232,l.12vnto] vp to 1619233,l.53fame] faire 1606234,l.66moue] mock 1606238,l.25feature] features 1619240,l.99long] loue 1606242,Ecl. ij,l.21moane 1600: moans 1605243,l.55But it if the Male doth want 1619244,l.37along she went 1619: she went along 1606245,l.43lowe] loud 1600, 1619247,l.37glories 1619: glorious 1606
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