10
[XV] 1
My muse hath made a willfull lye I grante,
I sung of sorrows never felt by me ;
I have as great occasion for to vante,
My love begunne my blessing for to be. 5 How can I then excuse so lowd a lye ?
O yes, I did it even at her desire,
Who made me such successe in love to see,
How soone her flames hade sett my hart on fire.
Since for her sake I presse for to aspire 10 To preache of passions which I never prov'd ;
What should yee doe who have for haplesse hire
The lucklesse lott, to love and not be lov'd. Your plaints I thinke should pierce the starrie skies And deave the Gods with shrill and cairfull cries.
[XVI]
A COMPLAINT OF HIS MISTRESSIS 2 ABSENCE FROM COURT :
Whill as a statelie fleeting castle faire On smoothe and glassie salt does softlie slide With snowie sheets all flaffing here and thaire So deck'd and trim'd as she were Neptunes bride s And no ways troubled with contrarious tide And shining Titan from his firie cart Smiles seing nature triumph'd of by art.
And whill the foolish pilgrims of the seas Inflam'd with following fortunes fickle baite loEsteemes them selfs to be at such an ease As who bot they into there owen concaite And everie man sturs up his fellowe maite As citiezens of Thetis sliprie grounde And sonnes to Phcebus lightner of this rounde.
1 The sonnet is on an inserted leaf in the MS., and does not appear in Rait. Its original omission is referred to in the following note written by James at the end of the preceding poem : " the sonnet lackis heere quhiche interprettis all the matter." .
2 Orig., Mistris. Correction in the hand of James.
