Like as a man, on some aduenture bound His honest friendes, their kindnes to expresse, T'incourage him of whome the maine is own'd; Some venture more, and some aduenture lesse, That if the voyage (happily) be good: They his good fortune freely may pertake; If otherwise it perrish in the flood, Yet like good friends theirs perish'd for his sake. On thy returne I put this little forth, My chaunce with thine indifferently to proue, Which though (I know) not fitting with thy worth, Accept it yet since it proceedes from loue; And if thy fortune prosper, I may see I haue some share, though most returne to thee. _Mich. Drayton._ Prefixed to John Davies of Hereford; _Holy Roode_ (1609). _To_ M. IOHN DAVIES, _my good friend_. _Such men as hold intelligence with Letters, And in that nice and Narrow way of Verse, As oft they lend, so oft they must be Debters, If with the _Muses_ they will haue commerce: Seldome at _Stawles_, me, this way men rehearse, To mine _Inferiours_, not unto my _Betters: _He stales his _Lines_ that so doeth them disperse; I am so free, I loue not _Golden-fetters_. And many _Lines_ fore _Writers_, be but Setters To them which cheate with_ Papers; _which doth pierse, Our Credits: when we shew our selues Abetters: To those that wrong our knowledge: we rehearse Often (my good _Iohn_; and I loue) thy_ Letters_; Which lend me Credit, as I lend my _Verse_._ Michael Drayton. Prefixed to Sir David Murray's _Sophonisba_ &c. (1611). _To my kinde friend_ Da: Murray. In new attire (and put most neatly on) Thou _Murray_ mak'st thy passionate Queene apeare, As when she sat on the Numidian throne, Deck'd with those Gems that most refulgent were. So thy stronge muse her maker like repaires, That from the ruins of her wasted vrne, Into a body of delicious ayres: Againe her spirit doth transmigrated turne, That scortching soile which thy great subiect bore, Bred those that coldly but exprest her merit, But breathing now vpon our colder shore, Here shee hath found a noble fiery spirit, Both there, and here, so fortunate for Fame, That what she was, she's euery where the same. M. DRAYTON. Among the Panegyrical Verses before Coryat's _Crudities_ (1611). _Incipit Michael Drayton_. A briefe Prologue to the verses _following_. Deare _Tom_, thy booke was like to come to light, Ere I could gaine but one halfe howre to write; They go before whose wits are at their noones, _And I come after bringing Salt and Spoones._