The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Volume 2 of 2.

Name: The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Volume 2 of 2.
Author: Davies, John, Sir

Davies, John, Sir

Davies, John, Sir, 1569-1626; English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

To Him with trumpets and with flutes,
    With cornets, clarions and with lutes;
    With harpes, with organs and with shawmes,
    With holy anthems and with psalmes;
    With voice of angells and of men
    Sing! Aleluyia! Amen, Amen.




VIII. MISCELLANEOUS POEMS.

HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED.




_Miscellaneous Poems._


OF FAITH THE FIRST THEOLOGICALL VERTUE.

    Faith is a sunbeame of th' Æternall light,
    That in man's soule infusd by grace doth shine:
    Which giues her dazled eye soe cleare a sight
    As evidently sees the truith divine;
    This beame that cleares our eyes, inflames our hearts,
    And Charitie's kind fire doth there begett:
    For sunlike, it both light and heate imparts:
    Faith is the light, and Charitie the heate:
    This light of faith the noblest wisdome is,
    For it the onley truith allowes and a'plyes:
    The virgin's lamp, that lights the soule to blisse;
      The Jacob's scales,[246] whereby shee clymes the skyes;
        The eye that sees, the hand that apprehends;
        The cause of causes, and the end of ends.

[Footnote 246: Scala = ladder. G.]


A SONGE OF CONTENTION

BETWEENE FOWRE MAIDS CONCERNINGE THAT WHICH ADDETH MOST PERFECTION
TO THAT SEXE.

THE FIRST FOR BEAUTY.

    Our fairest Garland, made of Beautye's flowers,
    Doth of it selfe supplyall other dowers:
    Women excell the perfects' men in this,
    And therefore herein theire perfection is:
    For beautye wee the glorious heauens admire;
    Faire feilds, faire howses, gold and pearle, desire.
    Beautye doth alwayes health and youth imploy
      and doth delight the noblest sense, the eye.


THE SECOND FOR WITTE.

    Beautye delights the soule, but witte the Reason:
    Witte lasts an age, and beautye but a season:
    The sense is quickly cloyd with beautye's tast;
    When witt's delight still quicke and fresh doth last:
    Beautye, weake eyes with her illusion blindes,
    Witte conquers spirits and triumphs ouer minds:
    Deade things haue beautye, onely man hath witte,
      and man's perfection doth consist in it.


THE THIRD FOR WEALTH.

    Wealth is a power that passeth nature farre:
    Makes euery goose a swanne, and sparke a starre:
    Queene money, bringes and giues with royall hands
    Freinds, kindred, honour, husband, house and lands;
    Not a faire face, but fortune faire, I craue,
      Lett mee want witte soe I fooles' fortune haue.


THE FOURTH FOR VERTUE.

    Yet those perfections most imperfect bee,
    If there bee wantinge vertuous modestye;
    Vertue's aspect would haue the sweetest grace
    If wee could see as wee conceaue her face:
    Vertue guids witte, with well-affected will,
    Which if witte want, it proues a dangerous ill:
    Vertue gaines wealth with her good gouerment,
      If not, sh'is rich, because shee is content.[247]

[Footnote 247: The preceding are in a third handwriting. G.]


A MAID'S HYMNE IN PRAISE OF VIRGINITY.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Volume 2 of 2.Davies, John, Sir

General

The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Volume 2 of 2.

Davies, John, Sir

Davies, John, Sir, 1569-1626; English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

To Him with trumpets and with flutes,
    With cornets, clarions and with lutes;
    With harpes, with organs and with shawmes,
    With holy anthems and with psalmes;
    With voice of angells and of men
    Sing! Aleluyia! Amen, Amen.




VIII. MISCELLANEOUS POEMS.

HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED.




_Miscellaneous Poems._


OF FAITH THE FIRST THEOLOGICALL VERTUE.

    Faith is a sunbeame of th' Æternall light,
    That in man's soule infusd by grace doth shine:
    Which giues her dazled eye soe cleare a sight
    As evidently sees the truith divine;
    This beame that cleares our eyes, inflames our hearts,
    And Charitie's kind fire doth there begett:
    For sunlike, it both light and heate imparts:
    Faith is the light, and Charitie the heate:
    This light of faith the noblest wisdome is,
    For it the onley truith allowes and a'plyes:
    The virgin's lamp, that lights the soule to blisse;
      The Jacob's scales,[246] whereby shee clymes the skyes;
        The eye that sees, the hand that apprehends;
        The cause of causes, and the end of ends.

[Footnote 246: Scala = ladder. G.]


A SONGE OF CONTENTION

BETWEENE FOWRE MAIDS CONCERNINGE THAT WHICH ADDETH MOST PERFECTION
TO THAT SEXE.

THE FIRST FOR BEAUTY.

    Our fairest Garland, made of Beautye's flowers,
    Doth of it selfe supplyall other dowers:
    Women excell the perfects' men in this,
    And therefore herein theire perfection is:
    For beautye wee the glorious heauens admire;
    Faire feilds, faire howses, gold and pearle, desire.
    Beautye doth alwayes health and youth imploy
      and doth delight the noblest sense, the eye.


THE SECOND FOR WITTE.

    Beautye delights the soule, but witte the Reason:
    Witte lasts an age, and beautye but a season:
    The sense is quickly cloyd with beautye's tast;
    When witt's delight still quicke and fresh doth last:
    Beautye, weake eyes with her illusion blindes,
    Witte conquers spirits and triumphs ouer minds:
    Deade things haue beautye, onely man hath witte,
      and man's perfection doth consist in it.


THE THIRD FOR WEALTH.

    Wealth is a power that passeth nature farre:
    Makes euery goose a swanne, and sparke a starre:
    Queene money, bringes and giues with royall hands
    Freinds, kindred, honour, husband, house and lands;
    Not a faire face, but fortune faire, I craue,
      Lett mee want witte soe I fooles' fortune haue.


THE FOURTH FOR VERTUE.

    Yet those perfections most imperfect bee,
    If there bee wantinge vertuous modestye;
    Vertue's aspect would haue the sweetest grace
    If wee could see as wee conceaue her face:
    Vertue guids witte, with well-affected will,
    Which if witte want, it proues a dangerous ill:
    Vertue gaines wealth with her good gouerment,
      If not, sh'is rich, because shee is content.[247]

[Footnote 247: The preceding are in a third handwriting. G.]


A MAID'S HYMNE IN PRAISE OF VIRGINITY.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Volume 2 of 2.

The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Volume 2 of 2.

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