The Complaint Of Vter Pendragon. Poem by Thomas Blenerhasset

We leade our liues by fancies fonde delight,
For kingdomes some doo busy much theyr brayne,
But Cupids curse that wretched litle wight,
That blinded boye vnto my pynching payne,
Dubde me a Knighte of daynty Venus trayne,
Where beames of Beautie brought me by and by,
To cast my care to please my Ladyes eye.

O Beautie braue, thy gladsome glittering Gleames,
With smilyng cheare and wildie winking eyes,
Dooth drowne with dole amidst the surging streames
Of deepe despayre, the wightes which be most wyse.
Aye me, my wit, my penne cannot deuise
Of Beautie braue to make a true discourse,
To thinke thereof I feele my selfe the woorse.

I Pendragon of Britaine crowned king,
The fretting force of Beauties hateful hewe,
Those frying flames I felt, that hateful sting,
Which quickly me from crowne and kingdome threwe.
Whilst with delight I did thy vaunting vewe,
I like the Halke which sores in good estate,
Did spye a Stale, I stoopte, and tooke a Mate.

For at what tyme the Saxons dyd assayle
My Britane state, and tooke eche man a share,
My Kindome they euen for their best auayle,
Dyd then deuide: for which wyth carking care
Them thence to dryue, I did my powre prepare.
And beyng come to Cornewal with my bande,
I ment to haue Duke Garelus helping hande.

I knewe right wel the valure of his minde,
Me to my crowne his courage did aduaunce,
Him for my good most forwarde I did fynde,
He neuer fearde the force of chaunging chaunce.
Here I intrapte, did stande as in a traunce,
Amazde I gazde, as one bewichte, my hart
Was wounded deep with Cupids cruel Dart.

In sacred Church I set to sacrifyce,
Those holy vowes, which victories require:
Euen whilst I did with al my harte deuise,
Howe to subdue my foes with swoorde and speare,
Euen then there did this peerlesse Pearle appeare,
Duke Garelus wife, whose gallant gate and grace,
Stealing myne harte, my honour did deface.

When Vortiger my brother did oppresse,
In exile then my youthful yeares were spent,
At my retourne his fault he did confesse,
And from his crowne the crowne in haste I sent.
Then my delight was in the diery dent
Of wrackful warre, but nowe transformde I stande,
The auncient Oke must growe nowe lyke a wande.

I marueilde muche how Cirens songes might please,
But now I muse that Circes sorcery,
Doth not from euery man bereaue his ease.
Calipsoes cuppes with poysoned Trechery,
Can not so much abridge mans liberty,
As Cirens songes and Circes suttle art,
Whose chaunting charmes inwrapt with wo my hart.

Vlisses sayling by the perilous place,
Where these to please the passours by, did play,
Where Lady Loue doth vante with garishe grace,
Her daynty Damsels gallant Gyrles, and gaye,
Intysyng trulles, they causde the Greeke to say,
With Cables come and tye me to this Mast,
Lest I my selfe to Pleasures Court me cast.

Muse not therefore though feature fine of face,
Though comely corps, and trim intysing cheere,
Made me obay Sir Cupids mightie Mace:
The force whereof Vlisses wise did feare.
He saild aloffe, he from these bankes did beare
His shaking shippe, but other many moe
Did there ariue, and weaud the web of woe.

There Salomon did reape the croppe of care,
There Dauid loude as I, Vrias wife,
There Samson strong was snarled in the snare,
There Paris liude, euen there he lost his life,
There Helens hate, brought Troy her final strife,
Alcides he the myghtie Herculus
There to ariue, did finde it dangerous.

And I did learne with losse of lyfe at laste,
That he who doth delyght in lawelesse loue,
Must play the foole eare al the partes be past,
And taste the sauce preparde for his behoue.
Let men take heed how they there fancies moue,
Let man beware where he doth cast his eie,
The lymed byrde doth proue in vayne to flye.

O ancient Rome, thou didst ordayne of yore,
That women should no banqueting frequent,
At Rome she was esteemde a harlot whoore,
If from her house without her veyle she went,
Which lawes no doubt were made to good intent,
For why the beames of Beauties sanguynde sight,
Like Basilisco spoyles the gazing wyght.

Therefore the maydes and Roman Matrons all,
A shadowing veyle before there face did weare,
Their heauenly hewe did throwe no man to thrall,
They were content with playne and decent geare,
They hufte it not wyth paynted frisled heare.
The marryed wyfe, the matron, and the mayd,
They of there veyles were glad and wel apayde.

If women thus had walked in my time,
I had not stoopte vnto that paynted lure,
Which did intice me to committe the crime,
Which to the pearch of leudnesse tide me sure,
For her disport my Ladye coulde procure
The wretched winges of this my muting minde,
Restlesse to seeke her emptie fiste to finde.

I thus ariude in Pleasures cursed Courte,
I lothed Mars, I hated Mercury,
It was me thought a passing pleasant sporte,
Leauinge the feeldes at Bacchus brauery,
Sometime to sit vpon my Mistresse knee,
Where that I might be at my pleasure plaste,
I sent the noble Duke to warres in hast.

You which haue playd with pleasures banding bales,
You knowe the life which lingring louers lead,
You know how sweete it is to scale the walles
Of her good wyl, who liude in feare and dreade,
You know right wel how wel those wightes haue sped,
Who haue at last by driftes of long delay,
Their hoped meede, and wished pleasant praye,

Which pray when I by tract of time obtaynde,
And had my wyl when best it did me please,
As I three monthes amidst my blesse remaynde,
The Dukes returne, returnd me from my ease,
No promise myght his raging wrath appease.
But when he knewe the drifte of my delayes,
To cause my death he sought an hundred wayes.

Then I the wrath of rash reuenge to flye,
Thinking that time myght mitigate his moode:
To Troynouant in hast I did me hye.
Which when the wrathful Duke once vnderstoode,
He raysde my Realme, and by his myght and powre
I lost my lyfe, my Crowne, and Princely bowre.

Learne they which liue in high or lowe degree,
To flee the foyle which I by Folly felt:
Let them refrayne those lofty Dames to see,
They know howe lofty lookes with me haue delt,
You se how sight did make my honor melte.
Let al men know, mans hart did neuer rue
The thing which he with sight did neuer vewe.

But how may men the sight of Beautie shunne
In England, at this present dismal daye?
All voyde of veyles (like Layes) where Ladyes runne
And rome about at euerye feast and playe,
They wanderyng walke in euery streete and way:
With lofty luering lookes they bounsing braue,
The highest place in al mens sight must haue.

With pride they pranke to please the wandring eye,
With garishe grace they smyle, they Iet they Iest:
O English Dames, your lightnesse veryly,
The Curtizantes of Rome do much deteste,
In Closets close to liue they count it best.
They geue not grace to euery wandring wight,
Your smiling chere doth euery man delight.

The Poets goddes Saturne, and Iupiter,
To Beauties becke, their highnesse did obay,
Pluto of hel did plead at Beauties barre,
And Phillis causde Demophoon to stay:
Pasiphae a Bull brought to the baye.
So Goddes and Diuilles, both men and beastes, they all
By womens wyles are slaues to Beauties thrall.

What gayne is got by lyght and wanton wayes?
You reape reproche a guerdon got thereby:
Men by your meanes do cause their owne decay,
And you your selues al souste in sinne muste die.
Refrayne therefore to please mans gazing eie,
Let men like wise the bayted hookes refrayne
Of luering lookes, their vaunting vowes be vayne.