A Compleate Gentle-woman
Described by her feature,
Her person slender, her beauty admirable, her wit excellent, her carriage
modest, her behaviour chast, with her constancie in love.
To the tune of Sabina.
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YOu Muses all your aide to mee assigne
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To speake in praise of the true love of mine.
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Strike up with joy
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Strike up with joy
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Strike up with joy your instruments of mirth
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Till piercing Ecchoes ring twixt heaven and earth.
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Let Pan with speed prepare himselfe to play,
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And sweetly chaunt my love a roundelay
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While Satyres peepe
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While Satyres peepe
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While Satyres peepe to see her lovely face,
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Let Citterne, harpe, and lute her meeting grace.
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Let all the Poets company combine
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Their wits in one for my sweet Rosaline,
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And say that shee
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And say that shee
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And say that shee Queene Venus doth excell,
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For beauty, love, and wit shee beares the bell.
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And to recite the substance of her feature
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That all may say shee is a comely creature,
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From head to foot
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From head to foot
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From head to foot I will unfold aright
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The shape of her which is my hearts delight.
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First is her haire like threds of golden wyre
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Upon her head is set a seemly tyre,
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Which doth protect
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Which doth protect
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Which doth protect her crimson cheeks from wind
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From Titans heate and Boreas blasts unkinde.
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Her glistring eyes excell the diamond light,
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When I behold her countenance by night,
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I doe admire
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I doe admire
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I doe admire to see her beauteous brow
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In whom Diana chastnesse doth allow.
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The second part, To the same tune.
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HEr rubie lips which doth inclose the tongue
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From whence rare elegies are sweetly sung,
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That may amaze
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That may amaze
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That may amaze each rurall swaine to heare
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Her Siren songs with voice so shrill and cleare.
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Her Ivorie necke with golden gems compleate,
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Her armes and shoulders framed fine and neate,
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Her lilly hand
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Her lilly hand
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Her lilly hand and fingers long and small
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With slender wast and person some-what tall.
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And farther to devulge some other parts
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Wherein dame nature shewes her chiefest arts,
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I purpose to
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I purpose to
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I purpose to stoope downe unto the toe,
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And so speake of the rest as up I goe.
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Her pretty foot and nimble dapper heele
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Her shaking legge have showne such active skill,
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Both Coridon
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Both Coridon
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Both Coridon and Phillis blusht to see
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Her amourous cariage when shee bends the knee.
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Not only this which nature in her plact,
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But Ladie vertue hath her further gract
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In all respects
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In all respects
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In all respects each creature doth her finde
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To passe the Pellican shee is so kinde.
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So constant in her actions still is shee
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Shee may compare with chast Penelope,
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Her minde once fixt
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Her minde once fixt
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Her minde once fixt it never will remove,
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Sheel rather die like to the Turtle dove.
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Her will to chastitie is so applid,
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Shee scornes ambition, lust, and hatefull pride,
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Whereby shee gaines
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Whereby shee gaines
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Whereby shee gaines good wil of great and smal
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Strong weak, high low, rich poore, they love her al
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But since my trembling hand and pen wants skil
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To write her fame compleate unto my will,
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I here conclude
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I here conclude
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I here conclude wishing each honest lad
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May have so true a choice as I have had.
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