CUPIDS POSIES,
For Bracelets, Handkercers, and Rings,
With Scarfes, Gloves, and other things.
Written by
Cupid on a day,
When
Venus gave me leave to play,
Verbum sat amanti.
The Lover sheweth his intent,
By Gifts that are with posies sent.
London, Printed by E. C. for J. Wright, next to the Globe in Little-Brittain, 1674.
[...]
[...]
To his Mother VENUS. Cupid Dedicateth his Posies.
MOther your Love to me was shown
Before that I could go alone,
For with
Nectar then you fed me,
And in tender manner bred me:
Till perceiving once that I
Was able on my wings to flie;
I did descend unto the Earth,
With my Bow to make some mirth:
For all the World is my park,
Where when I shoot I hit the Mark;
Young Men and Maidens are my Game,
While I the little Bowman am;
Yet lest you may think my leasure
[...] do only waste in pleasure:
These Posies I have writ of late,
Which to you I dedicate:
That so the love may be exprest,
Of your son that loves you best.
CUPIDS Posies
I That
Cupid called am,
And shall never be a Man;
But am still the blinded Boy,
That bréeds Lovers much anoy:
Having gotten on a day,
From my Mother, leave to play,
And obtained use of sight,
I in wantonnese did write,
These same Posies which
I send,
And to Lovers do commend;
Which if they be writ, within
The little circle of a Ring,
Or be sent unto your Loves
With fiue Handkerchers Gloves:
I do know that like my Dart,
They have power to wound the heart:
For instead of Flowers and Roses,
Here are words bound up in Posies.
1. A posie written on a pair Bracelets and sent by a young Man to his Love
My Love, these Braclets take,
and think of them no harm:
But since they Bracelets be,
let them imbrace thy arm.
2. Another.
Receive this Sacrifice in part,
From the Altar of my heart.
3.
I do owe both love and duty,
To your vertue and your beauty.
4. A posie sent with a pair of Gloves.
You are that one
For whom alone,
my heart doth only care:
Then do but joyn
Your heart with mine,
and we will make a pair.
5. Another.
I send to you a pair of Gloves,
If you love me
Leave out the G.
And make a pair of Loves.
6. Another.
Though these Gloves be white and fair,
Yet thy hands more whiter are.
7. Another.
These Gloves are happy
That kiss your hands,
Which long have held my heart
in
Cupids bands.
8. The posie of a Lover to his disdaining Mistress.
Vt Stella in tenebris,
Sic Amor in adversis.
Englished.
As the Stars in darkest night
So love despised shining.
9. The posie of a handkercher sent from a young man to his Love being wrought in blew silk.
This handkercher to you assures,
That this and what I have is yours.
10. Another.
Love is like a hidden flame,
Which will at last
blaze forth again.
11. Another in Letters.
My love is true which IOV,
Is true to me then CVB.
12. The posie of a Ring sent to a Maid from her Lover.
My constant Love, shall ne're remove.
13. Another.
This and
I, untill
I die.
14.
Memento mei.
When this you sée,
Remember me.
15.
Like to a cirrle round, no end in love is found
Take me with it, for both are fit,
16. A young mans conceit to his dear Love, being wrought upon a scarf.
This Scarf is but
an embleme of my love
Which I have sent with full intent,
my service to approve.
17, Another wherein the Lover seeketh her Love.
One was the Bow one was the Dart,
That wounded us both to the heart:
Then since we both do féel one pain,
Let one love cure us both again.
18. A young mans posie to his Sweet heart shewing that Love is most violent in absence.
Love is a flame that with
a violent desire,
Doth burn us most when, we
are farthest from the fire.
19.
As those that die
are said for to depart:
So when you went a way,
all life forsook my heart:
For though with inward pain
I draw my very breath,
Yet this I will maintain
departure is a Death.
20. A Lover coming into a Maidens chamber in her absence did write this posie on her looking-glass.
In this same Looking-glass,
my watry eyes
I sée:
But
I do wish that thou coulds shew
her chéerful eyes to me:
Yet why do
I accuse thée here.
tis not thy fault for thou art cléer.
21. posies of Rings for young Lovers which have newly discovered their affection.
Let me serve till
I desire.
23.
Loves delight, is to unite,
I now do sue, for love to you.
24.
Love
I have, yet Love
I crave.
25. A posie of a young Prentise sent to his Love with a pair of Amber Bracelets.
Let these same bind
You to be kind
unto me for Loves own sake,
And when we méet
With kisses swoot,
we will Indentures make:
And I will bind my self to be,
In love a Prentice unto thée.
26. A Lovers short posie in the praise of his Mistriss.
You have
Venus lip and eye,
With
Diana's Chastity,
In those parts which are revealed
Venus beauty is exprest;
Yet there is some parts concealed,
which my fancy judgeth best.
27. A young man to his Sweet-heart, setting forth the better eff
[...]cts of a disdained Love.
Love is like a golden trée,
Whose fruit most pleasant séems to be.
Whiles disdain doth never sléep,
But this trée of Love doth kéep:
Yet I hope you will at last
Think upon my service past.
28. A posie sent by a young man to a pretty young maid in the same Town, with a very fair point of Coronation colour Ribbon.
My dearest Love, I send
this Ribbon point to thée,
In hope the young men of the Town
shall not still point at me:
Because I am thy Lover true,
Then grant me thy Love swéet
Sue.
29. Another.
There is no joy can be
to Lovers half so swéet
As when that Lovers do agrée.
and in one point do méet.
93. the posie of a Ring.
Thou art, my heart.
1.
More dearer to me, then life can be,
32. Another.
Love is joy, without annoy,
33. Another.
Tis in your will, to save or kill.
34. A Posie wrought in Red Silk Letters upon an Ash coloured Scarf.
Every Letter here doth shew,
That my heart is link't to you;
And by this Token is exprest
That you are she whom I love best.
35. A Batchelors Posie sent with a fair pair of Gloves to a young Maid, with whom he was to be married on the next Holy-day following.
Dulce bellum in expertis.
Thou art a Maid my dearest
Nan,
And I a Batchelor too am;
Then néeds must
Venus wars be swéet
When two maiden-Lovers méet
36. The Posie of a Handkercher very fairly, laced about, with a flaiming heart wrought in the middle.
Great is the greif that
I sustain:
Which here is figured, by a fleme:
That doth torment me in each part,
But chiefly seizeth on my heart;
Yet rather then my heart shall turn,
From my Faith, in love I'le burn.
From a Young-man, to his off
[...]nded Mistress.
Dearest, if
I have offended,
enjoyn me then some pennance hard,
That my fault may be amended,
ere your favour be debard;
For if
I must pennance do,
I'le go unto no Saint but you.
37. A posie sent to a Maid, being cunningly enterwoven in a Silk Bracelet.
Kindly take this Gift of mine,
For Gift and Giver both are thine.
38. A posie written in a piece of guilt paper, folded up very neatly like a Letter, and bound about with green Silk, and so sent to a Maid that had the Green-Sickness.
Like to this Silk that is so Gréen,
So doth the fading colour séem:
A Letter changed in thy Name,
Will bring your colour back again.
Change N. for M. my gréen chéeckt
Nan,
For
I do sée you lack a Man.
40. Posies for Rings.
Faithful Love, can ne're remove.
41. Another.
If you consent
I am content.
42. To a maid, Engraven on each side of a Silver Bodkin.
Like unto a Bodkin so is love,
Sharp, untill the swéet we prove.
43. To his Sweet-heart that had objected against him for want of means.
Come my Love if Love you grant,
What is it that Love can want;
In thée
I have sufficient store,
Grant me thy Love, I wish no more.
A posie sent from a maid to a young man wiih a very fair wrought purse.
My Hearts Purse
you are my wealth;
And
I will kéep
you to my self.
44. The posie of a Ring.
True Love well plac'd, is ne're disgrac'd.
45.
I am your friend, unto the end.
46.
Yours
I am, be mine again.
47.
Love it self discloses, by gifts with Posies
48. A Posie sent with a pair of Gloves.
What should
I write? some words do move
Suspition unto those that Love;
Then without any further art,
In one word you have my heart.
49. Her Reply.
Lest for a heart you should complain,
With mine I send yours back again:
For Love to me this power doth give,
That my heart in your heart doth live.
50. A young Mans posie wrought in a Handkercher.
A Maiden vertuous chaste and fair,
Is a Iewel past compare,
And such are you in whom
I find,
Vertue is with beauty Ioyn'd.
51. A Maidens posie sent with a willow colour point to a young man that had forsaken her.
Your love was like a spark,
which in the Ashes lies;
That shineth for a time,
but afterwards it dies:
Since therefore you did faithless prove,
I do here denounce your love.
52. posies for Rings.
Be true to me,
As
I to thée.
I love none,
But thée alone.
To his Sweet-heart, to whom he sent a purse with these Verses in it.
Swéet-heart my love to you
I commend,
And therewithal this Purse to you
I send,
Which is not fil'd with silver or with gold,
Only my heart it doth contain and hold.
I do rejoyce,
In thée my choice.
One love, one troth,
Betwéen us both.
Constant true Love,
Comes from above.
You are my friend,
Vnto the end.
To a Maid, these Lines were sent, with a Scarf.
This Scarf will kéep off the rude wind,
Which to your Lips the way would find,
I would have none know the bliss,
(But my self) at your swéet kiss,
Which I would hav
[...] none else to taste,
Lest your stock of kisses waste,
Verses written on a Gentle-womans Lute; and left in her Chamber.
Lute I intreat thée to complain,
To her that doth my love disdain:
And when thy Mistress cometh home,
Tell her here hath béen one,
Would (if she had not thought it much)
Have given her a gentle touch.
On a Knife.
If you love me, as
I love you,
Nothing can cut our love in two.
To a Gentlewoman, who appointed one to buy her a Mask, which he bought, and sent it with this Posie.
It is a pitty you should wear a Mask,
This is the reason if you do ask,
Because it hides your face so fair,
Where Roses mixt with Lillies are;
It clouds your beauty; so that we
Your Cherry Lips can seldom sée,
And from your face, kéeps off our eyes;
Which is indéed loves Paradice.
Verses sent with a pair of Bracelets.
These Bracelets like a circle shall
environ round your Arm,
Happy are they what ere befal,
that shall be kept warm:
And may they like two circles prove
to charm your heart for to love me,
Let
Cupid the Magician be,
to charm your heart for to love me.
Posies for Rings.
I will remain,
Always the same.
You and
I,
Will Lovers die
My vow is past,
While life doth last,
Lovers knot once tide,
Who can divide?
Verbum sat amanti.
Amo te,
Si amas me.
I love thée,
If thou love me.
To a fair Maid, sent with a posie of Flowers.
Beauty is like a flower, swéet Maid,
Which quickly doth decay and fade;
Then wisely now make use of time,
Since you are now even in your prime.
Two lines embroidered on the top of a pair of Gloves.
I wish that we two were a pair,
As these happy Gloves here are.
Nick a Farmers son sendeth to
Joan Hobson a yard of blew Ribbond with these Lines.
I send you here of Ribbond a whole yard,
And money goeth with me very hard,
For else this yard two yards should be,
Since
I do hold nothing too dear for thée?
And part therefore my love if y
t thou wilt,
In this same Ribbon which is made of silk.
A posie wrought upon a Handkercher in silk Letters.
Do not too lightly of me think,
Who write in Letters stead of Ink,
To send this token
I made shift,
Estéem the giver, and not the gift.
A posie on a Thimble.
He that sent me,
Loveth thée.
A Cabinet being sent to a Gentle-Woman, these Verses were put in one of the Drawers.
This little Cabinet will conceal,
All things which you would not reveal.
Your Letters and your other things,
As your Iewels and your Rings.
Let me know then in what part,
Or box, you will lay up my heart.
Which with it
I do send and pray,
That in your heart you would it lay;
Let me such favour from you get,
Make your heart my hearts Cabinet.
To a Maid, a young Man sendeth a silk Girdle.
This girdle haply shall be plac'd.
To compass round your neat small waste,
I were happy if in this place,
I might thy slender waste imbrace.
A posie of four lines written in red Letters, on the four sides of an Handkercher.
Things of most constancy still are,
Resembled to solid square:
So my triangular heart shall be,
A four square figure of constancy.
Posies for Rings.
Be thou mine,
As
I am thine.
In weal and woe,
My love I'le show.
I will be true,
Always to you.
There is no joy,
Like love without annoy.
Love crost, is best,
And prosper best.
Ioy doth abound,
Where love is found.
My Vow that's past,
Till death shall last.
I lode none,
But you alone.
To thée my heart
I give,
Whilest
I here do live.
Love joyneth hands,
In wedlock bands.
A Posie Engraven about a Jewel, sent to a Gentle-Woman.
There is no Iewel
I can sée,
Like love that's sent in constancy.
The Conclusion.
Cupids Posies now at last are done,
For if you read them all, you will like some
For these new Posies are both swéet & brief
And will disclose the sighing Lovers grief;
For
Cupid having too much idle leasure,
Compos'd these Posies for his pleasure.
52. A Posie to an unkind disdainful Maid.
Each frown of yours is like a Dart,
That woundeth me unto the heart.
What conquest were it, if that
I
By your cruel frown should die:
Since love my only trespass is,
And shall
I die alass for this.
Her Reply.
If alass, for love you chance to die,
'Tis your own folly kills your heart not
I.
53. To a young Maid about fifteen years of Age.
Fiftéen Years you now have staid,
Fie, tis too long to be a Maid.
54. A posie engraven on a Gold Ring.
By this Ring of Gold,
Take me to have and hold.
55. Another.
What joy in life,
To a good wife;
A posie embroidered on a Scarf.
Fairest wear this scarf that
I do send
That may our Beauty from the wind defend,
For
I do know the winds if like to me,
To kiss your lips and chéeks desirous be.
On the choice of a Wife.
If thou intend'st to chuse a wife,
With whom to lead a happy life:
Look not for beauty since there are,
Few that can be chaste and fair:
But if thou do her vertues find,
Which is the beauty of the mind:
Woe her then to gain consent,
For vertuous Love can ne're repent.
Cupids Conclusion.
Fair Maids my posies now are done,
Which for yours sakes I first begun,
And young men here may alwayes chuse,
Such posies as they mean to use:
I
Cupid writ them on a day.
When
Venus gave me leave to play:
And if you like them for my pain,
Then
Cupid means to write again.
FINIS.