AYRES: BY Alfonso Ferrabosco. LONDON: Printed by T. SNODHAM, for JOHN BROWNE, and are to be sold at his shop in S. Dunston's Churchyard in Fleetstreet. 1609. TO THE MOST EQVALL TO HIS BIRTH, AND ABOVE all Titles, but his own Virtue: Heroic Prince Henry. Excellent Prince: THat which was wont to accompany all Sacrifices, is now become a Sacrifice, MUSIQVE: And to a Composition so full of Harmony as yours, what could be a fit Offering? The rather, since they are the Offerers first fruits, and that he gives them with pure hands. I could, now, with that solemn industry of many in Epistles, enforce all that hath been said in praise of the Faculty, and make that commend the work, but I desire more, the work should commend the Faculty: And therefore suffer these few Airs to owe their Grace rather to your highness judgement, than any others testimony. I am not made of much speech. Only I know them worthy of my Name: And, therein, I took pains to make them worthy of Yours. Your highness most humble Servant Alfonso Ferrabosco. TO MY EXCELLENT FRIEND ALFONSO FERRABOSCO. TO urge, my loved Alfonso, that bold fame Of building Towns, and making wild Beasts tame, Which Music had; or speak her known effects, That she removeth cares, sadness ejects, Declineth anger, persuades clemency, Doth sweeten mirth, and heighten piety, And is to'a body, often, ill inclined No less a sovereign cure, then to the mind; To'alledge, that greatest men were not ashamed Of old, even by her practice, to be famed; To say, indeed, she were the Soul of Heaven, That the eight Sphere, no less than Planets seven Moved, by her order; And the ninth, more high, Including all, were thence called Harmony: I, yet, had uttered nothing, on thy part, When these were but the praises of the Art. But when I have said, The proofs of all these be Shed in thy Songs; 'tis true: But short of thee. Ben: jonson. TO THE WORTHY AUTHOR. Mvsicks' master, and the offspring Of rich musics Father, Old Alfonso's Image living, These fair flowers you gather Scatter through the British soil; Give thy fame free wing, And gain the merit of thy toil: We whose loves affect to praise thee, Beyond thine own deserts, can never raise thee. By T. Campion, Doctor in Physic. AMICISS: ET PRAESTANTISSIMO IN RE MUSICA, ALFONSO FERRABOSCO. PErcellis, oro, mitte animam meam O dive Siren, vinculaque auribus Iniecta soluas, nec potenti Perpetuo moriar camaenâ. Ardore rapta mens furit entheo, Scanditque Lunam, & circuit aethera, Ter millies coelo reposta, Et totiès relocata terris. O Musicae artis quanta potentia, Ferra-bosco Non in ferarum solavagum nemus, Sed in virorum plus cateruas Participes melioris aurae! Alsonse, dux & rex Lyrici gregis; Pulsare dignus coelicolum lyram, Excellis omnes sic canendo Sempèr ut ipse sies canendus. N. Tomkins. I. LIke Hermit poor, in place obscure, I mean to spend my days of endless doubt, To wail such woes as time cannot recure, Where none but Love shall find me out, And at my gates despair shall, despair shall linger still, To let in death whenlove & fortune, when Love and Fortune will. II. COme home my troubled thoughts, stay and retire, Call home your erring fellows make a stand, Fellow not still the colours of desire, False are her wishes cruel her command, Come then obey this summons come away, come away, For here vain hopes, for here vain hopes must serve you for your pay. III COme away, come away, we grow jealous of your stay, If you do not stop your ear, We shall have more cause to fear, Sirens of the land than they, to doubt the Sirens of the Sea. FOUR Dear when to thee my sad complaint I make, And show how oft Love doth my death renew, And how afresh I suffer for thy sake, I ever fear this answer to ensue, Who would bewail the Bird that escapes the snare, And ever caught and never can beware? But my reply is just, that if the eye That sees the danger, yet obeys the heart That leads the sense, for his delight to die, In that this pray, prefers the better part The gainer should have mercy to forgive, If Beauty be a Tyrant who can live? V Feign I would but O I dare not, Speak my thoughts at full to praise her, Speak the best cries Love, and spare not, Thy speech can no higher raise her, Thy speech then thy thoughts are lower, Yet thy thoughts doth not half know her. VI COme my Celia, let us prove, while we may the sweets of love, Time will not be ours for ever, he at length our good will sever, Spend not then his gifts in vain, Suns that set may rise again, But if we once lose this light, 'tis with us perpetual night, Why should we defer our joys, fame and rumour are but toys? Cannot we delude the eyes of a few poor household spies, Or his easier ears beguile, Thus removed by our wile 'tis no sin loves fruits to steal, But the sweet theft to reveal, To be taken, to be seen, These have crimes accounted been to be taken, to be seen, These have crimes accounted been. VII. SO, so, leave off, this last lamenting kiss, which sucks two souls and vapours both away, Turn thou ghost that way, And let me turn this, and let ourselves benight our happy day, we ask none leave to love, nor will we own any so cheap a death as saying go. We ask none leave to love, nor will we own any so cheap a death as saying go. Go, go, and if that word have not quite killed thee, Ease me with death by bidding me go to: O, if it have let my word work on me, And a just office on a murderer do. Except it be too late to kill me so, Being double dead, going and bidding go. VIII. YOung and simple though I am, I have heard of Cupid's name, Guess I can what thing it is, Men desire when they do kiss, Smoke can never burn they say, But the flames, But the flames that follow may. 2 I am not so foul or fair, to be proud or to despair, Yet my lips have oft observed, men that kiss them press them hard, As glad lovers use to do, when their new met loves they woo. 3 Faith 'tis but a foolish mind, yet me thinks a heat I find, Like thirst longing that doth bide ever one mies weaker side, Where they say my heart doth move, Venus grant it be not love. 4 If it be alas what then, were not Women made for Men? As good 'tis a thing were passed, that must needs be done at last, Roses that are overblown, grow less sweet than fall alone. 5 Yet nor Churl, nor silken Gull, shall my maiden blossom pull, Who shall not I soon can tell, who shall would I could as well, This I know who ere he be, love he must or flatter me. IX. Drown not with tears my dearest Love, Those eyes which my affections move, Do not with weeping those lights blind, Which me in thy subjection bind, Time that hath made us two of one, And forced thee now to live alone, Will once again us reunite, To show how she can Fortune spite, Then will we our time redeem, And hold our hours in more esteem, Turning all our sweetest nights, Into millions of delights, And strive with many thousand kisses, To multiply, to multiply exchange of blisses. exchange of blisses. X. I Am a lover yet was never loved; well have I loved and will though hated ever, Troubles I pass yet never any moved, sighs have I given and yet she heard me never, I would complain, and she would never hear me, and fly from love, but it is ever near me, Oblivion only blameless doth beset me, for that remembreth never to forget me. XI. WHy stays the bridegroom to in╌uade her, that would be a matron made, Good night whilst yet we may, good night to you a virgin say, To morrow rise, the same your mother is, and use a nobler name, Speed well in hymen's war, that what you are, by your perfections we and all may see. First part. XII. SIng we then heroyque grace, So with lovely light adorning, that fair heaven of his face, As the Star that leads the morning, body brave for part and whole, purest seat of purer soul, Where reposed lodge by nature, Princely strength and comely stature. Second part. XIII. SIng the riches of his skill; Long by studious toil provided, Wit that never guideth ill, Will that never ill is guided, judgement that can best discern, Memory that needs not learn, Courage where such thoughts assemble, justly may his haters tremble. Third part. XIIII SIng the nobles of his race, Sing his power, his wealth, his glory, Breaking all the bounds of place, endless ages, agelesse storry, Peace that maketh one of two, more than ever war could do, Terror chased, terror chased, justice fixed, Mercy, mercy still with justice mixed. XV. WIth what new thoughts should I now entertain my mind, if I my sadness should forego, What pleasing hopes have I not proved, I not proved vain, or what false show of joy do I not know? O partial love there is no power in thee, to make her love or else to set me free, to make her love or else to set me free. XVI. FLy from the world O fly thou poor distressed, where thy diseased soul infects thy soul, And where thy thoughts do multiply unrest, Tiring with wishes what they strait control, O world, O world betrayer of the mind, O thoughts, O thoughts that guide us being blind. O thoughts that guide us being blind, that guide us being blind. 2 Come therefore care, conduct me to my end, And steer this shipwrecked carcase to the grave: My sighs a strange and steadfast wind shall lend, Tears wet the sails, Repentance from rocks save. Hail death, hail death, the land I do descry, Strike sail, go soul, rest follows them that die. XVII. SHall I seek to ease my grief? No my sight is lost with eyeing; Shall I speak and beg relief? No my voice is hoarse with crying, What remains but only dying? What remains but only dying? 2 Love and I of late did part, But the Boy my peace envying, Like a Parthian threw his dart, Backward and did wound me flying. What remains but only dying? 3 She whom then I looked one, My remembrance beautifying Stays with me, though I am gone, Gone, and at her mercy lying. What remains, but only dying? 4 Thus my vital breath doth waste, And my blood with sorrow drying, Sighs and tears make life to last, For a while his place supplying. What remains but only dying? First part. XVIII. IF all these Cupids now were blind, as is their wanton brother, Or play should put it in their minds, to shoot at one another, What pretty battle they would make if they their objects should mistake, and each one wound, and each one wound his mother. Second part. XIX. IT was no policy of court, although the place be charmed, To let in earnest or in sport, so many loves in armed, For say the dames should with their eyes upon the hearts here mean surprise, Were not the men, were not the men, were not the men like harmed. Third part. XX. YEs were the loves or false or straying, or beauty not their beauty weighing, But here no such deceit is mixed, their flames are pure their eyes are fixed, They do not war, they do not war, with different darts, but strike a music of like hearts, they do not war with different darts, but strike a music of like hearts. XXI. SO beauty on the waters stood, when Love had severed earth from flood, So when he parted air from fire, he did with concord all inspire, And then a motion he them taught, that elder than himself was thought, which thought was yet the child of earth, for love is elder than his birth. XXII. HAd those that dwell in error foul and hold that women have no soul, But seen those move, they would have then said, women were the souls of men, so they do move each heart and eye, with the world's soul their harmony. XXIII. IF all the ages of the earth were crowned but in this famous birth, but in this famous birth, and when that they would boast their store of worthy Queens, of worthy Queens they knew no more, how happier is that age can give, a Queen in whom they all do live? XXIIII. Unconstant love why should I make my moan, or send sad sighs unto thy careless ear? Since thy affection and thy faith is gone, and all those virtues which I once held dear, Farewell, farewell, most false of all to me, that with affection dearly, dearly loved thee. XXV. O Eyes, O mortal stars, the authors of my harms, that in slumbering wage wars, to kill me with sweet charms, If closed you annoy me, being open you'd destroy me. If closed you annoy me, being open you'd destroy me. If closed you annoy me, being open you'd destroy me. If closed you annoy me, being open you'd destroy me. A Dialogue between a Shepherd and a Nimph. XXVI. Fair cruel Nymph why thus in grief & anguish, Makest thou him thatadores thee pine and languish? O but these fancies from thy beauty flow, O how I joy, O how I joy in thee my happy choice, As thou in me, as thou in me, so I in thee rejoice: Then let us still together live and love, and sing the joys, the joys, and sing the joys that happy lovers prove. Dialogue Nimph. XXVI. WHy Shepherd dost thou me condemn as cruel, Since thine own fancies are thy passions fuel? Then shall relief to thee from bounty grow, O how I joy, O how I joy in this my happy choice, As thou in me, As thou in me, so I in thee rejoice, Then let us still together live and love, And sing the joys, and sing the joys that happy lovers prove. A Dialogue. XXVII. WHat shall I wish what shall I fly? False I defy, Such ever speak, Such never break, Flattery yields pleasure, Only truth, only truth yields weight, Happy are they that never knew deceit. Happy are they that never knew deceit. never knew deceit. A Dialogue. XXVII. TRue Love I seek, Words have their truth, Deeds have their faith, Flattery yields pleasure: Happy are they that never knew deceit. happy are they, happy are they that never knew deceit. A Dialogue between a Shepherd and a Nimph. XXVIII. TEll me O Love, when shall it be that thy fair eyes shall shine on me? Whom nothing now reviveth, Alas sweet Nymph, I cannot choose since thou estranged lives from me, Alas, what joy is in such love that ever lives apart? O, let me die, yet stay sweet Love, ☞ Dialogue Nimph. XXVIII. I Pray thee Shepherd, I pray thee shepherd leave thy fears, Drown not thy heart and eyes with tears, Such sighs my sense depriveth, O do not me for that accuse, My Love, my life doth live in thee, Alas, what joy is in such love, and never other comforts prove, but cares that kill the heart? And so will I, yet stay sweet Love and sing this song with me, Time brings to pass what love thinks could not be. Time brings to pass what love thinks could not be. ☞ and sing this song with me, time bring to pass, what love thinks could not be. time brings to pass, what love thinks could not be. FINIS. A Table of all the Songs contained in this Book. I. Like Hermit poor. II. Come home my troubled thoughts. III. Come away. FOUR Dear, when to thee. V. Feign I would. VI Come my Celia. VII. So, so, leave off. VIII. Young and simple though I am. IX. Drown not with tears. X. I am a Lover. XI. Why stays the Bridegroom. XII. Sing we then heroyque grace. 1. Part. XIII. Sing the riches of his skill. 2. Part. XIIII. Sing the Nobles of his race. 3. Part. XV. With what now thoughts. XVI. Fly from the world. XVII. Shall I seek to ease my grief? XVIII. If all these Cupids now were blind. 1. Part. XIX. It was no policy of Court. 2. Part. XX. Yes were the loves. 3. Part. XXI. So beauty on the waters stood. XXII. Had those that dwell. XXIII. If all the ages of the earth. XXIIII. Unconstant love. XXV. O eyes▪ O mortal stars. XXVI. Fair cruel Nymph. Dialogue. XXVII. What shall I wish. Dialogue. XXVIII. Tell me O love. Dialogue.