Category: FANCIES

A forehead which is high,¹ broad, smooth, and sleek;²
A large great eye that’s black³ and very quick;
A brow that’s arched, or like a bow that’s⁴ bent;
A rosy cheek, and in the midst a dent;
Two cherry lips, whereon the dew lies wet;                         5
A nose between the eyes that’s even set;
A chin that’s neither short nor very long;
A sharp, and quick, and ready pleasing tongue;
A breath of musk and amber; breasts which silk⁵
In softness do resembl’in whiteness milk;⁶                          10
A body plump, white, of an even growth,
That’s active, lively, quick, and⁷ void of sloth;
A heart that’s firm and sound;⁸ a liver good;
A speech that’s plain and eas’ly⁹ understood;
A hand that’s fat, and smooth,¹⁰ and very white,                15
The¹¹ inside moist, and red like rubies bright;
A brawny arm; a wrist that’s round and small;
And fingers long, and joints not big withal;
A stomach strong and easy to digest;
A swan-like neck; and an out-bearing chest.                        20
All these when mixed¹² with pleasure and delight,
And strewed upon with eyes most¹³ quick of sight,
Are put into¹⁴ a dish of admiration,
And so served¹⁵ up with praises of a nation.

¹⁶

Life takes a young and tender lover’s heart
That hunted was, and struck¹⁷ by Cupid’s dart,
Then sets it on¹⁸ the fire of love, and blows
That fire with sighs, by which the flame high grows,
And boils it with the water of fresh tears,                            5
Flings in a bunch of hope, desires, and fears.
More sprigs of passions¹⁹ throws into the pot,
Then takes it off²⁰ when it is seething hot,
And puts it in a clean dish of delight,
That scoured was from envy and from spite.                      10
Then doth she press and squeeze in juice of youth,
And casts²¹ therein some sugar of sweet truth.
Sharp melancholy gives a quick’ning taste,
And temperance doth cause it long to last.
Then she with smiles doth garnish it²² and dress,               15
And serves it up, a fair and beauteous mess.
But Nature’s apt to surfeit of this meat,
Which makes that she doth seldom of it²³ eat.

Life scums the cream of beauty with time’s spoon,
And draws the claret wine of blushes soon.
Then²⁴ boils it in a skillet clean of youth,
And²⁵ thicks it well with crumbled bread of truth,
And sets it on²⁶ the fire of life, which does²⁷                           5
Burn clearer much when health her bellows²⁸ blows.
Then takes the eggs of fair and bashful eyes,
And puts them in a countenance that’s wise,
And cuts a lemon in of²⁹ sharpest wit;
Discretion, as a knife, is used for it.³⁰                                      10
A handful of chaste thoughts double refined,
Six spoonfuls of a nobl’and³¹ gentle mind,
A grain of mirth, to give’t a little taste,
Then takes it off, for fear the substance waste,
And puts it in a basin of good health,³²                                   15
And with³³ this meat doth Nature please herself.

The brain is like an oven, hot and dry,
Which bakes all sorts of fancies, low and high.
The thoughts are wood, which motion sets on fire;
The tongue a peel; the hand which draws,³⁴ desire.
By³⁵ thinking much, the brain too hot will grow               5
And burn them³⁶ up; if cold, fancies³⁷ are dough.

Death is the cook of Nature, and we find
Creatures³⁸ dressed several ways to please her mind.
Some Death doth roast³⁹ with fevers burning hot,
And some he⁴⁰ boils with dropsies in a pot;
Some are consumed for jelly⁴¹ by degrees,                                 5
And some with ulcers, gravy out to squeeze;
Some, as with herbs, he⁴² stuffs with gouts and pains;
Others for tender meat he hangs⁴³ in chains;
Some in the sea he pickles up to keep;
Others he, as soused brawn,⁴⁴ in wine doth⁴⁵ steep;                 10
Some flesh and bones he with the pox chops⁴⁶ small,
And doth a french fricassee make⁴⁷ withall;
Some on gridir’ns of calentures are⁴⁸ broiled,
And some are⁴⁹ trodden on,⁵⁰ and so quite spoiled.
But some⁵¹ are baked, when smothered they do die;             15
Some meat he doth by hectic fevers⁵² fry;
In sweat sometimes he⁵³ stews with savory smell:
A hodge-podge of diseases tasteth⁵⁴ well.
Brains dressed with apoplexy to Nature’s wish,⁵⁵
Or swim with sauce of megrims in a dish.⁵⁶                             20
And tongues he⁵⁷ dries with smoke from stomachs ill,
Which as the second course he⁵⁸ sends up still.
Throats he doth cut, blood puddings for⁵⁹ to make,
And puts them in the guts, which colics rack.
Some hunted are by him⁶⁰ for deer, that’s red,⁶¹                     25
And some as stall-fed oxen knocked o’th’head;⁶²
Some, singed and scald for bacon, seem most rare⁶³
When with salt rheum and phlegm they powdered are.⁶⁴

The sun crowns Nature’s head with beams so fair;⁵⁷
The stars do hang as jewels in her hair.⁵⁸
Her garment’s made of pure bright watchet sky,
Which round her waist the zodiac doth⁶⁵ tie.
The polar circles are bracelets⁶⁶ for each wrist;                5
The planets round about her neck do twist.
The gold and silver mines, shoes for her feet,
And for her garters are soft flowers sweet.⁶⁷
Her stockings are of grass that’s fresh and green;
The rainbow is like colored ribbons seen.⁶⁸                       10
The powder for her hair is milk-white snow,
And when she comes,⁶⁹ her locks the winds do blow.
Light, a thin veil, doth hang upon her face,
Through which her creatures see in every place.

In Nature’s cabinet, the brain, you’ll find
Many a toy⁷⁰ which doth delight the mind:
Several colored ribbons of fancies⁷¹ new
To tie in hats or hair of lovers true;
Imagination’s masks, where nothing’s shown⁷²                        5
But th’eyes of knowledge, all the rest unknown;⁷³
Fans of opinion, which do waft⁷⁴ the wind
According as the heat is in the mind;
Gloves of remembrance to⁷⁵ draw off and on—
Thoughts in the brain sometimes are⁷⁶ there, then gone.       10
Veils of forgetfulness the thoughts do hide,
Which when⁷⁷ turned up, then is their face espied.
Pendants of understanding heavy there⁷⁸
Are found, but do not hang⁷⁹ in every ear.
Patches⁸⁰ of ignorance to stick upon⁸¹                                       15
The face of fools—this cabinet is shown.

⁸²

A bunch of keys did hang⁸³ by Nature’s side,
Which she, to open her five⁸⁴ boxes,⁸⁵ tried.
The first was wit; that⁸⁶ key unlocked the ear,
Opened the brain to see what things were there.
The next was beauty’s key, unlocked the eyes,                     5
Opened the heart to see what therein lies.
The third was appetite, which quick did go,⁸⁷
Opening the stomach to put meat into.⁸⁸
The key of scent unlocked⁸⁹ the brain, though hard,
For of a stink the nose is much afeard.                                   10
The key of pain did open⁹⁰ touch, but slow,
For Nature’s loath any disease to show.⁹¹