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Elegia VIII.2
Execratur lenam quæ puellam suam meretricis arte instituebat.

There is—whoe'er will know a bawd aright,
Give ear—there is an old trot Dipsas hight.3
Her name comes from the thing: she being wise,4
Sees not the morn on rosy horses rise,
She magic arts and Thessal charms doth know,
And makes large streams back to their fountains flow;
She knows with grass, with threads on wrung5 wheels spun,
And what with mares' rank humour6 may be done.
When she will, clouds the darkened heaven obscure,
When she will, day shines everywhere most pure.
10
If I have faith, I saw the stars drop blood,
The purple moon with sanguine visage stood;
Her I suspect among night's spirits to fly,
And her old body in birds' plumes to lie.
Fame saith as I suspect; and in her eyes,
Two eyeballs shine, and double light thence flies.
Great grandsires from their ancient graves she chides,
And with long charms the solid earth divides.
She draws chaste women to incontinence,
Nor doth her tongue want harmful eloquence.
20
By chance I heard her talk; these words she said,
While closely hid betwixt two doors I laid.
“Mistress, thou knowest thou hast a blest youth pleased,
He stayed and on thy looks his gazes seized.
And why should'st not please? none thy face exceeds;
Ay me, thy body hath no worthy weeds!
As thou art fair, would thou wert fortunate!
Wert thou rich, poor should not be my state.
Th' opposèd star of Mars hath done thee harm;
Now Mars is gone, Venus thy side doth warm,
30
And brings good fortune; a rich lover plants
His love on thee, and can supply thy wants.
Such is his form as may with thine compare,
Would he not buy thee, thou for him should'st care.”1
She blushed: “Red shame becomes white cheeks; but this
If feigned, doth well; if true, it doth amiss.
When on thy lap thine eyes thou dost deject,
Each one according to his gifts respect.
Perhaps the Sabines rude, when Tatius reigned
To yield their love to more than one disdained.
40
Now Mars doth rage abroad without all pity,
And Venus rules in her Æneas' city.
Fair women play; she's chaste whom none will have,
Or, but for bashfulness, herself would crave.
Shake off these wrinkles that thy front assault;
Wrinkles in beauty is a grievous fault.
Penelope in bows her youths' strength tried,
Of horn the bow was that approved1 their side.
Time flying slides hence closely, and deceives us,
And with swift horses the swift year2 soon leaves us.
50
Brass shines with use; good garments would3 be worn;
Houses not dwelt in, are with filth forlorn.
Beauty, not exercised, with age is spent,
Nor one or two men are sufficient.
Many to rob is more sure, and less hateful;
From dog-kept flocks come preys to wolves most grateful.
Behold, what gives the poet but new verses?
And thereof many thousand he rehearses.
The poet's god, arrayed in robes of gold,
Of his gilt harp the well-tuned strings doth hold.
60
Let Homer yield to such as presents bring;
(Trust me) to give, it is a witty thing.
Nor, so thou may'st obtain a wealthy prize,
The vain name of inferior slaves despise.
Nor let the arms of ancient lines1 beguile thee;
Poor lover, with thy grandsires I exile thee.
Who seeks, for being fair, a night to have,
What he will give, with greater instance crave.
Make a small price, while thou thy nets dost lay;
Lest they should fly; being ta'en, the tyrant play.
70
Dissemble so, as loved he may be thought,
And take heed lest he gets that love for nought.
Deny him oft; feign now thy head doth ache:
And Isis now will show what 'scuse to make.
Receive him soon, lest patient use he gain,
Or lest his love oft beaten back should wane.
To beggars shut, to bringers ope thy gate;
Let him within hear barred-out lovers prate.
And, as first wronged, the wrongèd sometimes banish;
Thy fault with his fault so repulsed will vanish.
80
But never give a spacious time to ire;
Anger delayed doth oft to hate retire.
And let thine eyes constrainèd learn to weep,
That this or that man may thy cheeks moist keep.
Nor, if thou cozenest one, dread to forswear;
Venus to mocked men lends a senseless ear.
Servants fit for thy purpose thou must hire,
To teach thy lover what thy thoughts desire.
Let them ask somewhat; many asking little,
Within a while great heaps grow of a tittle.
90
And sister, nurse, and mother spare him not;
By many hands great wealth is quickly got.
When causes fail thee to require a gift
By keeping of thy birth, make but a shift.
Beware lest he, unrivalled, loves secure;
Take strife away, love doth not well endure.
On all the bed men's tumbling1 let him view,
And thy neck with lascivious marks made blue.
Chiefly show him the gifts which others send:
If he gives nothing, let him from thee wend.
100
When thou hast so much as he gives no more,
Pray him to lend what thou may'st ne'er restore.
Let thy tongue flatter, while thy mind harm works;
Under sweet honey deadly poison lurks.
If this thou dost, to me by long use known,
(Nor let my words be with the winds hence blown)
Oft thou wilt say, ‘live well;’ thou wilt pray oft,
That my dead bones may in their grave lie soft.”
As thus she spake, my shadow me betrayed;
With much ado my hands I scarcely stayed,
110
But her blear eyes, bald scalp's thin hoary fleeces,
And rivelled2 cheeks I would have pulled a-pieces.
The gods send thee no house, a poor old age,
Perpetual thirst, and winter's lasting rage.

[2]Not in Isham copy or ed. A.

[3]“Est quædam, nomine Dipsas, anus.”

[4]“Nigri non illa parentem Memnonis in roseis sobria vidit equis.”

Cunningham suggests that “wise” was “one of the thousand and one euphemisms for ‘inebriated.’”

[5]The spelling in old eds. is “wrong.”

[6]“Virus amantis equæ.”

[1]“Si te non emptam vellet emendus erat.” (Marlowe's copy must have read “amandus.”)

[1]Proved their strength. “Qui latus argueret corneus arcus erat.”

[2]The usual reading is “Ut celer admissis labitur amnis aquts.”

[3]“Vestis bona quaerit haberi.”

[1]Old eds. “liues.”

[1]“Ille viri toto videat vestigia lecto.”

[2]”Rugosas genas.”

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Elegia VIII. Execratur lenam quæ puellam suam meretricis arte instituebat. - Christopher Marlowe, The Works of Christopher Marlowe, vol. 3 (Poems) [1598]

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Elegia VIII.2Execratur lenam quæ puellam suam meretricis arte instituebat.

Elegia VIII.2
Execratur lenam quæ puellam suam meretricis arte instituebat.