What was in the 1584 Pandora, dedicated to Oxford?
Below is Ron Hess' transcription, translation, and notes of the 1584 Pandora attributed to "John Soowthern Gentleman." Emphases from original but with slight modernizations of such things as "f" = "s," backwards "F" = "I," "v" = "u" (& vice versa), etc.; also inserted bold stanza #s, "/" = line endings, "//" = stanza endings, & "[End Pg. abc] ///" = page endings).
[Begin Title Page] PANDORA, / The Musyque of the / beautie, of his Mistresse / Diana . / Composed by John Soowthern / Gentleman, and dedicated to the right / Honorable , Edward Deuer, Earle / of Oxenford, & c. 1584. / June, 20. / Non careo patria , Me caret Illa magis. [By no means to absent from my native land, To me more dearly That way] / [Figure: Coin with right profile of a bust of a bearded man wearing a laurel wreath & the top part of a tunic] Imprinted at London for Thomas / Hackette , and are to be solde at his shoppe / in Lumbert streete , under the Popes / head. 1584 [End Title Page] ///
[Begin Pg. 1] To the ryght honou- / rable the Earle of Oxenford. & c. / Ode. I. Strophe.I. /
1.THis earth, is the nourishing teate, / As well that delivers to eate : / As els throwes out all that we can / Devise, that should be n[e]adefull fore / The health, of o[u]r disease or sore, / The houshold companions of man. / And this earth, hath hearbes [herbs] soveraine, / To empeach sicknesses sodaine [sudden], If they be well aptlie applide. / And this yearth, spues up many a brevage,/ Of which if we knew well the d[o]sage: / Would force the force Acherontide. / Breefe, it lendes us all that we have, / With to live: and it is our grave . / But with all this, yet cannot give, / Us fayre renownes, when we be dead. / and in deede they are onelie made, / By our owne vertues whiles we live. // Antistrophe. / 2. And Marbles (all be they so strong,) / Cannot maintaine our renownes long: / And neither they be but abuses, / To thinke that other thinges have puissaunce, / To make for time any resistaunce, / Save onelie the well singing Muses. / And the fayre Muses that provide, / For the wise, an immortall name: / [Printer's Mark of "A ii."] / [End Pg. 1] ///
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1997-2005 by Mark Alexander.
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