Tudor & Elizabethan

George Turberville

c. 1540–c. 1610

George Turberville (c. 1540 – c. 1610) was an Elizabethan poet and translator, born in Dorset and educated at Winchester College and at Oxford before he entered the Inns of Court in London. In 1568 he went to Russia as secretary to Thomas Randolph, Elizabeth's ambassador to Ivan the Terrible, and wrote verse letters home about the country and its customs, which Richard Hakluyt later printed.

His Epitaphes, Epigrams, Songs and Sonets (1567) mixes love complaints, epigrams and funeral verses, and gathers a loosely told love story of Tymetes and Pyndara. He also translated Ovid's Heroides (1567), the eclogues of Mantuan (1567) and Italian tales, and wrote two popular manuals on falconry and hunting (1575). This edition is the 1567 text, with the spelling kept as printed.

Poems (164)

To the rayling Route of Sycophants
In prayse of the Renowmed Ladie Anne, Ladie Cowntesse Warwicke
The Argument to the whole discourse and Treatise following
To a late acquainted Friende
The Louer extolleth the singular beautie of his Ladie
The Louer declareth how first he was taken and enamoured by the sight of his Ladie
Turberuiles aunswere and distick to the same
An Epitaphe on the death of Dame Elyzabeth Arhundle
To Piero of Pride
Piero to Turberuile
Verse in prayse of Lorde Henrye Howarde Earle of Surrey
Of Ialousie
To his Ladie, that by hap when he kissed hir and made hir lip bleed, controld him and tooke disdaine
Turberuiles aunswere
A comparison of the Louers estate with the Souldiars painefull lyfe
The Louer against one that compared his Mistresse with his Ladie
The Louer to a Centlewoman, that after great friendship without desart or cause of mislyking refused him
The Louer obtayning his wishe by all likelyhode, yet not able to attaine his desire, compares himself to Tantalus
The Louer to the Thems of London to fauor his Ladie passing thereon
To his Ring giuen to his Ladie, wherein was grauen this Verse. My hart is yours
The dispairing Louer craues eyther mercie in time at his Ladies hands, or cruell death
To his Friende to be constant after choise made
Counsell returned by Pyndara to Tymetes, of constancie
The Louers must not dispaire though their Ladies seeme straunge
A Letter sent by Tymetes to his Ladie Pyndara at the time of his departure
Pyndaras aunswere to the Letter which Tymetes sent hir at the time of his departure
To his absent Friend the Louer writes of his vnquiet and restlesse state
The aunswere of a woman to hir Louer, supposing his complaint to be but fayned
The Louer exhorteth his Ladie to take time, while time is
The Louer wisheth to be conioyned and fast linckt with his Ladie neuer to sunder
The Louer hoping assuredly of attaining his purpose, after long sute, begins to ioy renouncing dolors
The Louer to his carefull bed declaring his restlesse state
An Epitaph and wofull verse of the death of sir Iohn Tregonwell Knight, and learned Doctor of both Lawes
The Louer confesseth himselfe to be in Loue and enamored of Mistresse. P.
That all things haue release of paine saue the Louer, that hoping and dreading neuer taketh ease
A poore Ploughman to a Gentleman, for whome he had taken a little paines
To his Friende: P. of courting, trauailing, Dysing, and Tenys
The Louer declares that vnlesse he vtter his sorrowes by sute, of force he dyeth
The Louer to a Friende that wrote him this sentence. Yours assured to the death
Of certaine Flowers sent him by his Loue vpon suspicion of chaunge
The Aunswere to the same
Of a Foxe that woulde eate no Grapes
Of the straunge countenaunce of an aged Gentlewoman
To the Rouing Pyrat
Of one that had little Wit
In commendation of Wit
An aunswere in dispraise of Wi
The Louer to Cupid for mercie, declaring how first he became his thrall, with the occasion of his defiyng Loue, and now at last what caused him to conuert
After misaduentures come good haps
To his Loue that controlde his Dogge for fawning on hir
Vpon the death of the aforenamed Dame Elizabeth Arhundle of Cornewall
Disprayse of Women that allure and loue not
Of a Phisition and a Soothsayer
A controuersie of a conquest in Loue twixt Fortune and Venus
The Louer voweth how so euer he be guerdoned to loue faithfully
He sorrowes the long absence of his Ladie. P.
To his Loue long absent, declaring his torments
To Browne of light beliefe
That Death is not so much to be feared as daylie diseases are
The Epicures counsell, eate, drinke, and plaie
The Aunswere to the vile and canckred counsell of the outragious Epicure
Of Homer and his birth
That Time conquereth all things, saue the Louers paine
To his Friend riding to Londonwarde
Of the Raine and cloudy weather at the time of his Friends departure from Troie
Of a couetous Niggard, and a needie Mouse
A pretie Epigram of a Scholler, that hauing read Vergils Aeneidos, maried a curst Wyfe
To a yong Gentleman of taking a Wyfe
The Aunswere for taking a Wyfe
Of a deafe Plaintife, a deafe Defendant, and a deafe Iudge
A promise of olde good will, to an olde friend at the beginning of New yere
A Vow to serue faithfully
Funerall Verse vpon the death of Sir Iohn Horsey Knight
To his Friend T: hauing bene long studied and well experienced, and now at length louing a Gentlewoman that forced him naught at all
An Epitaph vpon the death of the worshipfull Maister Richarde Edwardes late Maister of the Children in the Queenes Maiesties Chappell
To his Loue that sent him a Ring wherein was graude, Let Reason rule
To his Friend Francis Th: leading his lyfe in the Countrie at his desire
To a Gentlewoman that alwayes willed him to weare Rosemarie, (a Tree that is alwayes greene,) for hir sake, and in token of his good will to hir
An Epitaph of the Ladie Br.
Of the time he first began to loue and after how he forewent the same
The assured promise of a constant Louer
The Pine to the Mariner
Againe otherwise
To an olde Gentlewoman, that painted hir face
Of one that had a great Nose
Of one whose Nose was greater than his hand
Of a Nightingale that flue to Colche to sit abroode
Againe of the Nightingale
Of a contrarie mariage
Of Dronkennesse
Againe of Dronkennesse
Of the picture of a vaine Rhetorician
Of the fond discord of the two Theban brothers, Octocles and Polynices
Of a maruellous deformed man
A Myrrour of the fall of Pride
Of the Clock and the Cock
Of a Tayler
The Louer finding his Loue flitted from wonted troth leaues to write in prayse of hir
He sorrowes other to haue the fruites of his seruice
The Louer seeing himselfe abusde, renounceth Loue
Against the Ielous heads that alwayes haue Louers in suspect
That it is hurtfull to conceale secrets from our Friendes
Of the diuers and contrarie passions and affections of his Loue
Of Dido and the truth of hir death
Of Venus in Armour
Of a Hare complaining of the hatred of Dogs
To one that painted Eccho
To a cruell Dame for grace and pittie
To a Gentlewoman from whome he tooke a Ring
The Louer blames his Tongue that failed to vtter his sute in time of neede
That all things are as they are vsed
The Louer excuseth himselfe for renowncing his Loue and Ladie, imputing the same to his fate and constellation
Of Ladie Venus, that hauing lost hir Sonne Cupid God of Loue, and desirous to vnderstand of him againe, declares by the way the nature of Loue and affections of the same, by pretie discription as followeth
Of the cruell hatred of Stepmothers
Againe
To Cupid for reuenge of his vnkind and cruell Loue. Declaring his faithfull seruice and true hart both to the God of Loue and his Ladie
An Aunswere to his Ladie, that willed him that absence should not breede forgetfulnesse
Of a Thracyan that was drownde by playing on the Ise
The Louer hoping in May to haue had redresse of his woes, and yet fowly missing his purpose, bewailes his cruell hap
To a fickle and vnconstant Dame, a friendly warning
The Louer to his Ladie that gafed much vp to the Skies
The Penitent Louer vtterly renouncing loue, craues pardon of forefassed follies
To his Friend that refusde him without cause why but onely vpon delight of chaunge
To one that vpon surmise of aduersitie, forewent hir Friend
To Maister Googes fansie that begins Giue Monie mee take friendship who so list
The Louer abused renownceth Loue
The forsaken Louer laments that his Ladie is matched with an other
Of one that was in reuersion
That all hurts and losses are to be recouered and recured saue the cruell wound of Loue
Of the choise of his Valentine
Of an open Foe and a fayned Friend
Againe
Of a Ritch Miser
Of a Painter that painted Fauour
The Louer whose Lady dwelt fast by a Prison
Complaint of the long absence of his Loue vpon the first acquaintance
The ventrous Louer after long absence craues his Ladie to meete with him in place to enterparle of hir auentures
To Maister Googe his Sonet out of sight out of thought
The Louer whose Mistresse feared a Mouse, declareth that he would become a Cat, if he might haue his desire
The Louer driuen to absent him from his Ladie, bawayles his estate
That Louers ought rather at first acquaintance to shew their meanings by Pen then by Mouth
An Epitaph of Maister Win drowned in the Sea
Againe
Praise of his Loue
The complaint of a Friend of his hauing lost his Doue
That Louers ought to shunne no paines to attaine their Loue
A request of Friendship to Vulcans Wyfe made my Mars
The Louer that had loued Long without requitald of good will
To a Friend that wild him to beware of Enuie
Of Misreporters
That no man should write but such as doe excell
To his Friend, declaring what vertue it is to stick to former plighted friendship
Of two desperate Men
Of the torments of Hell and the paines of Loue
An Epitaph of the death of Maister Tufton of Kent
Againe
In praise of Ladie P.
The Louer in vtter dispaire of his Ladies returne, in eche respect compares his estate with Troylus
The Louer declareth what he would haue if he might obtaine his wish
Of a Gentlewoman that wilde hir Louer to weare greene Bayes in token of hir stedfast loue towards him
An Epitaph of Maister Edwards sometime Maister of the Children of the Chappell, and Gentleman of Lyncolns Inne of Court
An Epitaph on the death of Maister Arthur Brooke drownde in passing to New Hauen
Of the renowmed Lady, Lady Anne Countesse Warwick
The Authours Epiloge to his Booke

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