Opening the book…
These shorter poems are three of the eleven introductory poems, all dedicated to a different woman, in Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum. The volume was published in 1611.
To the Queenes most Excellent Majestie.
Renowned Empresse, and great Britaines Queene,
Most gratious Mother of succeeding Kings;
Vouchsafe to view that which is seldome seene,
A Womans writing of diuinest things:
5 Reade it faire Queene, though it defectiue be,
Your Excellence can grace both It and Mee.
For you haue rifled Nature of her store,
And all the Goddesses haue dispossest
Of those rich gifts which they enioy’d before,
10 But now great Queene, in you they all doe rest.
If now they striued for the golden Ball,
Paris would giue it you before them all.
From Iuno you haue State and Dignities,
From warlike Pallas, Wisdome, Fortitude;
15 And from faire Venus all her excellencies,
With their best parts your Highnesse is indu’d:
How much are we to honor those that springs
From such rare beauty, in the blood of Kings?
The Muses doe attend vpon your Throne,
20 With all the Artists at your becke and call;
The Syluane Gods, and Satyres euery one,
Before your faire triumphant Chariot fall:
And shining Cynthia with her nymphs attend
To honour you, whose Honour hath no end.
25 From your bright spheare of greatnes where you sit,
Reflecting light to all those glorious stars
That wait vpon your Throane; To virtue yet
Vouchsafe that splendor which my meannesse bars:
Be like faire Phoebe, who doth loue to grace
30 The darkest night with her most beauteous face.
Apollo’s beames doe comfort euery creature,
And shines vpon the meanest things that be;
Since in Estate and Virtue none is greater,
I humbly wish that yours may light on me:
35 That so these rude vnpollisht lines of mine,
Graced by you, may seeme the more diuine.
Looke in this Mirrour of a worthy Mind,
Where some of your faire Virtues will appeare:
Though all it is impossible to find,
40 Vnlesse my Glasse were chrystall, or more cleare:
Which is dym steele, yet full of spotlesse truth,
And for one looke from your faire eyes it su’th.
Here may your sacred Maistie behold
That mightie Monarch both of heau’n and earth,
45 He that all Nations of the world controld,
Yet tooke our flesh in base and meanest berth:
Whose daies were spent in pouerty and sorrow,
And yet all Kings their wealth of him do borrow.
For he is Crowne and Crowner of all Kings,
50 The hopeful hauen of the meaner sort,
It is he that all our ioyfull tidings brings
Of happie raigne within his royall Court:
It is he that in extremity can giue
Comfort to them that haue no time to liue.
55 And since my wealth within his Region stands,
And that his Crosse my chiefest comfort is,
Yea in his kingdome onely rests my lands,
Of honour there I hope I shall not misse:
Though I on earth doe liue vnfortunate,
60 Yet there I may attaine a better state.
In the meane time, accept most gratious Queene
This holy worke, Virtue presents to you,
In poore apparell, shaming to be seene,
Or once t’appeare in your iudiciall view:
65 But that faire Virtue, though in meane attire,
All Princes of the world doe most desire.
And sith all royall virtues are in you,
The Naturall, the Morall, and Diuine,
I hope how plaine soeuer, beeing true,
70 You will accept euen of the meanest line
Faire Virtue yeelds; by whose rare gifts you are
So highly grac’d, t’exceed the fairest faire.
Behold, great Queene, faire Eues Apologie,
Which I haue writ in honour of your sexe,
75 And doe referre vnto your Maiestie,
To iudge if it agree not with the Text:
And if it doe, why are poore Women blam’d,
Or by more faultie Men so much defam’d?
And this great Lady I haue here attired,
80 In all her richest ornaments of Honour,
That you faire Queene, of all the world admired,
May take the more delight to looke vpon her:
For she must entertaine you to this Feast,
To which your Highnesse is the welcom’st guest.
85 For here I haue prepar’d my Paschal Lambe,
The figure of that liuing Sacrifice;
Who dying, all th’Infernall powres oercame,
That we with him t’Eternitie might rise:
This pretious Passeouer feed vpon, O Queene,
90 Let your faire Virtues in my Glasse be seene.
The Lady ELIZABETHS Grace
And she that is the patterne of all Beautie,
The very modell of your Maiestie,
Whose rarest parts enforceth Loue and Duty,
95 The perfect patterne of all Pietie:
O let my Booke by her faire eies be blest,
In whose pure thoughts all Innocency rests.
Then shall I think my Glasse a glorious Skie,
When two such glittring Suns at once appeare;
100 The one repleat with Sou’raigne Maiestie,
Both shining brighter than the clearest cleare:
And both reflecting comfort to my spirits,
To find their grace so much aboue my merits
Whose vntun’d voyce the dolefull notes doth sing
105 Of sad Affliction in an humble straine;
Much like vnto a Bird that wants a wing,
And cannot flie, but warbles forth her paine:
Or he that barred from the Suns bright light,
Wanting daies comfort, doth comend the night.
110 So I that liue clos’d vp in Sorrowes Cell,
Since greatElizaes fauour blest my youth;
And in the confines of all cares doe dwell,
Whose grieued eyes no pleasure euer view’th:
But in Christ’s suffrings, such sweet taste they haue,
115 As makes me praise pale Sorrow and the Graue.
And this great Ladie whom I loue and honour,
And from my very tender yeeres haue knowne,
This holy habite still to take vpon her,
Still to remaine the same, and still her owne:
120 And what our fortunes doe enforce vs to,
She of Deuotion and meere Zeale doth do.
Which makes me thinke our heauy burden light,
When such a one as she will help to beare it:
Treading the paths that make our way go right,
125 What garment is so faire but she may weare it;
Especially for her that entertaines
A Glorious Queene, in whome all woorth remains.
Whose powre may raise my sad deiected Muse,
From this lowe Mansion of a troubled mind;
130 Whose princely fauour may such grace infuse,
That I may spread Her Virtues in like kind:
But in the triall of my slender skill,
I wanted knowledge to performe my will.
For euen as they that doe behold the Starres,
135 Not with the eie of Learning, but of Sight,
To find their motions, want of knowledge barres
Although they see them in their brightest light:
So, though I see the glory of her State,
Its she that must instruct and eleuate.
140 My weake distempred braine and feeble spirits,
Which all vnleaned haue aduentur’d, this
To write of Christ, and of his sacred merits,
Desiring that this Booke Her hands may kisse:
And though I be vnworthy of that grace,
145 Yet let her blessed thoghts this book imbrace.
And pardon me (faire Queene) though I presume,
To doe that which so many better can;
Not that I Learning to my selfe assume,
Or that I would compare with any man:
150 But as they are Scholers, and by Art do write,
So Nature yeelds my Soule a sad delight.
And since all Arts at first from Nature came,
That goodly Creature, Mother of Perfection,
Whom Ioues almighty hand at first did frame,
155 Taking both her and hers in his protection:
Why should not She now grace my barren Muse,
And in a Woman all defects excuse.
So peerelesse Princesse humbly I desire,
That your great wisedome would vouchsafe t’omit
160 All faults; and pardon if my spirits retire,
Leauing to ayme at what they cannot hit:
To write your worth, which no pen can expresse,
Were but t’ecclipse your Fame, and make it lesse.
To the Lady ELIZABETHS Grace.
Most gratious Ladie, faire ELIZABETH ,
Whose Name and Virtues puts vs still in mind,
Of her, of whom we are depriu’d by death;
The Phœnix of her age, whose worth did bind
5 All worthy minds so long as they haue breath,
In linkes of Admiration, loue and zeale,
To that deare Mother of our Common-weale.
Euen you faire Princesse next our famous Queene,
I doe inuite vnto this wholesome feast,
10 Whose goodly wisedome, though your yeares be greene,
By such good workes may daily be increast,
Though your faire eyes farre better Bookes haue seene;
Yet being the first fruits of a womans wit,
Vouchsafe you[r] fauour in accepting it.
To all vertuous Ladies in generall.
Each blessed Lady that in Virtue spends
Your pretious time to beautifie your soules;
Come wait on her whom winged Fame attends
And in hir hand the Booke where she inroules
5 Those high deserts that Maiestie commends:
Let this faire Queene not vnattended bee,
When in my Glasse she daines her selfe to see.
Put on your wedding garments euery one,
The Bridegroome stayes to entertaine you all;
10 Let Virtue be your guide, for she alone
Can leade you right that you can neuer fall;
And make no stay for feare he should be gone:
But fill your Lamps with oyle of burning zeale,
That to your Faith he may his Truth reueale.
15 Let all your roabes be purple scarlet white,
Those perfit colours purest Virtue wore,
Come dekt with Lillies that did so delight
To be preferr’d in Beauty, farre before
Wise Salomon in all his glory dight:
20 Whose royall roabes did no such pleasure yield,
As did the beauteous Lilly of the field.
Adorne your temples with faire
Daphnes crowne, The neuer changing
Laurel, alwaies greene; Let constant hope all worldly pleasures drowne,
25 In wise Mineruaes paths be alwaies seene;
Or with bright Cynthia, thogh faire Venus frown:
With Esop crosse the posts of euery doore,
Where Sinne would riot, making Virtue poore.
And let the Muses your companions be,
30 Those sacred sisters that on Pallas wait;
Whose Virtues with the purest minds agree,
Whose godly labours doe auoyd the baite
Of worldly pleasures, liuing alwaies free
From sword, from violence, and from ill report,
35 To those nine Worthies all faire mindes resort.
Annoynt your haire with Aarons pretious oyle,
And bring your palmes of vict’ry in your hands,
To ouercome all thoughts that would defile
The earthly circuit of your soules faire lands;
40 Let no dimme shadowes your cleare eyes beguile:
Sweet odours, mirrhe, gum, aloes, frankincense,
Present that King who di’d for your offence.
Behold, bright Titans shining chariot staies,
All deckt with flowers of the freshest hew,
45 Attended on by Age, Houres, Nights, and Daies,
Which alters not your beauty, but giues you
Much more, and crownes you with eternall praise:
This golden chariot wherein you must ride,
Let simple Doues, and subtill serpents guide.
50 Come swifter than the motion of the Sunne,
To be transfigur’d with our louing Lord,
Lest Glory end what Grace in you begun,
Of heau’nly riches make your greatest hoord,
In Christ all honour, wealth, and beautie’s wonne:
55 By whose perfections you appeare more faire
Than Phœbus, if he seau’n times brighter were.
Gods holy Angels will direct your Doues,
And bring your Serpents to the fields of rest,
Where he doth stay that purchast all your loues
60 In bloody torments, when he di’d opprest,
There shall you find him in those pleasant groues
Of sweet Elizium, by the Well of Life,
Whose cristal springs do purge from worldly strife
Thus may you flie from dull and sensuall earth,
65 Whereof at first your bodies formed were,
That new regen’rate in a second berth,
Your blessed soules may liue without all feare,
Beeing immortall, subiect to no death:
But in the eie of heauen so highly placed,
70 That others by your virtues may be graced.
Where worthy Ladies I will leaue you all,
Desiring you to grace this little Booke;
Yet some of you me thinkes I heare to call
Me by my name, and bid me better looke,
75 Lest vnawares I in an error fall:
In generall tearmes, to place you with the rest,
Whom Fame commends to be the very best.
Tis true, I must confesse (O noble Fame)
There are a number honoured by thee,
80 Of which, some few thou didst recite by name,
And willd my Muse they should remembred bee;
Wishing some would their glorious Trophies frame:
Which if I should presume to vndertake,
My tired Hand for very feare would quake.
85 Onely by name I will bid some of those,
That in true Honors seate haue long bin placed,
Yea euen such as thou hast chiefly chose,
By whom my Muse may be the better graced;
Therefore, vnwilling longer time to lose,
90 I will inuite some Ladies that I know,
But chiefly those as thou hast graced so.
Works Cited
Lanyer, Aemilia. "To all vertuous Ladies in generall." 1611. All Poetry. Accessed 13 July 2026. All Poetry, (Public Domain).
---. "To the Lady ELIZABETHS Grace." 1611. All Poetry. Accessed 13 July 2026. All Poetry, (Public Domain).
---. "To the Queenes most Excellent Majestie." 1611. All Poetry. Accessed 13 July 2026. All Poetry, (Public Domain).
This page titled 3.9: Excerpts from the Dedications in Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum was last modified on Fri, 07 Aug 2026 22:46:06 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kelsey Ford.
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