ship aduenture darre,
For fear through want of words her excellence to marre.

1 But living art may not least part express,

least > [the least]
express > represent

2 Nor life-resembling pencil it can paint,

resembling > depicting
pencil > artist's brush

3 All were it Zeuxis' or Praxiteles':

All > Even
Zeuxis > (Greek painter, c. 455-396 BC)
Praxiteles > (Greek sculptor, c. 400-320 BC)

4 His daedal hand would fail, and greatly faint,

daedal > cunning, inventive (derived from the name of Daedalus, the
Artist, of Knossos)
faint > grow weak

5 And her perfections with his error taint:
6 Nor poet's wit (that passes painter's far

wit > skill; mental capacity
passes > surpasses [the]

7 In picturing the parts of beauty dainty)

parts > qualities
dainty > delightful, delicate

8 So hard a workmanship adventure dares,

adventure > [to] venture, [to] hazard

9 For fear, through want of words, her excellence to mar.

300.3

How then shall I, Apprentice of the skill,
2 That whylome in diuinest wits did raine,
Presume so high to stretch mine humble quill?
4 Yet now my lucklesse lot doth me constraine
Hereto perforce. But {o^} dred Soueraine
6 Thus farre forth pardon, sith that choicest wit
Cannot your glorious pourtraict figure plaine
8 That I in colourd showes may shadow it,
And antique praises vnto present persons fit.

1 How then shall I, apprentice of the skill
2 That whilom in divinest wits did reign,

whilom > of old
wits > minds

3 Presume so high to stretch my humble quill?

quill > pen

4 Yet now my luckless lot does me constrain
5 Hereto perforce. But O dread Sovereign

Hereto > To this, to this matter
dread > dreaded; revered

6 Thus far forth pardon, sith choicest wit

pardon > {Make courteous allowance}
sith > since
wit > skill

7 Cannot your glorious portrait figure plain,

figure > represent

8 That I in coloured shows may shadow it,

coloured > disguised
shadow > {Render a poor likeness of; portray}

9 And antique praises to present persons fit.

antique > ancient

300.4

But if in liuing colours, and right hew,
2 +Your+ selfe +you+ couet to see pictured,
Who can it doe more liuely, or more trew,
4 Then that sweet verse, with _Nectar_ sprinckeled,
In which a gracious seruant pictured
6 His _Cynthia_, his heauens fairest light?
That with