whence all wisdome springs What man is he but would suppose the author of this booke The first foundation of his woorke from Moyses wryghtings tooke â–ª Not only in effect he dooth with Genesis agree But also in the order of creation saue that hee Makes no distinction of the dayes For what is else at all That shapelessâ— rude and pestred heape which Chaos he dooth call Than euen that vniuersall masse of things which God did make In one whole lump before that ech their proper place did take Of which the Byble saith that in the first beginning God Made heauen and earth the earth was waste and darknesse yit abod Uppon the deepe which holy wordes declare vntoo vs playne That fyre ayre water and the earth did vndistinct remayne In one grosse bodie at the first ¶ For God the father that Made all things framing out the world according too the plat Conceyued euerlastingly in mynd made first of all Both heauen and earth vncorporall and such as could not fall As obiects vnder sense of sight and also aire lykewyse And emptynesse and for theis twaine apt termes he did deuyse He called ayer darknesse for the ayre by kynd is darke And emptynesse by name of depth full aptly he did marke For emptynesse is deepe and waste by nature Ouermorâ— He formed also bodylesse as other things before The natures both of water and of spirit And in fyne The lyght which beeing made too bee a patterne most diuine Whereby too forme the fixed starres and wandring planets seuen With all the lyghts that afterward should beawtifie the heauen Was made by God both bodylesse and of so pure a kynd As that it could alonly bee perceyued by the mynd To thys effect are Philos words And certainly this same Is it that Poets in their worke confused Chaos name Not that Gods woorkes at any tyme were pact confusedly Toogither but bicause no place nor outward shape whereby To shew them too the feeble sense of mans deceytfull syght Was yit appointed vntoo things vntill that by his myght And wondrous wisdome God in tyme set open too the eye The things that he before all tyme had euerlastingly Decreëd by his prouidence But let vs further see How Ouids scantlings with the whole true patterne doo agree The first day by his mighty word sayth Moyses God made lyght The second day the firmament which heauen or welkin hyght The third day he did part the earth from sea and made it drie Commaunding it too beare all kynd of frutes abundantly The fowrth day he did make the lyghts of heauen to shyne from hye And stablished a law in them too rule their courses by The fifth day he did make the whales and fishes of the deepe With all the birds and fethered fowles that in the aire doo keepe The sixth day God made euery beast both wyld and tame and woormes That creepe on ground according too their seuerall kynds and foormes And in the image of himself he formed man of clay Too bee the Lord of all his woorkes the very selfsame day This is the sum of Moyses woords And Ouid whether it were By following of the text aright or that his mynd did beare Him witnesse that there are no Gods but one dooth playne vphold That God although he knew him not was he that did vnfold The former Chaos putting it in forme and facion new As may appeere by theis his woordes which vnderneath ensew This sâ—ryfe did God and nature breake and set in order dew The earth from heauen the sea from earth he parted orderly And from the thicke and foggie aire he tooke the lyghtsome skye In theis few lynes he comprehends the whole effect of that Which God did woork the first three dayes about this noble plat And then by distributions he entreateth by and by More largely of the selfsame things and paynts them out too eye With all their bounds and furniture And whereas wee doo fynd The terme of nature ioynd with God according too the mynd Of lerned men by ioyning so is ment none other thing But God the Lord of nature who did all in order bring The distributions beeing doone right lernedly anon Too shew the other three dayes workes he thus proceedeth on The heauenly soyle too Goddes and starres and planets first he gaue The waters next both fresh and salt he let the fishes haue The suttle ayre to flickering fowles and birds he hath assignd The earth too beasts both wyld and tame of sundry sorts and kynd Thus partly in the outward phrase but more in verie deede He seemes according too the sense of scripture too proceede And when he commes to speake of man he dooth not vainly say As sum haue written that he was before all tyme for ay Ne mencioneth mo Gods than one in making him But thus He both in sentence and in sense his meening dooth discusse Howbeâ—it yit of all this whyle the creature wanting was Farre more diuine of nobler mynd which should the resdew passe In depth of knowledge reason wit and hygh capacitee And which of all the resdew should the Lord and ruler bee Then eyther he that made the world and things in order set Of heauenly seede engendred man or else the earth as yet But late before the seedes thereof as yit hild inwardly The which Prometheus tempring streyght with water of the spring Did make in likenesse to the Goddes that gouerne euery thing What other thing meenes Ouid heere by terme of heauenly seede Than mans immortall sowle which is diuine and commes in deede From heauen and was inspyrde by God as Moyses sheweth playne And whereas of Prometheus he seemes too adde a vayne Deuyce as though he ment that he had formed man of clay Although it bee a tale put in for pleasure by the way Yit by thinterpretation of the name we well may gather He did include a misterie and secret meening rather This woord Prometheus signifies a person sage and wyse Of great foresyght who headily will nothing enterpryse It was the name of one that first did images inuent Of whom the Poets doo report that hee too heauen vp went And there stole fyre through which he made his images alyue And therfore that he formed men the Paynims did contryue Now when the Poet red perchaunce that God almyghty by His prouidence and by his woord which euerlastingly Is ay his wisdome made the world and also man to beare His image and too bee the lord of all the things that were Erst made and that he shaped him of earth or slymy clay Hee tooke occasion in the way of fabling for too say That wyse Prometheus tempring earth with water of the spring Did forme it lyke the Gods aboue that gouerne euery thing Thus may Prometheus seeme too bee theternall woord of God His wisdom and his prouidence which formed man of clod And where all other things behold the ground with groueling eye He gaue too man a stately looke replete with
as in his owne bée soong Wherein although for pleasant style I cannot make account Too match myne author who in that all other dooth surmount Yit gentle Reader doo I trust my trauell in this cace May purchace fauour in thy sight my dooings too embrace Considring what a sea of goodes and Iewelles thou shalt fynd Not more delyghtfull too the eare than frutefull too the mynd For this doo lerned persons déeme of Ouids present woorke That in no one of all his bookes the which he wrate doo lurke Mo darke and secret misteries mo counselles wyse and sage Mo good ensamples mo reprooues of vyce in youth and age Mo fyne inuentions too delight mo matters clerkly knit No nor more straunge varietie too shew a lerned wit The high the lowe the riche the poore the mayster and the slaue The mayd the wife the man the chyld the simple and the braue The yoong the old the good the bad the warriour strong and stout The wyse the foole the countrie cloyne the lerned and the lout And euery other liuing wight shall in this mirrour sée His whole estate thoughtes woordes and déedes expresly shewd too bée Whereof if more particular examples thou doo craue In reading the Epistle through thou shalt thy longing haue Moreouer thou mayst fynd herein descriptions of the tymes With constellacions of the starres and planettes in theyr clymes The Sites of Countries Cities hilles seas forestes playnes and floods The natures both of fowles beastes wormes herbes mettals stones woods And finally what euer thing is straunge and delectable The same conueyed shall you fynd most featly in some fable And euen as in a cheyne eche linke within another wynds And both with that that went before and that that followes binds So euery tale within this booke dooth séeme too take his ground Of that that was reherst before and enters in the bound Of that that folowes after it and euery one giues light Too other so that whoo so méenes too vnderstand them ryght Must haue a care as well too know the thing that went before As that the which he presently desyres too sée so sore Now too thintent that none haue cause héereafter too complaine Of mee as setter out of things that are but light and vaine If any stomacke be so weake as that it cannot brooke The liuely setting forth of things described in this booke I giue him counsell too absteine vntill he bée more strong And for too vse Vlysses feat ageinst the Meremayds song Or if he néedes will héere and sée and wilfully agrée Through cause misconstrued vntoo vice allured for too bée Then let him also marke the peine that dooth therof ensue And hold himself content with that that too his fault is due FINIS ¶ The first booke of Ouids Metamorphosis translated into Englyshe Meter OF shapes transformde to bodies straunge I purpose tâ— entreate Ye gods vouchsafe for you are they y â—wrought this woÌ„drous feate To further this mine enterprise And from the world begunne Graunt that my verse may to my time his course directly runne Before the Sea and Lande were made and Heauen that all doth hide In all the worlde one onely face of nature did abide Which Chaos hight a huge rude heape and nothing else but euen A heauie lump and clottred clod of séedes togither driuen Of things at strife among themselues for want of order due No sunne as yet with lightsome beames the shapelesse world did vew No Moone in growing did repayre hir hornes with borowed light Nor yet the earth amiddes the ayre did hang by wondrous slight Iust peysed by hir proper weight Nor winding in and out Did Amphitrytee with hir armes embrace the earth about For where was earth was sea and ayre so was the earth vnstable The ayre all darke the sea likewise to beare a ship vnable No kinde of thing had proper shape but ech confounded other For in one selfe same bodie stroue the hote and colde togither The moyst with drie the soft with hard the light with things of weight This strife did God and Nature breake and set in order streight The earth from heauen the sea from earth he parted orderly And from the thicke and foggie ayre he tooke the lightsome skie Which when he once vnfolded had and seuered from the blinde And clodded heape He setting eche from other did them binde In endlesse friendship to agree The fire most pure and bright The substance of the heauen it selfe bicause it was so light Did mount aloft and set it selfe in highest place of all The second roume of right to ayre for lightnesse did befall The earth more grosse drew down with it eche weighty kinde of matter And set it selfe in lowest place Againe the wauing water Did lastly chalenge for his place the vtmost coast and bound Of all the compasse of the earth to close the stedfast ground Now when he in this foresaid wise what God so ere he was Had broke and into members put this rude confused masse Then first bicause in euery part the earth should equall bée He made it like a mighty ball in compasse as we sée And here and there he cast in seas to whome he gaue a lawe To swell with euery blast of winde and euery stormie flawe And with their waues continually to beate vpon the shore Of all the earth within their boundes enclosde by them afore Moreouer Springs and mighty Méeres and Lakes he did augment And flowing streames of crooked brookes in winding bankes he pent Of which the earth doth drinke vp some and some with rest lesse race Do séeke the sea where finding scope of larger roume and space In steade of bankes they beate on shores He did coÌ„maund the plaine And champion groundes to stretch out wide and valleys to remaine Aye vnderneath and eke the woods to hide them decently With tender leaues and stonie hilles to lift themselues on hie And as two Zones doe cut the Heauen vpon the righter side And other twaine vpon the left likewise the same deuide The middle in outragious heat excéeding all the rest Euen so likewise through great foresight to God it séemed best The earth encluded in the same should so deuided bée As with the number of the Heauen hir Zones might full agrée Of which the middle Zone in heate the vtmost twaine in colde Excéede so farre that there to dwell no creature dare be bolde Betwéene these two so great extremes two other Zones are fixt Where temprature of heate and colde indifferently is mixt Now ouer this doth hang the Ayre which as it is more sleightie Than earth or water so againe than fire it is more weightie There hath he placed mist and cloudes and for to feare mens mindes The thunder and the lightning eke with colde and blustring windes But yet the maker of the worlde permitteth not alway The windes to vse the ayre at will For at this present day Though ech from other placed be in sundry coasts
blood Were died blacke The roote also bestained as it stoode A déepe darke purple colour straight vpon the Berries cast Anon scarce ridded of hir feare with which she was agast For doubt of disapointing him commes Thisbe forth in hast And for hir louer lookes about reioycing for to tell How hardly she had scapt that night the daunger that befell And as she knew right well the place and facion of the trée As whych she saw so late before euen so when she did sée The colour of the Berries turnde she was vncertaine whither It were the trée at which they both agréed to méete togither While in this doubtfull stounde she stoode she cast hir eye aside And there beweltred in his bloud hir louer she espide Lie sprawling with his dying limmes at which she started backe And looked pale as any Box a shuddring through hir stracke Euen like the Sea which sodenly with whissing noyse doth moue When with a little blast of winde it is but toucht aboue But when approching nearer him she knew it was hir loue She beate hir brest she shricked out she tare hir golden heares And taking him betwéene hir armes did wash his wounds with teares She meynt hir wéeping with his bloud and kissing all his face Which now became as colde as yse she cride in wofull case Alas what chaunce my Pyramus hath parted thée and mée Make aunswere O my Pyramus It is thy Thisb euen shée Whome thou doste loue most heartely that speaketh vnto thée Giue eare and rayse thy heauie heade He hearing Thisbes name Lift vp his dying eyes and hauing séene hir closde the same But when she knew hir mantle there and saw his scabberd lie Without the swoorde Unhappy man thy loue hath made thée die Thy loue she said hath made thée slea thy selfe This hand of mine Is strong inough to doe the like My loue no lesse than thine Shall giue me force to worke my wound I will pursue the dead And wretched woman as I am it shall of me be sed That like as of thy death I was the only cause and blame So am I thy companion eke and partner in the same For death which only coulde alas a sunder part vs twaine Shall neuer so disseuer vs but we will méete againe And you the Parentes of vs both most wretched folke alyue Let this request that I shall make in both our names byliue Entreate you to permit that we whome chaste and stedfast loue And whome euen death hath ioynde in one may as it doth behoue In one graue be together layd And thou vnhappie trée Which shroudest now the corse of one and shalt anon through mée Shroude two of this same slaughter holde the sicker signes for ay Blacke be the colour of thy fruite and mourninglike alway Such as the murder of vs twaine may euermore bewray This said she tooke the sword yet warme with slaughter of hir loue And setting it beneath hir brest did to hir heart it shoue Hir prayer with the Gods and with their Parentes tooke effect For when the frute is throughly ripe the Berrie is bespect With colour tending to a blacke And that which after fire Remained rested in one Tumbe as Thisbe did desire This tale thus tolde a little space of pawsing was betwist And then began Leucothoâ— thus hir sisters being whist This Sunne that with his streaming light al worldly things doth cheare Was tane in loue of Phebus loues now list and you shall heare It is reported that this God did first of all espie For euerie thing in Heauen and Earth is open to his eie How Venus with the warlike Mars adâ—outrie did commit It grieued him to sée the fact and so discouered it He shewed his husband Iunos sonne th' aduoutrie and the place In which this priuie scape was done Who was in such a case That heart and hand and all did faile in working for a space Anon he featly forgde a net of Wire so fine and slight That neyther knot nor nooze therein apparant was to sight This piece of worke was much more fine than any handwarpe oofe Or that whereby the Spider hanges in sliding from the roofe And furthermore the suttlenesse and slight thereof was such It followed euery little pull and closde with euery touch And so he set it handsomly about the haunted couch Now when that Venus and hir mate were met in bed togither Hir husband by his newfound snare before conuayed thither Did snarle them both togither fast in middes of all theyr play And setting ope the Iâ—orie doores callde all the Gods streight way To sée them they with shame inough fast lockt togither lay A certaine God among the rest disposed for to sport Did wish that he himselfe also were shamed in that sort The resdue laught and so in heauen there was no talke a while But of this Pageant how the Smith the louers did beguile Dame Venus highly stomacking this great displeasure thought To be reuenged on the part by whome the spight was wrought And like as he hir secret loues and méetings had bewrayd So she with wound of raging loue his guerdon to him payd What now auayles Hyperions sonne thy forme and beautie bright What now auayle thy glistring eyes with cleare and piercing sight For thou that with thy gleames art wont all countries for to burne Art burnt thy selfe with other gleames that serue not for thy turne And thou that oughtst thy cherefull looke on all things for to show Alonly on Leucothoë doste now the same bestow Thou fastnest on that Maide alone the eyes that thou doste owe To all the worlde Sometime more rathe thou risest in the East Sometime againe thou makste it late before thou fall to reast And for desire to looke on hir thou often doste prolong Our winter nightes And in thy light thou faylest eke among The fancie of thy faultie minde infectes thy feeble sight And so thou makste mens hearts afrayde by daunting of thy light Thou looxte not pale bycause the globe of Phebe is betwéene The Earth and thée but loue doth cause this colour to be séene Thou louest this Leucothoë so far aboue all other That neyther now for Clymenâ— for Rhodos nor the mother Of Circé nor for Clytië who at that present tyde Reiected from thy companie did for thy loue abide Most grieuous torments in hir heart thou séemest for to care Thou mindest hir so much that all the rest forgotten are Hir mother was Eurynome of all the fragrant clime Of Arabie estéemde the flowre of beautie in hir time But when hir daughter came to age the daugher past the mother As far in beautie as before the mother past all other Hir father was king Orchamus and rulde the publike weale Of Persey counted by descent the .vij. from auncient Bele Far vnderneath the Westerne clyme of Hesperus doe runne The pastures of the firie stéedes that draw the golden Sunne There are they fed with Ambrosâ—e in stead of grasse all
on his hardened side He felt the sâ—ales new budding out the which was wholy fret With speccled droppes of blacke and gray as thicke as could be set He falleth groueling on his breast and both his shankes doe growe In one round spindle Bodkinwise with sharpned point below His armes as yet remayned still his armes that did remayne He stretched out and sayde with teares that plentuously did raine A downe his face which yet did kéepe the natiue fashion sownd Come hither wyfe come hither wight most wretched on the ground And whyle that ought of mée remaynes vouchsafe to touche the same Come take mée by the hand as long as hand may haue his name Before this snakish shape doe whole my body ouer runne He would haue spoken more when sodainely his tongue begunne To split in two and speache did fayle and as he did attempt To make his mone he hist for nature now had cleane exempt All other speach His wretched wyfe hir naked stomack béete And cryde what meaneth this deare Cadmus where are now thy féete Where are thy shoulders and thy handes thy hew and manly face With all the other things that did thy princely person grace Which nowe I ouerpasse But why yée Goddes doe you delay My bodie into lyke misshape of Serpent to conuay When this was spoken Cadmus lickt his wyfe about the lippes And as a place with which he was acquaynted well he slippes Into hir boosome louingly embracing hir and cast Himselfe about hir necke as oft he had in tyme forepast Such as were there their folke were there were flaighted at the â—ight For by and by they sawe their neckes did glister slicke and bright And on their snakish heades grew crests and finally they both Were into verie Dragons tournd and foorth together goth Lone trayling by the tothers side vntill they gaynd a wood The which direct against the place where as they were then stood And now remembring what they were themselues in tymes forepast They neyther shonne nor hurten men with stinging nor with blast But yet a comfort to them both in this their altred hew Became that noble impe of theirs that Indie did subdew Whom al Achaia worshipped with temples builded new All only Acrise Abas sonne though of the selfe same stocke Remaind who out of Argos walles vnkindly did him locke And moued wilfull warre against his Godhead thinking that There was not any race of Goddes for he beleued not That Persey was the sonne of Ioue or that he was conceyued By Danae of golden shower through which shée was deceiued But yet ere long such present force hath truth he doth repent As well his great impietie against God Bacchus meant As also that he did disdiane his Nephew for to knowe But Bacchus now full gloriously himselfe in Heauen doth showe And Persey bearing in his hand the monster Gorgons head That famous spoyle which here and there with snakish haire was spread Doth beat the ayre with wauyng wings And as he ouerflew The Lybicke sandes the droppes of bloud that from the head did sew Of Gorgon being new cut off vpon the ground did fal Which taking them and as it were conceyuing therwithall Engendred sundrie Snakes and wormes by meanes wherof that clyme Did swarme with Serpents euer since euen to this present tyme. From thence he lyke a watrie cloud was caried with the weather Through all the heauen now here now there as light as any feather And from aloft he viewes the earth that vnderneath doth lie And swiftly ouer all the worlde doth in conclusion flie Thrée times the chilling beares thrée times y â— crabbes fel cleas he saw Oft times to Weast oftimes to East did driue him many a flaw Now at such time as vnto rest the sonne began to drawe Bicause he did not thinke it good to be abroad all night Within King Atlas western Realme he ceased from his flight Requesting that a little space of rest enioy he might Untill such tyme as Lucifer should bring the morning gray And morning bring the lightsome Sunne that guides the cherefull day This Atlas Iapets Nephewe was a man that did excell In stature euerie other wight that in the worlde did dwell The vtmost coast of all the earth and all that Sea wherein The tyred stéedes and wearied Wayne of Phoebus diued bin Were in subiection to this King A thousande flockes of shéepe A thousand heirdes of Rother beastes he in his fields did kéepe And not a neighbor did anoy his ground by dwelling nie To him the wandring Persey thus his language did applie If high renowne of royall race thy noble heart may moue I am the sonne of Ioue himselfe or if thou more approue The valiant déedes and hault exploytes thou shalt perceiue in mée Such doings as deserue with prayse extolled for to bée I pray thée of thy courtesie receiue mée as thy guest And let mée only for this night within thy palace rest King Atlas called straight to minde an auncient prophesie Made by Parnassian Themys which this sentence did implie The time shall one day Atlas come in which thy golden trée Shall of hir fayre and precious fruite dispoyld and robbed bée And he shall be the sonne of Ioue that shall enioy the pray For feare hereof he did enclose his Orchard euerie way With mightie hilles and put an ougly Dragon in the same To kéepe it Further he forbad that any straunger came Within his Realme and to this knight he sayde presumtuouslie Auoyd my land onlesse thou wilt by vtter perill trie That all thy glorious actes whereof thou doest so loudly lie And Ioue thy father be too farre to helpe thée at thy néede To these his wordes he added force add went about in déede To driue him out by strength of hand To speake was losse of winde For neyther could intreating faire nor stoutnesse tourne his minde Well then ê™ Persey sith thou doest mine honour set so light Take here a present and with that he turnes away his sight And from his left side drewe mée out Medusas lothly head As huge and big as Atlas was he tourned in that stead Into a mountaine Into trées his beard and locks did passe His hands and shoulders made the ridge that part which lately was His head became the highest top of all the hill his bones Were turnd to stones and therewithall he grew mée all at ones Beyond all measure vp in heigth For so God thought it best So farre that Heauen with all the starres did on his shoulders rest In endlesse prison by that time had Aëolus lockt the wind And now the chéerely morning starre that putteth folke in mind To rise about their daylie worke shone brightly in the skie Then Persey vnto both his féete did streight his feathers tie And girt his Woodknife to his side and from the earth did stie And leauing nations nomberlesse beneath him euerie way At last vpon King Cepheyes fields in Aethiop did he stay Where cleane against all right
There followed him a thowsand shippes not farre Conspyrd toogither with the ayde that all the Greekes could fynd And vengeance had béene tane foorthwith but that the cruell wynd Did make the seas vnsaylable so that theyr shippes were fayne At rode at fisshye Avvlys in Baeotia too remayne Héere as the Greekes according too theyr woont made sacrifyse Too Ioue and on the Altar old the flame aloft did ryse They spyde a speckled Snake créepe vp vppon a planetrée bye Uppon the toppe whereof there was among the braunches hye A nest and in the nest eyght birdes All which and éeke theyr dam That flickering flew about her losse the hungry snake did cram Within his mawe The standers by were all amazde therat But Calchas Thestors sonne who knew what méening was in that Sayd â–ª wée shall win Reioyce yée Greekes by vs shall perish Troy But long the tyme will bée before wée may our will enioy And then he told them how the birds nyne yéeres did signifie Which they before the towne of Troy not taking it should lye The Serpent as he wound about the boughes and braunches gréene Became a stone and still in stone his snakish shape is séene The seas continewed verry rough and suffred not theyr hoste Imbarked for too passe from thence too take the further coast Sum thought that Neptune fauored Troy bycause himself did buyld The walles therof But Calchas who both knew and neuer hilld His peace in tyme declared that the Goddesse Phebe must Appeased bée with virgins blood for wrath conceyued iust Assoone as pitie yéelded had too cace of puplicke weale And reason got the vpper hand of fathers louing zeale So that the Ladye Iphigen before the altar stood Among the wéeping ministers too giue her maydens blood The Goddesse taking pitie cast a mist before theyr eyes And as they prayd and stiâ—d about too make the sacrifyse Conueyes her quight away and with a Hynd her roome supplyes Thus with a slaughter méete for her Diana béeing pleasd The raging surges with her wrath toogither were appeasd The thousand shippes had wynd at poope And when they had abode Much trouble at the length all safe they gat the Phrygian rode Amid the world twéene heauen and earth and sea there is a place Set from the bounds of eche of them indifferently in space From whence is séene what euer thing is practisd any where Although the Realme bée nere so farre and roundly too the eare Commes whatsoeuer spoken is â–ª Fame hath his dwelling there Who in the toppe of all the house is lodged in a towre A thousand entryes glades and holes are fâ—amed in this bowre There are no doores too shet The doores stand open nyght and day The house is all of sounding brasse and roreth euery way Reporting dowble euery woord it heareth people say There is no rest within there is no silence any where Yit is there not a yelling out but humming as it were The sound of surges béeing heard farre of are like the sound That at the end of thunderclappes long after dooth redound When Ioue dooth make the clowdes too crack within the courts is preace Of common people which too come and go doo neuer ceace And millions both of trothes and lyes ronne gadding euery where And woordes confusely flye in heapes Of which sum fill the â—are That heard not of them erst and sum Colearyers part doo play Too spread abrode the things they heard And euer by the way The thing that was inuented growes much greater than before And euery one that getts it by the end addes sumwhat more Lyght credit dwelleth there There dwells rash error There dooth dwell Uayne ioy There dwelleth hartlesse feare and Brute that loues too tell Uncertayne newes vppon report whereof he dooth not knowe The author and Sedition who fresh rumors loues too sowe This Fame beholdeth what is doone in heauen on sea and land And what is wrought in all the world he layes to vnderstand He gaue the Troyans warning that the Gréekes with valeant men And shippes approched that vnwares they could not take them then For Hector and the Troian folk well armed were at hand Too kéepe the coast and bid them bace before they came a land Protesilay by fatall doome was first that dyde in féeld Of Hectors speare and after him great numbers mo were killd Of valeant men That battell did the Gréeks full déerly cost And Hector with his Phrygian folk of blood no little lost In trying what the Greekes could doo The shore was red with blood And now king Cygnet Neptunes sonne had killed where he stood A thousand Greekes And now the stout Achilles causd to stay His Charyot and his lawnce did â—lea whole bandes of men that day And séeking Cygnet through the féeld or Hector he did stray At last with Cygnet he did méete For Hector had delay Untill the tenth yeare afterward Then hasting foorth his horses With flaxen manes ageinst his fo his Chariot he enforces And brandisshing his shaking dart he sayd O noble wyght A comfort let it bée too thée that such a valeant knyght As is Achilles killeth thée In saying so he threw A myghty dart which though it hit the mark at which it flew Yit perst it not the skinne at all Now when this blunted blowe Had hit on Cygnets brest and did no print of hitting showe Thou Goddesse sonne ê™ Cygnet for by fame we doo the knowe Why woondrest at mée for too sée I can not wounded bée Achilles woondred much thereat This helmet which yée sée Bedect with horses yellow manes this shéeld that I doo beare Defend mée not For ornaments alonly I them weare For this same cause armes Mars himself likewyse I will disarme Myself and yit vnrazed will I passe without all harme It is too sum effect not borne too bée of Neryes race So that a man be borne of him that with thréeforked mace Rules Nereus and his daughters too and all the sea besyde This sayd he at Achilles sent a dart that should abyde Uppon his sheeld It perced through the stéele and through nyne fold Of Oxen hydes and stayd vppon the tenth Achilles bold Did wrest it out and forcybly did throwe the same agayne His bodye béeing hit ageine vnwounded did remayne And cléere from any print of wound The third went éeke in vayne And yitdid Cygnet too the same giue full his naked brist Achilles chafed like a Bull that in the open list With dreadfull hornes dooth push ageinst the scarlet clothes that therâ— Are hanged vp too make him féerce and when he would them teare Dooth fynd his wounds deluded Then Achilles lookt vppon His Iauelings socket if the head thereof were looce or gone The head stacke fast My hand byléeke is weakened then ê™ hée And all the force it had before is spent on one I sée For sure I am it was of strength both when I first downe threw Lyrnessus walles and when I did Ile Tenedos subdew And éeke
maiesty And willd him too behold the heauen with countnance cast on hye Too mark and vnderstand what things are in the starrie skye In theis same woordes both parts of man the Poet dooth expresse As in a glasse and giueth vs instruction too addresse Our selues too know our owne estate as that wee bee not borne Too follow lust or serue the paunch lyke brutish beasts forlorne But for too lyft our eyes as well of body as of mynd Too heauen as too our natiue soyle from whence wee haue by kynd Our better part and by the sight thereof too lerne too know And knowledge him that dwelleth there and wholly too bestow Our care and trauell too the prayse and glorie of his name Who for the sakes of mortall men crated first the same Moreouer by the golden age what other thing is ment Than Adams tyme in Paradyse who beeing innocent Did lead a blist and happy lyfe vntill that thurrough sin He fell from God From which tyme foorth all sorrow did begin The earth accursed for his sake did neuer after more Yeeld foode without great toyle Both heate and cold did vexe him sore Disease of body care of mynd with hunger thirst and neede Feare hope ioy greefe and trouble fell on him and on his seede And this is termd the siluer age Next which there did succeede The brazen age when malice first in peoples harts did breede Which neuer ceased growing till it did so farre outrage That nothing but destrucion could the heate thereof asswage For why mens stomackes wexing hard as steele ageinst their God Prouoked him from day too day too strike them with his rod. Prowd Gyants also did aryse that with presumptuous wills Heapt wrong on wrong and sin on sin lyke howge and lofty hilles Whereby they stroue too clâ—mb too heauen and God from thence too draw In scorning of his holy woord and breaking natures law For which anon ensewd the slood which ouerflowed all The whole round earth and drowned quyght all creatures great and smal Excepting feaw that God did saue as seede whereof should grow Another ofspring All these things the Poet heere dooth show In colour altring both the names of persons tyme and place For where according too the truth of scripture in this cace The vniuersall flood did fall but sixteene hundred yeeres And sixâ—nd fifty after the creation as appeeres By reckening of the ages of the fathers vnder Noy With whom seuen other persons mo like saufgard did enioy Within the arke which at the end of one whole yeere did stay Uppon the hilles of Armenie The Poet following ay The fables of the glorying Greekes who shamelessely did take The prayse of all things too themselues in fablyng wyse dooth make It happen in Deuâ—alions tyme who reignd in Thessaly Eyght hundred winters since Noyes flood or therevpon well nye Bicause that in the reigne of him a myghty flood did fall That drownde the greater part of Greece townes cattell folk and all Saue feaw that by the help of boats atteyned vntoo him And too the highest of the forkt Parnasos top did swim And for bycause that hee and his were driuen a whyle to dwell Among the stonny hilles and rocks vntil the water fell The Poets herevpon did take occasion for too feyne That he and Pyrrha did repayre mankynd of stones ageyne So in the sixth booke afterward Amphions harp is sayd The first foundation of the walles of Thebee too haue layd Bycause that by his cloquence and iustice which are ment By true accord of harmonie and musicall consent He gathered intoo Thebee towne and in due order knit The people that disperst and rude in hilles and rocks did sit So Orphey in the tenth booke is reported too delyght The sauage beasts and for too hold the fleeting birds from flyght Too moue the senselesse stones and stay swift riuers and too make The trees too follow after him and for his musick sake Too yeeld him shadow where he went By which is signifyde That in his doctrine such a force and sweetnesse was implyde That such as were most wyld stowre feerce hard witlesse rude and bent Ageinst good order were by him perswaded too relent And for too bee conformable too liue in reuerent awe Like neybours in a common weale by iustyce vnder law Considring then of things before reherst the whole effect I trust there is already shewd sufficient too detect That Poets tooke the ground of all their cheefest fables out Of scripture which they shadowing with their gloses went about Too turne the truth too toyes and lyes And of the selfsame rate Are also theis Their Phlegeton their Styx their blisfull state Of spirits in th' Elysian feelds Of which the former twayne Seeme counterfetted of the place where damned soules remaine Which wee call hell The third dooth seeme too fetch his pedegree From Paradyse which scripture shewes a place of blisse too bee If Poets then with leesings and with fables shadowed so The certeine truth what letteth vs too plucke those visers fro Their doings and too bring ageine the darkened truth too lyght That all men may behold thereof the cleernesse shining bryght The readers therefore earnestly admonisht are too bee Too seeke a further meening than the letter giues too seâ— The trauell â—ane in that behalf although it haue sum payne Yit makes it double recompence with pleasure and with gayne With pleasure for varietie and straungenesse of the things With gaine for good instruction which the vnderstanding brings And if they happening for too meete with any wanton woord Or matter lewd according as the person dooth aâ—oord In whom the euill is describde doo feele their myndes thereby Prouokte too vyce and wantonnesse as nature commonly Is proâ—e to euill let them thus imagin in their mynd Behold by sent of reason and by perfect syght I fynd A Panther heere whose peinted cote with yellow spots like gold And pleasant smell allure myne eyes and senses too behold But well I know his face is grim and feerce which he dooth hyde Too this intent that whyle I thus stand gazing on his hyde He may deuour mee vnbewares Ne let them more offend At vices in this present woork in lyuely colours pâ—â—d Than if that in a chrystall glasse fowle images they found Resembling folkes fowle visages that stand about it round For sure theis fables are not put in wryghting too th entent Too further or allure too vyce but rather this is ment That men beholding what they bee when vyce dooth reigne in stead Of vertue should not let their lewd affections haue the head For as there is no creature more diuine than man as long As reason hath the souereintie and standeth firme and strong So is there none more beastly vyle and deuâ—lish than is hee If reason giuing ouer by affection mated bee The vse of this same booke therfore is this that euery man Endeuoring for too know himself as neerly as he can As though he in
whoo too gayne theyr trauell doo applye By Bacchus all the meaner trades and handycraftes are ment By Venus such as of the fleshe too filthie lust are bent By Neptune such as kéepe the seas By Phebe maydens chast And Pilgrims such as wandringly theyr tyme in trauell waste By Pluto such as delue in mynes and Ghostes of persones dead By Vulcane smythes and such as woorke in yron tynne or lead By Heâ—at witches Coniurers and Necromancers réede With all such vayne and deulish artes as superstition bréede By Satyres Syluanes Nymphes and Faunes with other such besyde The playne and simple country folke that euery where abyde I know theis names too other thinges oft may and must agrée In declaration of the which I will not tedious bée But leaue them too the Readers will too take in sundry wyse As matter rysing giueth cause constructions too deuyse Now when thou readst of God or man in stone in beast or trée It is a myrrour for thy self thyne owne estate too sée For vnder feyned names of Goddes it was the Poets guyse The vice and faultes of all estates too taunt in couert wyse And likewyse too extoll with prayse such things as doo deserue Obseruing alwayes comlynesse from which they doo not swarue And as the persone greater is of birth renowne or fame The greater euer is his laud or fouler is his shame For if the States that on the earth the roome of God supply Declyne from vertue vntoo vice and liue disorderly Too Eagles Tygres Bulles and Beares and other figures straunge Bothe too theyr people and themselues most hurtfull doo they chaunge And when the people giue themselues too filthie life and synne What other kinde of shape thereby than filthie can they winne So was Licaon made a Woolfe and Ioue became a Bull The tone for vsing crueltie the toother for his trull So was Elpenor and his mates transformed intoo swyne For following of theyr filthie lust in women and in wyne Not that they lost theyr manly shape as too the outward showe But for that in their brutish brestes most beastly lustes did growe For why this lumpe of flesh and bones this bodie is not wée Wée are a thing which earthly eyes denyed are too sée Our soule is wée endewd by God with reason from aboue Our bodie is but as our house in which wée woorke and moue Tone part is common too vs all with God of heauen himself The toother common with the beastes a vyle and stinking pelf The â—one bedect with heauenly giftes and endlesse toother grosse Fraylie filthie weake and borne too dye as made of earthly drosse Now looke how long this clod of clay too reason dooth obey So long for men by â—ust desert account our selues wée may But if wée suffer flâ—shly lustes as lawlesse Lordes too reigne Than are we beastes wée are no men wée haue our name in vaine And if wée be so drownd in vice that féeling once bée gone Then may it well of vs bée sayd wée are a block or stone This surely did the Poets méene when in such sundry wyse The pleasant tales of turned shapes they studyed too deuyse There purpose was too profite men and also too delyght And so too handâ—e euery thing as best might like the sight For as the Image portrayd out in simple whight and blacke Though well proportiond trew and faire if comly colours lacke Delyghteth not the eye so much nor yet contentes the mynde So much as that that shadowed is with colours in his kynde Euen so a playne and naked tale or storie simply told Although the matter bée in déede of valewe more than gold Makes not the hearer so attent too print it in his hart As when the thing is well declarde with pleasant termes and art All which the Poëts knew right well and for the greater grace As Persian kings did neuer go abrode with open face But with some lawne or silken skarf for reuerence of theyr state Euen so they following in their woorkes the selfsame trade and rate Did vnder couert names and termes theyr doctrines so emplye As that it is ryght darke and hard theyr méening too espye But béeing found it is more swéete and makes the mynd more glad Than if a man of tryed gold a treasure gayned had For as the body hath his ioy in pleasant smelles and syghts Euen so in knowledge and in artes the mynd as much delights Wherof aboundant hoordes and heapes in Poets packed béene So hid that sauing vntoo fewe they are not too bée séene And therfore whooso dooth attempt the Poets woorkes too réede Must bring with him a stayed head and iudgement too procéede For as there bée most wholsome hestes and precepts too bée found So are theyr rockes and shallowe shelues too ronne the ship a ground Some naughtie persone séeing vyce shewd lyuely in his hew Dooth take occasion by and by like vices too ensew Another beeing more seuere than wisdome dooth requyre Béeholding vice too outward shewe exalted in desyre Condemneth by and by the booke and him that did it make And willes it too be burnd with fyre for lewd example sake These persons ouershoote themselues and other folkes deceyue Not able of the authors mynd the méening too conceyue The Authors purpose is too paint and set before our eyes The lyuely Image of the thoughts that in our stomackes ryse Eche vice and vertue seemes too speake and argue too our face With such perswasions as they haue theyr dooinges too embrace And if a wicked persone séeme his vices too exalt Estéeme not him that wrate the woorke in such defaultes too halt But rather with an vpryght eye consyder well thy thought Sée if corrupted nature hane the like within thée wrought Marke what affection dooth perswade in euery kynd of matter Iudge if that euen in heynous crymes thy fancy doo not flatter And were it not for dread of lawe or dread of God aboue Most men I feare would doo the things that fond affections moue Then take theis woorkes as fragrant flowers most full of pleasant iuce The which the Bée conueying home may put too wholsome vse And which the spyder sucking on too poyson may conuert Through venym spred in all her limbes and natiue in her hart For too the pure and Godly mynd are all things pure and cléene And vntoo such as are corrupt the best corrupted béene Lyke as the fynest meates and drinkes that can bée made by art In sickly folkes too nourishment of sicknesse doo conuert And therefore not regarding sâ—ch whose dyet is so fyne That nothing can digest with them onlesse it bée deuine Nor such as too theyr proper harme doo wrest and wring awrye The thinges that too a good intent are written pleasantly Through Ouids woorke of turned shapes I haue with peinfull pace Past on vntill I had atteynd the end of all my race And now I haue him made so well acquainted with our â—oong As that he may in English verse
thunder flie The dint whereof the ayrie tops of high Olympus brake And pressed Pelion violently from vnder Ossa strake When whelmed in their wicked worke those cursed Caâ—tiues lay The Earth their mother tooke their bloud yet warme and as they say Did giue it life And for bicause some ympes should still remaine Of that same stocke she gaue it shape and limmes of men againe This ofspring eke against the Gods did beare a natiue spight In slaughter and in doing wrong was all their whole delight Their déedes declared them of bloud engendred for to bée The which as soone as Saturns sonne from Heauen aloft did sée He fetcht a sigh and therwithall reuoluing in his thought The shamefull act which at a feast Lycaon late had wrought As yet vnknowne or blowne abrode He gan thereat to storme And stomacke like an angry Ioue And therfore to reforme Such haynous actes he sommonde streight his Court of Parliament Whereto resorted all the Gods that had their sommons sent Highe in the Welkin is a way apparant to the sight In starrie nights which of his passing whitenesse milkie hight It is the streete that to the Court and Princely Pallace leades Of mightie Ioue whose thunderclaps eche liuing creature dreades On both the sides of this same waye do stand in stately port The sumptuous houses of the Pieres For all the common sort Dwell scattring here and there abrode the face of all the skie The houses of the chiefe estates and Princes doe supplie And sure and if I may be bolde to speake my fancie frée I take this place of all the Heauen the Pallace for to bée Now when the Goddes assembled were and eche had tane his place Ioue standing vp aloft and leaning on his yuorie Mace Right dreadfully his bushie lockes did thrise or four times shake Wherewith he made both Sea and Land Heauen it self to quake And afterward in wrathfull wordes his angrie minde thus brake I neuer was in greater care nor more perplexitie How to maintaine my soueraigne state and Princelie royaltie When with their hundreth handes a piece the Addersooted rout Did practise for to conquere Heauen and for to cast vs out For though it were a cruell foe yet did that warre depende Upon one ground and in one stocke it had his finall ende But now as farre as any sea about the worlde doth winde I must destroy both man and beast and all the mortall kinde I sweare by Styxes hideous streames that run within the ground All other meanes must first be sought but when there can be found No helpe to heale a festred sore it must away be cut Least that the partes that yet are sound in daunger should be put We haue a number in the worlde that mans estate surmount Of such whom for their priuate Gods the countrie folkes account As Satyres Faunes and sundry Nymphes with Siluanes eke beside That in the woods and hillie grounds continually abide Whome into Heauen since that as yet we vouch not safe to take And of the honour of this place copartners for to make Such landes as to inhabite in we erst to them assignde That they should still enioye the same It is my will and minde But can you thinke that they in rest and safetie shall remaine When proud Lycaon laye in waite by secret meanes and traine To haue confounded me your Lorde who in my hand doe beare The dreadfull thunder and of whome euen you doe stand in feare The house was moued at his words and earnestly requirde The man that had so traiterously against their Lord conspirde Euen so when Rebels did arise to stroy the Romane name By shedding of our Cesars bloud the horror of the same Did pierce the heartes of all mankinde and made the world to quake Whose feruent zeale in thy behalfe O August thou did take As thankfully as Ioue doth heare the louing care of his Who beckning to them with his hand forbiddeth them to hisse And therewithall through all the house attentiue silence is Assoone as that his maiestie all muttring had alayde He brake the silence once againe and thus vnto them sayde Let passe this carefull thought of yours for he that did offende Hath dearely bought the wicked Act the which he did entende Yet shall you heare what was his fault and vengeance for the same A foule report and infamie vnto our bearing came Of mischiefe vsed in those times which wishing all vntrew I did descend in shape of man th'infamed Earth to vew It were a processe ouerlong to tell you of the sinne That did abound in euery place where as I entred in The brute was lesser than the truth and partiall in report The dreadfull dennes of Menalus where sauage beastes resort And Cyllen had I ouerpast with all the Pynetrées hie Of cold Lyceus and from thence I entred by and by The herbroughlesse and cruell house of late Th'arcadian King Such time as twilight on the Earth dim darknesse gan to bring I gaue a signe that God was come and streight the common sort Deuoutly prayde whereat Lycaon first did make a sport And after said by open proufe ere long I minde to sée If that this wight a mighty God or mortall creature bée The truth shall trie it selfe he ment the sequele did declare To steale vpon me in the night and kyll me vnbeware And yet he was not so content but went and cut the throte Of one that laye in hostage there which was an Epyrote And part of him he did to rost and part he did to stewe Which when it came vpon the borde forthwith I ouerthrew The house with iust reuenging fire vpon the owners hed Who seeing that slipt out of doores amazde for feare and fled Into the wilde and desert woods where being all alone As he endeuorde but in vaine to speake and make his mone He fell a howling wherewithall for verie rage and moode He ran me quite out of his wits and waxed furious woode Still practising his wonted lust of slaughter on the poore And stelâ—e cattle thirsting still for bloud as heretofore His garments turnde to shackie haire his armes to rugged pawes So is he made a rauening Wolfe whose shape expressely drawes To that the which he was before his skinne is horie graye His looke still grim with glaring eyes and euery kinde of waye His cruell heart in outward shape doth well it selfe bewraye Thus was one house destroyed quite but that one house alone Deserueth not to be destroyde in all the Earth is none But that such vice doth raigne therein as that ye would beleue That all had sworne and solde themselues to mischiefe vs to greue And therefore as they all offende so am I fully bent That all forthwith as they deserue shall haue due punishment These wordes of Ioue some of the Gods did openly approue And with their sayings more to wrath his angry courage moue And some did giue assent by signes Yet did it grieue them all
the which thou doest desire of great importance béene More than thy weakenesse well can wielde a charge as well appeares Of greater weight than may agree with these thy tender yeares Thy state is mortall weake and frayle the thing thou doest desire Is such whereto no mortall man is able to aspire Yea foolish boy thou doest desire and all for want of wit A greater charge than any God coulde euer haue as yet For were there any of them all so ouerséene and blinde To take vpon him this my charge full quickly should he finde That none but I could sit vpon the fierie Axeltrée No not euen he that rules this wast and endlesse space we sée Not he that darts with dreadfull hande the thunder from the Skie Shall driue this chare And yet what thing in all the world perdie Is able to compare with Ioue Now first the morning way Lyes stéepe vpright so that the stéedes in coolest of the day And béeing fresh haue much a doe to climbe against the Hyll Amiddes the heauen the gastly heigth augmenteth terror still My heart doth waxe as colde yse full many a tyme and oft For feare to sée the Sea and land from that same place aloft The Euening way doth fall plump downe requiring strength to guide That Tethis who doth harbrowgh mée within hir sourges wide Doth stand in feare least from the heaueÌ„ I headlong down should slide Besides all this the Heauen aye swimmes and whéeles about full swift And with his rolling dryues the starres their proper course to shift Yet doe I kéepe my natiue course against this brunt so stout Not giuing place as others doe but boldely bearing out The force and swiftnesse of that heauen that whyrleth so about Admit thou had my winged Stéedes and Chariot in thine hande What couldste thou doe dost thinke thy selfe well able to withstande The swiftnesse of the whyrled Pooles but that their brunt and sway Yea doe the best and worst thou can shall beare thée quite away Perchaâ—nce thou dost imaginee there some townes of Gods to â—inde With groues and Temples richt with giftes as is among mankinde Thou art deceyude vtterly thou shalt not finde it so By blinde bywayes and vgly shapes of monsters must thou go And though thou knewe the way so well as that thou could not stray Betwéene the dreadful bulles sharp hornes yet must thou make thy way Agaynst the cruell Bowe the which the Aemonian archer drawes Against the ramping Lyon armde with gréedie téeth and pawes Against the Scorpion stretching farre his fell and venymd clawes And eke the Crab that casteth forth his crooked clées awrie Not in such sort as th' other doth and yet as dreadfully Againe thou neyther hast the powre nor yet the skill I knowe My lustie coursers for to guide that from their nosetrilles throwe And from their mouthes the fierie breath that bréedeth in their brest For scarcely will they suffer mée who knowes their nature best When that their cruell courages begin to catch a heate That hardely should I deale with them but that I know the â—eate But least my gift should to thy griefe and vtter perill tend My Sonne beware and whyle thou mayst thy fonde request amend Bycause thou woulde be knowne to bée my childe thou séemst to craue A certaine signe what surer signe I pray thée canst thou haue Than this my feare so fatherly the which I haue of thée Which proueth me most certainly thy father for to bée Beholde and marke my countenaunce O would to God thy sight Coulde pierce within my wofull brest to sée the heauie plight And heapes of cares within my heart Looke through the worlde so round Of all the wealth and goodes therein if ought there may be found In Heauen or Earth or in the Sea aske what thou lykest best And sure it shall not be denide This onely one request That thou hast made I heartely beséech thée to relent Which for to tearme the thing aright is euen a punishment And not an honour as thou thinkest my Phaëton thou dost craue In stead of honour euen a scourge and punishment for to haue Thou fondling thou what dost thou meane with fawning armes about My necke thus flattringly to hang Thou néedest not to dout I haue alreadie sworne by Styx aske what thou wilt of mée And thou shalt haue Yet let thy next wish somewhat wiser bée Thus ended his aduertisment and yet the wilfull Lad Withstood his counsell vrging still the promisse that he had Desiring for to haue the chare as if he had béene mad â–ª His father hauing made delay as long as he could shift Did lead him where his Chariot stood which was of Vulcans gift The Axeltrée was massie golde the Bucke was massie golde The vtmost fellies of the whéeles and where the trée was rolde The spokes were all of syluer bright the Chrysolites and Gemmes That stood vppon the Collars Trace and hounces in their hemmes Did cast a shéere and glimmering light as Phoebus shone thereon Now while the lustie Phaëton stood gazing here vpon And wondered at the workemanship of euerie thing béeholde The earely morning in the East béegan mée to vnfolde Hir purple Gates and shewde hir house bedeckt with Roses red The twinckling starres withdrew which by the morning star are led Who as the Captaine of that Host that hath no péere nor match Dooth leaue his standing last of all within that heauenly watch Now when his Father sawe the worlde thus glister red and trim And that his waning sisters hornes began to waxen dim He had the fetherfooted howres go harnesse in his horse The Goddesses with might and mayne themselues thereto enforce His fierifoming Stéedes full fed with iuice of Ambrosie They take from Maunger trimly dight and to their heades doe tie Strong reyned â—its and to the Charyot doe them well appoint Then Phoebus did with heauenly salue his Phaëtons heade annoint That scorching fire coulde nothing hurt which done vpon his haire He put the fresh and golden rayes himselfe was wont to weare And then as one whose heart misgaue the sorrowes drawing fast With sorie sighes he thus bespake his retchlesse sonne at last And if thou canst at least yet this thy fathers lore obay Sonne spare the whip reyne them hard they run so swift away As that thou shalt haue much a doe their fléeing course to stay Directly through the Zones all â—iue beware thou doe not ride A brode byway cut out a skew that bendeth on the side Contaynde within the bondes of thrée the midmost Zones doth lie Which from the grisely Northren beare Southren Pole doth flie Kéepe on this way my Charyot rakes thou plainely shalt espie And to thintent that heauen and earth may well the heate endure Driue neyther ouer high nor yet too lowe For be thou sure And if thou mount aboue thy boundes the starres thou burnest cleane Againe beneath thou burnst the Earth most safetie is the meane And least perchaunce
thou ouermuch the right hand way should take And so misfortune should thée driue vpon the writhen Snake Or else by taking ouermuche vpon the lefter hand Unto the Aultar thou be driuen that doth against it stand Indifferently betwéene them both I wish thée for to ride The rest I put to fortunes will who be thy friendly guide And better for thâ—e than thy selfe as in this case prouide Whiles that I prattle here with thée behold the dankish night Beyond all Spaine hir vtmost bound is passed out of sight We may no lenger tariance make my wonted light is cald The Morning with hir countnance cleare the darknesse hath appald â–ª Take raine in hand or if thy minde by counsell altred bée Refuse to meddle with my Wayne and while thou yet art frée And doste at ease within my house in safegarde well remaine Of this thine vnaduised wish not féeling yet the paine Let me alone with giuing still the world his wonted light And thou thereof as heretofore enioy the harmelesse sight Thus much in vaine for Phaeton both yong in yeares and wit Into the Chariot lightly lept and vauncing him in it Was not a litle proud that he the brydle gotten had He thankt his father whom it grieude to sée his childe so mad While Phebus and his rechelesse sonne were entertalking this Aeöus Aethon Phlegon and the firie Pyrois The restlesse horses of the Sunne began to ney so hie Wyth flaming breath that all the heauen might heare them perfectly And with their houes they mainly beate vpon the lattisde grate The which when Tethis knowing nought of this hir cousins fate Had put aside and giuen the stéedes the frée and open scope Of all the compasse of the Skie within the heauenly Cope They girded forth and cutting through the Cloudes that let their race With splayed wings they ouerflâ—w the Easterne winde a pace The burthen was so lyght as that the Genets felt it not The wonted weight was from the Waine the which they well did wot For like as ships amids the Seas that scant of ballace haue Doe réele and totter with the wynde and yéeld to euery waue Euen so the Waine for want of weight it erst was wont to beare Did hoyse aloft and scayle and réele as though it empty were Which when the Cartware did perceyue they left the beaten way And taking bridle in the téeth began to run astray The rider was so sore agast he knew no vse of Reyne Nor yet his way and though he had yet had it ben in vayne Bicause he wanted powre to rule the horses and the Wayne Then first did sweat cold Charles his Wain through force of Phebus rayes And in the Sea forbidden him to diue in vaine assayes The Serpent at the frozen Pole both colde and slow by kinde Through heat waxt wroth and stird about a cooler place to finde And thou Bootes though thou be but slow of footemanship Yet wert thou faine as Fame reports about thy Waine to skip Now when vnhappy Phaeton from top of all the Skie Behelde the Earth that vnderneath a great way off did lie He waxed pale for sodaine feare his ioynts and sinewes quooke The greatnesse of the glistring light his eyesight from him tooke Now wisht he that he neuer had his fathers horses sée It yrkt him that he thus had sought to learne his piedegre It grieude him that he had preuailde in gaining his request To haue bene counted Merops sonne he thought it now the best Thus thinking was he headlong driuen as when a ship is borne by blustring windes hir saileclothes rent hir sterne in pieces torne And tacling brust the which the Pilote trusting all to prayre Abandons wholy to the Sea and fortune of the ayre What should he doe much of the heauen he passed had behinde And more he saw before both whiche he measurde in his minde Eft looking forward to the West which to approch as then Might not betide and to the East eft looking backe agen He wist not what was best to doe his wittes were rauisht so For neither could he hold the Reynes nor yet durst let them go And of his horses names was none that he remembred tho Straunge vncoth Monsters did he sée dispersed here and there And dreadfull shapes of vgly beasts that in the Welkin were There is a certaine place in which the hidious Scorpion throwes His armes in compasse far abrode much like a couple of bowes With writhen tayle and clasping cles whose poyson limmes doe stretch On euery side that of two signes they full the roume doe retch Whome when the Lad beheld all moyst with blacke and lothly swet With sharpe and nedlepointed sting as though he séemde to thret He was so sore astraught for feare he let the bridels slacke Which when the horses felt lie lose vpon their sweating backe At rouers straight throughout the Ayre by wayes vnknowne they ran Whereas they neuer came before since that the worlde began For looke what way their lawlesse rage by chaunce and fortune drue Without controlment or restraint that way they fréely â—lue Among the starres that fixed are within the firmament They snatcht the Chariot here and there One while they coursing went Upon the top of all the skie anon againe full round They troll me downe to lower wayes and nearer to the ground So that the Moone was in a Maze to sée hir brothers Waine Run vnder hirs the singed cloudes began to smoke amaine Eche ground the higher that it was and nearer to the Skie The sooner was it set on fire and made therewith so drie That euery where it gan to chinke The Medes and Pastures gréene â–ª Did seare away and with the leaues the trées were burned cléene The parched corne did yéelde wherewith to worke his owne decaie Tushe these are trifles Mightie townes did perish that same daie Whose countries with their folke were burnt and forests ful of wooâ— Were turnde to ashes with the â—ocks mountains where they stood Then A the Cilician Taure and Tmâ—le and Oeta flamed hie And Ide erst full of flowing springs was then made vtter drie The learned virgins daily haunt the sacred Helicon And Thracian Hemus not as yet surnamde Oeagrion Did smoke both twaine and Aetna hote of nature aye before Encreast by force of Phebus flame now raged ten times more The forkt Parnasus Eryx Cynth and Othrys then did swelt And all the snow of Rhodope did at that present melt The like outrage Mount Dindymus and Mime and Micale felt Cytheron borne to sacred vse with Osse and Pindus hie And Olymp greater than them both did burne excessiuely The passing colde that Scithie had defended not the same But that the barren Caucasus was partner of this flame And so were eke the Airie Alpes and Appennyne beside For all the Cloudes continually their snowie tops doe hide Then wheresoeuer Phaeton did chaunce to cast his vew The world was all on staining fire The breath the which
he drew Came smooking from his scalding mouth as from a séething pot His Chariot also vnder him began to waxe red hot He could no lenger dure thâ— sparkes and cinder flyeng out Againe the culme and smouldring smoke did wrap him round about The pitchie darkenesse of the which so wholy had him heâ—t As that he wist not where he was nor yet which way he went The winged horses forcibly did draw him where they wolde The Aethiopians at that time as men for truth vpholde The bloud by force of that same heate drawne to the outer part And there adust from that time forth became so blacke and swart The moysture was so dried vp in Lybie land that time That altogither drie and scorcht continueth yet that Clyme The Nymphes w t haire about their eares bewayld their springs lakes Beötia for hir Dyâ—ces losse great lamentation makes For Amimone Argos wept and Corinth for the spring Pyrene at whose sacred streame the Muses vsde to sing The Riuers further from the place were not in better case For Tanais in his déepest streame did boyle and steme apace Old Penevv and Cayâ—us of the countrie Teuthranie And swift Ismenos in their bankes by like misfortune frie. Then burnde the Psophian Erymanth and which should burne ageine The Troian Xanthus and Lycormas with his yellow veine Meander playing in his bankes aye winding to and fro Migdonian Melas with his waues as blacke as any slo Eurotas running by the foote of Tenare boyled tho Then sod Euphrates cutting through the middes of Babilon Then sod Orontes and the Scithian swift Thermodoon Then Ganges Colchian Phasis and the noble Istre Alpheus and Sperchins bankes with flaming fire did glistre The golde that Tagus streame did beare did in the chanell melt Amid Cayster of this fire the raging heat was felt Among the quieres of singing Swannes that with their pleasant lay Along the bankes of Lidian brakes from place to place did stray And Nyle for feare did run away into the furthest Clyme Of all the world and hid his heade which to this present tyme Is yet vnfound his mouthes all seuen cleane voyde of water béene Like seuen great valleys where saue dust could nothing else be séene By like misfortune Hebrus dride and Strymon both of Thrace The Westerne Riuers Rhine and Rhone and Po were in likeâ—case And Tyber vnto whome the Goddes a faithfull promise gaue Of all the world the Monarchie and soueraigne state to haue The ground did cranie euerie where and light did pierce to hell And made afraide the King and Quéene that in that Realme doe dwell The Sea did shrinke and where as waues did late before remaine Became a Champion field of dust and euen a sandy plaine The hilles erst hid farre vnder waues like Ilelandes did appeare So that the scattred Cyclades for the time augmented were The fishes drew them to the déepes the Dolphines durst not play Aboue the water as before the Seales and Porkpis lay With bellies vpward on the waues starke dead â–ª and fame doth go That Nereus with his wife and daughters all were faine as tho To dine within the scalding waues Thrise Neptune did aduaunce His armes aboue the scalding Sea with sturdy countenaunce And thrise for hotenesse of the Ayre was faine himselfe to hide But yet the Earth the Nurce of things enclosde on euery side Betwéene the waters of the Sea and Springs that now had hidden Themselues within their Mothers wombe for all the paine abidden Up to the necke put forth hir head and casting vp hir hand Betwéene hir forehead and the sunne as panting she did stand With dreadfull quaking all that was she fearfully did shake And shrinking somewhat lower downe with sacred voyce thus spake O King of Gods and if this be thy will and my desart Why doste thou stay with deadly dint thy thunder downe to dart And if that néedes I perish must through force of firie flame Let thy celestiall fire O God I pray thée doe the same A comfort shall it be to haue thée Author of my death I scarce haue powre to speak these words the smoke had stopt hir breath Behold my singed haire behold my dim and bleared eye Sée how about my scorched face the scalding embers flie Is this the guerdon wherewithall ye quite my fruitfulnesse Is this the honor that ye gaue me for my plenteousnesse And dutie done with true intent for suffring of the plough To draw déepe woundes vpon my backe and rakes to rend me through For that I ouer all the yeare continually am wrought For giuing foder to the beasts and cattell all for nought For yéelding corne and other foode wherewith to kéepe mankinde And that to honor you withall swéete frankinsence I finde But put the case that my desert destruction duely craue What hath thy brother what the Seas deserued for to haue Why doe the Seas his lotted part thus ebbe and fall so low Withdrawing from thy Skie to which it ought most neare to grow But if thou neyther doste regarde thy brother neyther mée At least haue mercy on thy heauen looke round about and sée How both the Poles begin to smoke which if the fire appall To vtter ruine be thou sure thy pallace néedes must fall Behold how Atlas ginnes to faint â–ª his shoulders though â—ull strong Unneth are able to vphold the sparkling Extrée long If Sea and Land doe go to wrecke and heauen it selfe doe burne To olde confused Chaos then of force we must returne Put to thy helping hand therfore to saue the little left If ought remaine before that all be quite and cleane bereft When ended was this piteous plaint the Earth did hold hir peace She could no lenger dure the heate but was compâ—lde to cease Into hir bosome by and by she shrunke hir cinged heade More nearer to the Stygnan caues and ghostes of persones deade The Sire of Heauen protesting all the Gods and him also That lent the Chariot to his child that all of forâ—e must go To hauocke if he helped not went to the highest part And top of all the Heauen from whence his custome was to dart His thunder and his lightning downe But neyther did remaine A Cloude wherewith to shade the Earth nor yet a showre of raine Then with a dreadfull thunderclap vp to his eare he bent His fist and at the Wagoner a flash of lightning sent Which strake his bodie from the life and threw it ouer whéele And so with fire he quenched fire The Stéedes did also réele Upon their knees and starting vp sprang violently one here And there another that they brast in pieces all their gere They threw the Câ—llars from their neckes and breaking quite a sunder The Trace and Harnesse flang away here lay the bridles yonder The Extrée plucked from the Naues and in another place The sheuered spokes of broken whéeles and so at euery pace The pieces of the Chariot torne lay strowed here and there But Phaeton fire
haue thought They bad bene made by cunning hand or out of waxe bene wrought More cleare they were a hundreth fold than is the Christall stone In all his forehead fearfull frowne or wrinkle there was none No fierce no grim nor griefly looke as other cattle haue But altogether so demure as friendship séemde to craue Agenors daughter marueld much so tame a beast to sée But yet to touche him at the first too bolde she durst not bée Annon she reaches to his mouth hir hand with herbes and flowres The louing beast was glad thereof and neither frownes nor lowres But till the hoped ioy might come with glad and fauning cheare He lickes hir hands and scarce ah scarce the resdue he forbeare Sometime he friskes and skippes about and showes hir sport at hand Annon he layes his snowie side against the golden sand So feare by little driuen away he offred eft his brest To stroke and coy and eft his hornes with flowers to be drest At last Europa knowing not for so the Maide was calde On whome she venturde for to ride was nerawhit appalde To set hir selfe vpon his backe Then by and by the God From maine drie land to maine moyst Sea gan leysurly to plod At first he did but dip his féete within the outmost waue And backe againe then further in another plunge he gaue And so still further till at the last he had his wished pray Amid the déepe where was no meanes to scape with life away The Ladie quaking all for feare with rufull countnance cast Ay toward shore from whence she came held with hir righthand fast One of his hornes and with the left did stay vpon his backe The weather flaskt and whisked vp hir garments being slacke Finis secundi Libri ¶ THE THIRD BOOKE of Ouids Metamorphosis THe God now hauing laide aside his borrowed shape of Bull Had in his likenesse shewde himself And with his pretie trull Tane landing in the I le of Crete When in that while hir Sire Not knowing where she was become sent after to enquire Hir brother Cadmus charging him his sister home to bring Or neuer for to come againe wherein he did a thing For which he might both iustly kinde and cruell called bée When Cadmus ouer all the world had sought for who is hée That can detect the thefts of Ioue and no where could hir sée Then as an outlaw to auoyde his fathers wrongfull yre He went to Phebus Oracle most humbly to desire His heauenly counsell where he would assigne him place to dwell An Hecfar all alone in field quoth Phebus marke hir well which neuer bare the pinching yoke nor drew the plough as yit Shall méete thée follow after hir and where thou séest hir sit There builde a towne and let thereof Beotia be the name Downe from Parnasus stately top scarce fully Cadmus came When royling softly in the vale before the herde alone He saw an Hecfar on whose necke of seruage print was none He followde after leysurly as hir that was his guide And thanked Phebus in his heart that did so well prouide Now had he past Cephifus forde and eke the pleasant groundes About the Citie Panope conteinde within those boundes The Hecfar staide and lifting vp hir forehead to the skie Full séemely for to looke vpon with hornes like braunches hie Did with hir lowing fill the Ayre and casting backe hir eie Upon the rest that came aloofe as softly as she could Knéelde downe and laide hir hairie side against the grassie mould Then Cadmus gaue Apollo thankes and falling flat bylow Did kisse the ground and haile the fields which yet he did not know He was about to sacrifice to Ioue the Heauenly King And bad his seruants goe and fetch him water of the spring An olde forgrowne vnfelled wood stoode neare at hand thereby And in the middes a queachie plot with Sedge and Oysiers hie Where courbde about with peble stone in likenesse of a bow There was a spring with siluer streames that forth thereof did â—low Here lurked in his lowring den God Mars his griesly Snake With golden scales and firie eyes beswolne with poyson blake Thrée spirting tongues thrée rowes of téeth within his head did sticke No sooner had the Tirian folke set foote within this thicke And queachie plot and deped downe their bucket in the well But that to buscle in his den began this Serpent fell And péering with a marble head right horribly to hisse The Tirians let their pitchers slip for sodaine feare of this And waxing pale as any clay like folke amazde and flaight Stoode trembling like an Aspen leafe The specled serpent straight Commes trailing out in wauing linkes and knottie rolles of scales And bending into bunchie boughts his bodie forth he hales And lifting vp aboue the wast himselfe vnto the Skie He ouerlooketh all the wood as huge and big welnie As is the Snake that in the Heauen about the Nordren Pole Deuides the Beares He makes no stay but deales his dreadfull dole Among the Tirians Whether they did take them to their tooles Or to their héeles or that their feare did make them stand like fooles And helpe themselues by none of both he snapt vp some aliue And swept in others with his taile and some he did depriue Of life with rankenesse of his breath and other some againe He stings and poysons vnto death till all at last were staine Now when the Sunne was at his heigth and shadowes waxed short And Cadmus saw his companie make tarience in that sort He marueld what should be their let and went to séeke them out His harnesse was a Lions skin that wrapped him about His weapons were a long strong speare with head of yron tride And eke a light and piercing Dart. And therevnto beside Worth all the weapons in the world a stout and valiant hart When Cadmus came within the wood and saw about that part His men lie slaine vpon the ground and eke their cruell fo Of bodie huge stand ouer them and licking with his blo And blasting tongue their sorie woundes well trustie friendes quoth he I eyther of your piteous deathes will streight reuenger be Or else will die my selfe therefore With that he raughting fast A mightie Milstone at the Snake with all his might it cast The stone with such exceding force and violence forth was driuen As of a fort the bulwarkes strong and walles it would haue riuen And yet it did the Snake no harme his scales as hard and tough As if they had bene plates of mayle did fence him well inough So that the stone rebounded backe against his freckled slough But yet his hardnesse saude him not against the piercing dart For hitting right betwéene the scales that yéelded in that part Whereas the ioynts doe knit the backe it thirled through the skin And pierced to his filthy mawe and gréedy guts within He fierce with wrath wrings backe his head and looking on the stripe The
But euery person leapth vp and from his labor drawes And there one Medon first of all began to waxen blacke And hauing lost his former shape did take a courbed backe What Monster shall we haue of thée quoth Licab and with that This Licabs chappes did waxen wide his nosethrils waxed flat His skin waxt tough and scales thereon began anon to grow And Libis as he went about the Ores away to throw Perceiued how his hands did shrinke and were become so short That now for finnes and not for hands he might them well report Another as he would haue claspt his arme about the corde Had nere an arme and so bemaimd in bodie ouer boord He leapeth downe among the waues and forked is his tayle As are the hornes of Phebes face when halfe hir light doth fayle They leape about and sprinkle vp much water on the ship One while they swim aboue and downe againe anon they slip They fetch their friskes as in a daunce and wantonly they writhe Now here now there among the waues their bodies bane and lithe And with their wide and hollow nose the water in they snuffe And by their noses out againe as fast they doe it puffe Of twentie persons for our ship so many men did beare I only did remaine nigh straught and trembling still for feare The God could scarce recomfort me and yet he said go too Feare not but saile to Dia ward His will I gladly doe And so assoone as I came there with right deuouâ— intent His Chaplaine I became And thus his Orgies I frequent Thou makste a processe verie long quoth Penthey to thintent That choler being coolde by time mine anger might relent But Sirs he spake it to his men go take him by and by With cruell torments out of hand goe cause him for to die Immediatly they led away Acetes out of sight And put him into prison strong from which there was no flight But while the cruell instruments of death as sword and fire Were in preparing wherewithall t' accomplish Pentheys yre It is reported that the doores did of their owne accorde Burst open and his chaines fall off And yet this cruell Lorde Persisteth fiercer than before not bidding others go But goes himselfe vnto the hill Cytheron which as tho To Bacchus being consecrate did ring of chaunted songs And other loud confused sounds of Bacchus drunken throngs And euen as when the bloudie Trumpe doth to the battell sound The lustie horse streight neying out bestirres him on the ground And taketh courage therevpon t'assaile his emnie proud Euen so when Penthey heard a farre the noyse and howling loud That Bacchus franticke folke did make it set his heart on fire And kindled fiercer than before the sparks of settled ire There is a goodly plaine about the middle of the hill Enuirond in with Woods where men may view eche way at will Here looking on these holie rites with lewde prophaned eyes King Pentheys mother first of all hir foresaid sonne espies And like a Bedlem first of all she doth vpon him runne And with hir Iaueling furiously she first doth wound hir sonne Come hither sisters come she cries here is that mighty Bore Here is the Bore that stroyes our fieldes him will I strike therefore With that they fall vpon him all as though they had bene mad And clustring all vpon a heape fast after him they gad He quakes and shakes his words are now become more méeke and colde He now condemnes his owne default and sayes he was too bolde And wounded as he was he cries helpe Aunt Autonoë Now for Acteons blessed soule some mercie show to me She wist not who Acteon was but rent without delay His right hand off and Ino tare his tother hand away To lift vnto his mother thâ— the wretch had nere an arme But shewing hir his maimed corse and woundâ—s yet bléeding warme O mother sée he sayes with that Agauë howleth out And writhed with hir necke awrie and shooke hir haire about And holding from his bodie torne his head in bloudie hands She cries O fellowes in this déede our noble conquest stands No sooner could the winde haue blowen the rotten leaues fro trées When Winters frost hath bitten them then did the hands of these Most wicked women Pentheys limmes from one another teare The Thebanes being now by this example brought in feare Frequent this newfound sacrifice and with swéete frankinsence God Bacchus Altars lode with gifts in euery place doe cense Finis 〈◊〉 Libri ¶ THE FOVRTH BOOKE of Ouids Metamorphosis YEt would not stout Alcithoâ—â— Duke Mineus daughter bow The Orgies of this new found God in conscience to allow But still she stiffly doth denie that Bacchus is the sonne Of Ioue and in this heresie hir 〈◊〉 with hir runne The Priest had bidden holiday and that as well the Maide As Mistresse for the time aside all other businesse layde In Buckskin cotes with tresses loose and garlondes on their heare Should in their hands the leauie speaâ—es surnamed Thyrsis beare Foreâ—elling them that if they did the Goddes commaundement breake He would with sore and grieuous plagues his wrath vpon them wreake The women straight both yong and olde doe therevnto obay Their yarne their baskets and their flax vnsponne aside they lay And burne to Bacchus frankinsâ—nce Whome solemly they call By all the names and titles high that may to him befall As Bromius and Lyeus eke begotten of the flame Twice borne the sole and only childe that of two mothers came Unshorne Thyoney Niseus Leneus and the sâ—tter Of Uines whose pleasant liquor makes all tables fare the better Nyctileus and th' Elelean Sire Iacchus Euan eke With diuers other glorious names that through the land of Greke To thee O Liber wonted are to attributed bée Thy youthfull yeares can neuer wast there dwelleth ay in thée A childhod tender fresh and faire In Heauen we doe thée sée Surmounting euery other thing in beautie and in grace And when thou standste without thy hornes thou hast a Maidens face To thée obeyeth all the East as far as Ganges goes Which doth the scorched land of Inde with tawnie folke enclose Lycurgus with his twibill sharpe and Penthey who of pride Thy Godhead and thy mightie power rebelliously denide Thou right redowted didst confounde Thou into Sea didst send The Tyrrhene shipmen Thou with bittes the sturdy neckes doste bend Of spotted Lyâ—xes Throngs of Frowes and Satyres on thée tend And that olde Hag that with a staffe his staggering limmes doth stay Scarce able on his Asse to sit for réeling euery way Thou commest not in any place but that is hearde the noyse Of gagling womens tatling tongues and showting out of boyes With sound of Timbrels Tabors Pipes and Brazen pannes and pots Confusedly among the rout that in thine Orgies trots The Thebane women for thy grace and fauour humbly sue And as the Priest did bid frequent thy rites with reuerence due Alonly Mineus daughters bent of wilfulnesse
growed there Then streight without commission or election of the rest The formost of them preasing forth vndecently profest The chalenge to performe and song the battels of the Goddes She gaue the Giants â–ª all the praise the honor and the oddes Abasing sore the worthie déedes of all the Gods She telles How Typhon issuing from the earth and from the déepest helles Made all the Gods aboue afraide so greatly that they fled And neuer staide till Aegypt land and Nile whose streame is shed In channels seuen receiued them forwearied all togither And how the Helhound Typhon did pursue them also thither By meanes wherof the Gods eche one were faine themselues to hide In forged shapes She saide the Ioue the Prince of Gods was wride In shape of Ram which is the cause that at this present tide Ioues ymage which the Lybian folke by name of Hammon serue Is made with crooked welked hornes that inward still doe terue That Phebus in a Rauen lurkt and Bacchus in a Geate And Phebus sister in a Cat and Iuno in a Neate And Venus in the shape of Fish and how that last of all Mercurius hid him in a Bird which Ibis men doe call This was the summe of all the tale which she with rolling tung And yelling throteboll to hir harpe before vs rudely sung Our turne is also come to speake but that perchaunce your grace To giue the hearing to our song hath now no time nor space Yes yes quoth Pallas tell on forth in order all your tale And downe she sate among the trées which gaue a pleasant swale The Muse made aunswere thus To one Calliope here by name This chalenge we committed haue and ordring of the same Then rose vp faire Calliope with goodly bush of heare Trim wreathed vp with yuie leaues and with hir thumbe gan steare The quiuering strings to trie them if they were in tune or no. Which done she playde vpon hir Lute and song hir Ditie so Dame Ceres first to breake the Earth with plough the maner found She first made corne and stouer soft to grow vpon the ground She first made lawes For all these things we are to Cerâ—s bound Of hir must I as now intreate would God I could resound Hir worthie laude she doubtlesse is a Goddesse worthie praise Bicause the Giant Typhon gaue presumptuously assayes To conquer Heauen the howgie I le of Trinacris is layd Upon his limmes by weight whereof perforce he downe is weyde He striues and strugles for to rise full many a time and oft But on his right hand toward Rome Pelorus standes aloft Pachynnus standes vpon his left his legs with Lilybie Are pressed downe his monstrous head doth vnder Aetna lie From whence he lying bolt vpright with wrathfull mouth doth spit Out flames of fire â–ª he wrestleth oft and walloweth for to wit And if he can remoue the weight of all that mightie land Or tumble downe the townes and hilles that on his bodie stand By meanes whereof it commes to passe that oft the Earth doth shake And euen the King of Ghostes himselfe for verie feare doth quake Misdoubting least the Earth should cliue so wide that light of day Might by the same pierce downe to Hell and there the Ghostes affray Forecasting this the Prince of Fiendes forsooke his darksome hole And in a Chariot drawen with Stéedes as blacke as any cole The whole foundation of the I le of Sicill warely vewde When throughly he had sercht eche place that harme had none ensewde As carelessely he raungde abrode he chaunced to be séene Of Venus sitting on hir hill who taking streight betwéenâ— hir armes hir winged Cupid said my sonne mine only stay My hand mine honor and my might go take without delay Those â—ooles which all wightes do subdue and strike them in the hart Of that same God that of the world enioyes the lowest part The Gods of Heauen and Ioue himselfe the powre of Sea Land And he that rules the powres on Earth obey thy mightie hand And wherefore then should only Hell still â—nsubdued stand Thy mothers Empire and thine own why doste thou not aduaunce The third part of al the world now hangs in doubtful chaunce And yet in heauen too now their déedes thou séest me faine to beare We are despisde the strength of loue with me away doth weare Séeste not the Darter Diane and dame Pallas haue already Exempted them from my behestes and now of late so heady Is Ceres daughter too that if we let hir haue hir will She will continue all hir life a Maid vnwedded still For that is all hir hope and marke whereat she mindes to shoote But thou if ought this gracious turne our honor may promote Or ought our Empire beautifie which ioyntly we doe holde This Damsell to hir vncle ioyne No sooner had she tolde These wordes but Cupid opening streight his quiuer chose therefrâ— One arrow as his mother bade among a thousand mo But such a one it was as none more sharper was than it Nor none went streighter from the Bow the amed marke to hit He set his knée against his Bow and bent it out of hande And made his forked arrowes steale in Plutos heart to stande Neare Enna walles there standes a Lake Pergusa is the name Cayster heareth not mo songs of Swannes than doth the same A wood enuirons euerie side the water round about And with his leaues as with a veyle doth kéepe the Sunne heate out The boughes doe yéelde a coole fresh Ayre the moystnesse of the grounde Yéeldes sundrie flowres continuall spring is all the yeare there founde While in this garden Proserpine was taking hir pastime In gathering eyther Uiolets blew or Lillies white as Lime And while of Maidenly desire she fillde hir Maund and Lap Endeuoring to outgather hir companions there By hap Dis spide hir loude hir caught hir vp and all at once well nere So hastie hote and swift a thing is Loue as may appeare The Ladie with a wailing voyce afright did often call Hir Mother and hir waiting Maides but Mother most of all And as she from the vpper part hir garment would haue rent By chaunce she let hir lap slip downe and out hir flowres went And such a sillie simplenesse hir childish age yet beares That euen the verie losse of them did moue hir more to teares The Catcher driues his Chariot forth and calling euery horse By name to make away apace he doth them still enforce And shakes about their neckes and Manes their rustie bridle reynes And through the déepest of the Lake perforce he them constreynes And through the Palik pooles the which from broken ground doe boyle And smell of Brimstone verie ranke and also by the soyle Where as the Bacchies folke of Corinth with the double Seas Betwéene vnequall Hauons twaine did réere a towne for ease Betwéene the fountaines of Cyane and Arethuse of Pise An arme of Sea that meetes enclosde with narrow hornes there lies Of
them blacke and blew And while his bodie yit Remained they did cherish it and cherish it againe They kist his bodie yea they kist the chist that did containe His corse And after that the corse was burnt to ashes they Did presse his ashes with their brests and downe along they lay Upon his tumb and there embraste his name vpon the stone And fillde the letters of the same with teares that from them gone At length Diana satisfide with slaughter brought vpon The house of Oenie lifts them vp with fâ—thers euerichone Saue Gorgee and the daughtriulaw of noble Alâ—mene and Makes wings to stretch along their sides and horned nebs to stand Upon their mouthes And finally she altring quight their faire And natiue shape in shape of Birds dooth send them through the Aire The noble Theseus in this while with others hauing donne His part in killing of the Boare too Athens ward begonne Too take his way But Acheloy then being swolne with raine Did stay him of his iourney and from passage him restraine Of Athens valiant knight quoth he come vnderneath my roofe And for to passe my raging streame as yet attempt no proofe This brooke is wont whole trées too beare and euelong stones too carry With hideous roring down his streame I oft haue séene him harry Whole Shepcotes standing nere his banks with flocks of shéepe therin Nought booted buls their streÌ„gth nought stéedes by swiftnes there could win Yea many lustie men this brooke hath swallowed when y â— snow From mountaines molten caused him his banks too ouerflow The best is for you for too rest vntill the Riuer fall Within his boundes and runne ageine within his chanell small Content quoth Theseus Acheloy I will not sure refuse Thy counsell nor thy house And so he both of them did vse Of Pommy hollowed diuersly and ragged Pebble stone The walles were made The floore with Mosse was soft to tread vpon The roofe thereof was checkerwise with shelles of Purple wrought And Perle The Sunne then full two parts of day to end had brought And Theseus downe to table sate with such as late before Had friendly borne him companie at killing of the Bore A tone side sate Ixions sonne and on the other sate The Prince of Troyzen Lelex with a thin hearde horie pate And then such other as the brooke of Acarnania did Uouchsafe the honor to his boord and table for to bid Who was right glad of such a guest Immediatly there came Barefooted Nymphes who brought in meate And when that of the same The Lords had taken their repast the meate away they tooke And set downe wine in precious stones Then Theseus who did looke Upon the Sea that vnderneath did lie within their sight Said tell vs what is yonsame place and with his fingar right Hée poynted therevnto I pray and what that Iland hight Although it séemeth mo than one The Riuer answerd thus It is not one mayne land alone that kenned is of vs. There are vppon a fyue of them The distaunce of the place Dooth hinder too discerne betwéene eche I le the perfect space And that the lesse yée woonder may at Phoebees act a late To such as had neglected her vppon contempt or hate Theis Iles were sumtyme Waternimphes who hauing killed Neate Twyce fyue and called too theyr feast the Country Gods too eate Forgetting mee kept frolicke cheere At that gan I too swell And ran more large than euer erst and being ouer fell Iâ—stomacke and in streame I rent the wood from wood and féeld FroÌ„ féeld with the ground the Nymphes as then with stomacks méeld Remembring mée I tumbled to the Sea The waues of mée And of the sea the ground that erst all whole was woont too bée Did rend a sunder into all the Iles you yonder sée And made a way for waters now too passe betwéene them frée They now of Vrchins haue theyr name But of theis Ilands one A great way of behold yée stands a great way of alone As you may sée The Mariners doo call it Perimell With her shée was as then a Nymph so farre in loue I fell That of her maydenhod I her spoyld which thing displeasd so sore Her father Sir Hippodamas that from the craggy shore He threw her headlong downe to drowne her in the sea But I Did latch her streight and bearing her a flote did lowd thus crie O Neptune with thy thréetynde Mace who hast by lot the charge Of all the waters wylde that bound vppon the earth at large To whom wée holy streames doo runne in whome wée take our end Draw néere and gently to my boone effectually attend This Ladie whom I beare a flote myselfe hath hurt Bée méeke And vpright If Hippodamas perchaunce were fatherleeke Or if that he extremitie through outrage did not séeke He oughted too haue pitied her and for too beare with mée Now help vs Neptune I thée pray and condescend that shée Whom from the land her fathers wrath and cruelnesse dooth chace Who through her fathers cruelnesse is drownd may find the grace To haue a place or rather let hirselfe become a place And I will still embrace the same The King of Seas did moue His head and as a token that he did my sute approue He made his surges all too shake The Nymph was sore afrayd Howbéet shée swam and as shée swam my hand I softly layd Upon her brest which quiuered still And whyle I toucht the same I sensibly did féele how all her body hard became And how the earth did ouergrow her bulk And as I spake New earth enclosde hir swimming limbes which by and by did take Another shape and grew intoo a mighty I le With that The Riuer ceast and all men there did woonder much thereat Pirithous being ouer hault of mynde and such a one As did despyse bothe God and man did laugh them euerychone Too scorne for giuing credit and sayd thus The woords thou spaakst Are feyned fancies Acheloy and ouerstrong thou maakst The Gods to say that they can giue and take way shapes This scoffe Did make the héere 's all amazde for none did like thereof And Lelex of them all the man most rype in yéeres and wit Sayd thus Unmeasurable is the powre of heauen and it Can haue none end And looke what God dooth mynd too bring about Must take effect And in this case too put yée out of dout Upon the hilles of Phrygie néere of Teyle there stands a trée Of Oke enclosed with a wall Myself the place did sée For Pithey vnto Pelops féelds did send mée where his father Did sumtyme reigne not farre fro thence there is a poole which rather Had bene dry ground inhabited But now it is a meare And Moorecocks Cootes and Cormorants doo bréede and nestle there The mightie Ioue and Mercurie his sonne in shape of men Resorted thither on a tyme. A thousand houses when For roome too lodge in they had sought a thousand houses
ageine the hooked iron stacke And when the same was pulled out the blood a mayne ensewd At both the holes with poyson foule of Lerna Snake embrewd This blood did Nessus take and said within himselfe well fith I needes must dye yet will I not dye vnreuendgd And with The same he staynd a shirt and gaue it vnto Dyanyre Assuring hir it had the powre too kindle Cupids fyre A greate whyle after when the déedes of worthy Hercules Were such as filled all the world and also did appease The hatred of his stepmother As he vppon a day With conquest from Oechalia came and was abowt to pay His vowes to Ioue vppon the Mount of Cenye tatling fame Who in reporting things of truth delyghts too sauce the same With tales and of a thing of nowght dooth euer greater grow Through false and newly forged lyes that shée hirself dooth sow Told Dyanyre that Hercules did cast a liking too A Ladie called Iölee â–ª And Dyanyra whoo Was iealous ouer Hercules gaue credit too the same And when that of a Leman first the tidings too hir came She being striken too the hart did fall too teares alone And in a lamentable wise did make most wofull mone Anon she said what méene theis teares thus gushing froÌ„ myne eyen My husbands Leman will reioyce at theis same teares of myne Nay sith she is too come the best it were too shonne delay And for too woork sum new deuyce and practyse whyle I may Béefore that in my bed her limbes the filthy strumpet lay And shall I then complayne or shall I hold my toong with skill Shall I returne too Calydon or shall I tarry still Or shall I get me out of doores and let them haue their will What if that I Meleager remembring mée too bée Thy suster too attempt sum act notorious did agrée And in a harlots death did shew that all the world myght sée What greef can cause the womankynd too enterpryse among And specially when therevntoo they forced are by wrong With wauering thoughts ryght violeÌ„tly her mynd was tossed loÌ„g At last shée did preferre before all others for too send The shirt bestayned with the blood of Nessus too the end Too quicken vp the quayling loue And so not knowing what She gaue she gaue her owne remorse and gréef too â—ychas that Did know as little as herself and wretched woman shee Desyrd him gently too her Lord presented it too sée The noble Prince receyuing it without mistrust therein Did weare the poyson of the Snake of Lerna next his skin Too offer incense and too pray too Ioue he did begin And on the Marble Altar he full boawles of wyne did shed When as the poyson with the heate resoluing largely spred Through all the limbes of Hercules As long as ere he could The stoutnesse of his haâ—t was such that sygh no whit he would But when the mischeef grew so great all pacience too surmount He thrust the altar from him streight and filled all the mount Of Oeta with his roring out He went about too teare The deathfull garment from his backe but where he pulled there He pulld away the skin and which is lothsum too report It eyther cleaued too his limbes and members in such sort As that he could not pull it oâ— or else it tare away The flesh that bare his myghty bones and grisly sinewes lay The scalding venim boyling in his blood did make it hisse As when a gad of stéele red whot in water quenched is There was no measure of his paine The frying venim hent His inwards and a purple swet from all his body went His findged sinewes shrinking crakt and with a secret strength The poyson euen within his bones the Marée melts at length And holding vp his hands too heauen he sayd with hideous réere O Saturnes daughter féede thy selfe on my distresses héere Yea féede and cruell wyght this plage behold thou from aboue And glut thy sauage hart therewith Or if thy fo may moue Thée vntoo pitie for too thée I am an vtter so Beréeue mée of my hatefull soule distrest with helplesse wo And borne too endlesse toyle For death shall vntoo mee bee swéete And for a cruell stepmother is death a gift most méete And is it I that did destroy Busiris who did foyle His temple floores with straungers blood I st I that did dispoyle Antaeus of his moothers help I st I that could not bée Abashed at the Spanyard who in one had bodies thrée Nor at the trypleheaded shape O Cerberus of thée Are you the hands that by the hornes the Bull of Candie drew Did you king Augies stable clenze whom afterward yée slew Are you the same by whom the fowles were sâ—aard from Stymphaly Caught you the Stag in Maydenwood which did not runne but fly Are you the hands whose puissance receyued for your pay The golden belt of Thermodon Did you conuey away The Apples from the Dragon fell that waked nyght and day Ageinst the force of mée defence the Centaures could not make Nor yit the Boare of Arcadie nor yit the ougly Snake Of Lerna who by losse did grow and dooble force still take What is it I that did behold the pampred Iades of Thrace With Maungers full of flesh of men on which they fed a pace I st I that downe at syght thereof theyr greazy Maungers threw And bothe the fatted Iades themselues and â—ke their mayster slew The Nemean Lyon by theis armes lyes dead vppon the ground Theis armes the monstrâ—ous Giant Cake by Tyber did confound Uppon theis shoulders haue I borne the weyght of all the skie Ioues cruell wyfe is wéerye of commaunding mée Yit I Unwéerie am of dooing still But now on mee is lyght An vncoth plage which neyther force of hand nor vertues myght Nor Arte is able too resist Like wasting fyre it spréedes Among myne inwards and through out on all my body féedes But all this whyle Eurysthye liues in health And sum men may Beeleue there bée sum Goddes in déede Thus much did Hercule say And wounded ouer Oeta hygh he stalking gan too stray As when a Bull in maymed bulk a deadly Dart dooth beare And that â–ª the dooer of the déede is shrunke asyde for feare Oft syghing myght you him haue séene oft trembling oft about Too teare the 〈◊〉 with his hands from top too to throughoâ—t And throwing downe the myghtye trées and chaufing with the hilles Or casting vp his handes too heauen where Ioue his father dwelles Behold as Lychas trembling in a hollow rock did lurk He spyed him And as his gréef did all in furie woork He sayd Art thou syr Lychas he that broughtest vntoo mée This plagye present of my death must thou the woorker bée Hée quaakt and shaakt and looked pale and fearfully gan make Excuse But as with humbled hands hee knéeling too him spake The furioâ—s Hercule caught him vp and swindging him about His head a halfe a doozen tymes or more he
a trée Sumtime a boay beloued of the God that with a string Dooth arme his bow and with a string in tune his Uiall bring For hallowed too the Nymphes that in the féeldes of Carthye were There was a goodly myghty Stag whose hornes such bredth did beare As that they shadowed all his head His hornes of gold did shyne And downe his brest hung from his necke a chyne with iewels fyne Amid his fruâ—t with prettie strings a tablet béeing tyde Did wauer as he went and from his cares on eyther syde Hung perles of all one growth about his hollow temples bryght This goodly Spitter béeing voyd of dread as hauing quyght Forgot his natiue fearefulnesse did haunt mens houses and Would suffer folk yea though vnknowen too coy him with theyr hand But more than vntoo all folke else he déerer was too thée O Cyparisse the fayrest Wyght that euer man did sée In Coea Thou too pastures thou too water springs him led Thou wreathedst sundry flowres betwéene his hornes vppon his hed Sumtyme a horsman thou his backe for pleasure didst bestryde And haltring him with silken bit from place too place didst ryde In summer tyme about hygh noone when Titan with his heate Did make the hollow crabbed cleas of Cancer for too sweate Unwéeting Cyparissus with a Dart did strike this Hart Quyght through And when that of the wound he saw he must depart He purposd for too die himself What woords of comfort spake Not Phoebus too him willing him the matter lyght too take And not more sorrow for it than was requisite too make But still the Lad did sygh and sob and as his last request Desyred God he myght thenceforth from moorning neuer rest Anon through wéeping ouermuch his blood was drayned quyght His limbes wert gréene his heare which hung vpoÌ„ his forehead whyght Began too bée a bristled bush and taking by and by A stiffnesse with sharpened top did face the starrie skye The God did sigh and sadly sayd Myselfe shall moorne for thée And thou for others and ay one in moorning thou shalt bée Such wood as this had Orphye drawen about him as among The herdes of beasts and flocks of Birds he sate amyds the throng And when his thumbe sufficiently had tryed euery string And found that though they seuerally in sundry sounds did ring Yit made they all one Harmonie He thus began too sing O Muse my mother frame my song of Ioue for euery thing Is subiect vntoo royall Ioue Of Ioue the heauenly King I oft haue shewed the glorious power I erst in grauer verse The Gyants slayne in Phlaegra féeldes with thunder did reherse But now I néede a méelder style too tell of prettie boyes That were the derlings of the Gods and of vnlawfull ioyes That burned in the brests of Girles who for theyr wicked lust According as they did deserue receyued penance iust The King of Goddes did burne erewhyle in loue of Ganymed The Phrygian and the thing was found which Iupiter that sted Had rather bée than that he was Yit could â—e not betéeme The shape of any other Bird than Aegle for too séeme And so he soring in the ayre with borrowed wings trust vp The Troiane boay who still in heauen euen yit dooth beare his cup And brings him Nectar though against Dame Iunos will it bée And thou Amyclys sonne had not they heauy destinée Abridged thée before thy tyme hadst also placed béene By Phoebus in the firmament How bée it as is séene Thou art eternall so farre forth as may bée For as oft As warrie Piscis giueth place too Aries that the soft And gentle springtyde dooth succéede the winter sharp and stowre So often thou renewest thyself and on the fayre gréene clowre Doost shoote out flowres My father bare a speciall loue too thee Aboue all others So that whyle the God went oft too sée Eurotas and vnwalled Spart he left his noble towne Of Delphos which a mid the world is situate in renowne Without a souereigne â–ª Neyther Harp nor Bow regarded were Unmyndfull of his Godhead he refused not too beare The nets nor for too hold the hounds nor as a peynfull mate Too trauell ouer cragged hilles through which continuall gate His flames augmented more and more And now the sunne did stand Well néere midway betwéene the nyghts last past and next at hand They stript themselues and noynted them with oyle of Olyfe fat And fell to throwing of a Sledge that was ryght howge and flat Fyrst Phoebus peysing it did throw it from him with such strength As that the weyght draue downe the clouds in flying And at length It fell vpon substantiall ground where plainly it did show As well the cunning as the force of him that did it throw Immediatly vpon desyre himself the sport too trie The Spartane lad made haste too take vp vnaduisedly The Sledge before it still did lye But as he was in hand Too catch it it rebounding vp ageinst the hardened land Did hit him full vpon the face The God himselfe did looke As pale as did the lad and vp his swounding body tooke Now culles he him now wypes he from the wound the blood away Anotherwhyle his fading lyfe he stryues with herbes too stay Nought booted Léechcraft Helplesse was the wound And like as one Broosd violet stalkes or Poppie stalkes or Lillies growing on Browne spindles streight they withering droope with heauy heads are Not able for too hold them vp but with their tops doo stare Uppon the ground So Hyacinth in yéelding of his breath Chopt downe his head His necke bereft of strength by meanes of death Was euen a burthen too itself and downe did loosely wrythe On both his shoulders now a tone and now a toother lythe Thou faadst away my Hyacinth defrauded of the pryme Of youth quoth Phoebus and I sée thy wound my heynous cryme Thou art my sorrow and my fault this hand of myâ—e hath wrought Thy death I like a murtherer haue too thy graue thée brought But what haue I offended thow onlesse that too haue playd Or if that too haue loued an offence it may be sayd Would God I render myght my lyfe with and in stead of thée Too which syth fatall destinée denyeth too agrée Both in my mynd and in my mouth thou euermore shalt bée My Uâ—all striken with my hand my songs shall sound of thée And in a newmade flowre thou shalt with letters represent Our syghings â–ª And the tyme shall come ere many yéeres bée spent That in thy flowre a valeant Prince shall ioyne himself with thée And leaâ—e his name vppon the leaues for men too réede and sée Whyle Phoebus thus did prophesie behold the blood of him Which dyde the grasse ceast blood too bée and vp there sprang a trim And goodly flowre more orient than the Purple cloth ingrayne In shape a Lillye were it not that Lillyes doo remayne Of syluer colour whereas theis of purple hew are séene Although
face Like box and downe her heauy chéekes the teares did gush a pace Three times about too speake thrée times shée washt her face with teares And stinting oft with sobbes shée thus complayned in his eares What fault of myne O husband déere hath turnd thy hart fro mée Where is that care of mée that erst was woont too bée in thée And canst thou hauing left thy déere Alcyone merrye bée Doo iourneyes long delyght thée now dooth now myne absence please Thée better then my presence dooth Think I that thou at ease Shalt go by land Shall I haue cause but onely for too moorne And not too bée afrayd And shall my care of thy returne Bée voyd of feare No no. The sea mée sore afrayd dooth make Too think vppon the sea dooth cause my flesh for feare too quake I sawe the broken ribbes of shippes a late vppon the shore And oft on Tumbes I reade theyr names whose bodyes long before The sea had swallowed Let not fond vayne hope â—educe thy mynd That Aeölus is thy fathrinlaw who holdes the boystous wynd In prison and can calme the seas at pleasure When the wynds Are once let looce vppon the sea no order then them bynds Then neyther land hathe priuiledge nor sea exemption fynds Yea euen the clowdes of heauen they vex and with theyr méeting stout Enforce the fyre with hideous noyse too brust in flasshes out The more that I doo know them for ryght well I know theyr powre And saw them oft a little wench within my fathers bowre So much the more I think them too bée feard But if thy will By no intreatance may bée turnd at home too tarry still But that thou néedes wilt go then mée déere husband with thée take So shall the sea vs equally toogither tosse and shake So woorser than I féele I shall bée certeine not too feare So shall wée whatsoeuer happes toogither ioyntly beare So shall wée on the broad mayne sea toogither ioyntly sayle Theis wooâ—des and teares wherewith the imp of Aeölus did assayle Her husbond borne of heauenly race did make his hart relent For he lovd her no lesse than shée lovd him But fully bent He séemed neyther for too leaue the iourney which he ment Too take by sea nor yit too giue Alcyone leaue as tho Companion of his perlous course by water for too go He many woordes of comfort spake her feare away too chace But nought hée could perswade therein too make her like the cace This last asswagement of her gréef he added in the end Which was the onely thing that made her louing hart too bend All taryante will assuredly séeme ouer long too mée And by my fathers blasing beames I make my vow too thée That at the furthest ere the tyme if God thertoo agrée The moone doo fill her circle twyce ageine I will héere bée When in sum hope of his returne this promis had her set He willd a shippe immediatly from harbrough too bée fet And throughly rigged for too bée that neyther maast nor sayle Nor tackling no nor other thing should apperteyning fayle Which when Alcyone did behold as one whoos 's hart misgaue The happes at hand shée quaakt ageine and teares out gussâ—ing draue And streyning Ceyx in her armes with pale and piteous looke Poore wretched soule her last farewell at length shée sadly tooke And swounded flat vppon the ground Anon the watermen As Ceyx sought delayes and was in dowt too turne agen Set hand too Ores of which there were twoo rowes on eyther syde And all at once with equall stroke the swelling sea deuyde Shée lifting vp her watrye eyes behilld her husband stand Uppon the hatches making signes by beckening with his hand And shée made signes to him ageine And after that the land Was farre remoued from the shippe and that the sight began Too bée vnable too discerne the face of any man As long as ere shée could shée lookt vppon the rowing kéele And when shée could no longer tyme for distance ken it wée le Shée looked still vppon the sayles that flasked with the wynd Uppon the maast And when shée could the sayles no longer fynd She gate her too her empty bed with sad and sorye hart And layd her downe The chamber did renew a fresh her smart And of her bed did bring too mynd the déere departed part From harbrough now they quyght were gone now a plasant gale Did blowe The mayster made his men theyr Ores asyde too hale And hoysed vp the toppesayle on the hyghest of the maast And clapt on all his other sayles bycause no wind should waast Scarce full tone half or sure not much aboue the shippe had ronne Uppon the sea and euery way the land did farre them shonne When toward night the wallowing waues began too waxen whyght And éeke the heady easterne wynd did blow with greater myght Anon the Mayster cryed strike the toppesayle let the mayne Sheate flye and fardle it too the yard Thus spake he but in vayne For why so hideous was the storme vppon the soodeine brayd That not a man was able there too héere what other sayd And lowd the sea with méeting waues extréemely raging rores Yit fell they too it of them selues Sum haalde asyde the Ores Sum fensed in the Gallyes sydes sum downe the sayleclothes rend Sum pump the water out and sea too sea ageine doo send Another hales the sayleyards downe And whyle they did eche thing Disorderly the storme increast and from eche quarter â—â—ing The wyndes with deadly foode and bownce the raging waues toogither The Pilot being sore dismayd sayth playne he knowes not whither Too wend himself nor what too doo or bid nor in what state Things stood So howge the mischéef was and did so ouermate All arte For why of ratling ropes of crying men and boyes Of flusshing waues and thundring ayre confused was the noyse The surges mounting vp aloft did séeme too mate the skye And with theyr sprinckling for too wet the clowdes that hang on hye One whyle the sea when from the brink it raysd the yellow sand Was like in colour too the same Another whyle did stand A colour on it blacker than the Lake of Styx Anon It lâ—eth playne and loometh whyght with seething froth thereon â–ª And with the sea the Trachin shippe ay alteration tooke One whyle as from a mountaynes toppe it séemed downe too looke Too vallyes and the depth of hell Another whyle beset With swelling surges round about which néere aboue it met It looked from the bottom of the whoorlepoole vp aloft As if it were from hell too heauen A hideous flusshing oft The waues did make in beating full against the Gallyes syde The Gallye bâ—ing striken gaue as great a sownd that â—yde As did sumtyme the Battellramb of stéele or now the Gonne In making battrye too a towre And as féerre Lyons runne Full brist with all theyr force ageinst the armed men that stand In order bent too kéepe
them of with weapons in theyr hand Euen so as often as the waues by force of wynd did raue So oft vppon the netting of the shippe they maynely draue And mounted farre aboue the same Anon of fell the hoopes And hauing washt the pitch away the sea made open loopes Too let the deadly water in Behold the clowdes did melt And showers large came pooring downe The seamen that them felt Myght thinke that all the heauen had falne vppon them that same tyme And that the swelling sea likewyse aboue the heauen would clyme The sayles were throughly wet w t showers and with the heauenly raine Was mixt the waters of the sea no lyghts at all remayne Of sunne or moone or starres in heauen The darknesse of the nyght Augmented with the dreadfull storme takes dowble powre and myght Howbéet the flasshing lyghtnings oft doo put the same too flyght And with theyr glauncing now and then doo giue a soodeme lyght The lightnings setts the waues on fyre Aboue the netting skippe The waues and with a violent force doo lyght within the shippe And as a souldyer stowter than the rest of all his band That oft assayles a citie walles defended well by hand At length atteines his hope and for too purchace prayse withall Alone among a thousand men getts vp vppon the wall So when the loftye waues had long the Gallyes sydes assayd At length the tenth waue rysing vp with howger force and brayd Did neuer cease assaulting of the wéery shippe till that Uppon the hatches lyke a fo victoriously it gat A part thereof did still as yit assault the shippe without And part had gotten in The men all trembling ran about As in a Citie commes too passe when of the enmyes sum Dig downe the walles without and sum already in are come All arte and couning was too séeke Theyr harts and stomacks fayle And looke how many furges came theyr vessell too assayle So many deathes did séeme too charge and breake vppon them all One wéepes another stands amazde the third them blist dooth call Whom buryall dooth remayne Too God another makes his vow And holding vp his handes too heauen the which hée sées not now Dooth pray in vayne for help The thought of this man is vppon His brother and his parents whom he cléerely hath forgone Another calles his house and wyfe and children vntoo mynd And euery man in generall the things he left behynd Alcyone moueth Ceyx hart In Ceyx mouth is none But onely one Alcyone And though shée were alone The wyght that he desyred most yit was he verry glad Shée was not there Too Trachin ward too looke desyre he had And homeward fayne he would haue turnd his eyes which neuer more Should sée the land But when he knew not which way was the shore Nor where he was The raging sea did rowle about so fast And all the heauen with clowds as black as pitch was ouer cast That neuer nyght was halfe so dark There came a flaw at last That with his violence brake the maste and strake the sterne away A billowe proudly pranking vp as vaunting of his pray By conquest gotten walloweth hole and breaketh not a sunder Beholding with a lofty looke the waters woorking vnder And looke as if a man should from the places where they growe Rend downe the mountaynes A the Rind and whole them ouerthrowe Intoo the open sea so soft the Billowe tumbling downe With weyght and violent stroke did sink and in the bottom drowne The Gallye And the moste of them that were within the same Went downe therwith and neuer vp too open aâ—er came But dyed strangled in the gulf Another sort againe Caught péeces of the broken shippe The king himself was fayne A shiuer of the sunken shippe in that same hand to hold In which hée erst a royall mace had hilld of yellow gold His father and his fathrinlawe he calles vppon alas In vayne But chéefly in his mouth his wife Alcyone was In hart was shée in toong was shee He wisshed that his corse Too land where shée myght take it vp the surges myght enforce And that by her most louing handes he might be layd in graue In swimming still as often as the surges leaue him gaue Too ope his lippes he harped still vpon Alcyones name And when he drowned in the waues he muttred still the same Behold euen full vppon the waâ—â— a 〈◊〉 of water blacke Did breake and vnderneathe the sea the head of Ceyx stracke That nyght the lyghtsum Lucifer for sorrowe was so dim As scarcely could a man discerne or thinke it too bée him And forasmuch as out of heauen he might not steppe asyde With thick and darksum clowds that nyght his countnance he did hyd â–ª Alcyone of so great mischaunce not knowing aught as yit Did kéepe a reckening of the nyghts that in the whyle did flit And hasted garments both for him and for herself likewyse Too weare at his homecomming which shée vaynely did surmyse Too all the Goddes deuoutly shée did offer frankincence But most aboue them all the Church of Iuno shée did sence And for her husband who as then was none shée knéeld before The Altar wisshing health and soone arriuall at the shore And that none other woman myght before her be preferd Of all her prayers this one péece effectually was heard For Iuno could not fynd in hart intreated for too bée For him that was already dead But too th entent that shée From dame Alcyones deadly hands might kéepe her Altars frée Shée sayd Most faythfull messenger of my commaundments O Thou Raynebowe too the slugguish house of Slomber swiftly go And bid him send a Dreame in shape of Ceyx too his wyfe Alcyone for too shew her playne the losing of his lyfe Dame Iris takes her pall wherein a thousand colours were And bowwing lyke a stringed bow vpon the clowdy sphere Immediatly descended too the drowzye house of Sléepe Whose Court the clowdes continually doo cloâ—ely ouerdréepe Among the darke Cimmerians is a hollow mountaine found And in the hill a Caue that farre dooth ronne within the ground The Chamber the dwelling place where slouthfull sléepe dooth cowch The lyght of Phebus golden beames this place can neuer towch A foggye mist with dimnesse mixt streames vpwarde from the ground And glimmering twylyght euermore within the same is found No watchfull bird with barbed bill and combed crowne dooth call The morning foorth with crowing out There is no noyse at all Of waking dogge nor gagling goose more waker than the hound Too hinder sléepe Of beast ne wyld ne tame there is no sound No bowghes are stird with blastes of wynd no noyse of tatling toong Of man or woman euer yit within that bower roong Dumb quiet dwelleth there Yit from the Roches foote dooth go The ryuer of forgetfulnesse which ronneth trickling so Uppon the little pebble stones which in the channell lye That vntoo sléepe a great deale more it dooth prouoke
did as much as doone myght bee I could ynough bée thankfull for his goodnesse towards mée That I still speake and breathe That I the Sun and heauen doo sée Is his gift Can I thanklesse then or myndlesse of him bée That downe the round eyed gyants throte this soule of myne went not And that from hencefoorth when too dye it euer be my lot I may bée layd in graue or sure not in the Gyants mawe What hart had I that tyme at least if feare did not withdrawe Both hart and sence when left behynd you taking shippe I sawe I would haue called after you but that I was afrayd By making outcrye too my to myself too haue béewrayd For euen the noyse that you did make did put Vlysses shippe In daunger I did sée him from a cragged mountaine strippe A myghty rocke and intoo sea it throwe midway and more Ageine I sawe his giants pawe throwe howge big stones great store As if it were a sling And sore I feared least your shippe Should drowned by the water bée that from the stones did skippe Or by the stones themselues as if my self had béene therin But when that flyght had saued you from death he did begin On Aetna syghing vp and downe too walke and with his pawes Went groping of the trées among the woodes And forbycause He could not sée he knockt his shinnes ageinst the rocks eche where And stretching out his grisly armes which all beegrymed were With baken blood too seaward he the Gréekish nation band And sayd O if that sum good chaunce myght bring vntoo my hand Vlysses or sum mate of his on whom too wreake myne ire Uppon whose bowells with my téeth I like a Hawke myght tyre Whose liuing members myght with theis my talants teared béene Whoose blood myght bubble down my throte whose flesh myght pant betwéene My iawes how lyght or none at all this losing of myne eye Would séeme Theis woordes and many mo the cruell féend did cry A shuddring horror perced mée too sée his smudged face And cruell handes and in his frunt the fowle round eyelesse place And monstruous members and his beard bestowbered with the blood Of man Before myne eyes then death the smallest sorrow stood I loked euery minute too bée seased in his pawe I looked euer when he should haue cramd mée in his mawe And in my mynd I of that tyme mée thought the image sawe When hauing dingd a doozen of our fellowes too the grownd And lying lyke a Lyon féerce or hunger sterued hownd Uppon them very eagerly he downe his gréedy gut Theyr bowwels and theyr limbes yit more than half aliue did put And with theyr flesh toogither crasht the bones and marée whyght I trembling like an aspen leaf stood sad and bloodlesse quyght And in beholding how he fed and belked vp againe His bloody vittells at his mouth and vttred out amayne The clottred gobbets mixt with wyne I thus surmysde like lot Hangs ouer my head now and I must also go too pot And hyding mée for many dayes and quaking horribly At euery noyse and dreading death and wisshing for too dye Appeasing hunger with the leaues of trées and herbes and mast Alone and poore and footelâ—sse and too death and pennance cast A long tyme after I espyde this shâ—ppe a farre at last And ronning downeward too the sea by fignes did succour séeke Where fynding grace this Troianeshippe receyued mée a Greeke But now I prey thée gentle fréend declare thou vntoo mée Thy Capteines and thy fellowes lucke that tooke the sea with thee He told him how that Aeölus the sonne of Hippot hea That kéepes the wyndes in pryson cloce did reigne in Tuskane sea And how Vlysses hauing at his hand a noble gift The wynd enclosde in leather bagges did sayle with prosperous drift nyne dayes toogither insomuch they came within the syght Of home but on the tenth day when the morning gan giue lyght His fellowes being somewhat toucht with couetousenesse and spyght Supposing that it had béene gold did let the wyndes out quyght The which returning whence they came did driue them backe a mayne That in the Realme of Aeölus they went a land agayne From thence ê™ he we came vntoo the auncient Lamyes towne Of which the féerce Antiphates that season ware the crowne A cowple of my mates and I were sent vntoo him and A mate of myne and I could scarce by flyght escape his hand The third of vs did with his blood embrew the wicked face Of leawd Antiphate whoo with swoord vs flying thence did chace And following after with a rowt threw stones and loggs which drownd Both men and shippes Howbéeit one by chaunce escaped sound Which bare Vlysses and my self So hauing lost most part Of all our deare companions we with sad and sory hart And much complayning did arryue at yoonder coast which yow May ken farre hence A great way hence I say wée sée it now But trust mée truly ouer néere I saw it once And thow Aenaeas Goddesse Venus sonne the iustest knight of all The Troiane race for sith the warre is doone I can not call thée to I warne thée get thée farre from Câ—rces dwelling place For when our shippes arryued there remembring eft the cace Of cruell king Antiphates and of that hellish wyght The round eyed gyant Polypheme wée had so small delyght Too visit vncowth places that wée sayd wée would not go Then cast we lotts The lot fell out vppon myself as tho And Polyte and Eurylocus and on Elpenor who Delyghted tootoomuch in wyne and eyghtéene other mo All wee did go too Circes house Assoone as wée came thither And in the portall of the Hall had set our féete toogither A thousand Lyons woolues and beares did put vs in a feare By méeting vs. But none of them was too bée feared there For none of them could doo vs harme but with a gentle looke And following vs with fawning féete theyr wanton tayles they shooke Anon did Damzells welcome vs and led vs through the hall The which was made of marble stone floore arches roof and wall Too Circe Shée sate vnderneathe a trauerse in a chayre Aloft ryght rich and stately in a chamber large and fayre Shée ware a goodly longtreynd gowne and all her rest attyre Was euery whit of goldsmithes woork There sate mée also by her The Seanymphes and her Ladyes whoos 's fyne fingers neuer knew What â—oozing wooll did méene nor threede from whorled spindle drew They sorted herbes and picking out the flowers that were mixt Did put them intoo mawnds and with indifferent space betwixt Did lay the leaues and stalks on heapes according too theyr hew And shée herself the woork of them did ouersée and vew The vertue and the vse of them ryght perfectly shée knew And in what leaf it lay and which in mixture would agrée And so perusing euery herâ— by gâ—od aduysement shée Did wey them out Assoone as shée vs entring in did see
interchaungeably it one whyle dooth remayne A female and another whyle becommeth male againe The creature also which dooth liue by only aire and wynd All colours that it leaneth too dooth counterfet by kynd The Grapegod Bacchus when he had subdewd the land of Inde Did fynd a spotted beast cald Lynx whoos 's vrine by report By towching of the open aire congealeth in such sort As that it dooth becomme a stone So Corall which as long As water hydes it is a shrub and soft becommeth strong And hard assoone as it dooth towch the ayre The day would end And Phebus panting stéedes should in the Ocean déepe descend Before all alterations I in woordes could comprehend So sée wée all things chaungeable One nation gathereth strength Another wexeth weake and bothe doo make exchaunge at length So Troy which once was great and strong as well in welth as men And able tenne yéeres space too spare such store of blood as then Now béeing bace hath nothing left of all her welth too showe Saue ruines of the auncient woorkes which grasse dooth ouergrowe And tumbes wherin theyr auncetours lye buryed on a rowe Once Sparta was a famous towne Great Mycene florisht trim Bothe Athens and Amphions towres in honor once did swim A pelting plot is Sparta now great Mycene lyes on ground Of Theab the towne of Oedipus what haue we more than sound Of Athens king Pandions towne what resteth more than name Now also of the race of Troy is rysing so sayth fame The Citie Roome which at the bank of Tyber that dooth ronne Downe from the hill of Appennyne already hath begonne With great aduysement for too lay foundation of her state This towne then chaungeth by increase the forme it had alate And of the vniuersall world in tyme to comme shall hold The souereintye so prophesies and lotts men say haue told And as I doo remember mee what tyme that Troy decayd The prophet Helen Priams sonne theis woordes ensewing sayd Before Aenaeas dowting of his lyfe in wéeping plyght O Goddesse sonne beléeue mée if thou think I haue foresyght Of things too comme Troy shalnot quyght decay whyle thou doost liue Bothe fyre and swoord shall vntoo thée thy passage fréely giue Thou must from hence and Troy with thée conuey away in haste Untill that bothe thyself and Troy in forreine land bée plaast More fréendly than thy natiue soyle Moreouer I foresée A Citie by the ofspring of the Troians buylt shall bée So great as neuer in the world the lyke was séene before Nor is this present neyther shall be séene for euermore A number of most noble péeres for manye yéeres afore Shall make it strong and puyssant But hée that shall it make The souereine Ladye of the world by ryght descent shall take His first beginning from thy sonne the little Iule And when The earth hathe had her tyme of him the sky and welkin then Shall haue him vp for euermore and heauen shall bée his end Thus farre I well remember mée did Helens woordes extend Too good Aenaeas And it is a pleasure vntoo mée The Citie of my countrymen increasing thus too sée And that the Grecians victorie becommes the Troians weale But least forgetting quyght themselues our horses happe too steale Beyond the mark the heauen and all that vnder heauen is found Dooth alter shape So dooth the ground and all that is in ground And wée that of the world are part considring how wée bée Not only flesh but also sowles which may with passage frée Remoue them intoo euery kynd of beast both tame and wyld Let liue in saufty honestly with slaughter vndefyld The bodyes which perchaunce may haue the sprits of our brothers Our sisters or our parents or the spirits of sum others Alyed too vs eyther by sum fréendshippe or sum kin Or at the least the soules of men abyding them within And let vs not Thyëstes lyke thus furnish vp our boordes With bloodye bowells Oh how leawd example he auoordes How wickedly prepareth he himself too murther man That with a cruell knyfe dooth cut the throte of Calf and can Unmouably giue héering too the lowing of the dam Or sticke the kid that wayleth lyke the little babe or eate The fowle that he himself before had often fed with meate What wants of vtter wickednesse in woorking such a feate What may he after passe too doo well eyther let your stéeres Weare out themselues with woork or else impute theyr death too yéeres Ageinst the wynd and weather cold let Wethers yéeld yée cotes And vdders full of batling milk receyue yée of the Goates Away with sprindges snares and grinnes away with Risp and net Away with guylefull feates for fowles no lymetwiggs sée yée set No feared fethers pitche yée vp too kéepe the Reddéere in Ne with deceytfull bayted hooke séeke fishes for too win If awght doo harme destroy it but destroyt and doo no more Forbeare the flesh and féede your mouthes with fitter foode therfore Men say that Numa furnisshed with such philosophye As this and like returned too his natiue soyle and by Entreatance was content of Roome too take the souereintye Ryght happy in his wyfe which was a nymph ryght happy in His guydes which were the Muses nyne this Numa did begin Too teach Religion by the meanes whereof hée shortly drew That people vntoo peace whoo erst of nought but battell knew And when through age he ended had his reigne and éeke his lyfe Through Latium he was moorned for of man and chyld and wyfe As well of hygh as low degrée His wyfe forsaking quyght The Citie in vale Aricine did hyde her out of syght Among the thickest groues â–ª and there with syghes and playnts did let The sacrifyse of Diane whom Orestes erst had fet From Taurica in Chersonese and in that place had set How oft ah did the woodnymphes and the waternymphes perswade Egeria for too cease her mone what meanes of comfort made They Ah hâ—w often Theseus sonne her wéeping thus bespake O Nymph thy moorning moderate thy sorrow sumwhat slake Not only thou hast cause too hart thy fortune for too take Behold like happes of other folkes and this mischaunce of thyne Shall gréeue thée lesse would God examples so they were not myne Myght comfort thée But myne perchaunce may comfort thée If thou In talk by hap haste heard of one Hippolytus ere now That through his fathers lyght beleefe and stepdames craft was slayne It will a woonder séeme too thée and I shall haue much payne Too make thée too beléeue the thing But I am very hée The daughter of Pasyphae in vayne oft tempting mée My father chamber too defyle surmysde mée too haue sought The thing that shée with al her hart would fayne I should haue wrought And whither it were for feare I should her wickednesse bewray Or else for spyght bycause I had so often sayd her nay Shée chardgd mée with hir owne offence My father by and by Condemning mée did
tyme the heady easterne wynde Dooth whiz amongst them or as from the sea dooth farre rebound Euen such among the folk of Roome that present was the sound Howbéet in that confused roare of fearefull folk did fall Out one voyce asking whoo is hée And staring therewithall Uppon theyr foreheads they did séeke the foresayd hornes Agen ê™ Cippus lo yée haue the man for whom yée séeke And then He pulld ageinst his peoples will his garlond from his head And shewed them the twoo fayre hornes â—hat on his browes were spred At that the people dassheth downe theyr lookes and syghing is Ryght sorye whoo would think it trew too sée that head of his Most famous for his good deserts Yit did they not forget The honour of his personage but willingly did set The Lawrell garlond on his head ageine And by and by The Senate sayd Well Cippus sith vntill the tyme thou dye Thou mayst not coÌ„me within theis walles wée giue thée as much grouÌ„d In honour of thée as a téeme of stéeres can plough thée round Betwéene the dawning of the day and shetting in of nyght Moreouer on the brazen gate at which this Cippus myght Haue entred Roome a payre of hornes were graude too represent His woondrous shape as of his déede an endlesse monument Yée Muses whoo too Poets are the present springs of grace Now shewe for you knowe neyther are you dulld by tyme or space How Aesculapius in the I le that is in Tyber déepe Among the sacred sayncts of Roome had fortune for too créepe A cruell plage did héertoofore infect the Latian aire And peoples bodyes pyning pale the murreine did appayre When tyred with the buriall of theyr fréends they did perceyue Themselues no helpe at mannes hand nor by Phisicke too receyue Then séeking help from heauen they sent too Delphos which dooth stand Amid the world for counsell too bée had at Phebus hand Beséeching him with helthfull ayd too succour theyr distresse And of the myghtye Citie Roome the mischéef too redresse The quiuers which Apollo bryght himself was woont too beare The Baytrées and the place itself toogither shaken were And by and by the table from the furthest part of all The ChauÌ„cell spake theis woords which did theyr harts with feare appal The thing yée Romanes séeke for héere yée should haue sought more ny Your countrye Yea and néerer home go séeke it now Not I Apollo but Apollos sonne is hée that must redresse Your sorrowes Take your iourney with good handsell of successe And fetch my sonne among you When Apollos hest was told Among the prudent Senators they sercht what towne did hold His sonne and vntoo Epidavvre a Gallye for him sent Assoone as that th' Ambassadour arryued there they went Untoo the counsell and the Lordes of Gréekland whom they pray Too haue the God the present plages of Romanes for too stay And for themselues the Oracle of Phebus foorth they lay The Counsell were of sundry mynds and could not well agrée Sum thought that succour in such néede denyed should not bée And diuers did perswade too keepe theyr helpe not too send Theyr Goddes away sith they themselues myght néede them in the end Whyle dowtfully they of and on debate this curious cace The euening twylyght vtterly the day away did chace And on the world the shadowe of the earth had darknesse brought That nyght the Lord Ambassadour as sléepe vppon him wrought Did dreame he saw before him stand the God whose help he sought In shape as in his chappell he was woonted for too stand With ryght hand stroking downe his berd and staffe in toother hand And méekely saying feare not I will comme and leaue my shryne This serpent which dooth wreath with knottes about this staffe of mine Mark well and take good héede therof that when thou shalt it sée Thou mayst it knowe For intoo it transformed will I bee But bigger I will bée for I will séeme of such a syse As may celestiall bodyes well too turne intoo suffise Streyght with the voyce the God and with the voyce and God away Went sléepe and after sléepe was gone ensewed chéerfull day Next morning hauing cléerely put the fyrye starres too flyght The Lordes not knowing what too doo assembled all foorthryght Within the sumptuous temple of the God that was requyred And of his mynd by heauenly signe sum knowledge they desyred They scarce had doone theyr prayers when the God in shape of snake With loftye crest of gold began a hissing for too make Which was a warning giuen And with his presence he did shake The Altar shryne doore marble floore and roofe all layd with gold And vauncing vp his brest he stayd ryght stately too behold Amid the Church and round about his fyrye eyes he rold The syght did fray the people But the wyuelesse préest whoos 's heare Was trussed in a fayre whyght Call did know the God was there And sayd behold tiz God tiz God As many as bée héere Pray both with mouth and mynd O thou our glorious God appéere Too our béehoofe and helpe thy folke that keepe thy hallowes ryght The people present woorshipped his Godhead there in syght Repeating dowble that the préest did say the Romaynes éeke Deuoutly did with Godly voyce and hart his â—auour séeke The God by nodding did consent and gaue assured signe By shaking of his golden crest that on his head did shyne And hissed twyce with spirting toong Then trayld he downe the fyne And glistring gréeces of his church And turning backe his eyen He looked too his altarward and too his former shryne And temple as too take his leaue and bid them all fare well From thence ryght howge vppon the ground which swéete of flowres did smell That people strewed in his way he passed stately downe And bending intoo bowghts went through the hart of all the towne Untill that hée the bowwing wharf besyde the hauen tooke Where sâ—aying when he had as séemd dismist with gentle looke His trayne of Chapleynes and the folke that wayted on him thither Hée layd him in the Romane shippe too sayle away toogither The shippe did féele the burthen of his Godhed too the full And for the heauye weyght of him did after passe more dull The Romanes being glad of him and hauing killd a stéere Uppon the shore vntyde theyr ropes and cables from the péere The lyghtsum wynd did dryue the shippe The God auauncing hye And leaning with his necke vppon the Gallyes syde did lye And looke vppon the gréenish waues and cutting easly through Th' Iönian sea with little gales of westerne wynd not rough The sixt day morning came vppon the coast of Italy And passing foorth by Iunos Church that mustreth too the eye Uppon the head of Lacine he was caryed also by The rocke of Scylley then he left the land of Calabrye And rowing softly by the rocke Zephyrion he did draw Too Celen cliffs the which vppon the ryghtsyde haue a flawe
bée The Goddes did graunt her this request the last that 〈◊〉 make The ground did ouergrow hir féete and ancles as shée spake And from her bursten toes went rootes which wrything heere and there Did fasten so the trunk within the ground shée could not steare Her bones did intoo timber turne whereof the marie was The pith and into watrish sappe the blood of her did passe Her armes were turnd too greater boughes her fingars into twig Her skin was hardned into bark And now her belly big The eatching trée had ouergrowen and ouertane her brest And hasted for to win her neck and hyde it with the rest Shée made no taryence nor delay but met the comming trée And shroonk her face within the barke therof Although that shée Toogither with her former shape her senses all did loose Yit wéepeth shée and from her trée warme droppes doo softly woose The which her teares are had in pryce and honour And the Myrrhe That issueth from her gummy bark dooth beare the name of her And shall doo whyle the world dooth last The misbegotten chyld Grew still within the trée and from his mothers womb defyld Sought meanes too bée delyuered Her burthened womb did swell Amid the trée and stretcht her out But woordes wherwith to tell And vtter foorth her gréef did want She had no vse of spéech With which Lucina in her throwes shée might of help beséech Yit like a woman labring was the trée and bowwing downe Gaue ofteÌ„ sighes shed foorth teares as though shée there should drowne Lucina to this wofull trée came gently downe and layd Her hand theron and speaking woordes of ease the midwife playd The trée did cranye and the barke deuiding made away And yéelded out the chyld alyue which cryde and wayld streyght way The waternymphes vppon the soft swéete hearbes the chyld did lay And bathde him with his mothers teares His face was such as spyght Must needes haue praysd For such he was in all condicions right As are the naked Cupids that in tables picturde bée But too th entent he may with them in euery poynt agrée Let eyther him bée furnisshed with wings and quiuer light Or from the Cupids take theyr wings and bowes and arrowes quight Away slippes fléeting tyme vnspyde and mocks vs too our face And nothing may compare with yeares in swiftnesse of theyr pace â–ª That wretcheâ—◠〈◊〉 whom wickedly his graundfather begate And whom his cursed suster bare who hidden was alate Within the trée and lately borne became immediatly The beawtyfullyst babe on whom man euer set his eye Anon a stripling hée became and by and by a man And euery day more beawtâ—full than other he becam That in the end Dame Venus fell in loue with him wherby He did reuenge the outrage of his mothers villanye For as the armed Cupid kist Dame Venus vnbeware An arrow sticking out did raze hir brest vppon the bare The Goddesse being wounded â—hrust away her sonne The wound Apyeered not too bée so déepe as afterward was found It did deceyue her at the first The beawty of the lad Inflaamd her Too Cythera I le no mynd at all shée had Nor vntoo Paphos where the sea beats round about the shore Nor 〈◊〉 Gnyde nor Amathus that hath of metalls store Yea â—uen from heauen shee did absteyne Shée lovd Adonis more Than heauen â–ª To him shée clinged ay and bare him companye And in the shadowe woont shée was too rest continually And for too set her beawtye out most séemely too the eye By trimly decking of her self Through â—ushy grounds and groues And ouer Hâ—lls and Dales and Lawnâ—s and stony rocks shée roues Bare knéed with garment tucked vp according too the woont Of Phebe and shée chéerd the hounds with hallowing like a hunt Pursewing game of hurtlesse sort as Hares made lowe before Or stagges with loftye heades or bucks But with the sturdy Boare And raâ—ening woolf and Bearewhelpes armd with vgly pawes and éeke The cruell Lyons which delyght in blood and slaughter séeke Shée meddled not And of theis same shée warned also thée Adonis for too shoonne them if thou wooldst haue warned bée Bée bold on cowards Venus sayd for whoso dooth aduaunce Himselfe against the bold may hap too méete with sum mischaunce Wherfore I pray thée my swéete boy forbeare too bold too bée For feare thy rashnesse hurt thy self and woork the wo of mée Encounter not the kynd of beastes whom nature armed hath For dowt thou buy thy prayse too déere procuring thée sum scath Thy tender youth thy beawty bryght thy countnance fayre and braue Although they had the force too win the hart of Venus haue No powre ageinst the Lyons nor ageinst the brist led swyne The eyes and harts of sauage beasts doo nought too theis mâ—lyne The cruell Boares beare thunder in theyr hooked tushes and Excéeding force and féercenesse is in Lyons too withstand And sure I hate them at my hart Too him demaunding why A monstrous chaunce ê™ Venus I will tell thée by and by That hapned for a fault But now vnwoonted toyle hath made Mée wéerye and beholde in tyme this Poplar with his shade Allureth and the ground for cowch dooth serue too rest vppon I prey thée let vs rest héere They sate them downe anon And lying vpward with her head vppon his lappe along Shée thus began and in her tale shée bussed him among Perchaunce thou hast or this tyme hard of one that ouercame The swiftest men in footemanshippe no fable was that fame She ouercame them out of dowt And hard it is to tell Thée whither she did in footemanshippe or beawty more excell Uppon a season as she askt of Phebus what he was That should her husband bée he sayd For husband doo not passe O Atalanta thou at all of husband hast no néede Shonne husbanding But yit thou canst not shonne it I thée réede Alyue thou shalt not be thy self Shée being sore afrayd Of this Apollos Oracle did kéepe herself a mayd And liued in the shady woodes When wooers to her came And were of her importunate shée draue away the same With boystous woordes and with sore condition of the game I am not too be had ê™ shée onlesse yée able bâ—e In ronning for too vanquish mée Yée must contend with mée In footemanshippe And who so winnes the wager I agrée Too bée his wife But if that he bée found too slowe then hee Shall lose his head This of your game the verrye law shall bée Shée was in déede vnmercifull But such is beawties powre That though the sayd condition were extreme and ouer sowre Yit many suters were so rash too vndertake the same Hippomenes as a looker on of this vncurteous game Sate by and sayd Is any man so mad to séeke a wyfe With such apparant perill and the hazard of his lyfe And vtterly he did condemne the yongmens loue But when He saw her face and bodye bare for why the Lady then Did strippe her
too her naked skin the which was like too myne Or rather if that thou wert made a woman like too thyne He was amazde And holding vp his hands too heauen he sayth Forgiue mée you with whom I found such fault euen now In fayth I did not know the wager that yée ran for As hée prayseth The beawty of her in him selfe the fyre of loue he rayseth And through an enuy fearing least shée should a way be woonne He wisht that nere a one of them so swift as shée might roonne And wherfore ê™ hée put not I myself in preace too trye The fortune of this wager God himself continually Dooth help the bold and hardye sort now whyle Hippomenes Debates theis things within himselfe and other like to these The Damzell ronnes as if her feete were wings And though that shée Did fly as swift as arrow from a Turkye bowe yit hée More woondred at her beawtye than at swiftnesse of her pace Her ronning greatly did augment her beawtye and her grace The wynd ay whisking from her féete the labells of her socks Uppon her back as whyght as snowe did tosse her golden locks And eeke thembroydred garters that were tyde beneathe her ham A rednesse mixt with whyght vppon her tender bodye cam As when a scarlet curtaine streynd ageinst a playstred wall Dooth cast like shadowe making it seeme ruddye therwithall Now whyle the straunger noted this the race was fully ronne And Atalant as shee that had the wager cléerely wonne Was crowned with a garlond braue The vanquisht sighing sore Did lose theyr lyues according too agréement made before Howbéeit nought at all dismayd with theis mennes lucklesse cace He stepped foorth and looking full vppon the maydens face Sayd wherfore doost thou séeke renowne in vanquisshing of such As were but dastards cope with mée If fortune bée so much My fréend too giue mee victorie thou néedest not hold scorne Too yéeld too such a noble man as I am I am borne The sonne of noble Megaree Onchestyes sonne and hée Was sonne to Neptune Thus am I great graundchyld by degrée In ryght descent of him that rules the waters Neyther doo I out of kynd degenerate from vertue méete thertoo Or if my fortune bée so hard as vanquisht for too bée Thou shalt obteine a famous name by ouercomming mée In saying thus Atlanta cast a gentle looke on him And dowting whither shée rather had too lose the day or win Sayd thus What God an enmy to the beawtyfull is bent Too bring this person to his end and therfore hath him sent Too seeke a wyfe with hazard of his lyfe If I should bée Myselfe the iudge in this behalfe there is not sure in mée That dooth deserue so déerely too bée earned neyther dooth His beawty mooue my hart at all yit is it such in sooth As well might mooue mée But bycause as yit a chyld he is His person mooues mée not so much as dooth his age Iwis Béesydes that manhod is in him and mynd vnfrayd of death Béesydes that of the watrye race from Neptune as he seth He is the fowrth béesydes that he dooth loue mée and dooth make So great accompt too win mée too his wyfe that for my sake He is contented for too dye if fortune bée so sore Ageinst him too denye him mée Thou straunger hence therfore Away I say now whyle thou mayst and shonne my bloody bed My mariage cruell is and craues the losing of thy hed There is no wench but that would such a husband gladly catch And shée that wyse were myght desyre too méete with such a match But why now after heading of so many doo I care For thée Looke thou too that For sith so many men as are Alreadye put too slawghter can not warne thée too béeware But that thou wilt bée wéerye of thy lyfe dye doo not spare And shall he perrish then bycause he sought to liue with mee And for his loue vnwoorthely with death rewarded bée All men of such a victory will speake too foule a shame But all the world can testifye that I am not too blame Would God thou wouldst desist Or else bycause thou are so mad I would too God a litle more thy féete of swiftnesse had Ah what a maydens countenance is in this chyldish face Ah foolish boy Hippomenes how wretched is thy cace I would thou neuer hadst mée séene Thou woorthy art of lyfe And if so bée I happy were and that too bée a wyfe The cruell destnyes had not mée forbidden sure thou art The onely wyght with whom I would bée matcht with all my hart This spoken shée yit rawe and but new striken with the dart Of Cupid béeing ignorant did loue and knew it nat Anon her father and the folk assembled willed that They should begin theyr woonted race Then Neptunes issue prayd With carefull hart and voyce too mée and thus dâ—uoutly sayd O Venus fauour myne attempt and send mée downe thyne ayd Too compasse my desyred loue which thou hast on mée layd His prayer movd mée I confesse and long I not delayd Before I helpt him Now there is a certaine féeld the which The Cyprian folk call Damasene most fertile and most rich Of all the Cyprian féelds the same was consecrate too mée In auncient tyme and of my Church the glebland woont too bée Amid this féeld with golden leaues there growes a goodly trée The crackling boughes whereof are all of yellow gold I came And gathered golden Apples thrée and bearing thence the same Within my hand immediatly too Hippomen I gat Inuisible too all wyghts else saue him and taught him what Too doo with them The Trumpets blew and girding forward both Set foorth and on the houering dust with nimble féete eche goth A man would think they able were vppon the Sea too go And neuer wet theyr féete and on the ayles of corne also That still is growing in the féeld and neuer downe them tread The man tooke courage at the showt and woordes of them that sed Now now is tyme Hippomenes too ply it hye a pace Enforce thyself with all thy strength lag not in any cace Thou shalt obteine It is a thing ryght dowtfull whither hée At theis well willing woordes of theyrs reioysed more or shée O Lord how often when shée might outstrippe him did shée stay And gazed long vppon his face right loth too go her way A wéerye breath proceeded from theyr parched lippes and farre They had too ronne Then Neptunes imp her swiftnesse too disbarre Trolld downe a toneside of the way an Apple of the thrée Amazde therat and couetous of the goodly Apple shée Did step asyde and snatched vp the rolling frute of gold With that Hippomenes coted her The folke that did behold Made noyse with clapping of theyr hands She recompenst her slothe And losse of â–ª tyme with footemanshippe and streight ageine outgothe Hippomenes leauing him behind and béeing stayd agen With taking vp the second shée him ouertooke And