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
Swan his wings to splay She added also how by Ioue in shape of Satyr gaye The faire Antiope with a paire of children was besped And how he tooke Amphitrios shape when in Alâ—menas bed He gate the worthie Hercules and how he also came To Danae like a shoure of golde to Aegine like a flame A sheepeherd to Mnemosyne and like a Serpent â—ly To Proserpine She also made Neptuâ—â—s leaping by Upon a Maide of Aeolus race in likenesse of a Bull And in the streame Enipeus shape begetting on a trull The Giants Othe and Ephialt and in the shape of Ram Begetting one Theophane Bisalties ympe with Lam And in a lustie Stalions shape she made him houering there Dame Ceres with the yellow lockes and hir whose golden heare Was turnde to crawling Snakes on whome he gate the winged horse She made him in a Dolphins shape Melantho to enforce Of all these things she missed not their proper shapes nor yit The full and iust resemblance of their places for to â—it In likenesse of a Countrie cloyne was Phebus picturde there And how he now ware Gossehaukes wings and now a Lions heare And how he in a shepeherdes shape was practising a wile The daughter of one Macarie dame Issa to beguile And how the faire Erygone by chaunce did suffer rape By Bacchus who deceyued hir in likenesse of a grape And how that Saturne in the shape of Genet did beget The double Chiron Round about the vtmost Uerdge was set A narrow Traile of pretie floures with leaues of Iuie fret Not Pallas no nor spight it selfe could any quarrell picke To this hir worke and that did touch Minerua to the quicke Who therevpon did rende the cloth in pieces euery whit Bicause the lewdnesse of the Gods was blased so in it And with an Arras weauers combe of Box she fiercely smit Arachne on the forehead full a dosen times and more The Maide impacient in hir heart did stomacke this so sore That by and by she hung hirselfe Howbeit as she hing Dame Pallas pitying hir estate did stay hir in the string From death and said lewde Callet liue but hang thou still for mée And least hereafter from this curse that time may set thée frée I will that this same punishment enacted firmely bée As well on thy posteritie for euer as on thée And after when she should depart with iuice of Hecats flowre She sprinkled hir and by and by the poyson had such powre That with the touch thereof hir haâ—re hir eares and nose did fade And verie small it both hir heade and all hir bodie made In steade of legs to both hir sides sticke fingars long and fine The rest is bellie From the which she nerethelesse doth twine A slender thréede and practiseth in shape of Spider still The Spinners and the Websters crafts of which she erst had sâ—â—ll All Lydia did repine hereat and of this déede the fanie Through Phrygie ran through the world was talking of the â—ame Before hir mariage Niobe had knowen hir verie well When yet a Maide in Meonie and Sipyle she did dwell And yet Arachnes punishment at home before hir eyes To vse discreter kinde of talke it could hir not aduise Nor as behoueth to the Gods to yéelde in humble wise For many things did make hir proud But neyther did the towne The which hir husband builded had nor houses of renowne Of which they both descended were nor yet the puissance Of that great Realme wherein they reignde so much hir minde enhauÌ„ce Although the liking of them all did greatly hir delight As did the offspring of hir selfe And certenly she might Haue bene of mothers counted well most happie had she not So thought hir selfe For she whome sage Tyresias had begot The Prophet Manto through instinct of heauenly powre did say These kinde of wordes in open strete Ye Thebanes go your way Apace and vnto Latoâ— and to Latons children pray And offer godly Frankinsence and wreath your haire with Bay Latona by the mouth of me commaundes you so to do The Thebaâ—e women by and by obeying therevnto Deckt all their heades with Laurell leaues as Maâ—to did require And praying with deuout intent threw incense in the fire Beholde out commeth Niobe enuironde with a garde Of seruaunts and a solemne traine that followed afterward She was hirselfe in raiment made of costly cloth of golde Of Phrygia facion verie braue and gorgeous to beholde And of hir selfe she was right faire and beautifull of face But that hir wrathfull stomake then did somewhat staine hir grace She mouing with hir portly heade hir haire the which as then Did hang on both hir shoulders loose did pawse a while and when Wyth loftie looke hir stately eyes she rolled had about What madnesse is it quoth she to prefer the heauenly rout Of whome ye doe but heare to such as daily are in sight Or why should Laton honored be with Altars Neuer wight To my most sacred Maiestie did offer incense Yit My Father was that Tantalus whome only as most fit The Gods among them at their boordes admitted for to sit A sister of the Pleyades is my mother Finally My Graundsire on the mothers side is that same Atlas hiâ— That on his shoulders beareth vp the heauenly Axeltrée Againe my other Graundfather is Ioue and as you sée He also is my Fathrinlawe wherin I glorie may The Realme of Phrygia here at hand doth vnto me obay In Cadmus pallace I thereof the Ladie doe remaine And ioyntly with my husbande I as péerlesse Princesse reigne Both ouer this same towne whose walles my husbands harpe did frame And also ouer all the folke and people in the same In what soeuer corner of my house I cast mine eye A worlde of riches and of goods I eurywhere espie Moreouer for the beautie shape and fauor growen in me Right well I know I doe deserue a Goddesse for to be Besides all this seuen sonnes I haue and daughters seuen likewise By whome shall shortly sonneinlawes and daughtrinlawes arise Iudge you now if that I haue cause of statelynesse or no. How dareye then prefer to me Latona that same fro The Titan Ceus ympe to whome then readie downe to lie The howgie Earth a little plot to childe on did denie From Heauen from Earth from the Sea your Goddesse banisht was And as an outcast through the world from place to place did passe Untill that Delos pitying hir sayde thou dosâ—e fléete on land And I on Sea and therevpon did lende hir out of hand A place vnstable Of two twinnes there brought a bed was she And this is but the seuenth part of the issue borne by me Right happie am I. who can this denie and shall so still Continuâ— who doth doubt of that abundance hath and will Preserue me I am greater thau that frowarde fortune may Empeache me For although she shoulde pull many things away Yet should she lâ—aue me many more My state is out of
voyd of strength and lush and foggye is the blade â–ª And chéeres the husbandman with hope Then all things florish gay The earth with flowres of sundry hew then seemeth for too play And vertue small or none too herbes there dooth as yit belong The yeere from spring tyde passing foorth too sommer wexeth strong Becommeth lyke a lusty youth For in our lyfe through out There is no tyme more plentifull more lusty whote and stout Then followeth Haruest when the heate of youth growes sumwhat cold Rype méeld disposed meane betwixt a yoongman and an old And sumwhat sprent with grayish heare Then vgly winter last Like age steales on with trembling steppes all bald or ouercast With shirle thinne heare as whyght as snowe Our bodies also ay Doo alter still from tyme too tyme and neuer stand at stay Wée shall not bée the same wée were too day or yisterday The day hath béene wée were but séede and only hope of men And in our moothers womb wée had our dwelling place as then Dame Nature put too conning hand and suffred not that wée Within our moothers streyned womb should ay distressod bée But brought vs out too aire and from our prison set vs frée The chyld newborne lyes voyd of strength Within a season tho He wexing fowerfooted lernes like sauage beastes too go Then sumwhat foltring and as yit not firme of foote he standes By getting sumwhat for too helpe his sinewes in his handes From that tyme growing strong and swift he passeth foorth the space Of youth and also wearing out his middle age a pace Through drooping ages stéepye path he ronneth out his race This age dooth vndermyne the strength of former yeares and throwes It downe which thing old Milo by example playnely showes For when he sawe those armes of his which héeretoofore had béene As strong as euer Hercules in woorking deadly téene Of biggest beastes hang flapping downe and nought but empty skin He wept And Helen when shée saw her aged wrincles in A glasse wept also musing in herself what men had séene That by twoo noble princes sonnes shée twyce had rauisht béene Thou tyme the eater vp of things and age of spyghtfull téene Destroy all things And when that long continuance hath them bit You leysurely by lingring death consume them euery whit And theis that wée call Elements doo neuer stand at stay The enterchaunging course of them I will before yée lay Giue héede thertoo This endlesse world conteynes therin I say Fowre substances of which all things are gendred Of theis fower The Earth and Water for theyr masse and weyght are sunken lower The other cowple Aire and Fyre the purer of the twayne Mount vp nought can kéepe theÌ„ downe And though there doo remayne A space betwéene eche one of them yit euery thing is made Of themsame fowre and intoo them at length ageine doo fade The earth resoluing leysurely dooth melt too water shéere The water fyned turnes too aire The aire éeke purged cléere From grossenesse spyreth vp aloft and there becommeth fyre From thence in order contrary they backe ageine retyre Fyre thickening passeth intoo Aire and Ayër wexing grosse Returnes too water Water éeke congealing intoo drosse Becommeth earth No kind of thing kéepes ay his shape and hew For nature louing euer chaunge repayres one shape a new Uppon another â–ª neyther dooth there perrish aught trust mée In all the world but altring takes new shape For that which wée Doo terme by name of being borne is for too gin too bée Another thing than that it was And likewise for too dye Too cease too bée the thing it was And though that varyably Things passe perchaunce from place too place yit all from whence they came Returning doo vnperrisshed continew still the same But as for in one shape bée sure that nothing long can last Euen so the ages of the world from gold too Iron past Euen so haue places oftentymes exchaunged theyr estate For I haue séene it sea which was substanciall ground alate Ageine where sea was I haue séene the same become dry lond And shelles and scales of Seafish farre haue lyen from any strond And in the toppes of mountaynes hygh old Anchors haue béene â—ound Déepe valleyes haue by watershotte béene made of leuell ground And hilles by force of gulling oft haue intoo sea béene worne Hard grauell ground is sumtyme séene where marris was beforne And that that erst did suffer drowght becommeth standing lakes Héere nature sendeth new springs out and there the old in takes Full many riuers in the world through earthquakes heretoofore Haue eyther chaundgd theyr former course or dryde and ronne no more Soo Lycus béeing swallowed vp by gaping of the ground A greatway of fro thence is in another channell found Euen so the riuer Erasine among the feeldes of Arge Sinkes onewhyle and another whyle ronnes greate ageine at large â–ª Caycus also of the land of Mysia as men say Misliking of his former head ronnes now another way In Sicill also Amasene ronnes sumtyme full and hye And sumtyme stopping vp his spring he makes his chanell drye Men drank the waters of the brooke Anigrus heretoofore Which now is such that men abhorre too towche them any more Which commes too passe onlesse wée will discredit Poets quyght Bycause the Centaures vanquisshed by Hercules in fyght Did wash theyr woundes in that same brooke But dooth not Hypanis That springeth in the Scythian hilles which at his fountaine is Ryght pleasant afterward becomme of brackish bitter taste Antissa and Phenycian Tyre and Pharos in tyme past Were compast all about with waues but none of all theis thrée Is now an I le Ageine the towne of Levvcas once was frée From sea and in the auncient tyme was ioyned too the land But now enuirond round about with water it dooth stand Men say that Sicill also hath béene ioynd too Italy Untill the sea consumde the bounds béetwéene and did supply The roome with water If yee go too séeke for Helicee And Burye which were Cities of Achaia you shall sée Them hidden vnder water and the shipmen yit doo showe The walles and stéeples of the townes drownd vnder as they rowe Not farre from Pitthey Troyzen is a certeine high ground found All voyd of trées which héeretoofore was playne and leuell ground But now a mountayne for the wyndes a woondrous thing too say Inclosed in the hollow caues of ground and séeking way Too passe therefro in struggling long too get the open skyeâ— In vayne bycause in all the caue there was no vent wherby Too issue out did stretch the ground and make it swell on hye As dooth a bladder that is blowen by mouth or as the skinne Of horned Goate in bottlewyse when wynd is gotten in The swelling of the foresayd place remaynes at this day still And by continuance waxing hard is growen a pretye hill Of many things that come too mynd by héersay and by skill Of good experience I a
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
is my name Of Parentes but of lowe degrée in Lidy land I came No ground for painfull Oxe to till no shéepe to beare me wooll My father left me no nor horse nor Asse nor Cow nor Booll God wote he was but poore himselfe With line and bayted hooke The frisking fishes in the pooles vpon his Réede he tooke His handes did serue in steade of landes his substance was his craft Nowe haue I made you true accompt of all that he me laft As well of ryches as of trades in which I was his heire And successour For when that death bereft him vse of aire Saue water he me nothing left It is the thing alone Which for my lawfull heritage I clayme and other none Soone after I bicause that loth I was to ay abide In that poore state did learne a ship by cunning hande to guide And for to know the raynie signe that hight th' Olenien Gote Which with hir milke did nourish Ioue And also I did note The Plâ—iads and the Hiads moyst and eke the siely Plough With all the dwellings of the winds that make the Seas so rough And eke such Hauens as are méete to harbrough vessels in With euerie starre and heauenly signe that guides to shipmen bin Now as by chaunce I late ago did toward Dilos sayle I came on coast of Scios Ile and séeing day to fayle Tooke harbrough there and went a lande Assoone as that the night Was spent and morning can to péere with ruddie glaring light I rose and bad my companie fresh water fetch aboord And pointing them the way that led directly to the foorde I went me to a little hill and viewed round about To sée what weather we were lyke to haue eresetting out Which done I cald my watermen and all my Mates togither And willde them all to go a boord my selfe first going thither Loe here we are Opheltes sayd he was the Maysters Mate And as he thought a bootie found in desert fields a late He dragd a boy vpon his hande that for his beautie shéene A mayden rather than a boy appeared for to béene This childe as one forelade with wine and dreint with drousâ—e sléepe Did réele as though he scarcely coulde himselfe from falling kéepe I markt his countnance wéede and pace no inckling could I sée By which I might coniecture him a mortall wight to bée I thought and to my fellowes sayd what God I can not tell But in this bodie that we sée some Godhead sure doth dwell What God so euer that thou art thy fauour to vs showe And in our labours vs assist and pardone these also Pray for thy selfe and not for vs quoth Dictys by and by A nimbler fellow for to climbe vpon the Mast on hie And by the Cable downe to slide there was not in our kéele Swart Melanth patrone of the shippe did like his saying wée le So also did Alcimedon and so did Libys to And blacke Epopeus eke whose charge it did belong vnto To sée the Rowers at their tymes their dueties duely do And so did all the rest of them so sore mennes eyes were blinded Where couetousenesse of filthie gaine is more than reason minded Well sirs quoth I but by your leaue ye shall not haue it so I will not suffer sacriledge within this shippe to go For I haue here the most to doe And with that worde I stept Uppon the Hatches all the rest from entrance to haue kept The rankest Ruffian of the rout that Lycab had to name Who for a murder being late driuen out of Tuâ—cane came To me for succor waxed woode and with his sturdie fist Did giue me such a churlish blow bycause I did resist That ouer boord he had me sent but that with much ado I caught the tackling in my hand and helde me fast thereto The wicked Uarlets had a sport to sée me handled so Then Bacchus for it Bacchus was as though he had but thâ— Bene waked with their noyse from sléepe and that his drousâ—e braine Discharged of the wine begon to gather sence againe Said what a doe what noyse is this how came I here I pray Sâ—rs tell me whether you doe meane to carie me away Feare not my boy the Patrone sayd no more but tell me where Thou doest desire to go a lande and we will set thée there To Naxus ward quoth Bacchus tho set ship vpon the â—ome There would I haue harbrough take for Naxus is my home Like periurde Caitiâ—s by the Sea and all the Gods thereof They falsly sware it should be so and therewithall in scoffe They bade me hoyse vp saile and go Upon the righter hand I cast about to fetch the winde for so did Naxus stand What meanst art mad Opheltes cride and therewithall begun A feare of loosing of their pray through euery man to run The greater part with head and hand a signe did to me make And some did whisper in mine eare the left hand way to take I was amazde and said take charge henceforth who will for me For of your craft and wickednesse I will no furthrer be Then fell they to reuiling me and all the rout gan grudge Of which Ethalion said in scorne by like in you Sir snudgâ— Consistes the sauegard of vs all â–ª and wyth that word he takes My roume and leauing Naxus quite to other countries makes The God then dalying with these mates as though he had at last Begon to smell their suttle craft out of the foredecke cast His eye vpon the Sea and then as though he séemde to wéepe Sayd sirs to bring me on this coast ye doe not promise kéepe I sée that this is not the land the which I did request For what occasion in this sort deserue I to be drest What commendation can you win or praise thereby receyue If men a Lad if many one ye compasse to deceyue I wept and sobbed all this while the wicked villaines laught And rowed forth with might maine as though they had bene straught Now euen by him for sure than he in all the worlde so wide There is no God more neare at hand at euery time and tide I sweare vnto you that the things the which I shall declare Like as they séeme incredible euen so most true they are The ship stoode still amid the Sea as in a dustie docke They wondring at this miracle and making but a mocke Persist in beating with their Ores and on with all their sayles To make their Galley to remoue no Art nor labor fayles But Iuie troubled so their Ores that forth they could not row And both with Beries and with leaues their â—ailes did ouergrow And he himselfe with clustred grapes about his temples round Did shake a Iaueling in his hand that round about was bound With leaues of Uines and at his féete there séemed for to couch Of Tygers Lynx and Panthers shapes most ougly for to touch I cannot tell you whether feare or woodnesse were the cause
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
night Which doth refresh their werie limmes and kéepeth them in plight To beare their dailie labor out now while the stéedes there take Their heauenly foode and night by turne his timely course doth make The God disguised in the shape of Quéene Eurynome Doth prease within the chamber doore of faire Leucothoë His louer whome amid .xii. Maides he found by candlelight Yet spinning on hir little Rocke and went me to hir right And kissing hir as mothers vse to kisse their daughters deare Saide Maydes withdraw your selues a while and sit not listning here I haue a secret thing to talke The Maides auoyde eche one The God then being with his loue in chamber all alone Said I am he that metes the yeare that all things doe beholde By whome the Earth doth all things sée the Eye of all the worlde Trust me I am in loue with thée The Ladie was so nipt With sodaine feare that from hir hands both rocke and spindle slipt Hir feare became hir wondrous well he made no mo delayes But turned to his proper shape and tooke hys glistring rayes The damsell being sore abasht at this so straunge a sight And ouercome with sodaine feare to sée the God so bright Did make no outcrie nor no noyse but helde hir pacience still And suffred him by forced powre his pleasure to fulfill Hereat did Clytie sore repine For she beyond all measure Was then enamoured of the Sunne stung with this displeasure That he another Leman had for verie spight and yre She playes the blab and doth defame Leucothoë to hir Syre He cruell and vnmercifull would no excuse accept But holding vp hir handes to heauen when tenderly she wept And said it was the Sunne that did the déede against hir will Yet like a sauage beast full bent his daughter for to spill He put hir déepe in delued ground and on hir bodie laide A huge great heape of heauie sand The Sunne full yll appaide Did with his beames disperse the sand and made an open way To bring thy buried face to light but such a weight there lay Upon thee that thou couldst not raise thine hand aloft againe And so a corse both voide of bloud and life thou didst remaine There neuer chaunst since Phaetons fire a thing that grieude so sore The ruler of the winged stéedes as this did And therfore He did attempt if by the force and vertue of his ray He might againe to liuely heate hir frozen limmes conuay But forasmuch as destenie so great attempts denies He sprincles both the corse it selfe and place wherein it lyes With fragrant Nectar And therewith bewayling much his chaunce Sayd yet aboue the starrie skie thou shalt thy selfe aduaunce Anon the body in this heauenly liquor stéeped well Did melt and moisted all the earth with swéete and pleasant smell And by and by first taking roote among the cloddes within By little and by little did with growing top begin A pretie spirke of Frankinsence aboue the Tumbe to win Although that Clytie might excuse hir sorrow by hir loue And seeme that so to play the blab hir sorrow did hir moue Yet would the Author of the light resort to hir no more But did withholde the pleasant sportes of Venus vsde before The Nymph not able of hir selfe the franticke fume to stay With restlesse care and pensiuenesse did pine hir selfe away Bareheaded on the bare cold ground with flaring haire vnkempt She sate abrode both night and day and clearly did exempt Hirselfe by space of thrise thrée dayes from sustnance and repast Saue only dewe and saue hir teares with which she brake hir fast And in that while she neuer rose but stared on the Sunne And euer turnde hir face to his as he his corse did runne Hir limmes stacke fast within the ground and all hir vpper part Did to a pale ashcolourd herbe cleane voyde of bloud conuart The floure whereof part red part white beshadowed with a blew Most like a Uiolet in the shape hir countnance ouergrew And now though fastned with a roote she turnes hir to the Sunne And kéepes in shape of herbe the loue with which she first begunne She made an ende and at hir tale all wondred some denide Hir saying to be possible and other some replide That such as are in déede true Gods may all things worke at will But Bacchus is not any such Thys arguing once made still To tell hir tale as others had Alcithoes turne was come Who with hir shettle shooting through hir web within the Loome Said Of the shepeheird Daplynis loue of Ida whom erewhile A iealouse Nymph bicause he did with Lemans hir beguile For anger turned to a stone such furie loue doth sende I will not speake it is to knowe ne yet I doe entende To tell how Scython variably digressing from his kinde Was as sometime woman sometime man as liked best his minde And Celmus also wyll I passe who for bicause he cloong Most faithfully to Iupiter when Iupiter was yoong Is now become an Adamant So will I passe this howre To shew you how the Curets were engendred of a showre Or how that Crocus and his loue faire Smylar turned were To little flowres with pleasant newes your mindes now will I chere Learne why the fountaine Salmacis diffamed is of yore Why with his waters ouerstrong it weakeneth men so sore That whoso bathes him there commes thence a perfect man no more The operation of this Well is knowne to euery wight But few can tell the cause thereof the which I will recite The waternymphes did nurce a sonne of Mercuries in I de Begot on Venus in whose face such beautie did abide As well therein his father both and mother might be knowne Of whome he also tooke his name Assoone as he was growne To fiftene yeares of age he left the Countrie where he dwelt And Ida that had fostered him The pleasure that he felt To trauell Countries and to sée straunge riuers with the state Of forren landes all painfulnesse of trauell did abate He trauelde through the lande of Lycie to Carie that doth bound Next vnto Lycia There he saw a Poole which to the ground Was Christall cleare No fennie sedge no barren reeke no réede Nor rush with pricking poynt was there nor other moorish wéede The water was so pure and shere a man might well haue seene And numbred all the grauell stones that in the bottome béene The vtmost borders from the brim enuirond were with clowres Beclad with herbes ay fresh and gréene and pleasant smelling flowres A Nymph did haunt this goodly Poole but such a Nymph as neyther To hunt to run nor yet to shoote had any kinde of pleasure Of all the Waterfairies she alonly was vnknowne To swift Diana As the brute of fame abrode hath blowne Hir sisters oftentimes would say take lightsome Dart or bow And in some painefull exercise thine ydle time bestow But neuer could they hir persuade to runne to shoote or hunt Or
should slenderly regarde Hir dutie to hir mistresseward And rather than to fayle The Ladie euen hirselfe with gifts he minded to assayle And all his kingdome for to spend or else by force of hand To take hir and in maintenance thereof by sword to stand There was not vnder heauen the thing but that he durst it proue So far vnable was he now to stay his lawlesse loue Delay was deadly Backe againe with gréedie minde he came Of Prognes â—rrands for to talke and vnderneath the same He workes his owne vngraciousnesse Loue gaue him power to frame His talke at will As oft as he demaunded out of square Upon his wiues importunate desire himselfe he bare He also wept as though his wife had willed that likewise O God what blindnesse doth the heartes of mortall men disguise By working mischiefe Tereus gets him credit for to séeme A louing man and winneth praise by wickednesse extréeme Yea and the foolish Philomele the selfe same thing desires Who hanging on hir fathers necke with flattring armes requires Against hir life and for hir life his licence for to go To see hir sister Tereus beholdes hir wistly tho And in beholding handles hir with heart For when he saw Hir kisse hir father and about his necke hir armes to draw They all were spurres to pricke him forth and wood to féede his fire And foode of forcing nourishment to further his desire As oft as she hir father did betwéene hir armes embrace So often wished he himselfe hir father in that case For nought at all should that in him haue wrought the greater grace Hir father could not say them nay they lay at him so sore Right glad thereof was Philomele and thanked him therefore And wretched wench she thinkes she had obtained such a thing As both to Progne and hir selfe should ioy and comfort bring When both of them in verie déede should afterward it rew To endward of his daily race and trauell Phebus drew And on the shoring side of Heauen his horses downeward flew A princely supper was prepaarde and wine in golde was set And after meate to take their rest the Princes did them get But though the King of Thrace that while were absent from hir sight Yet swelted he and in his minde reuoluing all the night Hir face hir gesture and hir hands imaginde all the rest The which as yet he had not séene as likte his fancie best He féedes his flames himselfe No winke could come within his eyes For thinking ay on hir Assoone as day was in the skies Pandion holding in his hand the hand of Tereus prest To go his way and sheading teares betooke him thus his guest Deare sonneinlaw I giue thee here sith godly cause constraines This Damsell Bythe faith that in thy Princely heart remaines â–ª And for our late aliance sake and by the Gods aboue I humbly thée beseche that as a Father thou doe loue And maintaine hir and that as soone as may be all delay Will vnto me séeme ouer long thou let hir come away The comfort of my carefull age on whome my life doth stay And thou my daughter Philomele it is inough ywis That from hir father set so farre thy sister Progne is If any sparke of nature doe within thy heart remayne With all the haast and spéede thou canst returne to me againe In giuing charge he kissed hir and downe his chéekes did raine The tender teares and as a pledge of faith he tooke the right Handes of them both and ioyning them did eche to other plight Desiring them to beare in minde his commendations to His daughter and hir little sonne And then with much a doe For sobbing at the last he bad adew as one dismaid The foremisgiuing of his minde did make him sore afraid Assoone as Tereus and the Maide togither were a boord And that their ship from land with Ores was haled on the foord The fielde is ours he cride aloude I haue the thing I sought And vp he skipt so barbrous and so beastly was his thought That scarce euen there he could forbeare his pleasure to haue wrought His eye went neuer off of hir as when the scarefull Erne With hooked talants trussing vp a Hare among the Ferne Hath laid hir in his nest from whence the prisoner can not scape The rauening fowle with gréedie eyes vpon his pray doth gape Now was their iourney come to ende now were they gone a land In Thracia when that Tereus tooke the Ladie by the hand And led hir to a pelting graunge that peakishly did stand In woods forgrowen There waxing pale and trembling sore for feare And dreading all things and with teares demaunding sadly where Hir sister was he shet hir vp and therewithall bewraide His wicked lust and so by force bicause she was a Maide And all alone he vanquisht hir It booted nought at all That she on sister or on Sire or on the Gods did call She quaketh like the wounded Lambe which froÌ„ the Wolues hore tâ—th New shaken thinkes hir selfe not safe or as the Doue that feéth Hir fethers with hir owne bloud staynde who shuddring still doth feare The greedie Hauke that did hir late with griping talants teare Anon when that this mazednesse was somewhat ouerpast She rent hir haire and beate hir brest and vp to heauenward cast Hir hands in mourningwise and said â–ª O cankerd Carle O fell And cruell Tyrant neyther could the godly teares that fell A downe my fathers chéekes when he did giue thée charge of meé Ne of my sister that regarde that ought to be in theé Nor yet my chaast virginitie nor conscience of the lawe Of wedlocke from this villanie thy barbrous heart withdraw Behold thou hast confounded all My sister thorough mée Is made a Cucqueane and thy selfe through this offence of thée Art made a husband to vs both and vnto me a foe A iust deserued punishment for lewdly doing so But to thintent O periurde wretch no mischiefe may remaine Unwrought by theé why doest thou from murdring me refraine Would God thou had it done before this wicked rape From hence Then should my soule most blessedly haue gone without offence But if the Gods doe sée this déede and if the Gods I say Be ought and in this wicked worlde beare any kinde of sway And if with me all other things decay not sure the day Will come that for this wickednesse full dearly thou shalt pay Yea I my selfe reiecting shame thy doings will bewray And if I may haue power to come abrode them blase I will In open face of all the world or if thou kéepe me still As prisoner in these woods my voyâ—e the verie woods shall fill And make the stones to vnderstand Let Heauen to this giue eare And all the Gods and powers therein if any God be there The cruell tyrant being chaaft and also put in feare With these and other such hir wordes both causes so him stung That drawing out his naked sworde that
Of ships and souldiers yet the wrath the which he had before Conceyued in his fathers brest for murthring of his sonne Androgeus made him farre more strong and fiercer for to ronne To rightfull battell to reuenge the great displeasure donne Howbeit he thought it best ere he his warfare did begin To finde the meanes of forreine aides some friendship for to win And therevpon with flying fléete where passage did permit He went to visit all the Iles that in those seas doe fit Anon the Iles Astypaley and Anaphey both twaine The first constreynde for feare of war the last in hope of gaine Tooke part with him Low Myconey did also with him hold So did the chalkie Cymoley and Syphney which of olde Was verie riche with veynes of golde and Scyros full of bolde And valiant men and Seryphey the smooth or rather fell And Parey which for Marblestone doth beare away the bell And Sythney which a wicked wench callde Arne did betray For mony who vpon receit thereof without delay Was turned to a birde which yet of golde is gripple still And is as blacke as any cole both fethers féete and bill A Cadowe is the name of hir But yet Olyarey And Didymey and Andrey eke and Tene and Gyarey And Pepareth where Oliue trees most plenteously doe grow In no wise would agrée their helpe on Minos to bestow Then Minos turning lefthandwise did sayle to Oenope Where reignde that time King Aeacus This Ile had called be Of old by name of Oenope but Aeacus turnde the name And after of his mothers name Aegina callde the same The common folke ran out by heapes desirous for to sée A man of such renowne as Minos bruted was to bée The Kings three sonnes Duke Telamon Duke Peley and the yong Duke Phocus went to méete with him Old Aeacus also clung With age came after leysurely and asked him the cause Of his repaire The ruler of the hundred Shires gan pause And musing on the inward griefe that nipt him at the hart Did shape him aunswere thus O Prince vouchsafe to take my part In this same godly warre of mine assist me in the iust Reuengement of my murthred sonne that sléepeth in the dust I craue your comfort for his death Aeginas sonne replide Thy suite is vaine and of my Realme perforce must be denide For vnto Athens is no lande more sure than this alide Such leagues betwéene vs are which shall infringde for me abide Away went Minos sad and said full dearly shalt thou bie Thy leagues He thought it for to be a better pollicie To threaten war than war to make and there to spend his store And strength which in his other needes might much auaile him more As yet might from Oenopia walles the Cretish fléete be kend When thitherward with puffed sayles and wind at will did tend A ship from Athens which anon arriuing at the strand Set Cephal with Ambassade from his Countrimen a land The Kings thrée sonnes though long it were since last they had him séene Yet knew they him And after olde acquaintance eft had béene Renewde by shaking hands to Court they did him streight conuay This Prince which did allure the eyes of all men by the way As in whose stately person still remained to be séene The markes of beautie which in flowre of former yeares had béene Went holding out on Olife braunch that grew in Atticke lande And for the reuerence of his age there went on eyther hand A Nobleman of yonger yeares Sir Clytus on the right And Butes on the left the sonnes of one that Pallas hâ—ght When gréeting first had past betweene these Nobles and the King Then Cephal setting streight a broche the message he did bring Desired aide and shewde what leagues stoode then in sorce betwéene His countrie and the Aeginites and also what had béene Decréed betwixt their aunceters concluding in the ende That vnder colour of this war which Minos did pretende To only Athens he in déede the conquest did intende Of all Achaia When he thus by helpe of learned skill His countrie message furthred had King Aeacus leaning still His left hand on his scepter saide My Lordes I would not haue Your state of Athens séeme so straunge as succor here to craue I pray commaund For be ye sure that what this Ile can make Is yours Yea all that ere I haue shall hazard for your sake I want no strength I haue such store of souldiers that I may Both vex my foes and also kéepe my Realme in quiet stay And now I thinke me blest of God that time doth serue to showe Without excuse the great good will that I to Athens owe. God holde it sir ê™ Cephalus God make the number grow Of people in this towne of yours it did me good a late When such a goodly sort of youth of all one age and rate Did méete me in the stréete but yet me thinkes that many misse Which at my former being here I haue beheld ere this At that the King did â—igh and thus with plaintfull voice did say A sad beginning aftâ—rward in better lucke did stay I would I plainly could the same before your faces lay Howbeit I will disorderly repeate it as I may And least I séeme to wearie you with ouerlong delay The men that you so mindefully enquire for lie in ground And nought of them saue bones and dust remayneth to be found But as it hapt what losse thereby did vnto me redound A cruell plague through Iunos wrath who dreadfully did hate This Land that of hir husbands Loue did take the name of late Upon my people fell as long as that the maladie None other séemde than such as haunts mans nature vsually And of so great mortalitie the hurtfull cause was hid We stroue by Phisicke of the same the Pacients for to rid The mischief ouermaistred Art yea Phisick was to séeke To doe it selfe good First the Aire with foggâ—e stinking réeke Did daily ouerdréepe the earth and close culme Clouds did make The wether faint and while the Moone foure time hir light did take And fillde hir emptie hornes therewith and did as often slake The warme South windes with deadly heate continually did blow Infected were the Springs and Ponds and streames that ebbe flow And swarmes of Serpents crawld about the fieldes that lay vntillde Which with their poison euen the brookes and running waters fillde In sodaine dropping downe of Dogs of Horses Shéepe and Kine Of Birds Beasts both wild tame as Oxen Wolues Swine The mischiefe of this secret sore first outwardly appéeres The wretched Plowman was amazde to sée his sturdie Stéeres Amid the â—orrow sinking downe ere halfe his worke was donne Whole flocks of shéepe did faintly bleate and therewithall begonne Their fléeces for to fall away and leaue the naked skin And all their bodies with the rot attainted were within The lustie Horse that erst was fierce in field renowne to win Against his kinde
mouthes did painfully sustaine â–ª And nimbly vp the rugged barke their beaten path maintaine As wondring at the swarme I stoode I said O father déere As many people giue thou me as Ants are créeping héere And fill mine empty walles againe Anon the Oke did quake And vnconstreynde of any blast his loftie braunches shake The which did yéeld a certaine sound With that for dreadfull feare A â—huddring through my bodie strake and vp stoode stiffe my heare But yet I kissed reuerently the ground and eke the trée Howbeit I durst not be so bolde of hope acknowne to bée Yet hoped I and in my heart did shroude my secret hope Anon came night and sléepe vpon my carefull carcasse crope Me thought I saw the selfe same Oke with all his boughes and twigs And all the Pismeres créeping still vpon his tawnts and sprigs Which trembling with a sodaine brayd these Haruest folke of threw And shed them on the ground about who on the sodaine grew In bignesse more and more and from the earth themselues did lift And stoode vpright against the trée and therewithall did shift Their meygernesse and coleblacke hue and number of their féete And clad their limmes with shape of man Away my sléepe did fléete And when I wooke misliking of my dreame I made my mone That in the Gods I did perceiue but slender helpe or none But straight much trampling vp and downe and shuffling did I heare And which to me that present time did verie straunge appeare Of people talking in my house me thought I heard the reare Now while I musing on the same supposde it to haue béen Some fancie of the foolish dreame which lately I had séen Behold in comes me Telamon in hast and thrusting ope My Chamber doore said Sir a sight of things surmounting hope And credit shall you haue come forth Forth came I by and by And euen such men for all the world there standing did I spie As in my sléepe I dreamed of and knew them for the same They comming to me gréeted me their souereigne Lord by name And I my vowes to Ioue performde my Citie did deuide Among my new inhabiters and gaue them land beside Which by decease of such as were late owners of the same Lay wast And in remembrance of the race whereof they came The name of Emets I them gaue Their persons you haue séen Their disposition is the same that erst in them hath béen They are a sparing kinde of folke on labor wholy set A gatherer and an hoorder vp of such as they doe get These fellowes being like in yeares and courage of the minde Shall go a warfare wy assone as that the Easterne winde Which brought you hither luckely the Easterne winde was it That brought them thither turning to the Southerne coast doe 〈◊〉 With this and other such like talke they brought the day to ende The Euen in feasting and the night in sléeping they did spende The Sunne next Morrow in the heauen with golden beames did burne And still the Easterne winde did blow and hold them from returne Sir Pallas sonnes to Cephal came for he their elder was And he and they to Aeacus Court togither forth did passe The King as yet was fast a sléepe Duke Phocus at the gate Did méete them and receyued them according to their state For Telamon and Peleus alreadie forth were gone To muster Souldiers for the warres So Phocus all alone Did leade them to an inner roume where goodly Parlours were And caused them to sit them downe As he was also there Now sitting with them he beheld a Dart in Cephals hand With golden head the steale whereof he well might vnderstand Was of some strauÌ„ge and vnknowne trée when certaine talke had past A while of other matters there I am quoth he at last A man that hath delight in woods and loues to follow game And yet I am not able sure by any meanes to ame What wood your Iaueling steale is of Of Ash it can not bée For then the colour should be browne and if of Cornell trée It would be full of knubbed knots I know not what it is But sure mine eâ—es did neuer sée a fairer Dart than this The one of those same brethren twaine replying to him said Nay then the speciall propertie will make you more dismaid Than doth the beautie of this Dart. It hitteth whatsoeuer He throwes it at The stroke thereof by Chaunce is ruled neuer For hâ—uing done his feate it flies all bloudie backe agen Without the helpe of any hand The Prince was earnest then To know the truth of all as whence so riche a present came Who gaue it him and whereâ—pon the partie gaue the same Duke Cephal answerde his dâ—maund in all points one except The which as knowne apparantly for shame he ouerlept â—is beautie namely for the which he did receiue the Dart. And â—or the losse of his deare wife right pensiue at the hart He thus began with wéeping eies This Dart O Goddesse sonne Ye ill would thinke it makes me yirne long shall make me donne If long the Gods doe giue me life This weapon hath vndonne My deare beloued wife and me O would to God this same Had neuer vnto me bene giuen There was a noble Dame That Procris hight but you perchaunce haue oftner heard the name Of great Orythia whose renowne was bruâ—ed so by fame That blustring Boreas rauisht hir To this Orythia shée Was sister If a bodie should compare in ech degrée The face and natures of them both he could none other déeme But Procris worthier of the twaine of rauishment should séeme Hir father and our mutuall loue did make vs man and wife Men said I had and so I had in déede a happie life Howbeit Gods will was otherwise for had it pleased him Of all this while and euen still yet in pleasure should I swim The second Month that she and I by band of lawfull bed Had ioynde togither bene as I my masking Toyles did spred To ouerthrow the horned Stags the early Morning gray Then newly hauing chased night and gun to breake the day From Mount Hymettus highest tops that freshly flourish ay Espide me and against my will conueyde me quight away I trust the Goddesse will not be offended that I say The troth of hir Although it would delight one to beholde Hir ruddie chéekes although of day and night the bounds she holde Although on iuice of Ambrosie continually she feede Yet Procris was the only Wight that I did loue in déede On Procris only was my heart none other word had I But Procris only in my mouth still Procris did I crie It vpned what a holy thing was wedlocke and how late It was ago since she and I were coupled in that state Which band and specially so soone it were a shame to breake The Goddesse being moued at the words that I did speake Said cease thy plaint thou Carle and kéepe thy Procris still
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
folke that had the powre too take Straunge shape for once and all their lyues continewed in the same And othersum too sundrie shapes haue power themselues to frame As thou O Protevv dwelling in the sea that cléepes the land For now a yoonker now a boare anon a Lyon and Streyght way thou didst become a Snake and by and by a Bull That people were afrayd of thée too sée thy horned skull And oftentymes thou séemde a stone and now and then a trée And counterfetting water shéere thou seemedst ott to bée A Riuer and another whyle contrarie therevntoo Thou wart a fyre No lesse power than also thus too doo Had Erisicthons daughter whom Avvtolychus tooke too wyfe Her father was a person that despysed all his lyfe The powre of Gods and neuer did vouchsauf them sacrifyse He also is reported too haue heawen in wicked wyse The groue of Ceres and to fell her holy woods which ay Had vndiminisht and vnhackt continewed to that day There stood in it a warrie Oke which was a wood alone Uppon it round hung fillets crownes and tables many one The vowes of such as had obteynd theyr hearts desyre Full oft The Woodnymphes vnderneath this trée did fetch theyr frisks aloft And oftentymes with hand in hand they daunced in a round About the Trunk whose bignesse was of timber good and sound Full fiftéene fadom All the trées within the wood besyde Were vntoo this as wéedes to them so farre it did them hyde Yit could not this moue Triops sonne his axe therefro too hold But bade his seruants cut it downe And when he did behold Them stunting at his hest he snatcht an axe with furious mood From one of them and wickedly sayd thus Although thys wood Not only were the derling of the Goddesse but also The Goddesse euen herself yet would I make it ere I go Too kisse the clowers with her top that pranks with braunches so This spoken as he sweakt his axe asyde to fetch his blow The manast Oke did quake and sygh the Acornes that did grow Thereon toogither with the leaues too wex full pale began And shrinking in for feare the boughes and braunches looked wan Assone as that his cursed hand had wounded once the trée The blood came spinning from the carf as freshly as yee see It issue from a Bullocks necke whose throte is newly cut Before the Altar when his flesh to sacrifyse is put They were amazed eueryâ—hone And one among them all Too let the wicked act durst from the trée his hatchet call The lewd Thessalian facing him sayd Take thou héere too thée The guerdon of thy godlynesse and turning from the trée He chopped of the fellowes head Which done he went agen And heawed on the Oke streight from amid the trée as then There issued such a sound as this Within this trée dwell I A Nymph too Ceres very déere who now before I dye In comfort of my death doo giue thée warning thou shalt bye Thy dooing déere within a whyle he goeth wilfully Still thorough with his wickednesse vntill at length the Oke Pulld partly by the force of ropes and cut with axis stroke Did fall and with his weyght bare downe of vnder wood great store The Woodnymphes with the losses of the woods and theyrs ryght sore Amazed gathered on a knot and all in mourning wéede Went sad too Ceres praying her too wreake that wicked déede Of Erisicthons Ceres was content it should bee so And with the mouing of her head in nodding too and fro Shée shooke the féeldes which laden were with frutefull Haruest tho And therewithall a punishment most piteous shée procéedes Too put in practyse were it not that his most heynous deedes No pitie did deserue too haue at any bodies hand With helpelesse hungar him too pyne in purpose shée did stand â–ª And forasmuch as shée herselfe and famin myght not méete For fate forbiddeth famin too abyde within the leete Where plentie is shée thus bespake a fayrie of the hill There lyeth in the vtmost bounds of Tartarie the chill A Dréerie place a wretched soyle a barreine plot no grayne No frute no trée is growing there but there dooth ay remayne Unwéeldsome cold with trembling feare and palenesse white as clowt And foodlesse famin Will thou her immediatly withowt Delay too shed herself intoo the stomacke of the wretch And let no plentie staunch her force but let her working stretch Aboue the powre of mée And least the longnesse of the way May make thée wearie take thou héere my charyot take I say My draggons for to beare thée through the aire In saying so She gaue hir them The Nymph mounts vp and flying thence as the Alyghts in Scythy land and vp the cragged top of hye Mount Caucasus did cause hir Snakes with much a doe too stye Where séeking long for famin shée the gaptoothd elfe did spye Amid a barreine stony féeld a ramping vp the grasse With ougly nayles and chanking it Her face pale colourd was Hir heare was harsh and shirle her eyes were sunken in her head Her lyppes were hore with filth her tâ—â—th were fuâ—d and rusty read Her skinne was starched and so shéere a man myght well espye The verie bowels in her bulk how euery one did lye And eke aboue her courbed loynes her withered hippes were séene In stead of belly was a space where belly should haue béene Her brest did hang so sagging downe as that a man would wéene That scarcely to her ridgebone had hir ribbes béene fastened well Her leannesse made her ioynts bolne big and knéepannes for too swell And with exceeding mighty knubs her héeles behynd boynd out Now when the Nymph behild this elfe a farre she was in dout Too come too néere her shée declarde her Ladies message And In that same little whyle although the Nymph aloof did stand And though shée were but newly come yit séemed shée too féele The force of famin Whervppon shée turning backe her whéele Did reyne her dragons vp aloft who streyght with courage frée Conueyd her into Thessaly Although that famin bée Ay contrarye too Ceres woork yit did shée then agrée Too doo her will and glyding through the Ayre supported by The wynd she found th appoynted house and entring by and by The caytifs chamber where he slept it was in tyme of nyght Shée hugged him betwéene her armes there snortâ—ng bolt vpryght And breathing her into him blew vppon his face and brest That hungar in his emptie veynes myght woorke as hée did rest And when she had accomplished her charge shee then forsooke The frutefull Clymates of the world and home ageine betooke Herself vntoo her frutelesse féeldes and former dwelling place The gentle sléepe did all this whyle with fethers soft embrace The wretched Erisicthons corse Who dreaming streight of meate Did stirre his hungry iawes in vayne as though he had too eate And chanking tooth on tooth a pace he gryndes them in his head And occupies his
presently haue showde My feruent loue He should haue seene how teares had from mée flowde Hée should haue séene my piteous looke ryght louerlike I could Haue spoken more than intoo those my tables enter would About his necke against his will myne armes I myght haue wound And had he shaakt me of I myght haue séemed for too swound I humbly myght haue kist his feete and knéeling on the ground Besought him for too saue my lyfe All theis I myght haue proued Wherof although no one alone his stomacke could haue moued Yit all toogitâ—er myght haue made his hardened hart relent Perchaunce there was some fault in him that was of message sent He stept vntoo him bluntly I beléeue and did not watch Conuenient tyme in merrie kew at leysure him too catch Theis are the things that hindred mée For certeinly I knowe No sturdy stone nor massy stéele dooth in his stomacke grow He is not made of Adamant He is no Tygers whelp He neuer sucked Lyonesse He myght with little help Bée vanquisht Let vs giue fresh charge vppon him Whyle I liue Without obteyning victorie I will not ouer giue For firstly iâ— it lay in mée my dooings too reâ—oke I should not haue begonne at all But séeing that the stroke Is giuen the second poynt is now too giue the push too win For neyther he although that I myne enterpryse should blin Can euer whyle he liâ—es forget my déede And sith I shrink My loue was lyght or else I meant too trap him he shall think Or at the least he may suppose that this my rage of loue Which broyleth so within my brest procéedes not from aboue By Cupids stroke but of some foule and filthy lust In fyne I cannot but too wickednesse now more and more inclyne By wryghting is my sute commenst my méening dooth appéere And though I cease yit can I not accounted bée for cléere Now that that dooth remayne behynd is much as in respect My fond desyre too satisfy and little in effect Too aggrauate my fault withall Thus much shée sayd And so Unconstant was her wauering mynd still floting too and fro That though it irkt her for too haue attempted yit pocéedes Shée in the self same purpose attempting and excéedes All measure and vnhapy wench shée takes from day too day Repulse vpon repulse and yit shée hath not grace too stay Soone after when her brother saw there was with her no end He fled his countrie forbycause he would not so offend And in a forreine land did buyld a Citie Then men say That Byblis through despayre and thought all wholy did dismay Shée tare her garments from her brest and furiously shée wroong Her hands and béete her armes and like a bedlem with her toong Confessed her vnlawfull loue But béeing of the same Dispoynted shée forsooke her land and hatefull house for shame And followed after flying Caune And as the Froes of Thrace In dooing of the thrée yéere rites of Bacchus in lyke cace The maryed wyues of Babasie saw Byblis howling out Through all theyr champion féeldes The which shée leauing ran about In Caria too the Lelegs who are men in battell slout And so too Lycia Shée had past Crag Limyre and the brooke Of Xanthus and the countrie where Chymaera that same pooke Hath Goatish body Lions head and brist and Dragons tayle When woods did want and Byblis now beginning for too quayle Through wéerynesse in following Caune sank down and sayd her hed Ageinst the ground and kist the leaues that wynd from â—rées had shed The Nymphes of Caria went about in tender armes too take Her often vp They oftentymes perswaded her too stake Her loue And woords of comfort too her deafe card mynd they spake Shée still lay dumbe and with her nayles the gréenish herbes shée hild And moysted with a streame of teares the grasse vpon the féeld The waternymphes so folk report put vnder her a spring Whych neuer myght be dryde and could they giue a greater thing Immediatly euen like as when yée wound a pitchtrée rynd The gum dooth issue out in droppes or as the westerne wynd With gentle blast toogither with the warmth of Sunne vnbynd The yce or as the clammy kynd of cement which they call Bitumen issueth from the ground full fraughted therewithall So Phoebus néece Dame Byblis then consuming with her teares Was turnd too a fountaine which in those same vallyes beares The tytle of the founder still and gusheth freshly out From vnderneath a Sugarchest as if it were a spowt The fame of this same wondrous thing perhappes had filled all The hundred Townes of Candye had a greater not befall More néerer home by Iphys meanes transformed late before For in the shyre of Phestos hard by Gnossus dwelt of yore A yeoman of the meaner sort that Lyctus had too name His stocke was simple and his welth according too the same Howbéet his lyfe so vpryght was as noman could it blame He came vntoo his wyfe then big and ready downe too lye And sayd twoo things I wish thée Tone that when thou out shalt crye Thou mayst dispatch with little payne the other that thou haue A Boay For Gyrles too bring them vp a greater cost doo craue And I haue no abilitie And therefore if thou bring A wench it goes ageinst my heart too thinke vppon the thing Although ageinst my will I charge it streyght destroyed bée The bond of nature néedes must beare in this behalf with mée This sed both wept excéedingly as well the husband who Did giue commaundement as the wyfe that was commaunded too Yit Telethusa earnestly at Lyct her husband lay Although in vayne too haue good hope and of himselfe more stay But he was full determined Within a whyle the day Approched that the frute was rype and shée did looke too lay Her belly euery mynute when at midnyght in her rest Stood by her or did séeme too stand the Goddesse Isis drâ—st And trayned with the solemne pomp of all her rytes Twoo hornes Uppon her forehead lyke the mooâ—e with eares of rypened cornes Stood glistring as the burnisht gold Moreouer shée did weare A rich and stately diadeâ—â—e Attendant on her were The barking bug Anubis and the saint of Bubast and The pydecote Apis and the God that giues too vnderstand By fingar holden too his lippes that men should silence kéepe And Lybian wormes whose stinging dooth enforce continuall sléepe And thou Osyris whom the folk of Aegypt euer séeke And neuer can haue sought inough and Rittlerattles eke Then euen as though that Telethuse had fully béene awake And séene theis things with open eyes thus Isis too her spake My seruant Telethusa cease this care and breake the charge Of Lyct And when Lucina shall haue let thy frute at large Bring vp the same what ere it bée I am a Goddesse who Delyghts in helping folke at néede I hither come too doo Thée good thou shalt not haue a cause hereafter too complayne Of
though not in the selfsame coffin yit in verse Although in tumb the bones of vs toogither may not couch Yit in a grauen Epitaph my name thy name shall touch Her sorrow would not suffer her too vtter any more Shée sobd and syght at euery woord vntill her hart was sore The morning came and out shée went ryght pensif too the shor◠Too that same place in which shée tooke her leaue of him before Whyle there shée musing stood and sayd he kissed mée euen héere Héere weyëd hée his Anchors vp héere loosd he from the péere And whyle shée calld too mynd the things there marked with her eyes In looking on the open sea a great way of shée spyes A certeine thing much like a corse come houering on the waue At first shée dowted what it was As tyde it néerer draue Although it were a good way of yit did it plainely showe Too bée a corce And though that whose it was shée did not knowe Yit forbycause it séemd a wrecke her hart therat did ryse And as it had sum straunger béene with water in her eyes Shée sayd alas poore wretch who ere thou art alas for her That is thy wyfe if any bée And as the waues did stirre The body floted néerer land the which the more that shée Behilld the lesse began in her of stayed wit too bée Anon it did arriue on shore Then plainely shée did sée And know it that it was her feere Shée shréeked it is hée And therewithall her face her heare and garments shée did teare And vntoo Ceyx stretching out her trembling handes with feare Sayd cumst thou home in such a plyght too mée O husband deere Returnst in such a wretched plyght There was a certeine péere That buylded was by hand of waues the first assaults too breake And at the hauons mouth too cause the tyde too enter weake Shée lept theron A wonder sure it was shée could doo so Shée flew and with her newgrowen winges did beate the ayre as tho And on the waues a wretched bird shee whisked too and fro And with her crocking neb then growen too slender bill and round like one that wayld and moorned still shée made a moaning sound Howbéet as soone as she did touch his dumb and bloodlesse flesh And had embraast his loued limbes with winges made new and fresh And with her hardened neb had kist him coldly though in vayne Folk dowt of Ceyx féeling it too rayse his head did strayne Or whither that the waues did lift it vp But surely hée It felt and through compassion of the Goddes both hée and shée Were turnd too birdes The loue of them éeke subiect too their fate Continued after neyther did the faythfull bond abate Of wedlocke in them béeing birdes but standes in stedfast state They treade and lay and bring foorth yoong and now the Alcyon sitts In wintertime vppon her nest which on the water flitts A seuennyght During all which tyme the sea is calme and still And euery man may too and fro sayle saufly at his will For Aeölus for his ofsprings sake the windes at home dooth kéepe And will not let them go abroade for troubling of the déepe An auncient father séeing them about the brode sea fly Did prayse theyr loue for lasting too the end so stedfastly His neyghbour or the selfsame man made answer such is chaunce Euen this fowle also whom thou séest vppon the surges glaunce With spindle shanks he poynted too the wydegoawld Cormorant Before that he became a bird of royall race might vaunt And if thou couet lineally his pedegrée too séeke His Auncetors were Ilus and Assaracus and éeke Fayre Ganymed who Iupiter did rauish as his ioy Laomedon and Priamus the last that reygnd in Troy Stout Hectors brother was this man And had he not in pryme Of lusty youth béene tane away his déedes perchaunce in tyme Had purchaast him as great a name as Hector though that hée Of Dymants daughter Hecuba had fortune borne too bée For Acsacus reported is begotten to haue béene By scape in shady Ida on a mayden fayre and shéene Whose name was Alyxothoe a poore mans daughter that With spade and mattocke for himselfe and his a liuing gat This Aesacus the Citie hates and gorgious Court dooth shonne And in the vnambicious féeldes and woods alone dooth wonne He séeldoom haunts the towne of Troy yit hauing not a rude And blockish wit nor such a hart as could not be subdewd By loue he spyde Eperie whom oft he had pursewd Through all the woodes then sitting on her father Cebrius brim A drying of her heare ageinst the sonne which hanged trim Uppon her back Assoone as that the Nymph was ware of him She fled as when the grisild woolf dooth scare the fearefull hynd Or when the Fawcon farre from brookes a Mallard happes too fynd The Troiane knyght ronnes after her and béeing swift through loue Purseweth her whom feare dooth force apace her feete to moue Behold an Adder lurking in the grasse there as shee fled Did byght her foote with hooked tooth and in her bodye spred His venim Shée did cease her flyght and soodein fell downe dead Her louer being past his witts her carkesse did embrace And cryde alas it irketh mée it irkes mée of this chace But this I feard not neyther was the gaine of that I willd Woorth halfe so much Now twoo of vs thée wretched soule haue killd The wound was giuen thée by the snake the cause was giuen by mée The wickedder of both am I who for too comfort thée Will make thée satisfaction with my death With that at last Downe from a rocke the which the waues had vndermynde he cast Himself intoo the sea Howbéet dame Tethys pitying him Receyud him softly and as he vppon the waues did swim Shée couered him with fethers And though fayne he would haue dyde Shée would not let him Wroth was he that death was him denyde And that his soule compelld should bee ageinst his will too byde Within his wretched body still from which it would depart And that he was constreynd too liue perforce ageinst his hart And as he on his shoulders now had newly taken wings He mounted vp and downe vppon the sea his boddye dings His fethers would not let him sinke In rage he dyueth downe And despratly he striues himself continually too drowne His loue did make him leane long leggs long neck dooth still remayne His head is from his shoulders farre of Sea he is most fayne And for he vnderneath the waues delyghteth for too driue A name according therevntoo the Latins doo him giue Finis vndecimi Libri ¶ THE XII BOOKE OF Ouids Metamorphosis RIng Priam béeing ignorant that Aesacus his sonne Did liue in shape of bird did moorne and at a tumb wheron His name was written Hector and his brother solemly Did kéepe an Obit Paris was not at this obsequye Within a whyle with rauisht wyfe he brought a lasting warre Home vnto Troy
Axëtions Thebe with her proper blood embrew And when so many of the folke of Tevvthranie I slew That with theyr blood Caycus streame became of purple hew And when the noble Telephus did of my Dart of stéele The dowble force of wounding and of healing also féele Yea euen the heapes of men slayne héere by mée that on this strond Are lying still too looke vppon doo giue too vnderstond That this same hand of myne both had and still hath strength This sed As though he had distrusted all his dooings ere that sted He threw a Dart ageinst a man of Lycia land that hyght Menetes through whose Curets and his brest he strake him quyght And when he saw with dying limbes him sprawling on the ground He stepped too him streyght and pulld the Iaueling from the wound And sayd alowd This is the hand this is the self same dart With which my hand did strike euen now Menetes too the hart Ageinst my toother Copemate will I vse the same I pray Too God it may haue like successe This sed without delay He sent it toward Cygnet and the weapon did not stray Nor was not shunned Insomuch it lighted full vppon His shoulder and it gaue a rappe as if vppon sum ston It lyghted had rebownding backe Howbéeit where it hit Achilles sawe it bloodye and was vaynly glad of it For why there was no wound It was Menetes blood Then lept He hastly from his Charyot downe and like a madman stept Too carelesse Cygnet with his swoord He sawe his swoord did pare His Target and his morion bothe But when it toucht the bare His bodye was so hard it did the edge thereof abate He could no lengar suffer him too tryumph in that rate But with the pommell of his swoord did thump him on the pate And bobd him well about the brewes a doozen tymes and more And preacing on him as he still gaue backe amaazd him sore And troubled him with buffetting not respetting a whit Then Cygnet gan too bée afrayd and mistres béegan too flit Before his eyes and dimd his syght And as he still did yéeld In giuing back by chaunce he met a stone amid the feeld Ageinst the which Achilles thrust him back with all his myght And throwing him ageinst the ground did cast him bolt vpryght Then bearing bostowsely with both his knées ageinst his chest And leaning with his elbowes and his target on his brest He shet his headpéece cloce and iust and vnderneathe his chin So hard it straynd that way for breath was neyther out nor in And closed vp the vent of lyfe And hauing gotten so The vpper hand he went about too spoyle his vanquisht fo But nought he in his armour found For Neptune had as tho Transformd him too the fowle whose name he bare but late ago This labour this encounter brought the rest of many dayes And eyther partye in theyr strength a whyle from battell stayes Now whyle the Phrygians watch ward vppon the walles of Troy And Greekes likewyse within theyr trench there came a day of ioy In which Achilles for his luck in Cygnets ouerthrow A Cow in way of sacrifyse on Pallas did bestowe Whose inwards when he had vppon the burning altar cast And that the acceptable fume had through the ayer past Too Godward and the holy rytes had had theyr dewes the rest Was set on boords for men too eate in disshes fynely drest The princes sitting downe did féede vppon the rosted flesh And both theyr thirst and present cares with wyne they did refresh Not Harpes nor songs nor hollowe flutes too héere did them delyght They talked till they nye had spent the greatest part of nyght And all theyr communication was of feates of armes in fyght That had béene doone by them or by theyr foes And euery wyght Delyghts too vppen oftentymes by turne as came about The perills and the narrow brunts himself had shifted out For what thing should bée talkt béefore Achilles rather Or What kynd of things than such as theis could séeme more méeter for Achilles too bée talking of But in theyr talk most bréeme Was then Achilles victory of Cygnet It did séeme A woonder that the flesh of him should bée so hard and tough As that no weapon myght haue powre too raze or perce it through But that it did abate the edge of stéele It was a thing That both Achilles and the Greekes in woondrous maze did bring Then Nestor sayd This Cygnet is the person now alone Of your tyme that defyed stéele and could bée perst of none But I haue séene now long ago one Cene of Perrhebye I sawe one Cene of Perrhebye a thousand wounders defye With vnatteynted bodye In mount Othris he did dwell And was renowmed for his déedes and which in him ryght well A greater woonder did appéere he was a woman borne This vncouth made them all much more amazed than beforne And euery man desyred him to tell it And among The rest Achilles sayd Declare I pray thée for wée long Too heare it euery one of vs O eloquent old man The wisedome of our age what was that Cene and how he wan Another than his natiue shape and in what rode or in What fyght or skirmish twéene you first acquaintance did béegin And who in fyne did vanquish him if any vanquisht him Then Nestor Though y â— length of tyme haue made my senses dim And dyuers things erst séene in youth now out of myne be gone Yit beare I still mo things in mynd and of them all is none Among so many both of peace and warre that yit dooth take More stedfast roote in memorye And if that tyme may make A man great store of things through long continuance for too sée Two hundred yéeres already of my lyfe full passed bée And now I go vppon the third This foresayd Ceny was The daughter of one Elatey In beawty shée did passe The maydens all of Thessaly From all the Cities bye And from thy Cities also O Achilles came for why Shée was thy countrywoman store of wooers who in vayne In hope too win her loue did take great trauell sute and payne Thy father also had perchaunce attempted héere too matcht But that thy moothers maryage was alreadye then dispatcht Or shée at least affyanced But Ceny match with none Howbéeit as shée on the shore was walking all alone The God of sea did rauish her so fame dooth make report And Neptune for the great delight he had in Venus sport Sayd Ceny aske mée what thou wilt and I will giue it thée This also bruted is by fame The wrong héere doone too mée ê™ Ceny makes mée wish great things And therfore too th entent I may no more constreyned bée too such a thing consent I may no more a woman bée and if thou graunt theretoo It is euen all that I desyre or wish thée for too doo In bacer tune theis latter woordes were vttred and her voyce Did séeme
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