Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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B00476
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The picture of incest. Liuely portraicted in the historie of Cinyras and Myrrha. / By Iames Gresham..; Metamorphoses. English. Selections
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Ovid, 43 B.C.-17 or 18 A.D.; Gresham, James, fl. 1626.
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1626
(1626)
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STC 18969; ESTC S125905
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10,942
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37
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THE PICTVRE OF INCEST Liuely PORTRAICTED IN THE HISTORIE of CINYRAS and MYRRNA By Iames Gresham LONDON Printed for R. A. 1626. A OVIDIj METAMORPHOSIS LIB X. OF strange disasters shall my Muse now sing Fathers approach not you my Carolling Nor you faire Daughters that in vertue glory To taint your chast eares with my lustfull story Or if my poore vnpolisht lines haue power To yeeld delight vnto those harts of your Let me not be beleeu'd nor this my tale Be thought of any credible availe Or if to so much truth they ' gaine consent Yet with the fact beleeue the punishment And sith Dame Nature hath so farre transgrest To suffer such a deed to be confest I 'me glad Ismaria and our Orphean Thrace Are not polluted with an act so base And that our natiue soyle so distant lies From those wherein there are such villanies Let Sweet Panchaâ—a be with riches spred And fragrant flowers rarely diapred May there the tast delighting Cynamon Sent pleasing Costus and the daintie gum Of sweet extracted Frankinsence there grow Whilst that alone can only MYRRHA snow But sure that tree could not enforce a deed So bad from so much goodnesse to proceed No MYRRHA no CYPID himselfe denies To lend his ayde vnto such surquedries And vindicates his flames from the least wrongs That to such bestialitie belongs No rather haue some Sâ—ygean fate inspir'd Thee with a wish by none to be desir'd 'T is lewd to loath the parent thou shouldst rate But this thy loue doth euen exceed that hate Making thee odious and vnfit to owne That good the Gods vpon thee haue bestowne On each hand art thou round beset with suers Both home nobilitie and forraigne woers That both in wit and armes contend and sey How to beare thee the wished prize away Of these then MIRRHA choose thee one â—o Thy happy Spouse and let thy Sire be Hee Hereon she ponders and her lust opposes And to her selfe what fury sayes discloses My franticke mind what can I better doe You Sacred gods and lawes Parentall too As you prohibite such a deeds Commission Resist in me this lawlesse disposition If it at least be lawlesse But such fauours Pitty forbids to be thought misbehauiours Since other creatures without censuring crime Doe freely couple in their owne due time The little Heifar scarce yet ag'd a yeare Her owne begetter on her backe may beare Yet not be turpious And the lustie Steed Couer the Mare which sprung from his own seed The leacherous Goat too leapes the female she From whom himselfe was gendred and that hee Proceeding from them both by carnall vse Oft tups the Dam that did himselfe produce Birds with each other too doe mate and by The so vp hatch'd doe like fruct fie And I no reason see but wee as well May freely doe when nature doth compell O happy they that haue this Freedomes blisse To couple where they list without amisse But most vnhappie we that must obey Such lawes as humane care prouides for stay And that whereto our natures most doe plie vs That only should those enuious lawes denie vs. Yea there are Nations too 't is said wherein The bearing mother with her sonne doth sin And the ingendring Sire his Daughter proue And by this course ingeminate their loue Accursed I that louing as I doe 'T was not my fortune to be borne there too But by this Jstands too too happy fate Euen seeking loue must seeme degenerate But why revolue I thus what helpe accrewes To my desires by the words I vse Hence therefore you forbidden rhoughts and flie The troubled brest wherein you lurking lie 'T is true my Father hath a power to moue An ycie disposition vnto loue But yet in me can loue nor like no beauty That aymes at ought beyond a filiall duty Were my fate such that I were not his daughter My wish would then be â—o such heynous matter A smiling fortune might so farre preuaile To bring me to his bed with wind and saile But now so ill hath destiny ordain'd That though she 's mine there 's nothing therein gain'd Since that proximitie which should combine Denies me to be his or make him mine O would I therefore were some other Sires That I on him might satiate my desires And lose my selfe amidst those pleasing charms Whiâ—h liue within the circle of his armes Or that 't were possible for me by flight Leauing these confines and my Countries sight To flie my destinated woe and shun The shelfe that threatens my confusion But a preposterous-burning-lust restraines My power from doing so in amorous chaines Permitting me thus farre to reach at blisse To heare and see and touch and somtimes kisse Though beyond that he grant me nothing more T' enrich my wish or make his vertue poore Beyond said I fie on thee wicked mayd Canst thou euen hope for more then th' ast enioy'd Or so beguile thy thoughts to thinke that he Though thou shouldst craue't would act such villanie Dost thou not weigh that further grants will cause Both losse of name and breach of humane lawes And make ensuing ages that shall read Thy haplesse story blush at thee though dead What wouldâ—st thy Mothers rivall be yea more Thy Fathers foule adulterated whore Or thy owne Daughters sister and a Mother To that abortiue birth thou shouldst cal brother Dost thou not dread those haire snak't furies ires That doe not onely see thy foule desires But can and will vnto thy deeds extent Adde a condigne ensuing punishment O quake to thinke on 't and whâ—â—st yet th' art free Taint not thy vertuous minde nor let there bee A base pollution of that natures hâ—sts Which quite prohibites such vniust requests And which thogh thou shouldst as thou crau'it obtaine Wou'd euen at best be but a fleeting gaine My father too is pious and precise In due obseruing of his Countries guise And one that by no fafcinating art Will be sedâ—ced to render vp his hart Though ô I wish and feruently defire There burnt in him the selfe same ardent fire That as my hart on his perfections doate So he of me and mine would take like note But deepe and strange must that art be can lure A mind so good to ought that 's so impure Thus to her selfe she sayd But stupid hee Whom plenty of great suters made to be Ambiguous what to doe â—tle supposing Her thoughts bent to a fact of so much loathing With secret scrutmy assaâ—es to know By iâ—erating such as dâ—d her woe Towards whose desert her best affection stands To linke herselfe in matrimoniall bands To this at first she lockes her lips as griâ—â—ing To thinke how farre her wish was from relieuing But after looking with transpeircing eves Vpon her Sire whose loue 't was did surprize Her hart with lust vents from her troubled brest Vollies of sighes â—hâ— symtomes of vnrest And from her rose cheeke a dew letâ— glide Of pearly teares like those in summer tide
from its sâ—ate some safer place to seeke And that Angel-like face in which before There sate a godlike beauty to adore Did nothing but a bloodlesse pale retaine To linke both deed and issue in one chaine Her wonted courage leaues her too and still The neerer she approaches to her ill The more she trembles and abhorres to thinke How nigh shee was brought vnto her wishes brinke It irkes her now that e're she was so vnwise To vndertake so hard an enterprise And onely wishes to retire so none Might either see her or she passe vnknowne But after long delay still steered by Her age experienc'st Nurses policie In these distractions she attaines the Port Her fathers bed so long'd for in this sort Whom when her Nurse bequeaths to his desires Here sayes she CINYRAS quench thy lustfull fires And ravell out thy thred of life in pleasure With that which thou accountst thy ages treasure Here mayst thou satiate without surfet and Enioy more riches then thy Realme command And with this hart delighting-muâ—icke-ioynes Their destinated bâ—ests for amorous twynes Such as indeed are onely free for those That in a lawfull mariage bed repose Hee sence-deluded-sire with armes display'd As one not dreaming to be thus betray'd â—eceiues into his darke and wanton bed The tender bowels he so sostered â—nd with his Nectar-candied-words assayes â—o driue the Damsell from her virgin maze â—dding vnto these words such pleasing action â—s he best thought might giue her satisfaction And to compleat and make this tide of pleasure â—low to a greater heigth and fullier measure Because her age so iustly did resemble â—IRRHA'S whom shee both was and did dissemble â—hey interchange like names as being nather â—e her sweet daughter calls she him kind father â—h'incestious game thus ended and she full â—f that adulterate fruite she came to pull â—eparts and leaues her new beguiled sire â—o guesse what sweet thus pleas'd his fond desire â—earing within her wretched wombe that seed â—hich nature made but lust did meerely breed â—nd the next night returnes to cleere the score â—hich both had ioyntly left vnpaid before Pursuing her desires in that swift sort As if she wish't no end to such sweete sport At length when after many nights exchange Of kind embrace betwixt these louers strange And equall intermixture of such sweets As are there vs'd where loue with like loue meets His mind began to craue one happy sight Of that obscured fewell of delight Which he so oft had lockt within his armes And freed from rougher handlings and worse harmes But neuer view'd and onely in obscuritie Had cropt the sweet flower of her vergin puritie He forthwith craues accordingly to see What this same peerelesse paragon might bee Whom when apparently his eyes beheld To be indeed his owne and only child And therewith weigh'd what an abisse of sin His fordid beastiall lust had plung'd him in For vice as till 't be acted's euer blind So when 't is done it leaues a sting behind Distracting rage then so possest his hart And greife his organ speech that vp he start And in his fury drawing forth the blade Which fate for this her fault had ready layd Thought to haue sheath'd it in that tender brest In which but now his chief'st content did rest But what with feare of this attempt and stung With the remembrance of that horrid wronâ— Which she as in a christall mirror true The vaile vncouered did now plainely view For perpetrated vice seene after action Appeares so foul it oft driues to distraction Away she flies and by the helpe of night Auoyds the tragicke end of her affright And vsher'd by her thoughts at randome roues Among the large and solitary groues Leauing the sweet Arabia and those fields Of Rich Panchaia which rare odour yeelds And nine Moones wanders in this carelesse race Before her seare can find a resting place Till in the end not able to sustaine A longer durance of â—er grauid paine She seats her in a Sabra where a while She striues her lust bred sorrowes to beguile But can scarce longer make her burthened womb Th'incestious load therein inclos'd entombe With griefe whereof euen ignorant of prayer And almost brought vnto a foule dispaire By a hart wounding and afflicting strife Betweenâ— a feared death and wearied life She thus in dolefull and soule grieuing plaints Bewailes the discord of these Combatants O you all-sacred-Dieties quoth she That rule the world with soueraigne Maiestie And guide the heauenly motions of the Spheareâ— With supreame power if you haue any eares To heare the wofull sad and mournefull mones Of poore distressed wretched mortall ones Such as with hearts vnfeigned doe confesse Their soule-deepe vlcerated wickednesse Hearken ô hearken then vnto my cry Who as I haue deseru'd desire to dye And will not your dread powers inuoke to shun The smarting rod of your correction Powre downe your angry vengeance on my head That against nature haue thus trespassed And let me now no longer liue to shame The louely sexe and roote from whence I came But least my lingring life may be offence To such as shall suâ—uiue my impudence And my dead corps those neighbour graues distain By whose offencelesse sides they must be layne Let me partake neither of life nor death To grieue the one or soyle the other with But so transformed bee that I of either May seeme possest but yet indeed haue neither No sooner were these words effus'd but straite A strange effect vpon her wish did waite Wrought by some certaine Dietie whose eare Was bent her pitie mouing moane to heare And giue redresse to For whilst yet her prayer Was vttering but not quite dissolu'd to ayre Thofe goodly pillars which but erst did grace Her stately mouing fabricke in their pace Were so inuolu'd within the humid earth As if they onely there had had their birth And from her flesh transformed nayles and toes And out-stretcht crooked winding root there growes â—rom whence the long truncke of the lofty tree â—eceiues its prime foundation and degree â—er body sweet so comely in each part â—oth to the middle of the tree conuert Within whose metaphorphos'd Saphire veynes The life maintayning marrowy-sap remaynes Her faire enclapsing armes which but ere while Were snares for amorous louers to entoyle â—heir lust-rapt sences in were now estrang'd â—oÌ„ what they were to great branches chang'd Through whose each little spray her blood like juyce Dispreads it selfe with prosâ—â—e auarice Her dainty fingers too not hereto borne Into sun shading litle boughes doe turne And finally her snow-white silke-smooth-skin Becomes a rough hard barke of what't had bin Seruing to sheild her as her clothes had done Both from the winters rage and peircing sun In this wise 'gins th'vprising tree t' entombe Within its hollow graue her painefull wombe And hath with quicker speed then thought o're prest Those loue-delighting hillockes of her brest And with swift change is hastening to enshrine Her stately necke within its rugged rine All which she shuns not but as to her fate With willing minde her selfe doth subiugate To the surrescent barque which gliding ouer Doth as a cloud the sun her faire face couer And though with this her bodies iust correction She loft both light of reason and affection Yet still she weepes in signe whereof her tearesâ— On the trees rine in luke-warne drops appeares Wherein a sweet and odoriferous smell Of sence delighting fragrancy doth dwell Which for its worth a semblable name we giue That no age shall forget nor time out liue â—ut now begins th'incestious birth to grow â—nto it 's full maturitie of woe Within the barke-wall'd limitts of the tree Wherewith she was inclos'd in misery â—triuing to burst away through the darke tombe Of her transform'd incarcerating wombe â—er grauid belly swels vnto that heigth That each small throb seemes now to threaten â—aking her stretch and struggle with the paine death Which her ripe birth did vrge her to sustaine Words she hath none to vtter or expresse The vnknowne measure of her wretchednesse Nor to iuuoake a gracious helpe from those Whose sacred powres helpe women in their But still expects deliuery from that sorrow throwes Which as it had no meane no help could borrow The bending tree seemes with sad hollow tones To eccho forth her many ruthfull grones And with a floud of teares gusht from her eyes Bedewes and wets it selfe in piteous wise Where at the tender-hearted IVNO grieu'd To see so much distresse so vnrelieu'd Standing as then close by the mourning sprayes Puts to her helping hand and then assaies With words of Child-bed comfort to delude The wounding sence of this her sollitude Forthwith the wombe-swolne-tree-begins to cracke And through the cleauing barke doth passage make For nine moneths growth to enter-at when loe She straight yeelds vp the burthen of her woe Which had no sooner birth but as allied Vnto its mothers misery it cried The neighboring Naydes whose cells not farâ—â— From her distrest deliuery distant were Hearing the cry approach and in their armes First taking the yong babe yet free from harmes And then with tender touch laying him downe Vpon the new growne smooth and soft grass't-ground Embalme him with the sweet-Mirrhe-trickling teares Which on his tree-chang'd-mothers-barke appeares Swift posting time had not long run his race Before this birth began to waxe in face And each part else so louely that his feature Grew natures wonder in a so borne creature â—â—d Enuies selfe delight For such as was â—at beauty of the world which did surpasse 〈◊〉 others whom the curious Artists paint â—tables naked and doe doe call Loues Saint â—en such was he and in a iust compare â—ch way as louely sweet as young as faire â—â—d taking from the first his bow and arrowes â—herewith he heales by loue and wounds with sorrowes 〈◊〉 adding but the like vnto the tother â—u'd sweare that this were CVPID no other â—faire in matchlesse beauty did his fate â—â—nspire to make him though vnfortunate FINIS