Credit to winne so she with mindefull wrath Vpon my corse for thée awroken is So stiffely scarce by Hippolyte she stoode But she a Virgin rather should haue showne Fauor vnto a siely Maydens yeares Which to abridge least she doe long I feare For why the cause of this my languor lurckes And hidden lyes by Phisicke not recurde So meager am I woxe so leane and bare As scarce I had suffising force to write With leaning on mine Elbowe able scarce My pined limmes and carkasse pale to raise Now dreade I least beside my Beldame Nurce Some one discrie our entercomoning Tofore the gate she sittes to askers how I fare that I may write she sayes I sléepe But when within a space fuspected is Excessiue sléepe and slumber ouerlong And such she sées repaire whome to debarre Were duresse then she spits and giues a hemme A feygned signe that some is at the doore I leaue my lynes vnperfite then for hast And to my bosome thrust the scrolle eftsoone Forth with in spéede I plie the same againe And set my hande and penne to former taske Which thing how yrksome toyle it was to me Thy selfe mayst well discerne and be the iudge Which thou in fayth hast passing yll deserude But thy merites and iust deserued hire My ruthfull clemencie shall farre surmount By thée vncertaine of dispayred health So oft by thy deceit I haue and yet Endure tormenting fittes and troublous téene This is the good my vaunted beautie gaines So oft extolde by thée aboue the starres It me annoyes thée to haue likte so well If in thy sight I had deformed béene Which rather I could wishe my blamed corps In neede of Phisicks helpe had neuer stoode Now being praysde I mourne by your discord Betrayde my proper good doth forge my woes Whilst thou dost scorne to yéelde and he repines To lose his roome or be in second place Thou barrste his wish and he doth hinder thine I like a shippe am tost whome Boreas blast Into the Chanell driues but surge and tide Repelles to shore from déeper foorde againe And of my Parents when the wished day Arriues excessiue heates my limmes besiedge And at the cruell mariage day my doores In yrefull rage Proserpina doth shake I blush dread though guiltlesse in my minde Least I by ought haue stirrde the Gods to wrath Some pleade it commes by hap and some surmise This man to be dislikte of heauenly powres And fame of thée hath also hir reporte Some déeme it done by my inchauntments eke The cause is hid my hurtes too plaine appeare Ye wage a restlesse warre and endelesse strife But I meane while am she that bide the smart I nowe will say as I was wont of yore By louing if thou thus annoy thy loue Howe wouldst thou hurt by hate the hated thing If whome thou loue thou hurte go loue thy foe Wish me full yll to fare and saue my lyfe Or now of hoped spouse thou hast no carke Whom vndeserude thou ruthlesse lettste to pine Or if in vaine thou to the Goddesse sue To me why dost thou so auaunt thy selfe That standest nought in Dians grace at all Say what thou wilt thou wilt not swage hir yre I cleane am out of thought thou canst not thou Appease the Goddesse thou art quite forgot Or would I neuer had or notas then Delos that is inuironde withthe Sea Aegaeum knowne a haplesse I le to mee Tho was my shippe to surging Chanell brought Vnluckely sinister was the houre Wherein I shoope to take the cursed Seas How set I foorth my foote from Threshold with What foote went I or to my painted Barck With what vnluckie foote did I repaire Yet twise with froward winds my ship recoylde And made retoure to shore but oh I lie That winde was blissefull and no froward gale A blessed blast that brought me back to baye And went about to barre my haplesse course And would it had contended with my sayles And stoode in longer strife and greater warre But folly is the fickle windes to blame Mooude with the place his fame and fresh reporte To Delos I my hastie voyage shoope And in a nymble Barck did passe the floud How oft did I controll the sluggish Oares Complaining that the sayle clothes did not strout But flagging flue not stuft with gladsome gale Nowe Mycone Tenos and Andros I Had past and Delos was discouerde plaine Which when I scride afarre Ile why quouth I Dost thou me flée Where yet as earst thou didst Doste thou in largie Seas and Chanell rode Aye fléering to and fro I came to lande When day was put to flight and Phoebus gan His wearie stéedes from purple whéeles discharge Whome when he had to wonted rising brought Againe at morne my Mather giuing charge My comely tresses were in order laide And frisled lockes in brauest maner trimde Hir self bespangde my hands with curious Gēmes And purlde my haire with golde hir self applide Vnto my shoulders vesture passing fine Then yssuing out to Rulers of the I le And sacred Gods incense with wine we gaue And whilst my Mother with hir vowed bloud The Altar staines and Bowels broils on coales In ranges casting Fume to loftie skies The busie carefull Nurce led mée about From place to place frō Church to sacred Fane In Porches now I passe now musing at The giftes of kings and sundrie sightes I sawe Then gasting on the Altars made with hornes And tree gainst which the wandring Goddesse at Hir time of bearing childe did rest hir corse And what beside for I ne all to minde Can call or lawfull is I say to tell Was to be séene in daintie Delos tho Whilst I Aconce of these so straungie sightes Was taking vewe thou me perhaps discridste Who for so simple was and voyde of fraude Did sitting séeme to be entrapt of thée By steppes I came into a stately Church Where Dian was might any place more safe Or sicker bée than where the Goddesse stoode Tofore my féete the trilling Apple came Gliding on paued ground whereas I sate Hauing this verse ingraude Aye me well nigh I had to thée another Hest ymade Which Beldame Nurce tooke vp said beholde Where I thy craft O noble Poet read The name of marrige redde blushing I felt My chaunged chéekes to glow with sodaine flash In bosome fired fast mine eyes I helde Mine eyes that workers were of thine intent Vnthrifte why doste thou ioy what glory hast Thou gainde what praise shalt thou a mā atchieue By craft one sielie Virgin to deuoure Not I in armour cladde with Pollare stoode As ventrous Penthesilea did at Troie No Belt with Amazonian golde beset Thou me hast reft as Quéene Hippolyte was Why leapst thou so for ioy in that thy wordes Haue fowly me beguilde and I by dole And subtill sleight a siely Nymph was tane Cydip an Apple tooke Atlanta did The lyke another Hippomenes now thou art More better were it if thou hadst bene thrall Vnto the Boy
yet there I found some griefe that onely soyle vnto my woes was succour and reliefe And is if thou be one and be not mooude awhight That now I haue a stately house so Castleyke in sight Nor that my Fathers happes or Mothers shamefull fate Or these my yll successes cause thy fancie to rebate What if I went to Troie in mariage linckt with thée And thou thy husband waging warre full ten yeares space shouldst sée Thou hearste Vlysses wife what honour she hath got A myrrour she became for that she liude withouten blot Who by report deuisde a charitable wile In sprinning wherewithall hir instant Suters to beguile For whatsoeuer she by day in sight had wrought At night the selfe same twisted twine from thréed to wool she brought But Phyllis you doe feare your Suters will be gone That profferde wedlock earst in Thrace canste thou with any one Or haste thou heart to matche thy selfe in bridely band What will not feare of broken Hest thy shamefull act withstand O Lord how thou wilt blush O Lord how thou wilt shame When thou shalt vew my sailes aloofe and know they be the same Thou then wilt blame thy rashe complaint but all too late And say Demophoon was to mée a true and faithfull Mate Demophoon is retirde that Southren blast abidde And cruell tempest whilst vpon the sowsing seas he slidde Ah why in such post haste did I this blame deuise I broken haue my plighted Hest which makes my heart agrise But oh go forward so more rather than to mée Swéete Phyllis greater griefe and care should chaunce againe by thée What Gibbet oh is that that thou dost manace so Vnto thy selfe and froward sate to worke thy waylfull wo The Gods that in this soyle doe dwell are ouerbolde I trow I pray thée spare and cause no more defame to spring From out our race whose traitrous crime too loude a Bell doth ring Ariadne may excuse my Father since hir lotte Was party cause shée was forlorne who me may iustly blotte Now selfe same windes my words that did my sayles conuay I would returne with all my heart but haue good cause to stay The Argument of the replie to the fift Epistle entituled Paris to Oenone THe lynes that Oenon sent When Paris had perusde And saw thereby she ment That she was quite refusde Of him that had conuayde from Greece Faire Helena that passing peece He wrote in this effect And flat at first gan tell That when he did reiect The Nymph he did not well But therewithall he laide the blame On Cupid that procurde the same He makes hir open showe How stately was the stroke Of blinded Cupids bow And how he brought to yoke Both man and God and did not let To say that Destnies so had set Paris Replie to Oenons Epistle SO lawefull is thy plaint O Nymph as I confesse My hand doth hunt for currant termes my meaning to expresse It hunts and can not finde I féele my guilt so great I would recant but oh the same my nouell loue doth let My conscience me condempnes if thou not angrie bée Therewith but what in cause I know thou mayst not match with mée For mée whome thou dost blame Cupido to his raigne Hath forst to yéelde anothers pray euen so I now remaine Thou were my wedlock first I graunt it true to bée That I in gréenish yeares my loue and fayth behight to thée Ne was I then so proude as in your Letters you Obiected me ne I my selfe king Priams noorie knew Deiphobus not I nor Hector thought to bée My brothers when I fedde my flock in Ida Mount with thée Not Hecuba I knewe but by a Mothers name And thou didst well deserue to had hir aye to béene thy Dame But Loue from Reason swarues thy selfe shalt iudge the case For thou art wrongde and hauing wrong dost loue me naythelasse And whereas Panes thée and Satyrs did desire Thou shoonste their loue and aye in minde dost kéepe thy former fire Beside this latter loue was furthred by the fate My sister eke Cassandra sawe of future things the state Not I as then had heard the brute of Helens name Ne to mine eares by hir report the Gréekish tumult came You sée that all is true my guilte doth sole remaine And to request your pardon I in humble wise am faine Within thy powre doth reast the doome of life and death Now binde me thine for euermore by sauing of my breath Thou weptst I minde it well and yet thou sangst withall And sayd God shilde that no such euill at any time befall No though his déedes deserue and euerie thing beside Yet Oenon I to worke his bane wil neuer be discride Oh pardon selfesame loue that forgde this fraude to thée Made me to thinke herein not halfe so many feares to bée That God doth strike the stroke Sometime into a Bull He Ioue conuerts into a Foule sometime to coy his trull Not Helen now in earth so passing goodly Dame Had béen at wench by nature made to set my breast in flame Had not the mightie Ioue become a Swanne in sight That earst a golden shattering showre on Danaes lappe did light A fayned Fowle sometyme in Ida Mount did sore Sometime amids Agenors neate in forme of Bull did rore Alcydes who woulde thinke the valiant man to haue Ysat at distaffe Loue did make him twisten lyke a slaue Againe the man was séene in Ioles garment clad And she the hairie Lions case vpon hir shoulders had And Oenon thou I minde I touch my selfe too nie The God Apollo scorndste and didst to Paris mind aplie Not for I him excellde but Cupid wilde it tho That in such sort his subtill shafts in Oenons breast should go But comfort thou thy wrong in that thy ryuall shée A passing wench and daughter braue to Ioue is knowne to bée But that she came of Ioue it moues me not a mite But oh hir face is passing faire t' is it that workes the spite And O I wish that I a skillesse Iudge had bin When to 〈…〉 beauties pride the Ladies did begin For then not Iunos ire nor Pallas wrathfull brest Should hurt me ought for liking of the Ladie Venus best She Cupids flames deuids and franckly fire on those By euen and odde by quick and slow on whome she list bestowes Yet neyther she hir selfe those weapons coulde auoyde The Bow she bare for other hath hir proper breast annoyde For halting Vulcan grutcht when he by fortune founde The warlike God and hir in bedde and caused to resounde His wofull plaint before the Gods and Ioue that saw them bounde And mightie Mauors now laments and lowres as fast For she hath fled this soyle and of Anchises is imbrast Nowe wholy she delights Anchises eye to leake To him alone she closely clings and giues the reast the gleake What wonder was that she should haue the powre to ayde Those egall flames of loue whose fire poore Paris hath
bene abusde than now by Achylls Sonne More friendly founde Andromache Achaias famous soyle When with the gastly Grecian flame the Troian wealth did broyle But oh Orestes if to mée thou haue respect at all Lay hands on that which is thine owne and to thy bootie fall What if by falsehoode from thy folde thy flock be borne away Wilt thou take armes and for thy spouse to fight in fielde wilt stay Let Menelaus myrrour bée that for his rapted wife Did vndertake such honest warre and stirde such stately strife Who if had slept and slugde at home or loytred like an Asse My Dame had béene to Paris linckte as to my Syre she was Thou hast no néede a thousande shippes or bending sayles so haue Nor any Gréekish Souldiars helpe thy onely ayde I craue Yet rather so than not at all I should be fette againe T' is famous for a man to fight if wedlock suffer staine What was not Grandsire to vs both Atreus King Pelops sonne At least thou art my bresher if the marrige were vndonne I pray thée Brother helpe thy Sister husbande helpe thy Féere A dubble title will procure thée in my cause to stéere My Grandsire for his aged yeares and wisdome passing graue Who of his Neece had all the rule mée to Orestes gaue To Pyrrhus not acquainted with the match my Father vowde But most of both my Grandsires deade as caldste should be allowde When I with thée conidynde I wrongde none by my spousall right But if I â—incke with Pyrrhus their from thee I am not quight My Father Menelaus will wincke at my fact I knowe For cause himselfe hath felt the force of winged Cupids bowe That will he graunt his sonne in lawe which he himselfe hath looude My Dames example aydes my case that Venus sportes hath prooude Looke what my Syre is to my Dame euen that art thou to mée The slipper practise Paris playde with Pyrrhus doth agree And he is stoute and stately for the factes hys Syre hath donne So thou mayst bragge and boaste vpon the spoyles thy Father wonne Who all the trowpe of Tantals trayne Achylles eke did leade A chieftaine he among the Dukes a Souldier stoute at neade Thy Grandsire great King Pelops was and Pelops worthie Sire And if thou coumpte aright from Ioue thou art the fift esquire Thy manhoode is well knowne ynough thou foughtste I wote well whan But what shouldst thou doe in that case thy mother slue the man Would God vpon a better cause thy stoutenesse had bene wrought Yet dare I vaunt the cause was giuen to thee and neuer sought But thou didst bring it to effect that Aegisthe did with gore Of gaping wounde defile the floure as had thy Syre before And thereof Pyrrhus often prates and to reproche doth wrye Thy earned prayse and yet endures my presence with his eye I frette and as my face doth puffe so swelles myne inwarde minde And burning breast with silent flame of dolor scorcht I finde Before Hermions face imbrayded should Orestes bée I want but force and brainsick blade to be reuengde for thée But wéepe and wayle I may my fill which lessens parte of woe And downe on eyther side my face my teares as conduites floe Them onely to commaunde I haue and out I poure them still Alongste my stayned théekes eche hours the welling teares doe trill This fortune followes all our race and to our age is brought And all that are of Tantals line a séemely rape are thought I will not hete alleadge the lyes of false and fayned Swanne Ne yet complaine that Ioue in plume did lurck both God and manne Where Isthmos streatching out at length two Seas did so deuide Hippodamie on waxen whéeles and counterfaite cart did ride Faire Helen once conuaide away by craftie Theseus traine By Castor and sir Pollux was in fine restorde againe The selfesame Ladie through the Seas by Troian guest was brought For whome the noble Gréekish Péeres in wreakefull maner fought I scarce remember yet I minde how tho the people wept In mournefull moode and dismoll dreade into their hearts it crept The Grandsire gronde the sister sobde the brothers gan to broyle Lamenting Leda with the Gods and Ioue did kéepe a coyle And I with locks not long as then rent all about my hedde Exclamde O mother leauste me thus and from thy childe art fledde For then hir husbande was a lacke and least I shoulde be sed No Impe of Pelops broode I am a praye by Pyrrhus led O that Achylles had bene frée and scapte Apollos bowe Then woulde he blame the beastlye rage of Pyrrhus pride I knowe It neuer pleasde ne now would lyke Achylles if he liude To heare a wifebounde Wight lament of lyked looue depriude What guilt of mine hath made the Gods and Heauenly powres so rage What cursed starre might I accuse to gouerne thus my age My Dame I was bereft in youth my father waged warre And though they both did liue yet I from them was kept afarre Not I to thée in tender yeares nor Cradell clowtes did crye Deare mother mine nor from my lippes the lisping words did flye Ne did I with my pliaunt armes thy séemely neck enfolde Nor thou vpon thy louing lappe thy babling Brat didst holde No carke of clothing me ne care did pierce thy pensiue brest Ne didst thou cause a marrige bed for Bridewife to be drest But when thou didst returne againe the troth I not denie I met thee but my Mothers face I coulde not then descrie But for thy beautie did surpasse for Helen thée I tooke And thou didst make enquirie then and for thy daughter looke Good hap in one respect I had that Oreste was my Make But he vnlesse he fight it out Hermion must forsake Mée Pyrrhus as a Vassell kéepes though Victor be my Sire This goodly guerdon haue I gainde for Troie burnt with fire When golden Titan ginnes to guide his glistring steades by day Then I vnhappie wenche some ease of pensiue paine assay No fooner blackfaste night doth growe in howling sort I hie Vnto my cankred carefull couche appointed there to lie In place of swéete and slumbring sléeps mine eyes with teares doe floe And from the man in all post haste I flée as from a foe Oft times mishaps doe make me muse vnmindefull of my case I touche with hande proude Pyrrhus parts vnwitting of the place I leaue to touch the man as soone as euer I knowe the fact And thinke my handes polluted straight with such a shamefull act Oft times for Neoptolems name Orestes doe I call And loue the errour of my tongue right well content withall I sweare by this vnluckie lyne and Lorde of all the race That Land and Seas yea haughtie skies afrayes with frowning face And by the bones of him that was mine Vncle and thy Sire Who owes thée for reuenge of those that did his death conspire Or I will in these flowring yeares abandon lothsome life Or I that
men and armour eake yea such as will not shrincke And Asia is no lesse than is your countrie wide Of valiant wightes we haue good store and startling steades to ride Nor Menelaus shall of greater courage bée Than Troian Paris nor in armes more stiffe and stoute than hée For being yet a childe I slue my haughtie foes That stale my heirde and of that fact my valiant name arose And being but a Ladde in sundry combats wanne The palme from Illioneus and eake Deiphobus the man And least thou sole surmise mée to preuaile at hande I can enforce my thirled shaft full neare the marke to stande The like attempt in youth Atrides neuer made Ne Menelaus mayst thou match with Paris for his trade Though all things else thou graunt yet Hector can not bée His brother which will stande in steade of thousande men to mée Thou little knowste my powre my force from thée is lockt Thou canst not tell what man is he with whome thou shalt be shockt Or with no tumult thou shalt be requirde againe Or Greekish tentes to Paris Marte to yéelde they shall be faine Yet néede I not disdaine to warre for such a wife For why the price doth well deserue to stirre a greater strife And thou if all the worlde for thee shoulde séeme to striue Shalt stande assurde in after time for aye to be aliue Wherefore hath dreadlesse hope departing from this shore And blissefull Gods demaunde the giftes I thée behight before The Argument of the xvj Epistle entituled Helen to Paris WHen Helen had the Troian writte perusde She thought hir selfe too shamefully abusde She deemde it not the part of any guest To whoredome so his Hostesse minde to wrest To quaile the Princockes pride and make a prouse Of spotlesse fame at first she standes aloufe At length when to and fro she had discourste Of this and that and collour well disbourste She fawnes she frownes she freates she speakes him faire She offred hope but fed him with dispaire As women wont deuising many a toie But Paris hir in fine conuayde to Troie The .xvj. Epistle Helen to Paris HOw since thy letters haue thus rashly wrongde my sight I thought it needefull with my penne thy Pistle to requite And didst thou dare a guest the boundes of hostage broke And honest Matron well espousde to pleasure to prouoke For this by whisking windes ytost on wauing Seas Did Taenaris thée with porte relieue thy painefull plight to ease Nor though inguestred thou camste from a Countrie farre My Pallace did gainst thée as then his churlish gates debarre That such a wrong should be rewarde for good desart Thou that didst enter so hast playde no guestes but enmies part Though lawfull be my plaint yet doubt I not at all But thou when so thou heare thereof a rude complaint wilt call A rustick let me bee so I not passe the bounde Of honest shame and in my lyfe no cankred crime be founde So I in fayned looke doe cloake no churlish cheare Nor in my face no grimme disdaine nor bended broowe appeare Yet honest is my fame I liue deuoide of spot No lustfull Lecher for his life is able me to blot Which makes me muse the more what should enbolde thée so To take this straunge attempt in hand a maried wife to wowe Cause Theseus wrongde me once well worthie am I déemde To be a Ruffians rape againe and so to be estéemde The guilt was mine if I allured were to yll But so I rapted were by force what coulde I doe but nill Ne he by that his fact his hoped bootie gote Set feare and womans dread aside I nought abode God wote The wretch by wrestling wonne at Helens hande a kisse And laide hir on the lippes sometime he had no more but this Scarce would you bene content vnthriftie so you arre With that I thanke the Gods that he and thou didst differ farre He yéelded me againe and me did scarcely touch And did repent him of his fact his modestie was such Did Theseus so recant that Paris should succéede For feare least on my blased armes the people should not féede Yet I am nothing wroth for who can angrie bée With that shée loues if this my loue be faithfull vnto mée For thereof doubt I sore not for distrust at all Or that my face and featurde forme into suspect I call But for such light beliefe and credit workes our woe And suters tales art freight with fraud and fired faith forgoe But others doe aguilt an honest Matron rare Who barres that I among those fewe should haue a partie share For cause my mother errde perhaps thou thinkste me light By hir example to be wonne by meane of natures might To cloake my mothers crime an errour is in store For why the Lecher lurckt in plume to worke his will the more If I should doe amisse of force thereof I knowe There is no errour mine offence to hide from open showe Hir scape is well allowde the Aucthor made it lesse There is no Ioue at all to cloake my fault if I transgresse Thou braust vpon thy stock thy Grandsires Princes are This house of worthie Auncesters and Nobles is not bare I will conceale that Ioue was Atreus Grandsire great Of Tantalus or Pelops I nor Tyndaris minde to treat But Leda lendes me Ioue my stately Sire to bée Whome foule beguilde with swannish forme and falsed byrde we sée Now vaunt thy Troian heades and ginners of thy race Let Laomedon be in presse and Priam eke in place Whome I commend but he that fift is of your line Thy greatest pryde I finde the same the formost man in mine Though Troian Scepter I accoumpt to be of fame Yet iudge I not our Empire ought inferiour to the same Suppose our wealth you passe and Teucrian troupe excell Our Gréekish soyle yet barbarous is the countrie where you dwell So great rewardes your lynes and Letters me behight As well they might accoy and cause to yéelde a heauenly wight But so I minded were to breake the boundes of shame Thy selfe shouldst sooner make me yéelde than all thy giftes of fame Or I for aye will liue and leade vnspotted life Or thée more rather would ensue than all thine offers rife As I not scorne the same in price so are they thought The greatest gifts to whome the giuer hath their beautie brought But most of all I weigh thy loue that for my sake Such paines abodste whose hope to passe the Seas did vndertake And eke at tables set though with dissembling browe I séeke to hide thine amorous tricks I note them well ynowe Sometime thou wanton wight doste cast a glauncing blinck With wrested looke whereat well neare my daunted eyes doe shrinck Againe you sigh as fast another time you take The Cup and where I dranck euen there your falsed thirst doth flake With fingers Lorde how oft and wyth a talking browe Hast thou me giuen secret signes I wote well where and howe
And oft I stoode in feare my husbande sawe the same And often dreading to be spide I blusht with bashefull shame Oft times with whispring wordes vnto my selfe I sedde This is a shamelesse guest my wordes did hit the nayle on hedde And often wrought in wine I rad vpon the boorde Euen vnder Helens name I loue I well recorde the woorde But that I had distrust therof my lookes did showe But now alas to write the like doth haplesse Helen knowe These fansies might haue forst my ruthfull breast to bende And tournde my heart if to aguilt I would at all intende Thy feature I confesse is rare and such to sée As might allure a womans heart to linck hir selfe with thée I wishe that hap to fall vpon some single dame Ere I with forraine loue should séeke my bridely Bedde to shame Well liked things to lack by my example leare It is a vertue to abstaine from what thou hast so deare How many youthes haue wisht for that which thou doste craue What Paris dost thou déeme that thou alone good iudgement haue Thou séest no more than they but madder is thy minde Thy courage is no bett than theirs lesse shame in thée I finde Would then thou hadst repayrde and hither come by floode When me in prime and flowring yeres a thousande suters woode Of thousande thou the first if I thee tho had séene My doome to heare withall I craue my husbande thou hadst béene To things possest thou comste and gotten goods too late Too slow thou were another hath in that thou crauste estate As then thy Troian wife I would haue wisht to bée So now Atrides not against my will enioyeth mée Eease thou with wordes therefore to ransacke Helens heart To hir thou fayst thou loouste so well procure no grutching smart But let me kéepe the sort that Fortune hath allowde Séeke not my fame and good report to darke with shadie clowde But Venus so behight and in the vales of Ide Thrée heauenly Wightes starke naked came to clayme their beauties pride Of whome one gaue thée raigne th' other Bellonas skill The thirde pronounst that Helen shoulde be plyant to thy will In faith I scarcely thinke such Ladies would vouchsaue For chiefest beauties péerelesse price thy doubtfull doome to haue Suppose it were a trouth the reast was all vntrue That for such iudgement I should be a recompence to you I stande not so much on my beauties pride to déeme That me the greatest gift of all the Goddesse did estéeme My feature is content of men to purchase fame I like it not that Venus should so much commende the same But nothing I denie the prayse full well I léeke For to what ende should I gainesay the thing I chiefely séeke Ne let it wrath thée that I hardely thée beléeue To matters of importance great we scarcely credit geeue Wherefore I ioy it most that Venus likte me so And next for such a stately gift that thou did take me tho And that thou didst preferre my blased beauties good Fore Pallas gift and Iunos raigne that there in iudgement stood Then I thy vertue am then I to thée a raigne I were too stonie if I woulde not loue the like againe Good fayth I am no stéele but him to loue I shonne Who scarce I thinke may be my spouse when all my worke is donne Why should I fondely seeke to plough the barraine sande Or hope on that which place it selfe doth very much withstande I skillesse am in scapes the Gods recorde I call I neuer by deceitefull sleight beguilde my Féere at all In that to couert scrole my wordes I now commit My letters doe attempt a thing they neuer practisde yet Thrise blest that are inurde I wote not how to play That part as yet to guilt full harde I doe surmise the way This dreade doth much annoy and sore I am agast Suspecting all the peoples eyes on vs are fixed fast Nor this I feare in vaine the bussing brute I know And Aethra what report had gone to mée but late did show Vnlesse thou minde to cease dissemble thou therefore But why shouldst thou now stint thy sute thou canst dissemble sore In secret vse thy toyes and spare thou not to play Now scope we haue though not the most my husband is away He now is farre from home affayres compellde him so A iust and good occasion he had out of towne to go When in a doubt he stoode his iourney forth to take Dispatch ê™ I good sir and sée a quicke returne you make Th'abodement likte him so as he to kissing fell And gaue me charge of house and goods and bad me vse thée well I scarce my laughter helde which whilste I striue to stay Saue that it should be so in déede I had no worde to say To Crete he went in hast by helpe of winde and Ore But thou that all things léefull are must not surmise therefore So is my spouse alacke as in his absence well He doth me garde that Princes haue long reach canst thou not tell Fame doth impayre our ioyes for how much more you léeke And prayse me So much more you cause to stande in feare the Greeke The laude I loue so well as now consistes the case Annoyes more better were that fame had neuer blazde my face That I am left with thée now he is farre away Muse not he trustes my manners well and thinks in me some stay My face did make him dread he trustes my life full well The suretie which my manners bréede my beautie doth expell Thou willste me to be wise and vse the present tide And not to let so fitte a time deuoyde of game to slide I would and am afrayde as yet my heart doth quake And fearefull breast in doubt doth stande and knowes not which to take My spouse doth nowe dislodge and thou alone dost lye Thy beautie likes mée well and Helens shape contents thine eye The nightes are passing long and we to chatte begin And thou art euen a pleasaunt guest and both one house within Good sooth eche thing doth séeme this fact to further aye And yet I knowe not how the same my quiuering feare doth staye As thou perswadste but yll would well thou mightst constraine Mée to thy will this rudenesse then should be expelde amaine Sometime receiued wrong auailes the pacient much How blest were I such force to byde if Helens hap were such More better were while loue is rawe and gréene to staye For flame that scarcely kindled is will soone consume awaye Fewe drops of sprinckled water will the sparckling fyre delaye As straungers starters are vncertaine be their loues And when thou thinkst them surtte of all their wauering faith remoues Let Hypsiphyl recorde and Mynos daughter trye For they them selues with wandring wightes in bridely bande did tie And thou of whome Oenon was many yeares imbrast Art sayd without a iust desert to shonne the Nymph at last Which thou dost not denie