necke And eke his haire perfumde with Myrrhe a costly crowne did decke Full sixtene yeares he was of age such cunning skill he coulde In darting as to hit his marke farre distant when he would Yet how to handle Bow and shaftes much better did he know Now as he was about that time to bende his horned Bowe A firebrand Persey raught that did vpon the Aultar smoke And dasht him ouertwhart the face with such a violent stroke That all bebattred was his head the bones a sunder broke When Lycabas of Assur lande his moste assured friend And deare companion being no dissembler of his miend Which most entierly did him loue behelde him on the ground Lie weltring with disfigurde face and through that grieuous wound Now gasping out his parting ghost his death he did lament And taking hastly vp the Bow that Atys erst had bent Encounter thou with me he saide thou shalt not long enioy Thy triumphing in brauerie thus for killing of this boy By which thou getst more spight than praise All this was scarsly sed But that the arrow from the string went streyned to the head Howbeit Persey as it hapt so warely did it shunne As that it in his coteplights hung then to him did he runne With Harpe in his hand bestaind with grim Medusas blood And thrust him through the brest therwith â–ª he quothing as he stood Did looke about where Atys lay with dim and dazeling eyes Now wauing vnder endlesse night and downe by him he lies And for to comfort him withall togither with him dies Behold through gredie haste to feight one Phorbas Methions son A Svveuite and of Lybie lande one callde Amphimedon By fortune sliding in the blood with which the ground was weâ— Fell downe and as they woulde haue râ—se Perseus fauchon met With both of them Amphimedon vpon the ribbes he smote And with the like celeritie he cut me Phorbas throte But vnto Erith Actors sonne that in his hand did holde A brode browne Bill with his short sword he durst not be too bolde To make approch With both his handes a great and massie cup Embost with cunning portrayture aloft he taketh vp And sendes it at him He spewes vp red bloud and falling downe Upon his backe against the ground doth knocke his dying crowne Then downe he Polydemon throwes extract of royall race And Abaris the Scithian and Clytus in like case And Elice with his vnshorne lockes and also Phlegias And Lycet olde Speâ—chefies sonne with diuers other mo That on the heapes of corses slaine he treades as he doth go And Phyney daring not presume to méete his foe at hand Did cast a Dart which hapt to light on Idas who did stand Aloofe as neuter though in vaine not medling with the Fray Who casting backe a frowning looke at Phyney thus did say Sith whether that I will or no compeld I am perforce To take a part haue Phyney here him whome thou doste enforce To be thy â—oe and with this wound my wrongfull wound requite But as he from his body pullde the Dart with all his might To throw it at his foe againe his limmes so féebled were With losse of bloud that downe he fell and could not after steare There also lay Odites slaine the chiefe in all the land Next to King Cephey put to death by force of Clymens hand Protenor was by Hypsey killde and Lyncide did as much For Hypsey In the throng there was an auncient man and such a one as loued righteousnesse and greatly feared God Emathion called was his name whome sith his yeares forbod To put on armes he feights with tongue inueying earnestly Against that wicked war the which he banned bitterly As on the Altar he himselfe with quiuering handes did stay One Cromis tipped of his head his head cut off streight way Upon the Altar fell and there his tongue not fully dead Did bable still the banning wordes the which it erst had sed And breathed forth his fainting ghost among the burning brandes Then Brote Hammon brothers twins stout chaÌ„pions of their haÌ„ds In wrestling Pierlesse if so be that wrestling could sustaine The furious force of slicing swordes were both by Phyney slaine And so was Alphit Ceres Priest that ware vpon his crowne A stately Miter faire and white with Tables hanging downe Thou also Iapets sonne for such affaires as these vnméete But méete to tune thine instrument with voyce and Ditie swéete The worke of peace wert thither callde th'assemblie to reioyce And for to set the mariage forth with pleasant singing voyce As with his Uiall in his hand he stoode a good way off There commeth to him Petalus and sayes in way of scoffe Go sing the resdue to the ghostes about the Stygian Lake And in the left side of his heade his dagger poynt he strake He sanke downe deade with fingers still yet warbling on the string And so mischaunce knit vp with wo the song that he did sing But fierce Lycormas could not beare to sée him murdred so Without reuengement Up he caught a mightie Leauer tho That wonted was to barre the doore a right side of the house And therewithall to Petalus he lendeth such a souse Full in the noddle of the necke that like a snetched Oxe Streight tuÌ„bling downe against the ground his groueling face he knox And Pelates a Garamant attempted to haue caught The left doore barre but as thereat with stretched hand he raught One Coryt sonne of Marmarus did with a Iauelin stricke Him through the hand that to the wood fast nayled did it sticke As Pelates stoode fastned thus one Abas goard his side He could not fall but hanging still vpon the poste there dide Fast nayled by the hand And there was ouerthrowne a Knight Of Perseyes band callde Melaney and one that Dorill hight A man of greatest landes in all the Realme of Nasamone That occupide so large a grounde as Dorill was there none Nor none that had such store of corne there came a Dart a skew And lighted in his Coddes the place where present death doth sew When Alcion of Barcey he that gaue this deadly wound Beheld him yesking forth his ghost and falling to the ground With warrie eyes the white turnde vp content thy selfe he said With that same litle plot of grounde whereon thy corse is layde In steade of all the large fat fieldes which late thou didst possesse And with that word he left him dead Perâ—eus to redresse This slaughter and this spightfull taunt streight snatched out the Dart That sticked in the fresh warme wound and with an angrie hart Did send it at the throwers head the Dart did split his nose Euen in the middes and at his necke againe the head out goes So that it péered both the wayes Whiles fortune doth support And further Persey thus he killes but yet in sundrie sort Two brothers by the mother tone callde Clytie tother Dane For on a Dart through both his thighes did Clytie take
to take I pray thée let vs shroude our selues in shadowe here togither Of this or that he poynted both it makes no matter whither Untill the whotest of the day and Noone be ouerpast And if for feare of â—auage beastes perchaunce thou be agast To wander in the Woods alone thou shalt not néede to feare A God shall bée thy guide to saue thée harmelesse euery where And not a God of meaner sort but euen the same that hath The heauenly scepter in his hande who in my dreadfull wrath Do dart downe thunder wandringly and therefore make no hast To runne away She ranne apace and had alreadie past The Fen of Lerna and the field of Lincey set with trées When Ioue intending now in vaine no lenger tyme to léese Upon the Countrie all about did bring a foggie mist And caught the Mayden whome poore foole he vsed as he list Quéene Iuno looking downe that while vpon the open field When in so fayre a day such mistes and darkenesse she behelde Dyd maruell much for well she knewe those mistes ascended not From any Ryuer moorishe ground or other dankishe plot She lookt about hir for hir Ioue as one that was acquainted With such escapes and with the déede had often him attainted Whome when she founde not in the heauen onlesse I gesse amisse Some wrong agaynst me quoth she now my husbande working is And with that worde she left the Heauen and downe to earth shée came Commaunding all the mistes away But Ioue foresées the same And to a Cow as white as milke his Leman he conuayes She was a goodly Hecfar sure and Iuno did hir prayse Although God wot she thought it not and curiously she sought Where she was bred whose Cow she was who had hir thither brought As though she had not knowne the truth Hir husband by and by Bycause she should not search to neare deuisde a cleanly lie And tolde hir that the Cow was bred euen nowe out of the grounde Then Iuno who hir husbands shift at fingers endes had founde Desirde to haue the Cow of gift What should he doe as tho Great cruelnesse it were to yéelde his Louer to hir fo And not to giue would bréede mistrust As fast as shame prouoked So fast agayne a tother side his Loue his minde reuoked So much that Loue was at the poynt to put all shame to flight But that he feared if he should denie a gift so light As was a Cowe to hir that was his sister and his wyfe Might make hir thinke it was no Cow bréede perchaunce some strife Now when that Iuno had by gift hir husbands Leman got Yet altogether out of feare and carelesse was she not She had him in a ielousie and thoughtfull was she still For doubt he should inuent some meanes to steale hir from hir till To Argus olde Aristors sonne she put hir for to kéepe This Argus had an hundreth eyes of which by turne did sléepe Alwayes a couple and the rest did duely watch and warde And of the charge they tooke in hande had euer good regarde What way so euer Argus stood with face with backe or side To Iö warde before his eyes did Iö still abide All day he let hir graze abroade the Sunne once vnder ground He shut hir vp and by the necke with wrythen With hir bound With croppes of trées and bitter wéedes now was she dayly fed And in the stead of costly couch and good soft featherbed She sate a nightes vpon the ground and on such ground whereas Was not sometime so much as grasse and oftentymes she was Compeld to drinke of muddie pittes and when she did deuise To Argus for to lift hir handes in méeke and humble wise She sawe she had no handes at all and when she did assay To make complaint she lowed out which did hir so affray That oft she started at the noyse would haue runne away Unto hir father Inachs banckes she also did resorte Where many a tyme and oft before she had béene wont to sporte Now when she looked in the streame and sawe hir horned hed She was agast and from hir selfe would all in hast haue fled The Nymphes hir sisters knewe hir not nor yet hir owne deare father Yet followed she both him â—nd them and suffred them the rather To touch and stroke hir where they list as one that preaced still To set hir selfe to wonder at and gaze vpon their fill The good olde Inach pulze vp grasse and to hir straight it beares She as she kyst and lickt his handes did shed forth dréerie teares And had she had hir speach at will to vtter forth hir thought She would haue tolde hir name and chaunce and him of helpe besought But for bicause she could not speake she printed in the sande Two letters with hir foote whereby was giuen to vnderstande The sorrowfull chaunging of hir shape Which séene straight cryed out Hir father Inach wo is me and clasping hir about Hir white and séemely Hecfars necke and christal hornes both twaine He shricked out full piteously Now wo is me again Alas art thou my daughter deare whome through the worlde I sought And could not finde and now by chaunce art to my presence brought My sorrow certesse lesser farre a thousande folde had béene If neuer had I séene thée more than thus to haue thée séene Thou standst as dombe and to my wordes no answere can thou giue But from the bottom of thy heart full sorie sighes dost driue As tokens of thine inwarde griefe and doolefully dost mooe Unto my talke the onely thing least in thy powre to dooe But I mistrusting nothing lesse than this so great mischaunce By some great mariage earnestly did séeke thée to aduaunce In hope somè yssue to haue séene betwéene my sonne and thée But now thou must a husband haue among the Hâ—â—rds I sée And eke thine issue must be such as other cattles bée Oh that I were a mortall wight as other creatures are For then might death in length of time quite rid mée of this care But now bycause I am a God and fate doth death denie There is no helpe but that my griefe must last eternallie As Inach made this piteous mone quicke sighted Argus draue His daughter into further fieldes to which he could not haue Accesse and he himselfe a loof did get him to a hill From whence he sitting at his ease viewd euerie way at will Now could no lenger Ioue abide his Louer so forlorne And therevpon he cald his sonne that Maia had him borne Commaunding Argus should be kild He made no long abod But tyde his feathers to his féete and tooke his charmed rod. With which he bringeth things a sléepe and fetcheth soules from Hell And put his Hat vpon his head and when that all was well He leaped from his fathers towres and downe to earth he flue And there both Hat and winges also he lightly from him thrue Retayning nothing but his staffe
spouses eyen That of hir husband hauing ay the Image in hir sight She may from time to time receyue some comfort and delight He had no sooner sayd these wordes but that he turnde his shielde With Gorgons heade to that same part where Phyney with a mielde And fearfull countnance set his face Then also as he wride His eyes away his necke waxt stiffe his teares to stone were dride A countnance in the stonie stocke of feare did still appeare With humble looke and yéelding handes and gastly ruthfull cheare With conquest and a noble wife doth Persey home repaire And in reuengement of the right against the wrongfull heyre As in his Graundsires iust defence he falles in hand with Prete Who like no brother but a foe did late before defeate King Acrise of his townes by warre and of his royall seate But neyther could his men of warre nor fortresse won by wrong Defend him from the griesly looke of grim Medusa long And yet thée foolish Polydect of little Seriph King Such rooted rancor inwardly continually did sting That neyther Perseys prowesse tride in such a sort of broyles Nor yet the parils he endurde nor all his troublous toyles Could cause thy stomacke to relent Within thy stonie brest Workes such a kinde of festred hate as cannot be represt Thy wrongfull malice hath none ende Moreouer thou of spite Kepining at his worthy praise his doings doste backbite Upholding that Medusas death was but a forged lie So long till Persey for to shewe the truth apparantly Desiring such as were his friendes to turne away their eye Drue out Medusas ougly head At sight whereof anon The hatefull Tyran Polydect was turned to a stone The Goddesse Pallas all this while did kéepe continually Hir brother Persey companie till now that she did stie From Seriph in a hollow cloud and leauing on the right The Iles of Scyre and Gyaros she made from thence hir flight Directly ouer that same Sea as neare as eye could ame To Thebe and Mount Helicon and when she thither came She stayde hir selfe and thus bespake the learned sisters nine A rumor of an vncouth spring did pierce these eares of mine The which the winged stéede should make by stamping with his hoofe This is the cause of my repaire I would for certaine proofe Be glad to sée the wondrous thing For present there I stoode And saw the selfe same Pegasus spring of his mothers blood Dame Vranie did entertaine and aunswere Pallas thus What cause so euer moues your grace to come and visit vs Most heartely you welcome are and certaine is the fame Of this our Spring that Pegasus was causer of the same And with that worde she led hir forth to sée the sacred spring Who musing greatly with hir selfe at straungenesse of the thing Surueyde the Woodes and groues about of auncient stately port And when she saw the Bowres to which the Muses did resort And pleasant fields beclad with herbes of sundrie hew and sort She said that for their studies sake they were in happie cace And also that to serue their turne they had so trim a place Then one of them replied thus O noble Ladie who But that your vertue greater workes than these are calles you to Should else haue bene of this our troupe your saying is full true To this our trade of life and place is commendation due And sure we haue a luckie lot and if the world were such As that we might in safetie liue but lewdnesse reignes so much That all things make vs Maides afraide Me thinkes I yet do sée The wicked Tyran Pyren still my heart is yet scarce free From that same feare with which it hapt vs flighted for to bée This cruell Pyren was of Thrace and with his men of war The land of Phocis had subdude and from this place not far Within the Citie Davvlis reignde by force of wrongfull hand One day to Phebus Temples warde that on Parnasus stand As we were going in our way he met vs courteously And by the name of Goddesses saluting reuerently Said O ye Dames of Meonie for why he knew vs well I pray you stay and take my house vntill this storme there fell That time a tempest and a showre be past the Gods aloft Haue entred smaller sheddes than mine full many a time and oft The rainie weather and hys wordes so moued vs that wée To go into an outer house of his did all agrée As soone as that the showre was past and heauen was voyded clearâ— Of all the Cloudes which late before did euery where appeare Untill that Boreas had subdude the rainie Southerne winde We woulde haue by and by bene gone He shet the doores in minde To rauish vs but we with wings escaped from his hands He purposing to follow vs vpon a Turret stands And sayth he néedes will after vs the same way we did 〈◊〉 And with that worde full frantickly he leapeth downe from hie And pitching euelong on his face the bones a sunder crasht And dying all abrode the ground his wicked bloud bedasht Now as the Muse was telling this they heard a noyse of wings And from the leauie boughes aloft a sound of gréeting rings â–ª Minerua looking vp thereat demaunded whâ—nce the sounde Of tongues that so distinctly spake did come so plaine and rounde She thought some woman or some man had gréeted hir that stounde It was a flight of Birdes Nyne Pies bewailing their mischaunce In counterfetting euerie thing from bough to bough did daunce As Pallas wondred at the sight the Muse spake thus in summe These also being late ago in chalenge ouercome Made one kinde more of Birdes than was of auncient time beforne In Macedone they were about the Citie Pella borne Of Pierus a great riche Chuffe and Euip who by ayde Of strong Lucina trauelling ninetimes nine times was laide Of daughters in hir childbed safe This fond and foolish rouâ— Of doltish sisters taking pride and waxing verie stout Bicause they were in number nine came flocking all togither Through all the townes of Thessalie and all Achaia hither And vs with these or such like wordes to combate did prouoke Cease off ye Thespian Goddesses to mocke the sâ—mple folke With fondnesse of your Melodie And if ye thinke in déede Ye can doe ought contend with vs and sée how you shall speede I warrant you ye passe vs not in cunning nor in voyce Ye are here nine and so are we We put you to the choyce That eyther we will vanquish you and set you quight beside Your fountaine made by Pegasus which is your chiefest pride And Aganippe too or else confounde you vs and we Of all the woods of Macedone will dispossessed be As farre as snowie Peonie and let the Nymphes be Iudges Now in good sooth it was a shame to cope with suchie Drudges But yet more shame it was to yéeld The chosen Nymphes did sweare By Styx and sate them downe on seates of stone that
father Bacchus pardon mée My sinne I will not hyde Haue mercy I beséech thée and vouchsauf too rid mée quyght From this same harme that séemes so good and glorious vntoo syght The gentle Bacchus streight vppon confession of his cryme Restored Midas too the state hée had in former tyme. And hauing made performance of his promis hée béereft him The gift that he had graunted him And least he should haue left him Béedawbed with the dregges of that same gold which wickedly Hée wisshed had he willed him too get him by and by Too that great ryuer which dooth ronne by Sardis towne and there Along the chanell vp the streame his open armes to beare Untill he commeth too the spring and then his head too put Full vnderneathe the foming spowt where greatest was the gut And so in wasshing of his limbes too wash away his cryme The king as was commaunded him ageinst the streame did clyme And streyght the powre of making gold departing quyght from him Infects the ryuer making it with golden streame too swim The force whereof the bankes about so soked in theyr veynes That euen as yit the yellow gold vppon the cloddes remaynes Then Midas hating riches haunts the pasturegrounds and groues And vp down with Pan among the Lawnds mountaines roues But still a head more fat than wyse and dolâ—â—sh wit he hath The which as erst yit once againe must woork theyr mayster scath The mountayne Tmole from loftye toppe too seaward looketh downe And spreading farre his boorely sydes extendeth too the towne Of Sardis with the tonesyde and too Hypep with the toother There Pan among the fayrye elues that dawneed round toogither In setting of his conning out for singing and for play Uppon his pype of réedes and war presuming for too say â–ª Apollos musick was not like too his did take in hand A farre vnequall match wherof the Tmole for iudge should stand The auncient iudge sitts downe vppon his hill and ridds his eares From trées and onely on his head an Oken garloâ—d weares Wherof the Acornes dangled downe about his hollow brow And looking on the God of nâ—ate he sayd yée néede not now Too tarry longer for your iudge Then Pan blew lowd and strong His country pype of réedes and with his rude and homely song Delighted Midas eares for he by chaunce was in the throng When Pan had doone the sacred Tmole too Phebus turnd his looke And with the turning of his head his busshye heare he shooke Then Phebus with a crowne of â—ay vppon his golden heare Did swéepe the ground with scarlet robe In left hand he did beare His viall made of precious stones and Iuorye intermirt And in his right hand for too strike his bowe was réedy fixt He was the verrye paterne of a good Musician ryght Anon he gan with conning hand the tuned strings too smyght The swéetenesse of the which did so the iudge of them delyght That Pan was willed for to put his Réedepype in his cace And not too fiddle nor too sing where vialls were in place The iudgement of the holy hill was lyked well of all Saue Midas who found fault therwith and wrongfull did it call Apollo could not suffer well his foolish eares too kéepe Theyr humaine shape but drew them wyde made them long déepe And filld them full of whytish heares and made them downe too sag. And through too much vnstablenesse continually too wag His body kéeping in the rest his manly figure still Was ponnisht in the part that did offend for want of skill And so a slowe paaste Asses eares his heade did after beare This shame endeuereth he too hyde And therefore he did weare A purple nyghtcappe euer since But yit his Barber who Was woont too notte him spyâ—d it and béeing eager too Disclose it when he neyther durst too vtter it nor could It kéepe in secret still hée went and digged vp the mowld And whispring softly in the pit declaard what eares hée spyde His mayster haue and turning downe the clowre ageine did hyde His blabbed woordes within the ground and closing vp the pit Departed thence and neuer made mo woordes at all of it Soone after there began a tuft of quiuering réedes too growe Which béeing rype bewrayd theyr séede and him that did them sowe For when the gentle sowtherne wynd did lyghtly on them blowe They vttred foorth the woordes that had béene buried in the ground And so reproude the Asses eares of Midas with theyr sound Apollo after this reuenge from Tmolus tooke his flyght And sweeping through the ayre did on the selfsame syde alyght Of Hellespontus in the Realme of king Laomedon There stoode vppon the right syde of Sigaeum and vppon The left of Rhetye cliffe that tyme an Altar buylt of old Too Ioue that héereth all mennes woordes Héere Phebus did behold The foresayd king Laomedon beginning for too lay Foundation of the walles of Troy which woork from day too day Went hard and slowly forward and requyrd no little charge Then he toogither with the God that rules the surges large Did put themselues in shape of men and bargaynd with the king Of Phrygia for a summe of gold his woork too end too bring Now when the woork was done the king theyr wages them denayd And falsly faaste them downe with othes it was not as they sayd Thou shalt not mock vs vnreuendgd ê™ Neptune And anon He caused all the surges of the sea too rush vppon The shore of couetous Troy and made the countrye like the déepe The goodes of all the husbandmen away he quight did swéepe And ouerwhelmd theyr féeldes with waues And thinking this too small A pennance for the falsehod he demaunded therwithall His daughter for a monster of the Sea whom béeing bound Untoo a rocke stout Hercules deliuering â—aufe and sound Requyrd his stéeds which were the hyre for which he did compound And when that of so great desert the king denyde the hyre The twyce forsworne false towne of Troy he sacked in his ire And Telamon in honour of his seruice did enioy The Lady Hesion daughter of the couetous king of Troy For Peleus had already got a Goddesse too his wife And liued vntoo both theyr ioyes a right renowmed lyfe And sure he was not prowder of his graundsyre than of thée That wert become his fathrinlaw For many mo than hée Haue had the hap of mighty Ioue the nephewes for too bee But neuer was it héeretoofore the chaunce of any one Too haue a Goddesse too his wyfe saue only his alone For vntoo watry Thetis thus old Protevv did foretell Go marry thou shalt beare a sonne whose dooings shall excell His fathers farre in feates of armes and greater he shall bée In honour hygh renowme and fame than euer erst was hée This caused Ioue the watry bed of Thetis too forbeare Although his hart were more than warme with loue of her for feare The world sum other greater thing than
as in his owne bée soong Wherein although for pleasant style I cannot make account Too match myne author who in that all other dooth surmount Yit gentle Reader doo I trust my trauell in this cace May purchace fauour in thy sight my dooings too embrace Considring what a sea of goodes and Iewelles thou shalt fynd Not more delyghtfull too the eare than frutefull too the mynd For this doo lerned persons déeme of Ouids present woorke That in no one of all his bookes the which he wrate doo lurke Mo darke and secret misteries mo counselles wyse and sage Mo good ensamples mo reprooues of vyce in youth and age Mo fyne inuentions too delight mo matters clerkly knit No nor more straunge varietie too shew a lerned wit The high the lowe the riche the poore the mayster and the slaue The mayd the wife the man the chyld the simple and the braue The yoong the old the good the bad the warriour strong and stout The wyse the foole the countrie cloyne the lerned and the lout And euery other liuing wight shall in this mirrour sée His whole estate thoughtes woordes and déedes expresly shewd too bée Whereof if more particular examples thou doo craue In reading the Epistle through thou shalt thy longing haue Moreouer thou mayst fynd herein descriptions of the tymes With constellacions of the starres and planettes in theyr clymes The Sites of Countries Cities hilles seas forestes playnes and floods The natures both of fowles beastes wormes herbes mettals stones woods And finally what euer thing is straunge and delectable The same conueyed shall you fynd most featly in some fable And euen as in a cheyne eche linke within another wynds And both with that that went before and that that followes binds So euery tale within this booke dooth séeme too take his ground Of that that was reherst before and enters in the bound Of that that folowes after it and euery one giues light Too other so that whoo so méenes too vnderstand them ryght Must haue a care as well too know the thing that went before As that the which he presently desyres too sée so sore Now too thintent that none haue cause héereafter too complaine Of mee as setter out of things that are but light and vaine If any stomacke be so weake as that it cannot brooke The liuely setting forth of things described in this booke I giue him counsell too absteine vntill he bée more strong And for too vse Vlysses feat ageinst the Meremayds song Or if he néedes will héere and sée and wilfully agrée Through cause misconstrued vntoo vice allured for too bée Then let him also marke the peine that dooth therof ensue And hold himself content with that that too his fault is due FINIS ¶ The first booke of Ouids Metamorphosis translated into Englyshe Meter OF shapes transformde to bodies straunge I purpose tâ— entreate Ye gods vouchsafe for you are they y â—wrought this woÌ„drous feate To further this mine enterprise And from the world begunne Graunt that my verse may to my time his course directly runne Before the Sea and Lande were made and Heauen that all doth hide In all the worlde one onely face of nature did abide Which Chaos hight a huge rude heape and nothing else but euen A heauie lump and clottred clod of séedes togither driuen Of things at strife among themselues for want of order due No sunne as yet with lightsome beames the shapelesse world did vew No Moone in growing did repayre hir hornes with borowed light Nor yet the earth amiddes the ayre did hang by wondrous slight Iust peysed by hir proper weight Nor winding in and out Did Amphitrytee with hir armes embrace the earth about For where was earth was sea and ayre so was the earth vnstable The ayre all darke the sea likewise to beare a ship vnable No kinde of thing had proper shape but ech confounded other For in one selfe same bodie stroue the hote and colde togither The moyst with drie the soft with hard the light with things of weight This strife did God and Nature breake and set in order streight The earth from heauen the sea from earth he parted orderly And from the thicke and foggie ayre he tooke the lightsome skie Which when he once vnfolded had and seuered from the blinde And clodded heape He setting eche from other did them binde In endlesse friendship to agree The fire most pure and bright The substance of the heauen it selfe bicause it was so light Did mount aloft and set it selfe in highest place of all The second roume of right to ayre for lightnesse did befall The earth more grosse drew down with it eche weighty kinde of matter And set it selfe in lowest place Againe the wauing water Did lastly chalenge for his place the vtmost coast and bound Of all the compasse of the earth to close the stedfast ground Now when he in this foresaid wise what God so ere he was Had broke and into members put this rude confused masse Then first bicause in euery part the earth should equall bée He made it like a mighty ball in compasse as we sée And here and there he cast in seas to whome he gaue a lawe To swell with euery blast of winde and euery stormie flawe And with their waues continually to beate vpon the shore Of all the earth within their boundes enclosde by them afore Moreouer Springs and mighty Méeres and Lakes he did augment And flowing streames of crooked brookes in winding bankes he pent Of which the earth doth drinke vp some and some with rest lesse race Do séeke the sea where finding scope of larger roume and space In steade of bankes they beate on shores He did coÌ„maund the plaine And champion groundes to stretch out wide and valleys to remaine Aye vnderneath and eke the woods to hide them decently With tender leaues and stonie hilles to lift themselues on hie And as two Zones doe cut the Heauen vpon the righter side And other twaine vpon the left likewise the same deuide The middle in outragious heat excéeding all the rest Euen so likewise through great foresight to God it séemed best The earth encluded in the same should so deuided bée As with the number of the Heauen hir Zones might full agrée Of which the middle Zone in heate the vtmost twaine in colde Excéede so farre that there to dwell no creature dare be bolde Betwéene these two so great extremes two other Zones are fixt Where temprature of heate and colde indifferently is mixt Now ouer this doth hang the Ayre which as it is more sleightie Than earth or water so againe than fire it is more weightie There hath he placed mist and cloudes and for to feare mens mindes The thunder and the lightning eke with colde and blustring windes But yet the maker of the worlde permitteth not alway The windes to vse the ayre at will For at this present day Though ech from other placed be in sundry coasts
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
on his hardened side He felt the sâ—ales new budding out the which was wholy fret With speccled droppes of blacke and gray as thicke as could be set He falleth groueling on his breast and both his shankes doe growe In one round spindle Bodkinwise with sharpned point below His armes as yet remayned still his armes that did remayne He stretched out and sayde with teares that plentuously did raine A downe his face which yet did kéepe the natiue fashion sownd Come hither wyfe come hither wight most wretched on the ground And whyle that ought of mée remaynes vouchsafe to touche the same Come take mée by the hand as long as hand may haue his name Before this snakish shape doe whole my body ouer runne He would haue spoken more when sodainely his tongue begunne To split in two and speache did fayle and as he did attempt To make his mone he hist for nature now had cleane exempt All other speach His wretched wyfe hir naked stomack béete And cryde what meaneth this deare Cadmus where are now thy féete Where are thy shoulders and thy handes thy hew and manly face With all the other things that did thy princely person grace Which nowe I ouerpasse But why yée Goddes doe you delay My bodie into lyke misshape of Serpent to conuay When this was spoken Cadmus lickt his wyfe about the lippes And as a place with which he was acquaynted well he slippes Into hir boosome louingly embracing hir and cast Himselfe about hir necke as oft he had in tyme forepast Such as were there their folke were there were flaighted at the â—ight For by and by they sawe their neckes did glister slicke and bright And on their snakish heades grew crests and finally they both Were into verie Dragons tournd and foorth together goth Lone trayling by the tothers side vntill they gaynd a wood The which direct against the place where as they were then stood And now remembring what they were themselues in tymes forepast They neyther shonne nor hurten men with stinging nor with blast But yet a comfort to them both in this their altred hew Became that noble impe of theirs that Indie did subdew Whom al Achaia worshipped with temples builded new All only Acrise Abas sonne though of the selfe same stocke Remaind who out of Argos walles vnkindly did him locke And moued wilfull warre against his Godhead thinking that There was not any race of Goddes for he beleued not That Persey was the sonne of Ioue or that he was conceyued By Danae of golden shower through which shée was deceiued But yet ere long such present force hath truth he doth repent As well his great impietie against God Bacchus meant As also that he did disdiane his Nephew for to knowe But Bacchus now full gloriously himselfe in Heauen doth showe And Persey bearing in his hand the monster Gorgons head That famous spoyle which here and there with snakish haire was spread Doth beat the ayre with wauyng wings And as he ouerflew The Lybicke sandes the droppes of bloud that from the head did sew Of Gorgon being new cut off vpon the ground did fal Which taking them and as it were conceyuing therwithall Engendred sundrie Snakes and wormes by meanes wherof that clyme Did swarme with Serpents euer since euen to this present tyme. From thence he lyke a watrie cloud was caried with the weather Through all the heauen now here now there as light as any feather And from aloft he viewes the earth that vnderneath doth lie And swiftly ouer all the worlde doth in conclusion flie Thrée times the chilling beares thrée times y â— crabbes fel cleas he saw Oft times to Weast oftimes to East did driue him many a flaw Now at such time as vnto rest the sonne began to drawe Bicause he did not thinke it good to be abroad all night Within King Atlas western Realme he ceased from his flight Requesting that a little space of rest enioy he might Untill such tyme as Lucifer should bring the morning gray And morning bring the lightsome Sunne that guides the cherefull day This Atlas Iapets Nephewe was a man that did excell In stature euerie other wight that in the worlde did dwell The vtmost coast of all the earth and all that Sea wherein The tyred stéedes and wearied Wayne of Phoebus diued bin Were in subiection to this King A thousande flockes of shéepe A thousand heirdes of Rother beastes he in his fields did kéepe And not a neighbor did anoy his ground by dwelling nie To him the wandring Persey thus his language did applie If high renowne of royall race thy noble heart may moue I am the sonne of Ioue himselfe or if thou more approue The valiant déedes and hault exploytes thou shalt perceiue in mée Such doings as deserue with prayse extolled for to bée I pray thée of thy courtesie receiue mée as thy guest And let mée only for this night within thy palace rest King Atlas called straight to minde an auncient prophesie Made by Parnassian Themys which this sentence did implie The time shall one day Atlas come in which thy golden trée Shall of hir fayre and precious fruite dispoyld and robbed bée And he shall be the sonne of Ioue that shall enioy the pray For feare hereof he did enclose his Orchard euerie way With mightie hilles and put an ougly Dragon in the same To kéepe it Further he forbad that any straunger came Within his Realme and to this knight he sayde presumtuouslie Auoyd my land onlesse thou wilt by vtter perill trie That all thy glorious actes whereof thou doest so loudly lie And Ioue thy father be too farre to helpe thée at thy néede To these his wordes he added force add went about in déede To driue him out by strength of hand To speake was losse of winde For neyther could intreating faire nor stoutnesse tourne his minde Well then ê™ Persey sith thou doest mine honour set so light Take here a present and with that he turnes away his sight And from his left side drewe mée out Medusas lothly head As huge and big as Atlas was he tourned in that stead Into a mountaine Into trées his beard and locks did passe His hands and shoulders made the ridge that part which lately was His head became the highest top of all the hill his bones Were turnd to stones and therewithall he grew mée all at ones Beyond all measure vp in heigth For so God thought it best So farre that Heauen with all the starres did on his shoulders rest In endlesse prison by that time had Aëolus lockt the wind And now the chéerely morning starre that putteth folke in mind To rise about their daylie worke shone brightly in the skie Then Persey vnto both his féete did streight his feathers tie And girt his Woodknife to his side and from the earth did stie And leauing nations nomberlesse beneath him euerie way At last vpon King Cepheyes fields in Aethiop did he stay Where cleane against all right
his bane And Danus with another Dart was striken in the mouth There died also Celadon a Gypsâ—e of the South And so did bastard Astrey too whose mother was a Iew And sage Ethion well foreséene in things that should ensew But vtterly beguilde as then by Birdes that aukly flew King Cepheyes harnessebearer callde Thoactes lost his life And Agyrt whom for murdring late his father with a knife The worlde spake shame off Nathelesse much more remainde behinde Than was dispatched of of hand for all were full in minde To murder one the wicked throng had sworne to spend their blood Against the right and such a man as had deserued good A totherside although in vaine of mere affection stood The father and the Motherinlaw and eke the heauie bride Who filled with their piteous playnt the Court on euerie side But now the clattring of the swordes and harnesse at that â—â—de With grieuous grones and sighes of such as wounded were or dide Did raise vp such a cruell rore that nothing could be heard For fierce Bellona so renewde the battell afterward That all the house did swim in blood Duke Phyney with a rout Of moe than a thousand men enuirond round about The valiant Persey all alone The Dartes of Phyneys bande Came thicker than the Winters hayle doth fall vpon the lande By both his sides his eyes and eares He warely therevpon Withdrawes and leanes his backe against a huge great arche of stone And being safe behind he â—ettes his face against his foe Withstanding all their fierce assaultes There did assaile him thoe Upon the left side Molpheus a Prince of Choanie And on the right Ethemon borne hard by in Arabie Like as the Tyger when he heares the lowing out of Neate In sundrie Medes enforced sore through abstinence from meate Would faine be doing with them both and can not tell at which Were best to giue aduenture first So Persey who did itch To be at host with both of them and doubtfull whether side To turne him on the right or left vpon aduantage spide Did wound me Molphey on the leg and from him quight him draue He was contented with his flight for why Ethemon gaue No respite to him to pursue but like a franticke man Through egernesse to wounde his necke without regarding whan Or how to strike for haste he burst his brittle sworde in twaine Against the Arche the poynt whereof rebounding backe againe Did hit himselfe vpon the throte Howbeit that same wound Was vnsufficient for to sende Ethemon to the ground He trembled holding vp his handes for mercie but in vaine For Persey thrust him through the heart with Hermes hooked skaine But when he saw that valiantnesse no lenger could auayle By reason of the multitude that did him still assayle Sith you your selues me force to call mine enmie to mine ayde I will do so if any friend of mine be here he sayd Sirs turne your faces all away and therewithall he drew Out Gorgons head One Thessalus streight raging to him flew And sayd go séeke some other man whome thou mayst make abasht With these thy foolish iuggling toyes And as he would haue dasht His Iaueling in him with that worde to kill him out of hand With gesture throwing forth his Dart all Marble did he stand His sworde through Lyncids noble heart had Amphix thought to shoue His hand was stone and neyther one nor other way could moue But Niley who did vaunt himselfe to be the Riuers sonne That through the boundes of Aegypt land in channels .vij. doth runne And in his shielde had grauen part of siluer part of golde The said .vij. channels of the Nile sayd Persey here beholde From whence we fetch our piedegrée it may reioyce thy hart To die of such a noble hand as mine â–ª The latter part Of these his words could scarce be heard the dint therof was drownde Ye would haue thought him speaking still with open mouth but sound Did none forth passe there was for speache no passage to be found Rebuking them cries Eryx Sirs it is not Gorgons face It is your owne faint heartes that make you stonie in this case Come let vs on this fellow run and to the ground him beare That feightes by witchcraft as with that his féete forth stepping were They stacke still fastened to the floore he could not moue a side An armed image all of stone he speachlesse did abide All these were iustly punished But one there was a knight Of Perseys band in whose defence as Acont stoode to feight He waxed ouergrowne with stone at vgly Gorgons sight Whome still as yet Astyages supposing for to liue Did with a long sharpe arming sworde a washing blow him giue The sword did clinke against the stone and out the sparcles driue While all amazde Astyages stoode wondring at the thing The selfe same nature on himselfe the Gorgons head did bring And in his visage which was stone a countnance did remaine Of wondring still A wearie worke it were to tell you plaine The names of all the common sort Two hundred from that fray Did scape vnslaine but none of them did go aliue away The whole two hundred euery one at â—ight of Gorgons heare Were turned into stockes of stone Then at the length for feare Did Phyney of his wrongfull war forthinke himselfe full sore But now alas what remedie he saw there stand before His face his men like Images in sundrie shapes all stone He knew them well and by their names did call them eueryâ—hone Desiring them to succor him and trusting not his sight He féeles the bodies that were next and all were Marble quight He turnes himselfe from Persey ward and humbly as he standes He wries his armes behind his backe and holding vp his handes O noble Persey thou hast got the vpper hand he sed Put vp that monstruous shield of thine put vp that Gorgons head That into stones transformeth men put vp I thée desire Not hatred nor bicause to reigne as King I did aspire Haue moued me to make this fray The only force of loue In séeking my betrothed spouse did herevnto me moue The better title séemeth thine bicause of thy desert And mine by former promise made It irkes me at the heart In that I did not giue the place None other thing I craue O worthie knight but that thou graunt this life of mine to saue Let all things else beside be thine As he thus humbly spake Not daring looke at him to whome he did entreatance make The thing quoth Persey which to graunt both I can finde in heart And is no little courtesie to shewe without desert Upon a Coward I will graunt O fearfull Duke to thée Set feare a side thou shalt not hurt with any weapon bée I will moreouer so prouide as that thou shalt remaine An euerlasting monument of this dayes toyle and paine The pallace of my Fathrinlaw shall henceforth be thy shrine Where thou shalt stand continually before my
at his girdle hung He tooke hir rudely by the haire and wrung hir hands behind hir Compelling hir to holde them there while he himselfe did bind hir When Philomela sawe the sworde she hoapt she should haue dide And for the fame hir naked throte she gladly did prouide But as she yirnde and called ay vpon hir fathers name And striued to haue spoken still the cruell tyrant came And with a paire of pinsons fast did catch hir by the tung And with his sword did cut it off The stumpe whereon it hung Did patter still The tip fell downe and quiuering on the ground As though that it had murmured it made a certaine sound And as an Adders tayle cut off doth skip a while euen so The tip of Philomelaas tongue did wriggle to and fro And nearer to hir mistresseward in dying still did go And after this most cruell act for certaine men report That he I scarcely dare beleue did oftentimes resort To maymed Philomela and abusde hir at his will Yet after all this wickednesse he kéeping countnance still Durst vnto Progne home repaire And she immediatly Demaunded where hir sister was He sighing feynedly Did tell hir falsly she was dead and with his suttle teares He maketh all his tale to séeme of credit in hir eares Hir garments glittring all with golde she from hir shoulders teares And puts on blacke and setteth vp an emptie Herce and kéepes A solemne obite for hir soule and piteously she wéepes And waileth for hir sisters fate who was not in such wise As that was for to be bewailde The Sunne had in the Skies Past through the twelue celestiall signes and finisht full a yeare But what should Philomela doe She watched was so neare That start she could not for hir life the walles of that same graunge Were made so high of maine hard stone that out she could not raunge Againe hir tunglesse mouth did want the vtterance of the fact Great is the wit of pensiuenesse and when the head is ract With hard misfortune sharpe forecast of practise entereth in A warpe of white vpon a frame of Thracia she did pin And weaued purple letters in betwéene it which bewraide The wicked déede of Tereus And hauing done she praide A certaine woman by hir signes to beare them to hir mistresse She bare them and deliuered them not knowing nerethelesse What was in them The Tyrants wife vnfolded all the clout And of hir wretched fortune red the processe whole throughout She held hir peace a wondrous thing it is she should so doe But sorrow tide hir tongue and wordes agréeable vnto Hir great displeasure were not at commaundment at that stound And wéepe she could not Ryght and wrong she reckeneth to confound And on reuengement of the déede hir heart doth wholy ground It was the time that wiues of Thrace were wont to celebrate The thrée yeare rites of Bacchus which were done a nighttimes late A nighttimes soundeth Rhodope of tincling pannes and pots A nighttimes giuing vp hir house abrode Quéene Progne trots Disguisde like Bacchus other froes and armed to the proofe With all the frenticke furniture that serues for that behoofe Hir head was couered with a vine About hir loose was tuckt A Reddéeres skin a lightsome Launce vpon hir shoulder ruckt In poast gaddes terrible Progne through the woods and at hir héeles A flocke of froes and where the sting of sorrow which she féeles Enforceth hir to furiousnesse she feynes it to procéede Of Bacchus motion At the length she finding out in déede The outset Graunge howlde out and cride now well and open brake The gates and streight hir sister thence by force of hand did take And veyling hir in like attire of Bacchus hid hir head With Iuie leaues and home to Court hir sore amazed led Assoone as Philomela wist she set hir foote within That cursed house the wretched soule to shudther did begin â–ª And all hir face waxt pale Anon hir sister getting place Did pull off Bacchus â—â—ad attire and making bare hir face Embraced hir betwéene hir armes But she considering that Quéene Progne was a Cucqueane made by meanes of hir durst nat Once raise hir eyes but on the ground fast fixed helde the same And where she woulde haue taken God to witnesse that the shame And villanie was wrought to hir by violence she was fayne To vse hir hand in stead of speache Then Progne chaaft a maine And was not able in hir selfe hir choler to restraine But blaming Philomela for hir wéeping said these wordes Thou must not deale in this behalfe with wéeping but with swordes Or with some thing of greater force than swords For my part I Am readie yea and fully bent all mischiefe for to trie This pallace will I eyther set on fire and in the same Bestow the cursed Tereus the worker of our shame Or pull away his tongue or put out both his eyes or cut Away those members which haue thée to such dishonor put Or with a thousand woundes expulse that sinfull soule of his The thing that I doe purpose on is great what ere it is I know not what it may be yet While Progne herevnto Did set hir minde came Itys in who taught hir what to doe She staring on him cruelly said Ah how like thou art Thy wicked father and without moe wordes a sorowfull part She purposed such inward ire was boyling in hir heart But notwithstanding when hir sonne approched to hir neare And louingly had gréeted hir by name of mother deare And with his pretie armes about the necke had hugde hir fast And flattring wordes with childish toyes in kissing forth had cast The mothers heart of hirs was then constreyned to relent Asswaged wholy was the rage to which she erst was bent And from hir eyes against hir will the teares enforced went But when she saw how pitie did compell hir heart to yeelde She turned to hir sisters face from Itys and behelde Now tone now tother earnestly and said why tattles he And she sittes dumbe bereft of tongue as well why calles not she Me sister as this boy doth call me mother Séest thou not Thou daughter of Pandion what a husband thou hast got Thou growest wholy out of kinde To such a husband as Is Tereus pitie is a sinne No more delay there was She dragged Itys after hir as when it happes in Inde A Tyger gets a little Calfe that suckes vpon a Hynde And drags him through the shadie woods And when that they had found A place within the house far off and far aboue the ground Then Progne strake him with a sword now plainly séeing whother He should and holding vp his handes and crying mother mother And flying to hir necke euen where the brest and side doe bounde And neuer turnde away hir face Inough had bene that wound Alone to bring him to his ende The tother sister slit His throte And while some life and soule was in his members yit
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
a mannes voyce as it was in déede For too her choyce The God of sea had giuen consent He graunted him besyde That frée from wounding and from hurt he should from thence abyde And that he should not dye of stéele Right glad of this same graunt Away went Ceny and the féeldes of Thessaly did haunt And in the feates of Cheualrye from that tyme spent his lyfe The ouer bold Ixions sonne had taken too his wyfe Hippodame And keuering boordes in bowres of boughes of trées His Clowdbred brothers one by one he placed in degrées There were the Lordes of Thessaly I also was among The rest a chéerefull noyse of feast through all the Pallace roong Sum made the altars smoke and sum the brydale carrolls soong Anon commes in the mayden bryde a goodly wench of face With wyues and maydens following her with comly gate and grace Wée sayd that sir Pirithous was happy in his wyfe Which handsell had deceyued vs wellnéere through soodeine stryfe For of the cruell Centavvres thou most cruell Evvryt tho Like as thy stomacke was with wyne farre ouer charged so Assoone as thou behilldst the bryde thy hart began too frayne And doubled with thy droonkennesse thy raging lust did reigne The feast was troubled by and by with tables ouerthrowen The bryde was hayled by the head so farre was furye growen Féerce Evvryt caught Hippodame and euery of the rest Caught such as â—ommed next to hand or such as likte him best It was the liuely image of a Citie tane by foes The house did ring of womens shréekes â–ª wée all vp quickly rose And first sayd Theseus thus What aylst art mad O Evvrytus That darest séeing mée aliue misâ—se Pirithöus Not knowing that in one thou doost abvse vs bothe And least He myght haue seemd too speake in vayne he thrustway such as preast About the bryde and tooke her from them freating sore thereat No answere made him Evvrytus for such a déede as that Defended could not bee with woordes but with his sawcye fist He flew at gentle Theseus face and bâ—â—d him on the brist By chaunce hard by an auncient cuppe of image woork did stand Which being howge himself more howge sir Theseus tooke in hand And threwt at Evvryts head He spewd as well at mouth as wound Mirt cloddes of blood and brayne and wyne and on the soyled ground Lay sprawling bolt vpryght The death of him did set the rest His dowblelimbed brothers so on fyre that all the quest With one voyce cryed out kill kill The wyne had giuen them hart Theyr first encounter was with cuppes Cannes throwen ouerthwart And brittle tankerds and with boawles pannes dishes potts trayes Things seruing late for meate and drinke and then for bluddy frayes First Amycus Ophions sonne with out remorse began Too réeue and rob the brydehouse of his furniture He ran And pulled downe a Lampbeame full of lyghtes and lifting it Aloft like one that with an Ax dooth fetch his blowe too slit An Oxis necke in sacrifyse He on the forehead hit A Lapith named Celadon and crusshed so his bones That none could know him by the face both eyes flew out at ones His nose was beaten backe and too his pallat battred slat One Pelates a Macedone excéeding wroth therat Pulld out a maple tressles foote and napt him in the necks That bobbing with his chin ageinst his brest too ground he becks And as he spitted out his téeth with blackish blood he lent Another blowe too Amycus which streyght too hell him sent Gryne standing by and lowring with a fell grim visage at The smoking Altars sayd why vse we not theis same with that He caught a myghty altar vp with burning fyre thereon And it among the thickest of the Lapithes threw anon And twoo he ouer whelmd therewith calld Brote and Orion This Orions moother Mycale is knowne of certeintye The Moone resisting too haue drawne by witchcraft from the skye Full dearely shalt thou by it ê™ Exadius may I get A weapon and with that in stead of weapon he did set His hand vppon a vowd harts horne that on a Pynetrée hye Was nayld and with twoo tynes therof he strake out eyther eye Of Gryne whereof sum stacke vppon the horne and sum did flye Uppon his beard and there with blood like ielly mixt did lye A flaming fyrebrand from amids an Altar Rhaetus snatcht With which vppon the leftsyde of his head Charaxus latcht A blow that crackt his skull The blaze among his yellow heare Ran sindging vp as if dry corne with lightning blasâ—ed were And in his wound the seared blood did make a gréeuous sound As when a peece of stéele red whoâ— tane vp with tongs is drownd In water by the smith it spirts and hisseth in the trowgh Charaxus from his curled heare did shake the fyre and thowgh He wounded were yit caught he vp vppon his shoulders twayne A stone the Iawme of eyther doore that well would loade a wayne The masse therof was such as that it would not let him hiâ— His fo Iâ— lighted short and with the falling downe of it A mate of his that Comet hyght it all in péeces smit Then Rhaete restreyning not his ioy sayd thus I would the rowt Of all thy mates myght in the selfsame maner proue them sâ—owt And with his halfeburnt brond the wound he searched new agayne Not ceasing for to lay on loade vppon his pate amayne Untill his head was crusht and of his scalp the bones did swim Among his braynes In iolly ruffe he passed streyght from him Too Coryt and Euagrus and too Dryant on a rowe Of whom when Coryt on whose chéekes yoong mossy downe gan grow Was slayne what prayse or honour ê™ Euagrus hast thou got By killing of a boy mo woordes him Rhetus suffred not Too speake but in his open mouth did thrust his burning brand And downe his throteboll too his chest Then whisking in his hand His fyrebrand round about his head he féercely did assayle The valyant Dryant but with him he could not so preuayle For as he triumpht in his lucke procéeding for too make Continuall slaughter of his foes sir Dryant with a stake Whose poynt was hardned in the fyre did cast at him a â—oyne And thrust him through the place in which the neck and shoulders ioyne He groand and from his cannell bone could scarcely pull the stake And béeing foyled with his blood too flyght he did him take Arnaeus also ran away and Lycidas likewyse And Medon whose ryght shoulderplate was also wounded flyes So did Pisenor so did Cavvne and so did Mermeros Who late outronning euery man now wounded slower goes And so did Phole and Menelas and Abas who was woont Too make a spoyle among wylde Boares as oft as he did hunt And éeke the wyzarde Astylos who counselled his mates Too leaue that fray but he too them in vayne of leauing prates He éeke too Nessus who for feare of wounding séemed shye Sayd fly
timber choke His chappes let weyght enforce his death in stead of wounding stroke This sayd by chaunce he gets a trée blowne downe by blustring blasts Of Southerne wynds and on his fo with all his myght it casts And gaue example too the rest too doo the like Within A whyle the shadowes which did hyde mount Pehon waxed thin And not a trée was left vppon mount Othris ere they went Sir Cenye vnderneathe this greate howge pyle of timber pent Did chauf and on his shoulders hard the heauy logges did beare But when aboue his face and head the trées vp stacked were So that he had no venting place too drawe his breth One whyle He faynted and anotherwhyle he heaued at the pyle Too tumble downe the loggs that lay so heauy on his backe And for too winne the open ayre ageine aboue the stacke As if the mountayne Ida lo which yoonder we doo sée So hygh by earth quake at a tyme should chaunce to shaken bée Men dowt what did become of him Sum hold opinion that The burthen of the woodes had driuen his soule too Limbo flat But Mopsus sayd it was not so For he did sée a browne Bird flying from amid the stacke and towring vp and downe It was the first tyme and the last that euer I behild That fowle When Mopsus softly saw him soring in the féeld He looked wistly after him and cryed out on hye Hayle péerlesse perle of Lapith race hayle Ceny late ago A valeant knyght and now a bird of whom there is no mo The author caused men beléeue the matter too bee so Our sorrow set vs in a rage It was too vs a gréef That by so many foes one knyght was killd without reléef Then ceast wee not too wreake our â—éene till most was slaine in fyght And that the rest discomfitâ—d were fled away by nyght As Nestor all the processe of this battell did reherce Betwéene the valeant Lapithes and misshapen Centavvres ferce Tlepolemus displeased sore that Hercules was past With silence could not hold his peace but out theis woordes did cast My Lord I muse you should forget my fathers prayse so quyght For often vntoo mée himself was woonted too recite How that the clowdbred folk by him were chéefly put too flyght Ryght sadly Nestor answerd thus Why should you mée constreyne Too call too mynd forgotten gréefs and for to réere ageine The sorrowes now outworne by tyme or force mée too declare The hatred and displeasure which I too your father bare In sooth his dooings greater were than myght bée well beléeued He fild the world with high renowme which nobly he atchéeued Which thing I would I could denye For neyther set wee out Deïphobus Polydamas nor Hector that most stout And valeant knyght the strength of Troy For whoo will prayse his fo Your father ouerthrew the walles of Messen long ago And razed Pyle and Ely townes vnwoorthye seruing so And feerce ageinst my fathers house hée vsde bothe swoord and fyre And not too speake of others whom he killed in his tre Twyce six wée were the sonnes of Nele all lusty gentlemen Twyce six of vs excepting mée by him were murthred then The death of all the rest myght seeme a matter not so straunge But straunge was Periclymens death whoo had the powre too chaunge And leaue and take what shape he list by Neptune too him giuen The founder of the house of Nele For when he had béene driuen Too try all shapes and none could help he last of all became The fowle that in his hooked féete dooth beare the flasshing flame Sent downe from heauen by Iupiter He practising those birds With flapping wings and bowwing beake and hooked talants girds At Hercle and béescratcht his face Too certeine I may say Thy father amde his shaft at him For as hée towring lay Among the clowdes he hit him vnderneath the wing The stroke Was small Howbéet bycause therwith the sinewes being broke He wanted strength too maynteine flyght he fell me too the ground Through weakenesse of his wing The shaft that sticked in the wound By reason of the burthen of his bodye perst his syde And at the leftsyde of his necke all bloodye foorth did glyde Now tell mée O thou beawtyfull Lord Amirall of the fléete Of Rhodes if mée too speake the prayse of Hercle it bée méete But least that of my brothers deathes men think I doo desyre A further vendge than silence of the prowesse of thy syre I loue thée euen with all my hart and take thée for my fréend When Nestor of his pleasant tales had made this fréendly end They called for a boll of wyne and from the table went And all the resdew of the nyght in sléeping soundly spent But neptune like a father tooke the matter sore too hart That Cygnet too a Swan he was constreyned too conuert And hating féerce Achilles he did wreake his cruell téene Uppon him more vncourteously than had beséeming béene For when the warres well neere full twyce fyue yéeres had lasted Hée Unshorne Apollo thus bespake O neuew vntoo mée Most déere of all my brothers impes who helpedst mée too lay Foundation of the walles of Troy for which we had no pay And canst thou syghes forbeare too sée the Asian Empyre fall And dooth it not lament thy hart when thou too mynd doost call So many thousand people slayne in kéeping Ilion wall Or too th entent particlerly I doo not speake of all Remembrest thou not Hectors Ghost whoo harryed was about His towne of Troy where nerethelesse Achilles that same stout And farre in fyght more butcherly whoo stryues with all his myght Too stroy the woorke of mée and thée liues still in healthfull plyght â–ª If euer hée doo come within my daunger he shall féele What force is in my tryple mace But sith with swoord of stéele I may not méete him as my fo I pray thée vnbéeware Go kill him with a sodeine shaft and rid mée of my care Apollo did consent as well his vncle for too please As also for a pryuate grudge himself had for too ease And in a clowd he downe among the host of Troy did slyde Where Paris dribbling out his shaftes among the Gréekes hée spyde And telling him what God he was sayd wherfore doost thou waast Thyne arrowes on the simple sort It any care thou haste Of those that are thy fréendes go turne ageinst Achilles head And like a man reuendge on him thy brothers that are dead In saying this he brought him where Achilles with his brond Was beating downe the Troiane folk and leueld so his hond As that Achilles tumbled downe starke dead vppon the lond This was the onely thing wherof the old king Priam myght Take comfort after Hectors death That stout and valeant knyght Achilles whoo had ouerthrowen so many men in fyght Was by that coward carpet knyght béeréeued of his lyfe Whoo like a caytif stale away the Spartane princes wyfe But if of
And gréeting had bothe giuen and tane shée looked chéerefully And graunting all that wée desyrde commaunded by and by A certeine potion too bée made of barly parched drye And wyne and hony mixt with chéese and with the same shée slye Had meynt the iewce of certeine herbes which vnespyde did lye By reason of the swéetenesse of the drink Wée tooke the cup Deliuered by her wicked hand and quaft it cléerly vp With thirstye throtes Which doone and that the cursed witch had smit Our highest heare tippes with her wand it is a shame but yit I will declare the truth I wext all rough with brisâ—led heare And could not make complaint with woordes In stead of spéech I there Did make a rawghtish grunting and with groueling face gan beare My visage downeward too the ground I felt a hooked groyne Too wexen hard vppon my mouth and brawned neck too ioyne My head and shoulders And the handes with which I late ago Had taken vp the charmed cup were turnd tâ—o feete as tho Such force there is in Sorcerie In fyne wyth other mo That tasted of the selfsame sawce they shet mée in a Stye From this missehappe Furilochus alonly scapte For why He only would not taste the cup. which had he not fled fro He should haue béene a bristled beast as well as we And so Should none haue borne Vlysses woorde of our mischaunce nor hée Haue coÌ„me too Circe too reuenge our harmes and set vs free The peaceprocurer Mercurie had giuen too him a whyght Fayre flowre whoos 's roote is black and of the Goddes it Moly hyght Assurde by this and heauenly hestes he entred Circes bowre And béeing bidden for too drink the cup of balefull powre As Circe was about too stroke her wand vppon his heare He thrust her backe and put her with his naked swoord in feare Then fell they too agréement streyght and fayth in hand was plyght And béeing made her bedfellowe he claymed as in ryght Of dowrye for too haue his men ageine in perfect plyght Shée sprincled vs with better iewce of vncowth herbes and strake The awk end of her charmed rod vppon our heades and spake Woordes too the former contrarie The more shée charmd the more Arose wée vpward from the ground on which wée daarde before Our bristles fell away the â—lift our clouen elées forsooke Our shoulders did returne agein and next our elbowes tooke Our armes and handes theyr former place Then weeping wée enbrace Our Lord and hing about his necke whoo also wept apace And not a woord wée rather spake than such as myght appéere From harts most thankfull too procéede Wée taryed theyr a yéere I in that whyle sawe many things and many things did héere I marked also this one thing with store of other geere Which one of Circes fowre chéef maydes whoos 's office was alway Uppon such hallowes too attend did secretly bewray Too mée For in the whyle my Lord with Circe kept alone This mayd a yoongmannes image sheawd of fayre whyght marble stone Within a Chauncell On the head therof were garlonds store And éeke a woodspecke And as I demaunded her wherfore And whoo it was they honord so in holy Church and why He bare that bird vppon his head Shée answéering by and by Sayd lerne hereby sir Macare too vnderstand the powre My Lady hathe and marke thou well what I shall say this howre There reignd erewhyle in Italy one Picus Saturnes sonne Whoo loued warlike horse and had delyght too sée them ronne He was of feature as yée sée And by this image héere The verry beawtye of the man dooth lyuelely appéere His courage matcht his personage And scarcely had he well Séene twentye yéeres His countnance did allure the nymphes y â— dwell Among the Latian hilles The nymphes of fountaines and of brookes As those that haunted Albula were rauisht with his lookes And so were they that Numicke beares and Anio too and Alme That ronneth short and heady Nar and Farfar coole and calme And all the nymphes that vsde too haunt Dianas shadye poole Or any lakes or méeres néere hand or other waters coole But he disdeyning all the rest did set his loue vppon A lady whom Venilia bare so fame reporteth on The stately mountayne Palatine by Ianus that dooth beare The dowble face Assoone as that her yéeres for maryage were Thought able shée preâ—erring him before all other men Was wedded too this Picus whoo was king of Lavvrents then Shée was in beawtye excellent but yit in singing much More excellent and thervppon they naamd her Singer Such The swéetenesse of her musicke was that shée therwith delyghts The sauage beastes and caused birdes too cease theyr wandring flyghts And moued stones and trées and made the ronning streames too stay Now whyle that shée in womans tune recordes her pleasant lay At home her husband rode abrode vppon a lustye horse Too hunt the Boare and bare in hand twoo hunting staues of force His cloke was crymzen butned with a golden button fast Intoo the selfsame forest éeke was Phebus daughter past From those same féeldes that of herself the name of Circe beare Too gather vncowth herbes among the frutefull hillocks there Assoone as lurking in the shrubbes shée did the king espye Shée was aâ—trawght Downe fell her herbes too ground And by and by Through all her bones the flame of loue the marée gan too frye And when shée from this forced heate had cald her witts agen Shée purposde too bewray her mynd But vntoo him as then Shée could not come for swiftnesse of his horse and for his men That garded him oâ— euery syde Yit shalt thou not ê™ shée So shift thée fro my handes although the wynd should carrye thée If I doo knowe myself if all the strength of herbes fayle not Or if I haue not quyght and cléene my charmes and spelles forgotte In saying theis same woordes shée made the likenesse of a Boare Without a body causing it too swiftly passe before King Picus eyes and for too séeme too get him too the woode Where for the thickenesse of the trées a horse myght doo no good Immediatly the king vnwares a whoâ—e pursute did make Uppon the shadowe of his pray and quikly did forsake His foming horses sweating backe and following vayne wan hope Did runne a foote among the woodes and through the bushes crope Then Circe fell a mumbling spelles and praying like a witch Did honour straunge vncowth Goddes w t vncowth charmes by which Shee vsde too make the moone looke dark and wrappe her fathers head In watry clowdes And then likewyse the heauen was ouerspred With darknesse and a foggye mist steamd vpward from the ground And neare a man about the king too gard him could beé found But euery man in blynd by wayes ran scattring in the chace Through her inchauntments At the length shée getting tyme place Sayd â–ª By those lyghtsum eyes of thyne which late haue rauisht myne And by