weariness Psiche excus'd it that she could no stay And if she had her errand would away But Proserpine reply'd you do not know Fair Maid the joys and pleasures are below Stay and possess whatever I call mine For other Lights and other Stars do shine Within our territories the day 's not lost As you imagine in the Elysian coast The Golden Age and Progeny is here And that Fam'd Tree that does in Autumn bear Clusters of Gold whose Apples thou shalt hoard Or each meal if thou please set on the board The Matrons of Elysium at thy beck Shall come and go and buried Queens shall deck Thy body in more stately ornaments Then all Earths feigned Majesty presents The pale and squalid region shall rejoyce Silence shall break forth a pleasant voice Stern Pluto shall himself to mirth betake And crowned Ghests shall banquet for thy sake New Lamps shall burn if thou wilt here abide And nights thick darkness shall be rarifi'd What ere the winds upon the earth do sweep Rivers or Fens embrace or the vast deep Shall be thy tribute and I will deliver Up for thy servant the Lethean River Besides the Parcae shall thy hand-maids be And what thou speak'st stand for a destiny Psiche gave thanks but did her plainly tell She would not be a Courtier unto hell When wondring that such honours did not please She offer'd gifts far richer then all these For as a Dowry at her feet she laid The mighty engines which the world upweigh'd And vow'd to give her immortality And all the pleasures and the royalty Of the Elysian fields which wisely she Resus'd for hell with all their power and skill Though they allure they cannot force the will This vex'd fair Proserpine any should know Their horrid secrets and have power to show Unto the upper world what she had seen Of hell and Styx of Pluto and his Queen Yet since she might not her own Laws withstand She gave the box of beauty in her hand And Psiche with those precepts us'd before The Sun 's bright beams did once again adore Then as she thought being out of all controul A curious rashness did possess her soul That slighting of her charge and promis'd duty She greatly itch'd to adde to her own beauty Saying Ah fool to bear so rich a prize And yet through fear dost envy thine own eyes The happy object whose reflexion might Gain thee some favour in young Cupid's sight The voice forbad me but I now am free From Venus vision and Hell's custody And so without all scruple she unlocks And le ts forth the whole treasure of the box Which was not any thing to make one fair But a meer Stygian and infernal air Whose subtle breathings through her pores did creep And stuft her body with a cloud of sleep But Cupid now not able to endure Her longer absence having gain'd his cure And prun'd his rufled wings flew through the gare Of his close prison to seek out his Mate Where finding her in this dull Lethargy He drew the foggy vapour from her eye And that her stupid spirits might awake Did all the drousie exhalation shake From off her sense she shut it up and seal'd The Box so fast it ne'r might be reveal'd Next with his harmless Dirt small as a pin He prick'd the superficies of her skin Saying what wondrous frailty does possess This female kind or rather wilfulness For loe thy foolish curiosity Has tempted thee again to perjury What proud exploit was this what horrid fact Besure my mother Venus will exact A strict account of all that has been done Both of thy self and thy Commission But yet for all this trespass be of cheer And in a humble duty persevere Detain from Venus nought that is her own And for what else remains let me alone Thus Psiche by her Lover being sent And waxing strong through his encouragement The Box of beauty unto Venus brings Whilst Cupid did betake him to his wings For when he saw his mother so austeer Forc'd by the violence of love and fear He pierc'd the Marble concave of the sky To heaven appeal'd and did for justice cry Pleading his cause and in the sacred presence Of Jove himself did his Love-suit commence Jove at his sight threw by his rays so pure That no eyes but his own might them endure Whom Cupid thus bespake Great Jove if I Am born your true and lawful progeny If I have plaid between your arms and sate Next to your self but since grown to a state Of riper years have been thought fit to bear An equal sway and move in the same sphere Of honour with you by whose means both men And gods have trembled at my bow as when Your self have darted Thunder-bolts and slain The earth-bred Gyants in the Phlegrian plain And when in several scales my shafts were laid VVith your own Trident neither has out-weigh'd I come not now that you should either give Confirm or adde to my prerogative But setting all command and power aside Desire by Law and Justice to be tri'd For whither else should I appeal or bring My cause but to your self that are a King And father to us all and can dispence What right you please in Court and Conscience I have been wrong'd and must with grief indite My mother of much cruelty and spight To me and my poor Psiche there 's but one In the whole world that my affection And fancy likes where others do enjoy So many the diversity does cloy Their very appetite yet who but owes All his delight to me and Venus knows By her own thoughts the uncontroled fire That reigns in youth when Love does him inspire Yet she without all pity or remorse Me and my Mistress labours to divorce I covet no one's Spouse nor have I taken Another's Love there 's not a man forsaken Or god for my sake that bewails his dear Or bathes his spoiled bosome with a tear Then why should any me and my Love sever That joyn all other hearts and loves together Jove heard him out and did applaud his speech And both his hand and scepter to him reach Then calling Cupid his smooth fingers laid On his Ambrosiack cheek and kissing said My little youngster and my son 't is true That I have never yet receiv'd from you Any due reverence or respective meed Which all the other gods to me decreed For this my heart whose high preheminence Gives Edicts to the Stars and does dispence The like to nature your fine hand the while With earthly lusts still labours to defile And contrary to publick discipline And ' gainst all Laws both Moral and Divine Chiefly the Julian thou dost fill mine eyes With many foul and close adulteries For how oft-times have I through van desire Been chang'd to beasts birds serpents and to fire Which has procur'd ill censures and much blame And hurt my estimation and my same Yet being pleas'd with this thy foolish sport I 'm loath to
substance of that act her fore-past sins By her going to Hell and those several occurrences are meant the many degrees of despair By the Stygian water the tears of repentance and by the Golden-fleece her forgivness All which as in the Argument is specified being by Divine Providence accomplish'd she is married to her Spouse in Heaven A MORAL POEM On the Marriage of CVPID and PSICHE THE FIRST SECTION TRuth says of old and we must owe that truth Unto tradition when the world in youth Which was the Golden Age brought forth the Pen Love and the Muses which since gave to men Inheritance of Fame for these began At once and were all coetanean A happy season when the Air was clear No sickness nor infection did appear No sullen change of seasons did molest The fruitful foil but the whole year was blest With a perpetual Spring no Winter storm Did crisp the Hills nor mildew blast the Corn Yet happier far in that it forth did bring The subject of this Verse whereof I sing Under the Zenith of Heavens milk-white way Is a fair Country call'd Lusinia 'T is Nature's chiefest Wardrobe where doth lie Her Ornaments of chief variety Where first her glorious Mantle she puts on When through the world she rides procession Here dwelt a King and Queen of mighty power Judg'd for their vertues worthy such a Dower They had betwixt themselves three Daughters born Conspicuous for their comeliness and form The elder two did neither much excel But then the younger had no parallel Whose lovely cheeks with heavenly lustre shone And eyes were far too bright to look upon Nay it is credible though fancies wing Should mount above the Orbs and thence down bring Th' Elixar of all beauty and dispense Unto one creature the whole influence And harmony of the Spheres it might not dare With her for face and feature to compare Zeuxis the Painter who to draw one piece Survey'd the choifest Virgins of all Greece Had rested here his Art without this stir Might have been bounded and confin'd in her Look how the spiced fields in Autumn smell And rich Perfumes that in Arabia dwell Such was her fragrant sweetness The Sun's Bird The Phoenix fled far of and was afeard To be seen near lest she his pride should quell Or make him seem a common spectacle Nor did the painted Peacock once presume Within her presence to display his Plume Nor Rose nor Lilly durst their Silks unfold But shut their leaves up like the Marigold They all had been ill-favour'd she alone Was judg'd the Mistress of perfection Her fame spread far abroad and thither brought Thousands that gazing worship'd her and thought The goddess whom the green-fac'd Sea had bred And dew of foaming waves had nourished Venus her self regardless of her honour Did live with Mortals Whosoe'r look'd on her Even most prophane did think she was divine And grudg'd not to do worship to her shrine For this cause Venus Temples were defac'd Her Sacrifice and Ceremonies rac'd Her widow'd Altars in cold ashes mourn'd Her Images uncrown'd her Groves deform'd Her Rites were all polluted with contempt For none to Paphos nor Cytheros went This Maid was sole ador'd Venus displeas'd Might in this Virgin onely be appeas'd The people in the street to her would bow And as she pass'd along would Garlands strow Venus at this conceiv'd a jealous ire For heavenly minds burn with an earthly fire And spake with indignation What shall I Mother of Elements and loftiest skie Beginner of the world Parent of Nature Pertake mine honour with an earthly creature Shall silly Girls destin'd to death and fate My high-born name and stile contaminate In vain did then the Phrygian Shepherds give The Ball to me when three of us did strive Who should excel in beauty and all stood Naked before the Boy to tempt his bloud When they with Royal gifts sought to beguile His judgment I alur'd him with a smile But this usurper of my dignities Shall have but little cause to boast the prize With that she call'd her rash and winged Child Arm'd with Bow Torch and Quiver that is wild With mischief he that with his evil ways Corrupts all publick discipline and strays Through Chambers in the night with false beam Or with his stinging Arrows or with dreams Tempts unto lust and does no good at all This Child I say did Venus to her call And stirs him up with words malitious That was by nature too licentious For bringing him where Psyche dwelt for so This Maid was call'd she there unfolds her woe And emulous tale Cupid quoth she my stay My onely strength and power whose boundless sway Contemns the thunder of my father Jove I here intreat thee by thy Mother's love Those wounding sweets and sweet wounds of thy Quiver And hony burnings of thy Torch deliver My soul from grief revenge me on this Maid And all her boasted beauty see decaid Or else strike her in love with one so poor So miserably lost stript of all store Of means or vertue so deform'd of limb That none in all the world may equal him To move her son no flattering words she spar'd But breath'd on him with kisses long and hard This done she hastes to the next ebbing shore And with her rosie feet insulting o'r The submiss waves a Dolphin she bestrides And on the utmost Billows proudly rides A troup of Tritons were streight sounding heard And rough Portumnus with his mossy beard Salacia heavy with her fishy train And Nereus daughters came to entertain The Sea-born goddess some plaid on a shell Some with their garments labour'd to expel The scorching heat and Sun-shine from her face And other some did hold a Looking-glass All these in triumph by the Dolphin swam And follow'd Venus to the Ocean Psiche the while in this great height of bliss Yet reaps no fruit of all her happiness For neither King nor Prince nor Potentate Nor any durst attempt her for a Mate But as a polish'd picture her admire And in that admiration cease desire Her Sifters both whose moderate beauty none Did much despise nor much contemplate on Were to their wishes happily contracted And by two Kings espous'd Psiche distracted Because she had no Lover pensive sate In mind and body and began to hate And curse that beauty and esteem at nought Which but was excellent had no other fault Cupid now in a causeless rage was gone To whet his Arrows on a bloudy stone As if he were t' encounter with some main Monster like Python by Apollo slain Or Jove or Titan lame or once agen Draw the pale Moon down to the Latmian Den Or with Love's fire great Pluto to annoy For these were works of labour and the Boy Was ignorant how matters would succeed Or what the fate of Beauty had decreed Therefore he fil'd his Arrows sharp and small To pierce what ever they should meet withall And vow'd if cause were he his shaft would shiver '
firm faith misled To murder her dear husband in his bed She told how she his certain death decreed And how she rose to execute the deed She told how like a Lionness she far'd And like an armed fury how she star'd Or like a blazing comet in the aire With fire and sword and with dis-shevell'd hair She told the trouble and Epitasis When she beheld his Metamorphosis A spectacle that ravisht her with joy A Serpent turn'd into a lovely boy Whose young smooth face migh't speak him boy or maid Cupid himself in a soft slumber layd She told too of the drop of scalding oil That burnt his shoulder and the heavy coil He kept when he awak't caus'd by the smart And how he chid and how at last did part And for revenge had threatned in her stead To maste her sisters partners of his bed And 'twixt each word she let a tear down fall Which stopt her voice and made it musicall Thus Psiche at the last finisht her story Season'd with sharp grief and sweet oratory Which was as long by her relation made As might have serv'd to stuffe an Iliade Such as Aeneas unto Dido told Full of adventures strange and manifold Her sister by her looks great joy did show Resolv'd in that she did her husband know And therefore heard her out with much applause And gave great heed but chiefly to that clause Where 't was declar'd that he her pomp and state To one of her own sisters would translate VVhence gathering that her self might be his Bride She swell'd with lust with envy and with pride And in this heat of passion did transcend The Rock where Zephirus us'd to attend To waft her up and down and there call'd on Him that had now forsook his station Yet through the vanity of hope made blind Though then there blew a contrary wind Invoking Cupid that he would receive Her for his Spouse she did her self bequeath Unto a fearful precipice and threw Her body head-long down whose weight it drew Towards the centre for without support All heavy matter thither will resort In this her fall the hard stones by the way Did greet her limbs with a discourteous stay Bruising her in that manner that she di'd As if that she her Jury had deni'd Her younger sister missing thus the chief Co-partner of her sorrows pin'd for grief This craggy rock did over look the sea Where greedy Neptune had are in a Bay And undermining it much ground did win VVhere silver-footed Thetis riding in Upon a bridled Dolphin did explore And every tyde her arms stretch'd on the shore Searching each creek and crany to augment The confines of her watry regiment Whilst here she sate within a peerly chair And round her all the Sea-gods did repair To whom her Laws she did prescribe by hap The mangled corps fell full into her lap Thetis that once a child her self had born Seeing so fair a body fouly torn And bleeding fresh judging some ravisher Had done this injury she did confer About the cure and there were many found Whose trade in Surgery could heal a wound But none that might restore to life agen Such was the envy of the gods for when The scatter'd limbs of chast Hippolitus Were re-inspir'd by Aesculapius And by his Arts command together came And every bone and joynt put into frame That none with emulous skill should dare the like Jove him to hell did with his thunder strike But though she could not by her power controle The fates decree to reunite the soul Into another shape she made it pass A doctrin held by old Pythagoras For stripping off her clothes she made her skin To wear a soft and plumy coverin Her grisly nose was hardned to a bill And at each fingers end grew many a quill Her arms to pennons turn'd and she in all Chang'd to a Foul which men a Sea-gull call A Bird of evil nature and set on Much mischief to whose composition A great part of her former malice went And was the principal ingredient For being thus transfigur'd straight she swam Into the bottom of the Ocean Where Neptune kept his Court and pressing near To Venus seat she whisper'd her i' th' ear How that her son lay desperately griev'd Sick of a burn he lately had receiv'd And many by that means at her did scoff And her whole family was ill spoken of For whilst that she her self thus liv'd recluse And he his close adulteries did use No sport or pleasure no delight or grace Friendship or marriage could find any place In Love no pledge no harmony in life But every where confusion was and strife Thus the vile Bird maliciously did prate And Cupid's credit did calumniate Venus repli'd impatient and hot What has my good son then a Mistress got Which of the Nymphs or Muses is his joy Who has inveigl'd the ingenious Boy Which of the Howers or of the Graces all None of these said the Bird but men her call Psiche So soon as Venus heard her nam'd O how with indignation she exclaim'd VVhat my own beauties rival is it she That plant that sucker of my dignity And I his Bawd with these words she ascended To the Seas superficies where attended Her Doves both ready harness'd up she got And flew to Paphos in her chariot The graces came about her and in haste VVhat the rough seas or rude winds had misplac'd Did recompose with art and studious care Kembing the cerule drops from her loose hair Which dri'd with rosie powder they did fold And bind it round up in a braid of gold These wait about her person still and pass Their judgment on her equal with her glass These are the onely Criticks that debate All beauty and all fashions arbitrate These temper her Ceruse and paint and lim Her face with oyl and put her in her trim Twelve other Hand-maids clad in white array Call'd the twelve Hours and daughters of the day Did help to dress her there were added more Twelve of the night whose eyes were shadowed o're VVith dusky and black vails lest Vulcan's light Or vapours should offend their bleared sight VVhen they her linnen starch or else prepare Strong distillations to make her fair These bring her bathes and oyntments for her eyes And provide Cordials ' gainst she shall rise These play on Musick and perfume her bed And snuff the candle while she lies to read Her self asleep thus all assign'd unto Their several office had enough to do And had they twenty times as many been They all might be employ'd about the Queen For though they us'd more reverence then at prayer And sate in counsel upon every hair And every pleat and posture of her gown Giving observance to each frequent frown And rather wish'd the State disorder'd were Then the least implement that she did wear As if of all that were the greatest sin And that their fate were fastned to each pin Though their whole life and study were