yet blasing stil among his yellow haire Shot headlong downe and glid along the Region of the Ayre Like to starre in Winter nights the wether cleare and fayre Which though it doe not fall in déede yet falleth to our sight Whome almost in another world and from his countrie quite The Riuer Padus did receyue and quencht his burning head The water Nymphes of Italie did take his carkasse dead And buried it yet smoking still with Ioues thréeforked flame And wrate this Epitaph in the stone that lay vpon the same Here lies the lusty Phaeton which tooke in hand to guide His fathers Chariot from the which although he chaunst to slide Yet that he gaue a proud attempt it cannot be denide Wyth ruthfull chéere and heauie heart his father made great moâ—e And would not shew himselfe abrode but mournd at home alone And if it be to be beleued as bruted is by fame A day did passe without the Sunne The brightnesse of the flame Gaue light and so vnto some kinde of vse that mischiefe came But Clymen hauing spoke as much as mothers vsually Are wonted in such wretched case discomfortablely And halfe beside hir selfe for wo with torne and scratched brest Sercht through the vniuersall world from East to furthest West First séeking for hir sonnes dead coarse and after for his bones She found them by a forren streame entumbled vnder stones There fell she groueling on his graue and reading there his name Shed teares thereon and layd hir breast all bare vpon the same The daughters also of the Sunne no lesse than did their mother Bewaild in vaine with flouds of teares the fortune of their brother And beating piteously their breasts incessantly did call The buried Phaeton day and night who heard them not at all About whose tumbe they prostrate lay Foure times the Moone had filde The Circle of hir ioyned hornes and yet the sisters hilde Their custome of lamenting still for now continuall vse had made it custome Of the which the eldest Phaetuse About to knéele vpon the ground complaynde hir féete were nom To whome as fayre Lampetie was rising for to com Hir féete were held with sodaine rootes The third about to teare Hir ruffled lockes filde both hir handes with leaues in steade of heare One wept to sée hir legges made wood another did repine To sée hir armes become long boughes And shortly to define While thus they wondred at themselues a tender barke began To grow about their thighes and loynes which shortly ouerran Their bellies brestes and shoulders eke and hands successiuely That nothing saue their mouthes remainde aye calling pitâ—ously Upon the wofull mothers helpe What could the mother doe But runne now here now there as force of nature drue hir to And deale hir kisses while she might she was not so content But tare their tender braunches downe and from the sliuers went Red drops of bloud as from a wound The daughter that was rent Cride spare vs mother spare I pray for in the shape of tree The bodies and the flesh of vs your daughters wounded bée And now farewell That word once said the barke grew ouer all Now from these trées flow gummy teares that Amber men doe call Which hardened with the heate of sunne as from the boughs they fal The trickling Riuer doth receyue and sendes as things of price To decke the daintie Dames of Rome and make them fine and nice Now present at this monstruous â—hap was Cygnus Sâ—eâ—cls son Who being by the mothers side a kinne to Phaeton Was in condicion more a kinne He leauing vp his charge For in the land of Ligurie his Kingdome stretched large Went mourning all alone the bankes and plâ—asant streame of Po Among the trées encreased by the sisters late age Annon his voyce became more small and shrill than for a man Gray fethers muffled in his face his necke in length began Far from his shoulders for to stretche and furthermore there goes A fine red string a crosse the ioyntes in knitting of his toes With fethers closed are his sides and on his mouth there grew A brode blunt byll and finally was Cygnus made a new and vncoth fowle that hight a Swan who neither to the winde The Ayre nor Ioue betakes himselfe as one that bare in minde The wrongfull fire sent late against his cousin Phaeton In Lakes and Riuers is his ioy the fire he aye doth shon And chooseth him the contrary continually to won Forlorne and altogether voyde of that same bodie shene Was Phaetons father in that while which erst had in him bene Like as he looketh in Theâ—lypse He hates the yrkesome light He hates him selfe he hates the day and settes his whole delight In making sorrow for his sonne and in his griefe doth storme And chaufe denying to the worlde his dutie to performe My lot quoth he hath had inough of this vnquiet state From first beginning of the worlde It yrkes me though too late Of restlesse toyles and thankelesse paines Let who so will for me Go driue the Chariot in the which the light should caried be If none dare take the charge in hand and all the Gods persist As insufficient he himselfe go driue it if he list That at the least by venturing our bridles for to guide His lightning making childlesse Sires he once may lay aside By that time that he hath assayde the vnappalled force That doth remaine and rest within my fâ—riefooted horse I trow he shall by tried proufe be able for to tell How that he did not merit death that could not rule them well The Goddes stoode all about the Sunne thus storming in his rage Beseching him in humble wise his sorrow to asswage And that he would not on the world continuall darkenesse bring Ioue eke excusde him of the fire the which he chaunst to sting And with entreatance mingled threates as did become a King Then Phebus gathered vp his stéedes that yet for feare did run Like flaighted fiendes and in his moode without respect begun To beate his whipstocke on their paâ—es and lash them on the sides It was no néede to bid him chaufe â–ª for euer as he rides He still vpbraides them with his sonne and layes them on the hides And Ioue almighty went about the walles of heauen to trie If ought were perisht with the fire which when he did espie Continuing in their former state all strong and safe and sound He went to vew the workes of men and things vpon the ground Yet for his land of Arcadie he tooke most care and charge The Springs and streames that durst not run he set againe at large Hâ— clad the earth with grasse the trées with leaues both fresh and grene Commaunding woods to spring againe that erst had burned bene Now as he often went and came it was his chaunce to light Upon a Nymph of Nonacris whose forme and beautie bright Did set his heart on flaming fire She vsed not to spinne Nor yet
and the land that bred a chyld so voyd of grace I would the land Panchaya should of Amomie be rich And Cinnamom and Costus swéete and Incence also which Dooth issue largely out of trees and other flowers straunge As long as that it beareth Myrrhe not woorth it was the chaunge Newe trées to haue of such a pryce The God of loue denyes His weapons too haue hurted thée O Myrrha and he tryes Himselfe vngiltie by thy fault One of the Furies three With poysonde Snakes and hellish brands hath rather blasted thée To hate ones father is a cryme as heynous as may bee But yit more wicked is this loue of thine than any hate The youthfull Lordes of all the East and Péeres of chéef estate Desyre to haue thée too their wyfe and earnest sute doo make Of all excepting onely one thy choyce O Myrrha take Shee féeles her filthye loue and stryues ageinst it and within Herself sayd whither roonnes my mynd what thinke I to begin Yée Gods I pray and godlynesse yée holy rites and awe Of parents from this heynous cryme my vicious mynd withdrawe And disappoynt my wickednesse At leastwyse if it bée A wickednesse that I intend As farre as I can sée This loue infrindgeth not the bondes of godlynesse a whit For euery other liuing wyght dame nature dooth permit Too match without offence of sin The Hecfer thinkes no shame Too beare her father on her backe The Horse béestrydes the same Of whom he is the syre The Gote dooth bucke the Kid that hée Himself begate and birdes doo tread the self same birdes wée sée Of whom they hatched were before In happye cace they are That may doo so without offence But mans malicious care Hath made a brydle for it self and spyghtfull lawes restreyne The things that nature setteth free yit are their Realmes men sayne In which the moother with the sonne and daughter with the father Doo match where through of godlynesse the bond augments the rather With doubled loue Now wo is mée it had not béene my lot In that same countrie too bée borne And that this lucklesse plot Should hinder mée Why thinke I thus Auaunt vnlawfull loue I ought too loue him I confesse but so as dooth behoue His daughter were not Cinyras my father then Iwis I myght obtaine too lye with him But now bycause he is Myne owne he cannot bée myne owne The néerenesse of our kin Dooth hurt me Were I further of perchauâ—ce I more myght win And if I wist that I therby this wickednesse myght shunne I would forsake my natiue soyle and farre from Cyprus runne This euill heaâ—e dooth hold mée backe that béeing present still I may but talke with Cinyras and looke on him my fill And touch and kisse him if no more may further graunted bée Why wicked wench and canst thou hope for further doost not sée How by thy fault thou doost confound the ryghts of name and kin And wilt thou make thy mother bee a Cucqueane by thy sin Wilt thou thy fathers leman bee wilt thou bée both the moother And suster of thy chyld shall he bée both thy sonne and brother And standst thou not in feare at all of those same susters thrée Whose heads with crawling snakes in stead of heare bematted bée Which pushing with theyr cruell bronds folks eyes and mouthes doo sée Theyr sinfull harts but thou now whyle thy body yit is frée Let neuer such a wickednesse once enter in thy mynd Defyle not myghtye natures hest by lust ageinst thy kynd What though thy will were fully bent yit euen the very thing Is such as will not suffer thée the same too end too bring For why he béeing well disposde and godly myndeth ay So much his dewtye that from ryght and truth he will not stray Would God lyke furie were in him as is in mee this day This sayd her father Cinyras who dowted what too doo By reason of the worthy store of suters which did woo His daughter bringing all theyr names did will her for too show On which of them shée had herself most fancie too bestow At first shée hild her peace a whyle and looking wistly on Her fathers face did boyle within and scalding teares anon Ran downe her visage Cyniras who thought them too procéede Of tender harted shamefastnesse did say there was no néede Of teares and dryed her chéekes and kist her Myrrha tooke of it Excéeding pleasure in her selfe and when that he did wit What husband shée did wish too haue shée sayd one like too yow He vnderstanding not hir thought did well her woordes allow And sayd in this thy godly mynd continew At the name Of godlynesse shée cast mée downe her looke for very shame For why her giltie hart did knowe shée well deserued blame Hygh mydnight came and sléepe bothe care and carkesses opprest But Myrrha lying brode awake could neyther sléepe nor rest Shée fryes in Cupids flames and woorkes continewally vppon Her furious loue One while shée sinkes in déepe despayre Anon Shée fully myndes to giue attempt but shame doth hold her in Shée wishes and shée wotes not what too doo nor how too gin And like as when a mightye trée with axes heawed rownd Now reedye with a strype or twaine to lye vppon the grownd Uncerteine is which way to fall and tottreth euery way Euen so her mynd with dowtfull wound efféebled then did stray Now héere now there vncerteinely and tooke of bothe encreace No measure of her loue was found no rest nor yit releace Saue onely death death likes her best Shée ryseth full in mynd To hang herself About a post her girdle she doth bynd And sayd farewell déere Cinyras and vnderstand the cause Of this my death And with that woord about her necke shée drawes The nooze Her trustye nurce that in another Chamber lay By fortune heard the whispring sound of theis her woordes folk say The aged woman rysing vp vnboltes the doore And whan Shée saw her in that plyght of death shée shréeking out began Too smyght her self and scratcht her brest and quickly too her ran And rent the girdle from her necke Then wéeping bitterly And holding her betwéene her armes shée askt the question why Shée went about too hang her self so vnaduisedly The Lady hilld her peace as dumb and looking on the ground Unmouably was sorye in her hart for béeing found Before shée had dispatcht herself Hernurce still at her lay And shewing her her emptie dugges and naked head all gray Besought her for the paynes shee tooke with her both night and day In rocking and in féeding her shée would vouchsafe to say What ere it were that gréeued her The Ladye turnd away Displeasde and fetcht a sygh The nurce was fully bent in mynd Too bowlt the matter out for which not onely shée did bynd Her fayth in secret things to kéepe but also sayd put mée In trust too fynd a remedye I am not thou shalt sée Yit altoogither dulld by age If
thus No maruell though thou be so proude and full of wordes ywâ—s For euerie fonde and trifling tale the which thy mother makes Thy gyddie wit and hairebrainde heade forthwith for gospell takes Well vaunt thy selfe of Phoebus still for when the truth is séene Thou shalt perceyue that fathers name a forged thing to béene At this reproch did Phaëton wax as red as any fire Howbeit for the present tyme did shame represse his ire Unto his mother Clymen straight he goeth to detect The spitefull wordes that Epaphus against him did obiect Yea mother quoth he and which ought your greater griefe to bée I who at other tymes of talke was wont to be so frée And stoute had néere a worde to say I was ashamde to take So fowle a foyle the more because I could none answere make But if I be of heauenly race exacted as ye say Then shewe some token of that highe and noble byrth I pray And vouche me for to be of heauen With that he gently cast His armes about his mothers necke and clasping hir full fast Besought hir as she loude his life and as she loude the lyfe Of Merops and had kept hir selfe as vndefiled wyfe And as she wished welthily his sisters to bestowe She would some token giue whereby his rightfull Sire to knowe It is a doubtfull matter whither Clymen moued more With this hir Phaëtons earnest sute exacting it so sore Or with the slaunder of the brute layde to hir charge before Did holde vp both hir handes to heauen and looking on the Sunne My right deare childe I safely sweare quoth she to Phaëton That of this starre the which so bright doth glister in thine eyâ— Of this same Sunne that cheares the world with light indifferently Wert thou begot and if I fayne then with my heart I pray That neuer may I sée him more vnto my dying day But if thou haue so great desire thy father for to knowe Thou shalt not néede in that behalfe much labour to bestowe The place from whence he doth arise adioyneth to our lande And if thou thinke thy heart will serue then go and vnderstande The truth of him When Phaëton heard his mother saying so He gan to leape and skip for ioye He fed his fansie tho Upon the Heauen and heauenly things and so with willing minde From Aâ—thiop first his natiue home and afterwarde through Inde Set vnderneath the morning starre he went so long till as He founde me where his fathers house and dayly rising was Finis primi Libri THE SECONDE BOOKE of Ouids Metamorphosis THe Princely Pallace of the Sunne stood gorgeous to beholde On stately Pillars builded high of yellow burnisht golde Beset with sparckling Carbuncles that like to fire did shine The roofe was framed curiously of Yuorie pure and fine The two doore leaues of siluer cleare a radiant light did cast But yet the cunning workemanship of things therein farre past The stuffe wherof the doores were made For there a perfect plat Had Vulcane drawne of all the worlde Both of the sourges that Embrace the earth with winding waues and of the stedfast ground And of the heauen it selfe also that both encloseth round And first and formest in the Sea the Gods thereof did stande Loude sounding Tryton with his shirle writhen Trumpe in hande Unstable Protevv chaunging aye his figure and his hue From shape to shape a thousande sithes as list him to renue Aëgeon leaning boystrously on backes of mightie Whales And Doris with hir daughters all of which some cut the wales With splaied armes some sate on rockes and dride their goodly haire And some did ryde vppon the backes of fishes here and theare Not one in all poyntes fully lyke an other coulde ye sée Nor verse farre vnlike but such as sisters ought to bée The Earth had townes men beasts Woods with sundrie trées rods And running Ryuers with their Nymphes and other countrie Gods Directly ouer all these same the plat of heauen was pight Upon the two doore leaues the signes of all the Zodiak bright Indifferently six on the left and six vpon the right When Clymens sonne had climbed vp at length with wéerie pace And set his foote within his doubted fathers dwelling place Immediately he preaced forth to put him selfe in sight And stoode aloofe For néere at hande he could not bide the light In purple Robe and royall Throne of Emeraudes freshe and gréene Did Phoebus sitte and on eche hande stoode wayting well beséene Dayes Monthes yeares ages seasons times eke the equall houres There stoode the springtime with a crowne of fresh and fragrant floures There wayted Sommer naked starke all saue a wheaten Hat And Autumne smerde with treading grapes late at the pressing Fat. And lasâ—â—y quaking for the colde stood Winter all forlorne With rugged heade as white as Doue and garments all to torne Forladen with the Isycles that dangled vp and downe Uppon his gray and hoarie bearde and â—nowie frozen crowne The Sunne thus sitting in the middes did cast his piercing eye With which full lightly when he list he all thinges doth espye Upon his childe that stood aloofe agast and trembling sore At sight of such vnwoonted things and thus bespake him thore O noble ympe O Phaëton which art not such I sée Of whome thy father should haue cause ashamed for to bée Why hast thou traueld to my court what is thy will with mée Then answerde he of all the worlde O onely perfect light O Father Phoebus if I may vsurpe that name of right And that my mother for to saue hir selfe from worldely shame Hyde not hir fault with false pretence and colour of thy name Some signe apparant graunt whereby I my be knowne thy Sonne And let mée hang no more in doubt He had no sooner donne But that his father putting off the bright and fierie beames That glistred rounde about his heade like cleare and golden streames Commaunded him to draw him néere and him embracing sayde To take mée for thy rightfull Sire thou néede not be afrayde Thy mother Clymen of a truth from falshood standeth frée And for to put thée out of doubt aske what thou wilt of mée And I will giue thée thy desire the Lake whereby of olde We Gods do sweare the which mine eyes did neuer yet béeholde Beare witnesse with thée of my graunt he scarce this tale had tolde But that the foolish Phaëton straight for a day did craue The guyding of his winged Stéedes and Chariot for to haue Then did his Father by and by forethinke him of his oth And shaking twentie tymes his heade as one that was full wroth Béespake him thus thy wordes haue made me rashly to consent To that which shortly both of vs I feare mée shall repent Oh that I might retract my graunt my sonne I doe protest I would denie thée nothing else saue this thy fond request I may disswade there lyes herein more perill than thou wéene The things
any other exercise as Phebes knightes are wont Sometime hir faire welformed limbes she batheth in hir spring Sometime she downe hir golden haire with Boxen combe doth bring And at the water as a glasse she taketh counsell ay How euery thing becommeth hir Erewhile in fine aray On soft swéete hearbes or soft gréene leaues hir selfe she nicely layes Erewhile againe a gathering flowres from place to place she strayes And as it chaunst the selfe same time she was a sorting gayes To make a Poisie when she first the yongman did espie And in beholding him desirde to haue his companie But though she thought she stoode on thornes vntill she went to him Yet went she not before she had bedect hir neat and trim And pride and péerd vpon hir clothes that nothing sat awrie And framde hir countnance as might séeme most amrous to the eie Which done she thus begon O childe most worthie for to bée Estemde and taken for a God if as thou séemste to mée Thou be a God to Cupids name thy beautie doth agrée Or if thou be a mortall wight right happie folke are they By whome thou camste into this worlde right happy is I say Thy mother and thy sister too if any bée good hap That woman had that was thy Nurce and gaue thy mouth hir pap But farre aboue all other far more blist than these is shée Whome thou vouchsafest for thy wife and bedfellow for to bée Now if thou haue alredy one let me by stelth obtaine That which shall pleasure both of vs. Or if thou doe remaine A Maiden frée from wedlocke bonde let me then be thy spouse And let vs in the bridelie bed our selues togither rouse This sed the Nymph did hold hir peace and therewithall the boy Waxt red he wist not what loue was and sure it was a ioy To sée it how excéeding well his blushing him became For in his face the colour fresh appeared like the same That is in Apples which doe hang vpon the Sunnie side Or Iuorie shadowed with a red or such as is espide Of white and scarlet colours mixt appearing in the Moone When folke in vaine with sounding brasse would ease vnto hir done When at the last the Nymph desirde most instantly but this As to his sister brotherly to giue hir there a kisse And therewithall was clasping him about the Iuorie necke Leaue of quoth he or I am gone and leaue thee at a becke With all thy trickes Then Salmacis began to be afraide And to your pleasure leaue I frée this place my friend she sayde Wyth that she turnes hir backe as though she would haue gone hir way But euermore she looketh backe and closely as she may She hides hir in a bushie queach where knéeling on hir knée She alwayes hath hir eye on him He as a childe and frée And thinking not that any wight had watched what he did Romes vp and downe the pleasant Mede and by and by amid The flattring waues he dippes his féete no more but first the sole And to the ancles afterward both féete he plungeth whole And for to make the matter short he tooke so great delight In coolenesse of the pleasant spring that streight he stripped quight His garments from his tender skin When Salmacis behilde His naked beautie such strong pangs so ardently hir hilde That vtterly she was astraught And euen as Phebus beames Against a myrrour pure and clere rebound with broken gleames Euen so hir eys did sparcle fire Scarce could she tarience make Scarce could she any time delay hir pleasure for to take She wolde haue run and in hir armes embraced him streight way She was so far beside hir selfe that scarsly could she stay He clapping with his hollow hands against his naked sides Into the water lithe and baine with armes displayde glydes And rowing with his hands and legges swimmes in the water cleare Through which his bodie faire and white doth glistringly appeare As if a man an Iuorie Image or a Lillie white Should ouerlay or close with glasse that were most pure and bright The price is won cride Salmacis aloud he is mine owne And therewithall in all post hast she hauing lightly throwne Hir garments off flew to the Poole and cast hir thereinto And caught him fast betweene hir armes for ought that he could doe Yea maugre all his wrestling and his struggling to and fro She held him still and kissed him a hundred times and mo And willde he nillde he with hir handes she toucht his naked brest And now on this side now on that for all he did resist And striue to wrest him from hir gripes she clung vnto him fast And wound about him like a Snake which snatched vp in hast And being by the Prince of Birdes borne lightly vp aloft Doth writhe hir selfe about his necke and griping talants oft And cast hir â—aile about his wings displayed in the winde Or like as Iuie runnes on trées about the vtter rinde Or as the Crabfish hauing caught his enmy in the Seas Doth claspe him in on euery side with all his crooked cleas But Atlas Nephew still persistes and vtterly denies The Nymph to haue hir hoped sport she vrges him likewise And pressing him with all hir weight fast cleauing to him still Striue struggle wrest and writhe she said thou froward boy thy fill Doe what thou canst thou shalt not scape Ye Goddes of Heauen agrée That this same wilfull boy and I may neuer parted bée The Gods were pliant to hir boone The bodies of them twaine Were mixt and ioyned both in one To both them did remaine One countnance like as if a man should in one barke beholde Two twigges both growing into one and still togither holde Euen so when through hir hugging and hir grasping of the tother The members of them mingled were and fastned both togither They were not any lenger two but as it were a toy Of double shape Ye could not say it was a perfect boy Nor perfect wench it seemed both and none of both to béene Now when Hermaphroditus saw how in the water shéene To which he entred in a man his limmes were weakened so That out fro thence but halfe a man he was compelde to go He lifteth vp his hands and said but not with manly réere O noble father Mercurie and Venus mother déere This one petition graunt your son which both your names doth beare That whoso commes within this Well may so be weakened there That of a man but halfe a man he may fro thence retire Both Parentes moued with the chaunce did stablish this desire The which their doubleshaped sonne had made and therevpon Infected with an vnknowne strength the sacred spring anon Their tales did ende and Mineus daughters still their businesse plie In spight of Bacchus whose high feast they breake contemptuously When on the sodaine seeing nought they heard about them round Of rubbish Timbrels perfectly a hoarse and iarring sound With shraming shalmes and
gingling belles and furthermore they felt A cent of Saffron and of Myrrhe that verie hotly smelt And which a man would ill beleue the web they had begun Immediatly waxt fresh and gréene the flaxe the which they spun Did flourish full of Iuie leaues And part thereof did run Abrode in Uines The thréede it selfe in braunches forth did spring Yong burgeous full of clustred grapes their Distaues forth did bring And as the web they wrought was dide a déepe darke purple hew Euen so vpon the painted grapes the selfe same colour grew The day was spent and now was come the time which neyther night Nor day but euen the bound of both a man may terme of right The house at sodaine séemde to shake and all about it shine With burning lampes and glittering fires to flash before their eyen And likenesses of ougly beastes with gastfull noyses yeld For feare whereof in smokie holes the sisters were compeld To hide their heades one here and there another for to shun The glistring light And while they thus in corners blindly run Upon their little pretie limmes a fine crispe filme there goes And slender finnes in stead of handes their shortned armes enclose But how they lost their former shape of certaintie to know The darknesse would not suffer them No feathers on them grow And yet with shere and velume wings they houer from the ground And when they goe about to speake they make but little sound According as their bodies giue bewayling their despight By chirping shirlly to themselues In houses they delight And not in woods detesting day they flitter towards night Wherethrough they of the Euening late in Latin take their name And we in English language Backes or Réermice call the same Then Bacchus name was reuerenced through all the Theban coast And Ino of hir Nephewes powre made euery where great boast Of Cadmus daughters she alone no sorowes tasted had Saue only that hir sisters haps perchaunce had made hir sad Now Iuno nothing how she waxt both proud and full of scorne As well by reason of the sonnes and daughters she had borne As also that she was aduaunst by mariage in that towne To Aâ—hamas King Aeolus sonne a Prince of great renowne But chiefly that hir sisters sonne who nourced was by hir Was then exalted for a God began thereat to stir And freating at it in hirselfe said coulde this harlots burd Transforme the Lydian watermen and drowne thée in the foord And make the mother teare the guttes in pieces of hir sonne And Mineus al thrée daughters clad with wings bicause they sponne Whiles others howling vp and down like frantick folke did ronne And can I Iuno nothing else saue sundrie woes bewaile Is that sufficient can my powre no more than so auaile He teaches me what way to worke A man may take I sée Example at his enmies hand the wiser for to bée He shewes inough and ouermuch the force of furious wrath By Pentheys death why should not Ine be taught to tread the path The which hir sisters heretofore and kinred troden hath There is a stéepe and irksome way obscure with shadow fell Of balefull yewgh all sad and still that leadeth downe to hell The foggie Styx doth breath vp mistes and downe this way doe waue The ghostes of persons lately dead and buried in the graue Continuall colde and gastly feare possesse this queachie plot On eyther side the siely Ghost new parted knoweth not The way that doth directly leade him to the Stygian Citie Or where blacke Pluto kéepes his Court that neuer sheweth pitie A thousand wayes a thousand gates that alwayes open stand This Citie hath and as the Sea the streames of all the lande Doth swallow in his gredie gulfe and yet is neuer full Euen so that place deuoureth still and hideth in his gull The soules and ghostes of all the world and though that nere so many Come thither yet the place is voyd as if there were not any The ghostes without flesh bloud or bones there wander to and fro Of which some haunt the iudgement place and other come and go To Plutos Court and some frequent the former trades and Artes The which they vsed in their life and some abide the smartes And torments for their wickednesse and other yll desartes So cruell hate and spightfull wrath did boyle in Iunos brest That in the high and noble Court of Heauen she coulde not rest But that she néedes must hither come whose féete no sooner toucht The thresholde but it gaâ— to quake And Cerberus erst coucht Start sternely vp with thrée fell heades which barked all togither She callde the daughters of the night the cruell furies thither They sate a kembing foule blacke Snakes from of their filthie heare Before the dungeon doore the place where Caitiues punisht were The which was made of Adamant when in the darke in part They knew Quéene Iuno by and by vpon their feete they start There Titius stretched out at least nine acres full in length Did with with his bowâ—ls feede a Grype that tare them out by strength The water sted from Tantalus that toucht his neather lip And Apples hanging ouer him did euer from him slip There also labored Sisyphus that draue against the hill A rolling stone that from the top came tumbling downeward still â–ª Ixion on his restlesse whaâ—le to which his limmes were bound Did flie and follow both at once in turning euer round And Danaus daughters forbicause they did their cousins kill Drew water into running tubbes which euermore did spill When Iuno with a louring looke had vâ—wde them all throughout And on Ixion specially before the other rout She tâ—rnes from him to Sisyphus and with an angry chéere Sayes wherefore should this man endure continuall penance here And Athamas his brother reigne in welth and pleasure free Who through his pride hath ay disâ—ainde my husband Ioue and mée And therewithall she poured out th' occasion of hirhate And why she came and what she would She would that Cadmus state Should with the ruine of his house be brought to swyft decay And that to mischiefe Athamas the Fiendes should force some way She biddes she prayes she promises and all is with a breth And moues the furies earnestly and as these things she seth The hatefull Hag Tisiphone with horie ruffled heare Remouing from hir face the Snakes that loosely dangled there Sayd thus Madame there is no néede long circumstance to make Suppose your will already done This lothsome place forsake And to the holsome Ayre of heauen your selfe agayne retire Queene Iuno went right glad away with graunt of hir desire And as she woulde haue entred heauen the Ladie Iris came And purged hir with streaming drops Anon vpon the same The furious Frende â—isiphone doth cloth hir out of â—and In garment streaming gorie bloud and taketh in hir hand A burning Cresset steepte in bloud and girdeth hir about with wreathed Snakes and so goes forth
Lucina leaped vp amazde at that that shée had sed And let her â—ands a sunder slip And I immediatly With loosening of the knot had sauf deliuerance by and by They say that in deceyuing Dame Lucina Galant laught And therfore by the yellow locks the Goddesse wroth hir caught And dragged her And as she would haue risen from the ground Shée kept her downe and into legges her armes shée did confound Her former stoutnesse still remaynes her backe dooth kéepe the hew That â—rst was in her heare her shape is only altered new And for with lying mouth shée helpt a woman laboring shée Dooth kindle also at her mouth And now she haunteth frée Our houâ—es as shée did before a Weasâ—e as wée sée With that shée syghes too think vppon her seruants hap and then Her daughtrinlaw immediatly replied thus agen But mother shee whose altred shape dooth moue your hart so sore Was neyther kithâ—nor kin too you What will you say therefore If of myne owne déere suster I the woondrous fortune show Although my sorrow and the teares that from myne eyes doo flow Doo hinder mee and stop my spéeche Her mother you must know My father by another wyfe had mée bare neuer mo But this same Ladie Dryopee the fayrest Ladye tho In all the land of Oechalye Whom béeing then no mayd For why the God of Delos and of Delphos had her frayd Andraemon taketh too hys wyfe and thinkes him well apayd There is a certaine leaning Lake whose bowing banks doo show A likenesse of the salt sea shore Uppon the brim doo grow All round about it Mirtletrées My suster thither goes Unwares what was her destinie and which you may suppose Was more too bée disdâ—yned at the cause of comming there Was too the fayries of the Lake fresh garlonds for too beare And in her armes a babye her sweete burthen shée did hold Who sucking on her brest was yit not full a tweluemoonth old Not farre from this same pond did grow a Lote trée florisht gay With purple flowres and beries swéete and leaues as gréene as Bay Of theis same flowres too please her boy my suster gathered sum And I had thought too doo so too for I was thither cum I saw how from the sliuered flowres red drops of blood did fall And how that shuddring horribly the braunches quaakt withall You must perceyue that as too late the Countryfolk declare A Nymph cald Lotos flying from fowle Pryaps filthy ware Was turned intoo this same trée reseruing still her name My suster did not know so much who when shée backward came Afrayd at that that shée had séene and hauing sadly prayd The Nymphes of pardon too haue gone her way agen assayd Her féete were fastned downe with rootes Shee stryued all she myght Too plucke them vp but they so sure within the earth were pyght That nothing saue her vpper partes shée could that present moue A tender barke growes from beneath vp leysurly aboue And softly ouerspreddes her loynes which when shée saw shée went About too teare her heare and full of leaues her hand shée hent Her head was ouergrowen with leaues And little Amphise so Had Eurytus his Graundsyre naamd her sonne not long ago Did féele his mothers dugges wex hard And as he still them drew In sucking not a whit of milke nor moysture did â—nsâ—w I standing by thée did behold thy cruell chaunce but nought I could reléeue thée suster myne yit too my powre I wrought Too stay the growing of thy trunk and of thy braunches by Embracing thée Yea I protest I would ryght willingly Haue in the selfe same barke with thee bene closed vp Behold Her husband good Andraemon and her wretched father old Sir Eurytus came thither and enquyrd for Dryopee And as they askt for Dryopee I shewd them Lote the tree They kist the wood which yit was warme and falling downe bylow Did hug the rootes of that their trée My suster now could show No part which was not wood except her face A deawe of teares Did stand vppon the wretched leaues late formed of her heares And whyle she might and whyle her mouth did giue her way too speake With such complaynt as this her mynd shée last of all did breake If credit may bee giuen too such as are in wretchednesse I sweare by God I neuer yit deserued this distresse I suffer peyne without desert My lyfe hath guiltlesse béene And if I lye I would theis boughes of mine which now are gréene Myght withered bée and I heawen downe and burned in the fyre This infant from his mothers wombe remoue you I desyre And put him forth too nurce and cause him vnderneath my trée Oft tymes too sucke and oftentymes too play And when that hée Is able for too speake I pray you let him gréete mée héere And sadly say in this same trunk is hid my mother déere But lerne him for too shun all ponds and pulling flowres from trées And let him in his heart beléeue that all the shrubs he sees Are bodyes of the Goddesses Adew déere husband now Adew déere father and adew déere suster And in yow If any loue of mée remayne defend my boughes I pray From wound of cutting hooke and ax and bit of beast for ay And for I cannot stoope too you rayse you yourselues too mée And come and kisse mée whyle I may yit toucht and kissed bee And lift mée vp my little boy I can no lenger talke For now about my lillye necke as if it were a stalke The tender rynd beginnes too créepe and ouergrowes my top Remoue your fingars from my face â–ª the spreading barke dooth stop My dying eyes without your help Shee had no sooner left Her talking but her lyfe therewith toogither was bereft But yit a good whyle after that her natiue shape did fade Her newmade boughes continewed warme Now whyle that Iöle made Report of this same woondrous tale and whyle Alcmena who Did wéepe was drying vp the teares of Iöle wéeping too By putting too her thomb there hapt a sodeine thing so straunge That vntoo mirth from heauinesse theyr harts it streight did chaunge For at the doore in maner euen a very boy as then With short soft Downe about his chin reuoked backe agen Too youthfull yeares stood Iölay with countnance smooth and trim Dame Hebee Iunos daughter had bestowde this gift on him Entreated at his earnest sute Whom mynding fully there The giuing of like gift ageine too any too forsweare Dame Themis would not suffer For quoth shée this present howre Is cruell warre in Thebee towne and none but Ioue hath powre Too vanquish stately Canapey The brothers shall a like Wound eyther other And alyue a Prophet shall go séeke His owne quicke ghoste among the dead the earth him swallowing in The sonne by taking vengeance for his fathers death shall win The name of kynd and wicked man in one and self same cace And flayght with mischéefes from his wits and from
the Elme had nat The trée too leane vntoo it should vppon the ground ly flat Yit art not thou admonisht by example of this trée Too take a husband neyther doost thou passe too maryed bée But would too God thou wouldest Sure Quéene Helen neuer had Mo â—uters nor the Lady that did cause the battell mad Betwéene the halfbrute Centavvres and the Lapythes nor the wyfe Of bold Vlysses whoo was éeke ay fearefull of his lyfe Than thou shouldst haue For thousands now eueÌ„ now most chéefly wheÌ„ Thou séemest suters too abhorre desyre thée both of men And Goddes and halfgoddes yea and all the fayryes that doo dwell In Albane hilles But if thou wilt bée wyse and myndest well Too match thy self and wilt giue eare too this old woman héere Too whom thou more than too them all art trust mée léef and déere And more than thou thyself beleevst the common matches flée And choose Vertumnus too thy make And take thou mée too bée His pledge For more he too himself not knowen is than too mée He roues not like a ronneagate through all the world abrode This countrye héerabout the which is large is his abode He dooth not like a nomber of theis common wooers cast His loue to euery one he sées Thou art the first and last That euer he set mynd vppon Alonly vntoo thée Hée vowes himself as long as lyfe dooth last Moreouer hée Is youthfull and with beawtye shéene endewd by natures gift And aptly intoo any shape his persone he can shift Thou canst not bid him bée the thing though al things y u shouldst name But that he fitly and with ease will streyght becomme the same Besydes all this in all one thing bothe twayne of you delyght And of the frutes that you loue best the firstlings are his ryght And gladly he receyues thy gifts But neyther couets hée Thy Apples Plommes nor other frutes new gathered from the trée Nor yit the herbes of pleasant sent that in thy gardynes bée Nor any other kynd of thing in all the world but thée Haue mercy on his feruent loue and think himself too craue Héere present by the mouth of mée the thing that he would haue And feare the God that may reuenge as Venus whoo dooth hate Hard harted folkes and Rhamnuse whoo dooth eyther soone or late Expresse her wrath with myndfull wreake And too th entent thou may The more beware of many things which tyme by long delay Hathe taught mée I will shewe thée one which ouer all the land Of Cyprus blazed is abrode which being ryghtly skand May easly bow thy hardned hart and make it for too yild One Iphis borne of lowe degrée by fortune had behild The Ladye Anaxarete descended of the race Of Tevvcer and in vewwing her the fyre of loue a pace Did spred it self through all his bones With which he stryuing long When reason could not conquer rage bycause it was too strong Came humbly too the Ladyes house and one whyle laying ope His wretched loue before her nurce besought her by the hope Of Lady Anaxarete her nurcechylds good successe Shée would not bee ageinst him in that cace of his distresse Anoother whyle entreating fayre sum fréend of hers he prayd Him earnestly with carefull voyce of furthrance and of ayd Oftymes he did preferre his sute by gentle letters sent Oft garlonds moysted with the deawe of teares that from him went He hanged on her postes Oft tymes his tender sydes he layd Ageinst the threshold hard and oft in sadnesse did vpbrayd The locke with much vngentlenesse The Lady crueller Than are the rysing narrowe seas or falling kiddes and farre More hard than stéele of Noricum and than the stonny rocke That in the quarrye hath his roote did him despyse and mocke Besyde her dooings mercylesse of statelynesse and spyght Shée adding prowd skornefull woordes defrauds the wretched wyght Of verry hope But Iphis now vnable any more Too beare the torment of his greef still standing there before Her gate spake theis his latest woordes well Anaxarete Thou hast the vpper hand Hencefoorth thou shalt not néede too bée Agréeued any more with mée Go tryumph hardely Go vaunt thy self with ioy go sing the song of victorye Go put a crowne of glittring bay vppon thy cruell head For why thou hast the vpper hand and I am gladly dead Well stéely harted well reioyce Compeld yit shalt thou bée Of sumwhat in mée for too haue a lyking Thou shalt sée A poynt wherein thou mayst mee déeme most thankfull vntoo thée And in the end thou shalt confesse the great desert of mée But yit remember that as long as lyfe in mée dooth last The care of thée shall neuer from this hart of myne be cast For bothe the lyfe that I doo liue in hope of thée and toother Which nature giueth shall haue end and passe away toogither The tydings neyther of my death shall come too thée fame Myself I doo assure thée will bée bringer of the same Myself I say will present bée that those same cruell eyen Of thyne may féede themselues vppon this linelesse corce of myne But yit O Goddes if you behold mennes déedes remember mée My toong will seâ—ue too pray no more and cause that I may bée Longtyme heerafter spoken of and length the lyfe by fame The which yée haue abridgd in yéeres In saying of this same He lifted vp his watrye eyes and armes that wexed wan Too those same stulpes which oft he had with garlondes deckt ere than And fastning on the toppe therof a halter thus did say Thou cruell and vngodly wyght theis are the wreathes that may Most pleasure thée And with that woord he thrusting in his head Euen then did turne him towards her as good as being dead And wretchedly did totter on the poste with strangled throte The wicket which his féerefull féete in sprawling maynely smote Did make a noyse and flying ope bewrayd his dooing playne The seruants shreekt and lifting vp his bodye but in vayne Conueyd him too his moothers house his father erst was slayne His moother layd him in her lappe and cléeping in her armes Her sonnes cold bodye after that shée had bewayld her harmes With woordes and dooings mootherlyke the corce with moorning chéere Too buryall sadly through the towne was borne vppon a beere The house of Anaxarete by chaunce was néere the way By which this piteous pomp did passe and of the doolefull lay The sound came too the eares of her whom God alreadye gan Too strike â–ª Yit let vs sée ê™ shée the buryall of this man And vp the hygh wyde windowde house in saying so shée ran Scarce had shée well on Iphis lookt that on the béere did lye But that her eyes wert stark and from her limbes the blood gan flye In stead therof came palenesse in And as shée backeward was In mynd too go her féete stacke fast and could not stirre And as Shée would haue cast her countnance backe shée
aside The violence of their boystrous blasts things scarsly can abide They so turmoyle as though they would the world in pieces rende So cruell is those brothers wrath when that they doe contende And therefore to the morning graye the Realme of Nabathie To Persis and to other lands and countries that doe lie Farre vnderneath the Morning starre did Eurus take his flight Likewise the setting of the Sunne and shutting in of night Belong to Zephyr And the blasts of blustring Boreas raigne In Scythia and in other landes set vnder Charles his waine And vnto Auster doth belong the coast of all the South Who beareth shoures and rotten mistes continuall in his month Aboue all these he set aloft the cleare and lightsome skie Without all dregs of earthly filth or grossenesse vtterlie The boundes of things were scarsly yet by him thus pointed out But that appeared in the heauen starres glistring all about Which in the said confused heape had hidden bene before And to thintent with liuely things eche Region for to store The heauenly soyle to Gods and Starres and Planets first he gaue The waters next both fresh and salt he let the fishes haue The suttle ayre to flickring fowles and birdes he hath assignde The earth to beasts both wilde and tame of sundrie sort and kinde Howbeit yet of all this while the creature wanting was Farre more deuine of nobler minde which should the residue pasâ—e In depth of knowledge reason wit and high capacitie And which of all the residue should the Lord and ruler bée Then eyther he that made the worlde and things in order set Of heauenly séede engendred Man or else the earth as yet Yong lustie fresh and in hir floures and parted from the kie But late before the séede thereof as yet held inwardlie The which Prometheus tempring straight with waâ—er of the spring Did make in likenesse to the Gods that gouerne euerie thing And where all other beasts behold the ground with groueling eie He gaue to Man a stately looke replâ—â—e with maiestie And willde him to behold the Heâ—â—en wyth countnance cast on hie â–ª To marke and vnderstand what things were in the starrie skie And thus the earth which late before had neyther shape nor hew Did take the noble shape of man and was transformed new Then sprang vp first the golden age which of it selfe maintainde The truth and right of euery thing vnforst and vnconstrainde There was no feare of punishment there was no thrâ—â—ining lawe In brazen tables nayled vp to â—éepe the folke inlawe There was no man would cronch or créepe to Iudge with cap in hand They liued safe without a Iudge in euerie Realme and lande The loftie Pynetrée was not hewen from mountaines where it stood In séeking straunge and forren landes to roue vpon the flood Men knew none other countries yet than where themselues did kéepe There was no towne enclosed yet with walles and diches déepe No horne nor trumpet was in vse no sword nor helmet worne The worlde was suche that souldiers helpe might easly be forborne The fertile earth as yet was frée vntoucht of spade or plough And yet it yéelded of it selfe of euery things inough And men themselues contented well with plaine and simple foode That on the earth of natures gift without their trauell stoode Did liue by Raspis heppes hawes by cornelles plummes and cherries By sloes and apples nuttes and peares and lothsome bramble berries And by the acornes dropt on ground from Ioues brode trée in fielde The Springtime lasted all the yeare and Zephyr with his milde And gentle blast did cherish things that grew of owne accorde The ground vntilde all kinde of fruits did plenteously auorde No mucke nor tillage was bestowde on leane and barren land To make the corne of better head and ranker for to stand TheÌ„ streames ran milke then streames ran wine yellow honny flowde From ech gréene trée whereon the rayes of firie Phebus glowde But when that into Lymbo once Saturnus being thrust The rule and charge of all the worlde was vnder Ioue vniust And that the siluer age came in more somewhat base than golde More precious yet than freckled brasse immediatly the olde And auncient Spring did Ioue abridge and made therof anon Foure seasons Winter Sommer Spring and Autumne of and on Then first of all began the ayre with feruent heate to swelt Then Isyeles hung roping downe then for the colde was felt Men gan to shroud themselues in house their houses were the thickes And bushie queaches hollow caues or hardels made of stickes Then first of all were furrowes drawne and corne was cast in ground The simple Oxe with sorie sighes to heauie yoke was bound Next after this succeded streight the third and brazen age More hard of nature somewhat bent to cruell warres and rage But yet not wholy past all grace Of yron is the last In no part good and traetable as former ages past For when that of this wicked Age once opened was the veyne Therein all mischief rushed forth then Fayth and Truth were faine And honest shame to hide their heades for whom stept stoutly in Craft Treason Uiolence Enuie Pride and wicked Lust to win The shipman hoyst his sailes to wind whose names he did not knowe And shippes that erst in toppes of hilles and mountaines had ygrowe Did leape and daunce on vncouth waues and men began to bound With dowles and diches drawen in length the frée and fertile ground Which was as common as the Ayre and light of Sunne before Not onely corne and other fruites for sustnance and for store Were now exacted of the Earth but eft thy gan to digge And in the bowels of the ground vnsaciably to rigge For Riches coucht and hidden déepe in places nere to Hell The spurres and stirrers vnto vice and foes to doing well Then hurtfull yron came abrode then came forth yellow golde More hurtfull than the yron farre then came forth battle bolde That feightes with bothe and shakes his sword in cruell bloudy hand Men liue by rauine and by stelth the wandring guest doth stand In daunger of his host the host in daunger of his guest And fathers of their sonne in lawes yea seldome time doth rest Betwéene borne brothers such accord and loue as ought to bée The goodman séekes the goodwiues death and his againe séekes shée The stepdames fell their husbandes sonnes with poyson do assayle To sée their fathers liue so long the children doe bewayle All godlynesse lies vnder foote And Ladie Astrey last Of heauenly vertues from this earth in slaughter drowned past And to thintent the earth alone thus should not be opprest And heauen aboue in slouthfull ease and carelesse quiet rest ¶ Men say that Giantes went about the Realme of Heauen to win To place themselues to raigne as Gods and lawlesse Lordes therein And hill on hill they heaped vp aloft vnto the skie Till God almighty from the Heauen did let his
the which thou doest desire of great importance béene More than thy weakenesse well can wielde a charge as well appeares Of greater weight than may agree with these thy tender yeares Thy state is mortall weake and frayle the thing thou doest desire Is such whereto no mortall man is able to aspire Yea foolish boy thou doest desire and all for want of wit A greater charge than any God coulde euer haue as yet For were there any of them all so ouerséene and blinde To take vpon him this my charge full quickly should he finde That none but I could sit vpon the fierie Axeltrée No not euen he that rules this wast and endlesse space we sée Not he that darts with dreadfull hande the thunder from the Skie Shall driue this chare And yet what thing in all the world perdie Is able to compare with Ioue Now first the morning way Lyes stéepe vpright so that the stéedes in coolest of the day And béeing fresh haue much a doe to climbe against the Hyll Amiddes the heauen the gastly heigth augmenteth terror still My heart doth waxe as colde yse full many a tyme and oft For feare to sée the Sea and land from that same place aloft The Euening way doth fall plump downe requiring strength to guide That Tethis who doth harbrowgh mée within hir sourges wide Doth stand in feare least from the heaueÌ„ I headlong down should slide Besides all this the Heauen aye swimmes and whéeles about full swift And with his rolling dryues the starres their proper course to shift Yet doe I kéepe my natiue course against this brunt so stout Not giuing place as others doe but boldely bearing out The force and swiftnesse of that heauen that whyrleth so about Admit thou had my winged Stéedes and Chariot in thine hande What couldste thou doe dost thinke thy selfe well able to withstande The swiftnesse of the whyrled Pooles but that their brunt and sway Yea doe the best and worst thou can shall beare thée quite away Perchaâ—nce thou dost imaginee there some townes of Gods to â—inde With groues and Temples richt with giftes as is among mankinde Thou art deceyude vtterly thou shalt not finde it so By blinde bywayes and vgly shapes of monsters must thou go And though thou knewe the way so well as that thou could not stray Betwéene the dreadful bulles sharp hornes yet must thou make thy way Agaynst the cruell Bowe the which the Aemonian archer drawes Against the ramping Lyon armde with gréedie téeth and pawes Against the Scorpion stretching farre his fell and venymd clawes And eke the Crab that casteth forth his crooked clées awrie Not in such sort as th' other doth and yet as dreadfully Againe thou neyther hast the powre nor yet the skill I knowe My lustie coursers for to guide that from their nosetrilles throwe And from their mouthes the fierie breath that bréedeth in their brest For scarcely will they suffer mée who knowes their nature best When that their cruell courages begin to catch a heate That hardely should I deale with them but that I know the â—eate But least my gift should to thy griefe and vtter perill tend My Sonne beware and whyle thou mayst thy fonde request amend Bycause thou woulde be knowne to bée my childe thou séemst to craue A certaine signe what surer signe I pray thée canst thou haue Than this my feare so fatherly the which I haue of thée Which proueth me most certainly thy father for to bée Beholde and marke my countenaunce O would to God thy sight Coulde pierce within my wofull brest to sée the heauie plight And heapes of cares within my heart Looke through the worlde so round Of all the wealth and goodes therein if ought there may be found In Heauen or Earth or in the Sea aske what thou lykest best And sure it shall not be denide This onely one request That thou hast made I heartely beséech thée to relent Which for to tearme the thing aright is euen a punishment And not an honour as thou thinkest my Phaëton thou dost craue In stead of honour euen a scourge and punishment for to haue Thou fondling thou what dost thou meane with fawning armes about My necke thus flattringly to hang Thou néedest not to dout I haue alreadie sworne by Styx aske what thou wilt of mée And thou shalt haue Yet let thy next wish somewhat wiser bée Thus ended his aduertisment and yet the wilfull Lad Withstood his counsell vrging still the promisse that he had Desiring for to haue the chare as if he had béene mad â–ª His father hauing made delay as long as he could shift Did lead him where his Chariot stood which was of Vulcans gift The Axeltrée was massie golde the Bucke was massie golde The vtmost fellies of the whéeles and where the trée was rolde The spokes were all of syluer bright the Chrysolites and Gemmes That stood vppon the Collars Trace and hounces in their hemmes Did cast a shéere and glimmering light as Phoebus shone thereon Now while the lustie Phaëton stood gazing here vpon And wondered at the workemanship of euerie thing béeholde The earely morning in the East béegan mée to vnfolde Hir purple Gates and shewde hir house bedeckt with Roses red The twinckling starres withdrew which by the morning star are led Who as the Captaine of that Host that hath no péere nor match Dooth leaue his standing last of all within that heauenly watch Now when his Father sawe the worlde thus glister red and trim And that his waning sisters hornes began to waxen dim He had the fetherfooted howres go harnesse in his horse The Goddesses with might and mayne themselues thereto enforce His fierifoming Stéedes full fed with iuice of Ambrosie They take from Maunger trimly dight and to their heades doe tie Strong reyned â—its and to the Charyot doe them well appoint Then Phoebus did with heauenly salue his Phaëtons heade annoint That scorching fire coulde nothing hurt which done vpon his haire He put the fresh and golden rayes himselfe was wont to weare And then as one whose heart misgaue the sorrowes drawing fast With sorie sighes he thus bespake his retchlesse sonne at last And if thou canst at least yet this thy fathers lore obay Sonne spare the whip reyne them hard they run so swift away As that thou shalt haue much a doe their fléeing course to stay Directly through the Zones all â—iue beware thou doe not ride A brode byway cut out a skew that bendeth on the side Contaynde within the bondes of thrée the midmost Zones doth lie Which from the grisely Northren beare Southren Pole doth flie Kéepe on this way my Charyot rakes thou plainely shalt espie And to thintent that heauen and earth may well the heate endure Driue neyther ouer high nor yet too lowe For be thou sure And if thou mount aboue thy boundes the starres thou burnest cleane Againe beneath thou burnst the Earth most safetie is the meane And least perchaunce
thou ouermuch the right hand way should take And so misfortune should thée driue vpon the writhen Snake Or else by taking ouermuche vpon the lefter hand Unto the Aultar thou be driuen that doth against it stand Indifferently betwéene them both I wish thée for to ride The rest I put to fortunes will who be thy friendly guide And better for thâ—e than thy selfe as in this case prouide Whiles that I prattle here with thée behold the dankish night Beyond all Spaine hir vtmost bound is passed out of sight We may no lenger tariance make my wonted light is cald The Morning with hir countnance cleare the darknesse hath appald â–ª Take raine in hand or if thy minde by counsell altred bée Refuse to meddle with my Wayne and while thou yet art frée And doste at ease within my house in safegarde well remaine Of this thine vnaduised wish not féeling yet the paine Let me alone with giuing still the world his wonted light And thou thereof as heretofore enioy the harmelesse sight Thus much in vaine for Phaeton both yong in yeares and wit Into the Chariot lightly lept and vauncing him in it Was not a litle proud that he the brydle gotten had He thankt his father whom it grieude to sée his childe so mad While Phebus and his rechelesse sonne were entertalking this Aeöus Aethon Phlegon and the firie Pyrois The restlesse horses of the Sunne began to ney so hie Wyth flaming breath that all the heauen might heare them perfectly And with their houes they mainly beate vpon the lattisde grate The which when Tethis knowing nought of this hir cousins fate Had put aside and giuen the stéedes the frée and open scope Of all the compasse of the Skie within the heauenly Cope They girded forth and cutting through the Cloudes that let their race With splayed wings they ouerflâ—w the Easterne winde a pace The burthen was so lyght as that the Genets felt it not The wonted weight was from the Waine the which they well did wot For like as ships amids the Seas that scant of ballace haue Doe réele and totter with the wynde and yéeld to euery waue Euen so the Waine for want of weight it erst was wont to beare Did hoyse aloft and scayle and réele as though it empty were Which when the Cartware did perceyue they left the beaten way And taking bridle in the téeth began to run astray The rider was so sore agast he knew no vse of Reyne Nor yet his way and though he had yet had it ben in vayne Bicause he wanted powre to rule the horses and the Wayne Then first did sweat cold Charles his Wain through force of Phebus rayes And in the Sea forbidden him to diue in vaine assayes The Serpent at the frozen Pole both colde and slow by kinde Through heat waxt wroth and stird about a cooler place to finde And thou Bootes though thou be but slow of footemanship Yet wert thou faine as Fame reports about thy Waine to skip Now when vnhappy Phaeton from top of all the Skie Behelde the Earth that vnderneath a great way off did lie He waxed pale for sodaine feare his ioynts and sinewes quooke The greatnesse of the glistring light his eyesight from him tooke Now wisht he that he neuer had his fathers horses sée It yrkt him that he thus had sought to learne his piedegre It grieude him that he had preuailde in gaining his request To haue bene counted Merops sonne he thought it now the best Thus thinking was he headlong driuen as when a ship is borne by blustring windes hir saileclothes rent hir sterne in pieces torne And tacling brust the which the Pilote trusting all to prayre Abandons wholy to the Sea and fortune of the ayre What should he doe much of the heauen he passed had behinde And more he saw before both whiche he measurde in his minde Eft looking forward to the West which to approch as then Might not betide and to the East eft looking backe agen He wist not what was best to doe his wittes were rauisht so For neither could he hold the Reynes nor yet durst let them go And of his horses names was none that he remembred tho Straunge vncoth Monsters did he sée dispersed here and there And dreadfull shapes of vgly beasts that in the Welkin were There is a certaine place in which the hidious Scorpion throwes His armes in compasse far abrode much like a couple of bowes With writhen tayle and clasping cles whose poyson limmes doe stretch On euery side that of two signes they full the roume doe retch Whome when the Lad beheld all moyst with blacke and lothly swet With sharpe and nedlepointed sting as though he séemde to thret He was so sore astraught for feare he let the bridels slacke Which when the horses felt lie lose vpon their sweating backe At rouers straight throughout the Ayre by wayes vnknowne they ran Whereas they neuer came before since that the worlde began For looke what way their lawlesse rage by chaunce and fortune drue Without controlment or restraint that way they fréely â—lue Among the starres that fixed are within the firmament They snatcht the Chariot here and there One while they coursing went Upon the top of all the skie anon againe full round They troll me downe to lower wayes and nearer to the ground So that the Moone was in a Maze to sée hir brothers Waine Run vnder hirs the singed cloudes began to smoke amaine Eche ground the higher that it was and nearer to the Skie The sooner was it set on fire and made therewith so drie That euery where it gan to chinke The Medes and Pastures gréene â–ª Did seare away and with the leaues the trées were burned cléene The parched corne did yéelde wherewith to worke his owne decaie Tushe these are trifles Mightie townes did perish that same daie Whose countries with their folke were burnt and forests ful of wooâ— Were turnde to ashes with the â—ocks mountains where they stood Then A the Cilician Taure and Tmâ—le and Oeta flamed hie And Ide erst full of flowing springs was then made vtter drie The learned virgins daily haunt the sacred Helicon And Thracian Hemus not as yet surnamde Oeagrion Did smoke both twaine and Aetna hote of nature aye before Encreast by force of Phebus flame now raged ten times more The forkt Parnasus Eryx Cynth and Othrys then did swelt And all the snow of Rhodope did at that present melt The like outrage Mount Dindymus and Mime and Micale felt Cytheron borne to sacred vse with Osse and Pindus hie And Olymp greater than them both did burne excessiuely The passing colde that Scithie had defended not the same But that the barren Caucasus was partner of this flame And so were eke the Airie Alpes and Appennyne beside For all the Cloudes continually their snowie tops doe hide Then wheresoeuer Phaeton did chaunce to cast his vew The world was all on staining fire The breath the which
Of Snakes and Todes the filthie foode that kéepes hir vices fresh It lothde hir to beholde the sight Anon the Elfe arose And left the gnawed Adders flesh and slouthfully she goes With lumpish leysure like a Snayle and when she saw the face Of Pallas and hir faire attire adournde with heauenly grace She gaue a sigh a sorie sigh from bottome of hir heart Hir lippes were pale hir chéekes were wan and all hir face was swart Hir bodie leane as any Rake She looked eke a skew Hir téeth were furde with filth and drosse hir gums were waryish blew The working of hir festered gall had made hir stomacke gréene And all bevenimde was hir tongue No sléepe hir eyes had séene Continuall Carke and cankred care did kéepe hir waking still Of laughter saue at others harmes the Helhound can no skill It is against hir will that men haue any good successe And if they haue she frettes and fumes within hir minde no lesse Than if hir selfe had taken harme In séeking to annoy And worke distresse to other folke hir selfe she doth destroy Thus is she torment to hir selfe Though Pallas did hir hate Yet spake she briefly these few wordes to hir without hir gate Infect thou with thy venim one of Cecrops daughters thrée It is Aglauros whome I meane for so it néedes must bee This said she pight hir speare in ground and tooke hir rise thereon And winding from that wicked wight did take hir flight anon The Caitife cast hir eye aside and séeing Pallas gon Began to mumble with hir selfe the Diuels Paternoster And fretting at hir good successe began to blow and bluster She takes a crooked staffe in hand bewreathde with knubbed prickes And couered with a coly cloude where euer that she stickes Hir filthie féete she tramples downe and seares both grasse and corne That all the fresh and fragrant fieldes séeme vtterly forlorne And with hir staffe she tippeth of the highest poppie heades Such poyson also euery where vngraciously she sheades That euery Cottage where she comes â–ª â—nd euery Towne and Citie Doe take infection at hir breath At length the more is pitie She found the faire Athenian towne that flowed freshly then In feastfull peace and ioyfull welth and learned witts of men And forbicause she nothing saw that might prouoke to wéepe It was a corsie to hir heart hir hatefull teares to kéepe Now when she came within the Court she went without delay Directly to the lodgings where King Cecrops daughters lay There did she as Minerua bad she laide hir scuruie fist besmerde with venim and with filth vpon Aglauros brist The whiche she fillde with hooked thornes and breathing on hir face Did shead the poyson in hir bones which spred it selfe apace As blacke as euer virgin pitch through Lungs and Lights and all And to thintent that cause of griefe abundantly should fall She placed ay before hir eyes hir sisters happie chaunce In being wedded to the God and made the God to glaunce Continually in heauenly shape before hir wounded thought And all these things she painted out which in conclusion wrought Such corsies in Aglauros brest that sighing day and night She gnawde and fretted in hir selfe for very cancred spight And like a wretche she wastes hir selfe with restlesse care and pine Like as the yse whereon the Sunne with glimering light doth shine Hir sister Herses good successe doth make hir heart to yerne In case as when that fire is put to gréenefeld wood or fearne Whych giueth neyther light nor heate but smulders quite away Sometime she minded to hir Sire hir sister to bewray Who well she knew would yll abide so lewde a part to play And oft she thought with wilfull hande to brust hir fatall threede Bicause she woulde not sée the thing that made hir heart to bléede At last she sate hir in the doore and leaned to a post To let the God from entring in To whome now hauing lost Much talke and gentle wordes in vayne she said Sir leaue I pray For hence I will not be you sure onlesse you go away I take thée at thy word quoth he and therewithall he pusht His rod against the barred doore and wide it open rusht She making proffer for to rise did féele so great a waight Through all hir limmes that for hir life she could not stretch hir straight She stroue to set hirself vpright but striuing booted not Hir hamstrings and hir knées were stiffe a chilling colde had got In at hir nayles through all hir limmes and eke hir veynes began For want of bloud and liuely heate to waxe both pale and wan And as the freting Fistula forgrowne and past all cure Runnes in the flesh from place to place and makes the sound and pure As bad or worser than the rest euen so the cold of death Strake to hir heart and closde hir veines and lastly stopt hir breath She made no profer for to speake and though she had done so It had bene vaine For way was none for language forth to go Hir throte congealed into stone hir mouth became hard stone And like an image sate she still hir bloud was clearely gone The which the venim of hir heart so fowly did infect That euer after all the stone with freckled spots was spect When Mercurie had punisht thus Aglauros spightfull tung And cancred heart immediatly from Pallas towne he flung And flying vp with flittering wings did pierce to heauen aboue His father calde him straight aside but shewing not his loue Said sonne my trustie messenger and worker of my will Make no delay but out of hand flie downe in hast vntill The land that on the left side lookes vpon thy mothers light Yonsame where standeth on the coast the towne that Sidon hight The King hath there a heirde of Neate that on the Mountaines féede Go take and driue them to the sea with all conuenient speede He had no sooner said the word but that the heirde begun Driuen from the mountaine to the shore appointed for to run Whereas the daughter of the King was wonted to resort With other Ladies of the Court there for to play and sport Betwéene the state of Maiestie and loue is set such oddes As that they can not dwell in one The Sire and King of Goddes Whose hand is armd with triplefire who only with his frowne Makes Sea and Land and Heauen to quake doth lay his scepter downe With all the graue and stately port belonging therevnto And putting on the shape of Bull as other cattell doe Goes lowing gently vp and downe among them in the field The fairest beast to looke vpon that euer man beheld For why his colour was as white as any winters snow Before that eyther trampling féete or Southerne winde it thow His necke was brawnd with rolles of flesh and from his chest before A dangling dewlap hung me downe good halfe a foote and more His hornes were small but yet so fine as that ye would
Iaueling steale that sticked out betwene his téeth doth gripe The which with wresting to and fro at length he forth did winde Saue that he left the head thereof among his bones behinde When of his courage through the wound more kindled was the ire His throteboll swelde with puffed veines his eyes gan sparkle fire There stoode about his smeared chaps a lothly foming froth His skaled brest ploughes vp the ground the stinking breath that goth Out from his blacke and hellish mouth infectes the herbes full fowle Sometime he windes himselfe in knots as round as any Bowle Sometime he stretcheth out in length as straight as any beame Anon againe with violent brunt he rusheth like a streame Encreast by rage of latefalne raine and with his mightie sway Beares downe the wood before his breast that standeth in his way Agenors sonne retiring backe doth with his Lions spoyle Defend him from his fierce assaults and makes him to recoyle Aye holding at the weapons point The Serpent waxing wood Doth crashe the stéele betwene his téeth and bites it till the blood Dropt mixt with poyson from his mouth did die the gréene grasse blacke But yet the wound was verie light bicause he writhed backe And puld his head still from the stroke and made the stripe to die By giuing way vntill that Cadmus following irefully The stroke with all his powre and might did through y ◠throte him riue And naylde him to an Oke behind the which he eke did cliue The Serpents waight did make the trée to bend It grieude the trée His bodie of the Serpents taile thus scourged for to bée While Cadmus wondred at the hugenesse of the vanquisht foe Upon the sodaine came a voyce from whence he could not know But sure he was he heard the voyce Which said Agenors sonne What gazest thus vpon this Snake the time will one day come That thou thy selfe shalt be a Snake He pale and wan for feare Had lost his speach and ruffled vp stiffe staring stood his heare Behold mans helper at his néede Dame Pallas gliding through The vacant Ayre was straight at hand and bade him take a plough And cast the Serpents téeth in ground as of the which should spring Another people out of hand He did in euery thing As Pallas bade he tooke a plough and earde a forrow low And sowde the Serpents téeth whereof the foresaid folke should grow Anon a wondrous thing to tell the clods began to moue And from the forrow first of all the pikes appearde aboue Next rose vp helmes with fethered crests and then the Poldrens bright Successiuely the Curets whole and all the armor right Thus grew vp men like corne in field in rankes of battle ray With shields and weapons in their hands to feight the field that day Euen so when stages are attirde against some solemne game With clothes of Arras gorgeously in drawing vp the same The faces of the ymages doe first of all them showe And then by peecemeale all the rest in order séemes to grow Untill at last they stand out full vpon their féete bylow Afrighted at this new found foes gan Cadmus for to take Him to his weapons by and by resistance for to make Stay stay thy selfe cride one of them that late before were bred Out of the ground and meddle not with ciuill warres This sed One of the brothers of that brood with launcing sworde he slue Another sent a dart at him the which him ouerthrue The third did straight as much for him and made him yéelde the breath The which he had receyude but now by stroke of forced death Likewise outraged all the rest vntill that one by one By mutuall stroke of ciuill warre dispatched euerychone This broode of brothers all behewen and weltred in their blood Lay sprawling on their mothers womb the ground where erst they stood Saue only fiue that did remaine Of whom Echion led By Pallas counsell threw away the helmet from his head And with his brothers gan to treat attonement for to make The which at length by Pallas helpe so good successe did take That faithfull friendship was confirmd and hand in hand was plight These afterward did well assist the noble Tyrian knight In building of the famous towne that Phebus had behight Now Thebes stoode in good estate now Cadmus might thou say That when thy father banisht thée it was a luckie day To ioyne aliance both with Mars and Venus was thy chaunce Whose daughter thou hadst tane to wife who did thée much aduaunce Not only through hir high renowne but through a noble race Of sonnes and daughters that she bare whose children in like case It was thy fortune for to sée all men and women growne But ay the ende of euery thing must marked be and knowne For none the name of blessednesse deserueth for to haue Onlesse the tenor of his life last blessed to his graue Among so many prosprous happes that flowde with good successe Thine eldest Nephew was a cause of care and sore distresse Whose head was armde with palmed hornes whose own hoūds in y ◠wood Did pull their master to the ground and fill them with his bloud But if you sift the matter well ye shall not finde desart But cruell fortune to haue bene the cause of this his smart For who could doe with ouersight great slaughter had bene made Of sundrie sortes of sauage beastes one morning and the shade Of things was waxed verie short It was the time of day That mid betwéene the East and West the Sunne doth séeme to stay When as the Thebane stripling thus bespake his companie Still raunging in the waylesse woods some further game to spie Our weapons and our toyles are moist and staind with bloud of Deare This day hath done inough as by our quarrie may appeare Assoone as with hir scarlet whéeles next morning bringeth light We will about our worke againe But now Hiperion bright Is in the middes of Heauen and seares the fieldes with firie rayes Take vp your toyles and cease your worke and let vs go our wayes They did euen so and ceast their worke There was a valley thicke With Pinaple and Cipresse trées that armed be with pricke Gargaphie hight this shadie plot it was a sacred place To chast Diana and the Nymphes that wayted on hir grace Within the furthest end thereof there was a pleasant Bowre So vaulted with the leauie trées the Sunne had there no powre Not made by hand nor mans deuise and yet no man aliue A trimmer piece of worke than that could for his life contriue With flint and Pommy was it wallde by nature halfe about And on the right side of the same full freshly flowed out A liuely spring with Christall streame whereof the vpper brim Was gréene with grasse and matted herbes that smelled verie trim When Phebe felt hir selfe waxe faint of following of hir game It was hir custome for to come and bath hir in the same That
But euery person leapth vp and from his labor drawes And there one Medon first of all began to waxen blacke And hauing lost his former shape did take a courbed backe What Monster shall we haue of thée quoth Licab and with that This Licabs chappes did waxen wide his nosethrils waxed flat His skin waxt tough and scales thereon began anon to grow And Libis as he went about the Ores away to throw Perceiued how his hands did shrinke and were become so short That now for finnes and not for hands he might them well report Another as he would haue claspt his arme about the corde Had nere an arme and so bemaimd in bodie ouer boord He leapeth downe among the waues and forked is his tayle As are the hornes of Phebes face when halfe hir light doth fayle They leape about and sprinkle vp much water on the ship One while they swim aboue and downe againe anon they slip They fetch their friskes as in a daunce and wantonly they writhe Now here now there among the waues their bodies bane and lithe And with their wide and hollow nose the water in they snuffe And by their noses out againe as fast they doe it puffe Of twentie persons for our ship so many men did beare I only did remaine nigh straught and trembling still for feare The God could scarce recomfort me and yet he said go too Feare not but saile to Dia ward His will I gladly doe And so assoone as I came there with right deuouâ— intent His Chaplaine I became And thus his Orgies I frequent Thou makste a processe verie long quoth Penthey to thintent That choler being coolde by time mine anger might relent But Sirs he spake it to his men go take him by and by With cruell torments out of hand goe cause him for to die Immediatly they led away Acetes out of sight And put him into prison strong from which there was no flight But while the cruell instruments of death as sword and fire Were in preparing wherewithall t' accomplish Pentheys yre It is reported that the doores did of their owne accorde Burst open and his chaines fall off And yet this cruell Lorde Persisteth fiercer than before not bidding others go But goes himselfe vnto the hill Cytheron which as tho To Bacchus being consecrate did ring of chaunted songs And other loud confused sounds of Bacchus drunken throngs And euen as when the bloudie Trumpe doth to the battell sound The lustie horse streight neying out bestirres him on the ground And taketh courage therevpon t'assaile his emnie proud Euen so when Penthey heard a farre the noyse and howling loud That Bacchus franticke folke did make it set his heart on fire And kindled fiercer than before the sparks of settled ire There is a goodly plaine about the middle of the hill Enuirond in with Woods where men may view eche way at will Here looking on these holie rites with lewde prophaned eyes King Pentheys mother first of all hir foresaid sonne espies And like a Bedlem first of all she doth vpon him runne And with hir Iaueling furiously she first doth wound hir sonne Come hither sisters come she cries here is that mighty Bore Here is the Bore that stroyes our fieldes him will I strike therefore With that they fall vpon him all as though they had bene mad And clustring all vpon a heape fast after him they gad He quakes and shakes his words are now become more méeke and colde He now condemnes his owne default and sayes he was too bolde And wounded as he was he cries helpe Aunt Autonoë Now for Acteons blessed soule some mercie show to me She wist not who Acteon was but rent without delay His right hand off and Ino tare his tother hand away To lift vnto his mother thâ— the wretch had nere an arme But shewing hir his maimed corse and woundâ—s yet bléeding warme O mother sée he sayes with that Agauë howleth out And writhed with hir necke awrie and shooke hir haire about And holding from his bodie torne his head in bloudie hands She cries O fellowes in this déede our noble conquest stands No sooner could the winde haue blowen the rotten leaues fro trées When Winters frost hath bitten them then did the hands of these Most wicked women Pentheys limmes from one another teare The Thebanes being now by this example brought in feare Frequent this newfound sacrifice and with swéete frankinsence God Bacchus Altars lode with gifts in euery place doe cense Finis 〈◊〉 Libri ¶ THE FOVRTH BOOKE of Ouids Metamorphosis YEt would not stout Alcithoâ—â— Duke Mineus daughter bow The Orgies of this new found God in conscience to allow But still she stiffly doth denie that Bacchus is the sonne Of Ioue and in this heresie hir 〈◊〉 with hir runne The Priest had bidden holiday and that as well the Maide As Mistresse for the time aside all other businesse layde In Buckskin cotes with tresses loose and garlondes on their heare Should in their hands the leauie speaâ—es surnamed Thyrsis beare Foreâ—elling them that if they did the Goddes commaundement breake He would with sore and grieuous plagues his wrath vpon them wreake The women straight both yong and olde doe therevnto obay Their yarne their baskets and their flax vnsponne aside they lay And burne to Bacchus frankinsâ—nce Whome solemly they call By all the names and titles high that may to him befall As Bromius and Lyeus eke begotten of the flame Twice borne the sole and only childe that of two mothers came Unshorne Thyoney Niseus Leneus and the sâ—tter Of Uines whose pleasant liquor makes all tables fare the better Nyctileus and th' Elelean Sire Iacchus Euan eke With diuers other glorious names that through the land of Greke To thee O Liber wonted are to attributed bée Thy youthfull yeares can neuer wast there dwelleth ay in thée A childhod tender fresh and faire In Heauen we doe thée sée Surmounting euery other thing in beautie and in grace And when thou standste without thy hornes thou hast a Maidens face To thée obeyeth all the East as far as Ganges goes Which doth the scorched land of Inde with tawnie folke enclose Lycurgus with his twibill sharpe and Penthey who of pride Thy Godhead and thy mightie power rebelliously denide Thou right redowted didst confounde Thou into Sea didst send The Tyrrhene shipmen Thou with bittes the sturdy neckes doste bend Of spotted Lyâ—xes Throngs of Frowes and Satyres on thée tend And that olde Hag that with a staffe his staggering limmes doth stay Scarce able on his Asse to sit for réeling euery way Thou commest not in any place but that is hearde the noyse Of gagling womens tatling tongues and showting out of boyes With sound of Timbrels Tabors Pipes and Brazen pannes and pots Confusedly among the rout that in thine Orgies trots The Thebane women for thy grace and fauour humbly sue And as the Priest did bid frequent thy rites with reuerence due Alonly Mineus daughters bent of wilfulnesse
and law by Ioues commaundement Andromad for hir mothers tongue did suffer punishment Whome to a rocke by both the armes when fastned hée had séene He would haue thought of Marble stone shée had some image béene But that hir tresses to and fro the whisking winde did blowe And trickling teares warme from hir eyes a downe hir chéeks did flow Unwares hereat gan secret sparkes within his breast to glow His wits were straught at sight thereof and rauisht in such wise That how to houer with his wings he scarsly could deuise Assoone as he had stayd himselfe O Ladie faire ê™ hée Not worthie of such bands as these but such wherewith wee sée Togither knâ—t in lawfull bed the earnest louers bée I pray thée tell mée what thy selfe and what this lande is named And wherefore thou dost weare these Chains the Ladie ill ashamed Was at the sodaine striken domb and lyke a fearfull maid Shée durst not speake vnto a man Had not hir handes béene staid She would haue hid hir bashfull face Howbeit as she might With great abundance of hir teares shée stopped vp hir sight But when that Persey oftentimes was earnestly in hand To learne the matter for bicause shée woulde not séeme to stand In stubborne silence of hir faultes shée tolde him what the land And what she hight and how hir mother for hir beauties sake Through pride did vnaduisedly too much vpon hir take And ere shée full had made an ende the water gaâ— to rore An ougly monster from the déepe was making to the shore Which bare the Sea before his breast The Uirgin shrieked out Hir father and hir mother both stood mourning thereabout In wretched ease both twaine but not so wretched as the maid Who wrongly for hir mothers fault the bitter raunsome paid They brought not with them any help but as the time and cace Required they wept and wrang their hands and streightly did embrace Hir bodie fastened to the rock Then Persey them bespake And sayde the time may serue too long this sorrow for to make But time of helpe must eyther now or neuer else be take Now if I Persey sonne of hir whome in hir fathers towre The mightie Ioue begat with childe in shape of golden showre Who cut off ougly Gorgons head bespred with snakish heare And in the ayre durst trust these winges my body for to beare Perchaunce should saue your daughters life I think ye should as then Accept mée for your sonne in lawe before all other men To these great thewes by the help of God I purpose for to adde A iust desert in helping hir that is so hard bestadde I couenaunt with you by my force and manhod for to saue hir Conditionly that to my wife in recompence I haue hir Hir parents tooke his offer streight for who would sticke thereat And praid him faire and promisde him that for performing that They would endow him with the ryght of al their Realme béeside Like as a Gally with hir nose doth cut the waters wide Enforced by the sweating armes of Rowers wyth the tide Euen so the monster with his brest did beare the waues aside And was now come as néere the rocke as well a man myght sâ—ing Amid the pure and vacant aire a pellet from a sâ—ing When on the sodaine Persey pusht his foote against the ground And stied vpward to the clouds his shadow did rebound Upon the sea the beast ran fierce vpon the passing shade And as an Egle when he sées a Dragon in a glade Lie beaking of his blewish backe against the sunnie rayes Doth cease vpon him vnbeware and with his talants layes Sure holde vpon his scalie necke least writhing back his head His cruell téeth might doe him harme So Persey in that stead Discending downe the ayre a maine with all his force and might Did cease vpon the monsters backe and vnderneath the right Finne hard vnto the verie hilt his hooked sworde did smight The monster being wounded sore did sometime leape aloft And sometime vnder water diue bestirring him full oft As doth a chaufed Boare beset with barking Dogges about But Persey with his lightsome wings still kéeping him without The monsters reach with hooked sword doth sometime hew his back Where as the hollow scales giue way and sometime he doth hacke The ribbes on both his maled sides and sometime he doth wound His spindle tayle where into fish it growes most smal and round The Whale at Persey from his mouth such waues of water cast Bemixed with the purple bloud that all bedreint at last His feathers verie heauie were and doubting any more To trust his wings now waxing wet he straight began to sore Up to a rocke which in the calme aboue the water stood But in the tempest euermore was hidden with the flood And leaning therevnto and with his left hand holding iust The top thereof a dozen times his weapon he did thrust Among his guttes The ioyfull noyse and clapping of their hands The which were made for loosening of Andromad from hir bands Fillde all the coast and heauen it selfe The parents of the Maide Cassiope and Cepheus were glad and well appayde And calling him their sonne in law confessed him to bée The helpe and sauegarde of their house Andromade the fée And cause of Perseys enterprise from bondes now beyng frée He washed his victorious hands And least the Snakie heade With lying on the grauell hard should catch some harme he spred Soft leaues and certaine tender twigs that in the water grew And laid Medusas head thereon the twigs yet being new And quicke and full of iuicie pith full lightly to them drew The nature of this monstrous head for both the leafe and bough Full straungely at the touch thereof became both hard and tough The Seanymphes tride this wondrous fact in diuers other roddes And were full glad to sée the chaunge bicause there was no oddes Of leaues or twigs or of the séedes new shaken from the coddes For still like nature euer since is in our Corall founde That looke how soone it toucheth Ayre it waxeth hard and sounde And that which vnder water was a sticke aboue is stone Thrée altars to as many Gods he makes of Turfe anon Upon the left hand Mercuries Mineruas on the right And in the middle Iupiters to Pallas he did dight A Cow a Calfe to Mercurie a Bull to royall Ioue Forthwith he tooke Andromade the price for which he stroue Endowed with hir fathers Realme For now the God of Loue And Hymen vnto mariage his minde in hast did moue Great fires were made of swéete perfumes and eurious garlandes hung About the house which euery where of mirthfull musicke rung The gladsome signe of merie mindes The Pallace gates were set Wide open â–ª none from comming in were by the Porters let All Noblemen and Gentlemen that were of any port To this same great and royall feast of Cephey did resort When hauing taken their repast as well of
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
you straunger whome I neuer saw before Should perish what should be the cause of this my feare so great Unhappie wench and if thou canst suppresse this vncouth heat That burneth in thy tender brest and if so be I coulde A happie turne it were and more at case then be I shoulde But now an vncouth maladie perforce against my will Doth hale me Loue persuades me one another thing my skill The best I sée and like the worst I follow headlong still Why being of the royall bloud so fondly doste thou raue Upon a straunger thus to dote desiring for to haue An husband of another world at home thou mightest finde A louer méete for thine estate on whome to set thy minde And yet it is but euen a chaunce if he shall liue or no God graunt him for to liue I may without offence pray so Although I loude him not for what hath Iason trespast me Who woulde not pitie Iasons youth onlesse they cruell be What creature is there but his birth and prowesse might him moue And setting all the rest asyde who woulde not be in loue With Iasons goodlie personage my heart assuredly Is toucht therewith But if that I prouide not remedie With burning breath of blasting Bulles néedes sindged must he bée Of séedes that he himselfe must sow a haruest shall he sée Of armed men in battell ray vpon the ground vp grow Against the which it houeth him his manhode for to show And as a pray he must be set against the Dragon fell If I these things let come to passe I may confesse right well That of a Tyger I was bred and that within my brest A heart more harde than any stéele or stonie rocke doth rest Why rather doe I not his death with wrathfull eyes beholde And ioy with others séeing him to vtter perill solde Why doe I not enforce the Bulles against him why I say Exhort I not the cruell men which shall in battell ray Arise against him from the ground and that same Dragon too Within whose eyes came neuer sléepe God shield I so should doo But prayer smally bootes except I put to helping hand And shall I like a Caytife then betray my fathers land Shall I a straunger saue whome we nor none of ours doth know That he by me preserued may without me homeward row And take another to his wife and leaue me wretched wight To torments If I wist that he coulde worke me such a spight Or could in any others loue than only mine delight The Churle should die for me But sure he beareth not the face Like one that wold doe so His birth his courage and his grace Doe put me clearly out of doubt he will not me deceyue No nor forget the great good turnes he shall by me receyue Yet shall he to me first his faith for more assurance plight And solemly he shall be sworne to kéepe the couenant right Why fearste thou now without a cause step to it out of hand And doe not any lenger time thus lingring fondly stand For ay shall Iason thinke himselfe beholding vnto thée And shall thée marrie solemly yea honored shalt thou bée Of all the Mothers greate and small throughout the townes of Gréece For sauing of their sonnes that come to fetch the golden fléece And shall I then leaue brother sister father kith and kin And household Gods and natiue soyle and all that is therein And saile I know not whither with a straunger yea why not My father surely cruell is my Countrie rude God wot My brother yet a verie babe my sister I dare say Contented is with all hir heart that I should go away The greatest God is in my selfe the things I doe forsake Are trifles in comparison of those that I shall take For sauing of the Gréekish ship renoumed shall I bée A better place I shall enioy with Cities riche and frée Whose fame doth florish fresh euen here and people that excell In ciuill life and all good Artes and whome I would not sell For all the goods within the worlde Duke Aesons noble sonne Whome had I to my lawfull Féere assuredly once wonne Most happie yea and blest of God I might my selfe account And with my head aboue the starres to heauen I should surmount But men report that certaine rockes I know not what doe méete Amid the waues and monstruously againe a sunder fléete And how Charybdis vtter foe to ships that passe thereby Now sowpeth in now speweth out the Sea incessantly And rauening Scylla being hemde with cruell dogs about Amids the gulfe of Sicilie doth make a barking out What skilleth that As long as I enioy the thing I loue And hang about my Iasons necke it shall no whit me moue To saile the daungerous Seas as long as him I may embrace I cannot surely be afraide in any kinde of case Or if I chaunce to be afraide my feare shall only tende But for my husband Callste thou him thy husband doste pretende Gay titles to thy foule offence Medea nay not so But rather looke about how great a lewdnesse thou doste go And shun the mischiefe while thou mayst She had no sooner said These wordes but right and godlinesse and shamefastnesse were staid Before hir eyes and frantick loue did flie away dismaid She went me to an Altar that was dedicate of olde To Perseys daughter Hecate of whome the witches holde As of their Goddesse standing in a thicke and secrete wood So close it coulde not well be spide and now the raging mood Of furious loue was well alaide and clearely put to flight When spying Aesons sonne the flame that séemed quenched quight Did kindle out of hand againe Hir chéekes began to glowe And flushing ouer all hir face the scarlet bloud did flowe And euen as when a little sparke that was in ashes hid Uncouered with the whisking windes is from the ashes rid Efâ—soones it taketh nourishment and kindleth in such wise That to his former strength againe and flaming it doth rise Euen so hir quailed loue which late ye would haue thought had quight Bene vanisht out of minde as soone as Iason came in sight Did kindle to his former force in vewing of the grace With which he did auaunce himselfe then comming there in place And as it chaunced farre more faire and beautifull of face She thought him then than euer erst but sure it doth behoue Hir iudgement should be borne withall bicause she was in loue She gapte and gased in his face with fixed staring eyen As though she neuer had him séene before that instant time So farre she was beside hir selfe â—he thought it should not bée The face of any worldly wight the which she then did sée She was not able for hir life to turne hir eyes away But when he tooke hir by the hand and speaking gan to pray Hir softly for to succor him and promisde faithfully To take hir to his wedded wife she falling by and by A wéeping said Sir
with his hoste departed from the I le And Rhodes to Phoebus consecrate and Ialyse where ere while The Telchines with their noysome sight did euery thing bewitch At which their hainous wickednesse Ioue taking rightfull pritch Did drowne them in his brothers waues Moreouer she did passe By Ceos and olde Carthey walles where Sir Alcidamas Did wonder how his daughter should be turned to a Doue The Swannie Temp and Hyries Poole she viewed from aboue The which a sodeine Swan did haunt For Phyllie there for loue Of Hyries sonne did at his bidding Birdes and Lions tame And being willde to breake a Bull performed streight the same Till wrothfull that his loue so oft so streightly should him vse When for his last reward he askt the Bull he did refuse To giue it him The boy displeasde said well thou wilt anon Repent thou gaue it not and leapt downe headlong from a stone They all supposde he had bene falne but being made a Swan With snowie feathers in the Ayre to flacker he began His mother Hyrie knowing not he was preserued so Resolued into melting teares for pensiuenesse and wo And made the Poole that beares hir name Not far from hence doth stand The Citie Brauron where sometime by mounting from the land With wauing pinions Ophyes ympe dame Combe did eschue Hir children which with naked swordes to slea hir did pursue Anon she kend Calaurie fieldes which did sometime pertaine To chast Diana where a King and eke his wife both twaine Were turnde to Birdes Cyllene hill vpon hir right hand stood In which Menephron like a beast of wilde and sauage moode To force his mother did attempt Far thence she spide where sad Cephisus mourned for his Neece whome Phebus turned had To vgly shape of swelling Seale and Eumelles pallace faire Lamenting for his sonnes mischaunce with whewling in the Aire At Corinth with hir winged Snakes at length she did arriue Here men so auncient fathers said that were as then aliue Did bréede of deawie Mushrommes But after that hir téene With burning of hir husbaÌ„ds bride by witchcraft wreakt had béene And that King Creons pallace she on blasing fire had séene And in hir owne deare childrens bloud had bathde hir wicked knife Not like a mother but a beast bereuing them of life Least Iason should haue punisht hir she tooke hir winged Snakes And flying thence againe in haste to Pallas Citie makes Which saw the auncient Periphas and rightuous Phiney to Togither flying and the Néece of Polypemon who Was fastened to a paire of wings as well as tother two Aegeus enterteinde hir wherein he was too blame Although he had no further gone but staid vpon the same He thought it not to be inough to vse hir as his guest Onlesse he tooke hir too his wife And now was Thesey prest Unknowne vnto his father yet who by his knightly force Had set from robbers cleare the balke that makes the streight diuorce Betwéene the seas Iönian and Aegean To haue killde This worthie knight Medea had a Goblet readie fillde With iuice of Flintwoort venemous the which she long ago Had out of Scythie with hir brought The common brute is so That of the téeth of Cerberus this Flintwoort first did grow There is a caue that gapeth wide with darksome entrie low There goes a way slope downe by which with triple cheyne made new Of strong and sturdie Adamant the valiant Herâ—le drew The currish Helhounde Cerberus who dragging arsward still And writhing backe his scowling eyes bicause he had no skill To sée the Sunne and open day for verie moodie wroth Thrée barkings yelled out at once and spit his slauering froth Upon the gréenish grasse This froth as men suppose tooke roote And thriuing in the batling soyle in burgeous forth did shoote To bane and mischiefe men withall and forbicause the same Did grow vpon the bare hard Flints folke gaue the foresaid name Of Flintwoort therevnto The King by egging of his Quéene Did reach his soone this bane as if he had his enmie béene And Thesey â—f this treason wrought not knowing ought had tane The Goblet at his fathers haâ—d which helde his deadly bane When sodenly by the Iuorâ—e hiâ—â—s that were vpon his sword Aegeus knew he was his sonne and rising from the borde Did strike the mischieâ—e from his mouth Medea with a charme Did cast a mist and so scapte death deserued for the harme Entended Now albeit that Aegeus were right glad That in the sauing of his sonne so happy chaunce he had Yet grieued it his heart full sore that such a wicked wight With treason wrought against his sonne should scape so cleare quight Then fell he vnto kindling fire on Altars euerie where And glutted all the Gods with gifts The thicke neckt Oxen were With garlands wreathd about their hornes knockt downe for sacrifice A day of more solemnitie than this did neuer rise Before on Athens by report The auncients of the Towne Made feastes so did the meaner sort and euery common clowne And as the wine did sharpe their wits they sung this song O knight Of péerlesse prowesse Theseus thy manhod and thy might Through all the coast of Marathon with worthie honor soundes For killing of the Cretish Bull that wasted those same groundes The folke of Cremyon thinke themselues beholden vnto thée For that without disquietting their fieldes may tilled be By thée the land of Epidaure behelde the clubbish sonne Of Vulcane dead By thée likewise the countrie that doth runne Along Cephisus bankes behelde the fell Procrustes slaine The dwelling place of Ceres our Eleusis glad and faine Beheld the death of Cercyon That orpid Sinis who Abused his strength in bending trées and tying folke thereto Their limmes a sunder for to teare when loosened from the stops The trées vnto their proper place did trice their streyned tops Was kilde by thée Thou made the way that leadeth to the towne Alcathoe in Beotia cleare by putting Scyron downe To this same outlawes scattred bones the land denied rest And likewise did the Sea refuse to harbrough such a guest Till after floting to and fro long while as men doe say At length they hardened into stones and at this present day The stones are called Scyrons cliffes Now if we should account Thy déedes togither with thy yeares thy déedes would far surmount Thy yeares For thée most valiant Prince these publike vowes we kéepe For thée with cherefull heartes we quaffe these bolles of wine so déepe The Pallace also of the noyse and shouting did resounde The which the people made for ioy There was not to be founde In all the Citie any place of sadnesse Nathelesse So hard it is of perfect ioy to find so great excesse But that some sorrow therewithall is medled more or lesse Aegeus had not in his sonnes recouerie such delight But that there followed in the necke a piece of fortunes spight King Minos was preparing war who though he had great store
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
grew cowardly and now forgetting quight The auncient honor which he prâ—ast so oft to get in fight Stoode sighing sadly at the Racke as wayting for to yéelde His wearie life without renowne of combat in the fielde The Boare to chafe the Hinde to runne the cruell Beare to fall Upon the herdes of Rother beastes had now no lust at all A languishing was falne on all In wayes in woods in plaines The filthie carioâ—s lay whose stinche the Ayre it selfe distaines A wondrous thing to tell not Dogges not rauening Foules nor yit Horecâ—ted Wolues would once attempt to tast of them a bit Looke where they fell there rotted they and with their sauor bred More harme and further still abrode the foule infection spred With losse that touched yet more nere on Husbandmen it crept And ragingly within the walles of this great Citie â—â—ept It tooke men first with swelting heate that scalt their guts within The signes whereof were steaming breath and firie colourde skin The tongue was harsh swolne the mouth through drought of burning veines Lay gaping vp to hale in breath and as the pacient streines To draw it in he suckes therewith corrupted Aire beside No bed no clothes though nere so thinne the pacients could abide But laide thâ—ir hardened stomackes flat against the bare colde ground Yet no abatement of the heate therein their bodies found But hâ—t the earth and as for Leache was none that helpe could hight The Surgians and Phisitions too were in the selfe same plight Their curâ—lâ—sse cunning hurt themselues The nerer any man Approcheth his diseased friend and doth the best he can To succor him most faithfully the sooner did he catch His bane All hope of health was gone No easment nor dispatch Of this disease except in death and buriall did they finde Looke wherevnto that eche mans minde and fancie was enclinde That followed he he neuer past what was for his behoofe For why that nought could doe them good was felt too much by proofe In euerie place without respect of shame or honestie At Wels at brookes at ponds at pits by swarmes they thronging lie But sooner might they quench their life than stauÌ„ch their thirst thereby And therewithall so heauie and vnwieldie they become That wanting power to rise againe they died there Yet some The selfe same waters guzled still without regard of feare So weary of their lothsome beds the wretched people were That out they lept or if to stand their féeble force denide They wallowed downe and out of doores immediatly them hide It was a death to euery man his owne house to abide And for they did not know the cause whereof the sicknesse came The place bicause they did it know was blamed for the same Ye should haue séene some halfe sordâ—ad go plundring here and there By highways sides while that their legges were able them to beare And some lie weeping on the ground or rolling piteously Their wearie eyes which afterwards should neuer sée the Skie Or stretching out their lâ—â—mes to Heauen that ouerhangs on hie Some here some there and yonder some in what so euer coste Death finding them enforced them to yéelde their fainting Ghoste What heart had I suppose you then or ought I then to haue In faith I might haue lothde my life and wisht me in my graue As other of my people were I could not cast mine eie In any place but that dead folke there strowed I did spie Euen like as from a shaken twig when rotten Apples drop Or Mast from Beches Holmes or Okes wheÌ„ Poales doe scare their top Yoâ— stately Church with gréeces long against our Court you sée It is the shrine of Iupiter What Wight was he or shee That on those Altars burned not their frankincense in vaine How oft yea euen with Frankincense that partly did remaine Still vnconsumed in their hands did die both man and wife As ech of them with mutuall care did pray for others life How often dide the mother there in sewing for hir sonne Unheard vpon the Altarstone hir prayer scarce begonne How often at the Temple doore euen while the Priest did bid His Beades and poure pure wine betwene their hornes at sodaine slid The Oxen downe without stroke giuen Yea once when I had thought My selfe by offring sacrifice Ioues fauor to haue sought For me my Realme and these thrée ymps the Oxe with grieuous grone Upon the sodaine sunke me downe and little bloud or none Did issue scarce to staine the knife with which they slit his throte The sickly inwardes eke had lost the signes whereby we note What things the Gods for certaintie would warne vs of before For euen the verie bowels were attainted with the sore Before the holie Temple doores and that the death might bée The more dispitefull euen before the Altars did I sée The stinking corses scattred Some with haltars slopt their winde By death expulsing feare of death and of a wilfull minde Did haste their ende which of it selfe was coming on a pace The bodies which the plague had slaine were O most wretched case Not caried forth to buriall now For why such store there was That scarce the gates were wyde inough for Coffins forth to passe So eyther lothly on the ground vnburied did they lie Or else without solemnitie were burnt in bonfires hie No reuerence nor regard was had Men fell togither by The eares for firing In the fire that was prepared for one Another straungers corse was burnt And lastly few or none Were left to mourne The fillie soules of Mothers with their small And tender babes and age with youth as Fortune did befall Went wandring gastly vp and downe vnmourned for at all In fine so farre outrageously this helpelesse Murren raues There was not wood inough for fire nor ground inough for graues Astnoied at the stourenesse of so stout a storme of ills I said O father Iupiter whose mightie power fulfills Both Heauen and Earth if flying fame report thée not amisse In vouching that thou didst embrace in way of Loue ere this The Riuer Asops daughter faire Aegina euen by name And that to take me for thy sonne thou count it not a shame Restore thou me my folke againe or kill thou me likewise He gaue a signe by sodaine flash of lightning from the Skies And double peale of Thundercracks I take this same ê™ I And as I take it for a true and certaine signe whereby Thou doest confirme me for thy sonne so also let it be A hansell of some happie lucke thou mindest vnto me Hard by vs as it hapt that time there was an Oken trée With spreaded armes as bare of boughes as lightly one shall sée This trâ—e as all the rest of Okes was sacred vnto Ioue And sprouted of an Acorne which was fet from Dodon groue Here markt we how the pretie Ants the gatherers vp of graine One following other all along in order of a traine Great burthens in their little
And tooke their place continuing like a Chaplet still to sight Amid betwéene the knéeler downe and him that gripes the Snake Now in this while gan Daedalus a wearinesse to take Of liuing like a banisht man and prisoner such a time In Crete and longed in his heart to sée his natiue Clime But Seas enclosed him as if he had in prison be Then thought he though both Sea and Land King Minos stop fro me I am assurde he cannot stop the Aire and open Skie To make my passage that way then my cunning will I trie Although that Minos like a Lord held all the world beside Yet doth the Aire from Minos yoke for all men frée abide This sed to vncoth Arts he bent the force of all his wits To alter natures course by craft And orderly he knits A rowe of fethers one by one beginning with the short And ouermatching still eche quill with one of longer sort That on the shoring of a hill a man would thinke them grow Euen so the countrie Organpipes of Oten réedes in row Ech higher than another rise Then fastned he with Flax The middle quilles and ioyned in the lowest sort with Wax And when he thus had finisht them a little he them bent In compasse that the verie Birdes they full might represent There stoode me by him Icarus his sonne a pretie Lad. Who knowing not that he in handes his owne destruction had With similing mouth did one while blow the fethers to and fro Which in the Aire on wings of Birds did flask not long ago And with his thumbes another while he chafes the yelow Wax And le ts his fatâ—ers wondrous worke with childish â—oyes and knax. Assone as that the worke was done the workman by and by Did peyse his bodie on his wings and in the Aire on hie Hung wauering and did teach his sonne how he should also flie I warne thée quoth he Icarus a middle race to kéepe For if thou hold to low a gate the dankenesse of the déepe Will ouer â—ade thy wings with wet And if thou mount to hie The Sunne will â—indge them Therfore sée betwéene theÌ„ both thou flie I bid thée not behold the Starre Boötes in the Skie Nor looke vpon the bigger Beare to make thy course thereby Nor yet on Orions naked sword But euer haue an eie To kéepe the race that I doe kéepe and I will guide thée right In giuing counsell to his sonne to order well his flight He fastned to his shoulders twaine a paire of vncoth wings And as he was in doing it and warning him of things His aged chéekes were wet his hands did quake in fine he gaue His sonne a kisse the last that he aliue should euer haue And then he mounting vp aloft before him tooke his way Right fearfull for his followers sake as is the Bird the day That first she tolleth from hir nest among the braunches hie Hir tender yong ones in the Aire to teach them for to flie â–ª So heartens he his little sonne to follow teaching him A hurtfull Art His owne two wings he waueth verie trim And looketh backward still vpon his sonnes The fishermen Then standing angling by the Sea and shepeherdes leaning then On shéepehookes and the Ploughmen on the handles of their Plough Beholding them amazed were and thought that they that through The Aire could flie were Gods And now did on their left side stand The Iles of Paros and of Dele and Samos Iunos land And on their right Lebinthos and the faire Calydna fraught With store of home when the Boy a frolicke courage caught To flie at randon Wherevpon forsaking quight his guide Of fond desire to flie to Heauen aboue his boundes he stide And there the nerenesse of the Sunne which burnd more hote aloâ—t Did make the Wax with which his wings were glewed lithe and soft Assoone as that the Wax was molt his naked armes he shakes And wanting wherewithall to waue no helpe of Aire he takes But calling on his father loud he drowned in the waue And by this chaunce of his those Seas his name for euer haue His wretched Father but as then no father cride in feare O Icarus O Icarus where art thou tell me where That I may finde thée Icarus He saw the fethers swim Upon the waues and curst his Art that so had spighted him At last he tooke his bodie vp and laid it in a graue And to the I le the name of him then buried in it gaue And as he of his wretched sonne the corse in ground did hide The cackling Partrich from a thicke and leauie thorne him spide And clapping with his wings for ioy aloud to call began There was of that same kinde of Birde no mo but he as than In times forepast had none bene séene It was but late anew Since he was made a bird and that thou Daedalus mayst rew For whyle the world doth last thy shame shall therevpon ensew For why thy sister ignorant of that which after hapt Did put him to thée to be taught full twelue yeares old and apt To take instruction He did marke the middle bone that goes Through fishes and according to the paterne tane of those He filed teeth vpon a piece of yron one by one And so deuised first the Saw where erst was neuer none Moreouer he two yron shankes so ioynde in one round head That opening an indifferent space the one point downe shall tread And tother draw a circle round The finding of these things The spightfull heart of Daedalus with such a malice stings That headlong from the holy towre of Pallas downe he thrue His Nephew feyning him to fall by chaunce which was not true But Pallas who doth fauour wits did stay him in his fall And chaunging him into a Bird did clad him ouer all With fethers soft amid the Aire The quicknesse of his wit Which erst was swift did shed it selfe among his wings and féete And as he Partrich hight before so hights he Partrich still Yet mounteth not this Bird aloft ne séemes to haue a will To build hir nest in tops of trées among the boughes on hie But flecketh nere the ground and layes hir egges in hedges drie And forbicause hir former fall she ay in minde doth beare She euer since all lofty things doth warely shun for feare And now forwearied Daedalus alighted in the land Within the which the burning hilles of firie Aetna stand To saue whose life King Cocalus did weapon take in hand For which men thought him merciful And now with high renowne Had Theseus ceast the wofull pay of tribute in the towne Of Athens Temples decked were with garlands euery where And supplications made to Ioue and warlicke Pallas were And all the other Gods To whome more honor for to show Gifts blud of beasts and frankincense the people did bestow As in performance of their vowes The right redoubted name Of Theseus through the lande of Gréece was spred by
them blacke and blew And while his bodie yit Remained they did cherish it and cherish it againe They kist his bodie yea they kist the chist that did containe His corse And after that the corse was burnt to ashes they Did presse his ashes with their brests and downe along they lay Upon his tumb and there embraste his name vpon the stone And fillde the letters of the same with teares that from them gone At length Diana satisfide with slaughter brought vpon The house of Oenie lifts them vp with fâ—thers euerichone Saue Gorgee and the daughtriulaw of noble Alâ—mene and Makes wings to stretch along their sides and horned nebs to stand Upon their mouthes And finally she altring quight their faire And natiue shape in shape of Birds dooth send them through the Aire The noble Theseus in this while with others hauing donne His part in killing of the Boare too Athens ward begonne Too take his way But Acheloy then being swolne with raine Did stay him of his iourney and from passage him restraine Of Athens valiant knight quoth he come vnderneath my roofe And for to passe my raging streame as yet attempt no proofe This brooke is wont whole trées too beare and euelong stones too carry With hideous roring down his streame I oft haue séene him harry Whole Shepcotes standing nere his banks with flocks of shéepe therin Nought booted buls their streÌ„gth nought stéedes by swiftnes there could win Yea many lustie men this brooke hath swallowed when y â— snow From mountaines molten caused him his banks too ouerflow The best is for you for too rest vntill the Riuer fall Within his boundes and runne ageine within his chanell small Content quoth Theseus Acheloy I will not sure refuse Thy counsell nor thy house And so he both of them did vse Of Pommy hollowed diuersly and ragged Pebble stone The walles were made The floore with Mosse was soft to tread vpon The roofe thereof was checkerwise with shelles of Purple wrought And Perle The Sunne then full two parts of day to end had brought And Theseus downe to table sate with such as late before Had friendly borne him companie at killing of the Bore A tone side sate Ixions sonne and on the other sate The Prince of Troyzen Lelex with a thin hearde horie pate And then such other as the brooke of Acarnania did Uouchsafe the honor to his boord and table for to bid Who was right glad of such a guest Immediatly there came Barefooted Nymphes who brought in meate And when that of the same The Lords had taken their repast the meate away they tooke And set downe wine in precious stones Then Theseus who did looke Upon the Sea that vnderneath did lie within their sight Said tell vs what is yonsame place and with his fingar right Hée poynted therevnto I pray and what that Iland hight Although it séemeth mo than one The Riuer answerd thus It is not one mayne land alone that kenned is of vs. There are vppon a fyue of them The distaunce of the place Dooth hinder too discerne betwéene eche I le the perfect space And that the lesse yée woonder may at Phoebees act a late To such as had neglected her vppon contempt or hate Theis Iles were sumtyme Waternimphes who hauing killed Neate Twyce fyue and called too theyr feast the Country Gods too eate Forgetting mee kept frolicke cheere At that gan I too swell And ran more large than euer erst and being ouer fell Iâ—stomacke and in streame I rent the wood from wood and féeld FroÌ„ féeld with the ground the Nymphes as then with stomacks méeld Remembring mée I tumbled to the Sea The waues of mée And of the sea the ground that erst all whole was woont too bée Did rend a sunder into all the Iles you yonder sée And made a way for waters now too passe betwéene them frée They now of Vrchins haue theyr name But of theis Ilands one A great way of behold yée stands a great way of alone As you may sée The Mariners doo call it Perimell With her shée was as then a Nymph so farre in loue I fell That of her maydenhod I her spoyld which thing displeasd so sore Her father Sir Hippodamas that from the craggy shore He threw her headlong downe to drowne her in the sea But I Did latch her streight and bearing her a flote did lowd thus crie O Neptune with thy thréetynde Mace who hast by lot the charge Of all the waters wylde that bound vppon the earth at large To whom wée holy streames doo runne in whome wée take our end Draw néere and gently to my boone effectually attend This Ladie whom I beare a flote myselfe hath hurt Bée méeke And vpright If Hippodamas perchaunce were fatherleeke Or if that he extremitie through outrage did not séeke He oughted too haue pitied her and for too beare with mée Now help vs Neptune I thée pray and condescend that shée Whom from the land her fathers wrath and cruelnesse dooth chace Who through her fathers cruelnesse is drownd may find the grace To haue a place or rather let hirselfe become a place And I will still embrace the same The King of Seas did moue His head and as a token that he did my sute approue He made his surges all too shake The Nymph was sore afrayd Howbéet shée swam and as shée swam my hand I softly layd Upon her brest which quiuered still And whyle I toucht the same I sensibly did féele how all her body hard became And how the earth did ouergrow her bulk And as I spake New earth enclosde hir swimming limbes which by and by did take Another shape and grew intoo a mighty I le With that The Riuer ceast and all men there did woonder much thereat Pirithous being ouer hault of mynde and such a one As did despyse bothe God and man did laugh them euerychone Too scorne for giuing credit and sayd thus The woords thou spaakst Are feyned fancies Acheloy and ouerstrong thou maakst The Gods to say that they can giue and take way shapes This scoffe Did make the héere 's all amazde for none did like thereof And Lelex of them all the man most rype in yéeres and wit Sayd thus Unmeasurable is the powre of heauen and it Can haue none end And looke what God dooth mynd too bring about Must take effect And in this case too put yée out of dout Upon the hilles of Phrygie néere of Teyle there stands a trée Of Oke enclosed with a wall Myself the place did sée For Pithey vnto Pelops féelds did send mée where his father Did sumtyme reigne not farre fro thence there is a poole which rather Had bene dry ground inhabited But now it is a meare And Moorecocks Cootes and Cormorants doo bréede and nestle there The mightie Ioue and Mercurie his sonne in shape of men Resorted thither on a tyme. A thousand houses when For roome too lodge in they had sought a thousand houses
floong him out Into th' Euboyan sea with force surmounting any sling He hardened intoo peble stone as in the ayre he hing And euen as rayne conieald by wynd is sayd too turne too snowe And of the snow round rolled vp a thicker masse too growe Which falleth downe in hayle so men in auncient tyme report That Lychas béeing swindgd about by violence in that sort His blood then béeing drayned out and hauing left at all No moysture intoo peble stone was turned in his fall Now also in th' Euboyan sea appéeres a hygh short rocke In shape of man ageinst the which the shipmen shun too knocke As though it could them faéele â–ª and they doo call it by the name Of Lychas still But thou Ioues imp of great renowme and fame Didst fell the trées of Oeta high and making of the same A pyle didst giue too Poeans sonne thy quiuer and thy bow And arrowes which should help agein Troy towne too ouerthrow He put too fyre and as the same was kindling in the pyle Thy selfe didst spred thy Lyons skin vpon the wood the whyle And leaning with thy head ageinst thy Club thou laydst thée downe As chéerfully as if with flowres and garlonds on thy crowne Thou hadst beene set a banquetting among full cups of wyne Anon on euery syde about those carelesse limbes of thyne The fyre began too gather strength and crackling noyse did make Assayling him whose noble hart â—or daliance did it take The Goddes for this defender of the earth were sore afrayd Too whom with chéerefull countnance Ioue perceyuing it thus sayd This feare of yours is my delyght and gladly euen with all My hart I doo reioyce O Gods that mortall folk mée call Their king and father thinking mée ay myndfull of their weale And that myne ofspring should doo well your selues doo show such zeale For though that you doo attribute your fauor too desert Considring his most woondrous acts yit I too for my part Am bound vntoo you Nerethelesse for that I would not haue Your faythfull harts without iust cause in fearfull passions waue I would not haue you of the flames in Oeta make account For as he hath all other things so shall he them surmount Saue only on that part that he hath taken of his mother The fyre shall haue no power at all Eternall is the tother The which he takes of mée and cannot dye ne yéeld too fyre When this is rid from earthly drosse then will I lift it hygher And take it intoo heauen and I beléeue this déede of myne Will gladsome bée too all the Gods If any doo repyne If any doo repyne I say that Hercule should become A God repyne he still for mée and looke he sowre and glum But let him know that Hercules deserueth this reward And that he shall ageinst his will alow it afterward The Gods assented eueryâ—hone And Iuno séemd too make No euill countnance too the rest vntill hir husband spake The last for then her looke was such as well they might perceyue Shée did her husbands noting her in euill part conceyue Whyle Ioue was talking with the Gods as much as fyre could waste So much had fyre consumde And now O Hercules thou haste No carkesse for too know thee by That part is quyght bereft Which of thy mother thou didst take Alonly now is left The likenesse that thou tookst of Ioue And as the Serpent slye In casting of his withered slough renewes his yéeres thereby And wexeth lustyer than before and looketh crisp and bryght With scoured scales so Hercules as soone as that his spryght Had left his mortall limbes gan in his better part too thryue And for too séeme a greater thing than when he was alyue And with a stately maiestie ryght reuerend too appéere His myghty father tooke him vp aboue the cloudy sphéere And in a charyot placed him among the streaming starres Howge Atlas felt the weyght thereof But nothing this disbarres Eurysthyes malice Cruelly he prosecutes the hate Uppon the ofspring which he bare ageinst the father late But yit too make her mone vntoo and wayle her miscrie And tell her sonnes great woorkes which all the world could testifie Old Alcmen had Dame Iölee By Hercules last will In wedlocke and in hartie loue shée ioyned was too Hill By whome shée then was big with chyld when thus Alcmena sayd â–ª The Gods at least bée mercifull and send thée then theyr ayd And short thy labor when the frute the which thou goste withall Now béeing rype enâ—orceth thee wyth fearfull voyce too call Uppon Ilithya president of chyldbirthes whom the ire Of Iuno at my trauelling made deaf too my desire For when the Sun through twyce fyue signes his course had fully run And that the paynfull day of birth approched of my sonne My burthen strayned out my wombe and that that I did beare Became so greate that of so howge a masse yée well myght sweare That Ioue was father Neyther was I able too endure The trauell any lenger tyme. Euen now I you assure In telling it a shuddring cold through all my limbes dooth strike And partly it renewes my peynes too thinke vppon the like I beeing in most cruell throwes nyghts seuen and dayes eke seuen And tyred with continuall pangs did lift my hands too heauen And crying out aloud did call Lucina too myne ayd Too loose the burthen from my wombe Shée came as I had prayd But so corrupted long before by Iuno my most fo That for too martir mée too death with peyne she purposde tho For when shee heard my piteous plaints and gronings downe shée sate On you same altar which you sée there standing at my gate Upon her left knée shée had pitcht her right ham and besyde Shée stayd the birth with fingars one within another tyde In lattiswyse And secretly she whisperde witching spells Which hindred my deliuerance more than all her dooings ells I labord still and forst by payne and torments of my fitts I rayld on Ioue although in vayne as one besyde her witts And ay I wished for too dye The woords that I did speake Were such as euen the hardest stones of very flint myght breake The wyues of Thebee béeing there for sauf deliuerance prayd And giuing chéerfull woords did bid I should not bée dismayd Among the other women there that too my labor came There was an honest yeomans wyfe Galantis was her name Her heare was yellow as the gold she was a iolly Dame And stoutly serued mée and I did loue her for the same This wyfe I know not how did smell some packing gone about On Iunos part And as she oft was passing in and out Shée spyde Lucina set vppon the altar holding fast Her armes toogither on her knées and with her fingars cast Within ech other on a knot and sayd vntoo her thus I pray you who so ere you bee reioyce you now with vs My Lady Alcmen hath her wish and sauf is brought a bed
Ioue himself should bréede And willd the sonne of Aeäcus this Peleus to succéede In that which he himself would faine haue done and for too take The Lady of the sea in armes a moother her too make There is a bay of Thessaly that bendeth lyke a boawe The sydes shoote foorth where if the sea of any depth did flowe It were a hauen Scarcely dooth the water hyde the sand It hath a shore so firme that if a man theron doo stand No print of foote remaynes behynd it hindreth not ones pace Ne couered is with houering réeke Adioyning too this place There is a groue of Myrtletrées with frute of dowle colour And in the midds thereof a Caue I can not tell you whither That nature or the art of man were maker of the same It séemed rather made by arte Oft Thetis hither came Starke naked ryding brauely on a brydled Dolphins backe There Peleus as shee lay a sléepe vppon her often bracke And forbycause that at her handes entreatance nothing winnes He folding her about the necke with both his armes beginnes Too offer force And surely if shée had not falne too wyles And shifted oftentymes her shape he had obteind erewhyles But shée became sumtymes a bird He hilld her like a bird Anon shée was a massye log but Peleus neuer stird Awhit for that Then thirdly shée of speckled Tyger tooke The vgly shape for feare of whose most féerce and cruell looke His armes he from her body twicht And at his going thence In honour of the watry Goddes he burned frankincence And powred wyne vppon the sea with fat of neate and shéepe Untill the prophet that dooth dwell within Carpathian déepe Sayd thus Thou sonne of Aeäcus thy wish thou sure shalt haue Alonely when shée lyes a sléepe within her pleasant Caue Cast grinnes too trappe her vnbewares hold fast with snarling knot And though shée fayne a hundreth shapes deceyue thée let her not But sticke vnâ—oot what ere it bée vntill the tyme that shée Returneth too the natiue shape shée erst was woont too bée When Protevv thus had sed within the sea he duckt his head And suffred on his latter woordes the water for too spred The lyghtsum Titan downeward drew and with declyning chayre Approched too the westerne sea when Neryes daughter fayre Returning from the sea resorts too her accustomd cowch And Peleus scarcely had begon hir naked limbes too towch But that shée chaungd from shape to shape vntill at length shée found Herself surprysd Then stretching out her armes with sighes profound Shee sayd Thou ouercommest mée and not without the ayd Of God and then she Thetis like appéerd in shape of mayd The noble prince imbracing her obteynd her at his will Too both theyr ioyes and with the great Achylles did her fill A happye wyght was Peleus in his wyfe A happy wyght Was Peleus also in his sonne And if yée him acquight Of murthring Phocus happy him in all things count yée myght But giltye of his brothers blood and bannisht for the same From bothe his fathers house and Realme too Trachin sad he came The sonne of lyghtsum Lucifer king Ceyx who in face Exprest the liuely beawtye of his fathers heauenly grace Without all violent rigor and sharpe executions reignd In Trachin He right sad that tyme vnlike himself remaynd Yit moorning for his brothers chaunce transformed late before When Peleus thither came with care and trauayle tyred sore He left his cattell and his shéepe whereof he brought great store Behynd him in a shady vale not farre from Trachin towne And with a little companye himself went thither downe Assoone as leaue too come too Court was graunted him he bare A braunche of Olyf in his hand and humbly did declare His name and lynage Onely of his crime no woord hée spake But of his slyght another cause pretensedly did make Desyring leaue within his towne or countrye too abyde The king of Trachin gently thus too him ageine replyde Our bownty too the meanest sort O Peleus dooth extend Wée are not woont the desolate our countrye too forfend And though I bée of nature most inclyned good too doo Thyne owne renowme thy graundsyre Ioue are forcements therevntoo Misspend no longer tyme in sute I gladly doo agrée Too graunt thée what thou wilt desyre Theis things that thou doost sée I would thou should account them as thyne owne such as they bée I would they better were With that he wéeped Peleus and His fréends desyred of his gréef the cause too vnderstand He answerd thus Perchaunce yée think this bird that liues by pray And putts all other birds in feare had wings and fethers ay He was a man And as he was right féerce in feats of armes And stout and readye bothe too wreake and also offer harmes So was he of a constant mynd Daedalion men him hyght Our father was that noble starre that brings the morning bryght And in the welkin last of all giues place too Phebus lyght My study was too maynteine peace in peace was my delyght And for too kéepe mée true too her too whom my fayth is plyght My brother had felicite in warre and bloody fyght His prowesse and his force which now dooth chase in cruell flyght The Dooues of Thisbye since his shape was altred thus a new Ryght puyssant Princes and theyr Realmes did héeretoofore subdew He had a chyld calld Chyone whom nature did endew With beawtye so that when too age of fowretéene yéeres shée grew A thousand Princes liking her did for hir fauour sew By fortune as bryght Phebus and the sonne of Lady May Came tone from Delphos toother from mount Cyllen by the way They saw her bothe at once and bothe at once where tane in loue Apollo till the tyme of nyght differd his sute too moue But Hermes could not beare delay He stroked on the face The mayden with his charmed rod which hath the powre too chace And bring in sléepe the touch whereof did cast her in so dead A sléepe that Hermes by and by his purpose of her sped Assoone as nyght with twinckling starres the welkin had béesprent Apollo in an old wyues shape too Chyon clocely went And tooke the pleasure which the soâ—ne of Maya had forehent Now when shée full her tyme had gon shée bare by Mercurye A sonne that hyght Avvtolychus who provde a wyly pye And such a fellow as in theft and filching had no péere He was his fathers owne sonne right he could mennes eyes so bléere As for too make y â— black things whyght whyght things black appéere And by Apollo for shée bare a payre was borne his brother Philammon who in musick arte excelled farre all other As well in singing as in play But what auayled it Too beare such twinnes and of twoo Goddes in fauour too haue sit And that shée too her father had a stowt and valeant knight Or that her graundsyre was the sonne of Ioue that God of might Dooth glorie hurt
though not in the selfsame coffin yit in verse Although in tumb the bones of vs toogither may not couch Yit in a grauen Epitaph my name thy name shall touch Her sorrow would not suffer her too vtter any more Shée sobd and syght at euery woord vntill her hart was sore The morning came and out shée went ryght pensif too the shor◠Too that same place in which shée tooke her leaue of him before Whyle there shée musing stood and sayd he kissed mée euen héere Héere weyëd hée his Anchors vp héere loosd he from the péere And whyle shée calld too mynd the things there marked with her eyes In looking on the open sea a great way of shée spyes A certeine thing much like a corse come houering on the waue At first shée dowted what it was As tyde it néerer draue Although it were a good way of yit did it plainely showe Too bée a corce And though that whose it was shée did not knowe Yit forbycause it séemd a wrecke her hart therat did ryse And as it had sum straunger béene with water in her eyes Shée sayd alas poore wretch who ere thou art alas for her That is thy wyfe if any bée And as the waues did stirre The body floted néerer land the which the more that shée Behilld the lesse began in her of stayed wit too bée Anon it did arriue on shore Then plainely shée did sée And know it that it was her feere Shée shréeked it is hée And therewithall her face her heare and garments shée did teare And vntoo Ceyx stretching out her trembling handes with feare Sayd cumst thou home in such a plyght too mée O husband deere Returnst in such a wretched plyght There was a certeine péere That buylded was by hand of waues the first assaults too breake And at the hauons mouth too cause the tyde too enter weake Shée lept theron A wonder sure it was shée could doo so Shée flew and with her newgrowen winges did beate the ayre as tho And on the waues a wretched bird shee whisked too and fro And with her crocking neb then growen too slender bill and round like one that wayld and moorned still shée made a moaning sound Howbéet as soone as she did touch his dumb and bloodlesse flesh And had embraast his loued limbes with winges made new and fresh And with her hardened neb had kist him coldly though in vayne Folk dowt of Ceyx féeling it too rayse his head did strayne Or whither that the waues did lift it vp But surely hée It felt and through compassion of the Goddes both hée and shée Were turnd too birdes The loue of them éeke subiect too their fate Continued after neyther did the faythfull bond abate Of wedlocke in them béeing birdes but standes in stedfast state They treade and lay and bring foorth yoong and now the Alcyon sitts In wintertime vppon her nest which on the water flitts A seuennyght During all which tyme the sea is calme and still And euery man may too and fro sayle saufly at his will For Aeölus for his ofsprings sake the windes at home dooth kéepe And will not let them go abroade for troubling of the déepe An auncient father séeing them about the brode sea fly Did prayse theyr loue for lasting too the end so stedfastly His neyghbour or the selfsame man made answer such is chaunce Euen this fowle also whom thou séest vppon the surges glaunce With spindle shanks he poynted too the wydegoawld Cormorant Before that he became a bird of royall race might vaunt And if thou couet lineally his pedegrée too séeke His Auncetors were Ilus and Assaracus and éeke Fayre Ganymed who Iupiter did rauish as his ioy Laomedon and Priamus the last that reygnd in Troy Stout Hectors brother was this man And had he not in pryme Of lusty youth béene tane away his déedes perchaunce in tyme Had purchaast him as great a name as Hector though that hée Of Dymants daughter Hecuba had fortune borne too bée For Acsacus reported is begotten to haue béene By scape in shady Ida on a mayden fayre and shéene Whose name was Alyxothoe a poore mans daughter that With spade and mattocke for himselfe and his a liuing gat This Aesacus the Citie hates and gorgious Court dooth shonne And in the vnambicious féeldes and woods alone dooth wonne He séeldoom haunts the towne of Troy yit hauing not a rude And blockish wit nor such a hart as could not be subdewd By loue he spyde Eperie whom oft he had pursewd Through all the woodes then sitting on her father Cebrius brim A drying of her heare ageinst the sonne which hanged trim Uppon her back Assoone as that the Nymph was ware of him She fled as when the grisild woolf dooth scare the fearefull hynd Or when the Fawcon farre from brookes a Mallard happes too fynd The Troiane knyght ronnes after her and béeing swift through loue Purseweth her whom feare dooth force apace her feete to moue Behold an Adder lurking in the grasse there as shee fled Did byght her foote with hooked tooth and in her bodye spred His venim Shée did cease her flyght and soodein fell downe dead Her louer being past his witts her carkesse did embrace And cryde alas it irketh mée it irkes mée of this chace But this I feard not neyther was the gaine of that I willd Woorth halfe so much Now twoo of vs thée wretched soule haue killd The wound was giuen thée by the snake the cause was giuen by mée The wickedder of both am I who for too comfort thée Will make thée satisfaction with my death With that at last Downe from a rocke the which the waues had vndermynde he cast Himself intoo the sea Howbéet dame Tethys pitying him Receyud him softly and as he vppon the waues did swim Shée couered him with fethers And though fayne he would haue dyde Shée would not let him Wroth was he that death was him denyde And that his soule compelld should bee ageinst his will too byde Within his wretched body still from which it would depart And that he was constreynd too liue perforce ageinst his hart And as he on his shoulders now had newly taken wings He mounted vp and downe vppon the sea his boddye dings His fethers would not let him sinke In rage he dyueth downe And despratly he striues himself continually too drowne His loue did make him leane long leggs long neck dooth still remayne His head is from his shoulders farre of Sea he is most fayne And for he vnderneath the waues delyghteth for too driue A name according therevntoo the Latins doo him giue Finis vndecimi Libri ¶ THE XII BOOKE OF Ouids Metamorphosis RIng Priam béeing ignorant that Aesacus his sonne Did liue in shape of bird did moorne and at a tumb wheron His name was written Hector and his brother solemly Did kéepe an Obit Paris was not at this obsequye Within a whyle with rauisht wyfe he brought a lasting warre Home vnto Troy
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
weapon womanish he had foreknowen it had His destnye béene too lose his lyfe he would haue béene more glad That Quéene Penthesileas bill had slaine him out of hand Now was the feare of Phrygian folk the onely glory and Defence of Gréekes that péerelesse prince in armes Achilles turnd Too asshes That same God that had him armd him also burnd Now is he dust and of that great Achilles bydeth still A thing of nought that scarcely can a little coffin fill Howbéet his woorthy fame dooth lyue and spreadeth ouer all The world a measure méete sor such a persone too béefall This matcheth thée Achilles full And this can neuer dye His target also too th entent that men myght playnly spye What wyghts it was did moue debate and for his armour burst Out deadly foode Not Diomed nor Aiax Oylye durst Make clayme or chalendge too the same nor Atreus yoonger sonne Nor yit his elder though in armes much honour they had wonne Alone the sonnes of Telamon and Laërt did assay Which of them twoo of that great pryse should beare the bell away But Agamemnon from himself the burthen putts and cléeres His handes of enuye causing all the Capteines and the Péeres Of Greece too méete amid the camp toogither in a place Too whom he put the héering and the iudgement of the cace Finis duodecimi Libri ¶ THE XIII BOOKE OF Ouids Metamorphosis THe Lordes and Capteynes being set toogither with the King And all the souldiers standing round about them in a ring The owner of the seuenfold shéeld too theis did Aiax ryse And as he could not brydle wrath he cast his frowning eyes Uppon the shore and on the fleete that there at Anchor lyes And throwing vp his handes O God and must wee plead ê™ hée Our case before our shippes and must Vlysses stand with mee But like a wretch he ran his way when Hector came with fyre Which I defending from theis shippes did force him too retyre It easyer is therefore with woordes in print too maynteine stryfe Than for too fyght it out with fists But neyther I am ryfe In woordes nor hée in déedes For looke how farre I him excell In battell and in feates of armes so farre beares hée the bell From mée in talking Neyther think I requisite too tell My actes among you You your selues haue séene them verry well But let Vlysses tell you his doone all in hudther mudther And whervntoo the only nyght is priuy and none other The pryse is great I doo confesse For which wée stryue But yit It is dishonour vntoo mée for that in clayming it So bace a persone standeth in contention for the same Too think it myne already ought too counted bée no shame Nor pryde in mée although the thing of ryght great valew bée Of which Vlysses standes in hope For now alreadye hée Hath wonne the honour of this pryse in that when he shall sit Besydes the quisshon he may brag he straue with mée for it And though I wanted valiantnesse yit should nobilitée Make with mée I of Telamon am knowne the sonne too bée Who vnder valeant Hercules the walles of Troy did scale And in the shippe of Pagasa too Colchos land did sayle His father was that Aeäcus whoo executeth ryght Among the ghostes where Sisyphus heaues vp with all his myght The massye stone ay tumbling downe The hyghest Ioue of all Acknowledgeth this Aeäcus and dooth his sonne him call Thus am I Aiax the third from Ioue Yit let this Pedegrée O Achyues in this case of myne avaylable not bée Onlesse I prooue it fully with Achylles too agrée He was my brother and I clayme that was my brothers Why Shouldst thou that art of Sisyphs blood and for too filch and lye Expressest him in euery poynt by foorged pedegrée Aly thée too the Aeacyds as though we did not see Thée too the house of Aeäcus a straunger for too bée And is it reason that you should this armour mée denye Bycause I former was in armes and néeded not a spye Too fetch mée foorth Or think you him more woorthye it too haue That came too warrefare hindermost and feynd himself too raue Bycause he would haue shund the warre vntill a suttler head And more vnprofitable for himself sir Palamed Escryde the crafty fetches of his fearefull hart and drew Him foorth a warfare which he sought so cowardly too eschew Must he now néedes enioy the best and richest armour whoo Would none at all haue worne onlesse he forced were thertoo And I with shame bée put besyde my cousin germanes gifts Bycause too shun the formest brunt of warres I sought no shifts Would God this mischéef mayster had in verrye deede béene mad Or else beléeued so too bée and that wée neuer had Brought such a panion vntoo Troy Then should not Paeans sonne In Lemnos like an outlawe too the shame of all vs wonne Who lurking now as men report in woodes and caues dooth moue The verry flints with syghes and grones and prayers too God aboue Too send Vlysses his desert Which prayer if there bée A God must one day take effect And now béehold how hée By othe a Souldier of our Camp yea and as well as wée A Capteine too alas who was by Hercules assignde Too haue the kéeping of his shafts with payne and hungar pynde Is clad and fed with fowles and dribs his arrowes vp and downe At birds which were by destinye preparde too stroy Troy towne Yit liueth hée bycause hée is not still in companie With sly Vlysses Palamed that wretched knyght perdie Would éeke he had abandond béene For then should still the same Haue béene alyue or at the least haue dyde without our shame But this companion bearing ah too well in wicked mynd His madnesse which sir Palamed by wisdome out did fynd Appeached him of treason that he practysde too betray The Gréekish hoste And for too bouch the fact he shewd streyght way A masse of goold that he himself had hidden in his tent And forged Letters which he feynd from Priam too bée sent Thus eyther by his murthring men or else by banishment Abateth hée the Gréekish strength This is Vlysses fyght This is the feare he puttes men in But though he had more might Than Nestor hath in eloquence he shal not compasse mée Too think his leawd abandoning of Nestor for too bée No fault who béeing cast behynd by wounding of his horse And slowe with age with calling on Vlysses waxing hoarce Was nerethelesse betrayd by him Sir Diomed knowes this cryme Is vnsurmysde For he himselfe did at that present tyme Rebuke him oftentymes by name and féercely him vpbrayd With flying from his fellowe so who stood in néede of ayd With ryghtfull eyes dooth God behold the déedes of mortall men Lo he that helped not his fréend wants help himself agen And as he did forsake his fréend in tyme of néede so hée Did in the selfsame perrill fall forsaken for too bée He made
a rod too beat himself He calld and cryed out Uppon his fellowes Streight I came and there I saw the lout Bothe quake and shake for feare of death and looke as pale as clout I set my shéeld betwéene him and his foes and him bestrid And savde the dastards lyfe small prayse redoundes of that I did But if thou wilt contend with mée le ts to the selfe same place Agein bée wounded as thou wart and in the foresayd case Of feare beset about with foes cowch vnderneath my shéeld And then contend thou with mée there amid the open féeld Howbéet I had no sooner rid this champion of his foes But where for woundes he scarce before could totter on his toes He ran away apace as though he nought at all did ayle Anon commes Hector too the féeld and bringeth at his tayle The Goddes Not only thy hart there Vlysses did the fayle But euen the stowtest courages and stomacks gan too quayle So great a terrour brought he in Yit in the midds of all His bloody ruffe I coapt with him and with a foyling fall Did ouerthrowe him too the ground Another tyme when hée Did make a chalendge you my Lordes by lot did choose out mée And I did match him hand too hand Your wisshes were not vayne For if you aske mée what successe our combate did obteine I came away vnvanquished Behold the men of Troy Brought fyre and swoord and all the féendes our nauye too destroy And where was slye Vlysses then with all his talk so smooth This brest of myne was fayne too fence your thousand shippes forsooth The hope of your returning home For sauing that same day So many shippes this armour giue But if that I shall say The truth the greater honour now this armour beares away And our renownes toogither link For as of reason ought An Aiax for this armour not an armour now is sought For Aiax Let Dulychius match with theis the horses whyght Of Rhesus dastard Dolon and the coward carpetknyght King Priams Helen and the stelth of Palladye by nyght Of all theis things was nothing doone by day nor nothing wrought Without the helpe of Diomed. And therefore if yée thought Too giue them too so small deserts deuyde the same and let Sir Diomed haue the greater part But what should Ithacus get And if he had them Who dooth all his matters in the dark Who neuer weareth armour who shootes ay at his owne mark Too trappe his â—o by stelth vnwares The very headpéece may With brightnesse of the glistring gold his priuie feates bewray And shew him lurking Neyther well of force Dulychius were The weyght of great Achilles helme vppon his pate too weare It cannot but a burthen bée and that ryght great too beare With whose same shrimpish armes of his Achilles myghty speare Agen his target grauen with the whole howge world theron Agrées not with a fearefull hand and chéefly such a one As taketh filching euen by kynd Thou Lozell thou doost séeke A gift that will but weaken thée â–ª which if the folk of Gréeke Shall giue thée through theyr ouersyght it will bée vntoo thée Occasion of thyne emnyes spoyld not feared for too bée And flyght wherin thou coward thou all others mayst outbrag Will hindred bée when after thée such masses thou shalt drag Moreouer this thy shéeld that féeles so séeld the force of fyght Is sound But myne is gasht and hakt and stricken thurrough quyght A thousand tymes with bearing blowes And therfore myne must walk And put another in his stead But what néedes all this talk Le ts now bée seene another whyle what eche of vs can doo The thickest of our armed foes this armour throwe intoo And bid vs fetch the same fro thence And which of vs dooth fetch The same away reward yée him therewith Thus farre did stretch The woordes of Aiax At the ende whereof there did ensew A muttring of the souldiers till Laertis sonne the prew Stood vp and raysed soberly his eyliddes from the ground On which he had a little whyle them pitched in a stound And looking on the noblemen who longd his woordes too héere He thus began with comly grace and sober pleasant chéere My Lordes if my desyre and yours myght erst haue taken place It should not at this present tyme haue béene a dowtfull cace What person hath most ryght too this great pryse for which wée stryue Achilles should his armour haue and wee still him alyue Whom sith that cruell destinie too both of vs denyes â—With that same woord as though he wept he wypte his watry eyes What wyght of reason rather ought too bée Achilles heyre Than he through whom too this your camp Achilles did repayre Alonly let it not auayle sir Aiax héere that hée Is such a dolt and grossehead as he shewes himself too bée Ne let my wit which ay hath done you good O Gréekes hurt mée But suffer this mine eloquence such as it is which now Dooth for his mayster speake and oft ere this hath spoke for yow Bée vndisdeynd Let none refuse his owne good gifts he brings For as for stocke and auncetors and other such like things Wherof our selues no fownders are I scarcely dare them graunt Too bée our owne But forasmuch as Aiax makes his vaunt Too bée the fowrth from Ioue euen Ioue the founder is also Of my house and than fowre descents I am from him no mo Laërtes is my father and Arcesius his and hée Begotten was of Iupiter And in this pedegrée Is neyther any damned soule nor outlaw as yée sée Moreouer by my moothers syde I come of Mercuree Another honor too my house Thus both by fathers syde And moothers as you may perceyue I am too Goddes alyde But neyther for bycause I am a better gentleman Than Aiax by the moothers syde nor that my father can Auouch himself vngiltye of his brothers blood doo I This armour clayme wey you the case by merits vprightly Prouyded no prerogatyue of birthryght Aiax beare For that his father Telamon and Peleus brothers were Let only prowesse in this pryse the honour beare away Or if the case on kinrid or on birthryght séeme too stay His father Peleus is aliue and Pyrrhus éeke his sonne What tytle then can Aiax make This géere of ryght should woone Too Phthya or too Scyros I le And Tevvcer is as well Achilles vncle as is hée Yit dooth not Tevvcer mell And if he did should hée obteyne well sith the cace dooth rest On tryall which of vs can proue his dooings too bée best I néedes must say my déedes are mo than well I can expresse Yit will I shew them orderly as néere as I can gesse Foreknowing that her sonne should dye The Lady Thetis hid Achilles in a maydes attyre By which fyne slyght shée did All men deceyue and Aiax too This armour in a packe With other womens tryflyng toyes I caryed on my backe A bayte too treyne a manly hart Appareld
old but not her princely hard too Polemnestor went The cursed murtherer and desyrde his presence too th entent Too sheâ— too him a masse of gold so made shée her pretence Which for her lyttle Polydore was hid not farre from thence The Thracian king beléeuing her as eager of the pray Went with her too a secret place And as they there did stay With flattring and deceytfull toong he thus too her did say Make spéede I prey thée Hecuba and giue thy sonne this gold I sweare by God it shall bée his as well that I doo hold Already as that thou shalt giue Uppon him speaking so And swearing and forswearing too shée looked sternely tho And béeing sore inflaamd with wrath caught hold vppon him and Streyght calling out for succor too the wyues of Troy at hand Did in the traytors face bestowe her nayles and scratched out His eyes her anger gaue her hart and made her strong and stout Shee thrust her fingars in as farre as could bée and did bore Not now his eyes for why his eyes were pulled out before But bothe the places of the eyes berayd with wicked blood The Thracians at theyr Tyrannes harme for anger wexing wood Began too scare the Troiane wyues with darts and stones Anon Quéene Hecub ronning at a stone with gnarring seazd theron And wirryed it béetwéene her téeth And as shée opte her chappe Too speake in stead of spéeche shée barkt the place of this missehappâ— Remayneth still and of the thing there done beares yit the name Long myndfull of her former illes shée sadly for the same Went howling in the féeldes of Thrace Her fortune moued not Her Troians only but the Gréekes her foes too ruthe Her lot Did moue euen all the Goddes to ruthe and se effectually That Hecub too deserue such end euen Iuno did denye Although the morning of the selfsame warres had fauorer beene Shée had no leysure too lament the fortune of the Queene Nor on the slaughters and the fall of Ilion for too think A household care more néerer home did in her stomacke sink For Memnon her beloued sonne whom dying shée behild Uppon the feerce Achilles speare amid the Phrygian fâ—â—ld Shee saw it and her ruddy hew with which shée woonted was Too dye the breaking of the day did intoo palenesse passe And all the skye was hid with clowdes But when his corce was gone Too burning ward shée could not fynd in hart too looke theron But with her heare about her eares shée knéeled downe before The myghtye Ioue and thus gan speake vnto him weeping sore Of al that haue theyr dwelling place vppon the golden skye The lowest for through all the world the feawest shrynes haue I But yit a Goddesse I doo come not that thou shouldst decrée That Altars shâ—ynes and holydayes bée made too honour mée Yit if thou marke how much that I a woman doo for thée In kéeping nyght within her boundes by bringing in thée light Thou well mayst thinke mée worthy sum reward too clayme of ryght But neyther now is that the thing the morning cares too haue Ne yit her state is such as now dew honour for too craue Bereft of my déere Memnon who in fyghting valeantly Too help his vncle so it was your will O Goddes did dye Of stout Achilles sturdye speare euen in his flowring pryme I sew too thée O king of Goddes too doo him at this tyme Sum honour as a comfort of his death and ease this hart Of myne which greatly gréeued is with wound of percing smart No sooner Ioue had graunted dame Aurora her desyre But that the flame of Memnons corce that burned in the fyre Did fall and flaky rolles of smoke did dark the day as when A foggy mist steames vpward from a Riuer or a fen And suffreth not the Sonne too shyne within it Blacke as cole The cinder rose and intoo one round lump assembling whole Grew grosse and tooke bothe shape and hew The fyre did lyfe it send The lyghtnesse of the substance self did wings vntoo it lend And at the first it flittred like a bird and by and by It flew a fethered bird in déede And with that one gan fly Innumerable mo of selfsame brood whoo once or twyce Did sore about the fyre and made a piteous shréeking thryce The fowrthtyme in theyr flying round thâ—mselues they all withdrew In battells twayne and feercely foorth of eyther syde one flew Too fyght a combate With theyr billes and hooked talents kéene And with theyr wings couragiously they wreakt theyr wrathfull téene And myndfull of the valeant man of whom they issued béene They neuer ceased iobbing eche vppon the others brest Untill they falling both downe dead with fyghting ouerprest Had offred vp theyr bodyes as a woorthy sacrifyse Untoo theyr cousin Memnon who too Asshes burned lyes Theis soodeine birds were named of the founder of theyr stocke For men doo call them Memnons birds And euery yéere a flocke Repayre too Memnons tumb where twoo doo in the foresayd wyse In manner of a yeeremynd slea themselues in sacrifyse Thus where as others did lament that Dymants daughter barkâ— Auroras owne gréef busyed her that smally shée it markt Which thing shée too this present tyme with piteous teares dooth shewe For through the vniuersall world shée sheadeth moysting deawe Yit suffred not the destinyes all hope tooperrish quyght Toogither with the towne of Troy That good and godly knyght The sonne of Venus bare away by nyght vppon his backe His aged father and his Goddes an honorable packe Of all the riches of the towne that only pray he chose So godly was his mynd and like a bannisht man he goes By water with his owne yoong sonne Ascanius from the I le Antandros and he shonnes the shore of Thracia which ere whyle The wicked Tyrants treason did with Polydores blood defyle And hauing wynd and tyde at will he saufly wyth his trayne Arryued at Apollos towne where Anius then did reigne Whoo being both Apollos préest and of that place the king Did enterteyne him in his house and vntoo church him bring And shewd him bothe the Citie and the temples knowen of old And eeke the sacred trées by which Latona once tooke hold When shee of chyldbirth trauelled Assoone as sacrifyse Was doone with Oxens inwards burnt according too the guyse And casting incence in the fyre and sheading wyne thereon They ioyfull too the court returnd and there they tooke anon Repaste of meate and drink Then sayd the good Anchyses this O Phebus souereine préest onlesse I take my markes amisse As I remember when I first of all this towne did sée Fowre daughters and a sonne of thyne thou haddest héere with thée King Anius shooke his head wheron he ware a myter whyght And answerd thus O noble prince in fayth thou gessest ryght Of children fyue a father then thou diddest mée behold Whoo now with such vnconstancie are mortall matters rolld Am in a manner chyldlesse quyght For what
courage also which as good as Goddes myght well be thought In fyne they neyther for the Realme nor for the scepter sought Nor for the Lady Lauine but for conquest And for shame Too séeme too shrinke in leauing warre they still prolongd the same At length dame Venus sawe her sonne obteyne the vpper hand King Turnus fell and éeke the towne of Ardea which did stand Ryght strong in hygh estate as long as Turnus liued But Assoone as that Aenaeas swoord too death had Turnus put The towne was set on fyre and from amid the embers flew A fowle which till that present tyme no persone euer knew And béete the ashes féercely vp with flapping of his wing The leanenesse palenesse dolefull sound and euery other thing That may expresse a Citie sakt yea and the Cities name Remayned still vntoo the bird And now the verrye same With Hernesewes fethers dooth bewayle the towne wherof it came And now Aenaeas prowesse had compelled all the Goddes And Iuno also whoo with him was most of all at oddes Too cease theyr old displeasure quyght And now he hauing layd Good ground wheron the growing welth of Iuly myght be stayd Was rype for heauen And Venus had great sute already made Too all the Goddes and cléeping Ioue did thus with him perswade Déere father whoo hast neuer béene vncurtuous vntoo mée Now shewe the greatest courtesie I pray thée that may bée And on my sonne Aenaeas whoo a graundchyld vntoo thée Hath got of my blood if thou wilt vouchsafe him awght at all Uouchsafe sum Godhead too bestowe although it bée but small It is ynough that once he hathe alreadye séene the Realme Of Pluto vtter pleasurelesse and passed Styxis streame The Goddes assented neyther did Quéene Iuno then appéere In countnance straunge but did consent with glad and merry chéere Then Ioue Aenaeas woorthy is a saynct in heauen too bée Thy wish for whom thou doost it wish I graunt thée frank and frée This graunt of his made Venus glad Shée thankt him for the same And glyding through the aire vppon her yoked doues shee came Too Lavvrent shore where clad with reede the riuer Numicke déepe Too seaward which is néere at hand with stealing pace dooth créepe Shée bade this riuer wash away what euer mortall were In good Aenaeas bodye and them vnder sea too beare The horned brooke fulfilld her hest and with his water shéere Did purge and clenze Aenaeas from his mortall body cléere The better porcion of him did remayne vntoo him sownd His moother hauing hallowed him did noynt his bodye rownd With heauenly odours and did touch his mouth with Ambrosie The which was mixt with Neâ—ar swéete and made him by and by A God too whom the Romanes giue the name of Indiges Endeuering with theyr temples and theyr altars him too please Ascanius with the dowble name from thence began too reigne In whom the rule of Alba and of Latium did remayne Next him succéeded Siluius whoos 's sonne Latinus hild The auncienâ— name and scepter which his graundsyre erst did wéeld The famous Epâ—t after this Latinus did succéede Then Capys and king Capetus But Capys was indéede The formest of the twoo From this the scepter of the Realme Descended vntoo Tyberine whoo drowning in the streame Of Tyber left that name theretoo This Tyberine begat Féerce Remulus and Acrota By chaunce it hapned that The elder brother Remulus for counterfetting oft The thunder with a thunderbolt was killed from aloft From Acrota whoos 's stayëdnesse did passe his brothers skill The crowne did coÌ„me too Auentine whoo in the selfsame hill In which he reygned buryed lyes and left thertoo his name The rule of nation Palatine at length too Proca came In this Kings reigne Pomona livd There was not too bée found Among the woodnymphes any one in all the Latian ground That was so conning for too keepe an Ortyard as was shée Nor none so paynefull too preserue the frute of euery trée And thervppon shée had her name Shée past not for the woodes Nor riuers but the villages and boughes that bare bothe buddes And plentuous frute In sted of dart a shredding hooke shée bare With which the ouerlusty boughes shée eft away did pare That spreaded out too farre and eft did make therwith a rift Too greffe another imp vppon the stocke within the clift And least her trées should die through drought with water of the springs Shée moystech of theyr sucking roots the little crumpled strings This was her loue and whole delyght And as for Venus déedes Shée had no mynd at all of them And forbycause shée dréedes Enforcement by the countrye folke shée walld her yards about Not suffring any man at all too enter in or out What haue not those same nimble laddes so apt too frisk and daunce The Satyrs doone or what the Pannes that wantonly doo praunce With borned forheads and the old Silenus whoo is ay More youthfull than his yéeres and éeke the féend that scares away The theeues and robbers with his hooke or with his priuy part Too winne her loue But yit than theis a farre more constant hart Had sly Vertumnus though he sped no better than the rest O Lord how often being in a moawers garment drest Bare he in bundells sheaues of corne and when he so was dyght He was the verry patterne of a haruest moawer ryght Oft bynding newmade hay about his temples he myght séeme A haymaker Oft tymes in hand made hard with woork extreeme He bare a goade that men would sweere he had but newly then Unyoakt his wéerye Oxen. Had he tane in hand agen A shredding hooke yée would haue thought hée had a gardener béene Or proyner of sum vynes Or had you him with ladder séene Uppon his necke a gatherer of frute yée would him déeme With swoord a souldier with his rod an Angler he did séeme And finally in many shapes he sought too fynd accesse Too ioy the beawty but by syght that did his hart oppresse Moreouer putting on his head a womans wimple gay And staying by a staffe graye heares he foorth too syght did lay Uppon his forehead and did feyne a beldame for too bée By meanes whereof he came within her goodly ortyards frée And woondring at the frute sayd Much more skill hast thou I sée Than all the Nymphes of Albula Hayle Lady myne the flowre Unspotted of pure maydenhod in all the world this howre And with that woord he kissed her a little but his kisse Was such as trew old women would haue neuer giuen ywis Then sitting downe vppon a bank he looked vpward at The braunches bent with haruests weyght Ageinst him where he sat A goodly Elme with glistring grapes did growe which after hée Had praysed and the vyne likewyse that ran vppon the trée But if ê™ hée this Elme without the vyne did single stand It should haue nothing sauing leaues too bée desyred and Ageine if that the vyne which ronnes vppon
in which shée hid Aenaeas when shée from the swoord of Diomed did him rid Or Paris when from Menelay shée did him saufe conuey But Ioue her father staying her did thus vntoo hir say Why daughter myne wilt thou alone bée stryuing too preuent Unuanquishable destinie In fayth and if thou went Thy self intoo the house in which the fatall susters thrée Doo dwell thou shouldest there of brasse and stéele substantiall sée The registers of things so strong and massye made too bee That â—auâ— and euerlasting they doo neyther stand in feare Of thunder nor of lyghtning nor of any ruine there The destnyes of thyne ofspring thou shalt there fynd grauen déepe In Adamant I red them and in mynd I doo them kéepe And forbycause thou shalt not beiquyght ignorant of all I will declare what things I markt herafter too befall The man for whom thou makest sute hath liued full his tyme And hauing ronne his race on earth must now too heauen vp clyme Where thou shalt make a God of him ay honord for too bée With temples and with Altars on the earth Moreouer hée That is his heyre and beares his name shall allalone susteyne The burthen layd vppon his backe and shall our help obteyne His fathers murther too reuenge The towne of Mutinye Beséedged by his powre shall yéeld The féelds of Pharsaly Shall féele him and Philippos in the Realme of Macedonne Shall once ageine bée staynd with blood The greate Pompeius sonne Shall vanquisht be by him vppon the sea of Sicilye The Romane Capteynes wyfe the Quéene of Aegypt through her hye Presumption trusting too her match too much shall threate in vayne Too make her Canop ouer our hygh Capitoll too reigne What should I tell thee of the wyld and barbrous nacions that At bothe the Oceans dwelling bée The vniuersall plat Of all the earth inhabited shall all be his The sea Shall vntoo him obedient bée likewyse And when that he Hathe stablisht peace in all the world then shall he set his mynd Too ciuill matters vpryght lawes by iustice for too fynd And by example of himself all others he shall bynd Then hauing care of tyme too comme and of posteritye A holy wyfe shall beare too him a sonne that may supply His carefull charge and beare his name And lastly in the end He shall too heauen among the starres his auncetors ascend But not before his lyfe by length too drooping age doo tend â—nd therfore from the murthred corce of Iulius Caesar take â—is sowle with spéede and of the same a burning cressed make That from our heauenly pallace he may euermore looke downe Uppon our royall Capitoll and Court within Roome towne He scarcely ended had theis woordes but Venus out of hand Amid the Senate house of Roome inuisible did stand And from her Caesars bodye tooke his new expulsed spryght The which shée not permitting too resolue too ayer quyght Did place it in the skye among the starres that glister bryght And as shée bare it shée did féele it gather heauenly myght And for too wexen fyrye Shée no sooner let it flye But that a goodly shyning starre it vp a lost did stye And drew a greate way after it bryght beames like burning heare Whoo looking on his sonnes good déedes confessed that they were Farre greater than his owne and glad he was too sée that hée Excelled him Although his sonne in no wyse would agrée Too haue his déedes preferd beforâ— his fathers yit dooth fame Whoo ay is frée and bound too no commaund withstand the same And stryuing in that one behalf ageinst his hest and will Procéedeth too preferre his déedes before his fathers still Euen so too Agamemnons great renowne giues Atreus place Euen so Achilles déedes the déedes of Peleus doo abace Euen so beyond Aegaeus farre dooth Theseyes prowesse go And that I may examples vse full matching theis euen so Is Saturne lesse in fame than Ioue Ioue rules the heauenly spheres And all the trâ—ple shaped world And our Augustus beares Dominion ouer all the earth They bothe are fathers They Are rulers both Yee Goddes too whom both fyre and swoord gaue way What tyme yée with Aenaeas came from Troy yée Goddes that were Of mortall men canonyzed Thou Quiâ—in whoo didst réere The walles of Roome and Mars whoo wart the valcant Quirins syre And Vesta of the household Goddes of Caesar with thy fyre Most holy and thou Phebus whoo with Vesta also art Of household and thou Iupiter whoo in the hyghest part Of mountayne Tarpey haste thy Church and all yee Goddes that may With conscience sauf by Poëts bée appealed too I pray Let that same day bée slowe too comme and after I am dead In which Augustus whoo as now of all the world is head Quyght giuing vp the care therof ascend too heauen for ay There absent hence to fauour such as vntoo him shall pray Now haue I brought a woork too end which neither Ioues féerce wrath Nor swoord nor fyre nor freating age with all the force it hath Are able too abolish quyght Let comme that fatall howre Which sauing of this brittle flesh hath ouer mée no powre And at his pleasure make an end of myne vncerteyne tyme. Yit shall the better part of mée assured bée too clyme Aloft aboue the starry skye And all the world shall neuer Be able for too quench my name For looke how farre so euer The Romane Empyre by the ryght of conquest shall extend So farre shall all folke reade this woork And tyme without all end If Poets as by prophesie about the truth may ame My lyfe shall euerlastingly bée lengthened still by fame Finis Libri decimi quinti. Laus honor soli Deo ⧠IMPRINTED AT LONdon by Willyam Seres dwelling at the west end of Paules church at the signe of the Hedgehogge Out of the first booke Out of the second Out of the iij. Out of the iiij Out of the v. Out of the vj. Out of the vij Out of the viij Out of the ix Out of the x. Out of the xj Out of the xij Out of the xiij Out of the xiiij Out of the xv * Lydia * A Ware wolfe * Castor 〈◊〉 * Plexippus Toxeus * Eurytus Câ—eatus * Admetus * Enesimus Alcâ—n Dexippus †Laâ—rtes * Mopsus †Amphiaraus Mopsus Castor Pollux * Olyss * Philoctetâ— * 〈◊〉 The house of sleepe * The kings fisher * Pirithoâ—s * Now called Tyber The Elk. * It may be interpreted Applebee * Turner * Hercules * Horsesâ—aine * Twyce man
auayles my sonne Whoo in the I le of Anderland a great way hence dooth wonne Which country takes his name of him and in the selfsayd place In stead of father like a king he holdes the royall mace Apollo gaue his lot too him And Bacchus for too showe His loue a greater gift vppon his suâ—ters did bestowe Than could bée wisht or credited For whatsoeuer they Did towche was turned into corne and wyne and oyle streyghtway And so theyr was riche vse in them Assoone as that the fame Hereof too Agamemnons eares the squorge of Troians came Least you myght tast your stormes alone and wée not féele the same In part an hoste he hither sent and whither I would or no Did take them from mée forcing them among the Gréekes too go Too féede the Gréekish army with theyr heauenly gift But they Escaped whither they could by flyght A couple tooke theyr way Too I le Evvboya toother twoo too Anderland did fly Theyr brothers Realme An host of men pursewd them by and by And threatened warre onlesse they were deliuered Force of feare Subdewing nature did constreyne the brother men must beare With fearfulnesse too render vp his susters too theyr fo For neyther was Aenaeas there nor valeant Hector who Did make your warre last ten yéeres long the countrye too defend Now when they should like prisoners haue béene fettred in the end They casting vp theyr handes which yit were frée too heauen did cry Too Bacchus for too succour them who helpt them by and by At leastwyse if it may bee termd a help in woondrous wyse Too alter folke For neuer could I lerne ne can surmyse The manner how they lost theyr shape â–ª The thing it selfe is knowen With fethered wings as whyght as snow they quyght away are flowen Transformed intoo doouâ—house dooues thy wyfe dame Venus burdes When that the time of meate was spent w t theis such like woordes The table was remoued streyght and then they went too sléepe Next morrow rysing vp assoone as day began too peepe They went too Phebus Oracle which willed them too go Untoo theyr moother countrey and the coastes theyr sâ—ocke came fro King Anius bare them companie And when away they shoold He gaue them gifts Anchises had a scepter all of goold Ascanius had a quiuer and a Cloke right braue and trâ—â— Aenaeas had a standing Cup presented vntoo him The Thebane Therses whoo had beene king Anius guest erewhyle Did send it out of Thessaly but Alcon one of Myle Did make the cuppe And hée theronâ—a story portrayd out It was a Citie with seuen gates in circuit round about Which men myght easly all discerne The gates did represent The Cities name and shewed playne what towne thereby was ment Without the towne were funeralls a dooing for the dead With herces tapers fyres and tumbes The wyues with ruffled head And stomacks bare preteÌ„ded gréef The nymphes séemd teares too shead And wayle the drying of theyr welles The leauelesse trées did seare And licking on the parched stones Goats romed héere and there Behold amid this Thebane towne was lyuely portrayd out Echions daughters twayne of which the one with courage stout Did profer bothe her naked throte and stomacke too the knyfe And toother with a manly hart did also spend her lyfe For saufgard of her countryfolk And how that thervppon They both were caryed solemly on herces and anon Were burned in the chéefest place of all the Thebane towne Then least theyr linage should decay whoo dyde with such renowne Out of the Asshes of the maydes there issued twoo yong men And they vntoo theyr moothers dust did obsequies agen Thus much was graued curiously in auncient precious brasse And on the brim a trayle of flowres of bearbrich gilded was The Troians also gaue too him as costly giftes agen Bycause he was Apollos préest they gaue too him as then A Chist too kéepe in frankincence They gaue him furthermore A Crowne of gold wherin were set of precious stones great store Then calling too remembrance that the Troians issued were Of Tevvcers blood they sayld too Crete But long they could not there Abyde th' infection of the aire and so they did forsake The hundred Cities and with spéede to Itayle ward did make The winter wexed hard and rough and tost them verry sore And when theyr shippes arriued were vppon the perlous shore Among the Strophad Iles the bird Aëllo did them feare The costes of Dulich Ithaca and Same they passed were And eeke the Court of Neritus where wyse Vlysses reignd And came too Ambrace for the which the Gods strong stryfe maynteinâ— There sawe they turned into stone the iudge whoos 's image yit At Actium in Appollos Church in signe therof dooth sit They vewed also Dodon groue where Okes spake and the coast Of Chaön where the sonnes of king Molossus sâ—apt a most Ungracious fyre by taking wings From thence they coasted by The countrye of the Pheäks fraught with frute abundantly Then tooke they land in Epyre and too Buthrotos they went Wheras the Troiane prophet dwelt whoos 's reigne did represent an image of theyr auncient Troy There being certifyde Of things too come by Helen whoo whyle there they did abyde Informed them ryght faythfully of all that should betyde They passed into Sicilie With corners thrée this land Shootes out intoo the Sea of which Pachinnus front dooth stand Ageinst the southcoast Lilibye dooth face the gentle west And Pelore vntoo Charlsis wayne dooth northward beare his brest The Troianes vnder Pelore gate with ores and prosprous tydes And in the euen by Zanclye shore theyr fléete at anchor rydes Uppon the leftsyde restlessely Charybdis ay dooth beate them And swalloweth shippes spewes them vp as fast as it dooth eate them And Scylla beateth on theyr ryght which from the nauell downe Is patched vp with cruell curres and vpward too the crowne Dooth kéepe the countnance of a mayd And if that all bée trew That Poëts fayne shée was sumtyme a mayd ryght fayre of hew Too her made many wooers sute all which shée did eschew And going too the salt Sea nymphes too whom shée was ryght déere Shée vaunted too how many men shée gaue the slippe that yéere Too whom the Lady Galate in kembing of her heare Sayd thus with syghes But they that sought too thée O Lady were None other than of humane kynd too whom without all feare Of harme thou myghtest as thou doost giue nay But as for mée Although that I of Nereus and gray Doris daughter bée And of my susters haue with mée continually a gard I could not scape the Cyclops loue but too my gréef full hard With that her teares did stoppe her spéeche Assoone as that the mayd Had dryde them with her marble thomb moande the nymph she sayd Déere Goddesse tell mée all your gréef and hyde it not from mée For trust mée I will vntoo you bothe true and secret bée Then vntoo Cratyes daughter