Which thither came; but in the porch there sate A comely personage of stature tall, The foe of life, that good envies to all, That secretly doth us procure to fall, Through guileful semblaunce which he makes us see, He of this garden had the governall, And pleasure's porter was devis'd to be, Holding a staffe in hand for more formalitie. Thus being entred, they behold around Mantled with green, and goodly beatifide Thereto the heavens always joviall, But the mild air with season moderate More sweet and wholesome than the plea sant hill Of Rhodope, on which the nymph that bore A giant-babe, herselfe for griefe did kill; Or the Thessalian Tempè, where of yore Faire Daphne Phoebus' heart with love did gore; Or Ida, where the gods lov'd to repaire, When-ever they their heavenly bowres forlore; Or sweet Parnasse, the haunt of muses faire; Or Eden, if that aught with Eden mote compare. Till that he came unto another gate, No gate, but like one, beeing goodly dight With boughes and branches, which did broad dilate, And scorned parts were mingled with the fine) Each did the other's work more beautify; So differing both in willes, agreed in fine: So all agreed through sweet diversitie, This garden to adorne wih all varietie. And in the midst of all, a fountaine stood, Of richest substance that on earth might be, So pure and shiny, that the silver flood Through every channell running, one might Most goodly it with pure imageree [see; Was over-wrought, and shapes of naked boyes, Of which some seem'd with lively jollitee To fly about, playing their wanton toyes, While others did themselves embay in liquid joyes. And over all, of purest gold, was spred A trayle of ivie in his native hew: For the rich metall was so coloured, That wight that did not well advised view, Would surely deem it to be ivie true: Low his lascivious armes adowne did creep, That themselves dipping in the silver dew, Their fleecie flowres they tenderly did steepe, Which drops of crystall seem'd for wantonness to weepe. Infinite streames continually did well Out of this fountaine, sweet and faire to see, The which into an ample laver fell, And shortly grew to so great quantitie, That like a little lake it seem'd to bee; Whose depth exceeded not three cubits height, [see That through the waves one might the bottom All pav'd beneath with jaspers shining bright, That seem'd the fountaine in that sea did sayle upright. And all the margent round about was set With shady lawrell-trees, thence to defend The sunny beames, which on the billows bet, And those which therein bathed, mote offend. $31. Bower of Proteus. His bowre is in the bottom of the maine, Under a mighty rock, 'gainst which do rave The roaring billows in their proud disdaine; $32. Bull. As salvage bull, whom two fierce mastives bait, When rancour doth with rage him once begore, That all the forest quakes to hear him roar. As two fierce bulls, that strive the rule to get Of all the herd, meet with so hideous maine, That both rebutted, tumble on the plaine: So these two champions to the ground were feld. Another. LIKE a wild bull, that being at a bay, Is baited of a mastiff and a hound, And a curre-dog, that do him sharp assay On every side, and beat about him round; But most the curre, barking with bitter sound, And creeping still behind, doth him incomber, That in chauffe he digs the trampled ground, And threats his horns, and bellows like the thunder. $33. Calumny. Ir is a monster bred of hellish race, Of Cerberus whylome he was begot, Into this wicked world he forth was sent, To be the plague and scourge of wretched men: Whom with vile tongue and venemous intent Ill sore doth wound, and bite, and cruelly tor ment. § 35. Charity, SHE was a woman in her freshest age, Her neck and breasts were ever open bare, That aye thereof her babes might suck their The rest was all in yellow robes arraied still. But thrust them forth still, as they wexed old: Adorn'd with gemmes and owches wondrous Whose passing price uneath was to be told; With his faire mother he him dights to play, And with his goodly sisters, graces three; The goddesse pleased with his wanton play, Suffers herself through sleep beguil'd to be, The whiles the other ladies mind their merry glee. First, she him sought in court where most he used Whylome to haunt, but there she found him not; But many there she found, which sore accused His falsehood, and with foule infamous blot, His cruel deeds and wicked wiles did spot: Ladies and lords she every-where mote hear Complaining, how with his empoysned shot Their woful hearts he wounded had whyleare, [and feare. And so had left them languishing 'twixt hope She then the cities sought from gate to gate, And ev'ry one did ask, did he him see; And every one her answer'd, and too late He had him seen, and felt the crueltie Of his sharp darts, and hot artillerie ; And every one threw forth reproaches rife Of his mischievous deeds, and said, that hee Was the disturber of all civil life, The enemie of peace, and author of all strife. Then in the country she abroad him sought, And in the rural cottages enquired: Where also many plaints to her were brought, How he their heedless hearts with love had fired, And false venim thorough their veines inspired; And eke the gentle shepheard swaines, which sate Keeping their fleecy flocks, as they were hired, She sweetly heard complaine, both how and what Her sonne had to them doen; yet she did smile thereat. And at the upper end of the faire towne, There was an altar built of precious stone, Of passing value, and of great renowne, On which there stood an image all alone, Of massie gold, which with his own light shone; And wings it had with sundry colours dight, More sundry colours than the proud pavone Bears in his boasted fan, or Iris bright, When her discolour'd bow she spreads through heaven bright. Blindfold he was, and in his cruel fist A mortal bow and arrowes keen did hold, With which he shot at random when he list: Some headed with sad lead, some with pure gold [hold). (Ah, man! beware how thou those darts beA wounded dragon under him did lie, Whose hideous tayle his left foot did enfold, And with a shaft was shot through eyther [remedy. eye, That no man forth could draw, ne no man Next after her, the winged god himself Came riding on a lyon ravenous, Taught to obey the menage of that elfe, That man and beast with powre imperious Subdueth to his kingdom tyrannous : His blindfold eyes he bad awhile unbind, That his proud spoyle of that same dolorous Fair dame he might behold in perfect kind; Which seen he much rejoyceth in his cruel mind. Of which full proud, himself up-rearing hye, He looked round about with stern disdaine; And did survey his goodly company; And marshalling the evil ordered traine, With that the darts which his right hand did straine, Such as the Indians in their quivers hide: Those could he well direct, and straite as line, And bid them strike the marke which he had eyde ; Ne was there salve, ne was there medicine, That mote recure their wounds; so inly they did tine. As pale and wan as ashes was his look, His body lean and meagre as a rake, And skin all wither'd as a dried rook, Thereto as cold and drery as a snake, That seem'd to tremble evermore, and quake; All in a canvas thin he was bedight, And girded with a belt of twisted brake, Upon his head he wore an helmet light, Made of a dead man's skull, that seem'd a gastly sight. That soon they life conceiv'd, and forth in flames did fly. $44. Detraction. THE other nothing better was than she; Agreeing in bad will and cancred kind, But in bad manner they did disagree; For, what-so Envie good or bad did find, She did conceale and murder her own mind; But this, whatever evil she conceaved, Did spread abroad, and throw in the open wind. Yet this in all her words might be perceived, That all she sought was men's good names to have bereaved. For whatsoever good by any said, Or done, she heard, she would strait-waies in vent How to deprave, or slanderously upbraid, To common haunts, and company's frequent, And if that any ill she heard of any, And take great joy to publish it to many, That every matter worse was for her melling: Her name was hight Detraction, and her dwelling Was near to Envy, even her neighbour next; A wicked hag, and Envy's self excelling In mischiefe: for, herself she only vext: But this same, both herself and others eke perplext. Her face was ugly, and her mouth distort, Foaming with poyson round about her gills, In which her cursed tongue (full sharp and That none the same way may out-win; Yet many wayes to enter may be found, But none to issue forth when one is in; For discord harder is to end than to begin. And all within the riven walles were hung With ragged monuments of times fore-past, Of which, the sad effects of discord sung; There were rent robes, and broken scepters Altars defil'd, and holy things defac't, [plac't, Dishevered spears, and shields ytorne in twaine. Great cittys ransack't, and strong castles ras't, Nations captived, and huge armies slaine: Of all which ruines there some reliques did remaine. There was the signe of antique Babylon, Of fatal Thebes, of Rome that raigned long, Of sacred Salem, and sad Ilion, For memory of which, on high there hong The golden apple (cause of all their wrong) For which the three faire goddesses did strive: There also was the name of Nimrod strong, And there the reliques of the drunken fray, The which amongst the Lapithees befell, And of the bloody feast, which sent away So many Centaures' drunken soules to hell, That under great Alcides' furie fell: And of the dreadful discord, which did drive The noble Argonauts to outrage fell, That each of life sought other to deprive, All mindless of the golden-fleece which made them strive. And eke of private persons many moe, That were too long a worke to count them all; Some of sworne friends, that did their faith forgoe; Some of borne brethren, prov'd unnatural; Witness their broken bands there to be seen, Their girlonds rent, their bowres dispoiled all; The monuments whereof there byding been, As plaine as at the first, when they were fresh and green. And those same cursed seedes do also serve To her for bread, and yield a living food: For life it is to her, when others sterve Thro' mischievous debate, and deadly feood, That she may suck their life, and drink their blood, [fed, With which she from her childhood had been For she at first was born of hellish brood, And by infernal furies nourished, [read. That by her monstrous shape might easily be Her face most foule and filthy was to see, With squinting eyes contrary ways entended, And loathly mouth, unmeet a mouth to be; That nought but gall and venim comprehended, And wicked words that God and man offended: Her lying tongue was in two parts divided, And both the parts did speak, and both contended, And as her tongue, so was her heart decided, That never thought one thing, but doubly still was guided. Als as she double spake, so heard she double, And as her eares, so eke her feet were odde, And much unlike, th' one long, the other short, And both misplac't; that when th' one for ward gode, The other back retired, and contrary trode. Likewise unequal were her handes twaine; That one did reach, the other pusht away; The one did make, the other marr'd againe, And sought to bring all things unto decay; Whereby great riches, gather'd many a day, She in short space did often bring to nought, And their possessours often did dismay. For all her study was, and all her thought, How she might overthrowe the thing that concord wrought. So much her malice did her might surpass, That even th' Almighty selfe she did maligne Because to man so merciful he was, And unto all his creatures so benigne, Sith she her self was of his grace indigne: For all this world's faire workmanship she Unto his last confusion to bring, tride And that great golden chain quite to divide, With which it blessed concord hath together tide. |