Thofe be the shepherds which my Cynthia serve
At fea, befides a thousand more at land;
For land and fea my Cynthia doth deserve
To have in her commandement at hand.
Thereat I wonder much, till wondering more
And more, at length we land far off defcryde
Which fight much gladed me; for much afore
I feard left land we never fhould have cyde:
Thereto our fhip her courfe directly bent,
As if the way the perfectly had known.
We Lynday pafs, by that fame name is ment
An ifland which the first to west was shown;
From thence another world of land we kend,
Floating amid the sea in jeopardy,

And round about with mighty white rocks hend,
Against the fea's encroaching cruelty:

Those fame, the shepherd told me, were the fields
In which Dame Cynthia her land-herds fed,
Fair goodly fields, than which Armulla yields
None fairer, nor more fruitful to be red:
The firft of which we nigh approached was
An high head-land, thrust far into the fea,
Like to an horn, whereof the name it has,
Yet feem'd to be a goodly pleasant lea:
'There did a lofty mount at firft us greet,
Which did a stately heap of ftones uprear,
That feem'd amid the furges for to fleet,
Much greater than that frame which us did bear;
There did our fhip her fruitful womb unlade,
and put us all afhore on Cynthia's land."

"What land is that thou meanft?" then Cuddy faid;

"And is there other than whereon we ftand ?" "Ah! Cuddy," then quoth Colin," thou's a fon,

That hast not seen least part of Nature's work : Much more there is unken'd than thou dooft kon,

And much more that does from mens knowledge lurk :

For that fame land much larger is than this,
And other men, and beafts, and birds, doth feed:
Their fruitful corn, fair trees, fresh herbage, is,
And all things elfe that living creatures need.
Befides, moft goodly rivers there appear,
No wit inferior to thy Fanchins praise,
Or unto Allo, or to Mulla clear;

Nought haft thou, foolish Boy! feen in thy days."

"But if that land be there," quoth he, " as here, And is their heaven likewise there all one? And if like heaven, be heavenly graces there, Like as in this fame world where we do wonne?" "Both heaven and heavenly graces do much more,'

Quoth he," abound in that fame land than this;

For there all happy peace and plenteous store
Confpire in one to make contented blifs;
No wailing there, nor wretchedness, is heard,
No bloody iffucs, nor no leprofies,
No griefly famine, nor no raging fweard,
No nightly bodrags, nor no hue and cries:
The fhepherds there abroad may fafely lic

On hills and downs, withouten dread or danger; No ravenous wolves the goodman's hope destroy,

Nor outlaws fell affray the foreft-ranger :
There learned arts do flourish in great honour,
And poet' wits are had in peerless price;
Religion hath lay-powre to reft upon her,
Advancing vertue and fuppreffing vice.
For end, all good, all grace, there freely grows,
Had people grace it gratefully to ufe;
For God his gifts there plenteously bestows,
But graceless men them greatly do abuse."
"But fay on further, then," said Corylas,
"The rest of thine adventures that betided."
"Forth on our voyage we by lend did pafs,"
Quoth he, "
as that fame fhepherd ftill us guid

ed,
Until that we to Cynthia's prefence came,
Whofe glory, greater than my simple thought,
I found much greater than the former fame;
Such greatness I cannot compare to ought:
But if I her like ought on earth might read,
I would her liking to a crown of lillies
Upon a virgin bride's adorned head,
With rofes dight, and goolds, and daffadilies;
Or like the circlet of a turtle true,

In which all colours of the rainbow be;
Or like fair Phoebe's girlond fhining new,
In which all pure perfection one may fee.
But vain it is to think by paragon

Of earthly things to judge of things divine :
Her power, her mercy, and her wisdom, none
Can deem, but who the Godhead can define.
Why then do I, bafe shepherd! bold and
blind,

Prefume the things fo facred to profane ?
More fit it is t'adore with humble mind
The image of the heavens in fhape humane."
With that Alexis broke his tale afunder,
Saying," By wondring at thy Cynthia's praife,
Colin, thyfelf thou mak'ft us more to wonder,
And her upraifing dooft thyself upraife,
But let us hear what grace the fhewed thee,
And how that fhepherd ftrange thy cause ad-

vanc'd."

Sweet lays of love to endless plaints of pittie.
Ah! penfive Boy! purfue that brave conceit,
In thy fweet eglantine of meriflure;
Lift up thy notes unto their wonted hight,
That may thy Mufe and mates to mirth allure.
There eke is Pallin, worthy of great praise,
Albe he envy at my ruftick quill,

And there is pleafing Alcon, could he raise
His tunes from layes to matter of more skill.
And there is old Palemon, free from spight,
Whofe carefull pipe may make the hearer
rew,

Yet he himself may rewed be more right,
That fung fo long until quite hoarfe he grew,
And there is Alabafter, throughly taught
In all his skill, though knowen yet to few,
Yet were he known to Cynthia as he ought,
His Elifeis would be read anew:

Who lives that can match that heroick fong
Which he hath of that mighty princefs made?
O dearest Dread! do not thyself that wrong,
To let thy fame lie fo in hidden shade,
But call it forth; O call him forth to thee,
To end thy glory, which he hath begun,
That when he finisht hath as it should be,
No braver poem can be under fon :

Nor Po nor Tyber's fwans fo much renown'd,
Nor all the brood of Greece fo highly praif'd,
Can match that Mufe, when it with bayes is
crown'd,

And to the pitch of her prefection raif'd,
And there is a new fhepherd late up fprong.
The which doth all afore him far furpafs,
Appearing well in that well-tuned fong,
Which late he fung unto a scornful lafs :
Yet doth his trembling Mufe but lowly flic,
As daring not too rafhly mount on hight,
And doth her tender plumes as yet but trie
In love's foft layes, and loofer thoughts delight.
Then rouze thy feathers quickly, Daniel,
And to what course thou please thyself advance,
But moft, me feems, thy accent will excel
In tragic plaints and paffionate mischance.
And there that Shepherd of the Ocean is
That spends his wit in love's confuming smart;
Full fweetly tempred is that muse of his,
That can impierce a prince's mighty heart.
There alfo is (ah! no, he is not now!)
But fince I faid he is he quite is gone,
Amyntas quite is gone, and lies full low,
Having his Amarillis left to mone!

Help, O ye Shepherds! help ye all in this,
Help Amarillis this her lofs to mourn;
Her lofs is yours, your loss Amyntas is,
Amyntas! flower of fhepherds pride forlorn :
He, whilst he lived, was the nobleft swain
That ever piped on an oaten quill;
Both did he other which could pipe maintain,
And eke could pipe himself with paffing skill.
And there, though last, not least is Action,
A gentler fhepherd may no where be found,
Whose Muse full of high thoughts invention,
Doth like himself heroically found.

All thefe, and many others more remain,
Now after Aftro fell is dead and gone;
But while as Aftrofell did live and raigu,
Amongst all these was none his paragon.
All thefe do flourish in their fundry kind,
And do their Cynthia immortal make,
Yet found I liking in her royal mind,
Not for my fkill, but for that shepherd's fake."
Then fpake a lovely lafs hight Lucida;
"Shepherd, enough of thepherds thou haft told,
Which favour thee and honour Cynthia;
But of fo many nymphs which she doth hold
In her retinew, thou haft nothing said
That feems with none of them thou favour found-
eft,

Or art ingrateful to each gentle maid,

That none of all their due deferts refoundest.”
"Ah! far be it," quoth Colin Clout, "fro me,
That I of gentle maids fhould ill deserve,
For that myself I do prefefs to be
Vaffal to one whom all my days I ferve;
The beam of beauty fparkled from above,
The flowre of virtue and pure chastitie;
The bloffom of fweet joy and perfect love,
The pearl of peerless grace and modefty;
To her my thoughts 1 daily dedicate,
To her my heart I nightly martyrize;
To her my love I lowly do proftrate,
To her my life I wholly facrifice ;

My thought, my heart, my love, my life, is the,
And I her's ever only, ever one;
One ever I, all vowed her's to be,
One ever I, and other's never none.

Then thus Meliffa faid, " Thrice happy maid, Whom thou dooft fo enforce to deify;

That woods, and hills, and valleys, thou haft

She is the well of bounty and brave mind,
Excelling moft in glory and great light;
She is the ornament of woman-kind,

And Court's chief girlond, with all vertnes dight;
Therefore great Cynthia her in chiefeft grace
Doth hold, and next unto herself advance;
Well worthy the fo honourable place,
For her great worth and noble governance.
Ne lefs praife-worthy is her fifter dear,
Fair Marian, the Mufes' only dearling,
Whefe beauty fhineth as the morning clear,
With filver dew upon the rofes pearling.
Ne lefs praife-worthy is Manilia,

Best known by bearing up great Cynthia's train;
That fame is the to whom Daphnaida
Upon her neece's death I did complain :
She is the pattern of true womanhead,
And only mirror of feminity,
Worthy next after Cynthia to tredd,
As the is next her in nobility.

Ne lefs praife-worthy Galathea feems
Than beft of all that honourable crew;
Tair Galathea! with bright fhining beams,
Inflaming feeble eyes that her do view :
She there then waited upon Cynthia,

Yet there is not her wonne; but here with us
About the borders of our rich Cofma,
Now made of Maa, the nymph delicious.
Ne lefs praife-worthy fair Neaæra is;
Nexra ours, not theirs, though there the be;
For of the famous Shure the nyniph fhe is,
For high defert advaunft to that degree:
She is the bloom of grace and curtefie,
Adorned with all honourable parts;
She is the branch of true nobility,
Belov'd of high and low with faithful hearts.
Ne lefs praife-worthy Stella do I read;
Though nought my praifes of her needed are,
Whom verfe of nobleit fhepherd, lately dead,
Hath prais d, and rais'd above each other starre,
Ne lefs praife-worthy are the fifters three,
The honour of the noble familie

Of which I meanest boaft myself to be,
And most that unto them I am fo nie,
Phillis, Charillis, and fweet Amarillis.
Phillis, the fair, is eldeft of the three;
The next to her is bountiful Charillis;
But th' youngest is the highest in degree,
Phillis, the flow'r of rare perfection,

Fair, fpreading forth her leaves with fresh delight,
That with their beauty's amorous reflection
Bereave of fenfe each rah beholder's fight;
But fweet Charillis is the paragone
Of peerlefs price and ornament of praife,
Admir'd of all, yet envy'd of none, [raies.
Through the mild temperance of her goodly
Thrice happy do I hold thee, noble fwain,
The which art of fo rich a fpoil poffeft,
And it embracing dear without difdain,
Haft fole poffeffion in fo chafte a breaft!

Of all the shepherd's daughters which there be,
(And yet there be the faireft under fky,
Or that elsewhere I ever yet did fee)
A fairer nymph yet never faw minc eye;
YCL. II,

She is pride and primrose of the reft,
Made by the Maker felf to be admired;
And like a goodly beacon high addrest,
That is with sparks of heavenly beauty fired.
But Amarillis, whether fortunate
Or else unfortunate may I aread,

That freed is from Cupid's yoke by Fate,

Since which he doth new bands' adventures dread.
Shepherd, whatever thou hast heard to be
In this or that prais'd diverfly apart,
In her thou mayft them all affembled fee,
And feal'd up in the treasure of her heart.
Ne thee lefs worthy, gentle Flavia!
For thy chafte life and vertue I esteem.
Ne thee lefs worthy, courteous Candida!
For thy true love and loyalty I deem.
Befides yet many mo that Cynthia ferve,
Right noble nymphs, and high to be commended;
But if I all fhould praife as they deferve,
This fun would fail me ere I half had ended;
Therefore in closure of a thankful mind,

I deem it heft to hold eternally

Their bounteous deeds and noble favours fhrin'd, Than by difcourfe them to indignify."

So having faid, Aglaura him befpake; "Colin, well worthy were thofe goodly favours Beftow'd on thee, that fo of them dooft make, And them requiteft with thy thankful labours; But of great Cynthia's goodness and high grace Finish the story which thou haft begun."

"More cath, quoth he, it is in fuch a cafe How to begin, than know how to have done; For every gift, and every goodly meed Which the on me beftow'd demands a day, And every day in which the did a deed Demands a year it duly to difplay. Her words were like a ftream of hony fleeting, The which doth foftly trickle from the hive, Able to melt the hearer's heart unweeting, And eke to make the dead again alive. Her deeds were like great cluflers of ripe grapes Which load the bunches of the fruitful vine, Offering to fall into each mouth that gapes, And fill the fame with ftore of timely wine. Her looks were like beams of the morning fun, Forth-looking through the window of the Eaft, When first the fleecie cattle have begun Upon the perled grafs to make their feaft. Her thoughts are like the fume of frankincenfe, Which from a golden cenfer forth doth rife, And throwing forth fweet odours, mounts fro In rolling globes up to the vaulted fkies: [thence There the beholds, with high afpiring thought, The cradle of her own creation, Emongst the feats of angels heavenly wrought, Much like an angel in all form and fashion."

"Colin," faid Cuddy," then thou haft forgot Thy felf, me feems, too much, to mount so hie; Such lofty flight bafe fhepherd feemeth not, From flocks and fields to angels and to fky."

434

For when I think of her, as oft I ought,
Then want I words to fpeak it fitly forth;
And when I fpeak of her what I have thought,
I cannot think according to her worth:
Yet will I think of her, yet will I speak,
So long as life my limbs doth hold together,
And when as death thefe vital bands fhail break,
Her nanie recorded I will leave for ever:
Her name in every tree I will endofs,

That as the trees do grow her name may grow,
And in the ground each where will it engross,
And fill with ftones, that all men may it know.
The speaking woods and murmuring waters-fall
Her name I'le teach in knowen terms to frame;
And cke my lambs, when for their dams they call,
I'le teach to call for Cynthia by name:
And long while after I am dead and rotten,
Amongst the fhepherds daughters dauncing round,
My lays made of her shall not be forgotten,
But fung by them with flowry girlonds crown'd.
And ye, whofo ye be, that fhall survive,
When as ye hear her memory renew'd,
Be witnefs of her bounty here alive,
Which the to Colin her poor fhepherd fhew'd."

Much was the whole affembly of those heards
Mov'd at his fpeech, fo feelingly he spake,
And flood awhile aftonifh'd at his words,
Till Theftylis at laft their filence brake,
Saying, "Why, Colin, fince thou found'st fuch
grace

And eke to warn young fhepherds wandring wit,
Which through report of that life's painted blifs
Abandon quiet home to feeke for it,

And leave their lambs to lofs, mifled amifs;
For footh to fay, it is no fort of life

For fhepherd fit to lead in that fame place,
Where each one feekes with malice and with

frife

To thruft down other into foul difgrace,
Himself to raife; and he doth fooneft rife
That beft can handle his deceitful wit
In fubtil fhifts, and fineft fleights devife,
Either by flandring his well-deemed name,
Through leafings leud and feigned forgery,
Or elfe by breeding him fome blot of blame,
By creeping clofe into his fecrecy;
To which him needes a guilefull hollow heart,
Mafked with fair diffembling curtely,

A filed tongue, furnifh'd with terms of art,
No art of fchool, but courtiers' schoolery:
For arts of fchool have there fmall countenance,
Counted but toys to bufy idle brains,
And there profeffors find fmall maintenance,
But to be inftruments of others gains:
Ne is there place for any gentle wit,
Unless to please itself it can apply,
But fhouldred is, or out of door quite fhit,
As bafe, or blunt, unmeet for melody:
For each man's worth is meafur'd by his weed,
As harts by horns, or affes by their ears;
Yet alles be not all whofe ears exceed,
Nor yet all harts that horns the high ft bears:
For higheft looks have not the highest mind,
Nor haughty words moft full of highest thought;
But are like bladders blowen up with wind,
That being prick'd do vanish into nought.
Even fuch is all their vaunted vanity
Nought elfe but smoke that fumeth soon away;
Such is their glory that in fimple eye
Seem greatest when their garments are most gay:
So they themselves for praife of fools do fell,
And all their wealth for painting on a wall,
With price whereof they buy a golden bell,
And purchafe highest rooms in bower and hall,
Whiles fingle Truth and fimple Honesty
Do wander up and down defpis'd of all:
Their plain attire fuch glorious gallantry
Difdains fo much, that none them in doth call."
"Ah! Colin," then faid Hobbinol, "the blame
Which thou impureft is too generall,
As if not any gentle wit of name,
Nor honeft mind might there be found at all:
For well I wot, fith I myself was there

To wait on Lobbin (Lobbin well thou kneweft)
Full many worthy ones then waiting were,
As ever elfe in prince's court thou vieweft;
Of which among you many yet remain,
Whofe names I cannot readily now guefs;
Thofe that poor futers papers do retain,
And those that skill of medicine profels,
And thofe that do to Cynthia expound
The ledden of ftrange languages in charge;
For Cynthia deth in fciences abound,
And gives to their profeffors ftipends large;

Therefore unjustly thou doeft wite them all
For that which thou miflikeft in a few."

“Blame is," quoth he, “more blameless general,

'Than that which private errors doth pursue;
For well I wote that there amongst them be
Full many perfons of right worthy parts,
Both for report of spotlefs honefty,
And for profeflion of all learned arts,
Whose praise hereby no whit impaired is,
Though blame do light on thofe that faulty be;
For all the reft do most what fare amifs,
And yet their own misfaring will not fee;
For either they be puffed up with pride,

Or fraught with envy, that their galls do fwell;
Or they their days to idlenefs divide,

Or drowned lie in pleasure's waftfull well,
In which, like moldwarps, noufling still they lurk,
Unmindful of chief parts of manliness,
And do themselves, for want of other work,
Vain votaries of lazy Love prefefs,
Whofe fervice high fo bafely they enfue,
That Cupid's felf of them ashamed is,
And mustring all his men in Venus' view,
Denies them quite for fervitors of his."

"And is Love, then," said Corilas,
known

66

once

In Court, and his sweet lore professed there ?
I weened fure he was our god alone,
And only woon'd in fields and forefts here."
"Not fo," quoth he, "love most aboundeth
there;

For all the walls and windows there are writ
All full of love, and love, and love, my Dear,
And all their talk and study is of it;
Nor any there doth brave or valiant feem,
Unless that fome gay miftrefs' badge he bears;
Ne any one himself doth ought esteem,
Unless he fwim in love up to the ears:
But they of Love, and of his facred lere,
(As it should be) all otherwise devife,
Than we poor fhepherds are accuftom'd here,
And him do fue and ferve all otherwife:
For with leud fpeeches and licentious deeds
His mighty mysteries they do profane,
Aud use his idle name to other needs,
But as a complement for courting vain :
So him they do not ferve as they profefs,
But make him ferve to them for fordid ufes.
Ah my dread Lord, that doft liege hearts pof-
fefs,

Avenge thy felf on them for their abufes.
But we, poor fhepherds, whether rightly fo,
Or through our rudeness into error led,
Do make religion how we rafhly go,
To ferve that God that is fo greatly dread;
For him the greatest of the gods we deem,
Born without fire or couples of one kind,
For Venus' felf doth folely couples feem,
Both male and female, through commixture join'd:
So pure and spotlefs Cupid forth fhe brought,
And in the Gardens of Adonis nurs'd,
Where growing, he his own perfection wrought,
And shortly was of all the gods the first:

Then got he bow and fhafts of gold and lead,
In which fo fell and puiffant he grew,
That Jove himself his power began to dread,
And taking up to heaven, him godded new :
From thence he shoots his arrows every where
Into the world, at random, as he will,
On us frail men, his wretched vaflals here,
Like as himself us pleafeth fave or fpill:
So we him worship, fo we him adore,
With humble hearts to heaven up-lifted hie,
That to true loves he may us evermore
Prefer, and of their grace us dignify:
Ne is there fhepherd, ne yet fhepherd's fwain,
Whatever feeds in foreft or in field,

That dare with evill deed or leafing vain
Blafpheme his power, or terms unworthy yield.”
Shepherd, it feems that fome celestial rage
Of love," quoth Cuddy," is breath'd into thy
breast,

That poureth forth thefe oracles fo fage;

1

Of that high power wherewith thou art poffeft;
But never wift I till this prefent day,
Albe of Love I always humbly deem'd,
That he was fuch an one as thou doest say,
And fo religioufly to be eftcem'd:
Well may it feeni by this thy deep infight,
That of that god the priest thou shouldeft be;
So well thou won'ft the mystery of his might,
As if his godhead thou didst prefent fee."

"Of Love's perfection perfectly to speak,
Or of his nature rightly to define,
Indeed," faith Colin," paffeth reafon's reach,
And needs his prieft t'exprefs his power divine;
For long before the world he was ybore,
And bred above in Venus' bofom dear;
For by his power the world was made of yore,
And all that therein wondrous doth appear;
For how fhould elfe things fo far from attone,
And fo great enemies as of them he;
Be ever drawn together into one,
And taught in fuch accordance to agree?
Through him the cold began to covet heat,
And water fire, the light to mount on hie,
And th' heavie down to poize, the hungry t'eat.
And voidness to feek full fatiety :

So being former foes, they wexed friends,
And 'gan by little learn to love each other;
So being knit, they brought forth other kinds
Out of the fruitful womb of their great mo-

ther:

Then first 'gan Heaven out of darkness dread For to appear, and brought forth cheerfull Day; Next 'gan the Earth to fhew her naked head Out of deep waters, which her drown'd alway; And fhortly after every living wight

Crept forth, like worms out of their fliny Na ture,

Soon as on them the fun's life-giving light
Had poured kindly heat and formal feature:
Thenceforth they 'gan each one his like to love,
And like himself defire for to beget :
The lion chofe his mate, the turtle-dove
Her dear, the dolphin his own dolphinet;
Leij