Could terrifie from Fortunes faire adward: For oftentimes faint hearts, at first espiall Of his grim face, were from approaching scard; Unworthy they of grace, whom one deniall Or did misdoubt some ill whose cause did not Excludes from fairest hope withouten further

XXXVI

'I, much admyring that so goodly frame, Unto the porch approcht which open stood; But therein sate an amiable Dame, By her I entring half dismayed was; That seem'd to be of very sober mood, But she in gentle wise me entertayned, And in her semblant shew'd great womanhood: And twixt her selfe and Love did let me pas; Strange was her tyre; for on her head a crowne But Hatred would my entrance have reShe wore, much like unto a Danisk hood, strayned, [brayned, Poudred with pearle and stone; and all her And with his club me threatned to have [adowne. Had not the Ladie with her powrefull speach Enwoven was with gold, that raught full low Him from his wicked will uncath refrayned;

gowne

And th' other eke his malice did empeach,
Till I was throughly past the perill of his
reach.

XXXVII

Nor any blemish which the worke mote blame;
But for, they say, she hath both kinds in one,
Both male and female, both under one name:
She syre and mother is her selfe alone, [none.
Begets and eke conceives, ne needeth other

XLII

'And all about her necke and shoulders flew

Into the inmost Temple thus I came, Which fuming all with frankensence I found And odours rising from the altars flame. Upon an hundred marble pillors round The roofe up high was reared from the ground, A flocke of litle loves, and sports, and joyes, All deckt with crownes, and chaynes, and gir- With nimble wings of gold and purple hew; [pound, Whose shapes seem'd not like to terrestriall

lands gay,

And thousand pretious gifts worth many a
The which sad lovers for their vowes did pay;
And all the ground was strow'd with flowres
as fresh as May.

boyes,

But like to Angels playing heavenly toyes,
The whilest their eldest brother was away,
Cupid their eldest brother; he enjoyes
The wide kingdome of love with lordly sway,
And to his law compels all creatures to obay.

XLIII

Great sorts of lovers piteously complayning,
'And all about her altar scattered lay
Some of their losse, some of their loves delay,
Some of their pride, some paragons disdayning,
Some fearing fraud, some fraudulently fayning,
As every one had cause of good or ill.
Amongst the rest some one, through Loves
constrayning

Tormented sore, could not containe it still,
But thus brake forth, that all the temple it did
fill

XLIV

""Great Venus! Queene of beautie and of grace, The joy of Gods and men, that under skie That with thy smyling looke doest pacifie Doest fayrest shine, and most adorne thy place; The raging seas, and makst the stormes to flie; Thee, goddesse, thee the winds, the clouds doe feare,

And, when thou spredst thy mantle forth on hie,
The waters play, and pleasant lands appeare,
And heavens laugh, and al the world shews
joyous cheare.

XLV

"" Then doth the dædale earth throw forth to
thee

Out of her fruitfull lap aboundant flowres;
The spring breake forth out of his lusty bowres,
And then all living wights, soone as they see
They all doe learne to play the Paramours;
First doe the merry birds, thy prety pages,
Privily pricked with thy lustfull powres,
Chirpe loud to thee out of their leavy cages,
And thee their mother call to coole their
kindly rages.

XLVI

Then doe the salvage beasts begin to play Their pleasant friskes, and loath their wonted food:

flood

LI

The Lyons rore; the Tygres loudly bray;
The raging Buls rebellow through the wood,
'And next to her sate sober Modestie,
And breaking forth dare tempt the deepest Holding her hand upon her gentle hart;
[desire. And her against sate comely Curtesie,
To come where thou doest draw them with That unto every person knew her part;
So all things else, that nourish vitall blood,
Soone as with fury thou doest them inspire,
In generation seeke to quench their inward fire.

And her before was seated overthwart
Soft Silence, and submisse Obedience,
Both linckt together never to dispart;
Both gifts of God, not gotten but from thence,
Both girlonds of his Saints against their foes
offence.

LII

'Thus sate they all around in seemely rate:
And in the midst of them a goodly mayd
Even in the lap of Womanhood there sate,
The which was all in lilly white arayd,
With silver streames amongst the linnen
stray'd;

Like to the Morne, when first her shyning face
Hath to the gloomy world itselfe bewray'd:
That same was fayrest Amoret in place,
Shyning with beauties light and heavenly
vertues grace.

LIII

Whom soone as I beheld, my hart gan throb And wade in doubt what best were to be

donne ;

'So did he say: but I with murmure soft,
That none might heare the sorrow of my hart,
Yet inly groning deepe and sighing oft,
Besought her to graunt ease unto my smart,
And to my wound her gratious help impart.
Whilest thus I spake, behold! with happy eye
I spyde where at the Idoles feet apart
A bevie of fayre damzels close did lye,
Wayting when as the Antheme should be sung Which Ladies love, I heard, had never wonne

on hye.

XLIX

'The first of them did seeme of ryper yeares
And graver countenance then all the rest;
Yet all the rest were eke her equall peares,
Yet unto her obayed all the best.
Her name was Womanhood; that she ex-
prest

By her sad semblant and demeanure wyse:
For stedfast still her eyes did fixed rest,
Ne rov'd at randon, after gazers guyse,
Whose luring baytes oftimes doe heedlesse harts
entyse.

L

For sacrilege me seem'd the Church to rob,
And folly seem'd to leave the thing undonne
Which with so strong attempt I had begonne.
Tho, shaking off all doubt and shamefast feare

Mongst men of worth, I to her stepped neare,
And by the lilly hand her labour'd up to

reare.

LIV

'Thereat that formost matrone me did
blame,

And sharpe rebuke for being over bold;
Saying, it was to Knight unseemely shame
Upon a recluse Virgin to lay hold,
That unto Venus services was sold.
To whom I thus: "Nay, but it fitteth best
For Cupids man with Venus mayd to hold,
For ill your goddesse services are drest
By virgins, and her sacrifices let to rest."

LV

'With that my shield I forth to her did show,

'And next to her sate goodly Shamefastnesse,
Ne ever durst her eyes from ground upreare,
Ne ever once did looke up from her desse,
As if some blame of evill she did feare,
That in her cheekes made roses oft appeare: Which all that while I closely had conceld;
And her against sweet Cherefulnesse was placed. On which when Cupid, with his killing bow
Whose eyes, like twinkling stars in evening And cruell shafts, emblazond she beheld,
[chaced, At sight thereof she was with terror queld,
Were deckt with smyles that all sad humors And said no more: but I, which all that
And darted forth delights the which her good-

cleare,

ly graced.

while

The pledge of faith, her hand, engaged held,