But that it was some other maladie,
Or grief unknowne, which he could not discerne :
So left he her withouten remedie.
Then gan her heart to faint, and quake, and earne,
And inly troubled was, the truth to learne.
Unto himselfe she came, and him besought,
Now with faire speeches, now with threatnings sterne,
If ought lay hidden in his grieved thought,
It to reveale: who still her answered, there was nought.
Nathlesse she rested not so satisfide;
But leaving watry gods, as booting nought, Unto the shinie heaven in haste she hide, And thence Apollo king of leaches brought. Apollo came; who, soone as he had sought Through his disease, did by and by out find That he did languish of some inward thought, The which afflicted his engrieved mind; Which love he red to be, that leads each living kind.
Which when he had unto his Mother told,
She gan thereat to fret and greatly grieve:
And, comming to her Sonne, gan first to scold
And chyde at him that made her misbelieve:
But afterwards she gan him soft to shrieve,
And wooe with fair intreatie, to disclose
Which of the nymphes his heart so sore did mieve:
For sure she weend it was some one of those,
Which he had lately seene, that for his Love he chose.
Now lesse she feared that same fatall read,
That warned him of womens love beware:
Which being ment of mortal creatures sead,
For love of nymphes she thought she need not care,
But promist him, whatever wight she weare,
That she her love to him would shortly gaine:
So he her told: but soone as she did heare
That Florimell it was which wrought his paine,
She gan afresh to chafe, and grieve in every vaine.
Yet since she saw the streight extremitie,
In which his life unluckily was layd,
It was no time to scan the prophecie,
Whether old Proteus true or false had sayd,
That his decay should happen by a Mayd;
(It's late, in death, of daunger to advize;
Or love forbid him, that is life denayd ;)
But rather gan in troubled mind devize
How she that Ladies libertie might enterprize.
To Proteus selfe to sew she thought it vaine,
Who was the root and worker of her woe;
Nor unto any meaner to complaine;
But unto great King Neptune selfe did goe,
And, on her knee before him falling lowe,
Made humble suit unto his Maiestie
To graunt to her her Sonnes life, which his foe,
A cruell Tyrant, had presumpteouslie
By wicked doome condemn'd a wretched death to die.
To whom god Neptune, softly smyling, thus ;
“Daughter, me seemes of double wrong ye plaine,
Gainst one that hath both wronged you and us:
For death t'adward I ween'd did appertaine
To none but to the seas sole Soveraine :
Read therefore who it is which this hath wrought,
And for what cause; the truth discover plaine:
For never wight so evill did or thought, [nought."
But would some rightfull cause pretend, though rightly
To whom she answer'd; "Then it is by name
Proteus, that hath ordayn'd my Sonne to die;
For that a Waift, the which by fortune came
Upon your seas, he claym'd as propertie:
And yet nor his, nor his in equitie,
But yours the Waift by high prerogative:
Therefore I humbly crave your Majestie
It to replevie, and my Sonne reprive :
So shall you by one gift save all us three alive."
He graunted it: and streight his warrant made,
Under the Sea-god's seale autenticall,
Commaunding Proteus straight t' enlarge the Mayd
Which wandring on his seas imperiall
He lately tooke, and sithence kept as thrall.
Which she receiving with meete thankefulnesse,
Departed straight to Proteus therewithall :
Who, reading it with inward loathfulnesse,
Was grieved to restore the pledge he did possesse.
Yet durst he not the warrant to withstand,
But unto her delivered Florimell:
Whom she receiving by the lilly hand,
Admyr'd her beautie much, as she mote well,
For she all living creatures did excell,
And was right ioyous that she gotten had
So faire a wife for her Sonne Marinell.
So home with her she streight the Virgin lad,
And shewed her to him then being sore bestad.
Who soone as he beheld that Angels face
Adorn'd with all divine perfection,
His cheared heart eftsoones away gan chace
Sad Death, revived with her sweet inspection,
And feeble spirit inly felt refection;
As withered weed through cruell winters tine,
That feeles the warmth of sunny beames reflection,
Liftes up his head that did before decline,
And gins to spread his leafe before the faire sunshine.
Right so himselfe did Marinell upreare,
When he in place his dearest Love did spy;
And though his limbs could not his bodie beare,
Ne former strength returne so suddenly,
Yet chearefull signes he shewed outwardly.
Ne lesse was She in secret hart affected,
But that she masked it with modestie,
For feare she should of lightnesse be detected:
Which to another place I leave to be perfected.
THE LEGEND OF ARTEGALL OR OF JUSTICE.
So oft as I with state of present time
The image of the antique world compare,
Whenas mans age was in his freshest prime,
And the first blossome of faire vertue bare;
Such oddes I finde twixt those, and these which are
As that, through long continuance of his course,
Me seemes the world is runne quite out of square
From the first point of his appointed sourse;
And being once amisse growes daily wourse and wourse
For from the golden age, that first was named,
It's now at earst become a stonie one;
And men themselves, the which at first were framed Of earthly mould, and form'd of flesh and bone, Are now transformed into hardest stone; Such as behind their backs (so backward bred) Were throwne by Pyrrha and Deucalione: And if then those may any worse be red, They into that ere long will be degendered.
|