a

Between his canker'd teeth a venomous toad,
That all the poison ran about his jaw;

UNA ENTERTAINED BY THE WOOD. But inwardly he chawed his own maw

GODS.
At neighbours' wealth, that made him ever sad;
For death it was, when any good he saw,

The wild wood gods, arrived in the place,
And wept, that cause of weeping none he had : There find the virgin doleful desolate,
But when he heard of harm, he waxed wondrous glad. As her outrageous foe had left her late,

And trembling yet through fear of former hate ;
All in a kirtle of discolour'd say

All stand amazed at so uncouth sight, He clothed was, ypainted full of eyes;

And 'gin to pity her unhappy state. And in his bosom secretly there lay

All stand astonished at her beauty bright,
An hateful snake, the which his tail upties

In their rude eyes unworthy of so woful plight.
In many folds, and mortal sting implies.
Still as he rode, he gnash'd his teeth to see

She more amaz'd in double dread doth dwell;
Those heaps of gold with gripple Covetise,

And every tender part for fear does shake: And grudged at the great felicity

As when a greedy wolf through hunger fell Of proud Lucifera, and his own company.

A silly lamb far from the flock does take,

Of whom he means his bloody feast to make,
He hated all good works and virtuous deeds, A lion spies fast running towards him,
And him no less that any like did use:

The innocent prey in haste he does forsake,
And who with gracious bread the hungry feeds, Which quit from death yet quakes in every limb
His alms for want of faith he doth accuse;

With change of fear, to see the lion look so grim.
So every good to bad he doth abuse :
And eke the verse of famous poets' wit

Such fearful fit assail'd her trembling heart,
He does backbite, and spiteful poison spews

Nor word to speak, nor joint to move she had :
From leprous mouth, on all that ever writ:

The savage nation feel her secret smart,
Such one vile Envy was, that fifth in row did sit. And read her sorrow in her count'nance sad;

Their frowning foreheads with rough horns yclad,
And him beside rides fierce revenging Wrath, And rustic horror all aside do lay,
Upon a lion loth for to be led :

And, gently grinning, shew a semblance glad And in his hand a burning brand he hath,

To comfort her; and, fear to put away, The which he brandisheth about his head;

Their backward bent knees teach, her humbly to obey. His eyes did hurl forth sparkles fiery red, And stared stern on all that him beheld,

The doubtful damsel dare not yet commit
As ashes pale of hue and seeming dead ;

Her single person to their barbarous truth;
And on his dagger still his hand he held, [swell’d. But still through fear and hope amaz’d does sit,
Trembling through hasty rage, when choler in him Late learn'd what harm to hasty trust ensu’th :
His ruffian raiment all was stain'd with blood

They, in compassion of her tender youth,

And wonder of her beauty sovereign, Which he had spilt, and all to rags yrent,

Are won with pity and unwonted ruth, Through unadvised rashness waxen wood;

[fain.

And all prostrate upon the lowly plain,
For of his hands he had no government,
Nor car'd for blood in his avengement:

Do kiss her feet, and fawn on her with count'nance But, when the furious fit was overpast,

Their hearts she guesseth by their humble guise, His cruel acts he often would repent;

And yields her to extremity of time;
Yet wilful man he never would forecast,
How many mischiefs should ensue his heedless haste. And walketh forth without suspect of crime:

So from the ground she fearless doth arise,
Full many mischiefs follow cruel wrath ;

They all, as glad as birds of joyous prime, Abhorred bloodshed, and tumultuous strife,

Thence lead her forth, about her dancing round, Unmanly murder, and unthrifty scath,

Shouting and singing all a shepherd's rhime, Bitter despight, with rancour's rusty knife,

And with green branches strewing all the ground, And fretting grief, the enemy of life;

Do worship her as queen, with olive garland crown'd; All these, and many evils more, haunt ire, The swelling spleen, and phrenzy raging rife,

And all the way their merry pipes they sound, The shaking palsy, and Saint Francis' fire;

That all the woods with double echo ring,

And with their horned feet do wear the ground, Such one was Wrath, the last of this ungodly tire.

Leaping like wanton kids in pleasant spring. And after all, upon the waggon beam

So towards old Sylvanus they her bring; Rode Satan, with a smarting whip in hand,

Who, with the noise awaked, cometh out, With which he forward lash'd the lazy team, To weet the cause, his weak steps governing, So oft as Sloth still in the mire did stand;

And aged limbs on cypress stadle stout,
Huge routs of people did about them band,

And with an ivy twine his waist is girt about.
Shouting for joy, and still before their way
A foggy mist had covered all the land ;

Far off he wonders what them makes so glad,
And underneath their feet all scatter'd lay

If Bacchus' merry fruit they did invent, Dead sculls and bones of men, whose life had gone Or Cybele's frantic rites have made them mad;

D 2 astray.

They, drawing nigh, unto their god present So long in secret cabin there he held
That flower of faith and beauty excellent.

Her captive to his sensual desire,
The god himself, viewing that mirror rare,

Till that with timely fruit her belly swellid, Stood long amaz'd, and burnt in his intent;

And bore a boy unto that savage sire :
His own fair Driope now he thinks not fair,

Then home he suffer'd her for to retire,
And Pholoe foul, when her to this he doth compare. For ransom leaving him the late born child;

Whom till to riper years he gan aspire,
The wood-born people fall before her flat,

He nursed up in life and manners wild, (exil'd. And worship her as goddess of the wood;

Amongst wild beasts and woods, from laws of men
And old Sylvanus' self bethinks not what
To think of wight so fair, but gazing stood,

For all he taught the tender imp was but
In doubt to deem her born of earthly brood ; To banish cowardice and bastard fear;
Sometimes dame Venus' self he seems to see : His trembling hand he would him force to put
But Venus never had so sober mood;

Upon the lion, and the rugged bear,
Sometimes Diana he her takes to be,

And from the she-bear's teats her whelps to tear; But misseth bow, and shafts, and buskins to her knee. And eke wild roaring bulls he would him make

To tame, and ride their backs not made to bear; By view of her he ginneth to revive

And the roebucks in flight to overtake, His ancient love, and dearest Cypariss,

That every beast for fear of him did fly and quake. And calls to mind his portraiture alive, How fair he was, and yet not fair to this,

Thereby so fearless, and so fell he grew, And how he slew with glancing dart amiss

That his own sire and master of his guise, A gentle hind, the which the lovely boy

Did often tremble at his horrid view, Did love as life, above all worldly bliss;

And oft for dread of hurt would him advise,
For grief whereof the lad n'ould after joy,

The angry beasts not rashly to despise,
But pin'd away in anguish and self-will’d annoy. Nor too much to provoke; for he would learn

The lion stoop to him in lowly wise,
The woody nymphs, fair Hamadryades,

(A lesson hard) and make the libbard stern Her to behold do thither run apace,

Leave roaring, when in rage he for revenge did yearn. And all the troop of light foot Naiades Flock all about to see her lovely face:

And for to make his power approved more, But when they viewed have her heavenly grace, Wild beasts in iron yokes he would compel; They envy her in their malicious mind,

The spotted panther, and the tusked boar,
And fly away for fear of foul disgrace:

The pardale swift, and the tiger cruel ;
But all the Satyrs scorn their woody kind, (find. The antelope, and wolf, both fierce and fell;
And henceforth nothing fair but her on earth they And them constrain in equal team to draw.

Such joy he had, their stubborn hearts to quell, It fortuned a noble warlike knight

And sturdy courage tame with dreadful awe, By just occasion to that forest came,

That his behest they feared as proud tyrant's law. To seek his kindred, and the lineage right, From whence he took his well deserved name; His loving mother came upon a day He had in arms abroad won mickle fame,

Unto the woods, to see her little son; And fill'd far lands with glory of his might,

And chanc'd unwares to meet him in the way, Plain, faithful, true, and enemy of shame,

After his sports and cruel pastime done,
And ever lov'd to fight for ladies' right,

When after him a lioness did run,
But in vain-glorious frays he little did delight: That roaring all with rage, did loud requere

Her children dear, whom he away had won :
A satyr's son yborn in forest wild,

The lion whelps she saw how he did bear, By strange adventure as it did betide,

And lull in rugged arms, withouten childish fear. And there begotten of a lady mild, Fair Thyamis, the daughter of Labride,

The fearful dame all quaked at the sight, That was in sacred bands of wedlock tied

And turning back, gan fast to fly away, To Therion, a loose unruly swain ;

Untill with love revok'd from vain affright Who had more joy to range the forest wide,

She hardly yet persuaded was to stay, And chase the savage beast with busy pain,

And then to him these womanish words gan say; Than serve his lady's love, and waste in pleasures vain.“ Ah, Satyrane, my darling and my joy,

For love of me leave off this dreadful play;
The forlorn maid did with love's longing burn, To dally thus with death is no fit toy,
And could not lack her lover's company ;

Go find some other playfellows, minc own sweet boy."
But to the wood she goes, to serve her turn,
And seek her spouse, that from her still does fly, In these and like delights of bloody game
And follows other game and venery:

He trained was, till riper years he raught; A satyr chanc'd her wandering for to find,

And there abode whilst any beast of name And kindling coals of lust in brutish eye,

Walk'd in that forest whom he had not taught The loyal links of wedlock did unbind,

To fear his force; and then his courage haught And made her person thrall unto his beastly kind. Desir'd of foreign foemen to be known,

a

And far abroad for strange adventures sought;

DESCRIPTION OF BELPHEBE.
In which his might was never overthrown,
But through all fairy land his famous worth was blown. HER face so fair as flesh it seemed not,

But heavenly portrait of bright angels' hue,
Yet evermore it was his manner fair,

Clear as the sky, withouten blame or blot, After long labours and adventures spent,

Through goodly mixture of complexions due; Unto those native woods for to repair,

And in her cheeks the vermeil red did shew To see his sire and offspring ancient.

Like roses in a bed of lilies shed, And now he thither came for like intent;

The which ambrosial odours from them threw, Where he unwares the fairest Una found,

And gazers' sense with double pleasure fed,
Strange lady, in so strange habiliment,

Able to heal the sick, and to revive the dead.
Teaching the Satyrs, which her sat around, (dound.
True sacred lore, which from her sweet lips did re- In her fair eyes two living lamps did flame,

Kindled above at th’ heavenly maker's light,
He wonder'd at her wisdom heavenly rare,

And darted fiery beams out of the same, Whose like in women's wit he never knew ; So passing piercing, and so wondrous bright, And when her courteous deeds he did compare, That quite bereav'd the rash beholders' sight; Gan her admire, and her sad sorrows rue,

In them the blinded god his lustful fire Blaming of fortune, which such troubles threw, To kindle oft essay'd, but had no might; And joy'd to make proof of her cruelty

For with dread Majesty, and awful ire, On gentle dame, so hurtless and so true :

She broke his wanton darts, and quenched base desire.
Thenceforth he kept her goodly company,
And learn'd her discipline of faith and verity.

Her ivory forehead, full of bounty brave,
Like a broad table did itself dispread,

For love his lofty triumphs to engrave,
DESCRIPTION OF PRINCE ARTHUR. And write the battles of his great godhead;

All good and honour might therein be read : At last she chanced by good hap to meet

For there their dwelling was. And when she spake, A goodly knight, fair marching by the way, Sweet words, like dropping honey, she did shed, Together with his squire, arrayed meet :

And twixt the pearls and rubies softly brake His glittering armour shined far away,

A silver sound, that heavenly music seem'd to make. Like glancing light of Phæbus' brightest ray; From top to toe no place appeared bare,

Upon her eyelids many graces sate, That deadly dint of steel endanger may:

Under the shadow of her even brows, Athwart his breast a bauldric brave he ware, Working belgards, and amorous retreat, That shin'd like twinkling stars, with stones most And every one her with a grace endows :

(precious rare. And every one with meekness to her bows. And in the midst thereof one precious stone

So glorious mirror of celestial grace,
Of wondrous worth, and eke of wondrous mights, And sovereign monument of mortal vows,
Shap'd like a lady's head, exceeding shone, How shall frail pen describe her heavenly face,
Like Hesperus amongst the lesser lights,

For fear, through want of skill, her beauty to disgrace?
And strove for to amaze the weaker sights ;
Thereby his mortal blade full comely hung

So fair, and thousand thousand times more fair
In ivory sheath, ycarv'd with curious slights ; She seem'd, when she presented was to sight.
Whose hilts were burnish'd gold, and handle strong And was yclad (for heat of scorching air)
Of mother pearl, and buckled with a golden tongue. All in a silken camus, lily white,

Purfled upon with many a folded plight
His haughty helmet, horrid all with gold,

Which all above besprinkled was throughout Both glorious brightness and great terror bred ; With golden agulets, that glistered bright, For all the crest a dragon did enfold

Like twinkling stars, and all the skirt about With greedy paws, and over all did spread Was hemmed with golden fringe. His golden wings; his dreadful hideous head Close couched on the beaver, seem'd to throw Below her ham her weed did somewhat train, From flaming mouth bright sparkles fiery red, And her strait legs most bravely were embail'd That sudden horror to faint hearts did show; In golden buskins of costly cordwain And scaly tail was stretch'd adown his back full low. All barr'd with golden bands, which were entail'd

With curious anticks, and full fair aumail'd: Upon the top of all his lofty crest

Before, they fastened were under her knee A bunch of hairs discolour'd diversely,

In a rich jewel, and therein entrail'd With sprinkled pearl, and gold full richly dressid, The end of all their knots, that none might see, Did shake, and seem'd to dance for jollity,

How they, within their foldings, close enwrapped be. Like to an almond tree ymounted high On top of green Selinis all alone,

Like two fair marble pillars they were seen, With blossoms brave bedecked daintily;

Which do the temple of the gods support, Whose tender locks do tremble every one

Whom all the people deck with garlands green, At every little breath that under heaven is blown. And honour in their festival resort;

:

Those same with stately grace, and princely port Came to a river, by whose utmost brim
She taught to tread, when she herself would grace ; Waiting to pass, he saw whereas did swim
But with the woody nymphs when she did play, Along the shore, as swift as glance of eye,
Or when the flying libbard she did chace,

A little Gondola, bedecked trim
She could them nimbly move, and after fly apace. With boughs and arbours woven cunningly,

That like a little forest seemed outwardly.
And in her hand a sharp boar-spear she held,
And at her back a bow and quiver gay,

And therein sate a lady fresh and fair,
Stuffed with steel-headed darts, wherewith she quellid Making sweet solace to herself alone;
The savage beasts in her victorious play,

Sometimes she sung, as loud as lark in air, Knit in a golden bauldrick, which forelay

Sometimes she laughed, that nigh her breath was gone : Athwart her snowy breast, and did divide

Yet was there not with her else any one,
Her dainty paps ; which, like young fruit in May, That might to her move cause of merriment:
Now little gan to swell, and being tied,

Matter of mirth enough, though there were none, Through her thin weed, their places only signified. She could devise, and thousand ways invent

To feed her foolish humour, and vain jolliment.
Her yellow locks crisped like golden wire,
About her shoulders weren loosely shed,

Which when far off Cymochles heard and saw,
And when the wind amongst them did inspire, He loudly call’d to such as were aboard
They waved like a pennon wide disspread,

The little bark unto the shore to draw,
And low behind her back were scattered :

And him to ferry over that deep ford : And whether art it were, or heedless hap,

The merry mariner unto his word As through the flowering forest rash she fied, Soon hearkned, and her painted boat straightway In her rude hairs sweet flowers themselves did lap, Tum'd to the shore, where that same warlike lord And flowering fresh leaves and blossoms did enwrap. She in receiv’d; but Atin by no way

She would admit, albe the knight her much did pray.

Eftsoon her shallow ship away did slide,
TRUE HONOUR.

More swift than swallow shears the liquid sky,

Withouten oar or pilot it to guide, Whoso in pomp of proud estate (quoth she) Or winged canvas with the wind to fly; Does swim, and bathes himself in courtly bliss, Only she turn'd a pin, and by and by Does waste his days in dark obscurity,

It cut away upon the yielding wave, And in oblivion ever buried is :

Nor cared she her course for to apply: Where ease abounds, it's eath to do amiss ;

For it was taught the way, which she would have, But who his limbs with labours, and his mind And both from rocks and flats itself could wisely save : Behaves with cares, cannot so easy miss. Abroad in arms, at home in studious kind

And all the way, the wanton damsel found Who seeks with painful toil, shall honour soonest find. New mirth, her passenger to entertain :

For, she in pleasant purpose did abound, In woods, in waves, in wars, she wonts to dwell, And greatly joyed merry tales to feign, And will be found with peril and with pain;

Of which a storehouse did with her remain : Nor can the man that moulds in idle cell,

Yet seemed, nothing well they her became; Unto her happy mansion attain;

For, all her words she drown'd with laughter vain, Before her gate high God did Sweat ordain,

And wanted grace in utt'ring of the same, And wakeful Watches ever to abide :

That turned all her pleasance to a scoffing game. But sy is the way, and passage plain To pleasure's palace; it may soon be spied, And other whiles vain lays she would devise, And day and night her doors to all stand open wide. As her fantastic wit did most delight.

Sometimes her head she fondly would aguise

With gaudy garlands, or fresh flowrets dight ALLEGORY OF WANTON MIRTH.

About her neck, or rings of rushes plight;

Sometimes to do him laugh, she would essay A HARDER lesson to learn continence

To laugh at shaking of the leaves light, In joyous pleasure than in grievous pain :

Or to behold the water work, and play
For, sweetness doth allure the weaker sense

About her little frigate therein making way.
So strongly, that uneathes it can refrain
From that, which feeble nature covets fain;

Her light behaviour, and loose dalliance,
But grief and wrath, that be her enemies,

Gave wondrous great contentment to the knight, And foes of life, she better can restrain ;

That of his way

had no souvenance, Yet virtue vaunts in both their victories,

Nor care of vow'd revenge, and cruel fight, And Guyon in them all shews goodly masteries. But to weak wench did yield his martial might.

So easy was to quench his flamed mind Whom bold Cymochles travelling to find,

With one sweet drop of sensual delight:
With cruel purpose bent to wreak on him

So easy is t' appease the stormy wind
The wrath, which Atin kindled in his mind, Of malice in the calm of pleasant womankind,

[weft. ::

Divers discourses in their way they spent,

And deck the world with their rich pompous shows; Mongst which Cymochles of her questioned,

Yet no man for them taketh pains or care,
Both what she was, and what that usage meant, Yet no man to them can his careful pains compare.
Which in her cot she daily practised.
Vain man, said she, that would'st be reckoned “ The lily, lady of the flowering field,
A stranger in thy home, and ignorant

The flower de luce her lovely paramour,
Of Phedria (for so my name is read)

Bid thee to them thy fruitless labours yield,
Of Phedria, thine own fellow servant;

And soon leave off this toilsome weary stour;
For thou to serve Acrasia thyself dost vaunt. Lo, lo, how brave she decks her bounteous bower,

With silken curtains and gold coverlets,
In this wide inland sea, that hight by name

Therein to shroud her sumptuous belamour,
The Idle Lake, my wandring ship I rove,

Yet neither spins nor cards, nor cares nor frets,
That knows her port, and thither sails by aim, But to her mother Nature all her care she lets.
Nor care, nor fear I, how the wind do blow,
Or whether swift I wend, or whether slow :

Why then dost thou, O man, that of them all
Both slow and swift alike do serve my turn,

Art lord, and eke of nature sovereign,
Nor swelling Neptune, nor loud thund'ring Jove, Wilfully make thyself a wretched thrall,
Can change my cheer, or make me ever mour; And waste thy joyous hours in needless pain,
My little boat can safely pass this perilous bourne. Seeking for danger and adventures vain ?

What boots it all to have, and nothing use ?
While thus she talked, and while thus she toy'd, Who shall him rue, that swimming in the main,
They were far past the passage which he spake, Will die for thirst, and water doth refuse ?
And came unto an island waste and void,

Refuse such fruitless toil, and present pleasures chuse.”
That floated in the midst of that great lake:
There her smart gondola her port did make,

By this, she had him lulled fast asleep,
And that gay pair issuing on the shore

That of no worldly thing he care did take;
Disburdened her. Their way they forward take, Then she with liquors strong his eyes did steep,
Into the land that lay them fair before, [store. That nothing should him hastily awake:
Whose pleasance she him shew'd, and plentiful great So she him left, and did herself betake

Unto her boat again, with which she cleft
It was a chosen plot of fertile land,

The slothful waves of that great grisly lake:
Amongst wide waves set like a little nest,
Soon she that island far behind her left,

. As if it had by Nature's cunning hand

And now is come to that same place where first she
Been choicely picked out from all the rest,
And laid forth for ensample of the best :
No dainty flower or herb that grows on ground,

THE CAVE OF MAMMON.
No arboret with painted blossoms drest,
And smelling sweet, but there it might be found At last, he came unto a gloomy glade,
To bud out fair, and her sweet smells throw all around. Cover'd with boughs and shrubs from heaven's light,

Whereas he sitting found, in secret shade,
No tree, whose branches did not bravely spring ; An uncouth, savage, and uncivil wight,
No branch, whereon a fine bird did not sit;

Of grizly hue, and foul ill-favour'd sight; No bird, but did her shrill notes sweetly sing ;

His face with smoke was tann'd, and eyes were blear'd, No song, but did contain a lovely dit :

His head and beard with soot were ill bedight, Trees, branches, birds, and songs, were framed fit His coal-black hands did seem to have been sear'd For to allure frail mind to careless ease;

In smith's fire-spitting forge, and nails like claws apCareless the man soon wax, and his weak wit

(pear'd. Was overcome of thing that did him please ; His iron coat all overgrown with rust, So pleased, did his wrathful purpose fair appease.

Was underneath enveloped with gold,

Whose glittering gloss darkned with filthy dust, Thus when she had his eyes and senses fed

Well it appeared to have been of old With false delights, and fill’d with pleasures vain, A work of rich entail, and curious mould, Into a shady dale she soft him led,

Woven with anticks and wild imagery: And laid him down upon a grassy plain ;

And in his lap a mass of coin he told,
And her sweet self, without dread or disdain, And turned upside down, to feed his eye
She set beside, laying his head disarm'd

And covetous desire with his huge treasury.
Io her loose lap, it softly to sustain,
Where soon he slumber'd, fearing not be harm'd, And round about him lay on every side
The while with a loud lay she thus him sweetly charm’d. Great heaps of gold that never could be spent ;

Of which some were rude ore, not purified
“ Behold! O man, that toilsome pains dost take, Of Mulciber's devouring element;
The flowers, the fields, and all that pleasant grows, Some others were new riven, and distent
How they themselves do thine ensample make, Into great ingots, and to wedges square ;
While nothing envious Nature them forth throws Some in rourid plates withouten moniment;
Out of her fruitful lap; how, no man knows, But most were stamped, and in their metal bare
They spring, they bud, they blossom fresh and fair, | The antique shapes of kings and kesars strange and rare.