 | Favnvs and Melliflora |  |
FAVNVS and Melliflora
When
Ioue ambitious by his former sinnes,
(From him al Muses, so my Muse beginnes)
Deposde his Syre Saturnus from the throne,
And so vsurpt the Diadem alone:
Some higher power for aged Saturne stroue,
Gaue him a gift, which angred lust-stung Ioue:
A louely boy, whose beautie at his birth,
Made poore the heau'ns to enrich the earth.
(When Ioue no beautie in the heauens found,
Was he not angry? yea, and to the ground
Sent Mercurie, to wooe a shepheards swaine,
Whilst he himselfe came in a showre of raine:
Whose drizling drops fell into Danaes lappe,
Which to receiue, (maides wil receiue such happe)
She held hir skirt, Ioue such abundance powred,
Twentie to one but Danae was deflowred.)
His name was Pycus, yet surnam'd the Faire,
Whom Circe chaunted in her scorne-gold haire,
Whom Ladies lou'd, and loued of so many,
The wood-Nymphes woo'd him, yet not won of any,
Till Canens came, (who when she gan to sing,
The ayrie Bird would hoouer with her wing,
To heare her notes, for Canens she was call'd,
Of singing sweete) and Pycus heart enthrall'd:
Not married long, but Canens did enioy
Of fairest father, farre more faire a boy,
(That heau'n, & earth, in bringing forth these two,
Made a great bragge that so much they could do:)
Faunus a boy whose amber-stragling haires,
So strangely trammeld all about his eares,
The crispe disheuel'd playing with the winde,
Among the thickest, neuer way could finde,
But sweetest flowers would leape from Floraes lap,
And so themselues within his tresses wrap.
That glad he was those lockes (those lockes alone,
Those lockes that lockt in bondage many one:)
With carelesse art, or artlesse care infolde,
And draw them in a coronet of golde.
If bashfulnesse enveloped his face,
A prettie palenesse damask't such sweet grace,
Like Daisie with the Gilliflower distill'd,
Or Roses on a bed of Lillies spill'd:
Or rather when the wood-Nimphs gazing stood,
Loue like a tyrant therein threatned blood:
His eies were such, my Muse yet hardly can
Emblazon forth the beutie of a man:
My dullard muse to sing it may suffize,
Of his rich coate he wore in wondrous guize:
The ground whereof was veluet, white as snow,
Reaching vnto the ankles downe below,
With buttons made of Diamonds vpon,
Such as our knights of th' order first put on:
Vpon the left side it no fastning had,
But on the right side with a pearle staide,
Vpon th' one shoulder where the two ends met,
Were both together, with a iewell set,
On top whereof in liuely forme did stand,
Great Hercules with distaffe in his hand:
To euery seame were fastned ribonings,
With stories wrought of Emperours and Kings:
And at each ribbon hung a pretious stone,
(Loues chiefe disport consists in these alone)
Which were faire Ladies costly Amatists,
Tide to the tender small leau'de ozear twists,
That so they might his ribbons enterlace,
When he pursude the nimble Hart in chace:
And she grew prowd, and held the rest in scorne,
That knew her fauour by yong Faunus worne.
Poudred vpon so strange, that many thought
With purple coloured silke it had beene wrought:
But (ah alas) it was the crimson staine,
Of goddesses, which Faunus lookes had slaine:
About his necke he wore a falling band,
Which tooke it pride from his faire mothers hand:
His ivory feete, appearing vnto sight,
In murrey veluet, buskins rich were dight,
The middle slits with tyrian Bisse were laced,
Whose prettie knots his man-like legge embraced.
In many places bare as vse hath bin,
To shew the clearenesse of the naked skin.
The wanton boy attired in this sort,
Vnto the Latian mountaines did resort;
Whose prowde height garnisht with such stately trees,
Seemde to contemne the vally at his knees,
The humble vally in as good a state:
(But loftie Gallants lower minds do hate)
Was still replenisht with a pleasant riuer,
(Prowd of the gift, and yet more prowd the giuer,)
Whose wanton streames the bank so oft do kisse,
That in her lap (at length) he falling is:
Her bubbling water with slow gliding pace,
Shews her great griefe to leaue that pleasant place:
And with a murmure when she goes away.
Greatly laments she can no longer stay,
Cause th' vpper streams by violence would come,
To take possession of that ioyfull roome,
With swift pursute, and as they gin to chace it,
The bankes like armes doe louingly imbrace it:
Whose purling noise vpon the pibble stones,
For such departure are the dolefull grones:
Her teares exhalde such norishment doth giue,
As on the tree-fringd banks made Pleasure liue,
Among these trees a goodly Cypresse grew,
That all the lofty pines did ouer-view,
Who bow'd her faire head (in the sunnie gleames,)
To tresse her greene locks by those glassie streams.
Her top, her shade, vpon the Riuer show'd,
For the kind moisture on her root bestow'd,
Running vpon so delicate a ground,
As that the truth could neuer yet be found:
Whether it made the grauell pretious looke,
Or else the grauell purifide the brooke:
Whose meddowes greene enameled with roses,
(Twas Paradise some Poet yet supposes)
Added a shew so ruddie, that most deemed
The field to blush at his owne beautie seemed.
Neare to this valley Shepheards often met,
And by this valley sheepish squadrons set,
Within this valley past the time away,
With leapes and gamboles, and with other play:
Here the Nymphes playd such summer games as Base,
For it was summer alwaies in this place,
And Barlibreake, the which when Faunus saw,
So many wood-Nymphes standing on a row:
The boy, though yong, (yet who so yong that loues not,
Or who so old that womens beautie moues not?)
Spide Melliflora: Melliflora was
Among the number sitting on the grasse:
Sweete Melliflora I can tell ye true,
The grasse grew prowd that vnder her it grew.
Faire Melliflora, amorous, and yong,
Whose name, nor story, neuer Poet sung:
She wore a garland wrought with Amorets,
With orphrates ouerlaid and violets,
Whose lacinth loue-lockes hanged out so faire,
As drest the garland, garland drest the haire,
And enterlaced with a purle band,
(Like cristall Tagus through his golden sand)
Which hiding nowe, then hidden by the haire,
At fast and loose to play it did appeare,
Faire was her face yet fairer might haue beene,
If that the Sunne so often had not seene
Her louely face, for halfe the day he spent
In kissing her, yet neuer was content:
(For God or man thinkes he the Cushion misses,
That wooes all day, and winnes nought else but kisses)
Vntill the sunne with ouermuch desire
Of loue (for loue is hotter then the fire)
Consumde the wreathe of Diamonds in his throne:
(Ouid's beguilde, it was not Phaeton)
For Melliflora was the cause he burned,
His chariot, and the world to cinders turned.
Strange were her weedes to Faunus, yet not strange,
For in such weedes the wood-Nymphes vse to range,
A petticote tuckte euen with the knees,
Garnisht about with leaues of sundry trees:
And sometimes like a net drawne vp, and wrought,
(Which net the eagle-Ioue might well haue cought)
And all her garments made so light and thin,
(Who could restraine but thinke what was within)
And blacke silke laces whereon siluer bells
Did hang aboue her elbowes, and of shels
Her slippers were, her legges, her armes, her brest,
In many places naked, yet so drest,
As nakednesse another raiment scorned,
For she her cloaths, her cloaths not her adorned.
Faunus a farre off stood stone-still and gazed,
The more he lookt, the more Loue inly blazed,
He would haue quencht it with his teares, but then
(A sparke of beautie burnes a world of men)
It burnt the more, yet who can well refraine
From drinking water, when he feeles the paine
Of burning feuer, though that water drenches,
And turnes to fire, which like Loue neuer quenches:
But youth may loue, and yongmen may admire,
If old age cannot, yet it will desire.
For since that time old men of sixty yeeres.
(Bearing a beard, or rather, beard them beares)
Will heate their blouds with loue and yong wiues chuse,
(At such sweete weddings yongmen nothing loose)
Faunus kneel'd downe and vnto Uenus prayde,
Before his prayers were the one halfe said,
He thought it best vnto the Nimph to write
And shew his loue, but ginning to indite,
He tride the Muses with his often changes,
(Loue neuer loues to rest, but alwaies ranges.)
If once on Melliflora he did thinke,
He wet his paper both with teares and inke:
Fearing to end before he had begunne,
Mistrusting each word which his wit had done:
One was too darke, another was too plaine,
This word too loftie, and the other vaine.
That set not downe the sorrow of his hart,
This shew'd his passion, but it shew'd no Art:
He tore his papers, cast away his pen,
Sore was he grieude, and yet not angrie (men
In true loue are not angrie) for he knew,
The more hee studied, still the worse it grew:
Then he resolude to take the rose-strowne way,
Into the valley where he saw them play,
Accosted all with Uenus and the Graces:
With white haire hiding their enticing faces,
Which hand in hand would make a circle round,
With often turning, then themselues confound,
In Pyrrhus daunce like souldiers armed twine them,
And wedge-wise yoked in array combine them.
And when he came, that wood-Nymph was most faine,
That to their play might Faunus entertaine.
And if he spake, the Nymphs drew somewhat neare him,
To taste the sirrop of sweete wordes, and heare him.
And gray-eyd Dorys she would alwayes eye him,
Till she was strucke purblinde she could not see him:
Some wisht him sooner (though he came too soone)
Before the pleasure of the day was done:
Some saide, the night for Louers was the day,
And Loue delighted in the night to play,
For now the day his office gaue to night,
To lend our aduerse hemisphere his light.
The Nymphs requested Melliflora than,
To moue this sute to Faunus, she beganne:
I would we had such eloquence as might
Intreate your Highnesse lodge with vs all night,
We and our arbour euermore would rest
Content, and honourd with so great a ghest:
You shall but lie vpon a bed of roses,
Your sheetes white lillies, pillowes fragrant poses,
Your blankets flowerdeluces shall be drawne
With prety pinkes, your curtaines leasie lawne,
And in my bed, My, vnawares out slipt,
Her face bewraide how that her tongue had tript,
Which Faunus seeing, would haue kist her then,
To hide those blushes (oh how kind are men!)
Fresh she begins, thinking that word to alter,
The more she speakes, the more her tongue doth falter,
And gainst her will that My she spoke againe,
(Loue will not let such words be spoke in vaine.)
This past as vnregarded: Faunus said,
I were inhumane if this were denaid,
Orecome with ioy, they in the mid rancke set him,
He thought their arbour in the midway met him,
Such force of Musicke conquerd length of way,
With torches making artificiall day.
Aboue all trees in th odoriferous meades,
(With greene vine branches, curling their prowd heades,
And honni-suckles) at their lodging doore,
Doth grow the pleasing brode leau'de Sycamore:
Her entrances adornd with pretious stone,
Built in the forme of a pauillion:
Ridings cut out, so that the eie might iudge,
What Angells did inhabite in the lodge,
And like a comet (yet more pretious farre)
Stretching her tale vnto a lesser starre,
He pointed at a pleasant summer hall,
Wherein the Nymphes did vse to banquet all,
The coloured marble beautified the top,
Whose pillars seru'de the house to vnderprop,
And vnderneath whereas a riuer rode,
Was minerall, her streames an handfull broade,
Her shaking Christall was a perfect mirrour,
To all the beauties in the garden neare her,
Whose water washt them rather they did wash it,
For when their snow-white Iuorie hands would plash it,
(Like honie-bubbling Ladon; or Pirene,
Cleare Castalis, or luke-warme Hippocrene)
Vpon her face she makes ten thousand lines,
Ten thousand Saphir coloured bubbles shines,
As not content in large to haue their pinctures,
In each of them sets forth their liuely tinctures:
And comes againe to play, embrace, and threaten,
And laughes, and smiles, and leapes to be so beaten.
Behind this brooke or thicket was a greene,
Whereas fiue hundred grassie rounds had beene
Made one in one, like to these water rings,
Thence to a gallerie Melliflore him brings,
There was Diana: when Acteon saw her,
Bathing her selfe (alas he did not know her)
(A goldsmiths wife once nakt without her pearle,
Hard to be knowne is from a countrie gerle)
A foolish Nimph sate weeping (for loue can
Make goddesses like women loue a man)
The posture of whose limmes so liuely seated,
As Art and Nature Loue and Anger freated:
Within this gallerie whenas Faunus comes,
The grapes with childe, and diuers coloured plums,
Gaue to the eie a pleasant taste, before
Vnto the mouth they came, and euermore
The coole wine fild into the goblet skips,
And laughes for ioy to come vnto such lips:
As Faunus drunke, still would he steale a looke,
(Thus Faunus swallowed Cupids golden hooke)
Then laide his eies wide ope his loue to view,
(Thus he receiu'd the darts which Cupid threw)
Then closde his eie-lids from that glorious light,
(Thus he preseru'd the riches of his sight)
And thus faire words and power attractiue beuty,
Bring men to women in subiectiue duety.
But supper ends, and all the Nymphes expected
Some amorous talke of Faunus: he neglected
Vntill a Nymph (this order yet we vse)
Sayd, let vs husbands in the ashes chuse,
In louers rites, Faunus though rude and raw,
It was no dallying, yet with Nimphs he saw,
Then smiling said: Faire Nymphs, the shepheards lasses,
Thus chuse them husbands, turning crabs in ashes;
If in these woods good husbands be so scant,
Will you sweete Nymphes with me supplie some want.
But some said nothing, these gaue ful consent,
And some said twice No, which affirmes content,
And some said once No, these would grant and giue,
In womens mouths, No is no negatiue:
Whereat he blusht, and fearing to offend,
The fondling thus abruptly made an end.
Sorie (God knowes) the Nymphes were hee had done,
Then Deiopeia mongst them all begun
To speake, whose words to Beril straight distilld,
As from her lippes the orient pearle trilld,
Looking at Faunus smilingly then said:
A cumbersome companion to a maid
Is modesty, our elders all contemn'd it,
For cowardize most valiant men condemn'd it,
Blushing and sighing Theseus neuer stroue,
To woe and winne Antiope his loue.
Nor would hee haue his time so spent and lauisht,
But laid her downe, and some say shee was rauisht,
And so she was, but rauisht with content,
And got with childe, belike both did consent:
Stout Hercules yong loles father slew,
And then by force his force faire Iole knew.
Yet this vnfathered Ladie would beginne,
Most sportfully put on the Lions skinne,
And tooke his clubbe betwixt her hands and viewd it,
Though shee was rauisht, yet she neuer rewd it.
Soft Menelaus Helen could not brooke,
Yet what inforcing Paris gaue, she tooke:
Women are seruants, seruants vnto men,
But praise your seruants, what will follow then?
A readie horse straight yeeldes when he hath found,
One that will haue him yeeld, else falles to bound:
And thus she parl'de, thus she plainely woode,
Yet childish Faunus hardly vnderstood.
Vntill to bedward all the Nimphes them drest
To take their rest, yet tooke no ease in rest:
The night beginnes be angrie, when she sees
She can distill no sleepe in louers eies,
Tossing her selfe among the cloudes now hath
Sent the red morne as Herald of her wrath,
Whose louer Phœbus rising from his bed,
With his dewie mantle hath the world ouer-spread,
Shaking his tresses ouer Neptunes ebbe:
And giuing tincture to the Spiders webbe:
These faire Nimphes rose, seeing the light did call them,
And fairest Faunus equipaged all them.
A fairer beuie of faire virgines neuer,
The worlds faire eie, the Sunne could yet disseuer:
Their prettie pastimes; and their plaies begunne,
At Barlibreake yong Faunus needes must runne,
In couples, three, the mid place, called Hell,
But since that time the play is knowne too well:
With Deiopeia it was Faunus lot,
First to be Hell: they ran, and Syrinx got:
Syrinx and Spio so pursude the chase,
That Melliflora had the middle place.
Her partner Atte at Deiopeia ran,
But first for Faunus she her course beganne:
He ran, but ranne with eie cast o're his shoulder,
Not caring how, so that hee might behold her:
She tooke him straight, about his necke she clang,
And on the grassie carpet Faunus flang.
Willing he was, yet wrastled, stroue, and fought,
And fell to feele, and said hee was not cought
By law of Barlibreake, because hee fell,
It was his heau'n, though thus to be in Hell:
(For many one for Hell, not Heauen would pray,
If such shee diuels were in Hell to play.)
Longer hee stroue, that longer hee might stay,
But Deiopeia bade her come away:
(For shee poore soule was liuer-sicke of loue,
And fear'd such strife another strife would moue.)
And yeeld to Faunus, then she parts him froe,
(Though she from him, nor he from hir could goe)
Let vs (she feard againe they would contend)
Of Barlibreake for this time make an end,
Some other play, some other sport begin,
That standers by, and lookers on be in:
It ended, thus the other play began,
Some fiftie maides, (too many for one man)
Tooke hand in hand, which made a spherie round,
Or globe the perfectst figure to be found,
Then one (whose lot is first among them all)
Must goe about and let a napkin fall:
And whom soe re it lieth next behind,
So soone as euer she the cloth doth find,
Must with swift-running foote the other chace,
Vntill she come vnto her ranke and place:
If catcht before, the fliers forfeit is,
To gratifie the follower with a kisse.
The sport begins and Arethusa first,
Would haue drop-napkin'd Faunus if she durst,
But she tooke Doris; Doris at next bout,
Kist Melliflora, she fetcht Faunus out:
She fled (yet tooke) he follow'd (not forsaken)
She ran (yet caught) he follow'd (and was taken)
Vpon the backe part, fixed she he her eies
So firmely, that before she nothing sees.
Put downe she falls (the Nymphes began to wonder)
Faunus aboue (but women will lie vnder:)
Gaue her the kisse, she (willingly though tooke it,)
Gaue it againe, the nouice then forsooke it:
White Nisæe next for Deiopeia prest,
And she at Faunus, he could neuer rest,
But either catcht, or else was to be cought,
Vntill the freshman faint and breathlesse brought
With tracing was, (the Nymphes much swifter were)
(For loue is heauenly light, compact of aire)
So that the slow'st among them neuer misses,
But casts him downe, and smothers him with kisses.
These gamesome Nimphs, welnere seu'n daies had spent
In such like plaies, and sportfull merriment,
Faunus thought oft Loues fire for to display,
Desire was bolde, but Shamefastnesse said nay.
If he began to come but somewhat neare her,
His body quak't as though his heart did feare her,
All that he said was, Nimph when you are at leasure,
Faine would I speak, he might haue spoke his pleasure,
She found this means, only that he might wooe her,
To loose her Necklace let her Caule forgo her,
Within the woods, that well she could not weare,
Vntill she found them, her loose dangling haire,
And as she sought them, softly thus would say,
I prethee Faunus helpe me, come away,
If thou shouldst goe into these woods alone,
Thy Melliflore would follow thee away:
Wilt thou not come? beleeue me I must chide,
Yet he in loue for all this would abide,
When for his loue, Loue fram'de the time most fit,
(Boyes loue is foolish, Loue to youth brings wit.)
Then to the hedges walke they on a row,
To plucke the sweetes (how sharply sweetes wil grow:)
From sharpest stinging hawthorne as they go,
Fortune to turne their mirth to sodaine woe:
From out the woods did send a fierce wild boare,
Which seene (such beasts they neuer saw before)
A care, or feare, or both, did make them trudge,
Some to the woods, and some towards the lodge:
Some vnder hedges, some to holes would runne,
This way, and that, the best, the beast to shunne:
But Melliflore (whose beautie by that passe,
Like a rubd rubie much augmented was:
Like muske, or ciuit kept in bosome hot,
Her breath most sweete by running sweetnes got,)
Kept on her course, yet neuer lookt behind,
Whom Faunus follow'd, whilst a wanton wind,
Like to some pleasant ciuit smelling breath,
Would gently play him with her vaile beneath,
And come, and go, heaue vp, throw downe, to show
Twise-wounded Faunus, what he did not know:
Something he staid his swift pursute with leasure,
Fearing to be depriued of such pleasure,
But what he saw, tis needlesse for to say,
Heere shall your thoughts, and not my pen bewray:
But as he gan his swifter running slacke,
The anger-froathing boare was at his backe,
Which made him turne, and at the boare to thrust,
Into whose heart his hand he guided iust:
He was but armed with a little knife,
Some destiny belike preseru'd his life:
Yet by this fight he Melliflora lost,
So Faunus thought him worse then euer crost.
In th' unknowne woods, then vp and downe he rangeth,
This way for that, that for another changeth:
Losing himselfe, within a groue he found
Loue-sicke Adonis lying on the ground.
For hating Loue, and saying Uenus nay,
Yet meeting Melliflora in his way:
Loue made (Loue weepe to see thy tyrannie,)
Adonis frustrate his vow'd chastitie:
Whilst narrowly vpon her lookes he spide,
Strooke with loues arrow, he fell downe and dide.
For by the Bore (as all our Poets faine,)
He was not kilde, Faunus the Bore had slaine.
But tracing further, who but Venus met him,
Thinking he had beene Adon, thus she gret him:
Welcome Adonis, in thy louelie breast
Now do I see remorse and pitie rest,
Which to returne my deare Adonis moued,
Uenus perswades her selfe she is beloued:
Hoping to haue some water from the rocke,
Which shee had pierst, she stript her to the smocke:
Wrought all in flames of Chrisolite and gold,
And bout his necke her armes she did enfold:
So (at the least) shee meaning to haue kist him
He turn'de aside: then sorie cause shee mist him,
To Faunus said, faire Saint, shun not such kindnesse,
Can these bright eies be blemisht with such blindnesse?
If thou wert blind, and Venus could not see,
Yet in the darke best sighted louers be:
Or giue, or take, or both, relent, be kind,
Locke not Loue in the paradize of thy mind:
Is Venus louely? then Adonis loue her.
Is she the Queene of loue? then what should moue her
To sue and not command? Is shee loues mother?
Shall she be loath'd, which brings loue to all other?
With that she doft all to the Iuorie skinne,
Thinking her naked glorie would him winne.
The shamefac't Faunus thereat something smiled,
Uenus lookt on him, knew shee was beguiled:
Yet would haue lou'd him for Adonis sake,
(Thus women will one for another take.)
Faunus resisted, Venus would no more
Sollicite him, but mounted as before
In her light Chariot drawne with milke-white Doues,
Away she flies: Faunus lest in the groues
No sooner had the wood him passage lent,
But home to see his father Faunus went.
Picus much wondred where his sonne had beene,
Whom of seuen daies and more he had not seene:
But sleeplesse nights, his being soone reuealed,
With sighes and teares (Loue cannot be concealed.)
His father by his countenance espide him
To be in loue, and mildely thus gan chide him:
Fond Boy, quoth hee, and foolish cradle witted,
To let base loue with thy yong yeares be fitted:
This vpstart loue, bewitcher of the wit,
The scorne of vertue, vices parasite:
The slaue to weakenesse, friendships false bewrayer,
Reasons rebell, Fortitudes betraier:
The Church-mens scoffe, court, camp, and countrie's guiler,
Arts infection, chaste thoughts and youth's defiler.
And what are women? painted weathercocks,
Natures ouersight, wayward glittring blocks:
True, true-bred cowards, proude if they by coide,
A seruile sex, of wit and reason voide:
Shall women moue thee, whom so many loathes,
In gaudie plumes trickte, and new-fangled cloathes?
Thus in our find-fault age, many a man
Will fondly raile with foule-mouth'd Mantuan.
Some sharpe witted, only in speaking euill,
Would proue a woman worse then any diuell
With prating Picus: though that women be,
Fram'd with the same parts of the minde as we.
Nay, Nature triumpht in their beauteous birth,
And women made the glorie of the earth:
The life of Beautie, in whose supple breasts,
As in her fairest lodging vertue rests.
Whose towring thoughts attended with remorce,
Doe make their fairenesse be of greater force.
But of this subiect euerie day who reades not,
Which is so praised, as it praises needs not?
And my conceite not able for to reach them,
Might bring forth words for praise, which might impeach them:
And so with loue tis easie to find fault,
Yet not so easie when it giues assault:
Then to resist his force, whose excellence
Is to transforme the verie soule and essence
Of the louer, into the thing beloued:
This heauenly loue (no doubt) yong Faunus moued:
But (all this while being dumbe) Faunus replide
Vnto his father, and withall denide
He lou'd a woman: then his father knew
From whence his griefe and melancholy grew,
And that he was by some wood-Nymph accosted,
Because the pleasure of the woods he boasted,
And Latian mountes. Then Picus thus againe
Sharply rebukte his sonne, but all in vaine,
Thou art no souldier for Dianaes garison,
Nor twixt her Nymphes and Faunus is comparison:
Nymphes are like Poets, full of wit, but poore,
Vnto thy kingdome, adde a kingdome more
By marriage: let Pycus counsel thee,
Looke not (my boy) at wit, and Poetrie.
Faunus no reckning of such counsell makes,
(Light is that loue which any counsell takes)
Then like Hermocrates the Phisitian,
Seeing his patient with an incision
Sore vext, in steede of ministring to the sore,
Began to chide, bade him be sicke no more.
Or like a friend, that visiting his friend
Loaden with fetters in darke prison pend,
With vnkind words, and bitter termes doth moue him,
To leaue those fetters, or he would not loue him:
This other way from loue would Pycus reaue him,
And bade him leaue to loue, or loue to leaue him:
Or if such loue made Loue not to regard him,
His loue would loue, with hatred to reward him.
Remember loue, and Pycus would the rather,
Forget his sonne, he should forgoe his father.
Loue all this while on Faunus ey-balls stood,
Whose Enuie, palenesse, Anger, caused blood
In Faunus cheekes, to heare such blasphemie
Pronounc'd by Pycus gainst his deitie.
With that he leapes from Faunus face and flies
Vnto the seld-preuented Destinies.
He found them busie at a Parliament,
Vnder their feete relentlesse Adamant,
Aboue their heads the marble was for teele,
The ribs of yron, and the raftne steele,
The walls of flint, and brazen was the gate,
And euery one vpon a wooll-packe sate.
Whose sterne austere lookes neuer mou'de to ruth,
By gold, nor fauour, beauty, age nor youth:
Yet when loue came (what hearts though made of stone,
In which Loue cannot make impression?)
Welcome he was, Loue then his speech began,
To shew th' vnmanlike crueltie of man,
How Nature first ordaining one for one,
Made woman chiefe for procreation:
But men like drudges, not content to vse them,
In blows (sometimes) and speeches will abuse them,
Loue's will was this, that maides should haue their will,
Not ouermuch, but to restraine from ill.
Ill kept-in-thoughts, with vertuous companie,
Restraining not from well-rulde libertie.
For maides were made to make such harmlesse plaies,
Such honest sports, as daunce vpon the laies:
The hey-de-guise, and run the wild-goose chace,
And trie the keeles the Farlibreake, and base,
But with a barly when the pastimes end,
And maides must needes for milking homewards wend:
As some depart, some are constraind to stay,
For when they end, then Loue begins to play,
His play is paine, but yet a paine with ease,
His keeles are coales, whose fire doth grieue and please,
From play (for pray) Loue takes two louing freeres,
Traind vp alike, perhaps of equall yeeres,
Yet such is loue of parents such begot,
That wealth, nor worth, true loue considers not.
Sometime a King dotes on a countrie swaine,
Sometime a Lady loues a lad againe:
Sometime the meaner will the greatst reiect,
No not a person Loue will once respect.
And hauing pearc'd the soule's seuen-doubled shield,
Loue makes the one vnto the other yeeld.
They yeeld (kind soules) but parents will not grant,
With tedious brawlings still they finde a want,
One is too rich, the other is too poore,
(So then twixt Faunus and faire Melliflore,
Loue told the Loue,) and fearing fathers ire,
Loue is defeated of his chiefe desire.
This kind vnkindnesse children yet must take,
Vntill their parents price of them do make,
As in a market: then what man wil craue them,
And giue the most, he shalbe sure to haue them.
Thus from Loues mouth the honnie as he spoke
Distild, as from the brode-leau'd builder oake,
And opall pearle from his lippes did fall,
The Destinies began to gather all.
Such pretious iewells, if they fell but neare them,
And prowd of such loue-tokens yet do weare them,
His sugred tale thus sweetned by his mouth,
The Destinies did somewhat pittie youth:
With one consent and voice they all agreed,
These statutes should for euer be decreed:
That man for his vnmanlike treacherie
Should be tormented with vile iealousie,
That maids from honest libertie restrained,
Should alway thinke from what they thus refrained:
That twas some treasure from the which th' are tide,
Some Indian iewell which men vse to hide,
Some strange conserue, sweete, deare, and pretious,
And women are by nature licorous.
These thoughtes awaked, women growe manwood,
Nor can these thoughts from actions be withstood.
What bird is pleasde, though in a siluer cage?
A dogge tide vp in golden chaines will rage.
That market marriages euermore should be
Content the best, the worst to disagree,
That shrewdnesse should possesse the womans heart,
In stubbornnesse the husband act his part:
Thus drawing opposite in one yoke, aliue
Long might they liue, but they should neuer thriue:
And since that time, all marriages enforced,
Neuer agree vntill they be deuorced.
This sentence giuen, Loue then backe returned,
To louely Faunus, who in Loues fire burned,
But ere he came, Faunus had turnd to hate,
His fathers speeches, and grew passionate,
Who in the night (the best meanes for desire)
Got vp, and darklings, only his attire,
And naked beautie with a tresse of Amber,
Gaue a resplendance to the purle-hung Chamber:
Sought for a suite, yet could not well deuise,
What garment best might please his faire Nimphs eies:
If costly, then for woddy Nimphs too curious,
If gay or gawdie, that was but penurious:
This was too olde, the other was not new,
This the Tailer (Tailers will not be true)
Had cut too short, that hee might haue a sharing,
A garment then hee tooke more rich then glaring,
Of gold beat Samite to his heeles which rought,
With knoppes and broches, birdes, and beasts, ywrought.
In tuffes of Cypresse hung the Topaze stone,
Which through the Cypresse (yet obscurely) shone:
As when wee see a thinne blacke cloudie clustre,
Through which the stars do yeeld a darksome lustre:
A gorgeous choller of deare cheuasall,
Set with a white embrodered Pyronall,
And Margarites, with workmans rare deuise,
It seemed like vnto a shining Ice,
That night (adorned in this princely sort)
Faunus departed from his fathers Court,
And went, vntill for wearines he was
Constrainde to lie downe on the yeelding grasse,
And recommended his faire bodies breath,
To Morpheus the elder borne of death.
There Faunus lie, and cease my pen to tell,
What paine those Nimphes abode for thy farewell:
How sops of sorrow drencht in cups of care,
In steede of Nectar and Ambrosia were:
Greefe great in all, yet great'st in Melliflore,
Who thought her Faunus murdred by the Bore:
She cut the trees, and caru'de the tender graffes,
With dolefull Sestines, mourning Epitaphes.
And stopt with sighs, and drownd in kisse-cheeke teares,
Her halfe-spoke words. A garment now she weares
Right Rauen-blacke, like sorrowes liuerie,
Cut all in rags, yet ioynde so cunningly,
As by her clothes poore raggednesse was braued,
And pouertie no greater riches craued.
The Sun this morne before hee did appeare,
Got two houres iourney in his Hemisphere.
And Melliflora at the Sunnes first peeping,
With loues sharpe-sighted eie the thickets creeping.
Vnder the broad head of a Pine-tree spies
Faunus asleepe, whose face to heaun-ward lies.
She shrunke aside, aside againe she started,
Thinking he had beene Adon, she departed:
But comes againe, (for loue lept from his eies
And puld her backe) twas Faunus then she sees:
She knew and feared, feare she knew before,
Fearing he had beene murdered by the Bore,
She layd her eie-liddes to his eies and wept,
Then she perceiude her dearest Faunus slept.
With that she ioynd her corrall lips to his,
Sucking his breath, and stealing many a kisse:
Wishing the life of a Camelion,
That she might onely liue his breath vpon:
Which all vnwilling his faire body left,
And would not from that paradise be reft.
Or heauenly mansion, which he did retaine,
But there in hope to be enclosde againe:
This soft sound sleepe to Melliflora gaue leysure,
To see, to feele, to smell, to taste such pleasure,
As none but onely she could euer know;
And none but Faunus on the earth could show.
Oh for how oft (whilst loue her marrow warmes)
Would she embrace twixt Alablaster armes,
And hugge, and cull the snow white fronted Boy,
Call him her loue, her life, her soule, her ioy:
Then pry more nearely on his necke, with oft
Quicke mouing lookes, and with her fingers soft
Dimple his breast, and hanging ore his shoulder,
Hold Faunus downe (thrise blest with such an holder.)
And then againe, though yet he sleeping is,
Thus she beganne to woe him for a kisse.
(From him al Muses, so my Muse beginnes)
Deposde his Syre Saturnus from the throne,
And so vsurpt the Diadem alone:
Some higher power for aged Saturne stroue,
Gaue him a gift, which angred lust-stung Ioue:
A louely boy, whose beautie at his birth,
Made poore the heau'ns to enrich the earth.
(When Ioue no beautie in the heauens found,
Was he not angry? yea, and to the ground
Sent Mercurie, to wooe a shepheards swaine,
Whilst he himselfe came in a showre of raine:
Whose drizling drops fell into Danaes lappe,
Which to receiue, (maides wil receiue such happe)
She held hir skirt, Ioue such abundance powred,
Twentie to one but Danae was deflowred.)
His name was Pycus, yet surnam'd the Faire,
Whom Circe chaunted in her scorne-gold haire,
Whom Ladies lou'd, and loued of so many,
Till Canens came, (who when she gan to sing,
The ayrie Bird would hoouer with her wing,
To heare her notes, for Canens she was call'd,
Of singing sweete) and Pycus heart enthrall'd:
Not married long, but Canens did enioy
Of fairest father, farre more faire a boy,
(That heau'n, & earth, in bringing forth these two,
Made a great bragge that so much they could do:)
Faunus a boy whose amber-stragling haires,
So strangely trammeld all about his eares,
The crispe disheuel'd playing with the winde,
Among the thickest, neuer way could finde,
But sweetest flowers would leape from Floraes lap,
And so themselues within his tresses wrap.
That glad he was those lockes (those lockes alone,
Those lockes that lockt in bondage many one:)
With carelesse art, or artlesse care infolde,
And draw them in a coronet of golde.
If bashfulnesse enveloped his face,
A prettie palenesse damask't such sweet grace,
Like Daisie with the Gilliflower distill'd,
Or Roses on a bed of Lillies spill'd:
Or rather when the wood-Nimphs gazing stood,
Loue like a tyrant therein threatned blood:
His eies were such, my Muse yet hardly can
Emblazon forth the beutie of a man:
My dullard muse to sing it may suffize,
Of his rich coate he wore in wondrous guize:
The ground whereof was veluet, white as snow,
With buttons made of Diamonds vpon,
Such as our knights of th' order first put on:
Vpon the left side it no fastning had,
But on the right side with a pearle staide,
Vpon th' one shoulder where the two ends met,
Were both together, with a iewell set,
On top whereof in liuely forme did stand,
Great Hercules with distaffe in his hand:
To euery seame were fastned ribonings,
With stories wrought of Emperours and Kings:
And at each ribbon hung a pretious stone,
(Loues chiefe disport consists in these alone)
Which were faire Ladies costly Amatists,
Tide to the tender small leau'de ozear twists,
That so they might his ribbons enterlace,
When he pursude the nimble Hart in chace:
And she grew prowd, and held the rest in scorne,
That knew her fauour by yong Faunus worne.
Poudred vpon so strange, that many thought
With purple coloured silke it had beene wrought:
But (ah alas) it was the crimson staine,
Of goddesses, which Faunus lookes had slaine:
About his necke he wore a falling band,
Which tooke it pride from his faire mothers hand:
His ivory feete, appearing vnto sight,
In murrey veluet, buskins rich were dight,
The middle slits with tyrian Bisse were laced,
Whose prettie knots his man-like legge embraced.
In many places bare as vse hath bin,
The wanton boy attired in this sort,
Vnto the Latian mountaines did resort;
Whose prowde height garnisht with such stately trees,
Seemde to contemne the vally at his knees,
The humble vally in as good a state:
(But loftie Gallants lower minds do hate)
Was still replenisht with a pleasant riuer,
(Prowd of the gift, and yet more prowd the giuer,)
Whose wanton streames the bank so oft do kisse,
That in her lap (at length) he falling is:
Her bubbling water with slow gliding pace,
Shews her great griefe to leaue that pleasant place:
And with a murmure when she goes away.
Greatly laments she can no longer stay,
Cause th' vpper streams by violence would come,
To take possession of that ioyfull roome,
With swift pursute, and as they gin to chace it,
The bankes like armes doe louingly imbrace it:
Whose purling noise vpon the pibble stones,
For such departure are the dolefull grones:
Her teares exhalde such norishment doth giue,
As on the tree-fringd banks made Pleasure liue,
Among these trees a goodly Cypresse grew,
That all the lofty pines did ouer-view,
Who bow'd her faire head (in the sunnie gleames,)
To tresse her greene locks by those glassie streams.
Her top, her shade, vpon the Riuer show'd,
For the kind moisture on her root bestow'd,
Running vpon so delicate a ground,
Whether it made the grauell pretious looke,
Or else the grauell purifide the brooke:
Whose meddowes greene enameled with roses,
(Twas Paradise some Poet yet supposes)
Added a shew so ruddie, that most deemed
The field to blush at his owne beautie seemed.
Neare to this valley Shepheards often met,
And by this valley sheepish squadrons set,
Within this valley past the time away,
With leapes and gamboles, and with other play:
Here the Nymphes playd such summer games as Base,
For it was summer alwaies in this place,
And Barlibreake, the which when Faunus saw,
So many wood-Nymphes standing on a row:
The boy, though yong, (yet who so yong that loues not,
Or who so old that womens beautie moues not?)
Spide Melliflora: Melliflora was
Among the number sitting on the grasse:
Sweete Melliflora I can tell ye true,
The grasse grew prowd that vnder her it grew.
Faire Melliflora, amorous, and yong,
Whose name, nor story, neuer Poet sung:
She wore a garland wrought with Amorets,
With orphrates ouerlaid and violets,
Whose lacinth loue-lockes hanged out so faire,
As drest the garland, garland drest the haire,
And enterlaced with a purle band,
(Like cristall Tagus through his golden sand)
Which hiding nowe, then hidden by the haire,
Faire was her face yet fairer might haue beene,
If that the Sunne so often had not seene
Her louely face, for halfe the day he spent
In kissing her, yet neuer was content:
(For God or man thinkes he the Cushion misses,
That wooes all day, and winnes nought else but kisses)
Vntill the sunne with ouermuch desire
Of loue (for loue is hotter then the fire)
Consumde the wreathe of Diamonds in his throne:
(Ouid's beguilde, it was not Phaeton)
For Melliflora was the cause he burned,
His chariot, and the world to cinders turned.
Strange were her weedes to Faunus, yet not strange,
For in such weedes the wood-Nymphes vse to range,
A petticote tuckte euen with the knees,
Garnisht about with leaues of sundry trees:
And sometimes like a net drawne vp, and wrought,
(Which net the eagle-Ioue might well haue cought)
And all her garments made so light and thin,
(Who could restraine but thinke what was within)
And blacke silke laces whereon siluer bells
Did hang aboue her elbowes, and of shels
Her slippers were, her legges, her armes, her brest,
In many places naked, yet so drest,
As nakednesse another raiment scorned,
For she her cloaths, her cloaths not her adorned.
Faunus a farre off stood stone-still and gazed,
The more he lookt, the more Loue inly blazed,
He would haue quencht it with his teares, but then
It burnt the more, yet who can well refraine
From drinking water, when he feeles the paine
Of burning feuer, though that water drenches,
And turnes to fire, which like Loue neuer quenches:
But youth may loue, and yongmen may admire,
If old age cannot, yet it will desire.
For since that time old men of sixty yeeres.
(Bearing a beard, or rather, beard them beares)
Will heate their blouds with loue and yong wiues chuse,
(At such sweete weddings yongmen nothing loose)
Faunus kneel'd downe and vnto Uenus prayde,
Before his prayers were the one halfe said,
He thought it best vnto the Nimph to write
And shew his loue, but ginning to indite,
He tride the Muses with his often changes,
(Loue neuer loues to rest, but alwaies ranges.)
If once on Melliflora he did thinke,
He wet his paper both with teares and inke:
Fearing to end before he had begunne,
Mistrusting each word which his wit had done:
One was too darke, another was too plaine,
This word too loftie, and the other vaine.
That set not downe the sorrow of his hart,
This shew'd his passion, but it shew'd no Art:
He tore his papers, cast away his pen,
Sore was he grieude, and yet not angrie (men
In true loue are not angrie) for he knew,
The more hee studied, still the worse it grew:
Then he resolude to take the rose-strowne way,
Accosted all with Uenus and the Graces:
With white haire hiding their enticing faces,
Which hand in hand would make a circle round,
With often turning, then themselues confound,
In Pyrrhus daunce like souldiers armed twine them,
And wedge-wise yoked in array combine them.
And when he came, that wood-Nymph was most faine,
That to their play might Faunus entertaine.
And if he spake, the Nymphs drew somewhat neare him,
To taste the sirrop of sweete wordes, and heare him.
And gray-eyd Dorys she would alwayes eye him,
Till she was strucke purblinde she could not see him:
Some wisht him sooner (though he came too soone)
Before the pleasure of the day was done:
Some saide, the night for Louers was the day,
And Loue delighted in the night to play,
For now the day his office gaue to night,
To lend our aduerse hemisphere his light.
The Nymphs requested Melliflora than,
To moue this sute to Faunus, she beganne:
I would we had such eloquence as might
Intreate your Highnesse lodge with vs all night,
We and our arbour euermore would rest
Content, and honourd with so great a ghest:
You shall but lie vpon a bed of roses,
Your sheetes white lillies, pillowes fragrant poses,
Your blankets flowerdeluces shall be drawne
With prety pinkes, your curtaines leasie lawne,
And in my bed, My, vnawares out slipt,
Which Faunus seeing, would haue kist her then,
To hide those blushes (oh how kind are men!)
Fresh she begins, thinking that word to alter,
The more she speakes, the more her tongue doth falter,
And gainst her will that My she spoke againe,
(Loue will not let such words be spoke in vaine.)
This past as vnregarded: Faunus said,
I were inhumane if this were denaid,
Orecome with ioy, they in the mid rancke set him,
He thought their arbour in the midway met him,
Such force of Musicke conquerd length of way,
With torches making artificiall day.
Aboue all trees in th odoriferous meades,
(With greene vine branches, curling their prowd heades,
And honni-suckles) at their lodging doore,
Doth grow the pleasing brode leau'de Sycamore:
Her entrances adornd with pretious stone,
Built in the forme of a pauillion:
Ridings cut out, so that the eie might iudge,
What Angells did inhabite in the lodge,
And like a comet (yet more pretious farre)
Stretching her tale vnto a lesser starre,
He pointed at a pleasant summer hall,
Wherein the Nymphes did vse to banquet all,
The coloured marble beautified the top,
Whose pillars seru'de the house to vnderprop,
And vnderneath whereas a riuer rode,
Was minerall, her streames an handfull broade,
Her shaking Christall was a perfect mirrour,
Whose water washt them rather they did wash it,
For when their snow-white Iuorie hands would plash it,
(Like honie-bubbling Ladon; or Pirene,
Cleare Castalis, or luke-warme Hippocrene)
Vpon her face she makes ten thousand lines,
Ten thousand Saphir coloured bubbles shines,
As not content in large to haue their pinctures,
In each of them sets forth their liuely tinctures:
And comes againe to play, embrace, and threaten,
And laughes, and smiles, and leapes to be so beaten.
Behind this brooke or thicket was a greene,
Whereas fiue hundred grassie rounds had beene
Made one in one, like to these water rings,
Thence to a gallerie Melliflore him brings,
There was Diana: when Acteon saw her,
Bathing her selfe (alas he did not know her)
(A goldsmiths wife once nakt without her pearle,
Hard to be knowne is from a countrie gerle)
A foolish Nimph sate weeping (for loue can
Make goddesses like women loue a man)
The posture of whose limmes so liuely seated,
As Art and Nature Loue and Anger freated:
Within this gallerie whenas Faunus comes,
The grapes with childe, and diuers coloured plums,
Gaue to the eie a pleasant taste, before
Vnto the mouth they came, and euermore
The coole wine fild into the goblet skips,
And laughes for ioy to come vnto such lips:
As Faunus drunke, still would he steale a looke,
Then laide his eies wide ope his loue to view,
(Thus he receiu'd the darts which Cupid threw)
Then closde his eie-lids from that glorious light,
(Thus he preseru'd the riches of his sight)
And thus faire words and power attractiue beuty,
Bring men to women in subiectiue duety.
But supper ends, and all the Nymphes expected
Some amorous talke of Faunus: he neglected
Vntill a Nymph (this order yet we vse)
Sayd, let vs husbands in the ashes chuse,
In louers rites, Faunus though rude and raw,
It was no dallying, yet with Nimphs he saw,
Then smiling said: Faire Nymphs, the shepheards lasses,
Thus chuse them husbands, turning crabs in ashes;
If in these woods good husbands be so scant,
Will you sweete Nymphes with me supplie some want.
But some said nothing, these gaue ful consent,
And some said twice No, which affirmes content,
And some said once No, these would grant and giue,
In womens mouths, No is no negatiue:
Whereat he blusht, and fearing to offend,
The fondling thus abruptly made an end.
Sorie (God knowes) the Nymphes were hee had done,
Then Deiopeia mongst them all begun
To speake, whose words to Beril straight distilld,
As from her lippes the orient pearle trilld,
Looking at Faunus smilingly then said:
A cumbersome companion to a maid
Is modesty, our elders all contemn'd it,
Blushing and sighing Theseus neuer stroue,
To woe and winne Antiope his loue.
Nor would hee haue his time so spent and lauisht,
But laid her downe, and some say shee was rauisht,
And so she was, but rauisht with content,
And got with childe, belike both did consent:
Stout Hercules yong loles father slew,
And then by force his force faire Iole knew.
Yet this vnfathered Ladie would beginne,
Most sportfully put on the Lions skinne,
And tooke his clubbe betwixt her hands and viewd it,
Though shee was rauisht, yet she neuer rewd it.
Soft Menelaus Helen could not brooke,
Yet what inforcing Paris gaue, she tooke:
Women are seruants, seruants vnto men,
But praise your seruants, what will follow then?
A readie horse straight yeeldes when he hath found,
One that will haue him yeeld, else falles to bound:
And thus she parl'de, thus she plainely woode,
Yet childish Faunus hardly vnderstood.
Vntill to bedward all the Nimphes them drest
To take their rest, yet tooke no ease in rest:
The night beginnes be angrie, when she sees
She can distill no sleepe in louers eies,
Tossing her selfe among the cloudes now hath
Sent the red morne as Herald of her wrath,
Whose louer Phœbus rising from his bed,
With his dewie mantle hath the world ouer-spread,
Shaking his tresses ouer Neptunes ebbe:
These faire Nimphes rose, seeing the light did call them,
And fairest Faunus equipaged all them.
A fairer beuie of faire virgines neuer,
The worlds faire eie, the Sunne could yet disseuer:
Their prettie pastimes; and their plaies begunne,
At Barlibreake yong Faunus needes must runne,
In couples, three, the mid place, called Hell,
But since that time the play is knowne too well:
With Deiopeia it was Faunus lot,
First to be Hell: they ran, and Syrinx got:
Syrinx and Spio so pursude the chase,
That Melliflora had the middle place.
Her partner Atte at Deiopeia ran,
But first for Faunus she her course beganne:
He ran, but ranne with eie cast o're his shoulder,
Not caring how, so that hee might behold her:
She tooke him straight, about his necke she clang,
And on the grassie carpet Faunus flang.
Willing he was, yet wrastled, stroue, and fought,
And fell to feele, and said hee was not cought
By law of Barlibreake, because hee fell,
It was his heau'n, though thus to be in Hell:
(For many one for Hell, not Heauen would pray,
If such shee diuels were in Hell to play.)
Longer hee stroue, that longer hee might stay,
But Deiopeia bade her come away:
(For shee poore soule was liuer-sicke of loue,
And fear'd such strife another strife would moue.)
(Though she from him, nor he from hir could goe)
Let vs (she feard againe they would contend)
Of Barlibreake for this time make an end,
Some other play, some other sport begin,
That standers by, and lookers on be in:
It ended, thus the other play began,
Some fiftie maides, (too many for one man)
Tooke hand in hand, which made a spherie round,
Or globe the perfectst figure to be found,
Then one (whose lot is first among them all)
Must goe about and let a napkin fall:
And whom soe re it lieth next behind,
So soone as euer she the cloth doth find,
Must with swift-running foote the other chace,
Vntill she come vnto her ranke and place:
If catcht before, the fliers forfeit is,
To gratifie the follower with a kisse.
The sport begins and Arethusa first,
Would haue drop-napkin'd Faunus if she durst,
But she tooke Doris; Doris at next bout,
Kist Melliflora, she fetcht Faunus out:
She fled (yet tooke) he follow'd (not forsaken)
She ran (yet caught) he follow'd (and was taken)
Vpon the backe part, fixed she he her eies
So firmely, that before she nothing sees.
Put downe she falls (the Nymphes began to wonder)
Faunus aboue (but women will lie vnder:)
Gaue her the kisse, she (willingly though tooke it,)
Gaue it againe, the nouice then forsooke it:
And she at Faunus, he could neuer rest,
But either catcht, or else was to be cought,
Vntill the freshman faint and breathlesse brought
With tracing was, (the Nymphes much swifter were)
(For loue is heauenly light, compact of aire)
So that the slow'st among them neuer misses,
But casts him downe, and smothers him with kisses.
These gamesome Nimphs, welnere seu'n daies had spent
In such like plaies, and sportfull merriment,
Faunus thought oft Loues fire for to display,
Desire was bolde, but Shamefastnesse said nay.
If he began to come but somewhat neare her,
His body quak't as though his heart did feare her,
All that he said was, Nimph when you are at leasure,
Faine would I speak, he might haue spoke his pleasure,
She found this means, only that he might wooe her,
To loose her Necklace let her Caule forgo her,
Within the woods, that well she could not weare,
Vntill she found them, her loose dangling haire,
And as she sought them, softly thus would say,
I prethee Faunus helpe me, come away,
If thou shouldst goe into these woods alone,
Thy Melliflore would follow thee away:
Wilt thou not come? beleeue me I must chide,
Yet he in loue for all this would abide,
When for his loue, Loue fram'de the time most fit,
(Boyes loue is foolish, Loue to youth brings wit.)
Then to the hedges walke they on a row,
To plucke the sweetes (how sharply sweetes wil grow:)
Fortune to turne their mirth to sodaine woe:
From out the woods did send a fierce wild boare,
Which seene (such beasts they neuer saw before)
A care, or feare, or both, did make them trudge,
Some to the woods, and some towards the lodge:
Some vnder hedges, some to holes would runne,
This way, and that, the best, the beast to shunne:
But Melliflore (whose beautie by that passe,
Like a rubd rubie much augmented was:
Like muske, or ciuit kept in bosome hot,
Her breath most sweete by running sweetnes got,)
Kept on her course, yet neuer lookt behind,
Whom Faunus follow'd, whilst a wanton wind,
Like to some pleasant ciuit smelling breath,
Would gently play him with her vaile beneath,
And come, and go, heaue vp, throw downe, to show
Twise-wounded Faunus, what he did not know:
Something he staid his swift pursute with leasure,
Fearing to be depriued of such pleasure,
But what he saw, tis needlesse for to say,
Heere shall your thoughts, and not my pen bewray:
But as he gan his swifter running slacke,
The anger-froathing boare was at his backe,
Which made him turne, and at the boare to thrust,
Into whose heart his hand he guided iust:
He was but armed with a little knife,
Some destiny belike preseru'd his life:
Yet by this fight he Melliflora lost,
So Faunus thought him worse then euer crost.
This way for that, that for another changeth:
Losing himselfe, within a groue he found
Loue-sicke Adonis lying on the ground.
For hating Loue, and saying Uenus nay,
Yet meeting Melliflora in his way:
Loue made (Loue weepe to see thy tyrannie,)
Adonis frustrate his vow'd chastitie:
Whilst narrowly vpon her lookes he spide,
Strooke with loues arrow, he fell downe and dide.
For by the Bore (as all our Poets faine,)
He was not kilde, Faunus the Bore had slaine.
But tracing further, who but Venus met him,
Thinking he had beene Adon, thus she gret him:
Welcome Adonis, in thy louelie breast
Now do I see remorse and pitie rest,
Which to returne my deare Adonis moued,
Uenus perswades her selfe she is beloued:
Hoping to haue some water from the rocke,
Which shee had pierst, she stript her to the smocke:
Wrought all in flames of Chrisolite and gold,
And bout his necke her armes she did enfold:
So (at the least) shee meaning to haue kist him
He turn'de aside: then sorie cause shee mist him,
To Faunus said, faire Saint, shun not such kindnesse,
Can these bright eies be blemisht with such blindnesse?
If thou wert blind, and Venus could not see,
Yet in the darke best sighted louers be:
Or giue, or take, or both, relent, be kind,
Locke not Loue in the paradize of thy mind:
Is she the Queene of loue? then what should moue her
To sue and not command? Is shee loues mother?
Shall she be loath'd, which brings loue to all other?
With that she doft all to the Iuorie skinne,
Thinking her naked glorie would him winne.
The shamefac't Faunus thereat something smiled,
Uenus lookt on him, knew shee was beguiled:
Yet would haue lou'd him for Adonis sake,
(Thus women will one for another take.)
Faunus resisted, Venus would no more
Sollicite him, but mounted as before
In her light Chariot drawne with milke-white Doues,
Away she flies: Faunus lest in the groues
No sooner had the wood him passage lent,
But home to see his father Faunus went.
Picus much wondred where his sonne had beene,
Whom of seuen daies and more he had not seene:
But sleeplesse nights, his being soone reuealed,
With sighes and teares (Loue cannot be concealed.)
His father by his countenance espide him
To be in loue, and mildely thus gan chide him:
Fond Boy, quoth hee, and foolish cradle witted,
To let base loue with thy yong yeares be fitted:
This vpstart loue, bewitcher of the wit,
The scorne of vertue, vices parasite:
The slaue to weakenesse, friendships false bewrayer,
Reasons rebell, Fortitudes betraier:
The Church-mens scoffe, court, camp, and countrie's guiler,
Arts infection, chaste thoughts and youth's defiler.
Natures ouersight, wayward glittring blocks:
True, true-bred cowards, proude if they by coide,
A seruile sex, of wit and reason voide:
Shall women moue thee, whom so many loathes,
In gaudie plumes trickte, and new-fangled cloathes?
Thus in our find-fault age, many a man
Will fondly raile with foule-mouth'd Mantuan.
Some sharpe witted, only in speaking euill,
Would proue a woman worse then any diuell
With prating Picus: though that women be,
Fram'd with the same parts of the minde as we.
Nay, Nature triumpht in their beauteous birth,
And women made the glorie of the earth:
The life of Beautie, in whose supple breasts,
As in her fairest lodging vertue rests.
Whose towring thoughts attended with remorce,
Doe make their fairenesse be of greater force.
But of this subiect euerie day who reades not,
Which is so praised, as it praises needs not?
And my conceite not able for to reach them,
Might bring forth words for praise, which might impeach them:
And so with loue tis easie to find fault,
Yet not so easie when it giues assault:
Then to resist his force, whose excellence
Is to transforme the verie soule and essence
Of the louer, into the thing beloued:
This heauenly loue (no doubt) yong Faunus moued:
But (all this while being dumbe) Faunus replide
Vnto his father, and withall denide
From whence his griefe and melancholy grew,
And that he was by some wood-Nymph accosted,
Because the pleasure of the woods he boasted,
And Latian mountes. Then Picus thus againe
Sharply rebukte his sonne, but all in vaine,
Thou art no souldier for Dianaes garison,
Nor twixt her Nymphes and Faunus is comparison:
Nymphes are like Poets, full of wit, but poore,
Vnto thy kingdome, adde a kingdome more
By marriage: let Pycus counsel thee,
Looke not (my boy) at wit, and Poetrie.
Faunus no reckning of such counsell makes,
(Light is that loue which any counsell takes)
Then like Hermocrates the Phisitian,
Seeing his patient with an incision
Sore vext, in steede of ministring to the sore,
Began to chide, bade him be sicke no more.
Or like a friend, that visiting his friend
Loaden with fetters in darke prison pend,
With vnkind words, and bitter termes doth moue him,
To leaue those fetters, or he would not loue him:
This other way from loue would Pycus reaue him,
And bade him leaue to loue, or loue to leaue him:
Or if such loue made Loue not to regard him,
His loue would loue, with hatred to reward him.
Remember loue, and Pycus would the rather,
Forget his sonne, he should forgoe his father.
Loue all this while on Faunus ey-balls stood,
Whose Enuie, palenesse, Anger, caused blood
Pronounc'd by Pycus gainst his deitie.
With that he leapes from Faunus face and flies
Vnto the seld-preuented Destinies.
He found them busie at a Parliament,
Vnder their feete relentlesse Adamant,
Aboue their heads the marble was for teele,
The ribs of yron, and the raftne steele,
The walls of flint, and brazen was the gate,
And euery one vpon a wooll-packe sate.
Whose sterne austere lookes neuer mou'de to ruth,
By gold, nor fauour, beauty, age nor youth:
Yet when loue came (what hearts though made of stone,
In which Loue cannot make impression?)
Welcome he was, Loue then his speech began,
To shew th' vnmanlike crueltie of man,
How Nature first ordaining one for one,
Made woman chiefe for procreation:
But men like drudges, not content to vse them,
In blows (sometimes) and speeches will abuse them,
Loue's will was this, that maides should haue their will,
Not ouermuch, but to restraine from ill.
Ill kept-in-thoughts, with vertuous companie,
Restraining not from well-rulde libertie.
For maides were made to make such harmlesse plaies,
Such honest sports, as daunce vpon the laies:
The hey-de-guise, and run the wild-goose chace,
And trie the keeles the Farlibreake, and base,
But with a barly when the pastimes end,
And maides must needes for milking homewards wend:
For when they end, then Loue begins to play,
His play is paine, but yet a paine with ease,
His keeles are coales, whose fire doth grieue and please,
From play (for pray) Loue takes two louing freeres,
Traind vp alike, perhaps of equall yeeres,
Yet such is loue of parents such begot,
That wealth, nor worth, true loue considers not.
Sometime a King dotes on a countrie swaine,
Sometime a Lady loues a lad againe:
Sometime the meaner will the greatst reiect,
No not a person Loue will once respect.
And hauing pearc'd the soule's seuen-doubled shield,
Loue makes the one vnto the other yeeld.
They yeeld (kind soules) but parents will not grant,
With tedious brawlings still they finde a want,
One is too rich, the other is too poore,
(So then twixt Faunus and faire Melliflore,
Loue told the Loue,) and fearing fathers ire,
Loue is defeated of his chiefe desire.
This kind vnkindnesse children yet must take,
Vntill their parents price of them do make,
As in a market: then what man wil craue them,
And giue the most, he shalbe sure to haue them.
Thus from Loues mouth the honnie as he spoke
Distild, as from the brode-leau'd builder oake,
And opall pearle from his lippes did fall,
The Destinies began to gather all.
Such pretious iewells, if they fell but neare them,
And prowd of such loue-tokens yet do weare them,
The Destinies did somewhat pittie youth:
With one consent and voice they all agreed,
These statutes should for euer be decreed:
That man for his vnmanlike treacherie
Should be tormented with vile iealousie,
That maids from honest libertie restrained,
Should alway thinke from what they thus refrained:
That twas some treasure from the which th' are tide,
Some Indian iewell which men vse to hide,
Some strange conserue, sweete, deare, and pretious,
And women are by nature licorous.
These thoughtes awaked, women growe manwood,
Nor can these thoughts from actions be withstood.
What bird is pleasde, though in a siluer cage?
A dogge tide vp in golden chaines will rage.
That market marriages euermore should be
Content the best, the worst to disagree,
That shrewdnesse should possesse the womans heart,
In stubbornnesse the husband act his part:
Thus drawing opposite in one yoke, aliue
Long might they liue, but they should neuer thriue:
And since that time, all marriages enforced,
Neuer agree vntill they be deuorced.
This sentence giuen, Loue then backe returned,
To louely Faunus, who in Loues fire burned,
But ere he came, Faunus had turnd to hate,
His fathers speeches, and grew passionate,
Who in the night (the best meanes for desire)
Got vp, and darklings, only his attire,
Gaue a resplendance to the purle-hung Chamber:
Sought for a suite, yet could not well deuise,
What garment best might please his faire Nimphs eies:
If costly, then for woddy Nimphs too curious,
If gay or gawdie, that was but penurious:
This was too olde, the other was not new,
This the Tailer (Tailers will not be true)
Had cut too short, that hee might haue a sharing,
A garment then hee tooke more rich then glaring,
Of gold beat Samite to his heeles which rought,
With knoppes and broches, birdes, and beasts, ywrought.
In tuffes of Cypresse hung the Topaze stone,
Which through the Cypresse (yet obscurely) shone:
As when wee see a thinne blacke cloudie clustre,
Through which the stars do yeeld a darksome lustre:
A gorgeous choller of deare cheuasall,
Set with a white embrodered Pyronall,
And Margarites, with workmans rare deuise,
It seemed like vnto a shining Ice,
That night (adorned in this princely sort)
Faunus departed from his fathers Court,
And went, vntill for wearines he was
Constrainde to lie downe on the yeelding grasse,
And recommended his faire bodies breath,
To Morpheus the elder borne of death.
There Faunus lie, and cease my pen to tell,
What paine those Nimphes abode for thy farewell:
How sops of sorrow drencht in cups of care,
In steede of Nectar and Ambrosia were:
Who thought her Faunus murdred by the Bore:
She cut the trees, and caru'de the tender graffes,
With dolefull Sestines, mourning Epitaphes.
And stopt with sighs, and drownd in kisse-cheeke teares,
Her halfe-spoke words. A garment now she weares
Right Rauen-blacke, like sorrowes liuerie,
Cut all in rags, yet ioynde so cunningly,
As by her clothes poore raggednesse was braued,
And pouertie no greater riches craued.
The Sun this morne before hee did appeare,
Got two houres iourney in his Hemisphere.
And Melliflora at the Sunnes first peeping,
With loues sharpe-sighted eie the thickets creeping.
Vnder the broad head of a Pine-tree spies
Faunus asleepe, whose face to heaun-ward lies.
She shrunke aside, aside againe she started,
Thinking he had beene Adon, she departed:
But comes againe, (for loue lept from his eies
And puld her backe) twas Faunus then she sees:
She knew and feared, feare she knew before,
Fearing he had beene murdered by the Bore,
She layd her eie-liddes to his eies and wept,
Then she perceiude her dearest Faunus slept.
With that she ioynd her corrall lips to his,
Sucking his breath, and stealing many a kisse:
Wishing the life of a Camelion,
That she might onely liue his breath vpon:
Which all vnwilling his faire body left,
And would not from that paradise be reft.
But there in hope to be enclosde againe:
This soft sound sleepe to Melliflora gaue leysure,
To see, to feele, to smell, to taste such pleasure,
As none but onely she could euer know;
And none but Faunus on the earth could show.
Oh for how oft (whilst loue her marrow warmes)
Would she embrace twixt Alablaster armes,
And hugge, and cull the snow white fronted Boy,
Call him her loue, her life, her soule, her ioy:
Then pry more nearely on his necke, with oft
Quicke mouing lookes, and with her fingers soft
Dimple his breast, and hanging ore his shoulder,
Hold Faunus downe (thrise blest with such an holder.)
And then againe, though yet he sleeping is,
Thus she beganne to woe him for a kisse.
More gratious farre then dawning of the day,
Then Venus starre, or purple coloured Maie:
Let not my begging dearest Faunus grieue thee,
Vpon a note ten thousand kisses giue mee:
And then as many busles ouerplus,
As Cinthia gaue her loue Propertius.
How many Cupids with the Graces trippe
Vpon thy left cheeke, and thine vpper lippe?
How many lifes, deaths, ioyes, hopes, cares, and feares,
Thy quicker mouing eie-balles Faunus beares:
So many collings, with kind clippings giue mee,
As Cupids golden headed arrowes grieue me:
And adde enticements twixt thine amorous kisses,
And pleasant murmures with sweete sounding hisses.
As Doues by turnes be either other nibbing,
And louingly in blither words be snibbing:
And bloudlesse in my bosome when thou lies,
And I turne vp my watrie swimming eies:
Then will I glew thee in my limber arme,
If cold as lead, my breast shall make thee warme;
And Melliflora with her kisses breath,
Shall giue her Faunus life in lookt-for death:
Vntill my spirit in dewie kisses altring,
Within my body faint and fall a faultring.
Then take me Faunus twixt thy naked armes,
And vse thy hugging and thy kissing charmes:
And in thy hearts spoone coll me least I perish,
As twixt thy breasts my frozen bloud ile cherish:
And then, like mine, thy moistie kisses dew,
At poynt of death life will againe renew:
Thus shall we enioy the heauen of our age,
And both together both our liues will swage.
This said, she gathered fragrant smelling posies,
And strewd him o're with violets and roses:
Then with a kisse faine would she him haue raised,
Yet stood stone still, and wishly on him gazed:
And forth his sleepe, as though she feard to feare him,
She fixt her kisses to the roses neare him.
The roses warme by Mellifloraes mouth,
A whispering gale of wind came West by South,
How many roses then before she kist,
(If she had knowne this, none she would haue mist:)
Her former kisses kisses gainde such plentie,
That she receiu'de for one kisse more then twentie.
Such store of kisses on the sodaine found,
Some (slipping from her) fell vpon the ground,
That such an haruest came vpon the earth,
As since, we had of kisses neuer dearth.
But stirring once, his pillow made of grasse.
Faunus awakt, and Venus thought she was:
With that he rose, and like the blushing morne,
Hauing all night the loathsome burden borne
Of aged Tython (old men do no good,
Yet will be fumbling) angrie then and wood:
Among the clowdes herselfe shee headlong throwes,
To meete with Phœbus, what they do, all knowes:
Headlong he ran, such gamesome loue he scorned,
As Uenus lou'd, to haue his loue suborned.
But Melliflora ranne and ouertooke him,
And held him hard, and neuer once forsooke him,
Vntil his name was honour'd by her tongue:
As one that findes great treasure standeth long,
Doubting hee sleepes, so stood the louely boy,
Loue-sicke, amaz'd, and surfeited with ioy.
But when he knew her, O what amorous greeting:
Faunus deuisde to entertaine his sweeting
Like to the elme enclaspt with wanton vine,
Or as the ivie doth the oake combine,
About her necke his ivorie armes did twine,
Faint, feeble, weake, and languishing: in fine,
A moystie kisse seald vp their lippes, as neuer
Iniurious death should their embracements feuer,
But with their kisses make two bodies one,
And so their hearts with kisses liue alone:
Some teares betwixt them (teares of ioy againe)
Did fall like siluer drops in sun-shine raine:
Then Faunus told her how he scapt the bore,
And both related th' accidents before:
His ey-browes touch her roundie speaking eyne,
Kissing her necke and lippes like Corraline:
Then busseth she his cheeke, his chin, and brow,
Red, comely-short, and like to Cupids bow:
Yet in this vnion thus displeasde they be,
Because themselues they kissing cannot see:
Then like two culuers once againe they cleaue,
Hugge, cull, and clippe, and sory for to leaue.
She carries kisses on her doubtfull eies,
In those two Diamonds prettie babes he spies:
Vntill they smile, which as the sunne doth chace,
The mist-hung clowdes then shewes his cheerefull face,
From eies, and cheekes, did driue away the teares,
The sighes, the sobs, the cares and doubtfull feares.
Faunus resolu'd now had intention,
To wooe (how loue refines inuention)
And thus he courted: Faunus thus begunne
To wooe a Nymph, who was already wonne.
Then Venus starre, or purple coloured Maie:
Let not my begging dearest Faunus grieue thee,
Vpon a note ten thousand kisses giue mee:
And then as many busles ouerplus,
As Cinthia gaue her loue Propertius.
How many Cupids with the Graces trippe
Vpon thy left cheeke, and thine vpper lippe?
How many lifes, deaths, ioyes, hopes, cares, and feares,
Thy quicker mouing eie-balles Faunus beares:
So many collings, with kind clippings giue mee,
As Cupids golden headed arrowes grieue me:
And adde enticements twixt thine amorous kisses,
And pleasant murmures with sweete sounding hisses.
And louingly in blither words be snibbing:
And bloudlesse in my bosome when thou lies,
And I turne vp my watrie swimming eies:
Then will I glew thee in my limber arme,
If cold as lead, my breast shall make thee warme;
And Melliflora with her kisses breath,
Shall giue her Faunus life in lookt-for death:
Vntill my spirit in dewie kisses altring,
Within my body faint and fall a faultring.
Then take me Faunus twixt thy naked armes,
And vse thy hugging and thy kissing charmes:
And in thy hearts spoone coll me least I perish,
As twixt thy breasts my frozen bloud ile cherish:
And then, like mine, thy moistie kisses dew,
At poynt of death life will againe renew:
Thus shall we enioy the heauen of our age,
And both together both our liues will swage.
This said, she gathered fragrant smelling posies,
And strewd him o're with violets and roses:
Then with a kisse faine would she him haue raised,
Yet stood stone still, and wishly on him gazed:
And forth his sleepe, as though she feard to feare him,
She fixt her kisses to the roses neare him.
The roses warme by Mellifloraes mouth,
A whispering gale of wind came West by South,
How many roses then before she kist,
(If she had knowne this, none she would haue mist:)
Her former kisses kisses gainde such plentie,
That she receiu'de for one kisse more then twentie.
Some (slipping from her) fell vpon the ground,
That such an haruest came vpon the earth,
As since, we had of kisses neuer dearth.
But stirring once, his pillow made of grasse.
Faunus awakt, and Venus thought she was:
With that he rose, and like the blushing morne,
Hauing all night the loathsome burden borne
Of aged Tython (old men do no good,
Yet will be fumbling) angrie then and wood:
Among the clowdes herselfe shee headlong throwes,
To meete with Phœbus, what they do, all knowes:
Headlong he ran, such gamesome loue he scorned,
As Uenus lou'd, to haue his loue suborned.
But Melliflora ranne and ouertooke him,
And held him hard, and neuer once forsooke him,
Vntil his name was honour'd by her tongue:
As one that findes great treasure standeth long,
Doubting hee sleepes, so stood the louely boy,
Loue-sicke, amaz'd, and surfeited with ioy.
But when he knew her, O what amorous greeting:
Faunus deuisde to entertaine his sweeting
Like to the elme enclaspt with wanton vine,
Or as the ivie doth the oake combine,
About her necke his ivorie armes did twine,
Faint, feeble, weake, and languishing: in fine,
A moystie kisse seald vp their lippes, as neuer
Iniurious death should their embracements feuer,
But with their kisses make two bodies one,
And so their hearts with kisses liue alone:
Did fall like siluer drops in sun-shine raine:
Then Faunus told her how he scapt the bore,
And both related th' accidents before:
His ey-browes touch her roundie speaking eyne,
Kissing her necke and lippes like Corraline:
Then busseth she his cheeke, his chin, and brow,
Red, comely-short, and like to Cupids bow:
Yet in this vnion thus displeasde they be,
Because themselues they kissing cannot see:
Then like two culuers once againe they cleaue,
Hugge, cull, and clippe, and sory for to leaue.
She carries kisses on her doubtfull eies,
In those two Diamonds prettie babes he spies:
Vntill they smile, which as the sunne doth chace,
The mist-hung clowdes then shewes his cheerefull face,
From eies, and cheekes, did driue away the teares,
The sighes, the sobs, the cares and doubtfull feares.
Faunus resolu'd now had intention,
To wooe (how loue refines inuention)
And thus he courted: Faunus thus begunne
To wooe a Nymph, who was already wonne.
Sweete namelesse Saint, (no name can set thee forth,
All titles are but staines to such thy worth:)
Whose ornaments and beautie pure diuine,
Do make the cittie at these woods repine,
If that great highnesse can discend so low,
Vouchsafe those eies to see their ouerthrow,
Disdaine him not whose wit, whose life, whose daies,
Doth studie, liue, and serue, to shew thy praise.
Thinke not my sute of small weight in thine eares;
Nor lesse regarded for my boyish yeares.
With that in his he tooke her moisty hand,
(How white God knowes) and gently did demand:
Shall these white hands (quoth he) (and then he kist them,
And turnde and lookte as though his losses mist them)
Become as withered grasle, drie, leane, and yellow,
And these ripe yeeres be fruitlesse rotten mellow?
Shall such a field lie leyes and not betilled?
Shall such rare sweetes be spent and neuer spilled?
Shall beautie fade, and earth enioy this couer,
And not remaine and flourish in your louer?
The heauens preuent from woman-kind that fall,
Women were borne to beare and borne withall,
That burdens borne that they might beare another,
A mothers childe must be a childes faire mother.
Deare Nymph enioy the spring-tide of your age,
These Aprill flowers in winter will asswage:
Spend that you cannot keepe, it is not best
That death should take his ayme from beauties rest.
Beautie (faire Nymph) is womans golden crowne,
Mans conqueresse, and feminine renowne.
Not ioynde with loue, who deare yet euer solde it?
For Beautie's cheape, except Loues eie beholde it.
You haue the beautie Faunus heart to moue,
You haue the body to reward his loue.
Impart them both vnto the longest liuer,
It is a gift which will entich the giuer:
It seekes, it sues, it offers to be taken:
I sigh, I sue, and would not be forsaken.
If Beautie smile, then Faunus thinkes him blessed.
Then Melliflora with a smile expressed
How hard it is true loue not to discouer,
With that (not coy, nor lauish to her louer)
She said, who taught thee eloquence, and witte,
(Conceit was quickned, and his words made fitte,
She knew by loue) whose force might wel perswade,
And make thee bragge the conquest of a maide,
Small were that boast, and smaller is my beautie,
The smallest praise deseruing, and lesse dutie:
You talke of beauty (if the truth were knowne,)
Because so well acquainted with your owne:
For mine or any other excellence,
Were all imparted to me by your presence,
Which if I were, sole mistris of my mind,
I would repay, and be to you as kind:
But such a vow deuoutly haue I made
To die a virgin: scarce the halfe word said,
His wit and senses by desire set open.
Sweete Saint (quoth he) that vow must needes be broken
It is not lawfull you should make a vow,
The which Religion cannot wel allow:
Our pure Precisians thinke themselues most wise,
Yet in this one point are they not precise:
No doubt, they marrie when they feele the motion,
Vntimely timely subiect to deuotion
Are then your yeeres, to what end were you borne?
Remember but, and you wil be forsworne.
A cloister woman mewd vp in a cell,
To die a maide, and then leade apes in hell.
A Votaresse, a Secluse, and a Nunne,
Nay you must be forsworne when all is done:
For, can you study, fast, and pray among?
No no, (faire nymph) your stomacke is too yong,
Your beautie will dispense with this decree,
You must be periurde of necessitie.
If you but come your Orizons to say,
Dianaes Hunts-men will forget to pray,
Or rather leaue before they do beginne.
Are you not then the Autresse of this sinne?
Or if her priests such fairenesse do espie,
They will be conquerd by your lookes, and die,
Committing murder, what wil follow then?
This odious name, The Murdresse of men,
Which is flat treason gainst all Deitie:
For murder is much worse than periurie.
Saue then my soule, and thousands more from spilling,
You get no praise (my Melliflore) by killing.
Such coy account, such nicenesse of an oath.
But they espide (not fully ended) both
Cleare Deiopeia comming from her sport:
Loue saw his iourney long, and time but short,
In fewer wordes he sealed vp the match,
And that though Argoes hundred eies did watch,
They should depart those Nymphs, and flie away.
Faunus kind entertainement spent the day:
So Melliflora in the tonguelesse night,
With snowie skinned Faunus tooke her flight.
Which when heau'n saw (what doth not heauen see?)
With raine of teares she shewes her dwellers be
Rapt with that sight, nor trees from mourning keepe,
But euery twig with dropping teares do weepe.
Such beauties past them, then the clowdes gaue place,
That heauen might freely smile vpon her face:
The Moone at full was full prowd of that dutie,
That she might beare the torch to such rare beautie,
But to depriue the Moone of this her sight,
The Sun-set loue-sicke, rose within the night:
With his approch, they both lay downe oppressed,
Whose length the earth in beauties liuorie dressed:
Vnder an hill whose lifted bittle brow,
Would ouerlooke his prospect then below,
Whose prowd high Pines, vnto this day are prowder,
They had the hap from summers sunne to shrowd her:
Now mong the Nymphes is Melliflora mist,
And also Faunus, whither they went none wist:
They seeke the hills, the valleys, and plaine ground,
And this they find, they were not to be found.
With eies, with teares, and tongue, their errand showne:
And this they knew, they were not to be knowne,
The more they thought, they knew not what to thinke,
But Deiopeia from the rest gan shrinke,
Thought she was gone with Faunus, was most likely,
(Riualls in loue wil be suspitious quickly.)
She offred incense to Dianaes shrine,
Euen as sweete ( ) I offer vnto thine.
But three daies rites and ceremonies ended,
Vnto Diana she her iourney tended,
With lowe obeisance to her deitie,
She told her Mellifloraes periurie,
That she and Faunus prince of Italie,
Were stolne away: at such impietie,
(Though Melliflore she loued dearely) wroth
And angrie was Diana with them both:
She sware her priests and huntsmen would not tarrie,
If thus her chastest Nymphes beganne to marrie.
No more they would, but then incontinent,
Her purest priests and all a wooing went:
But Deiopeia her selfe banished
Dianaes court, and in loue languished.
All titles are but staines to such thy worth:)
Whose ornaments and beautie pure diuine,
Do make the cittie at these woods repine,
If that great highnesse can discend so low,
Vouchsafe those eies to see their ouerthrow,
Disdaine him not whose wit, whose life, whose daies,
Doth studie, liue, and serue, to shew thy praise.
Nor lesse regarded for my boyish yeares.
With that in his he tooke her moisty hand,
(How white God knowes) and gently did demand:
Shall these white hands (quoth he) (and then he kist them,
And turnde and lookte as though his losses mist them)
Become as withered grasle, drie, leane, and yellow,
And these ripe yeeres be fruitlesse rotten mellow?
Shall such a field lie leyes and not betilled?
Shall such rare sweetes be spent and neuer spilled?
Shall beautie fade, and earth enioy this couer,
And not remaine and flourish in your louer?
The heauens preuent from woman-kind that fall,
Women were borne to beare and borne withall,
That burdens borne that they might beare another,
A mothers childe must be a childes faire mother.
Deare Nymph enioy the spring-tide of your age,
These Aprill flowers in winter will asswage:
Spend that you cannot keepe, it is not best
That death should take his ayme from beauties rest.
Beautie (faire Nymph) is womans golden crowne,
Mans conqueresse, and feminine renowne.
Not ioynde with loue, who deare yet euer solde it?
For Beautie's cheape, except Loues eie beholde it.
You haue the beautie Faunus heart to moue,
You haue the body to reward his loue.
Impart them both vnto the longest liuer,
It is a gift which will entich the giuer:
It seekes, it sues, it offers to be taken:
I sigh, I sue, and would not be forsaken.
Then Melliflora with a smile expressed
How hard it is true loue not to discouer,
With that (not coy, nor lauish to her louer)
She said, who taught thee eloquence, and witte,
(Conceit was quickned, and his words made fitte,
She knew by loue) whose force might wel perswade,
And make thee bragge the conquest of a maide,
Small were that boast, and smaller is my beautie,
The smallest praise deseruing, and lesse dutie:
You talke of beauty (if the truth were knowne,)
Because so well acquainted with your owne:
For mine or any other excellence,
Were all imparted to me by your presence,
Which if I were, sole mistris of my mind,
I would repay, and be to you as kind:
But such a vow deuoutly haue I made
To die a virgin: scarce the halfe word said,
His wit and senses by desire set open.
Sweete Saint (quoth he) that vow must needes be broken
It is not lawfull you should make a vow,
The which Religion cannot wel allow:
Our pure Precisians thinke themselues most wise,
Yet in this one point are they not precise:
No doubt, they marrie when they feele the motion,
Vntimely timely subiect to deuotion
Are then your yeeres, to what end were you borne?
Remember but, and you wil be forsworne.
A cloister woman mewd vp in a cell,
To die a maide, and then leade apes in hell.
Nay you must be forsworne when all is done:
For, can you study, fast, and pray among?
No no, (faire nymph) your stomacke is too yong,
Your beautie will dispense with this decree,
You must be periurde of necessitie.
If you but come your Orizons to say,
Dianaes Hunts-men will forget to pray,
Or rather leaue before they do beginne.
Are you not then the Autresse of this sinne?
Or if her priests such fairenesse do espie,
They will be conquerd by your lookes, and die,
Committing murder, what wil follow then?
This odious name, The Murdresse of men,
Which is flat treason gainst all Deitie:
For murder is much worse than periurie.
Saue then my soule, and thousands more from spilling,
You get no praise (my Melliflore) by killing.
Such coy account, such nicenesse of an oath.
But they espide (not fully ended) both
Cleare Deiopeia comming from her sport:
Loue saw his iourney long, and time but short,
In fewer wordes he sealed vp the match,
And that though Argoes hundred eies did watch,
They should depart those Nymphs, and flie away.
Faunus kind entertainement spent the day:
So Melliflora in the tonguelesse night,
With snowie skinned Faunus tooke her flight.
Which when heau'n saw (what doth not heauen see?)
With raine of teares she shewes her dwellers be
But euery twig with dropping teares do weepe.
Such beauties past them, then the clowdes gaue place,
That heauen might freely smile vpon her face:
The Moone at full was full prowd of that dutie,
That she might beare the torch to such rare beautie,
But to depriue the Moone of this her sight,
The Sun-set loue-sicke, rose within the night:
With his approch, they both lay downe oppressed,
Whose length the earth in beauties liuorie dressed:
Vnder an hill whose lifted bittle brow,
Would ouerlooke his prospect then below,
Whose prowd high Pines, vnto this day are prowder,
They had the hap from summers sunne to shrowd her:
Now mong the Nymphes is Melliflora mist,
And also Faunus, whither they went none wist:
They seeke the hills, the valleys, and plaine ground,
And this they find, they were not to be found.
With eies, with teares, and tongue, their errand showne:
And this they knew, they were not to be knowne,
The more they thought, they knew not what to thinke,
But Deiopeia from the rest gan shrinke,
Thought she was gone with Faunus, was most likely,
(Riualls in loue wil be suspitious quickly.)
She offred incense to Dianaes shrine,
Euen as sweete ( ) I offer vnto thine.
But three daies rites and ceremonies ended,
Vnto Diana she her iourney tended,
With lowe obeisance to her deitie,
She told her Mellifloraes periurie,
Were stolne away: at such impietie,
(Though Melliflore she loued dearely) wroth
And angrie was Diana with them both:
She sware her priests and huntsmen would not tarrie,
If thus her chastest Nymphes beganne to marrie.
No more they would, but then incontinent,
Her purest priests and all a wooing went:
But Deiopeia her selfe banished
Dianaes court, and in loue languished.
Faunus alone, with her alone required,
Alone with him, which she alone desired.
Yet now she feares to be with him alone,
Because no further in loues office gone:
He would haue sealed with the cheefest armes
Of his desire, the waxe that Uenus warmes.
But as she did the contrarie command,
He was afraide, durst not her words withstand.
Did not the boy therein a coward proue?
Nay rather valiant, to withstand such loue.
The marriage was by one of Vestaes Nuns
Solemnized. She Faunus neuer shuns:
He giues, she takes, and nothing is denide,
She his, he her loue's force and valor tride.
And still they striue, but who obtainde the day,
Let him be iudge that er'e fought such a fray:
But faint and breathlesse here the quarrell ends,
Loues cause being righted, both againe are friends.
And Venus, to encrease their amitie,
Considering words against her deitie
Were spoke by Pycus: she incontinent,
In heate of rage her indignation spent:
Transforming him into a bird of th' aire,
And where before, of al hee was most faire,
She makes him blackest, keeping nothing white,
But breast and bellie (for there dwelt delight)
And by her power diuine she so hath framed,
That by his owne name hee is euer named.
And seeming yet al women-kind to hate,
Ouer their houses alway he will prate:
And neare their poultrie build his nest and watch,
How he their chickens and their ducks may catch.
Faunus and Melliflora now are gone,
To take possession of his fathers throne:
And being come, they find his mother dead,
For griefe her dearest sonne from court was fled.
Almost a yeare with mirth the time was spent,
When chaste Diana on fell mischiefe bent
Entred the Court (At that time Melliflore,
Grieud with the burden which her faire wombe bore.)
And put vpon sterne Hecates attire
By magicke, meaning to explaine her ire:
And so (to ease her hate which inly burned)
The faire child to a monster she hath turned:
His head was garded with two little hornes,
A beard he had, whose haires were sharpe as thornes,
Crooked his nose: his necke, his armes, and breast
Were like a man, but like a goate the rest.
No sooner was the faire Nymphs wombe cut ope,
To giue the monster largest roome and scope,
Put out he flies, and to the wood doth runne,
(For there Diana pointed he should come)
And tripping long time ore the leauie launes,
Ioynd issue with the Satyres and the Faunes:
But Faunus changing Melliflores complection,
(Thus man to woman giueth all perfection:
And as our chiefe Philosophers will say,
Woman by man is perfect made each way.
These virgins then of sound and vpright carriage,
Are monsters plaine without the stay of marriage)
At length begot Latinus, he Lauinia:
Æneas her from Turnus tooke away,
Succeeding him, hïs sonne Ascanius,
And after him Æneas Siluius,
Him Brutus kild, and at our English Douer
Landed, and brought some Satyres with him ouer,
And nimble Faëries. As most writers graunt,
London by Brute was named Troynovaunt.
The Faëries ofspring yet a long time went,
Among the woods within the wild of Kent,
Vntill transformed both in shape and essence,
By some great power or heauenly influence,
The Faëries proued full stout hardy knights,
In iusts, in tilts in turnaments, and fights,
As Spencer shewes. But Spencer now is gone,
You Faëry Knights, your greatest losse bemone,
Alone with him, which she alone desired.
Yet now she feares to be with him alone,
Because no further in loues office gone:
He would haue sealed with the cheefest armes
Of his desire, the waxe that Uenus warmes.
But as she did the contrarie command,
He was afraide, durst not her words withstand.
Did not the boy therein a coward proue?
Nay rather valiant, to withstand such loue.
The marriage was by one of Vestaes Nuns
Solemnized. She Faunus neuer shuns:
He giues, she takes, and nothing is denide,
She his, he her loue's force and valor tride.
And still they striue, but who obtainde the day,
Let him be iudge that er'e fought such a fray:
But faint and breathlesse here the quarrell ends,
Loues cause being righted, both againe are friends.
And Venus, to encrease their amitie,
Considering words against her deitie
In heate of rage her indignation spent:
Transforming him into a bird of th' aire,
And where before, of al hee was most faire,
She makes him blackest, keeping nothing white,
But breast and bellie (for there dwelt delight)
And by her power diuine she so hath framed,
That by his owne name hee is euer named.
And seeming yet al women-kind to hate,
Ouer their houses alway he will prate:
And neare their poultrie build his nest and watch,
How he their chickens and their ducks may catch.
Faunus and Melliflora now are gone,
To take possession of his fathers throne:
And being come, they find his mother dead,
For griefe her dearest sonne from court was fled.
Almost a yeare with mirth the time was spent,
When chaste Diana on fell mischiefe bent
Entred the Court (At that time Melliflore,
Grieud with the burden which her faire wombe bore.)
And put vpon sterne Hecates attire
By magicke, meaning to explaine her ire:
And so (to ease her hate which inly burned)
The faire child to a monster she hath turned:
His head was garded with two little hornes,
A beard he had, whose haires were sharpe as thornes,
Crooked his nose: his necke, his armes, and breast
Were like a man, but like a goate the rest.
No sooner was the faire Nymphs wombe cut ope,
To giue the monster largest roome and scope,
(For there Diana pointed he should come)
And tripping long time ore the leauie launes,
Ioynd issue with the Satyres and the Faunes:
But Faunus changing Melliflores complection,
(Thus man to woman giueth all perfection:
And as our chiefe Philosophers will say,
Woman by man is perfect made each way.
These virgins then of sound and vpright carriage,
Are monsters plaine without the stay of marriage)
At length begot Latinus, he Lauinia:
Æneas her from Turnus tooke away,
Succeeding him, hïs sonne Ascanius,
And after him Æneas Siluius,
Him Brutus kild, and at our English Douer
Landed, and brought some Satyres with him ouer,
And nimble Faëries. As most writers graunt,
London by Brute was named Troynovaunt.
The Faëries ofspring yet a long time went,
Among the woods within the wild of Kent,
Vntill transformed both in shape and essence,
By some great power or heauenly influence,
The Faëries proued full stout hardy knights,
In iusts, in tilts in turnaments, and fights,
As Spencer shewes. But Spencer now is gone,
You Faëry Knights, your greatest losse bemone,
This boone Diana then did aske of loue,
(More to be venged on the Queene of Loue,
That Faunus late transformed sonnes Satyres,
(So cald because they satisfide her ires)
Should euermore be vtter enemies,
To louers pastimes, sportfull veneries.
Ioue granted her this lawful iust demand,
As we may see within our Faërie land:
The Satyres ierking sharp fang'd poesie,
Lashing and biting Uenus luxurie,
Gauling the sides of foule impiety,
Scourging the lewdnesse of damnd villany,
Shooting out sharp quills in each angry line,
Through heapt-vp vices like the porcupine.
If this praise-worthy be, then first of all
Place I the Satyre Academicall,
His Satyres worthy are (if any one)
To be ingrau'd in brasse, and marble stone:
Detracting nothing from the excellencie,
Of the Rhamnusian Scourge of Villanie,
But I was borne to hate your censuring vaine,
Your enuions biting in your crabbed straine.
Now let vs shew the Satyres enmitie,
Which Brutus left behind in Italie.
(More to be venged on the Queene of Loue,
That Faunus late transformed sonnes Satyres,
(So cald because they satisfide her ires)
To louers pastimes, sportfull veneries.
Ioue granted her this lawful iust demand,
As we may see within our Faërie land:
The Satyres ierking sharp fang'd poesie,
Lashing and biting Uenus luxurie,
Gauling the sides of foule impiety,
Scourging the lewdnesse of damnd villany,
Shooting out sharp quills in each angry line,
Through heapt-vp vices like the porcupine.
If this praise-worthy be, then first of all
Place I the Satyre Academicall,
His Satyres worthy are (if any one)
To be ingrau'd in brasse, and marble stone:
Detracting nothing from the excellencie,
Of the Rhamnusian Scourge of Villanie,
But I was borne to hate your censuring vaine,
Your enuions biting in your crabbed straine.
Now let vs shew the Satyres enmitie,
Which Brutus left behind in Italie.
| Favnvs and Melliflora | |