University of Virginia Library

The fourth Epistle:

Phædra to Hippolytus.

The health and greeting that she sendes,
the same shall Phædra want,
Unlesse thou (Hippolyte) such health
vouchsafe to Phædra graunt.
Receyue and reade what so is sent,
what damage may ensue?
In these perhaps there lurckes that may
thy pleasures plight renue.
As well by lande, as surging seas,
such writtes are woont to wende:
And foes that feede on rancour, reade
the lynes the foes doe sende.
Thrise was I bent to haue disclosde
to thee my couert sute:
But thrise my foltring tongue was tide,
I stoode as one were mute.
I mingled bashfull shame with loue,
till loue surpassed shame:
Wherefore the wordes I blusht to speake,
in wryting reade the same.
For what so Cupid giues in charge
t'is madnesse to dispise:
For he doth conquer God and man
as nature did deuise.
He when I stoode in gastfull dreade
to penne my earnest sute,
Said, write on Phædra, he shall yeelde
and pay thy paines with frute.
Be prest thou mightie Prince of loue,
and as thy feruent fire
Doth burne my brest: so cause him frie
with Phædras hote desire.
I minde not by enormous guilt
to breake my spousall knot:
For (would thou wist) my life as yet
is free from shamefull blot.
How much the longer t'is ere loue
inuades a womans breast:
The sorer is the cruell gashe,
and breedes the more disrest.
My inward parts are all inflamde,
my bowels boyle with heate:
My scorged heart forepinde with wo
a lurcking wound doth freate.
As Bullocks may not well abide
the crooked yoke at furst:
Nor trampling Colts with bit or brake
to haue their iawes yburst:
So fares it by my skillest brest
that hardly may endure.
Unwoonted loue, or such vnrest
as Cupid will procure.
In youth when skill by practise commes,
the knowledge is profounde:
But who so loues when youth is spent
can not with Arte abounde.
The first tast of my spotlesse fame
vnto thy share shall fall
And eche of vs at once shall bee
to sinfull lust in thrall.
T'is somewhat from the fraughted boughes
to pluck the fruite at full,
And Primrose with a nimble nayle
from slender stalke to pull.
Euen so the former brightnesse of
my passed age was cleere,
Obscured with no cloudie crime,
as doth in proufe appeere.
But well it chaunceth that I am
attacht with worthie flame,
A foule Adulter, than the fact
doth breede a fouler shame.
Though Iuno would to Phædras vse
of Ioue renounce hir right:
Yet Phædra would Hippolytus
preferre with all hir might.
And now (which thou wouldst scarcely deeme
I am not as I was:
I haue delight in quechie groues,
by brutish beastes to passe.
Now Dian with hir bended bow
and shaftes is all my care:
I yeelde mee wholy to thy will,
in wrack and wealth to fare.
My pleasure is to haughtie hilles,
and bushie brakes to hie:
To pitch my hay, or with my Houndes
to rayse a lustie crie.
Or else with weake and willing arme
a trembling dart to throwe,
Or wearie limmes in grasse and greaues
with pleasure to bestowe.
T'is oft my practise in the plaine
a Charret for to guide:
And with a bitte, to wrest and winde
the horse from side to side.
Sometimes by restlesse raging fits
much like to Bacchus Nunne,
Or to Cibeles brainsick Nymphes
in Ida Mount, I runne.
Resembling those whome Dryades,
and Faunes doe force to flee:
Whome Semigods we deemen and
halfe heauenly wightes to bee.
This tale is tolde to me at large
when furious fittes are past:
To mee I say, whose couert parts
with silent loue doe wast.
We may perhaps vnto the fate
and fortune of our kinde
Impute this loue, and Venus longs,
by tribute vs to binde.
For first the faire Europa was
of mightie Ioue imbrast:
Who in the figure of a Bull
did play a sluttish cast.
Another brutish Bull my Dame
Phasiphae beguilde:
Who with an vgly Monster was
by him begot with childe.
False Theseus by my sisters shifts
and track of silken twine,
The crooked Caue and doubtfull denne
of Dedal fled in fine.
And last of all, least I should seeme
to swarue from Minos trade,
The remnaunt of that noble race
the like attempt haue made.
And that by fatall doome procurde,
one house two Nymphes hath woonne:
My sister looude the father well,
and I imbrace the sonne.
Two sisters were away conuaide
by thee, and by thy Syre:
Erect two Trophees of one house,
whereto you did aspyre.
That time when we in Athens did
to Ceres incense yeelde:
Would Gods that Gnosian quiet soyle
in Creta me had helde.
Then most of all (but euer well)
thou stoodste in Phædras grace,
And chiefely tho thy piercesant loue
my yeelding hart did race.
Thy vesture was as white as snow,
and head with garlands deckt:
Thy visage swarth, was seemely then
with Rosie red infect.
Thy countnance, which to other Dames
so clownish seemes and grimme.
For clownish, comely Prædra thinks
hir eye doth iudge it trimme.
Fye on those fonde vnmanly men
that seeke in nice attyre
Against their kinde, the curious tricks
of women to aspyre.
Thee (Hippolyte) thy warlike face
and staring locks commend:
Thy countnance grymed all with dust
a comely shape doth lend.
Where thou with Raine dost rule thy horse
and gallop in the fielde:
I maruell at thy Arte, that so
canst force a Courser yeelde.
Or where thou with thy nymble arme
a thyrling Launce dost cast:
I muse how such a slender Dart
should pierce the ayre so fast.
Or where thou hold thy hunting staffe,
ytipt with stubburne steele,
Or ought dost else, it glads my minde
my hart the ioy doth feele.
Wherefore, this rygor to the woods
and knarrie trees expell,
I am not shee, that doth deserue
to die for louing well.
O to what purpose wilt thou put
Dianas feates in proufe,
And take from Venus all hir due
and stand from hir aloufe?
For what so lacks successiue rest
and respite after toyle
Which should refresh the fainting limmes,
must needes sustaine the foyle.
For tryall take thy crooked bow
and let it stand ybent,
And neuer cease to shoote, and thou
shalt feele his force relent.
Though Cephalus in silent woods
were woont to waste his time,
And kill his game with dexter hande
when sauage were in prime:
Yet naythelesse to Auroras Couch
and Cabbin would he wende:
In lothed Tythons woonted roome
the ioyfull time to spende.
Not once, nor twise, but sundrie sighes
the Goddesse Venus lay
With Adon in the waylesse woods
hir pleasures to assay.
So with the faire Atlantas loue
sir Meleager glowde,
Whome in the proufe of perfite loue
the monsters spoyle allowde.
So let vs now at length I pray,
be numbred with the mo:
The rudenesse of your chase appeeres.
if Venus it forgo.
My selfe will follow at a foote,
though rockie hilles say nay:
No gnashing Bore with threatning tuskes
thy Phædra shall affray.
Twoo seas there are that with their waues
enuiron Isthmos so,
That all the Iland heeres the floods
on eyther side that flo.
There I with thee in Trezen will
soiourne in Pitheus raigne:
For now that soyle contents mee more
than all my Countrie vaine.
Now loytring Theseus doth dislodge,
not minding to retire
As yet, Perithous his freend
his presence doth desire.
And least we should apparant truth
with frowarde will denie:
That Pyrrith he preferres before
our looues we may espie.
And not this onely wrong (though this
were much) we both endure:
But he in greater matters doth
our open wrong procure.
My brothers bones with balefull blowes
of knarrie clubbe he brake:
My sister eke suspecting nought,
this Theseus did forsake.
The chiefe of all the Amazons
for prowesse and for fame
Thy Mother was, who well deserude
great fauour for the same.
But if thou chaunce of hir what is
become, demaunde to make:
Thou shalt descrie that she hir death
by Theseus sworde did take.
And that before she was conioynde
in mariage. Wote you why?
For thou base borne shouldst neuer raigne
and Princes roome supplie.
And more than that, on me he gat
some Impes, whome Theseus wrath,
Not mine (I witnesse all the Gods)
too soone bereued hath.
O Lord, what so she were aliue
that would thy spoyle intende:
Amidst hir trauell would hir lyfe
by shamefull death might ende.
Wherefore go too, doe reuerence
vnto thy fathers bed:
Which he by his vnhonest meanes
and faythlesse flight hath fled.
Be not surprisde with foolish feare
nor rapt with gastfull awe,
That I thy lotted stepdame am,
and thou my sonne in lawe.
These rytes and superstitions
by Saturn were maintainde:
But all such lawes in future time
are like to be restrainde:
That rustie Saturn now is dead,
his statutes are all gone:
Now follow Ioue, who gouernes all,
and raignes as Prince alone.
For Ioue as lawfull hath allowde
what so may breede delight:
And now the brother may his fayth
vnto his sister plight.
They whome Dame nature had allyde
and linckt by lawe of kinde,
By mutuall loue, and freendly league
the knot more firmely binde.
To keepe in couert such delights
it is but slender skyll,
The cloake of kinred will procure
the worlde to iudge no yll.
When so our kissing shall be seene,
or clipping close be knowe:
That I a stepdame am so kinde,
to both our prayse will growe.
Thou shalt not neede to come by darke
or bleare the Porters eye
By comming to the lodging late
where I am woont to lye:
As we haue soiournde long yfeare,
so we hereafter will:
And as we haue in open kist,
so may we franckly still.
With mee thou mayst be safe and sounde
thy fact shall purchase fame:
And though thou in my bed were seene
it will not breede thy shame.
Wherefore expell all fond delayes.
and hast to Venus ioy:
So Cupid, that on me doth rage,
procure thee none annoy.
Thou seest I take not in disdaine
in humble sort to sue.
Lord, where is all my pride become
and hautie wordes that flue?
I was in minde and fully bent
resistance to haue made,
Reuolting aye: but now I see
no stay in Louers trade.
Thus conquerd, with erected handes
and falling at thy knee
I sue for grace. What best beseemes
we Louers can not see.
Now honest shame hath fled my face
and makes no longer stay:
Relent, and since I doe confesse,
ridde rygor cleane away.
Since Minos that doth owe the Seas
my stately Syre is knowne,
Since from my Grandsires wreakfull hands
the thundring boltes are throwne:
Since Phædra that doth make request
of Phœbus line discendes,
Who to the soyle his blazing brandes
for earthly comfort lendes:
(In this my loue great honour lurckes)
let noble stocks dissent,
(If Phædras sute may not be heard)
enforce thee to relent.
All Creta, where the mighty Ioue
was fostred, is my dowre:
Which I will wholy yeelde to thee
to vse thereon thy powre.
Exile this ruthfull rage, my Dame
a sauage Bull could mooue:
More cruell than a brutish beast
wilt thou thy selfe approoue?
For Venus sake I craue remorse,
whome I do honour faine:
So graunt yee Gods that Hippolyte
may neuer loue in vaine.
Diana chast in silent woods
so prest be at thy call:
And Lawndes so lende thee store of game
to glad thy minde withall.
So Satyrs, friendly shew your selues,
and Mountaine Panes eake,
So on the cruell tusked Boare
thy Iauelaine mayst thou breake.
So, (though thou hate the hurtlesse Nymphes)
let Nymphes from Christall flood,
Allowe the lycor to expell
thy thirst in desert wood.
Unto these mylde requestes of mine
I added teares withall:
When so thou reade the lynes, surmise
thou sawste the drops to fall.