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Caput. V.

Argument.

Peenardo Prince of Thessalye
Is heir vnto yow showne
Whoes buried deids so long in graue
Shall to the world be knowne
Achaias great Embassadour
Requyrs Thessaliane ayde
The wich is granted and anone
For warre prouisione made.

1

Into the mightie land of Thessalye
Their regn'd a King that Grodane heght to name
By mightie force he conquerd Arabie
Throw Greciane land so famous grew his fame
Earthes terrour, Europs tour, and Africks woe
Bulwark of freends, and buriell of his foe.

2

This Grodane had to wyfe a noble Dame
That Sister wes vnto the Spanishe King
Whoes lyfe gouernd with such a spotles name
Old fame throw emptie aer this song did sing;
The yee happie Prince of Iasons lyne that regn's
And to the world an other Iason breng's.

3

Those tuo wer lou'd with such a lust regarid
She lou'd, he feird, she praisd, and he renound
The famous citie Eregon he reird
And built the princelie Palace Pitemuond
And their his royall court he intertain'd,
Million's of knights and Ladyes their remaind.

4

He had no children but a Sone alone
Whoes beautie and proportione of his face
Bewrayd his royall Progenie anone
His persone Princelye and his comelie grace
Most rair, most wyse, most valorous, most fair
Most lou'd, most loath'd, still croc'd, with Fortuns snair

5

Penardo cald the obiect of disdain
The skorne of loue, the monument of lothe
The mirrour of mischeif, the map of paine,
The marck of daunger, and the mold of wrath
The Seat of sorrow, and the tombe of care
The winges of wrack, the Burtio of dispair.

6

Yet was he well traind vp in feart's of armes
Tilt's, turnayes, and all war-lyk exercise
Whoes braue vndanted Spright espyes no harmes
Whoes mightie force his fame doeth eternize
So lou'd of all, and yet that all so feird him
That Heaune, and Earth, & Hell, to much admird him.

7

And had his grand-Syre (Iason valorous)
Bein now alyue he hade not cron'd the Maine
For that his dangling tresses pretious
Surmunts the goldin fleece whiche he did gaine
His looks, his gesture, and his countenance
Would chaistest Phœbe moue to dalliance

8

Dame Nature followed him with sad laments
Compleining of her treasurs emptie coffers
Proportioune beautie vertues excrements
Was left to her and cheirfullie she offers
To quyt all those if he would proue so kynd
To runder back perfections of the mynd

9

And yet sumtyme she (stairing' in his face)
Wold seeme to loue him wowing him with swyll's
And proud of this her handie work whoes grace
She swoir the glorye of the gods beguyl's
And other whills complaining in a rage
She lak'd materiall's for ensueing age.

10

Which true did proue for Nature was vndone
The earth was lost, and mankynd was forlorne
Th' ensewing ages monster's prou'd too soone
Some reasone wants some but proportione borne
Some dum, some deaf, some blind, some leam'd ar seene
Some sensles, witles, strenghtles, hartles bein.

11

Now whill the Earthe was rap't with admiratione
Of this fair youthe so muche admeir'd of all
(One contrarie remou'd) the confirmatione
He seem'd to haue of all that grace men call
He that in loues despight him self had showen
Yet lou'd at last and loath'd was ouerthrowen,

12

For who can shunn his fortune or his fate
All to loues liue tho'lyfe wer but a night
Cear, traueel woe, with pleasure does debait
Greif sorow, paine, with pastyme, ioy, delight.
The truest happimes one earthe remaine
Wheir croce is mixt with confort, ioy with paine

13

But Whil fair fame (this royall court to show
Throuw spatious Earthe and oceane took her flight
Aduentrous Knight's hade (many year's ag'oe)
Sleep't in dark silence of eternall night
Desyre of honor (to the worlds vew)
Calls furthe one Youth, deip Danger to persue,

14

Penardo as ane Gallant would obey
Whoes braue heroick spright surpast so farre
All youths of Greece that he would oft essay
The most and best approued Knight's of warre
When tuo at once he caus'd for to effront him
They could not find the meins for to dismont him

15

Yet whill he sleip't at home in silent pace
Th' Embassadours come to the court in haist
Frome out Achaia whom it pleasd his grace
To entertaine with many royall feast
Who muche admeird the great magnifience
Of his fair court and of his excellence

16

Thrie dayes wer spent in feasting or repast
When they desyr'd for to be hard of all
The King and counsell being set at last
They wer convay'd vnto a princelie hall
Yea to vnfold that costlie court so fyne
Should pas the might of such a Muse as myne.

17

The pillers wer of purest yourie fram'd
With pearle and pretious stone in gold embost
Whoes glistring beam's continuall light inflamd
That sable Night her entrance their had lost
The stones to wall's their glances consecrat's
Which ritchest mantles still reuerberat's

18

Whoes maieste was stairlie to behold
For round about the walls the tapestrie
Was goodlie arace wrought with Indiane gold
With purple silk and syluer gloriouslie
So viuelie wrought vnto the humane eye
Maiestick purtreats lyuelie seemd to be,

19

Their Cupid painted in his glistring pryd
His eyes wer shut, yet in his crewell fist
An goldin bow and arrowes did abyd
Wheir with he shot at randone when he list
He bends, he draw's, he shoots no shaft in vaine
He hitt's the Hart, & yet no marks remaine.

20

Ther Ioue and their the Thebane Semale
Their jealous Iuno lyke her Nurse appeirs
And caus'd her seik that Ioue in majestie
Wold come with thundring darts & lightning fyr's
Their might you sie when he performd ye same
Her birne in heauenlie fyre & schoarcking flamme

21

Their Leucothea. their was Phœbus bright
In sheape of old Eurimine her mother
Their Orchamus her father tacks her streght,
And eard's her quick (til Phœbus coming hither)
Vnto a lamp a starre a flamming light
He chang'd her for to chace from thence ye night

22

Ther Mars and Venus at ther dallying sports
Their Vulcans artificiall yrone nett
Wherin he wrapt these louers, their resorts
Feir Danaes Sone whome Ioue did erst beget
Who cutts Medusa's heid and their the fontane
Wheir he had chang'd King Athlas in a montan.

23

Their also feghts he with the monster wyld
That persecutes the fair Andronad euer
Their Cephey and Cassiope bewayld
Their daughters hap, & yet could help her neuer
Whom thundring Ioue iniustlie their detaind
She weip't, she murnt, she sigh't, she pray'd, she plā'd

24

All these yow might haue sein so perfectlie
That nothing els but vitall breath they wanted
Whil as they seem'd to lurk so priuely
Sum heir sum their in pairs together hanted
They seemd to blushe when curious eyes did sie them
And shrow'd their yourie limms in fowlds to flie them

25

So Cynthia does shrood her self frome sight
Of wearie Trauelers that wandring strayes
Wrapt vp in darkest cloud's of silent night
Yet through thin clouds oft shoots out syluer rayes
So seem'd they in those fowlds, to creip vn knowne
Yet shew them self vnwilling to be showen.

26

Or as the stream's of crooked wynding brooks
Now heighe then low, now ryse, then falls againe
In darkest corners holes and priuie crooks
Will steall vnseene Yet can not skaip the maine
Each tumbling in hudge heap's their homage does
Compleaning on the Earths vnkynd refuse

27

Eune so those mantles glorious riche and rair
If strurd will alter chainge and turne in vaine
Trembling and wafting mou'd whith shaples aer
Heir low their heighe their low heir hyeghe again
Whiche maks sum portrats show & sum reteir
Sum heighe sum low and sum vnwar's appeir

28

Those strangers stoode amazed at that sight
The King to brek their silence low did moue him
Vpon a bench of gold that graue great light
A Pale lyk heauens-starrd'd canoby aboue him
The cheifest bow'd to ground and then began
To show the King (who heght Andromadan.)

29

O thouw most mightie Prince of Iasons race
Thou skourge of Paganes and of Persians pryd
O thow who did by mightie strength deface
Arabia fœlix and the spoyls deuyd
Amongst the Souldours with a princelie mynd
Thy seruants come from far, thy help to fynd

30

Know that we ar Achaian's mightie Prince
Of antient Greciane bloode we ar discendit
Against the Paganes we haue made defence
Our realme lost our royall blood is endit
Our King our countray kingdome croune & all
Arrest and forc'd before our Foes to fall

31

By Sigismund great King of Datia
Of Transyluania and Moldauia Prince
Of Seruia and of Valachia
He holds the septure and the gouernance
With armies great to mak his valour knowne
Our contrey, tours, and tounes has ouerthrowne

32

This was the caus, Ill hap our Prince let out
One day the mont Parnassus sor to vew
Well arm'd he was both loftie strong and stout
Well fauord fair and of a heauenly hew
Our King Of Children had no more at all
Ther was he lost, and their our strength did fall.

33

For their he chanc'd to vew a sacred Muse
Enamourd thus he fondlie fell in loue
Pre sing her deuyne deitie to abus
Whose mynd from chaist desyrs he could not moue
By chance a Kinght arryu'd & sought withall
His paine, his greif, his lose, his death, his fall

34

And thus they both in combat fought a space
Vntill ther fatall howre approched neir
And then they both wer slaine into that place
Evne then began our woe, our wrack our care
This Kinght was Prince of Datia & was Sone
To Sigismund for him this warre begane,

35

When he had done in silence still he stoode
Abyding answer from the King who sayde
(In greattest ire) he wold reuenge their bloode
And willinglie wold lend his freindlie ayde
Liue happie Prince (sayd thay) in whoes sweitt eyes
Wrath, terrour, dreid, reuenge, and glorie lyes.
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