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The Heroycall Epistles of the Learned Poet Publius Ouidius Naso, In Englishe Verse

set out and translated by George Turberuile ... with Aulus Sabinus Aunsweres to certaine of the same
  

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The Argument of the xvij. Epistle, entituled Sappho to Phaon.
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108

The Argument of the xvij. Epistle, entituled Sappho to Phaon.

Phaon in passage Boate
his painefull liuing gate
And ferrying folke from shore to shore
relieude his needefull state.
T'was Venus hap at last,
without a profred hyre
To Phaon for his painefull toile,
a passage to desire.
The Whirryman agreed,
and ferried hir for nought,
Whome he no heauenly Goddesse, but
a mortall woman thought.
She in rewarde a Box
of ointment gaue to him,
That coulde enforce a featurde forme,
and make the beautie trim.
Within a while this Lad
the Lasses had allurde,
But wanton Sappho least of all
his beauties beames endurde.
She looude him passing well,
he forst hir not a rush:
Hir siely Nymph inragde with loue
a thousand cares did crush.


To Sicill Phaon goes,
then Sappho seemde vndonne,
And thought by speedie leauing lyfe
hir wasting flames to shonne.
From Leucas shee pretendes
(Epyrus Mount) to fall,
And so by hastned death to leaue
both loue and life withall.
To Leucas ere she came,
to suing flat she fill,
And to vnfriendly Phaon did
deuise this friendly Bill.
In hope to winne the wight,
and purchase loue againe,
Wherein she telles hir twiching griefes
and pennes hir pinching paine.