Emblemes and Epigrames :: :: University of Virginia Library

Saturns daughter, and Ioue his Iealious wife,
Queene of Riches, pleasure of this life,
the angrie Iuno by her queint device,
self loving Syrens falslye did intyce
in songe with the sweete muses to contend.
these Syrens were, as autors doe pretend,

faire virgings, which in squamous fishe did end,
and fishe with virgins faces forth did send:
Wemen lacking natures feete of righte,
and fethered fowles wanting winges for flight,
which, though nature denye soe to combyne,
yet were they such as wee do here defyne,
conteyned in the holie number three,
whose names, significant are knowen to bee:
Parthenos virginn, with sweete Ligia,
and the most daintie white Leucosia,
who doth in false bewitching tunes excell,
wherby they sacred muses did compell
with them to singe, victorious crowne to gayne;
which learned muses did at first disdayne,
all though at length they yealded full consent,
and to their witlesse challeng did relent;
when with their shrill and most celestiall sound,
those prowde Syrens they easilie did confound,
by iustice lawe; for whoe maye well compare
the muses musick naturall and rare,
to the deceitfull Captious Syrens skill,
with which they all lascivious eares doe fill?
The muses then, full victors in the feilde,
vnplum'd those Syrens whome they forct to yeald,
and from them all their glorious fethers take,
wherof triumphant crownes they dulie make;
which mithologians thus doe moralize:
the muses, note the doctrine of the wise,
and perfect wisdome, which victoriouslie
triumphes on crag'd deceitfull Sophistrie,
which by false Syrens we doe signifie,
for what ells doe their fethers notifie,
but foolishe words, wanting true reasons ground,
which light, like fethers toste in wynde, are founde?
these doth true wisdome overthrowe in Scorne,
and with faire crowne therof, her hedd adorne.