The Third part of the Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch Entituled, Amintas Dale. Wherein are the most conceited tales of the Pagan Gods in English Hexameters together with their auncient descriptions and Philosophicall explications. By Abraham Fravnce |
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[Louing Lady Venus, bare Mercury, Hermaphroditus] |
 | The Third part of the Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch |  |
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[Louing Lady Venus, bare Mercury, Hermaphroditus]
Louing Lady Venus, bare Mercury, Hermaphroditus,
Hermaphroditus, a youth so braue and like to the father,
Hermaphroditus, a boy so sweete and like to the mother,
That, whosoeuer knew Hermes and Aphrodite,
And lookt on braue youth, on sweet boy Hermaphroditus,
Would say, Lady Venus bare Mercury Hermaphroditus.
Hermaphroditus, a youth so braue and like to the father,
Hermaphroditus, a boy so sweete and like to the mother,
That, whosoeuer knew Hermes and Aphrodite,
And lookt on braue youth, on sweet boy Hermaphroditus,
Would say, Lady Venus bare Mercury Hermaphroditus.
Water-nymphs for a time brought vp this yonker in Ida;
But when sixteen yeares were spent by the yonker in Ida,
Yonker could not abide, to abide any longer in Ida.
But when sixteen yeares were spent by the yonker in Ida,
Yonker could not abide, to abide any longer in Ida.
All his ioy was now his fortune for to be trying,
And forren countreyes with curius eye to be seeing,
And outlandish wells, and vnknowne springs to be knowing.
After much traueling, many strange sights, and many wonders;
At last, from Lycian borders his course he directed
Vnto the neighbor coasts of Caria: where he ariued
Hard by a cristall poole, poole cristal-cleare to the bottome,
And so transparent, that a man might easily number
Euery smalest stone, from th' vtmost brim to the bottome.
There no barren reeke, no pricking reede was abounding,
There no sedge, no rush, no moorish weede had abiding:
But with fayre green turfe pooles brinck was chearfuly bordred,
Green turse with fresh flowres & sweet hearbs daintily painted.
There no boyes pluckt flowres their gay nose gaies to be making,
Nor no nymphs: but a nymph: one nymph, and only but one nymph,
One and only but one; but no such one in a thousand.
For, neither car'd shee farre-wounding bow to be bearing,
Nor with quick-sent hounds by the green-hewd woods to be hunting,
Nor with water-nymphs by the smiling meades to be walking,
Nor to Dianaes court with tuckt-vp coate to be trudging.
And forren countreyes with curius eye to be seeing,
And outlandish wells, and vnknowne springs to be knowing.
After much traueling, many strange sights, and many wonders;
At last, from Lycian borders his course he directed
Vnto the neighbor coasts of Caria: where he ariued
Hard by a cristall poole, poole cristal-cleare to the bottome,
And so transparent, that a man might easily number
Euery smalest stone, from th' vtmost brim to the bottome.
There no barren reeke, no pricking reede was abounding,
There no sedge, no rush, no moorish weede had abiding:
But with fayre green turfe pooles brinck was chearfuly bordred,
Green turse with fresh flowres & sweet hearbs daintily painted.
There no boyes pluckt flowres their gay nose gaies to be making,
Nor no nymphs: but a nymph: one nymph, and only but one nymph,
One and only but one; but no such one in a thousand.
For, neither car'd shee farre-wounding bow to be bearing,
Nor with quick-sent hounds by the green-hewd woods to be hunting,
Nor with water-nymphs by the smiling meades to be walking,
Nor to Dianaes court with tuckt-vp coate to be trudging.
Her feallow Fayries, stil prayd, and dayly desired;
Salmacis, either take thee a darte, or a feathered arrow,
And intermingle these idle toyes, with a fruitfull
And commendable acte, and sporte of mighty Diana.
Yet she neither tooke her a darte, nor a feathered arrow,
Nor would intermingle her idle toyes, with a fruitful
And commendable act, and sport of mighty Diana:
But contents her self with dayly domestical Harbor:
Bathes her loued limmes, fit for so louly a water,
Sits on flowring banck, and combs her sweetly beseeming
Hayre, & lookes to the lake, and guides her combe by the water.
Now her fayrest self, with finest lawne she adorneth,
And fayre self, fine lawne on tender grasse she reposeth:
Now fro the paunce to the rose, fro the rose to the lilly she wandreth,
And herself with paunce, with rose, with lilly she paynteth.
Salmacis, either take thee a darte, or a feathered arrow,
And intermingle these idle toyes, with a fruitfull
And commendable acte, and sporte of mighty Diana.
Yet she neither tooke her a darte, nor a feathered arrow,
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And commendable act, and sport of mighty Diana:
But contents her self with dayly domestical Harbor:
Bathes her loued limmes, fit for so louly a water,
Sits on flowring banck, and combs her sweetly beseeming
Hayre, & lookes to the lake, and guides her combe by the water.
Now her fayrest self, with finest lawne she adorneth,
And fayre self, fine lawne on tender grasse she reposeth:
Now fro the paunce to the rose, fro the rose to the lilly she wandreth,
And herself with paunce, with rose, with lilly she paynteth.
Whilst she bepaynts her self with a paunce, with a rose, with a lilly,
Hard by the pearl-bright brooke, she beheld fayre Hermaphroditus,
Hermaphroditus a far; so like to a God, to a goddes;
That shee wisht him a God, yet feard that he might be a Goddes.
But when man-like roabes declar'd that he was not a woman,
Salmacis all on fire his diuine beautie desired,
Salmacis all on thornes, for so sweete company longed,
Yet stayd, though on thornes, til her head, face, coate she had ordred,
And made all things fine, and then to the boy she repayred.
Hard by the pearl-bright brooke, she beheld fayre Hermaphroditus,
Hermaphroditus a far; so like to a God, to a goddes;
That shee wisht him a God, yet feard that he might be a Goddes.
But when man-like roabes declar'd that he was not a woman,
Salmacis all on fire his diuine beautie desired,
Salmacis all on thornes, for so sweete company longed,
Yet stayd, though on thornes, til her head, face, coate she had ordred,
And made all things fine, and then to the boy she repayred.
O sweete boy, whose more then mortall beauty deserueth
For to be deemed a God, what God shal I call the my sweete boy?
If that thou be a God, thou seemst to be goodly Cupido:
If but a man, most happy the man, who might be thy father,
Happy the woman, whom thy sweet self mad'st to be mother,
Happy the Nymph, whom so braue brother causd to be sister,
Happy the nurse, whose milk did feede so chearful a suckling:
But much more blessed, but much more happy then all these,
Were that lasse indeede, who might be thy wise, be thy bed-make:
If thou haue any wife, let mee be thy loue for a short time,
If thou haue no wife, let mee be thy friend for a long time:
Whether a husband bound, or whether free as a batchler,
Giue me a lawfull ioy, or priuily doe me a pleasure.
For to be deemed a God, what God shal I call the my sweete boy?
If that thou be a God, thou seemst to be goodly Cupido:
If but a man, most happy the man, who might be thy father,
Happy the woman, whom thy sweet self mad'st to be mother,
Happy the Nymph, whom so braue brother causd to be sister,
Happy the nurse, whose milk did feede so chearful a suckling:
But much more blessed, but much more happy then all these,
Were that lasse indeede, who might be thy wise, be thy bed-make:
If thou haue any wife, let mee be thy loue for a short time,
If thou haue no wife, let mee be thy friend for a long time:
Whether a husband bound, or whether free as a batchler,
Giue me a lawfull ioy, or priuily doe me a pleasure.
Thus she bespake sweete boy; but alas, sweet boy was abashed,
Knew not what loue was, but blusht, yet sweetly he blushed,
And wel, too too wel that blushing beauty beseemed.
Knew not what loue was, but blusht, yet sweetly he blushed,
And wel, too too wel that blushing beauty beseemed.
Salmacis askt but a kisse, when naught els might be procured,
And fayre Iuory neck with her Iuory handes she beclasped:
And fayre Iuory neck with her Iuory handes she beclasped:
Either let me alone, or I goe, said Hermaphroditus.
Nay, sweet friend, qd shee, stay here and play to thy pleasure,
Stay and play by the poole, Ile goe: and so she retireth,
And drawes back for a while, (yet looks back as she retyreth)
Drawes back vnto a bush; and there all closely she lurketh,
And through euery creeke, to the boy shee craftily peepeth.
Boy, vnspi'd, as he thought, as boys are wont, was a wandring
Here and there by the meade; and comes at last to the water;
Puts of his hose and shooes, and dips his feete to the anckles
In the bedabling waues, that seem'd his toes to be tickling.
By and by, draw'n on, by the coole and temperat humor
Of th' alluring lake, himselfe stark naked he stripped.
Nay, sweet friend, qd shee, stay here and play to thy pleasure,
Stay and play by the poole, Ile goe: and so she retireth,
And drawes back for a while, (yet looks back as she retyreth)
Drawes back vnto a bush; and there all closely she lurketh,
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Boy, vnspi'd, as he thought, as boys are wont, was a wandring
Here and there by the meade; and comes at last to the water;
Puts of his hose and shooes, and dips his feete to the anckles
In the bedabling waues, that seem'd his toes to be tickling.
By and by, draw'n on, by the coole and temperat humor
Of th' alluring lake, himselfe stark naked he stripped.
But when Salmacis once had seene fayre Hermaphroditus
Stript stark naked, alas her loue was turnd to a lusting,
Lust to a rage, and rage to a fire, and fire to a flaming.
Hardly she holdeth her hāds, she desires him now to be hādling,
And all impatient his snow-white skin to be tutching.
Stript stark naked, alas her loue was turnd to a lusting,
Lust to a rage, and rage to a fire, and fire to a flaming.
Hardly she holdeth her hāds, she desires him now to be hādling,
And all impatient his snow-white skin to be tutching.
Stript boy leaps to the lake, lake serues as a veile to the stript boy,
Bright transparent veile, as a glasse to a rose, or a lillie.
Bright transparent veile, as a glasse to a rose, or a lillie.
Hid Nymph runs fro the bush, dispoyles her selfe in a moment,
Casteth away her Lawnes, and flings her selfe to the water,
Takes hold, embraces, clips, colls, clasps Hermaphroditus,
(Striuing and strugling and wrestling Hermaphroditus)
Feeles his naked lims, and sweete lipps all to be sucketh,
Sticks fast, spraules, and turnes, and windes him about, as an Yuie
Creepeth along on a tree, or a snake cleaues fast to an Egle,
Snake snatcht vp fro the ground, by the gryping clawes of an Egle.
Casteth away her Lawnes, and flings her selfe to the water,
Takes hold, embraces, clips, colls, clasps Hermaphroditus,
(Striuing and strugling and wrestling Hermaphroditus)
Feeles his naked lims, and sweete lipps all to be sucketh,
Sticks fast, spraules, and turnes, and windes him about, as an Yuie
Creepeth along on a tree, or a snake cleaues fast to an Egle,
Snake snatcht vp fro the ground, by the gryping clawes of an Egle.
Fond boy stil stil striues, and stil stil Salmacis vrgeth,
And bowes her whole-selfe, bends her whole-selfe to the fond boy,
Weighs him downe at last, and there lies all to be wrapped,
All intangled lies, all intermingled about him.
And bowes her whole-selfe, bends her whole-selfe to the fond boy,
Weighs him downe at last, and there lies all to be wrapped,
All intangled lies, all intermingled about him.
Peeuish boy, qd shee, now wrythe and wrest the a thousand
Wayes, no way shall serue, for thus wil I holde the for euer.
O, would God, would God, that I might so holde the for euer.
Wayes, no way shall serue, for thus wil I holde the for euer.
O, would God, would God, that I might so holde the for euer.
Her boone was graunted: they liu'd so ioyntly for euer;
They were one, not two: two coopled, yet not a coople,
Neither boy nor wench, but a wench-boy now, or a boy-wench,
Both, yet none of both; either, yet neither of either.
They were one, not two: two coopled, yet not a coople,
Neither boy nor wench, but a wench-boy now, or a boy-wench,
Both, yet none of both; either, yet neither of either.
When poore youth perceau'd this transformation, and saw
Whereas he entred a man, that he turned back but a halfe-man:
Eyes, and heart, and hand, and voyce, (but now not a mans voyce)
Vp to the heau'ns did he lift, effeminat Hermaphroditus:
Father, Mother, graunt this fountayne so to be charmed,
That who goes in a man, may thence come foorth but a half-man.
Whereas he entred a man, that he turned back but a halfe-man:
Eyes, and heart, and hand, and voyce, (but now not a mans voyce)
Vp to the heau'ns did he lift, effeminat Hermaphroditus:
Father, Mother, graunt this fountayne so to be charmed,
That who goes in a man, may thence come foorth but a half-man.
Hermaphroditus chaunce, moude Hermes and Aphrodite:
And for a worthy reuenge, that well they speedily charmed,
That who goes in a man, comes alwayes foorth but a halfe-man.
And for a worthy reuenge, that well they speedily charmed,
That who goes in a man, comes alwayes foorth but a halfe-man.
| The Third part of the Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch | |