University of Virginia Library

The .ix. Epistle.

Deianeira to Hercules.

Oechalia to be woone
I ioy to heare the fame:
It greeues me that the Victor should
haue yeelded to the same.
Report was brought of late
to Grecia that agrees
Full yll with any fact of thine
the tales we heard were these,
That whome not Iuno coulde
nor dreadfull trauels foyle,
The selfesame man had Iole made
in seruage yoke to toyle.
Eurystheus would it so,
and Iuno passing faine
Would learn that thou with such a crime
thy former facts would staine.
What? t'was not thou I trowe
that could not be conceyude.
In one whole night? I thinke herein
my selfe to bee deceyude.
More domage Venus doth
than Iuno earst to thee
This raysde thee vp by spitefull hate,
she makes thee bende I see.
Behold the world by thee
that liues at quiet ease,
As wyde as watrie Nereus gyrdes
the ground with frothie seas.
The greater part of earth,
and all the floods as farre
As both Apollos lodges reach
to thee indebted are.
The Skies thou hast sustaynde
that shall thy carkasse beare:
And Atlas holpe thee at a pinch
when thou to wearie weare.
But what saue open shame
by these thy facts is got?
If those thy valiant feates of armes
with bawdie rule thou blot?
Doe men report that thou
(for Ioue a worthie childe)
In cradle crasht two crawling Snakes?
in fayth they are beguilde.
That Babe was better farre
than is this bourely man:
Thou nothing makste an ende so well
as thou thy deedes began.
Whome not a thousand beastes
nor Steneleus atchiude,
Nor Iuno could for all hir spite:
hath craftie Cupid giude.
But for I am the wife
of Hercules, and hee
My fatherlaw that guides the Skies
and lets the thunder flee:
I am surmisde a happie Dame
and maried well to bee.
How yll vnegall Steares
in painefull Plough accorde:
So yll a simple woman matcht
with such a stately Lorde.
No honour commes thereby
but burthen and bebate.
Who so wilt well be wedded, wed
with one of thine estate.
My husband is alack,
my spouse is absent aye:
A straunger better knowne to mee,
he dreadfull beastes doth stay.
I in my desert home
doe nought but wishe afright,
And sore tormented least my spouse
be spoylde of foes in fight.
Amid the Serpents I
and greedie Lyons pawes,
And tusked Boares am tost, in feare
I stand of gaping iawes:
Of Dogs, that with their teeth from bones
will rent thy flesh by flawes.
And mee debowled beastes
and ydle dreames of night,
With griesly pictures of the dead
doe maken sore afright.
For fleeting fame I hunt
and rumors rashly spred:
By doubtfull hope is feare exilde,
and hope by feare is fled.
Thy Mother is alack,
and greeuously doth grutch
That to haue likt the mightie Ioue
hir destinie was such.
Amphitryon is away,
whome men surmisde to beene
Thy Syre: and Hyll the stripling eake
of vs can not be seene.
Eurystheus that doth forge
the cruell Iunos wrath
Is felt of vs: endurde to long
the Goddesse anger hath.
But these are trifles, oh,
thou addest forraine loue:
And eche may be a Mother made
by thee that list to proue.
I spare to speake as nowe
of Auge whome ere while,
(Alcide) amid Parthenian vales
thou fowly didst defile.
And thee (Astydame) I minde
of purpose to concile.
Ne meanes thy wyfe God wote
Teuthrancian trulles to name
(Of whom their scapte not one vntoucht)
to breede thy farther shame.
A recent crime there is
a foule yll fauourde iade,
That vnto Lamus mee of late
a mother law hath made.
Meander (that so oft
in one selfe circle ronnes,
And eke rebounding waues againe
vpon his shoulders, shonnes)
Sawe when about thy neck
there hoong a chaine of Golde:
That neck that thought the burden light
the Welkin to vpholde.
What? didst thou nothing shame
those brawned armes of thine
With Goldsmithes worke, wt glittring Gemmes
and owches braue to bine?
Euen those selfe armes (I say)
the Lyons lyfe that reft:
Whose noble spoyle for mantell serues
vpon thy shoulder left?
What? didst thou dare alo
vpon thy curled heare,
(For which a Popple fitter was)
a mytred Hat to weare?
Ne didst thou blushe in guise
of Lydian Lasse to don
A silken Scarfe, and Riband fine
thy bourly waste vpon?
Was Diomede forgot
that cruell Carle then?
That fatted vp his trampling steades
with fleshe of murthred men?
In such a nice attire
if Busyre thee had seene:
No doubt he woulde haue scornde of thee
yconquerde so to beene.
Let Antæus loose for shame
these iewels from thy throte,
For feare he loth that thou the palme
in wrestling collars gote.
T'is blasted that thou stoodste
of womans threates in awe,
And eake amyd Meonyan Maydes
the twisted twine didst drawe.
What? didst thou nothing shame
that hande with Flaxe to foyle,
That had long earst in valiant fight
ygot so many a spoyle?
With thwacking thombs thou drawste
a verie boysteous threede:
And to thy stately Maystresse yeldste
a iust accoumpt with dreede.
How often whilste thou sponne
with fingers nothing fine,
Amid thy crabbed crushing handes
hath crackt the twisted twine?
And standing of the whip
in trembling feare, they say
That thou before thy Maystresse feete
in dreede of lashing lay.
And spoyles ylayde a part
of gotten prayse the pryce,
Thou toldste thy deedes that should beene tho
concealde in any wise.
To wit, in cradle how
the crawling Snakes thou slue:
And rent their gaping iawes in two
and did their force subdue.
And how Tegæan Boare
in Erymanthus lyes:
And with his weight doth wrong the ground,
so monstrous is his sies.
Thou dost not let to tell
of Diomedes hed
Fixt on his Thracian gate, his Steedes
with flesh of man that fed.
And of the triple beast
Geryon thou didst boast:
That for his heird the welthiest was
in all the Spanish coast.
And of the hellish hounde,
that Cerberus was height
(Three headed Curre,) whose pate with locks
of Snakes was fowly freight.
The serpent eke, whose woundes
reserude him from the death,
And gashing scotches giuen afresh
infect with bitter breath.
And how Antæus hoong
with broken iawes betwyne
The left side (an ylfauourde wight)
and shoulders right behyne.
Ne dost thou then conceale
how Centaurs thou didst chase
(That double shaped were, and darste
not trust their legges in place)
Athwart Thessalian craggic cliffes,
and made them runne apace.
And canst thou clad perdie
in Sidon soft aray,
And womans nyce attyre, for shame
haue any worde to say?
Beside the Iardan Nymph
vpon hir shoulders thrue
Thine armour, and did conquer thee
that Monsters didst subdue.
Go now, and proudly vaunt
thy noble deedes of fame:
A man thou shouldst not beene of right
shee bett deserude the same.
Than whome so much thou art
inferiour, how much more
Thou stronger were than such as thou
hadst slaine with hande before.
Shee hath atchiude the fame
of all thy former deedes:
To hir as to thy lawfull heyre
thy purchasde prayse proceedes.
Oh, shame: the shagheard case
the Lyons rybbes bereaft,
Enuironde rounde a womans corps
and to hir carkasse cleaft.
Tushe, thou art foule deceyude,
no Lions spoyle it is,
But thine thou slewste the beast, and shee
hath conquerde thee ywis.
A woman bare thy darts
with venom ranck that weare
And Hydras beastly blood imbrude,
in hande that scarce coulde beare
A Distaffe fraught with Flax:
thy knarrie clubbe she helde,
And gazing in a shining glasse
thine armour she behelde.
This brute I heard, but gaue
no credit to the same,
But yet from eare some part of griefe
vnto my senses came.
But now before my face
the hatefull Whoore doth ride:
Nor I the secret smart I feele
haue farther powre to hide.
Thou wilt not haue hir gone,
she passeth through the streete
A captiue: whome of force we see,
not as a captiue meete:
With tresses hanging downe
declaring hir estate,
And hidden face to shew that chaunce
hath giuen hir the Mate:
But braue in beaten golde
she passeth to and fro:
As thou ere this in Phrygia were
accustomed to go.
From stately seate she yeeldes
the people such a cheere,
As though Oechalia stood againe
and eke hir father deere
Did liue, and thou (Alcides) by
Eurytus conquerd weere.
Perhaps deuorcement made
twixt Deianeire and thee,
No more thy drabbe this hatefull Whoore
but wedded wife shall bee.
Th' abodment makes me feare,
the chillie colde my corse
Doth ouerrunne, my hande doth lie
in bed withouten force.
And me among the rest
as wife with honest zeale
Thou hast pursude: I causde thee twise
with warlike tooles to deale.
For Achelous vp
his broken hornes did take
With dreerie cheere that laye disperst,
and hid in durtie Lake
His maymed front and crowne ycrackt
for Deianeiras sake.
The Monster Nessus with
thy deadly darte was slaine,
And with his Horses gorie blood
the waters did distaine.
But whereto write I this?
for tidings now is brought,
The shirt I gaue my husbande hath
his cruell death ywrought.
Aye me, what haue I done?
what forste me this to trie?
O Deianeira, O cursed wench,
why dost thou doubt to die?
And shall thy noble Feere
in Oeta Mount be rent?
And thou suruiue that were the cause
and wrought that foule intent?
What now remaines to make
a perfite proufe that I
Was Hercles wife? the truth therein
my doolefull death shalt trie.
Thou Meleager in mee
thy sister shalt descrie:
O Deianeire, O cursed wenche
why doste thou doubt to die?
O lynage of missehap,
O haplesse house I say:
My aged Syre Oeneus lyues
at point of last decay.
Tydeus my brother is
a poore exiled squire,
The tother fryde by Mothers meanes
aliue in fatall fire.
My dame vpon hir Corps
the cruell sworde did trie:
O Deianeire, O cursed wench,
why doste thou doubt to die?
By geniall rights I craue
this onely thing of thee
Not to surmise this wicked death
of purpose ment by mee.
For Nessus stroke with Dart,
declarde me that his blood
Would forcen loue, and saide it was
for that exceeding good.
I sent a Shirt to thee
imbrude therewith to trie:
O Deianeire, O cursed wench,
why doste thou doubt to die?
Now crooked Sire farewell,
and sister Gorge adue:
Thou Countrie with my brother exilde,
farewell I say to you.
And thou that art so lyke
to be the latter light
Mine eyes shall see: and Hercules
my spouse (O that thou might)
And little Hyl (my prettie boy)
I bid you all good night.