XXX.
[What though Leander swamme in darksome night]
In the first part of this Passion the Author prooueth, that hee
abideth more vnrest and hurt for his beloued, then euer did
Leander for his Hero: of which two paramours the mutuall
feruency in Loue is most excellently set foorth by Musæus
the Greeke Poet. In the second part he compareth himselfe
with Pyramus, and Hæmon king Creons Sonne of Thebes, which
were both so true hearted louers, that through Loue they
suffered vntimely death, as Ouid. metam. lib. 4. writeth at large
of the one, And the Greeke Tragedian Sophocles in Antig. of
the other. In the last, in making comparison of his paynes
in Loue to the paines of Orpheus descendinge to hell for his
Eurydice, he alludeth to those two verses in Strozza,
Tartara, Cymba, Charon, Pluto, rota, Cerberus, angues,
Cocytes, Phlegeton, Stix, lapis, vrna, sitis.
What
though Leander swamme in darksome night,
Through troubled Helespont for Heroes sake;
And lost his life by losse of Sestus light?
The like or more my selfe do vndertake,
When eu'ry howre along the lingring yeare,
My ioye is drownde, and hope blowne out with feare.
And what though Pyram spent his vitall breath
For Thiebes sake? or Hæmon choase to die
To follow his Antigone by death?
In harder case and worser plight am I,
Which loue as they, but liue in dying still,
And faine would die, but can not haue my will.
We reade that Orpheus with his Harpe of golde,
For his Euridice went downe to hell:
The toyle is more, by that tune all be tolde,
Which I endure for her, whose heart is fell;
The Stigian
Curre, the Wheele, the Stone, the Fire,
And Furies all are plac't in my desire.
