University of Virginia Library

The virgin Princesse of the westerne Ile,
Faire Cambarina of the goulden soile,
And yet not faire, but of a swartie hew,
For by her gould, her beautie did renew:
Renew as thus, that hauing gould to spare,
Men helde it dutie to protest and sweare,
Her faire was such, as all the world admir'd it,
Her blushing beautie such, all men desir'd it.
The scornefull Queene made proude with fained praises,
Her black-fram'd soule, to a hier rate she raises:
That men bewitched with her gould, not beautie,
A Thousand Knights as homage proffer dutie,
Yf such a base deformed lumpe of clay,
In whome no sweete content had any stay,
No pleasure residence, no sweet delight,
Shelter from heate of day, or cold of night:
Yf such a she so many sutors had,
Hero whose angrie frownes made heauen sad:
Hero whose gaze gracing darke Plutos cell,
Pluto would deeme Phœbus came there to dwell.
Hero whose eyes heauens fierie tapors staine,
Hero whose beautie makes night day againe,
How much more loue merits so sweet a Queene,
Whose like no out-worne world hath euer seene.
Of sweete Leanders loue, to Hero's beautie,
Heauen, Earth, and Hell, and all the world is guiltie,
Of Hero's kindnes, to her trustie Phere,
By lost Apollo's tale it doth appere,
Recorded in the Register of Fame,
The workes of Marlo doe expresse the same.
But ere he gan of fickle chance to tell,
How bad chance gainst the Better did rebell:
When loue in loues sweet garden newly planted,
Remorcefull Hero to Leander graunted,
Free libertie, to yeild the world increase,
Vnconstant Fortune foe to harmeles peace:
Playde such vnruly prancks in loues despight,
That loue was forced from his true-loues sight.

Dvke Archilaus cruell, voyd of pitie,
Where Hero dwelt was regent of that Citie:
Woe worth that towne where bloody homicides,
And Tyrants are elected cities guides.
Woe woorth that countrey where vnlawfull lust,
Sitts in a Regall throne, of force it must
Downe to the low layde bowells of the earth,
Like to a still borne Childes vntimely byrth:
Duke Archilaus lou'd; but whome lou'd he?
He courted Hero, but it would not be.
Why should he plant where other Knights haue sowen,
The land is his, therefore the fruit his owne,
Must it be thus, alas it is not so,
Lust may not force true-louers ouerthrow.
Lust hath no limits, lust will haue his will,
Like to a rauening wolfe that's bent to kill,
The Duke affecting her that was belou'd,
(Hero whose firme fixt loue Leander prou'd,)
Gaue on-set to the still resisting fort,
But fearefull hate set period to his sport.
Lust egg'd him on to further his desire,
But fell disdaine inforc't him to retire.
When Archilaus sawe that thundering threates
Could not preuaile, he mildly then intreates.
But all in vaine, the Doo had choose her make,
And whome she tooke, she neuer would forsake,
The Doo's sweet Deere, this hunter seekes to chace,
Harmeles Leander whose all smiling face
Grac't with vnspotted faire to all mens sight,
Would force the houndes retire, and not to bite:
Which when the Duke perceau'd, an other curre,
Was forced from his den, that made much sturre,
And treason he was nam'd, which helde so fast,
That feares swift winges did lend some ayde at last.
For force perforce Leander must depart
From Sestos, yet behind he left his hart.
His hart in Hero's brest, Leander left,
Leanders absence, Heroes ioyes bereft:
Leanders want, the cruell Duke thought sure
Some ease to discontent would soone procure.
Leander hauing heard his wofull doome,
Towards his weeping Lady he doth come,
Dewing her cheekes with his distilling teares,
Which Hero dryeth with her dangling haires:
They weeping greete each other with sweete kisses,
(Kindly imbracing) thus they gan their wishes.
Oh that these foulding armes might nere vndoe;
As she desir'd: so wisht Leander too:
Then with her hand, she toucht his sacred brest,
Where in his bosome she desires to rest.
Like to a snake she clung vnto him fast,
And wound about him, which snatcht-vp in hast,
By the Prince of birdes, borne lightly vp aloft,
Doth wrythe her selfe about his necke, and oft
About his winges displayed in the winde,
Or like as Iuie on trees cling bout the rinde:
Or as the Crab fish hauing caught in seas
His enemies, doth claspe him with his cleas.
So ioynd in one, these two together stood,
Euen as Hermophrodirus in the flood:
Vntill the Duke did bannish him away,
Then gan Leander to his Hero say.
(Let me goe where the Sunne doth parch the greene,
In temperate heate, where he is felt and seene:
Or where his beames doe not dissolue the ice,
In presence prest, of people mad or wise.
Set mee in high, or else in low degree,
In clearest skie, or where clowdes thickest bee,
In longest night, or in the shortest day,
In lustie youth, or when my haires be gray:
Goe I to heauen, to earth, or else to hell,
Thrall or at large, aliue where so I dwell,
On hill or dale, or on the foaming flood,
Sicke or in health, in euill fame or good:
Thine will I be, and onely with this thought,
Content thy selfe: although my chance be naught.)
Thus parted these two louers full of woes,
She staies behinde, on pilgrimage he goes.
Leaue we a while, Leander wandring Knight,
To Delphos taking his all speedie flight,
That by the Oracle of Apollo,
His further Fortunes he may truely knowe.

True-loue quite bannisht, lust began to pleade,
To Hero like a scholler deepely reade:
The flaming sighes, that boyle within my brest,
Faire loue (quoth he) are cause of my vnrest.
Vnrest I entertaine for thy sweet sake,
And in my tent choose sorrow for my make.
Why dost thou frowne (quoth he) and then she turn'd
Oh coole the fainting soule, that flaming burn'd:
Forc't by desire, to touch thy matchles beautie,
To whome thy seruant vowes all reuerent dutie.
With that her irefull browes clowded with frownes,
His soule already drencht, in woes sea drownes.
But floating on the waues thus he gan say,
Flint harted Lady canst thou be so coy?
Can pittie take no place, is kinde remorce
Quite bannisht, quite fled? then gan he to be horce,
Vnable to exclaime, against her longer,
Whose woe lament made Hero's hart more stronger.
Hero that gaue no eare to her commaunder,
But euer weepes for her exil'd Leander:
And weeping sore among'st her liquid teares,
These words she spake, wherewith her sorrow weares.
(The piller perisht is, whereto I lent,
To my vnhap, for lust away hath sent,
Of all my Ioy, the verie barke and rinde,
The strongest stay of my vnquiet minde:
And I alas am forc't without consent,
Dayly to mourne, till death doe it relent.)
Oh my Leander he is banished,
From his sweete Hero's sight he is exiled.
Oh yee iust heauens, if that heauen be iust,
Raine the vnbridled head, of hautie lust,
Make him to stoope, that forceth others bend,
Bereaue his ioyes, that rest me of my friend.
I want my selfe, for Hero wants her loue,
And where Leander is, my selfe doth moue.
What can I more, but haue a woefull hart,
My minde in woe, my body full of smart,
And I my selfe, my selfe alwayes to hate,
Till dreadfull death doe ease my dolefull state.
The angry Duke lay listning to her words,
And till she ends no speech at all affords,
Vntill at length; exclaiming gainst her kinde,
Thus he breath'd foorth the venome of his minde.
(Oh timerous taunters that delights in toyes,
langling iesters, depriuers of sweete ioyes,
Fumbling cock-boats tottering too and fro,
Grown'd of the graft, whence all my griefe doth grow:
Sullen Serpents enuiron'd with despight,
That ill for good at all times doth requite.
As Cypresse tree that rent is by the roote,
As well sowen seede, for drought that cannot sprout
As braunch or slip bitter from whence it growes,
As gaping ground that raineles cannot close:
As fish on lande to whome no water flowes,
As flowers doe fade when Phœbus rarest showes,
As Salamandra repulsed from the fier,
Wanting my wish, I die for my desire.)
Speaking those words death seiz'd him for his owne,
Wherewith she thought her woes were ouerthrowne:
Hero so thought, but yet she thought amisse,
Before she was belou'd: now findes no blisse.
Duke Archilaus being sodaine dead,
Young Euristippus ruled in his stead:
The next succeeding heire to what was his,
Then Hero's woes increast, and fled all blis.
Looke how the sillie harmeles bleating lambe,
Bereft from his kinde make the gentle dam,
Left as a pray to Butchers crueltie,
In whome she findes not any drop of mercie.
Or like a warriour whom his Souldiors flies,
At his shrill eccho of his foes dread cries.
He all vnable to withstand so many,
Not hauing wherewith to combat, nor any
Assured friend that dares to comfort him,
Not any way for feare dares succour him.
But as a pray he yeildes to him he would not,
Yf he had helpe, but (helplesse) striue he could not.
So far'd it with the meeke distressed Hero,
That sweet Leander, bannished her fro.
She had no Hercules, to defend her cause,
She had no Brandamore, disdaining lawes,
To combat for her safetie; this sweet Io,
Had no kinde Ioue to keepe her from her foe.
This Psiches had no Cupid, loue was bannisht,
And loue from loue exild, loue needs must famish.
Wood Euristippus for his brothers death,
Like as a toyled huntsman wanting breath,
Stormeth that bad chance in the games pursute,
Should cause him panting, rest as dead and mute.
Or like sad Orphey for Euridice,
Whom Cerberus bereft so hastilie,
Like to the thundering threates of Hercules,
The worldes admired Prince the great Alcides,
When Nessus got the height of his desire;
By rauishing his fairest Deianire.
Such was his ire, and more if more may be,
Which he gainst Hero breathed spightfully:
Thou damned hag: thus gan he to exclaime,
Thou base borne Strumpet one of Circes traine.
Durst thou presume, poore sillie simple flie,
With Venum's force, to force an Ægle die?
What though my brother Leander bannished,
Must he by thee therefore be poysoned?
Die cursed wretch, with that he cast her from him,
And would not suffer her to looke vpon him.
The still-amazed Lady musing stood,
Admiring why the Duke should be so wood.
Humbly she prostrates her at Angers feete,
And with downe dropping teares, like liquid sleete,
She watereth the Summer thirstie ground,
Weeping so long, she fell into a sound.
Againe reuiued by the standers by,
She doth intreate them to resolue her why,
Duke Euristippus wrongeth her so much,
As to dishonour her with such a touch.
Well know the Gods my guiltlesse soule (quoth she,)
Was Archilaus poysoned by me,
Yf so? Iust heauens and immortall powers,
Raine vengeance downe in all consuming showers:
And cause that Hero, that was counted faire,
Like a mad hellish furie to dispaire.
The more she weepes, the more the heauens smile,
Scorning that beautie should take any soile,
Iuno commaunded Argos to defend her,
But Iupiter would not so much befriend her.
Argos starke dead; sweet Hero might not liue,
For of her life the Duke will her depriue.
Her doome was thus, ere three moneths date tooke end,
If she found none, that would her cause defend:
Vntimely death should seize her as a pray,
And vnresisting life, should death obay.
Meane time within a rocke-fram'd castle strong,
She was imprisoned traytors vile among:
Where (discontented) when she should haue rested,
Her foode bad fare, with sighes and teares she feasted.
And when the breathlesse horses of the Sunne,
Had made their stay, and Luna had begun,
With cheerefull smyling browes to grace darke night,
Clad in blacke sable weedes, for want of light.
This all alone sad Lady gan to play,
Framing sweet musick to her welladay:
The'ffect whereof this Sonnet plainely showes,
The fountaine whence springs Hero's heauie woes.