'In such luxurious plentie of all pleasure, That in this joyous place they mote have joyance free. 'Fresh shadowes, fit to shroud from sunny ray; Faire lawnds, to take the sunne in season dew; Sweet springs, in which a thousand Nymphs did play; Soft rombling brookes, that gentle slomber drew; High reared mounts, the lands about to view; Low looking dales, disloignd from common gaze; Delightfull bowres, to solace lovers trew; False Labyrinthes, fond runners eyes to daze; All which by nature made did nature selfe amaze. 'And all without were walkes and alleyes dight With divers trees enrang'd in even rankes; And here and there were pleasant arbors pight, And shadie seates, and sundry flowring bankes, To sit and rest the walkers wearie shankes : And therein thousand payres of lovers walkt, Praysing their god, and yeelding him great thankes, Ne ever ought but of their true loves talkt, Ne ever for rebuke or blame of any balkt. 'All these together by themselves did sport Brave thoughts and noble deedes did evermore aspire. 'Such were great Hercules and Hyllus deare Trew Jonathan and David trustie tryde Stout Theseus and Pirithous his feare1 Pylades and Orestes by his syde ; Myld Titus and Gesippus without pryde; Damon and Pythias, whom death could not sever: Nor happie howre, beheld with gazefull eye, I thought there was none other heaven then this; Much dearer be the things which come through hard distresse. 'Yet all those sights, and all that else I saw, Might not my steps withhold, but that forthright Unto that purposd place I did me draw, The Queene of beautie, and of love the mother, WOOING OF AMORET. 'Into the inmost Temple thus I came, Which fuming all with frankensence I found Upon an hundred marble pillors round The roofe up high was reared from the ground, All deckt with crownes, and chaynes, and girlands gay, The which sad lovers for their vowes did pay; And all the ground was strow'd with flowres as fresh as May. 1 companion. 'An hundred Altars round about were set, All flaming with their sacrifices fire, That with the steme thereof the Temple swet, Every of which was to a damzell hight; For all the Priests were damzels in soft linnen dight. 'Right in the midst the Goddesse selfe did stand * 'And all about her necke and shoulders flew 'And all about her altar scattered lay Amongst the rest some one, through Loves constrayning But thus brake forth, that all the temple it did fill. "Great Venus! Queene of beautie and of grace, The raging seas, and makst the stormes to flie; The waters play, and pleasant lands appeare, And heavens laugh, and al the world shews joyous cheare. * "So all the world by thee at first was made, Great God of men and women, queene of th' ayre, O graunt that of my love at last I may not misse!" 'So did he say : but I with murmure soft, That none might heare the sorrow of my hart, Yet inly groning deepe and sighing oft, Besought her to graunt ease unto my smart, And to my wound her gratious help impart. Whilest thus I spake, behold! with happy eye I spyde where at the Idoles feet apart A bevie of fayre damzels close did lye, Wayting when as the Antheme should be sung on hyc. 'The first of them did seeme of ryper yeares And graver countenance then all the rest : Yet unto her obayed all the best. Her name was Womanhood; that she exprest Whose luring baytes oftimes doe heedlesse harts entysc. 'And next to her sate goodly Shamefastnesse, Ne ever durst her eyes from ground upreare, Ne ever once did looke up from her desse1, As if some blame of evill she did feare, That in her cheekes made roses oft appeare: And her against sweet Cherefulnesse was placed, Whose eyes, like twinkling stars in evening cleare, Were deckt with smyles that all sad humors chaced, And darted forth delights the which her goodly graced, 'And next to her sate sober Modestie, Both gifts of God, not gotten but from thence, 'Thus sate they all around in seemely rate : With silver streames amongst the linnen stray'd; That same was fayrest Amoret in place, Shyning with beauties light and heavenly vertues grace. 'Whom soone as I beheld, my hart gan throb 1 dais. |