The blazing brightnesse of her beauties beame,
And glorious light of her sunshyny face,
To tell were as to strive against the streame:
My ragged rimes are all too rude and bace
Her heavenly lineaments for to enchace.
Ne wonder; for her own deare loved knight,
All were she daily with himselfe in place,
Did wonder much at her celestial sight:

Oft had he seene her faire, but never so faire dight.

His owne two hands the holy knotts did knitt,
That none but death for ever can divide ;
His owne two hands, for such a turne most fitt,
The housling fire did kindle and provide,
And holy water thereon sprinckled wide;
At which the bushy Teade1 a groome did light,
And sacred lamp in secret chamber hide,
Where it should not be quenched day nor night,
For feare of evil fates, but burnen ever bright.

Then gan they sprinckle all the posts with wine,
And made great feast to solemnize that day:
They all perfumde with frankincense divine,
And precious odours fetcht from far away,
That all the house did sweat with great aray:
And all the while sweete Musicke did apply
Her curious skill the warbling notes to play,
To drive away the dull Melancholy;

The whiles one sung a song of love and jollity.

During the which there was an heavenly noise Heard sownd through all the Pallace pleasantly, Like as it had bene many an Angels voice Singing before th' eternall majesty,

In their trinall triplicities on hye:

Yett wist no creature whence that hevenly sweet

Proceeded, yet each one felt secretly

Himselfe thereby refte of his sences meet,

And ravished with rare impression in his sprite.

1 torch.

Great joy was made that day of young and old, And solemne feast proclaymd throughout the land, That their exceeding merth may not be told: Suffice it heare by signes to understand The usuall joyes at knitting of loves band. Thrise happy man the knight himselfe did hold, Possessed of his Ladies hart and hand;

And ever, when his eie did her behold,

His heart did seeme to melt in pleasures manifold.
Her joyous presence, and sweet company,

In full content he there did long enjoy;
Ne wicked envy, ne vile gealosy,

His deare delights were hable to annoy ;
Yet, swimming in that sea of blisfull joy,

He nought forgott how he whilome had sworne,
In case he could that monstrous beast destroy,
Unto his Faery Queene backe to retourne;
The which he shortly did, and Una left to mourne.
Now, strike your sailes, yee jolly Mariners,

For we be come unto a quiet rode,
Where we must land some of our passengers,
And light this weary vessell of her lode :
Here she a while may make her safe abode,
Till she repaired have her tackles spent,

And wants supplide; And then againe abroad

On the long voiage whereto she is bent:

Well may she speede, and fairely finish her intent!

[From The Faerie Queene, Bk. ii.]

PHAEDRIA AND THE IDLE LAKE,

A harder lesson to learne Continence
In joyous pleasure then in grievous paine;
For sweetnesse doth allure the weaker sence
So strongly, that uneathes it can refraine
From that which feeble nature covets faine:
But griefe and wrath, that be her enemies
And foes of life, she better can abstaine:
Yet vertue vauntes in both her victories,

And Guyon in them all shewes goodly maysteries.

Whom bold Cymochles traveiling to finde,
With cruell purpose bent to wreake on him
The wrath which Atin kindled in his mind,
Came to a river, by whose utmost brim
Wayting to passe, he saw whereas did swim
Along the shore, as swift as glaunce of eye,
A litle Gondelay, bedecked trim

With boughes and arbours woven cunningly,
That like a litle forrest seemed outwardly.

And therein sate a Lady fresh and fayre,
Making sweet solace to herselfe alone:
Sometimes she song as lowd as larke in ayre,
Sometimes she laught, as merry as Pope Jone;
Yet was there not with her else any one,
That to her might move cause of meriment :
Matter of merth enough, though there were none,
She could devise; and thousand waies invent
To feede her foolish humour and vaine jolliment.

Which when far off Cymochles heard and saw,
He lowdly cald to such as were abord

The little barke unto the shore to draw,
And him to ferry over that deepe ford.
The merry mariner unto his word

Soone hearkened, and her painted bote streightway
Turnd to the shore, where that same warlike Lord
She in receiv'd; but Atin by no way

She would admit, albe the knight her much did pray.

Eftsoones her shallow ship away did slide,
More swift then swallow sheres the liquid skye,
Withouten oare or Pilot it to guide,

Or winged canvas with the wind to fly:
Onely she turnd a pin, and by and by
It cut away upon the yielding wave,
Ne cared she her course for to apply;

For it was taught the way which she would have,

And both from rocks and flats it selfe could wisely save.

And all the way the wanton Damsell found
New merth her passenger to entertaine;
For she in pleasaunt purpose did abound,
And greatly joyed merry tales to faine,

Of which a store-house did with her remaine:
Yet seemed, nothing well they her became ;
For all her wordes she drownd with laughter vaine,
And wanted grace in utt'ring of the same,

That turned all her pleasaunce to a scoffing game.

And other whiles vaine toyes she would devize, As her fantasticke wit did most delight: Sometimes her head she fondly would aguize With gaudy girlonds, or fresh flowrets dight About her necke, or rings of rushes plight: Sometimes, to do him laugh, she would assay To laugh at shaking of the leaves light Or to behold the water worke and play About her little frigot, therein making way.

Her light behaviour and loose dalliaunce Gave wondrous great contentment to the knight, That of his way he had no sovenaunce, Nor care of vow'd revenge and cruell fight, But to weake wench did yield his martiall might: So easie was to quench his flamed minde With one sweete drop of sensuall delight. So easie is t'appease the stormy winde Of malice in the calme of pleasaunt womankind.

Diverse discourses in their way they spent ; Mongst which Cymochles of her questioned Both what she was, and what that usage ment, Which in her cott she daily practized?

'Vaine man,' (saide she) 'that wouldest be reckoned

A straunger in thy home, and ignoraunt

Of Phaedria, (for so my name is red)

Of Phaedria, thine owne fellow servaunt;

For thou to serve Acrasia thy selfe doest vaunt.

'In this wide Inland sea, that hight by name The Idle lake, my wandring ship I row,

That knowes her port, and thither sayles by ayme,
Ne care, ne feare I how the wind do blow,
Or whether swift I wend, or whether slow:
Both slow and swift alike do serve my tourne;
Ne swelling Neptune ne lowd thundring Jove
Can chaunge my cheare, or make me ever mourne:
My little boat can safely passe this perilous bourne.'

Whiles thus she talked, and whiles thus she toyd,
They were far past the passage which he spake,
And come unto an Island waste and voyd,
That floted in the midst of that great lake;
There her small Gondelay her port did make,
And that gay payre, issewing on the shore,
Disburdned her. Their way they forward take

Into the land that lay them faire before,

Whose pleasaunce she him shewd, and plentifull great store.

It was a chosen plott of fertile land,
Emongst wide. waves sett, like a litle nest,
As if it had by Natures cunning hand
Bene choycely picked out from all the rest,
And laid forth for ensample of the best:

No daintie flowre or herbe that growes on grownd,

No arborett with painted blossomes drest

And smelling sweete, but there it might be fownd

To bud out faire, and throwe her sweete smels al arownd.

No tree whose braunches did not bravely spring;

No braunch whereon a fine bird did not sitt;

No bird but did her shrill notes sweetely sing;
No song but did containe a lovely ditt.

Trees, braunches, birds, and songs, were framed fitt
For to allure fraile mind to carelesse ease:

Carelesse the man soone woxe, and his weake witt
Was overcome of thing that did him please;
So pleased did his wrathfull purpose faire appease.