[sate Which thither came; but in the porch there As lurking from the view of covetous guest, That the weak boughes, with so rich load opprest, The foe of life, that good envies to all, Thus being entred, they behold around Mantled with green, and goodly beatifide Did deck her, and too lavishly adorne, Thereto the heavens always joviall, wholesome smell. More sweet and wholesome than the pleasant Of Rhodope, on which the nymph that bore dilate So fashioned a porch with rare divise, Some as the rubine laughing, sweetly red, So made by art, to beautifie the rest, Which did themselves amongst the leaves enfold, There the most dainty paradise on ground, In which all pleasures plentiouly abound, The trembling groves, the crystall running by; And scorned parts were mingled with the fine) Each did the other's worke niore beautify; And in the midst of all, a fountaine stood, Of richest substance that on earth might be So pure and shiny, that the silver flood Through every channell running, one might see; [boves, Most goodly it with pure imageree Was over-wrought, and shapes of naked Of which 'some seem'd with lively jollitee To fly about, playing their wanton toyes, Whiles others did themselves embay in liquid joyes. And over all, of purest gold, was spred For the rich metall was so coloured, Lowe his lascivious armes adowne did creep, That themselves dipping in the silver dew, Their fleecie flowres they tenderly did steepe, Which drops of crystall seem'd for wantonness to weepe. Infinite streames continually did well Whose depth exceeded not threecubits height, That with the angry working of the wave, clean. $ 32. Bull. s salvage bull, whom two fierce mastives bait, When rancour doth with rage him once begore, Forgets with warie ward them to await, But with his dreadful horns them drives afore, Or flings aloft, or treads down in the flore, Breathing out wrath, and bellowing out disdaine, That all the forest quakes to hear him roar. Another. As two fierce bulls, that strive the rule to get Of all the herd, meet with so hideous maine, That both rebutted, tumble on the plaine: So these two champions to the ground were feld. Another. Like a wild bull, that being at a bay, Is baited of a mastiff and a hound, And a curre-dog, that do him sharp assay On every side, and beat about him round; But most the curre, barking with bitter sound, And creeping still behind, doth him incomber, That in chauffe he digs the trampled ground, And threats his horns, and bellows like the thunder. §33. Calumny. IT is a monster bred of hellish race, Then answer'd he, which often had annoy'd Good knights and ladies true, and many else destroy'd. Of Cerberus whylome he was begot, And fell Chimera in her darksome den, Through foule commixture of his filthy blot, Where he was fostred long in Stygian fen, Till he to perfect ripeness grew, and then Into this wicked world he forth was sent, To be the plague and scourge of wretched men : Whom with vile tongue and venemous intent Ill sore doth wound, and bite and cruelly tor ment. § 34. Cannon. s when the devilish iron engine wrought As In deepest hell, and fram'd by furies skill, With windy nitre and quick sulphur fraught, And ramm'd with bullet round ordain'd to kill, Conceiveth fire, the heavens it doth fill With thundering noise, and all the aire doth choke, That none can breath, nor see, nor hear, at will, Thro' smouldry cloud of duskish stinking smoke, That th only breath him daunts who hath escapt his stroke. § 35. Charity. HE was a woman in her freshest age, SHE Of wondrous beauty, and of bountie rare, With goodly grace and comely personage, That was on earth not easy to compare; Full of great love, but Cupid's wanton snare As hell she hated, chast in work and will; Her neck and breasts were ever open bare, That aye thereof her babes might suck ber fill; The rest was all in yellow robes arraied still. A multitude of babes about her hang, Plying their sports, that joy'd her to behold, Whom still she fed, whilst they were weis and young, But thrust them forth still, as they wexed of And on her head she wore a tire of gold, [ Adorn'd with gemmes and owches wondr Whose passing price uneath was to be told, And by her side there sate a gentle pair Of turtle doves, she sitting in an ivory chai Ladies and lords she every-where mote hear Complaining, how with his empoysned shot Their woful hearts he wounded had whyleare, And so had left them languishing 'twixt hope and feare. She then the cities sought from gate to gate, And every one her answer'd, and too late And every one threw forth reproaches rife Where also many plaints to her were brought, Keeping their fleecy flocks, as they were hired; what Her sonne had to them doen; yet she did smile thereat. And at the upper end of the faire towne, Blindfold he was, and in his cruel fist Next after her, the winged god himself And did survey his goodly company: But in the porch did ever more abide That stopt the entrance with his spatious stride; Full many did affray, that else faine enter would. His name was Danger, dreaded over all, Who day and night did watch and duly ward, From fearful cowards entrance to forstall, And faint-heart fooles, whom shew of perill hard Could terrifie from Fortune's faire award : For, oftentimes, faint hearts at first espiall Of his grim face, were from approaching scar'd; Unworthy they of grace, whom one deniall Excludes from faire hope, withouten further triall. Yet many doughty heroes, often tride Durst not the sternness of his look abide; Again, some other, that in hard assaies BY § 40. Day-break. this, the northern waggoner had set His sevenfold teme behind the stedfast star, Full envious that night so long his room did fill. $41. Death. AND in his hand a bended bow was scene, And many arrowes under his right side, All deadly dangerous, all cruel keene, Headed with flint, and feathers bloudie dide, Such Such as the Indians in their quivers hide : Those could he well direct, and straite as line, And bid them strike the marke which he had eyde; Ne was there salve, ne was there medicine, That mote recure their wounds; so inly they did tine. As pale and wan as ashes was his look, His body lean and meagre as a rake, And skin all withered as a dried rook, Thereto as cold and drery as a snake, That seem'd to tremble evermore, and quake; All in a canvas thin he was bedight, And girded with a belt of twisted brake, Upon his head he wore an helmet light, Made of a dead man's scull, that seem'd a gastly sight. $42. Defamation. HIM in a narrow place he overtook, And fierce assailing forc't hiin turn againe ; Sternly he turn'd again, when he him strooke With his sharp steele, and ran at him amaine With opon mouth, that seemed to containe A full good peck within the utmost brim, All set with iron teeth with ranges twaine, 'That terrified his foes, and armed him, Appearing like the mouth of Orcus, grisly grim. And therein were a thousand tongues empight, Of sundry kindes, and sundry quality; Some were of dogs, that barked day and night, And some of cats, that wralling still did cry; And some of bears, that ground continually; And some of tygers that did seem to gren And snar at all that ever passed by: But most of them were longues of mortal men, That spake reproachfully, not caring where nor when. And then amongst were mingled here and there The tongues of serpents, with three forked stings, That spat out poison, and bore bloudy gere But either blotted them with infamy, § 43. Desire. AND him beside marcht amorous Desire, Who seem'd of riper years than the other swaine; Yet was that other swaine the elder syre, And gave him being, common to them twaine: His garment was disguised very vaine, And his embroidered bonet sate awry; Which still he blew, and kindled busily, That soon they life conceiv'd, and forth is flames did fly. § 44. Detraction. THE other nothing better was than she; Agreeing in bad will and cancred kind, But in bad manner they did disagree; For, what-so Envie good or bad did find, She did conceale and murder her own mind; But this, whatever evil she conceaved, Did spread abroad, and throw in the open win Yet this in all her words might be perceived That all she sought was men's good namest have bereaved. For whatsoever good by any said, Or done, she heard, she would strait-waies inver How to deprave, or slanderously upbraid, Or to misconstrue of a man's intent, And turne to till the thing that well was me Therefore she used often to resort To common haunts, and companys frequent, To hark what any one did good report, To blot the same with blame, or wrest in wicke sort. Aud if that any ill she heard of any, She would it eke, and make it worse by tell And take great joy to publish it to many, That every matter worse was for her melling Her name was hight Detraction, and her dwe Was near to Envy, even her neighbour rat A wicked hagg, and Envy's self excelling In mischiefe: for, her self she only vext But this same, both herself and others elce plext. Her face was ugly, and her mouth distor Foaming with poyson round about her gi In which her cursed tongue (full sharp=" short) Appear'd like aspis sting, that closely kills, Or cruelly does wound whom-so she wills A distaffe in her other hand she had, Upon the which she little spinnes, but spils. And faines to weave false tales and icasings: To throw among the good, when others disprad. § 45. Discord. FIREBRAND of hell, first tin'd in Phlegeton By thousand furies, and from thence thrown, Into this world, to work confusion. And sett it all on fire (by force unknown), Is wicked Discord, whose small sparkles w^blowne, None but a god, or godlike man, can slake Such as was Orpheus, that when strife was gre Amongst those famous impes of Greece,did "Twixt both his hands flew sparkes he close did His silver harp in hand, and shortly friends the strain, make. § 46. Discord's House. HARD by the gates of hell her dwelling is, There whereas all plagues and harmes abound, Which punish wicked men, that walk amiss, It is a darksome delve farre under ground, With thomes and barren brakes enviroud round, That none the same way may out-win; Yet many wayes to enter may be found, But none to issue forth when one is in ; For discord harder is to end than to begin. And all within the riven walles were hung With ragged monuments of times fore-past, Of which, the sad effects of discord sung: There were rent robes, and broken scepters plac't, Altars defil`d, and holy things defac't, Dishevered spears, and shields ytornein twaine, Great citys ransackt, and strong castles ras't, Nations captived, and huge armies slaine: Of all which ruines there some reliques did! remaine. There was the signe of antique Babylon, Of fatal Thebes, of Rome that raigned long, For memory of which, on high there hong had got alive. And there the reliques of the drunken fray, The which amongst the Lapithees befell, And of the bloody feast, which sent away o many centaures drunken soules to hell, That under great Alcides' furie fell: And of the dreadful discord, which did drive The noble Argonauts to outrage fell, That each of life sought other to deprive, And cke of private persons many mọc, Some of borne brethren, prov'd unnatural; Witnes, their broken bands there to be seen, And those same cursed seedes do also serve For life it is to her, when others sterve Her face most foule and filthy was to see, Such was the house within; but all without And loathly mouth, unmeet a mouth to be; That nought but gall and venim comprehended, And wicked words that God and man offended: Her lying tongue was in two parts divided, And both the parts did speak, and both contended, And as her tongue, so was her heart decided, That never thought one thing, but doubly still was guided. Als as she double spake, so heard she double, With matchless eares deformed and distort, Tumultuous trouble; and contentious jarre, The which most often end in blood-shed and in warre. Fil'd with false rumors, and seditious trouble, Bred in assemblies of the vulgar sort, That still are led with every light report. And as her eares, so eke her feet were odde, And much unlike; th' one long, the other short, And both misplac't; that when th' one forward gode, The other back retired, and contrary trode. Likewise unequal were her handes twaine; That one did reach, the other pusht away; The one did make, the other marr`d againe,. And sought to bring all things unto decay; Whereby great riches, gathered many a day, She in short space did often bring to nought, And their possessours often did dismay. For all her study was, and all her thought, How she might over.hrowe the thing that concord wrought. So much her mallice did her might surpass, That even th' Almighty self she did maligne Because to man so merciful he was, And unto all his creatures so benigne, san she her self was of his grace indigne: For all this world's faire workmanship she Unto his last confusion to bring, tride And that great golden chain quite to divide, With which it blessed concord hath together |