§ 46. Discord's House. JARD by the gates of hell her dwelling is, There whereas all plagues and harmes abound, Which punish wicked men, that walk amiss, is a darksome deve farre under ground, ith thornes and barren brakes enviroud round, That none the same way may out-win; Inany wayes to enter may be found, But none to issue forth when one is in; discord harder is to end than to begin. And all within the riven walles were hung ith ragged monuments of times fore-past, Of which, the sad effects of discord sung: ere were rent robes, and broken scepters plac't, Fars defil'd, and holy things defac't, ishevered spears, and shields ytorne in twaine, atcittys ransackt, and strong castles ras't, Nations captived, and huge armies slaine: all which ruines there some reliques did!

remaine.

And those same cursed seedes do also serve To her for bread, and yield a living food: For life it is to her, when others sterve Thro' mischievous debate, and deadly feood, That she may suck their life, and drink their blood, With which she from her childhood had been For she at first was born of hellish brood, [fed, And by infernal furics nourished, [read. That by her monstrous shape might easily be Her face most foule and filthy was to see, With squinted eyes contrary ways entended,

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,

Fild 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 cke 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.

§ 47. Dolphin.

s when a dolphin and a sele are met,

In the wide champion of the ocean plaine, With cruel chaufe their courages they whet, The masterdome-of each by force to gaine, And dreadful battaile 'twixt them to darraine:

They snuff, they snort, they bounce, they rage, they rore,

That all the sea (disturbed with their traine)

Doth frie with some above the surges hore, Such was betwixt these two the troublesome uprore. Z 2

$48.

That was to weet, the porter of the place, Unto whose trust the charge thereof was lent: His name was Doubt, he had a double face, Th' one forward looking, and the other backward bent;

Therein resembling Janus auncient,

Which hath in charge the ingate of the yeare: And evermore his eyes about him went, As if some proved perill he did feare,

§ 52. Envy.

AND next to him malicious Envie rode,
Upon a ravenous wolfe, and still did chaw
Between his cankred teeth a venemous tour,
That all the poyson ran about his jaw;
But inwardly he chawed his own maw
Atneighbours wealth, that made him everød,
For death it was, when any good he saw, [had
And wept, that cause of weeping none he
But when he heard of harme, he wexed wea
drous glad.

All in a kirtle of discolour'd say
He clothed was, ypainted full of eyes;
And in his bosom secretly there lay

In many folds, and mortal sting implies.

Still as he rode, he gnasht his teeth, to see Those heaps of gold with griple coveLise, And grudged at the great felicity Of proud Lucifera, and his own company. He hated all good works and virtuous deeds, And him no less, that any like did use;

And who with gracious bread the hungry f His almes for want of faith he doth accuse: So every good to bad he doth abuse;

And eke the verse of famous poet's wit He doth back-bite, and spightful poyson spee From leprous mouth, on all that ever wri Such on vile Envy was, that first in rowe did sit Another.

The one of them, that elder did appear, With her dull eyes, did seem to look askew,

That her mis-shape much helpt; and herica

haire

Hung loose and loathsomely: thereto her he Was wan and leane, that all her teeth arew, [ret

Her lips were like raw leather, pale and blue And all her bones might thro' her chees And as she spake, therewith she slaver'd; Yet spake she seldome, but thought more t

less she said.

and vexeth so, that makes her eat her gall. For when she wanteth other things to eat, he feeds on her own maw unnatural, [meat; And of her own foul entrailes makes her eat fit for such a monster's monstrous diat. And if she hapt of any good to hear, [teare That had to any body happily betid, Then would she inly fret, and grieve, and er flesh for felness, which she inward hid : at if she heard of ill that any did, Or harm that any had, then would she make reat cheare, like one unto a banquet bid; And in another's loss great pleasure take, s she had got thereby, and gained a great stake.

§ 58. Error.

;

HIS is a wandring wood, this Error's den A monster vile, whom God and man does hate.

By which he saw the ugly monster plaine,
If like a serpent horribly displaide,
But th'other half did woman's shape retaine,
Ost lothsome, filty, foul, and full of vile

disdaine.

As she lay upon the dirtie grownd,

r huge long taile her den all over-spread, Yet was in knots and many boughs upwound, inted with mortal sting. Of her there bred housand young ones, and she daily fed, Sucking upon her poisonous dugs, each one sundry shape, yet all ill-favoured: oon as that uncouth light upon them shone, o her mouth they crept, and suddain all were gone.

§ 54. Excess.

IT young Perissa was of other mind, Full of disport, still laughing, loosely light, and quite contrary to her sister's kind; measure in her mood, no rule of right, poured out in pleasure and delight; n wine and meats she flow'd above the bank, din excess exceeded her own might; n sumptuous tire she joy'd herself to prank; of her love to lavish, little have she thank.

As when a cast of falcons make their flight At an herneshaw, that lyes aloft on wing,

The whiles they strike at him with heedless might,

The warie fowl his bill doth backward wring; On which she first, whoes force her first doth bring,

Her self quite through the body doth engore, And falleth down to grownd like senseless thing; But th' other not so swift as she before, Fails of her souse, and passing by doth hurt

no more.

$57. Fancy.

E

MONGST them all sate he which wonned there,

That hight Phantastes by his nature trew;

A man in yeares, yet fresh as mote appeare, Of swarth complexion, and of crabbed hue, That him full of melancholy did shew;

Bent hollow beetle browes, sharp stairing eyes That mad or foolish seem'd: one by his view Mote deem hin borne with ill-disposed

skyes,

When oblique Saturne sate in the house of agonies.

Another. The first was Fancy, like a lovely boy, Of rare aspect, and beauty withont peare; Matchable eyther to that impe of Troy, Whom Jové did love, and chose his cup to Of

beare, Zz2

Or the same dainty lad that was so deare

To great Alcides, that when as he did hide, He wailed woman-like with many a teare, And every wood and every valley wide He fill'd with Hylas' name, the nymphes eke Hylas cride.

His garment neither was of silk nor say, But painted plumes in goodly order dight,

Like as the sun-burnt Indians do array Their tawny bodies in their proudest plight : As those same plumes, so seem'd he vain and That by his gate might easily appeare: [light, For still he far'd as dancing in delight,

And in his hand a windy fan did beare, That in the idle aire he mov'd still here and

there.

$62. First Age. THE antique world, in his first flowing youth, Found no defect in his Creator's grace; But with glad thanks, and unreproved truth, The gifts of soveraigne bounty did embrace: Like angels life was then man's happy case;

But later ages pride (like corn-fed steed) Abus'd her plenty, and fat-swoln encrease,

The measure of her meane, and natural tr To all licentious lust, and gan exceed [need.

Then gan a cursed hand the quiet wombe Of his great grandmother with steele to wourd,

And the hid treasures in her sacred tombe With sacrilege to dig. Therein he found Fountaines of gold and silver to abound,

Of which the matter of his huge desire And pompous pride eftsoones he did compoun Then avarice gan through his veines to spire

His greedy flames, and kendle life-devouri

fire.

§ 63. Flood.

s he that strives to stop a suddein flood, And in strong bankes his violence enclose Forceth his swell above his wonted mood.

And largely overtiowe the fruitful plaine, That all the country seems to be a maine,

And the rich furrowes flote, all quite for

Against that same fift bålwark they continued

That