Now was our heau'nly vault depriued of the light
With sunne's depart; and now the darkenesse of the night
Did light those beamy stars, which greater light did darke;
Now each thing that enioy'd that firie quickning sparke
Which life is cald, were mou'd their spirits to repose,
And wanting vse of eyes, their eyes began to close
A silence sweet each where with one consent embrac't
(A musique sweet to one in carefull musing plac't),
And mother Earth, now clad in mourning weeds, did breath
A dull desire to kisse the image of our death:
When I, disgraced wretch, not wretched then, did giue
My senses such reliefe as they which quiet liue,
Whose braines broyle not in woes, nor breasts with beatings ake,
Which Nature's praise are wont in safest home to take.
Far from my thoughts was ought whereto their minds aspire,
Who vnder courtly pompes doe hatch a base desire;
Free all my powers were from those captiuing snares
Which heau'nly-purest gifts defile with muddie cares;
Ne could my soule it selfe accuse of such a fault
As tender conscience might with furious pangs assault;
But like the feeble flower whose stalke cannot sustaine
His weightie top, his top downeward doth drooping leane;
Or as the silly bird in well-acquainted nest
Doth hide his head with cares but onely how to rest:
So I, in simple course and vnintangled minde,
Did suffer drowsie lids mine eyes, then cleare, to blinde,
And, laying downe my head, did Nature's rule obserue;
They first their vse forgot, then fancies lost their force,
Till deadly sleepe at length possest my liuing corse
A liuing corse I lay; but, ah, my wakefull minde,
Which, made of heau'nly stuffe, no mortall change doth blind,
Flew vp with freer wings, of fleshly bondage free,
And hauing plac't my thoughts, my thoughts thus placed me.
Me thought, nay sure I was, I was in fairest wood
Of Samothea land, — a land which whilome stood
An honour to the world, while honour was their end,
And while their line of yeares they did in vertue spend:
But there I was, and there my calmie thoughts I fed
On Nature's sweet repast, as healthfull senses led;
Her gifts my study was, her beauties were my sport,
My worke her workes to know, her dwelling my resort.
Those lamps of heau'nly fire to fixed motion bound,
The euer-turning spheres, the neuer-mouing ground;
What essence dest'nie hath; if fortune be or no;
Whence our immortall soules to mortall earth doe stow;
What life it is, and how that all these liues doe gather,
With outward makers' force, or like an inward father:
Such thoughts me thought I thought, and straind my single mind,
Then void of neerer cares, the depth of things to find;
When, lo, with hugest noise, — such noise a tower makes
When it, blowne downe with wind, a fall of ruine takes;
Or such a noise it was, as highest thunders send,
Or cannons thunder-like, all shot together, lend, —
The moone asunder rent! whereout with sudden fall,
More swift than falcon's stoope to feeding falconer's call,
There came a chariot faire, by doues and sparrowes guided,
Whose storme-like course staid not till hard by me it bided.
I, wretch, astonisht was, and thought the deathfull doome
Of heauen, of earth, of hell, of time and place was come:
But streight there issued forth two ladies (ladies sure
They seemed to me), on whom did waite a virgin pure
Strange were the ladies' weedes, yet more vnfit than strange.
The first with cloths tuckt vp, as nymphes in woods doe range,
Tuckt vp euen with the knees, with bowe and arrowes prest;
Her right arme naked was, discouered was her brest,
But heauy was her pase, and such a meagre cheere,
As little hunting mind, God knowes, did there appeare.
The other had with art more than our women know,
As stuffe meant for the sale, set out to glaring show
A wanton woman's face, and with curl'd knots had twin'd
Her haire, which by the helpe of painter's cunning shin'd.
When I such guests did see come out of such a house,
The mountains great with child I thought brought forth a mouse
But walking forth, the first thus to the second said:
" Venus, come on," said she: " Diana, you are obaid."
Those names abasht me much, when those great names I heard,
Although their fame, me seemed, from truth had greatly iard.
As I thus musing stood, Diana cald to her
The waiting nymph, — a nymph that did excell as farre
All things that earst I saw, as orient pearles exceede
That which their mother hight, or else their silly seede;
Indeed a perfect hew, indeed a sweet consent
Of all those Graces' gifts the heauens haue euer lent:
And so she was attir'd as one that did not prize
Too much her peerelesse parts, nor yet could them despise.
But cald, she came apace; a pace wherein did moue
The band of beauties all, the little world of Loue,
And bending humble eyes (O eyes, the summe of sight!),
She waited mistresse' will, who thus disclos'd her spright:
" Sweet Mira mine," quoth she, " the pleasure of my mind,
In whom of all my rules the perfect proof I find;
To only thee, thou seest, we graunt this speciall grace
Vs to attend in this most priuate time and place.
Be silent therefore now, and so be silent still
Of that thou seest; close vp in secret knot thy will."
She answer'd was with looke and well-perform'd behest:
And Mira I admir'd; her shape sunke in my brest.
But thus, with irefull eyes, and face that shooke with spite,
Diana did begin: " What mou'd me to inuite
Your presence, sister deare, first to my moony spheare,
And hither now vouchsafe to take with willing eare?
I know, full well you know, what discord long hath raign'd
Betwixt vs two; how much that discord foule hath stain'd
Both our estates, while each the other did depraue,
Proofe speakes too much to vs, that feeling triall haue.
Our names are quite forgot, our temples are defac'd;
Our offrings spoil'd, our priests from priesthood are displac'd.
Is this the fruit of strife? those thousand churches hie,
Those thousand altars faire, now in the dust to lie;?
In mortall mindes our mindes but planets' names preserue;
No knees once bowed, forsooth; for them, they say, we serue
Are we their seruants growne? no doubt a noble stay,
Celestiall powers to wormes, Ioue's children serue to clay!
But such, they say, we be: this praise our discord bred,
While we for mutuall spite a striuing passion fed.
But let vs wiser be; and what foule discord brake,
So much more strong againe let fastest concord make
Our yeares doe it require; you see we both doe feele
The weakning worke of Time's for euer whirling wheele
Although we be diuine, our grandsire Saturne is
With Age's force decay'd, yet once the heauen was his
And now before we seeke by wise Apollo's skill
Our young yeares to renew (for so he saith he will),
Let vs a perfect peace betweene vs two resolue:
Which least the ruinous want of gouernment dissolue,
Let one the princesse be, to her the other yeeld, —
For vaine equalitie is but Contention's field, —
And let her haue the gifts that should in both remaine;
In her let beautie both and chastnesse fully raigne:
So as, if I preuaile, you giue your gifts to me;
If you, on you I lay what in my office be.
Now resteth onely this, which of vs two is she
To whom precedence shall of both accorded be
For that, so that you like, hereby doth lie a youth
(She beckned vnto me) as yet of spotlesse truth,
Who may this doubt discerne; for better wit than lot
Becommeth vs: in vs fortune determines not.
This crowne of amber faire (an amber crowne she held)
To worthiest let him giue, when both he hath beheld;
And be it as he saith." Venus was glad to hear
Such proffer made, which she well shew'd with smiling cheare,
As though she were the same as when by Paris' doome
She had chiefe Goddesses in beautie ouercome;
And smirkly thus gan say: " I neuer sought debate,
Diana deare; my minde to loue, and not to hate,
Was euer apt; but you my pastimes did despise:
I neuer spited you, but thought you ouerwise.
Now kindnesse proferd is, none kinder is than I,
And so most ready am this meane of peace to trie;
And let him be our iudge; the lad doth please me well."
Thus both did come to me, and both began to tell
(For both together spake, each loth to be behinde),
That they by solemne oath their Deities would binde
To stand vnto my will: their will they made me know.
I, that was first agast, when first I saw their show,
Now bolder waxt, waxt proude, that I such sway must beare;
For neare acquaintance doth diminish reuerent feare:
And hauing bound them fast, by Styx, they should obay
To all that I decreede, did thus my verdict say:
" How ill both you can rule, well hath your discord taught:
Ne yet, for ought I see, your beauties merit ought.
To yonder nymph, therefore (to Mira I did point),
The crowne aboue you both for euer I appoint."
I would haue spoken out, but out they both did crie,
" Fie, fie, what haue you done! vngodly rebell, fie!
But now we needs must yeeld to that our oathes require"
" Yet thou shalt not goe free," quoth Venus; " such a fire
Her beautie kindle shall within thy foolish minde,
That thou full oft shalt wish thy iudging eyes were blinde."
" Nay, then," Diana said, " the chastnesse I will giue,
In ashes of despaire though burnt, shall make thee liue."
" Nay, thou," said both, " shalt see such beames shine in her face,
That thou shalt neuer dare seeke helpe of wretched case."
And with that cursed curse away to heauen they fled,
First hauing all their gifts vpon faire Mira spred
The rest I cannot tell; for therewithall I wak'd,
And found with deadly feare that all my sinewes shak'd.
Was it a dreame? O dreame, how hast thou wrought in mee,
That I things erst vnseene should first in dreaming see!
And thou, O traytour Sleepe, made for to be our rest,
How hast thou framde the paine wherewith I am opprest!
O coward Cupid, thus dost thou thy honour keepe,
Vnarmde, alas, vnwarn'd, to take a man asleepe!