Classic Poem

BUt now the wounded Quene, with heuy care,
Throughout the veines she norisheth the playe,
Surprised with blind flame, and to hir mind
Ean eke resort the prowesse of the man,
And honour of his race: while in her brest
Imprinted stack his wordes, and pictures forme.
Ne to her limmes care graunteth quiet rest.
The next morow, with Phebus laump, the earth
Alightned clere: and eke the dawning day
The shadowes dark gan from the poale remoue:
When all vnsound her sister of like minde
Thus spake she to: O sister Ann, what dreames
Be these, that me tormented thus afray?
What new guest, is this that to our realm is come?
What one of chere how stout of hart in armes?
Truly I think (ne vain is my belefe)
Of Goddish race some ofspring shold he be:
Cowardry notes hartes swarued out of kind.
He driuen (Lord) with how hard destiny:
What battalles eke atchiued did he recount?
But that my mind is fixt vnmoueably,
Neuer with wight in wedlock ay to joyne:
Sith my first loue me left by death disseuered,
If geniall brands, and bed me lothed not,
To this one gilt perchaunce yet might I yeld.
Anne, for I graunt, sith wretched Sichees death
My spouse and house with brothers slaughter staind,
This onely man hath made my sences bend,
And pricked foorth the mind, that gan to slide,
Now feelingly I tast the steppes of mine old flame,
But first I wish, the earth me swalow down:
Or with thunder the mighty Lord me send
To the pale gostes of hel, and darknes deepe:
Ere I thee staine, shamefastnes, or thy lawes
He that with me first coppled, tooke away
My loue with him enioy it in his graue.
Thus did she say, and with supprised teares
Ba[…]ed her brest. wherto Anne thus replied:
Olister, dearer beloued then the lyght:
They youth alone in plaint still wilt thou spill?
Ne children sweete, […]e Uenus giftes wilt know?
Cinders (thinkest thou) mind this? or graued ghostes?
Time of thy doole thy spouse new dead, I graunt,
None might thee moue: no not the Libian king
Nor yet of Tire Jarbas set so light:
And other princes mo: whom the rich soile
Of affrick breedes, in honours triumphant,
Wilt thou also gainstand thy liked loue
Comes not to mind vpon whoes land thou dwelst,
On this side, loe the Getule town behold,
A people bold vnuanquished in warre,
Eke the vndaunted Numides compasse thee
Also the Sirtes, vnfrendly harbroughe:
On thother hand, a desert realme for thrust
The Barceans, whose fury stretcheth wide.
What shall I touch the warres that moue from Tire?
Or yet thy brothers threates?
By gods puruciaunce it blewe, and Junos helpe,
The Troiaynes shippes (I think) to runn this course
Sister, what town shalt thou see this become?
Throgh such allie how shal our kingdom rise?
And by the aid of Troiane armes how great?
How many waies shal Cartages glorie grow?
Thou onely now besech the Gods of grace
By sacrifice: which ended, to thy house
Receue him: and forge causes of abode:
Whises winter frettes the seas, and watry Orion,
The shippes shaken, vnfrendly the season.
Such wordes enflamed the kindled mind with loue,
Loosed al shame, and gaue the doubtfull hope,
And to the temples first they hast and seeke,
By sacrifice for grace, with Hogreles of two yeares
Chosen (as ought) to Ceres, that gaue lawes,
To Phebus, Bachus, and to Juno chiefe,
Which hath in care the bandes of mariage.
Faire Dido held in her right hand the cup
Which twixt the hornes of a white Cowe she shed
In presence of the Gods passing before
The aulters fatte, which she renewed o[…]t
With giftes that day, and beastes debowled:
Gasing for counsell on the entrales warme.
Ay me, vnsk[…]ifull mindes of prophesy
Temples, or vowes, what boote they in her rage?
A gentle flame the mary doth deuoure:
Whiles in the brest the silent wound keepes life,
Unhappy Dido burns, and in her rage
Throughout the town she wandreth vp and down:
Like the stricken Hinde with shaft, in Crete
Throughout the woods which chasing with his dartes
Aloofe, the Shepheard smiteth at vnwares
And leaues vnwist in her the thirling head:
That through the groues, and landes glides in her fight:
Amid whose side the mortall arrow stickes,
Aeneas now about the walles she leades,
The towne prepared, and Cartsge welth to shew,
Offring to spea~k, an[…]d her voice, she whistes,
And when the day gan faile, new feastes she makes
The Trotes trauales to heare a new she listes
Inraged al: and stareth in his face
That tels the tale. And when they were al gone:
And the dimme moue doth eft withold the light:
And sliding starres prouoked vnto sleepe:
Alone she mournes within her palace voide;
And sets her down on her forsaken bed,
And absent him she heares, when he is gone,
And seeth eke: oft in her lappe she holdes
Ascanius, trapt by his fathers forme;
So to begile the loue cannot be told.

The turrettes now arise not, erst begonne,
Neither the youth weldes armes, nor they auauncs
The portes: nor other mete defence for warr.
Broken there hang the workes and mighty frames
Of walles high raised, threatning the skie.
Whom assoone as Joues deare wife sawe infect
With such a plage, ne fame resist the rage:
Saturnes daughter thus burdes Uenus then.
Great praise (quod she) and worthy spoiles you win.
You and your son, great Gods of memory,
By both your wiles one woman to deuower.
Yet am not I deceiued, that foreknew
Ye dread our walles, and bildinges gan suspect
Of high Cartage. But what shalbe the ende?
Or wherunto now serueth such debate?
But rather peace, and bridale bandes knit we,
Sith thou hast spede of that, thy heart desired,
Dido doth burne with loue, rage fretes her boones
This people now as common to vs both,
With equal fauour let vs gouerne then,
Lefull be it to serue a Troian spouse:
And Tirianes yeld to thy right hand in dowre.
To whom Uenus replied thus: that knewe,
Her wordes proceded from a fained minde,
To Libian coastes to turne thempire from Rome,
What wight so fond, such offer to refuse?
Or yet with thee had leuer striue in warr?
So be it fortune thy tale bring to effect,
But destenies I dout: least Joue nill graunt,
That folke of Tire, and such as came from Troie,
Should hold one town: or graunt these nacions
Mingled to be, or joyned ay in leage.
Thou at his wife: lefull it is for the
For to attempt his fansie by request:
Passe on before and folow the I shall?
Quene Juno then thus tooke her tale againe:
This trauaile be it mine: but by what meane.
(Marke in fewe wordes I shal thee lerne eftsones)
This worke in hand may now be compassed.
Aneas nowe, and wretched Dido eke
[…]o the forest, a hunting minde to wende,
To morne as soon as Titan shall ascend,
And with his beames hath ouerspred the world,
And whiles the winges of youth do swarm about.
And whiles they raunge to ouer set the groues
A cloudie showr mingled with haile I shall
Poure down, and then with thonder shake the skies,
Thassemble scattered the mist shall cloke.
Dido a caue, the Troyan prince the same
Shall enter to: and I will be at hand.
And if thy will sticke vnto mine: I shall
In wedlocke sure knit, and make her his own,
Thus shall the maryage be: to whose request
Without debate Uenus did seme to yeld,
And smyled soft, as she that found the wyle,
Then from the seas, the dawning gan arise,
The Sun once vp, the chosen youth gan throng
Out at the gates: the hayes so rarely knit,
The hunting staues with their brod heads of steele
And of Masile the horsemen fourth they brake
Of senting houndes a kenel huge like wise.
And at the threshold of her chaumber dore,
The Carthage Lords did on the Quene attend.
The trampling steede with gold and purple trapt,
Chawing the fomte bit, there sercely stood.
Then issued she, awayted with great train,
Clad in a cloke of Tyre embradred riche.
Her quyuer hung behinde her back, her tresse
Knotted in gold, her purple vesture eke
Burned with gold, the Troyans of her train
Before her go with gladsom Julus.
Aencas eke the goodliest of the route
Makes one of them, and toyneth close the throngs:
Like when Apollo leaueth Lycia,
His wintring place, and Xanthus floods likewise:
To viset Delos his mothers mansion:
Repairing eft and furnishing her quire
The Candians, and folkes of Dr[…]opes,
With painted Agathyrsies shoute, and crye:
Enuironing the altars roundabout
When that he walks vpon mount Cynthus top:
His sparkled tresse represt with garlandes soft
Of tender leaues, and trussed vp in gold:
His quiuering dartes clattring behinde his back:
So fresh and lustie did Aeneas seme:
Such lordly port in present countenaunce.

But to the hils, and wilde ho[…]tes when they came:
From the rocks top the driuen sauage rose,
Loe from the hill aboue on thother side,
Through the wyde lawnds, they gan to take their course
The harts likewise, in troupes taking their flight,
Raysing the dust, the mountain fast forsake.
The childe Julus, blithe of his swift steede
Amids the plain now pricks by them, now thes:
And to encounter wisheth oft in minde
The foming Bore in steede of ferefull beasts,
Or Lion brown might from the hill descend.

In the meane while the skies gan rumble sore:
In tayle therof, a mingled show[…] with hayle.
The Tyrian folk, and eke the Troyans youth,
And Uenus nephew the cotage? for feare
Sought round about: the floods fell from the hils.
Dido a den, the Troyan prince the same,
Chaunced vpon. Our mother then the earth,
And Juno that hath charge of mariage,
First tokens gaue with burning gledes of flame,
And pr[…]e to the wedlock lightning skies:
And the Nymphes yelled from the mountains top.
Ay me, this was the first day of their mirth,
And of their harmes the first occasion eke.
Respect of fame no longer her witholdes:
Nor museth now to frame her loue by stelth.
Wedlock she cals it: vnder the pretence
Of which fayre name she cloketh now her faut.
Forthwith Fame flich through the great Libian towns:
A mischefe Fame, there is none els so swift:
That mouing growes, and flitting gathers force:
First small for dred, sone after climes the skies:
Stayeth on earth; and hides her hed in cloudes.
Whom our mother the earth, tempted by wrath
Of Gods, begat: the last sister (they write)
To Caeus, and to Enccladus eke,
Spedie of foote, of wyng likewise as swift,
A monster huge, and dredfull to descriue.
In euery plume, that on her body sticks,
(A thing in dede much maruelous to heare)
As many waker eyes lurk vnderneath,
So many mouthes to speake, and listning eares,
By night she flies amid the cloudie skie,
Shriking by the dark shadow of the earth,
Ne doth decline to the swete sleepe her eyes.
By day she sits to mark on the house top,
Or turrets hye, and the great towns asraies.
As mindefull of yll and lyes as blasing truth.
This monster blithe with many a tale gan sow
This rumor then into the common eares:
As well things don as that was neuer wrought:
As that there comen is to Tyrians court
Aeneas one outsprong of Troyan blood
To whom fair Dido wold her self be wed.
And that the while the winter long they passe
In foule delight, forgetting charge of reigne,
Led against honour with vnhonest lust.

This in eche mouth, the filthie Goddesse spreds,
And takes her course to king Hiarbas straight
Kindling his minde: with tales she feedes his wrath,
Gotten was he by Ammon Jupiter
Upon the […]auisht Nimph of Garamant.
An hundred hugie great temples be built,
In his farre stretching realmes, to Jupiter.
Altars as many kept with waking flame,
Awatche alwayes vpon the Gods to tend.
The floores embrude with yelded blood of beastes,
And threshold spred with garlands of strange hue.
He wood of minde, kindled by bitter brute,
Tofore thaitars, in presence of the Gods,
With reared hands gan humbly Joue entreate,
Almighty God whom the Moores nacion
Fed at rich tables presenteth with wine,
Seest thou these things? or feare we thee in vaine
When thou lettest flye thy thonder from the cloudes?
Or do those flames with vaine noyse vs affray?
A woman that wandring in our coastes hath bought
A plot for price: where she a citie set:
To whom we gaue the strong for to manure.
And lawes to rule her town: our wedlock lothed,
Hath chose Aeneas to commaund her realme.
That Paris now with his vnmanly sor[…]e,
With mitred hats, with oynted bush and beard:
His rape enioyth: whiles to thy temples we
Our offrings bring, and folow rumors vaine,
Whom praing in such sort, and griping eke
The altars fast, the mighty father heard:
And writhed his loke toward the royal walls
And louers eke forgetting their good name,
To Mercurie then gaue he thus in charge.
Hense son in hast, and call to thee the windes.
Slide with thy plumes, and tell the Troyan prince,
That now in Carthage loytreth, rechlesse
Of the towns graunted him by desteny:
Swift through the skies, see thow these words conuey.
His faire mother behight him not to vs
Such one to beme therefore twyse him saued
From Grekish arms: but such a one
As mete might seme great Italie to rule
Dreedfull in arms, charged with seigniorie,
Shewing in profe his worthy Teucrian race.
And vnder lawes, the whole world to subdue,
If glorie of such things nought him enflame:
Ne that he listes seke honour by som paine:
The towers yet of Rome being his sire
Doth he enuie to yong Ascanius?
What mindeth he to frame? or on what hope
In enmies land doth he make hys abode?
Ne his ofspring in Italie regardes?
Ne yet the land of Lauin doth behold?
Bid him make sayle: haue here the sum and end
Our message thus report. When Joue had sayd
Then Mercurie gan, bend him to obey
His mightie fathers will: and to his heeles
His golden wings he knits, which him transport
With a light winde aboue the earth, and seas.
And then with him his wande he toke, whereby
He calles from hell pale gostes: and other some
Thether also he sendeth comfortlesse.
Wherby he forceth sleepes and them berenes,
And mortall eies he closeth vp in deth:
By power wherof he driues the windes away.
And passeth eke amid the troubled cloudes.
Till in his flight he gan descrie the top.
And the stepe flankes of rocky Atlas hill:
That with his crowne susteines the welkin vp:
Whose head forgrowen, with pine, circled alway,
With misty cloudes, beaten, with wind and storme:
His shoulders spred with snow, and from his chin
The springes descend: hisbeard frosen with yse.
Here Mercury with equal shining winges
First touched, and with body headling bette:
To the water thend tooke he his discent,
Like to the foule, that endlong costes and strondes
Swarming wi[…]h fysh, flyes sweping by the sea:
Cutting betwixt the windes and Libian landes,
From his graundfather by the motl ers side,
Cillenes child so came, and then alight
Upon the houses with his winged feete.
To fore towers, wher he Aeneas saw
Fcundacions cast arering lodges new.
Girt with a sweard of Jasper starry bright:
A shining parel flameed with stately eie
Of Tirian purple hong his shoulders down
The gift and work of wealthy Didoes hand
Stripped throughont with a thin thred of gold,
Thus he encounters him: Oh careles wight
Both of thy realme, and of thine own affaires:
A wifebound man now dost thou reare the walles
Of high Cartage, to build a goodly town.
From the bright skies the ruler of the Gods
Sent me to thee, that with his beck commaundes
Both heuen and earth: in hast gaue me charge
Through the light aire: his message thee to say.
what framest thou? or on what hope thy time
In idlenes doth wast in Affrick land?
Of so great things, if nought the fame thee stirr,
Ne list by trauaile honour to pursue:
Ascanus yet, that waxeth fast behold,
And the hope of Julus seede thine heir:
To whom the realme of Italy belonges,
And soile of Rome. When Mercury had said:
Amid his tale far of from mortall eies
Into light aire, he vanisht out of sight.

Aeneas with that vision striken down,
Well nere bestraught, vpstart his heare for dread,
Amid his throtal his voice likewise gan stick.
For to depart by night he longeth now,
And the sweet land to leaue, astoined sore
With this adiuse, and message of the Gods.
What may he do, alas? or by what words
Dare he persuade the raging Quene in loue?
Or in what sort may he his tale beginne?
Now here now there