Classic Poem

The Argument of the Fift Sestyad.

Day doubles her accustomd date ,
As loth the night, incenst by fate ,
Should wrack our louers; Heros plight ,
Longs for Leander, and the night:
Which, ere her thirstie wish recouers ,
She sends for two betrothed louers ,
And marries them, that ( with their crew ,
Their sports and ceremonies due )
She couertly might celebrate ,
With secret ioy her owne estate .
She makes a feast, at which appeares
The wilde Nymph Teras, that still beares
An Iuory Lute, tels Omenous tales ,
And sings at solemne festiuales .

Now was bright Hero weary of the day,
Thought an Olympiad in Leanders stay.
Sol , and the soft-foote Howrs hung on his armes,
And would not let him swim, foreseeing his harmes:
That day Aurora double grace obtainde
Of her loue Phaebus; she his Horses rainde,
Set on his golden knee, and as she list
She puld him back; and as she puld, she kist
To haue him turne to bed; he lou'd her more,
To see the loue Leander Hero bore.
Examples profit much; ten times in one,
In persons full of note, good deedes are done.
Day was so long, men walking fell asleepe,
The heauie humors that their eyes did steepe,
Made them feare mischiefs. The hard streets were beds
For couetous churles, and for ambitious heads,
That spight of Nature would their busines plie.
All thought they had the falling Epilepsie ,
Men groueld so vpon the smotherd ground,
And pittie did the hart of heauen confound.
The Gods, the Graces, and the Muses came
Downe to the Destinies, to stay the frame
Of the true louers deaths, and all worlds teares:
But death before had stopt their cruell eares.
All the Celestials parted mourning then,
Pierst with our humane miseries more then men.
Ah, nothing doth the world with mischiefe fill,
But want of feeling one anothers ill.
With their descent the day grew something fayre,
And cast a brighter robe vpon the ayre.
Hero to shorten time with merriment,
For yong Alcmane , and bright Mya sent,
Two louers that had long crau'd mariage dues
At Heros hands: but she did still refuse,
For louely Mya was her consort vowd
In her maids state, and therefore not allowd
To amorous Nuptials: yet faire Hero now
Intended to dispence with her cold vow,
Since hers was broken, and to marrie her:
The rites would pleasing matter minister
To her conceits, and shorten tedious day.
They came; sweet Musick vsherd th'odorous way,
And wanton Ayre in twentie sweet forms danst
After her fingers; Beautie and Loue aduanst
Their ensignes in the downles rosie faces
Of youths and maids, led after by the Graces.
For all these, Hero made a friendly feast,
Welcomd them kindly, did much loue protest,
Winning their harts with all the meanes she might,
That when her fault should chance t'abide the light,
Their loues might couer or extenuate it,
And high in her worst fate make pittie sit.
She married them, and in the banquet came
Borne by the virgins: Hero striu'd to frame
Her thoughts to mirth. Aye me, but hard it is
To imitate a false and forced blis.
Ill may a sad minde forge a merrie face,
Nor hath constrained laughter any grace.
Then layd she wine on cares to make them sinke;
Who feares the threats of fortune, let him drinke.
To these quick Nuptials entred suddenly
Admired Teras with the Ebon Thye,
A Nymph that haunted the greene Sestyan groues,
And would consort soft virgins in their loues,
At gaysome Triumphs, and on solemne dayes,
Singing prophetike Elegies and Layes:
And fingring of a siluer Lute she tide,
With black and purple skarfs by her left side.
Apollo gaue it, and her skill withall,
And she was term'd his Dwarfe she was so small.
Yet great in vertue, for his beames enclosde
His vertues in her: neuer was proposde
Riddle to her, or Augurie, strange or new,
But she resolu'd it: neuer sleight tale flew
From her charmd lips without important sence,
Shewne in some graue succeeding consequence.
This little Siluane with her songs and tales,
Gaue such estate to feasts and Nuptiales,
That though oft times she forewent Tragedies,
Yet for her strangenes still she pleasde their eyes,
And for her smalnes they admir'd her so,
They thought her perfect borne and could not grow.
All eyes were on her: Hero did command
An Altar deckt with sacred state should stand,
At the Feasts vpper end close by the Bride,
On which the pretie Nymph might sit espide.
Then all were silent; euery one so heares,
As all their sences climbd into their eares:
And first this amorous tale that fitted well,
Fayre Hero and the Nuptials she did tell:

The tale of Teras.

Hymen that now is god of Nuptiall rites,
And crownes with honor loue and his delights,
Of Athens was a youth so sweet of face,
That many thought him of the femall race:
Such quickning brightnes did his cleere eyes dart,
Warme went their beames to his beholders hart.
In such pure leagues his beauties were combinde,
That there your Nuptiall contracts first were signde.
For as proportion, white, and crimsine, meet
In Beauties mixture, all right cleere, and sweet;
The eye responsible, the golden haire,
And none is held without the other, faire:
All spring together, all together fade;
Such intermixt affections should inuade
Two perfect louers: which being yet vnseene,
Their vertues and their comforts copied beene,
In Beauties concord, subiect to the eie;
And that, in Hymen , pleasde so matchleslie,
That louers were esteemde in their full grace,
Like forme and colour mixt in Hymens face;
And such sweete concord was thought worthie then
Of torches, musick, feasts, and greatest men:
So Hymen lookt, that euen the chastest minde
He mou'd to ioyne in ioyes of sacred kinde:
For onely now his chins first doune consorted
His heads rich fleece, in golden curles contorted;
And as he was so lou'd, he lou'd so too,
So should best bewties, bound by Nuptialls doo.
Bright Eucharis , who was by all men saide
The noblest, fayrest, and the richest maide,
Of all th' Athenian damzels, Hymen lou'd
With such transmission, that his heart remou'd
From his white brest to hers, but her estate
In passing his, was so interminate
For wealth and honor, that his loue durst feede
On nought but sight and hearing, nor could breede
Hope of requitall, the grand prise of loue;
Nor could he heare or see but he must proue
How his rare bewties musick would agree
With maids in consort: therefore robbed he
His chin of those same few first fruits it bore,
And clad in such attire, as Virgins wore,
He kept them companie, and might right well,
For he did all but Eucharis excell
In all the fayre of Beautie: yet he wanted
Vertue to make his owne desires implanted
In his deare Eucharis; for women neuer
Loue beautie in their sex, but enuie euer.
His iudgement yet (that durst not suite addresse,
Nor past due meanes, presume of due successe)
Reason gat fortune in the end to speede
To his best prayers: but strange it seemd indeede,
That fortune should a chast affection blesse,
Preferment seldome graceth bashfulnesse.
Nor grast it Hymen yet; but many a dart
And many an amorous thought enthrald his hart,
Ere he obtaind her; and he sick became,
Forst to abstaine her sight, and then the flame
Rag'd in his bosome. O what griefe did fill him:
Sight made him sick, and want of sight did kill him.
The virgins wondred where Diaetia stayd,
For so did Hymen terme himselfe a mayd.
At length with sickly lookes he greeted them:
Tis strange to see gainst what an extreame streame
A louer striues; poore Hymen lookt so ill,
That as in merit he increased still,
By suffring much, so he in grace decreast.
Women are most wonne when men merit least:
If merit looke not well, loue bids stand by,
Loues speciall lesson is to please the eye.
And Hymen soone recouering all he lost,
Deceiuing still these maids, but himselfe most.
His loue and he with many virgin dames,
Noble by birth, noble by beauties flames,
Leauing the towne with songs and hallowed lights,
To doe great Ceres Eleusina rites
Of zealous Sacrifice; were made a pray
To barbarous Rouers that in ambush lay,
And with rude hands enforst their shining spoyle,
Farre from the darkned Citie, tir'd with toyle.
And when the yellow issue of the skie
Came trouping forth, ielous of crueltie,
To their bright fellowes of this vnder heauen,
Into a double night they saw them driuen,
A horride Caue, the theeues black mansion,
Where wearie of the iourney they had gon,
Their last nights watch, and drunke with their sweete gains,
Dull Morpheus entred, laden with silken chains,
Stronger then iron, and bound the swelling vaines
And tyred sences of these lawles Swaines.
But when the virgin lights thus dimly burnd;
O what a hell was heauen in! how they mournd
And wrung their hands, and wound their gentle forms
Into the shapes of sorrow! Golden storms
Fell from their eyes: As when the Sunne appeares,
And yet it raines, so shewd their eyes their teares.
And as when funerall dames watch a dead corse,
Weeping about it, telling with remorse
What paines he felt, how long in paine he lay,
How little food he eate, what he would say;
And then mixe mournfull tales of others deaths,
Smothering themselues in clowds of their owne breaths;
At length, one cheering other, call for wine,
The golden boale drinks teares out of their eine,
As they drinke wine from it; and round it goes,
Each helping other to relieue their woes:
So cast these virgins beauties mutuall raies,
One lights another, face the face displaies;
Lips by reflexion kist, and hands hands shooke,
Euen by the whitenes each of other tooke.
But Hymen now vsde friendly Morpheus aide,
Slew euery theefe, and rescude euery maide.
And now did his enamourd passion take
Hart from his hartie deede, whose worth did make
His hope of bounteous Eucharis more strong;
And now came Loue with Proteus , who had long
Inggl'd the little god with prayers and gifts,
Ran through all shapes, and varied all his shifts,
To win Loues stay with him, and make him loue him:
And when he saw no strength of sleight could moue him
To make him loue, or stay, he nimbly turnd
Into Loues selfe, he so extreamely burnd.
And thus came Loue with Proteus and his powre,
T'encounter Eucharis: first like the flowre
That Junos milke did spring, the siluer Lillie,
He fell on Hymens hand, who straight did spie
The bounteous Godhead, and with wondrous ioy
Offred it Eucharis . She wondrous coy
Drew back her hand: the subtle flowre did woo it,
And drawing it neere, mixt so you could not know it.
As two cleere Tapers mixe in one their light,
So did the Lillie and the hand their white:
She viewd it, and her view the forme bestowes
Amongst her spirits: for as colour flowes
From superficies of each thing we see,
Euen so with colours formes emitted bee:
And where Loues forme is, loue is, loue is forme;
He entred at the eye, his sacred storme
Rose from the hand, loues sweetest instrument:
It stird her bloods sea so, that high it went,
And beate in bashfull waues gainst the white shore
Of her diuided cheekes; it rag'd the more,
Because the tide went gainst the haughtie winde
Of her estate and birth: And as we finde
In fainting ebs, the flowrie Zephire hurles
The greene-hayrd Hellespont , broke in siluer curles
Gainst Heros towre: but in his blasts retreate,
The waues obeying him, they after beate,
Leauing the chalkie shore a great way pale,
Then moyst it freshly with another gale:
So ebd and flowde the blood in Eucharis face
Coynesse and Loue striu'd which had greatest grace,
Virginitie did fight on Coynesse side;
Feare of her parents frownes, and femall pride,
Lothing the lower place, more than it loues
The high contents, desert and vertue moues.
With loue fought Hymens beautie and his valure,
Which scarce could so much fauour yet allure
To come to strike, but fameles idle stood,
Action is firie valours soueraigne good.
But Loue once entred, wisht no greater ayde
Then he could find within; thought, thought betrayd,
The bribde, but incorrupted Garrison,
Sung Jo Hymen; there those songs begun,
And Loue was growne so rich with such a gaine,
And wanton with the ease of his free raigne,
That he would turne into her roughest frownes
To turne them out; and thus he Hymen crownes
King of his thoughts, mans greatest Emperie:
This was his first braue step to deitie.
Home to the mourning cittie they repayre,
With newes as holesome as the morning ayre,
To the sad parents of each saued maid:
But Hymen and his Eucharis had laid
This plat, to make the flame of their delight
Round as the Moone at full, and full as bright.
Because the parents of chast Eucharis
Exceeding Hymens so, might crosse their blis;
And as the world rewards deserts, that law
Cannot assist with force: so when they saw
Their daughter safe, take vantage of their owne,
Praise Hymens valour much, nothing bestowne;
Hymen must leaue the virgins in a Groue
Farre off from Athens , and go first to proue
If to restore them all with fame and life,
He should enioy his dearest as his wife.
This told to all the maids; the most agree:
The riper sort knowing what t'is to bee
The first mouth of a newes so farre deriu'd,
And that to heare and beare newes braue folks liu'd,
As being a carriage speciall hard to beare,
Occurrents, these occurrents being so deare,
They did with grace protest, they were content
T'accost their friends with all their complement,
For Hymens good: but to incurre their harme,
There he must pardon them. This wit went warme
To Adoleshes braine, a Nymph borne hie,
Made all of voyce and fire, that vpwards flie:
Her hart and all her forces neither traine,
Climbd to her tongue, and thither fell her braine,
Since it could goe no higher, and it must go,
All powers she had, euen her tongue, did so.
In spirit and quicknes she much ioy did take,
And lou'd her tongue, only for quicknes sake,
And she would hast and tell. The rest all stay,
Hymen goes one, the Nymph another way:
And what became of her Ile tell at last:
Yet take her visage now: moyst lipt, long fa'st,
Thin like an iron wedge, so sharpe and tart,
As twere of purpose made to cleaue Loues hart.
Well were this louely Beautie rid of her,
And Hymen did at Athens now prefer
His welcome suite, which he with ioy aspirde:
A hundred princely youths with him retirde
To fetch the Nymphs: Chariots and Musick went,
And home they came: heauen with applauses rent.
The Nuptials straight proceed, whiles all the towne
Fresh in their ioyes might doe them most renowne.
First gold-lockt Hymen did to Church repaire,
Like a quick offring burnd in flames of haire.
And after, with a virgin firmament,
The Godhead-prouing Bride attended went
Before them all, she lookt in her command,
As if forme-giuing Cyprias siluer hand
Gripte all their beauties, and crusht out one flame,
She blusht to see how beautie ouercame
The thoughts of all men. Next before her went
Fiue louely children deckt with ornament
Of her sweet colours, bearing Torches by,
For light was held a happie Augurie
Of generation, whose efficient right
Is nothing else but to produce to light.
The od disparent number they did chuse,
To shew the vnion married loues should vse,
Since in two equall parts it will not seuer,
But the midst holds one to reioyne it euer,
As common to both parts: men therfore deeme,
That equall number Gods doe not esteeme,
Being authors of sweet peace and vnitie,
But pleasing to th'infernall Emperie,
Vnder whose ensignes Wars and Discords fight,
Since an euen number you may disunite
In two parts equall, nought in middle left,
To reunite each part from other reft:
And fiue they hold in most especiall prise,
Since t'is the first od number that doth rise
From the two formost numbers vnitie
That od and euen are; which are two, and three,
For one no number is: but thence doth flow
The powerfull race of number. Next did go
A noble Matron that did spinning beare
A huswifes rock and spindle, and did weare
A Weathers skin, with all the snowy fleece,
To intimate that euen the daintiest peece,
And noblest borne dame should industrious bee:
That which does good, disgraceth no degree.
And now to Junos Temple they are come,
Where her graue Priest stood in the mariage rome.
On his right arme did hang a skarlet vaile,
And from his shoulders to the ground did traile,
On either side, Ribands of white and blew;
With the red vaile he hid the bashfull hew
Of the chast Bride, to shew the modest shame,
In coupling with a man should grace a dame.
Then tooke he the disparent Silks, and tide
The Louers by the wasts, and side to side,
In token that thereafter they must binde
In one selfe sacred knot each others minde.
Before them on an Altar he presented
Both fire and water: which was first inuented,
Since to ingenerate euery humane creature,
And euery other birth produ'st by Nature,
Moysture and heate must mixe: so man and wife
For humane race must ioyne in Nuptiall life.
Then one of Junos Birds, the painted Iay,
He sacrifisde, and tooke the gall away.
All which he did behinde the Altar throw,
In signe no bitternes of hate should grow
Twixt maried loues, nor any least disdaine.
Nothing they spake, for twas esteemd too plaine
For the most silken mildnes of a maid,
To let a publique audience heare it said
She boldly tooke the man: and so respected
Was bashfulnes in Athens: it erected
To chast Agneia , which is Shamefastnesse,
A sacred Temple, holding her a Goddesse.
And now to Feasts, Masks, and triumphant showes,
The shining troupes returnd, euen till earths throwes
Brought forth with ioy the thickest part of night,
When the sweet Nuptiall song that vsde to cite
All to their rest, was by Phemonoe sung,
First Delphian Prophetesse, whose graces sprung
Out of the Muses well, she sung before
The Bride into her chamber: at which dore
A Matron and a Torch-bearer did stand;
A painted box of Confits in her hand
The Matron held, and so did other some
That compast round the honourd Nuptiall rome.
The custome was that euery maid did weare,
During her maidenhead, a silken Sphere
About her waste, aboue her inmost weede,
Knit with Mineruas knot, and that was freede
By the faire Bridegrome on the mariage night,
With many ceremonies of delight:
And yet eternisde Hymens tender Bride,
To suffer it dissolu'd so sweetly cride.
The maids that heard, so lou'd, and did adore her,
They wisht with all their hearts to suffer for her.
So had the Matrons, that with Confits stood
About the chamber, such affectionate blood,
And so true feeling of her harmeles paines,
That euery one a showre of Confits raines.
For which the Brideyouths scrambling on the ground,
In noyse of that sweet haile her cryes were drownd.
And thus blest Hymen ioyde his gracious Bride,
And for his ioy was after deifide.
The Saffron mirror by which Phaebus loue,
Greene Tellus decks her, now he held aboue
The clowdy mountaines: and the noble maide,
Sharp-visag'd Adolesche , that was straide
Out of her way, in hasting with her newes,
Not till this houre th' Athenian turrets viewes,
And now brought home by guides, she heard by all
That her long kept occurrents would be stale,
And how faire Hymens honors did excell
For those rare newes, which she came short to tell.
To heare her deare tongue robd of such a ioy
Made the well-spoken Nymph take such a toy,
That downe she sunke: when lightning from aboue,
Shrunk her leane body, and for meere free loue,
Turnd her into the pied-plum'd Psittacus ,
That now the Parrat is surnam'd by vs,
Who still with counterfeit confusion prates,
Nought but newes common to the commonst mates.
This tolde, strange Teras toucht her Lute and sung
This dittie, that the Torchie euening sprung.

Epithalamion Teratos.

Come, come deare night, Loues Mart of kisses,
Sweet close of his ambitious line,
The fruitfull summer of his blisses,
Loues glorie doth in darknes shine.
O come soft rest of Cares, come night,
Come naked vertues only tire,
The reaped haruest of the light,
Bound vp in sheaues of sacred fire.
Loue cals to warre,
Sighs his Alarmes,
Lips his swords are,
The field his Armes.
Come Night and lay thy veluet hand
On glorious Dayes outfacing face;
And all thy crouned flames command,
For Torches to our Nuptiall grace.
Loue cals to warre,
Sighs his Alarmes,
Lips his swords are,
The field his Armes.
No neede haue we of factious Day,
To cast in enuie of thy peace,
Her bals of Discord in thy way:
Here beauties day doth neuer cease,
Day is abstracted here,
And varied in a triple sphere.
Hero, Alcmane, Mya , so outshine thee,
Ere thou come here let Thetis thrice refine thee.
Loue cals to warre,
Sighs his Alarmes,
Lips his swords are,
The field his Armes.
The Euening starre I see:
Rise youths, the Euening starre,
Helps Loue to summon warre,
Both now imbracing bee.
Rise youths, loues right claims more then banquets, rise.
Now the bright Marygolds that deck the skies,
Phaebus celestiall flowrs, that (contrarie
To his flowers here) ope when he shuts his eie,
And shuts when he doth open, crowne your sports:
Now loue in night, and night in loue exhorts
Courtship and Dances: All your parts employ,
And suite nights rich expansure with your ioy,
Loue paints his longings in sweet virgins eyes:
Rise youths, loues right claims more then banquets, rise.
Rise virgins, let fayre Nuptiall loues enfolde
Your fruitles breasts: the maidenheads ye holde
Are not your owne alone, but parted are;
Part in disposing them your Parents share,
And that a third part is: so must ye saue
Your loues a third, and you your thirds must haue.
Loue paints his longings in sweet virgins eyes:
Rise youths, loues right claims more then banquets, rise.

Herewith the amorous spirit that was so kinde
To Teras haire, and combd it downe with winde,
Still as it Comet-like brake from her braine,
Would needes haue Teras gone, and did refraine
To blow it downe: which staring vp, dismaid
The timorous feast, and she no longer staid:
But bowing to the Bridegrome and the Bride,
Did like a shooting exhalation glide
Out of their sights: the turning of her back
Made them all shrieke, it lookt so ghastly black.
O haples Hero , that most haples clowde
Thy soone-succeeding Tragedie foreshowde.
Thus all the Nuptiall crew to ioyes depart,
But much-wrongd Hero , stood Hels blackest dart:
Whose wound because I grieue so to display,
I vse digressions thus t'encrease the day.

The end of the fift Sestyad .