The Shorter Poems

The woods, the riuers, and the medowes green,

  With his aire-cutting wings he measured wide,

  155

  Ne did he leaue the mountaines bare vnseene,

  Nor the ranke grassie fennes delights vntride.

  But none of these, how euer sweete they beene,

  Mote please his fancie, nor him cause t’abide:

  His choicefull sense with euerie change doth flit.

  160

  No common things may please a wauering wit.

  To the gay gardins his vnstaid desire

  Him wholly caried, to refresh his sprights:

  There lauish Nature in her best attire,

  Powres forth sweete odors, and alluring sights;

  165

  And Arte with her contending, doth aspire

  T’excell the naturall, with made delights:

  And all that faire or pleasant may be found,

  In riotous excesse doth there abound.

  There he arriuing, round about doth flie,

  170

  From bed to bed, from one to other border,

  And takes suruey with curious busie eye,

  Of euerie flowre and herbe there set in order;

  Now this, now that he tasteth tenderly,

  Yet none of them he rudely doth disorder,

  175

  Ne with his feete their silken leaues deface;

  But pastures on the pleasures of each place.

  And euermore with most varietie,

  And change of sweetnesse (for all change is sweete)

  He casts his glutton sense to satisfie,

  180

  Now sucking of the sap of herbe most meete,

  Or of the deaw, which yet on them does lie,

  Now in the same bathing his tender feete:

  And then he pearcheth on some braunch thereby,

  To weather him, and his moyst wings to dry.

  185

  And then againe he turneth to his play,

  To spoyle the pleasures of that Paradise:

  The wholsome Saulge, and Lauender still gray,

  Ranke smelling Rue, and Cummin good for eyes,

  The Roses raigning in the pride of May,

  190

  Sharpe Isope, good for greene wounds remedies,

  Faire Marigoldes, and Bees alluring Thime,

  Sweete Marioram, and Daysies decking prime.

  Coole Violets, and Orpine growing still,

  Embathed Balme, and chearfull Galingale,

  195

  Fresh Costmarie, and breathfull Camomill,

  Dull Poppie, and drink-quickning Setuale,

  Veyne-healing Veruen, and hed-purging Dill,

  Sound Sauorie, and Bazill hartie-hale,

  Fat Colworts, and comforting Perseline,

  200

  Colde Lettuce, and refreshing Rosmarine.

  And whatso else of vertue good or ill

  Grewe in this Gardin, fetcht from farre away,

  Of euerie one he takes, and tastes at will,

  And on their pleasures greedily doth pray.

  205

  Then when he hath both plaid, and fed his fill,

  In the warme Sunne he doth himselfe embay,

  And there him rests in riotous suffisaunce

  Of all his gladfulnes, and kingly ioyaunce.

  What more felicitie can fall to creature,

  210

  Than to enioy delight with libertie,

  And to be Lord of all the workes of Nature,

  To raine in th’aire from earth to highest skie,

  To feed on flowres, and weeds of glorious feature,

  To take what euer thing doth please the eie?

  215

  Who rests not pleased with such happines,

  Well worthie he to taste of wretchednes.

  But what on earth can long abide in state?

  Or who can him assure of happie day;

  Sith morning faire may bring fowle euening late,

  220

  And least mishap the most blisse alter may?

  For thousand perills lie in close awaite

  About vs daylie, to worke our decay;

  That none, except a God, or God him guide,

  May them auoyde, or remedie prouide.

  225

  And whatso heauens in their secret doome

  Ordained haue, how can fraile fleshly wight

  Forecast, but it must needs to issue come?

  The sea, the aire, the fire, the day, the night,

  And th’armies of their creatures all and some

  230

  Do serue to them, and with importune might

  Warre against vs the vassals of their will.

  Who then can saue, what they dispose to spill?

  Not thou, O Clarion, though fairest thou

  Of all thy kinde, vnhappie happie Flie,

  235

  Whose cruell fate is wouen euen now

  Of Ioues owne hand, to worke thy miserie:

  Ne may thee helpe the manie hartie vow,

  Which thy olde Sire with sacred pietie

  Hath powred forth for thee, and th’altars sprent:

  240

  Nought may thee saue from heauens auengement.

  It fortuned (as heauens had behight)

  That in this gardin, where yong Clarion

  Was wont to solace him, a wicked wight

  The foe of faire things, th’author of confusion,

  245

  The shame of Nature, the bondslaue of spight,

  Had lately built his hatefull mansion,

  And lurking closely, in awayte now lay,

  How he might anie in his trap betray.

  But when he spide the ioyous Butterflie

  250

  In this faire plot dispacing too and fro,

  Fearles of foes and hidden ieopardie,

  Lord how he gan for to bestirre him tho,

  And to his wicked worke each part applie:

  His heart did earne against his hated foe,

  255

  And bowels so with ranckling poyson swelde,

  That scarce the skin the strong contagion helde.

  The cause why he this Flie so maliced,

  Was (as in stories it is written found)

  For that his mother which him bore and bred,

  260

  The most fine-fingred workwoman on ground,

  Arachne, by his meanes was vanquished

  Of Pallas, and in her owne skill confound,

  When she with her for excellence contended,

  That wrought her shame, and sorrow neuer ended.

  265

  For the Tritonian Goddesse hauing hard

  Her blazed fame, which all the world had fil’d,

  Came downe to proue the truth, and due reward

  For her prais-worthie workmanship to yeild

  But the presumptuous Damzel rashly dar’d

  270

  The Goddesse selfe to chalenge to the field,

  And to compare with her in curious skill

  Of workes with loome, with needle, and with quill.

  Minerua did the chalenge not refuse,

  But deign’d with her the paragon to make:

  275

  So to their worke they sit, and each doth chuse

  What storie she will for her tapet take.

  Arachne figur’d how Ioue did abuse

  Europa like a Bull, and on his backe

  Her through the sea did beare; so liuely seene,

  280

  That it true Sea, and true Bull ye would weene.

  She seem’d still backe vnto the land to looke,

  And her play-fellowes aide to call, and feare

  The dashing of the waues, that vp she tooke

  Her daintie feete, and garments gathered neare:

  285

  But (Lord) how she in euerie member shooke,

  When as the land she saw no more appeare,

  But a wilde wildernes of waters deepe:
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  Then gan she greatly to lament and weepe.

  Before the Bull she pictur’d winged Loue,

  290

  With his yong brother Sport, light fluttering

  Vpon the waues, as each had been a Doue;

  The one his bowe and shafts, the other Spring

  A burning Teade about his head did moue,

  As in their Syres new loue both triumphing:

  295

  And manie Nymphes about them flocking round,

  And manie Tritons, which their homes did sound.

  And round about, her worke she did empale

  With a faire border wrought of sundrie flowres,

  Enwouen with an Yuie winding trayle:

  300

  A goodly worke, full fit for Kingly bowres,

  Such as Dame Pallas, such as Enuie pale,

  That al good things with venemous tooth deuowres,

  Could not accuse. Then gan the Goddesse bright

  Her selfe likewise vnto her worke to dight.

  305

  She made the storie of the olde debate,

  Which she with Neptune did for Athens trie:

  Twelue Gods doo sit around in royall state,

  And Ioue in midst with awfull Maiestie,

  To iudge the strife betweene them stirred late:

  310

  Each of the Gods by his like visnomie

  Eathe to be knowen; but Ioue aboue them all,

  By his great lookes and power Imperiall.

  Before them stands the God of Seas in place,

  Clayming that sea-coast Citie as his right,

  315

  And strikes the rockes with his three-forked mace;

  Whenceforth issues a warlike steed in sight,

  The signe by which he chalengeth the place,

  That all the Gods, which saw his wondrous might

  Did surely deeme the victorie his due:

  320

  But seldome seene, foreiudgement proueth true.

  Then to her selfe she giues her Aegide shield,

  And steelhed speare, and morion on her hedd,

  Such as she oft is seene in warlicke field:

  Then sets she forth, how with her weapon dredd

  325

  She smote the ground, the which streight foorth did yield

  A fruitfull Olyue tree, with berries spredd,

  That all the Gods admir’d; then all the storie

  She compast with a wreathe of Olyues hoarie.

  Emongst those leaues she made a Butterflie,

  330

  With excellent deuice and wondrous slight,

  Fluttring among the Oliues wantonly,

  That seem’d to liue, so like it was in sight:

  The veluet nap which on his wings doth lie,

  The silken downe with which his backe is dight,

  335

  His broad outstretched homes, his hayrie thies,

  His glorious colours, and his glistering eies.

  Which when Arachne saw, as ouerlaid,

  And mastered with workmanship so rare,

  She stood astonied long, ne ought gainesaid,

  340

  And with fast fixed eyes on her did stare,

  And by her silence, signe of one dismaid,

  The victorie did yeeld her as her share:

  Yet did she inly fret, and felly burne,

  And all her blood to poysonous rancor turne.

  345

  That shortly from the shape of womanhed

  Such as she was, when Pallas she attempted,

  She grew to hideous shape of dryrihed,

  Pined with griefe of follie late repented:

  Eftsoones her white streight legs were altered

  350

  To crooked crawling shankes, of marrowe empted,

  And her faire face to fowle and loathsome hewe,

  And her fine corpes to a bag of venim grewe.

  This cursed creature, mindfull of that olde

  Enfestred grudge, the which his mother felt,

  355

  So soone as Clarion he did beholde,

  His heart with vengefull malice inly swelt,

  And weauing straight a net with manie a folde

  About the caue, in which he lurking dwelt,

  With fine small cords about it stretched wide,

  360

  So finely sponne, that scarce they could be spide.

  Not anie damzell, which her vaunteth most

  In skilfull knitting of soft silken twyne;

  Nor anie weauer, which his worke doth boast

  In dieper, in damaske, or in lyne;

  365

  Nor anie skil’d in workmanship embost;

  Nor anie skil’d in loupes of fingring fine,

  Might in their diuers cunning euer dare,

  With this so curious networke to compare.

  Ne doo I thinke, that that same subtil gin,

  370

  The which the Lemnian God framde craftilie,

  Mars sleeping with his wife to compasse in,

  That all the Gods with common mockerie

  Might laugh at them, and scorne their shamefull sin,

  Was like to this. This same he did applie,

  375

  For to entrap the careles Clarion,

  That rang’d each where without suspition.

  Suspition of friend, nor feare of foe,

  That hazarded his health, had he at all,

  But walkt at will, and wandred too and fro,

  380

  In the pride of his freedome principall:

  Litle wist he his fatall future woe,

  But was secure, the liker he to fall.

  He likest is to fall into mischaunce,

  That is regardles of his gouernaunce.

  385

  Yet still Aragnoll (so his foe was hight)

  Lay lurking couertly him to surprise,

  And all his gins that him entangle might,

  Drest in good order as he could deuise.

  At length the foolish Flie without foresight,

  390

  As he that did all daunger quite despise,

  Toward those parts came flying careleslie,

  Where hidden was his hatefull enemie.

  Who seeing him, with secrete ioy therefore

  Did tickle inwardly in euerie vaine,

  395

  And his false hart fraught with all treasons store,

  Was fil’d with hope, his purpose to obtaine:

  Himselfe he close vpgathered more and more

  Into his den, that his deceiptfull traine

  By his there being might not be bewraid,

  400

  Ne anie noyse, ne anie motion made.

  Like as a wily Foxe, that hauing spide,

  Where on a sunnie banke the Lambes doo play,

  Full closely creeping by the hinder side,

  Lyes in ambushment of his hoped pray,

  405

  Ne stirreth limbe, till seeing readie tide,

  He rusheth forth, and snatcheth quite away

  One of the litle yonglings vnawares:

  So to his worke Aragnoll him prepares.

  Who now shall giue vnto my heauie eyes