THE BOWER OF BLISS.

Thence passing forth, they shortly doe arryve
Whereas the Bowre of Blisse was situate;
A place pickt out by choyce of best alyve,
That natures worke by art can imitate:
In which whatever in this worldly state
Is sweete and pleasing unto living sense,
Or that may dayntest fantasy aggrate1,
Was poured forth with plentifull dispence,
And made there to abound with lavish affluence.

Goodly it was enclosed rownd about,
As well their entred guestes to keep within,
As those unruly beasts to hold without;

Yet was the fence thereof but weake and thin:
Nought feard theyr force that fortilage to win,
But wisedomes powre, and temperaunces might,
By which the mightiest things efforced bin:
And eke the gate was wrought of substaunce light,
Rather for pleasure then for battery or fight.

Yt framed was of precious yvory,
That seemd a worke of admirable witt;
And therein all the famous history

Of Jason and Medea was ywritt;

Her mighty charmes, her furious loving fitt;
His goodly conquest of the golden fleece,
His falsed fayth, and love too lightly flitt;

The wondred Argo, which in venturous peece

First through the Euxine seas bore all the flowr of Greece

Eftsoones they heard a most melodious sound,

Of all that mote delight a daintie eare,

Such as attonce might not on living ground,
Save in this Paradise, be heard elsewhere:

Right hard it was for wight which did it heare,

1 please.

To read what manner musicke that mote bee;

For all that pleasing is to living eare

Was there consorted in one harmonee;

Birdes, voices, instruments, windes, waters, all agree:

The joyous birdes, shrouded in chearefull shade Their notes unto the voice attempred sweet; Th' Angelicall soft trembling voyces made To th' instruments divine respondence meet; The silver sounding instruments did meet With the base murmure of the waters fall; The waters fall with difference discreet, Now soft, now loud, unto the wind did call ; The gentle warbling wind low answered to all.

There, whence that Musick seemed heard to bee, Was the faire Witch her selfe now solacing With a new Lover, whom, through sorceree And witchcraft, she from farre did thither bring: There she had him now laid aslombering In secret shade after long wanton joyes; Whilst round about them pleasauntly did sing Many faire Ladies and lascivious boyes,

That ever mixt their song with light licentious toyes.

The whiles some one did chaunt this lovely lay: Ah! see, whoso fayre thing doest faine to see, In springing flowre the image of thy day. Ah! see the Virgin Rose, how sweetly shee Doth first peepe foorth with bashfull modestee, That fairer seemes the lesse ye see her may. Lo! see soone after how more bold and free Her bared bosome she doth broad display;

Lo! see soone after how she fades and falls away.

So passeth, in the passing of a day,

Of mortall life the leafe, the bud, the flowre;

Ne more doth florish after first decay,

That earst was sought to deck both bed and bowre Of many a lady', and many a Paramowre,

Gather therefore the Rose whilest yet is prime,
For soone comes age that will her pride deflowre;
Gather the Rose of love whilest yet is time,

Whilest loving thou mayst loved be with equall crime.

He ceast; and then gan all the quire of birdes
Their diverse notes t'attune unto his lay,
As in approvaunce of his pleasing wordes.
The constant payre heard all that he did say,
Yet swarved not, but kept their forward way
Through many covert groves and thickets close,
In which they creeping did at last display
That wanton Lady with her Lover lose,

Whose sleepie head she in her lap did soft dispose

[From Book iv. 1595-6.]

GARDENS OF VENUS.

'Thus having past all perill, I was come
Within the compasse of that Islands space;
The which did seeme, unto my simple doome,
The onely pleasant and delightfull place
That ever troden was of footings trace:

For all that nature by her mother-wit

Could frame in earth, and forme of substance base,

Was there; and all that nature did omit,

Art, playing second natures part, supplyed it.

'No tree, that is of count, in greenewood growes,

From lowest Juniper to Ceder tall,

No flowre in field, that daintie odour throwes,
And deckes his branch with blossomes over all,

But there was planted, or grew naturall:

Nor sense of man so coy and curious nice,
But there mote find to please it selfe withall;
Nor hart could wish for any queint device,

But there it present was, and did fraile sense entice.

'In such luxurious plentie of all pleasure,
It seem'd a second paradise to ghesse,
So lavishly enricht with Natures threasure,
That if the happie soules, which doe possesse
Th' Elysian fields and live in lasting blesse,
Should happen this with living eye to see,
They soone would loath their lesser happinesse,
And wish to life return'd againe to bee,

That in this joyous place they mote have joyance free.

'Fresh shadowes, fit to shroud from sunny ray; Faire lawnds, to take the sunne in season dew; Sweet springs, in which a thousand Nymphs did play; Soft rombling brookes, that gentle slomber drew; High reared mounts, the lands about to view; Low looking dales, disloignd from common gaze; Delightfull bowres, to solace lovers trew; False Labyrinthes, fond runners eyes to daze ; All which by nature made did nature selfe amaze.

'And all without were walkes and alleyes dight With divers trees enrang'd in even rankes; And here and there were pleasant arbors pight, And shadie seates, and sundry flowring bankes, To sit and rest the walkers wearie shankes : And therein thousand payres of lovers walkt, Praysing their god, and yeelding him great thankes, Ne ever ought but of their true loves talkt, Ne ever for rebuke or blame of any balkt.

'All these together by themselves did sport
Their spotlesse pleasures and sweet loves content.
But, farre away from these, another sort
Of lovers lincked in true harts consent,
Which loved not as these for like intent,
But on chast vertue grounded their desire,
Farre from all fraud or fayned blandishment;
Which, in their spirits kindling zealous fire,

Brave thoughts and noble deedes did evermore aspire.

'Such were great Hercules and Hyllus deare
Trew Jonathan and David trustie tryde
Stout Theseus and Pirithous his feare1
Pylades and Orestes by his syde;

Myld Titus and Gesippus without pryde;

Damon and Pythias, whom death could not sever:
All these, and all that ever had bene tyde

In bands of friendship, there did live for ever;
Whose lives although decay'd, yet loves decayed never.
'Which when as I, that never tasted blis

Nor happie howre, beheld with gazefull eye,

I thought there was none other heaven then this;
And gan their endlesse happinesse envye,
That being free from feare and gealosye
Might frankely there their loves desire possesse ;
Whilest I, through paines and perlous jeopardie,
Was forst to seeke my lifes deare patronnesse :

Much dearer be the things which come through hard distresse. 'Yet all those sights, and all that else I saw,

Might not my steps withhold, but that forthright

Unto that purposd place I did me draw,
Where as my love was lodged day and night,
The temple of great Venus, that is hight
The Queene of beautie, and of love the mother,
There worshipped of every living wight;

Whose goodly workmanship farre past all other
That ever were on earth, all were they set together.'

WOOING OF AMORET.

'Into the inmost Temple thus I came,

Which fuming all with frankensence I found
And odours rising from the altars flame.

Upon an hundred marble pillors round

The roofe up high was reared from the ground,

All deckt with crownes, and chaynes, and girlands gay,
And thousand pretious gifts worth many a pound,

The which sad lovers for their vowes did pay;

And all the ground was strow'd with flowres as fresh as May. 1 companion.