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Yet she this rashnesse sodainly repented,
And turn'd aside, and to her selfe lamented,
As if her name and honour had beene wrong'd,
By being possest of him for whom she long'd:
I, and shee wisht, albeit not from her hart,
That he would leaue her turret and depart.
The mirthfull God of amorous pleasure smil'd,
To see how he this captiue Nymph beguil'd.
For hitherto hee did but fan the fire,

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And kept it downe that it might mount the hier.
Now waxt she iealous, least his loue abated,
Fearing her owne thoughts made her to be hated.
Therefore vnto him hastily she goes,

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And like light Salmacis, her body throes

Vpon his bosome, where with yeelding eyes
She offers vp her selfe a sacrifice,

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Now he her fauour and good will had wone.

But know you not that creatures wanting sence
By nature haue a mutuall appetence,

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And wanting organs to aduaunce a step,

Mou'd by Loues force, vnto ech other lep?
Much more in subiects hauing intellect,

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Some hidden influence breeds like effect.
Albeit Leander rude in loue, and raw,
Long dallying with Hero, nothing saw

That might delight him more, yet he suspected
Some amorous rites or other were neglected.
Therefore vnto his bodie hirs he clung,
She, fearing on the rushes to be flung,
Striu'd with redoubled strength

the more she striued,

The more a gentle pleasing heat reuiued,
Which taught him all that elder louers know,
And now the same gan so to scorch and glow,
As in plaine termes (yet cunningly) he crau'd it,
Loue alwaies makes those eloquent that haue it.

55 you] ye 1613 pleasing] pleasant 1600

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Shee, with a kind of graunting, put him by it,
And euer as he thought himselfe most nigh it,
Like to the tree of Tantalus she fled,

And seeming lauish, sau'de her maydenhead.
Ne're king more sought to keepe his diademe,
Than Hero this inestimable gemme.
Aboue our life we loue a stedfast friend,
Yet when a token of great worth we send,
We often kisse it, often looke thereon,
And stay the messenger that would be gon :
No maruell then, though Hero would not yeeld
So soone to part from that she deerely held.
Jewels being lost are found againe, this neuer,
T'is lost but once, and once lost, lost for euer.
Now had the morne espy'de her louers steeds,
Whereat she starts, puts on her purple weeds,
And red for anger that he stayd so long,

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All headlong throwes her selfe the clouds among,
And now Leander fearing to be mist,

Imbrast her sodainly, tooke leaue, and kist.
Long was he taking leaue, and loath to go,
And kist againe, as louers vse to do.

Sad Hero wroong him by the hand, and wept,
Saying, let your vowes and promises be kept.
Then standing at the doore, she turnd about,
As loath to see Leander going out.

And now the sunne that through th'orizon peepes,
As pittying these louers, downeward creepes,
So that in silence of the cloudie night,
Though it was morning, did he take his flight.

But what the secret trustie night conceal'd

Leanders amorous habit soone reueal'd,
With Cupids myrtle was his bonet crownd,
About his armes the purple riband wound,

Wherewith she wreath'd her largely spreading heare,
Nor could the youth abstaine, but he must weare
The sacred ring wherewith she was endow'd,
When first religious chastitie she vow'd:

Which made his loue through Sestos to bee knowne,
And thence vnto Abydus sooner blowne
Than he could saile, for incorporeal Fame,

Whose waight consists in nothing but her name,

85 being] beene 1613-37

94 vsde 1600

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100 downwards

1629, 1637 103 what] when 1637 113 incorporall 1598a, 1600

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Is swifter than the wind, whose tardie plumes
Are reeking water and dull earthlie fumes.
Home when he came, he seem'd not to be there,
But like exiled aire thrust from his sphere,

Set in a forren place, and straight from thence,
Alcides like, by mightie violence

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He would haue chac'd away the swelling maine,
That him from her vniustly did detaine.
Like as the sunne in a Dyameter,

Fires and inflames obiects remooued farre,

And heateth kindly, shining lat❜rally;

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So beautie, sweetly quickens when t'is ny,

But being separated and remooued,

Burnes where it cherisht, murders where it loued.
Therefore euen as an Index to a booke,

So to his mind was yoong Leanders looke.

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O none but gods haue power their loue to hide,
Affection by the count'nance is descride.
The light of hidden fire itselfe discouers,
And loue that is conceal'd, betraies poore louers.
His secret flame apparantly was seene,
Leanders Father knew where hee had beene,
And for the same mildly rebuk't his sonne,
Thinking to quench the sparckles new begonne.
But loue resisted once, growes passionate,
And nothing more than counsaile louers hate.
For as a hote prowd horse highly disdaines

To haue his head control'd, but breakes the raines,
Spits foorth the ringled bit, and with his houes.
Checkes the submissiue ground: so hee that loues,
The more he is restrain'd, the woorse he fares.
What is it now, but mad Leander dares ?
O Hero, Hero, thus he cry'de full oft,
And then he got him to a rocke aloft,

Where hauing spy'de her tower, long star'd he on't,
And pray'd the narrow toyling Hellespont

To part in twaine, that hee might come and go,
But still the rising billowes answered no.
With that hee stript him to the yu'rie skin,
And crying, Loue I come, leapt liuely in.

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126 sweetly] quickly 1637
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131 but gods haue power]

115 windes 1637 1609-37 128 it's cherisht E. P.

Whereat the saphir visag'd god grew prowd,

And made his capring Triton sound alowd,
Imagining that Ganimed displeas'd,

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Had left the heauens; therefore on him hee seaz'd.
Leander striu'd, the waues about him wound,
And puld him to the bottome, where the ground
Was strewd with pearle, and in low corrall groues
Sweet singing Meremaids, sported with their loues
On heapes of heauie gold, and tooke great pleasure
To spurne in carelesse sort the shipwracke treasure.
For here the stately azure pallace stood,
Where kingly Neptune and his traine abode.
The lustie god imbrast him, cald him loue,
And swore he neuer should returne to Ioue.
But when he knew it was not Ganimed,
For vnder water he was almost dead,

He heau'd him vp, and looking on his face,
Beat downe the bold waues with his triple mace,
Which mounted vp, intending to haue kist him,
And fell in drops like teares, because they mist him.
Leander being vp, began to swim,

And looking backe, saw Neptune follow him,

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Whereat agast, the poore soule gan to crie,

O let mee visite Hero ere I die.

The god put Helles bracelet on his arme,

And swore the sea should neuer doe him harme.

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He clapt his plumpe cheekes, with his tresses playd,

And smiling wantonly, his loue bewrayd.

He watcht his armes, and as they opend wide,
At euery stroke, betwixt them would he slide,
And steale a kisse, and then run out and daunce,
And as he turnd, cast many a lustfull glaunce,-
And threw him gawdie toies to please his eie,-
And diue into the water, and there prie
Vpon his brest, his thighs, and euerie lim,
And vp againe, and close beside him swim,
And talke of loue: Leander made replie,
You are deceau'd, I am no woman I.
Thereat smilde Neptune, and then told a tale,
How that a sheapheard sitting in a vale.
Playd with a boy so faire and kind,

As for his loue both earth and heauen pyn'd;

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164 shipwrackt 1629: shipwreck Rob., Dyce etc. 1629, 1637 187 throw Dyce etc.

faire] louely faire 1629, 1637, Rob. etc.

That of the cooling riuer durst not drinke,

Least water-nymphs should pull him from the brinke.
And when hee sported in the fragrant lawnes,
Gote-footed Satyrs and vp-staring Fawnes

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Would steale him thence. Ere halfe this tale was done,
Aye me, Leander cryde, th'enamoured sunne,
That now should shine on Thetis glassie bower,
Descends vpon my radiant Heroes tower.

O that these tardie armes of mine were wings!
And as he spake, vpon the waues he springs
Neptune was angrie that hee gaue no eare,
And in his heart reuenging malice bare:
He flung at him his mace, but as it went,
He cald it in, for loue made him repent.
The mace returning backe his owne hand hit,
As meaning to be veng'd for darting it.
When this fresh bleeding wound Leander viewd,
His colour went and came, as if he rewd
The greefe which Neptune felt. In gentle brests,
Re'enting thoughts, remorse and pittie rests.
And who haue hard hearts, and obdurat minds,
But vicious, harebraind, and illit'rat hinds?
The god seeing him with pittie to be moued,
Thereon concluded that he was beloued.
(Loue is too full of faith, too credulous,
With follie and false hope deluding vs.)
Wherefore Leanders fancie to surprize,
To the rich Ocean for gifts he flies.

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'Tis wisedome to giue much, a gift preuailes,
When deepe perswading Oratorie failes.
By this Leander being nere the land,

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Cast downe his wearie feet, and felt the sand.
Breathlesse albeit he were, he rested not,
Till to the solitarie tower he got,

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And knockt and cald, at which celestiall noise
The longing heart of Hero much more ioies
Then nymphs & sheapheards, when the timbrell rings,
Or crooked Dolphin when the sailer sings;
She stayd not for her robes, but straight arose,
And drunke with gladnesse, to the dore she goes,
Where seeing a naked man, she scriecht for feare,
Such sights as this to tender maids are rare,

200 vp-starting 1609-37, Rob.

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201 Ere halfe this] ere halfe

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