Had banisht all offence: Times golden Thie
Vpholds the flowrie bodie of the earth,
In sacred harmonie, and euery birth
Of men, and actions makes legitimate,
Being vsde aright; The use of time is Fate.
Yet did the gentle flood transfer once more,
This prize of Loue home to his fathers shore ;
Where he vnlades himselfe of that false welth
That makes few rich; treasures composde by stelth;
And to his sister kinde Hermione,
(Who on the shore kneeld, praying to the sea
For his returne) he all Loues goods did show
In Hero seasde for him, in him for Hero.
His most kinde sister all his secrets knew,
And to her singing like a shower he flew,
Sprinkling the earth, that to their tombs tooke in
Streames dead for loue, to leaue his iuorie skin,
Which yet a snowie fome did leaue aboue,
As soule to the dead water that did loue;
And from thence did the first white Roses spring,
(For loue is sweet and faire in euery thing)
And all the sweetned shore as he did goe,
Was crownd with odrous roses white as snow.
Loue-blest Leander was with loue so filled,
That loue to all that toucht him he instilled.
And as the colours of all things we see,
To our sights powers communicated bee:
So to all obiects that in compasse came
Of any sence he had, his sences flame
Flowd from his parts, with force so virtuall,
It fir'd with sence things meere insensuall.
Now (with warme baths and odours comforted)
When he lay downe he kindly kist his bed,
As consecrating it to Heros right,
And vowd thereafter that what euer sight
Put him in minde of Hero, or her blisse,
Should be her Altar to prefer a kisse.
Then laid he forth his late inriched armes,
In whose white circle Loue writ all his charmes,
And made his characters sweet Heros lims,
When on his breasts warme sea she sideling swims.
And as those armes (held vp in circle) met,
He said: See sister Heros Carquenet,
Which she had rather weare about her neck,
Then all the iewels that doth Juno deck.
But as he shooke with passionate desire,
To put in flame his other secret fire,
A musick so diuine did pierce his eare,
As neuer yet his rauisht sence did heare:
When suddenly a light of twentie hews
Brake through the roofe, and like the Rainbow views
Amazd Leander; in whose beames came downe
The Goddess Ceremonie, with a Crowne
Of all the stars, and heauen with her descended,
Her flaming haire to her bright feete extended,
By which hung all the bench of Deities;
And in a chaine, compact of eares and eies,
She led Religion; all her bodie was
Cleere and transparent as the purest glasse:
For she was all presented to the sence;
Deuotion, Order, State, and Reuerence,
Her shadowes were; Societie, Memorie;
All which her sight made liue, her absence die.
A rich disparent Pentackle she weares,
Drawne full of circles and strange characters:
Her face was changeable to euerie eie ;
One way lookt ill, another graciouslie;
Which while men viewd, they cheerfull were & holy :
But looking off, vicious and melancholy;
The snakie paths to each obserued law
Did Policie in her broad bosome draw:
One hand a Mathematique Christall swayes,
VVhich gathering in one line a thousand rayes
From her bright eyes, Confusion burnes to death,
And all estates of men distinguisheth.
By it Morallitie and Comelinesse,
Themselues in all their sightly figures dresse.
Her other hand a lawrell rod applies,
To beate back Barbarisme, and Auarice,
That followd eating earth, and excrement
And humane lims; and would make proud ascent
To seates of Gods, were Ceremonie slaine;
The Howrs and Graces bore her glorious traine,
And all the sweetes of our societie
VVere Spherde, and treasurde in her bountious eie. Thus she appeard, and sharply did reproue Leanders bluntnes in his violent loue;
Tolde him how poore was substance without rites,
Like bils vnsignd, desires without delites ;
Like meates vnseasond; like ranke corne that growes
On Cottages, that none or reapes or sowes:
Not being with ciuill forms confirm'd and bounded,
For humane dignities and comforts founded:
But loose and secret all their glories hide,
Feare fils the chamber, darknes decks the Bride.
She vanisht, leauing pierst Leanders hart
VVith sence of his vnceremonious part,
In which with plaine neglect of Nuptiall rites,
He close and flatly fell to his delites :
And instantly he vowd to celebrate
All rites pertaining to his maried state.
So vp he gets and to his father goes,
To whose glad eares he doth his vowes disclose :
The Nuptials are resolu'd with vtmost powre,
And he at night would swim to Heros towre.
From whence he ment to Seftus forked Bay
To bring her couertly, where ships must stay,
Sent by his father throughly rigd and mand,
To waft her safely to Abydus Strand.
There we leaue him, and with fresh wing pursue
Astonisht Hero, whose most wished view
I thus long haue forborne, because I left her
So out of countnance, and her spirits bereft her.
To looke on one abasht is impudence,
VV ben of sleight faults he hath too deepe a sence.
Her blushing het her chamber: she lookt out,
And all the ayre she purpled round about,
And after it a foule black day befell,
Which euer since a red morne doth foretell,
And still renewes our woes for Heros wo,
And foule it prou'd, because it figur'd so
The next nights horror, which prepare to heare;
I faile if it prophane your daintiest eare.
Then thou most strangely-intellectuall fire,
That proper to my
soule hast power t'inspire
Her burning faculties, and with the wings
Of thy vnspheared flame visitst the springs
Of spirits immortall; Now (as swift as Time
Doth follow Motion) finde th'eternall Clime
Of his free soule, whose liuing subiect stood
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