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

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;
VVho 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

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