In all the fayre of Beautie: yet he wanted
Vertue to make his owne desires implanted
In his deare Eucharis; for women neuer
Loue beautie in their sex, but enuie euer.
His judgement yet (that durst not suite addresse,
Nor past due meanes, presume of due successe)
Reason gat fortune in the end to speede

To his best prayers: but strange it seemd indeede,
That fortune should a chast affection blesse,
Preferment seldome graceth bashfulnesse.

Nor grast it Hymen yet; but many a dart
And many an amorous thought enthrald his hart,
Ere he obtaind her; and he sick became,
Forst to abstaine her sight, and then the flame
Rag'd in his bosome. O what griefe did fill him :
Sight made him sick, and want of sight did kill him.
The virgins wondred where Diatia Stayd,

For so did Hymen terme himselfe a mayd.

At length with sickly lookes he greeted them:
Tis strange to see gainst what an extreame streame
A louer striues; poore Hymen lookt so ill,
That as in merit he increased still,

By suffring much, so he in grace decreast.
Women are most wonne when men merit least :
If merit looke not well, loue bids stand by,
Loues speciall lesson is to please the eye.

And

And Hymen soone recouering all he lost,
Deceiuing still these maids, but himselfe most.
His loue and he with many virgin dames,

Noble by birth, noble by beauties flames,
Leauing the towne with songs and hallowed lights,
To doe great Ceres Eleusina rites

Of zealous Sacrifice, were made a pray

To barbarous Rouers that in ambush lay,

And with rude hands enforst their shining spoyle,
Farre from the darkned Citie, tir'd with toyle.
And when the yellow issue of the skie
Came trouping forth, ielous of crueltie
To their bright fellowes of this vnder heauen,
Into a double night they saw them driuen,
A horride Caue, the theeues black mansion,
Where wearie of the iourney they had gon,

Their last nights watch, and drunke with their sweete
Dull Morpheus entred, laden with silken chains, (gains,
Stronger then iron, and bound the swelling vaines
And tyred sences of these lawles Swaines.

But when the virgin lights thus dimly burnd;

O what a hell was heauen in! how they mournd

And wrung their hands, and wound their gentle forms
Into the shapes of sorrow! Golden storms

Fell from their eyes: As when the Sunne appeares,
And yet it raines, so shewd their eyes their teares.

And

And as when funerall dames watch a dead corse,
Weeping about it, telling with remorse

What paines he felt, how long in paine he lay,
How little food he eate, what he would say;
And then mixe mournfull tales of others deaths,
Smothering themselues in clowds of their owne breaths;
At length, one cheering other, call for wine,
The golden boale drinks teares out of their eine,
As they drinke wine from it; and round it
Each helping other to relieue their woes:
So cast these virgins beauties mutuall raies,
One lights another, face the face displaies;
Lips by reflexion kist, and hands hands shooke,
Euen by the whitenes each of other tooke.

goes,

But Hymen now vsde friendly Morpheus aide,
Slew euery theefe, and rescude euery maide.
And now did his enamourd passion take
Hart from his hartie deede, whose worth did make
His hope of bounteous Eucharis more strong;
And now came Loue with Proteus, who had long
Inggl'd the little god with prayers and gifts,
Ran through all shapes, and varied all his shifts,

To win Loues stay with him, and make him loue him:

And when he saw no strength of sleight could moue him To make him loue, or stay, he nimbly turnd

Into Loues selfe, he so extreamely burnd.

And thus came Loue with Proteus and his powre,
T'encounter Eucharis : first like the flowre

That Junos milke did spring, the siluer Lillie,
He fell on Hymens hand, who straight did spie
The bounteous Godhead, and with wondrous ioy
Offred it Eucharis. She wondrous coy

Drew back her hand: the subtle flowre did woo it,
And drawing it neere, mixt so you could not know it.
As two cleere Tapers mixe in one their light,
So did the Lillie and the hand their white:
She viewd it, and her view the forme bestowes
Amongst her spirits: for as colour flowes
From superficies of each thing we see,

Euen so with colours formes emitted bee:

And where Loues forme is, loue is, loue is forme;

He entred at the eye, his sacred storme

Rose from the hand, loues sweetest instrument:
It stird her bloods sea so, that high it went,
And beate in bashfull waues gainst the white shore
Of her diuided cheekes; it rag'd the more,
Because the tide went gainst the haughtie winde
Of her estate and birth: And as we finde
In fainting ebs, the flowrie Zephire hurles
The greene-hayrd Hellespont, broke in siluer curles
Gainst Heros towre: but in his blasts retreate,
The waues obeying him, they after beate,

Leauing

Leauing the chalkie shore a great way pale,
Then moyst it freshly with another gale:
So ebd and flowde the blood in Eucharis face,
Coynesse and Loue striu'd which had greatest grace
Virginitie did fight on Coynesse side;

Feare of her parents frownes, and femall pride,
Lothing the lower place more then it loues
The high contents desert and vertue moues.
With loue fought Hymens beautie and his valure,
Which scarce could so much fauour yet allure
To come to strike, but fameles idle stood,
Action is firie valours soueraigne good.

But Loue once entred, wisht no greater ayde
Then he could find within; thought thought betrayd,
The bribde, but incorrupted Garrison

Sung Jo Hymen; there those songs begun,

And Loue was growne so rich with such a gaine,
And wanton with the ease of his free raigne,
That he would turne into her roughest frownes
To turne them out; and thus he Hymen crownes
King of his thoughts, mans greatest Emperie :
This was his first braue step to deitie.

Home to the mourning cittie they repayre,
With newes as holesome as the morning ayre
To the sad parents of each saued maid :
But Hymen and his Eucharis had laid