And letteth them her lovely face to see, Whereof such wondrous pleasures they conceave,

And sweete contentment, that it doth bereave
Their soule of sense, through infinite delight,
And them transport from flesh into the spright.
In which they see such admirable things,
As carries them into an extasy,
And heare such heavenly notes and carolings,
Of Gods high praise, that filles the brasen sky;
And feele such joy and pleasure inwardly,
That maketh them all worldly cares forget,
And onely thinke on that before them set.
Ne from thenceforth doth any fleshly sense,
Or idle thought of earthly things, remaine;
But all that earst seemd sweet seemes now
offense,

And all that pleased earst now seemes to paine;
Their joy, their comfort, their desire, their gaine,
Is fixed all on that which now they see;
All other sights but fayned shadowes bee.
And that faire lampe, which useth to inflame
The hearts of men with selfe-consuming fyre
Thenceforth seemes fowle, and full of sinfull
blame;
[aspyre

Seemes to them basenesse, and all riches drosse,
And all mirth sadnesse, and all lucre losse.
So full their eyes are of that glorious sight,
And senses fraught with such satietie,
That in nought else on earth they can delight,
But in th' aspect of that felicitie,
Which they have written in their inward ey
On which they feed, and in their fastened mynd
All happie joy and full contentment fynd."

[fed

Ah, then, my hungry soule which long hast
On idle fancies of thy foolish thought,
And, with false beauties flattring bait misled,
Hast after vaine deceiptfull shadowes sought;
Which all are fled, and now have left thee
nought

But late repentance through thy follies prief;
Ah! ceasse to gaze on matter of thy grief:
And looke at last up to that Soveraine Light,
From whose purc beams al perfect beauty
springs,

That kindleth love in every godly spright Even the love of God; which loathing brings Of this vile world and these gay-seeming things;

Sweete-breathing Zephyrus did softly play
A gentle spirit, that lightly did delay
Hot Titans beames, which then did glyster
When I, (whom sullein care,
[fayre;
Through discontent of my long fruitlesse stay
In Princes Court, and expectation vayne
Of idle hopes, which still doe fly away,
Like empty shaddowes, did afflict my brayne,)
Walkt forth to ease my payne

Whose rutty Bancke, he which his River

hemmes

Was paynted all with variable flowers,
And all the meades adornd with daintie
gemmes

Fit to decke maydens bowres,
And crowne their Paramours
Against the Brydale day, which is not long:
Sweete Themmes! runne softly, till I end
my Song

There, in a Meadow, by the Rivers side,
A Flocke of Nymphes I chaunced to espy,
All lovely Daughters of the Flood thereby,
With goodly greenish locks, all loose untyde,
As each had bene a Bryde;

And each one had a little wicker basket,
Made of fine twigs, entrayled curiously,
In which they gathered flowers to fill their
flasket,

And with fine Fingers cropt full feateously
The tender staikes on hye.

Of every sort, which in that Meadow grew,
They gathered some; the Violet, pallid blew,
The little Dazie, that at evening closes,
The virgin Lillie, and the Primrose trew,
With store of vermeil Roses,
To decke their Bridegromes posies
Against the Brydale day, which was not long
Sweete Themmes! runne softly, till I end
my Song.

With that I saw two Swannes of goodly hewe
Come softly swimming downe along the Lee;
Two fairer Birds I yet did never see;

The snow, which doth the top of Pindus strew,
Did never whiter shew,

Nor Jove himselfe, when he a Swan would be,
For love of Leda, whiter did appeare;
Yet Leda was (they say) as white as he,

:

Even as their Brydale day, which was not long:

Sweete Themmes! runne softly, till I end my Song.

Then forth they all out of their baskets drew
Great store of Flowers, the honour of the field,
That to the sense did fragrant odours yeild,
All which upon
those goodly Birds they threw
And all the Waves did strew,

That like old Peneus Waters they did seeme,
When downe along by pleasant Tempes shore,
Scattred with Flowres, through Thessaly they
streeme,

That they appeare, through Lillies plenteous
Like a Brydes Chamber flore.
Two of those Nymphes, meane while, two
Garlands bound

[store, Of freshest Flowres which in that Mead they [found, The which presenting all in trim Array, Their snowie Foreheads therewithall they Whil'st one did sing this Lay, [crownd, Prepar'd against that Day, [long:

Against their Brydale day, which was not Sweete Themmes! runne softly, till I end

my Song.

'Ye gentle Birdes! the worlds faire ornament,

spare

And let faire Venus, that is Queene of love,

smile,

I

had

As they came floating on the Christal Flood; Whom when they sawe, they stood amazed Their wondring eyes to fill;

[still,

Them seem'd they never saw a sight so fayre,

To be begot of any earthly Seede,
But rather Angels, or of Angels breede;

So fresh they seem'd as day,

Making his streame run slow.

my Song.

At length they all to mery London came,
To mery London, my most kyndly Nurse,
That to me gave this Lifes first native sourse,
Though from another place I take my name,
An house of auncient fame:
[towres
There when they came, whereas those bricky
The which on Themmes brode aged backe doe
ryde,
[bowers,
Where now the studious Lawyers have their
There whylome wont the Templer Knights to
Till they decayd through pride: [byde,
Next whereunto there standes a stately place,
Where oft I gayned giftes and goodly grace
Of that great Lord, which therein wont to
dwell,
[case;
Whose want too well now feeles my freendles

But ah! here fits not well
Olde woes, but joyes, to tell

Against the bridale daye, which is not long: Sweete Themmes! runne softly, till I end my Song.

Yet therein now doth lodge a noble Peer, Great Englands glory, and the Worlds wide: wonder. [did thunder, Whose dreadfull name late through all Spaine And Hercules two pillors standing neere Did make to quake and feare:

Faire branch of Honor, flower of Chevalrie!

Through al the world, fil'd with thy wide
Alarmes,

Which some brave muse may sing
Upon the Brydale day, which is not long:
To ages following.
Sweete Themmes! runne softly till I end
my Song.

From those high Towers this noble Lord issuing,

In th' Ocean billowes he hath bathed fayre,
Like Radiant Hesper, when his golden hayre
With a great traine ensuing.
Descended to the Rivers open vewing,

Above the rest were goodly to bee seene
Two gentle Knights of lovely face and feature,
Beseeming well the bower of anie Queene,
With gifts of wit, and ornaments of nature,
Fit for so goodly stature,

That like the twins of Jove they seem'd in
Which decke the Bauldricke of the Heavens
sight,
[bright;
They two, forth pacing to the Rivers side,
Received those two faire Brides, their Loves
delight;

Which, at th' appointed tyde,
Each one did make his Bryde
Against their Brydale day, which is not long:
Sweete Themmes! runne softly, till I end
my Song.

I

To the right worshipfull my singular good frend,
M. Gabriell Harvey, Doctor of the Lawes.

HARVEY, the happy above happiest men
I read; that, sitting like a Looker-on

Of this worldes Stage, doest note with critique

pen

The sharpe dislikes of each condition:

And, as one carelesse of suspition,

Ne fawnest for the favour of the great; Ne fearest foolish reprehension

Of faulty men, which daunger to thee threat:
But freely doest, of what thee list, entreat,
Like a great Lord of peerelesse liberty;
Lifting the Good up to high Honours seat,
And the Evill damning evermore to dy:
For Life, and Death, is in thy doomefull
writing!

So thy renowme lives ever by endighting.
Dublin, this xviij. of July, 1586.
Your devoted frend, during life,
EDMUND SPENCER

Eudox.

BUT yf that countrey of Ireland, whence you lately came, be soe goodly and commodious a soyle, as ye report, I wonder that noe course is taken for the tourning therof to good uses, and reducing of that savadge nation to better government and civilitye.

Iren. Marry, soe there have beene divers good plottes devised, and wise counsells cast alleready about reformation of that realme; but they say, it is the fatall desteny of that land, that noe purposes, whatsoever are meant for her good, will prosper or take good effect, which, whether it proceede from the very GENIUS of the soyle, or influence of the starres, or that Allmighty God hath not yet appoynted the time of her reformation, or that he reserveth her in this unquiett state still for some secrett scourdge, which shall by her come unto England, it is hard to be knowen, but yet much to be feared.

Eudox. Surely I suppose this but a vayne conceit of simple men, which judge thinges by theyre effectes, and not by theyre causes; for I will rather thinke the cause of this evill, which hangeth upon that countrey, to proceede rather of the unsoundness of the counsells, and plottes, which you say have beene oftentimes layed for the reformation, or of fayntness in following and effecting the same, then of any such fatall course or appoyntment of God, as you misdeeme: but it is the manner of men, that when they are fallen into any absurditye, or theyr actions succeede not as they would, they are ready allwayes to impute the blame therof unto the heavens, soe to excuse their owne follyes and imperfectiones. Soe have I allso heard it often wished, (even of some whose greate wisedomes, in my opinion, should seeme to judge more soundly of soe weighty a consideration) that all that land were a sea-poole: which kind of speach, is the manner rather of desperat men farr driven, to wishe the

utter ruine of that they cannot redress, then of grave counsellors, which ought to thinke nothing soe hard but that, through wysedome, it may be mastred and subdued; since the Poet sayeth, that the wyse man shall rule even over the starres,' much more over the earth; for were it not the part of a desperat phisition to wish his diseased patient dead, rather then to applye the best endevours of his skill for his recovery. But since we arre so farre entred, let us, I pray you, a litle devise, of those evills, by which that countrey is held in this wretched case, that it cannot (as you say) be recured. And yf it be not paynfull to you, tell us what thinges, during your late continuaunce there, you observed to be most offensive, and an empeachement unto the good rule and government therof.

But

Iren. Surely, Eudox., the evills which you desire to be recounted are very many, and allmost countable with those that were hidden in the baskett of Pandora. since ye soe please, I will out of that infinit number, recken but some that are most capitall, and commonly current both in the life and conditions of privat men, as also in the managing of publick affayres and pollicye, the which you shall understand to be of diverse natures, as I observed them: for some of them are of very great antiquitye and longe continuaunce; others more late and of lesse enduraunce; others dayly growing and encreasing continually as the evill occasions are every day offered.

Eudox. Tell them then, I pray you, in the same order that you have now rehearsed them; for there can be noe better methode then this which the very matter it self offereth. And when ye have reckned all the evills, lett us heare your opinion for redressing of them: after which there will perhaps of it self appeare some reasonable way to settle a sound and perfect rule of government, by shunning the former evills, and

RR