XLVI.

All this, and more might in that goodly gate
Be read; that ever open ftood to all,

Which thither came:, but in the porch there fate
A comely perfonage of ftature tall,
And femblance pleafing, more than natural,
That travellers to him feem'd to entife;
His loofer garment to the ground did fall,
And flew about his heels in wanton wife,
Not fit for Speedy pace, or manly exercise.
XLVII.

They in that place him Genius did call :
Not that celestial powre, to whom the care
Of life, and generation of all

That lives, pertains, in charge particular,
Who wondrous things concerning our welfare,
And ftrange phantoms doth let us oft foresee,
And oft of fecret ill bids us beware:

That is our felf, whom though we do not fee,
Yet each doth in himfelf it well perceive to be,
XLVIII.
Therefore a God him fage antiquity

Did wifely make, and good Agdiftes call:
But this fame was to that quite contrary,
The foe of life, that good envies to all,
That fecretly doth us procure to fall,
Through guileful femblants, which he makes us fee.
He of this garden had the governal,

And pleafures porter was deviz'd to be,
Holding a staff in hand for more formalitee.
XLIX.

With diverfe flowres he daintily was deckt,
And ftrowed round about, and by his fide
A mighty Mazer bowl of wine was fet,
As if it had to him been facrify'd; t
Wherewith all new-come guests he gratify'd:
So did he eke Sir Guyon paffing by ¦
But he his idle courtefie defy'd,

And overthrew his bowl, difdainfully;

And broke his ftaff, with which he charmed femblants fly.

L.

Thus being entred, they behold around
A large and fpacious plain, on every fide
Strowed with pleafance, whofe fair graffy ground
Mantled with green, and goodly beautifide
With all the ornaments of Floras pride,
Wherewith her mother art, as half in fcorn
Of niggard nature, like a pompous bride
Did deck her, and too lavishly adorn,

When forth from virgin bowre fhe comes in th'early morn.

LI.

Therewith the Heavens always jovial,

Lookt on them lovely, ftill in ftedfast state,
Ne fuffred ftorm nor froft on them to fall,
Their tender buds or leaves to violate,
Nor fcorching heat nor cold intemperate
T'afflict the creatures which therein did dwell,
But the mild air with feafon moderate
Gently attempred, and difpos'd fo well,

That ftill it breathed forth fweet spirit and wholesome smell.

LII.

More fweet and wholesome, than the pleasant hill
Of Rhodopé, on which the Nymph that bore
A giant babe, her felf for grief did kill;
Or the Theffalian Tempe, where of yore
Fair Daphne, Phabus heart with love did gore;
Or Ida, where the Gods lov'd to repair,
Whenever they their heavenly bowres forlore;
Or fweet Parnaffe, the haunt of Mufes fair;
Or Eden felf, if ought with Eden mote compare.
LIII.

Much wondred Guyon at the fair afpect

Of that fweet place, yet fuffred no delight
To fink into his fenfe, nor mind affect,
But paffed forth, and lookt still forward right;
Bridling his will, and maistering his might:
Till that he came unto another gate,

No gate, but like one, being goodly dight
With boughs and branches, which did broad dilate
Their clafping arms, in wanton wreathings intricate.

LIV.

So fashioned a porch with rare device,

Archt over head with an embracing vine,
Whose bunches hanging down, feem'd to entice
All paffers by, to taste their lushious wine,
And did themselves into their hands encline,
As freely offring to be gathered:

Some deep empurpled as the Hyacine,

Some as the rubine, laughing fweetly red,
Some like fair emerauds, not yet well ripened.
LV.

And them amongft, fome were of burnisht gold,
So made by art to beautify the rest,

Which did themselves emongst the leaves enfold,
As lurking from the view of covetous guest,
That the weak boughs with fo rich load oppreft,
Did bow adown, as over-burdened.

Under that porch a comely Dame did reft,

Clad in fair weeds, but foul disordered,

And garments loofe, that feem'd unmeet for womanhed, LVI.

In her left hand a cup of gold fhe held,

And with her right the riper fruit did reach, Whofe fappy liquor that with fulness fweil'd, Into her cup fhe fcruz'd, with dainty breach Of her fine fingers, without foul empeach, That so fair wine-prefs, made the wine more fweet: Thereof the us'd to give to drink to each, Whom paffing by the happened to meet: It was her guife, all ftrangers goodly fo to greet, LVII. So fhe to Guyon offred it to tafte :

Who taking it out of her tender hond, The cup to ground did violently caft, That all in pieces it was broken fond, And with the liquor ftained all the lond; Whereat Excess exceedingly was wroth, Yet no'te the fame amend, ne yet withstond, But fuffred him to pafs, all were the loth; Who nought regarding her difpleasure, forward go'th,

LVIII

There the most dainty paradife on ground,.
It felf doth offer to his fober eye,

In which all pleasures plenteously abound,
And none does others happiness envy :

The painted flowres, the trees upfhooting high, The dales for fhade, the hills for breathing space, The trembling groves, the chryftal running by; And that, which all fair works doth moft aggrace, The art, which all that wrought appeared in no place. LIX.

Oue would have thought (fo cunningly the rude
And scorned parts were mingled with the fine)
That nature had for wantonnefs enfu'd
Art, and that art at nature did repine;
So ftriving each th'other to undermine,
Each did the others work more beautify;
So diff'ring both in wills, agreed in fine :
So all agreed, through fweet diversity,
This garden to adorn with all variety.

LX.

And in the midst of all, a fountain stood,
Of richest substance that on earth might be,
So pure and shiny, that the filver flood
Through every channel running one might fee;
Moft goodly it with curious imagery

Was over-wrought, and fhapes of naked boys,
Of which fome feem'd with lively jollity
To fly about, playing their wanton toys,
Whilft others did themselves embay in liquid joys.
LXI.

And over all, of pureft gold was fpred
A trayle of Ivy in his native hew:
For the rich metal was fo coloured,
That wight, who did not well avis'd it view,
Would furely deem it to be Ivy true :
Low his lafcivious arms adown did creep,
That themselves dipping in the filver dew,
Their fleecy flowres they tenderly did steep,
Which drops of chryftal feem'd for wantonness to weep.

LXII.

Infinite streams continually did well

Out of this fountain, fweet and fair to fee, The which into an ample laver fell, And fhortly grew to fo great quantity, That like a little lake it feem'd to be; Whofe depth exceeded not three cubits height, That through the waves one might the bottom fee, All pav'd beneath with Jafper fhining bright, That feem'd the fountain in that fea did fail upright. LXIII.

And all the margent round about was fet,

With fhady Laurel trees, thence to defend
The funny beams which on the billows bet,
And those which therein bathed more offend.
As Guyon hapned by the fame to wend,
Two naked Damzels, he therein efpy'd,
Which therein bathing, feemed to contend,
And wrestle wantonly, ne car'd to hide

Their dainty parts from view of any which them ey'd.
LXIV.

Sometimes the one would lift the other quight,
Above the waters, and then down again
Her plonge, as overmaiftered by might,
Where both awhile would covered remain,
And each the other from to rife reftrain;

The whiles their fnowy limbs, as through a veil, So through the chrystal waves appeared plain : Then fuddainly both would themselves unhele, And th'amorous fweet fpoils to greedy eyes reveal. LXV.

As that fair ftar, the meffenger of morn,
His dewy face out of the fea doth rear:
Or as the Cyprian Goddess, newly born
Of th'Oceans fruitful froth, did first appear,
Such feemed they, and fo their yellow hair
Chryftalline humour dropped down apace,
Whom fuch when Guyon faw, he drew him near,
And fomewhat 'gan relent his earnest pace,
His stubborn breaft 'gan fecret pleafance to embrace,