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XXXVI.

Dear image of my felf, she said, that is,
The wretched fon of wretched mother born,
Is this thine high advancement? O is this
Th'immortal name, with which thee yet unborn
Thy Granfire Nereus promift to adorn?
Now lyeft thou of life and honour reft;
Now lyeft thou a lump of earth forlorn,
Ne of thy late life memory is left,
Ne can thy irrevocable destiny be weft.]
XXXVII.

Fond Proteus, father of falfe prophecies,

And they more fond that credit to thee give,
Not this the work of womans hands ywis,
That fo deep wound through these dear members drive.
I feared love: but they that love do live;
But they that die, do neither love nor hate.
Nath'lefs, to thee thy folly I forgive,

And to my self, and to accurfed fate

The guilt I do afcribe: dear wifdom bought too late. XXXVIII.

O what avails it of immortal feed

To been ybred and never born to die!
Far better I it deem to die with speed,
Than wafte in woe and wailful mifery.
Who dies, the utmost dolour doth abie;
But who that lives, is left to wail his lofs:
So life is lofs, and death felicity.

Sad life worse than glad death: and greater cross
To fee friends grave, than dead the grave felf to engross.
XXXIX.

But if the heavens did his days envie,

And my fhort blifs malign, yet mote they well
Thus much afford me, ere that he did die,

That the dim eyes of my dear Marinell

I mote have closed, and him bid farwell,
Sith other offices for mother meet

They would not graunt:

Yet maulgre them, farwell my sweetest sweet; Farwell my fweeteft fon, fith we no more fhall meet.

XL.

Thus when they all had forrowed their fill,
They foftly 'gan to fearch his griefly wound:
And that they might him handle more at will,
They him difarm'd, and fpredding on the ground
Their watchet mantles fring'd with filver round,
They foftly wipt away the jelley'd blood

From th'orifice; which having well up-bound,
They pourd-in foveraine balm, and nectar good,
Good both for earthly med'cine, and for heavenly food.
XLI.

Tho when the lilly-handed Liagore

(This Liagore whylome had learned skill
In leaches craft, by great Apollos lore,
Sith her whylome upon high Pindus hill,
He loved, and at last her womb did fill
With heavenly feed, whereof wife Peon fprung)
Did feel his pulfe, fhe knew there ftayed ftill
Some little life his feeble fprites emong;
Which to his mother told, defpair fhe from her flung.
. XLII.

Tho up him taking in their tender hands,
They easily unto her charet bear :

Her teme at her commaundment quiet ftands,
Whiles they the corfe into her wagon rear,

And ftrow with flowres the lamentable bier:
Then all the reft into their coaches clim,
And through the brackish waves their paffage fhear;
Upon great Neptunes neck they foftly fwim,
And to her watry chamber fwiftly carry him.
XLIII.

Deep in the bottom of the fea, her bowre
Is built, of hollow billows heaped high,
Like to thick clouds, that threat a ftormy fhowre,
And vaulted all within, like to the sky,
In which the Gods do dwell eternally:
There they him laid in eafie couch well dight;
And fent in hafte for Tryphon, to apply
Salves to his wounds, and medicines of might :
For Tryphon of Sea-gods the foveraine leach is hight..

XLIV.

The whiles, the Nymphs fit all about him round,
Lamenting his mishap and heavy plight;
And oft his mother viewing his wide wound,
Curfed the hand that did fo deadly fmight
Her deareft fon, her deareft hearts delight.
But none of all thofe curfes overtook

The warlike maid, th'enfample of that might,
But fairly well fhe thriv'd, and well did brook
Her noble deeds, ne her right courfe for ought forfook.
XLV.

Yet did falfe Archimage her ftill purfue,

To bring to pass his mischievous intent,
Now that he had her fingled from the crew
Of courteous Knights, the Prince, and Fairy gent,
Whom late in chace of beauty excellent
She left, pursuing that fame Fofter strong;
Of whofe foul outrage they impatient,
And full of firy zeal, him follow'd long,

To refkew her from fhame, and to revenge her wrong.
XLVI.

Through thick and thin, through mountains and through
Those two great champions did attonce pursue (plains,
The fearful Damzel, with inceffant pains:
Who from them fled, as light-foot Hare from view
Of hunters fwift, and fcent of houndës true.
At laft they came unto a double way,

Where, doubtful which to take, her to refkue,
Themfelves they did difpart, each to affay,
Whether more happy were to win fo goodly prey.
XLVII.

But Timias, the Princes gentle Squire,

That Ladies love unto his Lord forlent,
And with proud envy and indignant ire,
After that wicked Fofter fiercely went.
So been they three three fundry ways ybent.
But faireft fortune to the Prince befel,
Whose chaunce it was, that foon he did repent
To take that way, in which that Damozel
Was fled afore, affraid of him, as Fiend of hell.

XLVIII.

At laft, of her far off he gained view:
Then 'gan he freshly prick his foamy steed,
And ever as he nigher to her drew,
So evermore he did encrease his speed,
And of each turning ftill kept wary heed:
Aloud to her he oftentimes did call,

To do away vain doubt, and needlefs dreed:
Full mild to her he spake, and oft let fall
Many meek words, to ftay and comfort her withal.
XLIX.

But nothing might relent her hafty flight;
So deep the deadly fear of that foul fwain
Was earft impreffed in her gentle spright:
Like as a fearful Dove, which through the rain
Of the wide air her way does cut amain,
Having far off efpide a Taffel gent,

Which after her his nimble wings doth ftrain,
Doubleth her hafte for fear to be fore-hent,
And with her pinions cleaves the liquid firmament.
L.

With no less hafte, and eke with no less dreed,
That fearful Lady fled from him, that meant
To her no evil thought, nor evil deed;
Yet former fear of being foully fhent,
Carried her forward with her firft intent:

And though, oft looking backward, well fhe view'd, Her felf freed from that Fofter infolent,

And that it was a Knight, which now her 'fude,
Yet fhe no less the Knight feard, than that villain rude.
LI.

His uncouth fhield and ftrange arms her dismaid,
Whofe like in Fairy lond were feldom feen,
That faft fhe from him fled, no lefs affraid
Than of wild beafts if fhe had chafed been:
Yet he her follow'd ftill with courage keen,

So long, that now the golden Hefperus
Was mounted high in top of heaven sheen,
And warn'd his other brethren joycous,

To light their bleffed lamps in Joves eternal houfe.

LII.

All fuddainly dim wox the dampish air,
And griefly fhadows cover'd heaven bright,
That now with thousand stars was decked fair;
Which when the Prince beheld (a loathful fight)
And that perforce, for want of longer light,
He mote furcease his fuit, and lose the hope
Of his long labour, he 'gan foully wite
His wicked fortune, that had turn'd aslope,
And curfed night, that reft from him fo goodly scope.
LIII.

Tho when her ways he could no more defcry,
But to and fro at difadventure ftraid;
Like as a ship, whofe Load-ftar fuddainly
Cover'd with clouds, her Pilot hath difmaid;
His wearifome purfuit perforce he staid,
And from his lofty fteed difmounting low,
Did let him forage. Down himself he laid
Upon the graffie ground, to fleep a throw;
The cold earth was his couch, the hard fteel his pillow.
LIV.

But gentle fleep envide him any reft;

Instead thereof fad forrow, and difdain
Of his hard hap did vex his noble breast,
And thousand fancies beat his idle brain

With their light wings, the fights of semblants vain:
Oft did he wish, that Lady fair mote be
His Fairy Queen, for whom he did complain:
Or that his Fairy Queen were fuch as fhe:
And ever hafty night he blamed bitterly.
LV.

Night thou foul mother of annoyance fad,
Sifter of heavy death, and nurse of woe,
Which waft begot in heaven, but for thy bad
And brutish shape, thruft down to hell below,
Where by the grim flood of Cocytus flow
Thy dwelling is, in Herebus black house
(Black Herebus thy husband is the foe
Of all the Gods) where thou ungratious,
Half of thy days doft lead in horrour hideous.

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