And of the pray each one a part doth beare.
Now being naked, to their sordid eyes
The goodly threasures of nature appeare:
Which as they view with lustfull fantasyes,
Each wisheth to him selfe, and to the rest
envyes:-
Her yvorie neck; her alablaster brest;
Her paps, which like white silken pillowes were
For love in soft delight thereon to rest;
Her tender sides; her bellie white and clere,
Which like an Altar did itselfe uprere
To offer sacrifice divine thereon;
Her goodly thighes, whose glorie did appeare
Like a triumphal Arch, and thereupon
The spoiles of Princes hang'd which were in
battel won.
Those daintie parts, the dearlings of delight, Which mote not be prophau'd of common
Then gan the bagpypes and the hornes to
shrill
Confused, did the ayre with terror fill,
And shrieke aloud, that, with the peoples
[voyce
And made the wood to tremble at the noyce:
The whyles she wayld, the more they did
rejoyce.
Sir Calepine, by chaunce more then by choyce,
Now mote ye understand that to this grove
The selfe same evening fortune hether drove,
As he to seeke Serena through the woods did
Long had he sought her, and through many a soyle
Had traveld still on foot in heavie armes, And now, all weetlesse of the wretched stormes, Ne ought was tyred with his endlesse toyle, Ne onght was feared of his certaine harmes: In which his love was lost, he slept full fast; Those villeins view'd with loose lascivious sight, He lightly started up like one aghast, And closely tempted with their craftie spyes; And, catching up his arms, streight to the Till, being waked with these loud alarmes, And some of them gan mongst themselves
Thereof by force to take their beastly pleasure:
But them the Priest rebuking did advize
To dare not to pollute so sacred threasure
Vow'd to the gods: religion held even theeves
He mote perceive a litle dawning sight
There by th' uncertaine glims of starry night,
And, by the twinkling of their sacred fire,
Of all which there was doing in that quire:
Mongst whom a woman spoyld of all attire
So, being stayd, they her from thence di- He spyde lamenting her unluckie strife,
Unto a litle grove not farre asyde,
In which an altar shortly they erected
To slay her on. And now the Eventyde
His brode black wings had through the heavens
wyde
By this dispred, that was the tyme ordayned
For such a dismall deed, their guilt to hyde:
Of few greene turfes an altar soone they fayned,
And deckt it all with flowres which they nigh
hand obtayned.
And, even as his right hand adowne descends,
With that he thrusts into the thickest throng
He him preventing layes on earth along,
And sacrifizeth to th' infernall feends:
Then to the rest his wrathfull hand he bends;
Of whom he makes such havocke and such hew,
That swarmes of damned soules to hell he
The rest, that scape his sword and death eschew,
Fly like a flocke of doves before a Faulcons
From them returning to that Ladie backe,
Whom by the Altar he doth sitting find
Yet fearing death, and next to death the lacke
He first her hands beginneth to unbind,
Of clothes to cover what they ought by kind,
And then to question of her present woe,
And afterwards to cheare with speaches kind;
She did conceive, through care of womanhood, The end whereof Ile keepe untill another cast.
The knight was nothing nice, where was no
need,
And tooke their gentle offer: so adowne
They prayd him sit, and gave him for to feed
Such homely what as serves the simple clowne,
That doth despise the dainties of the towne,
From thence into the open fields he fled,
Whereas the Heardes were keeping of their Tho, having fed his fill, he there besyde
[fed) Saw a faire damzell, which did weare a crowne
And shepherds singing to their flockes (that Of sundry flowres with silken ribbands tyde,
Layes of sweete love and youthes delightfull Yclad in home-made greene that her owne hands
There he was welcom'd of that honest syre
And of his aged Beldame homely well;
Who him besought himselfe to disattyre,
And rest himselfe till supper time befell;
By which home came the fayrest Pastorell,
After her flocke she in their fold had tyde:
And supper readie dight they to it fell
With small adoe, and nature satisfyde,
To sad decay, that might contented live.
The which doth litle crave contented to abyde. Me no such cares nor combrous thoughts
'To them that list the worlds gay showes I leave,
Ne once my minds unmoved quiet grieve; But all the night in silver sleepe I spend, And all the day to what I list I doe attend.
That he was rapt with double ravishment, Both of his speach, that wrought him great content,
And also of the object of his vew, And to great ones such follies doe forgive; On which his hungry eye was alwayes bent; Which oft through pride do their owne perill That twixt his pleasing tongue, and her faire
[grew. And through ambition downe themselves doe He lost himselfe, and like one halfe entraunced
'Not that the burden of so bold a guest
Shall chargefull be, or chaunge to you at all;
And this your cabin both my bowre and hall:
For your meane food shall be my daily feast,
Besides, for recompence hereof I shall
You well reward, and golden guerdon give,
That may perhaps you better much withall,
So forth he drew much gold, and toward him
And in this quiet make you safer live.'
it drive.
But the good man, nought tempted with the offer
And thus bespake: 'Sir knight, your boun-
Of his rich mould, did thrust it farre away,
teous proffer
That mucky masse, the cause of mens decay,
Be farre fro me, to whom ye ill display
That mote empaire my peace with daungers
This simple sort of life that shepheards lead,
But, if ye algates covet to assay [dread;
Be it your owne: our rudenesse to your selfe
aread.'
And long while after, whilest him list remaine,
So there that night Sir Calidore did dwell,
Dayly beholding the faire Pastorell,
And feeding on the bayt of his owne bane:
During which time he did her entertaine
With all kind courtesies he could invent;
When to the field she went he with her went:
And every day, her companie to gaine,
So for to quench his fire he did it more aug-
But she that never had acquainted beene
With such queint usage, fit for Queenes and
Kings,
Ne ever had such knightly service seene,
Had ever learn'd to love the lowly things,
But, being br d under base shepheards wings,
Did litle whit regard his courteous guize,
But cared more for Colins carolings
Then all that he could doe, or ever devize :
His layes, his loves, his lookes, she did them
all despize.
To chaunge the manner of his loftie looke;
Which Calidore perceiving, thought it best
And doffing his bright armes himselfe addrest
In shepheards weed; and in his hand he tooke,
Instead of steele-head speare, a shepheards
That who had seene him then, would have be-
hooke;
[thought
On Phrygian Paris by Plexippus brooke,
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