As in approvance, doe thereto applaud,
And loud advaunce her laud;

And evermore they Hymen, Hymen sing,
That al the woods them answer, and theyr
eccho ring.

Loe! where she comes along with portly pace,
Lyke Phoebe, from her chamber of the East,
Arysing forth to run her mighty race,
Clad all in white, that seemes a virgin best.
So well it her beseemes, that ye would weene
Some angell she had beene.

Her long loose yellow locks lyke golden wyre,
Sprinckled with perle, and perling flowres

atweene,

Doe lyke a golden mantle her attyre;
And, being crowned with a girland greene,
Seeme lyke some mayden Queene.
Her modest eyes, abashed to behold
So many gazers as on her do stare,
Upon the lowly ground affixed are;
Ne dare lift up her countenance too bold,
But blush to heare her prayses sung so loud,
So farre from being proud.

Nathlesse doe ye still loud her prayses sing,
That all the woods may answer, and your eccho
ring.

Tell me, ye merchants daughters, did ye see
So fayre a creature in your towne before;
So sweet, so lovely, and so mild as she,
Adornd with beautyes grace and vertues store?
Her goodly eyes lyke Saphyres shining bright,
Her forehead yvory white,
[rudded,
Her cheekes lyke apples which the sun hath
Her lips lyke cherryes charming men to byte,
Her brest like to a bowle of creame uncrudded,
Her paps lyke lyllies budded,

Her snowie necke lyke to a marble towre;
And all her body like a pallace fayre,
Ascending up, with many a stately stayre,
To honors seat and chastities sweet bowre.
Why stand ye still ye virgins in amaze,
Upon her so to gaze,

Whiles ye forget your former lay to sing,
To which the woods did answer, and your
eccho ring?

But if ye saw that which no eyes can see,
The inward beauty of her lively spright,
Garnisht with heavenly guifts of high degree,
Much more then would ye wonder at that
sight,

And stand astonisht lyke to those which red
Medusaes mazeful hed.

There dwels sweet love, and constant chastity,
Unspotted fayth, and comely womanhood,
Regard of honour, and mild modesty ;

There vertue raynes as Queene in royal throne,
And giveth lawes alone,

The which the base affections doe obay,
And yeeld theyr services unto her will;
Ne thought of thing uncomely ever may
Thereto approch to tempt her mind to ill.
Had ye once seene these her celestial threa-
And unrevealed pleasures,
[sures,
Then would ye wonder, and her prayses sing,
That al the woods should answer, and your
echo ring.

Open the temple gates unto my love,
Open them wide that she may enter in,
And all the postes adorne as doth behove,
And all the pillours deck with girlands trim,
For to receyve this Saynt with honour dew,
That commeth in to you.

With trembling steps, and humble reverence,
She commeth in, before th' Almighties view;
Of her ye virgins learne obedience,
When so ye come into those holy places,
To humble your proud faces:
Bring her np to th' high altar, that she may
The sacred ceremonies there partake,
The which do endlesse matrimony make;
And let the roring Organs loudly play
The praises of the Lord in lively notes;
The whiles, with hollow throates,
The Choristers the joyous Antheme sing,
That al the woods may answere, and their
eccho ring.

Behold, whiles she before the altar stands,
Hearing the holy priest that to her speakes,
And blesseth her with his two happy hands,
How the red roses flush up in her cheekes,
And the pure snow, with goodly vermill stayne
Like crimsin dyde in grayne:

That even th' Angels, which continually
About the sacred Altare doe remaine,
Forget their service and about her fly,
Ofte peeping in her face, that seems more fayre,
The more they on it stare.

But her sad eyes, still fastened on the ground,
Are governed with gecdly modesty,

That suffers not one looke to glaunce awry,
Which may let in a little thought unsownd.
Why blush ve, love, to give to me your hand,
The pledge of all our band!

Sing, ye sweet Angels, Alleluya sing,
That all the woods may answere, and your
eccho ring.

Now al is done: bring home the bride againe;
Bring home the triumph of our victory:
Bring home with you the glory of her gaine
With joyance bring her and with jollity.

Never had man more joyfull day then this,
Whom heaven would heape with blis,
Make feast therefore now all this live-long
day;

This day for ever to me holy is.
Poure out the wine without restraint or stay,
Poure not by cups, but by the belly full,
Poure out to all that wull,

And sprinkle all the postes and wals with wine,
That they may sweat, and drunken be withall.
Crowne ye God Bacchus with a coronall,
And Hymen also crowne with wreathes of vine;
And let the Graces daunce unto the rest,
For they can doo it best:

The whiles the maydens doe theyr carroll sing.
To which the woods shall answer, and theyr
eccho ring.

Ring ye the brls, ye yong men of the towne,
And leave your wonted labors for this day:
This day is holy; doe ye write it downe,
That ye for ever it remember may.
This day the sunne is in his chiefest hight,
With Barnaby the bright,

From whence declining daily by degrees,
He somewhat loseth of his heat and light,
When once the Crab behind his back he sees.
But for this time it ill ordained was,
To chose the longest day in all the yeare,
And shortest night, when longest fitter weare:
Yet never day so long, but late would passe.
Ring ye the bels, to make it weare away,
And bonefiers make all day;

And daunce about them, and about them sing,
That all the woods may answer, and your
eccho ring.

Ah! when will this long weary day have end,
And lende me leave to come unto my love?
How slowly do the houres theyr numbers
spend?

How slowly does sad Time his feathers move?
Hast thee, O fayrest Planet, to thy home,
Within the Westerne fome:

Now ceasse, ye damsels, your delights fore-past;
Enough it is that all the day was youres:
Now day is doen, and night is nighing fast,
Now bring the Bryde into the brydall boures.
The night is come, now soon her disaray,
And in her bed her lay;

Lay her in lillies and in violets,
And silken courteins over her display,
And odourd sheetes, and Arras coverlets.
Behold how goodly my faire love does ly,
In proud humility!

Like unto Maia, when as Jove her took
In Tempe, lying on the flowry gras,
Twixt sleepe and wake, after she weary was,
With bathing in the Acidalian brooke.
Now it is night, ye damsels may be gon,
And leave my love alone,

The woods no more shall answere, nor your
And leave likewise your former lay to sing:

echo ring.

Now welcome, night! thou night so long ex-
pected,

That long daies labour doest at last defray,
And all my cares, which cruell Love collected,
Hast sumd in one, and cancelled for aye:
Spread thy broad wing over my love and me,
That no man may us see;

And in thy sable mantle us enwrap,
From feare of perrill and foule horror free.
Let no false treason seeke us to entrap,
Nor any dread disquiet once annoy
The safety of our joy;

But let the night be calme, and quietsome,
Without tempestuous storms or sad afray:
Lyke as when Jove with fayre Alcmena lay,
Or lyke as when he with thy selfe did lie¦
When he begot the great Tirynthian groome:
And begot Majesty.

And let the mayds and yongmen cease to sing;
Ne let the woods them answer nor theyr
eccho ring.

[harmes,

Let no lamenting cryes, nor dolefull teares, Thy tyred steedes long since have need of rest. Be heard all night within, nor yet without: Long though it be, at last I see it gloome, Ne let false whispers, breeding hidden feares, And the bright evening-star with golden creast Breake gentle sleepe with misconceived dout. Appeare out of the East. [love! Let no deluding dreames, nor dreadfull sights, Fayre childe of beauty! glorious lampe of Make sudden sad affrights; That all the host of heaven in rankes doost Ne let house-fyres, nor lightnings helpelesse lead, [dread, Ne let the Pouke, nor other evill sprights, And guydest lovers through the nights sad Nelet mischivous witches with theyr charmes, How chearefully thou lookest from above, Ne let hob Goblins, names whose sence we see And seemst to laugh atweene thy twinkling not, light,

As joying in the sight

Of these glad many, which for joy doe sing, That all the woods them answer, and their echo ring!

Fray us with things tha. be not:

[heard,

Let not the shriech Oule no. the Storke be
Nor the night Raven, that still deadly yels;
Nor damned ghosts, cald up with mighty spels,
Nor griesly vultures, make us once affeard:

[croking

might

Ne let th' unpleasant Quyre of Frogs still And thou, great Juno! which with awful
Make us to wish theyr choking.
Let none of these theyr drery accents sing; The lawes of wedlock still dost patronize;
Ne let the woods them answer, nor theyr eccho And the religion of the faith first plight
ring.
With sacred rites hast taught to solemnize;
And eeke for comfort often called art
Of women in their smart;

But let stil Silence trew night-watches keepe,
That sacred Peace may in assurance rayne,
And tymely Sleep, when it is tyme to sleepe,
May poure his limbs forth on your pleasant
playne;

The whiles an hundred little winged loves,
Like divers-fethered doves,

Shall fly and flutter round about your bed,
And in the secret darke, that none reproves,
Their prety stealthes shal worke, and snares
shal spread

To filch away sweet snatches of delight,
Conceald through covert night.

Ye sonnes of Venus, play your sports at will!
For greedy pleasure, carelesse of your toyes,
Thinks more upon her paradise of joyes,
Then what ye do, albe it good or ill.
All night therefore attend your merry play,
For it will soone be day:

Now none doth hinder you, that say or sing;
Ne will the woods now answer, nor your Eccho
ring.

Who is the same, which at my window peepes?
Or whose is that faire face that shines so
bright?

Is it not Cinthia, she that never sleepes,
But walkes about high heaven al the night?
O! fayrest goddesse, do thou not envy
My love with me to spy:
[thought,
For thou likewise didst love, though now un-
And for a fleece of wooll, which privily
The Latmian shepherd once unto thee brought,
His pleasures with thee wrought.
Therefore to us be favorable now;

And sith of wemens labours thou hast charge,
And generation goodly dost enlarge,
Encline thy will t'effect our wishfull vow,
And the chast wombe informe with timely
seed,

That may our comfort breed:

Till which we cease our hopefull hap to sing; Ne let the woods us answere, nor our Eccho ring.

Eternally bind thou this lovely band,
And all thy blessings unto us impart.
And thou, glad Genius! in whose gentle hand
The bridale bowre and geniall bed remaine,
Without blemish or staine;

And the sweet pleasures of theyr loves delight
With secret ayde doest succour and supply,
Till they bring forth the fruitfull progeny;
Send us the timely fruit of this same night.
And thou, fayre Hebe! and thou, Hymen free!
Grant that it may so be.

Til which we cease your further prayse to
sing:

Ne any woods shall answer, nor your Eccho
ring.

And ye high heavens, the temple of the gods,
In which a thousand torches flaming bright
Doe burne, that to us wretched earthly clods
In dreadful darknesse lend desired light;
And all ye powers which in the same remayne,
More then we men can fayne!
Poure out your blessing on us plentiously,
And happy influence upon us raine,
That we may raise a large posterity,
Which from the earth, which they may long
With lasting happinesse,
[possesse

Up to your haughty pallaces may mount;
And, for the guerdon of theyr glorious merit,
May heavenly tabernacles there inherit,
Of blessed Saints for to increase the count.
So let us rest, sweet love, in hope of this,
And cease till then our tymely joyes to sing
The woods no more us answer, nor our ecchio
ring!

Song! made in lieu of many ornaments,
With which my love should duly have been dect,
Which cutting off through hasty accidents,
Ye would not stay your dew time to expect,
But promist both to recompens;
Be unto her a goodly ornament,
And for short time an endlesse moniment

HAVING in the greener times of my youth, I doe dedicate joyntly unto you two honorable composed these former two Hymnes in the sisters, as to the most excellent and rare praise of Love and Beautie, and finding that ornaments of all true love and beautie, both the same too much pleased those of like age in the one and the other kinde; humbly beand disposition, which being too vehemently seeching you to vouchsafe the patronage of caried with that kind of affection, do rather them, and to accept this my humble service, sucke out poyson to their strong passion, then in lieu of the great graces and honourable hony to their honest delight, I was moved by favours which ye dayly shew unto me, untill the one of you two most excellent Ladies, to call in the same. But, being unable so to doe, by reason that many copies thereof were formerly scattered abroad, I resolved at least to amend, and, by way of retractation, to reforme them, making, in stead of those two Hymnes of earthly or naturall love and beautie, two others of heavenly and celestiall. The which

such time as I may, by better meanes, yeeld
you some more notable testimonie of my
thankfull mind and dutifull devotion. And
even so I pray for your happinesse. Green-
wich this first of September, 1596. Your
Honors most bounden ever,
in all humble service,
ED. SP.

AN HYMNE IN HONOUR OF LOVE.

LOVE, that long since hast to thy mighty Of mighty Victors, with wyde wounds em

brewed,

And by thy cruell darts to thee subdewed.

Onely I feare my wits enfeebled late.
Through the sharpe sorrowes which thou hast
me bred,

[relate
Should faint, and words should faile me to
The wondrous triumphs of my great god-hed:
But, if thou wouldst vouchsafe to overspred
Me with the shadow of thy gentle wing,
I should enabled be thy actes to sing.

Come, then, O come, thou mightie God of
Love,

Out of thy silver bowres and secret blisse,

Which in the conquests of your beautie bost,
Wherewith your lovers feeble eyes you feed, Their contrary dislikes with loved meanes,
But sterve their harts that needeth nourture Did place them all in order, and compell
[host, To keepe them selves within their sundrie