Calidore fees the Graces dance,
To Colins melody?
The whiles bis Paftorel is led
Into captivity.
ho now does follow the foul Blatant Beast, Whilft Calidore does follow that fair Maid, Unmindful of his vow and high beheast, Which by the Fairy Queen was on him laid, That he should never leave, nor be delay'd From chafing him, till he had it atchiev'd? But now entrapt of love, which him betray'd, He mindeth more, how he may be reliev'd [griev'd. With grace from her, whofe love his heart hath fore en
That from henceforth he means no more to fue
His former queft, fo full of toil and pain;
Another queft, another game in view
He hath, the guerdon of his Love to gain :
With whom he minds for ever to remain,
And fet his reft amongst the rustick sort,
Rather than hunt ftill after fhadows vain
Of courtly favour, fed with light report
Of every blaft, and failing always in the port.
III.
Ne certes mote he greatly blamed be,
From fo high ftep to ftoop unto fo low. For who had tafted once (as oft did he) The happy peace, which there doth overflow, And prov'd the perfect pleasures which do grow Amongst poor Hinds, in hills, in woods, in dales, Would never more delight in painted show Of fuch falfe blifs, as there is fet for ftales, T'entrap unwary Fools in their eternal bales.
For what hath all that goodly glorious gaze
Like to one fight, which Calidore did view?
The glance whereof their dimmed eyes would daze,
That never more they fhould endure the fhew
Of that fun-fhine, that makes them look afkew:
Ne ought in all that world of beauties rare
(Save only Glorianas heavenly hue,
To which what can compare?) can it compare; The which, as cometh now by courfe, I will declare. V.
One day as he did range the fields abroad,
Whilft his fair Paftorella was elsewhere,
He chanc'd to come, far from all peoples troad,
Unto a place, whofe pleafance did appear
To pafs all others, on the earth which were:
For all that ever was by natures skill
Deviz'd to work delight, was gather'd there,
And there by her were poured forth at fill,
As if this to adorn, fhe all the reft did pill.
It was an hill, plac'd in an open plain,
That round about was border'd with a wood,
Of matchlefs height, that feem'd th'earth to difdain;
In which all trees of honour ftately stood,
And did all winter as in fummer bud,
Spreading pavilions for the birds to bowre,
Which in their lower branches fung aloud,
And in their tops the foaring Hawk did towre,
Sitting like King of Fowls, in majesty and powre.
VII.
And at the foot thereof, a gentle flood
His filver waves did foftly tumble down,
Unmar'd with ragged mofs or filthy mud;
Ne mote wild beatts, ne mote the ruder clown
Thereto approach, ne filth mote therein drown:
But Nymphs and Fairies by the banks did fit,
In the woods fhade, which did the waters crown,
Keeping all noifome things away from it,
And to the waters fall tuning their accents fit.
And on the top thereof a fpacious plain
Did fpread it felf, to ferve to all delight,
Either to dance, when they to dance would fain,
Or elfe to courfe about their bafes light;
Ne ought there wanted, which for pleasure might
Defired be, or thence to banish bale:
So pleasantly the hill, with equal height,
Did feem to over-look the lowly vale;
Therefore it rightly cleeped was mount Acidale.
IX.
They fay that Venus, when the did difpofe
Her felf to pleafance, used to refort
Unto this place, and therein to repose
And reft her felf as in a gladfome port,
Or with the Graces there to play and sport;
That even her own Cytheron, though in it
She used moft to keep her royal court,
And in her foveraine Majefty to fit,
She in regard hereof refus'd and thought unfit.
X.
Unto this place whenas the Elfin Knight
Approacht, him feemed that the merry found Of a fhrill pipe he playing heard on height, And many feet faft thumping th'hollow ground, That through the woods their Eccho did rebound. He nigher drew, to weet what mote it be; There he a troop of Ladies dancing found Full merrily, and making gladful glee, And in the midft a Shepherd piping he did fee. XI.
He durft not enter into th'open green,
For dread of them unwares to be defcride,
For breaking of their dance, if he were feen;
But in the covert of the wood did bide,
Beholding all, yet of them unefpy'd.
There he did fee, that pleafed much his fight,
That even he himself his eyes envy'd,
An hundred naked maidens lilly white,
All ranged in a ring, and dancing in delight.
All they without were ranged in a ring,
And danced round; but in the midft of them
Three other Ladies did both dance and fing,
The whilft the reft them round about did hem,
And like a girlond did in compafs ftem:
And in the midft of thofe fame there was plac'd
Another Damfel, as a precious gem
Amidft a ring most richly well enchac'd,
That with her goodly prefence all the reft much grac'd.
Look how the crown which Ariadne wore
Upon her ivory forehead that fame day
That Thefeus her unto his bridale bore
(When the bold Centaur's made that bloody fray
With the fierce Lapithes which did them difmay),
Being now placed in the firmament,
Through the bright heaven doth her beams display,
And is unto the Stars an ornament,
Which round about her move in order excellent:
Such was the beauty of this goodly band,
Whose fundry parts were here too long to tell :
But fhe that in the midft of them did ftand,
Seem'd all the reft in beauty to excell,
Crown'd with a rofie girlond, that right well
Did her befeem. And ever, as the crew
About her danc'd, fweet flowres that far did fmell,
And fragrant odours they upon her threw ;
But most of all, thofe three did her with gifts endew.
XV.
Those were the Graces, daughters of delight,
Handmaids of Venus, which are wont to haunt
Upon this hill, and dance there day and night :
Those three to men all gifts of grace do grant;
And all, that Venus in herfelf doth vaunt,
Is borrowed of them. But that fair one,
That in the midft was placed paravant,
Was fhe to whom that Shepherd pip'd alone,
That made him pipe fo merrily, as never none.
XVI.
She was to weet that jolly Shepherds Lass,
Which piped there unto that merry rout:
That jolly Shepherd, which there piped, was
Poor Colin Clout (who knows not Colin Clout?)
He pip'd apace, whilft they him daunc'd about.
Pipe jolly Shepherd, pipe thou now apace
Unto thy Love, that made thee low to lout;
Thy Love is present there with thee in place,
Thy Love is there advaunc'd to be another Grace.
XVII.
Much wondred Calidore at this ftrange fight,
Whose like before his eye had never feen :
And standing long aftonished in fpright,
And rapt with pleasance, wift not what to ween;
Whether it were the train of beauties Queen,
Or Nymphs, or Fairies, or enchanted fhow,
With which his eyes mote have deluded been.
Therefore refolving, what it was to know,
Out of the wood he rofe, and toward them did go.
XVIII.
But foon as he appeared to their view,
They vanisht all away out of his fight,
And clean were gone, which way he never knew;
All fave the Shepherd, who for fell defpight
Of that displeasure, broke his bag-pipe quite,
And made great moan for that unhappy turn.
But Calidore, though no lefs forry wight,
For that mishap, yet feeing him to mourn,
Drew near, that he the truth of all by him mote learn.
XIX.
And first him greeting, thus unto him fpake;
Hail jolly Shepherd, which thy joyous days
Here leadeft in this goodly merry-make,
Frequented of thefe gentle Nymphs always,
Which to thee flock, to hear thy lovely lays;
Tell me, what mote thefe dainty Damfels be,
Which here with thee do make their pleasant plays?
Right happy thou, that mayft them freely fee:
But why, when I them faw, fled they away from me?
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