Whylome when IRELAND flourished in fame
Of wealth and goodness, far above the rest
Of all that bear the British Islands name,
The Gods then us'd (for pleasure and for reft)
Oft to refort thereto, when feem'd them best:
But none of all therein more pleasure found,
Than Cynthia; that is foveraine Queen profeft
Of woods and forefts, which therein abound,
Sprinkled with wholesome waters, more than moft on
XXXIX.
But 'mongst them all, as fitteft for her game,
Either for chace of beafts with hound or bow,
Or for to fhroud in fhade from Phabus flame,
Or bathe in fountains that do freshly flow,
Or from high hills, or from the dales below,
She chose this Arlo; where she did refort
With all her Nymphs enranged on a row,
With whom the woody Gods did oft confort:
For with the Nymphs, the Satyrs love to play and sport.
Amongst the which, there was a Nymph that hight
Molanna; Daughter of old Father Mole,
And Sifter unto Mulla, fair and bright:
Unto whose bed falfe Bregog whylome ftole,
That Shepherd Colin dearly did condole,
And made her lucklefs loves well known to be.
But this Molanna, were fhe not so shole,
Were no lefs fair and beautiful than fhe:
Yet as fhe is, a fairer flood may no man fee.
For first she springs out of two marble rocks,
On which a grove of oaks high mounted grows;
That as a girlond feems to deck the locks
Of fome fair Bride, brought forth with pompous fhows
Out of her bowre, that many flowers ftrows:
So through the flowry dales fhe tumbling down,
Through many woods, and fhady coverts flows
(That on each fide her filver channel crown)
Till to the plain the come,whofe valleys she doth drown.
In her sweet streams, Diana used oft
(After her fweaty chace and toilsome play)
To bathe herfelf; and after on the foft
And downy grafs, her dainty limbs to lay
In covert fhade, where none behold her may t
For much fhe hated fight of living eye.
Foolish God Faunus, though full many a day
He faw her clad, yet longed foolishly
To fee her naked 'mongst her Nymphs in privity.
XLIII.
No way he found to compafs his defire,
But to corrupt Molanna, this her maid,
Her to discover for fome fecret hire:
So her with flattering words he first assayd;
And after, pleasing gifts for her purvayd,
Queen-apples, and red cherries from the tree,
With which he her allured and betraid,
To tell what time he might her Lady fee,
When the her felf did bathe, that he might fecret be.
XLIV.
Thereto he promift, if she would him pleasure
With this fmall boon, to quit her with a better;
To weet, that whereas fhe had out of measure
Long lov'd the Fanchin, who by nought did set her,
That he would undertake, for this to get her
To be his Love, and of him liked well:
Befide all which he vow'd to be her debtor
For many more good turns than he would tell;
The least of which, this little pleasure should excell.
XLV.
The fimple maid did yield to him anone;
And eft him placed where he close might view
That never any faw, fave only one;
Who for his hire to fo fool-hardy due,
Was of his hounds devour'd in hunters hue.
Tho as her manner was on funny day,
Diana with her Nymphs about her, drew
To this sweet spring; where doffing her array,
She bath'd her lovely limbs, for Jove a likely prey.
XLVI.
There Faunus faw that pleafed much his eye,
And made his heart to tickle in his breast,
That for great joy of fomewhat he did spy,
He could him not contain in filent reft;
But breaking forth in laughter, loud profeft
His foolish thought. A foolish Faun indeed,
That couldft not hold thyfelf fo hidden bleft,
But would eft needs thine own conceit areed.
Bablers unworthy been of fo divine a meed.
XLVII.
The Goddess all abafhed with that noife,
In hafte forth ftarted from the guilty brook; And running straight whereas fhe heard his voice, Enclos'd the bush about, and there him took, Like darred Lark; not daring up to look On her whofe fight before fo much he fought. Thence forth they drew him by the horns, and shook Nigh all to pieces, that they left him nought; And then into the open light they forth him brought. XLVIII.
Like as an hufwife, that with bufie care
Thinks of her dairy to make wondrous gain,
Finding whereas fome wicked beast unware
That breaks into her dayr'houfe, there doth drain
Her creaming pans, and fruftrate all her pain;
Hath in fome fnare or gin fet close behind,
Entrapped him, and caught into her train,
Then thinks what punishment were beft affign'd,
And thousand deaths devifeth in her vengeful mind.
XLIX.
So did Diana and her maidens all
Ufe filly Faunus, now within their bail :
They mock and fcorn him, and him foul mifcall;
Some by the nofe him pluckt, fome by the tail,
And by his goatifh beard fome did him hail :
Yet he (poor foul) with patience all did bear;
For nought against their wills might countervail :
Ne ought he faid whatever he did hear;
But hanging down his head, did like a Mome appear.
VOL. II.
At length when they had flouted him their fill,
They 'gan to caft what penance him to give.
Some would have gelt him, but that fame would spill
The Wood-Gods breed, which must for ever live:
Others would through the river him have drive,
And ducked deep: but that feem'd penance light;
But most agreed and did this fentence give,
Him in Deers-fkin to clad; and in that plight,
To hunt him with their hounds, himself fave how he might.
But Cynthia's felf more angry than the rest,
Thought not enough to punish him in fport,
And of her fhame to make a gamesome jeft;
But 'gan examine him in ftreighter fort,
Which of her Nymphs, or other close confort,
Him thither brought, and her to him betrayd.
He much affeard, to her confeffed fhort,
That 'twas Molanna which her fo bewrayd.
Then all attonce their hands upon Molanna layd.
LII.
But him (according as they had decreed)
With a Deers-fkin they cover'd, and then chast
With all their hounds, that after him did speed;
But he more speedy, from them fled more faft
Than any Deer: fo fore him dread aghaft.
They after follow'd all with fhrill out-cry,
Shouting as they the heavens would have braft:
That all the woods and dales where he did fly,
Did ring again, and loud re-eccho to the sky.
So they him follow'd till they weary were;
When back returning to Molann' again,
They by commandment of Diana, there
Her whelm'd with ftones. Yet Faunus (for her pain)
Of her beloved Fanchin did obtain,
That her he would receive unto his bed.
So now her waves pafs through a pleasant plain,
Till with the Fanchin the herself do wed,
And both combin'd) themselves in one fair river spread.
Nath❜lefs Diana, full of indignation,
Thenceforth abandon'd her delicious brook :
In whose sweet stream, before that bad occasion,
So much delight to bathe her limbs fhe took :
Ne only her, but alfo quite forfook
All thofe fair forefts about Arlo hid,
And all that mountain which doth overlook The richest champion that may else be rid, And the fair Shure, in which are thousand Salmons bred. LV.
Them all, and all that she fo dear did way,
Thenceforth the left; and parting from the place,
Thereon an heavy hapless curfe did lay,
To weet, that Wolves, where fhe was wont to fpace, Should harbour'd be, and all those woods deface, And thieves fhould rob and fpoil that coaft around. Since which, thofe woods, and all that goodly chafe, Doth to this day with Wolves and thieves abound: Which too too true that lands in-dwellers fince have [found.
CANTO VII.
Pealing from Jove, to Natures bar,
Bold Alteration pleads
Large Evidence: but Nature foon
Her righteous Doom areads.
h! whither doft thou now thou greater Mufe
Me from these woods and pleafing forefts bring?
And my frail fpirit (that doth oft refufe
This too high flight, unfit for her weak wing)
Lift up aloft, to tell of heavens King
(Thy Soveraine Sire) his fortunate fuccefs,
And victory, in bigger notes to fing,
Which he obtain'd against that Titanefs,
That him of heavens empire fought to difpoffefs.
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