Collected Works of Michael Drayton

by Michael Drayton

  And with sweet kisses sealeth up his lips,

  Whilst from her eyes, teares streaming downe in showrs

  Fell on his cheekes like dew upon the flowrs,

  In globy circles like pure drops of milk, 475

  Sprinckled on roses, or fine crimson silk:

  Touching his brow, this is the seate (quoth she)

  Where beauty sits in all her majestie,

  She calls his eye-lids those pure christall covers

  Which do include the looking glasse of lovers, 480

  She calls his lips the sweet delicious folds

  Which rare perfume and precious incense holds,

  Shee calls his soft smooth allablaster skin,

  The lawne which angels are attyred in,

  Sweet face (qd she) but wanting words I spare thee

  Except to heaven alone I should compare thee: 486

  And whilst her words she wasteth thus in vayne,

  Sporting herselfe the tyme to entertayne,

  The frolick nymphes with musicks sacred sound,

  Entred the meddowes dauncing in a round: 490

  And unto Phoebe straight their course direct,

  Which now their joyfull comming did expect,

  Before whose feet their flowrie spoyles they lay,

  And with sweet balme his body doe imbay.

  And on the laurels growing there along, 495

  Their wreathed garlonds all about they hung:

  And all the ground within the compasse load,

  With sweetest flowers, wheron they lightly troad.

  With nectar then his temples they be dew,

  And kneeling softly kisse him all arew; 500

  Then in brave galiards they themselves advaunce,

  And in the Thyas Bacchus stately daunce;

  Then following on fayre Floras gilded trayne,

  Into the groves they thus depart agayne,

  And now to shew her powerfull deitie, 505

  Her sweet Endimion more to beautifie,

  Into his soule the goddesse doth infuse,

  The fiery nature of a heavenly muse,

  Which in the spyrit labouring by the mind

  Pertaketh of celestiall things by kind: 510

  For why the soule being divine alone,

  Exempt from vile and grosse corruption,

  Of heavenly secrets comprehensible,

  Of which the dull flesh is not sensible,

  And by one onely powerfull faculty, 515

  Yet governeth a multiplicity,

  Being essentiall, uniforme in all;

  Not to be sever’d nor dividuall,

  But in her function holdeth her estate,

  By powers divine in her ingenerate, 520

  And so by inspiration conceaveth

  What heaven to her by divination breatheth;

  But they no sooner to the shades were gone,

  Leaving their goddesse by Endimion,

  But by the hand the lovely boy shee takes, 525

  And from his sweet sleepe softly him awakes,

  Who being struck into a sodayne feare,

  Beholding thus his glorious goddesse there,

  His hart transpiersed with this sodayne glance,

  Became as one late cast into a trance: 530

  Wiping his eyes not yet of perfect sight,

  Scarcely awak’d amazed at the light,

  His cheekes now pale then lovely blushing red,

  Which oft increasd, and quickly vanished,

  And as on him her fixed eyes were bent, 535

  So to and fro his colour came and went;

  Like to a christall neere the fire set,

  Against the brightnes rightly opposet,

  Now doth reteyne the colour of the flame,

  And lightly moved againe, reflects the same; 540

  For our affection quickned by her heate,

  Alayd and strengthned by a strong conceit,

  The minde disturbed forth-with doth convart,

  To an internall passion of the hart,

  By motion of that sodaine joy or feare, 545

  Which we receive either by the eye or eare,

  For by retraction of the spirit and blood,

  From those exterior parts where first they stood,

  Into the center of the body sent,

  Returnes againe more strong and vehement: 550

  And in the like extreamitie made cold,

  About the same, themselves doe closely hold,

  And though the cause be like in this respect,

  Works by this meanes a contrary effect.

  Thus whilst this passion hotely held his course, 555

  Ebbing and flowing from his springing source,

  With the strong fit of this sweet fever moved,

  At sight of her which he intirely loved,

  Not knowing yet great Phoebe this should be,

  His soveraigne goddesse, Queene of chastitie, 560

  Now like a man whom love had learned art,

  Resolv’d at once his secrets to impart:

  But first repeats the torments he had past,

  The woes indur’d since tyme he saw her last;

  Now he reports he noted whilst she spake, 565

  The bustling windes their murmure often brake,

  And being silent, seemd to pause and stay,

  To listen to her what she ment to say:

  Be kind (quoth he) sweet nymph unto thy lover,

  My soules sole essence, and my sences mover, 570

  Life of my life, pure image of my hart,

  Impressure of conceit, invention, art,

  My vitall spirit, receves his spirit from thee,

  Thou art that all which ruleth all in me,

  Thou art the sap, and life whereby I live, 575

  Which powerfull vigor doost receive and give;

  Thou nourishest the flame wherein I burne,

  The north wherto my harts true tuch doth turne.

  Pitty my poore flock, see their wofull plight,

  Theyr maister perisht living from thy sight, 580

  Theyr fleeces rent, my tresses all forlorne,

  I pyne, whilst they theyr pasture have forborne;

  Behold (quoth he) this little flower belowe,

  Which heere within this fountayne brim dooth grow;

  With that, a solemne tale begins to tell 585

  Of this fayre flower, and of this holy well,

  A goodly legend, many winters old,

  Learn’d by the sheepheards sitting by their folde,

  How once this fountayne was a youthfull swaine,

  A frolick boy and kept upon the playne, 590

  Unfortunate it hapt to him (quoth he)

  To love a fayre nymph as I nowe love thee,

  To her his love and sorrow he imparts,

  Which might dissolve a rock of flinty harts;

  To her he sues, to her he makes his mone, 595

  But she more deafe and hard then Steele or stone;

  And thus one day with griefe of mind opprest,

  As in this place he layd him downe to rest,

  The gods at length uppon his sorrowes looke,

  Transforming him into this pirrling brooke, 600

  Whose murmuring bubles softly as they creepe,

  Falling in drops, the channell seems to weepe,

  But shee thus careles of his misery,

  Still spends her dayes in mirth and jollity;

  And comming one day to the river side, 605

  Laughing for joy when she the same espyde,

  This wanton nymph in that unhappy hower,

  Was heere transformd into this purple flower,

  Which towards the water turnes it selfe agayne

  To pitty him by her unkindnes slayne. 610

  She, as it seemd, who all this time attended,

  Longing to heare that once his tale were ended,

  Now like a jealous woman she repeats,

  Mens subtilties, and naturall deceyts;

  A
nd by example strives to verifie, 615

  Their ficklenes and vaine inconstancie:

  Their hard obdurate harts, and wilfull blindnes,

  Telling a storie wholy of unkindnes;

  But he, who well perceived her intent,

  And to remove her from this argument, 620

  Now by the sacred fount he vowes and sweares,

  By lovers sighes, and by her halowed teares,

  By holy Latmus now he takes his oath,

  That all he spake was in good fayth and troth;

  And for no frayle uncertayne doubt should move her,

  Vowes secrecie, the crown of a true lover. 626

  She hearing this, thought time that she reveald,

  That kind affection which she long conceald,

  Determineth to make her true love known,

  Which shee had borne unto Endimion; 630

  I am no huntresse, nor no nymph (quoth she)

  As thou perhaps imagin’st me to be,

  I am great Phoebe, Latmus sacred Queene,

  Who from the skies have hether past unseene,

  And by thy chast love hether was I led, 635

  Where full three yeares thy fayre flock have I fed,

  Upon these mountaines and these firtile plaines,

  And crownd thee King of all the sheepheards swaines:

  Nor wanton, nor lacivious is my love,

  Nor never lust my chast thoughts once could move;

  But sith thou thus hast offerd at my shrine, 641

  And of the gods hast held me most divine,

  Mine altars thou with sacrifice hast stord,

  And in my temples hast my name ador’d,

  And of all other, most hast honor’d mee, 645

  Great Phoebes glory thou alone shalt see.

  Thys spake, she putteth on her brave attire,

  As being burnisht in her brothers fire,

  Purer then that celestiall shining flame

  Wherein great Jove unto his lemmon came, 650

  Which quickly had his pale cheekes over-spred,

  And tincted with a lovely blushing red.

  Which whilst her brother Titan for a space,

  Withdrew himselfe, to give his sister place,

  Shee now is darkned to all creatures eyes, 655

  Whilst in the shadow of the earth she lyes,

  For that the earth of nature cold and dry,

  A very chaos of obscurity,

  Whose globe exceeds her compasse by degrees,

  Fixed upon her superficies; 660

  When in his shadow she doth hap to fall,

  Dooth cause her darknes to be generall.

  Thus whilst he layd his head upon her lap,

  Shee in a fiery mantle doth him wrap,

  And carries him up from this lumpish mould, 665

  Into the skyes, whereas he might behold,

  The earth in perfect roundnes of a ball

  Exeeding globes most artificiall:

  Which in a fixed poynt Nature disposed,

  And with the sundry elements inclosed, 670

  Which as the center permanent dooth stay,

  When as the skies in their diurnall sway,

  Strongly maintaine the ever-turning course,

  Forced alone by their first moover sourse,

  Where he beholds the ayery regions, 675

  Whereas the clouds and strange impressions,

  Maintaynd by coldnes often doe appeare,

  And by the highest region of the ayre,

  Unto the cleerest element of fire,

  Which to her silver foot-stoole doth aspire, 680

  Then dooth she mount him up into her sphere,

  Imparting heavenly secrets to him there,

  Where lightned by her shining beames hee sees,

  The powerfull plannets, all in their degrees,

  Their sundry revolutions in the skies, 685

  And by their working how they simpathize;

  All in theyr circles severally prefixt,

  And in due distance each with other mixt:

  The mantions which they hold in their estate,

  Of which by nature they participate; 690

  And how those signes their severall places take,

  Within the compasse of the Zodiacke:

  And in their severall triplicities consent,

  Unto the nature of an element,

  To which the plannets do themselves disperce, 695

  Having the guidance of this univers,

  And do from thence extend their severall powers,

  Unto this little fleshly world of ours:

  Wherin her makers workmanship is found,

  As in contriving of this mighty round, 700

  In such strange maner and such fashion wrought,

  As doth exceede mans dull and feeble thought,

  Guiding us still by their directions;

  And that our fleshly frayle complections,

  Of elemental natures grounded bee, 705

  With which our dispositions most agree,

  Some of the fire and ayre participate,

  And some of watry and of earthy state,

  As hote and moyst, with chilly cold and dry,

  And unto these the other contrary; 710

  And by their influence powerfull on the earth,

  Predominant in mans fraile mortall bearth,

  And that our lives effects and fortunes are,

  As is that happy or unlucky starre,

  Which reigning in our frayle nativitie, 715

  Seales up the secrets of our destinie,

  With frendly plannets in conjunction set,

  Or els with other meerely opposet:

  And now to him her greatest power she lent,

  To lift him to the starry firmament, 720

  Where he beheld that milky stayned place,

  By which the twynns and heavenly archers trace,

  The dogge which doth the furious lyon beate,

  Whose flaming breath increaseth Titans heate,

  The teare-distilling mournfull Pliades, 725

  Which on the earth the stormes and tempests raise,

  And all the course the constellations run,

  When in conjunction with the moone or sun,

  When towards the fixed Articke they arise, 729

  When towards the Antarticke, falling from our eyes;

  And having impt the wings of his desire,

  And kindled him, with this coelestiall fire,

  She sets him downe, and vanishing his sight,

  Leaves him inwrapped in this true delight:

  Now wheresoever he his fayre flock fed, 735

  The muses still Endimion followed;

  His sheepe as white as swans or driven snow,

  Which beautified the soyle with such a show,

  As where hee folded in the darkest night,

  There never needed any other light; 740

  If that he hungred and desired meate,

  The bees would bring him honny for to eate,

  Yet from his lyps would not depart away,

  Tyll they were loden with ambrosia;

  And if he thirsted, often there was seene 745

  A bubling fountaine spring out of the greene,

  With christall liquid fild unto the brim,

  Which did present her liquid store to him,

  If hee would hunt, the fayre nymphs at his will,

  With bowes and quivers, would attend him still: 750

  And what-soever he desierd to have,

  That he obtain’d if hee the same would crave.

  And now at length, the joyful tyme drew on,

  Shee meant to honor her Endimion,

  And glorifie him on that stately mount 755

  Whereof the goddesse made so great account.

  Shee sends Joves winged herauld to the woods,

  The neighbour fountains, and the bordring floods,

  Charging the nymphes which did inhabit there,

  Upon a day appoynted t
o appeare, 760

  And to attend her sacred majestie

  In all theyr pompe and great solemnity.

  Having obtaynd great Phoebus free consent,

  To further her divine and chast intent,

  Which thus imposed as a thing of waight, 765

  In stately troupes appeare before her straight,

  The faunes and satyres from the tufted brakes,

  Theyr brisly armes wreath’d al about with snakes;

  Their sturdy loynes with ropes of ivie bound,

  Theyr horned heads with woodbine chaplets crownd,

  With cipresse javelens, and about their thyes, 771

  The flaggy hayre disorder’d loosely flyes:

  Th’ Oriades like to the Spartan mayd,

  In murrie-scyndall gorgiously arayd:

  With gallant greene scarfes girded in the wast, 775

  Theyr flaxen hayre with silken fillets lac’d,

  Woven with flowers in sweet lascivious wreathes,

  Mooving like feathers as the light ayre breathes,

  With crownes of mirtle, glorious to behold,

  Whose leaves are painted with pure drops of gold:

  With traines of fine bisse checker’d al with frets 781

  Of dainty pincks and precious violets,

  In branched buskins of fine cordiwin,

  With spangled garters downe unto the shin,

  Fring’d with fine silke, of many a sundry kind, 785

  Which lyke to pennons waved with the wind.

  The Hamadriads from their shady bowers,

  Deckt up in garlonds of the rarest flowers,

  Upon the backs of milke-white bulls were set,

  With home and hoofe as black as any jet, 790

  Whose collers were great massy golden rings,

  Led by their swaynes in twisted silken strings;

  Then did the lovely Driades appeare,

  On dapled staggs, which bravely mounted were,

  Whose velvet palmes with nosegaies rarely dight, 795

  To all the rest bred wonderfull delight;

  And in this sort accompaned with these,

  In tryumph rid the watry Niades,

  Upon sea-horses, trapt with shining Anns,

  Arm’d with their male impenitrable skinns, 800

  Whose scaly crests like raine-bowes bended hye;

  Seeme to controule proud Iris in the skye;

  Upon a charriot was Endimion layd,

  In snowy tissue gorgiously arayd,

  Of precious ivory covered o’re with lawne, 805

  Which by foure stately unicornes was drawne,

  Of ropes of orient pearle their traces were,

  Pure as the path which dooth in heaven appeare,

  With rarest flowers inchaste and over-spred,

  Which serv’d as curtaynes to this glorious bed, 810

  Whose seate of christal in the sun-beames shone,

  Like thunder-breathing Joves celestiall throne,