The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
This while, though poor, they in themselves did reign.
One day (O day, that shin’d to make them dark!)
While they did ward sun-beams with shady bay,
And Claius taking for his youngling cark,
(Lest greedy eyes to them might challenge lay)
Busy with ochre did their shoulders mark,
(His mark a pillar was devoid of stay,
As bragging that free of all passions’ moan,
Well might he others bear, but lean to none:)
Strephon with leafy twigs of laurel tree,
A garland made on temples for to wear,
For he then chosen was, the dignity
Of village lord, that Whitsuntide to bear:
And full, poor fool, of boyish bravery,
With triumph’s shows would show he nought did fear.
But fore-accounting oft makes builders miss:
They found, they felt, they had no lease of bliss.
For ere that either had his purpose done,
Behold, beholding well it doth deserve,
They saw a maid who thitherward did run,
To catch her Sparrow which from her did swerve,
As she a black-silk cap on him begun
To set for foil of his milk-white to serve,
She chirping ran, he peeping flew away,
’Till hard by them both he and she did stay.
Well for to see, they kept themselves unseen,
And saw this fairest maid of fairer mind:
By fortune mean; in nature born a queen,
How well apaid she was her bird to find:
How tenderly her tender hands between
{111}
In ivory cage she did the micher bind:
How rosy moist’ned lips about his beak
Moving, she seem’d at once to kiss, and speak.
Chast’ned but thus, and thus his lesson taught,
The happy wretch she put into her breast,
Which to their eyes the bowels of Venus brought,
For they seem’d made even of sky metal best,
And that the bias of her blood was wrought.
Betwixt them two the peeper took his nest,
Where snugging well he well appear’d content,
So to have done amiss, so to be shent.
This done, but done with captive-killing grace,
Each motion seeming shot from beauty’s bow,
With length laid down, she deck’d the lovely place.
Proud grew the grass that under her did grow,
The trees spread out their arms to shade her face,
But she on elbow lean’d, with sighs did show
No grass, no trees, nor yet her sparrow might
The long-perplexed mind breed long delight.
She troubled was (alas that it might be!)
With tedious brawlings of her parents dear,
Who would have her in will and word agree
To wed Antaxius their neighbour near.
A herdman rich, of much account was he,
In whom no evil did reign, nor good appear.
In some such one she lik’d not his desire,
Fain would be free, but dreadeth parents’ ire.
Kindly (sweet soul!) she did unkindness take
That bagged baggage of a miser’s mud,
Should price of her, as in a market, make;
But gold can gild a rotten piece of wood;
To yield she found her noble heart to ache,
To strive she fear’d how it with virtue stood,
Thus doubtings clouds o’ercasting heav’nly brain,
At length in rows of kiss-cheeks tears they rain.
Cupid the wag, that lately conquer’d had
Wise counsellors, stout captains, puissant kings,
And tied them fast to lead his triumph had,
Glutted with them, now plays with meanest things:
So oft in feasts with costly changes clad
To crammed maws a sprat new stomach brings.
So lords with sport of stag and heron full,
Sometimes we see small birds from nests do pull.
So now for prey those shepherds two he took,
Whose metal stiff he knew he could not bend
With hear-say pictures, or a window-look;
With one good dance, or letter finely penn’d
That were in court a well proportion’d hook,
{112}
Where piercing wits do quickly apprehend,
Their senses rude plain objects only move,
And so must see great cause before they love.
Therefore love arm’d in her now takes the field,
Making her beams his bravery and might:
Her hands which pierc’d the soul’s sev’n double shield,
Were now his darts leaving his wonted fight.
Brave crest to him her scorn gold hair did yield,
His complete harness was her purest white.
But fearing lest all white might seem too good,
In cheeks and lips the tyrant threatens blood.
Besides this force, within her eyes he kept
A fire, to burn the prisoners he gains,
Whose boiling heart increased as she wept:
For ev’n in forge, cold water fire maintains.
Thus proud and fierce unto the hearts he stepp’d
Of them poor souls: and cutting reason’s reins,
Made them his own before they had it wist.
But if they had, could sheep-hooks thus resist?
Claius straight felt, and groaned at the blow,
And call’d, now wounded, purpose to his aid:
Strephon, fond boy, delighted did not know
That it was love that shin’d in shining maid:
But lick’rous, poison’d, fain to her would go,
If him new learned manners had not stay’d.
For then Urania homeward did arise,
Leaving in pain their well-fed hungry eyes.
She went, they stay’d, or rightly for to say,
She stay’d with them, they went in thought with her:
Claius indeed would fain have pull’d away
This mote from out his eye, this inward bur,
And now proud rebel ’gan for to gainsay
The lesson which but late he learn’d too far:
Meaning with absence to refresh the thought
To which her presence such a fever brought.
Strephon did leap with joy and jollity,
Thinking it just more therein to delight,
Than in good dog, fair field, or shading tree.
So have I seen trim-books in velvet dight,
With golden leaves, and painted babery
Of silly boys, please unacquainted sight:
But when the rod began to play his part,
Fain would, but could not, fly from golden smart.
He quickly learn’d Urania was her name,
And straight, for failing, grav’d it in his heart:
He knew her haunt, and haunted in the same,
And taught his sheep her sheep in food to thwart,
Which soon as it did hateful question frame,
{113}
He might on knees confess his faulty part,
And yield himself unto her punishment,
While nought but game, the self-hurt wanton meant.
Nay, even unto her home he oft would go,
Where bold and hurtless many play he tries,
Her parents liking well it should be so,
For simple goodness shined in his eyes.
There did he make her laugh in spite of woe,
So as good thoughts of him in all arise,
While into none doubt of his love did sink,
For not himself to be in love did think.
But glad desire, his late embosom’d guest
Yet but a babe, with milk of sight he nurst
Desire the more he suck’d, more sought the breast,
Like dropsy-folk still drink to be a thirst,
’Till one fair ev’n an hour ere sun did rest,
Who then in lion’s cave did enter first,
By neighbours pray’d she went abroad thereby,
At Barley-break[b1-06] her sweet swift foot to try.
Never the earth on his round shoulders bare
A maid train’d up from high or low degree,
That in her doings better could compare
Mirth with respect, from words with courtesy,
A careless comliness with comely care.
Self-guard with mildness, sport with majesty:
Which made her yield to deck this shepherd’s band,
And still, believe me, Strephon was at hand.
Afield they go, where many lookers be,
And thou seek-sorrow Claius them among:
Indeed thou said’st it was thy friend to see
Strephon, whose absence seem’d unto thee long,
While most with her he less did keep with thee.
No, no, it was in spite of wisdom’s song
Which absence wish’d: love play’d a victor’s part:
The heav’n-love load-stone drew thy iron heart.
Then couples there, be straight allotted there,
They of both ends the middle two do fly,
They two that in mid-place, hell called were,
Must strive with waiting foot, and watching eye
To catch of them, and them to hell to bear,
That they, as well as they, hell may supply:
Like some which seek to salve their blotted name
With others’ blot, ’till all do taste of shame.
There may you see, soon as the middle two
Do coupled towards either couple make,
They false and fearful do their hands undo,
{114}
Brother his brother, friend doth friend forsake,
Heeding himself, cares not how fellow do,
But of a stranger mutual help doth take:
As perjur’d cowards in adversity
With sight of fear, from friends, to friend, do fly.
These sports shepherds devis’d such faults to show.
Geron, though old, yet gamesome, kept one end
With Cosma, for whose love Pas passed in woe.
Fair Nous with Pas the lot to hell did send:
Pas thought it hell, while he was Cosma fro.
At other end Uran did Strephon lend
Her happy making hand, of whom one look
From Nous and Cosma all their beauty took.
The play began: Pas durst not Cosma chase,
But did intend next bout with her to meet,
So he with Nous to Geron turn’d their race,
With whom to join, fast ran Urania sweet:
But light legg’d Pas had got the middle space.
Geron strove hard, but aged were his feet,
And therefore finding force now faint to be,
He thought gray hairs afforded subtlety.
And so when Pas’s hand reached him to take,
The fox on knees and elbows tumbled down;
Pas could not stay, but over him did rake,
And crown’d the earth with his first touching crown:
His heels grown proud did seem at heav’n to shake,
But Nous that slipp’d from Pas, did catch the clown.
So laughing all, yet Pas to ease some dell
Geron with Uran were condemn’d to hell.
Cosma this while to Strephon safely came,
And all to second Barley-break are bent:
The two in hell did toward Cosma frame;
Who should to Pas, but they would her prevent.
Pas mad with fall, and madder with the shame,
Most mad with beams which we thought Cosma sent,
With such mad haste he did to Cosma go,
That to her breast he gave a noisome blow.
She quick, and proud, and who did Pas despise,
Up with her fist, and took him on the face,
“Another time,” quoth she, “become more wise.”
Thus Pas did kiss her hand with little grace,
And each way luckless, yet in humble guise
Did hold her fast for fear of more disgrace,
While Strephon might with pretty Nous have met,
But all this while another course be set.
For as Urania after Cosma ran;
He ravished with sight how gracefully
She mov’d her limbs, and drew the aged man,
{115}
Left Nous to coast the loved beauty nigh:
Nous cry’d and chaf’d, but he no other can.
’Till Uran seeing Pas to Cosma fly,
And Strephon single, turn’d after him:
Strephon so chas’d did seem in milk to swim.
He ran, but ran with eye o’er shoulder cast,
More marking her, than how himself did go,
Like Numid lions by the hunters chas’d,
Though they do fly, yet backwardly do glow
With proud aspect, disdaining greatest haste:
What rage in them, that love in him did show.
But God gives them instinct the man to shun,
And he by law of Barley-break must run.
But as his heat with running did augment,
Much more his sight increas’d his hot desire:
So is in her the best of nature spent,
The air her sweet race mov’d doth blow the fire,
Her feet be pursuivants from Cupid sent,
With whose fine steps all loves and joys conspire.
The hidden beauties, seem’d in wait to lie,
To down proud hearts that would not willing die.
That, fast he fled from her he follow’d sore,
Still shunning Nous to lengthen pleasing race,
’Till that he spied old Geron could no more,
Than did he stack his love-instructed pace.
So that Uran, whose arm old Geron bore,
Laid hold on him with most lay-holding grace.
So caught, him seem’d he caught of joys the bell,
And thought it heav’n so to be drawn to hell:
To hell he goes, and Nous with him must dwell,
Nous sware it was no right; for his default
Who would be caught, that she should go to hell:
But so she must. And now the third assault