Thenceforth more mischiefe and more scath he To mortall men than he had done before, [wrought Ne ever could by any more be brought
Into like bands, ne maystred any more; Albe that long time after Calidore
The good Sir Pelleas him tooke in hand, And after him Sir Lamoracke of yore,
And all his brethren borne in Britaine Land,
Yet none of them could ever bring him into band. XL.
So now he raungeth through the world againe, And rageth sore in each degree and state, Ne any is that may him now restraine, He growen is so great and strong of late, Barking and biting all that him doe bate, Albe they worthy blame, or cleare of crime; Ne spareth he most learned wits to rate, Ne spareth he the gentle poets rime,
But rends without regard of person or of time.
Ne may this homely verse, of many meanest, Hope to escape his venemous despite,
More then my former writs, all were they clearest From blamefull blot, and free from all that wite With which some wicked tongues did it backebite, And bring into a mighty peres displeasure, That never so deserved to indite;
Therefore do you, my Rimes, keep better measure, And seeke to please, that now is counted wise mens Volume VI. [threasure.
WHAT man that sees the ever-whirling wheele Of Change, the which all mortall things doth sway, But that thereby doth find and plainly feele How Mutability in them doth play Her cruell sports to many mens decay? Which that to all may better yet appeare, I will rehearse that whylome I heard say,
How she at first herselfe began to reare [to beare. Gainst all the gods, and th' empire sought from them
But first here falleth fittest to unfold Her antique race and linage ancient, As I have found it registred of old In Faery Land, mongst records permanent. She was, to weet, a daughter by descent Of those old Titans that did whylome strive With Saturnes sonne for heaven's regiment, Whom though high Iove of kingdome did deprive, Yet many of their stemme long after did survive :
And many of them afterwards obtain'd Great power of Iove, and high authority; As Hecate, in whose almighty hand He plac't all rule and principality, To be by her disposed diversly
To gods and men as she them list divide; And drad Bellona, that doth sound on hie Warres and allarums unto nations wide,
That makes both Heaven and earth to tremble at her
So likewise did this Titanesse aspire, Rule and dominion to herselfe to gaine, That as a goddesse men might her admire, And heavenly honours yield, as to them twaine; And first on earth she sought it to obtaine, Where she such proofe and sad examples shewed Of her great power, to many ones great paine, That not men onely (whom she soone subdewed) Buteke all other creatures her bad dooings rewed.
For she the face of earthly things so changed, That all which Nature had establisht first In good estate, and in meet order ranged, She did pervert, and all their statutes burst; And all the world's faire frame (which none yet durst Of gods or men to alter or misguide)
She alter'd quite, and made them all accurst That God had blest, and did at first provide
In that still happy state for ever to abide. VI.
Ne shee the lawes of Nature onely brake, But eke of justice and of policie,
And wrong of right, and bad of good, did make, And death for life exchanged foolishlie ; Since which all living wights have learn'd to die, And all this world is woxen daily worse.
O pittious worke of Mutabilitie!
By which we all are subiect to that curse, [nurse. And death, instead of life, have sucked from our VII.
And now, when all the earth she thus had brought To her behest, and thralled to her might, She gan to cast in her ambitious thought T'attempt th' empire of the heav'n's hight, And love himselfe to shoulder from his right; And first she past the region of the ayre, And of the fire, whose substance thin and slight Made no resistance, ne could her contraire, But ready passage to her pleasure did prepare ;
Thence to the circle of the moone she clambe, Where Cynthia raignes in everlasting glory, To whose bright shining palace straight she came, All fairely deckt, with heaven's goodly story; Whose silver gates (by which there sate an hory Old aged sire with hower-glasse in hand, Hight Tyme) she entred, were he liefe or sory, Ne staide till she the highest stage had scand, Where Cynthia did sit, that never still did stand. IX.
Her sitting on an ivory throne shee found, Drawne of two steeds, th' one black, the other white, Environd with tenne thousand starres around, That duly her attended day and night, And by her side there ran her page, that hight Vesper, whom we the evening-starre intend; That with his torche, still twinkling like twylight, Her lightened all the way where she should wend, And ioy to weary wandring travailers did lend.
Tho when the hardy Titanesse heheld The goodly building of her palace bright, Made of the heaven's substance, and up-held With thousand crystall pillors of huge hight, Shee gan to burne in her ambitious spright, And t'envie her that in such glorie raigned; Eftsoones she cast by force and tortious might Her to displace, and to herselfe t' have gained The kingdome of theNight,and waters by her wained.
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