That fight thereof much griev'd my pensive
At length, when most in perill it was brought, Two Angels, downe defcending with swift flight,
Out of the fwelling ftreame it lightly caught,
And twixt their bleffed armes it carried quight
Above the reach of anie living fight:
So now it is transform'd into that ftarre,
In which all heavenly treasures locked are. 630
Looking afide I faw a stately Bed,
Adorned all with coftly cloth of gold,
That might for anie Princes couche be red,
And deckt with daintie flowres, as if it fhold
Be for fome Bride, her ioyous night to hold:
Therein a goodly Virgine fleeping lay;
A fairer wight faw never fummers day.
I heard a voyce that called farre away,
And her awaking bad her quickly dight,
For lo! her Bridegrome was in readie ray 640
To come to her, and feeke her loves delight:
With that she started up with cherefull fight,
When fuddeinly both Bed and all was gone,
And I in languor left there all alone.
Still as I gazed, I beheld where stood
A Knight all arm'd, upon a winged fteed,
The fame that was bred of Medusaes blood,
On which Dan Perfeus, borne of heavenly feed,
The faire Andromeda from perill freed:
Full mortally this Knight ywounded was, 650
That streames of blood foorth flowed on the
Yet was he deckt (fmall ioy to him alas !)
With manie garlands for his victories,
And with rich spoyles, which late he did purchas
Through brave atcheivements from his enemies:
Fainting at last through long infirmities, 656
He fmote his fteed, that straight to heaven
him bore,
And left me here his loffe for to deplore.
Laftly I faw an Arke of pureft golde
Upon a brazen pillour standing hie,
Which th' afhes feem'd of fome great Prince to
Enclofde therein for endles memorie
Of him, whom all the world did glorifie:
Seemed the heavens with the earth did difagree,
Whether fhould of those ashes keeper bee. 665
At laft me feem'd wing-footed Mercurie,
From heaven defcending to appease their strife,
The Arke did beare with him above the fkie,
And to thofe afhes gave a fecond life,
To live in heaven, where happines is rife: 670
Ver. 661. Which th' afhes feem'd of fome great Prince to hold, &c.] This feems an allufion to the circumstance of Sir Philip Sidney's corpfe being brought to England. TODD.
At which the earth did grieve exceedingly,
And I for dole was almoft like to die.
Immortall spirite of Philifides,
Which now art made the heavens ornament,
That whilome waft the worldes chiefft richés;
Give leave to him that lov'de thee to lament 676
His loffe, by lacke of thee to heaven hent,
And with laft duties of this broken verse,
Broken with fighes, to decke thy fable Herfe!
And ye, faire Ladie! th' honour of your daies,
And glorie of the world, your high thoughts
fcorne; Vouchfafe this moniment of his last praise With fome few filver-dropping teares t'adorne; And as ye be of heavenlie off-spring borne, So unto heaven let your high minde afpire, And loath this droffe of finfull worlds defire! 686
* L' Envoy was a fort of postscript, sent with poetical compofitious, and ferving either to recommend them to the attention of fome particular perfon, or to enforce what we call the moral of them. See the ftanzas at the end of Chaucer's Clerkes Tale, and of the Complaint of the Black Knight, and of Chaucer's Dreme. TraWHITT.
DEDICATED TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE
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