Hat euer man he be, whose heauie mynd
With griefe of mournefull great mishap oppreft,
Fit matter for his cares increase would fynd:
Let reade the rufull plaint herein.
expreft,
Of one (I weene) the wofulft man aliue;
Euen fad Alcyon, whose empierced breft,
Sharpe forrowe did in thousand peeces riue.
But who fo else in pleasure findeth fense,
Or in this wretched life dooth take delight,
Let him be banisht farre away from hence:
Ne let the facred Sifters here be hight,
Though they of forrowe heauilie can fing;
For euen their heauie fong would breede delight:
But here no tunes, faue fobs and grones fhall ring.
In stead of them, and their sweete harmonie,
Let those three fatall Sifters, whofe fad hands
Doe weaue the direfull threeds of destinie,
And in their wrath breake off the vitall bands,
Approach hereto : and let the dreadfull Queene
Of darkenes deepe come from the Stygian strands, 20
And grifly Ghosts to heare this dolefull teene.
In gloomie euening, when the wearie Sun,
After his dayes long labour drew to rest,
And sweatie steedes now hauing ouer run
The compast skie, gan water in the west,
I walkt abroad to breath the freshing ayre
In open fields, whose flowring pride opprest
With early frofts, had loft their beautie faire.
There came vnto my mind a troublous thought,
Which dayly doth my weaker wit possesse,
Ne lets it reft, vntill it forth haue brought
Her long borne Infant, fruit of heauineffe,
Which the conceiued hath through meditation
Of this worlds vainneffe, and lifes wretchednesse,
That yet my foule it deepely doth empassion.
So as I muzed on the miserie
In which men liue, and I of many most,
Moft miferable man; I did efpie
Where towards me a fory wight did coft,
Clad all in black, that mourning did bewray :
And Iaakob ftaffe in hand deuoutly croft,
Like to fome Pilgrim, come from farre away.
His careleffe lockes, vncombed and vnfhorne,
Hong long adowne, and beard all ouer growne,
That well he feemd to be fome wight forlorne;
Downe to the earth his heauie eyes were throwne
As loathing light and euer as he went,
He fighed soft, and inly deepe did grone,
As if his heart in peeces would haue rent.
Approa/ching nigh, his face I vewed nere,
And by the femblant of his countenaunce,
Me feemd I had his perfon feene elsewhere,
Moft like Alcyon feeming at a glaunce;
Alcyon he, the iollie Shepheard swaine,
That wont full merrilie to pipe and daunce.
And fill with pleafance euery wood and plaine.
Yet halfe in doubt, because of his difguize,
I foftlie fayd, Alcyon? There withall
He lookt a fide as in difdainefull wife,
Yet stayed not: till I againe did call.
Then turning back, he saide with hollow found,
Who is it, that dooth name me, wofull thrall,
The wretchedft man that treads this day on groud?
One, whom like wofulneffe impreffed deepe,
Hath made fit mate thy wretched case to heare,
And giuen like cause with thee to waile and wepe:
Griefe finds fome ease by him that like does beare,
Then ftay Alcyon, gentle fhepheard stay
(Quoth I) till thou haue to my truftie eare
Committed, what thee dooth fo ill apay.
Cease foolish man (faide he halfe wrothfully)
To seeke to heare that which cannot be told:
For the huge anguish, which dooth multiplie
My dying paines, no tongue can well vnfold:
Ne doo I care, that any should bemone
My hard mishap, or any weepe that would,
But feeke alone to weepe, and dye alone. /
Then be it fo (quoth I) that thou art bent
To die alone, vnpitied, vnplained,
Yet ere thou die, it were conuenient
To tell the cause, which thee thereto constrained :
Least that the world thee dead accuse of guilt,
And say, when thou of none shalt be maintained,
That thou for fecret crime thy blood haft fpilt.
Who life dooes loath, and longs to be vnbound
From the strong fhackles of fraile flesh (quoth he)
Nought cares at all, what they that liue on ground
Deeme the occasion of his death to bee:
Rather defires to be forgotten quight,
Than question made of his calamitie,
For harts deep forrow hates both life and light.
Yet fince fo much thou feemft to rue my griefe,
And car'ft for one that for himselfe cares nought,
(Signe of thy loue, though nought for my reliefe:
For my reliefe exceedeth liuing thought)
I will to thee this heauie cafe relate,
Then harken well till it to end be brought,
For neuer didft thou heare more haplesse fate.
Whilome I vfde (as thou right well doeft know)
My little flocke on westerne downes to keepe.
Not far from whence Sabrinaes ftreame doth flow,
And flowrie bancks with filuer liquor fteepe:
Nought carde I then for worldly change or chaŭce,
For all my ioy was on my gentle sheepe,
And to my pype to caroll and to daunce.
It there befell, as I the fields did range
Feareleffe and free, a faire young Lioneffe,
White as the natiue Rose before the chaunge,
Which Venus blood did in her leaues impresse.
I spied playing on the grassie plaine
Her youthfull sports and kindlie wantonnesse,
That did all other Beasts in beawtie ftaine.
Much was I moued at fo goodly fight;
Whose like before, mine eye had seldome seene,
And gan to caft, how I her compasse might,
And bring to hand, that yet had neuer beene :
So well I wrought with mildnes and with paine,
That I her caught disporting on the greene,
And brought away faft bound with filuer chaine.
And afterwards I handled her fo fayre,
That though by kind fhee ftout and faluage were,
For being borne an auncient Lions hayre,
And of the race, that all wild beaftes do feare;
Yet I her fram'd and wan fo to my bent,
That shee became fo meeke and milde of cheare,
As the leaft lamb in all my flock that went.
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