CUPID

I pray thee sweet wench, amongst all your sweet troop, is there not one that follows the swee test thing. Sweet love? A heat full of coldness, a sweet full of bit ternesse, a pain full of pleasantness, which makes thoughts have eyes, and hearts ears, bred by desire, nur said by delight, weaned by jealousy, killed by dissembling, buried by ingratitude, and this is love, fair Lady will you any? Try, and you shall find it a pretty thing. Diana, and thou, and all thine, shall know that Cupid is a great God, I will practice a while in these woods, and play such pranks with these Nymph's, that while they aim to hit others with their Arrows, they shall be wounded themselves with their own eyes. Now Cupid, under the shape of a silly girl show the power of a mighty God. Let Diana and all her coy Nymph's know, that there is no heart so chaste but thy bow can wound, nor eyes so modest, but thy brands can kindle, nor thoughts so stayed, but thy shafts can make wavering, weak and wanton: Cum bid though he be a child, is no baby. I will make their pains my pastimes, & so confound their loves in their own sex, that they shall dote in their desires, delight in their affections, and practice only impossibilities. While I trewant from my mother, I will use some ty ranny in these woods, and so shall their exercise in foe lish love, be my excuse for running away. I will see whi there fair faces be always chased, or Diana's virgins one lie modest, else will I spend both my shafts and shyfts, and then Ladies if you see these dainty Dams entrapped in love, say softly to your selves, we may all love. Thou shalt see Diana that I dare confess my self to be Cupid. Diana, what I have done, cannot be undone, but what you mean to do, shall. Venus hath some Gods to her friends, Cupid shall have all. If they be true love knots, 'tis unpossible to un knit them, if false, I never tied them. Love knots are tied with eyes, and cannot be undone with hands, made fast with thoughts, and cannot be unclosed with fingers, had Diana no task to set Cupid to but things impossible, I will to it. I cannot choose, it goes against my mind to make them lose. It is the true love knot of a woman's heart, therefore cannot be undone. It was made of a men thought which will never hang together. I, because it was never tide well. It was because I never tide them, the one was knit by Pluto, not Cupid, by money, not love, the other by force, not faith, by appointment, not affection. For death. Because the knot was knit by faith, and must only be unknit of death. Because it is the fairest and the falsest, done with greatest art and least truth, with best colours, and worst conceits. A men tongue. Because it is only for a Woman's bosom. A woman's heart. Lady, can you for pity see Cupid thus pu nished. Is love a punishment? Oh Venus, if thou sawest Cupid as a captive, bound to obey that was wont to command, fearing Ladies threats, that once pierced their hearts, I cannot tell whither thou wouldst revenge it for despite, or laugh at it for disport. The time may come Diana, and the time shall come, that thou that settest Cupid to un do knots, shall entreat Cupid to tie knots, and you Ladies that with solace have beheld my pains, shall with sighs entreat my pity. He offereth to sleep. I say I will prick as well with my needle, as ever I did with mine arrows. You shall find me so busy in your heads, that you shall wish I had been idle with your hearts. Coming through Diana's woods, and see king so many fair faces with fond hearts, I thought for my sport to make them smart, and so was taken by Diana. I but it skilleth not, I bear now mine Ar rows in mine eyes, my Wings on my thoughts, my brands in mine ears, my bow in my mouth, so as I can wound with looking, fly with thinking, burn with hearing, shoot with speaking. I will not. Fair Nymph, are you strayed from your company by chance, or love you to wander solitarily on purpose? What is that Diana a goddess? what her Nymph's virgins? what her pastimes hunting? Diana shall yield, she cannot conquer destiny.