VENUS

Believe me, Ju , as I hight that foueraigne of Love, These rare delights in pleasures pass the banquets of king Jove. And Flora, this to thee among the rest, Thy workmanship comparing with the best, Let it suffice thy cunning to have, To call king Jove from forth his heavenly bower: Hadst thou a lover, Flora, redit me, I think thou wouldst beedecke him gallantly. But wend we on, and, Rhanis, lead the way, That kens the painted paths of pleasunt Ida. Gramercy gentle Juno for that jest, I faith that item was worth all the rest. Tut Mars hath horns to butt withal although no bull a shows. A never needs to mask in nets, a fears no iellous froes. And then she was so fair and bright, and lovely and so to m, As Mars is but for Venus tooth, and she will sport with him. And but me list not here to make comparison with Jove, Mars is no ranger, Juno, he in every open grove. This posy wills, the apple to the fairest given be, Then is it mine: for Venus hight the fairest of the three. That Venus is the fairest this doth prove, That Venus is the lovely Queen of love. The name of Venus is in deed but bautye, And men me fairest call, per excellency. If then this prize be but bequeathed to beauty, The only she that wins this prize, am I. Nay, Pallas by your leave, yovv wander clean, We must not construe hereof as yovv mean: But take the sense as it I plainly meant, And let the fairest hate, I am content. So can it not go wrong with me not at all. Juno, in happy time, I do accept the man, It seems by his looks, some skill of love he can. And, sheepeherd, say that I the fairest am, And thou shalt win good guerdon for the same. Come sheepeherde, come, sweet sheepeherde look on me, These be to hot alarams these for thee: But if thou wilt give me the golden ball, Cupid my boy shall hate to play withal, That when so ere this apple he shall see, The God of love himself shall think on the, And bid thee look and choose, and he will wound, Whereso thy fancies object shall be found, And lightly when he shoots he does not miss: And I will give the many lovely kiss, And come and play with thee on Ida here, And if thou wilt a face that hath no peer, A gallant girl, a lusty minion trull, That can give sport to thee thy bellyful, To ravish all thy beating veins with joy, Here is a lass of Venus court, my boy, Here gentle sheepeherde, heres for thee a piece, The fairest face, the flower of gallant Greece. SI Diana nel cielo è unam stellam Chiara, è lucente piena di splendore I porge luc' all' affanato cuore: Si Diana, nel ferno è unam deam, I deconforto all' anime dannate, I per amor son mortem desperate: Si Diana che in è delle nymph R inam, imperative worser dol f ori Tram bo c 'e Self Dam mortem a pastori. Io son un Diana dolce e rara Chle con Le guardi Io posso far guerra A Dian infern' in ciel , et in terra And in this ball doth Venus more delight, Then in her lovely boy fair Cupid's sight. Come shepherd comme, weet Venus is thy friend, No matter how thou other gods offend. Shepherds, I am content, for this sweet shepherds sake, A strange revenge upon the maid and her disdain to take. Let Colin's corpse be brought in place, and burned in the plain, And let this be the verse. The love whom Thestilis hath slain. And to ust me I will chide my soon for parciallitie, That gave the swa ne so deep a wound, and let her escape him by. Cupid my son was more to blame, the fault not mine, but his. Sweet sheepeherde didst thou ever love. And art thou changed. Well wanton, were thou wounded so deep as some have been, It were a cunning cure to heal and rueful to be seen. My boy, I will instruct thee in a piece of poetry, That haply erst thou hast not herd: in hell there is a tree, Where once a day do sleep the souls of false foresweren lovers, With open hearts, and there about in swarms the number overs Of poor forsaken ghosts, whose wings from of this tree worser bear Round drops of firy Phlegiton to scorch false hearts with heat. This pain did Venus and her son, entreat the prince of ell, T'impose to such as faithless were, to such as loved them well. And therefore this, my lovely boy, fa re Venus does advise thee, Be true and steadfast in thy love, beware thou do disguise thee. For he that makes but love a jest, when pleases him to start, Shall feel those firy water drops consume his faithless heart. Yea reason good I warrant thee, in right it might beehoue. Shepherdess ab de, let Colin's corpse be witness of the pain That Thestilis endures in love a plague for her dysdaine. Behold the organ of ourvvrathe this rusty churl is he, She dotes on his y favoured face, so much accursed is she. Her fortune not unlike to his whom cruel thou hast slain. Now shepherd's, bury Colin's corpse, perfume his hearse with flowers, And write what justice Venus did amid these woods of yours. How now, how cheers my Lovely boy, after this dump of love. Cease Shepherd, these are other nues, after this melancholy. My mind presumest some tempest towards upon the speech of Mercury What n es, what tidings, gentle Mercury, In mide of my delights to trouble me. What tale is this, doth Juno and her mate Pursue this Shepherd with such deadly hate. As what was then our general agreement, To stand unto they nil be now content. Let Juno jet, and Pallas play her part, What here I have, I woonne it by desert: And heaven and earth shall both confounded be, Ere wrong in this be done to him or me. What mean these Ciclops, Mercury, is vulcan waxed so ine, To send his Chim yswe pers forth, to fetter any from de of mine. Abash not shepherd at the thing, my self thy bail will be, He shall be present at the court of Jove I warrant thee. Sweet Paris, whereon dost thou muse? Lo sacred Jove, at Juno's proud complain, As e st I gave my pledge to Mercury, I bring the man whom he did late attaint, To answer his indictment orderly: And crave this grace of this immortal senate, That ye allow the man his advocate. Then bash not, sheepeherde, in so good a case, And friends thou hast as well as foes in place. Soft gentle, Juno, I pray you do not bite him. If Juno jangle Venus will reply. Sweet Shepherd, with such luck in love while thou dost live, As may the Queen of Love to any Lover give. But, sacred Jupiter, might thy daughter choose, She might with reason this appeal refuse: Yet, if they be unmoved in their shames, Be it a stain and blemish to their names: A deed to far unworthy of the place, Unworthy Pallas Lance, or Juno's mace: And, if to beauty it bequeathed be, I doubt not but it will return to me. Now Jove be joust, and gods you that be Venus Friends, If you have ever done her wrong, then may you make amends. And lovely Phoebe, for I know thy dome Will be no other then shall thee become, Behold I take thy dainty hand to kiss, And with my solemn oath confirm my promise, By Stix, by Jove's immortal empery, By Cupid's bow, by Venus myrtle-tree, By Vulcan's gift, my Ceston, and my fan, By this read rose, whose colour first began, When erst my wanton boy (the more his blame) Did draw his bow awry and hurt his worser me, By all the honour and the sacrifi e, That from Cithaeron and f om Paphos rise: That wheresoever, &c. Venus shall rest, &c. The fates against their kind begaune a cheerful song, And vowed her life with favour to prolong Then first gan Cupid's eysight wexen dim, Belike Elisa's beauty blinded him. To this fair Nymph, not earthly but divine: Contents it me my honour to resign. So fair Eliza, Venus does resign, The honour of this honour to be thine. Pallas, thy doom is all too peremptory. Pity it wear that love should not be linked with indifferency. How ever lovers can exclaim for harden success in love, Trust me, some more then continued ̄ mon cause that painful hap doth move. And Cupid's bow is not alone his triumph, but his rod, Nor I he only but a boy: he hight a mighty God. And they that do him reverence, have reason for the same, His shaf S keep heave ̄ and earth in awe, and shape rewards for . my Cestone, or my fan, or both. But pray you tell me, Juno, was it so, As Pallas told me here the tale of Ecch .