The Poetical Works of - OUDL Home

ant IX
THE VI BOOKE OF THE C
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The knight was nothing nice, where was no need, So stood he still long gazing thereupon,
And tooke their gentle offer so adowne Ne any will had thence to moue away,
They prayd him sit, and gaue him for to feed Although his quest were farre afore him gon
Such homely what, as serues the simple clowne, But after he had fed, yet did he stay,
That doth despise the dainties of the towne And sate there still, vntill the flying day
Tho hauing fed his fill, he there besyde Was farre forth spent, discoursing diuersly
Saw a faire damzell, which did weare a crowne Of sundry things, as fell, to worke delay ,
Of sundry flowres, with silken ribbands tyde, And euermore his speach he did apply
Yclad in home madegreene that her owne hands To th'heards, but meant them to the damzels
had dyde 8
fantazy
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Vpon a litle hillocke she was placed By this the moystie night approchmg fast,
Higher then all the rest, and round about Her deawy humour gan on th'earth to shed,
Enuiron'd with a girland, goodly graced, That warn'd the shepheards to their homes to
Of louely lasses, and them all without hast
The lustre shepheard swaynes sate in a rout, Their tender flocks, now being fully fed,
The which did pype and sing her prayses dew, For feare of wetting them before their bed,
And oft reioyce, and oft for wonder shout, Then came to them a good old aged syre,
As if some miracle of heauenly hew Whose siluer lockes bedeckt his beard and hed,
Were downe to them descended in that earthly With shepheards hooke in hand, and fit attyre,
vew
That wild the damzell rise , the day did now
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expyre
And soothly sure she was full fayre of face,
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And perfectly well shapt in euery lim, He was to weet by common voice esteemed
Whichshe did more augment with modestgrace, The father of the fayrest Pastorell,
And comely carriage of her count'nance trim, And of her selfe in very deede so deemed ,
That all the rest like lesser lamps did dim Yet was not so, but as old stories tell
Who her admiring as some heauenly wight, Found her by fortune, which to him befell,
Did for their souerame goddesse her esteeme, In th'open fields an Infant left alone,
And caroling her name both day and night, And taking vp brought home, and noursed well
The fayrest Pastorella her by name did hight As his owne chyld, for other he had none,
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That she in tract of tune accompted was his
Ne was there heard, ne was there shepheards owne
swayne
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But her did honour, and eke many a one She at his bidding meekely did arise,
Burnt in her loue,and with sweet pleasing payne And streight vnto her htle flocke did fare
Full many a night for her did sigh and grone Then all the rest about her rose likewise,
But most of all the shepheard Condon And each his sundrie sheepe with seuerall care
For her did languish, and his deare life spend, Gathered together, and them homeward bare
Yet neither she for him, nor other none Why lest euerie one with helping hands dids triue
Did care a whit, ne any liking lend
Amongst themselues, and did their labours
Though meane her lot, yet higher did her mind share,
ascend
To helpe faire Pasiorella, home to dnue
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Her fieecie flocke, but Condon most helpe did
Her whyles Sir Calidore there vewed well, giue
And markt her rare demeanure, which him
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seemed
But Melibose (so hight that good old man)
So farre the meane of shepheards to excell, Now seeing Calidore left all alone,
As that he in his mind her worthy deemed, And night arriued hard at hand, began
To be a Princes Paragone esteemed, Him to inuite vnto his simple home,
He was vnwares surprisd in subtile bands Which though it were a cottage clad with lome,
Of the blynd boy, ne thence could be redeemed And all things therein meane, yet better so
by any skill out of his cruell hands, To lodge, then in the saluage nelds to rome
tught like the bird, which gazing still on others The knight full gladly soone agreed thereto,
stands
Being his harts owne wish, and home with him
did go