The Poetical Works of - OUDL Home

488 COMPLAINTS
Ne cares he if the fleece, which him arayes,
Be not twice steeped in Assyrian dye,
Ne glistering of golde, which vnderlayes 99
The summer beames, doe blinde his gazing eye
Ne pictures beautie, nor the glauncing rayes
Of precious stones, whence no good commeth by,
Ne yet his cup embost with Imagery
Of Bœtus or of Alcons vanity
Ne ought the whelky pearles esteemeth hee,
Which are from Indian seas brought far away
But with pure brest from carefull sorrow free,
On the soft grasse his limbs doth oft display,
In sweete spring time, when flowres vanetie
With sundrie colours paints the sprincled lay,
There lying all at ease, from guile or spight, III
With pype of fennie reedes doth him delight
There he, Lord of himselfe, with palme bedight,
His looser locks doth wrap in wreath of vine
There his milk dropping Goats be his delight,
And fruitefull Pales, and the forrest greene,
And darkesome caues in pleasaunt vallies pight,
Whereas continuall shade is to be seene,
And where fresh springing wells,as christall neate,
Do alwayes flow, to quench his thirstie heate
O who can lead then a more happie life, 121
Than he, that with cleane minde and heart sincere,
No greedy riches knowes nor bloudie strife,
No deadly fight of warlick fleete doth feare,
Ne runs in perill of foes cruell knife,
That in the sacred temples he may reare
A trophee of his glittering spoyles and treasure,
Or may abound in riches aboue measure
Of him his God is worshipt with his sythe,
And not with skill of craftsman polished 130
He loyes in groues, and makes himselfe full
blythe,
With sundrie flowers in wilde fieldes gathered,
Ne frankincens he from Panehœa buyth,
Sweete quiet harbours in his harmeles head,
And perfect pleasure buildes her loyoua bowre,
Free from sad cares, that rich mens hearts
deuowre
This all his care, this all his whole indeuour
To this his minde and senses he doth bend,
How he may flow in quiets matchles treasour,
Content with any food that God doth send ,
And how his limbs, resolu'd through idle Ieisour,
Vnto sweete sleepe he may securely lend, 142
In some coole shadow from the scorching heat,
The whiles his flock their chawed cuds do eate
O flocks, O Faunes, and O ye pleasaunt springs
Of Tempe, where the countrey Nymphs are rife,
Through whose not costly care each shepheard
sings
As merne notes vpon his rusticke Fife,
I As that Ascrcean bard, whose fame now rings
Through the wide world,and leads as loylull life
Free from all troubles and from worldly toyle,
In which fond men doe all their dayes turmoyle
In such delights whilst thus his carelesse time
This shepheard driues, vpleanmg on his batt,
And on shrill reedes chaunting his rustick rime,
Hyperion throwing foorth his beames full hott,
Into the highest top of heauen gan clime,
And the world parting by an equall lott,
Did shed his whirling flames on either side,
As the great Ocean doth himselfe diuide 160
Then gan the shepheard gather into one
His straghngGoates,and draue them to a foord,
Whose caerule streame, rombling in Pible stone,
Crept vnder mosse as greene as any goord
Now had the Sun halfe heauen ouergone,
When he his heard back from that water foord,
Draue from the force of Phoebus boyling ray,
Into thick shadowes, there themselues to lay
Soone as he them plac'd in thy sacred wood
(0 Dehan Goddesse) saw, to which of yore
Came the bad daughter of old Cadmus brood,
Cruell Agaue, flying vengeance sore 172
I Of king Nictileus for the guiltie blood,
Winch she with cursed hands had shed before ,
There she halfe frantick hauingslamehersonne,
Did shrowd her selfe like punishment to shonnt
Here also playing on the grassy greene,
Woodgods, and Satyres, and swift Dryades,
With many Fairies oft were dauncing seem
Not so much did Dan Orpheus represse, 180
The streames of Hebrus with his songs I weene,
As that faire troupe of woodie Goddesses
Staled thee, (O Peneus) pownng foorth to thee,
From cheereful lookes, great mirth and glad
some glee
The verie nature of the place, resounding
With gentle murmure of the breathing ayre,
A pleasant bowre with all delight abounding
In the fresh shadowe did for them prepayre,
To rest their limbs with weannes redounding
For first the high Palme trees with braunches
faire, 190
Out of the lowly vallies did arise,
And high shoote vp their heads into the skyes
And them amongst the wicked Lotos grew,
Wicked, for holding guilefully away
Vlysses men, whom rapt with sweetenes new,
Taking to hoste, it quite from him did stay,
And eke those trees, in whose transformed hew
TheSunnes sad daughters waylde the rash decay
Of Phaeton, whose limbs with lightening rent,
They gathering vp, with sweete teares did
lament 200