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Liue they for euer through their lasting praise
But I poore wretch am forced to retourne
To the sad lakes, that Phoebus sunnie rayes
Doo neuer see, where soules dooalwaiesmourne,
And by the wayling shores to waste my dayes,
Where Phlegeton with quenchles flames doth
burne, 622
By which iust Minos righteous soules doth seuer
From wicked ones, to hue in blisse for euer
Me therefore thus the cruell fiends of hell
Girt with long snakes, and thousand yron
chaynes,
Through doome of that their cruell Iudge,
compell
With bitter torture and impatient paines,
Cause of my death, and rust complaint to tell
For thou art he, whom my poore ghost com
plaines 630
To be the author of her ill vnwares,
That careles hear'st my intolerable cares
Them therefore as bequeathing to the winde,
I now depart, returning to thee neuer,
And leaue this lamentable plaint behmde
But doo thou haunt the soft downe rolling nuer,
And wilde greene woods, and fruitful pastures
mmde,
And let the flitting aire my vame words seuer
Thus haumg said, he heauily departed 639
With piteous cne,that anie would haue smarted
Now, when the sloathfull fit of lifes sweete rest
Had left the heauie Shepheard, wondrous care*?
His inly grieued minde full sore opprest,
That balefull sorrow he no longer beares,
For that Gnats death, which deeply was imprest
But bends what euer power his aged yeares
Him lent, yet being such, as through their might
He lately slue his dreadfull foe in fight
By that same Riuer lurking vnder greene,
Eftsoones he gins to fashion forth a place, 650
And squaring it in compasse well beseene,
There plotteth out a tombe by measured space
VIRGILS GNAT 493
FINIS
His yron headed spade tho making cleene,
To dig vp sods out of the flowne grasse,
His worke he shortly to good purpost,
brought,
Like as he had conceiu'd it in his thought
An heape of earth he hoorded vp on hie,
Enclosing it with banks on euene side,
And thereupon did raise full busily
A little mount, of greene turfis edifide, 660
And on the top of all, that passers by
Might it behold, the toomb he did prouide
Of smoothest marble stone in order set,
That neuer might his luckie scape forget
And round about he taught sweete flowres to
growe,
The Rose engrained m pure scarlet die,
The Lilly fresh, and Violet belowe,
The Mangolde, and cherefull Rosemarie,
The Spartan Mirtle, whence sweet gumb does
flowe,
The purple Hyacinthe, and fresh Costmarie,
And Saffron sought for in Cihcian soyle, 671
And Lawrell th'ornament of Phoebus toyle
Fresh Rhododaphne, and the Sabine flowre
Matching the wealth of th'auncient Frankin
cence,
And pallid Yuie building his owne bowre
And Box yet mindfull of his olde offence,
Red Atnaranlhus, lucklesse Paramour,
Oxeye still greene, and bitter Patience ,
Ne wants there pale Narasse, that in a well
Seeing his beautie, in loue with it fell 680
And whatsoeuer other flowre of worth,
And whatso other hearb of louely hew
The loyous Spring out of the ground brings
forth,
To cloath her selfe in colours fresh and new ,
He planted there, and reard a mount of earth,
In whose high front was writ as doth ensue
To thee, small Gnat, in lieu of his life saued,
The Shepheard hath thy deaths record engraued