Now at the time that was before agreed, The gods affembled all on Arlo-hill, IV. And thither alfo came all other creatures, V. Then forth iffewed (great goddeffe) great Dame Nature, With goodly port and gracious maiefty, VI. That fome doe fay was fo by fkill devized, To hide the terror of her uncouth hew As well those that are fprung of heavenly feed, From mortall eyes that fhould be fore agrized, As those that all the other world doe fill, And rule both sea and land unto their will; Onely th' infernall powers might not appeare, As well for horror of their count'naunce ill, As for th' unruly fiends which they did feare; Yet Pluto and Proferpina were present there. For that her face did like a lion fhew, XVIII. "For all that from her fprings and is ybredde, "However fayre it flourish for a time, "Yet fee we foone decay, and being dead "To turne againe unto their earthly flime; "Yet out of their decay and mortall crime "We daily fee new creatures to arize, "And of their winter fpring another prime, "Unlike in forme, and chang'd by ftrange dif"guife; "So turne they still about, and change in reft"leffe wife. ΣΙΧ. "As for her tenants, that is man and beafts, "The beasts we daily fee maffacred dy, "As thralls and vaffals unto mens beheafts, "And men themfelves doe change continually "From youth to eld, from wealth to poverty, "From good to bad, from bad to worst of all; "Ne does their bodies only flit and fly, "But eeke their minds (which they immortall "call) "Still change and vary thoughts as new occafions "fall. XX. "Ne is the water in more constant cafe, "Whether thofe fame on high or thefe belowe : "For th' ocean moveth ftill from place to place, And every river ftill doth ebbe and flowe; "Ne any lake, that seems most still and flowe; "Ne poole fo fmall, that can his fmoothneffe "holde, "When any winde doth under heaven blowe "With which the clouds are alfe toft and roll'd, "Now like great hills, and ftraight like fluces, "them unfold. XXI. So likewife are all watry living wights. "Still toft and turned with continuall change, & Never abyding in their stedfaft plights; "The fish, ftill floting, do at random range, "And never reft, but evermore exchange "Their dwelling places as the ftreames them "carrie; "Ne have the watry foules a certaine grange "Wherein to reft, ne in one stead to tarry, "But flitting ftill doe flie, and ftill their places "vary. XXII. "Next is the ayre, which thou feelst not by sense "(For of all fense it is the middle meane) "To fit ftill, and with fubtill influence "Of his thin spirit all creatures to maintaine "In ftate of life: O weake life! that does leane "On thing fo tickle as th' unsteady ayre, "Which every howre is chang'd, and altred "cleane "With every blast that bloweth fowle or faire: The faire doth prolong, the fowle doth it im"paire. "Thus all these four (the which the ground"work bee "Of all the world and of all living wights) "To thousand forts of change we fubiect fee, "Yet are they chang'd by other wondrous flights "Into themfelves, and lose their native mights; "The fire to aire, and th' ayre to water sheere, "And water into earth; yet water fights “With fire, and aire with earth approaching 66 ncere, "Yet all are in one body, and as one appeare. So forth iffew'd the Scafons of the year; That as fome did him love, fo others did him feare. DJ j Then came the Autumne, all in yellow clad, To reape the ripened fruits the which the earth had yold. Laftly came Winter, cloathed all in frize, Thefe, marching foftly, thus in order went, ment. XXXIII. Next came fresh Aprill, full of luftyhed, With waves, through which he waded for his love's delight. XXXIV. Then came faire May, the fayreft mayd on ground, Deckt all with dainties of her feafon's pryde, For he had been a fatting hogs of late, And yet the season was full fharp and breem; Which they did dayly watch and nightly wake By even turnes, ne ever did their charge forfake. XLVI. And after all came Life, and lastly Death; The feed of Saturne and faire Nais, Chiron Unbodied, unfoul'd, unheard, unfeene; hight. XLI. And after him came next the chill December, The fame wherewith Dan love in tender yeares, XLII. Then came old lanuary, wrapped well XLIII. And lastly came old February, fitting XLIV. And after these there came the Day and Night, XLV. Then thus gan love; "Right true it is that "these, "And all things elfe that under heaven dwell, "Are chaung'd of Time, who doth them all def" feife "Of being; but who is it (to me tell) "That time himfelfe doth move and ftill com "pell "To keepe his courfe! is not that namely wee, "Which poure that vertue from our heavenly a cell "That moves them all, and makes them changed "be? "So them we gods do rule, and in them alfa "thee" XLIX. To whom thus Mutability; The Things "Which we fee not how they are mov'd and "fwayd, "Ye may attribute to yourselves as kings, "And say they by your fecret power are made, "But what we fee not, who fhall us perfwade? "But were they fo, as ye them faine to be, "Mov'd by your might, and order'd by your "ayde, "Yet what if I can prove that even yee "Yourselves are likewife changed, and fubie& unto me? L.. Then came the Howres, faire daughters of high" And first, concerning her that is the first, Iove And timely Night, the which were all endewed By mighty love, who did them porters make "Even you, faire Cynthia! whom fo much ye "make "love's dearcft darling, fhe was bred and nurst "On Cynthus' hill, whence the her name did "take; "Then is fhe mortall borne, howfo ye crake; "Befides, her face and countenance every day "We changed fee, and fundry forms partake; |