And all things therein meane, yet better so
To lodge then in the salvage fields to rome.
The Knight full gladly soone agreed thereto,
Being his harts owne wish; and home with him did go.
There he was welcom'd of that honest Syre
And of his aged Beldame homely well;
Who him besought himselfe to disattyre,
And rest himselfe, till supper time befell;
By which home came the fayrest Pastorell,
After her flocke she in their fold had tyde;
And, supper readie dight,2 they to it fell
With small adoe, and nature satisfyde,
The which doth litle crave contented to abyde.
Tho3 when they had their hunger slaked well,
And the fayre Mayd the table ta'ne away;
The gentle Knight, as he that did excell
In courtesie and well could doe and say,
For so great kindnesse as he found that day
Gan greatly thanke his Host and his good Wife;
And, drawing thence his speach another way,
Gan highly to commend the happie life
Which shepheards lead, without debate or bitter strife.
"How much," sayd he, "more happie is the state
In which ye, Father, here doe dwell at ease,
Leading a life so free and fortunate
From all the tempests of these worldly seas,
Which tosse the rest in daungerous disease 5;
Where warres, and wreckes, and wicked enmitie
1 Then, than. • Debate, contention.
2 Dight, prepared. 3 Tho, then.
5 Disease, distress, uneasiness.
Doe them afflict, which no man can appease!
That certes1 I your happinesse envie,
And wish my lot were plast in such felicitie!"
"Surely, my Sonne," then answer'd he againe,
"If happie; then it is in this intent,
That having small yet doe I not complaine
Of want, ne wish for more it to augment,
But doe myselfe, with that I have, content;
So taught of nature, which doth litle need
Of forreine helpes to lifes due nourishment:
The fields my food, my flocke my rayment breed;
No better doe I weare, no better doe I feed.
"Therefore I doe not any one envý,
Nor am envýde of any one therefore:
They, that have much, feare much to loose thereby,
And store of cares doth follow riches store.
The litle that I have growes dayly more
Without my care, but onely to attend it;
My lambes doe every yeare increase their score,
And my flockes father daily doth amend it.
What have I, but to praise th' Almighty that doth send it!
"To them, that list, the worlds gay showes I leave,
And to great ones such follies doe forgive 2;
Which oft through pride do their owne perill weave,
And through ambition downe themselves doe drive
To sad decay, that might contented live.
Me no such cares nor combrous thoughts offend,
Ne once my minds unmoved quiet grieve;
But all the night in silver sleepe I spend, And all the day, to what I list, I doe attend.
"Sometimes I hunt the fox, the vowed foe
Unto my lambes, and him dislodge away;
Sometime the fawne I practise from the doe,
Or from the goat her kidde, how to convay;
Another while I baytes and nets display
The birds to catch or fishes to beguyle;
And, when I wearie am, I downe doe lay
My limbes in every shade to rest from toyle;
And drinke of every brooke, when thirst my throte doth boyle.
"The time was once, in my
first prime of yeares,
When pride of youth forth pricked my desire,
That I disdain'd amongst mine equall peares
To follow sheepe and shepheards base attire;
For further fortune then I would inquire:
And, leaving home, to roiall court I sought,
Where I did sell myselfe for yearely hire,
And in the Princes gardin daily wrought:
There I beheld such vainenesse as I never thought.
"With sight whereof soone cloyd, and long deluded
With idle hopes which them doe entertaine,
After I had ten yeares myselfe excluded
From native home, and spent my youth in vaine,
I gan my follies to myselfe to plaine,
And this sweet peace, whose lacke did then appeare:
Tho, backe returning to my sheepe againe,
XXIII. 8.- Every shade.] Any shade that offers itself.
XXV. 2.- Them.] Courtiers.
I from thenceforth have learn'd to love more deare This lowly quiet life which I inherite here."
Whylest thus he talkt, the Knight with greedy eare
Hong still upon his melting mouth attent;
Whose sensefull words empierst his hart so neare,
That he was wrapt with double ravishment,
Both of his speach that wrought him great content,
And also of the obiect of his vew,
On which his hungry eye was alwayes bent;
That twixt his pleasing tongue, and her faire hew, He lost himselfe, and like one halfe-entraunced grew.
Yet to occasion meanes to worke his mind,
And to insinuate his harts desire,
He thus replyde; "Now surely, Syre, I find,
That all this worlds gay showes, which we admire,
Be but vaine shadows to this safe retyre 2
Of life, which here in lowlinesse ye lead,
Fearelesse of foes, or fortunes wrackfull yre,
Which tosseth states, and under foot doth tread
The mightie ones affrayd of every chaunges dred.
"That even I, which daily doe behold
The glorie of the great mongst whom I won,3
And now have prov'd what happinesse ye hold
In this small plot of your dominion,
Now loath great lordship and ambition;
And wish the heavens so much had graced mee,
As graunt me live in like condition;
Retyre, retirement. 3 Won, dwell
Or that my fortunes might transposed bee
From pitch of higher place unto this low degree."
"In vaine," said then old Melibee, "doe men
The heavens of their fortunes fault accuse;
Sith they know best what is the best for them:
For they to each such fortune doe diffuse,
As they doe know each can most aptly use.
For not that, which men covet most, is best;
Nor that thing worst, which men do most refuse;
But fittest is, that all contented rest
With that they hold: each hath his fortune in his brest.
"It is the mynd, that maketh good or ill,
That maketh wretch or happie, rich or poore:
For some, that hath abundance at his will,
Hath not enough, but wants in greatest store;
And other, that hath litle, asks no more,
But in that litle is both rich and wise;
For wisedome is most riches: fooles therefore
They are, which fortunes doe by vowes devize 2;
Sith each unto himselfe his life may fortunize.3
"Since then in each mans self," said Calidore,
"It is to fashion his owne lyfes estate,
Give leave awhyle, good Father, in this shore
To rest my barcke, which hath bene beaten late
With stormes of fortune and tempestuous fate,
In seas of troubles and of toylesome paine;
That, whether quite from them for to retrate
Derize, purpose to attain.
3 Fortunize, make happy.
|