More sweet and holesome, then the pleasaunt hill

Of Rhodope, on which the Nimphe, that bore
A gyaunt babe, her selfe for griefe did kill;
Or the Thessalian Tempe, where of yore
Faire Daphne Phoebus hart with loue did gore;
Or Ida, where the Gods lou'd to repaire,
When euer they their heauenly bowres forlore;
Or sweet Parnasse, the haunt of Muses faire;
Or Eden selfe, if ought with Eden mote compaire.
53

Much wondred Guyon at the faire aspect
Of that sweet place, yet suffred no delight
To sincke into his sence, nor mind affect,
But passed forth, and lookt still forward right,
Bridling his will, and maistering his might:
Till that he came vnto another gate;
No gate, but like one, being goodly dight
With boughes and braunches, which did broad
dilate

Their clasping armes, in wanton wreathings intricate.

54

So fashioned a Porch with rare deuice,
Archt ouer head with an embracing vine,
Whose bounches hanging downe,seemed to entice
All passers by, to tast their lushious wine,
And did themselues into their hands incline,
As freely offering to be gathered:
Some deepe empurpled as the Hyacint,
Some as the Rubine, laughing sweetly red,
Some like faire Emeraudes, not yet well ripened.
55

And them amongst, some were of burnisht gold,
So made by art, to beautifie the rest,
Which did themselues emongst the leaues enfold,
As lurking from the vew of couetous guest,
That the weake bowes, with so rich load opprest,
Did bow adowne, as ouer-burdened.
Vnder that Porch a comely dame did rest,
Clad in faire weedes, but fowle disordered,
And garments loose, that seemd vnmeet for
womanhed.

56

In her left hand a Cup of gold she held,
And with her right the riper fruit did reach,
Whose sappy liquor, that with fulnesse sweld,
Into her cup she scruzd, with daintie breach
Of her fine fingers, without fowle empeach,
That so faire wine-presse made the wine more

74

The whiles some one did chaunt this louely lay;
Ah see, who so faire thing doest faine to see,
In springing flowre the image of thy day;
Ah see the Virgin Rose, how sweetly shee
Doth first peepe forth with bashfull modestee,
That fairer seemes, the lesse ye see her may;
Lo see soone after, how more bold and free
Her bared bosome she doth broad display;
Loe see soone after, how she fades, and falles
away
75

So passeth, in the passing of a day,

Of mortall life the leafe, the bud, the flowre,
Ne more doth flourish after first decay,
That earst was sought to decke both bed and
bowre,

Of many a Ladie, and many a Paramowre: Gather therefore the Rose,whilest yet is prime, For soone comes age,that will her pridedeflowre: Gather the Rose of loue, whilest yet is time, Whilest louing thou mayst loued be with equall crime. 76

He ceast, and then gan all the quire of birdes
Their diuerse notes t'attune vnto his lay,
As in approuance of his pleasing words.
The constant paire heard all, that he did say,
Yet swarued not, but kept their forward way,
Throughmany couert groucs, and thickets close,
In which they creeping did at last display
That wanton Ladie, with her louer lose,
Whose sleepie head she in her lap did soft dispose.

79

The young man sleeping by her, seemd to bee Some goodly swayne of honorable place, That certes it great pittie was to see lim his nobilitie so foule deface; A sweet regard, and amiable grace, Mixed with manly sternnesse did appeare Yet sleeping, in his well proportiond face, And on his tender lips the downy heare Did now but freshly spring, and silken blossomes beare. 80

His warlike armes, the idle instruments

Of sleeping praise, were hong vpon a tree, And his braue shield, full of old moniments, Was fowly ra'st,that none the signesmight see; Ne for them, ne for honour cared hee, Ne ought, that did to his aduauncement tend, But in lewd loues, and wastfull luxuree, His dayes, his goods, his bodie he did spend: O horrible enchantment, that him so did blend.

83

But all those pleasant bowres and Pallace braue,
Guyon broke downe, with rigour pittilesse ;
Ne ought their goodly workmanship might saue
Them from the tempest of his wrathfulnesse,
But that their blisse he turn'd to balefulnesse :
Their groues he feld, their gardins did deface,
Their arbers spoyle, their Cabinets suppresse,
Their banket houscs burne, their buildings race,
And of the fairest late, now made the fowlest
place.
84

Then led they her away, and eke that knight
They with them led, both sorrowfull and sad :
The way they came,thesame retourn'd they right,
Till they arriued, where they lately had [mad.
Charm'd those wild-beasts, that rag'd with furie
Which now awaking, fierce at them gan fly,
As in their mistresse reskew, whom they lad;
But them the Palmer soone did pacify.
Then Guyon askt, what meant those beastes,
which there did ly.

85

Said he, These seeming beasts are men indeed, Whom this Enchauntrcsse hath transformed thus,

Whylome her louers, which her lusts did feed,
Now turned into figures hideous,
According to their mindes like monstruous.
Sad end (quoth he) of life intemperate,
And mournefull meed of ioyes delicious:
But Palmer, if it mote thee so aggrate,
Let them returned be vnto their former state.

86

Streight way he with his vertuous staffe them strooke,

Andstreight of beasts they comely men became ; Yet being men they did vnmanly looke, And stared ghastly, some for inward shame, And some for wrath, to see their captiue Dame: But one aboue the rest in speciall, That hadan hog beene late, hight Grille by name, Repined greatly, and did him miscall, That had from hoggish forme him brought to naturall.