L

TWO CANTOS OF

MUTABILITIE:

WHICH, BOTH FOR FORME AND MATTER, APPEARE TO BE PARCELL OF SOME
FOLLOWING BOOKE OF

ut that therby doth find, and plainly feele, low MUTABILITY in them doth play ler cruell sports to many mens decay? Which that to all may better yet appeare, will rehearse that whylome I heard say, How she at first her selfe began to reare ainst all the Gods, and th' empire sought from them to beare.

II

To be by her disposed diversly
To Gods and men, as she them list divide;
And drad Bellona, that doth sound on hie
Warres and allarums unto Nations wide,

That makes both heaven and earth to tremble
at her pride.

IV

So likewise did this Titanesse aspire
Rule and dominion to her selfe to gaine;
That as a Goddesse men might her admire,
And heavenly honors yield, as to them twaine:
And first, on earth she sought it to obtaine;
Where shee such proofe and sad examples
shewed

But first, here falleth fittest to unfold
er antique race and linage ancient,
I have found it registred of old
Faery Land mongst records permanent.
e was, to weet, a daughter by descent
those old Titans that did whylome strive
ith Saturnes sonne for heavens regiment; For she the face of earthly things so changed,
hom though high Jove of kingdome did That all which Nature had establisht first
deprive,
[vive: In good estate, and in meet order ranged,
et many of their stemme long after did sur-She did pervert, and all their statutes burst:

Of her great power, to many ones great paine,
That not men onely (whom she soone subdewed)
But eke all other creatures her bad dooings
rewed.

III

and many of them afterwards obtain'd
at power of Jove, and high authority:
Hecate, in whose almighty hand
plac't all rule and principali tie,

V

And all the worlds faire frame (which none
yet durst

Of Gods or men to alter or misguide)
She alter'd quite; and made them all accurst
That God had blest, and did at first provide
In that still happy state for ever to abide.

Ne shee the lawes of Nature onely brake,
But eke of Justice, and of Policie;
And wrong of right, and bad of good did make
And death for life exchanged foolishlie :
Since which all living wights have learn'd to
And all this world is woxen daily worse. [die,
O pittious worke of MUTABILITY,

By which we all are subject to that curse,
And death, instead of life, have sucked from
our Nurse!

VII

|Her to displace, and to her selfe to have gaze. The kingdome of the Night, and waters by zer wained.

ΧΙ

Boldly she bid the Goddesse downe descend.
And let her selfe into that Ivory throne:
For she her selfe more worthy thereof weal
And better able it to guide alone:
Whether to men, whose fall she did bemese.
Or unto Gods, whose state she did maligne
Or to th' infernall Powers her need give he
Of her faire light and bounty most benign

And now, when all the earth she thus had Her selfe of all that rule she deemed mast i

brought

To her behest, and thralled to her might,
She gan to cast in her ambitious thought
T' attempt the empire of the heavens hight,
And Jove himselfe to shoulder from his right.
And first, she past the region of the ayre
And of the fire, whose substance thin and slight
Made no resistance, ne could her contraire,
But ready passage to her pleasure did prepaire.

Her sitting on an Ivory throne shee found, Drawne of two steeds, th' one black, the other white,

condigne.

XII

But she, that had to her that soveraigne
By highest Jove assign'd, therein to beare
Nights burning lamp, regarded not her thrr.
Ne yielded ought for favour or for feare;
But with sterne count naunce and disdai
cheare,

Bending her horned browes, did put her bas
And, boldly blaming her for comming ther
Bade her attonce from heavens coast to pack

Or at her perill bide the wrathfull The
wrack.

And eke the Moones bright wagon still stand,

All beeing with so bold attempt amazed And on her uncouth habit and sterne la still gazed.

XIV

Mean-while the lower World, which n

knew

Environd with tenne thousand starres around
That duly her attended day and night;
And by her side there ran her Page, that hight
Vesper, whom we the Evening-starre intend;
That with his Torche, still twinkling like Of all that chaunced heere, was darkneů 4
[wend, And eke the heavens, and all the hew
twylight,
Her lightened all the way where she should
And joy to weary wandring travailers did lend: Of happy wights, now unpurvaid of litt

X

That when the hardy Titanesse beheld
The goodly building of her Palace bright,
Made of the heavens substance, and up-held
With thousand Crystall pillors of huge hight,
She gan to burne in her ambitious spright,
And t'envie her that in such glory raigned.

All ran together with a great out-cry 22) face and fortions might To Joves faire palace fixt in heavens hächt

The Heavens Herald staid not to reply,
But past away, his doings to relate

Unto his Lord; who now, in th' highest sky,
Was placed in his principall Estate,
With all the Gods about him congregate:

To whom when Hermes had his message told,
It did them all exceedingly amate,

XX

'Harken to mee awhile, yee heavenly

Powers!

Ye may remember since th' Earths cursed seed
Sought to assaile the heavens eternall towers,
And to us all exceeding feare did breed,
But, how we then defeated all their deed,
Yee all do knowe, and them destroyed quite;
Yet not so quite, but that there did succeed
An off-spring of their bloud, which did alite
Upon the fruitfull earth, which doth us yet
despite.

XXI

Of that bad seed is this bold woman bred,
That now with bold presumption doth aspire
To thrust faire Phoebe from her silver bed,
And eke our selves from heavens high Empire,
If that her might were match to her desire.
Wherefore it now behoves us to advise
What way is best to drive her to retire,
Whether by open force, or counsell wise:
Areed, ye sonues of God, as best as ye can de-
vise.'

XXII

So having said, he ceast; and with his brow (His black eye-brow, whose doomefull dreaded Is wont to wield the world unto his vow, [beck And even the highest Powers of heaven to check)

Made signe to them in their degrees to speake,
Who straight gan cast their counsell grave
and wise.
[nought did reck
Mean-while th' Earths daughter, thogh she
Of Hermes message, yet gan now advise
What course were best to take in this hot
bold emprize.

XXIII

[fend.

[Gods Eftsoones she thus resolv'd; that whilst the (After returne of Hermes Embassie) Were troubled, and amongst themselves at Before they could new counsels re-allie, [ods, To set upon them in that extasie, And take what fortune, time, and place would So forth she rose, and through the purest sky To Joves high Palace straight cast to ascend, To prosecute her plot. Good on-set boads good end.

XXIV

Shee there arriving boldly in did pass ; Where all the Gods she found in counsell close,

Save Jove; who, changing nought his count- All quite unarm'd, as then their manner was. [unfold; At sight of her they suddaine all arose 'nance bold, Did unto them at length these speeches wise In great amaze, ne wist what way to chose:

But Jove, all fearlesse, forc't them to aby;
And in his soveraine throne gan straight dispose
Himselfe, more full of grace and Majestie.
That mote encheare his friends, and foes mote
terrifie.

XXV

That when the haughty Titanesse beheld, All were she fraught with pride and impudence,

XXIX

Till, having pauz'd awhile, Jove thus be spake:

Will never mortall thoughts ceasse to asce In this bold sort to Heaven claime to make And touch celestiall seats with earthly ?? I would have thought that bold Procto Or Typhons fall, or proud Ixions paine. Dze Or great Prometheus tasting of our ire. Would have suffiz'd the rest for to restraine

And warn'd all men by their example to m

fraine.

XXX

Yet with the sight thereof was almost queld; And, inly quaking, seem'd as reft of sense And voyd of speech in that drad audience, Until that Jove himselfe her selfe bespake: 'Speake, thou fraile woman, speake with con- 'But now this off-scum of that cursed fry fidence ; [now make? Dare to renew the like bold enterprize. Whence art thou, and what doost thou here And chalenge th' heritage of this our skie: What idle errand hast thou earths mansion to Whom what should hinder, but that we do Should handle as the rest of her allies. And thunder-drive to hell?' With that. shooke

forsake?'

XXVI

She, halfe confused with his great com-
maund,

Yet gathering spirit of her natures pride,
Him boldly answer'd thus to his demaund:
I am a daughter, by the mothers side,
Of her that is Grand-mother magnifide
Of all the Gods, great Earth, great Chaos
But by the fathers, (be it not envide) [child;
I greater am in bloud (whereon I build)
Then all the Gods, though wrongfully from
heaven exil'd.

XXVII

'For Titan (as ye all acknowledge must) Was Saturnes elder brother by birth-right,

His Nectar-deawed locks, with which the s
And all the world beneath for terror quars.
And eft his burning levin-brond in hand a
tooke.

XXXI

But when he looked on her lovely face. In which faire beames of beauty did apper That could the greatest wrath soone tura

grace,

(Such sway doth beauty even in Heaven bei“
He staid his hand; and, having charg
He thus againe in milder wise began:
'But ah! if Gods should strive with d
yfere,

Both sonnes of Uranus; but by unjust slight, Then shortly should the progeny of man
And guileful meanes, through Corybantes Be rooted out, if Jove should do still what by
The younger thrust the elder from his right:
Since which thou, Jove, injuriously hast held

can.

XXXII

The Heavens rule from Titans sonnes by 'But thee, faire Titans child, I rather wee might,

And them to hellish dungeons downe hast feld. Witnesse, ye Heavens, the truth of all that have teld!'

But wote thou this, thou hardy Titaness", Unwares is chaunc't, far straying from his That not the worth of any living wight So did their ghastly gaze bewray their hidden May challenge ought in Heavens interesse; Much lesse the Title of old Titans Right

feares.

we by conquest, of our soveraine might, by eternal doome of Fates decree,

e wonne the Empire of the Heavens bright; ch to our selves we hold, and to whom

wee

XXXVIII

Whylome when IRELAND florished in fame Of wealths and goodnesse, far above the rest Of all that beare the British Islands name, The gods then us'd (for pleasure and for rest)

1 worthy deeme partakers of our blisse to Oft to resort there-to, when seem'd them best, bee.

XXXIV

en ceasse thy idle claime, thou foolish gerle;

seeke by grace and goodnesse to obtaine place, from which by folly Titan fell: re to thou maist perhaps, if so thou faine e Jove thy gracious Lord and Soveraine.' aving said, she thus to him replide: isse, Saturnes sonne, to seeke by proffers vaine

dle hopes t' allure me to thy side,

But none of all there-in more pleasure found
Then Cynthia, that is soveraine Queene profest
Of woods and forrests which therein abound,
Sprinkled with wholsom waters more then most
on ground:

XXXIX

But mongst them all, as fittest for her game, Eyther for chace of beasts with hound or boawe, Or for to shrowde in shade from Phoebus flame, Or bathe in fountaines that do freshly flowe Or from high hilles or from the dales belowe, She chose this Arlo; where she did resort

to betray my Right before I have it tride. With all her Nymphes curanged on a rowe,

XXXV

ut thee, O Jove! no equall Judge I deeme
ny desert, or of my dewfull Right;
t in thine owne behalfe maist partiall seeme:
to the highest him, that is behight
her of Gods and men by equall might,
weet, the God of Nature, I appeale.'
-re-at Jove wexed wroth, and in his spright
inly grudge, yet did it well conceale;
bade Dan Phoebus scribe her Appellation
seale.

XXXVI

tsoones the time and place appointed were, ere all, both heavenly Powers and earthly wights,

With whom the woody Gods did oft consort, For with the Nymphes the Satyres love to play and sport.

XL

Amongst the which there was a Nymph that
Molanna; daughter of old Father Mole, [hight
And sister unto Mulla faire and bright,
Unto whose bed false Bregog whylome stole,
That Shepheard Colin dearely did condole, [be:
And made her lucklesse loves well knowne to
But this Molanna, were she not so shole,
Were no lesse faire and beautifull then shee;
Yet, as she is, a fayrer flood may no man see.

XLI

For, first, she springs out of two marble Rocks, On which a grove of Oakes high-mounted growes,

That as a girlond seemes to deck the locks
Of som faire Bride, brought forth with pom-
pous showes

Fore great Natures presence should appeare,
triall of their Titles and best Rights:
at was, to weet, upon the highest hights
Arlo-hill (Who knowes not Arlo-hill?)
at is the highest head (in all mens sights) Out of her bowre, that many flowers strowes:
my old father MOLE, whom Shepheards So through the flowry Dales she tumbling
quill
[skill.
nowmed hath with hymnes fit for a rurall

XXXVII

nd, were it not ill fitting for this file
sing of hilles and woods mongst warres and
Knights,

ould abate the sternenesse of my stile,
ugst these sterne stounds to mingle soft
delights;

d tell how Arlo, through Dianaes spights,
eing of old the best and fairest Hill
at was in all this holy Islands hights)
is made the most unpleasant and most ill:
ane-while, O Clio! lend Calliope thy quill.

downe

Through many woods and shady coverts flowes, (That on each side her silver channell crowne) Till to the Plaine she come, whose Valleyes she doth drowne.

XLII

In her sweet streames Diana used oft
(After her sweaty chace and toylesome play)
To bathe her selfe; and, after, on the soft
And downy grasse her dainty limbes to lay
In covert shade, where none behold her may;
For much she hated sight of living eye.
Foolish god Faunus, though full many a day
He saw her clad, yet longed foolishly [vity.
To see her naked mongst her Nymphes in pri-