THE INDVCTION.[1487]

1. The wrathfull winter proching[1488] on apace, With blustering blasts had all ybarde the treene, And olde Saturnus with his frosty face With chilling cold had pearst the tender greene: The mantles rent, wherein enwrapped beene The gladsom groues that now lay ouerthrowne, The tapets torne, and euery blome downe blowne.[1489] 2. The soyle, that erst so seemly was to seene, Was all despoyled of her beauties hewe: And soote-fresh flowers (wherewith the sommer’s queene Had clad the earth) now Boreas’ blasts downe blewe: And small foules, flocking, in theyr song did rewe The winter’s wrath, wherewith ech thing defaste, In woefull wise bewayld the sommer past. 3. Hawthorne had lost his motley liuery, The naked twiges were shiuering all for cold: And, dropping downe the teares aboundantly, Ech thing, mee thought, with weeping eye mee tolde The cruell season, bidding mee withholde My selfe within, for I was gotten out Into the fieldes, wheras I walkt[1490] about. 4. When loe the night with misty mantels spred Gan darke the day, and dim the azure skies,[1491] And Venus in her message Hermes sped To bloudy Mars, to will him not to rise, While shee her selfe approacht in speedy wise: And Virgo hyding her disdaynefull brest, With Thetis now had layde her downe to rest. 5. Whiles Scorpio dreading Sagittarius dart, Whose bowe prest bent in fight, the string had slipt, Down slide into the Ocean flud aparte, The Beare, that in the Irish seas had dipt His griesly feete, with speede from thence hee whipt: For Thetis, hasting from the virgin’s bed, Pursude the Beare, that, ere she came, was fled. 6. And Phaeton now, neare reaching to his race With glistring beames, gold-streaming where they bent, Was prest to enter in his resting place: Erythius, that in the cart fyrst went, Had euen now attaynd his iorney’s stent: And, fast declining, hid away his head, While Titan coucht him in his purple bed. 7. And pale Cinthea, with her borrowed light, Beginning to supply her brother’s place, Was past the noonesteede sixe degrees in sight, When sparkling stars amid the heauen’s face, With twinkling light shone on the earth apace, That, while they brought about the nighte’s chare,[1492] The darke had dimd the day, ere I was ware. 8. And sorrowing I to see the sommer flowers, The liuely greene, the lusty lease,[1493] forlorne, The sturdy trees so shattred with the showers, The fieldes so fade, that florisht so beforne: It taught mee well, all earthly things be borne To dye the death: for nought long time may last: The sommer’s beauty yeeldes to winter’s blast. 9. Then looking vpward to the heauen’s leames,[1494] With nighte’s starres[1495] thicke powdred euery where, Which erst so glistned with the golden streames That chearfull Phœbus spred downe from his sphere Beholding darke, oppressing day, so neare: The sodayne sight reduced to my mynde, The sundry chaunges that in earth wee finde. 10.[1496] That musing on this worldly wealth in thought, Which coms, and goes, more faster than wee see The flickring flame that with the fyre is wrought, My busie mynde presented vnto mee Such fall of peeres as in the[1497] realme had bee: That oft I wisht some would their woes descryue, To warne the rest whome fortune left a liue. 11. And strait forth stalking with redoubled pace, For that I sawe the night drew on so fast, In blacke all clad there fell before my face A piteous wight, whom woe had all forewast, Forth on her eyes[1498] the cristall tears out brast, And sighing sore her hands shee wrong and folde, Tare all her hayre, that ruth was to beholde. 12. Her body smale, forwithred, and forspent, As is the stalke that sommer’s drought opprest, Her wealked face with woefull teares bee sprent, Her colour pale, and,[1499] as it seemed her best, In woe and plaint reposed was her rest: And, as the stone that drops of water weares, So dented were her chekes with fall of teares, 13. Her eyes swollen[1500] with flowing streams aflote, Where, with her lookes throwne vp full piteously, Her forcelesse hands together oft shee smote, With dolefull shrikes, that eckoed in the skye: Whose plaint such sighes did strait accompany, That, in my doome, was neuer man did see A wight but halfe so woe begone as shee. 14. I stoode agast, beholding all her plight, Tweene dread and dolour, so distreinde in hart, That, while my hayres vpstarted with the sight, The teares out streamde for sorow of her smart: But, when I sawe no end that could appart[1501] The deadly dewle which shee soe sore did make, With dolefull voice then thus to her I spake: 15. “Unwrap thy woes, what euer wight thou bee, And stint in tyme[1502] to spill thy self with playnt, Tell what thou art, and whence, for well I see Thou canst not dure, with sorrow thus attaynt:” And, with that word of sorrow, all forfaynt Shee looked vp, and, prostrate, as shee lay, With piteous sound, lo, thus shee gan to say: 16. “Alas, I wretch, whom thus thou seest distraynde With wasting woes, that neuer shall aslake, Sorrow I am, in endlesse torments paynde Among the furies in th’infernall[1503] lake, Where Pluto god of hell so griesly blacke Doth holde his throne, and Lætheus[1504] deadly tast Doth rieue remembraunce of ech thing forepast. 17. “Whence come I am, the drery desteny, And lucklesse lot for to bemone of those Whome fortune, in this maze of misery, Of wretched chaunce, most wofull mirours chose, That, when thou seest how lightly they did lose Their pompe, their power, and that they thought most sure Thou mayst soone deeme no earthly ioy[1505] may dure.” 18.[1506] Whose rufull voice no sooner had out brayed Those wofull words, wherewith shee sorrowed so, But out, alas, shee shright, and neuer stayed, Fell downe, and al to dasht her selfe for wo: The cold pale dread my limmes gan ouergo, And I so sorrowed at her sorrowes eft, That, what with griefe, and feare, my wits were reft. 19. I stretcht my selfe, and strayt my hart reuiues, That dread and dolour erst did so appale, Like him that with the feruent feuer striues, When sicknesse seekes his castell[1507] health to skale: With gathred sprites[1508] so forst I feare to auale:[1509] And, rearing her, with anguish all foredone, My sprits returnd,[1510] and then I thus begon: 20. “O Sorrow, alas, sith Sorrow is thy name, And that to thee this drere doth well pertayne, In vayne it were to seeke to cease the same: But, as a man himselfe with sorrow slayne, So I, alas, doe comfort thee in payne, That here in sorrow art forsunke so deepe, That at thy sight I can but sigh and weepe.” 21. I had no sooner spoken of a syke,[1511] But that the storme so rumbled in her brest, As Eölus could neuer roare the like, And showers downe raynde from her eyes[1512] so fast, That all bedreint the place, till, at the last, Well eased they the dolour of her minde, As rage of rayne doth swage the stormy winde: 22. For forth shee paced in her fearefull tale: “Come, come,” quod shee, “and see what I shall showe,[1513] Come, heare the playning and the bitter bale Of worthy men, by fortune’s[1514] ouerthrowe: Come thou, and see them rewing all in rowe, They were but shades, that erst in minde thou rolde: Come, come with mee, thine eyes shall them beholde.” 23. What coulde these wordes but make mee more agast, To heare her tell whereon I musde while ere? So was I mazde therewith, till, at the last, Musing vpon her words, and what they were, All sodaynly well lessoned was my feare: For to my minde retourned, how shee teld Both what shee was, and where her wun shee helde. 24. Whereby I knewe that she a goddesse was, And, therewithall, resorted to my minde My thought, that late presented mee the glas Of brittle state, of cares that here wee finde, Of thousand woes to seely[1515] men assynde: And how shee now bid mee come and beholde,[1516] To see with eye that earst in thought I rolde. 25. Flat downe I fell, and with all reuerence Adored her, perceiuing now, that shee, A goddesse, sent by godly prouidence, In earthly shape thus shewd her selfe to mee, To wayle and rue this world’s vncertainty:[1517] And, while I honourd thus her godhead’s might, With plaining voyce these words to mee shee shright. 26. “I shall thee guyde first to the griesly lake, And thence vnto the blissfull place of rest, Where thou shalt see, and heare, the playnt they make That whilome here bare swinge among the best: This shalt thou see: but greate is the vnrest That thou must byde, before thou canst attayne Unto the dreadfull place where these remayne.” 27. And, with these words, as I vpraysed stood, And gan to followe her that straight forth paste,[1518] Ere I was ware, into a desert woode Wee now were come: where, hand in hand imbraste,[1519] Shee led the way, and through the thicke so traste,[1520] As, but I had bene guided by her might, It was no way for any mortall wight. 28. But, loe, while thus amid the desert darke Wee passed on, with steps and pace vnmeete, A rumbling roare, confusde with howle and barke Of dogs, shoke all the ground vnder our feete, And stroke the din within our eares so deepe, As, halfe distraught, vnto the ground I fell, Besought retourne, and not to visite hell. 29. But shee, forthwith, vplifting mee a pace, Remoude my dread, and, with a stedfast minde, Bad mee come on, for here was now the place, The place where wee our trauail’s end[1521] should finde: Wherewith I rose,[1522] and to the place assignde Astoinde I stalkt, when strayght wee approached nere The dreadfull place, that you will dread to here. 30. An[1523] hideous hole, all vaste, withouten shape, Of endles depth, orewhelmde with ragged stone, With ougly mouth, and griesly iawes doth gape, And to our sight confounds it selfe in one: Here entred wee, and, yeeding forth, anone An horrible lothly[1524] lake wee might discerne, As blacke as pitch that cleped is Auerne. 31. A deadly gulfe: where nought but rubbish grows, With fowle blacke swelth in thickned lumps that lies, Which vp in th’ayre[1525] such stinking vapors throws That ouer there, may flie no fowle, but dyes Choakt with the pestilent[1526] sauours that arise: Hither wee come, whence forth wee still did pace, In dreadfull feare amid the dreadfull place: 32. And, first, within the porch and iawes of hell Sate deepe Remorse of Conscience, all bee sprent With teares: and to her selfe oft would shee tell Her wretchednes, and, cursing, neuer stent To sob and sighe: but euer thus lament, With thoughtfull care, as shee that, all in vaine, Would weare, and waste continually in payne. 33. Her[1527] eyes vnstedfast, rolling here and there, Whurld on each place, as place that vengeaunce brought, So was her minde continually in feare, Tossed[1528] and tormented with the[1529] tedious thought Of those detested crymes which shee had wrought: With dreadfull cheare, and lookes throwne to the skie, Wishing for death, and yet shee could not die. 34. Next, sawe wee Dread, all trembling how hee shooke, With foote, vncertayne, profered here and there: Benomd of speach, and, with a ghastly looke, Searcht euery place, all pale and dead for feare, His cap borne vp with staring of his heare, Stoynde and amazde at his owne shade for dreede, And fearing greater daungers then was neede. 35. And, next, within the entry of this lake, Sate fell Reuenge, gnashing her teeth for ire, Deuising meanes how shee may vengeaunce take, Neuer in rest, till shee haue her desire: But frets within so farforth with the fire Of wreaking flames, that now determines shee To dy by death, or vengde by death to bee. 36. When fell reuenge, with bloudy foule pretence Had showde her selfe, as next in order set, With trembling lims wee softly parted thence, Till in our eyes another sight wee met: When fro my heart a sigh forthwith I fet, Rewing, alas, vpon the woefull plight Of Misery, that next appeard in sight. 37. His face was leane, and somedeale pynde away And eke his hands consumed to the bone, But what his body was, I cannot say, For on his carkas rayment had hee none, Saue clouts and patches pieced one by one, With staffe in hand, and scrip on shoulder[1530] cast, His chiefe defence agaynst the winter’s blast. 38. His foode, for most, was wilde fruites of the tree, Unlesse sometime some crums fell to his share, Which in his wallet long, God wot, kept hee, As one the which full daintely would fare:[1531] His drinke, the running streame, his cup, the bare Of his palme cloasde, his bed, the hard cold ground: To this poore life was Misery ybound. 39. Whose wretched state when wee had well beheld, With tender ruth on him, and on his feres, In thoughtfull cares forth then our pace wee held: And, by and by, another shape apperes Of greedy Care, still brushing vp the breres, His knuckles knobde, his flesh deepe dented in, With tawed hands, and hard ytanned skin. 40. The morrowe gray no sooner hath begon To spreade his light, euen peping in our eyes, When[1532] hee is vp, and to his worke yrun: But let the night’s blacke misty mantles rise, And with foule darke neuer so mutch disguise The fayre bright day, yet ceasseth hee no while, But hath his candels to prolong his toyle. 41. By him lay heauy Sleepe, the[1533] cosin of Death, Flat on the ground, and still as any stone, A very corps, saue yelding forth a breath: Smale kepe tooke hee, whome fortune frowned on, Or whom shee lifted vp into the throne Of high renoune, but, as a liuing death, So, dead aliue, of life hee drew the breath. 42. The bodie’s rest, the quiet of the hart The trauailes ease, the still night’s feere was hee: And of our life in earth the better part, Reuer of sight, and yet in whom wee see Things oft that tyde,[1534] and oft that neuer bee: Without respect, esteming[1535] equally King Crœsus’ pompe, and Irus’ pouertie. 43. And next, in order sad, Old Age wee found, His beard all hoare, his eyes hollow and blind, With drouping chere still poring on the ground, As on the place where nature him assinde To rest, when that the sisters had vntwynde His vitall thred, and ended with their knyfe The fleting course of fast declyning lyfe. 44. There heard wee him with broke[1536] and hollow plaint Rewe with him selfe his end approching fast, And all for nought his wretched mind torment, With sweete remembraunce of his pleasures past, And fresh delytes of lusty youth forewast: Recounting which, how would hee sob and shrike? And to bee yong agayne of loue beseke. 45. But, and[1537] the cruell fates so fixed bee, That tyme forepast cannot retourne agayne, This one request of Ioue yet prayed hee: That, in such withred plight, and wretched paine, As eld, accompanied with his[1538] lothsome trayne, Had brought on him, all were it woe and griefe, Hee might a while yet linger forth his liefe. 46. And not so soone discend into the pit: Where Death, when hee the mortall corps hath slayne, With retchlesse hand in graue doth couer it, Therafter neuer to enioy agayne The gladsome light, but, in the ground ylayne, In depth of darknesse wast and weare to nought, As hee had nere[1539] into the world bene brought. 47. But who had seene him, sobbing, how hee stoode, Unto himselfe, and how hee would bemone His youth forepast, as though it wrought him good To talke of youth, all were his youth foregone, Hee would haue musde, and meruaylde much, whereon This wretched Age should life desire so fayne, And knowes full well lyfe doth but length his payne. 48. Crookebackt hee was, toothshaken, and blere eyde, Went on three feete, and somtyme,[1540] crept on fowre, With olde lame boanes, that ratled by his syde, His scalpe all pild, and hee with eld forlore: His withred fist still knocking at Death’s dore, Fumbling, and driueling, as hee drawes his breath,[1541] For briefe, the shape and messenger of Death. 49. And fast by him pale Malady was plaste, Sore sicke in bed, her coulour all foregone, Bereft of stomacke, sauour, and of taste, Ne could shee brooke no meate, but broths alone: Her breath corrupt, her kepers euery one Abhorring her, her sicknes past recure, Detesting phisicke, and all phisicke’s cure. 50. But, oh,[1542] the dolefull sight that then wee see, Wee tournd our looke, and, on the other side, A griesly shape of Famine mought wee see, With greedy lookes, and gaping mouth, that cryed And roarde for meate, as shee should there haue dyed, Her body thin, and bare as any bone, Whereto was left nought but the case alone. 51. And that, alas, was gnawne on euery where, All full of holes, that I ne mought refrayne From tears, to see how shee her armes could teare, And with her teeth gnash on the bones in vayne: When, all for nought, shee fayne would so sustayne Her staruen corps, that rather seemde a shade, Then any substaunce of a creature made. 52. Great was her force, whome stone wall could not stay, Her tearing nayles snatching at all shee sawe: With gaping iawes, that by no[1543] meanes ymay Be satisfide from hunger of her mawe, But eates herselfe as shee that hath no lawe: Gnawing, alas, her carkas all in vayne, Where you may count ech sinew, bone, and veyne. 53. On her while wee thus firmly fixt our eyes, That bled for ruth of such a drery sight, Loe, sodaynly shee shrikt[1544] in so huge wise, As made hell gates to shiuer with the might: Wherewith, a dart wee sawe, how it did light Right on her brest, and, therewithall, pale Death Enthrilling it, to reue her of her breath. 54. And, by and by, a dum dead corps wee sawe, Heauy, and colde, the shape of death aright: That daunts all earthly creatures to his lawe: Against whose force in vaine it is to fight: Ne peeres, ne princes, nor no mortall wyght, No townes, ne realmes, cittyes, ne strongest tower, But all, perforce, must yeelde vnto his power. 55. His dart, anon, out of the corps hee tooke, And in his hand (a dreadfull sight to see) With great tryumph eftsones the same hee shooke; That most of all my feares affrayed mee: His body dight with nought but bones, perdye, The naked shape of man there saw I plaine, All saue the flesh, the sinow, and the vaine. 56. Lastly, stoode Warre, in glittering[1545] armes yclad, With visage grym, sterne lookes,[1546] and blackly hewed In his right hand a naked sworde hee had, That to the hilts was all with bloud embrued: And in his left (that king[1547] and kingdomes rewed) Famine and fyer he held, and therewithall He razed townes, and threw downe towres and all. 57. Cities hee sakt, and realmes (that whilome flowred In honour, glory, and rule, aboue the best) Hee ouerwhelmde, and all theire fame deuoured, Consumde, destroyde, wasted and neuer ceast, Tyll hee theire wealth, theire name, and all opprest: His face forehewde with wounds, and by his side There hung his targ, with gashes deepe and wide. 58. In mids of which, depainted there, wee founde Deadly Debate, all full of snaky heare, That with a bloudy fillet was ybound, Out breathing nought but discord euery where: And round about were portrayde, here and there, The hugy hostes, Darius and his power, His kings, princes, his peeres,[1548] and all his flower. 59.[1549] Whom great Macedo vanquisht there in sight, With deepe slaughter, despoyling all his pryde, Pearst through his realmes, and daunted all his might: Duke Hanniball beheld I there besyde, In Canna’s field, victor how hee did ryde, And woefull Romaynes that in vayne withstoode, And consull Paulus couered all in blood. 60. Yet sawe I more the sight at Trasimene, And Treby[1550] field, and eke when Hanniball And worthy Scipio last in armes were sene Before Carthago gate, to try for all The world’s empyre, to whom it should befall: There saw I Pompey, and Cæsar clad in arms, Their hoasts allied and all their ciuill harms: 61. With conquerers hands, forbathde in their owne bloud, And Cæsar weeping ouer Pompey’s head: Yet saw I Scilla and Marius where they stood, Their greate crueltie, and the deepe bloudshed Of frends: Cyrus I saw and his host dead, And howe the queene with greate despite hath flong His head in bloud of them shee ouercome. 62. Xerxes, the Percian king, yet sawe I there, With his huge host, that dranke the riuers drye, Dismounted hills, and made the vales vprere, His hoste and all yet sawe I slayne, perdye: Thebes I sawe,[1551] all razde how it did lye In heapes of stones, and Tyrus put to spoyle, With walls and towers flat euened with the soyle. 63. But Troy, alas, mee thought, aboue them all, It made myne eyes in very teares consume: When I behelde the woefull werd befall, That by the wrathfull will of gods[1552] was come: And Ioue’s vnmoued sentence and foredoome On Priam king, and on his towne so bent, I could not lin, but I must there lament. 64. And that the more sith desteny was so sterne As, force perforce,[1553] there might no force auayle, But shee must fall: and, by her fall, wee learne, That cities, towers, welth, world, and all shall quaile: No manhood, might, nor nothing mought preuayle, All were there prest full many a prince, and peere, And many a knight that solde his death full deere. 65. Not worthy Hector, worthyest of them all, Her hope, her ioy, his force is now for nought: O Troy, Troy,[1554] there is no boote but bale, The hugie horse within thy walls is brought: Thy turrets fall, thy knights, that whilome fought In armes amid the field, are slayne in bed, Thy gods defylde, and all thy honour dead. 66. The flames vpspring,[1555] and cruelly they creepe From wall to roofe, till all to cinders waste, Some fyre the houses where the wretches sleepe, Some rush in here, some run in there as fast: In euery where or sword, or fyre, they tast: The walls are torne, the towers whourld to the ground, There is no mischiefe, but may there bee found. 67. Cassandra yet there sawe I how they haled From Pallas house, with spercled tresse vndone, Her wrists fast bound, and with Greekes[1556] rout empaled: And Priam eke, in vayne how hee did ronne To arms, whom Pyrrhus with dispite hath donne To cruell death, and bathde him in the bayne Of his sonne’s bloud, before the altare slayne. 68. But how can I descriue the dolefull sight, That in the shield so liuely[1557] fayre did shine? Sith in this world, I thinke was neuer wight Could haue set forth the halfe, not halfe so fyne: I can no more, but tell how there is seene Fayre Ilium fall in burning red gledes downe, And, from the soile, great Troy, Neptunus’ towne. 69. Here from when scarce I could mine[1558] eyes withdrawe That fylde with teares as doth the springing well, We passed on so far forth till we sawe Rude Acheron, a lothsome lake to tell, That boyles and bubs vp swelth as blacke as hell, Where griesly Charon, at theyr fixed tyde, Still ferries ghostes vnto the farder side. 70. The aged god no sooner Sorrow spyed, But, hasting straight vnto the bancke apace, With hollowe call vnto the rout hee cryed, To swarue apart, and gieue the goddesse place: Strayt it was done, when to the shoare wee pace, Where, hand in hand as wee than linked fast, Within the boate[1559] wee are together plaste. 71. And forth wee launch full fraughted to the brinke, Whan, with th’vnwonted[1560] waight, the rusty keele Began to cracke as if the same should sinke, Wee hoyse vp maste and sayle, that in a while Wee fet the shoare, where scarsely wee had while For to ariue, but that wee heard anone A three sound barke confounded all in one. 72. Wee had not long forth past, but that wee sawe Blacke Cerberus, the hydeous hound of hell, With bristles reard, and with a three mouth’d jawe, Foredinning th’ayre[1561] with his horrible yell: Out of the deepe darke caue where hee did dwell, The goddesse straight hee knewe, and, by and by, Hee peast, and couched, while[1562] that wee past by.[1563] 73. Thence come wee to the horrour and the hell, The large great kingdoms, and the dreadfull raigne Of Pluto in his throne where hee did dwell, The wide waste places, and the hugie playne: The waylings, shrikes, and sondry sorts of payne, The sighes, the sobs, the deepe and deadly groane, Earth, ayre, and all, resounding playnt and moane. 74.[1564] Heare pewled[1565] the babes, and here the maydes vnwed, With folded hands theyr sory chaunce bewayld: Here wept the guiltles slayne, and louers dead, That slew them selues when nothing els auayld: A thousand sorts of sorrows here, that waylde With sighs, and teares, sobs, shrikes, and all yfeare, That, oh,[1566] alas, it was a hell to heare.[1567] 75.[1568] Wee staide vs strait, and with a rufull feare, Beheld this heauy sight, while from myne eyes, The vapored tears downe stilled here and there, And Sorrowe eke in far more wofull wise, Tooke on with plaint, vp heauing to the skies Her wretched hands, that, with her cry, the rout Gan all in heapes to swarme vs round about. 76. “Loe here,” quoth Sorrow, “princes of renoune, That whilom sate on top of fortune’s wheele, Now layde full low, like wretches whurled downe,[1569] Euen with one frowne, that slayde but with a smyle, And now beholde the thing that thou, erewhile, Saw onely in thought, and, what thou now shalt heere, Recompt the same to kesar, king, and peere.” 77. Then first came Henry duke of Buckingham, His cloake of blacke all pilde, and quite forworne,[1570] Wringing his hands, and fortune oft doth blame, Which of a duke hath made him now her skorne: With gastly lookes, as one in maner lorne, Oft spred his armes, stretcht hands hee ioynes as fast, With rufull cheare, and vapored eyes vpcast. 78. His cloake hee rent, his manly brest hee beat, His hayre all torne, about the place it lay,[1571] My heart so molt to see his griefe so great, As felingly me thought, it dropt away: His eyes they whurld about withouten stay, With stormy sighes the place did so complayne, As if his heart at ech had burst in twayne. 79. Thrise hee began to tell his dolefull tale, And thrise the sighes did swallow vp his voyce, At ech of which hee shriked so withall, As though the heauens riued with the noyse: Tyll at the last, recouering his voyce, Supping the teares that all his brest beraynde, On cruell fortune, weeping, thus hee playnde.