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And writing straunge charácters in the grownd, With which the stubborne feendes he to his service bownd.

BELPHOEBE FINDS TIMIAS WOUNDED, AND CONVEYS HIM TO HER DWELLING.

SHEE on a day, as shee pursewd the chace Of some wilde beast, which with her arrowes keene

She wounded had, the same along did trace
By tract of blood, which she had freshly seene
To have besprinckled all the grassy greene;
By the great pérsue which she there perceav'd,
Well hoped shee the beast engor'd had beene,
And made more haste the life to have bereav'd:
But ah! her expectation greatly was deceav'd.

Shortly she came whereas that woefull squire
With blood deformed lay in deadly swownd;
In whose faire eyes, like lamps of quenched fire,
The cristall humor stood congealed rownd;
His locks, like faded leaves fallen to grownd,
Knotted with blood in bounches rudely ran;
And his sweete lips, on which before that stownd
The bud of youth to blossome faire began,
Spoild of their rosy red were woxen pale and wan.

Saw never living eie more heavy sight,
That could have made a rocke of stone to rew,
Or rive in twaine: which when that lady bright,
Besides all hope, with melting eies did vew,

All suddenly abasht shee chaunged hew,

But with sterne horror backward gan to start :
But, when shee better him beheld, shee grew
Full of soft passion and unwonted smart:

The point of pity perced through her tender hart.

Meekely shee bowed downe, to weete if life
Yett in his frosen members did remaine;
And, feeling by his pulses beating rife

That the weake sowle her seat did yett retaine,
Shee cast to comfort him with busy paine :
His double-folded necke she reard upright,
And rubd his temples and each trembling vaine;
His mayled haberieon she did undight,

And from his head his heavy burganet did light.

Into the woods thenceforth in haste shee went,
To seeke for hearbes that mote him remedy;
For shee of herbes had great intendiment,
Taught of the nymphe which from her infancy
Her nourced had in trew nobility:

There, whether yt divine tobacco were,
Or panachæa, or polygony,

She fownd, and brought it to her patient deare,
Who al this while lay bleeding out his hart-blood

neare.

The soveraine weede betwixt two marbles plaine
Shee pownded small, and did in peeces bruze ;
And then atweene her lilly handës twaine
Into his wound the juice thereof did scruze;
And round about, as shee could well it uze,
The flesh therewith shee suppled and did steepe,
T'abate all spasme and soke the swelling bruze;

And, after having searcht the intuse deepe,
She with her scarf did bind the wound, from cold

to keepe.

By this he had sweete life recur'd agayne,
And, groning inly deepe, at last his eies,
His watery eies drizling like deawy rayne,
He up gan lifte toward the azure skies,
From whence descend all hopelesse remedies:
Therewith he sigh'd; and, turning him aside,
The goodly maide full of divinities

And gifts of heavenly grace he by him spide,
Her bow and gilden quiver lying him beside.

"Mercy! deare Lord," said he, "what grace is this
That thou hast shewed to me sinfull wight,
To send thine angell from her bowre of blis
To comfort me in my distressed plight!
Angell, or goddesse, doe I call thee right?
What service may I doe unto thee meete,
That hast from darkenes me returnd to light,
And with thy hevenly salves and med'cines sweete
Hast drest my sinfull wounds! I kisse thy blessed
feete."

Thereat shee blushing said; "Ah! gentle squire,
Nor goddesse I, nor angell; but the mayd
And daughter of a woody nymphe desire
No service but thy safety and ayd;
Which if thou gaine, I shal be well apayd.

Wee mortall wights, whose lives and fortunes bee
To commun accidents stil open layd,

Are bownd with commun bond of fraïltee,

To succor wretched wights whom we captived see."

By this her damzells, which the former chace
Had undertaken after her, arryv'd,

As did Belphœbe, in the bloody place,

And thereby deemd the beast had bene depriv'd
Of life, whom late their ladies arow ryv'd:
Forthy the bloody tract they followd fast,
And every one to ronne the swiftest stryv'd;
But two of them the rest far overpast,
And where their lady was arrived at last.

Where when they saw that goodly boy with blood
Defowled, and their lady dresse his wownd,
They wondred much; and shortly understood
How him in deadly cace their lady fownd,
And reskewed out of the heavy stownd.
Eftsoones his warlike courser, which was strayd
Farre in the woodes whiles that he lay in swownd,
She made those damzels search; which being stayd,
They did him set thereon, and forth with them
convayd,

Into that forest farre they thence him led
Where was their dwelling; in a pleasant glade
With mountaines rownd about environed
And mightie woodes, which did the valley shade,
And like a stately theatre it made

Spreading itselfe into a spatious plaine ;
And in the midst a little river plaide

Emongst the pumy-stones, which seemed to plaine With gentle murmure that his course they did restraine.

Beside the same a dainty place there lay,
Planted with mirtle trees and laurells greene,
In which the birds song many a lovely lay
Of Gods high praise, and of their sweet loves teene,
As it an earthly paradize had beene :

In whose enclosed shadow there was pight
A faire pavilion, scarcely to be seene,
The which was al within most richly dight,

That greatest princes living it mote well delight.

Thether they brought that wounded squire, and layd
In easie couch his feeble limbes to rest.

He rested him awhile; and then the mayd
His readie wound with better salves new drest:
Daily shee dressed him, and did the best,
His grievous hurt to guarish, that shee might;
That shortly shee his dolour hath redrest,
And his foule sore reduced to faire plight:
It shee reduced, but himselfe destroyed quight.

O foolish physick, and unfruitfull paine,
That heales up one, and makes another wound!
Shee his hurt thigh to him recurd againe,
But hurt his hart, the which before was sound,
Through an unwary dart which did rebownd
From her faire eyes and gratious countenaunce.
What bootes it him from death to be unbownd,
To be captíved in endlésse duraúnce

Of sorrow and despeyre without aleggeaunce!

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