The Spanish Tragedie.
To passe me ouer to the slimie strond,
That leades to fell Auernus ougly waues:
There pleasing Cerberus with hoined speech,
I past the perils of the formost porch,
Not farre from hence amidst ten thousand soule;
Sate Minos, Eacus and Rhadamant:
To whom no sooner gan I make approach,
To craue a pasport for my wandring Ghost,
But Minos in grauen leaues of Lotterie,
Drew forth the manner of my lyfe and death.
This Knight (quoth he) both liu'd and dyed in loue,
And for his loue tryed fortune of the Warres,
And by Warres fortune, lost both loue and life.
Why then sayd Eacus, conuey him hence,
To walke with Louers in our fieldes of loue,
And spend the course of euerlasting time,
Vnder greene Mirtle trees and Cypers shades.
No, no, sayd Rhadamant, it were not well,
With louing soules, to place a Martialist;
He died in warre, and must to Martiall fieldes:
Where wounded Hector liues in lasting paine,
And Achilles mermedons do scoure the plaine.
Then Minos mildest censor of the three,
Made this deuice to end the difference.
Send him (quoth he) to our infernall King:
To doome him as best seemes his Maiestie:
To this effect my pasport straight was drawne,
In keeping on my way to Plutos Court,
Through dreadfull shades of euer glooming night:
I saw more sights then thousand tongues can tell,
Or pennes can write, or mortall hartes can thinke.
Three wayes there were, that on the right hand side,
Was ready way vnto the foresaid fieldes,
Where Louers liue, and bloudie Martialistes:
But either sort containd within his boundes,
The left hand path declining fearfullie,
Was readie downefall to the deepest hell,
That leades to fell Auernus ougly waues:
There pleasing Cerberus with hoined speech,
I past the perils of the formost porch,
Not farre from hence amidst ten thousand soule;
Sate Minos, Eacus and Rhadamant:
To whom no sooner gan I make approach,
To craue a pasport for my wandring Ghost,
But Minos in grauen leaues of Lotterie,
Drew forth the manner of my lyfe and death.
This Knight (quoth he) both liu'd and dyed in loue,
And for his loue tryed fortune of the Warres,
And by Warres fortune, lost both loue and life.
Why then sayd Eacus, conuey him hence,
To walke with Louers in our fieldes of loue,
And spend the course of euerlasting time,
Vnder greene Mirtle trees and Cypers shades.
No, no, sayd Rhadamant, it were not well,
With louing soules, to place a Martialist;
He died in warre, and must to Martiall fieldes:
Where wounded Hector liues in lasting paine,
And Achilles mermedons do scoure the plaine.
Then Minos mildest censor of the three,
Made this deuice to end the difference.
Send him (quoth he) to our infernall King:
To doome him as best seemes his Maiestie:
To this effect my pasport straight was drawne,
In keeping on my way to Plutos Court,
Through dreadfull shades of euer glooming night:
I saw more sights then thousand tongues can tell,
Or pennes can write, or mortall hartes can thinke.
Three wayes there were, that on the right hand side,
Was ready way vnto the foresaid fieldes,
Where Louers liue, and bloudie Martialistes:
But either sort containd within his boundes,
The left hand path declining fearfullie,
Was readie downefall to the deepest hell,
Where
