Amongst all these was none his paragone.
All these do florish in their sundry kynd,
And do their Cynthia immortall make:
Yet found I lyking in her royall mynd,
Then spake a lovely lasse, hight Lucida!
“Shepheard, enough of shepheards thou hast told,
Which favour thee, and honour Cynthia:
But of so many nymphs, which she doth hold
That seems, with none of them thou fayour foundest,
Or art ingratefull to each gentle mayd,
That none of all their due deserts resoundest.”
“Ah far be it (quoth Colin Clout) fro me,
For that my selfe I do professe to be
Vassall to one, whom all my dayes I serve;
The beame of beautie sparkled from above,
The floure of vertue and pure chastitie,
The pearle of peerlesse grace and modestie:
To her my thoughts I daily dedicate,
To her my heart I nightly martyrize:
To her my love I lowly do prostrate,
My thought, my heart, my love, my life is shee,
And I hers ever onely, ever one:
One ever I all vowed hers to bee,
One ever I, and others never none.”
Whom thou doest so enforce to deifie.
That woods, and hills, and valleyes thou has made
Her name to echo unto heaven hie.
But say, who else vouchsafed thee of grace?”
That all I praise; but in the highest place,
Urania, sister unto Astrofell,
In whose brave mynd, as in a golden cofer,
All heavenly gifts and riches locked are;
And in her sex more wonderfull and rare.
Ne lesse piaise-worthie I Theana read,
Whose goodly beames though they be over dight
With mourning stole of carefull wydowhead.
She is the well of bountie and brave mynd,
Excelling most in glorie and great light:
She is the ornament of womankind,
And courts chief garlond with all vertues dight
Doth hold, and next unto her selfe advance,
Well worthie of so honourable place,
For her great worth and noble governance;
Ne lesse praise-worthie is her sister deare,
Whose beautie shyneth as the morning cleare,
With silver deaw upon the roses pearling.
Ne lesse praise-worthie is Mansilia,
Best knowne by bearing up great Cynthiaes traine:
Upon her neeces death I did complaine:
She is the paterne of true womanhead,
And onely mirrhor of feminitie:
Worthie next after Cynthia to tread,
Ne lesse praiseworthie Galathea seemes,
Then best of all that honourable crew,
Faire Galathea with bright shining beames,
Inflaming feeble eyes that her do view.
Yet there is not her won; but here with us
About the borders of our rich Coshma,
Now made of Maa, the nymph delitious.
Ne lesse praiseworthie faire Neæra is,
For of the famous Shure, the nymph she is,
For high desert, advaunst to that degree.
She is the blosome of grace and curtesie,
Adorned with all honourable parts:
Belov’d of high and low with faithfull harts.
Ne lesse praisworthie Stella do I read,
Though nought my praises of her needed arre,
Whom verse of noblest shepheard lately dead
Ne lesse praisworthie are the sisters three,
The honor of the noble familie:
Of which I meanest boast my selfe to be,
And most that unto them I am so nie;
Phyllis, the faire, is eldest of the three:
The next to her is bountifull Charillis:
But th’ youngest is the highest in degree.
Phyllis, the floure of rare perfection,
That, with their beauties amorous reflexion,
Bereave of sence each rash beholders sight.
But sweet Charillis is the paragone
Of peerlesse price, and ornament of praise,
Through the myld temperance of her goodly raies.
Thrise happie do I hold thee, noble swaine,
The which art of so rich a spoile possest,
And, it embracing deare without disdame,
Of all the shepheards daughters which there bee,
And yet there be the fairest under skie,
Or that elsewhere I ever yet did see,
A fairer nymph yet never saw mine eie:
Made by the Maker selfe to be admired;
And like a goodly beacon high addrest,
That is with sparks of hevenlie beautie fired.
But Amaryllis, whether fortunate
That freed is from Cupias yoke by fate.
Since which she doth new bands adventure dread;—
Shepheard, whatever thou hast heard to be
In this or that praysd diversly apart,
And seald up in the threasure of her hart.
Ne thee lesse worthie, gentle Flavia,
For thy chaste life and vertue I esteeme:
Ne thee lesse worthie, curteous Candida,
Besides yet many mo that Cynthia serve,
Right noble nymphs, and high to be commended:
But, if I all should praise as they deserve,
This sun would faile me ere I halfe had ended.
I deeme it best to hold eternally
Their bounteous deeds and noble favours shrynd,
Then by discourse them to indignifie.”
So having said, Aglaura him bespake:
Bestowd on thee, that so of them doest make,
And them requitest with thy thankfull labours.
But of great Cynthiaes goodnesse, and high grace.
Finish the storie which thou hast begunne.”
