Montemayor's Diana

Page 014

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Diane I sawe, but straight my ioy was failing me,
When to my onely sight she was opposing her:
And (to my greefe) I saw long lift inuading me.
How many tymes haue I found her, in losing her,
How often lost, in finding and espying her?
And I my death and seruice not disclosing her.
My life I lost, when meeting I was eying her
Faire louely eies, which, full of anger, cruelly
She turn’d to me, when that my speech was plying her:
But her faire haire, where Cupides in their f•…ll lye,
When she vndid and kemb’d, vnseene, then leauing me,
My ils return’d most sensibly, which rue well I.
But pitilesse Diana then perceiuing me,
Turn’d like a cruell serpent, that in winding it,
Assailes the lion: th•… my life be reauing me.
One time false hope (deceitfully but blinding it)
My hart maintain’d, ewen for my comfort choosing it,
But afterwardes in such an error finding it,
It mocked hope, and then it vanisht loosing it.

Not long after that the Shepherdes had made an ende of their sorrowfull songs, they espied a shepherdesse comming out of the thicket neere to the riuer, playing on a Bagpipe, and singing with as sweete a grace and delicate voice, as with no lesse sorrow and greefe, which by her countenance and gesture she so liuely expressed, that it darkened a great part of her excellent beautie: Whereupon Syrenus,who had not of a long time fed in those vallies, asked Syluanus what she was, who answered: This is a faire Shepherdesse, that hath sed but a fewe daies since in these me∣dowes, complaining greatly of loue, and (as some say) with good cause, though others say, that she hath bene a long time mocked by the discouerie of a deceite: Why, saide Syrenus, lies it then in her to perceiue it, and to deliuer her selfe from it? It doth, saide Syluanus, for I thinke there is no woman, though neuer so much in loue, whose wits and senses the force and passion of loue can so much blinde, that may not perceiue whether she be beloued againe or not. I am of a contrarie opi∣nion, saide Syrenus. Of a contrarie, saide Syluanus? Why, thou shalt not flatter thy selfe so much, for, the affiance which thou hadst in Dianus wordes, hath cost thee deere, and yet I blame thee not, considering that as there is none, whom her beautie ouercomes not, so is there not any, whom her wordes deceiue not. How knowest thou that, since she neuer deceiued thee by word nor deede. It is true, saide Syluanus, that I was euer (if so I may terme it) vndeceiued by her, but I durst (by that which hath hitherto fallen out) that she neuer meant any deceit to me, but only to deceiue thee. But let vs leaue this, and harken to this Shepherdesse, that is a great friend to Diana, who is well worthy for the commendable report of her wisedome and good graces to be harkened vnto. But now was the faire Shepherdesse comming towards the fountaine, and began to sing this Sonnet following.

A Sonnet.
MIne eies, once haue I seene you more contented,
And my poore hart, more ioyfull I haue knowne thee:
Woe to the cause, whose greefes haue ouer growne thee,

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