Page 229

[one-half-first]

[/one-half-first]
[one-half]

And captiue to her will
Doth make it (to her shame:)
So to the maid the Mistresse subiect came.

Thou chastitie dost free
Reason (if to thy gate she bend her pace)
In more supreme degree:
And she in euery place
Is onely free, that doth thy lawe imbrace.

The soule with sweetest balme
Thou fillest, and the senses dost refine,
And therewith all, the palme
Of beautie most diuine
Thy figure beares, where brauely it doth shine.

The vaine thoughts of the minde,
Which reason cannot with her counsell tame,
Nor friendly discipline,
Thy wisedome doth reclame:
And apt to each good art the soule dost frame.

Being sincere, and pure,
Thou ioinest vs to things pure, and sincere,
And so thou dost assure
Those, that thy robe doe weare,
Friends vnto God, a conscience free from feare.

In vaine I heere doe waste
These wordes, wherewith thy praises I pretend:
Better it were (at last)
In action to commend
Thee, then with words; And so I make an end.

Hauing made an end of her sweete song, & perceiuing that she came not againe, we rose vp softly to see, who had so much ioyed the Forest, filling it with so sweete harmonie. But casting our eies to the place from whence the delicate voice came, a sudden noyse and rushing of the riuer waters hard by, made vs suddenly looke that way. The cause whereof was the passage of a most fierce Shepherd that in great haste came wading thorow the riuer. He was of stature so huge and high that no common tall man might reach with his head aboue his middle, to whose high and maine growth each lim of his bodie was proportionablie correspondent. In euerie part he was so hairie, that the skinne of his bodie might hardly haue beene discerâˆ£ned, if the haire (like to the bristles of wild Boares) had not growen right forth. His eies were terrible to behold, and full of foggie flesh; his wearing of wilde beastes skinnes (from whom he rent & tooke them) was sodden hard for his defence against their sharpe teeth; his sleeues came no further on his armes, then almost to his elbowes, and his hose but a little beneath his knees. On his head he ware a broad
[/one-half]