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Vnto his person, beautie, and his grace
The Nymphes, and Napees faire to yeeld are glad:
The Niades, Hamadriades,
The Oreades, and Driades:
For such a feature, and so sweete a face
Paris, Alexis, nor Endimion had:
The fairest in the world he doth despise
But onely one, whom iustly he doth prize.
Bicause that she may onely him admit,
Her onely, and none else, he doth obay:
She onely doth deserue
Him, he but her to serue:
She onely him, he onely her doth fit:
For th’one is euen with th’other euery way:
For he for her was borne, (for her alone)
And she for him, or else was borne for none.
So that if she had not beene borne at all,
He had not lou’d, for he his like should want:
And so she, to haue loued
Her equall, it be hooued
That he was borne, For none but he should fall
Equall to her, he then might iustly vaunt
That she was borne, onely for him reserued,
And she that he, whom onely she deserued.
Fortune did fauour him aboue the rest,
By making him the gladdest man that liues,
If that perhaps she knew
His loue so pure and trew,
And faith so firme, within his constant brest,
(She that her lights vnto each creature giues)
In whose braue beautie nature strain’d to showe
More art, and skill then euer she did knowe.
The poore soule takes his greefe, and holdes his peace,
Which to reueale he wanted meanes of late:
Once did he goe about it,
But stratght then did he doubt it:
With saying naught, his paine that doth increase
He passeth, not to loose his woonted state:
For though she be in all the world alone
The fairest, yet as hard as any stone.
Then (Shepherdesse) this rigour lay aside:
And flie not him, that paines so much for thee:
It is a great defect
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