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deedes shew thy small affection. As Firmius did aske her how she knew it, she anâˆ£swered him. If thy loue Firmius extends so farre as thou saiest, thou wouldest come to see me oftner; it greeues me in the end, of the fauor that not long since I did thee. Firmius not suffring Diana to passe any farther, being as it were halfe madde with himselfe, for these cruell words, in that she greeued and repented her of her fauour done him, tooke his Rebecke and sung this Sonnet.

FAire Shepherdesse, what hast with greefe to fill me,
And how long dost thou purpose to destroy me,
When wilt thou make an end with woundes to noy me,
Not stretching foorth thy cruell hand to kill me?
Tell me the cause, why dost thou so much will me
To visit thee, and with such words dost ioy me?
That to my death I rather would imploy me,
Then by such present pangs and greefes to spill me.
Woe to my soule, since this doth cause thy sorrow,
That such a little fauour thou hast done me,
Little it is, in sooth, if it be peased
With all my teares, that neuer yet haue ceased
To fall, that to my death haue almost woon me:
They great, this small, those giue I, this I borrow.

Firmius had scarce done, when Faustus asked Diana, how she knew that his loue to her was so small. Who answered. In that, hoping to enioy thee inflamed in my loue, thou complainest no purpose of a few teares thou hast spilt for my sake, as if these were not as incident and requisite for loue, as pasture for sheepe, and oyle for the lamp. To which wordes Faustus taking vp his Rebecke did thus answere her.

THou dost desire (My life) as thou dost say,
To see me in thy loues inflam’d (at lest)
And yet an vncouth meanes thou dost suggest,
Which is, to giue me care from day to day:
Dost thou not see the fier to decay,
Waxe cold, and quench’t, within my louing brest
With swelling teares, which trickle without rest
Out of mine eies, to see thy hard delay?
The meade with raine her goodly greene redeemes,
The oile doth in the lampe the flame maintaine,
And loue with teares augmented is no lesse:
But loue, the lampe, and meadow (as it seemes)
If that too much of these they doe containe,
Is spent, is quench’t, and drowned in excesse.

As Faustus had thus made an ende, Firmius said (for all that I coulde not then heare, he tolde me afterwards) we are well content Diana, that thou delightest thy selfe with our sorrowes (since thou wilt take no pleasure in any of our other things) if thy sweete voice in lieu of that, might sound in our desired eares with some hapâˆ£pie song. Diana excused herselfe, requesting them to pardon her, saying she coulde