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It doth encour age in such sort, and feares doth ouerthrowe,
That like a sturdie rocke it standes
Against the cruell raues
(Though fencelesse in the naked sandes)
Of beating windes and waues.
And how much more with conquering hand my hart she doth controule,
By so much doe I adde more heate vnto my burning soule.
Berardus.
The woods and mount aines doe not beare
Woolues of such crueltie,
Whose howling threats I feare not theare,
And yet aiealousie
Doth make my hart to quake for feare,
And yeeld most cowardly.
I am not able to defend
My weake and feeble brest
From thousand feares, where they pretend
To build their strongest nest:
And with their entrance driue away my hopes, my ioy and rest.
There they commaund and gouerne all,
And proudly tyrannize,
And there my soule to endlesse thrall
And bodie sacrifice.
O cruell Loue, whom cruell death must needes at last succeede,
O why with such consuming tortures die I not in deede?
Taurisus.
Neere to this Christall fountaine on a day
I sawe Diana sitting with her spouse,
And as by chaunce I crost the woods that way,
Espied them behinde these hasell bowes:
Dying with greefe impatience, and despite
To see (which I would not haue seene) that sight.
Nothing he spake, but with his clownish hand
Did rudely touch, and claspe her round about:
(Her tender corpes, the smallest in this land,
Too daintie and fine for such a homely lout.)
And so he sat, and did not stir
In this vnseemely sort with her.
But when my iealous eies so bas•… thing espied
With mortall rage I burn’d and cruell enute died.
Berardus.
To walke the woods in sweetest moneth of May
When winter hides his hoarie head for shame,
Diana with her husband on a day
The glorie of the fairest women came.
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