Not to be loued, and to loue,
It is agreeuous greefe to prooue:
But what a greefe or paine
Could it in thee (faire Nymph) procure,
To be beloued with loue so pure,
And not to loue againe?
But now despis’d I reckon small
Faire Galatee my torment all
So that thou wilt forsake
These swallowing sandes, and seas so high,
Where monsters bellow out and crie,
And daily praies doe take.
What better pastime canst thou finde
Neere to the seas of blustring winde,
Then in our woods and mountaines
To listen to the nightingales,
And gather flowers in our vales,
And bathe in christall fountaines.
I would to God thou liuedst heere,
In our faire fieldes and riuers cleere,
And for to loue them more,
I would to God thou wouldst but see
Before I should report to thee
How they excell the shore.
Bicause I know, the more I praise
These woods, meades, springs & louely laies,
The lesse thou wilt beleeue me;
And wilt not come where thou dost knowe,
That part of my content doth growe
Which most of all doth greeue me.
Poore Lycius would haue spoken more,
To win her from that haplesse shore,
But that she bad him cease:
For with an angrie face and scoule
She turn’d vnto the wretched soule,
And bad him hold his peace.
Then went she to her sportes againe,
He to his plaintes and woonted paine:
And in the selfe same sort
He still remaines in woonted sorrow,
She in the sea bankes euen, and morrow,
Contented with her sport.
The faire maides song, and our supper ended al at one time, which being done, we demanded of Clenarda what had hapned vnto her since our last departure from her, who tolde vs what villanie Sartofano offered vnto her, in what case Alcida was left, of thy imprisonment, her captiuitie, and in the ende all that thou knowest at large. We bewailed bitterly our hard Fortunes, which when the Fisherman hearde, hee comforted vs vp as well as he could, and tolde vs especiallie how that in these parts there was the sage Felicia, whose wisedome was enough to remedie our greefes; gi∣uing vs also notice of Alcida, and of thee, to the which our desires principally ten∣ded. And so passing away that night the best we coulde, assoone as morning came, leauing the marriners there that came with vs in the shippe, we three alone went our waies, and not long after came to the Temple of Diana, where the wise Lady Fe∣cia keepes her court. We sawe there the admirable temple, the most pleasant gar∣dens, the sumptuous pallace, there we knew the great wisedome of the most graue Ladie, and other things that filled vs so full of woonder, that wee haue scarce anie breath to tell them againe. There we sawe the fairest Nymphes, examples of chasti∣tie, many Lordes and Ladies, Shepherds, and faire Shepherdesses, and especiallie one Shepherd named Syrenus, whom euery one there made great account of: To him and many more besides, did sage Felicia giue diuers remedies for their loues and greefes. But the pleasure, which but hitherto yet she hath done vs, is, to keepe our Father Eugerius in her companie, commanding vs to goe towardes these parts, and that we should not returne vntill we had found out some content or good For∣tune. And for the great ioy that wee haue receiued by thy sight, I thinke wee haue good occasion to go backe againe, especially for that we haue left there our Father
