Or for good grace, good partes, and gentle minde
Neuer did any Shepherdesse commend me:
But crowned now they send me
A thousand garlands, that I woon with praise,
In wrestling daies by daies,
In pitching of the bar with arme most strong,
And singing many a song,
After that thou didst honour, and take hould
Of me (sweete loue) and of my happy soule.
What greater ioy can any man desire,
Then to remaine a captiue vnto loue,
And haue his hart subiected to his power?
And though sometimes he taste a little sower,
By suffring it, as milde as gentle doue,
Yet must he be, in lieu of that great hire
Whereto he doth aspire:
If louers liue afflicted and in paine,
Let them with cause complaine
Of cruell fortune, and of times abuse,
And let them not accuse
Thee (gentle loue) That dost with blisse enfoulde
Within thy sweetest ioies each louing soule.
Behold a faire sweete face, and shining eies,
Resembling two most bright and twinkling stars;
Sending vnto the soule a perfect light:
Behold the rare perfections of those white
And Iuorie hands, from greefes most sure bars:
That minde wherein all life and glorie lies,
That ioy that neuer dies,
That he doth feele, that loues and is beloued,
And my delights approoued
To see her pleas’d, whose loue maintaines me heere:
All those I count so deere,
That though sometimes Loue doth my toies controule,
Yet am I glad he dwels within my soule.
There was not one there amongst them all but tooke great delight in the Shepherds songs. But Eugerius comming to giue his verdict, praise, and reward to him that had sung best, could not so soone conclude of the matter: he stept aside to Montanus to heare his opinion, whose iudgement was, that one had sung as well as another. Then Eugerius turning to Syrenus and Arsileus, said. My opinion is (cun∣ning Shepherds) that you are equall in the subiect of this contention, and that, if old Palemon were reuiued, and made an indifferent iudge betweene you, hee could not confesse (I thinke) any superioritie in your skill. Thou art Syrenus wor∣thie to beare away the cristall cup; and thou Arsileus deseruest it as well, so that I should offer you great wrong, if I did not define who is conqueror, and who is con∣quered. To resolue my selfe therefore of this doubt with Montanus opinion, I say
