Part 16

'This _is true Loue_, by that true _Cupid_ got, 'Which daunceth galliards in your amorous eyes, 'But to your frozen hart approcheth not-- 'Onely your hart he dares not enterprise; 'And yet through euery other part he flyes, 'And euery where he nimbly daunceth now, 'Though[252] in your selfe, your selfe perceiue not how.

[Footnote 252: Thomas Davies and Southey, as before, misprint egregiously 'that.' G.]

105.

'For your sweet beauty daintily transfus'd 'With due proportion throughout euery part; 'What is it but a daunce where Loue hath vs'd 'His finer cunning, and more curious art? 'Where all the elements themselues impart, 'And turne, and wind, and mingle with such measure, 'That th' eye that sees it surfeits with the pleasure?

106.

'Loue in the twinckling of your eylids daunceth, 'Loue daunceth in your pulses and your vaines, 'Loue when you sow, your needle's point aduanceth 'And makes it daunce a thousand curious straines 'Of winding rounds, whereof the forme remaines; 'To shew, that your faire hands can daunce the hey, 'Which your fine feet would learne as well as they.

107.

'And when your iuory fingers touch the strings 'Of any siluer-sounding instrument; 'Loue makes them daunce to those sweete murmerings, 'With busie skill, and cunning excellent; 'O that your feet those tunes would represent 'With artificiall motions to and fro, 'That Loue this art in ev'ry part might sho[w]e!

108.

'Yet your faire soule, which came from heau'n aboue 'To rule thys house,--another heau'n below,-- 'With diuers powers in harmony doth moue, 'And all the vertues that from her doe flow, 'In a round measure hand in hand doe goe: 'Could I now see, as I conceiue thys Daunce, 'Wonder and Loue would cast me in a traunce.

109.

'The richest iewell in all the heau'nly treasure 'That euer yet vnto the Earth was showne, 'Is perfect Concord, th' onely perfect pleasure[253] 'That wretched earth-borne men haue euer knowne, 'For many harts it doth compound in one; 'That when so one doth will, or speake, or doe, 'With one consent they all agree thereto.

[Footnote 253: Margin-Note here, 'Concord.' G.]

110.

'Concord's true picture shineth in this art, 'Where diuers men and women rankèd be, 'And euery one doth daunce a seuerall part, 'Yet all as one, in measure doe agree, 'Obseruing perfect vniformitie; 'All turne together, all together trace, 'And all together honour and embrace.

111.

'If they whom sacred Loue hath link't in one, 'Doe as they daunce, in all their course of life, 'Neuer shall burning griefe nor bitter mone, 'Nor factious difference, nor vnkind strife, 'Arise betwixt the husband and the wife; 'For whether forth or bake[254] or round he goe As the man doth, so must the woman doe.

[Footnote 254: 'Back,' same as 'blake,' page 176, _ante_, for 'black.' G.]

112.

'What if by often enterchange of place 'Sometime the woman gets the vpper hand? 'That is but done for more delightfull grace, 'For one[255] that part shee doth not euer stand; 'But, as the measure's law doth her command, 'Shee wheeles about, and ere the daunce doth end, 'Into her former place shee doth transcend.

[Footnote 255: = on. G.]

113.

'But not alone this correspondence meet 'And vniform consent doth dauncing praise; 'For _Comlines_ the child of order sweet,[2] 'Enamels it with her eye-pleasing raies; 'Fair Comlines, ten hundred thousand waies, 'Through dauncing shedds it selfe, and makes shine 'With glorious beauty, and with grace diuine.

114.

'For _Comliness_ is a disposing faire 'Of things and actions in fit time and place; 'Which doth in dauncing shew it selfe most cleere, 'When troopes confus'd, which here and there doe trace 'Without distinguishment or bounded space: 'By dauncing's rule, into such ranks are brought, 'As glads the eye, as rauisheth the thought.

115.

'Then why should Reason iudge that reasonles 'Which is wit's ofspring, and the worke of art, 'Image of concord and of comlines? 'Who sees a clock mouing in euery part, 'A sayling pinnesse,[256] or a wheeling cart; 'But thinks that Reason, ere it came to passe 'The first impulsiue cause and mouer was?

[Footnote 256: In first edition, spelled 'pinnesse' also, = pinnace. G.]

116.

'Who sees an Armie all in ranke aduance, 'But deemes a wise Commaunder is in place, 'Which leadeth on that braue victorious daunce? 'Much more in Dauncing's Art, in Dauncing's grace, 'Blindnes it selfe may Reason's footstep trace; '_For of Loue's maze it is the curious plot, 'And of Man's fellowship the true-love knot_.

117.

'But if these eyes of yours, (load-starrs of Loue, 'Shewing the World's great daunce to your mind's eye!) 'Cannot with all their demonstrations moue 'Kinde apprehension in your fantasie, 'Of Dauncing's vertue, and nobilitie; 'How can my barbarous tongue win you there to, 'Which Heau'n and Earth's faire speech could neuer do?

118.

'O Loue my king: if all my wit and power 'Haue done you all the seruice that they can, 'O be you present in this present hower, 'And help your seruant and your true Leige-man 'End that perswasion which I earst began; 'For who in praise of Dauncing can perswade 'With such sweet force as Loue, which Dancing made?

119.

Loue heard his prayer, and swifter then the wind, Like to a page, in habit, face, and speech, He came, and stood _Antinous_ behind, And many secrets to his thoughts did teach;[257] At last a christall mirrour he did reach Vnto his hands, that he with one rash view, All formes therein by Loue's reuealing knew.

[Footnote 257: Margin-Note here, 'A passage to the description of dauncing in this age.' G.]

120.

And humbly honouring, gaue it to the Queene With this faire speech: 'See fairest Queene (quoth he) 'The fairest sight that euer shall be seene, 'And th' onely wonder of posteritie, 'The richest worke in Nature's treasury; 'Which she disdaines to shew on this World's stage, 'And thinkes it far too good for our rude age.

121.

'But in another World diuided far: 'In the great, fortunate, triangled Ile, 'Thrise twelue degrees remou'd from the North star, 'She will this glorious workemanship compile; 'Which she hath beene conceiuing all this while 'Since the World's birth, and will bring forth at last, 'When sixe and twenty hundred yeares are past.'

122.

_Penelope_, the Queene, when she had view'd The strang eye-dazeling, admirable sight, Faine would have praisd the state and pulchritude, But she was stricken dumbe with wonder quite, Yet her sweet minde retain'd her thinking might; Her rauisht minde in heaunly thoughts did dwel, But what she thought, no mortall tongue can tel.

123.

You lady Muse, whom _Ioue_ the Counsellour Begot of Memorie, Wisdom's treasuresse; To your diuining tongue is giuen a power Of vttering secrets large and limitlesse: You can _Penelope's_ strange thoughts expresse Which she conceiu'd, and then would faine haue told, When shee the wond'rous christall did behold.

124.

Her wingèd thoughts bore vp her minde so hie, As that she weend shee saw the glorious throne Where the bright moone doth sit in maiesty: A thousand sparkling starres about her shone, But she herselfe did sparkle more alone Then all those thousand beauties would haue done If they had been confounded all in one.

125.

And yet she thought those stars mou'd in such measure. To do their soueraigne honor and delight, As sooth'd her minde, with sweet enchanting plesure, Although the various change amaz'd her sight, And her weake iudgement did entangle quite; Beside, their mouing made them shine more cleare, As diamonds mou'd more sparkling do appeare.

126.

This was the picture of her wondrous thought; But who can wonder that her thought was so, Sith _Vulcan_ king of fire that mirror wrought, (Who things to come, present, and past, doth know) And there did represent in liuely show Our glorious English Courts diuine image, As it should be in this our Golden Age.

* * * * *

_Here are wanting some Stanzaes describing Queene Elizabeth. Then follow these._

127.

Her brighter dazeling beames of maiestie Were laid aside, for she vouchsaft awhile With gracious, cheerefull, and familiar eye Vpon the reuels of her Court to smile; For so Time's Iourneis she doth oft beguile: Like sight no mortall eye might elsewhere see, So full of State, Art, and varietie.

128.

For of her barons braue, and ladies faire,-- Who had they been elsewhere, most faire had been; Many an incomparable louely payre, With hand in hand were interlinkèd seene, Making faire honour to their soueraigne Queene; Forward they pac'd, and did their pace apply To a most sweet and solemne melody.

129.

So subtile and curious was the measure, With such[258] vnlookt for chaunge in euery straine; As that _Penelope_ rapt with sweet pleasure, Weend[259] shee beheld the true proportion plaine Of her owne webb, weaud and unweaud againe; But that her art was somewhat lesse she thought, And on a meere ignoble subiect wrought.

[Footnote 258: Thomas Davies, as before, drops 'such.' G.]

[Footnote 259: Thomas Davies and Southey misread 'when.' G.]

130.

For here like to the silkeworme's industry, Beauty it selfe out of it selfe did weaue So rare a worke, and of such subtilty, As did all eyes entangle and deceiue, And in all mindes a strange impression leaue; In this sweet laborinth did _Cupid_ stray, And neuer had the power to passe away.

131.

As when the Indians, neighbours of the morning, In honour of the cheerefull rising sunne; With pearle and painted plumes themselues adorning, A solemne stately measure haue begun; The god well pleasd with that faire honour done, Sheds foorth his beames, and doth their faces kis With that immortal glorious face of his.

132.

So, &c., &c. * * *

_Such is 'Orchestra' as given by the Author in 1622: but in the first edition (1596) no fewer than five omitted stanzas are found. They here follow._

127.

Away, Terpsechore, light Muse away! And come Vranie, prophetese diuine; Come, Muse of heau'n, my burning thirst allay: Euen now for want of sacred drinke I tine: In heau'nly moysture dip thys pen of mine, And let my mouth with nectar ouerflow, For I must more then mortall glory show.

128.

O, that I had Homer's aboundant vaine, I would hierof another Ilias make: Or els the man of Mantua's[260] charmèd braine, In whose large throat great Joue the thunder spake. O that I could old Gefferie's[261] Muse awake, Or borrow Colin's[262] fayre heroike stile, Or smooth my rimes with Delia's servants file.[263]

[Footnote 260: Virgil. G.]

[Footnote 261: Chaucer. G.]

[Footnote 262: Spenser. G.]

[Footnote 263: Daniel: The allusion being to his 'Sonnets to Delia.' G.]

129.

O, could I, sweet Companion, sing like you, Which, of a shadow, under a shadow sing;[264] Or, like _Salue's_ sad lover true, Or like the Bay, the Marigold's darling,[265] Whose suddaine verse Loue covers with his wing: O that your braines were mingled all with mine, T' inlarge my wit for this great worke diuine!

[Footnote 264: Edward Guilpin calls his volume 'Skialetheia, or a _Shadowe_ of Truth in certain Epigrams and Satyres,' 1598. G.]

[Footnote 265: I hazard a guess, that this may refer to _Charles Best_, an associate of DAVIES in the 'Rhapsody,' and author of certain vivid lines called 'A Sonnet of the Sun: a jewell, being a sun shining upon the _Marigold_ closed in a heart of gold, sent to his mistress, named Mary, among others. See _Nicolas's_ edition of the 'Rhapsody,' Vol. I., pp. 183, 184. G.]

130.

Yet, Astrophell might one for all suffize, Whose supple Muse Camelion-like doth change Into all formes of excellent deuise: So might the Swallow,[266] whose swift Muse doth range Through rare Idæas, and inuentions strange, And euer doth enioy her ioyfull Spring, And sweeter then the Nightingale doth sing.

[Footnote 266: Perhaps a play on his 'then' friend's name of Martin. G.]

131.

O that I might that singing Swallow heare, To whom I owe my seruice and my loue! His sugred tunes would so enchant mine eare, And in my mind such sacred fury moue, As I should knock at Heau'ns gate aboue, With my proude rimes, while of this heau'nly state I doe aspire the shadow to relate.[267]

[Footnote 267: Collier gives _supra_ in his 'Bibliographical Account of Early English Literature,' _s.n._]

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