The Faerie Queene

"True Loues are oftẽ sown, but seldom grow on grownd."

"Still as he fledd, his eye was backward cast, As if his feare still followed him behynd; Als flew his steed, as he his bandes had brast, And with his winged heeles did tread the wynd, As he had beene a fole of Pegasus his kynd."

"That darkesome caue they enter, where they find That cursed man, low sitting on the ground, Musing full sadly in his sullein mind."

"His raw-bone cheekes through penurie and pine, Were shronke into his iawes, as he did neuer dyne."

"Is not short payne well borne, that bringes long ease, And layes the soule to sleepe in quiet graue? Sleepe after toyle, port after stormie seas, Ease after warre, death after life does greatly please."

"The terme of life limited, Ne may a man prolong, nor shorten it; The souldier may not moue from watchfull sted, Nor leaue his stand, vntill his Captaine bed. Who life did limit by almightie doome, (Quoth he) knowes best the termes established; And he, that points the Centonell his roome, Doth license him depart at sound of morning droome."

"Death is the end of woes: die soone, O faries sonne."

"His hand did quake, And tremble like a leafe of Aspin greene, And troubled blood through his pale face was seene To come, and goe with tidings from the heart, As it a ronning messenger had beene."

"Where iustice growes, there grows eke greter grace, The which doth quench the brond of hellish smart."

"Each goodly thing is hardest to begin."

"O happy earth, Whereon thy innocent feet do ever tread!"

"In ashes and sackcloth he did array His daintie corse, proud humors to abate, And dieted with fasting euery day, The swelling of his woundes to mitigate, And made him pray both earely and eke late: And euer as superfluous flesh did rott Amendment readie still at hand did wayt, To pluck it out with pincers fyrie whott, That soone in him was lefte no one corrupted iott."

"Saint George shalt called bee, Saint George of mery England, the signe of victoree."

"Dazed were his eyne, Through passing brightnes, which did quite cõfound His feeble sence, and too exceeding shyne. So darke are earthly thinges compard to things diuine."

"Now gan the golden Phoebus for to steepe His fierie face in billowes of the west; And his faint steedes watred in Ocean deepe, Whiles from their iournall labours they did rest."

"By this the drouping day-light gan to fade, And yied his rowme to sad succeeding night, Who with her sable mantle gan to shade The face of earth, and wayes of liuing wight, And high her burning torch set vp in heauen bright."

"Now strike your sailes yee iolly Mariners, For we be come vnto a quiet rode, Where we must land some of our passengers, And light this weary vessell of her lode."

"Why then should witlesse man so much misweene That nothing is but that which he hath seene?"

"But now so wise and wary was the knight By tryall of his former harmes and cares, That he descryde, and shonned still his slight: The fish that once was caught, new bait wil hardly byte."

"Which when she heard, as in despightfull wise, She wilfully her sorrow did augment, And offred hope of comfort did despise: Her golden lockes most cruelly she rent, And scratcht her face with ghastly dreriment, Ne would she speake, nesee, ne yet be seene, But hid her visage, and her head downe bent, Either for grieuous shame, or for great teene, As if her hart with sorow had transfixed beene."

"Come then, come soone, come sweetest death to me, And take away this long lent loathed light: Sharpe be thy wounds, but sweete the medicines be, That long captiued soules from weary thraldome free."

"Behold the ymage of mortalitie, And feeble nature cloth'd with fleshly tyre When raging passion with fierce tyranny Robs reason of her dew regalitie, And makes it seruaunt to her basest part, The strong it weakens with infirmitie: And with bold furie armes the weakest hart; The strong through pleasure soonest falles, the weake through smart."

"Death is an equall doome To good and bad, the commen In of rest."

"Such is the state of men!"

"So double was his paines, so double be his praise."

"Now gan his hart all swell in iollity, And of him selfe great hope and help conceiu'd, That puffed vp with smoke of vanity, And with selfe-loued personage deceiu'd, He gan to hope, of men to be receiu'd For such, as he him thought, or faine would bee: But for in court gay portaunce he perceiu'd, And gallant shew to be in greatest gree, Eftsoones to court he cast t'aduaunce his first degree."

"Vaineglorious man, when fluttring wind does blow In his light winges, is lifted vp to skye: The scorne of knighthood and trew cheualrye, To thinke without desert of gentle deed, And noble worth to be aduaunced hye: Such prayse is shame; but honour vertues meed Doth beare the fayrest flowre in honourable seed."

"Her face so faire as flesh it seemed not, But heuenly pourtraict of bright Angels hew, Cleare as the skye, withouten blame or blot, Through goodly mixture of complexions dew."

"In her faire eyes two liuing lamps did flame, Kindled aboue at th'heuenly makers light, And darted fyrie beames out of the same, So passing persant, and so wondrous bright, That quite bereau'd the rash beholders sight."

"And when she spake, Sweete wordes, like dropping honny she did shed, And twixt the perles and rubins softly brake A siluer sound, that heauenly musicke seemd to make."

"Vpon her eyelids many Graces sate, Vnder the shadow of her euen browes."

"Who so in pompe of prowd estate (qd. she) Does swim, and bathes him selfe in courtly blis, Does waste his dayes in darke obscuritee, And in obliuion euer buried is."

"Loue that two harts makes one, makes eke one will."

"And therein sate a Ladie fresh and faire, Making sweet solace to her selfe alone; Sometimes she sung, as loud as larke in aire, Sometimes she laught, as nigh her breth was gone, Yet was there not with her else any one, That might to her moue cause of meriment: Matter of merth enough, though there were none She could deuise, and thousand waies inuent, To feede her foolish humour, and vaine iolliment."

"No dainty flowre or herbe, that growes on grownd, No arborett with painted blossomes drest, And smelling sweete, but there it might be fownd To bud out faire, & throwe her sweete smels al arownd."

"Yet nether spinnes nor cards, ne cares nor fretts, But to her mother Nature all her care she letts."

"The fields did laugh, the flowres did freshly spring, The trees did bud, and early blossomes bore, And all the quire of birds did sweetly sing, And told that gardins pleasures in their caroling."

"His yron cote all ouergrowne with rust, Was vnderneath enueloped with gold, Whose glistring glosse darkned with filthy dust, Well yet appeared, to haue beene of old A worke of rich entayle, and curious mould, Wouen with antickes and wyld ymagery: And in his lap a masse of coyne he told, And turned vpside downe, to feede his eye And couetous desire with his huge threasury."

"Before the dore sat selfe-consuming Care, Day and night keeping wary watch and ward, For feare least Force or Fraud should vnaware Breake in, and spoile the treasure there in gard: Ne would he suffer Sleepe once thether-ward Approch, albe his drowsy den were next; For next to death is Sleepe to be compard: Therefore his house is vnto his annext; Here Sleep, ther Richesse, & Helgate thē both betwext."

"Some thought to raise themselues to high degree, By riches and vnrighteous reward, Some by close shouldring, some by flatteree; Others through friendes, others for base regard; And all by wrong waies for themselues prepard. Those that were vp themselues, kept others low, Those that were low themselues held others hard, Ne suffred them to ryse or greater grow, But euery one did striue his fellow downe to throw."

"And is there care in heauen? and is their loue In heauenly spirits to these creatures bace, That may compassion of their euilles moue? There is: else much more wretched were the cace Of men then beasts. But O th'exceeding grace Of highest God, that loues his creatures so, And all his workes with mercy doth embrace, That blessed Angels, he sends to and fro, To serue to wicked man, to serue his wicked foe.'How oft do they, their siluer bowers leaue, To come to succour vs, that succour want, How oft do they with golden pineons, cleaue The flitting skyes, like flying Pursuiuant, Against fowle feendes to ayd vs militant: They for vs fight, they watch and dewly ward, And their bright Squadrons round about vs plant, And all for loue, and nothing for reward: O why should heuenly God to men haue such regard."

"Gold al is not, that doth golden seeme."

"Of all Gods workes, which doe this world adorne, There is no one more faire and excellent, Then is mans body both for powre and forme, Whiles it is kept in sober gouernment."

"And through the Hall there walked to and fro A iolly yeoman, Marshall of the same, Whose name was Appetite; he did bestow Both guestes and meate, when euer in they came, And knew them how to order without blame."

"The wretched man gan then auise to late, That loue is not, where most it is profest."

"What warre so cruel, or what siege so sore, As that, which strong affections doe apply Against the forte of reason euermore, To bring the sowle into captiuity."

"Slaunderous reproches, and fowle infamies, Leasinges, backbytinges, and vaineglorious crakes, Bad counsels, prayses, and false flatteries, All those against that fort did bend their batteries."

"As pale and wan as ashes was his looke, His body leane and meagre as a rake, And skin all withered like a dryed rooke, Thereto as cold and drery as a Snake, That seemd to tremble euermore, and quake."

"Suddeine they see from midst of all the Maine, The surging waters like a mountaine rise, And the great sea puft vp with proud disdaine, To swell aboue the measure of his guise, As threatning to deuoure all, that his powre despise."

"O turne thy rudder hetherward a while: Here may thy storme-bett vessell safely ryde; This is the Port of rest from troublous toyle, The worldes sweet In, frō paine & wearisome turmoyle."