Hero and Leander | Page 3

all other,
As thou in beauty dost exceed
Love's mother.
Nor heaven, nor thou, were made to gaze upon,
As
heaven preserves all things, so save thou one.
A stately builded ship,
well rigged and tall,
The ocean maketh more majestical.
Why
vowest thou then to live in Sestos here
Who on Love's seas more
glorious wouldst appear?
Like untuned golden strings all women are,

Which long time lie untouched, will harshly jar.
Vessels of brass,
oft handled, brightly shine.

What difference betwixt the richest mine

And basest mould, but use? For both, not used,
Are of like worth.
Then treasure is abused
When misers keep it; being put to loan,
In
time it will return us two for one.
Rich robes themselves and others
do adorn;
Neither themselves nor others, if not worn.
Who builds a
palace and rams up the gate
Shall see it ruinous and desolate.
Ah,
simple Hero, learn thyself to cherish.
Lone women like to empty
houses perish.
Less sins the poor rich man that starves himself
In

heaping up a mass of drossy pelf,
Than such as you. His golden earth
remains
Which, after his decease, some other gains.
But this fair
gem, sweet in the loss alone,
When you fleet hence, can be
bequeathed to none.
Or, if it could, down from th'enameled sky
All
heaven would come to claim this legacy,
And with intestine broils the
world destroy,
And quite confound nature's sweet harmony.
Well
therefore by the gods decreed it is
We human creatures should enjoy
that bliss.
One is no number; maids are nothing then
Without the
sweet society of men.
Wilt thou live single still? One shalt thou be,

Though never singling Hymen couple thee.
Wild savages, that drink
of running springs,
Think water far excels all earthly things,
But
they that daily taste neat wine despise it.
Virginity, albeit some highly
prize it,
Compared with marriage, had you tried them both,
Differs
as much as wine and water doth.
Base bullion for the stamp's sake we
allow;
Even so for men's impression do we you,
By which alone,
our reverend fathers say,
Women receive perfection every way.

This idol which you term virginity
Is neither essence subject to the
eye
No, nor to any one exterior sense,
Nor hath it any place of
residence,
Nor is't of earth or mould celestial,
Or capable of any
form at all.
Of that which hath no being do not boast;
Things that
are not at all are never lost.
Men foolishly do call it virtuous;
What
virtue is it that is born with us?
Much less can honour be ascribed
thereto;
Honour is purchased by the deeds we do.
Believe me, Hero,
honour is not won
Until some honourable deed be done.
Seek you
for chastity, immortal fame,

And know that some have wronged
Diana's name?
Whose name is it, if she be false or not
So she be
fair, but some vile tongues will blot?
But you are fair, (ay me) so
wondrous fair,
So young, so gentle, and so debonair,
As Greece
will think if thus you live alone
Some one or other keeps you as his
own.
Then, Hero, hate me not nor from me fly
To follow swiftly
blasting infamy.
Perhaps thy sacred priesthood makes thee loath.

Tell me, to whom mad'st thou that heedless oath?"

"To Venus," answered she and, as she spake,
Forth from those two
tralucent cisterns brake
A stream of liquid pearl, which down her face

Made milk-white paths, whereon the gods might trace
To Jove's
high court.
He thus replied: "The rites
In which love's beauteous
empress most delights
Are banquets, Doric music, midnight revel,

Plays, masks, and all that stern age counteth evil.
Thee as a holy idiot
doth she scorn
For thou in vowing chastity hast sworn
To rob her
name and honour, and thereby
Committ'st a sin far worse than perjury,

Even sacrilege against her deity,
Through regular and formal purity.

To expiate which sin, kiss and shake hands.
Such sacrifice as this
Venus demands."
Thereat she smiled and did deny him so,
As put thereby, yet might he
hope for moe.
Which makes him quickly re-enforce his speech,

And her in humble manner thus beseech.
"Though neither gods nor
men may thee deserve,
Yet for her sake, whom you have vowed to
serve,
Abandon fruitless cold virginity,
The gentle queen of love's
sole enemy.
Then shall you most resemble Venus' nun,
When
Venus' sweet rites are performed and done.
Flint-breasted Pallas joys
in single life,
But Pallas and your mistress are at strife.
Love, Hero,
then, and be not tyrannous,
But heal the heart that thou hast wounded
thus,
Nor stain thy youthful years with avarice.
Fair fools delight to
be accounted nice.
The richest corn dies, if it be not reaped;
Beauty
alone is lost, too warily kept."
These arguments he used, and many more,
Wherewith she yielded,
that was won before.
Hero's looks yielded but her words made war.

Women are won when they begin to jar.
Thus, having swallowed
Cupid's golden hook,
The more she strived, the deeper was she strook.

Yet, evilly feigning anger, strove she still
And would be thought to
grant against her will.
So having paused a while at last she said,

"Who taught thee rhetoric to deceive a maid?
Ay me, such words as
these should I abhor
And yet I like them for the orator."

With that Leander stooped to have embraced her
But from his
spreading arms away she