Hero and Leander | Page 5

of th'
everlasting Destinies.
They seeing it both love and him abhorred

And Jupiter unto his place restored.
And but that Learning in despite
of Fate
Will mount aloft and enter heaven gate
And to the seat of
Jove itself advance,
Hermes had slept in hell with Ignorance.
Yet as
a punishment they added this,
That he and Poverty should always kiss.

And to this day is every scholar poor;
Gross gold from them runs
headlong to the boor.
Likewise the angry Sisters thus deluded,
To
venge themselves on Hermes, have concluded
That Midas' brood
shall sit in honour's chair,
To which the Muses' sons are only heir;

And fruitful wits, that in aspiring are,
Shall discontent run into
regions far;
And few great lords in virtuous deeds shall joy
But be
surprised with every garish toy,
And still enrich the lofty servile
clown,

Who with encroaching guile keeps learning down.
Then
Muse not Cupid's suit no better sped,
Seeing in their loves the Fates
were injured.
(The end of the First Sestiad)
SECOND SESTIAD
By this, sad Hero, with love unacquainted,
Viewing Leander's face,

fell down and fainted.
He kissed her and breathed life into her lips,

Wherewith as one displeased away she trips.
Yet, as she went, full
often looked behind,
And many poor excuses did she find
To linger
by the way, and once she stayed,
And would have turned again, but
was afraid,
In offering parley, to be counted light.
So on she goes
and in her idle flight
Her painted fan of curled plumes let fall,

Thinking to train Leander therewithal.
He, being a novice, knew not
what she meant
But stayed, and after her a letter sent,
Which joyful
Hero answered in such sort,
As he had hope to scale the beauteous
fort
Wherein the liberal Graces locked their wealth,
And therefore
to her tower he got by stealth.
Wide open stood the door, he need not
climb,
And she herself before the pointed time
Had spread the
board, with roses strowed the room,
And oft looked out, and mused
he did not come.
At last he came.
O who can tell the greeting

These greedy lovers had at their first meeting.
He asked, she gave,
and nothing was denied.
Both to each other quickly were affied.

Look how their hands, so were their hearts united,
And what he did
she willingly requited.
(Sweet are the kisses, the embracements sweet,

When like desires and affections meet,
For from the earth to
heaven is Cupid raised,
Where fancy is in equal balance peised.)

Yet she this rashness suddenly repented
And turned aside, and to
herself lamented
As if her name and honour had been wronged
By
being possessed of him for whom she longed.
Ay, and she wished,
albeit not from her heart
That he would leave her turret and depart.

The mirthful god of amorous pleasure smiled
To see how he this
captive nymph beguiled.
For hitherto he did but fan the fire,
And
kept it down that it might mount the higher.
Now waxed she jealous
lest his love abated,
Fearing her own thoughts made her to be hated.

Therefore unto him hastily she goes
And, like light Salmacis, her
body throws
Upon his bosom where with yielding eyes
She offers
up herself a sacrifice
To slake his anger if he were displeased.
O,
what god would not therewith be appeased?
Like Aesop's cock this
jewel he enjoyed
And as a brother with his sister toyed
Supposing

nothing else was to be done,
Now he her favour and good will had
won.
But know you not that creatures wanting sense
By nature have
a mutual appetence,
And, wanting organs to advance a step,
Moved
by love's force unto each other lep?
Much more in subjects having
intellect
Some hidden influence breeds like effect.
Albeit Leander
rude in love and raw,
Long dallying with Hero, nothing saw
That
might delight him more, yet he suspected
Some amorous rites or
other were neglected.
Therefore unto his body hers he clung.
She,
fearing on the rushes to be flung,
Strived with redoubled strength; the
more she strived
The more a gentle pleasing heat revived,
Which
taught him all that elder lovers know.
And now the same gan so to
scorch and glow
As in plain terms (yet cunningly) he craved it.

Love always makes those eloquent that have it.
She, with a kind of
granting, put him by it
And ever, as he thought himself most nigh it,

Like to the tree of Tantalus, she fled
And, seeming lavish, saved
her maidenhead.
Ne'er king more sought to keep his diadem,
Than
Hero this inestimable gem.
Above our life we love a steadfast friend,

Yet when a token of great worth we send,
We often kiss it, often
look thereon,
And stay the messenger that would be gone.
No
marvel then, though Hero would not yield
So soon to part from that
she dearly held.
Jewels being lost are found again, this never;
'Tis
lost but once, and once lost, lost forever.
Now had the morn espied her lover's steeds,
Whereat she starts, puts
on her purple weeds,
And red for anger that he stayed so long
All
headlong throws herself the clouds among.
And now Leander, fearing
to be missed,
Embraced her suddenly, took leave, and kissed.
Long
was he taking leave, and loath to go,
And kissed again as lovers use
to do.
Sad Hero wrung him by the hand and wept
Saying, "Let