Hypnerotomachia | Page 5

his course, and giuing a tincture to the Spiders webbes, among
the greene leaues and tender prickles of the Vermilion Roses, in the
pursuite whereof he shewed himselfe most swift & glistering, now
vpon the neuer resting and still moouing waues, he crysped vp his
irradient heyres.
[Sidenote a: Phæbus the Sunne.]
[Sidenote b: Leucothea the morning.]
[Sidenote c: Pyr & Eo, the horses of the Sunne.]
Vppon whose vprising, euen at that instant, the vnhorned Moone
dismounted hir selfe, losing from hir Chariot hir two horses, the one
white and the other browne, and drewe to the Horrison[d] different
from the Hemisphere[e] from whence she came.
[Sidenote d: Horison a circle deuiding the halfe speare of the firmament
from the other halfe which we doe not see.]
[Sidenote e: Hemispere is halfe the compasse of the visible heauen.]
And when as the mountaines and hilles were beautifull, and the
northeast winds had left of to make barraine with the sharpnesse of
their blasts, the tender sprigs to disquiet the moouing reedes, the fenny
Bulrush, and weake Cyprus, to torment the foulding Vines, to trouble
the bending Willowe, and to breake downe the brittle Firre bowghes,
vnder the hornes of the lasciuious Bull, as they do in winter.
At that very houre, as the diuers coulered flowers and greene meades,
at the comming of the sunne of _Hypperion_[f] feare not his burning
heate, being bedued and sprinkled with the Christalline teares of the
sweete morning, when as the _Halcyons_[g] vpon the leuell waues of
the stil, calme, and quiet flowing seas, do build their nests in sight of
the sandie shore, whereas the sorrowfull _Ero_, with scalding sighes
did behold the dolorous and vngrate departure of hir swimming

_Leander_[h].
[Sidenote f: Hyperion the Sunne.]
[Sidenote g: Halcyons are certaine byrds which building near the shore
vpon the waues there will be no storme vntill the young be hatched.]
[Sidenote h: Leander a young man of Abydos, who in swimming ouer
Hellespont (a narow sea) by Byzantium, which parteth Europ from Asia)
to Sestus, was in the sight of his louer Ero of Sestus drowned, which
she seeing, threw hir self down into the sea, and died with him.]
I lying vpon my bed, an oportune and meet freend to a wearie body, no
creature accompaning me in my chamber, besides the attender vppon
my body, and vsuall night lights, who after that she had vsed diuers
speeches, to the end shee might comfort me, hauing vnderstood before
of me, the originall cause of my hollow and deepe sighes, she
indeuored hir best to moderate, if at least she might, that, my perturbed
and pittifull estate. But when she sawe that I was desirous of sleepe,
she tooke leaue to depart.
Then I being left alone to the high cogitations of loue, hauing passed
ouer a long and tedious night without sleepe, through my barren fortune,
and aduerse constellation, altogether vncomforted and sorrowfull, by
means of my vntimely and not prosperous loue, weeping, I recounted
from point to point, what a thing vnequall loue is: and how fitly one
may loue that dooth not loue: and what defence there may bee made
against the vnaccustomed, yet dayly assaults of loue: for a naked soule
altogether vnarmed, the seditious strife, especially being intestine: a
fresh still setting vpon with vnstable and new thoughts.
In this sort brought to so miserable an estate, and for a long while
plunged in a deepe poole of bitter sorrowes, at length my wandring
sences being wearie to feede still vpon vnsauorie and fayned pleasure,
but directly and without deceit, vppon the rare diuine obiect: whose
reuerende _Idea_ is deeply imprinted within me, and liueth ingrauen in
the secret of my heart, from which proceedeth this so great and
vncessant a strife, continually renuing my cruell torments without

intermission. I began the conditions of those miserable louers, who for
their mistresses pleasures desire their owne deaths, and in their best
delights do think themselues most vnhappie, feeding their framed
passions not otherwise then with fithfull imaginations. And then as a
weary bodye after a sore labour, so I, somewhat in outward shew
qualified, in the payne of my sorrowfull thoughts, and hauing
incloystered and shut vp the course of my distilling teares: whose drops
had watered my pale cheekes, thorow amorous griefe, desired some
needfull rest.
At length my moyst eyes being closed within their bloudshotten and
reddish liddes, presently betwixt a bitter life and a sweet death, I was in
them inuaded and ouercome, with a heauie sleepe, who with my minde
and watchfull spirits, were no pertakers of so high an operation.
Me thought that I was in a large, plaine, and champion place, all greene
and diuersly spotted with many sorted flowerrs, wherby it seemed
passingly