Thus far their fiery weapons have effected,
To show how earth for hell might be suspected;
Which thither came; but in the porch there sate
A comely personage of stature tall,
And semblance pleasing more than natural,
That travellers to him seem'd to entice;
His looser garments to the ground did fall,
And flew about his heels in wanton wise,
Not fit for speedy pace or manly exercise.
The foe of life, that good envies to all,
That secretly doth us procure to fall,
Through guileful semblance which he makes us see,
He of this gardin had the the governall,
And Pleasure's porter was devis'd to be,
Holding a staffe in hand for more formalitie.
Thus being entred, they behold around A large and spatious plaine on every side Strow'd with pleasaunce, whose fair grassie ground Mantled with green, and goodly beatifide
With all the ornaments of Floraes pride,
Wherewith her mother Art, as half in scorne
Of niggard Nature, like a pompous bride,
Did deck her, and too lavishly adorne,
When forth from virgin bowre she comes in th' early
Thereto the heavens always joviall,
Lookt on them lovely, still in stedfast state.
Ne suffer'd storme nor frost on them to fall,
Their tender buds or leaves to violate,
Nor scorching heat, nor cold intemperate,
T' afflict the creatures which therein did dwell;
But the mild aire with season moderate,
Gently attempred and dispos'd so well,
That still it breathed forth sweet spirit and wholesome smell.
While countless tokens move in sable train,
To prove our speck of sand is coarse in grain.
More sweet and wholesome than the pleasant hill
Of Rhodope, on which the nymph that bore
A giant-babe, her selfe for griefe did kill;
Or the Thessalian Tempè, where of yore
Fair Daphne Phoebus' heart with love did gore ;
Or Ida, where the Gods lov'd to repaire,
When-ever they their heavenly bowres forlore;
Or sweet Parnasse, the haunt of muses faire ;
Or Eden, if that aught with Eden mote compare.
Till that he came unto another gate,
No gate, but like one, being goodly dight
With boughes and branches, which did broad dilate Their clasping armes, in wanton wreathings intricate.
So fashioned a porch with rare divise,
Archt over head with an embracing vine,
Whose bunches hanging downe, seem'd to entice
All passers by to taste their lushious wine,
And did themselves into their hands incline,
As freely offering to be gathered;
Some deep empurpled as the hyacint,
Some as the rubine, laughing sweetly red,
Some like faire emeraudes not yet ripened.
And them amongst, some were of burnisht gold,
So made by art to beautifie the rest,
Which did themselves amongst the leaves enfold,
As lurking from the view of covetous guest,
That the weak boughes, with so rich load opprest.
Did bow adown as over-burthened.
There the most dainty paradise on ground,
It self doth offer to his sober eye,
In which all pleasures plentiously abound,
And none does other happiness envie ;
The painted flowres, the trees upshooting hie,
The Islands of the ocean show us where
Their opaque weapons sous'd from upper air.
The dales for shade, the hills for breathing place,
The trembling groves, the crystall running by;
And that which all fair works doth most aggrace,
The art which wrought it all appeared in no place.
One would have thought (so cunningly the rude
And scorned parts were mingled with the fine)
That Nature had for wantonness ensude
Art, and that Art at Nature did repine;
So striveing each the other to undermine,
Each did the other's worke more beautify;
So differing both in willes, agreed in fine
So all agreed through sweet diversitie,
This garden to adorne with all varietie.
And in the midst of all, a fountaine stood,
Of richest substance that on earth might be
So pure and shiny, that the silver flood
Through every channell running, one might see;
Most goodly it with pure imageree
Was over-wrought, and shapes of naked boyes,
Of which some seem'd with lively jollitee
To fly about, playing their wanton toyes,
Whiles others did themselves embay in liquid joyes.
And over all, of purest gold, was spred
A trayle of ivie in his native hew:
For the rich metall was so coloured,
That wight that did not well advised view,
Would surely deem it to be ivie true :
Lowe his lascivious armes adowne did creep,
That themselves dipping in the silver dew,
Their fleecie flowres they tenderly did steepe, Which drops of crystall seem'd for wantonness to weepe.
Infinite streames continually did swell
Out of this fountaine, sweet and faire to see,
The Alps on Alps, and rising Andes tell,
Where yet more of their torn up mountains fell;
The which into an ample laver fell,
And shortly grew to so great quantitie,
That like a little lake it seem'd to bee;
Whose depth exceeded not three cubits height,
That through the waves one might the bottom see,
All pav'd beneath with jasper shining bright
That seem'd the fountaine in that sea did sayle upright.
And all the margent round about was set
With shady lawrell-trees, thence to defend
The sunny beames, which on the billows bet,
And those which therein bathed, mote offend,
From Tasso's " Jerusalem Delivered."
DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLAND OF ARMIDA.
Now at the mountain's foot the heroes stay'd,
And slept secure beneath a cavern's shade,
But when the sun (eternal fount of day!)
Spread o'er the laughing skies his golden ray;
At once they rose, at once their course renew'd,
And up the steep ascent the way pursued.
When lo! a serpent, rushing from his cell,
Oppos'd their passage, horrible and fell!
Aloft his head and squalid breast he held
Bestreak'd with gold; his neck with anger swell'd;
Fire fill'd his eyes; he hid the path beneath ;
And smoke and poison issu'd with his breath.
Now in thick curls his scaly length he wound;
Now trail'd his opening curls along the ground.
Such was the dreadful guardian of the place,
Yet on the heroes press'd with fearless pace.
The Dane his falchion draws, and eager flies
To assail the snake, when sudden Ubald cries :
Forbear! can arms like these our foes repel?
And think'st thou thus the monster's rage to quell ?
He said; and shook the golden wand around ;
The serpent fled, astonish'd at the sound.
The knights proceed; a lion fierce descends,
And, roaring loud, the dangerous pass defends;
With other vasty promontorial chains,
That cleave the heavens and chequer earth's domains,
He rolls his fiery eyes, his main he rears,
Wide as a gulf his gaping mouth appears ;
His lashing tail his slumbering wrath awakes:
But when his potent rod the warrior shakes,
Unusual fears the dreadful beast surprise,
Sunk is his rage, he trembles, and he flies!
Still on they pass'd; but soon a numerous host
Of monsters dire their daring passage cross'd.
In various shapes the ghastly troops appear,
With various yells they rend the startled ear.
Each savage form that roves the burning sands,
From distant Nilus to the Libyan lands,
Here seem'd to dwell, with all the beasts that roam
Hyrcania's wood, or deep Hircinia's gloom!
But not their numbers could the chiefs detain ;
The powerful wand made all their fury vain.
These dangers past; the conquering pair ascend
Now near the brow their eager steps they bend ;
Yet, as they tread the cliffs, the sinking snows
And slippery ice awhile their course oppose.
But when at length they reach'd the rocky height,
A spacious level opens to their sight,
There youthful spring salutes th' enraptur'd eye,
Unfading verdure, and a gladsome sky;
Eternal zephyrs through the groves prevail,
And incense breathes in every balmy gale;
No irksome change th' unvaried climate knows
Of heat alternate, and alternate snows:
A genial power the tender herbage feeds,
And decks with every sweet the smiling meads;
Diffuses soft perfumes from every flower,
And clothes with lasting shade each rural bower:
There, rear'd aloft, a stately palace stands,
Whose prospect wide the hills and seas commands.
The warriors, weary with the steep ascent
More slowly o'er th' enamell'd meadow went;
Oft looking back, their former toils review'd,
Now paus'd awhile, and now their course pursu❜d.
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