THE EAGLE AND THE FLY.

HEN tenderewes, brought home with evening sun,
Wend to their folds,

And to their holds

The shepherds trudge when light of day is done,
Upon a tree

The eagle, Jove's fair bird, did perch;
There resteth he:

A little fly his harbour then did search,
And did presume, though others laughed thereat,
To perch whereas the princely eagle sat.

The eagle frowned, and shook his royal wings,
And charged the fly

From thence to hie :

Afraid, in haste the little creature flings
Yet seeks again,

Fearful, to perk1 him by the eagle's side:
With moody vein,

The speedy post of Ganymede replied,
"Vassal, avaunt, or with my wings you die :
Is't fit an eagle seat him with a fly?”

The fly craved pity, still the eagle frowned :
The silly fly,

Ready to die,

Disgraced, displaced, fell grovelling to the ground:
The eagle saw,

And with a royal mind said to the fly,
"Be not in awe,

I scorn by me the meanest creature die ;

Then seat thee here." The joyful fly up flings,
And sat safe-shadowed with the eagle's wings.

1 Perch.

L

DORON'S DESCRIPTION OF SAMELA.

IKE to Diana in her summer-weed,

Girt with a crimson robe of brightest dye,
Goes fair Samela;

Whiter than be the flocks that straggling feed,
When washed by Arethusa Fount1 they lie,
Is fair Samela ;

As fair Aurora in her morning-grey,
Decked with the ruddy glister of her love,
Is fair Samela;

Like lovely Thetis on a calmed day,

Whenas her brightness Neptune's fancy move, Shines fair Samela ;

Her tresses gold, her eyes like glassy streams,
Her teeth are pearl, the breasts are ivory

Of fair Samela;

Her cheeks, like rose and lily, yield forth gleams,

Her brows bright arches framed of ebony :

Thus fair Samela

Passeth fair Venus in her bravest hue,

And Juno in the show of majesty,

For she's Samela;

Pallas in wit, all three, if you well view,
For beauty, wit, and matchless dignity,

Yield to Samela.

1 Sidney Walker's correction.-Old eds. "faint."

From Ciceronis Amor, 1589.

JEALOUSY.

HEN gods had framed the sweet of women's

WHEN

face,

And locked men's looks within their golden hair, That Phoebus blushed to see their matchless grace, And heavenly gods on earth did make repair; To quip fair Venus' overweening pride, Love's happy thoughts to jealousy were tied.

Then grew a wrinkle on fair Venus' brow;
The amber sweet of love is turned to gall;
Gloomy was heaven; bright Phoebus did avow
He could be coy, and would not love at all,
Swearing, no greater mischief could be wrought
Than love united to a jealous thought.

R

VENUS VICTRIX.

MARS in a fury 'gainst Love's brightest Queen,

Put on his helm, and took him to his lance;

On Erycinus' Mount was Mavors seen,

And there his ensigns did the god advance, And by heaven's greatest gates he stoutly swore, Venus should die, for she had wronged him sore.

Cupid heard this, and he began to cry,

And wished his mother's absence for a while : "Peace, fool," quoth Venus; "is it I must die?

Must it be, Mars?" with that she coined a smile; She trimmed her tresses, and did curl her hair, And made her face with beauty passing fair.

A fan of silver feathers in her hand,

And in a coach of ebony she went :

She passed the place where furious Mars did stand,
And out her looks a lovely smile she sent ;
Then from her brows leaped out so sharp a frown,
That Mars for fear threw all his armour down.

He vowed repentance for his rash misdeed,
Blaming his choler that had caused his woe:
Venus grew gracious, and with him agreed,

But charged him not to threaten beauty so,
For women's looks are such enchanting charms
As can subdue the greatest god in arms.

1 'Our author seems to forget here that the mountain, from which Venus had the name of Erycina, was Eryx: it is not likely that he wrote 'Erycina's Mount.'"-Dyce. In Greene's Orpharion the form " Erycinus" occurs several times; e.g. "I crave so much favour at thy hands as to tell me whether Venus is resident about this Mount of Erycinus or no."

LOVE SCHOOLED.

FOND, feigning poets make of love a god,

And leave the laurel for the myrtle-boughs When Cupid is a child not past the rod,

1

And fair Diana Daphne 1 most allows : I'll wear the bays, and call the wag a boy, And think of love but as a foolish toy.

Some give him bow and quiver at his back,
Some make him blind to aim without advice,
When, naked wretch, such feathered bolts he lack
And sight he hath, but cannot wrong the wise;
For use but labour's weapon for defence,

And Cupid, like a coward, flieth thence.

He's god in court, but cottage calls him child,
And Vesta's virgins with their holy fires
Do cleanse the thoughts that fancy hath defiled,
And burn the palace of his fond desires;
With chaste disdain they scorn the foolish god,
And prove him but a boy not past the rod.

1 Old ed. "Daphnis."