The Louer wisheth to be conioyned and fast linckt with his Ladie neuer to sunder

J Reade how Salmacis sometime with sight
On sodaine looude Cyllenus Sonne, and sought
Forthwith with all hir powre and forced might
Too bring to passe hir close conceyued thought:
Whome as by hap she saw in open mead
She sude vnto, in hope to haue bene spead.
With sugred words she wood & sparde no speach,
But bourded him with many a pleasant tale,
Requesting him of, ruth to be hir Leach
For whome she had abid such bitter bale:
But hée repleate with pride and scornefull cheare
Disdainde hir earnest sute and songs to heare.
Away shée went a wofull wretched Wight,
And shrowded hir not farre from thence a space:
When that at length the stripling law in sight
No creature there, but all were out of place,
Hée shifts his robes and to the riuer ran,
And there to bath him bare the Boy began.
The Nymph in hope as then to haue attainde
Hir long desired Loue, retirde to flood
And in hir armes the naked Noorie strainde:
Whereat the Boy began to striue a good,
But strugling nought auailed in that plight
For why the Nymph surpast the Boy in might.
O Gods (quoth tho the Girle) this gift I craue
This Boy and I may neuer part againe,
But so our corpses may conioyned haue
As one we may appeare, not bodies twaine:
The Gods agreed, the water so it wrought,
As both were one, thy selfe would so haue thought.
As from a trée we sundrie times espie.
A twissell grow by Natures subtile might,
And being two, for cause they grow so nie
For one are tane, and so appeare in sight.
So was the Nymph and Noorie ioynde yfere,
As two no more but one selfe thing they were.
O Ladie mine, howe might we seeme ybest?
How friendly mought we Gods account to bée?
In semblant sort if they woulde bréede my rest
By lincking of my carkasse vnto thée?
So that we might no more a sunder go,
But limmes to limmes, & corse to carkasse grow?
O, where is now become that blessed Lake
Wherein those two did bath to both their ioy?
How might we doe, or such prouision make
To haue the hap as had the Maiden Boy?
To alter forme and shape of either kinde,
And yet in proufe of both a share to finde?
Then should our limmes wt louely linck be tide,
And harts of hate no taste sustaine at all,
But both for aye in perfite league abide
And eche to other liue as friendly thrall:
That thone might feele the pangues the other had
And partner be of ought that made him glad.
O blessed Nymph, O. Salmacys I saye,
Would thy good luck vnto hir lot would light
Whome I imbrace, and louen shall for aye,
By force of flood to chaunge hir nature quight:
And that I might haue hap as had the Boy
To neuer part from hir that is my Ioy.
I would not striue, I would not stirre a whit,
(As did Cyllenus Sunne that stately Wight:)
But well content to be Hermaphrodit,
Would cling as close to thée as ere I might,
And laugh to thinke my hap so good to bée,
As in such sort fast to be linckt with thée.