Book IV

BUt now the wounded Quene, with heuy care,
Throughout the veines she norisheth the playe,
Surprised with blind flame, and to hir mind
Ean eke resort the prowesse of the man,
And honour of his race: while in her brest
Imprinted stack his wordes, and pictures forme.
Ne to her limmes care graunteth quiet rest.
The next morow, with Phebus laump, the earth
Alightned clere: and eke the dawning day
The shadowes dark gan from the poale remoue:
When all vnsound her sister of like minde
Thus spake she to: O sister Ann, what dreames
Be these, that me tormented thus afray?
What new guest, is this that to our realm is come?
What one of chere. how stout of hart in armes?
Truly I think (ne vain is my belefe)
Of Goddish race some ofspring shold he be:
Cowardry notes hartes swarued out of kind.
He driuen (Lord) with how hard destiny:
What battailes eke atchiued did he recount?
But that my mind is fixt vnmoueably,
Neuer with wight in wedlock ay to ioyne:
Sith my first loue me left by death disseuered,
If geniall brands, and bed me lothed not,
To this one gilt perchaunce yet might I yeld.
Anne, for I graunt, sith wretched Sichees death
My spouse and house with brothers slaughter staind,
This onely man hath made my sences bend,
And pricked foorth the mind, that gan to slide,
Now feelingly I tast the steppes of mine old flame,
But first I wish, the earth me swalow down:
Or with thunder the mighty Lord me send
To the pale gostes of hel, and darknes deepe:
Ere I thee staine, shamefastnes, or thy lawes
He that with me first coppled, tooke away
My loue with him enioy it in his graue.
Thus did she say, and with supprised teares
Ba••ed her brest. wherto Anne thus replied:
Olister, dearer beloued then the lyght:
They youth alone in plaint still wilt thou spill?
Ne children sweete, •e Uenus giftes wilt know?
Cinders (thinkest thou) mind this? or graued ghostes?
Time of thy doole thy spouse new dead, I graunt,
None might thee moue: no not the Libian king
Nor yet of Tire Jarbas set so light:
And other princes mo: whom the rich soile
Of affrick breedes, in honours triumphant,
Wilt thou also gainstand thy liked loue
Comes not to mind vpon whoes land thou dwelst,
On this side, loe the Getule town behold,
A people bold vnuanquished in warre,
Eke the vndaunted Numides compasse thee
Also the Sirtes, vnfrendly harbroughe:
On thother hand, a desert realme for thrust
The Barceans, whose fury stretcheth wide.
What shall I touch the warres that moue from Tire?
Or yet thy brothers threates?
By gods puruciaunce it blewe, and Junos helpe,
The Troiaynes shippes (I think) to runn this course
Sister, what town shalt thou see this become?
Throgh such allie how shal our kingdom rise?
And by the aid of Troiane armes how great?
How many waies shal Cartages glorie grow?
Thou onely now besech the Gods of grace
By sacrifice: which ended, to thy house
Receue him: and forge causes of abode:
Whises winter frettes the seas, and watry Orion,
The shippes shaken, vnfrendly the season.
Such wordes enflamed the kindled mind with loue,
Loosed al shame, and gaue the doubtfull hope,
And to the temples first they hast and seeke,
By sacrifice for grace, with Hogreles of two yeares
Chosen (as ought) to Ceres, that gaue lawes,
To Phebus, Bachus, and to Juno chiefe,
Which hath in care the bandes of mariage.
Faire Dido held in her right hand the cup
Which twixt the hornes of a white Cowe she shed
In presence of the Gods passing before
The aulters fatte, which she renewed o•t
With giftes that day, and beastes debowled:
Gasing for counsell on the entrales warme.
Ay me, vnsk•ifull mindes of prophesy
Temples, or vowes, what boote they in her rage?
A gentle flame the mary doth deuoure:
Whiles in the brest the silent wound keepes life,
Unhappy Dido burns, and in her rage
Throughout the town she wandreth vp and down:
Like the stricken Hinde with shaft, in Crete
Throughout the woods which chasing with his dartes
Aloofe, the Shepheard smiteth at vnwares
And leaues vnwist in her the thirling head:
That through the groues, and landes glides in her fight:
Amid whose side the mortall arrow stickes,
Aeneas now about the walles she leades,
The towne prepared, and Cartsge welth to shew,
Offring to speāk, an•d her voice, she whistes,
And when the day gan faile, new feastes she makes
The Trotes trauales to heare a new she listes
Inraged al: and stareth in his face
That tels the tale. And when they were al gone:
And the dimme moue doth eft withold the light:
And sliding starres prouoked vnto sleepe:
Alone she mournes within her palace voide;
And sets her down on her forsaken bed,
And absent him she heares, when he is gone,
And seeth eke: oft in her lappe she holdes
Ascanius, trapt by his fathers forme;
So to begile the loue cannot be told.

The turrettes now arise not, erst begonne,
Neither the youth weldes armes, nor they auauncs
The portes: nor other mete defence for warr.
Broken there hang the workes and mighty frames
Of walles high raised, threatning the skie.
Whom assoone as Joues deare wife sawe infect
With such a plage, ne fame resist the rage:
Saturnes daughter thus burdes Uenus then.
Great praise (quod she) and worthy spoiles you win.
You and your son, great Gods of memory,
By both your wiles one woman to deuower.
Yet am not I deceiued, that foreknew
Ye dread our walles, and bildinges gan suspect
Of high Cartage. But what shalbe the ende?
Or wherunto now serueth such debate?
But rather peace, and bridale bandes knit we,
Sith thou hast spede of that, thy heart desired,
Dido doth burne with loue, rage fretes her boones
This people now as common to vs both,
With equal fauour let vs gouerne then,
Lefull be it to serue a Troian spouse:
And Tirianes yeld to thy right hand in dowre.
To whom Uenus replied thus: that knewe,
Her wordes proceded from a fained minde,
To Libian coastes to turne thempire from Rome,
What wight so fond, such offer to refuse?
Or yet with thee had leuer striue in warr?
So be it fortune thy tale bring to effect,
But destenies I dout: least Joue nill graunt,
That folke of Tire, and such as came from Troie,
Should hold one town: or graunt these nacions
Mingled to be, or ioyned ay in leage.
Thou at his wife: lefull it is for the
For to attempt his fansie by request:
Passe on before and folow the I shall?
Quene Juno then thus tooke her tale againe:
This trauaile be it mine: but by what meane.
(Marke in fewe wordes I shal thee lerne eftsones)
This worke in hand may now be compassed.
Aneas nowe, and wretched Dido eke
•o the forest, a hunting minde to wende,
To morne as soon as Titan shall ascend,
And with his beames hath ouerspred the world,
And whiles the winges of youth do swarm about.
And whiles they raunge to ouer set the groues
A cloudie showr mingled with haile I shall
Poure down, and then with thonder shake the skies,
Thassemble scattered the mist shall cloke.
Dido a caue, the Troyan prince the same
Shall enter to: and I will be at hand.
And if thy will sticke vnto mine: I shall
In wedlocke sure knit, and make her his own,
Thus shall the maryage be: to whose request
Without debate Uenus did seme to yeld,
And smyled soft, as she that found the wyle,
Then from the seas, the dawning gan arise,
The Sun once vp, the chosen youth gan throng
Out at the gates: the hayes so rarely knit,
The hunting staues with their brod heads of steele
And of Masile the horsemen fourth they brake
Of senting houndes a kenel huge like wise.
And at the threshold of her chaumber dore,
The Carthage Lords did on the Quene attend.
The trampling steede with gold and purple trapt,
Chawing the fomte bit, there sercely stood.
Then issued she, awayted with great train,
Clad in a cloke of Tyre embradred riche.
Her quyuer hung behinde her back, her tresse
Knotted in gold, her purple vesture eke
Burned with gold, the Troyans of her train
Before her go with gladsom Julus.
Aencas eke the goodliest of the route
Makes one of them, and toyneth close the throngs:
Like when Apollo leaueth Lycia,
His wintring place, and Xanthus floods likewise:
To viset Delos his mothers mansion:
Repairing eft and furnishing her quire
The Candians, and folkes of Dr•opes,
With painted Agathyrsies shoute, and crye:
Enuironing the altars roundabout
When that he walks vpon mount Cynthus top:
His sparkled tresse represt with garlandes soft
Of tender leaues, and trussed vp in gold:
His quiuering dartes clattring behinde his back:
So fresh and lustie did Aeneas seme:
Such lordly port in present countenaunce.

But to the hils, and wilde hostes when they came:
From the rocks top the driuen sauage rose,
Loe from the hill aboue on thother side,
Through the wyde lawnds, they gan to take their course
The harts likewise, in troupes taking their flight,
Raysing the dust, the mountain fast forsake.
The childe Julus, blithe of his swift steede
Amids the plain now pricks by them, now thes:
And to encounter wisheth oft in minde
The foming Bore in steede of ferefull beasts,
Or Lion brown might from the hill descend.

In the meane while the skies gan rumble sore:
In tayle therof, a mingled show• with hayle.
The Tyrian folk, and eke the Troyans youth,
And Uenus nephew the cotage? for feare
Sought round about: the floods fell from the hils.
Dido a den, the Troyan prince the same,
Chaunced vpon. Our mother then the earth,
And Juno that hath charge of mariage,
First tokens gaue with burning gledes of flame,
And pr•••e to the wedlock lightning skies:
And the Nymphes yelled from the mountains top.
Ay me, this was the first day of their mirth,
And of their harmes the first occasion eke.
Respect of fame no longer her witholdes:
Nor museth now to frame her loue by stelth.
Wedlock she cals it: vnder the pretence
Of which fayre name she cloketh now her faut.
Forthwith Fame flich through the great Libian towns:
A mischefe Fame, there is none els so swift:
That mouing growes, and flitting gathers force:
First small for dred, sone after climes the skies:
Stayeth on earth; and hides her hed in cloudes.
Whom our mother the earth, tempted by wrath
Of Gods, begat: the last sister (they write)
To Caeus, and to Enccladus eke,
Spedie of foote, of wyng likewise as swift,
A monster huge, and dredfull to descriue.
In euery plume, that on her body sticks,
(A thing in dede much maruelous to heare)
As many waker eyes lurk vnderneath,
So many mouthes to speake, and listning eares,
By night she flies amid the cloudie skie,
Shriking by the dark shadow of the earth,
Ne doth decline to the swete sleepe her eyes.
By day she sits to mark on the house top,
Or turrets hye, and the great towns asraies.
As mindefull of yll and lyes as blasing truth.
This monster blithe with many a tale gan sow
This rumor then into the common eares:
As well things don as that was neuer wrought:
As that there comen is to Tyrians court
Aeneas one outsprong of Troyan blood
To whom fair Dido wold her self be wed.
And that the while the winter long they passe
In foule delight, forgetting charge of reigne,
Led against honour with vnhonest lust.

This in eche mouth, the filthie Goddesse spreds,
And takes her course to king Hiarbas straight
Kindling his minde: with tales she feedes his wrath,
Gotten was he by Ammon Jupiter
Upon the rauisht Nimph of Garamant.
An hundred hugie great temples be built,
In his farre stretching realmes, to Jupiter.
Altars as many kept with waking flame,
Awatche alwayes vpon the Gods to tend.
The floores embrude with yelded blood of beastes,
And threshold spred with garlands of strange hue.
He wood of minde, kindled by bitter brute,
Tofore thaitars, in presence of the Gods,
With reared hands gan humbly Joue entreate,
Almighty God whom the Moores nacion
Fed at rich tables presenteth with wine,
Seest thou these things? or feare we thee in vaine
When thou lettest flye thy thonder from the cloudes?
Or do those flames with vaine noyse vs affray?
A woman that wandring in our coastes hath bought
A plot for price: where she a citie set:
To whom we gaue the strong for to manure.
And lawes to rule her town: our wedlock lothed,
Hath chose Aeneas to commaund her realme.
That Paris now with his vnmanly sor•e,
With mitred hats, with oynted bush and beard:
His rape enioyth: whiles to thy temples we
Our offrings bring, and folow rumors vaine,
Whom praing in such sort, and griping eke
The altars fast, the mighty father heard:
And writhed his loke toward the royal walls
And louers eke forgetting their good name,
To Mercurie then gaue he thus in charge.
Hense son in hast, and call to thee the windes.
Slide with thy plumes, and tell the Troyan prince,
That now in Carthage loytreth, rechlesse
Of the towns graunted him by desteny:
Swift through the skies, see thow these words conuey.
His faire mother behight him not to vs
Such one to beme therefore twyse him saued
From Grekish arms: but such a one
As mete might seme great Italie to rule
Dreedfull in arms, charged with seigniorie,
Shewing in profe his worthy Teucrian race.
And vnder lawes, the whole world to subdue,
If glorie of such things nought him enflame:
Ne that he listes seke honour by som paine:
The towers yet of Rome being his sire
Doth he enuie to yong Ascanius?
What mindeth he to frame? or on what hope
In enmies land doth he make hys abode?
Ne his ofspring in Italie regardes?
Ne yet the land of Lauin doth behold?
Bid him make sayle: haue here the sum and end
Our message thus report. When Joue had sayd
Then Mercurie gan, bend him to obey
His mightie fathers will: and to his heeles
His golden wings he knits, which him transport
With a light winde aboue the earth, and seas.
And then with him his wande he toke, whereby
He calles from hell pale gostes: and other some
Thether also he sendeth comfortlesse.
Wherby he forceth sleepes and them berenes,
And mortall eies he closeth vp in deth:
By power wherof he driues the windes away.
And passeth eke amid the troubled cloudes.
Till in his flight he gan descrie the top.
And the stepe flankes of rocky Atlas hill:
That with his crowne susteines the welkin vp:
Whose head forgrowen, with pine, circled alway,
With misty cloudes, beaten, with wind and storme:
His shoulders spred with snow, and from his chin
The springes descend: hisbeard frosen with yse.
Here Mercury with equal shining winges
First touched, and with body headling bette:
To the water thend tooke he his discent,
Like to the foule, that endlong costes and strondes
Swarming wi•h fysh, flyes sweping by the sea:
Cutting betwixt the windes and Libian landes,
From his graundfather by the motl ers side,
Cillenes child so came, and then alight
Upon the houses with his winged feete.
To fore towers, wher he Aeneas saw
Fcundacions cast arering lodges new.
Girt with a sweard of Jasper starry bright:
A shining parel flameed with stately eie
Of Tirian purple hong his shoulders down
The gift and work of wealthy Didoes hand
Stripped throughont with a thin thred of gold,
Thus he encounters him: Oh careles wight
Both of thy realme, and of thine own affaires:
A wifebound man now dost thou reare the walles
Of high Cartage, to build a goodly town.
From the bright skies the ruler of the Gods
Sent me to thee, that with his beck commaundes
Both heuen and earth: in hast gaue me charge
Through the light aire: his message thee to say.
what framest thou? or on what hope thy time
In idlenes doth wast in Affrick land?
Of so great things, if nought the fame thee stirr,
Ne list by trauaile honour to pursue:
Ascanus yet, that waxeth fast behold,
And the hope of Juius seede thine heir:
To whom the realme of Italy belonges,
And soile of Rome. When Mercury had said:
Amid his tale far of from mortall eies
Into light aire, he vanisht out of sight.

Aeneas with that vision striken down,
Well nere bestraught, vpstart his heare for dread,
Amid his throtal his voice likewise gan stick.
For to depart by night he longeth now,
And the sweet land to leaue, astoined sore
With this adiuse, and message of the Gods.
What may he do, alas? or by what words
Dare he persuade the raging Quene in loue?
Or in what sort may he his tale beginne?
Now here now there his recklesse minde gan run,
And diuersly him drawes discoursing all.
After long doutes this sentence semed best:
Mnestheus first, and strong Cloanthus eke
He calles to him, with Sergest: vnto whom
He gaue in charge his nauie secretly
For to prepare, and driue to the sea coast
His people, and their armour to addresse:
And for the cause of change to faine excuse:
And that he, when good Dido least foreknew,
Or did suspect so great a loue could break,
Wold wait his time to speke therof most meete:
The nearest way to hasten his entent.
Gladly his wil, and biddings they obey.

Ful soone the Quene, this crafty sleight gan smell,
(Who can deceiue a louer in forecast?)
And first foresaw the motions for to come,
Things most assured fearing: vnto whom
That wicked fame reported, how to flight
Was armde the fleet all redy to auale.
Then ill bested of counsell rageth she:
And whisketh through the town like Bachus nunne,
As Thias stirres, the sacred rites begon,
And when the wonted third yeres sacrifice
Doth prick her fourth, hering Bachus name hallowed:
And that the festful night of Citheron
Doth call her fourth with noyes of dauncing

At length her self bordeth Aeneas thus.
Unfaithfull wight to couer such a fault
Coldest thou hope? vnwist to leue my land?
Nor thee our loue, nor yet right hand betrothed,
Ne cruell death of Dido may withhold?
But that thou wilt in winter shippes prepare,
And t••e the seas in broile of whorling windes?
What if the land thou seekest, were not straunge?
If not vnkno ven? or auncient Troye yet stoode?
In rough seas, yet should Troye towne be sought?
Shunnest thou me? By these teares, and right hand,
(For nought els haue I wretched lefte my self)
By our spousals and mariage begonne,
If I of thee deserued euer well
Or thing of mine were euer to thee leefe:
Rue on this realme, whoes ruine is at hand?
If ought be left that prater may auaile,
I thee beseche to do away this minde.
The Libians and tirans of Nomadane
For thee me hate: my Tirians eke for thee
Ar wroth: by thee my shamefastnes eke stained,
And good renoume, wherby vp to the starres
Perelesse I clame. To whom wilt thou me leaue.
Redy to dye, my swete guest? sithe this name
Is all as now, that of a spouse remaines.
But wherto now shold I prolong my death?
What? vntil my brother Pigmalion
Beate downe my walles? or the Getulian king
Hiarbas yet captiue lead me away?
Before thy flight a child had I ones borne,
Or sene a yong Aeneas in my court
Play vp and down, that might present thy face:
All vtterly I could not seeme forsaken.

Thus sayd the Quene: he to the Gods aduise
Unmoued held his eies, and in his brest
Represt his care, and stroue against his wil.
And these few wordes at last then forth he cast:
Neuer shall I denie (Quene) thy deserte,
Greater than thou in wordes may well expresse:
To think on thee, ne irke me aye it shall
Whiles of my slelfe I shall haue memory,
And whiles the spirit these Limmes of mine shal rule.
For present purpose somwhat shal I say.
Neuer ment I to clok the same by stelth
Sclaunder me not, ne to escape by flight,
Nor I to thee pretended mariage:
Ne hyther cam to ioine men such leage.
If desteny at mine own liberty
To lead my life would haue haue permitted me
After my wil my sorow to redoub:
Troy and the remainder of our folke
Restore I shold: and with these scaped handes,
The walles againe vnto thee vanquished,
And palace high of Priam eke repaire.
But now Apollo, called Grineus,
And prophecies of Licia me aduise
To sease vpon the realme of Italy.
That is my loue, my country, and my land.
If Cartage turrettes thee Phenician borne.
And of a Libian town the sight deteine:
To vs Troians why doest thou then enuy
In Italy to make our risting seat.
Lefull is •eke for vs straunge realmes to seeke.
As oft as night doth cloke with shadowes dar••
The earth: as oft as flaming starres apere:
The troubled ghost of my father Anchises
So oft in sleepe doth fray me, and aduise,
The wronged hed by me of my deare sonne,
Whom I defraud of the Hisperian crown,
And landes a lotted him by desteny.
The messenger eke of the Gods but late
Sent down from Joue (I sware by eyther hed)
Passing the ayre, did this to me report.
In bright day light the God my selfe I saw
Entre these walles, and with these cares him heard.
Leuethen with plaint, to vexe both the and me.
Against my will to Italy I go.

Whiles in this sort he did his tale pronounce,
With wayward looke she gan him ay behold,
And roling eies, that moued to and fro:
With silence looke discoursing ouer al,
And foorth in rage, at last thus gan she brayde,
Faithlesse, forsworn, ne Goddesse was thy dam,
Nor Dardanus beginner of thy race,
But of hard rockes mount Caucase monstruous
Bred thee, and teates of Tyger gaue thee suck.
But what should I dissemble now my there?
Or me reserue to hope of greater things?
Mindes he our teares: or euer moued his eyen?
Wept he for ruth? or pitied he our loue?
What shall I set before? or where begin?
Juno nor Joue with iust eyes this beholds.
Faith is no where in suretie to be found.
Did I not him thrown vp vpon my shore
In neede receiue, and fonded eke inuest
Of halfe my realme: his na••• lost, repair?
From deathes daunger his fellowes eke defend?
Ay me, with rage and furies loe I driue.
Apollo now, now Lycian prophesies,
Another while the messenger of Gods
(He sayes) sent down from mighty Joue himself
The dredfull charge amid the skies hath brought.
As though that were the trauil of the Gods,
Or such a care their quietnes might moue.
I hold thee not, nor yet gainsay thy words,
To Italie passe on by helpe of windes,
And through the floods go searche thy kingdom new.
If ruthfull Gods haue any power, I trust,
A mid the rocks, thy guerdon thou shalt finde,
When thou shalt clepe full oft on Didos name,
With burial brandes I absent shall thee thase,
And when cold death from life these lims deuides,
My gost eche where shall still on thee awaite,
Thou shalt abye. and I shall here thereof.
Among the soules below thy brute shall come.
With such like wordes she cut of half her tale,
With pensiue hart abandoning the light:
And from his sight, her self gan farre remoue:
For saking him: that many things in fere
Imagened, and did prepare to say.
Heri wouning lims her damsels gan releue,
And to her chamber bare of marble stone:
And layd her on her bed with tapets spred.
But iust Aeneas, though he did desire
With comfort swet her sorows to appease,
And with his words to banish all her care,
Wailing her much, with great loue ouercome:
The Gods will yet he woorketh, and resortes
Unto his name, where the Troyans fast
Fell to their worke from the shore to vnstock
High rigged ships: now fleetes the talowed kele,
Their oares with leaues yet grene from wood they bring.
And mastes vnshaue, for hast to take then night.
You might haue sene them throng out of the town
Like ants, when they do spoile the bing of corne,
For winters dred, which they beare to their den:
When the black swarm creeps ouer all the fields:
And thwart the grasse by strait pathes drags their pray,
The great graines then, som on their shoulders trusse,
Some driue the troupe, som chastice eke the slow:
That with their trauaile chafed is eche pathe.
Beholding this, what thought might Dido haue?
What sighes gaue she? when from her towers hye
The large coasts she saw haunted with Troyans workes,
And in her sight the seas with din confounded.
O witlesse loue, what thing is that to do
A mortal minde thou canst not force therto?
Forced she is to teares ay to returne,
With new requestes, to yeld her hart to loue:
And least she should before her causelesse death
Leaue any thing vntried: O sister Anne
Quoth she, behold the whole coast round about,
How they prepare assembled euery where.
The streming sailes abidn•• but for wynde:
The shipmen crowne theyr ships with vows for ioy,
O sister, if so great a sorow I
Mistrusted had: it were more light to beare.
Yet nathelesse this for me wretched wight,
Anne, shal• thou do: for faithles, thee alone
He reuerenced, shee eke his secretes tolde:
The metest tune thou knewest to borde the man:
To my proude foe, thus sister humbly say:
I with the grekes within the port Aulids.
Consured not the Troyans to destroy:
Nor to the walles of Troy yet sent my •lcete:
Nor cynders of his father Anchises
Disturbed haue out of his scpulture.
Why lettes he not my wordes sinke in his eares
So harde to ouertreate: whither whirles he?
This last boone yet graunt he to wretched loue
Prospectous windes for to depart with case,
Let him abide: the foresayde mariage now,
That he betraied, I do not him require:
Nor that he should faire Italy forgo.
Neither I would, he should his kingdom leaue:
Quiet I aske, and a time of delay,
And respite eke my furye to asswage,
Till my mishap teach me all comfortlesse,
How for to wayle my grief. This latter grace,
Sister I •raue, haue thou remorse of me,
Whiche if thou shalt vouchsafe, with heapes I shall
Leaue by my death redoubled vnto thee.
Moisted with teares, thus wretched gan she playne:
Which Anne reportes, and answere bringes againe.
Nought teares him moue, ne yet to any wordes
He can be framed with gentle minde to yelde.
The wordes withstande, & God stops his make eares.
Like to the aged boysteous bodied oke,
The which among the alpes, the Northerne windes,
Blowyng now from this quarter, now from that,
Betwixt them striue to ouerwhelme with blastes,
The whistlyng ayre among the braunches rores,
Which all at once bow to the earth her croppes,
The stocke once smit: whiles in the rockes the tree
Stickes fast: and loke, how hye to the heauen her toppe
Reares vp, so deepe her roote spredes downe to hell:
So was this Lorde now here now there beset
With wordes, in whose shoute brest wrought many cares,
But still his minde in one remaines, in vaine
The teares were shed. Then Dido frayde of fates
Wisheth for death, ••ked to see the skyes.
And that she might the rather worke her will,
And leaue the light (a grisely thing to tell)
Upon the altars burnyng full of cense
When she set giftes of sacrifice, she saw
The holy water stocks waxe blacke within,
The wine eke shed, chaunge into filthy gore.
This she to none, not to her sister told.
A marble temple in her palace eke,
In memory of her old spouse, there stood,
In great honour and worship, which she held,
With snowwhite clothes deckt, and with bows of feast,
Wherout was heard, her husbandes voyc, and speche
Cleping for her, when dark night hid the earth,
And oft the Owle with rufull song complaind,
From the ••use top drawing long dolefull tunes
And many things forespoke by prophets past
With dredfull warning gan her now affray:
And stern Aeneas semed in her slepe
To chase her stil about, distraught in rage:
And still her thought that she was left alone
Uncompanied great vtages to wende.
In desert land her Tyrian folk to seeke.
Like Pentheus, that in his madnes saw
Swarming in flocks the furies all of hell:
Two Suns remoue, and Thebes town shew twain.
Or like Orestes Agamemnons son:
In tragedies who represented ape.
Driuen about, that from his mother fled
Armed with brands, and eke with serpents black:
That sitting found within the temples porche
The vglie furies his slaughter to reuenge.
Yelden to wo, when phrensie had her caught,
Within her selfe then gan she well debate,
Full be•t to dye, the time, and eke the meane;
And to her wofull sister thus she sayd,
In outward chere dissembling her entent,
Presenting hope vnder a semblant glad:
Sister reioyce, •cr I haue found the way
Him to returne, or lose me from his loue.
Toward the end of the great Ocean flood
Where as the wandring Sun discendeth hence:
In the extremes of Ethiope is a place,
Where huge Atlas doth on his sholders turne
The sphere so rund with flaming starres beset,
Borne of Massyle, I heare should be a Nunne
That of thesperian sisters temple old
And of their goodly garden keper was
That geues vnto the Dragon eke his foode,
That on the tree preserues the holy fruit
That home moyst, and sleping poppey castes,
This woman doth auaunt, by force of charge
What hart she list to set at libertie:
And other some to perce with heuy cares:
In running flood to stop the waters course:
And eke the sterres their meuings to reuerse:
Lassemble eke, the gostes that walk by night,
Under thy feete, thearth thou shalt behold
Tremble and rore, the okes come from the hill.
The Gods and thee, dere sister now I call
In witnes, and thy hed to me so sweete:
To magike artes against my will I bend.
Right secretly within our inner court.
In open ayre reare vp a stack of wood:
And hang theron the weapon of this man
The which he left within my chamber stick.
His weedes dispoiled all, and bridal bed,
Wherein alas sister, I found my bane,
Charge thereupon, sor so the Nunne commaundes;
To do away, what did to him belong,
Of that false wight that might remembraunce bring.

Then whisted she, the pale her face gan staine,
N• could yet Anne beleue, her sister ment
To cloke her death by this new sacrifice:
Nor in her brest such furie did conceiue,
Neither doth she now dred more greuous thing.
Then folowed Sichees death: wherefore
She put her will in vre. But then the Nuene
When that the stak of wood was reared vp,
Under the ayre within the inward court
With clouen oke, and billets made of fyrre,
With garlandes, she doth ali beset the place,
And with grene bows eke crown the funerall.
And therupon his wedes and swerd yleft
And on a bed his picture she bestowes:
As she that well foreknew what was to come.
The altars stande about, and eke the Nunne
With sparkeled tresse, the which thre hundred Gods
With a loude voice doth thunder out at once:
Erebus the grisely, and Chaos huge,
And eke the threefolde Goddesse, Hecate
And three faces of Diana the virgin,
And sprinkcles eke the water counterfet
Like vnto blacke Auernus lake in hell:
And springyng herbes reapt. vp with brasen sithes
Were sought after the right course of the Moone,
The venim blacke intermingled with milke,
The lumpe of fleshe twene the new borne foales eye•
To reue, that winneth from the dāme her loue.
She with the mole all in her handes deuout
Stode neare the auiter, bare of the one soote,
With vesture loose, the bandes vnlaced all,
Bent for to dye, cals the Gods to recorde,
And gilty starres eke of her desteny.
And if there were any God that had care
Of louers hartes not moued with loue alike,
Him she requires of iustice to remember.

It was then night, the sounde and quiet slepe
Had through the earth the weried bodyes caught,
The woodes, the ragyng seas were faine to rest,
When that the starres had halfe their course declined,
The feldes whist, beastes, and fowles of diuers hue,
And what so that in the brode lakes remainde,
Or yet among the bushy thickes of bryar,
Laide downe to slope by silence of the night
Gan sooage their cares, mindlesse of trauels past,
Not so the spirite of this Phenician:
Unhappy she that on no slepe could chance,
Nor yet nightes rest enter in eye or brest.
Her cares redoble: loue doth rise and rage againe.
And ouerflowes with swellyng stormes of wrath.
Thus thinkes she then, this roules she in her minde,
What shall I do? shall I now beare the scorne
For to assaye mine olde w•ers againe?
And humbly yet a Numid spouse require?
Whose mariage I haue so oft disdayned?
The Troyan nauy, and Teucrian vile commaundes
Folow shall I? as though it shoulde nuaile,
That whilom by my helpe they were releued:
Or for because with kinde, and mindefull folke
Right well doth sit the passed thankefull dede?
Who would me suffer? (admit this were my will)
Or me scorned to their proude shippes receiue?
Oh, wo begone: full little knowest thou yet,
The broken othes of Laomedons kinde.
What then? alone on mery Mariners
Shall I waite? or borde them with my power
Of Tyrians assembled me about.
And such as I with trauaile brought from Tyre,
Driue to the seas, and force them saue againe?
But rather dye, euen as thou hast deserued:
And to this wo, with iron geue thou ende.
And thou sister first vanquisht with my teares,
Thou in my rage with all these mischiefes first
Didst burden me, and yelde me to my foe.
Was it not graunted me from spousals free,
Like to wilde beastes, to liue without offence,
Without taste of such cares. is there no fayth,
Reserued to the cinders of Sychee?
Such great complaints brake forth out of her brest:
Whiles Aeneas full minded to depart,
All thinges prepared, slept in the poupe on high,
To whom in slepe the wonted Godheds forme
Gan aye appere, returnyng in like shape
As semed him: and gan him thus aduise:
Like vnto Mercury in voyce, and hue,
With yelow bushe, and comely ly••es of youth.
O Goddesse sonne, in such case canst thou sleepe?
Ne yet bestraught the daungers doest forsee,
That cōpasse thee? nor hearst the faire windes blowe.
Dido in minde roules vengeance and desceite,
Dete•md to dye, swelles with vnstable •re,
Wilt thou not flee whiles thou hast time of fight?
Straight shalt thou see the seas couered with sayles,
The blasyng brondes, the shore all spred with flame,
And if the morow steale vpon thee here:
Come of, haue done, set all delay aside.
For full of change these women be alway,
This sayd, in the dark night he gan him hide.

Aeneas of this sodain vision
Adred starts vp out of his sleepe in hast,
Cals vp his feers: awake get vp my men,
Abord your ships, and hoyse vp sayl with speede,
(A God me wills sent from aboue againe)
To hast my flight, and writhen cabels cut.
Oh holy God, what so thow art we shall
Folow thee, and all blithe obey thy will:
Be at our hand, and frendly vs assist:
Adresse the sterres with prosperous influence.
And with that word his gliftering sword vnshethes.
With which drawen, he the cabels cut in twaine.
The like desire the rest embraced all,
All thing in hast they cast, and fourth they whurle,
The shores they leaue, with ships the seasar spred,
Cutting the fou•e, by the blew seas they swepe.
Aurora now from Titans purple bed,
With new day light hath ouerspred the earth,
When by her windowes the Quene the peping day
Espyed, and nauie with splaid sailes depart
The shore, and eke the porte of vessels voyde:
Her comly brest thrise or foure times she smote
with her own hand, and tore her golden tresse.
Oh Joue (quoth she) shall he then thus depart
A straunger thus, and scorne our kingdome so?
Shall not my men do on theyr armure prest?
And eke pursue them throughout all the town?
Out of the rode sone shall the vessell warpe.
Hast on, cast flame, set sayle. and welde your owers.
What said I: but where am I: what phrensie
Alters thy minde. vnhappy Dido now
Hath thee beset a froward destenie.
Then it behoued, when thou didst geue to him
The scepter. So his faith and his right hand,
That leades with him (they say) his countrie goodes,
That on his back his aged father bore,
His body might I not haue caught and rent?
And in the seas drenched him. and his feers?
And from Ascanius his life with Iron reft,
And set him on his fathers bord for meate?
Of such debate perchaimee the fortune might
Haue bene doutfull: would God it were assaied.
Whom should I feare, sith I my selfe must die?
Might I haue throwen into that nauy brandes,
And filled eke their deckes with flaming fire,
The father, sonne, and all their nacion
Destroied, and falln my self ded ouer al.
Sunne with thy beames, that mortall workes discries,
And thou Juno, that wel these trauades knowest,
Proserpine thou, vpon whom folk do vse
To houle, and call in forked waies by night,
Infernal furies, ye wreakers of wrong,
And Didos Gods, who standes at point of death,
Receiue these wordes, and eke your heauy power
Withdraw from me, that wicked folk deserue,
And our request accept, we you beseche.
If so that yonder wicked head must needes
Recouer port, and faile to land of force
And if Jeues wil haue so resolued it,
And such ende set as no wight can fordoe,
Yet at the least asailed mought he be
With armes, and warres of hardy nacions,
From the boundes of his kingdom farre exiled.
Julus ••e rashed out of his armes
Driuen to call for helpe, that he may see
The giltlesh corpses of his folke lie dead:
And after hard condicions of peace,
His realme, nor life desired may he brooke:
But fall before his time vngraued amid the sandes.
This I require, these wordes with blood I shed.
And Trians, ye his flocke and all his race
Pursue with hate, rewarde our cinders so.
No loue nor leage, betwixt our peeples be.
And of our bones, some wreaker may there spring,
With sword and flame that Troiās may pursue:
And from hencefoorth when that our powr may stretch,
Our costes to them contrary be for aye,
I craue of God, and our streames to their fluddes,
Armes vnto armes, and offpring of eche race
With mortal warr eche other may fordoe
This said, her mind she writhed on al sides,
Seking with spede to end her irksome life.
To Sichees nurse Barcen then thus she said
(For hers at home in ashes did remaine)
Cal vnto me (deare nurse) my sister Anne:
Bid her, in hast in water of the studde
She sprinckle she body and bring the beastes,
And purging sacrifice, I did her shewe:
So let her come: and thou thy temples bind
With sacred garlandes: for the sacrifice,
That I to Pluto haue begonne, my mind
Is to herforme, and geue end to these cares:
And Troian statue throw into the flame.
When she had said, redouble gan her nurse
Her steppes, forth on an aged womans trot.
But trembling Dido eger•y now bent
Upon her sterne determinacion,
Her bloodshot eies roling within her head:
Her quiuering chekes flecked with deadly staine,
Both pale and wan to think on death to come,
Into the inward wardes of her palace
She rusheth in, and clam vp, as distraught,
The buriall stack, and drew the Troian swerd
Her gift sometime, but ment to no such vse.
Where when she saw his weed, and w•l knowen bed,
Weping a while in study gan she stay,
Fell on the bed, and thefe last words she said.
Swete spoiles, whiles God and destenies it wold,
Receue this sprite, and rid me of these cares.
I liued and ranne the course, fortune did graunt,
And vnder earth my great gost now shall wende.
A goodly town I built, and saw my walles:
Happy, alas to happy, if these costes
The Troyan shippes had neuer touched aye.

This said, she laid her mouth close to the bed:
Why then (quoth she) vnwroken shal we die?
But let vs die for thus: and in this sort
It liketh vs to seeke the shadowes darck.
And from the feas the cruel Troyans eies
Shall wel discern this flame, and take with him
Eke these vnlucky tokens of mydeath.
In she had said, her danisell might perceue
Her with these wordes fal pearced on a sword,
The blade embrued and hands besprent with gor•
The clamor rang vnto the pallace tappe,
The brute ranne throughout al thasto••ed towne,
With waiting great, and womens shril yelling,
The roofes gan roare, the aire resound with plaint,
As though Cartage, or thau••ent town of Tyre
With prease of entred enemies swarmed full,
Or when the rage of furious flame doth take
The temples toppes, and mansiōs eke of men.

Her sister Anne, spritelesse for dread to heare
This fearefull sturre, with nailes gan teare her face,
She smote her brest, and rushed through the rout:
And her dieng she cleapes thus by her name:
Sister, for this with craft did you me bourd.
The stak, the flame, the altars, bred they this.
What shall I first complaine, forsaken wight?
Lothest thou in death thy sisters felowship?
Thou shouldst haue calld me to like destiny:
One wo, one sword, one houre mought end vs both.
This funerall stak built I with these handes,
And with this voice cleped our natiue Gods,
And cruel so absentest me from thy death:
Destroyd thou hast (sister) both thee and me,
Thy people eke, and princes borne of Tyre.
Geue, here I shall with water washe her woūdes,
And suck with mouth her breath, if ought be left.

This said, vnto the high degrees shee mounted,
Embrasing fast her sister now half dead,
With wailefull plaint: whom in her lap she layd,
The black swart gore wiping dry with her clothes.
But Dido striueth to lift vp againe
Her heauy eyen, and hath no power therto:
Deepe in her brest, that fixed wound doth gape.
Thrise leaning on her elbow ganshe raise
Her self, vpward: and thrise she ouerthrewe
Upon the bed: ranging with wandring eies
The skies for light, and wept when she it found.

Almighty Juno hauing ruth by this
Of her long paines, and eke her lingring death,
From heauen she sent the Goddesse Iris downe,
The throwing sprit, and pointed […] to loose.
For that neither by lot of destiny,
Nor yet by kindly death she perished:
But wretchedly before her fatall day.
And kindled with a sodein rage offlame:
Proserpine had not from her head bere•t
The golden heare, nor iudged her to he••.
The dewye Iris thus with golden wings,
A thousand hues shewing against the sunne,
Amid the skies then did she flye adowne:
On Didos head, where as she gan a light:
This heare (quod she) to Pluto consecrate.
Commaunded I reue, and thy spirit vnloose.
From this body: and when she thus had said,
With her right hand she cut the heare in twaine:
And therwith al the kindly heat gan quench?
And into wind the life foorthwith resolue.