Book II, Chapter 12

FOr Gyants of Cremona slayne, and Cacus ridded so,
The Latine Princes prayse on him and presents did bestoe.
Wheare Rome is now, Pallantia then, Euander hee did frame
A temple, and to Hercules did dedicate the same:
And he (intreated thereunto) in Italie did stay:
To honor whome did Princes come from farre and euerie waye.

King Faunus had affaires abroad, when from Laurentum came
His wife Marica, Facua some this louely Queene doe name.
From liking did shee fall in loue with Hercules, and he
More readie to haue made demaunde, then like to disagree,
Conceauing her by circumstance, so coupled by contract,
That, had King Faunus neuer liu'd, Latinus had not lackt:
Yeat home came Faunus, fathering his late Corriuals act.
But whether gotten lawfully, or thus in loue forbod,
Latinus, Brute his Gran-dames Syer, was sonne vnto a God.

WHilst that in loue of this same Queene, and lande of all besides,
The vanquisher of Vulcans sonne in Italie abides,
Of Calabries a mightie host King Picus he prouides.
And, in reueng of Cacus, swore his Slayer should be slaine:
But he, ere long, that so did sweare, vnsweared it againe:
When, chased home into his holdes, theare sparred vp in gates,
The valiant Thebane, all in vaine, a following fight awaites.
Who, for dispatch, did fayne himselfe a Legate to the King,
And him the Porters, as the same, before their Tyrant bring.
Then shaking off his ciuil robes, his shining Armes appeare:
And renting downe […] […]ro[…] sparre, both Prince and people feare.
Some ran to Armor, other some did fight with him their last:
Both court and Cittie in the end did lay vpon him fast.
Theare Picus, worthely, did winne of valiantnesse a name:
Yeat Hercules more valiantly by death did Picus tame.
And to attend their King his ghoste he sendeth flocke by flocke:
His furie was as fier to Ferne, his foes as waues to Rocke:
Nor did his Lyons Spoyle giue place to darting or to knocke.
Meane tyme his men assault without, whil'st he assayles within,
Wheare fighting to beate downe the Gates he so the Goale did win.

Within the King his ransackt Court he Iole espyes,
Whose teares, then mounting frō her hart, dismount thē frō her eyes,
King Picus (now a lifeles corse) was Father of this Mayde:
In vaine therefore did Hercules her pensiuenesse disswayde:
Nor could he but lament her fate, and loue so sweete a face,
Whose person also did containe the type of female grace.
At first she was so farre from loue she rather seem'd to hate,
Yeat could she not so giue the Checke, but that she tooke the Mate.
Then eithers loue, was eithers life: poore Deianira she
Was out of commons, yea of thought, an other had her fee.

WIth this, so faire and portly wench, he sayled into Thrace:
And heares how Diomedes did tyrannize in that place.
No Straunger scapes vnraunsomed: but Raunsome wanting, then
He casteth them, as prouender, to Horses eating men.
A Garde of Tyrants, like himselfe, attending on him still,
Who richly did maintaine themselues, by such their doings ill.
The Scourge of such was moued, not to be remoued now
By Iole, whose louing teares such labours disalow.
With Diomedes and his Garde in Forrest did he meete,
Who with their common Stratagem the Stranger thinke to greete.
Hands of, commaunded Hercules, for Horse I am no hay,
All Straungers Raunsom, once for all, my comming is to pay:
Which sayd, himselfe against them all began a noble fray.

The sturdie Thracians, mightie men, did hardly loose their ground
But, than the King, a mightier man not any wheare was found.
These all at once assayle, and strike, and thunder on his Sheeld:
But number fitted to his force, vnwonted so to yeeld.
For with his club he skuffles then amongst their Curets so,
That speedie death was sweeter dole then to suruiue his blo.
Well mounted comes the King himselfe, whom he dismounts anon,
But, reseued to his Horse againe, away he would be gon.
Lesse has[…]e, he sayd, I Harts out-runne, no[…] shalt thou me out-ride:
Out stripping so the man-feade horse, he topled ore his side
The Monstrous King, that resculesse to flying people cride.
Who, lying all to frus[…]hed thus, the sonne of Ioue did bring
His cruell Iades, that soone deuoure their more than cruell King.

The Thracians all submit themselues, and ioye their Tyrants death,
And thinke some God had left the Heauens to succour men on earth,
From such as what they would they will, and what they will they can,
And what they can they dare and doe, and doing none withstan.
Nor thought they better of the man then did his deedes approue,
That neuer was a Conqueror vnto his owne behoue,
But to establish vertuous men, and Tyrants to remoue.

This common Soldiour of the world with Iole did land
In Lycia: and, the earth in peace, discharged theare his band.
Sweete busses, not sharpe battels, then did alter man and minde:
Till he, as others, sorrowe in securitie did finde.
From Assur went the Empire then when Tonos he had time
To court his Trulles, Arbaces so espying place to clyme.
Secure in Tomyris her flight, was valiant Cyrus slaine.
From Capua, not from Cannas, grewe braue Hanibal his baine,
The same to whose victorious Sword a second world was sought,
That Macedon in court, not Campe, to traytrous end was brought.
A louer, not a Soldiour, went Achilles to his graue.
And Caesar not in steele, but silke, to Rome his farewel gaue.
Euen so, this second vnto none, superior vnto all,
To whome did sooner Causes cease then Conquests not befall,
This monster-Master Hercules, this Tyrant-Tamer, hee
Whose high Exploytes did leaue the earth from spoyl & spoylers free,
In pleasures did he perish now, that did in perils thriue:
A greeuous Taske I vndertake his dying to reuiue.