Book II, Chapter 13

WHen Deianira vnderstood her busbands back returne,
She thought it strange, that he frō her so strangely did soiorne.
Explorers sent to search the cause, returne was made that he
Did loyter in a Strangers Loue: and Iole was she
That euer hanged at his lips, and hugged was of him,
And that, his armor layd a-part, in silke he courts it trim.
The daughter of th'Aetolian King did little lesse then raue:
And can the churle (quoth she) preferre in loue a captiue Slaue
Before his wife, whome late he faynd inferiour vnto none?
Ah Hercules thou art a man, thy manhood thus is knowne.
Fye, may a forren Strumpets armes so fasten on his necke,
As he (the Rector of the Earth) must bowe if she doth becke?
Oh how vnlike to Hercules, is Hercules in this?
But, leauing men to natures fault, in her the lewdnes is,
No man so chaste, but such as she may worke to doe amis.

Thus whilst her ouerplus of loue to Ielousie did growe,
She simply minds the spightfull gift that Nessus did bestowe.
And, for he dying spake the words, she held it as her Creede
That it could winne him to her selfe: of which (now hauing neede)
She vseth part, and sent a Shirt so boyled as she bad
To Hercules: and Hercules was of the Present glad:
Confessing her his onely Wife: And whilst he did repent
His breach of Loue, on Oeta Mount to sacrifice he went.
Philoctes, Paeans valiant Sonne, and Lychas, he that brought
The poysned Shirt, were present theare, but of no treason thought:
Not Deianiras selfe (good Soule) till tryall made it playne,
When as his body and the fire gaue moysture to the bayne.

His stoutnes hid such torments long, as els could none abyde,
Yea till the baine his Bowels and his very Marrow fryde.
But when his torments had no meane, the Altar downe he throes,
And from his martred body rents the gory smoking cloathes:
And striuing to strip off the Shirt he teareth flesh from bone,
And left his breaking Synoees bare, his Intrailes euery one
Did boyle, and burst, & shew themselues wheare lumps of flesh did lack,
And still the murdrous Shirt did cleue vnto his mangled backe.
Espying Deianiras Squire, that quaking stoode, he sayde,
And art thou wretch the Instrument of my destruction mayde?
Whome swinging then about his head, he slinged downe the hill:
And so did silly Lychas dye, that purposed no il.
Then running downe from hill to Playne, from Playne to hill againe,
He rents vp Rockes and mightie Hils in error of his paine:
Till, sadly leaning on his Club, he sighing, vowes that none
Should be the death of Hercules but Hercules alone.
And to his friend Philoctes tooke his Arrowes and his Bow,
And gladly to the hallowed fyer, as to his bed did go.
Wheare lying downe, and taking leaue with reared hands to skye,
The Earths Protector so, in peace, amidst the flames did dye.

Philoctes, neere o'rgone with greefe, his Ashes did conuaye
To Italy, inshrined in his Temple there to stay:
And wofull Deianira heares of Hercules decay.
His Ghoste she voucheth and the Gods to witnes, that her minde
Was giltles of a traitrous thought: nor thinke me so vnkinde
(Sweet Husband) as to haue the will to ouerliue thee heer,
But that my Ghoste before thy Ghoste it selfe of guile shall cleer:
And now I come, ah now I come, forgiue ye gods the deed
She sayd e[…]and pearsing so her breast, a breathles Corse did bleed.

AS Greekes lament their Champions losse, so did the Phrygians ioy:
And Priamus did fortifie his stately Cittie Troy.
Twise Hercules had rased it, and thirdly was it reard
By Pryam, strong in wealth and walles, through Asia lou'd and feard.
He cald to mynde Laomedon whome Hercules had slayne,
His Sister too Hesione, that Captiue did remayne
In Salamis with Telamon: and well he was apayde,
In that the Doer of the same liu'd not the Greekes to ayde.
His Sister therefore not restorde, his Legates asking it,
By stealing of the Spartane Queene did Paris crye them quit.

Twelue hundred fiftie fiue war-Shippes, with mē & Armor frought,
By seauentie Kings & kingly Peeres, frō Greece to Troy were brought,
To winne her thence. King Priamus (besides his Empire greate)
Had ayders Princes thirtie three: lesse Lords I not repeate,
Not Sagitar, that in this Warre did many a valiant feate.
Tenne yeres, tenne monthes, & twise sixe daies, the siege they did abide:
Eight hundred sixtie thousand Greekes, by Troian weapons dyde:
Sixe hundred fiftie sixe thousands of Troians fighting men,
Besides the slaughtred at the sacke, by Grecians perisht then:
And (if that Hector, Troilus, and Paris, so we name)
Fell fortie Kings: omitting more, of little lesser fame.
Mislike, and ciuill quarrels, when the Grecians homewards drewe,
Did well neere waste the remnant Kings that Phrigia did subdewe,

Thus secure Troy was ouer-set, when Troy was ouer stoute,
And ouer rich, was ouer-runne, and tardie lookt about.
The Greekish Ships, with Phrigian Spoyles, through Xant and Simoes roe,
For now Antenor had betrayde Palladium to the foe,
And with Palladium Priamus, Aeneas sought to hide
From Pyrrhus Polyxena (she for whom Achilles dyde,
Wherefore vpon Achilles Tombe her selfe was after slayne,
What tyme old Hecuba discryde yong Polydor his bayne:)
For which, Aeneas banished, did hoyst his sayles to winde,
And, after many perils, rule in Italie did finde.

AENeas dead, Ascanius raign'd: Ascanius dead, his brother
Posthumus Syluius did succeede. Lauinia was his mother,
Her Syer Latinus, Faunus his, and Picus him begot,
And Saturne him. From mother thus Posthumus lacked not
The noblest bloud. On Fathers side his petigree was thus:
Ioue had Dardanus: and the same begot Erictheus:
He Troys: Troys, Assaracus: he Capys: and the same
Anchises: he Aeneas had: of him Posthumus came:
And he was Father vnto Brute: and thus the Brutons bring
Their petigree from Iupiter, of Pagane Gods the King:
And adde they may, that Brute his Syer of Venus sonne did spring.
Thrise fiue degrees from Noe was Brute, and fower times sixe was he
From Adam: and from Iaphets house doth fetch his petigree.

Posthumus Syluius perishing in Chace amongst the brakes,
Mistooke for Game by Brute his Sonne, Brute Italie forsakes:
And to associate his Exile, a many Troyans mo
At all aduentures put to Seas, vncertein where to go:
To whom did Fortune, Fortune-like, become a friend and foe:
Till Brute, with no lesse payne and praise then had his Grandsier late
Achiued Latium, landing here, suppressed so the state
Of all the Fiend-breed Albinests, huge Gyants fearce and strong,
Or race of Albion Neptuns Sonne (els some deriue them wrong)
That of this Isle (vn-Scotted yet) he Empire had ere long.