Book IV, Chapter 20

THe Brutons thus departed hence, Seauen Kingdomes here begonne:
Where diuerslie in diuers broyles the Saxons lost and wonne.
King Edel and King Adelbright in Diria iointly raigne:
In loyall concorde during life these Kingly friends remaine.
When A delbright should leaue his life, to Edel thus he sayes:
By those same bondes of happie loue, that held vs friends alwaies,
By our by-parted Crowne, of which the Moyetie is mine,
By God, to whome my soule must passe, and so in time may thine,
I pray thee, nay I coniure thee, to nourish as thine owne
Thy Neece my Daughter Argentile, till she to age be growne,
And then, as thou receiuest it, resigne to her my Throne.
A promise had for this Bequest, the Testator he dies:
But all that Edel vndertooke, he afterward denies.
Yeat well he fosters for a time the Damsiell, that was growne
The fairest Lady vnder Heauen: whose beautie being knowne,
A many Princes seeke her loue, but none might her obtaine:
For grippell […]del to himselfe her Kingdome sought to gaine,
And for that cause from sight of such he did his Ward restraine.

By chance one Curan, Sonne vnto a Prince in Danske did see
The Maid, with whom he fell in loue as much as one might bee.
Vnhappie Youth, what should he doe? his Saint was kept in Mewe:
Nor he, nor any Noble-man admitted to her vewe.
One while in Melancholy fits he pines himselfe away,
Anon he thought by force of Armes to win her, if he may,
And still against the Kings restraint did secretly inuay.
At length the high Controller Loue, whom none may disobay,
Imbased him from Lordlines, vnto a Kitchin Drudge:
That so at least of life or death she might become his Iudge.
Accesse so had to see, and speake, he did his loue bewray,
And tells his bearth: her answer was she husbandles would stay.

Meane while the King did beat his braines his booty to atchieue,
Nor caring what became of her, so he by her might thriue:
At last his resolution was some Pessant should her wiue.
And (which was working to his wish) he did obserue with ioye
How Curan, whom he thought a drudge, scapt many an amorous toy.
The King, perceiuing such his vaine, promotes his Vassall still,
Least that the baseuesse of the man should let, perhaps, his will:
Assured therefore of his loue, but not suspecting who
The Louer was, the King himselfe in his behalfe did wowe.
The Lady, resolute from Loue, vnkindly takes that he
Should barre the Noble, and vnto so base a Match agree:
And therefore shifting out of doores, departed thence by stealth,
Preferring pouertie before a dangerous life in wealth.

When Curan heard of her escape, the anguish in his hart
Was more then much, and after her from Court he did depart:
Forgetfull of himselfe, his bearth, his Country, friends, and all,
And onely minding (whom he mist) the Foundresse of his thrall.
Nor meanes he after to frequent or Court or stately Townes,
But solitarily to liue amongst the Country grownes.
A brace of yeeres he liued thus, well pleased so to liue,
And Shepherd-like to feede a flocke himselfe did wholly giue.
So wasting loue, by worke, and want, grewe almost to the Waene:
But then began a second Loue, the worser of the twaene.

A Country wench, a Neatheards maid, where Curan kept his Sheep,
Did feed her Droue: and now on her was all the Shepheards keepe,
He borrowed on the working daies his holie russets oft:
And of the Bacons fat, to make his Startops blacke and soft:
And least his Tarbox should offend he left it at the Folde:
Sweete Growte, or Whig, his Bottle had as much as it might hold:
A Sheeue of bread as browne as Nut, and Cheese as white as snowe,
And Wildings, or the Seasons fruite, he did in Scrip bestow:
And whil'st his py-bald Curre did sleepe, and Sheep-hooke lay him by,
On hollow Quilles of Oten strawe he piped melody:
But when he spied her his Saint, he wipte his greasie shooes,
And clear'd the driuell from his beard and thus the Shepheard wooes.

I haue sweet Wench a peece of Cheese, as good as tooth may chaw,
And bread, and Wildings souling-well (and therewithall did drawe
His Lardrie) and, in eating, see you Crumpled Ewe (quoth he)
Did twinne this fall, and twin shouldst thou if I might […]up with thee.
Thou art too eluish, faith thou art too eluish, and too coy:
Am I (I pray thee) beggerly, that such a Flocke enioy?
I wis I am not: yeat that thou doest holde me in disdaine
Is brimme abroad, and made a gybe to all that keepe this Plaine.
There be as quaint (at least that think themselues as quaint) that craue
The Match, that thou (I wot not why) maist, but mislik'st to haue.
How wouldst thou match? (for well I wot, thou art a Female) I,
I know not her that willingly with Maiden-head would die.
The Plowmans labour hath no end, and he a Churle will prooue:
The Craftsman hath more worke in hand then fitteth vnto loue:
The Marchant traffiquing abroad, suspects his Wife at home:
A Youth will play the Wanton, and an olde-man prooue a Mome.
Then Chuse a Shepheard. With the Sun he doth his Flocke vnfold,
And all the day on Hill or Plaine he merrie chat can hold:
And with the Sun doth folde againe: then iogging home betime,
He turnes a Crab, or tunes a round, or sings some merrie ryme:
Nor lackes he gleefull tales to tell, whil'st round the Bole doth trot:
And sitteth singing care-away, till he to bed hath got.
Theare sleepes he soundly all the night, forgetting Morrow cares,
Nor feares he blasting of his Corne nor vttering of his wares,
Or stormes by Seas, or stirres on Land, or cracke of credite lost,
Not spending franklier then his Flocke shall still defray the cost.
Wel wot I, sooth they say that say: more quiet nightes and daies
The Shepheard sleeps & wakes than he whose Cattel he doth graize.
Beleeue me Lasse, a King is but a man, and so am I:
Content is worth a Monarchie, and mischiefes hit the hie:
As late it did a King and his, not dwelling far from hence,
Who left a Daughter, (saue thy selfe) for faire a matchlesse wench:
(Here did he pause, as if his tongue had done his heart offence.)

The Nea[…]resse, longing for the rest, did egge him on to tell
How faire she was, and who she was. She bore (quoth he) the bell
For Beautie: though I clownish am, I know what Beautie is,
Or did I not, yeat seeing thee, I senceles were to mis.
Suppose her Beautie Hellens-like, or Hellens somewhat lesse,
And euery Starre consorting to a puer Complexion gesse.
Her Stature comely tall, her gate well graced, and her wit
To maruell at, not meddle with, as matchles I omit.
A Globe-like head, a Gold-like haire, a Forhead smooth and hie,
An euen Nose, on either side did shine a graish Eie:
Two rosie Checkes, round ruddy Lips, white iust-set Teeth within:
A mouth in meane, and vnderneath a round and dimpled Chin:
Her Snowish necke with blewish Vaines stood bolt vpright vpon
Her portly shoulders: beating Balles, her vained Breasts, anon
Adde more to Beautie: wand-like was her middle, falling still,
And rising whereas women rise: but ouer-skippe I will,
What Males in Females ouer-skippe: imagine nothing ill.
And more, her long and limber Armes had white and azure Wrists:
And slender Fingers aunswere to her smooth and lillie Fists:
A Legge in print, a pretie Foot: coniecture of the rest,
For amorous Eies, obseruing forme, thinke parts obscured best.
With these (O thing deuine) with these, her tong of speech was spae[…];
But speaking, Venus seem'd to speake the Balle from Ide to baer.
With Phoebe, Iuno, and with both her selfe contends in face:
Wheare equall mixture did not want of milde and stately grace.
Her smiles were sober, and her lookes were chearefull vnto all:
And such as neither wanton seeme, nor waiward, mell, nor gall.
A quiet mind, a patient mood, and not disdaining any:
Not gybing, gadding, gawdie, and her faculties were many.
A Nimph, no tong, no heart, no Eie, might praise, might wish, might see
For life, for loue, for forme, more good, more worth, more f[…]ire, thē she:
Yea such an one, as such was none, saue onely she was such:
Of Argentile to say the most, were to be silent much.

I knewe the Ladie very well, but worthles of such praies,
The Neatresse sayd: and muse I do, a Shepheard thus should blaze
The Coote of beautie. Credit me, thy latter speech bewraies
Thy clownish shape a coined shew. But wherefore doest thou weepe?
(The Shepheard wept, and she was woe, and both doth silence keepe.)

In troth, quoth hee, I am not such as seeming I professe:
But then for her, and now for thee, I from my selfe digresse.
Her loued I, (wretch that I am a Recreant to be)
I loued her, that hated loue: but now I die for thee.
At Kirkland is my Fathers Court, and Curan is my name,
In Edels Court somtimes in pompe, till Loue contrould the same:
But now. What now? deare heart how now? what ailest thou to weep?
(The Damsell wept, and he was woe, and both did silence keepe.)

I graunt quoth she, it was too much, that you did loue so much:
But whom your former could not moue, your second loue doth touch.
Thy twise beloued Argentile submitteth her to thee:
And for thy double loue presents herselfe a single fee:
In passion, not in person chaung'd, and I my Lord, am she:

They sweetly surfeiting in ioy, and silent for a space,
When as the Extasie had end did tenderly imbrace,
And for their wedding, and their wish got fitting time and place.
Not England (for of Hengest then was named so this Land)
Then Curan had an hardier Knight, his force could none withstand:
Whose Sheep-hooke laid apart, he then had higher things in hand.
First, making knowne his lawfull claime in Argentile her right,
He war'd in Diria, and he wonne Bre[…]tia too in fight:
And so from trecherous Edel tooke at once his life and Crowne,
And of Northumberland was King, long ragning in renowne.