Book IX, Chapter 47

WHeare Cadmus, old Agenors sonne, did reste and plant his Raigne,
Narcissus (of his Of spring) theare for beautie fame did gaine.
His Mother was Lyriope, faire Thetis fairer Daughter,
Whome cheefest as the choisest wowde, and braue Cephisus caught her.
Boeotia was the fertile Realme, Parnassus Plaine the place
Whear this admired Youth was borne, this Lass-Lad forme and face,
No Nymph so faire but wisht him hers, howbeit all in vayne:
His selfe-loue wrought his selfe-losse, & his beauty prou'd his baine,
Who, proud of Natures plentie, hild all others in disdaine:
Till God, who had created Man the fairest Creature,
(Howbeit but a shadow of his proper Feature,
More differing far than Sun-shine frō the Suns selfe-substance pure)
Narcissus ouer-scornfull pride not longer would indure,
But frō his forme, that pleas'd him most, his plague did thus procure.
As this same fond selfe-pleasing Youth stood at a Fountaynes brym,
And proudly sees his shadow theare, admiring euery lym,
Eccho, an amiable Nymph, long amorous of hym,
But louing, vnbeloued, now, at least to please her Eye,
Conuaies her selfe, vnseene, into a Thicket ioyning by,
And thear, as much ore-gone with loue, as he ore-gone with pride,
She hears, and sees, and would haue pleas'd three Senses more beside
And nothing more than euery part, thus stealth-seene, liked her,
And nothing lesse, than hidden with vnhidden to conferre,
For well it had contented then in more then sight to erre,
Although not meanely did his scorne gainst it her stomacke sterre,
Meane while the Lad (such power hath pride mens Senses to subdue)
Doats on his Shadow, now suppos'd to be a Substance t[…]ue:
And lastly wowes so formally in words and gestures sweete,
That Eccho found his error: and, he saying, Let vs meete,
Let's meete, quoth Eccho, mockingly: which, hearing, he with speed,

(Beleeuing that his shadow was a Nymph, and spake in deed,)
Did leape into the Fountaine, whear that Gallant, drowning thus,
Hath left example how like pride may cause like plague to vs.

How smooth-tongu'd Eccho, that for him in al, saue voice, did pine,
To quit his scorne, baind other Fooles, alike vain-glorious fine,
By soothing them, is Nas[…]es tale, no purpose here of mine:
But how Narcissus shadow and this Ecchos voyce, though they
Haue long bene dead, haunt now the World, is it we meane to say.

PLuto, Minos, Radamant, and all th'infernall States,
Did pytch a Session, to correct Remisnes in debates:
Deuising Orders that on Earth might more Disorders be.
Tisiphone, Alecto, and Megaera, these same three
Weare shrewdly checkt, because it was obiected, though vntruely,
That they weare ydle, Hell lack't Guests, and men on Earth waxt ruly.
The hellish Potentates therefore a new Commission framed,
Narcissus ghost, and Ecchos voyce, therein of Quorum named.
These twayne, and those three Furies thus, Copattentees, leaue Hell,
And diuersly throughout the Earth to Soule-infecting fell.
Leaue we those others, labouring their Mischiefes farre and neere,
Whil'st Eccho and Narcissus are more badly busie heere.
Crab'd Saturne, & too-boystrous Mars, direct those Formers matter,
Soft Venus, and smooth Mercurie, giue Methode to these latter:
Those Furies roughly doe effect their tragicke Taskes, these Twoe
So slyely worke, that sweetly men their proper sorrowes wowe.
Heer-hence our gold-imbased World in view and valew fayld,
For Eccho and Narcissus much in many things preuayld.
Hence is it some of high estate themselues doe ouer-like,
Whilst deadlier wound them Ecchoing tongues than should a foe them strike.
Hence, whence dishonorde, some of them beleeue of men belyed
Their glozing Groomes, as Tyrants so by them they wrong enuied.
Hence oftentimes Authoritie lookes biglier than a Bull,
With Suters poore too sternely quicke, in helping them too dull.
Hence both in preaching, harboring, and humilitie, it is
Some Prelates sooth, be soothed, lead, and they be lead amis.
Hence Lawe, sometimes, as formde of waxe, through new refined wit
Of Iudge or Pleador, altereth sans certaintie in it.
Hence Martialists in Discipline and ordering their war,
Lesse happely, the auncient vse, conceitedly, doe bar.
Hence is it that the Lawyers more affect their fluent Tayle,
Than what is right, or whom they wrong, or how they speed, or fayle.
That Lawyer though who more by Art than right doth ouerthroe,
Consents to sinne, deceiues the Iudge, wrongs Right, is Iustice foe.
Hence flattred Gentrie proudly doth degenerat at last:
And some would be beleeued such, that of no Gentrie taste.
Hence Cittizens with Courtiours so doe vayne-it for the tyme,
That with their paper Ladders they euen stately Castels clyme:
Then proudly pricke the mounted Sers, the Harrolds, all to blame,
Will they, nyll they, vrging fees to gentellize their name.
Hence countrie Loutes land-lurch their Lords, & Courtiers prize thesame.
Hence worldlings so much studie wealth that they forget the vse,
And, drudges-like, presse out the Grapes, not drinking of the iuse.
Hence arrant Preachers, humming out a common-place or two,
With bad, ill, naught, Pope, pots, play, mack, keeping a fowle adoe,
Cogging, and cog'd-with, of a sorte of lazie knaues and queanes,
That they be Doltes, and preach to Doltes, will heare it by no meanes.
With those do these (who could they steale the Goose would stick the Fether)
The Brownist & the Barrowist, goe hand in hand together.
Hence is the fashion-Founder of new lockes, lookes, bas-le-maine,
And Iohn Deuisor in Attire, one Foole in persons twaine.
Hence, more than with our selues our selues, doe Flatterers preuaile:
They make vs proude of Virtues, knowne of vs in vs to fayle:
But lesse Man-slaughter hurts, than when Men-soothers say al-hayle.

Though Eccho and Narcissus haunte, and hurte, each Sex and State,
(Our States Superlatiue except, still one for right and rate)
Yeat cheesely they with women-kinde preuailed haue of late:
And thus of this two Gossips olde, together met, debate.