The Triumph of Love, Chapter I

IN the tyme of the Renewinge of my suspyres
By the swete remembraunce of my louely desyres
That was the begynnynge of soo longe a payne
The fayre Phebus the bull dyd attayne
And warmyd had the tone and tother horne
Wherby the colde wynter stormes were worne
And Tytans chylde with her frostye face
Ran from the heate to her aunciente place
Loue, grefe, and complaynt, oute of reason
Had brought me in such a case that season
That myne eyes closed, and I fell to reste
The very Remedye to such as be oppreste
And there on the grene, as I reposed fast
Sodenly me thought, as I myne eyes vp cast
I sawe afore me a maruelous great lighte
wherin as well comprehend then, I myghte
Was doloure ynough wyth smale sporte & play
And thus in my dreame musyng, as I laye
I sawe a great Duke victorious to beholde
Tryumphyng on a chayre, shynyng as golde
Muche after the olde auncient sage wyse
That the bolde Romayns vsed in there guyse
When to the Capytoll the vyctors were brought
With right riche Robes curiously were wrought
I that such sightes was not wont to se
In this noyous worlde wherein I fynde me
Uoyde from the olde valure & yet more in pryde
Sawe comming towardes me ther on euery side
Dyuerse men wyth straunge and queynte arraye
Not vsyd amonge vs at this present daye
Which made me wonder what persos theishuld be
As one glad to learne, and some new thinges to se
There sawe I a boye on a firye chayre on hyghte
Drawen with foure coursers all mylke whight
Wyth bowe in hande and arrowes sharpe & keene
Against whome no shylde nor helme so sheene
Myght in no wyse the mortale stroke wythstand
When he shote wyth his most dreadfull hande
To this also a straunge sight to se
Two wynges vpon his shoulders had he
wyth coloures more then I can wryte or tell
A thousande dyuers this I noted well
And all the rest were nakyd to the skynne
Aboute the chayre where that this boye was in
Some laye there deade gapynge on the grounde
Some with his dartes had taken meny a wound
Some were prysoners and could not scape away
But folowed styll the chayre nyght and day
I that sawe this wonderfull straunge sight
To know what it mente, dyd that I myght
Tyll at the last I dyd perceaue and se
My selfe to be amonge that company
So had loue led me on that dawnce
That as it lyked her, so must I take the chawnce
I then among that great number in that place
Lokyng here and there in eche mannes face
Yf any of myne Acquayntaunce I coulde se
But none was there except perchaunce that he
By age or death or payne was chaunged quyte
As that I neuer had hym knowen by syght
Wyth folowing that great kyng in that houre
That is the grounde and cause of all dolowre
Thus all astonied as I loked here and there
All sodenly afore me then dyd there appeare
A shadowe much more sadde for to regarde
Than all the reste that I had sene or harde
This sayd shadowe called me by name
And sayd by loue is gotten all this fame
Whereat I marueyled and sayde to hym agayne
How knowest thou me, to learne I wold be faine
For who thou arte I doo not knowe at all
So wonderous derke is here this ayre and all
That I can nether perceaue nor yet well se
What man thou art nor whence yt thou should be
To that anone this shadowe to me sayde
I am thy frende thou nedest not be dismayde
And borne in Toscane where yu was borne perdye
Thyne auncient frende if that thou lyst to se
His wordes whiche that I knewe by dayes paste
By his speche, I knewe hym at the last
All though his face, I coulde not then well se
And thus in talkyng together went we
And he beganne and thus to me dyd saye
It is right longe and thereto many a day
That I haue loked the my frynde to se
Amonge vs here in this our companye
For thy face was to me a token playne
That ones thou shouldest know loues payne
To whome I made aunswere and sayde
These wordes by me they cannot be denayde
But the sorowe the daunger and the dreade
That louers haue at the ende for theyr meade
So put me in feare, that I left all asyde
Leste that my seruyce should be cleane denyde
Thus sayd I and when he well perceyued
Myne entention and my wordes conceyued
Smylynge he sayde what flame of fyre
Hath loue kyndled in thy hartys desyre
I vnderstode then lytle what he ment
For his wordes vnto my heade then went
As fyrme and fast sure set anone
As they had bene prynted in a marbell stone
And thus for the newe game that I begane
I prayde hym tell me of verie gentlenes than
What people these were that afore me went
He aunswered bryfely to myne intente
That I should knowe what they should be
And be shortly one of theyr companye
And that it was my destany and lotte
That loue shoulde tye for me such a knotte
That I shoulde fyrst chaunge my heade to graye
Or that I coulde vnclose that knot away
But to fulfyll thy yonge desyre sayth he
I shall declare what kynde of men they be
And fyrst of the capteynes of them all
His maner playne declare the I shall
This is he that loue the worlde doth name
Bytter as thou shalt well conceyue the same
And much the more when the tyme shall be
That thou shalt be amonge this companie
A meke chylde in his lustye yonge age
And in elde one all full of rage
Well knoweth he that thys hath prouyd
When thou by hym art heaued and shoued
Thy selfe shall well see and vnderstand
What a maister thou hast then in hande
This god hath his fyrst byrth of ydelnes
Noryshed with mankyndes foly and wantones
And of vayne thoughtes plesaunt and swete
To a sage wyse man nothynge mete
Callyd a god of the people most vayne
All be it he geueth for theyr rewarde and payne
Some the death forthwyth out of hande
Some alonge tyme in miserye to stand
To loue I say them that loues not hym
Fast tyed and fetred both cheke and chynne
Nowe haue I declared to the this goddes feste
Nowe wyl. I tell the in order of the reste
Hym that thou seest that so lordely doth go
And leadeth wyth hym his loue also
It is the valeaunte Cesar, Iulius
Wyth hym is quene Cleopatra the beutiouse
She tryumphes of hym and that is good ryghte
That he that ouercame the worlde by myght
Should hymselfe ouer commen be
By his loue euen as thou mayest se
The next vnto hym is his sonne deare
The great Augustus that neuer had peare
That louyde more iustly then Cesar playne
By request hys Lynya he dyd obtayne
The thyrde is the dyspytefull tyraunte Nero
That furyously as thou seest doth go
And yet a woman hym ouercame
Wyth her regardes Lo she made hym tame
Beholde the same, is the good Marcus
Worthy to haue prayse for his lyfe vertuouse
Full of phylosophy both the tounge and breste
Yet for Fausteyn he standeth as arreste
The tother two that stand hym by.
That loke both twayne so fearefullye
The tone is Denyse the tother Alexander
That well was rewarded for his s[…]aunder
The tother was he that soore complayned
Under Autander wyth teares vnfayned
The death of Crensa and toke awaye
The loue from hym as the poete doth saye
That toke from Enander his sone deare
Among the rest thou mayest se hym here
Hast thou harde euer reason heretofore
Of one that neuer would consent more
To hys stepmothers foull and shamefull desires
But flye from her syght and her attyres
But wo alas that same chast honest mynde
Was his death as thou mayst playnely fynde
Because she chaunged hyr loue vnto hate
Phedra she hyght that caused the debate
And yet was it hyr owne Death also
A sore punyshment vnto both them two
To the sens that deceyued Adryan
Wherefore it is full often founde than
That one that blameth another parde
He hym selfe is more to blame then he
And who so he be wythouten any doubte
That by fraude or crafte doth go aboute
Another that trusteth hym for to beguyle
Yt is good reason that wyth that selfe wyle
He be seruyd wyth that same sawse
Lo what it is a louer to be false,
This is he the famouse worthy knyght
That betwyxt two systers standeth vpryghte
The tone by hym was cruelly slayne
The tother his loue in ioye dyd remayne:
He that goeth with hym in the route
It is Hercules, the stronge, fierce, and stoute
That loue caused to folowe hyr daunce:
The tother whiche in louynge had hard chaunce
It is Achylles the Greke so bolde
That for Polexemes loue dyed, as it is tolde.
There mayst thou see also Demophone
And Phylys hys loue, that sore dyd mone
Hys absence, wherby that she dyed.
Lo those that stande vpon the tother syde
Is Iason, and Medea that for his loue
Deceaued hyr father his trueth to proue
The more vngentle is Iason in dede
That gaue hyr suche rewarde for hyr mede.
Hysyphyle foloweth and she doth wayle also
For the barbarouse loue was taken hyr fro
Next in ordre there commeth by and by
He that hath the name moost excellently
Of bewtye, and with hym commeth she
that ouersone behelde his beutye
Wherby ensued innumerable of harmes
Thoroughe out the world by Mars charmes
Beholde I praye the among the companye
Enone complaynynge full heauely
For Parys that dyd hyr falsly betraye
And toke in hyr stede fayre Helen awape
Se also Menelaus the Grekysse kynge
For his wyfe Helene in greate mournynge
And Hermon the fayre Horestes for to call
And Laodome that standeth all apall
Crye for hyr loue the good Protheossolaus
And Irgia the faythfull for Pollynisus
Here I pray the, the greuous lamentynges
The syghes, the sorowes, and the bewaylynges
Of the myserable louers in this place
That are brought into so dolorous case
That there spyrytes they are about to rendre
Unto the false God that is so sclendre
I can not nowe tell the all the names
That the false God of loue thus tames
Not onely men that borne be mortall
But also the hyghe greate Goddes supernall
Are here in this greate and darke presse
What shulde I any more nowe rehearse
Se where Uenus doth stande with Mars
Whose heade and legges the yron doth enbrase
And Pluto and Preserpyne on the other syde
And Iuno the ielyous for all hyr pryde
And Apollo with his gaye golden lockes
That gaue vnto Uenus scornes and mockes
yet in Thessalia with this boyes fyrye darte
This great God was pearsed to the harte
And for conclusion, the Goddes and Goddesses al
Of whome Uarro doth make rehearsall
Beholde how afore loues'chayre they goo
Fast fettred and chayned from toppe to too
And Iupiter hym selfe, the great myghty kynge
Amonge the other, whiche is a maruelous thing.