The Complete Poetry of John Milton (34 page)

   645     
I knew the foul inchanter though disguis’d

               
Enter’d the very lime-twigs
⁶⁵
of his spells,

               
And yet came off: if you have this about you

               
(As I will give you when we go) you may

               
Boldly assault the necromancers hall;

   650     
Where if he be, with dauntless hardihood,

               
And brandish’t blade rush on him, break his glass,

               
And shed the lushious liquor on the ground

               
But sease his wand; though he and his curst crew

               
Feirce sign of battail make, and menace high,

   655     
Or like the sons of
Vulcan
vomit smoak,
⁶⁶

               
Yet will they soon retire, if he but shrink.

           
      
       
Elder Brother. Thyrsis
lead on apace, Ile follow thee,

               
And som good angel bear a sheild before us.
⁶⁷

The scene changes to a stately Palace, set out with all manner of deliciousness: soft Musick, Tables spred with all dainties.
Comus
appears with his rabble, and the Lady set in an inchanted Chair, to whom he offers his Glass; which she puts by, and goes about to rise.

           
      
       
Comus.
Nay Lady sit; if I but wave this wand,

   660     
Your nervs are all chain’d up in alablaster

               
And you a statue; or as
Daphne
was

               
Root-bound, that fled
Apollo.
⁶⁸

           
      
       
Lady.
      Fool do not boast,

               
Thou canst not touch the freedom of my mind

               
With all thy charms, although this corporal rind

   665     
Thou hast immanacl’d, while Heav’n sees good.

           
      
       
Comus.
Why are you vext Lady? why do you frown?

               
Heer dwell no frowns, nor anger, from these gates

               
Sorrow flies farr: See here be all the pleasures

               
That fancy can beget on youthfull thoughts,

   670     
When the fresh blood grows lively, and returns

               
Brisk as the
April
buds in primrose season.

               
And first behold this cordial Julep heer

               
That flames, and dances in his crystal bounds

               
With spirits of balm, and fragrant syrops mixt.

   675     
Not that
Nepenthes
⁶⁹
which the wife of
Thone

               
In
Egypt
gave to
Jove
-born
Helena

               
Is of such power to stir up joy as this,

               
To life so freindly, or so cool to thirst.

               
Why should you be so cruel to your self,

   680     
And to those dainty limms which nature lent

               
For gentle usage, and soft delicacy?

               
But you invert the cov’nants of her trust,

               
And harshly deal like an ill borrower

               
With that which you receav’d on other terms,

   685     
Scorning the unexempt condition

               
By which all mortal frailty must subsist,

               
Refreshment after toil, ease after pain,

               
That have bin tir’d all day without repast,

               
And timely rest have wanted, but fair Virgin,

   690     
This will restore all soon.

           
      
       
Lady.
      Twill not false traitor,

               
’Twill not restore the truth and honesty

               
That thou hast banisht from thy tongue with lies;

               
Was this the cottage, and the safe abode

               
Thou toldst me of? What grim aspects are these,

   695     
These oughly-headed monsters? Mercy guard me!

               
Hence with thy brew’d inchantments, foul deceaver;

               
Hast thou betrai’d my credulous innocence

               
With visor’d falshood and base forgeries

               
And wouldst thou seek again to trap me heer

   700     
With lickerish
⁷⁰
baits fit to ensnare a brute?

               
Were it a draft for
Juno
when she banquets,

               
I would not taste thy treasonous offer; none

               
But such as are good men can give good things,

               
And that which is not good is not delicious

   705     
To a well-govern’d and wise appetite.

           
      
       
Comus.
O foolishnes of men! that lend thir ears

               
To those budge
⁷¹
doctors of the stoick furr,

               
And fetch thir precepts from the cynick tub,
⁷²

               
Praising the lean and sallow abstinence.

   710     
Wherfore did nature powr her bounties forth

               
With such a full and unwithdrawing hand,

               
Covering the earth with odours, fruits, and flocks,

               
Thronging the seas with spawn innumerable,

               
But all to please and sate the curious taste?

   715     
And set to work millions of spinning worms

               
That in thir green shops weave the smooth-hair’d silk

               
To deck her sons, and that no corner might

               
Be vacant of her plenty, in her own loyns

               
She hutch’t
⁷³
th’ all-worshipt ore and precious gems

   720     
To store her children with; if all the world

               
Should in a pet of temperance feed on pulse,

               
Drink the clear stream, and nothing wear but freise,
⁷⁴

               
Th’ all-giver would be unthank’t, would be unprais’d,

               
Not half his riches known, and yet dispis’d,

   725     
And we should serve him as a grudging maister,

               
As a penurious niggard of his wealth,

               
And live like natures bastards, not her sons,

               
Who would be quite surcharg’d with her own waight

               
And strangl’d with her wast fertility;

   730     
Th’ earth cumber’d, and the wing’d air dark’t with plumes,

               
The herds would over-multitude thir Lords,

               
The sea o’refraught would swell, and th’ unsought diamonds

               
Would so emblaze the forhead of the deep
⁷⁵

               
And so bestudd with stars that they below

   735     
Would grow inur’d to light, and com at last

               
To gaze upon the sun with shameless brows.

               
List Lady be not coy, and be not cozen’d
⁷⁶

               
With that same vaunted name virginity;

               
Beauty is natures coyn, must not be hoorded,

   740     
But must be currant, and the good therof

               
Consists in mutual and partak’n bliss,

               
Unsavoury in th’ injoyment of it self.

               
If you let slip time, like a neglected rose

               
It withers on the stalk with languish’t head.

   745     
Beauty is natures brag, and must be shown

               
In courts, at feasts, on high solemnities

               
Where most may wonder at the workmanship;

               
It is for homely features to keep home,

               
They had thir name thence; course complexions

   750     
And cheeks of sorry grain
⁷⁷
will serve to ply

               
The sampler, or to teize
⁷⁸
the huswifes wooll.

               
What need a vermeil-tinctur’d lip for that,

               
Love-darting eyes, or tresses like the morn?

               
There was another meaning in these guifts,

   755     
Think what, and be advis’d, you are but young yet.

           
      
       
Lady.
I had not thought to have unlockt my lips

               
In this unhallow’d air, but that this jugler

               
Would think to charm my judgement, as mine eyes

               
Obtruding false rules pranckt in reasons garb.

   760     
I hate when vice can bolt
⁷⁹
her arguments,

               
And vertue has no tongue to check her pride:

               
Impostor, do not charge most innocent nature,

               
As if she would her children should be riotous

               
With her abundance; she good cateress,

   765     
Means her provision only to the good

               
That live according to her sober laws

               
And holy dictate of spare temperance:

               
If every just man that now pines with want

               
Had but a moderate and beseeming share

   770     
Of that which lewdly-pamper’d Luxury

               
Now heaps upon som few with vast excess,

               
Natures full blessings would be well dispens’t

               
In unsuperfluous eev’n proportion,

               
And she no whit encumber’d with her store,

   775     
And then the giver would be better thankt,

               
His praise due paid, for swinish gluttony

               
Ne’re looks to Heav’n amidst his gorgeous feast,

               
But with besotted base ingratitude

               
Cramms, and blasphemes his feeder. Shall I go on?

   780     
Or have I said anough? To him that dares

               
Arm his profane tongue with contemptuous words

               
Against the Sun-clad power of Chastity,

               
Fain would I somthing say, yet to what end?

               
Thou hast nor Ear, nor Soul to apprehend

   785     
The sublime notion, and high mystery
⁸⁰

               
That must be utter’d to unfold the sage

               
And serious doctrine of Virginity,

               
And thou art worthy that thou shouldst not know

               
More happines then this thy present lot.

   790     
Enjoy your deer Wit, and gay Rhetorick

               
That hath so well been taught her dazling fence,
⁸¹

               
Thou art not fit to hear thy self convinc’t;

               
Yet should I try, the uncontrouled worth

               
Of this pure cause would kindle my rapt spirits