The Faerie Queene (98 page)

That freshly budded and new bloosmes did beare

(In which a thousand birds had built their bowres

That sweetly sung, to call forth Paramours):

And in his hand a iauelin he did beare,

And on his head (as fit for warlike stoures)

A guilt engrauen morion he did weare;

That as some did him loue, so others did him feare.

29
Then came the iolly
Sommer,
being dight

In a thin silken cassock coloured greene,

That was vnlyned all, to be more light:

And on his head a girlond well beseene

He wore, from which as he had chauffed been

The sweat did drop; and in his hand he bore

A boawe and shaftes, as he in forrest greene

Had hunted late the Libbard or the Bore,

And now would bathe his limbes, with labor heated sore.

30
Then came the
Autumne
all in yellow clad,

As though he ioyed in his plentious store,

Laden with fruits that made him laugh, full glad

That he had banisht hunger, which to-fore

Had by the belly oft him pinched sore.

Vpon his head a wreath that was enrold

With eares of corne, of euery sort he bore:

And in his hand a sickle he did holde,

To reape the ripened fruits the which the earth had yold.

31
Lastly, came
Winter
cloathed all in frize,

Chattering his teeth for cold that did him chill,

Whil'st on his hoary beard his breath did freese;

And the dull drops that from his purpled bill

As from a limbeck did adown distill.

In his right hand a tipped staffe he held,

With which his feeble steps he stayed still:

For, he was faint with cold, and weak with eld;

That scarse his loosed limbes he hable was to weld.

32
These, marching softly, thus in order went,

And after them, the Monthes all riding came;

First, sturdy
March
with brows full sternly bent,

And armed strongly, rode vpon a Ram,

The same which ouer
Hellespontus
swam:

Yet in his hand a spade he also hent,

And in a bag all sorts of seeds ysame,

Which on the earth he strowed as he went,

And fild her womb with fruitfull hope of nourishment

33
Next came fresh
Aprill
full of lustyhed,

And wanton as a Kid whose home new buds:

Vpon a Bull he rode, the same which led

Europa
floting through t
h'Argolick
fluds:

His hornes were gilden all with golden studs

And garnished with garlonds goodly dight

Of all the fairest flowres and freshest buds

Which th'earth brings forth, and wet he seem'd in sight

With waues, through which he waded for his loues delight.

34
Then came faire
May,
the fayrest mayd on ground,

Deckt all with dainties of her seasons pryde,

And throwing flowres out of her lap around:

Vpon two brethrens shoulders she did ride,

The twinnes of
Leda;
which on eyther side

Supported her like to their soueraine Queene.

Lord! how all creatures laught, when her they spide,

And leapt and daunc't as they had rauisht beene!

And
Cupid
selfe about her fluttred all in greene.

35
And after her, came iolly
Iune,
arrayd

All in greene leaues, as he a Player were;

Yet in his time, he wrought as well as playd,

That by his plough-yrons mote right well appeare:

Vpon a Crab he rode, that him did beare

With crooked crawling steps an vncouth pase,

And backward yode, as Bargemen wont to fare

Bending their force contrary to their face,

Like that vngracious crew which faines demurest grace.

36
Then came hot
Iuly
boyling like to fire,

That all his garments he had cast away:

Vpon a Lyon raging yet with ire

He boldly rode and made him to obay:

It was the beast that whylome did fbrray

The Nemæan forrest, till
th'Amphytrionide

Him slew, and with his hide did him array;

Behinde his back a sithe, and by his side

Vnder his belt he bore a sickle circling wide.

37
The sixt was
August,
being rich arrayd

In garment all of gold downe to the ground:

Yet rode he not, but led a louely Mayd

Forth by the lilly hand, the which was cround

With eares of come, and full her hand was found;

That was the righteous Virgin, which of old

Liv'd here on earth, and plenty made abound;

But, after Wrong was lov'd and Iustice solde,

She left th'vnrighteous world and was to heauen extold.

38
Next him,
September
marched eeke on foote;

Yet was he heauy laden with the spoyle

Of haruests riches, which he made his boot,

And him enricht with bounty of the soyle:

In his one hand, as fit for haruests toyle,

He held a knife-hook; and in th'other hand

A paire of waights, with which he did assoyle

Both more and lesse, where it in doubt did stand,

And equall gaue to each as Iustice duly scann'd.

39
Then came
October
full of merry glee:

For, yet his noule was totty of the must,

Which he was treading in the wine-fats see,

And of the ioyous oyle, whose gentle gust

Made him so frollick and so full of lust:

Vpon a dreadfull Scorpion he did ride,

The same which by
Dianaes
doom vniust

Slew great
Orion:
and eeke by his side

He had his ploughing share, and coulter ready tyde.

40
Next was
Nouember,
he full grosse and fat,

As fed with lard, and that right well might seeme;

For, he had been a fatting hogs of late,

That yet his browes with sweat, did reek and steem,

And yet the season was full sharp and breem;

In planting eeke he took no small delight:

Whereon he rode, not easie was to deeme;

For it a dreadfull
Centaure
was in sight,

The seed
of Saturne,
and faire
Nais, Chiron h
ight

41
And after him, came next the chill
December:

Yet he through merry feasting which he made,

And great bonfires, did not the cold remember;

His Sauiours birth his mind so much did glad:

Vpon a shaggy-bearded Goat he rode,

The same wherewith
Dan Ioue
in tender yeares,

They say, was nourisht by
th'Idæan
mayd;

And in his hand a broad deepe boawle he beares;

Of which, he freely drinks an health to all his peeres.

42
Then came old
Ianuary,
wrapped well

In many weeds to keep the cold away;

Yet did he quake and quiuer like to quell,

And blowe his nayles to warme them if he may:

For, they were numbd with holding all the day

An hatchet keene, with which he felled wood,

And from the trees did lop the needlesse spray:

Vpon an huge great Earth-pot steane he stood;

From whose wide mouth, there flowed forth the Romane

[floud.

43
And lastly, came cold
February,
sitting

In an old wagon, for he could not ride;

Drawne of two fishes for the season fitting,

Which through the flood before did softly slyde

And swim away: yet had he by his side

His plough and harnesse fit to till the ground,

And tooles to prune the trees, before the pride

Of hasting Prime did make them burgein round:

So past the twelue Months forth, & their dew places found.

44
And after these, there came the
Day,
and
Night,

Riding together both with equall pase,

Th'one on a Palfrey blacke, the other white;

But
Night
had couered her vncomely face

With a blacke veile, and held in hand a mace,

On top whereof the moon and stars were pight,

And sleep and darknesse round about did trace:

But
Day
did beare, vpon his scepters hight,

The goodly Sun, encompast all with beames bright.

45
Then came the
Howres,
faire daughters of high
Ioue,

And timely
Night,
the which were all endewed

With wondrous beauty fit to kindle loue;

But they were Virgins all, and loue eschewed,

That might forslack the charge to them fore-shewed

By mighty
Ioue',
who did them Porters make

Of heauens gate (whence all the gods issued)

Which they did dayly watch, and nightly wake

By euen turnes, ne euer did their charge forsake.

46
And after all came
Life,
and lastly
Death;

Death
with most grim and griesly visage seene,

Yet is he nought but parting of the breath;

Ne ought to see, but like a shade to weene,

Vnbodied, vnsoul'd, vnheard, vnseene.

But
Life
was like a faire young lusty boy,

Such as they faine
Dan Cupid
to haue beene,

Full of delightfull health and liuely ioy,

Deckt all with flowres, and wings of gold fit to employ.

47
When these were past, thus gan the
Titanesse;

Lo, mighty mother, now be iudge and say,

Whether in all thy creatures more or lesse

CHANGE
doth not raign & beare the greatest sway:

For, who sees not, that
Time
on all doth pray?

But
Times
do change and moue continually.

So nothing here long standeth in one stay:

Wherefore, this lower world who can deny

But to be subiect still to
Mutabilitie?

48
Then thus gan
Ioue;
Right true it is, that these

And all things else that vnder heauen dwell

Are chaung'd of
Time,
who doth them all disseise

Of being: But, who is it (to me tell)

That
Time
himselfe doth moue and still compell

To keepe his course? Is not that namely wee

Which poure that vertue from our heauenly cell,

That moues them all, and makes them changed be?

So them we gods doe rule, and in them also thee.

49
To whom, thus
Mutability:
The things

Which we see not how they are mov'd and swayd,

Ye may attribute to your selues as Kings,

And say they by your secret powre are made:

But what we see not, who shall vs perswade?

But were they so, as ye them faine to be,

Mov'd by your might, and ordred by your ayde;

Yet what if I can proue, that euen yee

Your selues are likewise chang'd, and subiect vnto mee?

50
And first, concerning her that is the first,

Euen you faire
Cynthia,
whom so much ye make

Ioues
dearest darling, she was bred and nurst

On
Cynthus
hill, whence she her name did take:

Then is she mortall borne, how-so ye crake;

Besides, her face and countenance euery day

We changed see, and sundry forms partake,

Now homd, now round, now bright, now brown & gray:

So that
as changefull as the Moone
men vse to say.

51
Next,
Mercury,
who though he lesse appeare

To change his hew, and alwayes seeme as one;

Yet, he his course doth altar euery yeare,

And is of late far out of order gone:

So
Venus
eeke, that goodly Paragone,

Though faire all night, yet is she darke all day;

And
Phœbus
self, who lightsome is alone,

Yet is he oft eclipsed by the way,

And fills the darkned world with terror and dismay.

52
Now
Mars
that valiant man is changed most:

For, he some times so far runs out of square,

That he his way doth seem quite to haue lost,

And cleane without his vsuall sphere to fare;

That euen these Star-gazers stonisht are

At sight thereof, and damne their lying bookes:

So likewise, grim Sir
Satume
oft doth spare

His sterne aspect, and calme his crabbed lookes:

So many turning cranks these haue, so many crookes.

53
But you
Dan Ioue,
that only constant are,

And King of all the rest, as ye do clame,

Are you not subiect eeke to this misfare?

Then let me aske you this withouten blame,

Where were ye borne? some say in
Crete
by name,

Others in
Thebes,
and others other-where;

But wheresoeuer they comment the same,

They all consent that ye begotten were,

And borne here in this world, ne other can appeare.

54
Then are ye mortall borne, and thrall to me,

Vnlesse the kingdome of the sky yee make

Immortall, and vnchangeable to be;

Besides, that power and vertue which ye spake,

That ye here worke, doth many changes take,

And your owne natures change: for, each of you

That vertue haue, or this, or that to make,

Is checkt and changed from his nature trew,

By others opposition or obliquid view.

55
Besides, the sundry motions of your Spheares,