MY Love is now awake out of her dreame, And her fayre eyes, like stars that dimmed were With dark fome cloud, now fhew theyr goodly beams

94

More bright then Hesperus his head doth rere. Come now, ye Damzels, Daughtets of delight, Helpe quickly her to dight:

100

But first come, ye fayre Houres, which were begot,
In loves fweet paradice, of Day and Night;
Which doe the feafons of the year allot,
And all, that ever in this world is fayre,
Do make and still repayre:

105

And ye
three handmayds of the Cyprian Queene,
The which doe ftill adorn her beauties pride,
Helpe to adorne my beautifullest bride :
And, as ye her array, ftill throw betweene
Some graces to be feene;

And, as ye ufe to Venus, to her fing,

The whiles the woods fhal anfwer, and your eccho ring.

NOW is my Love all ready forth to come: 110
Let all the Virgins therefore well awayt;

And ye
Prepare your felves; for he is comming strayt.
Set all your things in feemely good aray,
Fit for fo ioyfull day :

fresh Boyes, that tend upon her Groome,

The ioyfulft day that ever Sunne did fee.

Fair Sun! fhew forth thy favourable ray,

115

And let thy lifull heat not fervent be,
For feare of burning her funfhyny face,
Her beauty to disgrace.

O fayreft Phœbus! Father of the Muse!
If ever I did honour thee aright,

120

Or fing the thing that mote thy mind delight,
Doe not thy fervants fimple boone refuse;
But let this day, let this one day, be mine; 125
Let all the reft be thine.

Then I thy foverayne prayfes loud wil fing, That all the woods fhal anfwer, and theyr eccho ring.

HARKE! how the minftrils gin to shrill aloud
Their merry mufick that refounds from far, 130
The pipe, the tabor, and the trembling croud,
That well agree withouten breach or iar.
But, moft of all, the Damzels doe delite,
When they their tymbrels fmyte,

And thereunto doe daunce and carrol fweet, 135
That all the fences they doe ravish quite;
The whyles the Boyes run up and downe the
street,

Ver. 131.

croud,] Crotta; Welch, crwth, the fiddle. Hence Butler's appropriation of the name Crowdero to the life-inspiring performer on this inftrument in Hudibras! Thus, in The fecond part of Robin Good-fellow, 1628. Sign. D. 1. b. "Robin goes in the shape of a fidler to a wedding;-and with his crowd vnder his arme went amongst them and was a very welcome man: there played hee whilst they danced, &c." TODD.

VOL. VIII.

Crying aloud with ftrong confused noyce,
As if it were one voyce,

Hymen, ïo Hymen, Hymen, they do fhout; 140
That even to the heavens theyr fhouting fhrill
Doth reach, and all the firmament doth fill;
To which the people standing all about,
As in approvance, doe thereto applaud,
And loud advaunce her laud;

145.

And evermore they Hymen, Hymen, fing, That all the woods them anfwer, and theyr eccho ring.

150

LOE! where fhe comes along with portly pace,
Lyke Phoebe, from her chamber of the Eaft,
Aryfing forth to run her mighty race,
Clad all in white, that seems a Virgin best.
So well it her befeems, that ye would weene
Some Angell she had beene.

Her long loofe yellow locks lyke golden wyre,

Ver. 149. Like Phabe, &c.] What the Pfalmist has sublimely faid of the Sun, Spenfer has here applied to the Moon. See Pfalm xix. 5. TODD.

Ver. 154. Her long loofe yellow locks] It is remarkable, that Spenfer's females, both in the Faerie Queene, and in his other Poems, are all defcribed with yellow hair. And, in his general defcription of the influence of beauty over the bravest men, he particularifes golden treffes. See F. Q. v. viii. 1. This, is faid in compliment to his mistress, as here, and in Sonn. 15; or to queen Elizabeth; who had both yellow hair: or perhaps in imitation of the Italian poets who give most of their women tresses of this colour. T. WARTON.

Ibid. like golden wyre,] Our old poets were fond of this refemblance. Thus, in Abr. Fraunce's Second

156

Sprinckled with perle,and perling flowres atweene,
Doe lyke a golden mantle her attyre;
And, being crowned with a girland greene,
Seem lyke fome Mayden Queene.
Her modeft eyes, abafhed to behold
So many gazers as on her do ftare,
Upon the lowly ground affixed are;
Ne dare lift up her countenance too bold,
But blush to heare her prayfes fung fo loud,
So farre from being proud.

160

Nathleffe doe ye ftill loud her prayses sing, 165

That all the woods may anfwer, and your eccho ring.

ye fee

TELL me, ye Merchants daughters, did
So fayre a creature in your towne before?
So fweet, fo lovely, and fo mild as fhe,
Adornd with beautyes grace and vertues store:

169

Part of the Counteffe of Pembrokes Yoychurch, 1591. Sign. G. 4. where he is describing Phillis :

---

eyes like bright ftarrs, and fayre browes dayntily fmyling,

"And cherefull forehead with gold-wyre all to be decked." And, in the romance of Palmendos, bl. I. 4to. p. 155, a lady is defcribed with "gold-wire hair." And, in Hawes's Hift. of Graunde Amoure, Sign. I. iiij. we find the "hair gold-wire." And, in The Affectionate Shepheard, 1594. Sign. C. ij. b.

"Cut off thy lock, and fell it for gold wier."

The Scottish Mufes difdain not the fame fimilitude. See Sib. bald's Chron. of Scot. Poetry, vol. i. 162.

"As golden wier fo glitterand was his hair." Again, p. 202.

"As rid gold-wyir schynit hir hair." TODD.

Her goodly eyes lyke faphyres fhining bright, Her forehead yvory white,

Her cheekes lyke apples which the fun hath rudded,

Her lips lyke cherries charming men to byte, Her breft like to a bowl of creame uncrudded, paps lyke lyllies budded,

· Her

176

Her fnowie necke lyke to a marble towre;
And all her body like a pallace fayre,
Afcending up, with many a stately stayre,
To Honors feat and Chaftities fweet bowre. 180

Why ftand ye ftill ye Virgins in amaze,
Upon her fo to gaze,

Whiles ye forget your former lay to fing,

To which the woods did anfwer, and your eccho ring.

BUT if ye faw that which no eyes can see, 185
The inward beauty of her lively fpright,
Garnisht with heavenly guifts of high degree,
Much more then would ye wonder at that sight,
And stand astonisht lyke to those which red
Medufaes a mazeful hed.
There dwells sweet Love, and conftant Chastity,

190

Ver. 171. Her goodly eyes &c.] Much the fame description of perfonal beauty is to be found in F. Q.i. iii. 28, 29, 30. Where fee the notes. TODD.

Ver. 174.

charming] That is, tempting

by enchantment. See the note on F. Q. v. ix. 13.

T. WARTON.