The day with cloudes was
suddeine ouercast,
And angry _Ioue_ an hideous
storme of raine
Did poure into his Lemans lap so
fast,
That euery wight to shrowd it
did constrain,
And this faire couple eke to
shroud themselues were fain.
Enforst to seeke some couert
nigh at hand,
A shadie groue not far away they
spide,
That promist ayde the tempest to
withstand:
Whose loftie trees yclad with
sommers pride,
Did spred so broad, that heauens
light did hide,
Not perceable with power of any
starre:
And all within were pathes and
alleies wide,
With footing worne, and leading
inward farre:
Faire harbour that them seemes;
so in they entred arre.
And foorth they passe, with
pleasure forward led,
Ioying to heare the birdes
sweete harmony,
Which therein shrouded from the
tempest dred,
Seemd in their song to scorne
the cruell sky.
Much can they prayse the trees
so straight and hy,
The sayling Pine, the Cedar
proud and tall,
The vine-prop Elme, the Poplar
neuer dry,
The builder Oake, sole king of
forrests all,
The Aspine good for staues, the
Cypresse funerall.
The Laurell, meed of mightie
Conquerours
And Poets sage, the Firre that
weepeth still,
The Willow worne of forlorne
Paramours,
The Eugh obedient to the benders
will,
The Birch for shaftes, the
Sallow for the mill,
The Mirrhe +sweete+ bleeding in
the bitter wound,
The warlike Beech, the Ash for
nothing ill,
The fruitfull Oliue, and the
Platane round,
The caruer Holme, the Maple
+seeldom+ inward sound.
Led with delight, they thus
beguile the way,
Vntill the blustring storme is
ouerblowne;
When weening to returne, whence
they did stray,
+They+ cannot finde that path,
which first was showne,
But wander too and fro in wayes
vnknowne,
Furthest from end then, when
they neerest weene,
That makes them doubt, their
wits be not their owne:
So many pathes, so many turnings
seene,
That which of them to take, in
diuerse doubt they been.
At last resoluing forward still
to fare,
Till that some end they finde or
in or out,
That path they take, that beaten
seemd most bare,
And like to lead the labyrinth
about;
Which when by tract they hunted
had throughout,
At length it brought them to a
hollow caue,
Amid the thickest woods. The Champion stout
Eftsoones dismounted from his
courser braue,
And to the Dwarfe a while his
needlesse spere he gaue.
Be well aware, quoth then that
Ladie milde,
Least suddaine mischiefe ye too
rash prouoke:
The danger hid, the place
vnknowne and wilde,
Breedes dreadfull doubts: Oft
fire is without smoke,
And perill without show:
therefore your stroke
Sir knight with-hold, till
further triall made.
Ah Ladie (said he) shame were to
reuoke
The forward footing for an
hidden shade:
Vertue giues her selfe light,
through darkenesse for to wade.