Page:Metamorphoses (Ovid, 1567).djvu/125

 Did tosse and wave hir hatefull head. The swarme of scaled snakes Did make an irksome noyse to heare as she hir tresses shakes. About hir shoulders some did craule: some trayling downe hir brest Did hisse and spit out poyson greene, and spirt with tongues infest. Then from amyd hir haire two snakes with venymd hand she drew Of which shee one at Athamas and one at Ino threw. The snakes did craule about their breasts, inspiring in their heart Most grievous motions of the minde: the bodie had no smart Of any wound: it was the minde that felt the cruell stings. A poyson made in Syrup wise, shee also with hir brings. The filthie fome of Cerberus, the casting of the Snake Echidna, bred among the Fennes about the Stygian Lake: Desire of gadding foorth abroad: forgetfulnesse of minde: Delight in mischiefe: woodnesse: teares: and purpose whole inclinde To cruell murther: all the which shee did together grinde: And mingling them with new shed bloud had boyled them in brasse, And stird them with a Hemblock stalke. Now whyle that Athamas And Ino stood and quakte for feare, this poyson ranke and fell Shee tourned into both their breastes and made their heartes to swell. Then whisking often round about hir head hir balefull brand, She made it soone by gathering winde to kindle in hir hand. Thus as it were in triumph wise accomplishing hir hest, To Duskie Plutos emptie Realme shee gettes hir home to rest, And putteth off the snarled Snakes that girded in hir brest. Immediatly King Aeolus sonne starke madde comes crying out Through all the court: What meane yee Sirs? why go yee not about To pitch our toyles within this chace? I saw even nowe here ran A Lyon with hir two yong whelpes. And there withall he gan To chase his wyfe as if in deede shee had a Lyon beene And lyke a Bedlem boystouslie he snatcheth from betweene The mothers armes h's little babe Loearchus smyling on him And reaching foorth his preatie armes, and floong him fiercely from him A twice or thrice as from a slyng: and dasht his tender head Against a hard and rugged stone until he sawe him dead. The wretched mother (whither griefe did move hir thereunto Or that the poyson spred within did force hir so to doe) Howld out and frantikly with scattered haire about hir eares