Page:Metamorphoses (Ovid, 1567).djvu/177

 With these and other such hir wordes, both causes so him stung, That drawing out his naked sworde that at his girdle hung, He tooke hir rudely by the haire, and wrung hir hands behind hir, Compelling hir to holde them there while he himselfe did bind hir. When Philomela sawe the sworde, she hoapt she should have dide, And for the same hir naked throte she gladly did provide. But as she yirnde and called ay upon hir fathers name, And strived to have spoken still, the cruell tyrant came And with a paire of pinsons fast did catch hir by the tung, And with his sword did cut it off. The stumpe whereon it hung Did patter still. The tip fell downe and quivering on the ground As though that it had murmured it made a certaine sound. And as an Adders tayle cut off doth skip a while: even so The tip of Philomelaas tongue did wriggle to and fro, And nearer to hir mistresseward in dying still did go. And after this most cruell act, for certaine men report That he (I scarcely dare beleve) did oftentimes resort To maymed Philomela and abusde hir at his will: Yet after all this wickednesse he keeping countnance still, Durst unto Progne home repaire. And she immediatly Demaunded where hir sister was. He sighing feynedly Did tell hir falsly she was dead: and with his suttle teares He maketh all his tale to seeme of credit in hir eares. Hir garments glittring all with golde she from hir shoulders teares And puts on blacke, and setteth up an emptie Herce, and keepes A solemne obite for hir soule, and piteously she weepes And waileth for hir sisters fate who was not in such wise As that was, for to be bewailde. The Sunne had in the Skies Past through the twelve celestiall signes, and finisht full a yeare. But what should Philomela doe? She watched was so neare That start she could not for hir life. The walles of that same graunge Were made so high of maine hard stone, that out she could not raunge. Againe hir tunglesse mouth did want the utterance of the fact. Great is the wit of pensivenesse, and when the head is rakt With hard misfortune, sharpe forecast of practise entereth in. A warpe of white upon a frame of Thracia she did pin, And weaved purple letters in betweene it, which bewraide