Page:Metamorphoses (Ovid, 1567).djvu/299

 Delighted Midas eares, for he by chaunce was in the throng. When Pan had doone, the sacred Tmole to Phebus turnd his looke, And with the turning of his head his busshye heare he shooke. Then Phebus with a crowne of Bay uppon his golden heare Did sweepe the ground with scarlet robe. In left hand he did beare His viol made of precious stones and Ivorye intermixt. And in his right hand for to strike, his bowe was redy fixt. He was the verrye paterne of a good Musician ryght Anon he gan with conning hand the tuned strings to smyght. The sweetenesse of the which did so the judge of them delyght, That Pan was willed for to put his Reedepype in his cace, And not to fiddle nor to sing where viols were in place. The judgement of the holy hill was lyked well of all, Save Midas, who found fault therwith and wrongfull did it call. ' Apollo could not suffer well his foolish eares to keepe Theyr humaine shape, but drew them wyde, and made them long and deepe. And filld them full of whytish heares, and made them downe to sag, And through too much unstablenesse continually to wag. His body keeping in the rest his manly figure still, Was ponnisht in the part that did offend for want of skill. And so a slowe paaste Asses eares his heade did after beare. This shame endevereth he to hyde. And therefore he did weare A purple nyghtcappe ever since. But yit his Barber who Was woont to notte him spyed it: and beeing eager to Disclose it, when he neyther durst to utter it, nor could It keepe in secret still, he went and digged up the mowld, And whispring softly in the pit, declaard what eares hee spyde His mayster have, and turning downe the clowre ageine, did hyde His blabbed woordes within the ground, and closing up the pit Departed thence and never made mo woordes at all of it. Soone after, there began a tuft of quivering reedes to growe Which beeing rype bewrayd theyr seede and him that did them sowe. For when the gentle sowtherne wynd did lyghtly on them blowe, They uttred foorth the woordes that had beene buried in the ground And so reprovde the Asses eares of Midas with theyr sound. Apollo after this revenge from Tmolus tooke his flyght: And sweeping through the ayre, did on the selfsame syde alvght