Page:Spencer - The Shepheardes Calender, conteining twelue æglogues proportionable to the twelue monethes, 1586.djvu/43

 Aprill. 15
 * T humes demegas efti diotrepheos bafilees,

Time d’'ck dios effi, philes de ¢ meticta Zeus)

coulde deujfe no parents in his iudgement f worthic for her,as Pan the fhepheardes God, and his beft beloued Sysinx. Sothat byPan is here meant the moft famous and viGorious king, herhighneffe Father, late of worthy memory king Henry the eyght. And by that name,oftentimes (as hereaf-er appeareth) be noted Kings and mighty Potentates : Aad in fome place Chnifthim felfe,who is the very Pan and God of thepheards..

e Cremofin Coronet, hee deuifeth her crowne to be of the fineit and moft delicate flowers, in fteede of perles and precious ftones, wherewith rrinceffe Diademes vic to be adorned and emboft.

Emblemifh, beautifie and fet out.:

Phebe, the Moone,whom the voets faine to be fiftervnto Phebus, thatis the Sunne.

Medled, mingicd.

Tere, together. By the mingling of the Redde rofe and the White,is ment the vniting of thetwo principall houles ot Lancafter and of: Yorke : by whefe long ditcorde and deadly debate, this Realme many yceres was foretrauailed,and almoft cleane decayed. Till the famous Henry the feventh, of the line of Lancafter, taking to wyfe the moft vertuous Princefle Elizabeth, daughterto the fourth Edwarde of the houfe of Yorke, begat the moftioyal] Henry the eyghtaforefayde, in whom was the firftvnion of the White Rofe. andthe nedde. :.

Calbope’', one of the nine Mufes : to whemthey affignethe hotior of all Poeticall in- uention, andthe firft glory of the Heroicall verfe, other fay, that fhee isthe Coddeffe of Rhetorick : bueby Viryillit is manifeft, that they myftake the thing. For there in his E- pigrams, thatarte feemethro beattributedto Polymnia, faying <

f Signat cuncta maxu,loquiturque Polymuia iit Which feemeth {pecially tobe meant ot AGion and elocution, both fpeciall partes of Rhe- torick < befide thar her name, which (2s fome conftrue ih inpaseeab preat remembrance, zontaynech another part. But holde rather with shem, whichcall her Polymnia,or Polys hymnia of her yood finging.

Bay braunches, beethe figne of honor andviGtory, and therefore of mighty Conquerors worne intheir tryumphes, and eke of famous Poets,as fayth Petrarch in his Soncts.

Arbor vittoriofa trinmphale, - Honor & Imperadori & ds P ottiye-c.

Yte Graces, bee three fifters,the daughrers of Tupiter, (whole names are Agalaia,Thalic, Euphrofyne and Homer onely addeth a fourth. (. Pafithea) otherwife calle dCkarites, that is thankes. Whomthe Poets fayned to bee Goddeffes of all bouncy and comelinefle,which thercfore (as fayth Theodontins) they make three, toweete, thar men firftought coke grati- eus and bountifull to other freely, then to receine benefites at other mens handes curte- oufly: and thirdly to requite them thankfmlly : which are three {undrie Actions in liberality And Boccacefayth, that theybce paynted naked, (as they werein decde onthe toumbe of C. Iulius Cafar) the one hauing her backe towarde vs, and hertace fromward,as procese ~ ding from vs : the other two towarde vs, noting double thanke to be cucco vsior the

benefit,we haue done. Deffly, finely.and nimbly. Soote, fweete. Beuie, A beauie of Ladies, is fpoken figuratiucly for a company or troupe, taken of Larkes. For they fay abeuie of Larkes; cuen asa Couey of Pariiieges,o% an eye

of Pheafaunts.

Ladyes of the Lake, bee Nymphes. For it wa n then, that of every {piing and fountaine was a goddeft the Soueraigne. Rucke in the mindes of men not many yeeres fithence, by mesnes oF cerfaine fine javier,

and lowde lyers,fuch as were the Authors of king Arthur the great, and ‘uch line, s ho tell D. 3 many,

Merinent, mirth, the termeis

san olde opinion among the auncient nea- Which cpinion