Page:Works of Edmund Spenser - 1857.djvu/401

367 “Here manie other like heroes bee, Equall in honour to the former crue, Whom ye in goodly seates may placed see, Descended all from Rome by linage due; From Rome, that holds the world in sovereigntie, And doth all nations unto her subdue: Here Fabii and Decii doo dwell, Horatii that in vertue did excell.

“And here the antique fame of stout Camill Doth ever live; and constant Curtius, Who, stifly bent his vowed life to spill For countreyes health, a gulph most hideous Amidst the towne with his owne corps did fill, T’ appease the powers; and prudent Mutius, Who in his flesh endur’d the scorching flame, To daunt his foe by ensample of the same.

“And here wise Curius, companion Of noble vertues, lives in endles rest; And stout Flaminius, whose devotion Taught him the fires scorn’d furie to detest; And here the praise of either Scipion Abides in highest place above the best, To whom the ruin’d walls of Carthage vow’d; Trembling, their forces sound their praises lowd.

“Live they for ever through their lasting praise! But I, poore wretch, am forced to retourne To the sad lakes that Phœbus sunnie rayes Doo never see, where soules doo alwaies mourne; And by the wayling shores to waste my dayes, Where Phlegeton with quenchles flames doth burne; By which iust Minos righteous soules doth sever From wicked ones, to live in blisse for ever.

“Me therefore thus the cruell fiends of hell Girt with long snakes, and thousand yron chaynes, Through doome of that their cruell iudge, compell With bitter torture, and impatient paines, Cause of my death and iust complaint to tell. For thou art he, whom ray poore ghost complaines To be the author of her ill unwares, That careles bear’st my intollerable cares.

“Them therefore as bequeathing to the winde, I now depart, returning to thee never, And leave this lamentable plaint behinde. But doo thou haunt the soft downe-rolling river, And wilde greene woods and fruitful pastures minde; And let the flitting aire my vaine words sever.”— Thus having said, he heavily departed With piteous crie, that anie would have smarted.

Now, when the sloathfull fit of lifes sweete rest Had left the heavie shepheard, wondrous cares His inly grieved minde full sore opprest; That balefull sorrow he no longer beares For that gnats death, which deeply was imprest; But bends what ever power his aged yeares Him lent, yet being such, as through their might He lately slue his dreadfull foe in fight.

By that same river lurking under greene, Eftsoones he gins to fashion forth a place; And, squaring it in compasse well beseene, There plotteth out a tombe by measured space: His yron-headed spade tho making cleene, To dig up sods out of the flowrie grasse, His worke he shortly to good purpose brought, Like as he had conceived it in his thought.

An heape of earth he hoorded up on hie, Enclosing it with banks on everie side, And thereupon did raise full busily A little mount of greene turffs edifide; And on the top of all, that passers by Might it behold, the toomb he did provide Of smoothest marble stone in order set, That never might his luckie scape forget.

And round about he taught sweete flowres to growe; The Rose engrained in pure scarlet die! The Lilly fresh; and Violet belowe; The Marigolde; and cherefull Rosemarie; The Spartan Mirtle, whence sweet gumb does flowe; The purple Hyacynthe; and fresh Costmarie; And Saffron, sought for in Cilician soyle; And Lawrell, th’ ornament of Phœbus toyle.

Fresh Rhododaphne; and the Sabine flowre, Matching the wealth of th’ auncient Frankincence; And pallid Yvie, building his owne bowre; And 5ox, yet mindefull of his olde offence; Red Aramanthus, lucklesse paramour; Oxeye still greene; and bitter Patience; Ne wants there pale Narcisse, that, in a well Seeing his beautie, in love with it fell.

And whatsoever other flowre of worth, And whatso other hearb of lovely hew, The ioyous Spring out of the ground brings forth, To cloath her selfe in colours fresh and new, He planted there, and reard amount of earth, In whose high front was writ as doth ensue:


 * To thee, small Gnat, in lieu of his life saved,
 * The Shepheard hath thy deaths record engraved.