All spring together, all together fade;
Such intermix'd affection should invade
Two perfect lovers: which being yet unseen,
Their virtues and their comforts copied been
In beauty's concord, subject to the eye,
And that, in Hymen, pleas'd so matchlessly,
That lovers were esteem'd in their full grace,
Like form and colour mix'd in Hymen's face;
And such sweet concord was thought worthy then
Of torches, music, feasts, and greatest men:
So Hymen look'd, that e'en the chastest mind
He mov❜d to join in joys of sacred kind:
For only now his chin's first down consorted
His head's rich fleece, in golden curls contorted;
And as he was so lov'd, he lov❜d so too,

So should best beauties, bound by nuptials, do.

Bright Eucharis, who was by all men said
The noblest, fairest, and the richest maid
Of all th' Athenian damsels, Hymen lov'd
With such transmission, that his heart remov'd
From his white breast to hers; but her estate,
In passing his, was so interminate

For wealth and honour, that his love durst feed
On nought but sight and hearing, nor could breed
Hope of requital, the grand prize of love;
Nor could he hear or see, but he must prove
How his rare beauty's music would agree
With maids in consort: therefore robbed he

His chin of those some few first fruits it bore,
And clad in such attire as virgins wore,

He kept them company, and might right well,
For he did all but Eucharis excel

In all the fair of beauty: yet he wanted
Virtue to make his own desires implanted
In his dear Eucharis; for women never
Love beauty in their sex, but envy ever.
His judgment yet, that durst not suit address,
Nor past due means, presume of due success,
Reason gat fortune in the end to speed

To his best prayers: but strange it seem'd indeed,
That fortune should a chaste affection bless :
Preferment seldom graceth bashfulness.
Nor grac'd it Hymen yet; but many a dart,
And many an am'rous thought, enthrall'd his heart,
Ere he obtain'd her; and he sick became,

Forc'd to abstain her sight, and then the flame
Raged in his bosom. O what grief did fill him!
Sight made him sick, and want of sight did kill

him.

The virgins wonder'd where Diætia stayed,

For so did Hymen term himself a maid :

At length with sickly looks he greeted them: 'Tis strange to see 'gainst what an extreme stream A lover strives; poor Hymen look'd so ill,

That as in merit he increased still,

By suffering much, so he in grace decreas'd.
Women are most won, when men merit least:

If Merit look not well, Love bids stand by;
Love's special lesson is to please the eye.
And Hymen soon recovering all he lost,
Deceiving still these maids, but himself most,
His love and he with many virgin dames,
Noble by birth, noble by beauty's flames,
Leaving the town with songs and hallow'd lights,
To do great Ceres Eleusina rites

Of zealous sacrifice, were made a prey

To barbarous rovers that in ambush lay,
And with rude hand enforc'd their shining spoil,
Far from the darken'd city, tir'd with toil.
And when the yellow issue of the sky
Came trooping forth, jealous of cruelty
To their bright fellows of this under heaven,
Into a double night they saw them driven;
A horrid cave, the thieves' black mansion,
Where, weary of the journey they had gone,

Their last night's watch, and drunk with their sweet

gains,

Dull Morpheus enter'd, laden with silken chains
Stronger than iron, and bound the swelling veins
And tired senses of these lawless swains.

But when the virgins' lights thus dimly burn'd,
O what a hell was heaven in! how they mourn'd
And wrung their hands, and wound their gentle
forms

Into the shapes of sorrow! golden storms
Fell from their eyes: as when the sun appears,
And yet it rains, so show'd their eyes their tears.

And as when funeral dames watch a dead corse,
Weeping about it, telling with remorse

What pains he felt, how long in pain he lay,
How little food he eat, what he would say;
And then mix mournful tales of others' deaths,
Smothering themselves in clouds of their own breaths;
At length, one cheering other, call for wine,-
The golden bowl drinks tears out of their eyne,
As they drink wine from it; and round it goes,
Each helping other to relieve their woes:
So cast these virgins' beauties mutual rays,
One lights another, face the face displays;
Lips by reflection kiss'd, and hands hands shook,
E'en by the whiteness each of other took.

But Hymen now us'd friendly Morpheus' aid, Slew every thief, and rescued every maid. And now did his enamour'd passion take Heart from his hearty deed, whose worth did make His hope of bounteous Eucharis more strong; And now came Love with Proteus, who had long Juggled the little god with prayers and gifts, Ran through all shapes, and varied all his shifts, To win Love's stay with him, and make him love him; And when he saw no strength of sleight could move

him

To make him love, or stay, he nimbly turn'd

Into Love's self, he so extremely burn'd.

And thus came Love with Proteus and his power,
T'encounter Eucharis: first like the flower,

That Juno's milk did spring-the silver lily,
He fell on Hymen's hand, who straight did spy
The bounteous Godhead, and with wondrous joy
Offer'd it Eucharis. She wondrous coy

Drew back her hand: the subtle flower did woo it,
And drawing it near, mix'd so you could not know it.
As two clear tapers mix in one their light,

So did the lily and the hand their white:
She view'd it; and her view the form bestows
Amongst her spirits: for as colour flows
From superficies of each thing we see,
E'en so with colours forms emitted be:

And where love's form is, love is; love is form;
He enter❜d at the eye, his sacred storm
Rose from the hand, love's sweetest instrument:
It stirr'd her blood's sea so, that high it went,
And beat in bashful waves 'gainst the white shore
Of her divided cheeks; it rag'd the more,
Because the tide went 'gainst the haughty wind-
Of her estate and birth: and as we find,

In fainting ebbs, the flowery Zephyr hurls
The green hair'd Hellespont, broke in silver curls,
'Gainst Hero's tower; but in his blast's retreat,
The waves obeying him, they after beat,
Leaving the chalky shore a great way pale,

Then moist it freshly with another gale:

So ebb'd and flow'd in Eucharis's face,

Coyness and love striv'd which had greatest grace:

Virginity did fight on coyness' side,

Fear of her parents' frowns, and female pride