Book 14
This mayd a yoongmannes image sheawd of fayre whyght marble stone
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Within a Chauncell. On the head therof were garlonds store
And eeke a woodspecke. And as I demaunded her wherfore
And whoo it was they honord so in holy Church, and why
He bare that bird uppon his head: shee answeering by and by
Sayd: Lerne hereby, sir Macare, to understand the powre
My lady hathe, and marke thou well what I shall say this howre.
There reignd erewhyle in Italy one Picus, Saturnes sonne,
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Whoo loved warlike horse and had delyght to see them ronne.
He was of feature as yee see. And by this image heere
The verry beawtye of the man dooth lyvelely appeere.
His courage matcht his personage. And scarcely had he well
Seene twentye yeeres. His countnance did allure the nymphes that dwell
Among the Latian hilles. The nymphes of fountaines and of brookes,
As those that haunted Albula were ravisht with his lookes
And so were they that Numicke beares, and Anio too, and Alme
That ronneth short, and heady Nar, and Farfar coole and calme.
And all the nymphes that usde to haunt Dianas shadye poole,
Or any lakes or meeres neere hand, or other waters coole.
But he disdeyning all the rest did set his love uppon
A lady whom Venilia bare (so fame reporteth) on
The stately mountayne Palatine by Janus that dooth beare
The dowble face. Assoone as that her yeeres for maryage were
Thought able, shee preferring him before all other men,
Was wedded to this Picus whoo was king of Lawrents then.
Shee was in beawtve excellent, but yit in singing, much
More excellent: and theruppon they naamd her Singer. Such
The sweetenesse of her musicke was, that shee therwith delyghts
The savage beastes, and caused birdes to cease theyr wandring flyghts,
And moved stones and trees, and made the ronning streames to stay.
Now whyle that shee in womans tune recordes her pleasant lay
At home, her husband rode abrode uppon a lustye horse
To hunt the Boare, and bare in hand twoo hunting staves of force.
His cloke was crymzen butned with a golden button fast.
Into the selfsame forest eeke was Phebus daughter past
From those same feeldes that of herself the name of Circe beare,
To gather uncowth herbes among the fruteful hillocks there.
As soone as lurking in the shrubbes shee did the king espye,
Shee was astrawght. Downe fell her herbes to ground. And by and by
Through all her bones the flame of love the maree gan to frye.
