_Io_. Little, little _Pricke?_ ô you are a daungerous Fayrie, and
fright all little wenches in the country out of their beds. I care not
whose hand I were in, so I were out of yours.
1 _Fay_. I do come about the coppes
Leaping vpon flowers toppes;
Then I get vpon a Flie,
Shee carries me aboue the skie,
And trip and goe.
2 _Fay_. When a deaw drop falleth downe
And doth light vpon my crowne,
Then I shake my head and skip
And about I trip.
3 _Fay_. When I feele a girle a sleepe
Vnderneath her frock I peepe.
There to sport, and there I play,
Then I byte her like a flea;
And about I skip.
_Io_. I, I thought where I should haue you.
_1 Fay_. Wilt please you daunce, sir.
_Io_. Indeed, sir, I cannot handle my legges.
2 _Fay_. O you must needs daunce and sing,
Which if you refuse to doe
We will pinch you blacke and blew;
And about we goe.
_They all daunce in a ring and sing, as followeth_.
Round about, round about, in a fine ring a,
Thus we daunce, thus we daunce, and thus we sing a:
Trip and go, too and fro, ouer this Greene a,
All about, in and out, for our braue Queene a.
Round about, round about, in a fine Ring a,
Thus we daunce, thus we daunce, and thus we sing a:
Trip and go, too and fro, ouer this Greene a,
All about, in and out, for our braue Queene a.
We haue daunc't round about in a fine Ring a,
We haue daunc't lustily and thus we sing a;
All about, in and out, ouer this Greene a,
Too and fro, trip and go, to our braue Queene a.
_Actus Tertius_.
(SCENE I.)
_Enter Appollo and three Charites_.
1 _Cha_. No, No, great _Phoebus_; this your silence tends
To hide your griefe from knowledge of your friends,
Who, if they knew the cause in each respect,
Would shewe their utmost skill to cure th'effect:
_Ap_. Good Ladyes, your conceites in iudgement erre:
Because you see me dumpish, you referre
The reason to some secret griefe of mine:
But you haue seene me melancholy many a time:
Perhaps it is the glowing weather now
That makes me seeme so ill at ease to you.
1 _Cha_. Fine shifts to cover that you cannot hide!
No, _Phoebus_; by your looks may be discride
Some hid conceit that harbors in your thought
Which hath therein some straunge impression wrought,
That by the course thereof you seeme to mee
An other man then you were wont to bee.
_Ap_. No, Ladies; you deceiue yourselues in mee:
What likelihood or token do ye see
That may perswade it true that you suppose?
2 _Cha_. _Appollo_ hence a great suspition growes:--
Yeare not so pleasaunt now as earst in companie;
Ye walke alone and wander solitarie;
The pleasaunt toyes we did frequent sometime
Are worne away and growne out of prime;
Your Instrument hath lost his siluer sound,
That rang of late through all this grouie ground;
Your bowe, wherwith the chace you did frequent,
Is closde in case and long hath been unbent.
How differ you from that _Appollo_ now
That whilom sat in shade of Lawrell bowe,
And with the warbling of your Iuorie Lute
T'alure the Fairies for to daunce about!
Or from th'_Appollo_ that with bended bowe
Did many a sharp and wounding shaft bestowe
Amidst the Dragon _Pithons_ scalie wings,
And forc't his dying blood to spout in springs!
Beleeue me, _Phebus_, who sawe you then and now
Would thinke there were a wondrous change in you.
_Ap_. Alas, faire dames, to make my sorows plain
Would but reuiue an auncient wound again,
Which grating presently vpon my minde
Doth leaue a fear of former woes behinde.
3 _Cha_. _Phoebus_, if you account vs for the same
That tender thee and loue _Appollo's_ name,
Poure forth to vs the fountaine of your woe
Fro whence the spring of these your sorows flowe;
If we may any way redresse your mone
Commaund our best, harme we will do you none.
_Ap_. Good Ladies, though I hope for no reliefe
He shewe the ground of this my present griefe:
This time of yeare, or there about it was,
(Accursed be the time, tenne times, alas!)
When I from _Delphos_ tooke my iourney downe
To see the games in noble Sparta Towne.
There saw I that wherein I gan to ioy,
_Amilchars_ sonne, a gallant comely boy
(Hight _Hiacinth_), full fifteene yeares of age,
Whom I intended to haue made my Page;
And bare as great affection to the boy
As euer _Ioue_ in _Ganimede_ did ioy.
Among the games my selfe put in a pledge,
To trie my strength in throwing of the sledge;
Which, poysing with my strained arme, I threw
So farre that it beyond the other flew:
My _Hiacinth_, delighting in the game,
Desierd to proue his manhood in the same,
And, catching ere the sledge lay still on ground,
With violent force aloft it did rebound
Against his head and battered out his braine;
And so alas my louely boy was slaine.
1 _Cha_. Hard hap, O _Phoebus_; but, sieth it's past & gone,
We wish ye to forbeare this frustrate mone.
_Ap_. Ladies, I knowe my sorrowes are in vaine,
And yet from mourning can I not refraine.
1 _Cha_. _Eurania_ some pleasant song shall sing
To put ye from your dumps.
_Ap_. Alas, no song will bring
The least reliefe to my perplexed minde.
2 _Cha_. No, _Phoebus_? what other pastime shall we finde
To make ye merry with?
_Ap_. Faire dames, I thanke you all;
No sport nor pastime can release my thrall.
My grief's of course; when it the course hath had,
I shall be merrie and no longer sad.