From the “Diana” of George of Montemayor, 1598, there is an extract in
the _Literary Pocket Book_ sweetly descriptive of a placid scene in
nature. It begins with--“When the joyous companie arrived thus far, they
saw how a little brooke, covered almost all over with sweet and smelling
herbs, ran gently thorow a greene meadow amongst a ranke of divers trees
that were nourished and maintained by the cleere water; under the
shadowes of which, as they were now determined to rest themselves,
Syrenus said, ‘Let us see from whence this little spring doth issue
forth. It may be the place is more fresh and cool thereabouts: if not,
or if we cannot finde out the fountaine from whence it flowes, we will
return here.’ It liked his company well, and so they desired him to lead
the way. Everie place and part of all the brooke upwards invited them to
pleasant rest; but, when, at length, after much perplexitie, resulting
from the very abundance and luxurie of their choice, they were about to
lay themselves downe, they sawe that with greater quantitie of waters
and fresher shades of green trees the brooke ran up higher, forsaking
its right course towards the left hande, where our companie discovered a
great thicket and spring of divers trees, in which they saw a very
narrow entrance, and somewhat long, whose sides were not of walls
fabricated by artificiall hand but made of trees by nature, the
mistresse of all things. For there were seene the deadly Cypresse, the
triumphant laurell, the hard oke, the low sallow, the invincible palme,
the blacke and ruggie elme, the olive, the prickie chestenut, and the
high pine-apple, one amongst another, whose bodies were bound about with
greene ivie and the fruitfull vine, and beset with sweet jesmines and
many other redolent flowers, that grew very thicke together in that
place. Amongst the which many little birds (inhabitants of that wood)
went leaping from bough to bough, making the place more pleasant with
their sweet and silver notes. The trees were in such order set together
that they denied not the golden sunbeames to have an entrance, to paint
the greene ground with divers colours (which reverberated from the
flowers) that were never steadie in one place, by reason that the
moveable leaves did disquiet them. This narrow way did leade to a little
greene, covered all over with fine grasse, and not touched with the
hungrie mouthes of devouring flockes. At the side of it was the
fountaine of the brooke, having a care that the place should not drie
up, sending forth on every side her flowing waters.”
The season is coming on wherein the heart will court retreat to such a
scene of natural beauty.
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