I grewe extreamely hoate and faynte, not knowing what to doe, but onely in a wearye body, to conteine a minde distraught through troublesome thoughts, breathing out hollow and deepe sighes, desiring helpe of the pittifull Cretensian Ariadne, who for the destroying of hir monstrous brother the Mynotaur(A) gaue vnto the deceitfull Theseus a clew of thred, to conduct him foorth of the intricate laborinth, that I also by some such meanes might be deliuered out of this obscure wood.
Poliphilus being thus distempered in this daungerous and obscure wood, at length getteth foorth, and being come to a faire Riuer, indeuoring to rest himselfe and coole his heate, he heard a most delightful harmonie, which made him forget to drinke, and followe after the voice, which brought him to a woorse perplexitie.
Wherefore more trembling then in mustulent Autume be the yealow coulored leaue, hauing left their moisture, being thorowlye searched with the furious north winde, I lifted vp my hart to God, desiring as Achemenides being afraide of the horrible Cyclops rather to be slaine by the hands of Aeneas his enemie, rather then to suffer so odious a death.
And my deuoute prayer, sincerely vnited to a contrite heart, powring out a fountaine of teares with a stedfast beliefe to be deliuered. I found my selfe in a short space gotten at libertie, like a new day crept out of a darke and tempestuous night. My eyes before vsed to such obumbrated darkenes, could scarse abide to behould the light, thorow watery sadnes. Neuerthelesse glad I was to see the light: as one set at libertie, that had beene chayned vp in a deepe dungeon and obscure darkenesse. Verye thirstie I was, my clothes torne, my face and hands scratched and netteled, and withall so extreamely set on heate, as the fresh ayre seemed to doe me more hurt then good, neither did it any waye ease my body, desirous to keepe his new recouered scope and libertie.
And after that I had a little rowsed vp my mynde, and sommoned together my sences in some better sort: I sought a meanes to quench my inordinate thyrst, procured and increased through innumerable sighes, and extreame labour of body. Thus casting my eyes with a diligent regarde about the plaine, to finde some Fountaine whereat I might refresh my selfe: a pleasant spring or head of water, did offer it selfe vnto me, with a great vayne boyling vp, about the which did growe diuers sweet hearbes and water flowers, and from the same did flowe a cleare and chrystalline current streame, which deuided into diuers branches, ran thorow the desart wood, with a turning and winding body, receyuing into it other little channels, vnlading themselues.
In whose courses the stones lift vp by nature, and trunkes of trees denyed any longer by their roots to be vpholden, did cause a stopping hinderance to their current and whuzing fall, which still augmented by other vndissonant torrents, from high and fertlesse mountaines in the plaine, shewed a beautifull brightnes and soft passing course, to the which short windedly comming, by meanes of my fearefull flight. I did see a little obscure light, thorow the tops of the high trees, somewhat deuiding themselues ouer the water, and with the rest of their bodyes and branches, as it were seperating the heauens from my lifted vp eyes. A horrible place to be in, vnaccompanyed of any creature.
And suddainly hearing the fall of trees, through the force of a whyrlewinde, & noise of the broken bowghes, with a redoubled and hoarse sound a farre of, and yet brought to the eccho of the water thorow the thick wood, I grew into a new astonishment.
And at this instant thus terrified and afflycted, and yet without any receiued hurt, being vpon my knees bowed downe, and inclosing the hollownesse of my hand, therewith determined to make me a necessary drinking vessel: I had no sooner put the same into the water, offring to my mouth the long desired moysture, thereby to refrygerate and coole the extreame heate of my burning heart, which at that time would haue beene more acceptable vnto me, then eyther Hypanis and Ganges be to the Indians, Tigris or Euphrates to the Armenians, or Xeylus to the Aethiopian nation, or to the Egyptians his innundation, inbybing theyr burnt and rosted mould, or yet the riuer Po to the Ligurians.
Euen then also it fell so out, that I had no sooner taken water into the palme of my hand, offering the same to my open mouth, ready to receiue it: I heard a doricall songe, wherewith I was as greatly delighted, as if I had heard the Thracian Thamiras, which thorough my eares presented it selfe to my vnquiet heart, with so sweete and delectable a deliuerie, with a voyce not terrestriall, with so great a harmonie and incredible a fayning shrilnesse, and vnusuall proportion, as is possible to bee imagined by no tounge sufficiently to be commended. The sweetnes whereof so greatly delighted me, as thereby I was rauished of my remembrance, and my vnderstanding so taken from me, as I let fall my desired water thorough the loosned ioynts of my feeble hands.
And then euen as a birde, which through the sweetnes of the call forgetteth to remember the Fowlers deceit, so I letting slip that which nature stood in need of, hastened my selfe back with all speed, towarde that attractiue melodie, which the more I coasted, the further it seemed still from me, sometime heere, sometimes there, and still as I shifted places, so the same also chaunged with a delectable voyce and heauenly consent. Thus vainly running [v] vp and downe, I knew not after what, I grew more wearie, faint, and drye, and so feeble, that my legges could but with great paine, vphould my distempered body. And my grieued spirits vnabled long to support the same, what with the feare that I had bin in, what with extreame thirst, what with long and wilesome trauell, and what with doubting the worst that might insue. Thus hote, faint, and drye: I knew not what to do but euen to procure rest for my weary members. I marueled first at this straunge accedent, and was amazed at this inhumane harmonye, but most of all in that I was in a straunge contry, and vninhabited, being onelye fertill and beawtyfull to behould, besydes that I greatly sorrowed for the losse of the fayer ryuer which I had so greatly labored to finde out, and now so lightly and carelesly to haue lost the benefit thereof. In this sort I was houlden in an intrycate minde of doubts, at length ouercome withall kinde of greefes, my whole bodye trembling and languishinge vnder a broade and mightye Oke full of Acornes, standing in the middest of a spatious and large green meade, extending forth his thicke and leauie armes to make a coole shadowe, vnder whose bodye breathing I rested my selfe vppon the deawye hearbes, and lying vppon my left syde I drewe my breath in the freshe ayre more shortly betwixt my drye and wrinckled lips, then the weary running heart, pinched in the haunche and struck in the brest, not able any longer to beare vp his weighty head, or sustaine his body vpon his bowing knees, but dying prostrates himselfe. And lying thus in such an agonie, I thought vpon the strifes of weake fortune, and the inchauntments of the malicious Cyrces, as if I had by hir charmes and quadranguled plaints, been bereaued of my sences. In these such so great & exceeding doubts: O hi me where might I there among so many dyuerse and sundry sorts of hearbes, finde the Mercurial Moli Moly an herb greatly commended of Homer, and thought to be souereigne against inchauntments of moderne authors altogether vnknowne. (a) Hypsipile was daughter to Thaos king of Lemnos, who alone when all women of that Iland had slaine their husbands & kinsmen, saued hir father: she also shewed the Grecians the fountaine Langia in the wood of Nemea in Achaia where Hercules slue a lion. (b) Dipsa a kind of snakes that Lucan mentioneth, whose byting procureth extreame drynes or thirste. with his blacke roote, for my helpe and remedie. Againe me thought that it was not so with me. What then? euen a hard appoyntment to delay my desired death. And thus remayning in these pernitious thoughts, my strength debylitated: I looked for no other helpe, but to drawe and receiue fresh ayre into that brest, which panted with a small remainder of vytall warmnesse, taking into my hands halfe aliue, as my last refuge, the moyst and bedewed leaues, preserued in the coole shadow of the greene Oke: putting the same to my pale and drye lippes, with a greedy desire in