P. Ovidius Naso, Metamorphoses
Arthur Golding, Ed.

This was the end of Macars tale. And ere long tyme was gone,
Aenaeas Nurce was buryed in a tumb of marble stone,
And this short verse was set theron: In this same verry place
My Nurcechyld whom the world dooth know to bee a chyld of grace
Delivering mee, Caieta, quicke from burning by the Grayes,
Hathe burnt mee dead with such a fyre as justly winnes him prayse.
Theyr Cables from the grassye strond were loosde, and by and by
From Circes slaunderous house and from her treasons farre they fly.
And making to the thickgrowen groves where through the yellow dust
The shady Tyber into sea his gusshing streame dooth thrust,
Aenaeas got the Realme of king Latinus, Fawnus sonne,
And eeke his daughter, whom in feyght by force of armes he wonne.
He enterprysed warre ageinst a Nation feerce and strong.
And Turne was wrothe for holding of his wyfe away by wrong.
Ageinst the Shyre of Latium met all Tyrrhene, and long
With busye care hawlt victorie by force of armes was sought.
Eche partie to augment theyr force by forreine succour wrought.
And many sent the Rutills help, and many came to ayd
The Trojanes: neyther was the good Aenaeas ill apayd
Of going to Evanders towne. But Venulus in vayne
To outcast Diomeds citie went his succour to obteine.
This Diomed under Dawnus, king of Calabrye, did found
A myghtye towne, and with his wyfe in dowrye hild the ground.
Now when from Turnus, Venulus his message had declaard,
Desyring help: th'Aetolian knyght sayd none could well bee spaard.
And in excuce, he told him how he neyther durst be bold
To prest his fathers folk to warre of whom he had no hold,
Nor any of his countrymen had left as then alyve
To arme. And lest yee think (quoth hee) I doo a shift contryve,
Although by uppening of the thing my bitter greef revyve
I will abyde to make a new rehersall. After that
The Greekes had burned Troy and on the ground had layd it flat,
And that the Prince of Narix by his ravishing the mayd
In Pallas temple, on us all the pennance had displayd
Which he himself deservd alone: then scattred heere and there
And harryed over all the seas, wee Greekes were fayne to beare
Nyght, thunder, tempest, wrath of heaven and sea, and last of all
Sore shipwrecke at mount Capharey to mend our harmes withall.
And lest that mee to make too long a processe yee myght deeme
In setting forth our heavy happes, the Greekes myght that tyme seeme
Ryght rewfull even to Priamus. Howbee't Minerva, shee
That weareth armour, tooke mee from the waves and saved mee.
But from my fathers Realme ageine by violence I was driven.
For Venus bearing still in mynd the wound I had her given
Long tyme before, did woork revendge. By meanes wherof such toyle
Did tosse mee on the sea, and on the land I found such broyle
By warres, that in my hart I thought them blist of God whom erst
The violence of the raging sea and hideous wynds had perst,
And whom the wrathfull Capharey by shipwrecke did confound:
Oft wisshing also I had there among the rest beene drownd.
My company now having felt the woorst that sea or warre
Could woorke, did faynt, and wisht an end of straying out so farre.
But Agmon hot of nature and too feerce through slaughters made
Sayd: What remayneth, sirs, through which our pacience cannot wade?
What further spyght hath Venus yit to woork ageinst us more?
When woorse misfortunes may be feard than have beene felt before,
Then prayer may advauntadge men, and vowwing may then boote.
But when the woorst is past of things, then feare is under foote.
And when that bale is hyghest growne, then boote must next ensew.
Although shee heere mee, and doo hate us all (which thing is trew)
That serve heere under Diomed: Yit set wee lyght her hate.
And deerely it should stand us on to purchase hygh estate.
With such stowt woordes did Agmon stirre dame Venus unto ire
And raysd ageine her settled grudge. Not many had desyre
To heere him talk thus out of square. The moste of us that are
His freendes rebukte him for his woordes. And as he did prepare
To answere, bothe his voyce and throte by which his voyce should go,
Were small: his heare to feathers turnd: his necke was clad as tho
With feathers: so was brist and backe. The greater fethers stacke
Uppon his armes: and into wings his elbowes bowwed backe.
The greatest portion of his feete was turned into toes.
A hardened bill of horne did growe uppon his mouth and noze,
And sharpened at the neather end. His fellowes, Lycus, Ide,
Rethenor, Nyct, and Abas all stood woondring by his syde.
And as they woondred, they receyvd the selfsame shape and hew.
And finally the greater part of all my band up flew,
And clapping with theyr newmade wings, about the ores did gird.
And if yee doo demaund the shape of this same dowtfull bird,
Even as they bee not verry Swannnes: so drawe they verry neere
The shape of Cygnets whyght. With much adoo I settled heere,
And with a little remnant of my people doo obteyne
The dry grownds of my fathrinlaw, king Dawnus, whoo did reigne
In Calabry. Thus much the sonne of Oenye sayd. Anon
Sir Venulus returning from the king of Calydon,
Forsooke the coast of Puteoll and the feeldes of Messapie,
In which hee saw a darksome denne forgrowne with busshes hye,
And watred with a little spring. The halfegoate Pan that howre
Possessed it: but heertofore it was the fayryes bowre.
A shepeherd of Appulia from that countrye scaard them furst.
But afterward recovering hart and hardynesse they durst
Despyse him when he chaced them, and with theyr nimble feete
Continewed on theyr dawncing still in tyme and measure meete.
The shepeherd fownd mee fault with them: and with his lowtlike leapes
Did counterfette theyr minyon dawnce, and rapped out by heapes
A rabble of unsavery taunts even like a country cloyne,
To which, most leawd and filthy termes of purpose he did joyne.
And after he had once begon, he could not hold his toong,
Untill that in the timber of a tree his throte was cloong.
For now he is a tree, and by his jewce discerne yee may
His manners. For the Olyf wyld dooth sensibly bewray
By berryes full of bitternesse his rayling toong. For ay
The harshnesse of his bitter woordes the berryes beare away.