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And love, as pure as Heav'ns conjunction. Thus she was his, and he her flesh and bone: So were they two to sight; in truth entirely one. XXV.

Upon her arched brows, unarmed Love

Triumphing sat in peaceful victory ;

And in her eyes thousand chaste graces move,
Checking vain thoughts with awful majesty :
Ten thousand moe her fairer breast contains;
Where quiet meekness every ill restrains,
And humbly subject spirit by willing service reigns.
XXVI.

Her sky-like arms glitter'd in golden beams,

And brightly seem'd to flame with burning hearts:
The scorching ray with his reflected streams
Fire to their flames, but heav'nly fire imparts:
Upon his shield a pair of turtles shone;

A lovely pair, still coupled, ne'er alone?

Her word, 'Though one when two, yet either two, or none." XXVII.

With her, her sister went, a warlike Maid,

Parthenia *, all in steel and gilded arms;
In needle's stead, a mighty spear she sway'd,
With which in bloody fields and fierce alarms,

The boldest champion she down would bear,
And like a thunderbolt wide passage tear,
Flinging all to the earth with her enchanted spear.
XXVIII.

Her goodly armour seem'd a garden green,
Where thousand spotless lilies freshly blew ;
And on her shield the lone bird might be seen,
Th' Arabian bird, shining in colours new;
* Chastity in the single.

Itself unto itself was only mate;

Ever the same, but new in newer date :

And underneath was writ Such is chaste single state.”

XXIX.

Thus hid in arms she seem'd a goodly knight,

And fit for any warlike exercise :

But when she list lay down her armour bright,
And back resume her peaceful maiden's guise;
The fairest Maid she was, that ever yet
Prison'd her locks within a golden net,

Or let them waving hang, with roses fair beset.
XXX.

Choice nymph! the crown of chaste Diana's train,
Thou beauty's lily, set in heav'nly earth;

Thy fair's unpattern'd, all perfection stain :
Sure Heav'n with curious pencil at thy birth
In thy rare face her own full picture drew:
It is a strong verse here to write, but true,
Hyperboles in others, are but half thy due.
XXXI.

Upon her forehead Love his trophies fits,

A thousand spoils in silver arch displaying : And in the midst himself full proudly sits, Himself in awful majesty arraying :

Upon her brows lies his bent ebon bow,

And ready shafts: deadly those weapons show; Yet sweet the death appear'd, lovely that deadly blow. XXXII.

And at the foot of this celestial frame,

Two radiant stars, than stars yet better being, Endu'd with living fire, and seeing flame;

Yet with Heav'ns stars in this too near agreeing;

They timely warmth, themselves not warm, inspire; These kindle thousand hearts with hot desire, And burning all they see, feel in themselves no fire. XXXIII.

Ye matchless stars (yet each the other's match)

Heav'ns richest diamonds, set in amel white
From whose bright spheres all grace the graces catch
And will not move but by your loadstars bright;
How have you stol'n and stor❜d your armoury

With Love's and Death's strong shafts and from your sky, Pour down thick show'rs of darts to make whole armies fly ? XXXIV.

Above those Suns, two rainbows high aspire,
Not in light shews, but sadder liveries drest;
Fair Iris seem'd to mourn in sable 'tire;

Yet thus more sweet the greedy eye they feast :
And but that wondrous face it well allow'd,
Wondrous it seem'd that two fair rainbows show'd
Above their sparkling Suns, without or rain or cloud.
XXXV.

A bed of lilies flow'r upon her cheek,

And in the midst was set a circling rose;
Whose sweet aspect would force Narcissus seek
New liveries, and fresher colours choose

To deck his beauteous head in snowy 'tire;
But all in vain for who can hope t' aspire
To such a Fair, which none attain, but all admire ?
XXXVI.

Her ruby lips lock up from gazing sight

A troop of pearls, which march in goodly row: But when she deigns those precious bones undight, Soon heav'nly notes from those divisions flow,

And with rare musick charm the ravish'd ears,

Daunting bold thoughts, but cheering modest fears: The spheres so only sing, so only charm the spheres. XXXVII.

Her dainty breasts, like to an April rose
From green silk fillets yet not all unbound,
Began their little rising heads disclose,

And fairly spread their silver circlets round :
From those two bulwarks love doth safely fight;
Which swelling easily, may seem to sight
To be enwombed both of pleasure and delight.
XXXVIII.

Yet all these stars which deck this beauteous sky
By force of th' inward sun both shine and move ;
Thron'd in her heart sits love's high majesty;
In highest majesty the highest love.

As when a taper shines in glassy frame,

The sparkling crystal burns in glitt'ring flame, So does that brightest love brighten this lovely dame. XXXIX.

Thus, and much fairer, fair Parthenia

Glist'ring in arms, herself presents to sight;
And when th' Amazon queen, Hippolyta,
With Theseus enter'd lists in single fight,
With equal arms her mighty foe opposing;
Till now her bared head her face disclosing,
Conquer'd the conqueror, and won the fight by losing.
XL.

A thousand Knights woo'd her with busy pain,
To thousands she her virgin-grant deny'd;
Although her dear-sought love to entertain,

They all their wit, and all their strength apply'd:
X

Yet in her heart, Love close his sceptre sway'd,

Which to a Heavenly Spouse her thoughts betray'd, Where she a maiden wife might live, and wifely maid. XLÍ.

Upon her steps a virgin page attended,

Fair Erythre*, whose often blushing face,
Sweetly her in-born bashful thoughts commended;
The face's change prov'd'th' heart's unchanged grace,
Which she a shrine to purity devotes :

So when clear ivory, vermeil fitly blots,
By stains it fairer grows, and lovelier by its spots:

XLII.

Her golden hair, her silver forehead high,
Her teeth of solid, eyes of liquid pearl;
But neck and breast no man might bare descry,

So sweetly modest was this bashful girl :

But that sweet paradise, ah! could we see,

On whose white mount lets daintier apple's be,

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Than those we bought so dear on Eden's tempting tree.
XLIII.

-These noble Knights this threaten'd fort defend;
These and a thousand moe heroic Swains,

That to this 'stressed state their service lend,
To free from force, and save from captive chains.
But now too late the battle to recite ;

For Hesperus Heav'ns tapers 'gins to light,
And warns each star to wait upon their mistress Night.

* Modesty.

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