And that blind boy was all in blood
Bebathed to the ears;

And like a Conqueror he stood,
And scornèd Lovers' tears.

'I have,' quoth he, 'more hearts at call Than CESAR could command;

And, like the deer, I make them fall!
That runneth o'er the lawn.

One drops down here! another, there!
In bushes as they groan;

I bend a scornful, careless, ear,

To hear them make their moan.'

'Ah, Sir!' quoth HONEST MEANING then, 'Thy boylike brags I hear! When thou hast wounded many a man, As huntsman doth the deer; Becomes it thee to triumph so!

Thy mother wills it not;

For she had rather break thy bow,
Than thou shouldst play the sot!'
'What saucy merchant speaketh now?'
Said VENUS, in her rage,

'Art thou so blind, thou know'st not how I govern every age!

'My son doth shoot no shaft in waste! To me the boy is bound:

He never found a heart so chaste,

But he had power to wound!' 'Not so, fair Goddess!' quoth FREE WILL, 'In me, there is a choice! And cause I am of mine own ill; If I in thee rejoice!

And when I yield myself a slave
To thee, or to thy son;
Such recompense I ought not have!
If things be rightly done.'

'Why, fool!' stepped forth Delight, and said, 'When thou art conquered thus,

Then, lo, Dame LUST, that wanton Maid,
Thy Mistress is, iwus!

And Lust is CUPID's darling Dear!
Behold her, where she goes!

She creeps, the milk-warm flesh so near,
She hides her under close;

Where many privy thoughts do dwell,
A heaven here on earth!

For they have never mind of hell;
They think so much on mirth!'

'Be still, GOOD MEANING!' quoth GOOD SPORT, 'Let CUPID triumph make!

For, sure, his kingdom shall be short;

If we no pleasure take!

Fair Beauty and her play-feres gay,
The Virgins Vestal too,

Shall sit, and with their fingers play,
As idle people do.

If HONEST MEANING fall to frown,
And I, GOOD SPORT, decay;
Then VENUS' glory will come down,
And they will pine away!'

Indeed,' quoth WIT, 'this your device,
With strangeness must be wrought!
And where you see these women nice,
And looking to be sought;

With scowling brows, their follies check;
And so give them the fig!

Let Fancy be no more at beck!

When Beauty looks so big.'
When VENUS heard how they conspired
To murder women so;

Methought, indeed, the house was fired,
With storms and lightning tho.

The thunderbolts through windows burst; And, in their steps, a wight

Which seemed some soul, or sprite, accurst, So ugly was the sight:

'I charge you, Ladies all,' said he, 'Look to yourselves in haste!

For if that men so wilful be,

And have their thoughts so chaste, And they can tread on CUPID's breast, And march on VENUS' face: Then they shall sleep in quiet rest;

When you shall wail your case!'

With that, had VENUS, all in spite,
Stirred up the Dames to ire;
And Lust fell cold, and BEAUTY white
Sat babbling with DESIRE;

Whose mutt'ring words I might not mark.
Much whispering there arose ;

The day did lower, the sun waxed dark, Away each Lady goes!

But whither went this angry flock,

Our LORD himself doth know! Wherewith full loudly crew the cock; And I awaked so.

'A dream,' quoth I, 'a dog it is! I take thereon no keep!

I gage my head, such toys as this
Doth spring from lack of sleep!'

As you came from the holy land
Of Walsingham,

Met you not with my True Love,
By the way, as you came?

How shall I know your True Love,
That have met many one,
As I went to the holy land;

That have come, that have gone?

She is neither white, nor brown;
But as the heavens fair!
There is none hath a form so divine,
In the earth, or the air!

Such a one did I meet, good Sir!
Such an angelic face;

Who like a Queen, like a Nymph, did appear
By her gait, by her grace.

She hath left me here all alone,
All alone, as unknown;

Who sometimes did me lead with herself,
And me loved as her own.