Be thofe that quell the might of hellish charms: He with his bare wand can unthred thy joints, 620 And crumble all thy finews.
Eld. Bro. Why prethee, Shepherd,
How durft thou then thyself approach so near,
As to make this relation?
Spir. Care and utmost shifts
How to secure the Lady from surprisal,
Brought to my mind a certain fhepherd lad,
Of small regard to fee to, yet well skill'd
every virtuous plant and healing herb,
That spreads her verdant leaf to th' morning ray:
He lov'd me well, and oft would beg me fing, 631
Which when I did, he on the tender grass
Would fit, and hearken ev'n to exstasy,
And in requital ope his leathern scrip,
And show me fimples of a thousand names, 635
Telling their strange and vigorous faculties:
Amongst the rest a small unsightly root,
But of divine effect, he cull'd me out;
The leaf was darkish, and had prickles on it,
But in another country, as he said,
Bore a bright golden flow'r, but not in this foil:
Unknown, and like efteem'd, and the dull fwain
Treads on it daily with his clouted fhoon;
And yet more med'cinal is it than that Moly
That Hermes once to wife Ulyffes gave;
He call'd it Hæmony, and gave it me,
And bad me keep it as of sovran use
'Gainft all inchantments, mildew, blaft, or damp, Or ghastly furies apparition.
I purs'd it up, but little reck'ning made,
Till now that this extremity compell'd:
But now I find it true; for by this means
I knew the foul inchanter though disguis'd,
Enter'd the very lime-twigs of his spells,
And yet came off: if you have this about you, 655 (As I will give you when we go) you may Boldly assault the necromancer's hall;
Where if he be, with dauntless hardihood,
And brandifh'd blade rush on him, break his glass,
And shed the luscious liquor on the ground, 660
But seise his wand; though he and his curs'd crew
Fierce fign of battel make, and menace high,
Or like the fons of Vulcan vomit smoke,
Yet will they foon retire, if he but fhrink.
Eld. Bro. Thyrfis, lead on apace, I'll follow thee, 665
And some good Angel bear a shield before us.
The Scene changes to a stately palace, fet out with all man-
ner of deliciousness: foft mufic, tables Spread with all dainties. Comus appears with his rabble, and the Lady fet in an inchanted chair, to whom he offers his glass, which he puts by, and goes about to rife.
Com. Nay, Lady, fit; if I but wave this wand, Your nerves are all chain'd up in alabaster,
And you a statue, or as Daphne was
Root-bound, that fled Apollo.
Lady. Fool, do not boast,
Thou canst not touch the freedom of my mind With all thy charms, although this corporal rind Thou haft immanacl'd, while Heav'n fees good.
Com. Why are you vext, Lady? why do you frown? Here dwells no frowns, nor anger; from thefe gates Sorrow flies far: See here be all the pleasures That fancy can beget on youthful thoughts, When the fresh blood grows lively, and returns Brisk as the April buds in primrose-season. And first behold this cordial julep here, That flames, and dances in his crystal bounds, With fpi'rits of balm, and fragrant fyrups mix'd. Not that Nepenthes, which the wife of Thone In Egypt gave to Jove-born Helena,
Is of fuch pow'r to ftir up joy as this,
To life fo friendly, or fo cool to thirst.
Why should you be fo cruel to yourself,
And to those dainty limbs which Nature lent
For gentle usage, and foft delicacy?
you invert the covenants of her truft, And harshly deal like an ill borrower
With that which you receiv'd on other terms,
Scorning the unexempt condition
By which all mortal frailty must subsist,
Refreshment after toil, ease after pain,
That have been tir'd all day without repast,
And timely rest have wanted; but fair Virgin,
This will restore all foon.
Lady. Twill not, false traitor,
"Twill not restore the truth and honesty
That thou haft banish'd from thy tongue with lies.
Was this the cottage, and the safe abode
Thou toldst me of? What grim aspects are these,
These ugly-headed monsters? Mercy guard me! 705
Hence with thy brew'd inchantments, foul deceiver;
Haft thou betray'd my credulous innocence
With visor'd falfhood, and base forgery?
And would'ft thou feek again to trap me here
With liquorifh baits fit to insnare a brute?
Were it a draft for Juno when the banquets,
I would not taste thy treasonous offer; none
But such as are good men can give good things,
And that which is not good, is not delicious
To a well-govern'd and wife appetite.
Com. O foolishnefs of men! that lend their ears
To those budge doctors of the Stoic fur,
And fetch their precepts from the Cynic tub,
Praifing the lean and fallow Abftinence.
Wherefore did Nature pour her bounties forth, 720
With fuch a full and unwithdrawing hand,
Covering the earth with odors, fruits, and flocks,
Thronging the seas with spawn innumerable,
But all to please, and fate the curious taste?
And fet to work millions of fpinning worms, 725
That in their green shops weave the smooth-hair'd To deck her fons, and that no corner might
Be vacant of her plenty, in her own loins
She hutcht th' all-worshipt ore, and precious gems
To store her children with: if all the world 730
Should in a pet of temp'rance feed on pulfe,
Drink the clear ftream, and nothing wear but frieze,
Th'all-giver would beunthank'd,would be unprais'd,
Not half his riches known, and yet despis'd,
And we should serve him as a grudging mafter, 753
As a penurious niggard of his wealth,
And live like Nature's baftards, not her fons,
Who would be quite furcharg'dwith her own weight,
And strangled with her waste fertility, (plumes,
Th' earth cumber'd, and the wing'd air darkt with
The herds would over-multitude their lords, 740
The fea o'er-fraught would swell, and th' unfought di-
Would fo imblaze the forehead of the deep, (amonds
And fo bestud with stars, that they below
Would grow inur'd to light, and come at last 745
To gaze upon the fun with shameless brows.
Lift Lady, be not coy, and be not cofen'd
With that fame vaunted name Virginity.
Beauty is Nature's coin, muft not be horded,
But must be current, and the good thereof
Confifts in mutual and partaken blifs,
Unfavory in th' enjoyment of itself;
you let flip time, like a neglected rofe
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