That costë largëly of gold a fother.538
And northward, in a turret on the wall,
Of alabaster white and red corál
An oratory richë for to see,
In worship of Diane of chastity,
Hath Theseus done539 work in noble wise.
But yet had I forgotten to devise540
The noble carving, and the portraitures,
The shape, the countenance of the figúres
That weren in there oratories three.
First in the temple of Venus may’st thou see
Wrought on the wall, full piteous to behold,
The broken sleepës, and the sikës541 cold,
The sacred tearës, and the waimentings,542
The fiery strokës of the desirings,
That Lovë’s servants in this life endure;
The oathës, that their covenants assure.
Pleasance and Hope, Desire, Foolhardiness,
Beauty and Youth, and Bawdry and Richéss,
Charms and Sorc’ry, Leasings543 and Flattery,
Dispencë, Business, and Jealousy,
That wore of yellow goldës544 a garland,
And had a cuckoo sitting on her hand,
Feasts, instruments, and carolës and dances,
Lust and array, and all the circumstánces
Of Love, which I reckon’d and reckon shall
In order, werë painted on the wall,
And more than I can make of mentión.
For soothly all the mount of Citheron,545
Where Venus hath her principal dwelling,
Was showed on the wall in pourtraying,
With all the garden, and the lustiness.546
Nor was forgot the porter Idleness,
Nor Narcissus the fair of yore agone,547
Nor yet the folly of King Solomon,
Nor yet the greatë strength of Hercules,
Th’ enchantments of Medea and Circés,
Nor of Turnus the hardy fierce couráge,
The richë Croesus caitif in serváge.548
Thus may ye see, that wisdom nor richéss,
Beauty, nor sleight, nor strength, nor hardiness,
Ne may with Venus holdë champartie,549
For as her listë the world may she gie.550
Lo, all these folk so caught were in her las551
Till they for woe full often said, Alas!
Sufficë these ensamples one or two,
Although I could reckon a thousand mo’.
The statue of Venus, glorious to see
Was naked floating in the largë sea,
And from the navel down all cover’d was
With wavës green, and bright as any glass.
A citole552 in her right hand haddë she,
And on her head, full seemly for to see,
A rosë garland fresh, and well smelling,
Above her head her dovës flickering.
Before her stood her sonë Cupido,
Upon his shoulders wingës had he two;
And blind he was, as it is often seen;
A bow he bare, and arrows bright and keen.
Why should I not as well eke tell you all
The portraiture, that was upon the wall
Within the temple of mighty Mars the Red?
All painted was the wall in length and brede553
Like to the estres554 of the grisly place
That hight the great temple of Mars in Thrace,
In thilkë555 cold and frosty región,
There as Mars hath his sovereign mansión.
First on the wall was painted a forést,
In which there dwelled neither man nor beast,
With knotty gnarry556 barren treës old
Of stubbës sharp and hideous to behold;
In which there ran a rumble and a sough,557
As though a storm should bursten every bough:
And downward from an hill under a bent,558
There stood the temple of Mars Armipotent,
Wrought all of burnish’d steel, of which th’ entry
Was long and strait, and ghastly for to see.
And thereout came a rage and such a vise,559
That it made all the gatës for to rise.
The northern light in at the doorë shone,
For window on the wallë was there none
Through which men mighten any light discern.
The doors were all of adamant etern,
Y-clenched overthwart and endëlong560
With iron tough, and, for to make it strong,
Every pillar the temple to sustain
Was tunnë-great,561 of iron bright and sheen.
There saw I first the dark imagining
Of felony, and all the compassing;
The cruel ire, as red as any glede,562
The pickëpurse,563 and eke the palë dread;
The smiler with the knife under the cloak,
The shepen564 burning with the blackë smoke;
The treason of the murd’ring in the bed,
The open war, with woundës all be-bled;
Conteke565 with bloody knife, and sharp menace.
All full of chirking566 was that sorry place.
The slayer of himself eke saw I there,
His heartë-blood had bathed all his hair:
The nail y-driven in the shode567 at night,
The coldë death, with mouth gaping upright.
Amiddës of the temple sat Mischance,
With discomfórt and sorry countenance;
Eke saw I Woodness568 laughing in his rage,
Armed Complaint, Outhees,569 and fierce Outrage;
The carrain570 in the bush, with throat y-corve,571
A thousand slain, and not of qualm y-storve;572
The tyrant, with the prey by force y-reft;
The town destroy’d, that there was nothing left.
Yet saw I brent the shippës hoppësteres,573
The hunter strangled with the wildë bears:
The sow freting574 the child right in the cradle;
The cook scalded, for all his longë ladle.
Nor was forgot, by th’ infortune of Mart575
The carter overridden with his cart;
Under the wheel full low he lay adown.
There were also of Mars’ division,
The armourer, the bowyer,576 and the smith,
That forgeth sharpë swordës on his stith.577
And all above depainted in a tower
Saw I Conquest, sitting in great honoúr,
With thilkë578 sharpë sword over his head
Hanging by a subtle y-twined thread.
Painted the slaughter was of Julius,579
Of cruel Nero, and Antonius:
Although at that time they were yet unborn,
Yet was their death depainted there beforn,
By menacing of Mars, right by figúre,
So was it showed in that portraitúre,
As is depainted in the stars above,
Who shall be slain, or ellës dead for love.
Sufficeth one ensample in stories old,
I may not reckon them all, though I wo’ld.
The statue of Mars upon a cartë580 stood
Armed, and looked grim as he were wood,581
And over his head there shonë two figúres
Of starrës, that be cleped in scriptures,
That one Puella, that other Rubeus.582
This god of armës was
