33 



Then shook his head, and in the silver flood 

 Wip'd from his dropping jaws the streaming blood. 

 The nymphs the slaughter saw and heard the cries, 

 And feasted with revenge their eager eyes. 

 What female heart but may by youth be gain'd ? 

 And beauty in the boys that still remain'd 

 Like a fair flow'r which yielding to the share 

 Reclines its drooping head, but still continues fair. 

 How credulous is Love ! * they see the shore 

 O'erspread with bodies, all besmear'd with gore. 

 Yet hope by fear they fell, and signs of life expl< 



Their 



iir. 



- I 



>lore; ) 



* Flecknoc, in the character of a young female enamorist, says, " it is with 

 lovers as it is with anglers, who feed fishes till they are caught, but caught 

 once, feed on them j so it will be long enough ere she bite at the bait, unless 

 he has more to bait her with than fine words or lamentable compliments.** 

 Upon the subject of love the angler's muse seldom drags a simile from the 

 tackle} or floats the lines in a stream of sorrow to bait a barbed hook with 

 a gentle heart. Turbervile introduces an allusion to the art, where he writes 

 in *' disprayse of Women that allure and loue not." 



<< That troupe of honest dames 



those Grisels all are gone j 

 No Lucrece now is left aliue, 



ne Cleopatra none, 

 Those dayes are all ypast, 



that date is fleeted by : 

 They myrrors weie, dame Nature made 



hir skilful hande to try. 

 Now course of kinde erchaungde 



doth yeeld a woorser graine, 

 And women in these latter yeares 



those modest matroncs staine. 

 ; , Deceit in their delight, 



great fraude in friendly lookes : 

 They spoyle the fish for friendship's sake, 



that houer on their hookes. 

 They buye the baite to deare 



that so their freedome loze ; 

 And they the more deceitfull are, 



that so can craft and gloze." The 



