Licurge himself, the mighty king of Thrace; Black was his beard, and manly was his face, The circles of his eyes within his head Glow’d of a hue part yellow and part red, And like a griffon lookëd he about, With hair down-combed upon his brows so stout; His limbs were great, his muscles hard and strong, His shoulders broad, his arms were round and long. According to the fashion of his land, Full high upon a car of gold stood he, And to the car four bulls were link’d, milk-white. ’Stead of coat-armour on his harness bright, With yellow nails and bright as any gold, A bear’s skin hung, coal-black, and very old. His flowing hair was comb’d behind his back, As any raven’s wing it shone for black. A wreath of gold, arm-thick, of monstrous weight, Crusted with gems, upon his head was set, Full of fine rubies and clear diamonds. About his car there leapëd huge white hounds, Twenty and more, as big as any steer, To chase the lion or to hunt the bear, And follow’d him, with muzzles firmly bound, Collar’d in gold, with golden spikes around. The other portrait has a less barbaric splendour about it. The gret Emetreus, the kyng of Ynde, India Uppon a steede bay, trapped in steel, Covered with cloth of gold dyapred wel, diapered like Cam rydyng lyk the god of armes, Mars. His coote armour was of a cloth of Tars,[104] Cowched of perlys whyte, round and grete. overlaid His sadil was of brend gold new i-bete; burnished A mantelet[105] upon his schuldre hangyng mantle Bret-ful of rubies reed, as fir sparclyng. cram-full, fire His crispe her lik rynges was i-ronne, run And that was yalwe, and gliteryng as the sonne. yellow-brown His nose was heigh, his eyen bright cytryn, His lippes rounde, his colour was sangwyn, A fewe freknes in his face y-spreynd, sprinkled Betwixe yolwe and somdel blak y-meynd, somewhat, mixed And as a lyoun he his lokyng caste. looking Of fyve and twenty yeer his age I caste. suppose His berd was wel bygonne for to sprynge; His voys was as a trumpe thunderynge. Upon his heed he wered of laurer grene laurel A garlond freische and lusty for to sene. Upon his hond he bar for his deduyt[106] hand, delight An egle tame, as eny lylie whyt. eagle, any