ELICIO. Whosoever keepeth Love, In his breast a prisoner close, Hurl him down from heaven above, Give him not on earth repose. Love a virtue is unending, Virtues many more attaining, Semblance after semblance gaining, To the primal cause ascending. Whosoever from such love, Shall be banished by his woes; Hurl him down from heaven above, Grant him not on earth repose. A fair form, a lovely face, Though but mortal, doomed to fade, Are but copies, where portrayed We may see the heavenly grace. Grace on earth who doth not love, Nor to it allegiance owes, Shall be hurled from heaven above, Nor on earth shall find repose. Love, when taken quite apart, And untainted with alloy, Filleth all the world with joy, Even as Apollo's dart, Whoso hath mistrust of Love, Love that hides its blessing close, Shall not win to heaven above, But in deepest earth repose. For a thousand joys a debtor, Each of us to Love is seen, For 'tis Love that turns, I ween, Bad to good, and good to better. He who lets his fancies rove, E'en a hair's breadth from Love's woes, Shall not win to heaven above, Nor on earth find sure repose. Love indeed is infinite, If but honour be its stay; But the love that dies away Is not love, but appetite. Whoso shall the veil of love Raise not, but his heart shall close, Slay him, lightning from above! Earth, permit him not repose! The shepherds given to love felt no small pleasure at seeing how well Elicio defended his view: but the loveless Lenio did not on this account cease to remain firm in his opinion; nay, rather, he sought anew to resume his song and to show in what he sang how ineffectual Elicio's reasonings were to darken the bright truth which, following his judgment, he upheld. But Galatea's father, who was called Aurelio the venerable, said to him: