After this digression Reason's advice is taken into consideration. Recognizing its wisdom, the poet at first "seeks by solitarye meanes to recreate his minde". The attempt is not, however, crowned with success. He experiences that, "as the sowthfast sayen", "solytarynes" is but "hewe of dispaire, ffoo to his weale, and frendlie to ech payne", and that slender indeed "are the greves that silence do unlade". In his solitude the evils of his own position crowd up before him, he "beats his branes with bitter bale and woos of worldlie force", he recalls the "painful years" which he has "lingered forth" in Scotland, with the sole reward of seeing "his credyt crak the string with those with whome in faythfull league he long before had bene", and himself "rolled out of Fortune's lappe". By a natural transition he passes from his own grievances to a consideration of the political events which have produced them; his "bewsye heade" calls up the "sowre change", the "sodaine fall" of the realme "from weale to woo, from welthe to wast, and worce if ought might be". The cue for it being thus given, there follows a recapitulation of the "proceedings" which are the real subject of the _Fantasie_. "I saw", the poet says: I saw the Quene whose will occurant with her yeres was wone[139] to worke oft that she wold by counsaile of her peres. It was the winged boy had perst[140] her tender thought, and Venus' joyes so tickled her that force avaled nought; on Darlie did she dote who equall in this mase[141] sought to assalt the forte of fame defenst with yeas and nayes, which for a while repulst and had no passage in: but still porsewt did rase the seige[142] that might the fortresse wyne, who, stronglie thus beseiged with battry rounde aboute, at last was forst to yeld the keis, she cold not holde hym owte, but rendered sacke and spoile unto the victor's grace, so ritch a pray did not the Greks by Helen's meanes possesse. To regall charge of rule she did advaunce his state, and gave the sworde into his hand that bred civill debate. This was affection force that blewe this gale of winde; this regestreth the found pretence[143] within a woman's mynde this calls us to reporte[144] and proves the proverbe trewe, that wemens wills are sonest wone in that they after rewe. This brede a brutyshe broile and causèd cankred spight to move the myndes of such as did envy a stranger's might; vnder w^{ch} shade was shrowde an other fyrme intente, and so, by color of that change to doe what he was bente, w^{ch} made much myserye and wrought this realme to wracke, and sturde[145] a stiveling sture[146] amongst the muffled contre-packe[147] that mustrèd eche where[148] in forme and force of warre, and clapt on armor for the feld as the comannded warre.