They pas the bitter waues of _Acheron_, xxxiii Where many soules sit wailing woefully, And come to fiery flood of _Phlegeton_, Whereas the damned ghosts in torments fry, And with sharpe shrilling shriekes doe bootlesse cry, Cursing high _Ioue_, the which them thither sent. The house of endlesse paine is built thereby, In which ten thousand sorts of punishment The cursed creatures doe eternally torment. Before the threshold dreadfull _Cerberus_ xxxiv His three deformed heads did lay along, Curled with thousand adders venemous, And lilled forth his bloudie flaming tong: At them he gan to reare his bristles strong, And felly gnarre, vntill dayes enemy Did him appease; then downe his taile he hong And suffered them to passen quietly: For she in hell and heauen had power equally. There was _Ixion_ turned on a wheele, xxxv For daring tempt the Queene of heauen to sin; And _Sisyphus_ an huge round stone did reele Against an hill, ne might from labour lin; There thirstie _Tantalus_ hong by the chin; And _Tityus_ fed a vulture on his maw; _Typhœus_ ioynts were stretched on a gin, _Theseus_ condemned to endlesse slouth by law, And fifty sisters water in leake[193] vessels draw. They all beholding worldly wights in place, xxxvi Leaue off their worke, vnmindfull of their smart, To gaze on them; who forth by them doe pace, Till they be come vnto the furthest part: Where was a Caue ywrought by wondrous art, Deepe, darke, vneasie, dolefull, comfortlesse, In which sad _Æsculapius_ farre a part[194] Emprisond was in chaines remedilesse, For that _Hippolytus_ rent corse he did redresse. _Hippolytus_ a iolly huntsman was, xxxvii That wont in charet chace the foming Bore; He all his Peeres in beautie did surpas, But Ladies loue as losse of time forbore: His wanton stepdame loued him the more, But when she saw her offred sweets refused Her loue she turnd to hate, and him before His father fierce of treason false accused, And with her gealous termes his open eares abused. Who all in rage his Sea-god syre besought, xxxviii Some cursed vengeance on his sonne to cast: From surging gulf two monsters straight were brought, With dread whereof his chasing steedes aghast, Both charet swift and huntsman ouercast. His goodly corps on ragged cliffs[195] yrent, Was quite dismembred, and his members chast Scattered on euery mountaine, as he went, That of _Hippolytus_ was left no moniment.