And all within the riuen walls were hung xxi With ragged monuments of times forepast, All which the sad effects of discord sung: There were rent robes, and broken scepters plast,[14] Altars defyl’d, and holy things defast[15], Disshiuered speares, and shields ytorne in twaine, Great cities ransackt, and strong castles rast, Nations captiued, and huge armies slaine: Of all which ruines there some relicks did remaine. There was the signe of antique Babylon, xxii Of fatall Thebes, of Rome that raigned long, Of sacred Salem, and sad Ilion, For memorie of which on high there hong The golden Apple, cause of all their wrong, For which the three faire Goddesses did striue: There also was the name of _Nimrod_ strong, Of _Alexander_, and his Princes fiue, Which shar’d to them the spoiles that he had got aliue. And there the relicks[16] of the drunken fray, xxiii The which amongst the _Lapithees_ befell, And of the bloodie feast, which sent away So many _Centaures_ drunken soules to hell, That vnder great _Alcides_ furie fell: And of the dreadfull discord, which did driue The noble _Argonauts_ to outrage fell, That each of life sought others to depriue, All mindlesse of the Golden fleece, which made them striue. And eke of priuate persons many moe, xxiv That were too long a worke to count them all; Some of sworne friends, that did their faith forgoe; Some of borne brethren, prov’d vnnaturall; Some of deare louers, foes perpetuall: Witnesse their broken bandes there to be seene, Their girlonds rent, their bowres despoyled all; The moniments whereof there byding beene, As plaine as at the first, when they were fresh and greene. Such was her house within; but all without, xxv The barren ground was full of wicked weedes, Which she her selfe had sowen all about, Now growen great, at first of little seedes, The seedes of euill wordes, and factious deedes; Which when to ripenesse due they growen arre, Bring foorth[17] an infinite increase, that breedes Tumultuous trouble and contentious iarre, The which most often end in bloodshed and in warre. And those same cursed seedes doe also serue xxvi To her for bread, and yeeld her liuing food: For life it is to her, when others sterue Through mischieuous debate, and deadly feood, That she may sucke their life, and drinke their blood, With which she from her childhood had bene fed. For she at first was borne of hellish brood, And by infernall furies nourished, That by her monstrous shape might easily be red.