And all without were walkes and alleyes[180] dight[181] xxv With diuers trees, enrang’d in euen rankes; And here and there were pleasant arbors pight, And shadie seates, and sundry flowring bankes, To sit and rest the walkers wearie shankes, And therein thousand payres of louers walkt, Praysing their god, and yeelding him great thankes, Ne euer ought but of their true loues talkt, Ne euer for rebuke or blame of any balkt. All these together by themselues did sport xxvi Their spotlesse pleasures, and sweet loues content. But farre away from these, another sort Of louers lincked in true harts consent; Which loued not as these, for like intent, But on chast vertue grounded their desire, Farre from all fraud, or fayned blandishment; Which in their spirits kindling zealous fire, Braue thoughts and noble deedes did euermore aspire[182]. Such were great _Hercules_, and _Hylas_[183] deare; xxvii Trew _Ionathan_, and _Dauid_ trustie tryde; Stout _Theseus_, and _Pirithous_ his feare; _Pylades_ and _Orestes_ by his syde; Myld _Titus_ and _Gesippus_ without pryde; _Damon_ and _Pythias_ whom death could not seuer: All these and all that euer had bene tyde[184] In bands of friendship,[185] there did liue for euer, Whose liues although decay’d, yet loues decayed neuer. Which when as I, that neuer tasted blis, xxviii Nor happie howre, beheld with gazefull eye, I thought there was none other heauen then this; And gan their endlesse happinesse enuye, That being free from feare and gealosye, Might frankely there their loues desire possesse; Whilest I through paines and perlous ieopardie, Was forst to seeke my lifes deare patronesse: Much dearer be the things, which come through hard distresse. Yet all those sights, and all that else I saw, xxix Might not my steps withhold, but that forthright Vnto that purposd place I did me draw, Where as my loue was lodged day and night: The temple of great _Venus_, that is hight The Queene of beautie, and of loue the mother, There worshipped of euery liuing wight; Whose goodly workmanship farre past all other That euer were on earth, all were they set together. Not that same famous Temple of _Diane_, xxx Whose hight all _Ephesus_ did ouersee, And which all _Asia_ sought with vowes prophane, One of the worlds seuen wonders sayd to bee, Might match with this by many a degree: Nor that, which that wise King of _Iurie_ framed, With endlesse cost, to be th’Almighties see; Nor all that else through all the world is named To all the heathen Gods, might like to this be clamed.