Like as a wily foxe, that, having spide Where on a sunnie banke the lambes doo play, Full closely creeping by the hinder side, Lyes in ambushment of his hoped pray, Ne stirreth limbe, till, seeing readie tide*, 405 He rusheth forth, and snatcheth quite away One of the litle yonglings unawares; So to his worke Aragnoll him prepares. [* _Tide_, time.] Who now shall give unto my heavie eyes A well of teares, that all may overflow? 410 Or where shall I finde lamentable cryes, And mournfull tunes enough my griefe to show? Helpe, O thou Tragick Muse, me to devise Notes sad enough, t’expresse this bitter throw: For loe, the drerie stownd* is now arrived, 415 That of all happines hath us deprived. [* _Stownd_, hour.] The luckles Clarion, whether cruell Fate Or wicked Fortune faultles him misled, Or some ungracious blast out of the gate Of Aeoles raine* perforce him drove on hed**, 420 Was (O sad hap and howre unfortunate!) With violent swift flight forth caried Into the cursed cobweb, which his foe Had framed for his finall overthroe. [* _Raine_, kingdom.] [** _On hed_, head-foremost.] There the fond flie, entangled, strugled long, 425 Himselfe to free thereout; but all in vaine. For, striving more, the more in laces strong Himselfe he tide, and wrapt his wingës twaine In lymie snares the subtill loupes among; That in the ende he breathelesse did remaine, 430 And, all his yongthly* forces idly spent, Him to the mercie of th’avenger lent. [* _Yongthly_, youthful.] Which when the greisly tyrant did espie, Like a grimme lyon rushing with fierce might Out of his den, he seized greedelie 435 On the resistles pray, and, with fell spight, Under the left wing stroke his weapon slie Into his heart, that his deepe-groning spright In bloodie streames foorth fled into the aire, His bodie left the spectacle of care. 440 FOOTNOTES Ver. 365.—_And Arte, with her contendlng._ Compare the description of Aerasia’s garden, Faerie Queene, II. xii. 59; and also v. 29. TODD. Ver. 273.—_Minerva did_, &c. Much of what follows is taken from the fable of Arachne in Ovid. JORTIN. VISIONS OF THE WORLDS VANITIE. I. One day, whiles that my daylie cares did sleepe, My spirit, shaking off her earthly prison, Began to enter into meditation deepe Of things exceeding reach of common reason; Such as this age, in which all good is geason*, And all that humble is and meane** debaced, Hath brought forth in her last declining season, Griefe of good mindes, to see goodnesse disgraced! On which when as my thought was throghly@ placed, Unto my eyes strange showes presented were, Picturing that which I in minde embraced, That yet those sights empassion$ me full nere. Such as they were, faire Ladie%, take in worth, That when time serves may bring things better forth.