When aire’s chill North his noisome frosts shall blowe All ouer earth, and all the wide sea throwe At Heauen in hills, from colde horse-breeding Thrace; The beaten earth, and all her Syluane race Roring and bellowing with his bitter strokes; [296]Plumps of thick firre-trees and high crested-Okes Torne up in vallies; [297]all _Aire’s_ floud let flie In him, at Earth; [298] sad nurse of all that die. Wilde beasts abhor him; and run clapping close Their sterns betwixt their thighs; and euen all those Whose hides their fleeces line with highest proofe; Euen Oxe-hides also want expulsive stuffe, And bristled goates, against his bitter gale: He blowes so colde, he beates quite through them all. Onely with silly sheep it fares not so; For they each summer [299]fleec’t, their [300]fells so growe, [301]They shield all winter crusht into his winde. He makes the olde Man trudge for life, to finde Shelter against him; but he cannot blast The tender and the delicately grac’t Flesh of the virgin; she is kept within, Close by her mother, careful of her skin: [302]Since yet she neuer knew how to enfolde The force of _Venus_ [303]swimming all in golde. Whose Snowie bosome choicely washt and balm’d With wealthy oiles, she keepes the house becalm’d, All winter’s spight; when in his fire-lesse shed And miserable roofe still hiding head, The bonelesse fish doth eat his feet for colde: To whom the Sunne doth neuer food vnfolde; But turnes aboue the blacke Mens populous towrs, On whom he more bestowes his radiant howres That on th’ _Hellenians_: then all Beasts of horne, And smooth-brow’d, that in beds of wood are borne, About the Oken dales that North-winde flie, Gnashing their teeth with restlesse miserie; And euerywhere that [304]Care solicits all, That ([305]out of shelter) to their Couerts fall, And Cauerns eaten into Rocks; and then Those wilde Beasts shrink, like tame three-footed Men, Whose backs are broke with age, and forheads driu’n To stoope to Earth, though borne to looke on Heav’n. Euen like to these, Those tough-bred rude ones goe, Flying the white drifts of the Northerne Snowe. V.