Tush! guiltless doves, when gods, to force foul rapes, Will turn themselves to any brutish shapes; 150 Base bastard powers, whom the world doth see Transform'd to swine for sensual luxury! The son of Saturn is become a bull, To crop the beauties of some female trull. Now, when he hath his first wife Metis[559] sped, And fairly choked,[560] lest foul[561] gods should be bred Of that fond mule; Themis, his second wife, Hath turn'd away, that his unbridled life Might have more scope; yet, last, his sister's love Must satiate the lustful thoughts of Jove. 160 Now doth the lecher in a cuckold's shape, Commit a monstrous and incestuous rape. Thrice sacred gods! and O thrice blessèd skies, Whose orbs include such virtuous deities! What should I say? Lust hath confounded all; The bright gloss of our intellectual Is foully soil'd. The wanton wallowing In fond delights, and amorous dallying, Hath dusk'd the fairest splendour of our soul; Nothing now left but carcass, loathsome, foul; 170 For sure, if that some sprite remainèd still, Could it be subject to lewd Lais' will? Reason, by prudence in her function, Had wont to tutor all our action, Aiding, with precepts of philosophy, Our feeblèd natures' imbecility; But now affection, will, concupiscence, Have got o'er reason chief pre-eminence. 'Tis so; else how should such vile baseness taint As force it be made slave to nature's paint? 180 Methinks the spirit's Pegase, Fantasy, Should hoise the soul from such base slavery; But now I see, and can right plainly show From whence such abject thoughts and actions grow. Our adverse body, being earthly, cold, Heavy, dull, mortal, would not long enfold A stranger inmate, that was backward still To all his dungy, brutish, sensual will: Now hereupon our intellectual, Compact of fire all celestial, 190 Invisible, immortal, and divine, Grew straight to scorn his landlord's muddy slime; And therefore now is closely slunk away (Leaving his smoky house of mortal clay), Adorn'd with all his beauty's lineaments And brightest gems of shining ornaments, His parts divine, sacred, spiritual, Attending on him; leaving the sensual Base hangers-on lusking at home in slime, Such as wont to stop port Esquiline.[562] 200 Now doth the body, led with senseless will (The which, in reason's absence, ruleth still), Rave, talk idly, as 'twere some deity, Adoring[563] female painted puppetry; Playing at put-pin,[564] doting on some glass (Which, breath'd but on, his falsèd gloss doth pass); Toying with babies,[565] and with fond pastime, Some children's sport, deflow'ring of chaste time; Employing all his wits in vain expense, Abusing all his organons of sense. 210