183 M4

THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE FAERIE QVEENE QUEENE . Contayning, THE LEGEND OF ARTEGALL OR OF IVSTICE JUSTICE . [1] So SO oft as I with state of present time, The image of the antique world compare, When as mans age was in his freshest prime. And the first blossome of faire vertue bare, Such oddes I finde twixt those, and these which are, As that, through long continuance of his course, Me seemes the world is runne quite out of square, From the first point of his appointed sourse, And being once amisse growes daily wourse and wourse. [2] For from the golden age, that first was named, It’s now at earst become a stonie one; And men themselues themselves , the which at first were framed Of earthly mould, and form’d of flesh and bone, Are now transformed into hardest stone: Such as behind their backs (so backward bred) Were throwne by Pyrrha and Deucalione: And if then those may any worse be red, They into that ere long will be degendered. 184 THE V. BOOKE OF THE Cant. I. So [3] Let none then blame me, if in discipline Of vertue and of ciuill civill vses uses lore, I doe not forme them to the common line Of present dayes, which are corrupted sore, But to the antique vse use , which was of yore, When good was onely for it selfe desyred, And all men sought their owne, and none no more; When Iustice Justice was not for most meed outhyred, But simple Truth did rayne, and was of all admyred. [4] For that which all men then did vertue call, Is now cald vice; and that which vice was hight, Is now hight vertue, and so vs’d us’d of all: Right now is wrong, and wrong that was is right, As all things else in time are chaunged quight. Ne wonder; for the heauens heavens reuolution revolution Is wandred farre, from farre from, where it first was pight, And so doe make contrarie constitution Of all this lower world, toward his dissolution. [5] For who so list into the heauens heavens looke, And search the courses of the rowling spheares, Shall find that from the point, where they first tooke Their setting forth, in these few thousand yeares They all are wandred much; that plaine appeares. For that same golden fleecy Ram, which bore Phrixus and Helle from their stepdames feares, Hath now forgot, where he was plast of yore, And shouldred hath the Bull, which fayre Europa bore. [6] And eke the Bull hath with his bow-bent horne So hardly butted those two twinnes of Ioue Jove , That they haue have crusht the Crab, and quite him borne Into the great Nemœan lions groue grove . Cant. I. FAERIE QVEENE QUEENE . 185 So now all range, and doe at randon roue rove Out of their proper places farre away, And all this world with them amisse doe moue move , And all his creatures from their course astray, Till they arriue at their last ruinous decay. [7] Ne is that same great glorious lampe of light, That doth enlumine all these lesser fyres, In better case, ne keepes his course more right, But is miscaried with the other Spheres. For since the terme of fourteene hundred yeres, That learned Ptolomæe his hight did take, He is declyned from that marke of theirs, Nigh thirtie minutes to the Southerne lake; That makes me feare in time he will vs us quite forsake. [8] And if to those Ægyptian wisards old, Which in Star-read were wont haue have best insight, Faith may be giuen given , it is by them told, That since the time they first tooke the Sunnes hight, Foure times his place he shifted hath in sight, And twice hath risen, where he now doth West, And wested twice, where he ought rise aright. But most is Mars amisse of all the rest, And next to him old Saturne, that was wont be best. [9] For during Saturnes ancient raigne it’s sayd, That all the world with goodnesse did abound: All loued loved vertue, no man was affrayd Of force, ne fraud in wight was to be found: No warre was knowne, no dreadfull trompets sound, Peace vniuersall universall rayn’d mongst men and beasts, And all things freely grew out of the ground: Iustice Justice sate high ador’d with solemne feasts, And to all people did diuide divide her dred beheasts. 186 THE V. BOOK OF THE Cant. I. CANT. [10] Most sacred vertue she of all the rest, Resembling God in his imperiall might; Whose soueraine powre is herein most exprest, That both to good and bad he dealeth right, And all his workes with Iustice Justice hath bedight. That powre he also doth to Princes lend, And makes them like himselfe in glorious sight, To sit in his owne seate, his cause to end, And rule his people right, as he doth recommend. [11] Dread Souerayne Soverayne Goddesse, that doest highest sit In seate of iudgement judgement , in th’Almighties place, And with magnificke might and wondrous wit Doest to thy people righteous doome aread, That furthest Nations filles with awfull dread, Pardon the boldnesse of thy basest thrall, That dare discourse of so diuine divine a read, As thy great iustice justice praysed ouer over all: The instrument whereof loe here thy Artegall.