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Salmacis
and Hermaphroditus
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To him went youthfull Bacchus,
and begun
To shew his cause of griefe
against the Sunne,
How he bereft him of his heauenly
blisses,
His sweet delights, his Nectar-flowing
kisses,
And other sweeter sweetes that
he had wonne,
But for the malice of the bright-fac't
Sunne,
Intreating Mercury by
all the loue,
That had bene borne amongst
the sonnes of Ioue,
Of which they two were part,
to stand his friend,
Against the god that did him
so offend:
The quaint-tongu'd issue of great
Atlas race,
Swift Mercury, that
with delightfull grace,
And pleasing accents of his
fayned tongue,
Hath oft reform'd a rude vnciuill
throng
Of mortals; that great messenger
of Ioue,
And all the meaner gods that dwell
aboue:
He whose acute wit was so quicke
and sharpe
In the inuention of the crooked
Harpe:
He that's so cunning with his
iesting slights,
To steale from heauenly gods
or earthly wights,
Bearing a great hate in his grieued
brest,
Against that great commaunder
of the West,
Bright-fac't Apollo:
for vpon a day,
Yong Mercury did steale
his beasts away:
Which the great god perceiuing,
streight did shew
The pearcing arrowes and the
fearefull bow
That kild great Pithon,
& with that did threat him,
To bring his beasts againe,
or he would beat him.
Which Mercury perceiuing,
vnespide,
Did closely steale his arrowes
from his side. |
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| © Twilight
Pictures,
September
2000. This text is freely available for educational, non-profit uses
only. Please report any errors or suggestions to
Drew Whitehead. |
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