140
The first Booke of
Cant. X.
I read you rest, and to your bowres recoyle.Then called she a Groome, that forth him leddInto a goodly lodge, and gan despoile.Of puissant armes, and laid in easie bedd;His name was meeke Obedience rightfully aredd.
Now when their wearie limbes with kindly rest,And bodies were refresht with dew repast,Fayre Vna gan Fidelia fayre request,To haue her knight into her schoolehous plaste,That of her heauenly learning he might taste,And heare the wisedom of her wordes diuine.She graunted, and that knight so much agraste,That she him taught celestiall discipline,And opened his dull eyes, that light mote in them shine.
And that her sacred Booke, with blood ywritt,That none could reade, except she did them teach.She vnto him disclosed euery whitt,And heauenly documents thereout did preach,That weaker witt of man could neuer reach,Of God, of grace, of iustice, of free will,That wonder was to heare her goodly speach:For she was hable, with her wordes to kill,And rayse againe to life the hart, that she did thrill.
And when she list poure out her larger spright,She would commaund the hasty Sunne to stay,Or backward turne his course from heuen's hight,Sometimes great hostes of men she could dismay,And eke huge mountaines from their natiue seatShe would commaund, themselues to beare away,And throw in raging sea with roaring threat.Almightie God her gaue such powre, and puissaunce great.
The
