Cant. II.
the Faery Queene.
207
Such is this well, wrought by occasion straunge,Which to her Nymph befell. Vpon a day,As she the woodes with bow and shaftes did raunge,The hartlesse Hynd and Robucke to dismay,Dan Faunus chaunst to meet her by the way,And kindling fire at her faire burning eye,Inflamed was to follow beauties chace,And chaced her, that fast from him did fly;As Hynd from her, so she fled from her enimy.
At last when fayling breath began to faint,And saw no meanes to scape, of shame affrayd,She set her downe to weepe for sore constraint,And to Diana calling lowd for ayde,Her deare besought, to let her die a mayd.The goddesse heard, and suddeine where she sate,Welling out streames of teares, and quite dismaydWith stony feare of that rude rustick mate,Transformd her to a stone from stedfast virgins state.
Lo now she is that stone, from whose two heads,As from two weeping eyes, fresh streames do flow,Yet colde through feare, and old conceiued dreads;And yet the stone her semblance seemes to show,Shapt like a maide, that such ye may her know;And yet her vertues in her water byde:For it is chaste and pure, as purest snow,Ne lets her waues with any filth be dyde,But euer like her selfe vnstayned hath beene tryde.
From thence it comes, that this babes bloody handMay not be clensd with water of this well:Ne certes Sir striue you it to withstand,But let them still be bloody, as befell,
That
