358 from Britannia’s Pastorals Book 2]
Happyer those times were, when the Flaxen clew
By faire Arachne’s hand the Lydians knew,
And sought not to the worme for silken threds,
To rowle their bodies in, or dresse their heads.
5 When wise Minerva did th’ Athenians learne
To draw their milke-white fleeces into yarne;
And knowing not the mixtures which began
(Of colours) from the Babilonian,
Nor wooll in Sardis dyde, more various knowne
10 By hues, then Iris to the world hath showne:
The bowels of our mother were not ript
For Mader-pits, nor the sweet meadowes stript
Of their choise beauties, nor for Ceres loade
The fertile lands burd’ned with needlesse Woade.
15 Through the wide Seas no winged Pine did goe
To Lands unknowne for staining Indico;
Nor men in scorching clymates moar’d their Keele
To trafficke for the costly Coucheneele.
Unknowne was then the Phrygian brodery,
20 The Tyrian purple, and the Scarlet dye,
Such as their sheepe clad, such they wove and wore,
Russet or white, or those mixt, and no more:
Except sometimes (to bravery inclinde)
They dyde them yealow caps with Alder rynde.
25 The Græcian mantle, Tuscan robes of state,
Tissue nor Cloth of gold of highest rate,
They never saw; onely in pleasant woods,
Or by th’embrodered margin of the floods,
The dainty Nymphs they often did behold
30 Clad in their light silke robes, stitcht oft with gold.
The Arras hangings round their comely Hals,
Wanted the Cerites web and minerals:
Greene boughes of trees which fatning Acornes lade,
Hung full with flowres and Garlands quaintly made,
35 Their homely Cotes deck’d trim in low degree,
As now the Court with richest Tapistry.…
The Pansie, Thistle, all with prickles set,
The Cowslip, Honisuckle, Violet,
And many hundreds more that grac’d the Meades,
40 Gardens and Groves, (where beauteous Flora treads)
Were by the Shepheards Daughters (as yet are
Us’d in our Cotes) brought home with speciall care:
For bruising them they not alone would quell
But rot the rest, and spoile their pleasing smell.
45 Much like a Lad, who in his tender prime
Sent from his friends to learne the use of time,
As are his mates, or good or bad, so he
Thrives to the world, and such his actions be.
As in the Rainbowes many coloured hewe
50 Here see wee watchet deepned with a blewe,
There a darke tawny with a purple mixt,
Yealow and flame, with streakes of greene betwixt,
A bloudy streame into a blushing run
And ends still with the colour which begun,
55 Drawing the deeper to a lighter staine,
Bringing the lightest to the deep’st againe,
With such rare Art each mingleth with his fellow,
The blewe with watchet, greene and red with yealow;
Like to the changes which we daily see
60 About the Doves necke with varietie,
Where none can say (though he it strict attends)
Here one begins; and there the other ends:
So did the Maidens with their various flowres
Decke up their windowes, and make neate their bowres:
65 Using such cunning as they did dispose
The ruddy Piny with the lighter Rose,
The Moncks-hood with the Buglosse, and intwine
The white, the blewe, the flesh-like Columbine
With Pinckes, Sweet-williams; that farre off the eye
70 Could not the manner of their mixtures spye.
Then with those flowres they most of all did prise,
(With all their skill and in most curious wise
On tufts of Hearbs or Rushes) would they frame
A daintie border round their Shepheards name.
75 Or Poesies make, so quaint, so apt, so rare,
As if the Muses onely lived there:
And that the after world should strive in vaine
What they then did to counterfeit againe.
Nor will the Needle nor the Loome e’re be
80 So perfect in their best embroderie,
Nor such composures make of silke and gold,
As theirs, when Nature all her cunning told.