Epitaphes, epigrams, songs and sonets with a discourse of the friendly affections of Tymetes to Pyndara his ladie. Newly corrected with additions, and set out by George Turbervile Gentleman.

The Louer wisheth to be conioyned and fast linckt with his Ladie neuer to sunder.

J Reade how Salmacis sometime with sight On sodaine looude Cyllenus Sonne, and sought Forthwith with all hir powre and forced might Too bring to passe hir close conceyued thought: Whome as by hap she saw in open mead She sude vnto, in hope to haue bene spead.

With sugred words she wood & sparde no speach, But bourded him with many a pleasant tale, Requesting him of, ruth to be hir Leach For whome she had abid such bitter bale: But hée repleate with pride and scornefull cheare Disdainde hir earnest sute and songs to heare. Away shée went a wofull wretched Wight, And shrowded hir not farre from thence a space: When that at length the stripling law in sight No creature there, but all were out of place, Hée shifts his robes and to the riuer ran, And there to bath him bare the Boy began. The Nymph in hope as then to haue attainde Hir long desired Loue, retirde to flood And in hir armes the naked Noorie strainde: Whereat the Boy began to striue a good, But strugling nought auailed in that plight For why the Nymph surpast the Boy in might. O Gods (quoth tho the Girle) this gift I craue This Boy and I may neuer part againe, But so our corpses may conioyned haue As one we may appeare, not bodies twaine: The Gods agreed, the water so it wrought, As both were one, thy selfe would so haue thought. As from a trée we sundrie times espie. A twissell grow by Natures subtile might, And being two, for cause they grow so nie For one are tane, and so appeare in sight.

So was the Nymph and Noorie ioynde yfere, As two no more but one selfe thing they were. O Ladie mine, howe might we seeme ybest? How friendly mought we Gods account to bée? In semblant sort if they woulde bréede my rest By lincking of my carkasse vnto thée? So that we might no more a sunder go, But limmes to limmes, & corse to carkasse grow? O, where is now become that blessed Lake Wherein those two did bath to both their ioy? How might we doe, or such prouision make To haue the hap as had the Maiden Boy? To alter forme and shape of either kinde, And yet in proufe of both a share to finde? Then should our limmes w^t louely linck be tide, And harts of hate no taste sustaine at all, But both for aye in perfite league abide And eche to other liue as friendly thrall: That thone might feele the pangues the other had And partner be of ought that made him glad. O blessed Nymph, O. Salmacys I saye, Would thy good luck vnto hir lot would light Whome I imbrace, and louen shall for aye, By force of flood to chaunge hir nature quight: And that I might haue hap as had the Boy To neuer part from hir that is my Ioy. I would not striue, I would not stirre a whit, (As did Cyllenus Sunne that stately Wight:)

But well content to be Hermaphrodit, Would cling as close to thée as ere I might, And laugh to thinke my hap so good to bée, As in such sort fast to be linckt with thée.