s the shadows which grows from a cloudy sun. Such, my
fair shepherdess, as disdain in youth desire in age, and then are they
hated in the winter, that might have been loved in the prime. A
wrinkled maid is like to a parched rose, that is cast up in coffers to
please the smell, not worn in the hand to content the eye. There is no
folly in love to _had I wist_, and therefore be ruled by me. Love
while thou art young, least thou be disdained when thou art old.
Beauty nor time cannot be recalled, and if thou love, like of
Montanus; for if his desires are many, so his deserts are great."

Phoebe all this while gazed on the perfection of Ganymede, as deeply
enamored on his perfection as Montanus inveigled with hers; for her
eye made survey of his excellent feature, which she found so rare,
that she thought the ghost of Adonis had been leaped from Elysium in
the shape of a swain. When she blushed at her own folly to look so
long on a stranger, she mildly made answer to Ganymede thus:

"I cannot deny, sir, but I have heard of Love, though I never felt
love; and have read of such a goddess as Venus, though I never saw any
but her picture; and, perhaps"--and with that she waxed red and
bashful, and withal silent; which Ganymede perceiving, commended in
herself the bashfulness of the maid, and desired her to go forward.

"And perhaps, sir," quoth she, "mine eye hath been more prodigal
to-day than ever before"--and with that she stayed again, as one
greatly passionate and perplexed.

Aliena seeing the hare through the maze, bade her forward with her
prattle, but in vain; for at this abrupt period she broke off, and
with her eyes full of tears, and her face covered with a vermilion
dye, she sate down and sighed. Whereupon Aliena and Ganymede, seeing
the shepherdess in such a strange plight, left Phoebe with her
Montanus, wishing her friendly that she would be more pliant to Love,
lest in penance Venus joined her to some sharp repentance. Phoebe made
no reply, but fetched such a sigh, that Echo made relation of her
plaint, giving Ganymede such an adieu with a piercing glance, that the
amorous girl-boy perceived Phoebe was pinched by the heel.

But leaving Phoebe to the follies of her new fancy, and Montanus to
attend upon her, to Saladyne, who all this last night could not rest
for the remembrance of Aliena; insomuch that he framed a sweet
conceited sonnet to content his humor, which he put in his bosom,
being requested by his b