The unpolluted temple of the mind,

And turns it by degrees to the soul's essence,
Till all be made immortal: but when lust,
By unchaste looks, loose gestures, and foul talk,
But most by lewd and lavish act of sin,
Lets in defilement to the inward parts,
The soul grows clotted by contagion,
Imbodies, and imbrutes, till she quite lose
The divine property of her first being.
Such are those thick and gloomy shadows damp
Oft seen in charnel vaults, and sepulchres,
Ling'ring, and sitting by a new made grave,
As loath to leave the body that it lov'd,
And link'd itself by carnal sensuality
To a degenerate and degraded state.

SECOND BROTHER.

How charming is divine philosophy! Not harsh, and crabbed, as dull fools suppose, But musical as is Apollo's lute,

And a perpetual feast of nectar'd sweets,

Where no crude surfeit reigns.

List, list, I hear

ELDER BROTHER.

Some far off halloo break the silent air.

SECOND BROTHER.

Methought so too; what should it be?

ELDER BROTHER.

For certain

Either some one like us night-founder'd here,

Or else some neighbour woodman, or, at worst,
Some roving robber calling to his fellows.

SECOND BROTHER.

Heav'n keep my sister. Again, again, and near; Best draw, and stand upon our guard.

I'll halloo;

ELDER BROTHER.

If he be friendly, he comes well; if not,

Defence is a good cause, and Heav'n be for us.

THE ATTENDANT SPIRIT, HABITED LIKE
A SHEPHERD.

That halloo I should know, what are you? speak;
Come not too near, you fall on iron stakes else.

SPIRIT.

What voice is that? my young lord? speak again.

SECOND BROTHER.

O brother, 'tis my father's shepherd, sure.

ELDER BROTHER.

Thyrsis? whose artful strains have oft delay'd

The huddling brook to hear his madrigal,

And sweeten'd every muskrose of the dale.

How cam'st thou here, good swain? hath any ram Slipt from the fold, or young kid los his dam,

Or straggling wether the pent flock forsook?

How could'st thou find this dark sequester'd nook?

I

SPIRIT.

O my lov'd master's heir, and his next joy,

came not here on such a trivial toy

As a stray'd ewe, or to pursue the stealth

Of pilfering wolf; not all the fleecy wealth

That doth enrich these downs is worth a thought

To this my errand, and the care it brought.
But, O my virgin lady, where is she?

How chance she is not in your company

ELDER BROTHER.

?

To tell thee sadly, shepherd, without blame, Or our neglect, we lost her as we came.

SPIRIT.

Ah me unhappy! then my fears are true.

ELDER BROTHER.

What fears, good Thyrsis? Prithee briefly show.

SPIRIT.

I'll tell ye; 'tis not vain or fabulous, (Though so esteem'd by shallow ignorance) What the sage poets, taught by th' heav'nly muse,

Story'd of old in high immortal verse,

Of dire chimeras and inchanted isles,

And rifted rocks whose entrance leads to Hell;
For such there be, but unbelief is blind.

Within the navel of this hideous wood, Immur'd in cypress shades a sorcerer dwells, Of Bacchus and of Circe born, great Comus, Deep skill'd in all his mother's witcheries, And here to every thirsty wanderer

By sly enticement gives his baneful cup,

With many murmurs mix'd, whose pleasing poison
The visage quite transforms of him that drinks,
And the inglorious likeness of a beast

Fixes instead, unmoulding reason's mintage
Character'd in the face; this have I learnt

Tending my flocks hard by i'th' hilly crofts,
That brow this bottom glade, whence night by night

He and his monstrous rout are heard to howl
Like stabled wolves, or tigers at their prey,
Doing abhorred rites to Hecate

In their obscured haunts of inmost bowers.
Yet have they many baits, and guileful spells,
To' inveigle and invite th' unwary sense
Of them that pass unweeting by the way.
This evening late, by then the chewing flocks
Had ta'en their
supper on the savoury herb
Of knot-grass dew-besprent, and were in fold,

I sat me down to watch upon a bank
With ivy canopied, and interwove

With flaunting honey-suckle, and began,

Wrapt in a pleasing fit of melancholy,
To meditate my rural minstrelsy,

Till fancy had her fill, but ere a close
The wonted roar was up amidst the woods,
And fill'd the air with barbarous dissonance;
At which I ceas'd, and listen'd them a while,
Till an unusual stop of sudden silence
Gave respite to the drowsy flighted steeds,
That draw the litter of close curtain'd sleep;
At last a soft and solemn breathing sound
Rose like a steam of rich distill'd perfumes,
And stole upon the air, that even Silence
Was took ere she was ware, and wish'd she might
Deny her nature, and be never more,

Still to be so displac'd. I was all ear,

And took in strains that might create a soul
Under the ribs of death: but O! ere long
Too well I did perceive it was the voice
Of my most honour'd lady, your dear sister.
Amaz'd I stood, harrow'd with grief and fear,
And O poor hapless nightingale thought I,
How sweet thou sing'st, how near the deadly snare!
Then down the lawns I ran with headlong haste,
Through paths and turnings often trod by day,
Till guided by mine ear I found the place,
Where that damn'd wizard hid in sly disguise