This cordiall comfort of societye,
This trueloue knott, that tyes the heart and will,
When man was in th' extremest miserye
To keepe his heart from breaking, existed still.[250]
There is a tale then[251] [when] the world beganne,
Both sexes in one body did remaine:
Till Joue, offended with that double man,
Caused Vulcan to diuide him into twayne.
In this diuision, hee the hart did seuer,
But cunningly hee did indent the heart,
That if they should be reunited euer,
Each part might know which was the counterpart:
Since when, all men and women thinke it longe,
Each of them their other part haue mett:
Sometimes the[y] meete ye right, sometimes ye wrong,
This discontent, and that doth ioy begett.
It ioye begetts in there indented harts,
When like indentures they[252] are matcht aright:
Each part to other mutuall joy imparts,
And thus the man which Vulcan did deuide,
Is nowe againe by Hymen made entire,
And all the ruine is ræedified;
Two beeinge made one by their diuine desire.
Sweete marriage is the honny neuer cloyinge;
The tune, which being still plaid, doth euer please,
The pleasure which is vertue's in inioyinge.
It is the band of peace and yoake of ease,
It is a yoake, but sweete [and] light it is;
The fellowship doth take away the trouble,
For euery griefe is made halfe lesse by this,
And euery ioy is by reflection double.
It is a band, but one of Love's sweete bands,
Such as hee binds the world's great parts withall:
Whose wonderous frame by there convention stands,
But beinge disbanded would to ruine fall.[253]
[A FRAGMENT OF A LOVE ELEGIE.]