"Yett on her death-bed when shee lay,
Shee prayd for thy prosperitye,
Beseeching God, that every day
Might breed thy great felicitye:
Thus by thy meanes I lost a friend; 95
Heaven send thee such untimely end."
When he these lines, full fraught with gall,
Perused had, and wayed them right,
His lofty courage then did fall;
And straight appeared in his sight 100
Queene Dido's ghost, both grim and pale;
Which made this valliant souldier quaile.
"Æneas," quoth this ghastly ghost,
"My whole delight, when I did live,
Thee of all men I loved most; 105
My fancy and my will did give;
For entertainment I thee gave,
Unthankefully thou didst me grave.
"Therfore prepare thy flitting soule
To wander with me in the aire, 110
Where deadlye griefe shall make it howle,
Because of me thou tookst no care:
Delay not time, thy glasse is run,
Thy date is past, thy life is done."
"O stay a while, thou lovely sprite; 115
Be not soe hasty to convay
My soule into eternall night,
Where itt shall ne're behold bright day:
O doe not frowne; thy angry looke
Hath made my breath my life forsooke. 120
"But, woe is me! all is in vaine,
And bootless is my dismall crye;
Time will not be recalled againe,
Nor thou surcease before I dye.
O lett me live, and make amends 125
To some of thy most dearest friends.
"But seeing thou obdurate art,
And wilt no pittye on me show,
Because from thee I did depart,
And left unpaid what I did owe, 130
I must content myselfe to take
What lott to me thou wilt partake."
And thus, as one being in a trance,
A multitude of uglye feinds
About this woffull prince did dance: 135
He had no helpe of any friends:
His body then they tooke away,
And no man knew his dying day.
[1], [21]. war. MS. and pr. cop.