/lit/ - Literature

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The Faerie Queene
>There they beheld a mighty Gyant stand
> Vpon a rocke, and holding forth on hie
> An huge great paire of ballance in his hand,
> With which he boasted in his surquedrie,
> That all the world he would weigh equallie,
> If ought he had the same to counterpoys.
> For want whereof he weighed vanity,
> And fild his ballaunce full of idle toys:
>Yet was admired much of fooles, women, and boys.

>He sayd that he would all the earth vptake,
> And all the sea, deuided each from either:
> So would he of the fire one ballaunce make,
> And one of th'ayre, without or wind, or wether:
> Then would he ballaunce heauen and hell together,
> And all that did within them all containe;
> Of all whose weight, he would not misse a fether.
> And looke what surplus did of each remaine,
>He would to his owne part restore the same againe.

>For why, he sayd they all vnequall were,
> And had encroched vppon others share,
> Like as the sea (which plaine he shewed there)
> Had worne the earth, so did the fire the aire;
> So all the rest did others parts empaire.
> And so were realmes and nations run awry.
> All which he vndertooke for to repaire,
> In sort as they were formed aunciently;
>And all things would reduce vnto equality.
>
>Therefore the vulgar did about him flocke,
> And cluster thicke vnto his leasings vaine,
> Like foolish flies about an hony crocke,
> In hope by him great benefite to gaine,
> And vncontrolled freedome to obtaine.
> All which when Artegall did see, and heare,
> How he mis-led the simple peoples traine,
> In sdeignfull wize he drew vnto him neare,
>And thus vnto him spake, without regard or feare;

>Thou that presum'st to weigh the world anew,
> And all things to an equall to restore,
> In stead of right me seemes great wrong dost shew,
> And far aboue thy forces pitch to sore.
> For ere thou limit what is lesse or more
> In euery thing, thou oughtest first to know,
> What was the poyse of euery part of yore:
> And looke then how much it doth ouerflow,
>Or faile thereof, so much is more then iust to trow.

>For at the first they all created were
> In goodly measure, by their Makers might,
> And weighed out in ballaunces so nere,
> That not a dram was missing of their right,
> The earth was in the middle centre pight,
> In which it doth immoueable abide,
> Hemd in with waters like a wall in sight;
> And they with aire, that not a drop can slide:
>Al which the heauens containe, & in their courses guide.

>Such heauenly iustice doth among them raine,
> That euery one doe know their certaine bound,
> In which they doe these many yeares remaine,
> And mongst them al no change hath yet beene found.
> But if thou now shouldst weigh them new in pound,
> We are not sure they would so long remaine:
> All change is perillous, and all chaunce vnsound.
> Therefore leaue off to weigh them all againe,
>Till we may be assur'd they shall their course retaine.