And humbly honouring, gave it to the Queen, With this fair speech, _See, fairest Queen!_ quoth he, _The fairest sight that ever shall be seen, And th' only wonder of posterity! The richest work in Nature's treasury! Which she disdains to shew on this world's stage, And thinks it far too good for our rude age._
_But in another world, divided far, In the great fortunate triangled Isle, Thrice twelve degrees removed from the North Star, She will this glorious Workmanship compile, Which she hath been conceiving all this while Since the world's birth; and will bring forth at last, When six and twenty hundred years are past._
PENELOPE the Queen, when she had viewed The strange eye-dazzling admirable sight, Fain would have praised the State and Pulchritude; But she was stricken dumb with wonder quite, Yet her sweet mind retained her thinking might. Her ravished mind in heavenly thoughts did dwell; But what she thought, no mortal tongue can tell.
You, Lady Muse, whom JOVE the Counsellor Begot of MEMORY, Wisdom's Treasuress, To your divining tongue is given a power Of uttering secrets, large and limitless; You can PENELOPE'S strange thoughts express; Which she conceived, and then would fain have told, When she the wondrous Crystal did behold.
Her wingèd thoughts bore up her mind so high As that she weened she saw the glorious throne, Where the bright Moon doth sit in Majesty: A thousand sparkling stars about her shone, But she herself did sparkle more, alone, Than all those thousand beauties would have done, If they had been confounded all in one.
And yet she thought those stars moved in such measure, To do their Sovereign honour and delight, As soothed her mind with sweet enchanting pleasure, Although the various Change amazed her sight, And her weak judgement did entangle quite: Besides, their moving made them shine more clear; As diamonds moved more sparkling do appear.
This was the Picture of her wondrous thought! But who can wonder that her thought was so, Sith VULCAN, King of Fire, that Mirror wrought (Which things to come, present, and past doth know), And there did represent in lively show Our glorious English Court's divine Image, As it should be in this our Golden Age?