To spend the prime of my youth and pleasure of my yeers in the mortall daungers of the merciles seas, and in the fearfull places of _Trinacria_, with the excessiue trauels and terrors of _Ulysses_, in the darke caue of the horrible _Polyphem_, the son of _Neptune_, to be transformed in the companie of _Calypso_, although I lost my life, or indured the most hard & long seruitude of _Androdus_, for all wearines is forgotten where loue is vehement. To vndertake with the amorous _Minalion_ and _Ileus_ to runne with _Atalanta_, or to com but in such sort as the strong and mightie _Hercules_ for his loue _Deianira_, did with the huge _Achelous_, so as I might atchieue so gratious a fauor, and attaine to so high delight, as the remaining in these solacious places, and aboue all to enioy the precious loue and inestimable good wil of hir, more faire without comparison, then _Cassiopeia_, of better fauour then _Castiamira_. Ah me, my life and death is in hir power! And if so be that I seeme vnwoorthie of hir fellowshippe and amorous commers, yet would God it might be granted me as a speciall rewarde and priuiledge to looke vpon hir: and then I saide to my selfe, oh _Poliphilus_, if these heauie and burthenous weights of amarous conceits do oppresse thee; the sweetenes of the fruite doth allure thee thereunto: and if the peremptorie dangers strike thee into a terror, the hope of the supportation and helpe of so faire a Nymph will animate thee to be resolute. Thus my thought being diuers, I said, Oh God, if this be that desired _Polia_ which I see at this present, and whose precious impression without intermission, I haue stil born in my burning and wounded hart, fro the first yeers of my loue vntil this present, I am contented with all sorrows, & besides hir, I desire no other request but only this, that she may be drawne to my feruent loue, that it may be with vs alike, or that I may be at liberty, for I am no longer able to dissemble my griefe, or hide the extremity of my smart, I die liuing, & liuing am as dead: I delight in that which is my griefe: I go mourning: I consume my self in the flame, & yet the flame doth norish me, & burning like gold in the strong cement, yet I find my self like cold yce. Ah wo is me, that loue should be more greeuous vnto me then the weight of _Iuarime_ to _Typhon_. It disperseth me more, then the rauenous vulturs the glomerated bowels of _Tityus_: It holdeth me in more, then the labirinth crooking: It tosseth me more, then the northeast winds the calme seas: It teareth me woorse then _Acteons_ dogges their flieng master: It troubleth my spirits more then horrible death doth them who desire to liue: It is more direfull to my vexed hart, then the crocodils bowels to _Ichneumon_. And so much the more is my greefe, that with all the wit I haue, I knowe not to thinke in what part of the worlde I shoulde be, but streight before the sweete fire of this halfe goddesse, which without any corporall substance consumeth me: hir aboundant and faire yealow haire, a snare and net for my hart to be masked in: hir large and phlegmatique forehead, like white lillies, bynd me in as with a withe: hir pearcing regards take away my life as sweete prouocations to afflict me: hir roseall cheekes do exasperate my desire, hir ruddie lips continue the same, and hir delicious breasts like the winter snow vpon the hyperboreall mountaines, are the sharp spurs and byting whip to my amorous passions: hir louely gestures and pleasant countenance do draw my desire to an imaginatiue delight, heaping vp my sorrow. And to all these insulting martyrdoms and greeuous vexations of that impious and deceitfull _Cupid_ I laie open, mightilie striuing to beare them, and no waie able to resist them, but to suffer my selfe to be ouercome: neither coulde I shun the same, but remained still as one vnawares lost in the Babylonian fen.