Enter Iuno and Iris.

Iuno.  Come hither, Iris.

Iris. Iris is at hand, To attend Ioues wife, great Iunos hie command.

Iuno. Iris, I know I do thy seruice proue,
And euer since I was the wife of Ioue
Thou hast bene readie when I called still,
And alwayes most obedient to my will: 
Thou seest how that imperiall Queene of loue
With all the Gods how she preuailes aboue,
And still against great Iunos hests doth stand
To haue all stoupe and bowe at her command;
Her Doues and Swannes and Sparrowes must be graced
And on Loues Aultar must be highly placed;
My starry Peacocks which doth beare my state,
Scaresly alowd within his pallace gate. 
And since herselfe she doth preferd doth see,
Now the proud huswife will contend with mee,
And practiseth her wanton pranckes to play
With this Ascanio and Eurymine. 
But Loue shall know, in spight of all his skill,
Iuno’s a woman and will haue her will.

Iris.  What is my Goddesse will? may Iris aske?

Iuno. Iris, on thee I do impose this taske
To crosse proud Venus and her purblind Lad
Vntill the mother and her brat be mad;
And with each other set them so at ods
Till to their teeth they curse and ban the Gods.

Iris.  Goddes, the graunt consists alone in you.

Iuno.  Then mark the course which now you must pursue. 
Within this ore-growne Forrest there is found
A duskie Caue[106], thrust lowe into the ground,
So vgly darke, so dampie and [so] steepe
As, for his life, the sunne durst neuer peepe
Into the entrance; which doth so afright
The very day that halfe the world is night. 
Where fennish fogges and vapours do abound
There Morpheus doth dwell within the ground;
No crowing Cocke or waking bell doth call,
Nor watchful dogge disturbeth sleepe at all;
No sound is heard in compasse of the hill;
But euery thing is quiet, whisht,[107] and still. 
Amid the caue vpon the ground doth lie
A hollow plancher,[108] all of Ebonie,
Couer’d with blacke, whereon the drowsie God
Drowned in sleepe continually doth nod. 
Go, Iris, go and my commandment take
And beate against the doores till sleepe awake: 
Bid him from me in vision to appeare
Vnto Ascanio, that lieth slumbring heare,
And in that vision to reueale the way,
How he may finde the faire Eurymine.

Iris.  Madam, my service is at your command.

Iuno.  Dispatch it then, good Iris, out of hand,
My Peacocks and my Charriot shall remaine
About the shore till thou returne againe.
                                      [Exit Iuno.