“Ne feard the burning waves of Phlegeton,
Nor those same mournfull kingdomes, compassed
With rustle horrour and fowle fashion;
And deep digd vawtes*; and Tartar covered
With bloodie night and darke confusion; 445
And iudgement seates, whose iudge is deadlie dred,
A iudge that after death doth punish sore
The faults which life hath trespassed before.
  [* Vawtes, vaults.]

“But valiant fortune made Dan Orpheus bolde: 
For the swift running rivers still did stand, 450
And the wilde beasts their furie did withhold,
To follow Orpheus musicke through the land: 
And th’okes, deep grounded in the earthly molde,
Did move, as if they could him understand; 454
And the shrill woods, which were of sense bereav’d,
Through their hard barke his silver sound receav’d.

“And eke the Moone her hastie steedes did stay,
Drawing in teemes along the starrie skie;
And didst, O monthly Virgin, thou delay
Thy nightly course, to heare his melodie? 460
The same was able, with like lovely lay,
The Queene of Hell to move as easily
To yeeld Eurydiee unto her fere,
Backe to be borne, though it unlawfull were.

“She, ladie, having well before approoved 465
The feends to be too cruell and severe,
Observ’d th’appointed way, as her behooved,
Ne ever did her eysight turne arere,
Ne ever spake, ne cause of speaking mooved;
But, cruell Orpheus, thou much crueller, 470
Seeking to kisse her, brok’st the gods decree,
And thereby mad’st her ever damn’d to be.

“Ah! but sweete love of pardon worthie is,
And doth deserve to have small faults remitted;
If Hell at least things lightly done amis 475
Knew how to pardon, when ought is omitted: 
Yet are ye both received into blis,
And to the seates of happie soules admitted. 
And you beside the honourable band
Of great heroes doo in order stand. 480

“There be the two stout sonnes of AEacus,
Fierce Peleus, and the hardie Telamon,
Both seeming now full glad and ioyeous
Through their syres dreadfull iurisdiction,
Being the iudge of all that horrid hous:  488
And both of them, by strange occasion,
Renown’d in choyce of happie marriage
Through Venus grace, and vertues cariage.

“For th’one was ravisht of his owne bondmaide,
The faire Ixione captiv’d from Troy:  490
But th’other was with Thetis love assaid,
Great Nereus his daughter and his ioy. 
On this side them there is a yongman layd,
Their match in glorie, mightie, fierce, and coy,
That from th’Argolick ships, with furious yre, 495
Bett back the furie of the Troian fyre.