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WELL therefore did the antique world invent | |
| That Iustice was a god of soveraine grace, | |
| And altars unto him and temples lent, | |
| And heavenly honours in the highest place; | |
| Calling him great Osyris, of the race | 5 |
| Of th’ old Ægyptian kings that whylome were; | |
| With fayned colours shading a true case; | |
| For that Osyris, whilest he lived here, | |
| The iustest man alive and truest did appeare. | |
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| His wife was Isis; whom they likewise made | 10 |
| A goddesse of great powre and soverainty, | |
| And in her person cunningly did shade | |
| That part of Iustice which is Equity, | |
| Whereof I have to treat here presently: | |
| Unto whose Temple whenas Britomart | 15 |
| Arrived, shee with great humility | |
| Did enter in, ne would that night depart; | |
| But Talus mote not be admitted to her part. | |
| |
| There she received was in goodly wize | |
| Of many priests, which duely did attend | 20 |
| Uppon the rites and daily sacrifize, | |
| All clad in linnen robes with silver hemd; | |
| And on their heads with long locks comely kemd | |
| They wore rich mitres shaped like the moone, | |
| To shew that Isis doth the moone portend; | 25 |
| Like as Osyris signifies the sunne: | |
| For that they both like race in equall iustice runne. | |
| |
| The Championesse them greeting, as she could, | |
| Was thence by them into the Temple led; | |
| Whose goodly budding when she did behould | 30 |
| Borne uppon stately pillours, all dispred | |
| With shining gold, and arched over hed, | |
| She wondred at the workmans passing skill, | |
| Whose like before she never saw nor red; | |
| And thereuppon long while stood gazing still, | 35 |
| But thought that she thereon could never gaze her fill. | |
| |
| Thenceforth unto the Idoll they her brought; | |
| The which was framed all of silver fine, | |
| So well as could with cunning hand be wrought, | |
| And clothed all in garments made of line, | 40 |
| Hemd all about with fringe of silver twine: | |
| Uppon her head she wore a crowne of gold; | |
| To shew that she had powre in things divine; | |
| And at her feete a crocodile was rold, | |
| That with her wreathed taile her middle did enfold. | 45 |
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| One foote was set uppon the crocodile, | |
| And on the ground the other fast did stand; | |
| So meaning to suppresse both forged guile | |
| And open force: and in her other hand | |
| She stretched forth a long white sclender wand. | 50 |
| Such was the goddesse: whom when Britomart | |
| Had long beheld, herselfe uppon the land | |
| She did prostráte, and with right humble hart | |
| Unto herselfe her silent prayers did impart. | |
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