_Lo, this is Dancing's true nobility; Dancing, the Child of Music and of Love; Dancing itself, both Love and Harmony; Where all agree, and all in order move; Dancing, the art that all Arts doth approve; The sure Character of the world's consent, The heavens true figure, and th'earth's ornament._
The Queen, whose dainty ears had borne too long The tedious praise of that she did despise, Adding once more the music of the tongue To the sweet speech of her alluring eyes; Began to answer in such winning wise As that forthwith ANTINOUS' tongue was tied, His eyes fast fixed, his ears were open wide.
_Forsooth,_ quoth she, _great glory you have won To your trim minion, Dancing, all this while, By blazing him LOVE'S first begotten son, Of every ill the hateful father vile, That doth the world with sorceries beguile, Cunningly mad, religiously profane, Wit's monster, Reason's canker, Sense's bane._
_LOVE taught the mother that unkind desire To wash her hands in her own infants blood; LOVE taught the daughter to betray her sire Into most base unworthy servitude; LOVE taught the brother to prepare such food To feast his brothers that the all-seeing sun, Wrapt in a cloud, the wicked sight did shun._
_And even this self-same LOVE hath Dancing taught, An Art that shewed th' Idea of his mind With vainness, frenzy, and misorder fraught; Sometimes with blood and cruelties unkind, For in a dance TEREUS' mad wife did find Fit time and place, by murdering her son, T' avenge the wrong his traitorous sire had done._
_What mean the Mermaids, when they dance and sing, But certain death unto the mariner? What tidings do the dancing Dolphins bring, But that some dangerous storm approacheth near? Then since both Love and Dancing liveries bear Of such ill hap unhappy may they prove That, sitting free, will either dance or love!_
Yet, once again, ANTINOUS did reply, _Great Queen! condemn not LOVE the innocent, For this mischievous LUST, which traitorously Usurps his Name, and steals his Ornament; For that TRUE LOVE, which Dancing did invent, Is he that tuned the world's whole harmony, And linked all men in sweet society._
_He first extracted from th' earth-mingled mind That heavenly fire, or quintessence divine, Which doth such sympathy in Beauty find As is between the Elm and fruitful Vine, And so to Beauty ever doth incline; Life's life it is, and cordial to the heart, And of our better part the better part._