_And therefore, now, the Thracian ORPHEUS' lyre And HERCULES himself are stellified, And in high heaven, amidst the starry quire Dancing their parts, continually do slide. So, on the Zodiac, GANYMEDE doth ride, And so is HEBE with the Muses nine, For pleasing JOVE with dancing, made divine._
_Wherefore was PROTEUS said himself to change Into a stream, a lion, and a tree, And many other forms fantastic strange, As, in his fickle thought, he wished to be? But that he danced with such facility, As, like a lion, he could pace with pride, Ply like a plant, and like a river slide._
_And how was CŒNEUS made, at first, a man, And then a woman, then a man again, But in a Dance? which when he first began He the man's part in measure did sustain: But when he changed into a second strain, He danced the woman's part another space; And then returned unto his former place._
_Hence sprang the fable of TIRESIAS, That he the pleasure of both sexes tried; For, in a dance, he man and woman was. By often change of place, from side to side, But, for the woman easily did slide, And smoothly swim with cunning hidden Art, He took more pleasure in a woman's part._
_So to a fish VENUS herself did change, And swimming through the soft and yielding wave, With gentle motions did so smoothly range, As none might see where she the water drave; But this plain truth that falsèd fable gave, That she did dance with sliding easiness, Pliant and quick in wandering passages._
_And merry BACCHUS practised dancing too, And to the Lydian numbers Rounds did make. The like he did in th' Eastern India do, And taught them all, when PHŒBUS did awake, And when at night he did his coach forsake, To honour heaven, and heaven's great rolling eye, With turning dances and with melody._
_Thus they who first did found a Common weal, And they who first Religion did ordain, By dancing first the people's hearts did steal: Of whom we now a thousand tales do feign. Yet do we now their perfect rules retain, And use them still in such devices new; As in the world, long since, their withering grew._
_For after Towns and Kingdoms founded were, Between great states arose well-ordered war, Wherein most perfect Measure doth appear: Whether their well set Ranks respected are, In quadrant forms or semicircular; Or else the March, when all the troops advance, Unto the drum in gallant order dance._