Hi David,
It's from the description of the 'Knight of the tombe':
For he had before him foure damosels, and so many behind him, all vpon
palfreys, & all appareled in mourning weedes; ech of them seruants of ech
side, with like liueries of sorrow. Himselfe in an armour, all painted
ouer with such a cunning of shadow, that it represented a gaping
sepulchre, the furniture of his horse was all of Cypresse braunches;
wherwith in olde time they were woont to dresse graues. His Bases (which
he ware so long, as they came almost to his ankle) were imbrodered onely
with blacke wormes, which seemed to crawle vp and downe, as readie
alreadie to deuoure him. In his shielde for Impresa, he had a beautifull
childe, but hauing two heades; whereon the one shewed, that it was
alreadie dead: the other aliue, but in that case, necessarily looking for
death. The word was, No way to be rid from death, but by death.
[Sidney, Arcadia (1590), Book 3, Chapter 16; f. 308v]
az
Andrew Zurcher
Tutor and Director of Studies in English (Part 1)
Queens' College
Cambridge CB3 9ET
United Kingdom
+44 1223 335 572
hast hast post hast for lyfe
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