Sentence:  The water Nymphs that in the bottome playd / Held up their pearled wrists and tooke her in, / Bearing her straite to aged "Nereus" hall / Who <WSD>piteous</WSD> of her woes rea[r']d her lanke head, / And gave her to his daughters to imbathe / In nectar'd lavers strewd with asphodil, 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Showing compassion.