ANDROMEDA LIBERATA OR THE NVPTIALS OF PERSEVS and ANDROMEDA By GEORGE CHAPMAN Nihil a veritate nec virtute remotius quam vulgaris opinio Pet. LONDON Printed for LAVRENCE L'ISLE and are to be sold at his shop in S t Paules-Church-yard at the signe of the Tigers-head 1614. TO THE RIGHT WORTHILY HONORED Robert Earle of Sommerset c. AND HIS MOST NOBLE LADY the Ladie FRANCES AS nothing vnder heauen is more remou'd From Truth virtue then Opinions prou'â— By vulgar Voices So is nought more true Nor soundly virtuous then things held by few Whom Knowledge entred by the sacred line And gouernd euermore by grace diuine Keepes in the narrow path to spacious heauen And therfore should no knowing spirit be driueâ— From fact nor purpose for the spleens prophan Of humours errant and Plebeian But Famelike gather force as he goes forth The Crowne of all Acts ends in onely worth Nor will I feare to postrate this poore Rage Of forespoke Poesie to your patronage Thrice worthy Earle your vnequald grace Most Noble Countesse for the one-ear'd Race Of set-eyd vulgars that will no waie see But that their stiffe necks driue them headlongy Stung with the Gadflie of misgouernd zeale Nor heare but one tale and that euer ill These I contemne as no Rubs fit for me To checke at in my way t' Integritie Nor will ye be incenst that such a Toie Should put on the presumption to enioie Your grauer eare my Lord and your faire eye Illustrous Ladie since poore Poesie Hath beene a Iewell in the richest eare Of all the Nuptiall States that euer were For as the Bodies pulse in Phisique is A little thing yet therein th' Arteries Bewray their motion and disclose to Art The strength or weakenesse of the vitall part Perpetually moouing like a watch Put in our Bodies So this three mens catch This little Soules Pulse Poesie panting still Like to a dancing pease vpon a Quill Made with a childes breath vp and downe to fly Is no more manly thought And yet thereby Euen in the corps of all the world we can Discouer all the good and bad of man Anatomise his nakednesse and be To his chiefe Ornament a Maiestie Erect him past his human Period And heighten his transition into God Thus Sun-like did the learnd and most diuine Of all the golden world make Poesie shine That now but like aglow worm gleams by night Like Teachers scarce fouÌ„d by their proper light But this my Lord and all poore virtues else Expos'd ah las like perdu Sentinels â—o warne the world of what must needs be nie â—or pride and auarice glas'd by Sanctitie Must be distinguisht and decided by Your cleere ingenuous and most quiet eye Exempt from passionate and duskie fumes That blinde our Reason and in which consumes The Soule halfe choakt with stomacke casting mists â—red in the purest turnd mere humorists And where with douelike sweet humility They all things should authorise or deny The vulgar heate and pride of splene and blood Blaze their opinions which cannot be good For as the Bodies Shadow neuer can Shew the distinct and expact Forme of man So nor the bodies passionate affects Can euer teach well what the Soule respects For how can mortall things immortall shew Or that which false is represent the trew The peacefull mixture then that meetes in yow Most teÌ„perat Earl that nought to rule do thow In which as in a thorough kindled Fire Light and Heat marrie Iudgement and Desire Reason is still in quiet and extends All things t' aduantage of your honored Ends May well authorise all your Acts of Note Since all Acts vicious are of Passion got Through dead Calms of our Perturbations euer Truths Voice to soules eares set we heare or neuer The meerely animate Man doth nothing see That tends to heauen It must be onely He That is mere foule Her separable powers The scepter giuing heere That then discourse Of Motions that in sence doe neuer fall Yet know them too and can distinguish all With such a freedome that our earthly parts Sincke all to earth And then th' ingenuous arts Doe their true office Then true Policie Windes like a serpent through all Empery Her folds on both sides bounded like a flood With high-shores listed making great and good Whom she instructeth to which you my Lord May lay all claimes that Temper can afford Nought gathering ere t' is ripe and so must taste Kindely and sweetely and the longer hast All fruits in youth ripe in you and must so Imply a facultie to euer growe And as the morning that is calme and gray Deckt all with curld clowds that the Sunne doth lay With varied coullours All aloft exhall'd As they t' adorn euen heauen it selfe were call'd And could not fall in slendrest deawes till Night But keepe daies Beauty firme and exquisite More for delight fit and doth more adorne EueÌ„ th'EueÌ„ with Graces then the youthful morn So you sweete Earle stay youth in aged bounds Euen absolute now in all lifes grauest grounds Like Aire fill euery corner of your place Your grace your virtue heightning virtue grace And keeping all clowds high aire calme cleer And in your selfe all that their height should rere Your life and light will proue a still full Moone And all your night time nobler then your noone The Sunne is in his rising height and set Still in himselfe alike at all parts great His light heat greatnes coullors that are showne To vs as his charge meerely is our owne So let your charge my Lord in others be But in your selfe hold Sun-like constancie For as men skild in Natures study say The world was not the world nor did conuay To coupling bodies Natures common forme But all confus'd like waues struck with a storme Some small were and in no set being staid All comprehension and connexion fled The greater and the more compact disturb'd With ceaseles warre and by no order curb'd Till earth receiuing her set magnitude Was fixt her selfe and all her Birth indu'd With staie and law so this small world of ours Is but a Chaos of corporeall powers Nor yeelds his mixt parts forms that may becom A human Nature But at randome rome Past brutish fashions and so neuer can Be cald the ciuill bodie of a man But in it and against it selfe still fights In competence of Cares loyes Appetites The more great in command made seruile more Glutted not satisfied in plenty poore Till vp the Soule mounts and the Scepter swaies Th' admired Fabricke of her world suruaies And as it hath a magnitude confinde â—o all the powers therein she sees combinde â—n fit Acts for one end which is t' obay Reason her Regent Nature giuing way Peace Concord Order Stay proclaim'd and Law And none commanding if not all in Awe Passion and Anger made to vnderlie And heere concludes mans morall Monarchie â—n which your Lordships milde Soule sits so hie Yet cares so little to be seene
or heard That in the good thereof her scope is Sphear'd The Theban Ruler paralleling Right Who thirst of glory turnd to appetite Of inward Goodnesse was of speech so spare To heare and learne so couetous and yare That of his yeares none things so many knew Nor in his speeches ventured on so few Forth then my Lord these things euer thirst Till Scandall pine and Bane-fed enuie burst And you most noble Lady as in blood In minde be Noblest make our factious brood Whose forked tongs wold fain your honor sting Conuert their venomd points into their spring Whos 's owne harts guilty of faults faind in yours Wold fain be posting off but arme your powers With such a seige of vertues that no vice Of all your Foes Aduantage may entice To sally forth and charge you with offence But sterue within for very conscience Of that Integritie they see exprest In your cleere life Of which th'examples Rest May be so blamelesse that all past must be Being Fount to th' other most vndoubtedly Confest vntouch't and Curiositie The beame picke rather from her own squint eie Then ramp stil at the motes shade faind in yours Nought doth so shame this chimick serch of ours As when we prie long for assur'd huge prise Our glasses broke all vp in vapor flies And as the Royall Beast whose image you Beare in your armes and aires great Eagle too Sill as they goe are said to keepe in close Their seres Tallons lest their points shold lose Their vseful sharpnes when they serue no vse So this our sharp-eyd search that we abuse In others brests we should keepe in t'explore Our owne fowle bosomes and quit them before VVe ransacke others but great Ladie leaue These Rules to them they touch do you receaue Those free ioies in your honour and your Loue That you can say are yours and euer moue VVhere your comand as soon is seru'd as kown Ioyes plac't without you neuer are your owne Your Honours euer most humbly and faithfully vowd Geo. Chapman To the preiudicate and peremptory Reader I Am still in your hands but was first in his that being our great sustainer of Sincerity and Innocence will I hope defend mee from falling I thinke you know not him I intend more then you know me nor can you know mee since your knowledge is imagined so much aboue mine that it must needes ouersee He that lies on the ground can fall no lower By such as backebite the highest the lowest must looke to be de uor'd Forth with your curious Scrutinie and finde my Rush as knotty as you lust and your owne Crab-tree as smooth Twillbe most ridiculous and pleasing to sit in a corner and spend your teeth to the stumps in mumbling an ould Sparrow till your lips bleed and your eyes water when all the faults you can finde are first in your selues t' is no Herculean labor to cracke what you breed Ah las who knowes not your vttermost dimensions Or loues not the best things you would seeme to loue in deed and better Truth was neuer the Fount of Faction In whose Sphere since your purest thoughts moue their motion must of force be oblique and angulare But whatsoeuer your disease bee I know it incurable because your vrine will neuer shew it At aduenture at no hand be let blood for it but rather sooth your ranke bloods and rub one another You yet ingenuous and iudicious Reader that as you are your selfe retaine in a sound bodie as sounde a soule if your gentle tractability haue vnwares let the common surfet surprize you abstaine take Phisique heere and recouer Since you reade to learne teach Since you desire to bee reform'd reforme freely Such strokes shall bee so farre from breaking my head they shall be rich Balmes to it comfort and strengthen the braine it beares and make it healthfully neese out whatsoeuer anoies it Vale. The Argument ANdromeda Daughter of Cepheus King of Aethiopia and Cassiope a virgine exempted from coÌ„parison in all the vertues beauties both oâ— minde and bodie for the enuie of Iuno to her Mother being compar'd with her for beauty and wisedome or as others write maligned by the Nereides for the eminent Graces of her selfe moued so much the Deities displeasures that they procur'd Neptune to send into the Region of Cephâ—us a whale so monstrously vaste and dreadfull that all the fields he spoild and wasted all the noblest edifices tumbling to ruine the strongest citties of the kingdome not forcible enough to withstand his inuasions Of which so vnsufferable a plague Cepheus consulting with an Oracle and asking both the cause and remedie after accustomed sacrifices the Oracle gaue answer that the calamity would neuer cease till his onely daughter Andromeda was exposed to the Monster Cepheus returnd and with Iron chaines bound his daughter to a rocke before a cittie of the kingdome called Ioppe At which cittie the same time Perseus arriued with the head of Medusa c. who pittying so matchles a virgines exposure to so miserable an euent dissolu'd her chaines and tooke her from the Rock Both sitting together to expect the monster he rauenously hasting to deuoure her Perseus turndpart of him into stone through the rest made way with his sword to his vtter slaughter When holding it wreath enough for so renownd a victory He took Andromeda to wife had by her one daughter called Perse another Erythraea of whom the sea in those parts is called Mare ErythraeaÌ„ since she both liued and died there and one sonne called after himselfe another Electrion a third Sthenelus and after liued Princely and happily with his wife and his owne Mother to his death Then faind for their vertues to be made Constellations in Heauen ANDROMEDA LIBERATA AWay vngodly Vulgars far away Flie ye prophane that dare not view the day Nor speake to men but shadowes nor would heare Of any newes but what seditious were Hatefull and harmefull euer to the best Whispering their scandals glorifying the rest Impious and yet gainst all ills but your owne The hotest sweaters of religion Whose poysons all things to your spleenes peruert And all streames measure by the Fount your heart That are in nought but misrule regulare To whose eyes all seeme ill but those that are That hate yee know not why nor with more cause Giue whom yee most loue your prophane applause That when Kings and their Peeres whose piercing eies Broke through their broken sleepes and policies Mens inmost Cabinets disclose and hearts Whose hands loues ballance weighing all desarts Haue let downe to them which graue conscience Charg'd with the blood and soule of Innocence Holds with her white hand when her either skole Apt to be sway'd with euery graine of Soule Her selfe swaies vp or downe to heauen or hell Approue an action you must yet conceale A deeper insight and retaine a taint To cast vpon the pure soule of a Saint Away in our milde Sphere doth nothing
moue But all-creating all preseruing Loue At whose flames vertues lighted euen to starres All vicious Enuies and seditious Iars Bane-spitting Murmures and detracting Spels Bannish with curses to the blackest hels Defence of Beauty and of Innocence And taking off the chaines of Insolence From their prophan'd and godlike Lineaments Actions heroique and diuine descents All the sweet Graces euen from death reuiu'd And sacred fruites from barren Rockes deriu'd Th' Immortall Subiects of our Nuptials are Thee then iust scourge of factious populare Fautor of peace and all the powers that moue In sacred Circle of religious Loue Fountaine of royall learning and the rich Treasure of Counsailes and mellifluous speech Let me inuoke that one drop of thy spring May spirit my aged Muse and make her sing As if th'inspir'd brest of eternall youth Had lent her Accents and all-mouing truth The Kingdome that the gods so much did loue And often feasted all the Powers aboue At whose prime beauties the enamour'd Sunne His Morning beames lights and doth ouerrunne The world with Ardor Aethiopia Bore in her throne diuine Andromeda To Cepheus and Cassiope his Queene Whose boundlesse beauties made ore'flow the spleene Of euery Neirid for surpassing them The Sun to her resign'd his Diadem And all the Deities admiring stood Affirming nothing mou'd like flesh and blood Thunder would court her with words sweetly phraz'd And lightning stucke 'twixt heau'n and earth amaz'd This matchlesse virgin had a mother too That did for beautie and for wisdome goe Before the formost Ladies of her time To whom of super-excellence the crime Was likewise lai'd by Iuno and from hence Pin'd Enuie suckt the poison of offence No truth of excellence was euer seene But bore the venome of the Vulgares spleene And now the much enrag'd Neireides Obtain'd of him that moues the marble seas To wreake the vertue they cal'd Insolence A whale so monstrous and so past defence That all the royall Region he laid wast And all the noblest edifices rac't Nor from his plague were strongest Cities free His bodies vast heape rag'd so heauily With noblest names and bloods is still embrewd The monstrous beast the rauenous Multitude This plague thus preying vpon all the land With so incomprehensible a hand The pious virgin of the father sought By Oracles to know what cause had brought Such banefull outrage ouer all his State And what might reconcile the Deities hate His orisons and sacrifices past The Oracle gaue answere that the waste His Country suffered neuer would conclude Till his Andromeda he did extrude To rapine of the Monster he good man Resolu'd to satiate the Leuiathan With her before his Country though he lou'd Her past himselfe and bore a spirit mou'd To rescue Innocence in any one That was to him or his but kindly knowne To grace or profite doe them any good That lay in swift streame of his noblest blood Constant to all yet to his deerest seed For rights sake flitting thinking true indeed The generall vprore that t' was sinne in her That made men so exclaime and gods conferre Their approbation saying the Kingdomes bale Must end by her exposure to the Whale With whom the Whale-like vulgare did agree And their foule spleenes thought her impiety Her most wise mother yet the sterne intent Vow'd with her best endeauour to preuent And tolde her what her father did addresse Shee fearefull fled into the wildernesse And to th' instinct of sauage beasts would yeeld Before a father that would cease to shield A daughter so diuine and Innocent Her feet were wing'd and all the search out went That after her was ordered but shee flew And burst the winds that did incenst pursue And with enamoured sighes her parts assaile Plaide with her haire and held her by the vaile From whom shee brake and did to woods repaire Still where shee went her beauties dide the ayre And with her warme blood made proud Flora blush But seeking shelter in each shadie bush Beauty like fire comprest more strength receiues And shee was still seene shining through the leaues Hunted from thence the Sunne euen burn'd to see So more then Sunne-like a Diuinity Blinded her eyes and all inuasion seekes To dance vpon the mixture of her cheekes Which show'd to all that follow'd after far As vnderneath the roundure of a starre The euening skie is purple'd with his beames Her lookes fir'd all things with her loues extreames Her necke a chaine of orient pearle did decke The pearles were faire but fairer was her necke Her breasts laid out show'd all enflamed sights Loue lie a sunning twixt two Crysolites Her naked wrists showde as if through the skie A hand were thrust to signe the Deitie Her hands the confines and digestions were Of Beauties world Loue fixt his pillars there Her eyes that others caught now made her caught Who to her father for the whale was brought Bound to a barraine Rocke and death expected But heau'n hath still such Innocence protected Beauty needs feare no Monsters for the sea Mother of Monsters sent Alcyone To warrant her not onely gainst the waues But all the deathes hid in her watrie graues The louing birds flight made about her still Still good presaging shew'd heau'ns sauing will Which cheering her did comfort all the shore That mourn'd in shade of her sad eyes before Her lookes to perle turn'd peble and her looks To burnisht gold transform'd the burning Rocks And noâ— came roring to the tied the Tide All the Neireides deckt in all their pride Mounted on Dolphins roâ—de to see their wreake The waues fom'd with their enuies that did speake In mutest fishes with their leapes aloft For brutish ioy of the reuenge they sought The people greedie of disastrous sights And newes the food of idle appetites From the kings Chamber straight knew his intent And almost his resolu'd thoughts did preuent In drie waues beating thicke about the Shore And then came on the prodegie that bore In one masse mixt their Image that still spread A thousand bodies vnder one sole head Of one minde still to ill all ill men are Strange sights and mischiefes fit the Populare Vpon the Monster red Rhamnusia rode The Sauage leapt beneath his bloody load Mad of his prey giu'n ouer now by all When any high haue any meanes to fall Their greatest louers proue false props to proue it And for the mischiefe onely praise and loue it There is no good they will not then commend Nor no Religion but they will pretend A mighty title to when both are vs'd To warrant Innouation or see brus'd The friendlesse Reed that vnder all feet lies The sound parts euermore they passe like flies And dwell vpon the sores ill in themselues They clearely saile with ouer rockes and shelues But good in others ship wracke in the Deepes Much more vniust is he that truely keepes Lawes for more shew his owne ends vnderstood Then he that breakes them for anothers good And 't is the height
generation shine Thus Perseus sayd and not because he sau'd Her life alone he her in marriage crau'd But with her life the life of likely Race Was chiefe end of his action in whose grace Her royall father brought him to his Court With all the then assembled glad resort Of Kings and Princes where were solemniz'd Th' admired Nuptialls which great Heau'n so priz'â— That Ioue againe stoopt in a goulden showre T' enrich the Nuptiall as the Natall howre Of happy Perseus white-armd Iuno to Depos'd her greatnesse and what she could do To grace the Bride Bride-groome was vouchsafâ—â— All Subiect-deities stoopt to and the Shaft Golden and mutuall with which loue comprest Both th'enuied Louers offerd to and kist All answerablie feasted to their States In all the Starres beames stoopt the reuerend Fates And the rere banquet that fore ranne the Bed With his presage shut vp and seconded And sayd they sung verse that Posteritie In no age should reproue for Perfidie Parcarum Epithalamion O You this kingdomes glory that shall be Parents to so renownd a Progenie As earth shall enuie and heauen glory in Accept of their liues threds which Fates shal spin Their true spoke oracle and liue to see Your sonnes sonnes enter such a Progenie As to the last times of the world shall last Haste you that guide the web haste spindles haste â—ee Hesperus with nuptiall wishes crownd â—ake and enioy In all ye wish abound Abound for who should wish crowne with her store â—ut you that slew what barren made the shore You that in winter make your spring to come Your Summer needs must be Elisium â— race of mere soules springing that shall cast â—heir bodies off in cares and all ioyes taste Haste then that sacred web haste spindles haste Ioue loues not many therefore let those few That his guifts grace affect still to renew For none can last the same that proper is To onely more then Semideities To last yet by renewing all that haue More merit then to make their birth their graue As in themselues life life in others saue First to be great seeke then lou'd then to last Haste you that guide the web haste spindles haste She comes ô Bridegroom shew thy selfe enflam'd And of what tender tinder Loue is flam'd Catch with ech sparke her beauties hurle about Nay with ech thoght of her be rapt throughout Melt let thy liuer pant thy startled heart Mount Loue on earthquakes in thy euery part A thousand hewes on thine let her lookes cast Dissolue thy selfe to be by her embrac't Haste ye that guide the web haste spindles haste As in each bodie there is ebbe and flood Of blood in euery vaine of spirits in blood Of Ioyes in spirits of the Soule in Ioyes And nature through your liues this change imploies To make her constant so each minde retaines Manners and customs where vicicitude reignes Opinions pleasures which such change enchains And in this enterchange all man doth last Haste then who guide the web haste spindles haste Who bodie loues best feedes on dantiest meats Who fairest seed seekes fairest women gets Who loues the minde with loueliest disciplines Loues to enforme her in which verity shines Her beauty yet we see not since not her But bodies being her formes who faire formes beare We view and chiefely seeke her beauties there The fairest then for faire birth see embrac't Haste ye that guide the web haste spindles haste Starres ye are now and ouershine the earth Starres shall ye be heereafter and your birth In bodies rule heere as your selues in heau'n What heer Detraction steals shall there be giuen The bouÌ„d that heer you freed shal triumph there The chaine that touch't her wrists shal be a starre Your beauties few can view so bright they are Like you shal be your birth with grace disgrac't Haste ye that rule the web haste spindles haste Thus by diuine instinct the fates enrag'd Of Perseus and Andromeda presag'd Who when the worthy nuptial State was done And that act past which only two makes one Flesh of each flesh and bone of eithers bone Left Cepheus Court both freed and honoured The louing Victor and blest Bride-groome led Home to the Seriphins his rescu'd Bride Who after issue highly magnifi'd Both rapt to heau'n did constellations reigne And to an Asterisme was turn'd the chaine That onely touch't his grace of flesh blood In all which stands the Fates kinde Omen good APODOSIS THus through the Fount of stormes the cruell seas Her Monsters and malignant deities Great Perseus made high and triumphant way To his starre crownd deed and bright Nuptiall day And thus doe you that Perseus place supply In our Ioues loue get Persean victorie Of our Land Whale foule Barbarisme and all His brood of pride and liues Atheisticall That more their pallats and their purses prise Then propagating Persean victories Take Monsters parts not aucthor manly parts For Monsters kill the Man-informing Arts And like a lothed prodegie despise The rapture that the Arts doth naturalise Creating and immortalising men Who scornes in her the Godheads vertue then The Godheads selfe hath boldnesse to despise And hate not her but their Eternities Seeke vertues loue and vicious flatteries hate Heere is not true sweete but in knowing State Who Honor hurts neglecting vertues loue Commits but Rapes on pleasures for not Ioue His power in thunder hath or downeright flames But his chiefe Rule his Loue and Wisedome frames You then that in loues strife haue ouercome The greatest Subiect blood of Crhistendome The greatest subiect minde take and in Both Be absolute man and giue that end your oth So shall my sad astonisht Muse arriue At her chiefe obiect which is to reuiue By quickning honor in the absolute best And since none are but in Eternitie blest He that in paper can register things That Brasse and Marble shall denie euen Kings Should not be trod on by ech present flash The Monster slaine then with your cleere Seas wash From spots of Earth Heauens beauty in the minde â—n which through death hath all true Noblesse shinde FINIS