Hesprus wiih his dauning day Had banisht the nights lamps away When in the Tents through all the rout A secret murmuring burst out Where fate had drawne the world together The wretched people trooping thither To Pompeys tent with furie driuen Would haue the signe of battell giuen The most not like to see next euen And with huge cries the houres they hast Of their neare deaths that drew on fast Such direfull sudden rage them bends Headlong to runne vnto their ends Pompey is slow and coward cal'd And vnto Caesar too much thral'd And that he kingdome did affect And would the world to him subiect Who seeing now that he could draw So many nations to his law Would still his glorious powre maintaine And therefore did all peace disdaine The Kings and Nations of the East Complain'd the warre was turn'd to ieast And so protracted to their wrong Who from their homes were held so long O heauenly powres such is your wills When you designe ought to our ills And all with vs shall go awry The blame on our owne faults must lie To mischiefe headlong run they all For dismall fight they cry and call In Pompeys campe Pharsalias fate Is vow'd to trie this dire debate Then Tullius that patron great Of Roman eloquence must treate In all their names he that of yore In his long robe did Rome restore To setled peace and to the law Brought dreadfull Catiline in awe But then did he the warres detest Onely with him was in request The Forum and the Rostrum seate Long silenced with martiall heate His eloquence no grace doth adde Vnto a cause in it selfe badde ¶ O Pompey for her fauours great At thy hands Fortune doth intreate That thou to her thy trust commend The nobles that thy Campe attend And all these kings thy constant friends That to thy aide their forces lends Do now beseech thee to agree That Caesar may subdued be Shall he so long haue meanes to finde A bloody warre with all mankinde The nations that thy selfe hath wonne And didst so quickly ouerrun VVill Pompeys glory disauow That is so slow in conquest now VVhither is thy braue courage fled Vngratefull dost thou stand in dread That heauen hath thee abandoned Or with the Gods dar'st thou not trust The Senate and thy cause so iust Thy Hoast their ensignes will display And giue the foe a bloudy day Vnto thy glory 't were a taint That thou shouldst vanquish by constraint Since thou by vs appointed art The Chiefetaine and for vs dost Mart. Let it bee lawfull for our Host To warre when we affect it most Why dost thou so by force hold backe The whole worlds Armes frō Caesars wrack The darts do brandle in their hands And all the troopes impatient stands Whilst Ensignes do draw out the bands Hast therefore now thy Armes to take Lest thine owne Trumpets thee forsake The Senate craues to know of thee Whether that they thy Souldiers bee Or whether they do in this Mart As thy compeeres retaine their part Sighing the Cheifetaine sorrow showes Hee found the Gods became his foes And Fate did his entents oppose ¶ If such quoth hee bee your desires And that this time rather requires Huge troopes and many an armed band Then such a leader as will stand Vpon aduantage when hee may I neuer will your fates delay Let all to ruin head-long goe By Fortunes hand at one dire blow And let this day the last light bee That most of vs shall euer see But Rome I thee to witnesse call That Pompey cannot do with all The time to him appointed was Wherein all should to mischiefe passe This war might well haue ben made good Without a blow or losse of bloud Caesar might haue beene captiued Without a battell hazarded And wonted peace recouered What wicked rage ô yee most blinde Makes you to be of this strange minde That since you ciuill armes do beare Is victory to you a feare Except you rauing wound and teare Our foes haue now but little scope And are bereft all marine hope We haue compel'd the hungry bands To eate the greene corne of the lands And they haue often wisht withall That they vpon our swords might fall Rather then this to starue and wither So we and they might fall together That warre is neare brought to his last And al' the difficulty past When to auoyde a greater fright New souldiers shall desire to fight And with the spurre of valours showes And kindled furie couet blowes For feare of future worser harmes The minds of many so much charmes That to preuent what they suspect All present hazards they neglect But truly valiant is that man That with a setled patience can Approaching perils so resist As to defer them at his list Must I leaue such securitie To Fortunes mutabilitie The whole worlds hap must we afford Vnto the hazard of the sword You rather I should hazard fight Then conquer foes by martiall slight Fortune committed to my cares The gouernment of Romes affaires And I deliuer to her charge The same againe with powre more large Let her as well now play her part And guard them safe in blinded Mart. For in this course all praise or blame Pompey for his part doth disclaime O Caesar with the powers diuine Thy prayers more preuaile then mine Fight when you please and fall to Armes But yet how many wicked harmes How great and many peoples wrackes Will this next day bring on our backes How many Kings will shed their blood And how will Enipheus flood Her Chrystall streames pollute and staine With purple gore of Romans slaine But first I wish the hostile lance Of bloudy warre with deaths mischance Might pierce this wretched head of mine If that my fate might bring to fine These ruines and with it divart All mischiefes from my Countries part The conquest if we do obtaine Cannot to Pompey's fame adde gaine If victory for vs do stand By slaughter and by bloudy hand The peoples hearts it will agrise And odiously my name misprise Or if that Pompey loose the game Pompey will be a wretched name All miseries the conquer'd finde But blame and mallice stil's assign'd Vnto the victor as his share That acts the warres last wofull chare So hauing said he did giue way To Armes and Souldiers raging sway As doth a Pilot sore distrest VVith a strong tempest blowne by west Leauing the helme and leauing Art Doth to the storme all rule impart VVhereby the ship doth heaue and set Drawne with the fury of the fret Now in confusion doth this Campe VVith fearefull tumults raue and rampe Their minds with horrid thoughts opprest Vnconstant moods boyle in their breast Many with pallid lookes bewray Of deaths approch the dismall day And in their faces doe relate A count'nance suiting to their fate And that the houre drew on with speed When humane chance should be decreed And in what tearms Romes state should stand Must in this
horse-men stood In most of all the drier lands The Kings and Tetrarchs Army stands And with them all the Princely swarmes And Tyrants with their troopes of Armes That to the Romans homage ought And now in Latiums quarrell fought There likewise the Numidians meet And those Cydonians sent from Creet The Archers from Iturea prest There mingled stood amongst the rest And valiant Gaules were there to show Their mallice to their ancient foe The Spaniards with their narrow shields Did range their troopes amidst those fields O Destiny now take away These Nations from the victors pray And when great Pompey is laid low Consume all triumphes at that blow ¶ This day as it fell out by chance Caesar his Ensignes did aduance And left his station in the morne Ranging the coast to gather corne With all his troopes when suddainly He saw the armed enemy Marching alongst the Champian plaine As he would battaile entertaine The time he now sees offred faire For which he had made many a praire Whereby he might at once for all Vnto an end this quarrell call He mourn'd these long delayes to bide Rauisht with loue of Regall pride And ciuill warres began to hate As too slow drawing to their date Because he had this little time Beene held off from this bloudy crime For now he plainly did descry The hazards of them both drew nye And saw the ruine of their states Must be committed vnto Fates His fury now did ready stand His conquering Armes to take in hand He no whit faints nor makes a doubt Which way the world would turne about His daring minde told him no lesse But that he should haue good successe His Fate to dread affoords no scope Nor Pompeys nourisht any hope Feare laid aside with manly words He stirres his troopes to trust their swords ¶ Braue Souldiers that the world do tame The fortune of my rising fame Behold that long-desired sight To yeeld you meanes to come to fight For that day need you wish no more With your owne Armes your fates explore It now doth rest vpon your hands In what tearmes Caesars fortune stands This is the day I call to minde That you to me your faiths combin'd In trust whereof we Armes put on And marched ouer Rubicon In hope that by your martiall might We should obtaine our Triumphes right With-held from vs with such despight This is that day whose ended broyles Shall fully recompence your toyles And shall againe your states restore And you establish as before Free Citizens by force of Mart This day shall witnesse whether part By Fates iust doome had best pretence To take vp Armes for rights defence This battaile now will him conclude As heynous most that is subdu'd If for my sake you did desire To yeeld me right by sword and fire Now valiantly performe the same Let conquest free your Armes from blame No martiall hand can guiltlesse goe That shall be censur'd by the foe 'T is not my Priuate that I seeke But all your liberties a like And that you may dominion beare Ouer all Nations farre and neare For I affect a private life Free from tempestious cares and strife And as a Burger of Romes Towne Clad in a meane Plebeian gowne I nothing will refuse to bee So your aduancements I may see Rule all and raigne in scorne of me Much bloud you shall not need to spend For that great hope that yee attend The Grecian youths that vs oppose Out of the Fencing-schooles they chose And many from their fields of games Slow wrastlers whom no Mart enflames But such as neuer yet bore Armes Mixt barbrously with diffring swarmes Such as when troopes to fighting falles And Trumpets sounds to battaile calles Will be afraid of their owne cry Few hands this ciuill warre will trye The world will soone be rid of most Of all that rabble in their host They will but pester and encumber Our Roman foes with ill-rang'd number Pierce through these men that are vntrain'd And kingdomes that such fame retain'd And when your swords shal first them greet Throw downe their glory at your feet And by your valour make it plaine That those that in his boasting vaine Pompey before his Chariots lead As mighty Nations vanquished So gloriously through streets of Rome Do not deserue one Triumphes doome Thinke you that any friendly loue To warres did these Armenians moue As though that they tooke any care Of Romes estate or her well-fare Or any those Barbarian Kings That to these warres their forces brings Would now for Pompeys Latium good Be at the cost of too much blood Oh no they hate vs Romanes all And chiefly those that made them thrall Fortune that neuer me deceau'd To my friends hands hath me bequeau'd To those with me that witnesse are Of many fights in Gallicke warre What Souldiers sword doe I not know What trembling dart can any throw But whilst that through the aire it flew I soone could tell whose arme it threw So as since that I you behold Your Captaine that led you of old And those braue Ensignes by you borne That neuer yet receiued skorne Your manly lookes with courage fraught Your threatning eyes that terror brought The day is yours and now me seemes With bloudy gore that riuers steemes Their Kings vpon the earth are spurn'd The Senators lye tost and turn'd The leaders and the Souldiers slaine In slaughtred troopes vpon the plaine But now I do my Fates delay Your armed hands with words to stay Giue warres approch his owne full sway My heart is ouer-ioy'd with hope Neuer saw I like Fortunes scope So neere my reach neuer before The Gods to me such bounties store Did seeme to giue a little ground Doth vs from our great wishes bound This battaile fought I am the man That onely by my fauour can Freely bestow the treasur'd gold That Kings and many people hold O heauens what planets influence What starre this motion did commence That now on this Pharsalian land So great a question should be scand This day there is for me prepar'd Either great paines or great reward Thinke but on Caesars tortur'd state The chaines that shall him captiuate His head vpon the Rostrum plac't His members rack't torne and defac't And you your selues will finde like feasts In pinfolds pent slaughtred as beasts Since he with whom we warres maintaine A Captaine is of Sylla's traine Therefore regard your owne estates For me I will preuent such Fates By vertue of my dreadlesse hand That at their mercy skornes to stand For he that this day shall not see Vs victors of our foes to be Shall see this sword of mine diuorse My breathing spirit from my Corse Yee Gods that from the heauens hye Vouchsafe to bend your carefull eye Vnto this base inferior soyle To looke vpon the Roman toyle Let him the victory obtaine That shall from cruelty refraine And will not deeme it but offence Except in pitty he dispence
out wayes that waylesse bee If so be they haue no desire To leaue our Ensignes and retire But are resolu'd for vertues hire For it is no part of my minde Mens eyes with fallacies to blinde Nor yet the Souldiers hearts to cheere By cloking dangers that draw neere For I of such mates must bee sped That freely are by dangers led By such as Roman worth esteeme And hardest haps the brauest deeme That can indure the toyles of Mart Whilst I a witnesse share my part But for that souldier that shall need One to assure him happy speed And holds his life at so deare rate That he will euery doubt debate Let him another leader seeke And finde a way he more may leeke Before that I do take in hand This iourney through this parched sand And march vpon this dustie land And let these parching heates first light On me withall their fierie might And let the Serpents me assaile With poysned teeth and venom'd taile Let all those perils that you dread Be tried first vpon my head Let him that sees that I am drie Refresh himselfe as well as I. Or that the wooddy shades I seeke Let him then panting do the like Or sees that I a horsebacke ride And so my troops of footmen guide Let him likewise for ease prouide Or if as chiefetaine I doe craue Any prerogatiue to haue Before the souldier vnder me But cheeke by cheeke his mate wil be These drouths these thirsts these snakes these sands Chiefely with valors liking stands Patience takes ioy in bitter bands A worthy act holdes greatest state When it is bought at dearest rate And Lybias clime such store doth yeeld Of miseries in euery field As that it may without defame Become braue men to shun the same So he these souldiers fearefull sprites To valarous attempts encites And to the loue of Martiall broiles In desert paths he wandring toiles Through endlesse wayes a passage made He doth the Lybian coast inuade So dreadlesse Cato in short date Lights on a place to close his fate Whereas a slender tombe shall shrine Within her wombe his name diuine The third part of this massie round If we beleeue what fame doth sound Is Affrica but if we take The same as heauen and winds do make Of Europe then it is a share For Nylus shores no further are From Gades as first it was a land Then Scythian Tanais doth stand And whereas Europe is descyded From Lybs it was by sea deuided· But Asia did Europa passe And in his circuit greater was So whilst these two do iointly send South-westerne blasts that Noth-east tend Asia alone on lefter hand Coniynd to Boreas chilly land And on the right to that South streame The confines of Egyptian realme From these two limits is possest Of all the title of the East The parts of Lybia chiefe and best Enclining is vnto the West And yet no fountains there are found And seldome showres to moist the ground That from the Artick clime proceeds Yet our dry winds their moisture breeds That mould in it no wealth doth hold Either of brasse or yet of gold No wicked mines therein haue birth But all the soyle is sollid earth In Mauritania trees do grow Whose worth the people did not know But to themselues contentment giue Vnder the Cytrons shade to liue Our axes since these woods haue feld That meerely were vnknowne to eld And from the worlds remotest side We brought our luxurie and pride ¶ But all the coasts both neare and farre That with the Syrts inuiron'd are With too much heate are ouer-run And parched with the neighbor Sun As that their graine it doth destroy And all their Vines the dust doth cloy No moistned roote the same doth feed Nor vitall temper it will breed The Gods that soile do not respect And nature stupid with neglect That land of comfort doth depriue Those dead sands no spring can reuiue And yet in this dull barren ground Rare herbs and plants are often found The which the Nasamons finde out And gather vp a people stout That naked are and those coasts keepes Which frontiers all alongst the deepes And with the wracke themselues do nourish Of ships that on the Syrts do perish For alwaies they in waite do stand For pillage on the Ocean sand When as the ships cannot attaine The port their wealth and spoyle they gaine So as these Nasmons hold commerce And trade with all the Vniuerse In manner of Barbarian kinde By wracks that on their shore they finde This wretched way Cato seekes out There to lead on with courage stout And there his souldiers to inure More stormes then on the seas endure For that the Syrts southwinds do cause Vpon those sands most harmefull flawes For there no Lybian mounts suffise To stay the furie that doth rise Nor yet the rocks their force asswage But in the aire those whirlewinds rage Amongst the woods they do not fall Rooting vp hugie trees withall But flie alongst the parched plaine Without resist with might and maine And on the sands their rage bestowes The which it violently blowes And neuer is alaid againe With any clouds of showring raine But sweeps in heapes the sands on hie Which hang and doe not scattring flie ¶ The wretched Nasmons thus behold Their kingdome still with tempests rowld Their houses to the earth downe throwne Their roofs with whirlewinds fury blowne From off their Garamantine frames Towring as high as hugest flames And as the smokes ascention Vnto the middle region Which darkenesse to the day procures So clouds of dust the aire obscures The Roman troops began to finde The outrage of this whirling wind More furiously them to assaile So as their footing did them faile For euen the very sands did fleete And slip from vnderneath their feete The earths foundation it had rac't And from his proper seate displac't If that these winds had made their birth Within the Cauerns of the Earth And crept into the hollow docks That are surcharg'd with Lybias rocks But for because the flitting sand Doth not the forcing wind withstand Nor make resistance with firme ground The soyles foundation did stand sound And that which fled before the winde Were vpper sands loose vncombinde But there withall so forciblie The violent blasts amongst them flie As that from them it takes and teares Their swords their casks their shields and speares And through the vacant aire them beares The which to other coasts might seeme A prodigy of streaming esteeme As though those armes from heauen did fall To terrifie the world withall And that which from mens hands was hent The Gods downe to the earth had sent Surely those armes fell in such wise Whilst Numa was in sacrifise The which in a religious feare The chiefe Patrician youths did weare So now their armes our souldiers lost By South or Northerne tempest tost ¶ In this sort all our Romane troopes Scar'd with these winds down prostrate droops Fearing
by fate To render iustice to our state Why should not I a woman raigne On those chiefe Citties that pertaine To me by right in Nylus land No sexe our custome doth withstand But that it hath bene often seene This kingdome hath obeyd a queene Reade but my fathers last bequeast And that will shew he did inuest Me with his kingdome equally And me espousd to Ptolomey But let him as a boy approue Me as his sister in his loue And in his wedlocks choise rest free But his affects must ruled be According to Photinns word For in his hand he holds the sword I nothing do desire to haue But what my Father to me gaue And that our family be freed From any foule incestuous deed And that thou wouldst the powre abate Of Photyne that doth wrong our state And do appoint by thy behest The king to rule as fits him best But his base seruant is with pride So puffed vp and magnifide Because that he the plot did lay That Pompeys head hath reft away And now the like but Gods defend Against thy selfe he doth entend That haynous deed that all doth loath Hath wrong the world and Caesar both Whilst Photyne prowdly doth exact To merit glory for the fact ¶ And now lest that her words might faile With Caesars hard eares to preuaile Her gesture doth her speeches grace She supplicates with flattring face And with her chambring by night She charmes her iudge to rue her plight So as when they had peace obtaind At Caesars hand with great guifts gaind They feasted then the Roman Lord In shew of ioy for this accord Then Cleopatra shews her port With luxurie and great resort And there such sumptuous pride was showne As earst in Rome was neuer knowne The place a royall fabricate Was as a temples type in state Whose match for beauty future date Will hardly raise the fretted ruffe Composed was of richest stuffe As for the beames and timber frames Were couered thicke with golden lames The parget of the walls did shine With snow white marble polisht fine The Agat stood inlayed there Commixt with purple stones each where And euery floore they troad vpon Was paued with the Onyx stone The Mareoticke heben wood No where for outward building stood But as huge posts to a beare waight Vnder those frames that did them fraight It was not vsde the house to grace That timber they accounted base The Yuory the frounts did face Vpon the doores enlaid with art The shining shels of Indias mart Were fixt vpon the backer part The bedsteads were with gems set out Spotted with Emrald round about The implements were all bedight With yeallow Iasper glistring bright The couerlets and carpets spred Colourd like Tyrian scarlet red Whose die was long to take the staine And more then once boyld in the graine One part did shine like glittring gold Th' other a purple hue did hold As do the Pharean weauers vse That mingled changes can enfuse In wouen silkes of sundry hues Then numbers of attendant maids And pages that the seruice aides Discolourd blood distinct appeares In some and some by diffring yeares A part of them haue Lybian haire And other yeallow tresses faire So as that Caesars selfe could say In all those soyles where Rhene doth stray He had not seene amongst the flocks Of German lasses fairer locks Some of their heads were frisled blacke And from their foreheads turned backe There were withall another sort Of hopelesse youths for Venus sport Whose manly parts the knife had hent But others of a stronger bent Stood their in place yet scarce begins A signe of downe on all their chins ¶ Then did the King and Princes all Vpon their beds to feasting fall But Caesar as the chiefest guest Had highest place amongst the rest There Cleopatra sets to view Immodestly her painted hew So to enchant the gazers eyes Her scepter doth not her suffise Nor yet to be her brothers wife About her necke there hangeth rife The red seas spoiles and in her heire Those pretious iewels glistring were Her rifing brests that snow white beene Through the Sydonian lawns are seene Whilst it a vaile doth ouershade That with the Nylan neelde was made Most curiously with threds compact Yet with the combe so nycely slackt As that some places being thinne It did bewray her lilly skinne Before them all round tables stood Fram'd of the rare Atlanticke wood On tresles made of Iuorie Such as againe of Caesars eye Were neuer seene though Iubas soyle Soone afterwards fell to his spoyle O blind and mazde ambitious rage That sets thy treasures on a stage To him that ciuill warre did wage So to Prouoke with riches charmes A guest so powrefull great in armes For though he were not then in case With wicked warre to run the race That might with wracke the world constrain For riches sake and greedy gaine Yet were those captains that of old In poorer times great names did hold Subsisting now in woonted mood Fabritians and the Curian brood And that braue Consull that was tane In hast for need to saue Romes bane From plowing the Hetrurian lands Where he was toyling with his hands Those would haue gladly giuen their doome To bring such triumph spoiles to Rome ¶ Their costly cates were seru'd in gold What euer might be bought or sold That earth or aire or Ocean yeelds Or Nylus flood and fruitfull fields Or whatsoeuer could be found To make this luxurie abound Ambitious pride made it be sought That in the world was to be bought Not onely hunger to suffise But for to feast their wanton eyes With beasts and birds of sundry store Which by their sacred rites of yore Th' Egyptians did as Gods adore The water for to wash their hands In clearest cristall basons stands The bowles wherein they drinke their wine Were made of pretious stones that shine But Mareotis grape pleasd not A nobler wine then it they got That had bene kept for certaine yeares And with the age the strength appeares Falermums fragrant wine it was That froths and spurtles in the glasse Then Garlands must their heads enclose Of pleasant Nard that greene still groes And neuer sheeds his flowring rose When on their balmed haire they throw Those pretious powders that do grow In Easterne Inde that had not lost The sent and sauour of that cost Mixt with Amomum gatherd new Brought from the countries where it grew Here Caesar learnes to take the spoyles Of all the whole worlds richest soyles And now the warres hee doth detest That his poore son-inlaw opprest Wishing withall that some debate Might turne his Mart on Egypts state ¶ When now at length they all were fild With pleasant wines that they had swild And daintie meates of sundry tast With banquetting closd vp at last Caesar begins for more delight With talke to entertaine the night And with sweet words and pleasant grace To
Imploy those armes in battailes try'd By your owne valour dignify'd Vniustly to with-hold a right Is to giue all to armed might We want not higher powers to frend Yet do not I this Mart intend Prest on for need or greedy gaine Or else ambitiously to raine But to resist that Pride that raues To make both Rome and vs his slaues ¶ When he had said the wauering rout Did softly murmur many a doubt For though their fiery Martiall sprights In warre and rapine most delights Their houshold Gods and Countries loue To some remorce their hearts did moue But yet of Armes the high esteeme And Caesars wrath they greater deeme Then Loelius with vndaunted face Who for his valour held the place Amongst the Pyles as Ensigne chiefe And by his hardy hands reliefe A Roman rescu'd from his foes For which his Oken crowne he showes Steps forth and thus he doth declame ¶ Conductor chiefe of Roman fame If it be lawfull and but iust To shew our griefes with tongues of trust We may complaine of these delayes That with such lingring patience stayes Thy powerfull armes did our faith faile In ought that might thy course auaile Will we thinkst thou whilst life retaines The boyling blood within ous vaines Or whilst our actiue armes haue might To weild the Pile with Martiall slight Endure thus to subiect our State To Senate gownes degenerate Is it a fault by ciuill warre Their insolencies to debarre Nay leade vs through Scyths ysie fennes And through the Syrts vnhaunted dennes Through Lybia's thirsty parched sands Heere are the selfe-same forward hands That holpe through deeps to tugge the Ores When thou inuadedst Brittaines shores And with like courage ready were Through stickle Rhene the boates to steare Our hearts shall be as forward still As able to obey thy will And whom against thy Trumpets sound I wish mischance may them confound Yea though they be right Romans borne As deadly foes I will them scorne And here I doe protest and sweare By those braue Ensignes that we beare Of our victorious legions ten By all the conquests where and when So happily atchieu'd by thee If thou but giue in charge to me To stabbe my brother to the heart My fathers head and necke to part Or to rippe vp with bloudy knife The rising belly of my wife When she conceiued is with childe My hands should be therewith defil'd Though they said nay with mood more mild Yea if it were the Gods to spoyle To raze their Temples with the soyle Their ornaments and wealth to burne Vntill to ashes they did turne Or else vpon the Tyber bankes To place and file our armed rankes I would be first of all the Rout That should the Stations quarter out There to incampe our legions stout Nay do but say which are the walles That thou design'st to Ruines falles These hands of mine first hold shall lay Vpon the Ramme and giue him sway Vnto the ground the stones to teare Yea though the walles of Rome they were ¶ When Loelius thundring peale was rung The Cohorts clustring in a thrung With open voyce and hands out flung Do vow to follow Caesars Armes Through heat and cold through haps or harms And therewithall they bellow out As maine a cry with hideous shout As doe the hurling windes from Thrace When they the lofty Pines imbrace That on the mountaine Ossa growes Whose stormy gusts so fiercely blowes That toppes of Trees bow to the ground And with such force againe rebound As if they would the clouds confound ¶ Caesar that now his Souldiers minds So prone to warre and willing findes Seeing withall the Fates his friend Is loath more time in vaine to spend But least his Fortune should be staid For want of force and greater aid Forthwith in haste he sends for all His Cohorts garrison'd in Gaule Then flying Ensignes doth display And towards Rome directs his way ¶ The Troopes about Lemanus Lake To Caesars Campe themselues betake And those great forces of account That fortifide Vogesus mount And fierce Lingones held in awe To Caesars tents doe likewise draw Others that with his warres will share From Isar floud to him repare Which washing with his water falles So many goodly Citties walles His siluer streames at last he hides In Rhodonus that swifter slides And there his natiue name doth lose Before that he the Ocean knowes The gold-hair'd Ruthens left at large Their maistering garrisons discharge And silent Atax new ioy greeets Dis-burdened of the Latium Fleets The gallant Townes that bordering rankes On either side of Varus bankes Doe publique bone-fire-feasting make When Roman Troopes their soile forsake The like contentment them befell That by th' Herculean port do dwell Vpon which shores in rowling flockes The boysterous billowes sweepe the rockes Not stird with rage of Westerne flawes But by whirle-windes that thither drawes From off the Narbonensian coast Where shippes so furiously are tost As that no harbour can suffise To shelter them from those fierce skyes So ioy'd the people of that land That euermore doe doubtfull stand To be orewhelm'd with flowing seas As oft it haps to their disease Which flouds the ebbes againe appease Now whether this deluge proceedes From Northerne winds that high seas breeds During their powerfull whirling whiffes That raise the waues aboue the cliffes And being layd the stilled maine Reclaimes her mounted waues againe Or whether Cynthias influence Do with this breach of bounds dispence Or else the Sunnes attractiue beames Exhale vp vapours from those streames Thereby the watry clouds to feede Or else from whence it doth proceede I leaue it to their better reede That diues into the hidden cause Of Heauens course and Natures lawes And as for me I will submit The censure of my humble wit To that great God-head that best knowes The reason why it ebbes and flowes Now were the Nemetes releast Of all the bands vpon them ceast Where the Tarbellians bound at large A calmed sea with crooked varge Then to the Santons turne it fell To bid their Latium guests fare-well The Bituriges doe the same And the Axones that beare fame With their long bowes so fit for Mart The Rheni trayn'd to throw the dart The Sequani that rankly ride And skilfully their horses guide The Belgi that so well can steere And turne their Coach in maine careere Th' Auverni that themselues do grace For their descent from Troian race And Roman parentage embrace The Neruij that with faithlesse words In Cotta's bloud did bath their swords The Vangiones that desire To weare the Sarmatan attire The stout Battaui that delight VVhen Trumpets call them forth to fight And all those people that are bred And harbour about Cyngaes head VVhere Rhodonus so swiftly fleets VVith whom the Riuer Arar meets And Neptune with their tribute greets Or what inhabitants beside About Gebenna's mount reside All these to mirth conuert their meane That Latine Garrisons are gone And
didst leaue Nuceria that their state bequeaue Vnto thy trust which so did faile Ere any force did them assaile When as that warlike Towne was man'd With many a gallant trained band Of valiant youths from Caesars armes Cal'd to relieue the Parthian harmes But first imploy'd on Pompey's cost To venge the bloud in Gallia lost And now himselfe doth warres intend For these stout troopes againe did send To be his father-in-lawes sure guards This vse of Roman bloud awards But thou Corfinium strong-fenc'd hould Commanded by Domitius bould That with huge walles inuiron'd art With Flankes and Ramparts fit for Mart Thy garrison were those new bands That Milo tooke from Iustice hands Now from the walles with watchfull eyes Domitius first neere hand espies Great clouds of dust aloft to rise And with the glittering sun-shine beames Faire armed Troopes cast flaming streames ¶ Souldiers friends quoth he make haste This bridge forthwith must be laid waste That doth vpon this riuer stand See it be razed out of hand And you huge mountaines now let flie Your fountaine heads and raise so hye The flowing Riuers with rough tides That all the boats that thereon glides Vpon the shelues may wracke their sides Stay here the limits of this warre This Towne their proud attempt shall barre And on these bankes those rauening bands With hopeles gains shal make their stands Here first shall Caesars force desist And victory yeeld to our fist He said no more but hastes withall The swaggring troopes from off the wall That headlong to the worke doe fall ¶ VVhen Caesar from his Campe perceiu'd The Riuers passage was bereau'd And that the breaking of the bridge His iournies speed would much abridge Enrag'd with wrath what now quoth he Are not strong walles esteem'd to be Sufficient sculking dennes to hide These crauen Souldiers terrifide O cowards will you ouer-flow The fields thereby my march to slow VVhen Ganges with his stickle sway Nor any other floud can stay Caesar from holding on his way Now he the Rubicon hath past Yee troopes of horse set forth with hast And bands of foot come follow on This shaken bridge goe set vpon ¶ No sooner he the word did speake But out his forward horsemen breake And doe the riuers bankes assaile Like to a stormy drift of haile To th' other side then they let flye A showre of darts that cloud the skye And Caesars selfe the passage takes VVhere none to him resistance makes Then quickly he doth force them all To make retrait within the wall And then the Rammes for battery Vnto the worke he doth apply VVith other Engines brought in place That Towers and Bul-warkes will deface ¶ But see the villany of warre The garrison the gates vnbarre Their Gouernour they doe betray And him a prisoner forth conuay Before proud Caesars feet to lay But yet his state and noble face It seem'd no terror did imbase For oft he stoutly cal'd for death The Victor knew he loathed breath As one that did despaire of life But Caesar said Our grace is rise Liue therefore though against thy will And by our gift said he liue still Let others whom I shall subdue In thee a perfect patterne view Of Caesars mercy and now chuse On whose side thou thy Armes wilt vse Or if thou wilt retired liue Thy choyce to thee I freely giue But doe not thinke this moues my minde That I thereby like grace would finde If thou hereafter conquest gaine That base respect I much disdaine Thus said forthwith he gaue in charge His hands from fetters to inlarge But better much had him bety'd If he that present houre had dy'd And Fortune more had freed from shame The honour of the Roman name He holds it now a grieuous scorne With reputation so forlorne To warre for his deere Countries sake And therein Pompey's part to take Whom all the Senates forces aides Whilst hostile pardon him vpbraides These thoughts his heart doe still infest And with himselfe doth thus contest ¶ Shall I in Rome goe make my nest And as a man degenerate Shut vp my selfe in peacefull state And not this noble warre pursue That wisht for death so lately due Nay rather into hazards runne Vntill thy lifes twist be out-spunne And Caesars gift with glory shunne ¶ Report did not as yet relate This Captaines base subdued state To Pompeys eares fraught full of cares For his designes that now prepares To strength his part with forraigne shares And order giues the following day With Trumpets sound to set in ray His troopes and then to feele their minde How they to battaile were enclinde To whom when they did silence make With reuerend voyce he thus bespake ¶ Yee vengers iust of guilty hands Yee Souldiers of right Roman bands That for defence of Iustice stands Whom now the Senates supreme hest Doth not with priuate armes inuest Dispose your forward hearts for fight Since now Hesperia in our sight Doth flame on fire in wretched state And her faire fields depopulate This clew of rage in Gallia spunne Ouer the yeie Alpes is runne And Caesar in this raging mood Pollutes his sword with Latium blood The Gods him iustly charge with blame As Author of this ciuill flame And now euen now Rome to me calles Whom she her president installes To chastise these rebellious brawles Whose armes with countries bloud defil'd Cannot as worthy warres by stil'd To ours that honoured name belongs That doe reuenge our Countries wrongs His warre is of no better kinde Then that which Cataline design'd When Rome he meant to set on fire And had with him that did conspire One of the Lentulij his mates Caethegus bare-arm'd in debates O wretched rage that so dost raigne Within this leaders wilfull braine Whom Fates would raise to no lesse fame Then those of the Camillan name Or those braue Lords Metellij hight But thou art of another spright Yhy humor followes iust the straine Of Cinna's and of Marius vaine Whose infamies doe still remains Like Lepidus that was supprest By Catull ' or as we distrest Proud Carbo that by Iustice hest Our Axes fatall edges try'd Whose bones Sycilia soyle doth hide Or as Sertorius iustly slaine For his rebellious course in Spaine Although in faith it grieues me much So to compare with any such Thee Caesar but that Romes offence Cannot with our reuenge dispence But would it had beene so ordain'd That Crassus victory had gain'd Against the Parthes and from the coast Of Scythia brought againe his hoast Whereby he might thy selfe subdue As Spartacus he ouerthrew Or if the all fore-seeing eye Will that we two our forces try My arme as well as thine shall show That it the pearcing Pile can throw And that my bloud for courage bold Disdaines by thee to be controld And that a heart to peace inclin'd Is not therefore of cowards kinde For though he tearme me spent with yeares Let
As lying fables leaue to minde By nature shap't of Centaurs kinde Strymon that doth to Nylus sands Send birds of the Bistonian lands Her aid sets out in warlicke bands And barbarous Conè when she leaues Sarmatian streames and after cleaues To Peucens spreading channell deepe One of those heads alone doth keepe That from great Istars current sweepe Then Misia and Idalis land That mingles with cold Caicos strand And the Arisban barren mould With those that doe Pitanen hould Then the Celenes most accurst Lamenting that their Marsia durst O Pallas with thy gifts elate Stirre conquering Phoebus to debate And high shoar'd Marsia whose swift race Crooked Meander doth embrace And with her wheeles about her pace With Pactols sands that do vnfold The pretious graines of glowing gold To forraigne coasts and Hernius strands That equals it with pretious sands So likewise all the Ilium bands To fruitlesse warres for Pompey stands Neglecting the old flying fame That Iulius of the Troians came So Syria her assistance giues And the inhabitants that liues About Orontes desart coasts And Ninus towne whose blisse fame boasts Damascus subiect to high windes Gaza likewise and where men findes Palme-trees so rife and thicke to stand Named the Idumean land The sea-washt Citty Tyrus hight Sydon with pretious purple dight Their ships when to the warres they flye Range not the seas vncertainly No sea-men haue the Art more try'd How by the Pole their course to guide So likewise if we credit fame Phoenicians were the first had name The vse of characters to finde And letters to expresse our minde Memphis the practise had not found Of those broad flagges vpon her ground How they together should be bound Of beasts and birds this was their trade The shapes deepe cut in stones they made And so their magicke art presaru'd In brutish Images faire caru'd Then those inhabitants that roues About mount Taurus wooddy groues And Persian Tarsus with those men That cut rockes for Coricum denn The Mallians and the Aege coast Whose shippes doe ring with billowes tost And Silix now the seas frequent Allowd but not as Pyrates sent So are the Easterne Countries led Vnto this warre by fame farre spread That Ganges now her troopes forth brings The current of whose floating springs Of all streames in the world dares runne A course contrary to the Sunne And headlong flies against the East Heere it is said the warfare ceast That Macedons great Captaine made When he the Ocean did invade And did himselfe ore-come confesse With this vast worlds vnweldnesse There Indus fiercely forth doth sweepe With mighty streames and channels deepe Diuided into gulfes alone But with Hidaspis mingles none Then those that the sweet liquor swilles Which from the sugar-canes distilles And they that vse with saffrons graine To giue their haire a shining staine And so in dainty lawnes doe dangle Which they with glistering Iewels spangle And those that make their funerall piles Before that Death their Life exiles And doe without constraint embrace The furious flames with dreadlesse face O how great glory doe they gaine That death can hold in such disdaine With their owne hands in spight of fates To hasten on their welcome dates And whilst in perfect health they liue Their soules vnto the Gods do giue Then those fierce Capadocian lads Whom hunting humors so much glads With bruske Ammannian plowing swads Armenia where Nyphatem flowes And rowles huge pebbles as she goes With the Coastrae forrests hye Whose lofty toppes doe threat the skye And yee Arabians that doe view An vncoth clime vnknowne to you Do wonder much the shade to see Streame from the left side of a tree Then came vnto this Roman warre Th' Orestians that doe dwell a farre The leaders of Carmania bands Whose climate to the Southward stands Not wholly hid from Arctons light But see his Carre part of the night And Aethiop neere to all the signes That in the cirkling Zodiaque twines Excepting Taurus clouen heeles When cowring crookedly he reeles And where great Euphrates is bred With swift stream'd Tygris from one head In Persian fountaine ioyntly fed Who when they mingle here and there Breeds doubt which of the names they beare But Euphrates with fruitfull streames As she doth trauerse sundry realmes Resembles Nylus in her course But Tygris in her rapid sourse Is suddenly deuoured quite Into the earth from all mens sight And vnder ground doth runne her race Till with new head her streame she trace And with the Ocean enterlace This while the Parthians held them coy Either to helpe or to annoy Any of these two mighty guides They 'l warre on none of both their sides But laugh which way the world it slides The wandring Scyths with poysned darts Their aid vnto this warre imparts And Bactrians closd with chilly gulfes VVith Hircane forrests fostring wolfes Then the Henochians bring their band A part of Lacedemon land That headstrong are where they withstand And of Sarmatia all that track That ioynes to Mosko backe to back And where rich Phasis cuts and bounds The Colchos fields and fruitfull grounds VVith Halis bringing heauy fate To Craesus in his rich estate And where as Tannais tumbling downe His streames from off Rypheus crowne Giues vnto Nations sundry names As she her winding channels frames And Europe doth on either side From Asia with her bankes diuide Now here now there which way she bends The limits of the world extends And where the Euxine sea doth take Huge torrents from Meotis lake And so the glory doth abate Of Gades whom as tales relate Did onely through her pillars twaine That way let in the westerne maine VVrought by the huge Herculean paine Then aids come from Scythonian ports With whom the Arimasps consorts Those doe with golden phillets dresse Their curled lockes and combed tresse The Axij Pompey's part professe With Massagets that did let blood Their horses hoofes in steed of food So to releieue their hungry mood In the Sarmatick lingring brawle And Gelons swiftest of them all So huge a masse of Martiall bands Came not from the Memnonian lands When Cyrus did his armies make For warres that he had vndertake Nor Zerxes with his boysterous crew That all his thousands onely knew By counting of the darts they threw Nor Agamemnons nauy strong Which to reuenge his brothers wrong With Graecian Princes past the seas In number euer equal'd these So many Kings to battaile prest Neuer obay'd one Chiefetaines hest Such diuers formes of habites strange Of language such confused change So great a traine of royall Peeres Was neuer seene in former yeares As Fortune now did lead in dance To mingle with this warres mischance Like funerals for Pompey's sake A fitting exequie to make Then Corniger that Hammon hight Did not forbeare with supreme might To summon all Marmatick lands Vnto these warres to leade their bands Or
whatsoeuer force did rest Euen from the furthest of the west Of parching Lybs and sun-burnt Moores Together with the Easterne powers As farre as Paratonia strands Vnto the bounds of Syrtes sands That Caesars fortune yet may know He had not wonne all at a blow But should in the Pharsalian fields Incounter worlds with speares and shields ¶ Now Caesar following on his Mart From trembling Rome he doth depart And with his valiant expert host Ouer the cloud-brow'd Alpes doth post And whilst that other Citties feare The thundring fame of him to heare Massilian youthes dare take in hand As Nâ—â—ters in these warres to stand Not with Greeke lightnesse vnresolu'd But with a constant courage bold They doe entend for to debate The lawes and freedome of their state And not to change or follow fate But yet before they do engage Their Cittie vnto battailes rage They will attempt with all their skill To qualifie his head-strong will With courteous and perswasiue words And not till need vnsheath their swords Now therefore when they vnderstand That Caesars force was neere at hand Embassadors to him were sent Who with them Oliue branches hent To shew that peace was their intent ¶ Your Latium Annals doe make knowne Massilia still such faith hath showne Vnto the reuerend Roman state As that in all the dire debate That they haue had with forraigne foes She hath partaked with their blowes And now if thou doe vndertake Conquests in vnknowne Climes to make Command our true deuoted hands To warre with thee in forraigne lands But if yee with infestious Armes Prepared are for discords harmes To ciuill warres then giue vs leaue Our teares in secret to bequeaue Against all piety it stands In bloud of friends to bath our hands But if the Gods to wroth inclin'd VVith venging arms would shew their mind Or if the earth-bred Gyants fell Against high heauens would rebell Yet humane duty should not dare VVith an inferior bootlesse care Either by treaty or by might To offer for the Gods to fight Little can we poore mortals gesse VVhat humors higher powers possesse VVhen Ioue from high his anger wreakes He thunder-bolts and lightning speakes Admit that many nations strange Amongst these broyles their forces range And that the sottish vulgar sort VVould this contagious crime support And not repine constrain'd from farre To whet their swords for ciuill warre Yet be it farre from honest hearts To follow any factious parts Let no braue Souldiers venter life To bolster out domesticke strife VVhat hand would not with feare be taint To see his wounded father faint Brothers that warre on either parts VVill doubt to throw their fatall darts And sure your Empires state will end If warres vniust you doe intend But now our suite we doe commend VVhich is that from our Citty gates You would with-hold all dire debates And no infestious Ensignes send Nor Egles fierce vs to offend But that as to your friends most iust Your person with our walles would trust VVhere Caesar may deuoid of doubt Assure himselfe his armes shut out Our Towne is free from enuies wroth To Caesar and to Pompey both But if that Romes vn-vanquisht state Shall still subsist by fauouring Fate And that your humors it might please Your wraths with friendship to appease Here may you both vnarmed meet And peaceably each other greet But if prouoking warres of Spaine Your forces thither doe constraine Why range you then so farre astray Our Citty lies not in your way Whose worth of no importance is Our state stands still exempt from blisse We could not earst with happy armes Defend our selues and countries harmes But exil'd made our last retreat From Phocis Towers our natiue seat Arriuing in this stranger port Where we securely raisd a fort Rounded with walles of no great haigth But alwayes guarded with our faith Now if you will besiege our Towne And teare our gates and ramparts downe And set our houses on a fire Spending on vs your hostile ire Our water-courses turne awry And all our fountaine heads draw dry And sucke the moisture from those fields That fruits and graine vnto vs yeelds O then behold a loathsome sight When Famin shall with rauening plight Constraine vs for to eate and gnaw Our fleshy limbes to feed our maw Our liberties we hold so deare That we no toyles nor torments feare But as Saguntum with renowne When Hannibal besieg'd that Towne Our mothers so with dried pappes Will cast their infants from their lappes Into the fire to end mishaps The wife will begge with watery eye Of her deere husbands hand to dye And mischiefes measure vp to fill The brother will the brother kill Such ciuill warre they 'le rather make Then any other vndertake ¶ Thus the Massilian Legats said Which speech did Caesar so vpbraid As that in him it stird vp spleene Which in his very lookes were seene And in these tearmes exprest his teene ¶ Your Graecian race conceiues in vaine What course we meane to entertaine For though our iourney seeme to bend Westward for Spaine yet we may spend And spare sufficient time to boote To raze your walles vp by the roote Reioyce my Cohorts at this hap Fate casts a warre into your lappe The blustring windes do loose their grace When in the vacant aire they trace If no thicke woods withstand their race The flaming fire is but a blast If fewell be not on it cast So is it noisome vnto me Without a warring foe to be My troopes that idle life doe rue When they meet no rebellious crue That with their force they may subdue Massilians thinke they offer faire That Caesar may vnarm'd repaire In priuate sort safe to their state Or else they will shut vp their gate I needs must scorne this double flout To shut me in or shut me out Then they will seeme to banish farre Contagion of a ciuill warre But they shall smart in that they dare Intreat of peace in my affaire And by experience well shall see None are then those more safe and free That by my armes protected be So hauing said his troopes he leades Towards the Towne that nothing dreads Whose gates were shut walles well mand VVith store of youths that on them stand ¶ Not farre from thence Caesar espies A hill that loftily did rise VVhose toppe extends a pretty space Fit for a little camping place This he esteem'd a peece of ground VVhich all their tents might safely bound Casting a trench about it round The Cities side next fronting this A strong and lofty Castle is VVhose toppe euen with this hill is seene And then a plaine lies both betweene VVhere with great labour vp were cast Diuers high mounts with Ramparts vast But first on all parts to the land VVhereon the Citty walles did stand He did inuiron round about VVith trenches and with bulwarkes stout And this huge worke so did conuay
houses breake or faile With whirling showers of ratling haile Which on the tile stones sound and dance So from this fence the stones did glance Yet still the Burgers grew more fierce And with continuall heaps did pierce This Target-fence and at the length Disioyn'd their strong connexed strength So as the Cohorts ouer-toyl'd Seuer'd themselues and then recoy'ld But therewithall came new supplies Who then another Engine tries Their Vinias to the wall they brought Couerd with greene turfes all aloft Whose hollow pent-house sheluing steepe Did them from blowes and danger keepe Then with the Pick-axe and the spade The walles foundation they inuade And so began to vndermine Safely protected with their Vine The battering Ramme then forth they bring Whose hanging huge heft with a swing Firme couched stones down tottring bring And whilst the force thereof they try The Burgers heape downe from a hye Such monstrous logs and quenchlesse flames VVith fiered brands to burne these frames And still these fires doe so renew That the scorch't flames in sunder flew VVhereat the Souldiers tyr'd with paine Seing their labour lost in vaine Home to their Tents retir'd againe ¶ The Burgers then the Gods did craue Their Citty walles from wracke to saue And therewithall with courage stout Their youths by night did sally out Pressing vpon the Roman bands And closely carried in their hands Fierce wild-fire balles which they with slings Amongst the hostile army flings No other Armes with them they tooke Their darts for that time they forsooke Their bended bowes were laid aside Onely those whorling fires they try'd Which kindling flame with winde enrag'd Their campe most desperatly ingag'd And with such fury did inuade The workes and Towers that they had made Of wood and timber though but greene Yet did the flames so creepe betweene With smouldring heat the ioints and floores That searching fire the boords deuoures which spred abrode such swarth-thick smokes As that the aire it dampes and chokes At last this flame was growne so fierce As that it did not onely pierce Their timber-frames so strong compact But with like force in sunder crack't The very stones new dig'd from ground Wherwith their structurs were compound So wasting fire did all confound And these maine ruines ouer-cast In hugenesse farre the workes surpast ¶ The Romans thus distrest by land Do now resolue to take in hand To try their fortunes on the seas But not with ships the eye to please Adorn'd and painted on their sides With formes of Gods their sailes that guides But rough and rude made vp in haste Of trees new cut strong built and vaste Compact with knees and timber sure That seas and tempests would endure This nauy rig'd forthwith they guide Assisted both with winde and tide Vnto the mouth of Rhodanus Where being all assembled thus On Brutus they attendance gaue Whose ship was stout high carg'd braue Then hoysing sailes they rang'd the seas Alongst the shores of Staecades The Greeke Massilians in like sort Prouide themselues within their port No lesse resolu'd to venter blowes Vpon the seas against their foes And in this minde with courage bold They man their ships with yong and old And doe not set out to this fight Onely those vessels in good plight But rig'd vp ships decay'd and torne That in the dockes lay then forlorne ¶ Phoebus no sooner with his beames Glitter'd vpon the Ocean streames Blunting his darts on Neptunes face And from the skies the clouds did chase The North-winds laid the South-wind still The seas all calme for fight at will But they wey'd anchor and did load Their yards with sailes and left the roade ¶ Here Caesars fleet their Oares do plye There do the Grekes like labour try And with such sway their strokes they take As that the very keeles did quake The lofty ships are drawne on fast By those that to the fight make haste ¶ The Roman wings composed were Of many ships whereof some beare Three bankes of Oares and foure some Others had more the seas to scumme And with this strength into the deepe They lanch and crescent order keepe Whereas Liburnian Gallies goe With Oares of two bankes and no moe Yet Brutus Gallion Admirall With sixe bankes went stoutest of all And with long Oares their strokes let fall ¶ When in the maine both of these fleets In battell rang'd together meetes Confronting with their force so neere As that their Oares could scarce goe cleere Such shouts and clamors they did make As that the very aire did shake And with the voyces that rebound The clashing of the Oares were drown'd And did suppresse the Trumpets sound The rowers then the blew waues teare And on their benches fall and reare Whilst Oares each other ouer-beare Their beake heads first together foyne Then cast about their sternes to ioyne And did so fast their darts let flye As that their numbers cloud the skye And on the sea in heapes did lye About againe with speed they tacke Prow against Prow doth shocke and cracke And many ships scattred abrode Againe relying lay on loade As when the Easterne windes oppose The Southerne gales that sternly blowes One way with force the billowes sweepes Another way the current keepes So in the deepes the Gallies range Vncertainly with flitting change For when their Oares haue forward ply'd Backe are they checkt with winde and tide But the Massilian gallies are Of saile and stirrage much more yare Nimble and light to leaue or take And on their staies quicke speed can make Whereas the Roman steady ships With deeper draughts their bottomes dips And in the seas do vpright stand As fierce for fight as on the land The maister of that Gallion stout That Admiral'd the Roman rout Sitting vpon the puppe on hye From whence he all the course might eye Brutus to him aloud thus spake What worke quoth he meane you to make Shall my fleet idle range the coast That you your marine Art may boast We hither come prepar'd for fight Against our foes to shew our might Come bring vs therefore sword to sword Lay me the stoutest Greekes aboord These words of Brutus he obayes His broad side to the foe he layes But whosoeuer of the foes Did shocke their sides or changed blowes With Brutus shippe him grappling fast He boords and ouercame at last The other Gallies wast to wast With hookes and chaines doe grapple fast And by the Oares did hold each other The fighting ships the seas did smother But now they doe not make their warre With slings and engines cast a farre Those deadly wounds the life that parts Are not from Iron-headed darts But now they buckle hand to hand The sea-fight doth on sharpe swords stand The ships aloft are man'd and arm'd And fist to fist incountring swarm'd Dead bodies on the hatches fell Their bloud amongst the waues doe mell In such
as they could no more sustaine Themselues by swimming on the maine ¶ Now in this battailes long euent Were darts and weapons almost spent But fury then prouides for Armes With Oares now one another harmes The staues that flagges and Ensignes beare They from the banners snatch and teare With benches whereon they did sit The rowers one another smit And peeces from the ship sides split Their fellowes that in heapes lye slaine Vpon the deckes they search againe That they their weapons might retaine Others to shew their dreadlesse hearts Out of their wounds doe rash the darts And with their left hands close the sore So to represse the bubling gore Which striues that way to finde a vent Whereas the lance had made a dent ¶ But all this hauocke by the seas Was not to be compar'd to these That last of all they did inuent By a contrary element For now enrag'd with greater ire They cast abrode such desperate fire Composd of brimstone pitch and oyle Wherein their darts they wrap and foyle And then such wild-fire balles doe make Whose flames no waters force can slake But on the ships quicke hold will take Where they incounter ropes and boords That tarre and rosin store affoords Stuffe that will quickly flame retaine And hard to be extinct againe The boords that from the ships sides shakes These fiers hand-fast on them takes Here some doe plunge into the seas The scorching flames so to appease Others in danger of the waues Hold by those plankes that flaming raues So whilst mongst many deaths they runne No death so much they striu'd to shunne As that which first they apprehend Did threaten them their liues to end Yet all these ship-wrackes nought auaile Their courage to abase or quaile But on the seas the darts that flow They gather vp at shippes to throw With those faint hands that them sustaine By swimming in the rowling maine And when they cannot meet with darts Another way they play their parts When one foe doth another spy They straight together struggling try Till both downe to the bottome flye ¶ Amongst the rest in this fierce fight A man there was that Phoceus hight A Souldier of a gallant spright That well could swim and well could diue And vnder water long suruiue So as for need the bottomes sands He would take vp with diuing hands Or if the Anchors hooke were bound He could vnloose it from the ground Or fixe the cable that by chance From out the Anchors ring did glance This fellow singles out a foe And in his armes doth graspe him so That to the bottome both do goe There him he strangles in the mud Then lifts himselfe aboue the floud But after this againe he tries In semblant sort to diue and rise And as his head aloft he reares Against a ship his skull he teares Wherewith he downe-right sunke amaine And neuer rose aliue againe Some now the hostile oares by might Would hold and stay their ships from flight But that which most did all offend Was vnreueng'd their liues to end Many that saw their death draw nye Would on the ship sides hazards try And so the beake-head brace and clip To beare the blow from off the ship ¶ Then Lygdanus by chance did eye Tyrrhenus mounted loftily Strowting vpon a Gallions puppe A sling and bullet he takes vp And sent it with a strength so fierce That both his temples it did pierce From whence a streame of bloud forth flies And after it starts out his eyes His sight thus rap't amaz'd did stand And thought this darknes was deaths hand But when his sprights were come againe That did true valor still retaine My mates quoth he that so well know The piercing dart a farre to throw Direct me now a right to stand That I may vse my darting hand Then to himselfe a lowd he spake Tyrrhene goe now and vndertake In warre all hazards that may chance Thy end more brauely to aduance Such noble thoughts this man halfe slaine Did in his haughty heart retaine My wel-steel'd dart Ioue grant thou light Vpon some gallant worthy wight So said his dart he forth did straine With his blinde arme yet not in vaine But did a lusty younker smite Of noble bloud he Argus hight The point his very nauell hit But pierc'd it not halfe through as yet Vntill he groueling downe did fall Which prest the head home shaft and all ¶ When this happe Argus did betide His father on the other side Did in a conquer'd Gally stand Great was his worth by sea and land For he in all the Phocians warres Gaue place to none that doing dares But now with eld was weake and spent And yet vnto this battaile went Not as a Souldier to obay But in high place to rule and sway Now when this dismall chance he spy'd Ouer the seats he straines to stride And so poore man still clambring vp Made shift to come vnto the puppe Where when he saw his Argus lye Gasping for life at point to dye No teares fell from the old mans eye Neither did he outraging cry But numnesse did his sence surprise And darknesse did benight his eyes His body sodainly grew cold His hands out-stretcht could nothing hold And in this trance and sencelesse plight He had forgot his Argus quite But he sweet youth his head did becke That faintly reeled on his necke And lifts it vp a little space When first he glimpst his fathers face His Iaw-falne mouth no voyce forth sends But silent to his father bends And beckes his head as latest blisse From his old lippes to get a kisse And with best meanes he could deuise Pointed to him to close his eyes The griping sorrow that did straine This poore old man in euery vaine Puts rage and spright in him againe Well now quoth he I 'le loose no time This wracke is chanced for my crime The direfull Fates as they ordaine Shall haue me by mine owne hand slaine Deare Argus my sweet boy dispence With thy sad fathers late offence In that I did not thee embrace Nor with last duties kisse thy face As yet thy wound doth not so draine The life-blood out of euery vaine But that thy lookes good hope do giue That thou a while maist longer liue No sooner had he said that word But straight he fell vpon his sword Which he draue to the very hilt Yet not content with his bloud spilt Into the sea he head-long flies One way to death could not suffice ¶ This fortune now drawes to an end Which way the victory shall tend No longer cause there doth remaine Hazards of battaile to maintaine Most of Massilian fleet is drownd The rest for Roman seruice bound Whose rowers when they changed were The Roman victors in them beare A few with speed away did flye For shelter in some harbours nye But now what tongue can well expresse
Nor when thou didst on seas of late The stout Massilian force abate Nor when thou didst in Aegypts soyle At Pharos giue thy foes the foyle But their outrage and thy milde course Betters thy cause and makes theirs worse For now these Captaines spirits droopes They dare not with polluted troopes Longer incampe in Champian lands Their Tents too neere to Caesars stands But to Ilerda they willl flee VVhose walles they thinke much safer be But Caesars horse-men them preuent And in dry hilles they are vp-pent VVhere want of water they sustaine For Caesar did their ditches draine And them with Troopes incompast so That from their Campe they dare not goe To fetch in water where springs flow ¶ When these men saw their deaths at hand No longer now in feare they stand But carried on with raging will Their horses first of all they kill VVhich now can serue them to no vse Being thus pent vp in a muse And therefore set aside all hope Seeing to scape was left no scope Towards their armed foes they flye But when that Caesar did espye In them this furious desperate vaine Souldiers quoth he your Armes refraine Though rushing thus they you confront Do not receiue their head-strong brunt I know a better way by farre In blood I list not bathe my warre Hee conquest gaines at too high price That striues with those that death entice These laddes now weary of their liues Together with their ruine striues To bring some wracke on vs withall But on our swords they shall not fall Though they desire in this staru'd mood To loose their liues to spill our blood O this is but a madding fit Let them a while champe on the bit Barre them that death so faine they would Their courage will be quickly coold Hold them but lingring off from fight Vntill the Sunne with-draw his light And in the Ocean dip his head And that the skies be ouer-spred With starres let Tytan siluer-bright Giue them but space to pawse a night Thus when they saw their Mart was mar'd And meanes of fight they were debar'd Their furious humor waxed cold And in their mindes more temper hold Like him whose breast the sword doth pierce With wounds griefe doth become more fierce Whilst gushing from the nerues and vaines Hot bloud his striuing spirits straines To shew the force that yet remaines And yet vntill the bones beginne Neerer to draw the blood-puft skinne The whilst the witting victor stands Retyr'd and doth with-hold his hands Vntill a chill numme heauinesse The ioynts and spirits doe possesse Of this poore wounded man at length Who findes himselfe depriu'd of strength When as the gore no longer flowes But on the wound stiffe-dried growes ¶ Now want of water them constraines To digge and search out hidden vaines Of springs streames that haue their birth Deepe in the bowels of the earth And whilst about this worke they stand They do not onely take in hand The Pick-axe and the deluing spades But do employ their martiall blades And toppes of hilles they deeper sinke Then any low-lodg'd riuers brinke The pale-hu'd Myners that doe toyle For gold in rich Assyrian soyle Doe not sinke deeper pits downe-right In dungeons more remote from light And yet for all they can deuise They cannot see a spring to rise Nor any streame could be descry'd That vnder-neath the ground did slide Nor from the sides of rocky hilles A droppe of liquor out distilles Though dig'd pierc'd with pick-axe bils No drop of deaw or moisture laues The hollow dampish airy caues Nor in the pits of grauill sand Doth any plash of water stand Their men thus ouer-laid with sweat And fainting now twixt thirst and heat Seeing that they but loose their paine Raise them from out the mines againe But by this diuing vnder ground Whereas some dampish mists they found When they come vp can scarce endure The aire that is more hot and pure Neither are they refresh't with meate They faint for drinke and loath to eate Hunger to them best helpe doth giue Their thirsty humor to relieue But if that any moisty field Do grassie roots or greene turfes yeeld Betweene their hands the same they squees Into their mouth and no drop leese Or if they meet with standing puddles Where slime black mud stinking huddles The Souldiers there to get a draught Will striue as though a world they sought And staruing will contented drinke That which they would else odious thinke And then will take it for their feasts To sucke the vdders of bruit beasts And when therein no milke remaines They sucke the bloud from out the vaines Others fresh leaues and hearbes will pound With dew that on green boughes is found But chiefly those crude stalkes that twines About the tender-budding vines They presse and sap from yong tree rinds ¶ O happy soules full blest were yee That whilst your barb'rous foes did flee They did in all the wayes they past Poyson amongst the waters cast And so destroyd you all at last Our Roman youths will neuer shrinke Witting those water streames to drinke Though Caesar should the springs defile With vennome or with carrion vile Or wholesome welles should in despight Infect with deadly Aconite But now their bowels drowth hath fry'd Their mouthes resemble parchment dry'd Their tongues the baked froth doth furre In their shrunke veines no bloud will sturre Their lights and lungs do scarcely pant They all refreshing humor want And it doth grieue them to the death Through their chopt pipes to draw their breath Their iawes wide gaping they do stretch The cooling deawes by night to ketch They watch when some sweet showres will fall Which but of late ore-whelmed all And euermore they cast their eyes Vpon the niggard cloudy skies And so much more it did them grieue Because that now they did not liue Amongst Meroens parched plants Nor with the naked Garamants Nor vnder Cancers fiery lampe But their staru'd Army did encampe Where they like Tantalus might view Sweet Sicoris with siluer hue And Iberus so swift and cleere Both hard at hand they nere the neere ¶ These tamed Captaines now are calme In stead of Bayes they carry Palme Afranius with a carriage meeke Peace for his guilty Armes doth seeke And so with all his crest-falne troopes That now in starued languor droopes Vnto the hostile Tents he wends And there at Caesars feet he bends But though he sue yet holds his grace Not with mis-fortunes daunted face But carries all in fitting sort For his now fate and his late port And with a brow secure and bold To gaine his peace this tale he told ¶ Had Fate ordain'd that I should stand Thus vanquisht by a strangers hand My dreadlesse Arme I soone would frame To reaue my life and shun that shame But now this reason doth me leade For safety of my life to pleade Because thou Caesar dost beleeue He nobly doth that life doth giue Of
faction we no parties are Our charge we held before this warre And to that former Martiall trust Whilst we had power we haue beene iust To striue with Fate we do not lust Spaine we deliuer to thy hands We opned haue the Easterne lands Those coasts shall be secur'd from wracke That thou dost leaue behinde thy backe This conquest now on vs so gain'd Is not with losse of bloud obtain'd Thy hand or sword it hath not stain'd This onely boone in thee doth rest To spare thy foes that are distrest It is not much that we do craue On our mishaps remorse to haue Permit our liues that thou dost giue From ciuill discord free to liue And rest secure of our intent These prostrate troops their spleen haue spent It fits not with thy happy Armes To mingle our subiected swarmes Nor that our captiue Troopes should dare Triumphes with thy braue Hoast to share These with contentment know their fare Onely this grace let vs obtaine That thou do not our Armes constraine And force vs conquer'd men to be Hereafter Conquerors with thee ¶ Thus said Caesar of nature milde With gracious lookes was reconcil'd All punishment he did remit And them from vse of Armes acquit No sooner was this grace obtain'd And their faith bound to be maintain'd But straight in heapes the Souldiers flee Vnto the riuers then set free And on the bankes did groueling fall Striuing for that was free for all So greedily the streames they swill And suddenly their panches fill As that their breath they neuer take Striuing their thirsty iawes to slake Whereby the aire that should relieue Their empty vaines and comfort giue No passage to their lights can finde And so withall they life resign'd This scorching pestilent disease So still doth on their bowels ceaze That though they ready be to burst The more they drinke the more they thurst Yet many comfort finde at length And well refresht receiue new strength O Luxury thou prodigue vaine That neuer canst the meane retaine And thou insatiate Glut tonie Pamper'd with superfluitie That rak'st and rob'st both land and seas Thy wanton appetite to please O learne and better do aduise How small reliefe will life suffise For Nature doth excesse despise The strong old wine that we do keepe Time out of minde in Cellars deepe No health or helpe at all can bring To sickly sowles whom feuers wring They mixed liquors do not suppe Delitiously in golden cuppe Fresh water and the hearty graine Doth strength restore and life sustaine O! with what stormes do they contend That in the warres their liues do spend The Souldier now his Armes bequeaues To Caesar whence he grace receaues And more securely he doth rest Then with his corslet on his breast For freed thus from carke and care Vnto the Citties they repare And now do they that finde release From warres by this so happy peace That bloody trade and trauaile scorne Wishing they neuer Armes had borne To haue endur'd such thirst withall And on the Gods in vaine to call For conquest on their side to fall The wished hope of good successe With doubts doth stoutest hearts oppresse When Armies sterne confonting striues Such toyles the wretched world contriues That Fortune neuer should haue rest If she should tend to their request As oft as men doe call and cry When they doe doubt of victory For through the world must bloud be shed Where troopes with Caesars fate are led And therefore we may thinke him blest That knoweth where in quyet rest His head to shelter free from scarres Since all the world is set on iarres So that this wretched ciuill broyle Men wearied do not ouer-toyle And slumbring soules are not affright When Trumpets sound calles men to fight The wife may haue her deere consort Parents may with their children sport And lodg'd in simple Cotes secure Their fields may labour and manure Vnforc'd warres hazards to endure Thus Fortune now becomes more kinde And hath releast from cares our minde So as no cause of feare we finde Caesar is founder of our rest But we were led by Pompey's hest And now this boone thereby we haue That whilst these ciuill warres do raue For neither side successe we craue ¶ Fortune doth not her grace expresse On Caesars side with like successe In other coast but there she shewes That she dares crosse him with some blows For where the Adriaticke maine His waues doth on Salona straine And whereas luke-warme Iaders sourse Into soft Zephyr bends his course Antonius with his troopes resides Which coasts vpon the vtmost sides The Adriaticke sea doth bound There is he shut vp in that ground And trusts vnto those valiant bands That he had from the Curets lands And able was his warre to wage Against the force of hostile rage Had Famine not his campe distrest Wherewith strong forts are oft opprest This soyle for horse no fodder yeelds Nor any graine grew in the fields The hungry souldiers from the turfe Pluckes vp for food the heathy scurfe And with their teeth do gnabbe the greene Of medowes that earst mow'd had beene But when these men their friends descry'd Vpon the shore on th' other side And saw Basilus Ensigne spred Vnder whose conduct they were led A new deuice they vndertake By sea their secret flight to make But not with ships of common wont With sayles or oares the waues to front But with vn-vsed stratagems Together they did binde huge beames That would a mighty fraight sustaine And safely swim vpon the maine With empty Caske supported vp Which would not sinke nor water sup These bundled trees great chaines did strength With doubled rankes combin'd in length Not drawne with oares on either sides Vpon the waues these vaste piles slides But by the floating of the beames They are borne vp vpon the streames And in that sort doth slily wend With secret course not to be kend For neither sailes do make them flye Nor any oares they doe apply But now they doe the tides attend For then the seas did backward bend And with the ebbe the shores and sands All bare and dry vncouered stands But after when the swelling maine With turning flood did rise againe These structures that they did compose Were slidde into the floting Oase With two shippes that before them goe And after them these Raffes did tow These ships had turrets built vpright That plainly did appeare in sight And on the decke the trembling mast Did bow and stoope with euery blast But now Octauius Admirall That on the seas did gouerne all For Pompey's part would not in hast Assaile these Raffes but still stood fast And did his nimble ships restraine From ranging out into the maine Vntill the foe were in his way Aloofe at sea farre from the bay Securely running on his race Doubting no sayles to giue them chase So doth the fearefull Hart refraine To scoure or range vpon the plaine But sculkes
guards Against their riuals in their fight Not led thereto with ancient spight But when they meet their force they straine Which of them shall the conquest gaine This when he had revolu'd in minde He to the field his hoast design'd And Fortune giues him one faire day Whom afterwards she did betray For he in battaile Varus meetes And with such force his Army greets As that he made him turne his face Put him in rout and gaue him chase Who neuer turn'd his face againe Vntill his Campe did him constraine ¶ These heauy newes abrode were blowne That Varus now was ouer-throwne VVhich when to Iuba's eares it came He was well pleased with the Fame Presuming that this warfare stayes For him thereof to win the praise And therefore secretly ordain'd Great force which he with speed retain'd For this exployt by him conceald With charge it should not be reueald He onely fear'd that his intent His foe would fearefully preuent Sabbura was the second man That ruled all his kingdome than And vnto him he did commit A little troope that he thought fit To march before and with no moe Into the field to tyce his foe Pretending that vnto his hands He had committed all the bands Meane while the King with his huge Traine Lay hidden in a hollow plaine So doth the Serpent enemy Vnto the Aspicke hidden lye And with a subtile shadow drawes Him neere vnto his murdring iawes And when the Aspicke nought suspects He suddenly his head reflects And with his teeth the throate doth squise Not where the lurking poyson lies And therewithall this vermin dies VVho then his venom forth doth cast But all in vaine and all in wast So fraud sits now in Fortunes lappe For Curio haught with his late happe Did not forecast the deepe deceit Of his strong foe that lay in wait But ouer-night he giues in charge That all his horse-troopes should enlarge Themselues and range the fields about And in the morning he drawes out From forth his Campe his armed bands Who in the field imbatteld stands Yet he was warn'd but all in vaine That close his campe he should containe And wary be of Lybicke baytes And of the Punycke warres deceytes But Destinies resistlesse date Gaue vp this yong man to his Fate And now this ciuill warre betraid Him that her first foundation laid His troopes and Ensignes he displayes And leades them ouer rocky wayes Which when his enemy espyde From hilles a farre where they recide With fraud they seeme as men affright To make retrait in open sight Vntill thereby they could procure Their foe to leaue a place so sure And strong as those high mountaines were And that the Army did not feare To range it selfe in martiall wise Where as the open Champian lies Now Curio thought his foes did flye And did not their deuice descrye But as a Conquerour in haste His Army in the fields he plac't And then the Lybicke guile brake out For those that fled but for a flout With horse-men ceiz'd the hilles about And with huge troopes they did enclose On euery side their Roman foes ¶ This Curio somewhat did amaze His hope-lost troopes stood at a gaze Yet sought they not for feare to flye Nor strong enough with force to try Their tired horse when Trumpets sound Would neither snoring bray nor bownd Nor with their hoofes the earth would stamp Nor straine their bridles whilst they champe The foamy bits nor creasts vp-reares Nor with a courage pricke their eares Nor striue amongst the thronging troope But all fore-spent their heads down droope And crest-falne smoking in a sweat Their mouthes are dry and parcht with heat Their tongues do hang below their iawes Hoarse grones they send from out their maws With thick drawne winde they puffe pant Their flankes doe rise and breath doe want And all their bits were smeared ore With dusty dryed frothy gore So as they hardly could be got With whips or wands to keepe a trot Nor yet with often stroke of spurre Could they at last be made to sturre It nought auailed him that rides To rent and teare their bloody sides His pace he would not so aduance With force thereof to breake a launce Which greatly did the foe auaile For they the while did them assaile Aloofe with darts as thicke as haile ¶ Now when the ranging Aphers prest In with their troopes amongst the rest Their trampling steeds so beat the ground That all the hill therewith did sound And therewith raisd such dusty smokes That all the aire it dimmes and chokes Like as when the Bistonian blasts With rage whole hilles of sands vp casts VVhich in such clouds aloft doe rise As that they dimme and darke the skies No sooner now their raging Mart Vpon the foot they did conuart But that the fight was out of doubt Death spent the time amongst the rout Forward at all they could not presse Nor vse their Armes in this distresse So were they compast round with foes That roome they want to deale their blowes Their speares held vpright in their hands Were throng'd together in whole bands So heapes of foes their helpe confounds Neither fall they alone with wounds And bloud but this them death affoords The clouds of darts and weight of swoords And then for last refuge of all The troopes now left that were but small Into a little orbe did fall And those that vtmost bare the stresse If they into the midst would presse For feare thereby reliefe to gaine Hardly escap't but there was slaine This battail'd Orbe now grew so thicke And did so close together sticke And foot to foot so pressing stands They could not vse their martiall hands Their thronged bodies so are prest That arm'd they crush each others breast The conquering Moore did not delight So much to heare of their hard plight That Fortune prostrates to his might Not hauing seene the bodies slaine Nor how the streames of blood did draine Nor that the limbes bestrewd the land For now the Orbe so thicke was mand That bodies dead vpright did stand Thus Fortune sends new slaughtred wights To please Carthagoes enuious sprights The sacrifice of this braue Host May well appease the thirsty ghost Of bloudy Hanniball and those That Punicke warres hath made our foes But O yee Gods this Roman spoyle That now is made on Libicke soyle To Pompey cannot yeeld content The Senate will this wracke lament Let Affricke thereof make her gaines Whose fields our Latium blood distaines When Curio saw his hoast in rout And that their blood so stream'd about As that therewith the dust was laid And with the gore the land beraid His heart could not endure the sight Of his poore mens distressed plight Nor would he saue himselfe by flight But on his foes he prest amaine And so amongst his Troopes was slaine He now disdaines longer to liue Valour to him his end did giue ¶ What
those slight puffes Which from the chopping changing huffes Of the spring season do proceede Either for certainty or speede Besides our course needs not to feare How sore the seas do breake and teare We need not gaze for markes of lands Whereby to void the rockes and sands But with a forth-right leading winde By North we shall our harbour finde And would to God this Northerne racke Would whirle to make the mast to cracke And fill the sailes with such a gale To make the top-mast stoope withall And bring vs to the Greekish shores That Pompey's Gallies with their Oares May not in calmes our fleet surprise Whilst in the seas it hulling tries Therefore my hearts your Anchors way Doe not our happy fleet delay For all this while we loose but time Since windes and seas are in their prime ¶ Now Phoebus falles vnto his rest And brightest starres the skies invest When Cinthia shewes her siluer eye The ships out of the harbour flye With Anchors weigh'd and Cables coyl'd Amongst the waues the Sea-men toyl'd They hoise their yards a crosse the mast And then to take the friendly blast Their climing feet their hands pursue To cut their sailes and spreade their clue But for the winde they gan to doubt Their top-sailes likewise they heaue out With all their helpes they can deuise To take the least breath of the skies Yet now more slowly slides the racke And all their sailes began to slacke Wherewith came on such slender blasts That sailes did flat vnto the masts Of land no sooner they lost sight But they were all becalm'd out-right The gale that blew off from the shore At sea did follow them no more The rowling billowes of the deepe Were now growne calme and still a sleepe The waues all smooth were as but one The maine scarce felt a motion So Bosphorus doth dully stand Bound with the flawes of Schythia land When Istar cannot moue that maine Which freezing vapours doe restraine That sea becomes an ycie plaine And ships brought thither by the windes In beddes of yce fast lockt it bindes So as the men by toyle nor Art Can make a way thence to depart Whose waues condensed with the cold The hugie weight of Carts do hold With hollow sound that thereon runne And there the Besseans doe wonne Vntill Meotis feele the Sunne With such a froward still the deepes A soft and sluggish wallowing keepes As if in slumber they did rest And of their nature dispossest And like a standing poole growne sad That neither spring nor motion had But changed from his nature quite Forgotten had his wonted plight For he will neither rise nor fall Nor with his wonted roaring call He trembles not nor frothing chides Nor Phoebaes influence giues him tides This fleet meane while with much disease Lay tumbling in this dead growne seas On this side did the aduerse fleet Prepare their oares with them to meet Whilst they in this dead calme do ride And could not moue with winde or tide On th' other side they stood in dread And danger to be famished So as in this disasterous state New feares new praiers eleuate Vpon the Gods they call and cry That all the fury of the sky Would bend it selfe to boysterous rage And so the stupid waues engage As that the fury of the maine Would shew it selfe a sea againe But winde nor waues became so stout That they of ship-wracke need to doubt Yet after when the night was past The day with clouds was ouer-cast The hollow seas began to sturre And then Ceraunia windes did whurre Wherewith the fleet began to quake And so the aire the sailes did shake At length the crooke-back't waues did rise And in the sternes the ships surprise That with full sailes now forward plies So as these friendly seas and gales Them to Palestes hauens hales Where when they safely were arriu'd They Anchors cast with ioy reviu'd ¶ This was the first confronting coast Where these two Captaines hoast to hoast Incamped were in eithers view And through these fields two riuers drew Their pleasant streames on Apsus hight And Genusus more swift of flight Apsus by reason of a lake That into her his course did make With steady slye sought stealing pace Could shipping beare from place to place But swift Genusus head-long goes When as the Sunne melts heapes of snowes Or that the falles of showring raines Her swollen channels higher straines Yet neither of them with long race Within the land doth winding trace Fortune to this place gaue the fame Of two braue Captaines great in name And here the worlds vaine hope decay'd That now their furies could be stay'd Since that the stations were so nye Where now they both incamped lye That each might others face behold And heare the tale each other told And many yeares were past betweene Since thou great Pompey last had seene That loued father-in-law of thine And did so neere a league combine Of strict alianc'd blood with blood Though froward Fate the same with-stood When Caesars daughter reft of life His sonne-in-law made fit for strife And but vpon the Nylus shore He after saw thy head no more ¶ Now Caesars thoughts were much dismaid That many troopes still lingring staid Which for this place were ready prest And straightly charg'd by his owne hest With speed to meet him on that coast Doth vexe to see warres time so lost The leading of these wanting bands Was vnder fierce Antonius hands Who now belike did meditate Vpon his owne Leucadian fate Caesar on him calles with intreates And checkes his staying thus with threats O thou that in the world dost cause Such mischifes by thy tedious pause VVhy holdst thou both the Gods and Fates Suspenced from our happy dates By mine owne speede and proper care All other things dispatched are And Fortune now doth call for thee That thy right hand might aiding be The chiefest seruice to intend That must our prosperous warfare end No Lybicke Syrts nor doubtfull deepes Vs in this sort a sunder keepes VVe doe not seeke with new deuice Thy armed troopes now to entice Into an vnknowne desperate maine O no thou sluggish idle swaine Caesar bids thee to come not goe I lead the way and pierc'd the foe Throughout these stranger seas and sands And safely haue conuaid my bands My tents art thou afraid to see This timelesse hap is death to me My words are spent to waues and winde Yet do not thou their humors binde That to the seas are well inclin'd For if I bee not much deceau'd Thy Troopes so truely haue bequeau'd To Caesars Armes their might and maine That shipwracks doubt they would disdaine And dolours voyce now must I vse Thou dost thy selfe to much abuse The whole worlds hopes twixt thee and me Yet in no equall ballance be Caesar doth in Epyrus Campe And there is all the Senates stampe VVhilst onely thou so vncontrol'd Dost but
qualefie Or any hidden lawfull meanes But he the hatefull secrets gleanes Of Magicks spels and them doth proue So odious to the Gods aboue And wofull murdrous altars dights To Dis and the infernall sprights Whom he beleeues and as deiected The heauenly powres he nought suspected And now this place where he resides His wicked humour more misguides For many sorcerers and witches Dwell there where now his tents he pitches Whose foule illusions fraught with lies Doth modest pietie despise And of their art this point is chiefe To vndertake things past beliefe ¶ For Thessaly on her rocks breeds Many inchanting balefull weeds And sensibly her very stones Those damned spels did seale with grones And many charmes it eleuates The heauenly powres it violates And fell Medea from those fields Fetcht herbs that Colchos neuer yeelds Their wicked charmes were of such force That they could wrest vnto remorse The Gods deafe eares that hardned weare Gainst those that more deuotion beare And nations that their hests did feare Their damned voyce and hellish cries Could force a way to pearce the skyes And with their powrefull words incite The higher powres in heauens dispight For that same supreme care diuine How heauenly orbes and spheares encline Is cast aside when they haue sent Their charmes vnto the firmament For though the Babylonian clime And Memphis do retaine the prime Of all such sages as can tell What deepe and hidden skill doth dwell Within the ancient magicks spell Yet th' Thessalian witch can bend Those powres their altars to entend ¶ Their charming words are of such might That those hard hearts that nought delight In sports of loue nor naturally Retaine thereof the quallity By their inchantments set on fier Shall flame in feruent loues desier Yea crabbed sires forespent with age They will infect with lusting rage Nor onely noysome potions vse Nor onely do that lumpe enfuse Which on a young colts forhead breeds That slimie humours swelling feeds Before the louing damme do share It with her teeth and make it bare But with the charmes that they do chatter Not vsing any poysnous matter They will the strongest minds infest And at their pleasure force and wrest And those whom discord hath misled To leaue and loath their nuptiall bed They haue reclaim'd and that great force Of beautie wanting kinde remorse By meanes of Magicks twisted twine To gentle loue they made encline And things from natures course estrang'd The daies to lengthned nights they chang'd The firmament kept not his course The spheares forbeare their rapted source Their motions dully languishing When as their charming spels they sing And Iupiter himselfe did woonder Wat made the Poles so slowly blunder And why they did not turne more swift Being vrged with their woonted drift All things are ouerlaide with showrs When Phoebus shines the dark clouds lowrs Vnknowne to Ioue they make it thunder As though the skies would rent in sunder With one selfe voyce they cloudes disperse And then againe to raine reuerse When no wind blowes the seas shall rage And in huge stormes their wrath asswage And most contrary vnto kinde The ships shall saile against the winde The torrent from the mountains top Amidst his course shall stay and stop The riuer shall run countermount And turne his course vnto his fount The Sommer shall not Nylus raise Meander straight his crooked wayes The Rhodanus shall become slow And Arar him shall ouergo The mountains whelme their steepy head And as a plaine be ouerspread Olympus vnderlooke the clouds Scythia from whom the Sun still shrowds In midst of winters frostie flaw Her snowes shall then dissolue and thaw And with their charmes they will restraine The setled flowing of the maine And force him with those bonds dispense Design'd by Cynthias influence They will so strike that fixed waight The Axe that bears the worlds whole fraight That turning in the Orbes mid wheele It beckning somewhat seemes to reele And with one word this heaped masse And pondrous loade so crazed was That it would prospects thorow teare To see the other Hemispheare ¶ All animals of deadly natures That Lethall beene to humane creatures In feare of these inchanters liue Or to their art assistance giue The Tygre with his bloodie iawes The Lyon that all ouer-awes On them will fawne with milde aspect The water Snakes with like respect Their chilly circles will vnfould And streatch themselues on dewy mould If these vile hagges do them behold The vipers wombe when it is torne By that damn'd broode that she hath borne They will make whole and humane breath Shall giue the Serpent present death How are the Gods perplext with paine To yeeld vnto this sorcerous vaine And held in awe them to disdaine What contract haue they made withall That they can hold them so in thrall Are they opprest by Witches might Or in their charmes take they delight Are they deare to the Deities For any secret pieties Do they preuaile this by entreates Or do they vse some secret threates With all the Gods haue they that hand Or do those powerfull charmes command Some one peculiar Deitie That can with such facilitie Constraine this world to yeeld and tend To that which is so forc't to bend These witches first did headlong teare The starres downe from the loftie spheare And modest Cynthias siluer hue Vnto a pallid colour grew Infected with their venom'd phrase And with swarth earthly face did blaze As if the earth had bene betweene To barre her of her brothers sheene And that his orbe with duskie shade Those heauenly beames kept from her glade And with these charmes is so opprest That she can neuer be at rest Vntill the slimie matter fall That they do oint their hearbs withall ¶ These wicked rites and charming spels Practisde whereas those vile hags dwels Erycktho fierce seem'd to disdaine Pretending her more pious vaine And into new formes would conuart The errors of this loathsome art She would not lodge her damned head In towne or house or any shed But still amongst the graues would rest And tombes of corses dispossest Gratefull to hellish Deities Conuersing silent companies Life vnto her no hinderance was Into the Stygian shades to passe And there the secret will to know Of Dis that woonneth still below Her bleasme and megre lookes detect A loathsome hellish swarth aspect That bright dayes light will neuer see The Stygian shades her prospects bee She hath withall a gastly face And feltred lockes about it trace When showres or duskie clouds by night Obscure the starres from humane sight Out of the silent graues she hasts And catcheth at the lightning blasts Then through the fields she pacing spurnes And full-ear'd corne she blasting burnes And with the very breath she sends The healthy aire taints and offends Vnto the Gods she neuer prayes Nor powers of heauen to guide her wayes She takes no keepe of Augures skill How sacrifice bodes good
be exprest VVith wicked words sufficiently And vowes repleat with villany Or if I neuer yet did charme But that with bloud and bowels warme I first of all did breake my fast And bodies full to you haue cast And if that I the braines haue dasht That were bloud-warme then haue washt And to your Altars heads did giue Of infants that might longer liue Obserue my suit that doth not craue A body smoldred in the graue Or that in darknesse long hath beene But one that late the light hath seene And newly did his soule discharge And scarce arriued at helles varge Let him my charmes now entertaine And he shall soone returne againe Let this ghost of a Souldier late Great Pompey's destiny relate To Pompey's sonne if in your sight A ciuill warre deserue that right ¶ When she her charming spell had sed She raisd her frothy mouth and head Wistly a while she did behold The ghost of that same carkasse cold That stood in feare and great amaze Vpon those liuelesse limbes to gaze And did that lothsome pinfold hate That was her prison but of late She dreads into that breast to passe That now so hack't and mangled was And in those bowels to reside Whose veins were cut with wounds so wide Ah wretched Ghost whom deaths last stroke Could not exempt from lifes fraile yoke Eryctho maruailes much and frets That Fates should vse these lingring lets And in her wroth this dead corpes takes And scourgeth it with liuing snakes Then through the earth by that same glade She pries which she with charms had made And barking to the sprights she speakes Which noise Erebus silence breakes Tysiphone thou hatefull spright And thou Megera that setst light By my request come tell me plaine When this sad soule you did retaine With you in hell did she not beare Your torments and your scourgings there By your true names I will you call You Stygian hagges I will enthrall And captiues hold in this worlds light And follow you with all despight Through Graues through Tombes through Burials And banish you from Funerals And Hecate I l'e make thee knowne In perfect shape that is thine owne Thou shalt no more thy selfe adorne With borrowed figure so to scorne The Gods with falshood and decait When thou art cal'd on them to wait Thy vile pale forme I will display Helles lookes thou shalt not put away And I Proserpina will tell That vnder earths huge weight doth dwell What feasts and iunketing you make And what disports in loue you take And how you set your whole delight In dalliance with the King of night Which life of thine if Ceres kend Thou neuer more to her shouldst wend. To thee of wretches all most vile As iudge of this I 'le send the while Bright Tytan with his beames so fierce That through the chinks of earth shal pierce And all thy shiftings open lay By suddaine sending in of day Will you assent my will to do Or shall I him compell thereto Vpon whose name I neuer call But that the earth doth quake withall He that with face vncouered Dares looke vpon Gorgona's head And with his whippes and fell aspect Trembling Erinnis doth correct And he that can farre better tell Then your owne selues the dens of hell His mansion vnder you he takes And he may sweare by Stygian lakes ¶ Forthwith when she had vsd her charme The chill blood in this corps grew warme The black wounds now more fleshly showes And through the veins the thin blood flowes Strengthning withall each outward part The tender strings that feede the hart Vnder the cold breast gan to beate As soone as they did feele the heate The marrow that was dulled long Taking fresh force was grown more strong New life was mingled death among Then pulses all and artyres strike The sinewes streach and motion seeke But now the body neuer tries To streach his lims whereas it lies With easie strength and by degrees But suddenly rebounding flees From off the ground and stands vpright With eyes wide open to the light And yawning iawes that breathed rife Yet in his face was no great life But rather of a deadly hue Stiffe wrinckled and a pallid blew He stonisht was at this worlds wonder His tyed tong no sound could blunder His voyce and speech had but in taske To answer what the witch did aske Tell me quoth she what I require And for it great shall be thy hire If to the world we truths impart The fame of our Aemonian art Will euer after glory gaine And our free sawes as soothes remaine In such a shrine thy lims shall lie And in such wood thy corps shall frie. And will so charme thy funerall As that the spels of Magicks call Thy ghost shall neuer hire at all And to thy selfe this boone bequeaue For that thou didst new life receaue That hearbs nor charms shall be of force Thy long sleepe euer to diuorce That death receiuest at my hand None do those answers vnderstand That Oracles and Trypods tell Who Fates requires from ghosts of hell Shall euer in assurance dwell He valiantly to worke doth go That dire deaths Oracle would know I pray thee therefore do not spare To shew things names right as they are Describe the places and speake plaine That I true Fates may entertaine ¶ To this withall she addes a spell Whereby the ghost had power to tell What so of him she sought to know Whilst his sad face teares ouerflow Truly I had not time quoth he To marke the Fatall sisters three How they their spinning twists did guide I was cal'd from the riuer side So secretly and in such hast I could not know how all things past But that which I did learne was doon Amongst the soules where I did woon Fell discord and outragious strife Amongst the Roman ghost was rife So as their broyles and armed riet Th' infernall state did much disquiet Diuers great Captains were diuided About their quarrell vndecided One part doth in Elysium dwell Tother in those darke dens of hell And both sides readily inclin'd To trie what destinie design'd The blessed soules did then appeare But sad and mournfull in their cheare The Decij both I there beheld The father and his worthie child Braue spirits that did expiate The Tyranies from Roman state Camillus and the Curij There wayling stood with watrie eye And Scylla one amongst this rout Against thee Fortune doth cry out And Scipio there I saw deplore That so the hatefull Affricke shore Their noble blood should now distaine With his owne grandchild thereon slaine And Cato maior of renowne The ancient foe to Carthage towne Did here lament his Nephewes fate That dy'd in scorne of seruile state And Brutus in his Consuls gowne That Tyranny did first put downe We here beheld in ioyful moode Amongst blest soules whereas he stood There Catilyne with prowd disdaines Insults amongst his broken chaines And
battaile now be scan'd No man his perils deemes aright But greater doubts doe them affright For who is hee that sees the maine With surges swallow vp the plaine The highest mountaines ouerflowne With billowes from the Ocean blowne The skies and Phoebus blazing crowne Vnto the earth come tumbling downe In such a publicke wracke each where Would of his priuate stand in feare No man had leasure now to dread The harmes that hanged ore his head Romes destiny and Pompeys fall Was it that did distract them all ¶ Vnto their swords they put no trust Except new ground and scour'd from rust Their darts are sharpned at the end With stronger strings their bowes they bend Their quiuers also stored full With choycest shafts that they could cull The rowels of the horse-mens spurre Enlarg'd to make his courser sturre If it were lawfull to compare Mans labours with the supreame care So Mars did grinde his fauchion Vpon the rough Cycilian stone When the Phlegrean Gyants fierce Did make attempt the skies to pierce So Neptune his three-forked mace With fiery temper did enchase And Paean so new steel'd againe His shafts when he had Python slaine So Pallas furbusht vp her Targe VVith Gorgons head and lockes at large And so to chastise those reuolts Vulcan then chang'd Ioues thunder-bolts ¶ Nature did not that time refraine By many signes to shew most plaine The fearefull accidents at hand The skies the armed troopes withstand Marching to the Pharsalian land The tearing clouds with thunder-claps The Souldiers on their faces raps Contrary flames and pillars bright Of scorching fire did them affright Typhons commixt with sparkling beames That did affect the water streames Brake out withall and lightning flashes Dazled their eyes with findging dashes From off their helmes it strake the crests And from the blades the hilts it wrests It also melts the headed Pile The sulfrie aire rusts murdring steele The swarming bees in clustred flights By heapes vpon their Ensignes lights So as the Ensigne-bearers might Could not from ground raise them vpright The weight thereof was growne so dead It made them bow both backe and head Their publique Standards in a swet And Roman Aegles weeping wet VVhilst forward to the field they set The Bull brought for the sacrifice VVith fury from the Altar flies And running head-long himselfe cast Into Emathias field at last So as no offring could be found To expiate that lucklesse ground ¶ But what malignant Deities And Furies of impieties O Caesar hast thou cal'd vpon What power of Stygian Region What wicked damn'd infernall sprights That range about in gloomy nights Hath stir'd thee vp and whet thy rage This odious wicked warre to wage But now this doubt againe doth rise Whether that feare abus'd their eyes Or that these monstrous visions seene Of Gods the Reuelations beene For many thought they did behold How Pindus to Olympus rold And that mount Aemus that same houre A gaping velley did deuoure And that throughout Pharsalia's ground Strange howlings did by night resound That streames of bloud by Ossa's hill Did to Boebeida's lake distill That they beheld in darke shades vail'd How men with force their foes assail'd The day pale dimnesse ouer-whelmes Darke shades likewise incloud their helmes Their parents buried ghosts did rise And fluttring doe accost their eyes But this one comfort did remaine To ease them in perplexed paine That those who with a guilty minde Did hope the wicked meanes to finde Their aged fathers throats to cut And in their brothers blood to glut Reioyced at the monstrous sights That with such horror maz'd mens sprights And hop't these suddaine furies rage Did vnto them successe presage But why should it seeme strange at all That those for whom death now did call Should changes feele as life growes slacke And trembling fits of natures wracke If to the minde of man be giuen Knowledge of future things to steeuen The guest that wonnes in Tyrian Gades The Roman that Armenia trades And those that vnder any clime Of all the world liu'd at that time Did grieue and yet wist no cause why And tooke their griefes offensiuely But little knew what they should lose At these Emathian fatall blowes ¶ If old Records we credit may Vpon Euganeo's hill they say An Augure sitting neere those streames Where Aponus breath-reeking steames Do rise and spread their springs abrode And in Timavas flood vnlode Where was Antenors first abode Now comes this Augure then did say A great and lamentable day The mightest things of humane state Are like forth-with to haue their date Pompeys and Caesars wicked Armes Will now rush on to ciuill harmes But whether that the thunders rage And Ioues dire darts did thus presage Or that the gazing on the skies The heauens discordant humor spies Or that the sad duskt firmament Did note to him this daies euent By dimnesse of th' eclipsed sunne That was with darknesse ouer-runne Nature in this dayes forme exprest Such difference from all the rest As that if men did vnderstand As did this Augure to haue scan'd And well obseru'd the nouell change Of heauenly signes how they did range Then all the world might plaine haue seene As well as hee Pharsalia's teene O worthy wights by Fate reseru'd Of all the world to be obseru'd Whose destinies to bring to end The whole heauens leasure did intend If after ages heare the same And to our Nephewes come their fame Or if to men of great estate Our labours care Time shall relate So as their mindes it recreate When as these ciuill warres they read It will provoke both hope and dread And draw such wishes from their thought As shall be lost and profite nought For reading they will be distracted As though these were not matters acted But as if they were strifes depending Whose Fates as yet had not their ending And all that while wish from their heart The best successe to Pompeys part ¶ As soone as Pompey's armed bands March't towards the Pharsalian lands The shining Sunne-beames bright aspect Against their armours did reflect So as the valleyes and the hilles All round about with light it filles They did not rashly take the field The haplesse Army order held And Lentulus had for his part The ordring of the left wings Mart And those two Legions therewithall That of the Campe was principall The first and fourth they did them call And vnto thee Domitius stout Was giuen in charge the right wings rout All-be-it with vnlucky hand Thou for thy Countries cause didst stand The middle battaile strong compact With thick rang'd troops that were extract Out of the Cilician hoast That came with Scipio from that coast Who heere held but a Souldiers place Though Affrick after did him grace As chiefe Commander in the field The mountaine Capadocians held Their Cohorts rang'd in ordred rankes On Enipheus riuers bankes And with them all alongst that flood That Pontus large-rain'd
citizens of her owne race The scum of euery nation There now takes vp his station These slaughtring warres hath this affected And now it needs not be suspected That Rome is able in long time To act againe a ciuill crime For these harmes thanke Pharsalias field To it may bloody Cannas yeeld And Allias calamities Long kept in Latium memorie Rome lesser harmes in Annals sets But willingly this day forgets O griefe the desolation That comes by aires infection That pestilent diseases breeds That from dire famines rage proceeds Or Townes with rapting fiers burning Or fearefull earthquakes ouerturning Whole cities all such great decayes These men might well repaire and raise Whom Fortune brought frō euery quarter In this fell warre to slay and martyr And laid them prostate in this field That many yeares did breede and yeeld Of souldiers and of captains braue That in these armies so did raue And by their wracks did shew withall How great Rome was when she did fall For by how much her powre was spread Ouer huge nations vanquished The faster her prosperitie Now ranne vnto calamitie Her warres each yeare to her did giue Nations did that her store relieue Tytan as he his chariot roles Thy Empire sees in either Poles And of the East small deale remain'd That by thy conquest was not gain'd So as the circuit of thy might Was alwaies vnder day and night The wandring Planets in their rounds Did neuer passe the Empires bounds But now Emathias dismall day Her glorie did so prostrate lay As that on wracke to ruine brought What many yeares had set aloft For by that day to passe it came That Iudea dreaded not our name Nor that the Dakes would giue consents To liue in Townes and leaue their tents Nor that our Consuls guirded round Should guide the plowshare on the ground To cut Sarmatian cities bound Nor that we could due vengeance haue On Parthians as their scorns did craue And that our libertie in dread Of ciuill Tyrannie is fled Beyond the Tygris and the Rheine Without hope to returne againe Although by vs so often sought With our liues blood to haue bin bought A good denyed vs to gaine Which Scythes and Germans do retaine But neuer more will turne her face To looke vpon the Romane Race I would our state had neuer knowne That Augurie by vultures showne When first with their sinister flight Our wals foundation deepe was pight By Romulus that did surround A dismall groue within their bound But that Romes fate had bene held backe Till after this Thessalian wracke ¶ O Fortune needs I must complaine How Brutes their valours lost in vaine Why with such reuerence and such awe Haue we obseru'd our ancient law And euermore as new yeares came Did stile them by the Consuls name Ye Meads and Arabes are blest With all the nations of the East That haue bene vsde perpetually Vnto the rule of Tyranny For now mongst those of any age That kings haue held in vassalage Our destenie is to be last And seruile shame our glory blast There are no Gods to be obaid The world is but by blind chance swaid T is false that men of Ioue haue said Could he from out the lofty skie These slaughters see of Thessaly And hold from them his thundring might When he Pholoen so will smite And Oeton scorch with lightning flame And Rhodops groue so free from blame How doth he blast the stately pine What must this worke be brought to fine By Cassius hand and must he quell The Tyrants head that so doth swell The starres denide to lend their shine Vnto Thyestes odious line And Argos cittie rest of light Beclowding it with sodaine night And will the heau'ns daylight afford Vnto Thessalias bloody sword Whereas so many brethren meete With blood that do each other greete And children that their parents slay No mortall harmes the Gods do way Yet of reuenge so much we hope As heauen can to the earth giue scope These ciuill warres shall Deifie New powres like to the Gods on hie These Images shal be set out With blazing stars that beames do sprout About their heads and in their hands Ioues thunderbolts and flaming brands And in the Temples Rome shall sweare By Caesars ghost with sacred feare ¶ Now whilst both armies face to face With speedy march shortned the space That sundred them from fatall blowes And were so neare as each one knowes Which way his deadly pyle should straine And what hand threatned bane againe They saw that then was come the time That needs must act a monstrous crime The sonnes against their fathers stands Brothers confront with armed hands No man that time his place would change And yet with all a faintnesse strange Did them surprise which pittie made And cold blood did their hearts inuade So as the cohorts on both parts Forbeare to throw their ready darts Crassine the Gods on thee bestow An end that may no ending know Not such a death as all men trie But death that liuing still shall die That with a lance from thy strayn'd arme Didst first begin this ciuill harme And with the blood of Roman wound Didst first distaine Pharsalian ground O heady rage and murdrous minde Who would haue thought a hand to finde So prone to bloud or else so bold Whilst Caesars selfe his hands did hold Now with shrill noyse the aire doth ring The Cornet her strain'd notes did sing The Trumpets to the battell sounds The clamorous cries confusde rebounds From earth vnto the vaulted skie Whereas the clouds do neuer flie Nor where the thunders do engender And then these shouts thēselues do render Vnto the vales nere Tempes groues And thence againe it fleeting roues With doubling ecchoes that lowd raues From hollow vaults of Pelian caues So as therewith mount Pindus grones And trembling shooke Pangean stones Oeteus hil doth houle likewise And so the furie of these cries Doth all about those quarters flie That their owne noyse them terrifie ¶ A multitude of darts are cast And with them diuers wishes past Some hope that they their foes shal wound Others wish they may fall to ground And that no blood should soyle their hands All now on hap and hazard stands Vncertaine Fortune leades the dance The guiltie now are made by chance Of those that fall how great a part Are slaine with flying shafts and dart Now must the ciuill hate be showne But by the murdring sword alone The Romane blood is onely shed With their owne glayues embowelled Pompey now his battalions flankes With thicke and double filed rankes Poldron to poldron fast combin'd And Targateeres vnto them ioyn'd So as they scarse had roome the whiles To vse their hands or cast their piles They fear'd they were so nearely prest That their owne swords would them infest But Caesars Veterans withall Headlong on these thicke troopes do fall And through this presse of armed foes They hew a passage with their blowes Eu'n
th' Antipodes Did then behold so as nor wee Nor they could then his full eye see But Pompey now could take no rest So many cares torment his breast Sometimes he calles vnto his minde How many Cities were combin'd By league vnto the Roman state How many Kings confederate Of diuers humors tooke their part Whom he might draw againe to Mart. Sometimes he thinkes vpon the South Whose lands the Sunne hath parch't with drouth And thus a world of cares and toyle In his perplexed breast doe broyle Sometimes in hope to leuy Armes Sometimes in dread of future harmes Then with the Maister he confarres About the motions of the starres And how the Coasts and lands doe lye The signes of weather in the skye And when 't is fit to hull or trye Or else with sailes to cut the deepes What starre the Syrian quarters keepes Or what starre in the waine best stands To guide a course for Lybian lands ¶ This skilfull Pilot that had oft And long these Nauall Courses sought And secret mysteries of the skies In this sort vnto him replies We neuer wretched Mariners Do make our recknings by those starres That wandring still rowle to and froe We might be much deceiued so But such as do not range nor role But are still fixed neere the pole And neuer in Neptunus deepes His fiery twinkling torchet steepes But alwayes shines in one set place By it we doe direct our race And when this starre aloft doth tend And that the lesser Beare is kend Iust poynting on my maine yards end The Bospheros maine we doe explore And Seas that Circle Scythias shore But if Arctophilax discend The least poynt from our Top-masts end And that the little Beare appeare Vnto the seas somewhat more neere For Syrias ports our course we steere But with Canopas South we runne For he the Northerne clime doth shunne Or if he keepe our Larbord side And so our helme for Pharos guide Then in the middle of that maine Our ships vpon the Syrts might straine ¶ But now I would be glad to know Your will and whither you would goe And what coast fits best your auaile Accordingly to set our saile Pompey to this vnconstantly With doubtfull humour doth reply Alwayes quoth he for our behoofe See in those seas you keepe aloofe That are from Thessaly remote And neere Hesperia do not flote Shunne you those seas or shores to finde Commit the rest vnto the winde My wife aboord with me shall stay From Lesbos I tooke her away Thither I did a due course bend But Fortune now a port must lend Thus hauing said the Pilot hailes The Marriners do cut their sailes The sheats that equally inclin'd But spooned iust before the wind He veares now to the larboord side One tacke vnto the prow he tide The other on the sturne belayes And to Assinas coast assaies And where the surging billow shockes Alongst the Isle of Chyos rockes Now angry Neptune frothing chides Whilst that the ship thus stemmes the tides And all the while she holds her course He roring fometh worse and worse With no such ease and speedy change The Coach-man can his Charret range From right hand to the left hand side When he his trampling steeds would guide And circling wheeles about doth trend First to attaine his races end Phoebus vnto the world giues light And dimmes the stars that shines by night When those that now did scattring flye From this late storme in Thessaly With all speed after Pompey runne And on the seas he meetes his sonne Yet scarce cleare of the Lesbian coast And then more Princes of his hoast That earst to him had faithfull bin And in this state he now was in A fugitiue and ouer-throwne Did still to him their loue make knowne And many Kings with martiall traines That in the Easterne clymats raignes And other Lords of powerfull states For all his wracked exil'd fates Stood firme his faithfull constant mates King Deiotarus one of those That scap't away with Caesars foes Did follow Pompey in his flight And was employ'd to raise new might To him his charge in these words giues Thou faithfulst king to me that liues Since that the Roman power and host In the Aemathian fight is lost Go try the fauour of the East As those that need feare Caesar least The Nations that the waters drinkes Of Euphrates and Tygris brinkes To Pompey it shall be no griefe In this distresse to craue reliefe Of Medes whereby to wage new warre And Scythians though remote so farre But vtterly to change our clyme And vse requests in this hard time To proud Arsaces for his aid And if old leagues be not decay'd But still in memory are borne Then by that God that I haue sworne The thundring Ioue of Latium land And by that holy reuerent band Of Magi that your oathes did binde Prepare your selues in warlike kinde Your quiuers fill with shaft and dart And your Armenian bowes for Mart Bended with strings of Getan Art And if ô Parthians heretore To warre on you I haue forbore When I did range the Caspian maine And with my Army did constraine The fierce Alani to my yoke And neuer did the Parthes prouoke None did destroy or seeke their soyle Nor did enforce them to entoyle Themselues their children and their wiues For safe-gard of their goods and liues Within the Babylonian walles Nor euer sought to make them thralles But when I conquer'd Persean Realmes And the Caldean vtmost streames Swift Ganges and Hydaspis fierce That through the Eastern lands doth pierce Wasting Nyseas ancient walles And so into the Ocean falles Where Phoebus lifts his shining face I neerer Parthes then Persia was Yet when I had subdu'd all these My Armes in nought did them disease Nor yet were they mongst all the rest For honour of my triumphes prest They onely were exempt by me Of all the Easterne Kings as free With such desert I did them binde And shall I Parthes vngratefull finde Nay more then this Arsaces race At Pompeys hand hath found like grace For after that same bloody strife Where Crassus lost his host and life What Romans could their hands containe From Parthes that all our host had slaine Oblig'd to me by such desarts Let them the like shew on their parts Now let the Parthes with Trumpets sounds Breake out in force beyond their bounds And Zeugma that same Palean Towne Let them surprise or batter downe Yee Parthes for Pompey conquest gaine To conquer Rome is worth your paine The King did no refusall make This hard request to vndertake But presently aside did lay His Royall Robe and rich array And in the habit him attires Of one of his inferior Squires T is safe for Kings in ieopardie To counterfeit base pouerty How much therefore doth lowly need For safety greatest Kings exceed Freer from dangers and from dreed The King in this sort set on shore Pompey
And of our selues to take remorce Thou Ptolomey maist if thou wilt Mend Pompeys wracke that lies now spilt When Rome it selfe dures for his guilt Dar'st thou Thessalias ashes reare And call in warres thy realme to teare Before these late Pharsalian broyles We kept our selues from martiall toyles Would Pompey new warres vndertake With our hands since all him forsake Would he prouoke the victors might Againe that hath put him to flight And pitty tels vs as you say We should helpe wretches in decay But wisedome sayes we should affect To like those Fortune doth respect What foolish trust would leagues combine With friends in pouerty that pine ¶ This wicked counsell all allowd The boyish King was likewise proud To haue the honour him decreed As lawfull to act such a deed By Sycophants that sooth his minde Whereto Achillas was design'd And to the seas side they repaire A wicked shore for this affaire O this was that same trayterous land That borders on the Cassian sand Whereas on Aegypts coasts a shelfe Neere to the Syrts doth stretch it selfe There they a little frigget mand With armed monsters in a band O heauens how could the riuer Nyle And barbarous Memphis so defile Themselues and that same tender breed That the Canopian I le doth feed Haue hearts to act so vile a deed Doth ciuill fate the whole world staine Must Roman Rulers thus be slaine Doth Aegypt slaughters new affoord Must Pharus on vs vse the sword O ciuill warres to your owne Armes Reserue our proper Countries harmes And do reuenge your own blood spilt Chase from you odious forraine guilt If noble Pompey were design'd By Caesars sword his date to finde Durst Ptolomy so traiterously Doome one of so great name to dye And thou Achillas halfe a man Thou Eunuch whom the world doth ban How durst thou so with hands prophane Whilst heauen did thunder work his bane Hee that the world by Armes hath tam'd Him that three Triumphes so had fam'd The Champion of the Senates state The victors sonne-in-law but late This might alone for reason stand To stay the Pharian Tyrants hand He was a noble Roman borne With thy sword must our breasts be torne Little knowst thou vnhappy boy Little knowst thou thine owne annoy How ficklely thy fortune stands That by no right now holdst thy lands Since him thy wicked sword hath slaine By whose grace thou didst rule and raine ¶ Now Pompey strooken had his saile And in his ship for more auaile His Marriners fell to the Ore So to convey him to the shore Thus passing on with his small fleet A little Gally did him meet That was with wicked villaines mand VVith shew to bring him to the land Then Aegypts kingdome they profest VVas to his loue and seruice prest And therewithall they offer make That he the benefite would take Of their small skiffe to come a shore From his tall ship that could not more Nor on those channels safely ride And very hardly stemme the tide By reason that the checking waue Did with contrary currents raue And to all shipping perilous That on those costs were venterous ¶ But had not destiny ordain'd And that which could not be refrain'd The doome of the aeterne decree To which his fate must needs agree That Pompey to this shore must wend There to receiue his wofull end He wanted not aduice of those That were his friends to doubt these foes For that if they good faith had meant And that the King with true intent VVould welcome him vnto that land Giuen to his sire by Pompeys hand The Tyrant then with all his fleet In state with honour would him meet But he to destiny giues way And as they wild he did obay Leauing his ship he their skiffe enters And scorning feare he death aduenters Wherewith Cornelia headlong flies Into the hostile skiffe likewise Seeing her husband so gone out Transported with the carefull doubt That they did plot some villany And therefore kept him company Rash woman stay behind he said And so to do his sonne he praid And bids them there aloofe expect Of this aduenture the effect And well obserue with what faith led They now will entertaine his head But all in vaine he charmes deafe eares For now Cornelia mad with feares Her hands lifts vp with frighted brow Cruell without me whither now Meanst thou to goe must I againe In solitary sort remaine And rest the company of thee Now from Thessalian dangers free We wretches neuer sundred are But there ensues some heauy care Why didst thou not thy sailes diuart And flye into some other part And leaue me wretch in Lesbos plac't If from all lands I must be chac't Thy company I cannot please But onely on the raging seas When she in vaine had thus complain'd In doubt her owne ship-side she strain'd With dread amaz'd her eyes she rold And did not Pompey then behold These in the shippes did doubtfull stand Of Pompeys fortune on the land Not fearing feare or treachery But doubting that too humbly He would that King for aid entreat To whom he gaue that Regall seate But as he meant a shore to passe He suddenly saluted was By one a Roman souldier That in a Pharian boate drew neere Septimius hight ô heauenly shame That he his Countrey should defame One of the guard to Ptolomey As his base weapon did display His Roman pile was set aside Fierce violent enrag'd with pride No sauage beast could him exceed For slaughter or for bloody deed A man would thinke that Fortune meant That so much blood should not bee spent Nor yet so many people wrack't Because the warre his right hand lack't And that his murdrous sword so farre Was banish't the Pharsalian warre But Fortune such thou spread'st abroad That ciuill slaughters might be stroad In euery coast to bring defame Vnto the victors cruell name And that thy stories iust complaint Should all the Gods with shame attaint So did this Roman sword obay The King and Pompey thou mayst say This Palean Princox did not dread With thine owne sword to reaue thy head And future times shall still record Septimius name to be abhord But with what tearmes to be exprest If Brutus fact the world detest Now his last houre approached on For hee with Pharian barge is gone And of himselfe the power had lost The Tyrants monsters him accost With naked swords vpon him bent And when he saw their vile intent With weapons prest to giue the stroke Vpon his face he throwes his cloke Disdaining that his bared head To fortune should be offered And therwithall he closd his eyes His spirit he supprest likewise Because hee would no moanes expresse Nor teares to make his vertues lesse ¶ But when Achillas damned wretch With murdrous glaiue he made a breach Into his side with gaping wound Nor sigh nor grone yet did he sound
But manfully the stroke did bide And onely turn'd his face aside And from his place he neuer moues But dying so himselfe approues And thus resolues within his thought Who then this villany had wrought All after times that vs succeedes And doe record the Romans deedes This wicked act will not obscure But whilst the heauen and earth endure To all parts of the world will flye This sippe and Pharian perfidie But Pompey now thy fame intend Fate long thee happy life did lend And didst thou not by dying trye The valour that in thee doth lye How should men know that as thou list Aduersity thou couldst resist Giue then no way to others shame Nor yet this actor onely blame Though others hand thy life hath wrack't Beleeue it to be Caesars fact Let them my carkasse rent at will O Gods I shall be famous still No power this happinesse can rend Though Fortune bee no more my frend I am not wretched in my end My deere Cornelia and my sonne Doe see this slaughter on me done And therefore Sorrow I thee pray Shut vp my woes and all dismay But if my wife and sonne see this With griefe their loue the greater is Such was the fortresse of his minde Thus stout in death he life resign'd ¶ But now Cornelias patience Could not so easily dispence To see this deed on Pompey done As if her selfe that hap had runne So as with wretched sighes and cries She dimmes the aire and filles the skies O my deere husband I am she That thus hath bred the wracke of thee When Lesbos Isle with fatall stay Drew thee so farre out of the way Then Caesars plots arriu'd before Thy selfe on damned Nylus shore For who else durst take liberty On thee to shew such cruelty But whosoeuer that thou bee Ordain'd thereto by heauens decree Or else by Caesars hest design'd Or from thine owne corrupted minde Vpon his head such rage to shew O cruell thou dost little know Where noble Pompeys heart doth rest Come with thy sword and pierce this breast That vnto him is vowd and bent That more then death would him torment Shew my head ere his life be spent I am not guiltlesse of this warre As other Roman matrons are For neither I vpon the maine Nor in the Campe did him refraine I stucke to him in misery VVhen Kings did shunne his company Haue I O husband this deeseru'd In thy safe ship to be preseru'd Vngratefull man thou spard'st thy wife Was I then worthy of my life When death on thee his force would trye No I in spight of Kings will dye O Marriners stay not my veaze Headlong to plunge into the seas Or with your hands prepare a twine That strangle may this throate of mine Or some one that was Pompeys frend Come with thy sword and my life end Thou shalt doe that for Pompeys sake Which Caesars fury else will take O cruell wights why should you giue Me longer life that loath to liue But husband mine thou art not dead Of my selfe yet I am not head Of these my death I cannot craue The victor must that honour haue So hauing said amidst them all Rapt with a trance shee downe did fall And thence was borne in mazed plight In her owne shippe that then tooke flight ¶ But thogh their swords from side to side Had pierc't him through with gashes wide Hee still retain'd within his face A sweete aspect and reuerent grace His browes against the Gods hee bent And when his life was gone and spent Yet in his lookes or in his cheare No change at all there did appeare As they themselues did make report That saw him murdred in that sort For cruell hee Septimius To make his act more odious His sacred face laid open bare The couering vaile hee rent and tare And whilst the head yet breathes with sweat Hee takes it vp and thwart a seat The lithy hanging necke hee puts And so the veines and sinewes cuts Then long he hackes the knotty bone To cut it cleane he Art had none But with his hewing that he makes From off the corpes the head he takes The which Achillas from him teares And in his hand it proudly beares O Roman Souldier slauish base That woulds thy selfe so much disgrace To be an vnderling to such For since thy hand had done so much Vpon that head of so great fame Thou shouldst thy selfe haue borne the same O shamefull Fates this boyish King When they to him the head did bring That he might know his manly looke The same in his right hand he tooke And by the haire he did it hold Those reuerent lockes now hoary old That had so many Kings controld And shadowed his comely brow This noble head he pitcheth now Vpon a Pharian sharpned stake Whilst yet with life the cheekes did quake And whilst with throbs the spirits beat And ere the eyes were throughly set So was this honored head abusd That neuer peace for warre refusd The Countries lawes the armed field And Rostrum did him reuerence yeeld That noble face that braue aspect The Romane fortune did affect But yet this wicked Tyrants heart Was not suffisd with this vile part For he desires his villany Might goe beyond his perfidy And when they cleansd his head and braine So as no humors should remaine To putrifie then Art they vse To keepe the face and balme enfuse ¶ Thou off-spring last degenerate Of Lagus line art neere thy date For thy incestious sisters hand Shall reaue thy scepter and thy land Must Pompeys corpes with so great scorne Lye on the sands mangled and torne And thence be cast from side to side Against the rockes with euery tide Whilst that thy Macedonian race In sacred sepulchers haue place And that their ashes quiet rest With Graues and Monuments possest And damned ghosts of wicked mood Come from the Ptolmean brood Be closd in Pyramids of fame And with Mausolas worthy frame Was it a worke of so great paine To let the corpes entire remaine That Caesar might behold it plaine Hath Fortune after all her smiles Thus Pompey foyl'd with her last guiles Are all those glories him assignd Shut vp with death of such a kinde O cruell dame must all thy threapes Fall all on him at once in heapes That neuer earst did feele mis-happe But alwayes dandled in thy lappe Pompey is hee that this can say Hee neuer yet saw lucky day Mingled with any crosse dismay His happy fate without stoppe goes None of the Gods did it oppose But when his ruine was decreed They laid on load and made quicke speed Fortune sometimes did him aduance And by the hand leades him in dance But now on sands hee lyes ore-flowne And on the rockes with billowes throwne And as a scorne in seas is drownd Where waues make gutters through each wound No forme in him is to bee found Pompey hath no marke to be
Fortune of this conquering guest Did with false Aegypts fate contest Whether that now the Lagian state The Roman Armes should captiuate Or that the Memphit murdering gleaue Should trayterously the world bereaue As well of him that conquered As of the other vanquished Thy death O Pompey did much good To Caesar and preseru'd his blood By losse of thine whereby the Nyle Should not the Romans trust beguile Hence he to Alexandria Towne Goes safely and for more renowne His Ensignes are before him borne And that dire pledge their wicked scorne But he perceiues that in their breasts A secret spleene repining refts Amongst that people that did hate And murmure so to see their state Subiected to the Roman guise With fagots borne which they despise He sees their mindes and thereby try'd T was not for his sake Pompey dy'd Yet in his lookes no dread appeares But passeth on deuoyd of feares Vnto their Temples and suruayes The Monuments that they did raise Of old vnto Macedons praise But with no pleasure sees those sights Nor in those golden shewes delights Their garnisht Gods feast not his eyes Nor their huge walles that stately rise He willingly discends to see The vault where their Kings tombed bee There he beholds the body laid Of that same Fury that dismaid The worlds Comerce whereon he praid VVith happy mart so ouer-run That Pollean Spring old Philips sonne Whose twist of life reuenging Fate Hath shortned with vntimely date And now his bones interred are Within an holy Sepulcher Whose ashes rather should be strode Throughout the aire the world abrode But Fortune so his ghost did frend That there a Tombe she did him lend Vntill this kingdomes state did end ¶ For if the world should once retaine Her ancient liberty againe His memory would be a scorne As fruitlesse to all Nations borne That possibly so many lands Should subiect be to one mans hands Macedons soyle he did forsake The seate where he his birth did take And conquer'd Athens he despisd Whose state his father had surprisd And carried on by fatall rage With bloody slaughters warre did wage And Asias people did engage His sword each where is exercisd And ouer all he tyrannisd Strange Riuers he with blood engraines The Persian Euphrates he staines And Ganges that doth India trend On earth he was a raging fiend A lightning that such flames did cast As did all lands and people blast A starre malignant vnto Realmes With fleetes he cuts the Ocean streames And then he Nauies did prepare To search the seas that vtmost are Neither the waues nor scorching gleed Nor barren Lybs where Serpents breed Nor Ammons Syrts could him withstand He pierc'd them all with powerfull hand Nay he was wending to the west Whereas the Sunne declines to rest To either Poles his heart was led And would haue drunke at Nylus head But that his latest day him met And Nature onely bounds could set To the ambitious haught desire That this fierce Prince had set on fire And with like enuie workes his bane As he vnto himselfe had tane The whole worlds Empire for his owne Leauing behinde him no heire knowne Whereby great Citties and rich soyles Abandon'd were to wrackes and spoyles In his owne Babylon he dy'd A terror to the Parthian pride O shame these Easterne nations all Macedon Pykes did more appall Then now those people stand in feare Of Roman Piles that we doe beare And though the North wee ouer-awe And Westerne clymes to tribute draw And to the South prescribe their law Yet from the East we haue disgrace Affronted by Arsaces race Crassus with all his Roman host Was haplesse on the Parthian coast Whilst Macedon that little state Securely did suppresse their hate ¶ Now was this boy the King come down From that side of Pelusium Towne Where Nylus fall doth make a Bay Then he the mutinie did stay That this vnwarlike people make And he himselfe doth vndertake To be the hostage and procure All peace and quiet to secure Caesar himselfe and all his traine Whilst in his Court they did remaine Then Cleopatra giues in charge To fit for her a gally barge Wherein she doth her selfe imbarke And findeth meanes that in the darke The chaine that doth the hauen barre The Pharus keeper should vnsparre Whom she corrupts and so she past To Caesars lodgings in great hast VVho thereof neuer thought nor knew Before her presence he did view O Egypts impudence and shame Erynnis fierce to Latium name A strumpet to the Roman state Vnchast our fuell of debate Looke how much woe and wretched toyle Fell out vpon the Grecian soyle And with what wracks and ruine wrought That Spartan face the Troians bought In no lesse fury and mishap Did Cleopatra Latium wrap She frighted if I so might say The Capitoll with Systrons bray And would our Roman spoiles haue bore Vnto Canopo's coward shore And Caesar then haue captiued And him in Pharian triumphs led For doubtfull t was at Actium fight VVhat hand shold sway the Empires right And whether that our Matron Rome Should rule the world with her sole doome These humors that night brought to passe VVhen first this Ptolomean lasse Did with incestious armes imbrace The chieftains of our Roman race ¶ O Anthonie who will disproue Thee for thy lawlesse filthy loue Since Caesars haughtie heart so fries VVith this bewitcing harlots eyes As that amidst the rage of armes Amongst these broiles and ciuill harmes And in this court where Pompeys ghost Did crie for vengeance on this coast And whilst as yet thou wert bespred With blood at thy Pharsalia shed Thou wouldst admit vnto thy bed This foule adulterous venerie And mixe thy armes with bauderie And so didst seeke to raise thy line Vpon a strumpet concubine O shame to Iulia this is scorne That though her Pompey be forlorne Thou her of brothers wouldst prouide Begotten of a Bastard side Thou dost constraine those Roman troops That vnder Pharsals ruins droops To roame about the Lybian coast Who still from place to place are tost Whilst thou thy time dost so mispend And Egypts filthie Iust entend And rather pardon'st Pharos spight Then subiect her to Roman might ¶ To Caesar Cleopatra goes And in her beautie trust repose Her lookes demure and sad withall But yet no teares she did let fall A fained sorrow in her face Which vnto her gaue greater grace Her curled lockes in carelesse wise Dangling about her shoulders flies She thus her speech begins to frame Most mightie Caesar great of fame If noble birth may purchase gace Behold one of the royall race Of Egypts blood king Lagus childe That am distrest and liue exilde From my paternall lawfull right I am withheld by maistring might And if thou wilt vouchsafe therefore With powrefull hand me to restore Vnto my former state and place I will a Queene thy feet imbrace That art a plannet sent
raues Into the middle regions height VVhich cannot well retaine their weight The nights do them againe distill On Nylus flood and his banks fill But I ô Caesar do beleeue If I may be so bold to giue My censure in so great a doubt VVhen many ages were run out After the worlds first fabricate Some wattery waues but new create VVithin the earth by fatall stroake Brake out which God did not prouoke And some againe there being had When this great All at first was made Which the Creator high doth hoâ—â—d Vnder a constant law controld ¶ But that desire that leades thee so Great Roman Lord the cause to know Why Nylus doth thus strangely flow The Pharian Tyrants heretofore And Greekes and Persians did explore And euery age desir'd the praise Of leauing vnto future dayes The knowledge of this mystery But Nature still with secresie Conceales it from discouery That great Macedon King of Kings Whose high renowne our Memphis rings Did Aethiopian men select To search the cause of this effect In scorne of Nylus those hee sends To suruey Affrickes vtmost ends But loe the Torrid Zone with heates Held them from doing of those feates To see what springs warme Nyle repleates Then to the Westerne furthest land Sesostris goes and takes in hand This busie taske and with great pride To draw his Charrets Kings he tide But Rhodonus and fertile Poe Your Riuers he might sooner know Then euer he could come to drinke At Nyles concealed fountaines brinke Then fierce Cambyses Easterne throng Comes where the people liue so long But his huge traine was staru'd for meate So as at last themselues they eate And then return'd with nothing gain'd Nyles springs to him vnknowne remain'd No fables euer yet did dare The head of thy springs to declare But whosoeuer thee hath seene Yet are to seeke where thy heads beene No nation hath attain'd the fame To know from whence thy rising came But yet ô Nyle I will relate So much of thy discouered state As that great God shall giue me leaue From whom thou dost thy course receaue Thou risest from the Southerne Pole And with thy swelling streames dost role Against hot Cancers fiery face And forth-right North dost run thy race Amidst Boötes wheeling chase Somtimes thy streams doth westward trend And sometimes to the East doth bend Sometimes thou seest Arabia's lands And sometimes shar'st with Lybias sands The Seres first of all thee see Yet whence thou art vncertaine be Through Aethyopia thou dost stray But from what fount they cannot say No land that to the world is knowne Can claime thy birth to be her owne Nature hath not discouered To any wight thy secret head Nor euer in a slender streame Wert thou seene run through any Realme For Nature that thy fountaine hides Within her bosomes so prouides Men rather should admire thy course Then know from whence thou tak'st thy source Thy waues permitted are to clime The Solstice being in his prime A winter strange makes thy increase Then thou beginst when others cease Onely to thee is granted grace From Pole to Pole to run thy race Towards the South thy head doth rise And in the North thy current dyes Neroë that blacke people breedes Thy riuer there diuided feedes And doth that Isle inuiron round VVhere pleasant Heben doth abound VVhich trees altough still full of greene Yet shelters not with shade the sheene For on it with a downe-right line The Lyon bands his fiery eyne Thou shewst thy face to Phoebus rage And yet thy streames doe not asswage The barren sands thou meetst in length Sometimes collecting all thy strength And branches into one selfe streame And then againe through Aegypts Realme Thou dost disperse them all abrode Thy bankes with ease are ouerflowd Then thy slow chanell calles amaine His ranging riuelets backe againe Where Phile that doth frontring stand On borders of Aegyptian land Doth from Arabia diuide That kingdome through which thou dost glide Then through those desarts thou dost cut That all that great comerce doth shut Betwixt that sea of scarlet staine And the earth middle cutting maine Running but with a gentle traine But who O Nylus now would wot That thou which here dost mildly flote Shouldst suddenly enraged fret With such a violent out-let For when the rugged broken wayes Thy falling water-courses stayes And steepy Cataracts from hye A gentle passage doth deny Thy waues that no resistance finde Scorning that rocks their race should bind Do spit their foame into the winde And with the brushing that they make The very aire and shores doe quake With murmuring rut the mountains sound And this streames froth doth so abound As that with strain'd resistlesse might His boisterous billowes all turne white Here is that I le of Abatos As reuerent ancients did suppose A mighty land and whereas first Those thundring roarings out doe burst And where the rockes as they haue said With springing vaine this streame doth aid For proofe whereof this signe is plaine That here he swels anew againe Here Nature doth with hilles enclose These stickle streames that wandring goes Which doth thee Nyle from Lybia hold And thy huge heaped waues enfold Within a spacious valley deepe Through which thy swelling chanels sweep Then Memphis to thee freedome yeelds By lending thee her open fields And doth forbid within her land That any bound should thee withstand ¶ Thus they the time securely spent Till mid-night vail'd the Element And as in peace tooke their delight But yet Photinus trayterous spright Since he that sacred blood had spilt Prepared was for any guilt And thought that no fact was vn-milde Now Pompeys death had him defilde Whose ghost did broyle within his breast And him with murdrous mood possest The Gods likewise with vengeance due Stird vp in him presumptions new For he his abiect hands reputed Worthy with blood to bee poluted Of Caesars selfe that was the man By Fortunes hest designed than The powerfull Roman reuerent state To ouer-awe and captiuate The scourge that ciuill warre should haue And vengeance that the Senate craue Was almost left vnto a slaue But O the ruling Fates we pray To turne from vs that fault away That Caesar may not haue his meed If Brutus hand doe not the deed For else the Roman Tyrants blame Shall chastisd be vnto our shame By Aegypts sword and thereby shall Iustice example quaile withall But still this viper Fates prouoke To giue this tyrants necke the stroke And yet he doth not now prepare With secret plots his life to snare But openly meanes to assaile The Captaine whom no Mart could quaile Such hope his wickednesse hath bred To triumph ouer Caesars head And will O Pompey do his best That Caesars fate with thine may rest And by a secret seruant sends These lines to shew what he entends And to Achillas them commends That was his partner in the deed VVhen Pompeys murther was decreed This man the