and think he sleeps too long With waiting tir'd at last they ope the Door And lo their Duke lies Headless on the Floor His Corps all wallowed in Dirt and Gore And lo an hideous Crie through all the Army flies Fear and Despair and Horror fill the Place Nothing appears in ev'ry Face But Wonder Paleness and Surprize Such I believe but more amazing far Will the Face of things appear Such Trembling and Astonishment will come On sinful Wretches at the Day of Doom When Earth shall from the Center start and all The blasted Stars like unripe Figs shall fall Torn from the Sphere as Fruit by Tempest from the Tree When the Sun's Lamp obscure and black shall grow And thrust his Head into eternal Night And the Appearance of a greater Light And from the Moon robb'd of her Brothers Sight All Beauty shall depart and Tears of Blood shall flow When all the Orbs of Heaven untun'd shall be And like a Parchment Scroll Which Men together roll Crackle and shrink on heaps amidst the Fire Wherein the aged World's proud Fabrick must expire And when the Sea shall boyl and from her Bosom throw The Islands she embraces now When Nature's self shall feel Death's inward Pain And Rocks and Mountains shall be implor'd in vain To shelter guilty Souls from that devouring Flame ' Which burns before the Presence of the now despised Lamb. XI Hold hold audacious Muse forbear to wrong This mighty Day with thy bold Tongue Whither has this great Hint transported thee Call in thy ' nruly Heat which hath digress'd so long And let this dreadful Judgment be The daily Bus'ness of my Thoughts more than my Song Return we to th' Assyrian Camp and view The sad Effects that Wine and Lust ensue While thus amaz'd they stand and no man knew Or what to say or what to do In like fierce lightning Lo the Hebrews flew The Torrent of whose direful Rage Nor struggling can repel nor yielding can asswage For like a mighty Wind Which scatters or o'erthrows with violent Force Whatever stops the Passage of his haughty Course With no less fury they Whoe'er they find without Distinction slay Revenge as well as Love is blind It sees no Cause of Rev'rence nor of being kind Princes and common Souldiers heap'd together ray In vain some for their Lives do fight Others as vainly flie Death overtakes these in their Flight And th' others stay to die They flie their furnish'd Tents behind them stay To th' Isra'lites a joyful Prey Who in Assyrian Blood dy'd Red their Holy day XII Return my Muse leave now the bloody Field And let thy tuneful Strings a softer Musick yield Return to Israel's joyful Sons and sing How to the Temple they their vowed Off rings bring The Altar with bright Flames is beautifi'd Whole Hecatombs of chosen Bullocks fri'd And Clouds of Incence to the Skies Perfum'd with grateful Praises rise And now where 's beaut'ous Iudith where To take her due and mighty Share In this great solemn Feast of Victory Wrought by her conqu'ring Hand and more prevailing Eye Look there and you a charming Troop shall ' spie Such as no show that e'er you saw can vie Of beaut'ous Maids and Matrons a bright Galaxie See see how Iudith's Star above the rest aspires She shines like Cynthia 'mongst the lesser Fires Lo in what decent Pride the now glad Widow stands A Crown of Olive on her Head she wears And the glad Name of Isr'el's Saviour hears The Women round her dance with Branches in their Hands And a triumphant Song they sing As once they did to Isr'el's destin'd King For she to her ten Thousands may be said T' have slain in eutting off the Army's Head Behind the Men of Isr'el joyful go All armed not for Battel but for show And as they march along thus to her Praise Then cheerful Voices raise XIII Hail guardian Angel of old Isr'el's Seed The Stock of faithful Abraham To whom the Promise of Salvation came Which now our joyful Eyes have seen fulfil'd indeed Much we have seen but yet our Sons shall see Much more than we For greater Things are breeding in the Womb Of Time to come Hail Iudith t' whom next to kind Heav'n we owe That thus triumphantly we go Nor fear th'Insultings of a conqu'ring Foe Such Fruit thy Beauty 's born as never grew Upon that Stock 'till now Beauty 's destroy'd Towns oft and may do more Never did Beauty save a Town before 'T is thou that hast improv'd its Fruit By grafting it on Virtue 's noble Root Ah! how unlike to thine how far less fair Is that which other Ladies bear Thou Freedom giv'st to all they Fools enslave Their Beauty boasts to kill but thine to save Their Eyes to Comets may be liken'd well Whose direful Beams approaching Plagues foretel Thine like the gracious Sun dispence Health and Beauty Life and Sense And chear the World by their kind Influence Shine Beaut'ous Iudith for no Light Like thine will ever glad our sight Until the Sun of Righteousness arise The true and living Light to bless our Heart and Eyes VIRGILIUS EVANGELIZANS A POEM UPON Christmas-Day In Imitation of the Fourth Eclogue of VIRGIL Entitled POLLIO THE PREFACE THe Fourth Eclogue of Virgil taken by him out of Sibylla's Oracles containeth a famous Prediction concerning the Birth of our blessed Saviour which was then at hand and the Benefits of his Incarnation together with the State of his Church until the Restitution of all things Which the Poet not understanding nor imagining that a Person so extraordinary could arise any where but among the Romans applies to Saloninus the Son of Pollio then newly born or as Irather think to some young Infant of the Imperial Family for he would hardly ascribe so great a Kingdom and such mighty Acts to a private Person for fear of displeasing Augustus on whose Line all Power and Greatness was by the Flattery of Courtiers entailed for ever I have here endeavoured to rectifie Virgil's Mistake and restore this excellent Poem to its right owner there being several things in it which cannot with any shew of Truth he applied to any Person but the Son of God And herein I have taken the Liberty which the Poet I suppose did with the Prophetess to leave out some things to add others and by a Paraphrase to make the Sense more plain and easie Yet the Reader will find very little in the Translation that is not hinted in the Original which will appear if any Man will take the Pains to confer them together Tho' Virgil was not so happy as to understand his own Verses yet in After times the reading of them did incline several Persons to the Christian Faith and the Primitive Fathers made use of them to convince the Pagans that a Messias a King from Heaven a Restorer of all things was promised by God and about that time expected by Men. Thus God left not himself without Witness even
caeco Cui jocus est Mentem furari Animosque viriles Frangere Faemineâque caput circumdare vittâ Quorsum ego Praeceptis colui tibi Pectus honestis Semina Doctrinae injicens morumque bonorum Spem messis tenues ah ludificantur avenae Herba Amor infelix totum corrumpit agellum Nec medicinalis sinit illic crescere Plantas Ah Piger in mea me juratus verba relinquis Musarumque levis sterili nugaris arenâ Quid tibi profuerit studia haec tam vana sequuto Ecce tui Socii dudum laeta arva tenentes Acquirunt finem studiorum Pulpita scandunt Inde docent Populos praemia magna reportant Tu vero infelix monitorum oblito meorum Verba facis moveant quae ferrea corda Puellae Atque in Avaritiam Fastum muliebria clamas Crimina nequicquam Illa nihil tua Dogmata curat Et tuus Sermo Sociorum spargitur Austro Te Patria exoptat te dilectissima Mater Te vicini omnes orant charique propinqui Ut votis tandem velles precibusque favere Proque piâ Curâ meritas persolvere grates At tu nonne pudet Cunctos postponis Amicae Inque puellares penitus dissolveris ignes Surge Puer nimiumque diu posita Arma resume Excute turpe Jugum blandosque repelle Furores Volve Libros pone ante oculos Exempla Virorum Quos Labor assiduus nox vigilantibus hausta Luminibus tandem ad meritos evexit honores Audentes sua dextra juvat Contemnere Amorem Aude Cedit enim siquis contempserit ipsum Sic Ratio dixit dicere plura parabat Cùm subitò patuere fores se intulit illa Illa potens formâ veraeque simillima Divae Olli sidereos oculis afflârat Honores Ipsa Venus multoque caput redimiverat Auro Auro si fas est Dominae componere Crines Candidaque ut puro spectantur Lilia vitro Pulchra relucebat sic per Bombycina Cervix Inque sinu dulci niveae micuêre Mamillae Hujus ad aspectum Ratio tremefacta potentem Concidit ut quondam Piscis res mira Philistheus Ante Dei pronus venerandam concidit Arcam Argumenta fugamque imbellis turba capessunt Assurgo Dominamque caput demissus adoro Et supplex veniam tantae concedere culpae Obsecro perque suos oculos mea numina juro Virgo Luce magis misero dilecta Bakero Corporis ipse tui Complexu avulsus almo Arcear aspectu squalenti Carcere clausus Blanda meas iterum Ratio si mulceat aures Inducarve alium Te praeter ferre monentem Rebus in humanis Ratio tua jura repandas AEternumque impune illâ domineris in Aula Ultra ne tendas tibi ne perstringat Amoris Lumina Sol nimia Lucemque in Luce relinquas ALEXIS I. MY loyal Muse would feign aspire to sing The Praises of our gracious King But ah 't would ill become his God-like Deeds His Wisdom Patience and the rest Of Virtues that possess his Princely Breast For which wel-furnish'd Fame more Trumpets needs To be debas'd and lessen'd by unskilful Reeds II. Wonders of Mercy bounteous Heav'n hath shown On him and he himself is One The marks of Pow'r divine t' all Kings belong But God's beloved Attribute Mercy with few but Charles does suit To things so high 't would be too great a wrong To think them Burdens fit for ev'ry Rural Song III. Shepherds are humble People and for them Things humble are the fittest Theam Their Flocks and Herds cool Streams and flowry Plains And secret Woods the chast abodes Of homely Nymphs and Country Gods These are the meet and inoffensive strains That fill the ready Mouths of all Poetick Swains IV. Or if they higher rise 't is to relate Some Lover's good or evil Fate To praise bright Phyllis or if she prove coy T' accuse of Avarice and Pride Both her and all the Sex beside To mould sad Numbers some their Gift employ Others whom kinder Love enlargeth Hymns of Joy V. Among the rest Damon who long did prove The Force of Poetry and Love For whoso chooseth one will soon have both His Friend Alexis happy Fate Did kindly thus congratulate Than him the Plains ne'er bred a gentler Youth Verse sweet as Honey flow'd from his inspired Mouth VI. Upon the Marsh the friendly Shepherds stood Viewing the calm and gentle Flood The whilst beside them sed their wel-known Flock When softly towards an Haven nigh A richly laden Ship sail'd by This hint the fruitful Poet swiftly took And thus alluding to the wealthy Bark he spoke VII What happy Star shone on thy winged Fleet What prosp'rous Gale swell'd out thy Sheet I scarce believ'd thee gone to Sea When thou with lucky haste thy Voyage done A fair and wealthy Prize hast won O happy Lover happy thee Who stubborn Beauty's Victor now may'st justly stiled be VIII Not mighty Caesar with his num'rous Host A speedier Conquest e'er could boast Than thou hast got by thine own Power With Joy and Triumph valiant Swain go on Possess the Island thou hast won Stand not thus idly on the Shore But enter and devour within her goodly Store IX Where Gold upon the Mountain Tops doth grow What may we there expect below Yet tho' with Gold it so abound 'T is from the us'al Fruits of Riches free No Av'rice nor Hypocrisie No Pride nor Luxury there is found The golden Land with a true golden Age is crown'd X. There Truth and Piety take up all the Room And Innocence makes that her home No Place for Falshood there You may discern the Motions of her Heart So pure her Breast so free from Art Her Heart shines through her Breasts as clear As through her open Scarf her Breasts themselves appear XI On the calm Shoar methinks I see thee stand The Borders of thy promis'd Land Casting a scornful Look behind Upon the Sea and smiling when thou se'st It's Rage by barb'rous Storms encreast The Billows and the boist'rous Wind Which others dread so much are Pleasures to thy Mind XII Ah wretched and too miserable me Whose Vessel still is tost at Sea Amidst the Rocks of Fem'nine Pride To Thunder and loud Storms expos'd I lie And Lightnings of her angry Eye No gentle Gale blows on my side And not one Star in Heav'n appears to be my Guide XIII In vain in vain the fruitless Seas I plow In vain my shatter'd Bark I row The adverse Winds blow 't back again The Shoars I seek still backward move apace In vain I run a desp'rate Race Then let me sink and perish in the Main The rest I cannot find on Land Lo let me here obtain NISA In Imitation of the Shepherd Damon's Complaint in the Eighth Eclogue of Virgil. Frigida vix Coelo noctis decesserat Umbra c. I. SCarce was the Nights cold Shadow from the Skies Withdrawn when the fresh Dew that lies Upon the tender Grass doth entertain The Flocks with a fat tastful Feast Damon whose Eyes
thou wouldst be By all the World as now thou art by me Wars would not fright us then Into wall'd Towns nor thence Would we be driven by the Pestilence To breath the healthful Country Air agen Nor to the Doctor would Men flie Unless to crave his aidful hand to make them sooner die Thou art the Pilgrims Home the poor Man's Wealth The Captive's Ransom and the sick Man's Health In vain of Goods and Liberty The Living boast for none are free Or rich but only such as are made so by thee II. But Men alas are blind to their own Good They shun the Harbour and desire to be For ever tossing on the stormy Flood From Peace and Happiness they flee Because the Benefits that come from thee Cannot be seen nor understood But by a wel-purg'd Mind a quick enlightning Eye Blest Aaron's Lot full wisely he did spie Thy various Gifts and well did count To what vast Sums thy Treasures do amount When to the Top of Hor with thee to meet His longing Soul drew up his aged Feet There unconcern'd like one that goes to Rest Having first himself undrest While God-like Moses and his own dear Son The Heir of his high Place with Tears stood looking on His wel-pleas'd Head down laid the good old Priest To Heav'n it 's Home his Spirit enlarged fled Within thy Arms his other Part was safe Deposited III. Ah! Let it not prejudge my suit that I To thee so late a Convert flie Thou dost dispence I grant such solid Joys As well may win a Soul that lies Nurs'd in the Lap of warm Prosperities And well thou dost deserve our first and freest Choice But 'ts alas our folly still Not to know Good 'till first we taste of Ill. We 're like Sea-monsters which before They 're wounded never come to Shore So when God's People by the Flesh-pots sate Enjoying Bondage easie they forgat Their promis'd Country But the Iron Rod Of Pharaoh and the toilsom Fire Soon kindled in their Breasts a strong desire Out of Egypt to retire And travel tow'rds the fatal Land where God Had promis'd rest to them and safe abode A Land where gentle Streams of Milk and tastful Honey flow'd IV. They know thee not who thee grim Feature style And meagre Shadow Names too vile And much unfit for thee whose ev'ry Part Lays stronger Chains upon the Heart And binds with sweeter Force than all That mortal Lovers Beauty call Tho' heighten'd much by Fancy and help'd by Art Through the false perspective of Hate They look'd who hollow Cheeks in thee espy'd And Mouth for ever open grinning wide With deep sunk Eyes and Nose down levell'd flat Thou' rt lovely all no Virgin e'er Smil'd so sweet or look'd so fair Save she whose heav'nly Womb Man's ruin did repair The Charms and Graces which we find Dispersed here and there in Woman-kind Are all united and sum'd up in thee Beauties rich Epitome Oh! that in this thou would'st not too That peevish Sex out-do Flying the more from Men the more they woe â— V. Truth is thou once wast such as we Fond tim'rous Men suspect thee still to be Thy Look was Terrible and justly might The most resolved Heart affright Unable to endure the ghastly Sight And on thy gloomy Eye lids sate eternal Night But now thy looks are mended now in thee No Terrour nor Deformity But Friendliness and Love is all we see The Blood that issu'd from my Saviour's Side By strange Transfusion fill'd each Vein Of thine with such a noble Tide That thou' rt grown fresh and young again Young as the Morn Fresh as a Virgin-bride The Roses which thy Cheek adorn Were there transplanted from the Thorn Which on his sacred Head did grow His Innocence did deck Thy Hands and Neck With Beds of Lilies whiter far than Snow Thy Shaft which was of old Headed with baleful Lead he tip'd with Gold It touch'd his precious Heart And straight new Virtue drew to dart Not Death but Life and Joy instead of Smart And ever since thou' rt lovely grown Since then thy charming Face has shone With borrow'd Grace and Beauty not thine own VI. Thy Nature thus being chang'd 't is fit Thy Name should likewise change with it And so it is Thy Christian Name is Rest Sweet Rest whose balmy Hand at Night repairs The vital Sp'rits and Strength which Day And painful Labour waste away Of all God's Gifts the softest and the best The fruitful Womb of Peace the Tomb of Grief and Cares But yet 'twixt other Rests and thee there lies This diff'rence they give Short thou Lasting Joys They make us abler to endure The long Disease of Life thou the Disease dost cure Our tender Hearts which the fierce Vulture Pain Devoureth they restore to feel fresh Wounds again But when thy Pow'r is o'er To Grief and Labour we return no more Of everlasting Peace and Joy thou art the Door Eternal Life we cannot gain but by Thy Gift and Liberality And he that hopes to live must wish to die VII This Hope it is that now my Heart doth move For truly that I may no Flatt'rer prove Thy Goods O gentle Death not thee I love I would not perish like a Beast To thee and all the World I here protest No such unmanly Thought e'er came within my Breast My Wishes are more gen'rous than to be Reduced to my First Non-entity I would not be unmade but made anew by thee I thee as Men rich Widows do Not for thy self but for thy Portion woe Nor shouldst thou ever hear of Love from me Were I not sure e'er long to bury thee That by thy Spoils enrich'd I may arise More glorious Banns to solemnize And change thy cold Love for a nobler Flame The Nuptials of th' eternal Lamb. JUDITH I. SPeak Muse whom wilt thou sing What mighty Man what King Upon the Stage what Hero wilt thou bring To act his Part o'er once again In such impetuous Numbers as shall make His hearers as his En'mies did to quake No no my Muse will not this Subject take She 'll meddle not with men Too long already they have been The flatter'd Theme of the Pindarique Pen. The fair and gentle Sex With barb'rous Spight to vex Their sp leenful Tongues while others bend My gratefull and more gen'rous Muse Like virtuous Knlghts of old a nobler Task will chuse Wrong'd and abus'd Ladies to defend A Woman she will sing whose matchless worth The best of Men must gladly Copy forth If ever they expect to have their Name Recorded in the Rolls of never-dying Fame II. Begin begin and strike the Lyre Teach all the World great Iudith to admire Iudith who in that Hand a Fauchi'n bore Which a Distaff held before Who bought the Safety of her native Town With the Danger of her own Whose conq'ring Eyes th' Assyrian Tyram spoil'd Of his proud Hopes and all his shining Glories soyl'd The fairest and the chastest of her kind Two Epithets that are