THE Consecration of MARCELLUS THE CONSECRATION OF MARCELLUS AN ODE In Memory of the Illustrious PRINCE WILLIAM Duke of GLOUCESTER Ostendunt Terris hunc tantum Fata neque ultra Esse sinunt Virg. Aen. 6. LONDON Printed for H. Playford at the Temple-Change A. Roper at the Black Boy in Fleetstreet and are to be Sold by John Nutt near Stationers-Hall 1700. He threw his wandring Eye Along a distant Scene Full of Actions full of Men The Prospect of succeeding Times and long Futurity The first a dazling Form began the view That near◠and in its native Bulk appear'd High on a Throne of Justice rear'd Round him in list'ning Crowds the Many drew These the Commanding Monarch awes And as he led 'em once to Wars And taught 'em what Himself had learn't from Mars To Pleasure now he leads and Ease And teaches milder Arts of Peace Dispencing Ballanc't Right and Forming wholsome Laws High on his Royal Forehead sate A smiling Calm that mixt and temper'd lofty State Uncommon Glories and peculiar Grace Confess the God and tell his Heav'nly Race 'T was CAESAR Great and Good That can make distant Nations jar And with inspiring Conduct lead the following World to War Then with a Nod Exert the God And hush the hanging Storm and bid it cease And backward lead us to our ancient Peace Then tell us how to Use the Gift himself bestow'd Janus knew the mighty Man Lately he saw him in his Hallow'd Fane When just retir'd from Alarms And sweating with incessant Toils He first undress'd him from his Arms And hung the weighty Spoils Then shut the Mystick Gate and chain'd the foaming Monster in And charg'd it Plague the World no more That Gnashing sits with horrid Grin And beats the bolted Door And when Consenting Fates again the Monster loose Shall fly and scatter baleful War and Poison where she goes CAESAR lov'd in Earth and Heaven Janus bids the Gods advise thee Joy is fleeting Life decreasing Peace invites and Pleasures court thee And soft Ease attends about thee Now it flutters now it Flies thee Wisely seize the present Blessing To the Earth thy Self hast given And see beyond the visionary Throne Opens a long extended space Stupendous Show and spreading Grace In various Forms the Glorious Distance crown And here the prying God distinctly sees The last Great part of CAESAR's Life In all its Years and Months and Days The mighty Action marking out the Times Which now in loose Idea's and rude Schemes Just form'd does with ambitious Strife And forward Hast Struggle within the vast capacious Mind Eager of mighty Birth to bless Mankind And make the present peaceful Age superiour to the Last Training Honours crowding Fame Just Dues to Valour and Rewards of Worth Wait and press and load his Name Whilst kindly he endures to Linger here on Earth See! Janus Love and wanton Pleasures Lasting Peace Luxurious Plenty Open all their boundless Treasures Never spent and never Empty Soothing Ease Commanding Beauty Growing Wealth and gayest Glory How they Charm thee and Invite thee And prolong their Pomp before Thee Foreign Friendship searching Science These our Golden Ages made Private Peace and kind Complyance Gainful Arts and Buisy Trade In pleasing Images dress all the Plain And the Charming Scene extend These the Blessings that attend The coming Years of CAESAR's happy Reign Pursue Pursue The Lovely view And e're the Prospect cast the Trav'lling Eye 'T is only Bounded with the Sky For thither CAESAR must at last remove Consulting Gods already have agreed his Room When e're th' expected mighty Soul shall Come And from his ancient Vow absolve Indebted Jove Be that the last Great Stage That sees his latest Force And ends the Glorious Course And Crowns the Finish'd Age. Janus leave the Tempting Sight Whither whither wouldst Thou pry◠'T is too Dazling and too Bright Now it Treads the whited Way And losing the pursuing Eye It mixes with Eternal Light And drowns in Day In vain thou follow'st in the Shining Track And do'st against too strong a Light engage When lesser Prospects draw thee back To view the meaner Glories of the Age There is an Object Great and Fair That well deserves thy second Care See'st thou on that distant Plain Those little moving Images of Men Who such comely Order train And form a new delightful Scene The nimble Figures all in Arms appear In every Rank each marshall'd Boy Wears some weildy◠warlike Toy Such as tender Limbs can bear Some a Sword and some a Spear Advancing Legions with uncommon Speed To seeming Battle in just Method lead Now mixing tender Shouts their listed Swords they weild And all with equal Steps insult the Field A wavy Lustre shows their Arms afar And signifies approaching War See! now they meet they join And in the friendly Fight engage Noise and Smoke and Fire combine To mock the War and colour harmless Rage Some with dissembled Blows delude the Wound And others Fall unhurt and Bite the Ground They Kill they Take they Rally they Retreat By Turns they yield And quit the Field And Act the Conduct of the Great But lo a valiant Youth and Heav'nly Fair In burnisht Armour drest That does with noted Eminence appear Superiour to the rest See'st thou with what unequal Force He threw yo◠broken Dart And look with what a Grace and Art He sits the bounding Horse Or when on Foot how liftily he Treads And with Commanding State the willing Squadrons leads Know'st that Ruling that Imperial Air How much of Caesar's Image does it bear That charming Look That proper Grace◠It must it must be One of Caesar's Heav'nly Race And hark the following Crowd Proclaims the mighty Name aloud MARCELLUS Royal Boy Care of Earth and Heaven's Joy Thee we Honour Thee we Love Son of Caesar and of Jove Hear Thou mighty Father hear May this great Adopted Heir Caesar ' s Crown and Virtues 〈◊〉 Hail warlike Boy 't is Janus bids thee Hail That canst so scon in Arms and Toils prevail And do'st in Sports like These prepare And form thy easy Mind 〈◊〉 War Thus in his Youth but 〈…〉 Thine Thy Ancestor the Trojan Boy◠Descended from the long Dardanian Life Who first Transferr'd the Martial Game from Troy His mighty Trade in War began And early show'd the Future Man This thy first Essay and Attempt in Arms Nor stop't the blooming Warriour here But long'd to try substantial Harms And change an Empty Show to Real War For ever shall OCTAVIA note the Day When Great AUGUSTUS stood On Tyber's sacred Flood Just ready to Embark the Liquid Way Attending Nations did his Presence call To End the doubtful War and Curb the haughty Gaul Then then amidst the Throng From his Octavia's Arms MARCELLUS slung And round the Monarch's Neck in clasping Turnings hung How did he press him How Embrace him And whisper with each Kiss some warlike Thought And tell him that he long'd to go And see in Camp what Heroes do And how
they Led and how they Fought Not Caesar's timely Care Nor the Mother's softer Fear Could the Stubborn Youth restrain Both persuade and both in vain Still he wish't still urg'd to go Till Tears at last began to flow Tears that Confess'd the Child but Words the Man Admiring Crowds the happy Omen blest And quickning Joy transfixt the Mother's Breast Happy the Age which the kind Fates ordain To See the Perfect Heroe and Enjoy the Man With such Beauty and such Force The Youth his Destin'd Race begain And started to the Noble Course And open'd with such Lighting 〈◊〉 Dawn What then shall his Meridian Lust to be Blest World that shall those Glori 〈…〉 When in Accomplish'd splendor Bright He shall with Measur'd 〈◊〉 And Rising to his middle Sphere Lavish in Reaching Rays Dispence A strong Enliv'ning Influence And to the Prostrate Earth divide Impartial Light Compar'd with This how Fading and how Dim Does Young Caesareo's Glory seem Caesareo only Royal in his Name Rival in Empire and in Fame Who far remov'd from Dreaded Harms And wantoning in Egypt's Court Dissolves in Luxury and sport And Lolls away his Lazy Youth in Cleopatra's Arms. Fain would I with Ambitious Pace A new extended Scheme of Future Glory Trace But Oh! a warning Fear forbids my Hast And tells me that thou shin'st too bright to last I' st a Mistake Forgive the Sawcy Fear And will the Fates thy Virtues spare But they alass to all beneath Impartially Distribute Common Death And with Rude Ungovern'd Rage They Crop the Tender Flow'r and Gather Ripen'd Age Heedless of Blooming Youth and Budding Prime They reckon Life by Action not by Time It must be so and see â—'er all the Plain Where thy first Little Life and Growing Acts were seen Scarce yet Prolong'd to Half AUGUSTUS Reign Hover's a Gloomy Scowling Night And cast's an Envious shade between The Darkness closes the Enlarging Sight And break 's abruptly the Unfinish'd Scene Ye Gods or Fates or whatsoe'er ye be Who manage Life and Guide Mortality Instruct me in the Grand Dark Mystery of Death And if by any by what Rules we breath Do you at ev'ry Birth Settle a Destin'd Day That shall recal the Moving Form to Earth And to its Native Home reduce the Living Clay Why did you then with so much Art Such Beauties to one Perfect Pâ—ice 〈◊〉 Gave him a Finish'd Form and Brighter Mind Then to the Gazing Earth below Did the Charming Image show And from Admiring Men Snatch'd it back to Heaven agen To mock the wishing World and Tempt Mankind And is it thus ye Govern all beneath Decreeing certain Laws of necessary Death Or is it left to Jove's unbounded Pow'r To fix the Fated Hour To Close or stretch the Span And measure out unequal Life to Man Cruel God! that seldom Grants Some Noble Valu'd Birth But he straight to Heaven Transplants The Lovely Flower from Earth Tell us Envious Deity What we Mortals owe to Thee And can'st thou still our Vows and Gifts require New Altars Rich Perfumes Eternal Fire Down the Sacred Structures Down All that do his Godhead own Burn his Shrines his Temples Plunder Break the Marble Forms in sunder Snap the Spear and Drop the Thunder Cease hallow'd Flames and sacred Smoke And Priests that do his Name Invoke Only for Caesar's sake the Capitol we spare And give him Leave still to Inhabit there But let his other Statues fall As MARCELLUS low This Revenge to him we owe Thus thus w' attone The lovely Youth that 's gone The fairest Form of all His only Image that was left below Ye Gods But ye are Cruel too as Jove Nor hear our Prayers Nor mind our Tears But mingled with the Universal Joy Fly to receive the Lovely Boy Just now arriv'd above Go go to the Pomp and attend on the State 'T is Noble 't is worthy of Heaven and Great Now now the Heav'nly Quire Their Voices and their vocal Strings prepare All as MARCELLUS young and all almost as Fair Now with loose Hands their bended Quills they sling Now gently touch the Golden Lyre And tast the speaking String Upward flies the weaken'd Sound And spreads diffusive Harmony around Melting and wild were their Measures Soft was the Lay Soft and gay Soft as their Love and Gay as their Pleasures Now with easie bareless Skill They drag the lazy Quill And lengthen out the solemn Voice The charm'd the ravisht Ear Does at leisure hear And all the staying Sound enjoys So stately the majestick Notes arise And seem to meditate their stay But forc'd they Dying swim away And break upon the vaulted Skies Now they shift and change their Art From a languishing Ear and a softness they start New Life and new Motion to their Strings they impart How warbling the Notes how they gather apace How they join how they mix and each other they chace How willingly driven Impatient of stay They take Wing and away And crowd and press upward to Heaven Such is the Song and so Divine When Art and Joy in the Composure join To charm the Prince and his Arrival Greâ— And give him Tast of future Bliss Deserv'd an Harmony like this Brisk as the motion of those Spheres and as their Musick sweet To what a lofty pitch Must Rome's extended Glory reachâ— Had but consenting Fates agreed To lengthen out MARCELLUS days And suffer'd him in Caesar's Praise And in his Empire to Succeed Nor was the Youth unworthy of a Crown His Virtues try'd his Valour seen Second in both to none And only next to Him who is the First of Men Expecting Nations look't in vain And hop'd the promis'd Blessings of his Reign With this they Recompenc'd their Dangers past Were told that Camps and Arms no more should last For this their finisht Toils and Wars And all their Labours they forgot Pharsalia's Plains where vanquisht Pompey fled And fixt the doubtful Sway and lost his Head Then Actium's fresher Scars When in the Common Cause Of God's despis'd and injur'd Laws Consenting Subjects fought And those yet bleeding Wounds from warlike Gallia brought The last too warring Age In its declining State O're-charg'd with Blood and Rage Was with too much 〈◊〉 or Great Battles gain'd and Honours won Compar'd with Publick Good Did but unequally attone For Treasures drain'd and vast Expence of Blood To Discontent a Publick Crime Complaining Nations fell And loaded Prayers 〈◊〉 old TIME Enough to stop his 〈◊〉 Wheel By their Great Common Darling Virtue Change They urg'd and press'd the God And told him that new Years he ow'd That Mars had sway'd too long and should no farther Range The God intreated did at last relent The Iron Image shook with awful Nod The solemn Sign of full Assent He shook the Mystick Glass And forc'd the Running Atoms mend their 〈◊〉 And as they swiftly flow'd The Bloody Years were spent But when old Cronos cast his Eye Upon the Charming Age behind What Warmth what Life what Ecstasy Rap't and
fill'd his Mind How oft the God the sacred Silence broke What mighty Secrets did he tellâ— In Mystick Oracle And Great Dark Things to come with 〈◊〉 Passion spokeâ— Now Now he cries MARCELLUS now To Caesar succeeds and Caesar to 〈◊〉 What Plenty What Pleasureâ— What Joy without measureâ— Since this Reigns belowâ— The other Above Then swiftly as he spoke he forward flies Eager to meet the coming Joys But o with too impetuous hast He rashly wings his way And too early and too fast Urging the Promis'd Day He hurries on too far and over-flies his Prey Weary'd and Panting now he Gazes back And Conscious own the Great Mistake MARCELLUS far behind he sees A breathless Trunk extended on the Plain Together with him prostrate lies The Hope and Promis'd Glory of his Reign Nor shall the Body lie Inglorious there Though hardly that deserves our Care Which could no better keep on Earth The mighty Soul that to its Trust was Given But suffer'd it to struggle forth And mounting Native Skies escape to Heaven Yet to his Great Remains be the last Honours paid That may our Duty show and please the smiling 〈◊〉 Already He 's Proclaim'd on high And by his Father Jove decreed a Deny Learn from the Gods ye Romans learn to Give Those Off'rings Virtues such as His desolve Hast hast the Noble Pomp and solemn Show That gives him Altars Vows and Worship here below High on ranking Cedar born Let a vast Pile its lofty Columns rear And lift his glittering Top to upper 〈◊〉 Round it luxurious Sweets their balmy Stores impâ— And Goblets in just Spices fixt and fill'd With massy Ore the shining 〈◊〉 All Beauteous be the Frame and form'd with curious 〈◊〉 The Fairest ever deckt great Mars's 〈◊〉 High on the gilded Spire An Eagle stands the Royal Fowl That watches the ascending Fire Prepar'd to snatch the mighty Soul Upon a Golden Bed beneath Let the Lovely Body rest A better Phoenix in its balmy Nest How stately how August it lies Though pale the Looks and dimm the Eyes Yet Charming still and Languishing in Death Around the lower Pile In comely Ranks and equal Distance plac'd Six hundred Beds the painted Neeches fill With Tyrian Purple spread and golden Tresses grac'd CAESAR himself this Gift bestow'd A Gift to Love and Sorrow too To Love and Sorrow for MARCELLUS due Worthy of him who Gave and him to whom 't was ow'd Extended on the Downy Couches ly Prodigious Forms of great Heroick Men Breathing in moving Wax a Second Life A numerous Race a Royal Progeny That weilded well the Sword and 〈◊〉 Employ the Pen Some for their Prudence and their Conduct Crown'd And some for Wars and Toils renown'd And Taming foreign Foes and quelling Factious Strife Numa for Justice and Religion known Who holy Rites like these did first Ordain And Deckt the Temple and Rebuilt the Throne And taught his Subjects to Obey his Successors to Reignâ— Next Marcius Studious of the Publick Ease And knowing to Adorn and settle Peace Heedless of hardy Arms and costly War Wisely he bent his Royal Care To polish Manners and rudo Subjects awe And both Accomplish't were By good Example a familiar Law Then Julius Great in Peace in Battle Great But in his Virtues too Unfortunate The ghastly Image sinks the bloody Red Mangled his glaring Face and â—shing Head Wounds that late too late shall Heal Sad Marks of Vulgar Rage and stil'd mistaken Zeal Beyond Great 〈◊〉 of the Trojan Race The Temper'd Sons of Venus and of Mars When Warring Families 〈◊〉 combin'd And Good 〈◊〉 Blood 〈◊〉 Great 〈◊〉 join'd Prodigious Names and Wonders of the Age That did the mighty 〈…〉 And with Historick 〈…〉 New Heroes still and still 〈◊〉 Godlike shine Ascending to 〈…〉 They raise the lifted 〈◊〉 And stretch from vast Augustus on as far as Jove Now now begin and let the 〈…〉 And 〈◊〉 with 〈…〉 And thrice the Finish'd 〈…〉 Thrice let the Holy Quire invoke Propitious Gods and Great Palatian Jove With lifted Hands and scented Smoke Thrice let the mingled Shouts ascend the Skies And Sound the mourning Musick thrice 'T is done and see the Black long Train Extended Fills the Hallow'd Plain An Hundred Senators in Sable Robes The Silent march precede Patriots for Wisdom and for Virtue known And Lovers of their Country and their Gods The Ornaments of Caesar's Throne Skillful to Rule in Peace in War to Lead The first Messala Born of Noble Blood A finish'd Roman Wise and Good Who Justice did to Marriage Joys prefer In Virtue strictly Nice and almost too severe Belov'd by all but most to Caesar dear Maecaenas next a Noted Name Familiar to the Muses and to Fame The Common Genius for the puâ—iest made And Prodigally spent upon Mankind Always around diffusive spread And like that praise its Merits 〈◊〉 Loyal in Counsel terrible in War In Faith as steddy as in Judgment clear Lover of studious Youth who forward prest And nearest to his great Example bene Patron of Poets and 〈…〉 best That did inspire the Bard and give the him ample Theme Next Cotta in Domestick Visâ—â—â— Town Free Converse Easy Wit and 〈…〉 Fabius for ponder'd Sence and Solid 〈…〉 Piso for Majesty and Lenthius for State And Varius wining equal Praise of Men Whether he mounts the Rostrum or adorns the Scene In that 〈…〉 With 〈…〉 These were the Chiefs did in the 〈…〉 And Patriots next to These in Crowding Ranks succeed Amazing Pomp Prodigious show Such was the Lovely Boy So much their Pride so much their Joy To whom were due these Rites and Universal Woe Behind another Prospect fills the Eye Advancing Youths in shining Armour drest Move to the Great Solemnity Their Sorrow in their Tears and Drooping Looks exprest This was the Valiant Band That once Enjoy'd the Princes first Command How Beautifully sad their Grief appears And what a Charm a Lovely sorrow Wears Their Little Trumpets form a Shriller Noise And Interrupting break the sharter'd Voice The Drums Unbrac'd Rebate that Warlike Sound That once Inspir'd to â—ight and Taught to Woundâ— No more their Arms or Spoils they Mind But break the Sword and 〈◊〉 the Shield And dragging Spears behind Scrawl with Inverted Points the Furrow'd Field Now let the great Procession end And let the Sacred Quire 〈◊〉 See! See! They come they comeâ— And each his Cypress Crown Immortal Bards in various Measures 〈…〉 And with 〈…〉 To whom indulging Phoebus gave the Art of Verseâ— And in proportion'd Numbers to 〈…〉 The Pow'rs of Gods and Acts of Men Who next to Gods engage the 〈…〉 Great Masters of the Song and 〈…〉 And Furnisht from the present Fruitful Time Flaccus his ready Lure but lately strung When 〈◊〉 becoming 〈◊〉 the New-born Age he â—ng The Lyrick wandring with unequal Feet Flows so smoothly and so sweet And like Maeander's Streams Partaking both Extremes Swiftly now now slowly glides And forms a thousand Twinings with its Tides Still Rowling to its Fountain back Whence with