our Mis'ries thus were at their height As if our Sorrows still had wanted weight As if our former Plagues had been too small We saw our Hope Minerva's Darling fall Thy Funeral Marcus we did then survey Snatcht from the Muses Armes before thy day Benacus Banks at thy Interment groan'd And neighbouring Athesis thy Fate bemoan'd Where by the Moon 's pale Beams Catullus came And nightly still was heard to sound thy Name His Songs once more his native Seats inspire The Groves were charm'd and knew their Master's Lyre 'T was now the Galls began their fierce Alarms And crusht Liguria with victorious Arms While other Provinces as fast expire By Coesar's Sword and more destructive Fire No Latian Seat was free from Slaughter found But all alike with Tears and Bloud were drown'd Now for our second Task and what Relief Our Age has found against this raging Grief The Methods now of Cure we will express The wondrous Wit of Mortals in distress Astonisht long they lay no Remedy At first they knew nor Courage had to try But learnt by slow Experience to appease To check and last to vanquish the Disease Yet after all our Study we must own Some Secrets were by Revelation known For though the Stars in dark Cabals combin'd And for our Ruine with the Furies join'd Yet were we not to last Destruction left Nor of the Gods Protection quite berest If strange and dreadfull Maladies have reign'd If Wars dire Massacres we have sustain'd If Flames have laid our Fields and Cities waste Our Temples too in common Rubbish cast If swelling Streams no more in Banks were kept But Men Herds Houses with the Flood were swept If few surviv'd these Plagues and Famine slew The greater Part of that surviving Few Yet of such great Adventures we are proud As Fate had to no former Age allow'd For what no Mortals ever dar'd before We have the Ocean stemm'd from sight of Shore Nor was 't enough by Atlas farthest bound That we the fair Hesperian Gardens found That we t' Arabia a new Passage sought While Ships for Camels the rich Lading brought To th' outmost East we since a Voiage made And in the rising Sun our Sails display'd Beyond the Ind large tracts of Land did find And left the World's reputed bounds behind To pass the World 's reputed bounds was small Performances of greater Glory call Our fam'd Adventures on the western Shore Discovering Stars and Worlds unknown before But waving these our Age has yet beheld An inspir'd Poet and by none excell'd Parthenope extoll'd the Songs he made Sebethe's God and Virgil's sacred Shade From Gardens to the Stars his Muse would rise And made the Earth acquainted with the Skies His Name might well the Ages pride sustain But many more exalted Souls remain Who when Expir'd and Envy with them dead To equal the best Ancients shall be said But Bembus while this List we do unfold In which Heav'ns blessings on the Age are told Leo the most illustrious place do's claim The great Restorer of the Roman Name By whose mild Aspects and auspicious Fire Malignant Planets to their Cells retire Iove's friendly Star once more is seen to rise And scatters healing Lustre through the Skies He onely He our Losses could repair And call the Muses to their native Air Restore the ancient Laws of Right and Just Polish Religion from Barbarian Rust. For Heav'n and Rome engag'd in fierce Alarms With pious Vengeance and with sacred Arms Whose terrour to Euphrates Banks was spread While Nile retir'd t' his undiscover'd Head And frighted Doris div'd into his oozy Bed While some more able Muse shall sing his Name In Numbers equal to his Deeds and Fame While Bembus thou shalt this great Theme rehearse And weave his Praises in eternal Verse Let me in what I have propos'd proceed With Subject suted to my slender Reed First then your Patient's Constitution learn And well the Temper of his Bloud discern If that be pure with so much greater ease You will engage and vanquish the Disease Whose venome where black Choler choaks the Veins Takes firmer hold and will exact more Pains More violent Assaults you there must make And on the batter'd Frame no pity take Who e'er can soon discern the lurking Grief With far less labour may expect Relief But when the Foe has deeper inroads made And gain'd the factious humours to his Aid What Toil what Conflicts must be first sustain'd Before he 's dispossest and Health regain'd Therefore with Care his first approaches find And hoard these usefull Precepts in thy Mind From noxious Winds preserve your self with care And such are all that from the South repair Of Fens and Lakes avoid th' unwholsome Air. To open fields and sunny Mountains fly Where Zephyr fans and Boreas sweeps the Sky Nor must you there indulge Repose but stray And in continu'd actions spend the Day With ev'ry Beast of Prey loud War proclaim And make the grizly Boar your constant Game Nor yet amongst these great Attempts disdain To rouse the Stag and force him to the Plain Some I have known to th' Chase so much inclin'd That in the Woods they left their Grief behind Nor yet think scorn the sordid Plow to guide Or with the pondrous Rake the Clods divide With heavy Ax and many weary blow The towring Pine and spreading Oak o'erthrow The very House yields Exercise the Hall Has room for Fencing and the bounding Ball. Rouze rouze shake off your fond desire of Ease For Sleep foments and feeds the foul Disease 'T is then th'Invader do's the Vitals seize But chiefly from thy Thoughts all sorrows drive Nor with Minerva's knotty Precepts strive With lighter Labours of the Muses sport And seek the Plains where Swains and Nymphs resort Abstain however from the Act of Love For nothing can so much destructive prove Bright Venus hates polluted Mysteries And ev'ry Nymph from foul Embraces flies Dire practice Poison with Delight to bring And with the Lovers Dart the Serpent's sting A proper Diet you must next prepare Than which there 's nothing more requires your care All Food that from the Fens is brought refuse Whate'er the standing Lakes or Seas produce Nor must long Custome pass for an Excuse Therefore from Fish in general I dissuade All these are of a washy Substance made Which though the luscious Palate they content Convert to Humours more than Nourishment Ev'n Giltheads though most tempting to the sight And sharp-fin'd Perch that in the Rocks delight All sorts of Fowl that on the Water prey By the same Rule I 'd have remov'd away Forbear the Drake and leave Rome's ancient Friend The Capitol and City to Defend No less the Bustard's luscious Flesh decline Forbear the Back and Entrails of the Swine Nor with the hunted Boar thy Hunger stay Enjoy the Sport but still forbear the Prey I hold nor Cucumber nor Mushroms good And Artichoke is too salacious Food Nor yet the use of Milk would I enjoin
Spain What slaughter in our Italy was made Where Tiber's Tribute to the Oceans paid Where Poe does through a hundred Cities glide And pours as many Streams into the Tide All at one Season all without relief Receiv'd and languisht with the common grief Nor can th' Infection first be charg'd on Spain That fought new Worlds beyond the Western Main Since from Pyrene's foot to Italy It shed its Bane on France while Spain was free As soon the fertile Rhine its fury found And Regions with eternal Winter bound Nor yet did Southern Climes its vengeance shun But felt a flame more scorching than the Sun The Palms of Ida now neglected stood And Egypt languisht while her Nile o'erflow'd From whence 't is plain this Pest must be assign'd To some more pow'rfull Cause and hard to find In all productions of wise Nature's hand Whether Conceiv'd in Air on Sea or Land No constant method does direct her way But various Beings various Laws obey Such things as from few Principles arise In every place and season meet our eyes But what are fram'd of Principles abstruce Such places onely and such times produce Effects of yet a more stupendious Birth And such as Nature must with pangs bring forth Where violent and various Seeds unite Break slowly from the Bosome of the Night Long in the Womb of Fate the Embryo's worn Whole Ages pass before the Monster 's born Diseases thus which various Seeds compound As various in their Birth and date are found Some always seen some long in darkness hurld That break their chains at last to scourge the World To which black List this Plague must be assign'd Nights foulest Birth and Terrour of Mankind Nor must we yet think this escape the first Since former Ages with the like were curst Long since he scatter'd his Infernal flame And always Being had though not a Name At least what Name it bore is now unfound Both Names and things in times Abyss lye drown'd How vainly then do we project to keep Our Names remembred when our Bodies sleep Since late Succession searching their descent Shall neither find our dust nor Monument Yet where the Western Ocean finds its bound The World so lately by the Spaniards found Beneath this Pest the wretched Natives groan In every Nation there and always known Such dire Effects depend upon a Clime On varying Skies and long Revolving time The temper of their Air this Plague brought forth The Soil it self dispos'd for such a Birth All things conspir'd to raise the Tyrant there But time alone cou'd fix his Conquest here If therefore more distinctly we would know Each Source from whence this deadly Bane did flow His Progress in the Earth we must survey How many Cities groan beneath his sway And when his great Advancement we have trac'd We must allow his Principles as vast That Earth nor Sea th' Ingredients cou'd prepare And wholly must ascribe it to the Air The Tyrant's seat his Magazine is there The Air that do's both Earth and Sea surround As easily can Earth and Sea confound What Fence for Bodies when at every pore The soft Invader has an open door What fence where poyson's drawn with vitall Breath And Father Air the Authour proves of Death Of subtile substance that with ease receives Infection which as easily it gives Now by what means this dire Contagion first Was form'd aloft by what Ingredients nurst Our Song shall tell and in this wondrous Course Revolving times and varying Planets force First then the Sun with all his train of Stars Amongst our Elements raise endless Wars And when the Planets from their Stations Range Our Orb is influenc'd and feels the Change The chiefest instance is the Suns retreat No sooner he withdraws his vital heat But fruitless Fields with Snow are cover'd o'er The pretty Fountains run and talk no more Yet when his Chariot to the Crab returns The Air the Earth the very Ocean burns The Queen of Night can boast no less a sway At least all humid things her power obey Malignant Saturn's Star as much can claim With friendly Iove's bright Mars and Venus flame And all the host of Lights without a Name Our Elements beneath their influence lye Slaves to the very Rabble of the Sky But most when many meet in one abode Or when some Planet enters a new road Far distant from the Course he us'd to run Some mighty work of Fate is to be done Long tracts of time indeed must first be spent Before completion of the vast event But when the Revolution once is made What mischiefs Earth and Sea at once Invade Poor Mortals then shall all extremes sustain While Heav'n dissolves in Deluges of Rain Which from the mountains with impetuous course And headlong Rage Trees Rocks and Towns shall force O'er swelling Ganges then shall sweep the Plain And peacefull Poe outroar the Stormy Main In other parts the Springs as low shall lye And Nymphs with Tears exhausted streams supply Where neither Drought nor Deluges destroy The winds their utmost fury shall employ Whlie Hurricans whole Cities shall o'erthrow Or Earthquakes Gorge them in the depths below Perhaps the Season shall arrive if Fate And Nature once agree upon the date When this most cultivated Earth shall be Unpeopled quite or drench'd beneath the Sea When ev'n the Sun another Course shall steer And other Seasons constitute the year The wondring North shall see the springing Vine And Moors admire at Snow beneath the Line New Species then of Creatures shall arise A new Creation Nature's self surprise Then Youth shall lend fresh vigour to the Earth And give a second breed of Gyants birth By whom a new assault shall be perform'd Hills heap'd on Hills and Heaven once more be storm'd Since Nature's then so lyable to change Why should we think this late Contagion strange Or that the Planets where such mischiefs grow Should shed their poyson on the Earth below Two hundred rowling years are past away Since Mars and Saturn in Conjunction lay When through the East an unknown Fever Rag'd Of strange Effects and by no Arts Asswag'd From suffocated Lungs with pain they drew Their breath and bloud for spittle did ensue Four days the wretches with this Plague were griev'd Oh dismal sight and then by death reliev'd From thence to Persia the Contagion came Of whom th' Assyrians catch'd the spreading flame Euphrates next and Tigris did complain Arabia too stil'd happy now in vain Then Phrygia mourn'd from whence it crost the Sea Too small to quench its flame to Italy Then from this lower Orb with me remove To view the Starry Palaces above Through all the Roads of wandring Planets rove To search in what position they have stood And what Conjectures were from them made good To find what Signs did former times direct And what the present Age is to expect From hence perhaps we shall with ease descry The Source of this stupendious Malady Behold how Cancer with portentous harms
way And heard from far the Forge and Furnace play These said the Nymph the Beds of Metals are That give you wretched Mortals so much Care By thousand Nymphs of Earth and Night enjoy'd Who yet in various Tasks are all employ'd Some turn the Current some the Seeds dissect Of Earth and Sea which some again collect That mixt with Lightning make the golden Oar While others quench in Streams the shining store Not far from hence the Cyclop's Cave is found See how it glows hark how their Anvils sound But here turn off and take the right-hand way This Path do's to that sacred Stream convey In which thy onely Hope remains She said And under golden Roofs her Patient led Hard by the Lakes of liquid Silver flow'd Which to the wondring Youth the Goddess show'd Thrice washt in these said she thy Pains shall end And all the Stench into the Stream descend Thrice with her Virgin hands the Goddess threw On all his suffering Limbs the healing Dew He at the falling Filth admiring stood And scarce believ'd for joy the virtue of the Flood When therefore you return to open Day With Sacrifice Diana's Rage allay And Homage to the Fountain's Goddess pay Thus spake the Nymph and through the Realms of Night Restor'd the gratefull Youth to open Light This strange Invention soon obtain'd belief And flying Fame divulg'd the sure Relief But first Experiments did onely joyn And for a Vehicle use lard of Swine Larch-gum and Turpentine were added next That wrought more safe and less the Patient vext Horse-grease and Bears with them they did compound Bdellium and Gum of Cedar usefull found Then Myrrh and Frankincense were us'd by some With living Sulphur and Arabian Gum But if black Helebore be added too With Rain-bow Flowers your Method I allow Benzoin and Galbanum I next require Lint-Oil and Sulphur's e'er it feels the Fire With these Ingredients mix'd you must not fear Your suffering Limbs and Body to besmear Nor let the foulness of the Course displease Obscene indeed but less than your Disease Yet when you do anoint take special care That both your Head and tender Breast you spare This done wrapt close and swath'd repair to Bed And there let such thick Cov'rings be o'e-rspred Till streams of Sweat from ev'ry pore you force For twice five Days you must repeat this Course Severe indeed but you your Fate must bear And signs of coming Health will streight appear The Mass of Humours now dissolv'd within To purge themselves by Spittle shall begin Till you with wonder at your feet shall see A tide of Filth and bless the Remedy For Ulcers that shall then the Mouth offend Boil Flowers that Privet and Pomgranets send Now onely now I would forbid the Use Of generous Wine that noble Soils produce All sorts without distinction you must fly The sparkling Bowl with all its Charms deny Rise now victorious Health is now at hand One labour more is all I shall command Easie and pleasant you must last prepare Your Bath with Rosemary and Lavander Vervain and Yarrow too must both be there 'Mongst these your sleeping Body you must lay To chear you and to wash all Dreggs away But now the verdant Blessings that belong To new discover'd Worlds demand our Song Beyond Herculean bounds the Ocean roars With loud applause to those far distant Shoars The sacred Tree must next our Muse employ That onely could this raging Plague destroy Just Praise Vrania to this Plant allow And with its happy Leaves upon thy Brow Through all our Latian Cities take thy way And to admiring Croud the healing Boughs display E'en I my self shall prize my Streins the more For Blessings never Seen nor Sung before Perhaps some more exalted Poet warm'd For Martial Streins with this new subject Charm'd Shall quit the noble business of the Field Bequeath to Rust the Sword and polisht Shield Leave wrangling Heroes that o'ercome or Dye Both shrouded in the same obscurity Pass o'er the harast Soil and bloudy Stream To prosecute this more delightfull Theme To tell how first auspicious Navies made More bold attempts and th' Ocean's bounds essay'd To sing vast Tracts of Land beyond the Main By former Ages guess'd and wisht in Vain Strange Regions Floods and Cities to rehearse And with true Prodigies adorn their Verse New Lands new Seas and still new Lands to spy Another Heaven and other Stars descry When this is done resume their Martial Strein And crown our Conquests in each savage Plain That ev'n from Vanquishment advantage draws Enrich'd with European Arts and Laws Shall sing what future Ages will confound How Earth and Sea one Vessel did Surround Thrice happy to Bard whom indulgent Heav'n A Soul capacious of this Work has giv'n My weaker Muse shall think her Office done Of all these wonders to record but one One single Plant which these glad Lands produce To specifie and shew it's sov'reign Use By what adventures found and wafted o'er From unknown Worlds to Europe's wondring shore Far Westward hence where th' Ocean seems to boil Beneath fierce Cancer lies a spacious Isle Descry'd by Spaniards roving on the Main And justly honour'd with the Name of Spain Fertile in Gold but far more blest to be The Garden of this consecrated Tree Its Trunk erect but on his Top is seen A spreading Grove with Branches ever Green Upon his Boughs a little Nut is found But poignant and with Leaves encompass'd round The stubborn Substance toothless makes the Saw And scarcely from the Axe receives a flaw Dissected various Colours meet your view The outward Bark is of the Laurel hue The next like Box the parts more inwards set Of dusky grain but not so dark as Jet If to these mixtures you will add the Red All colours of the gaudy Bow are spread This Plant the Natives conscious of its use Adore and with religious Care produce On ev'ry Hill in ev'ry Vale 't is found And held the greatest Blessing of the ground Against this Pest that always Rages there From Skies infected and polluted Air The outward Bark as useless they refuse But with their utmost force the Timber bruise Or break in Splinters which they steep a while In fountains and when soak'd in Vessels boil Regardless how too fierce a fire may make The juice run o'er whose healing Froth they take With which they Bath their Limbs where Pustles breed And heal the Breaches where dire Ulcers feed Half boil'd away the Remnant they retain And adding Hony boil the Chips again To use no other Liquor when they Dine Their Countries Law and greater Priest enjoyn The first Decoction with the rising Light They drink and once again at fall of Night This course they strictly hold when once begun Till Cynthia has her monthly Progress run Hous'd all the while where no offensive Wind Nor the least breath of Air can entrance find But who will yield us credit to proceed And tell how wondrous slenderly they Feed Just
Wind And thought their Owners more than humane kind Some Gods or Heroes to the Gods ally'd And more than Mortal reverence apply'd But to our Chief their first Respect they paid And cheap but yet most royal Presents made Rich golden Oar of use and worth unknown And onely priz'd by them because it shone With which the blessings of their Fields were born Ripe blushing Fruits and pondrous Ears of Corn Unpolisht but capacious Vessels fill'd With Hony from each fragrant Tree distill'd Which did from Heaven in nightly Dew arrive Without the tedious labours of the Hive With them our Garments like Reception found And now the Tribes sate mingled on the Ground With Indian Food and Spanish Vintage crown'd Who can express the Savages delight As if the Gods some Mortal shou'd invite To heavenly Courts and with the Nectar-bowl Into a Deity exalt his ravisht Soul By chance the solemn Day was drawing near The greatest Festival of all the Year And to the Sun their greatest God belong'd To which from ev'ry part the Natives throng'd With whom their Neighbours of Hesperia met And now within the sacred Vale were set Each Sex and all degrees of Age were seen But plac'd without distinction on the Green Yet from the Infant to the grizled Head A cloud of Grief o'er ev'ry Face was spread All languish'd with the same obscene Disease And years not Strength distinguisht the Degrees Dire flames upon their Vitals fed within While Sores and crusted Filth prophan'd their Skin At last the Priest in snowy Robes array'd The Boughs of healing Guiacum display'd Which dipt in living Streams he shook around To purge for holy Rites the tainted Ground An Heifer then before the Altar slew A Swain stood near on whom the Bloud he threw Then to the Sun began his mystick Song And streight was seconded by all the Throng Both Swine and Heifers now by thousands bleed And Natives on their roasted Entrails feed Our Train with wonder saw these Rites but more Astonisht at the Plague unseen before Mean while our Leader in his carefull breast Form'd sad Conjectures of this dreadfull Pest This this said he the Gods avert our Fate Is that dire Curse which Phoebus did relate The Birds prodigious Song I now recall The strange Disease that on our Troops shou'd fall As therefore from the Altar they retir'd Our Gen'ral of the Native Prince enquir'd To what dread Power these Off'rings did belong What meant that languishing infected Throng And why the Shepherd by the Altar stood And wherefore Sprinkled with the gushing bloud To which the Island Monarch noble Guest With annual Zeal these Off'rings are addrest To Phoebus enrag'd Deity assign'd And by our Ancestours of old enjoin'd But if a foreign Nations toils to learn And less refin'd be worth your least concern If you have any Sense of Strangers fate From its first source the Story I 'll relate Perhaps you may have heard of Atlas name From whom in long descent great Nations came From him we sprang and once a happy Race Belov'd of Heav'n while Piety had place While to the Gods our Ancestours did Pray And gratefull Off'rings on their Altars lay But when the Powers to be despis'd began When to leud Luxury our Nation ran Who can express the Mis'ries that ensu'd And Plagues with each returning Day renew'd Then fair Atlantia once an Isle of fame That from the mighty Atlas took its Name Who there had govern'd long with upright Sway Was gorg'd intire and swallowed by the Sea With which our Flocks and Herds were wholly drown'd Not one preserv'd or ever after found Since when outlandish Cattle here are slain And Bulls of foreign Breed our Altars stain In that dire Season this Disease was bred That thus o'er all our tortur'd Limbs is spread Most universal from it Birth it grew And none have since escap'd or very few Sent from above to scourge that vicious Age And chiefly by incens'd Apollo's Rage For which these annual Rites were first ordain'd Whereof this firm Tradition is retain'd A Shepherd once distrust not ancient Fame Possest these Downs and Syphilus his Name A thousand Heifers in these Vales he fed A thousand Ews to those fair Rivers led For King Alcithous he rais'd this Stock And shaded in the Covert of a Rock For now 't was Solstice and the Syrian Star Increast the Heat and shot his Beams afar The Fields were burnt to ashes and the Swain Repair'd for shade to thickest Woods in vain No Wind to fan the scorching Air was found No nightly Dew refresht the thirsty Ground This Drought our Syphilus beheld with pain Nor could the suff'rings of his Flock sustain But to the Noon-day Sun with up-cast Eyes In rage threw these reproaching Blasphemies Is it for this O Sol that thou art styl'd Our God and Parent how are we beguil'd Dull Bigots to pay Homage to thy Name And with rich Spices feed thy Altar's flame Why do we yearly Rites for thee prepare Who tak'st of our affairs so little Care At least thou might'st between the Rabble Kine Distinguish and these royal Herds of Mine These to the great Alcithous belong Nor ought to perish with the Vulgar throng Or shall I rather think your Deity With envious Eyes our thriving Stock did see I grant you had sufficient cause indeed A thousand Heifers of the snowy Breed A thousand Ews of mine these Downs did feed Whilst one Etherial Bull was all your stock One Ram and to preserve this mighty Flock You must forsooth your Syrian Dog maintain Why do I worship then a Pow'r so Vain Henceforth I to Alcithous will bring My Off'rings and Adore my greater King Who do's such spacious Tracts of Land possess And whose vast Pow'r the conquer'd Seas confess Him I 'll invoke my Suff'rings to redress Hee 'll streight command the cooling Winds to blow Refreshing Show'rs on Trees and Herbs bestow Nor suffer Thirst both Flock and Swain to kill He said and forthwith on a neighbouring Hill Erects an Altar to his Monarch's name The Swains from far bring Incense to the Flame At length to greater Victims they proceed Till Swine and Heifers too by hundreds Bleed On whose half roasted Flesh the impious Wretches feed All quarters soon were fill'd with the Report That ceas'd not till it reacht the Monarch's Court Th' aspiring Prince with Godlike Rites o'er joy'd Commands all Altars else to be destroy'd Proclaims Himself in Earth's low sphere to be The onely and sufficient Deity That Heav'nly Pow'rs liv'd too remote and high And had enough to do to Rule the Sky Th' all-seeing Sun no longer could sustain These practices but with enrag'd Disdain Darts forth such pestilent malignant Beams As shed Infection on Air Earth and Streams From whence this Malady its birth receiv'd And first th' offending Syphilus was griev'd Who rais'd forbidden Altars on the Hill And Victims bloud with impious Hands did spill He first wore Buboes dreadfull to the sight First felt strange Pains and