determines to assault their wall Whilest fortune's hot and terrour workes in all Nor does he thinke that this command appeares Too harsh too hot and weary'd souldiers Small exhortation leads them to the prey Our victory quoth he is full to day And for our blood nought is remaining now But the reward which 't is my part to show I cannot say to giue what every man Shall giue himselfe behold yon tents that stand Full of all riches there gold rak'd in Spaine There th' Easterne Nations treasuryes remaine Pompey's and all those Kings estates doe lacke Possessours souldiers run and overtake Whom you pursue and what so ere to you Pharsalia giues take from the conquer'd now This speech of Caesars and golds impious loue Over the swords the furious souldiers droue To tread on Senatours and Captaines slaine What trench what bulwarke could their force susteine Seeking the price of all their wars and sin To know for what they haue so guilty been Spoiling the world they found a wealthy masse Which for wars future charges gather'd was But their all-covering thoughts could not be fill'd With what Spaâ—nes mines and Tagus streames could yeild Or on their sands rich Arimaspians finde Though all the spoiles be theirs yet in their minde Their mischeife at too cheape a sale they vent And are bid losse in spoiling of these tents VVhen to himselfe the Conquerour Rome decree'd And in that hope whole mountaines promised Patricians tents impious Plebejans keepe In Kings pavilions common souldiers sleepe On brothers and on fathers empty beds The killers lay their parricidall heads But furious dreames disturbe their restlesse rest Thessalia's fight remaines in every breast Their horrid guilt still wakes the battell stands In all their thoughts they brandish empty hands Without their swords you would haue thought the feild Had groan'd and that the guilty earth did yeild Exhaled spirits that in the aire did moue And Stygian feares possest the night aboue A sad revenge on them their conquest takes Their sleepes present the furies hissing snakes And brands their countreymens sad ghosts appeare To each the image of his proper feare One sees an old mans visage one a young Another's tortuâ—'d all the evening long With his slaine brothers spirit their fathers sight Dants some but Caesar's soule all ghosts affâ—ight Orestes so not purg'd in Scythia Th' Eumenides affrighting faces saw Not more was Pentheus in Agaves fit Dismay'd nor she when she was free'd from it Him all the swords that dire Pharsalia saw And which the Senate in revenge should draw Oppresse that night and Hellish-monsters scourge But that which most his guilty soule did vrge Was this that Sâ—yx the fiends and furyes grim Pompey being yet aliue had seiz'd on him But having suffred all when dayes cleare light Display'd Pharsalia's slaughter to his sight No dismall objects could â—uert his eyes From thence the rivers swell'd with blood he sees And heapes of bodyes aequalling high hills And carâ—asses whence blood and filth distills He numbers Pompey's people and that place Ordaines for banquetting from whence each face He might discerne and know them as they ly Proud that Aemathia's earth he cannot see Or scarse discerne the slaughter-cover'd ground In blood his fortune and his gods he found And with that joyfull sight to feede his eyes To the wretch'd soules he funerall fire denyes Making Aemathia noisome to the aire Carthage that gaue our consuls sepulcher And Libyan fire on Cannae did conferre Could not teach him his enemies t' inter Remembring still his anger not even then With slaughter slack'd they were his countrey men VVe doe not seuerall fires or tombs desire Doe but to all these nations grant one fire And let them not on pyles distinct be brent Or if thou aime at Pompey's punishment Pyl'd vp let Pindus wood and Ossa be That he from sea Pharsalia's fire may see This anger bootes thee not fort is all one VVhether the fire or putrefaction Dissolue them all to natures bosome goe And to themselues their ends the bodyes owe. If now these nations Caesar be not burn'd They shall when earth and seas to flames are turn'd One fire shall burne the world and with the sky Shall mixe these bones where ere thy soule shall be Their soules shall goe in ayre thou shalt not fly Higher nor better in Avernus ly Death frees from fortune Earth receiues againe VVhat ever she brought forth and they obtaine Heavens coverture that haue no vrnes at all Thou that deny'st these nations funerall VVhy dost thou fly these slaughter smelling fields Breath if thou canst the aire this region yeilds Or drinke this water Caesar but from thee The rotting people challenge Thessaly And keepe possession ' gainst the conquerer To the sad food of this Aemathian war Senting from far the bloods corruption The Thracian wolues Arcadian lions run Beares from their dens dogs from their kennells come And all those ravenous creatures else on whom Nature bestowes the strongest sents ful well The ayre by carrion putrify'd to smell Hither all birds of prey assembled are That long had waited on this civill war Birds that from Thrace to Nile in winter goe Stay'â— longer then then they were wont to doe Nere did moe birds of prey in one ayre fly Nor did moe vulturs ever cloud the sky From every wood came foule each tree was fil'd With bloody birds that crimson drops distill'd Downe from the aire blood and corruption rain'd The conquerours face and impious eagles stain'd Birds from their weary tallands oft let fall Gobbets of flosh nor were the people all Consumed so buryed in bird or beast Which would not on their bowels fully feast Nor sucke their marrow all but lightly tast The greatest part of Roman flesh is cast Disdain'd away which by the Sunne and time Dissolv'd is mixed with Thessalian slime Vnhappy Thessaly what hast thou done T' offend the angry gods that thee alone So many deaths and impious fates should staine What age what length of time can purge againe The guâ—lt that thou hast wrought what corne in thee And grasse with blood discolour'd shall not be What plow share but some Roman ghost shall wound Before that time new battells on thy ground Shall be and impious civill wars shall staine Thy fields before this blood be dry againe If all the graues of our dead ancesters We should turne vp their tombes that stand and theirs Whose time-consumed vrnes haue cast abroad Th'enclosed dust moe ashes would be trod And bones by harrows teeth digg'd vp and found In the sad furâ—owes of Thessaliaes ground No Marriners had sailed from thy shore Nor Husbandmen had plow'd thee any more The Roman peoples graue thy ghostly field Had no inhabitant for ever till'd No heards of cattell on thy plaines had run Nor durst the shepheards feede their flockes vpon Thy pasture fields with Roman blood manur'd Nor habitable nor to be endur'd As in the torrid or cold i y zone Shouldst thou haue lyen forsaken
Aegaean joyn'd With the Tyrrhene so with th' Ieâ—â—an The Adriatike met How oft in vaine That day the sea seem'd mountaines topps to ' ore flow And yeilding earth that deluge t' vndergoe But such high waues on no shore raised be But from the worlds far part and the maine sea They rowle the earth embracing waters bring Their monstrous waues so whâ—n the heavens high king Help'd his tir'd thunder with his â—rotheis mace To mankinds â—uine earth then added was To Neptunes kingdome when the sea confounded All lands and Tethys by no shore was bounded Contented with no limit but the skyes Then also would those â—welling seas arise Vpto the starres had not great Ioue kept downe Their waues with cloudes nor sprung that night alone From naturall causes the thiâ—ke aire was growne Infected with the dampes of Acheron And clogg'd with foggy stormes waues froÌ„ the maine Fly to the cloudes and fall like showres againe The lightnings light is lost it shines not cleare But shootes obscurely through nights stormy aire The heavens then trembled the high pole for feare Resounded when his hindges mooved were Nature then fear'd the old confusion The elementall concord seem'd vndone And night that mixt th' aetheriall deityes With the infernall â—eem'd againe to rise Their hope of safety was that in this great Wraâ—ke of the world they were not perisht yet As farre as you from Leucas top may see The quiet sea so farre could they desery From waues high tops the troubled Ocean But when the swelling billowes fall againe The maine-mast top scarce aboue water stands The topsailes touch the cloudes the keele the sands For ground is seene from whence the sâ—as arise In hills in waues the seas whole water is Feare conquers art the master does not know Which waue to breake which waue to yeeld vnto But the seas discord only aides them now The barke one billow cannot overflow Let by anothers force which still susteines The yeilding side the barke vpright mainteines Her course supported by all windes no more Low Sasons gulfes Thessalia's crooked shore Or the Ambracian dangerous ports they fear'd But ore the high Ceraunia to be rear'd â—y billowes Caesar thinkes it now to be A danger worthy of his destiny Are the gods troubled so to ruine me Whom sitting heere in a small barke quoth he They haue assaulted with a storme so lowd If on the seas not warres they haue bestow'd The glory of my death fearelesse I come Ye gods to any death that ye can doome Though this too hasty fate great actes breake off I haue already done things great enough The Northren nations I haue tam'd and quell'd My foes at home by armes Rome has beheld Great Pompey my inferiour honours stay'd From me in war the people forc'd haue pay'd All Roman honours in my titles be Let it be knowne fortune to none but thee Though full of honour to the shades below I both Romes Consull and Dictator goe I dye a private death ô gods I craue No funerall let the seas inmost waue Keepe my torne carkasse let me want a tombe And funerall pyle whilest lookt for still to come Into all lands I am and ever fear'd Thus having spoke most strange the tenth waue rear'd His barke aloft nor from the billowes top Did she fall downe kept by the water vp Till on the rocky shore she stood at last His fortune and so many kingdomes cast On shore and townes againe he did receiue Caesar's returne next morne could not deceiue His souldiers so as his stolne flight had done About their generall flock they every one Assaulting him with lamentations And not ingratefull accusations VVhither did thy rash valour carry thee Too cruell Caesar to what destiny Didst thou leaue vs poore soules venturing vpon Th' vnwilling seas and stormes thy selfe alone In thee to seeke for death was cruelty VVhen all the world esteemes thy head so high And on thy life so many liues of ours Depend did none of vs deserue t' haue power Not to surviue thee sleepe did vs detaine While thou wert tost vpon the watry maine Was this the cause thou went'st to Italy Alas it shames vs it was cruelty To venture any man on such a sea For the last act of things such hazards be VVhy doest thou tire the gods so much to goe And venture the worlds greatest Captaine so From fortune's worke and favour thus t' haue sent Thee safe a shore to vs be confident Of the warres issue This vse doest thou make Of the gods favour to escape a wracke Rather then gaine the worlds sole soveraignety Thus while they talke night past the Sunne they see And a cleare day his waues the tired maine By the windes leaue compos'd and smooth'd againe The Captaines also on th' Italian side VVhen the tâ—r'd Ocean free from waues they spy'd By the pure Northwinds rising thence convay'd Their ships which their skill'd Marriners had stay'd So long for feare while winds auspicious fail'd Like a land army their joyn'd navy sail'd On the broad Sea but the chang'd windes by night Fill'd not their sailes but broke the order quite So Cranes in VVinter Strymon's cold forsake To drâ—nke warmâ— Nile and in their first flight make As chance directs of letters various formes VVhen their spread wings are by the violent stormes Of strong South-windes assailed by and by â—n a confused globe all mingled fly The letter 's lost in their disranked wings But the next morne when rising Titan brings A stronger winde to driue the navie ore They passe the vaine attempted Lissus shore And to Nymphaeum come Southwinds that blow The haven on them the Northwindes fled bestow VVhen Caesars legions all collected were And Pompey saw the war was drawne so neere To his owne campe he thinkes best to provide For his wiuâ—â— safety and in Lesbos hide Thee faire Cornelia from the noise of warre Alas in just and noble mindes how farre Prevailes true loue true loue alone had power To make great Pompey feare wars doubâ—full houre His wife alone he wisht free from that stroke That all the world and Romes whole fortune shooke But now a ready mâ—nd wants words in him He yeilds to sweete delayes from fare steales time But when th'approching morne had banisht rest And faire Cornelia his care-wounded breast Clasping from her averted husband seekes A loving kisse wondring to feele his cheekes Moistened with teares tâ— hidâ—en cause she feares And daâ—es not finâ— great Pompey shedding teares He then thus mourning spake oh dâ—arest wife Dearer to me then life not now when life I loath but in our best prosperity That sad day's come which too too muâ—h haue we Yet not enough dâ—fferr'd Caesar's addrest For fight thou must not stay Lesbos the best And safest place will be for thee to hide Doe not enâ—treat me sweete I haue deny'd It to my selfe nor absent long shall we Remaine for swift will this wars tryall be Great things fall speedily To heare not see Thy
should yon feare cowards whilest I am by To see those fiends that shake at sight of me Then with warme blood opening fresh wounds she fills His breast and gore to th' inward parts distills Of the Moones poisonous gelly store she takes And all the hurtfull broodes that nature makes Foame of mad dogs which sight of water dread The pyth of staggs with serpents nourished Was mixed there the dire Hyaena's knot The spotted Lynx his bowells wanted not Nor that small fish whose strength though Eurus rise Can stay the course of ships the Dragons eyes The sounding stone that brooding Eagles make Warme in their nests th' Arabian nimble snake The red sea-viper pretious gemms that kept Skins from th' aliue Libyan Cerastes stript The Phoenix ashes lay'd in Araby With these when vile and namelesse poisons she Had mixt and leaues fill'd with enchantments strong And herbes which her dire mouth had spit on young What poyson she did on the world bestow Then adds a voyce to charme the gods below More powerfull then all herbes confounding noises Much dissonant and far from humane voices There was the barke of dogs the wolues sad howle The scriches waâ—ling hollowing of the Owle All voices of wilde beasts hissing of snakes The sound that beat from rockes the water makeâ— The murmur of stirr'd woods the thunders noise Broke from a cloud all â—â—is was in her voice The rest Aemonian incantations tell And thus her voice peirces the lowest hell Furyes and Stygian fiends whose scourges wound All guilty soules Chaos that wouldst confound Vn-number'd worlds king of the earth beneath That griev'st to see the gods exempt from death Thou Styx and faire Elysium which no spirit To a Thessalian witch deserues t'enherit Thou that thy mother hat'st Persephone And heaven thou lowest part of Hecate By whom the silent tongues of fienes with vs Haue entercourse hells porter Cerberus That currishnesse into our breasts doest put You destinyes that twice this thread must cut And thou the burning streames old ferriman Tired with ghosts brought backe to me againe If I invoke you with a mouth prophane And foule enough to heare these prayers daine If with a breath fasting from humane flesh These incantations I did nere expresse If womens wombes whole burdens vpon you And luke-warme braines I often did bestow If one your altâ—rs heads of infants slaine I set and bowells that must liue againe Obey my voice no ghost that long has felt The Stygian shades nor long in darkenesse dwelt But one that lately from the living went And is but yet at pale hells first descent And one which though obedient to this spell Could be but once transported ore to hell I aske let some knowne souldiers ghost relate Before great Pompey's sonne his fathers fate If civill war of you haue merited Then lifting vp her foaming mouth and head She saw hard by the ghost of that dead man Trembling to enter his old goale againe Fearing those cold pale members and into Thâ—â—â—ounded breast and entrailes torne to go Ah wretch from whom deaths gift is tane away To dye no more that fates durst thus delay Ericttho wonder'd wrath with death and fate The liueles coarse with living snakes she beateâ— And through earths craneys which her charmes had broke Bark'd to the fiends and thus hells silence shooke Maegera and Tisiphone that slight My voice through hell with your dire whips affright Hither that wretched spirit or from below By your true names of Stygian bitches you I will call vp and to the Sunnes light leaue No dead mens graues shall harbour or receiue Your heads I le follow you observing well And from all tombes and quiet vrnes expell False Hecate thee to the gods I le show To whom thou vsest with bright lookes to goe In thy pale rotten forme and so provide Thou shalt not thy Tartarian visage hide Vnder the earths vast weight I will relate VVhat food destaines thee in what wedlockes state Thou lou'st the nights sad king with such a staine That Ceres shall not wish thee backe againe ' Gainst thee the worlds worst judge I will set free The giants or let to the day to thee VVill you obey or shall I him invoke VVhose name the earths foundations ever shooke VVho without hurt th'vnvailed Gorgon sees Of whose strong stripes Erinnys fearefull is VVho keepes an hell vnknowne to you and where You are aboue that dare by Styx forsweare Then straight the clotted blood grows warme againe Feedes the blacke wounds and runnes through every veine And th' outward parts the vitall pulses beate In his cold breast and life 's restored heate Mixt with cold death through parts disused runns And to each joynt giues trembling motions The sinnews stretch the carkasse from the ground Rises not by degrees but at one bound Stands bolt vpright the eyes with twincking hard Are op'd not dead nor yet aliue appear'd The face his palenesse still and stiffenesse stayes He stands at this revivall in amaze But his dumbe seal'd-vp lips no murmur made Only an answering tongue and voice he had Speake quoth Ericttho what I aske and well Shalt thou rewarded be if truth thou tell By our Haemonian art I le set thee free Throughout all ages and bestow on thee Such funeralls with charmes so burne thy bones Thy ghost shall heare no incantations Let this the fruit of thy revivall be No spells no herbs shall dare to take from thee Thy long safe rest when I haue made thee dy The gods and Prophets answere doubtfully But he that dares enquire of ghosts beneath And boldly goe to th' oracles of death Is plainly told the truth spare not but name Plainely the things and places all and frame A speech wherein I may conferre with fate Adding a charme to make him know the state Of whatsoere she askt thus presently The weeping carcasse spake I did not see The sisters fatall threds so soone alas Backe from those silent bankes enforc'd to passe But what by speech from all the spirits I gain'd Among the Roman ghosts fell discord reign'd Romes wicked war disturb'd hells quiet rest Some Captaines from sad hell some from the blest Elysian fields come forth and there what fate Entends to doe they openly relate The happy ghosts look'd sad the Decii then Father and sonne wars-expiating men I saw the Curii and Camillus wailing Sylla himselfe against thee fortune railing His issues Libyan fate braue Scipio Bewail'd and Cato Carthages great foe His nephew's bondage-scaping death did monc â—mong the blessed spirits Brutus alone Reioyc'd first Consul that Romes king exil'd Fierce Catiline sterne Marius and the wilde Câ—thegs breaking chaines orejoyed were The popular law promulging Drusi there And daring Gracchi shouting clapt their hands Fetter'd for euer with strong iron bands In Plutoes dungeons impious ghosts had hopes Of blessed seates Pluto pale dungeons opes Prepares hard stones and adamantine chaines To punish the proud Conquerour ordaines Take you this comfort in a blessed roome The
at noone is mounted high Those trees no shadow can diffuse at all Their boughs scarse hide their trunkes No shade or small The Sunbeames make since perpendicular It is perceiv'd this is the region where The summer Tropicke hits the Zodiacke The signes obliquely rise not but direct Nor more direct the Bull then Scorpio Moist Capricornus then hot Cancer goe Nor Gemeni then Sagitarius Nor Leo then oppos'd Aquarius Virgo then Pisces Libraes motion Then Aries But whom the torrid zone Divides from vs those people ever see The shadowes Southward which here Northward be You slowly seeing Cynosure suppose Her vndrench'd carre into the Ocean goes And that no Northerne signe from seas is free You stand far distant from each axeltree Your signes in midst of heaven converted be The Easterne people standing at the doore The oracles of horned Ioue t'implore Gaue place to Cato whom his souldiers ply That of that Libyan far-fam'd deity His future fates event he would be taught Him Labienus most of all besought Chance and the fortune of our way quoth he Lâ—nd vs the mouth of that great deity And his sure counsells we may now implore His powerfull guidance through this war and ore The dangerous Syrtes For to whom should I Beleeue the gods would truly or certify Their secret wills then Catoes holy breast Whose life to heavenly lawes was still addrest And follow'd god behold we now haue heere A freedome given to talke with Iupiter Cato enquires of wicked Caesars fate And know what shall be Romes ensuing state Whether this civill war be made in vaine Or shall our lawes and liberties maintaine Let Ammon's sacred voice thy breast inspire Thou lover of strict vertue now desire To know what vertue is seeke from aboue Approovement of the trueth He full of Ioue Whom in his secret breast he carried ever These temple worthy speeches did deliver What Labienus should I seeke to know If I had rather dye in armes then bow Vnto a Lord if life be nought at all No difference betwixt long life and small If any force can hurt men vertuous If fortune loose when vertue doth oppose Her threats if good desires be happinesse And vertue grow not greater by successe Thus much we know nor deeper can the skill Of Ammon teach The gods are with vs still And though their oracles should silent be Nought can we doe without the gods decree Nor needes he voices what was fit to know The great Creator at our births did show Nor did he choose these barren sands to shew Hiding it heere his trueth but to a few Is there a seate of god saue earth and sea Aire heaven and vertue why for god should we Seeke further what ere moues what ere is seene Is Ioue For oracles let doubtfull men Fearefull of future chances troubled be Sure death not oracles ascertaine mee The coward and the valiant man must fall This is enough for Ioue to speake to all Then marching thence the temples faith he saues And to the people vntry'd Ammon leaues Himselfe afoot before his weary'd bands Marches with piâ—e in hand and not commands But shewes them how to labour never sits In coach or charriot sleepes the least a nights Last tasts the water When a fountaines found He stayes a foot till all the souldiers round And every cullion drinke If fame be due To truest goodnesse if you simply view Vertue without successe what ere we call In greatest Romans great was fortune all Who could deserue in prosperous war such fame Or by the nations blood so great a name Rather had I this vertuous triumph win In Libyaes desert sands then thrice be seene In Pompey's laurell'd charriot or to lead Iugurtha captiue Here behold indeed Rome thy true father by whose sacred name Worthy thy Temples it shall never shame People to sweare whom if thou ere art free Thou wilt hereafter make a deity Now to a torrid clime they came more hot Then which the gods for men created not Few waters heere are seene but in the sands One largely-flowing fountaine only stands But full of Serpents as it could containe There on the bankes hot killing Aspes remaine And Dipsases in midst of water dry VVhen Cato saw his men for thirst would dy Fearing those waters thus he spake to them Feare not to drinke souldiers this wholesome streame Be not affrighted with vaine shewes of death The snakes bite deadly fatall are their teeth VVhen their dire venome mixes with our blood The water 's safe Then of the doubtfull flood He drinkes himselfe there only the first draught Of all the Libyan waters Cato sought VVhy Libyaes aire should be infected so VVith mortall plagues what hurtfull secrets grow Mixt with the noxious soile by natures hand Our care nor labour cannot vnderstand But that the world in the true cause deceiv'd In stead of that a common tale receiv'd In Libyaes farthest part whose scorched ground The Ocean warm'd by setting Sol doth bound Medusas countrey lay whose barren fields No trees doe cloath whose soile no herbage yeilds Chang'd by her looke all stones and rockes they grow Heere hurtfull nature first those plagues did show First from Medusas jawes those serpents growne Hissed with forked tongues and hanging downe Like womans haire vpon her backe gaue strokes Vnto her pleased necke In stead of lockes Vpon her horrid front did serpents hisse Her combe comb'd poyson downe no part but this Safe to be seene about Medusa was For who ere fear'd the monsters mouth and face Whom that had view'd her with an eye direct Did she ere suffer sence of death t' affect She hasten'd doubting fate preventing dread Their bodyes dy'd before their soules were fled Enclosed soules with bodyes turn'd to stone The furyes haires could madnesse worke alone Cerberus hissing Orpheus musicke still'd Alcides saw that Hydra which he kill'd But this strange monster even her father who Is the seas second god her mother too Cetos and Gorgon sisters feared she Could strike a numnesse through the sea and sky And harden all the world into a stone Birds in their flight haue fall'n conjealed downe Running wilde beasts to rockes converted were And all the neighbouring Aethiopians there To marble statues not a creature brookes The sight of her t' avoide the Gorgons lookes Her snakes themselues backeward themselues invert She neere Alcides pillars could convert Titanian Altâ—s to an hill and those Giants with serpents feete that durst oppose The gods themselues those wars in Phlegra field Her face could end but shew'd in Pallas sheild Thither the sonne of showre rap'd Daâ—ae Borne on th' Arcadian wings of Mercury Inventer of the harpe and wrestling game Flying through th' aire with borrow'd Harpe came Harpe whom monsters blood before did staine When he that kept Ioves loued cow was slaine Aide to her winged brother Pallas gaue Conditioning the Gorgons head to haue She bids him fly to Libyaes Easterne bound His face averted or the Gorgons ground In his left
hand a shield of shinning brasse Wherein to see the stone transforming face Of sterne Medusa Pallas bad him keepe Then lay'd Medusa in an endlesse sleepe But yet not all part of her snaky haire Defends her head some snakes still waking are Some ore her face and sleeping eylids glide Minerva doth th'averted Perseus guide And with a trembling hand directs the stroake Of his Cyllenian Harpe which quite broke Her large snake-cover'd necke How strange a looke Had Gorgons head cut off by Perseus stroke And towring blade what poyson did arise In her blacke mouth what death shot from her eyes Which not Minerva durst to looke vpon And Perseus sure had bin congeal'd to stone Had not Minerva hid that dismall face With those snake-haires Now Perseus flyes a pace To heaven with Gorgons head but in his mind Considering how the nearest way to find Over the midst of Europe meanes to fly But Pallas straight forbids that injury To Europes fruitfull fields and bids him spare The people there for who can in the ayre Refraine to gaz when such a bird he spyes Perseus converts his course and Westward flyes Ore desert Libya whose vnfruitfull seat Vntill'd lyes ope to nought but Phaebus heat Who runs his burning course straight ore their heads No land then this a larger shadow spreads ' Gainst heaven nor more the moones ecclipse doth cause When straying not in latitude she drawes Neither to North nor South but still is found In signes direct· Yet this vnfruitfull ground Barren in all that 's good a seed could yeild From venome which Medusaes head distill'd From those dire drops mixt with the putrid earth Sols aiding heat did giue new monsters birth First from that dust so mixt with poyson bred Rose the sleep-causing Aspe with swelling head Made of the thickest drop of Gorgons gore Which in no serpent is compacted more She wanting heat seekes not a colder clime Content to liue in her owne Libyaes slime But oh how shamelesse is our thirst of gaine Those Libyan deaths are carryed ore the maine And Aspes at Rome are sold as marchandise In scaly folds the great Haemorrhus lyes Whose bite from all parts drawes the flowing blood Chersidros then that both in land and flood Of doubtfull Syrtes liues Chelydri too That make a reeking slime where ere they goe The Cenchris creeping in a tract direct Whose speckled belly with moe spots is dect Then ere the various Theban marble takes Sand-colour'd Ammodytes the horned snakes That creepe in winding tracks the Scytale No snake in winter casts her skin but she The double-head Dipsas that thirsty makes The water-spoyling Newte the dart-like snakes The Pareas whose way his tale doth guide The Prester too whose sting distendeth wide The wounded's foamy mouth the Seps whose bite Consumes the bones dissolues the body quite The Basiliske whose hisse all snakes doth scarre Hurtfull before the venome touch who far All vulgar serpents from his sight commands Reigning alone vpon the empty'd sands You dragons too glistring in golden pride Who hurtlesse wander through all lands beside Hot Affrik mortall makes aloft you fly Through the ayre on wings and follow speedily The heards your strokes the mightyest buls destroy Great Elephants not escape you all you kill Nor neede you poysons helpe to worke your will This thirsty way among these venom'd snakes Cato amidst his hardy souldiers takes Where many losses of his men he found And deaths vnusuall from a little wound A trodden Dipsas turning backe his head Did bite young Aulus Ensigne bearer bred Of Tyrrhene race no griefe nor paine ensew'd His wound no pity found no danger shew'd But in alas did fiery venome deepe Into his maâ—row and scorch'd entrailes creepe Which quite drunke vp all moisture that should flow Into his vitall parts his palate now And tongue is scorch'd and dry no sweate could goe To his tir'd joynts from 's eyes no teares could flow His place nor his sad generalls command Could stay this thirsty man out of his hand He throwes his Eagle water runs to haue Which the dry venome in his heart did craue Though he in midst of Tanais did ly Padus or Rodanus he would be dry Or drinke the streamer where ever Nilus flowes The soyle ads to his drought the worme doth loose Her venoms fame help'd by so hot a land He digs and seekes each veine in all the sand Now to the Syrts he goes and in his mouth Salt water takes which could not quench his drought Although it pleas'd He did not know what kinde Of death he dy'd nor his disease could finde But thinkes it thirst and now full faine he would Rip open all his veines and drinke his blood Cato commands them loath his men should stay To know what thirst was straight to march away But a more wofull death before his eye Appear'd A Seps no poore Sabellus thigh Hung by the teeth which he straight with his hands Cast off and with his pile nail'd to the sands A little snake but none more full then she Of horrid death the flesh falls off that nigh The wound did grow the bones are bared round Without the body naked shewes the wound His shankes fall off matter each members fills His knees are bar'd his groine blacke filth distills And every muscle of his thighes dissolues The skin that all his naturall parts involues Breaking lets fall his bowels nor doth all That should remaine of a dead body fall The cruell venome eating all the parts Alâ— to a little poisonous filth converts The poison breakes his nerues his ribs doth part Opens his hollow breast there shewes his heart His vitalls all yea all that man composes And his whole nature this foule death discloses His head necke shoulders and strong armes doe flow In venomous filth not sooner melts the snow By hot South windes nor waxe against the Sunne This is but small I speake burnt bodyes run Melted by fire in filth but what fire ere Dissolv'd the bones no bones of his appeare Following their putrid iuice they leaue no signe Of this swift death the palme is only thine Of all the Libyan snakes the soule take they But thou alone the carcasse tak'st away But lo a death quite contrary to it Marsian Nasidius an hot Prester bit Whose face and cheekes a suddaine fire did rost His flesh and skin was stretch'd his shape was lost His swelling body is distended far Past humane growth and vndistinguishd are His limmes all parts the poison doth confound And he lyes hid in his owne body drown'd Nor can his armour keepe his swolne growth in Not more doth boyling water rise within A brazen caldron nor are sailes more swell'd By Westerne windes No limme he now can weild A globe deform'd he is an heape confus'd Which ravening beasts did feare which birds refus'd To which his friends durst doe no obsequy Nor touch but from the growing carcasse fly But yet these snakes present more horrid sights A fierce Hamorrhus noble