up But when their leaves do first begin to bee And new-growne branches from supporting free Shoot loose into the Ayre then spare to use Thy pruning knife so soone and rather choose The leaves superfluous with thy hands to pull But when embracing Elmes with armes more full And strong they grow then confidently pare Their leaves and branches too before they fearâ— The pâ—uning knife then do not spare the same But their superfluous growth with rigour tame Then make strong hedges to keep cattell out Young beasts especially and yet unwrought Wilde Bulls and greedy Goates more harm will do Than scorching Summers and cold Winters too There Sheep will browze and feeding Heifers go The Winters hoary Frosts and falling Snow And parching Suns that burne the hardest rocks Endammage Vines lesse than those greedy flockâ—â— Their browzing teeth do venome leave behinde And killing scars upon the stocke and rinde No other fault there was that d Goates did dâ—â— At Bacchus Altars and th' old Comaedie Was celebrated that th' Athenian playes In Villages and all crosse-meeting wayes Were grac'd and men ore meadowes in their poâ—â— Did dance about th' annointed e skins of Goatâ—â— Th' Italian Nations also sprung from Troy Singing Saturnian rythms with open ioy And laughter loose horrid disguises worâ— Of hollow'd barks of trees and did adore With hymnes of mirth Bacchus thy power divine And virgins f statues on the lofty pine Did hang. Then vineyards fruitfully did beare All vales and lawnes were fertile every where Where ere the god his beauteous head do show Therefore let us these rites to Bacchus do In our own mother language offering Full cups and wafers and to th' altar bring A guilty goat led by the hornes and his Fat entrailes rost on spits of cornoile trees Besides in dressing vines more paines is showne To which there never can enough be done For every yeare the ground must digged be Three or foure times and plow'd eternally The leaves must oft bee gathered all the paine That husbandmen bestow returnes againe His own steps back the circling yeare doth tread And when the vines their leaves in Autumn shed And all the woods of cloathing robbed are By North-east-windes even then th' industrious care Of th'husbandman unto the following yeare Extends it selfe then he begins to pare The vine with Saturn's crooked hooke and right By skilfull pruning to refashion it First dig the ground first burne the shreds cut off And lay thy rests up dry within thy roofe Gather thy vintage last Leaves twice oreshade The vines as twice the ranke-grown weeds invade Yong corn Both which require great toil to mend Till thou a little farme though thou commend A great one And besides sharpe twigs of thorne From woods and reedes on bankes of rivers born Thou for thy vines must cut and carefull be For willow groves which else neglected ly Now when the vines are bound prun'd and all And th' husband sings about the vineyard wall Yet there remaines a care to dust them there And storms even when the grapes are ripe to fear Contrariwise unto the Olive tree No dressing doth belong nor needeth shee The crooked hook nor harrow when once faire Shee stands in ground and once has felt the ayre The earth it selfe when furrow'd by the plow Doth food enough on her and corne bestow Therefore the fat and fruitfull Olive nourish So th' Apple tree in a full stock doth flourish And once full grown up to the sky she towres By her own strength and needes no helpe of ours So of themselves wilde Woods and every Bush Beare fruit and with Vermilion berries blush Low shrubs are shorn braÌ„ds on high trees do grow That feede the nightly fire and light bestow And doubt men yet to plant and care bestow To leave great trees Willowes and Broom so low Do cooling shades to Sheep and Shepheards give Hedges for corne and food for Bees to live How pleasantly with Boxe Cytorus stowes With her Pitch trees how faire Maricia showes Oh how it pleases me those fields to see That need no plowes nor humane industrie Those barren Woods on Caucasus high hill Which strong East-windes do wave and rattle still Have each their severall use Pines for the Seas For Houses Cypresse and tall Cedar trees From hence the Plowmen Spokes for wheeles doe takeâ— Covers for Waines Keeles for Ships they make Willowes do usefull twigs afford Elmes shade Of Cornoile trees and Myrtles darts are made Yew trees to make strong Parthian Bowes are bow'd Tile trees pliant Boxe may be bestow'd Hollow'd or turn'd in formes and uses good Light alderne barks do swim the Po's rough floud In rotten-holme stocks and the rindes of trees You oft may finde the hony-combes of Bees What benefits like these come from the Vine That causes guilt The Centaures fill'd with wine Great Rhaetus Pholus and Hylaeus dy'd When they with pots the Lapithees defi'd Oh too too happy if their blisse they knew Plaine Husbandmen to whom the earth with true And bounteous iustice free from bloody war Returnes an easie food who though they are Not early wak'd in high-roof'd Pallaces When waiting Clients come though they possesse No Poasts which Indian shels adorne in state No gold embroidred cloaths Corinthian plate Nor rich Assyrian scarlet nor abuse With sweetest Casia the plaine simple use Of oyle yet rest secure a harmelesse life Enrich'd with severall blessings free from strife Coole caves dark shady groves fountains clear Vntroubled sleeps and cattells lowing there And pleasant huntings want not there they live By labour and small wealth honour they give Vnto their gods and parents iustice tooke Her last step there when she the earth forsooke But let the sacred Muse whose priest I am Me above all with her sweet love inflame Teach me each star each heavenly motion The oft eclipses of the Sun and Moone The cause of Earthquakes why the swelling main Rises and fals into it selfe againe Why Winter suns so soone hast to the sea What makes the Summer nights so short to be But if dull bloud which 'bout my heart doth flow These parts of nature will not let me know Then let me famelesse love the fields and woods The fruitfull water'd vales and running floods Those plains where clear Sperchius runs that mouÌ„t Where Spartan Virgins to great Bacchus wont To sacrifice or shady vales that lye Vnder high Haemus let my dwelling be Happy is he that knowes the cause of things That all his feares to due subiection brings Yea fare it selfe and greedy Acheron Yea happy sure is he who ere has known The â—urall gods Sylvanus and great â—an And all the sister Nymphs that happy man Nor peoples voices nor kings purple move Nor dire ambition sundring brothers love Nor th' Istrian Dacians fierce conspiracies Nor Romes estate nor falling monarchies He sees no poore whose miserable state He suffers for he envies no mans fate He eats such fruits as of their own accord The
likewise offered to Aesculapius the god of health because the Goat is never without a fever e In those old playes which the Athenians instituted in the honour of Bacchus the people danced with wine bottles made of Goat-skinnes to insult as it were over the Goats after they were dead Of these Goat-skinnes 〈…〉 in Greeke signifieth a 〈…〉 up first the name of Tragaedies â— These playes were instituted to Bacchus by the Athenians for this reason Bacchus bestowed a bottle of sweet wine upon Icarus an Athenian Shepheard This Icarus coming to the company of some other labouring people of the country set his bottle of wine before them The plaine labourers not knowing the quality of the liquor but delighted with the sweetnesse of it drunke intemperately and feeling themselves much altered in their braines and their whole bodies they killed Icarus supposing that he had given them poyson The dog of Icarus returning home to Erigone his daughter conducted her who followed the dogge unto her fathers dead body Erigone impatient of griefe hanged her selfe upon a pine tree and the dogge parting not from the two bodies starved himselfe for which piety both Erigone and the dogge were taken and made signes in heaven But not long after for these murders unrevenged the Athenians were visited with a great pestilence and the virgins of Athens were possessed with a strange frenzie and in their fits hanged themselves The Oracle being asked the cause of this pestilence returned them answer that it should cease when they in devotion had interred the bodies of Icarus and Erigone and revenged their murders this being done the plague ceased and the people in honour of Bacchus celebrated yearely playes and in remembrance of their former frenzy upon pines or other trees were hanged up the images of virgins FINIS GEORGICON The third BOOKE THE ARGVMENT THe art of grazing with the different cares Of different cattell this third book declares Of warlike Horses of the labouring Oxe Shag-bearded Goats and snow-white woolly flocks Their breeding feeding profitable use Last their diseases and the cures it shewes But by the way our Poet promising This subiect done great Caesar's deeds to sing Makes present mention of them and declares His glorious triumphs and late finish'd wars Which Nile swift Tigris and Euphrates saw And Crassus ensignes fetch'd from Parthia OF thee great Pales and Apollo now Thou fam'd Amphrysian Shepheard and of you Arcadian woods streams I le sing Those known Old strains that would have pleas'd light minds are growne Vulgar who cannot of Eurysteus fell Or of Busiris blood-stain'd altars tell Who of Latonian Dele or Hylas now Or ivory-shoulder'd Pelops does not know For riding fam'd or his a Hippodame Some new attempted straine must lift up me From ground and spread my fame to every eare I first returning to my countrey deare Will from th' Aonian mountaine bring with me The Muses liveâ— and first honour thee Mantua with Idumaean Palmes of praise A marble temple in the field I le raise Neare to the streame where winding Minclus flow Cloathing his banks with tender reedes doth flow In midst shall Caesars altar stand whose power Shall guard the Fane to him I Conquerer Will on the shore with Purple cloath'd in state Circensian Playes in chariots celebrate All Greece shall gladly celebrate our fames Leaving th' Olympicke and Nemaean games With racing and the whorlebat fight whilest I Crown'd with a tender branch of Olive tree My offerings bring Oh how I long to see The sacrificing pompe in order rang'd To th' Temple come or how the Scene oft chang'd Varies her face or how the b Brittaines raise That purple Curtaine which themselves displaies About the doores the Indian victory Describ'd in gold and polish'd ivory With great Quirinus c armes shall stand there showing Great Nile with d Wars as wel as Waters flowing And navall Triumphs in brasse Pillars cut The conquer'd Asian Cities there I le put Niphates and the Parthian e foes that fight Retiring and direct their shafts in flight Two Trophees tane from th' East Western shore And both those Nations twice triumphed ore In Parian marble carv'd with cunning hand The race of great Assaracus shall stand And Tros that from high Iove their birth derive And Phoebus too who first did Troy contrive Those wretches that shall envie this shall feare The Furies dire Cocytus stood severe And Sisyphus still rowling stone or feele Ixion's wreathed Snakes or racking Wheele Meanewhile let us follow the Woods and Lands Vntouch'd such are Mecaenas thy commands My breast without thee no high rapture fils Inspire me then without delay the hills Cythaeron high of Dogs Taygeta proud And Epire fam'd for Horses call aloud Whose noise the ecchoing Woods redoubled bring After of Caesars glorious warres I le sing And through as many ages spred his praise As have already past to â—esar's dayes Who ere in hope to win th' Olympick prize Would keep good Horses or else exercise Strong Steeres to plow best choise from Dams it tooke That Cow proves best that has the roughest looke Great head and neck and downe unto her knee Her dangling dewlaps hang sides long and high All must be great yea even her feet her eare Vnder her crooked hornes must rough appeare I like the colour spotted partly white Loath to endure the yoke and apt to fight In all most like the Bull in stature tall Her sweeping taile down to the ground doth fall Best age to go to bull or calve we hold Begins at foure and ends at ten yeare old All other ages nor for breeding fit Nor strong for plow but i' th' mean time whilst yet The flocks have lusty youth let the males go Without restraint to Venery and so By timely broodes preserve a perfect kinde Their first age best all wretched mortals finde After diseases and old age do come Labour and deaths inexorable doome There still will be whose bodies with thy will Thou wouldst wish chang'd Therefore repaire theÌ„ still And lest thy kinde quite lost thou finde too late Prevent the losse and yearly propagate And such a choise you must in horses make But him whom you for stallion meane to take As hope of all the race elect with care Even from a tender colt such colts as are Of generous race straight when they first are fol'd Walke proudly their sost ioynts scarce knit bold Daâ—e lead the way into the rivers enter And dare themselves on unknown seas to venture Not frighted with vaine noises lofty neck'd Short headed slender belly'd and broad back'd Broad and full breasted let his colour be Bright bay or grey white proves not commonly Nor flesh-colour When Waâ—s alarumes sound His nostrils gather and breathe fire no ground Can hold his shaking ioynâ—s his care advances His thick shag'd mane on his right shoulder daÌ„ces His back bones broad strong the hollow'd grouÌ„d Trampled beneath his hard rouÌ„d hoof doth sound Such was that horse which
me hope for heaven above When lo those ioyes which mortall life did bring Which Bees and Cornes industrious husbanding With all my care could but procure is gone Though thou my Mother be Nay nay go on With thine own hand fell off my growing woods My harvests blast by fire consume my goods My barnes and corn my spreading vines cut down If thou so envious of my praise be grown But from her bower his mother heard the sound Vnder the flood the Nymphs about her round Spun green Milesian wooll Dishevell'd haire Adorn'd their ivorie necks Drymâ— the faire Xâ—ntho Ligaea and Phyllodoce Nesae Spio and Cymodoce Cydippe and bright Licorias one a maide Th' other then first had felt Lucina's aide Clio and Berôe sea-borne sisters both Both guirt with gold in painted mantles both Ephyre Opis Deiopcia too Of Asia and Arethusa now At last growne swift since she her quiver left To these did Climene tell the pleasing theft And slights of Mars with Vulcans bootlesse feares And from the Chaos number'd do their eares The loves of gods Whilst pleasd with what she told The rocks of wooll they on their spindles rowl'd Againe the plaints of Arislaeuâ— pierc't His mothers care but Arethusa first Of all the Nymphs above the water show'd Her beauteous head and far off cry'd aloud Sister Cyrene t was no causlesse feare That sound procur'd thine Aristaeus dear Weeping beside old Peneus streame remaines And of thy cruelty by name complaines Struck with new feares his mother answer'd thus Bring him quoth she bring him along to us He may of right enter the roofe of gods Then by command she straight divides the floods To make him â—oome to passe the swelling flood Like a steep mountaine round about him stood In that vast gulfe receiv'd he was convey'd Down vnder ground and wondring there suruey'd His mothers watery bower lakes closely held In caveâ— and sounding woods and there beheld Astonished to heare that horrid sound That waters motion made how under ground In severall places rivers did commence â—hasis and Lycus and the spring from whence The deep Enipeus breakes whence Tyber is Mysian Caicus stony Hypanis And Annio golden Eridanus With bull-like hornes no streame more furious Doth run nor falls more violent than he Into the purple Adriaticke sea When to his mothers bower of pumice stone He came and she perceiu'd his causlesse mone The Nymphs clear water and fine towels bring To clense his hands with some replenishing The cups while some the feasting tables fill With frankincense the altars smoking still Here take these cups of wine his mother said Let 's sacrifice to th' Ocean then she pray'd Vnto Oceanus father of all things And Nymphs her sisters who the woods springs By hundreds keep Thrice on the fire she threw Nectar to th' roofe the flame thrice upward flew Confirmed with this Omen thus begun Cyrene in Carpathian seas my sonne Great Neptune's Prophet g â—roteus abides Who ore the Maine in his blew chariot rides By horse-fish drawne who now againe resorts To his Pallene and th' Aemathian ports Him aged Nereus and we Nymphs adore For he knowes all things things that heretofore Have been that are and shall hereafter be For so to Neptune it seem'd good that he His heards of fish might under water guide And great Sea-calves He must in chaines be ti'de By thee my sonne to shew the cause thy Bees Are dead and give thee prosp'rous remedies Without compulsion he will nothing tell Nor can entreaties move him binde him well And hard and all his tricks will vanish soone When â—ol is mounted to his height at noone When grasse is dâ—y and cattell seeke the shade I le bring thee thither where thou shalt invade The aged Prophet when his private sleep He takes â—etired weary from the deep But when thou bind'st him to delude thine eyes In severall shapes he will himselfe disguise A scaly Dragon or fierce Tyger he Or Bore or tawny Lionesse will be Or take the noise and shew of fire to scape Or slide away in liquid waters shape But sonne the more in shapes he varyes still Be sure the harder hold thy cords untill Chang'd froÌ„ those figures that first shape h he keep In which thou saw'â—t him lying down to sleep This said sh' annoints the body of her sonne With sweete Ambrosian odours whence anone An heavenly ayre exhaled from his head And able vigour through his limbes was spread Within an eaten Mountaines hollow side Is a vast cave where water driven by tide Doth into turning guifes it selfe divide An harbour safe to storme-tost Marriners Within blew Proâ—eus under stony bars Shut up and guarded lyes Here far from sight In a darke nooke averted from the light Cyrene plac'd her sonne her selfe away Vanish'd obscur'd in clouds At noone of day When now the scorching dog-star from the sky The thirsty â—ndians burn'd the grasse was dry And the sun-beames as low as to the ground Boil'd luke-warm rivers though the most profouÌ„d Proteus from sea to this accustom'd ground Retires himselfe the scaly Nation round Playing about him faâ— salt dew do throw The Calves on shore do severally bestow Themselues to sleep whilst he upon a rock Amidst them fiâ—s and numbers all the flock Like to an Heard when from the mountains home Vnto their stals his Calves from feeding come And wolves are whetted with the lambs loud bleats When Aristaeus this occasion gets Scarce suffering the old Prophet to compose His weary limbes in with a shout he goes Vpon him straight and bindes him as he lyes He not unmindefull of his old devise All his strange shapes assumes in order ore A flaming fire a flood a tusked bore But when no cunning could procure his scape Vanquisht at last in his owne humane shape He speaks Who sent thee hither to my cave Thou bold young man or here what wouldst thou have Thou knowst my mind Proteus thou knowst quoth he Intend it not thou câ—nst not coâ—sen me Following the gods command hither come I For my lost goods to seek a remedie When thus he spake the Prophet much compell'd Scowling with his green eyes with anger swell'd And chaâ—ing thus at last gan prophecie The wrath of some great god doth follow thee For great misdeeds To thee this punishment Though not so great as thou deseru'st is sent From wretched Orpheus unlesse fares resist Who still in wrath for his dear wife persists When from thy lust she fled the never spy'd A water-snake by whose fell sâ—ing she dy'd Lurking upon the graslie banke But all The Dryades at her sad funerall Wept on the mountaines high Pangaea and The Rodepeian towerâ— and warlike land Of Rhaesus Hebrus and the Getes for wo Wept and Athenian Orythia too But he himselfe his sicke soule solacing Oft to his warbling instrument would sing Of thee sweet wife thou on the shore alone Morning and night wert subiect his mone He through the darke fearfull wood did