Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A12774
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Complaints Containing sundrie small poemes of the worlds vanitie. VVhereof the next page maketh mention. By Ed. Sp.
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Spenser, Edmund, 1552?-1599.
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1591
(1591)
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STC 23078; ESTC S111266
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76,727
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184
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in Greeks fleete to haue tynde For Ida selfe in ayde of that fierce fight Out of her mountaines ministred supplies And like a kindly nourse did yeeld for spight Store of firebronds out of her nourseries Vnto her foster children that they might Inflame the Nauie of their enemies And all the Rhetaean shore to ashes turne Where lay the ships which they did seeke to burne Gainst which the noble sonne of Telamon Opposd ' himselfe and thwarting his huge shield Them battell bad gainst whom appeard anon Hector the glorie of the Troian field Both fierce and furious in contention Encountred that their mightie strokes so shrild As the great clap of thunder which doth ryue The ratling heauens and cloudes asunder dryue So th' one with fire and weapons did contend To cut the ships from turning home againe To Argos th' other stroue for to defend The force of Vulcane with his might and maineâ— Thus th' one Aâ—acide did his fame extend But th' other ioy'd that on the Phrygian playne Hauing the blood of vanquisht Hector shedd He compast Troy thrice with his bodie dedd Againe great dole on either partie grewe That him to death vnfaithfull Paris sent And also him that false Vlysses slewe Drawne into danger through close ambushment Therefore from him Laërtes sonne his vewe Doth turne aside and boasts his good euent In working of Strymonian Rhaesus fall And efte in Dolons slye surprysall Againe the dreadfull Cycones him dismay And blacke Laestrigones a people stout Then greedie Scilla vnder whom there bay Manie great bandogs which her gird about Then doo the Aetnean Cyclops him affray And deep Charybdis gulphing in and out Lastly the squalid lakes of Tartarie And griesly Feends of hell him terrifie There also goodly Agamemnon bosts The glorie of the stock of Tantalus And famous light of all the Greekish hosts Vnder whose conduct most victorious The Dorick flames consum'd the Iliack posts Ah but the Greekes themselues more dolorous To thee ô Troy paid penaunce for thy fall In th' Hellespont being nigh drowned all Well may appeare by proofe of their mischaunce The chaungfull turning of mens slipperie state That none whom fortune freely doth aduaunce Himselfe therefore to heauen should eleuate For loftie type of honour through the glaunce Of enuies dart is downe in dust prostrate And all that vaunts in worldly vanitie Shall fall through fortunes mutabilitie Th' Argolicke power returning home againe Enricht with spoyles of th' Ericthonian towre Did happie winde and weather entertaine And with good speed the fomie billowes scowre No signe of storme no feare of future paine Which soone ensued them with heauie stowre Nereis to the Seas a token gaue The whiles their crooked keeles the surges claue Suddenly whether through the Gods decree Or haplesse rising of some froward starre The heauens on euerie side enclowded bee Black stormes and fogs are blowâ—n vp from farre That now the Pylote can no loadstarre see But skies and seas doo make most dreadfull warre The billowe striuing to the heauens to reach And th' heauens striuing them for to impeach And in auengement of their bold attempt Both Sun and starres and all the heauenly powres Conspire in one to wreake their rash contempt And downe on them to fall from highest towresâ— The skie in pieces seeming to be rent Throwes lightning forth haile harmful showres That death on euerie side to them appeares In thousand formes to worke more ghastly feares Some in the greedie flouds are sunke and drent Some on the rocks of Caphareus are throwne Some on th' Euboick Cliffs in pieces rent Some scattred on the Hercaean shores vnknowne And manie lost of whom no moniment Remaines nor memorie is to be showne Whilst all the purchase of the Phrigian pray Tost on salt billowes round about doth stray Here manie other like Heroës bee Equall in honour to the former crue Whom ye in goodly seates may placed see Descended all from Rome by linage due From Rome that holds the world in souereigntie And doth all Nations vnto her subdue Here Fabij and Dâ—cij doo dwell Horatij that in vertue did excell And here the antique fame of stout Camill Doth euer liue and constant Curtius Who stifly bent his vowed life to spill For Countreyes health a gulph most hideous Amidst the Towne with his owne corps did fill T' appease the powers and prudent Mutius Who in his flesh endur'd the scorching flame To daunt his foe by ensample of the same And here wise Curius companion Of noble vertues liues in endles rest And stout Flaminius whose deuotion Taught him the fires scorn'd furie to detest And here the praise of either Sâ—ipion Abides in highest place aboue the best To whom the ruin'd walls of Carthage vow'd Trembling their forces sound their praises lowd Liue they for euer through their lasting praise But I poore wretch am forced to retourne To the sad lakes that Phoebus sunnie rayes Doo neuer see where soules doo alwaies mourne And by the wayling shores to waste my dayes Where Phlegeton with quenchles flames doth burne By which iust Minos righteous soules doth seuer From wicked ones to liue in blisse for euer Me therefore thus the cruell fiends of hell Girt with long snakes and thousand yron chaynes Through doome of that their cruell Iudge compell With bitter torture and impatient paines Cause of my death and iust complaint to tell For thou art he whom my poore ghost complaines To be the author of her ill vnwares That careles hear'st my intollerable cares Them therefore as bequeathing to the winde I now depart returning to thee neuer And leaue this lamentable plaint behinde But doo thou haunt the soft downe rolling riuer And wilde greene woods and fruitful pastures minde And let the flitting aire my vaine words seuer Thus hauing said he heauily departed With piteous crie that anie would haue smarted Now when the sloathfull fit of lifes sweete rest Had left the heauie Shepheard wondrous cares His inly grieued minde full sore opprest That balefull sorrow he no longer beares For that Gnats death which deeply was imprest But bends what euer power his aged yeares Him lent yet being such as through their might He lately â—lue his dreadfull foe in fight By that same Riuer lurking vnder greene Eftsoones he gins to fashion forth a place And squaring it in compasse well beseene There plotteth out a tombe by measured space His yron headed spade tho making cleene To dig vp sods out of the flowrie grasse His worke he shortly to good purpose brought Like as he had conceiu'd it in his thought An heape of earth he hoorded vp on hie Enclosing it with banks on euerie side And thereupon did raise full busily A little mount of greene turffs edifide And on the top of all that passers by Might it behold the toomb he did prouide Of smoothest marble stone in order set That neuer might his luckie scape forget And round about he taught sweete flowres to growe The Rose engrained in
With violent swift flight forth caried Into the cursed cobweb which his foe Had framed for his finall ouerâ—hroe There the fond Flie entangled â—trugled long Himselfe to free thereout but all in vaine For striuing more the more in laces strong Himselfe he tide and wrapt his winges twaine In lymie snares the subtill loupes among That in the ende he breathelesse did remaine And all his yougthly forces idly spent Him to the mercie of th'auenger lent Which when the greisly tyrant did espie Like a grimme Lyon rushing with fierce might Out of his den he seized greedelie On the resistles pray and with fell spight Vnder the left wing stroke his weapon slie Into his heart that his deepe groning spright In bloodie streames foorth fled into the aire His bodie left the spectacle of care FINIS Visions of the worlds vanitie 1 ONe day whiles that my daylie cares did sleepe My spirit shaking off her earthly prison Began to entâ—r into meditation deepe Of things exceeding reach of common reason Such as this age in which all good is geason And all that humble is and meane debaced Hath brought forth in her last declining season Griefe of good mindes to see goodnesse disgraced On which wheÌ„ as my thought was throghly placed Vnto my eyes strange showes presented were Picturing that which I in minde embraced That yet those sights empassion me full nere Such as they were faire Ladie take in worth That wheÌ„ time serues may bring things better forth 2 In Summers day when Phoebus fairly shone I saw a Bull as white as driuen snowe With gilden hornes embowed like the Moone In a fresh flowring meadow lying lowe Vp to his eares the verdant grasse did growe And the gay floures did offer to be eaten But he with fatnes so did ouerflowe That he all wallowed in the weedes downe beaten Ne car'd with them his daintie lips to sweeten Till that a Brize a scorned little creature Through his faire hide his angrie sting did threaten And vext so sore that all his goodly feature And all his plenteous pasture nought him pleased So by the small the great is oft diseased 3 Beside the fruitfull shore of muddie Nile Vpon a sunnie banke outstretched lay In monstrous length a mightie Crocodile That cram'd with guiltles blood and greedie pray Of wretched people trauailing that way Thought all things lesse than his disdainfull pride I saw a little Bird cal'd Tedula The least of thousands which on earth abide That forst this hideous beast to open wide The greisly gates of his deuouring hell And let him feede as Nature doth prouide Vpon his iawes that with blacke venime swell Why then should greatest things the least disdaine Sith that so small so mightie can constraine 4 The kingly Bird that beares Ioues thunder-clap One day did scorne the simple Scarabee Proud of his highest seruice and good hap That made all other Foules his thralls to bee The silly Flie that no redresse did see Spide where the Eagle built his towring nest And kindling fire within the hollow tree Burnt vp his yong ones and himselfe distrest Ne suffred him in anie place to rest But droue in Ioues owne lap his egs to lay Where gathering also filth him to infest Forst with the filth his egs to fling away For which when as the Foule was wroth said Ioue Lo how the least the greatest may reproue 5 Toward the sea turning my troubled eye I saw the fish if fish I may it cleepe That makes the sea before his face to flye And with his flaggie finnes doth seeme to sweepe The fomie waues out of the dreadfull deep The huge Leuiathan dame Natures wonder Making his sport that manie makes to weep A sword-fish small him from the rest did sunder That in his throat him pricking softly vnder His wide Abysse him forced forth to spewe That all the sea did roare like heauens thunder And all the waues were stain'd with filthie hewe Hereby I learned haue not to despise What euer thing seemes small in common eyes 6 An hideous Dragon dreadfull to behold Whose backe was arm'd against the dint of speare With shields of brasse that shone like burnisht golde And forkhed sting that death in it did beaâ—e Stroue with a Spider his vnequall peare And bad defiance to his enemie The subtill vermin creeping closely neare Did in his drinke shed poyson priuilie Which through his entrailes spredding diuersly Made him to swell that nigh his bowells brust And him enforst to yeeld the victorie Thâ—t did so much in his owne greatnesse trust O how great vainnesse is it then to scorne The weake that hath the strong so oft foâ—lorne 7 High on a hill a goodly Cedar grewe Of wondrous length and streight proportion That farre abroad her daintie odours threwe Mongst all the daughters of proud Libanon Her match in beautie was not anie one Shortly within her inmost pith there bred A litle wicked worme perceiu'd of none That on her sap and vitall moysture fed Thenceforth her garland so much honoured Began to die O great ruth for the same And her faire lockes fell from her loftie head That shortly balde and bared she became I which this sight beheld was much dismayed To see so goodly thing so soone decayed 8 Soone after this I saw an Elephant Adorn'd with bells and bosses gorgeouslie That on his backe did beare as batteilant A gilden towre which shone exceedinglie That he himselfe through foolish vanitie Both for his rich attire and goodly forme Was puffed vp with passing surquedrie And shortly gan all other beasts to scorne Till that a little Ant a silly worme Into his nosthrils creeping so him pained That casting downe his towres he did deforme Both borrowed pride and natiue bâ—auâ—ie stained Let therefore nought that great is therein glorie Sith so small thing his happines may varie 9 Looking far foorth into the Ocean wide A goodly ship with banners brauely dight And flag in her top-gallant I espide Through the maine sea making her merry flight Faire blew the winde into her bosome right And th' heauens looked louely all the while That she did seeme to daunce as in delight And at her owne felicitie did smile All sodainely there cloue vnto her keele A little fish that men call Remora Which stopt her course and held her by the heele That winde nor tide could moue her thence away Straunge thing me seemeth that so small a thing Should able be so great an one to wring 10 A mighty Lyon Lord of all the wood Hauing his hunger throughly satisfide With pray of beasts and spoyle of liuing blood Safe in his dreadles den him thought to hide His sternesse was his prayse his strength his pride And all his glory in his cruell clawes I saw a wasp that fiercely him defide And bad him battaile euen to his iawes Sore he him stong that it the blood forth drawes And his proude heart is fild with fretting ire In vaine he threats his teeth his