The mangled ships not fearing to be drencht Gladly take breaches thereby to be quencht But now thou Tisiphonc infernall Muse Rouzing thy selfe from Stygian sleepe peruse The various Images of dreary Fate Hapning in this sad Fight and Intimate Them to my mind which well I thinke agree Not with a sweete and heauenly Muse but thee Th' Industrious Pilot sitting at the sterne VVhere in a little card he can discerne The vast vncertainetie of Neptunes haunt Ruling swift ships by powerfull Adamant Here as he sits retir'd and watchfull minds The frequent change of two and thirty winds Comes an vnruly shot and him doth force To certaine death change his vncertaine course So he that wont stern blasts in truce to bind Could not foresee when he should loose his wind From stormes and Mists of Death he could not free Himselfe who wont the Tempests curbe but he Who bearding Neptune vs'd on th' Ocean float Is now controll'd in Charons little boat The Master ranging vp and downe the Deck And wounded mortally to him doth beck His Mate who hasting to his ayd in vaine Is there together with the Maister slaine And at once ended with him his liues Date Proouing himselfe truely the Masters Mate The Trumpetter with braue reuiuing sound Quickning their dying harts is fell'd toth ' ground And as in 's mouth he still the brasse did wield His dying breath made it a dead march yeeld And hauing lent his Trumpet so much breath In 's life it turn'd him some againe at 's death The Drummer with his nimble hand repeating His doubled blowes without compassion beating His harmlesse drum which seem'd with groning cry To murmur at his Maisters cruelty Sodenly two rash bullets rudely come Tearing both skin of drumer and the Drum Drummer of life of sound the Drum 's bereft So Drum and Drummer both are speechles left The Gunner as with nimble hast he runs To fire his seldome-vaine-reporting Guns His head a leaden-winged bullet hits And his hard braine-pan into peeces splits He of a thousand this alone might vaunt That of his death he was not ignorant And this true riddle might of him abide He liued once by 's Death by 's life now dide Here comes a Captaine with vndaunted face Encouraging his souldiers to the Chace And being about to say be braue and bold An vntaught bullet rudely bids him hold And as death's mist in his dull eyes did wander Beseeching ayd he left to be commander And he whose voice from fainting thought to call them By 's dying grone doth fearefully apall them This leader faithfull to his vtmost breath Can onely now lead them the way to Death See how to steale the wauing flagg one climbs Vp by the cards but being espied betimes Tangled i' th' ropes he is of life bereft And so is hang'd for his intended Theft But the cords burnt wherin his leggs were bound He gets a Pirats death both hang'd and drown'd Some vnder hatches closed in despaire Mount vp their foes with powder into the aire Which done it seem'd a strange prodigious sight A troupe of armed men to maske the light It seemeth yet that they no damage meant 'em Who the next way vp into heauen sent 'em Making them flie beyond Dae dalian skill In the vast aire without a winged quill Giuing to them a strange vnwonted death Who hauing aire too much yet wanted breath See see the lot of sad Mortality Our chiefest help 's helpe oft to Miserie Some men who came secure from future harmes Inroll'd in well-proou'd steely clothed armes Fall by mischance into the sea 's dire hand Whence being vnarm'd they might haue sworn to land Their armes doe sinke and without mercy end 'em So kill'd by that which chiefly should defend ' em One with his Musket ready to giue fire Aymes at another aduerse Muskettier But his match missing fire hee 's forc't to die By the others matches true fidelity By which he di'de can scarc'ly well be knowne Whether by th' others Musket or his owne See there a Coward wanting heart t' abide The daunting face of the fierce aduerse side Slinketh behind the next not caring whither Comes a mad shot and kill 's 'em both together Praise him in this for though his life outdar'd him To equall th' other yet his death compar'd him Neuertheles if truly ye doe mind him As in his life in 's death he came behind him One seeming now his side begin to faile Shew's them their colours while himselfe lookes pale Sure by this man some Omen ill was showne To keepe their colours who could loose his owne Those men who chanced in the ships to fall The cruell sea was made their buirall And into th' waues without remorse were throwne Poore men slaine by their foes drownd by their owne A Fisherman who nigh them cut the Maine Sitting in 's boate was with a bullet slaine And the barke fir'd wherein he dead did fall Which gratis burnt gaue him his Funerall True to thy Maister kind boat who with him Didst oft in life and now in death do'st swim With him aliue in water that didst tire Thy waue-beat sides dy'st now with him in fire Yet me thinks thou shouldest not deserue this turne Who so oft plung'd with him which shouldest burne Yet saile with him t' Elysium saile the faster In Carons stead that thou maist waft thy Maister Strang Boat which thus we not amisse may call His Life Death Charon and his Funerall A Noble man that was a Renegate While he against his King doth boldly prate A shot takes off his head as if t were reason That he should be beheaded for his Treason A baser fellow while he dares complaine And raile against his once owne Soveraigne A true Liege-man as he thus boldly brags Striketh him vp and his vile body drags About the ship and while he vainely begs Remosles cutteth off his armes and legs And thinking then to throw him in the tide Hee 's caught vpon an Anchor on the side That one beholding rightly might haue sed He iustly was hang'd drawne and quartered Some fearing swords into the sea doe flie And so for feare of death feare not to die Some fall into the Ocean stain'd with gore Which from their former wounds had gusht before Which kill'd not them as it from them was spil'd But entring into them againe th' are kil'd Heere 's one about to strike his foe doth fall Into the sea before he can recall His erring stroke striking the sea to stay him The Ocean in revenge o' th blow doth slay him One fearing death doth faine to die and bleed And while he is in faining dies indeed Another being about to strike his foe Looseth at once his arme and threatning blow His left arme shiuering reaches at the other But cut atwaine lies with it's equall Brother Both ioyn'd though both devided as in spight Of Death they meant to part their last good-night By shaking hands the miserable truncke As loth to part
to tell the crimes Openly which were acted in those times To liue in Court I nere so high could rise How should I then begin to satyrize Nor am I yet so wicked as to bee Experienc't in all iniquity Which satyrists must scourge I shall in time May be vnto the gall of satyres climbe If this cannot content their quenit enquiry Tell 'em thou hast a brazen pen with fiery Full fled'gd heart-goring wings a stubborne pen Not to be spent on paper but on men With inke steep't full of bitter gall Now flie Vpon the wings of humble modestie And thy selfe happy herein vnderstand That thou must come to such a Heroes hand Whose onely name can free thee from the hate Of vulgar preiudice and vindicate Thee from the Lethe of obliuion Thus Wishing to thee some lucky Genius Farewell my Muse and think 't a shame to rush Into the world and seene there once to blush NAVMACHIA Or the Poeticall Description of a Bloody Sea-fight AS the Sun once lift vp his burning Lampe On top of hils and fiery steeds gan stampe Along the blew-floor'd skie the Charriotier Made his firce horses run a full Carreir He whipt 'em on so that their blood there shed Made the cleare Balcon of the East looke red He posted on as if he meant not stay To make a Summer but a winters day Or as if he had wager'd that his teame Sooner than wont should souze in western streame The steeds themselues with speed vnvsuall flie As frighted at this sea-bred Prodigie There came along cutting deepe Neptunes brow A misty masse to call 't I know not how Whether a running Towne or wauing Wood Or moouing Delos tumbling on the Flood Which seene a farre scud on the watry way Prodigious Affrick seemd or Asia Who getting Neptunes Pas-port came to see Their Sister Europe in her brauery At whose approch the curled billowes rore And as it comes fearefully roll before Th' oppressed tower-like Whales lie bellowing vnder That Neptune seemes t' vsurpe his brothers thunder The silent Fish presaging future bloud Against their kind run frighted into th' mud And had they wings would from the Sea haue broken And but for churlish nature would haue spoken To manifest their feare yet what they might They fled apace to shun the dreadfull sight And flying from the Sea in trembling shiuers With their thicke sholes pester'd the lesser riuers The Oceans King feeling such weight on 's backe With leaning on his Trident made it cracke Had it not been immooveable they say The earth this time would faine haue fled away Th' amazed shore as the fleet neere sounds Almost forgot to keep 's ordained bounds The earth and shore so trembling you 'd ha sayd Feare not inclosed winds this Earth-quake made Fame with her feet on earth and head i' th' spheares With wings plum'd full of wonderment and feares Flies ore the land and forth her rumours blazes And with increasing dire reports amazes The stoutest courages still as she goes Sh' augments the power and valour of the foes Tel's of strange engines instruments and whips Framed to act their cruelty and ships Prodigious bigge vizards and murthering Kniues Butcherly malls for slaughter Halters Giues And all the men like Giants Thus she flies Increasing still the Terrour and with lies Makes a true feare and ere it was well spide She sweares the fleet in such a place did ride And all the men were landed such a towne Was battered and such a castle downe Another Citty without doubt was ta'ne And at the winning of it more men slaine Then it contain'd Thus monstrous Fame doth range her And maketh feare more fearefull then the danger And thus as Fame her flying terrour doubles Each diuers state is wract with dâ—uers troubles Great men doe feare that they here-by shall fall Which the poore man doth hope to rise withall The peaceable do hereby feare annoyment The needy Ding-thrift hereby hopes imployment The Coward this way feareth he shall die The valiant looke for immorâ—ality The louing Wife doth feare her Husbands life And he as much is troubled for his Wife Stout old men wish that they were young againe Base young men wish that they in age were ta'ne Women for feare weepe out their tender eyes Dumpe Infants almost answer to their cryes In all the disagreement which is here They all agree in this that all doe feare The Beacons now were fir'd as if the flame Euen here a contrarity did claime Against the water whose prodigious light Men feard on land as in a stormy night The Sailers feare Orion which but seene Pronounces vnto Mariners the teene Of angry clouds And now those noble Spirits Whose onely ayme is by their haughty merits To out-liue fate and for their Countries good Thinke it a glory to powre forth their blood Meete all together as deuote to giue Their owne liues that their Countrymen may liue Thus in all ages and we still may trie Of life the worthi'st readiest are to die Who hasting to their ships in speed begin To shew the aduerse party should not win Without resistance shewing there were made Men as well to defend as to invade Our Admirall breath 's forth a stout All-arme The aduerse fleet Ecchoed rebounding Arme. As when by sound of hollow brasse or tin The scatterd bees buzzing with murmurous din Throng in one heape to some well-branched tree Leauing their sweet and harmelesse the every And so by craft betray'd are in a trice Captiu'd all in their narrow Edifice Thus at their Captaines voice the vulgar sort To their assigned stations resort With quicke confused hast the tumult 's led And speed by too much speed is hindered All to their charge with trembling boldnes run With quaking hand one charges first his Gun Another girds his threatning sword on 's side Some clasps their steelie Helmets sheilds are tied On trembling armes apace that one might then Haue thought th' had been all mouing Iron men And now the Martiall steely-pointed staues Were snatch't in hast the heauy murdring Glaues Bowes bent to slaughter weighty Courtelaxe And Darts Death's Harbingers the black bill axe And other armes which before rusting stood But now are brought forth to be skour'd with blood Our saile-wing'd fleet launcheth fro' th' shore now eased Of it's dread burden nor was th' earth more pleased To see from her one hideous terrour past That grieu'd to see another come as fast One might haue thought the battell was begun To see how Neptune first was thorough run How the sterne brasse his curled forehead tore And trembling waues were strucke by cruell oare Each Fleet the Captaines had deuided soone Into the formes of the halfe-circled Moone But as their furious hornes together met These two halfe-moones a full Moone did beget Which like to that in Heauen as it did goe Made the fleet waters strangely Ebbe and Flow. Now as with proud aduance they neerer came Those beasts which gaue the saile-rul'd vessels name With an
body ' gainst another here one skips Into his enemies deck but beaten back He leaps to 's owne of which if so he lacke He fall's in sea much like a wave whose head By vrging winds vnto the shore is led And thence by brest of the oft-drowned shore Taking a blunt repulse for spight doth rore And staggering runs backe and is this all Ambition aymes at in the way to fall Their tired sences labour'd in such wise That they grew dull with too much excercise Their troubled eyes viewing such gastly sights Wisht that sad darkenesse cancell'd all their hights That horrid noise the battell made was such Hearing heard nothing ' cavse it heard so much Tast is of death ranke blod pollutes the smell What feeling felt they all did feele too well Such a confusion racks their senses here Th' had Reason now to wish they sencelesse were Grim death in purple stalkes vpon the hatches With pale and griesly lookes see how he snatches Hundreds a once vnto him till the dreary Lean-face't ill-favord Death of death grew weary See on the sea how thousand Bodies float From their great ships hasting to Charons Boat Which crabbed Skuller now might thinke it meet His old-torne Boate should be new-chang'd a Fleet. The tumults noise pierc't the blew-arched skie The chrystall Aire fill'd with a deadly crie Onely in this was blest as blowes abounded It could be euer cut yet neuer wounded The silent Earth glad that shee was debarr'd From this sad Fight yet inwardly was heard The dreadfull strokes rebounding loud to mone And Eccho made her yeeld a hollow grone But this cause chiefly made her most to raue That to her due the sea should prooue a graue Neuer did strong-breath't Aeolus disturbe The sea so much When he can hardly curbe His madding pages when they raging muster To quarrell with the waues or whistling bluster Among the well-set trees and branched bowgh's Singing through chinks of some decayd house Nor sterne Orion with his stormy light Appalling shipmen doth so much affright The soone moov'd sea as did this battels noise Which Neptune answer'd with his bellowing voice Who as the Fleet 's vrg'd neerer to the strand Which tumbling pace ran frighted vp the sand That had not bounds restrain'd his element His watery vaile had cloth'd the Continent The fearefull winds on th' Ocean durst not rome But least they should be smother'd kert at home And there sat sighing Clouds their rane doe keepe Though ready at the battells sight to weepe Least their pure drops with gore-blood should be staind So that no winds blew nor from heauen it rain'd Maruaile not yet at tempests on the flood So many teares stream'd and such streames of blood Nor without winds are waues to be admir'd So many grones and dyings brea'ths expir'd The Oceans skaly silent wandring nation Seeing pale armed troups inuade the station Of their vast kingdome downe the sanguine flood Fearefully glide fearing their future food The tender Nymph's who with their siluer feete Vse on the plaines of crisped Thetys meete Where tripping prettely th' are wont to dance Themselues into a heauenly slwmbring trance Of sweet repose at these in humane shocks With haire all torne creepe into th' hollow rockes Wher shrouded they to meditate began No rocke so flinty as the heart of man The rocks though alwaies struck by waters fury The rockes yet patient beare this iniury Yea Thetis selfe whose woombe enriched bare That fearefull Thunder of the Troian war Stubborne Achilles who in fight did win Such glory wisht that warr 's had neuer bin So she with all her trembling watery peers Augment the brinish sea with brinish teares Ships now begin to burne that one might see Neptunes and Vulcans consangunity Yea now these ships which free from water stood Strangly begin to sinke with humane blood Which as from thence with fearefull gush it ran Fill'd vp the wrinkles of the Ocean Making with purpose gastly gored hue Of one Red sea which was before now two Which sea so full of Dead it hence might come Well to be called Mare Mortuum The quaking ships with murmuring guns are rent Whose wounded sides the gored streames doe vent Of dead and wounded men who lay therein As if they had their Beeres or coffin's bin They lay therein and as the ships did goe Seem'd bloody bloodles dead and mooving too The furious fire with flames doth vndermine The towring Mast made of the lofty Pine So that same tree which oft hight's Nuptiall's Now Cypresse-like doth burne at Funerall's And eaten by the galling flames at last Fall's downe the huge high heauy weighted Mast And as great things are wont fell not alone Killing a troupe nor of it's foes but owne The tacklings sail 's and cables now doe burne And fire casts Anchors neuer to returne About their eares the whistling bullets sung And wandring wild-fire made th' affrighted throng Croud into corners speedily and they That durst stand men to sensles fire giue way As when with in the fat Trinacriansoile Inflamed Aetna doth begin to boile When nak't Pyracmon with his round-ey'd fellowes Sweatinh heaue vp their huge strong-breathed bellowes Thundring vpon their steeled Anviles top To furnish armour for their smoaky shop Their pondrous hammers and redoubling makes Enceladus belch out his sulph'ry flakes Of veng-full wrath then may you see blackesmoke Vomiring out wrapt in a pitchy cloke And the hard bowels of the mountaine torne By fetter'd fire with a strange bounding borne Vp to the cloulds whose fearefull fall to shun The neighbouring people with a maz'ment run To shroudin'g Dens hiding them closely vnder Fearing from high and from below a thunder Then did th' inhumane battels fury rage Nor could the sea th' increasing flames asswage And Mars himselfe in Adamantine armes With a hoarse voice rores out against all-armes He that would now haue travailed to hell Might haue seene weary sweating Charon well In feruent labour with his mossy oares Tugging pale shaddowes to th' ore-swarmed shores Which on the bancks as they lamenting crept Wailing Cocytus in compassion wept Acheron flow'd with griefe and as they say Lethe it selfe could neuer forget this day The Furies whin'd by Plutoes Iudgement cast Who sware their rage was farre by men surpast One coming heere might tired Clotho spie How she could fearse her weary arm 's apply To turne the wheele and Lachesis repine Who sware she could not threds of mortalls twine So fast as they were cut you might haue seene Atropos raging with remorsles teene And seeking each where for some greetty stone To whet her sheeres whose edge was dulled growne With too much cutting of their fatall thread Whose haples liues this gastfull battell shed Fire now and water did not each contend But seeme their power so mutually to lend That at this time there many a one became Burn't in the sea and drowned in the flame This one good hap to carkasses did fall Th' had fire to burn 'em at their funerall
fainting vpon them sunke One seeing them together thus might say There a whole bodie all in peeces lay See two with sturdy grapple striuing whether Should overcome both fall in sea together Embracing both till they haue lost their breath And seeme though foes in life yet friends in death Two brothers slaine as they together stood One then might sweare they were allied in blood Other two who so nigh resembling were A lov'd mistake vnto the parents deare Cruell death sever'd them and that one left Poore parents knew of errour now bereft He left eternall cause of griefe renewes Who still aliue still his dead brother shew's And yet to them this comfort still he giues Th' one cannot die so long as th' other liues The wounded souldiers now that all else failes To stop their wounds doe teare their woful sailes Poore men who after they were overthrowne Had torne those wings wherby they might haue flown One with his bleeding ready to expire Thinks with his blood to quench the ship on fire And so in mids of flames he bleeding stands Tearing new wounds with his kind cruell hands And grieu'd to see his blood so little profit He oft adds teares to helpe the quenching of it Till at last fainting he is faine to fall Into the sea which made his Funerall And bleeding in it from each mangled lim He quenched it and it extinguish't him See a poore wretch with both armes cut asunder Distracted leapt into the water vnder Meaning to swim but see the wofull wretch With how much toile he laboureth to stretch His raw-veind stumps which for his armes before Gush nothing now but streames of deadly gore Faine would he catch t'vphold his wavering life Some kind remaine o' th ship but all his strife Doth make him sooner to be out of breath And wanting armes he yet embraces death One getteth this by hauing lost his eies In that he cannot see his miseries Anothers legges are gone that who him sees Might thinke he did begge pardon on his knees What refuge now is left when if they shun Th' approaching sword into the fire they run Shunning the fire they into waterfall So no way wants a certaine Funerall Thus after strange vnheard of sort they lie And death by many deaths makes one man die The mangled ships no longer can withstand Th'intruding sea and Mars his fiery brand But sinking downward one might then haue thought Them gone t' helpe Charon to waft ore his fraught The conquer'd fleet prickt now with desperate stings Of horror wish their army did of wings Onely consist but now as if it stood Tyed with fast anchors to the stubborne flood Mooues not away but void of all instruction Venter their owne to hasten the destruction Of their once Maisters who into corners creepe As among Wolues a flocke of trembling sheepe Much like a silly Doue whose broken wing Hath tried the Talons of the aiery King And lieth panting on the bloody ground Striving to flie from 's enemies rebound Alas poore bird it wants that winged oare Which should it's wonted scape to it restore And so at length with silent patience crouching It 's made a prey to the fierce bird encroching Thus fleet and bird lie i' th same wofull plight Whose onely wish is to be put to flight The Sunne no longer could endure to see ' Mongst humane men such inhumanity Therefore his Horses bathing in their fome With posting speed hast to their watrie home Where yet a while they all amazed flood Finding in stead of Sea a Sea of Blood FINIS