Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A07324
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A continuation of Lucan's historicall poem till the death of Iulius Cæsar by TM
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May, Thomas, 1595-1650.; Lucan, 39-65. Pharsalia.; Cockson, Thomas, engraver.
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1630
(1630)
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STC 17711; ESTC S108891
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70,154
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154
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A CONTINVATION of Lucan's Historicall Poem till the death of IVLIVS CAESAR By T M London Printed for James Boler at the Signe of the Marigold in Pauls Church-yard 1630 TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY MONARCH CHARLES BY THE GRACE of God King of Great Brittaine France and Ireland c. SIR I SHOVLD haue taught my humble labors a lower presumption than to haue approached your sacred hand if I had onely weighed mine owne weaknesse and disabilitie but the dignitie of this subiect did somewhat encourage mee being a remainder of that great Historie whose former part was so richly dressed in the happie conceits and high raptures of that Noble LVCAN of whose abilitie in writing I was not so ambitious in emulation as officious in desire to continue so stately an argument for your Princely eare with what successe I haue performed it your MAIESTIES acceptation onely can determine to whom if it present but the least delight my end is accomplished for which I haue runne so great a hazard as perchance to be censured a foile onely to Lucan's lustre and chose rather to fall vnder the weight of a great argument than to present a meane one to so high a hand your Maiesties renowned worth and Heroicall vertues the perfection of minde meeting in you with the height of Fortune may make you securely delighted in the reading of great actions to whom I humbly present this weake Worke beseeching Almighty GOD long to establish your MAIESTIES Throne vpon earth enriching it with blessings of the right hand and the left and after to Crowne you with incorruptible Glorie So prayeth Your Maiesties most humble subiect THO. MAY. IOHANNIS SVLPITII Verulani querela de interitu Lucani opere nondum perfecto HAEC cecinit vates scripturus plura sed illum In medio cursu iussit mors dira silere Accidit vt cigno qui fixus arundine carmen Mille modis querulum quod caeperat interrumpit Nec Phaenix aliter cum sese imponit in altum Quem struit ipse rogum cantus dulcedine mira Nondum perfectos plaudenti morte relinquit Nec secus Ismariis vates oppressus in oris A Ciconum nuribus Superûm dum cantat amores Brutaque cum syluis saxa sequentia ducit Haud potuit moriens medios absoluere cantus Proh scelera Oh superi cruciat quae poena NeroneÌ„ Num rota num saxum num stagna fugacia vexant An vultur pendensue silex an feruet in vnda Illum comburat Phlegeton lacerentque Cerastae Hydra voret raptentque canes semperque flagellis Torua Megaera secet nec sit requiesque modusque Quanto fraudata est tua gloria plena nitore Corduba quamque minus te Mantua docta veretur Mantua cui primae fulget nunc gloria palmae Sed contenta tribus longè lacteris alumnis Tu verò O nostrum vates diuine laborem Quem pro te subij non auersate probabis THE COMPLAINT OF CALLIOPE AGAINST THE DESTINIES TOO cruell Sisters why againe am I Enforc'd to weepe and tax your tyranny Was not my Orpheus death though long agoe Enough for me to beare for you to doe Orpheus so much by all the graces lou'd Whose charming skill and matchlesse Musiâ—ke mou'd The sauage beasts the stones and senselesse trees Yet could not moue the harder Destinies J saw his limbes alas scattered abroad On Hebrus bankes while downe the siluer flood His learned head was rowl'd and all along Heard the sad murmurs of his dying tongue No other Tragedy but Lucan slaine By your vntimely stroke could thus againe Reuiue my griefe Oh could you not prolong That thread awhile vntill the stately song Of his Pharsalia had beene finish'd quite What sauage bird of prey what murdring Kite Could in the mid'st of that melodious lay Rauish the charming Nightingall away Thou sung'st no lusts no riots nor mad'st knowne Corrupting others manners with thine owne New crimes nor with lasciuious wantoning Did'st thou defile the sacred Thespian spring Thy verses teach no foule adulteries Nor rapes committed by the Deities Which may from guilt absolue the worst of men But actions great and true thy happie pen Adorning History with raptures high With quicke conceits and sound moralitie Condemn'd the strong iniustice of that age And reines too much let lose to ciuill rage When Rome the strength which she had made did feare No longer able her owne weight to beare Taxing bad greatnesse and in deathlesse verse Bestowing fame on Noble Sepulchers And had'st enobled moe but woe is me Th' vntimely stroke of death did silence thee Of which the griefe not onely vs inuades But diues into the blest Elysian shades Sadding the worthies there that so did long To fill a roome in thine eternall song There Cato thinkes and grieues it was deny'd If thou had'st liu'd how great he should haue dy'd The Roman Scipio did disdaine a Tombe On Libya's shore in hope to finde a roome Within thy stately Poem well content Saue there to haue no other Monument Those stately Temples where Great Caesar's name Shall be by Rome ador'd wanting the fame Which thy high lines might giue in time to come Shall enuy Pompey's small Aegyptian Tombe Had Iuba's Tragicke fall beene sung by thee 'T had eas'd the losse of his great Monarchy But that to them and vs did Fate deny That we the more might waile thy Tragedy A CONTINVATION of the Subiect OF LVCAN'S HISTORICALL POEM till the death of Iulius Caesar The first Booke The Argument of the first Booke Th'Aegyptians sue to Caesar for a peace Excuse their crime and craue their King's release The King restor'd by Caesar to his state Reuolts againe Euphranor's noble fate Ptolomey's vision from Serapis sent Foreshews the change of Aegypts gouernment The warre in Delta Caesars victory The ouerthrow and death of Ptolomey THe threatning Ocean now had spent in vaine His swelling spite and from the watery maine From Aegypts feeble Treason and the band Of Pharian slaues is Caesar safe at land Fill'd with reuenge and scorne arm'd with a rage Greater than Aegypts ruine can asswage His warre is now made iust but that great minde Too much disdaines so iust a cause to finde From such a State grieu'd that they durst afford Wrongs proud enough to call on Caesar's sword Or prouocation to his fury lend Whom Rome it selfe had trembled to offend And ru'd his anger at no cheaper rate Than Pompey's fall and ruine of the State How well could Rome excuse the gods aboue For Caesar's late-wrought safetie and approue Their fauour in it if no other State Had felt the force of his reuiued fate But Aegypts guilty land in that warre nought But iust reuenge for Pompey had beene wrought The willing Senate had with ioy decreed Honours for such a conquest for that deed From euery Towne th' Italian youth in throngs Had met his Charriot with triumphall songs Nor had great Pompey's spirit from the skie Repin'd at sight of that solemnitie That
Germany Treacherous Pharnaces and false Ptolomey All these has Fortune but deferr'd till now To ioyne with them proud Iuba's ouerthrow Great as the greatest and this held when done Confirmes or loses all that we haue wonne But 't were a crime to doubt it since I see Those lookes that neuer fail'd of victory Let you torne remnant of Pharsalia know Their Conquerours More would he say when loe From the right-wing not staying his command The Trumpets sound a charge and from their stand Although the Tribunes and Centurions striue To keepe them backe the Souldiers rush to giue The on-set straight nor them in vaine to stay Does Caesar striue but giues their courage way As when two Charriots are prepar'd to run And one too hasty from the list is gone In vaine the Charrioter their course would stay Th' vngouern'd Horses hurry him away Then with a rage as great as if two Seas Some god remouing for the Sailers ease The long Malaea should each other meet Both hosts incounter and begin the fight With horrid showts that all the Mountaines nigh Resound aloud and backe from Sicily High Lilybaeum to the Libyan shore Returnes againe their eccho'd clamours ore As much afray'd to harbour but the sound Of such a warre within that quiet ground Their noise not that of Thracian Boreas Among the Pines of Ossa can surpasse Nor that which Nilus falling water makes Precipitated downe the Cataracts When with his foame he seemes to laue the skie And strikes a deafenesse through the dwellers nigh Mischiefe and fury rage reuenge doth one Excite the other indignation That after Pompey's death the warre at all Should laste and finde another Generall Blood all th' adioyning fenne discolours ore And makes a flood where ne're was flood before And from the moisture of so many wounds Combines the mould of Affricks thirsty grounds Through both the hosts Enyo's blazing light Like fatall lightning flashing flies t' excite Their thoughts to fury the Tartarian god Set ope the vaults where Libyan ghosts abode And from th' infernall cauernes set them free To view a while this fatall Tragedy And glut their dire reuenge with Roman blood Vpon the Mountaines gloomy tops they stood Blasting the day and round about the hosts Making a balefull ring the cruell ghosts Of Iugurth Syphax and Great Hannibal Who for their owne and Carthages sad fall Did then excuse the gods when they beheld The Roman fury in that mortall field Yet in Romes ruine Libya suffers too More wracke alas shall this sad battell doe Than after-ages can repaire with ease More desolation now more wildernesse The wasted face of Affrick shall orespread And beasts possesse the seats of Nations dead Where feared Monarches once gaue Lawes to men Shall Lions reigne and Tygers make their dens The slimy Serpents all alone shall crawle And wanting men shall be no plague at all Caesar foreseeing th'Elephants that were In front of Iuba's battell would strike feare Into his troops doth such a cure prouide As quite conuerts vpon the other side The Fate that threatned his to the right wing His choicest bowes and missile armes he brings And sets them at faire distance opposite To th' Elephants who there begin the fight With such successe as makes those beasts to be The onely cause of Caesar's victory For gaull'd with shafts confusedly they run In spight of their distracted guides vpon Their owne vnhappie troops to sudden rout Putting all Iuba's quarter round about And bearing downe all that before them lay To Caesar's conquest make a speedy way Their mighty strength since now vngouerned Is by the hand of Fortune onely led And brings aduantage to that side alone Which she is pleased to bestow it on The Mauritanian and Numidian Horse Which there were plac'd by th' Elephants rude force Orethrowne were crush'd to death or headlong downe Into the trenches with their riders throwne Some few escaping by disorder'd flight The light-arm'd Souldiers mixt with these to fight Reft of their shelter now by heapes are slaine And to the foes a prey no warre remaine And tire as standing not to fight but die With their bare throats the murdring enemie Nought there alas can weake Bamurians doe With their fire-harden'd Darts nought can the Bow And poison'd Shafts the coale-blacke Mibian weares Auaile their Master vaine those brittle Speares Are in the hands of light Autololes And crooked Swords of th' Adyrmachides The weake Cyniphians finde that skinnes of Goats Are too light armour to protect their throats When Brasse and Iron no defence affords Against the force of the Caesarian Swords The purple field so great a slaughter strowes Blood from so many different people flowes That while King Juba takes a sad suruey In how great breadth his Empires ruine lay No priuate deaths distinguishing at all He scarce can count how many Nations fall Nor does he thinke his Campe after so great An ouerthrow can be a safe retreat But leauing that to greedy enemies A wealthy spoile he with Petreius flies King Juba's Campe by the pursuing foe Is soone possest and the Caesarians know Before their victory be fully done How great a prize their bloody toiles haue wonne But Fortune where th' Italian legions fought And Scipio stood had not so quickly wrought Her Caesar's ends there strength by strength repell'd And fury ioyn'd with equall fury held The ballance straight whilst doubting victory Seem'd not a while resolued whose to be Or else deferr'd it onely to declare That highest fury reignes in ciuill warre That countrey men in fight are cruell'st foes Or greatest courage from worst causes growes On equall hopes they both engaged were And in no quarter of the warre but here Did it at all into a question come What should be Romes estate or Caesar's doome Nor was the question here determined Till with his Libyan cohorts Varus fled And Labienus too when he beheld His slaughter'd Gaules and Germans strow the field Reseru'd a while by Destinies to see Another ruine great as this to be A bleeding part of Romes third mortall wound And lie enterr'd in Munda's fatall ground As long meant Fortune to prolong their fall As Rome with Caesar could contend at all Scipio perceiues his army ouerthrowne And now the losse irreparable growne Horror distracts his thoughts what should he doe Suruiue this battell and not rather goe Vpon the Swords and there in height of all His honour die as Romes chiefe Generall And by the ruine of so great a name Enoble Caesar's conquest Or giue fame To Thapsus fatall field For what has Fate Power to bestow on such a wretched State That can at all his minde to liue inuite With this resolue in fury of the fight Had Scipio dy'd but flattring hope withheld Euen such as from Pharsalia's mortall field Made Pompey flie to meet a sadder Fate His eager soule that the afflicted State Though seeming dead after this fatall hower Might once more struggle against Caesar's power Then mounted on a