Phaebus said words Boreas are but wind But let experience judge then thou shalt find Who strongest is That Travellour behold Muster Riphaean blasts and Russian cold And take from him his upper weed that cloak Which trembled at each breath now while you spoak But if thou canst not leave the task to me And sease comparing with a Deity Here he a Cloud unfolds which like a pack Bore winds to sel to Witches at his back .. And at one soupe he treasures in his mouth Drie Northern vapours and the dropsid-South Adding case shot of new created Haile His swelling cheeks made frighted Seamen pale But on the Man he fals with all his power And round beleagures with a suddain shower Storms him with whirl-wind lin'd with biting cold Yet all in vain he faster kep't his hold What rent huge branches from a sturdie Oke Could not devorce the crafty from his cloak Who fight with Heaven with Wooll must keep out death Then Boreas fainting ask'd sometime to breath When Phaebus smil'd and bid the weary rest This said his brows he with much glory drest And at the Travellour a whole Quiver shot Of fiery darts he warms first then grows hot From pores exhausted Briny Rivers flow He takes short breath at last he scarce could goe Weary and faint then resting in the shade Throws by his Cloak and Phaebus victor made Then said the God Boreas thou art but voice Great actions are not carried on by noise What Ranters nor loud blustering can obtain A fancie or facetious jest may gain They that contend they should not only know The Forces but the Cunning of the Foe Valour and Strength though Warriors great submit To Counsell and th' Almighty power of Wit Then Northern Boreas saw himself a Fool And was resolv'd to put his Sons to School MORALL Loud threatnings make men stuborn but kind words Pierce gentle Breasts sooner than sharpest Swords To Rant and Mouth is not so neer away To Cheat your Brother as by Yea and Nay 66 THE SIXTIE SIXTH FABLE Of the Woolf and the Lamb. GReat seed of Mars O Romulus who art My Grand-sires foster-Brother aid impart If ere you at a she Woolfs bosome hung If her life-saving Milk made you so strong And fierce If ere those hands she fashiond with her tongue Laid Wals which after rul'd the Universe Then for her sake send help I and my tender Whelp Are like to Die Ah for some Food A little Blood We crie Help thou that art the Wolves great Deity Scarce were his prayers ended when he spi'd A Bearded Goat and Lamb walk side by side Then said the glad Woolf I am heard this Lamb To me a Present from Rome's founder came Shee 's fat Her Guardian is more dangerous than the Ram And his known prowesse I have try'd of late The fortune of all fights Are doubtfull I le use slights Then loud he cries Good Mistrisse Lamb As is your Dam Be wise And leave that stinking Letcher I advise Seekst thou sweet Milk from ranck He-Goats to get Return poor Innocent to thy Mothers teat There at extended Udders take thy fill Kids drain their Dams the Lamb her Mother still Beside Such Masters of the Flocks are counted ill That rough Goats not from fleecy Sheep divide Sweet Lamb forsake this Goat Go to thy Mother's coat The neerest way Is through the Woods Where tender Buds You may Gather and you and I in shade will play Then said the Bleater know Sir Woolf I am To follow the instructions of my Dam My Parents Counsell and not yours obey She bid me with this armed Father stay The Counsell of our friends Too oft have byast ends But when a Foe Shall give advice The Lamb 's so wise To know Some Plot may be to work her overthrow MORALL Youth that must travell carefull Tutors need Lest Gods commands their Parents and their Creed Should shaken by strange tenets be and they Return worse principled than put to Sea 67 THE SIXTIE SEVENTH FABLE Of the Oke and the Reed THe four winds musterd up winds four times seaven From all their Horizontick seats in Heaven Thirtie two brethren did at once conspire Because the Sacred Oke was free By Jove's decree Both from Celestiall fire And thunder On her to wreak their spight And in one hideous night T' extirp and ruin quite And all her Boughs and verdant leaves to Plunder To the Skies Arbiters since shee 'll not bend They are resolv'd up by the roots to rend Stout Eurus mounts his steeds on Northern Hags Rough Boreas rides black Auster sable Bags And fowl Borachio's fill'd i th' Southern main Bright Zephyre now comes muffled up And in his troop Did bring a Heuricane To render They all at once discharge Huge armes and branches large ' Gainst Sun and Wind a targe From their proud fury could no more defend her But with a mighty ruin branch and root Groning her last lights at the Mountain Foot From whence down on the Rivers back she swims Which the fowl night had sweld above the Brims Catching her Boughs a small Reed stop'd her way The haplesse Oke not yet quite dead Then rais'd her Head And to the Reed did say I wonder That thou shouldst scape last night Who scarce canst stand upright So huge a tempests spight And art not rent like wretched me asunder Trusting my own strength I from Rocks was torn And to ridiculous winds am now a scorn The gentle Reed then softly whispering said I am not of the greatest storm affraid When raging Winds among themselves contend What way they hurrey through the Skie That course lye I And flexible doe bend I mervaile How you so long kept up Disdaining still to stoop To that all-conquering troop Which wracks tall Ships drowns the stoutest Carvell I to the strongest yield what ever chance All fortunes vanquish'd are by sufferance MORALL Though strong resist not a too potent foe Madmen against a violent torrent row Thou maist hereafter serve the Common-weale Then yield till time shall latter Acts repeale 68 THE SIXTIE EIGHTH FABLE Of Jupiter and the Asse JOve thou who viewst from thy Emperiall Skie And pittiest oft a Worme or injur'd Fly Leaving to Fate That Supreme State The March and Muster of the Golden Stars And to inconstant Fortune Princes Wars Without advice of thy great Counsell send And well thou mayst aid to th' oppressed Asse Me from the Gard'ners tyranny defend Father of Men and Gods So heavy are my loads That though my Ribs were Steel my Shoulders Brasse I in a little space Must yield to cruell death O change my place or stop my vitall breath The Gard'ners Asse to mighty Jove thus pray'd Who streight did bind him to another trade A Tyller now His back did bow And him with what whole roofs must cover loads Through deep ways lashing and far longer roads When thus to Jove the Beast again did pray Thou who from slavery broughtst the Golden Asse And didst prefer to
see no more than moles But when our Master enters I advise That close thou lye for he hath Argos eys To scape from him that is a work a task Would all the shifts of subtile Proteus aske Scarce said but in the buisy master came And first his servants negligence did blame Gathers the offals did the litter spread The labouring yoke-mates with his own hands fed Here there he pries and searcheth every part Three fathome under Hay he finds the Hart. Glad of the prize aloud for ayd he cals Streight on the Deer a troup of rusticks fals No hope of quarter he with weeping eys Chief mourner was at his own obsequies MORALL When urgent dangers presse 't is hard to shun Sterne Fortune loves to end as she begun On Fear and Haste bad Counsell still attends Let none seek refuge from unable friends 38 THE EIGHT AND THIRTIETH FABLE Of the Lyon that was sick THrough all the Forrest was a rumour spread The King the Lyon's Sick some report Dead No sooner was it trumpeted by fame But wild and tame From all parts came With countenances sad Though inly glad A mighthy throng at the Court gates appear But slie Sir Reynard was not there To whom the King thus with a Porcupins quill Writ on a leaf Dear Cosen I am ill And your advice now want to make my will If you suspect but fear is causelesse Sir Danger at Court alas I cannot stir The holy Woolf here teacheth Heavens commands Grim Malkin stands Wringing her hands The Lamb and Tyger sit Both at my feet But none of these can comfort us like you You shall not friend your comming rue Ah let me see thee ere my eys doe fail You oft have help'd me oft your wisdoms tail Made on the ground my Parliament robes to trail To whom the subtile Fox repli'd again That he to Heaven would pray his Soveraign May former health recover and once more From shore to shore Be heard to rore And with his voice to make The Forest shake But to obey his will must be deni'd Because he many tracts espi'd Of visitants repaird to 's Royall den But saw no Print of those return'd agen His Majesty must pardon him till then MORALL Not too much credence to Kings letters give In flowrie Eloquence black Serpents live Conster th' ambiguous words and wary read For I le advance that 's ile take off thy head 39 THE NINE AND THIRTIETH FABLE Of Cupid and Death CUpid too carefull of his Mother's task Roving all day did wound a thousand hearts With golden or with leaden pointed darts At night his sport persuing to a mask Where he is Quiver empties and supplies Again from beauteous Ladies eys While they in comely motion act their parts What Nymphs are these some whisper others aske What Goddesse now appears and as the' admire Active and fierce desire Seaven couples shoots at once with mutuall fire And ere nights wheels could the Meridian cut There thousands more the God to torture put The same day Death had at a cruell fight As buisy been and mighty slaughter made She and blind Chance on both sides double plaid Then the grim Angell visits Towns by night Now weary and grown late Death could not well Reach the Adamantine Gates of Hell Where Plague War Famine her Companions laid On Iron Couches trembling Ghosts affright Nor could blind Cupid Paphos find so dark The skie was grown no spark In all Heavens face to give the boy a mark At one Inne therefore two great Furies lay Till Sleep Death's elder brother both obey Nor Death long rests her weary bones but wakes Not cleering well her eys which were two coals That cast Malignant beams from gloomie hoals She Cupid's Quiver for her own mistakes And hungry out she flys to Countries far To Breakfast at a Massacer Nor long the Boy from torturing lovers souls Cessation made but out with speed he makes And storms with deadly arrows Mirtle groves Where perch'd his Mother's Doves Where cunning lovers lose to find their loves There while the youth did Cyprian Vigils keep Death seals their eys up in eternall sleep Then through the world a mighty change appears When the curld youth whom Love and Beauty lead Under pale Ensigns muster with the dead Sad Verse and Garlonds fix'd to Virgin Beers While in a dance up the long bedrid leaps And Beldams mince with wanton steps And their pale cheeks with borrow'd blushes spread False Lillys trenches fill plowd up with years Whom Death had mark'd for suddain funerals Now for his Violl calls And old remembring makes new madrigals This hath a Son that hath a Daughter dead And their house cleer'd the lusty Parents wed But while this Trage-Comedie was plaid Of Error long a youth more happy saw When to his eare the God did aiming draw A shaft at him and thus to Cupid pray'd O hold thy arrow tipd with Charnell bone And shoot me with a golden one Thy Darts are wing'd with Death ' gainst Natures Law See in the Groves what slaughter thou hast made Must the world end must all our youth be slain Must feeble age again Recruite the losse then let the Gods ordain That Winter marrying with North winds be bound To make with sharp Frosts pregnant barren ground Admonish'd thus he looks about and spi'd Old men and Matrons dancing in a ring And joyfull Paeans to Lov 's Mother sing While arm in arm sad youthfull lovers di'd Streight the mischance Cupid to Death makes known Requiring to return his own But Death in various Conquests taking pride Reserv'd some featherd with the Sparrows wing And left him others dipt i' th' Stygian Lake From whence rose the mistake That when sweet love Virgins and Youth should make It proves sad wils and Old folks one Leg have In wanton Sheets he other in the Grave MORALL Age burns with Love while Youth cold ague shakes And Nature oft her principles mistakes So suffers Youth in Ages cold imbrace As living men to dead bound face to face 40 THE FORTIETH FABLE The Parliament of Birds WHen Jove by impious arms had Heaven possest And old King Saturn setting in the West Finish'd the Golden days a Silver morn Pale with the crime 's successe did earth adorne The Silver Age. And gave its name unto the second age Then Skies first thundred Seas with tempest rage Four Seasons part the year Men Sow and Plant The golden times nor labour knew nor want Then toyl found ease by art art by deceits Then Civill War turn'd Kingdoms into States For pettie Kings ruld first then Birds and Beasts Did with Republicks private interests Begin to build Eagls were vanquish'd then And Lyons worsted lost their Royall Den. The Birds reduc'd thus to a Popular State Their King and Lords of prey ejected sate A frequent Parliament in th' antient wood There acting daily for the Nations good When thus the Swallow rising from the flock To Master Speaker the grave Parrot spoke Great things
rupture enters death And air confind now flys with vitall breath Then spake the son over his gasping sire Hadst thou contented been With this thy little Inn Not aiming higher Here thou hadst seen Good days agen But thou like Icarus didst too much aspire On thy Kings neck hast trod Now th' Oxe th' Egyptian God Strov'st to be like so the proud Angels fell And though in Heaven not knew when they were well MORALL To strive what seems impossible to get A Supererogation is of wit Not follie now when every day we see What men thought once impossible to be 14 15 THE FOURTEENTH FABLE Of the Woolf and the Lamb. IT fortun'd the fierce Woolf and tender Lamb Vex'd with high noon and Phaebus scorching flame To quench their thirst to one cool river came To whom the Woolf betwixt his draughts with slow Yet rancourous speech thus spake How dar'st thou blow My drink and with thy feet up gravell throw Son of a rotten Sire how durst thou slave To cruell man who with thy fleece doth save Himself from cold fowl this cleer silver wave The Lamb astonish'd struck with suddain fear To see his glowing eys and brizly hair Said Sir be patient and your anger spare I humbly crave your pardon that so neer And at one time with you I water here Yet under favour still your stream is cleer I am beneath Sir if you please to note And from your mouth to mine the waters float It passeth yours before it touch my throat The fell Woolf grind his eys like firebrands glow Oh cursed race he said to mine a foe Still plotting harmlesse Wolves to overthrow Thy father mother sacrilegious Lamb And all thy bleating kindred from the damne Stile themselves guiltlesse but I guilty am And none dare say you in Wolves habit come And tear dead bodies from the new built tombe And poor Woolves then for your offences doome Dogs once our brethren cursed Curs you lead Against our race who now will heare us plead When you 'r the cause of all the blood is shed Now by our King Lycaons crown I swear So wrong'd by that rebellious Jupiter Affronted thus no longer I le forbear Thus having said at the poor Lamb he flys His cruell teeth a purple river dies While warm blood spurtles in his face and eys MORALL They that have power to doe may when they will Pick quarrels and pretending justice kill Who hunt for blood and spoyl need not invent New crimes but lay their own on th' innocent 16 THE FIFTEENTH FABLE Of the Woolf and the Crane BUt while the Woolf devour'd the innocent Lamb Raising her voice and eys to heaven the damne Implor'd revenge Pan from the shepherds coat To Menalus heard and fixd a bone in 's throat He wonders what obstructs who warder stood Stopping so old a thorough-fare of blood What shall he doe or where now find a cure Great was the danger nor could he indure The pain while he ore hill and dale did passe To native realms where his own Surgeon was When on a rising banck hard by he spi'd Beline the Ram he could but be deni'd And though his teeth blushd with the purple gore Of his dear son slain neer his mothers dore Yet he would trie in some mischances foes Will with our friends commiserate our woes Upon this score he went and thus bespoak The King and horned father of the flock Sir may your wives be numerous and bear Twins alwaies and be pregnant twice a year And may your beauteous son who on youn banck Conferr'd with me where we together drank Be golden fleec'd and when his horns grow large To thousand Yews a husbands love discharge 'T is true our nations long at ods have been Yet why should publick jars raise private spleen Let there my Lord no personall difference be Or strive we let us strive in Courtesie Favours may purchace love love peace may win Quarrels may end since once they did begin Suspecting plots his Bell wise Beline rung When troops of Rams to guard his person throng Then said Your businesse Sir be brief and know It must be lawfull that I grant a foe When with dejected look thus Isgrim spake A bone sticks crosse my throat some pity take And draw it forth and when the silver Moon Makes low-browd night faintly resemble noon The Goddess I le beseech you never may Want Grasse in Summer nor in Winter Hay No floods in Autumn no destructive cold Send scabs nor rots depopulate your fold And She will hearken to our pious race Oft when She swounds and notes of tinckling brasse Cannot recall nor colour her pale lips Our cries have rescu'd from a dark Eclipse Then Beline said Impudent Woolf be gone Who knows but late thou hast some murther done And this a judgment due to thy desert On paine of death our quarters leave depart Thus to the shaggie Goat he did complain To the swift Dear and the dull Oxe in vain They all refuse and say no punishment On ravening Wolves can be unjustly sent When stalking through the Marsh he meets the Crane Low-Country people know no God but gain To whom the Woolf thrice Congeeing began May your plum'd Phalanx passe the Ocean To Northern Regions safe and landing there May all the Pigmie kingdoms shake with fear And may you Conqueror ore the dwarfish ranks Triumph on Strymon or Caysters bancks But to your friend be kind and draw a bone Sticks in his throat ingratefull i 'm to none Then I le a Trout present thee sweet and good Cleans'd in a silver stream and free from mud If that not satisfie most noble Crane To please thy Pallat this whole Fen I le drain He undertakes the cure nor pluck'd he oft With his long bill but Isgrim's well and cough'd The Bird demands his pay the Woolf at that With a sowr smile repli'd Sir Crane for what For plucking out a bone are thy demands Thou might'st have stretch'd fool on these yellow sands Vent'ring thy long bill in my throat thy head I freely gave thank me thou art not dead Or come and draw another out though loath I shall reward thee nobly then for both When to himself the griev'd Crane mourning said Great favours thus are by th' ingratefull paid MORALL So Merchants having scap'd a dangerous Sea Mocks to their Saints for promis'd offerings pay But some more impious having touch'd dry land Think they performe to let their Statues stand THE SIXTEENTH FABLE Of the Husband-man and the Serpent WHen a cold storm confirm'd the trembling bogs And drove to warmer springs the naked Frogs With 's prong on 's back a simple farmer Boldly goes Through frost and snows Ice on 's beard fire in 's nose A freeze jerkin all his armour To feed Sheep and Cattell fodder Where by chance he found Frozen to the ground Stretch'd at length a dying Adder The cruell Serpent under deaths arrest Strange but the Fable hath sufficient test He takes and in his bosome
us take our doom This said they to the Monument did come Where streight he shewd him by rare Artists made A Lyons head in a Mans bosome laid This no sufficient proof the Lyon said Could we as well as you our stories cut We might and justly put Your lying heads beneath Our conquering foot From partiall Pens all truth hath been for ever shut Where I first drew my breath I heard a Carthaginian at his death The Roman Nation most perfidious call Crying out by treason they contriv'd the fall Of them and their great Captain Haniball MORALL Through a gross Medium by refracted beams Historians friends appear still in extremes The wrong end of the perspective must shew In little the great Actions of their Foe 51 THE ONE AND FIFTIETH FABLE Of the Lyon the Forester and his Daughter WHen they had viewd the wonder and the strife Admir'd of Artists working to the life Then drew the Foresters fair Daughter neer And whisper'd in her swarthie Fathers eare The Lyon starts and feels a suddain wound As when at first his Lyonesse he found And made her pregnant in a shadie wood High with mans flesh and draughts of humane blood To whom the Woodman said Sir since the Sun Mounts our Meridian half his businesse done And your own Court so far be pleas'd to share Part of what 's mine though mean yet wholsome fare Oft humane Princes in poor lodges have Gladly repos'd and low roofs honour gave The King the proffer takes to lowlie rooms Yet daily visited with clensing brooms The Lyon is convaid where he in State At a full board in antient Maple sate Where whom the Father never overcame The Daughter did scorch'd with loves cruell flame The Lyon burns the valiant strong and wise Who Javelins did Dogs Men and Nets despise Trammels of bright Hair took a slender Dart Shot from a Virgins eye transpierc'd his heart The amorous Lyon lays his dreadfull jaws Now in her lap gently with dangerous paws Her fair hand seizeth shrinking up his Nails Fain would but could not tell her what he ails Then staring in her face offers to rise Ambitious of her Lip She frighted flys Whom with a grone he draws by th' Garments back And troubled to the trembling Virgin spake Sweet Creature fear not me A Roman slave Who cur'd my fester'd foot once in my Cave I feasted fourty daies and when that I Was Pris'ner took and he condemn'd to die In a sad Theater where Men sate and laugh'd To see how Beasts the blood of wretches quaff'd I mock'd their expectation and did grace My trembling Surgeon with a dear imbrace The story known to him they pardon gave And honouring me sent to my Royall Cave Dear if you knew me I not dreadfull am How many Ladies have made Lyons tame My Grand-sires Berecinthias Chariot drove Not by Force coupled but Almighty Love We with your smiles are rais'd and when you frown The greatest Monarch valews not his Crown Then to her Father turning thus he said Still holding in his armed foot the Maid Lo I the King of Beasts a suter stand And this thy Daughter for our Queen demand We need not tell you what our Interests are In this great Forest and my power in War To you is known but joynd with such a Bride Our race deriving from the Fathers side Such active Spirits strength and valiant hearts From her woomb taking humane forme and Arts How may we be advanc'd where shall our Sons Find limits for their vast Dominions The Sybils Man-Lyon stil'd the wondrous Birth Must rule the Conquer'd Nations of the Earth The * Alexander the Great Macedonian was a type of this Who sent the Spoyles of Persia to Greece Which to his Father was in sleep reveal'd When his Queens woomb he with a Lyon seald Then said the Man I know great Prince you are In desarts King I know your force in War But all the Laws of Men and Gods forbid That humane Creatures should with Salvage Wed. The Lyon then ready to lash his side Rowsing up anger with grim looks replyd Did not a Queen match with an ugly Bear And in dark Caverns liv'd with him a year Was not the pregnant Lady he being slain By Hunters brought to her own Courts again Did not his Son prove a most valiant King And slew all those were at the murthering Of his Dear Father Orson was no Beast Though like his Sire he had a Hairy Breast Thus having said he cruell Weapons draws Sharp Teeth appear and needle-pointed Claws Now wit assist against the Lyons rage Inflam'd with love what Madman would engage Then said the Forester great Sir sheath your arms If you vast Realms will joyn to humble Farmes My Daughter 's yours my error I confesse For many Salvage Beasts in Marriages With Women have conjoynd the golden Asse As fair a Lady hath as ever was Mastives and pious Virgins wed so rife Ballads in Streets have Sung them Dog and Wife Take Sir my Daughter to your Royall Seat Yet one thing for the Damsell I entreat For sweet love grant her this see how she stands Trembling to view your teeth and armed hands Meet her with equall arms that face to face She may as boldly charge with strick't imbrace Then pare and draw them out The Lyon said What ere thou askst I freely give O Maid I will devest my self of all my power And make my Teeth and Claws thy Virgin dowre No sooner said but done with bleeding jaws On tender feet he stands the Woodman draws Then a bright Falchion hanging by his side Which to the Hilts he in his bosome dy'd The Lyon's slain and the Cessation broke When to the dying King the Woodman spoke They that give up their power to foe or friend Let them for Love expect a wofull end They that undoe themselves to purchace Wives Like Indians part with Gold for Beads and Knives Love is a Child and such as Love obey Like Kingdoms fare that Infant Scepters sweigh MORALL The powderd Gallant and the dustie Cloun The horrid Souldier and the subtil Gown Old Young Strong Weak Rich Poor both Fools and Wise Suffer when they with frantick Love advise 52 THE TWO AND FIFTIETH FABLE Of the Forester the Skinner and a Bear THe Lyon slain the greedy Forester Soon strips him of his Robe and Royall fur The Crown and Scepter old Regalities Of many former Princes now are his He takes possession of the Palace which Trophes made proud and spoyls of enemies Rich Where at an Out-crie pretious things are sold At small rates deer to Potentates of old When the same Man that bought the Lyons Skin Thus to the insulting Victor did begin Sir since the Groves are yours and you have won Dark Haunts impenetrable by the Sun The Lyon dead goe and th' ambitious Bear Destroy who now aspires his Masters Chair A Heathen King sent to my Shop this morn To have a Lybian Bears-skin to adorn His spreading shoulders with at