more invest Though to his sword they gaue renowne Yet knew hee when to lay it downe Hee Armes beyond the Gowne approu'd Yet na'thlesse Armed peace hee lou'd Hee Armies willingly receaues And all as willingly them leaues A ciuill house from ryot free No fortunes gain'd by briberie With forraine Nations hee had fame Who reu'renced his noble name And in like grace at home hee stood For seruice to his Countries good The constant course of liberty Was subiect to seruility When they receiu'd in Rome againe The Marian and the Syllan traine So seeing Pompey is bereft No shew of freedome now is left Men doe not blush at tyranny No colour now of Empery None weigh the Senates Maiesty O happy Pompey to be dead As soone as thou wert conquered And that the Pharian guilt thee brought That sword which else thou must haue sought If not thou mightst haue liu'd perchance Vnder proud Caesars gouernance To dare to dye is high grace gain'd And next to that to be constrain'd But if that Fortune so betide We must be thralles to tyrants pride Then Fortune grant that Iuba bee Another Ptolomey to mee What need I feare my foe to serue When death can me from that preserue ¶ These words did greater glory raise In all mens eares to Pompeys praise Then if the Theaters had sounded With plaudits ecchos that rebounded Whereby the honor of his end Did to his gentle soule ascend But now the people mutter rumors And fall into discordant humors For warres and Armes they doe detest Since Pompey in his graue did rest And Tarchon then did vndertake Catos new Ensignes to forsake He with the shipping suddenly That vtmost rode away did flye Whom Cato thus did vilefie O greedy Cilix most vntrue Wilt thou the seas go scoure anew Now Pompey is by fortune slaine Must thou turne Pirate once againe Then of them all he takes a view That mutin'd in this rogish crew Mongst whom one lad did courage take And to the chiefetaine boldly spake Cato quoth he discharge vs now Our faith to Pompey we did vow For his sake we did take vp Armes And not for loue of ciuill harmes In his behalfe we did our parts But he is dead that held our hearts He whom the world lou'd more then peace With whom our cause of warre doth cease Permit vs now to leaue to roame To see our houshold Gods at home That we so long time haue forborne And our sweet children thus forlorne For what date shall this warre vs yeeld If that Pharsalias bloody field Nor Pompes death can giue it end Our liues in endlesse toyle we spend Let vs goe quiet to our graue Let age his fitting funerall haue For ciuill warres can scarce affoord A Sepulcher to any Lord. We conquerd men are not to fight Against the great Barbarian might Fortune doth not our state prouoke With Scithian or Armenian yoke I serue a gowned Citizen Vnder his law free Denizen Who Pompey liuing seconded To me is first now Pompeys dead To Pompeys sacred worthy spright I will performe all reuerend right But to his soueraigne power I yeeld That conquerd at Pharsalias field Thou Pompey my sole Captaine wert I followed onely thee in Mart. Now will I follow Destinie And yet to finde prosperity I neither may nor will I hope Since Caesars fortune swayes the scope His conquest quaild Aemathian swords Who to vs captiues helpe affoords He onely in the world subsists That will and may euen as he lists Rue on poore vanquisht men in griefe And vnto wretches yeeld reliefe All hope in ciuiil warre is vaine Since Aegypts sword hath Pompey slaine Who liuing carried vs with loue But if the publique cause do moue Thee Cato and thy Countries stay Let vs these ensignes then obay That Roman Consull doth display So said his ship he doth ascend And swarmes of youths do him attend Thus Romes affaires did seeme to end For all that loued seruile bands Did mutine there vpon the sands When Cato from his sacred breast In these words his free minde exprest ¶ It seemes you then indiffrent were On whether side you Armes did beare You were at first for Pompeys part For Rome you did not wage your mart And so you doe desire it still To haue one Lord to rule at will You did not tyranny oppose You car'd not your free state to lose The Senate you refuse to serue Neither recke you well to deserue Of any side to end this strife But would in Idle spend your life Now safer t is our cause to gaine You basely would the warres refraine And now devoyd of true respect Your owne free neckes to yokes subiect And cannot liue without a King Not now when as a worthier thing Calles men to hazard of the warre Your swords and persons you debar For Roman freedome to be vsd Which Pompey mought perchance refusd And for himselfe your bloods abusd Fortune almost hath tyrants reft Of three Lords now but one is left The Parthian bow and Nylus shore For our free lawes haue done the more Goe you degenerate exceed The Ptolemeian guift and deed Who else will thinke that euer you In these warres did your hands embrue But rather prone to turne your backes And first that fled Emathias wrackes Go safe for you doe well deserue That Caesar should your liues preserue Hee needs must take of you remorse Subdued nor by siege nor force O sercile race vnworthy most Now that you haue one Tirant lost His successor you will accost You should no greater grace aspire Then life and pardon for your hire And Pompeys wofull wife conuay Into your ships beare her away Metellus child a noble pray And liuing sonnes of Pompey breed Striue Egypts present to exceed Then take my head with you likewise So odious to the tyrants eyes He shall no meane reward receaue That Catos head will so bequeaue And know you all t is worth your paine To follow me my head to gaine Proceed you therefore and be bold To purchase grace let blood be sold Barely to run away were base So said his words then tooke such place That all the Pirats in such sort Brought backe the ships into the port From out the Seas as Bees do vse When they the waxen hiue refuse Where they haue made their honny combes And ranging leaue their little homes Not mind full now in swarmes to flie But each one his owne way doth hie Not setled yet to sucke and smell The bitter Thyme they loue so well When suddenly the tingling sounds Of Phrygian kettles them confounds With maze they stop their sudden flight And backe returning all do light Vpon their hiues where with their skill Their flowring labours they distill And combes with blessed honny fill At whose returne the clownish royle Is glad to see them in his soyle And on Hyblean grasse to swarme The treasure of his little farme Euen so did Catos powerfull words
doth their venome charme Meane while the souldiers do not know What wayes to seeke or where to go But are directed by the skies And in this maze powre out their cries O Gods say they let vs be led Vnto the field from which we fled Bring vs againe to Thessalie Our hands to armes we destinie Why languish we in miserie The Dipsaes here for Caesar fight And the Caerastes plead his right Alongst the torrid zoane we run And clymates burned with the Sun We are well pleasd in our dispaire To lay the blame vpon the aire And then against the heauens to crie As destin'd in this soyle to die But Affricke we accuse thee not Nor nature with this fault do blot Thou hast this hatefull soyle designd To serpents of a monstrous kind And therefore hence it first did chace All meanes to nourish humane race This earth thou barren didst ordaine Vnfit for tillage or for graine And in this sort thou didst decree That men from poysons should be free But we take vp the Serpents roomes For which we haue these heauy doomes And thou ô God who so thou art That dost dislike of this our mart Thereby to make our errour knowne On this side setst the torrid zoane And on the other side dost place The marine Syrts with doubtfull race And in the midst this noysome coast Where we by sundry deaths are lost ¶ The ciuill warre his armes displaies Alongst these desart vncouth waies And now the souldiers well are taught What miseries the heauens haue wrought The worlds deepe secrets they haue sought But now perhaps some things more strange They yet may meet where they will range For there the Sun fals in the Seas And hissing doth his flames appease And there the nature of the Poles Opprest to seeming downward rolles But no land further doth extend Vnto the West where this doth end But Iubas realme whose fatall name To vs is onely knowne by fame There we shall seeke and chance to finde Lands breeding serpents of this kinde This comforts yet the heauens do giue That in this soyle some of vs liue We do not wish nor yet desire To our owne countrey to retire Europe nor Asia we affect Where other stars lend their aspect But Affricke where haue we thee lost Vnder what skie or in what cost Art thou obscured from our host For but euen now the winters cold We found vpon Cyrenis mold Is so much the yeares season chang'd In this small way that we haue rang'd We crosse this Axle of the world And with the sphere about are whorld And now againe we turne our backe Once more vnto the Southerne racke So as perhaps the Roman land Iust vnderneath our feet doth doth stand This onely comfort fate vs grant That our foes seeke vs where we hant That Caesar ere this warre be done May follow on where we haue run Such wofull plaints remedilesse Their suffring patience did expresse But that their captaines noble heart Made them all pains take in good part The bared sands was still his bowre He tempted Fortune euery howre In all assayes he still made one And runs when he is cald vpon His worthie carriage comfort gaue To souldiers readie for their graue And more then health did them reuiue For they in greatest pangs would striue To hide their plaints and death defie As long as he was present by What power on him had any griefe That so to others gaue reliefe Whilst he lookt on his men he taught The greatest woes to set at nought ¶ Fortune that wearie was almost With plaguing of this wretched hoast A little tast of comfort giues And them at last though late releeues A people in the world there be That are from serpents poyson free Marmarida that land is nam'd Psilli the people that haue fram'd Their tongues all venoms rage to dead As well as hearbs that earth hath bred No poysons force can be enfusd Into their blood though no charms vsd The place by nature doth prouide That safe mongst serpents they recide It profits them to leade their life In soyles where serpents are so rife With them death seldome is at strife Their blood so poyson houlds in scorne That when a childe is newly borne They vse this meanes wherewith to trie If it be free from Bastardie By prouing of the Aspicks byte To know where it be false or right And as Ioues Eagle scans the doubt Of those warme egs the dam brings out By taking his vnplumed race And them against the Sun doth place And those that can with constant eye Behold the beames assuredly And will not twinckle at the light When Tytan shewes his face most bright As his owne breed those he affects But euery wincking squall reiects Such triall doth the Psiilli make If their small babes dare touch a snake Or if the infant do but play With serpents laied in his way ¶ These people doe not onely care How to preserue their own welfare But strangers likewise they intend And from those monsters them defend And to our souldiers helpe did lend One of the Psilli did accost An Ensigne of the Romane host And with our campe along he went And when the Chieftaine pitcht his Tent He all the host did circuite round Intrenched on this sandie ground That done his muttring charmes he spake And all without great fiers did make A medcine venoms force to slake In it the Dane-wort hissing heates And Galbana there frying sweates The Thamarix of sullen plight And Costrum that hearbe-Mary hight With Panacea most of might Then the Thessalian Centorie And Maid-wort that doth crackling frie Long-wort and Larix therewithall And that which Southernwood we call Whose smoake the serpents so distast And then an old Harts-horne at last So all the night they safely past For poysons that do dayly hant That people magicke wonders chant Great strugling strife these Psillans make When they would taken-venom slake For first of all the stinged ioint With spittle they do round annoint Which doth the spreading venom draine And in the wound the same containe Then many charmes by them are sung Still muttring with a froathie tong And from their mumbling if they cease The venoms rage will then increase No minute may they hold their peace Thus often do they with these charmes Dissolue and quench those poysnous harms That in the marrow festring lies But if this course do not suffise But that the lingring poyson stay And to their charme will not obay Vpon the cure he flat doth fall And licks the pallid wound withall The venom with his mouth he drawes And soakes the artires with his iawes So from the chilly corps he fets The deadly dram and out it spets And hauing ouercome the might Of this vile serpents mortall bite The Psilli by the tast do finde The poysons force and of what kinde And by this meanes the Romane troope Are freed from that which
or ill But most of all she doth desire The funerall piles to set on fire And whilst they burne to filch from thence The Spices and the Frankinsence ¶ The Gods euen at the first request Do grant to her each wicked hest And feare to heare her twice to craue The thing that she desires to haue She buries bodies yet aliue Before that death their soules depriue And though their date might long subsist In spight of Fates she cuts their twist And others dead brings backe againe From funerals with ioyfull traine Restoring life to euery vaine Out of the midst of funerall fires She rapes and greedily desires The smoking cinders as they lye And yong mens bones that flaming fry And raging will not doubt nor feare The torch from parents hands to teare Then all the flakes that she espies Which from the coarse w th black smoke flies And garments vnto ashes turn'd And oylie fragments scarcely burn'd Together she doth scrape and glut But when into a Tombe they put A sollid body moist within With marrow closd in hardned skinne Then will she raue on all the parts Into the eyes her fingers darts And neuer digging leaues withall Till she teares out the very ball Then from the dryed hands she rents And gnawes the pallid excrements The knots her teeth in sunder share Of ropes wherewith men strangled are The hanging carkasses she fleeces And then the gibbets breakes in peeces The wether-beaten paunch she cast Out of the corpes and then at last She lets the sunne thereon to sprout And vn-sod marrow so takes out Those that are hang'd in Iron chaines Whose hands the rusty fetters straines From all the ioynts whereof distilles The oylie moisture that downe trilles In greasie filth and swarthy gore She gathers vp for poysons store Whilst gnawing on the nerues she files Fast by the teeth she hangs the whiles And if that she by chance doe finde A carkasse on the ground vn-shrinde Amongst the rauening beasts and fowle There will this Sorceresse sitting scowle But will not with a knife select The flesh and parts she doth affect But she will onely pry and watch The morsels from Wolues iawes to snatch From murder neuer stayes her hands When as in need of blood she stands That freshly flowes from wounds at first Such she findes out to quench her thirst Nor will she stay her murdrous mood When she would sacrifice life-blood Or that some funerall rites require The trembling intrailes on the fire The babes within the mothers wombe With gashing wound she will vntombe Ere nature bring it forth to light Her flaming Altars so to dight And whensoeuer she needs most Some cruell sturdy humor'd ghost Her slaughtring fist the soules prepares No humane life she euer spares From off the chinnes she rents and teares Of flowring youths the downy haires And with left hand the lockes will shaue Of striplings lingring to the graue This Witch her owne kinne hath not spar'd That death of her dire hand hath shar'd But first she would them coll and kisse And then the head from corpes dismisse And when that death their iawes had fixt She then would gnab her teeth betwixt And so bite off the labbring tongue That to the dry throat fast was clung And with her cold lips then would babble Of whispring charmes full many a rabble And then at last with some vile spell Would send their sprights to shades of hell ¶ The fame that of this Witch did runne Had made her knowne to Pompey's sonne Who in the depth of silent night When Tytan had conuaid his light Vnto the middle of that skye That to our feet opposd doth lye Abrode at that time Sextus traces Into the solitary places Attended by a company Prepar'd and true to villany VVho ranging vp and downe the land VVhere graues and Tombes did vse to stand By chaunce a farre they spy'd this hagge Close sitting by a rocky cragge Neere to a path that straight doth guide The way vnto mount Aemus side There she such charms did mūbling chatter That no Magitians knew the matter Nor yet the Gods of Magickes art Of her strange spels knew any part New fictions she did cunne by heart And fearing that this bloudy warre VVould be transferred yet more farre From Thessaly to other soyles VVhereby the blood that these garboyles On either side would flowing yeeld Should be depriu'd Pharsalias field VVhich she already had defil'd VVith spelles and incantations vilde Did what she could that might withstand To draw the warres from out this land For now she hop't to glut her mood VVith vse of flowing humane blood And that in such a world of strife She should haue deaths and slaughters rife That cinders of the Romans dead Might in Emathia's field be spread And bones of noble Peeres there slaine VVhose ghosts she hop't should be her gain This was her drift this her desire VVherewith her heart was set on fire Proposing to her selfe the spoyle Of Pompey's part vpon his foyle And with like rage to raue and rampe Vpon some wrackes of Caesars campe Then to this hagge with words full milde First spake great Pompey's worthlesse childe ¶ O thou that art the greatest grace Of Sages of Aemonian race That canst at large to men relate Their destiny and future fate And hast the power to turne aside Euents of harmes that should betide I thee beseech doe me that grace To let me know this doubtfull case What is the scope and certaine end VVhereto this ciuill warre will tend I am not least of Roman heires That intrest haue in these affaires Great Pompey is my noble sire And I his sonne that must aspire Either to be the Lord of all Or heire of his great funerall My minde doth doubtfull dread retaine And yet resolu'd I am againe To carry all with courage stout Were I but sure what would fall out Doe thou therefore resolue I pray The doubt of this vncertaine day That we be not surpris'd vnwares Nor blindly led to Fortunes snares From higher powers extort the truth Or on the Gods thou maist haue ruth And all the Stygian ghosts below Vrge to thy power the truth to show Goe search Thessalian fields about And also learne which of our rout Death is resolu'd to him to call That in these ciuill warres must fall This labour is of no base kinde But worthy thy inspired minde A worke of glory by thee donne To know how so great Fate shall runne ¶ This glorifide Thessalian Witch To heare her fame for ioy did itch And thus reply'd O noble youth Didst thou desire to know the truth Of future chance in lesser fate As thou requir'st I could relate Although the Gods it disavow'd For so much is to Art allow'd For though the planets influence Did call some one mans life from hence Yet could we thereof make a stay And so likewise can take away With speciall hearbes his liuing houre That all the starres vnited power
with Caesars foes takes part Who wanting one to rule their mart She as the daughter of their king Assumes thereof the managing And to that Tyrants murdrous slaue Achillas she due iustice gaue And from his corps his head did shaue So now another sacrifice To thee ô Pompey bleeding lies For expiation to thy ghost But fortune will bestow more cost And heauens forbid this should be all The offrings for thy funerall The tyrants selfe of worth is not Nor all his Realme to cleare that blot And till the Senatorean state On Caesars bowels venge their hate Pompeys reuenge will be in date But yet this broile and martiall rage These leaders deaths could not asswage For now againe fresh stirs arise From Ganimed with more supplies Which fiercely doth on Caesar presse And giue a charge with shrewd successe This one daies danger was so great That Caesars fortune it did threat And so mought Ganemedes name Throughout the world haue flown with fame For whilst that Caesar doth prouide In emptie ships from tother side Some armed troop and old cohort Vnto this I le for his support Vpon a sodaine many foes With armed force do him enclose On this side hostil ships do keepe The shoares and barre him from the deepe Behind his backe the traitors bands In filed ranks with weapons stands No hope of safetie doth remaine No place for flight all valour vaine And that which did him most offend Scarce meanes to find a glorious end No force he had whereby he might In martiall sort frame any fight Now Caesars fortune must be lost And yet nor fight nor slaughter cost Coopt vp whereas the place affords No triall there for bloody swords Thus doubtfull musing whether t weare Fitter to die or basely feare He sternely casts his eyes behind And sees his foes in troops combind Wherewith he cals vnto his mind Scaeua his souldier that with fame Had purchast such a glorious name For that braue end and dantlesse spright Which he shewed at Dyrachium fight Where he alone the Rampart kept And neuer once retiring stept When Pompey had the walles beat downe Yet from them all did win renowne ¶ This memory of Scaeuas Mart Puts courage into Caesars heart And nobly hee resolues to dye VVith fame that through the world shold fly But his designe the Fates gaine-say Fortune shewes him a safer way For as he casts his eye aside Vpon his left hand he espide Ships of his friends that there did ride To swim to them he doth entend And therewith said what shall we end Our Fortunes here by villaines slaine Or rather sinke amidst the maine Then shall this Eunuch Ganimede No conquest gaine on Caesars head So hauing sayd he brauely leapt Into the sea but safe he kept His bookes within his left hand drie And with his right the waues doth trie So through the deeps he safely swamme Vntill amongst his frends he came Who him receiue with ioyfull cries That to the Heauens with Ecchos files Finis libri decimi A sharpe reprehension of Ciuill warre The miserable estate of Italy The Romans themselues worke their owne ruine It should seem that this was written in the beginning of Neroes reigne which was most excelleÌ„tly goueâ—ned for the first 5 yeares with singular Iustice temperance This is meere Ironicall flattery In this he teacheth NERO how he should gouerne by an Imagination of what is The causes of the ciuill war Fortune most triumphes ouer great estates No faith amongst Competitors of kingdomes Romulus and Rhemus Crassus the meanes that kept Caesar and Pompey within their bounds By Crassus death this ciuill rage brake out What mischiefe two ambitious mindes can breed in a quiet state IVLIA the means to hold Caesar Pompey in good correspondency Pompeyes iealousie Popeys humor Caesars humor Pompeyes disposition described Popular affectation Caesars disposition described The Roman Vices Wealth the cause of all excesse The great alteration of the Roman humors Diuision between the Senate and the people Honors bought and sold and not conferred by merit Caesar marching toward Rubicon is forbidden by an apparition Caesars answere to the Apparition Caesars Protestation to Rome Caesar wil passe the Rubicon with his legions The description of Rubicon Caesar passeth Rubicon Caesars speech when he had past the Rubicon Caesar surpriseth Ariminum The amazement of the Ariminenses The coÌ„plaint of the Ariminenses The many wracks that Ariminum had endured Caesar the child of Fortune The Iealousie of the Senate The Tribunes disgraced by the Senate Curios oration Curio accuseth the Senate Curio stirres Caesar to attempt Rome A strong perswasion Curio perswades Caesar that the Senate conspire to wrong him Caesar incensed Caesars oration to his Souldiers Caesars scornefull speech of Pompey and some other Romanes Pompey taxed in diuers kinds Milo Clodius Caesar chargeth Pompey with the cause of this ciuill war Pompey a follower of Sylla Caesar alleageth the wrongs offered him by the Senats decree Caesar insinuates with his Souldiers Caesar aleageth Pompeys prouision for pyrats whilst old Roman Veterans are neglected Caesars protestation against tyrannicall ambition Loelius Loelius oration to Caesar Loelius deuotes his faith to Caesar Loelius most desperate protestation for Caesars seruice The affection Caesars souldiers do beare to him Caesar assembles his forces Opinions of ebbing and flowing of the sea The great resolution of the Druides All that Caesar had conquered in ten yeares warres was hazarded to be lost The feares that the rumors of Caesars approach breedes at Rome The fame of Caesars comming to Rome The Senate flie from Rome The Roman frights and flying The Roman Citizens fall from their old wonted valor Pompey taxed for flying froÌ„ Rome at the bruite of Caesars approch Many prodigious signes seene before these ciuill warres Aruns an Augur seekes out the causes of the ciuill war by diuination A Roman procession A Bull sacrificed Aruns the Augur amazed Aruns afeard to expresse the coniecture Aruns censure Tages the first inuenter of Auguring Figulus an excellent Astrologer Doubtfull coniectures Figulus considers the inclinations of the heauens The censure of Figulus Prayers bootlesse against Destinie The censure of Figulus discomforteth the Romans The prophesying of a Roman Matron rap't with a sudden fury Whether there bee destiny or chance in worldly courses An Imprecation against fore-knowledge The Roman Matrons frequent the Temples with an extraordinary deuotion Not to vse presumption in praying The speech of a Roman Matron The coÌ„plaints of the Romans leauing the Citty and following the warres All warres more pleasing to the Romans then ciuill strife The Romans lay a curse on Caesar Pompey both The coÌ„plaint of an old Citizen declaring the bloudy times of Marius and Sylla Marius a bloudy man Bloudy Fury More cruelties Noble Romans slaughtered Murder in Vesta's Temple Marius chaÌ„ge of fortunes Sylla's raging time of crueltie The liberty that was giuen to out-rage The sundry meanes that men make to dye so
maister of his Gallion Brutus ship stil victorious The fury of this sea-fight when the fleets ioyned A terrible description of a sea-battle A Roman called Tagus slain with two wounds Telo an excellent Pilate of the Massilians slaine Gayareus a Massilian Two Massilian brothers twins slaine in this battell whereof one shewed admirable valour True valor increaseth with mis-fortune A reuenging humor strangely exprest A Gally fighting is sunke down-right Lycida miserably tortured betwixt his foes and his friends A ship ouerwhelmed by the running of the men all to one side So was the Mary Rose lost before Portsmouth in a fight against the French in the dayes of Henry the 8. A miserable destiny The diuers strange aduentures of a sea-fight The weapons all spent what shift was made to offend one another The cruelty of fire in a sea-fight To auoid fire some drowned themselues Others to escape drowning aduenture vpon the flames Any death seemes more easie to men then that which they most doubt Great malice exprest Phoceus an excellent swimmer and diuer drowned at last Some that expose their bodies to saue the ships from bruising Lygdanus Tyrrhenus a valiant Roman It seemed that blinde Fortune guided this blinde mans hand Argus a noble youth slaine The griefe of a father for his slaine sonne not exprest by teares not cries but by a resolute death A lamentable meeting Old Argus his speech to his dying sonne The old man pursues a double death The Massilian ships serue the conquering Romans The lamentation in Massilia The Massilians affection to their slaine friends Brutus victorious on the sea Afranius and Petreius command in Spain for Pompey The Cittie Ilerda The Riuer Sicoris Afranius camp Caesars Campe. The Riuer Cinga The Riuer Iberius Remorse in both the Armies Caesars speedy expedition An incounter betweene Caesars and Afranius Souldiers The admirable courage vndertaking humor of Caesars men Caesar winnes the hill from Afranius A description of winter Foule tempestious weather in Spaine The Rain-bow The mounts Pyrenes A great inundation Famine in Caesars campe The force of Auarice A great deluge An imprecation against civill warre Petreius leaues Ilerda Caesar passeth his Army ouer Sicoris The place where Caesars Armie pursues Petreius Caesar encourageth his Souldiers The two Armies take acquaintance one of the other And exhortation to peace An Apostrophe to concord The kinde entertainment betweene the Souldiers of both Campes Petreius violates the friendly complements between the two Campes Petreius oration to his Souldiers An Apostrophe to Pompey An apt comparison Petreius men vnwillingly betray their aduersaries Caesars clemency graceth his cause Petreius minded to flye to Ilerda Caesars aduice to his Souldiers Petreius Camp distressed for want of water Petreius Affranius submit themselues to Caesar Afranius Oration to Caesar The summe of Afranius Petition Caesars clemency Many of the Souldiers kill themselues with greedy drinking A reprehension of Luxury A detestation of warre The security and contentment that poore men liue in Distresse puts men to their shifts Vulteius manly oration to his distressed troopes A Pagan resolution Confused fighting in Troopes obscures particular valour What felicity the Romans tooke to acquire vnto themselues future fame The affection that Caesars Souldiers did beare vnto him A glorious wish The resolution of Vulteius To be willing to die is a heauenly blessing How much Vulteius speech did animate his little troope Castor and Pâ—llâ—x A parly offered but refused Vulteius assailed on all sides The resolution of the Romans in scorne of their foes Cadmus Ocdepus two sonnes Etheocles and Polynices Medea A cruell slaughter What power rests in valour Curio with an Army goes into Affricke Curios landing in Affricke The Gyant Antaeus The tale of Antaeus The Gyants that rebelled against Iupiter A right Heathen conceite Antaeus the son of the earth The maner of Antaeus life Hercules The combate between Hercules and Antaeus Antaeus streÌ„gth renewed by touching the earth Hydra Iuno Hercules words to Antaeus Antaeus kild by Hercules Scipio Africanus Curio's vaine conceit Actius Varus Pompey's captaine in Affricke King Iuba A nation that ride and rule their horses without bridles The seuerall nations vnder Iuba A strange maner of hunting the Lyon Iubas particular malice to Curio The rumor of Iubas mallice troubles Curios Campe. Curio finding his Army staggering debates with himselfe what course to take Curio ouerthrowes Varus in the field Iuba glad of Varus ouerthrow A Simile Curio too venterous neglecteth good aduice The Punicke deceit in war Curio deceiued with an ambush Curios horse-troopes spen and tired The battaile betwixt Curio and Sabbura Curio's Army oppressed with numbers of foes This fighting in an orbe was the last refuge that the Romans vsed euer in extremity Curio and his Army destroyed He taxeth Curio for faction An Apostrophe to the Roman Lords Curio's praise Auarice and Bribery the ruine of Rome Fortune as yet stand indifferent betweene Caesar and Pompey Epyrus the randevous of Pompey's forces Pompey followes the Senate and not the Senate Pompey Lentulus oration to the Senators in the Campe. Camillus A speech of scorne to Caesar Pompey chosen General of the Army for the Senate Ptolomey discended of the race of Peleus Yong Ptolomey king of Aegipt that caused Pompey to bee slaine and had almost betraied Caesar Appius seekes to know of the Oracles what shall bee this warres euent It was a little before Christ came that the Oracle ceast as was fore-prophesied by the scriptures The Pagans conceit of Parnassus mount Themis the Goddesse of Iustice This seemes to hold great correspondency with the description of the incarnation and life of our blessed Sauiour Cyrrha a Citty at the foote of Pernassus The griefe that the Pagans conceiued for the ceasing of their Oracles The opinion of the Pagans concerning this Oracle Appius comes to the Oracle Phaemonoë disswadeth Appius from searching this Oracle Phaemonoë fearefull to enter the Cauerne of the Oracle Phaemonoë enters the Cauernes by the constraint of Appius The description of one inspired with the fury of prophesying Sybilla Cumana The words of the Oracle to Appius The Bruti suppressers of Tyrants Appius misconstrues the words of the Oracle to his owne advantage The true meaning of the Oracle concerning Appius Nemesis the Goddesse of Reuenge Caesars Army returning out of Spaine Mutinies Caesar perplexed The mutinous oration of one of Caesars Souldiers A pittifull description of the liues of common souldiers The Souldier braues Caesar behinde his backe The admirable vndaunted valour of Caesar An Apostrophe to Caesar Caesars oration to the mutiners A proud Heathen conceit Punishment for the mutiny The awe that Caesars Souldiers stood in of their General The mutiny appeased Caesars Armie goes to Brundusium Caesar comes againe to Rome Caesar made Dictator and Consull at one time A monthly Consull No dangers must hinder Caesars designes Caesar exhorts his mariners to take the sea A stout request Caesar becalmed An ycie sea The dangers of Caesars
their presence grace Their sacred seates in supreme place Nor next to them the lawes to sway The Praetor sate in his array No Coches at the Senate gate That thither bring the Peeres of state Caesar alone was all in all His priuate voyce the Court doth thrall The Fathers to his hests giue way Rady his pleasure to obay Whether he Monarchy desire Or would to sacred rites aspire Or liues of Senators would wast Or them into exile would cast But he more modest and more milde Did blush his power should be defil'd More to command with threatning feare Then well the Roman state could beare ¶ But one there was amongst the rest For liberty that would contest And in a rage he tooke in hand To know if Caesar might withstand The ancient Rules of their free state And in that point would right debate This stout Metellus was who saw A swarming troope of Souldiers draw Neere to Saturnus Temple gates That were lockt vp from dire debates Steps forth enrag'd and doth assay Through Caesars bands to force a way So much of tempting gold the loue The mindes of mortall men can moue Danger of sword and death to proue The lawes no Valor doth protect The care thereof all do neglect But that which is most vile of all Riches whereto base mindes are thrall Stirres vp a foolish idle brawle This Tribune with a tongue at large The out-rage laies to Caesars charge And telles him plainly that before He shall breake ope the Temple dore The sword should first his breast inuade And bathe in sacred bloud his blade And that the Gods for iustice sake Vengance would pay if spoyle he make Or doe by force the treasure take The Tribunes curses in like case Said he did greedy Crassus trace And did against him so preuaile That wofull warre his pride did quaile Doe thou so now vnsheath thy sword That dost such lawlesse leaue affoord To this iniurious foule contempt From peoples rage thou art exempt What can this forlorne towne attempt Thy wicked Souldiers must not craue The treasures of our state to haue Else-where thou hast sufficient spoyles Of conquered Townes in other soyles No want at all thy troopes constraines Of our long peace to share the gaines In warre O Caesar loose the raines ¶ With these proud words the Tribune hath So farre prouoked Caesars wrath As that with scorne he did reply In vaine poore soule thou hop'st to dye So braue a death as by my blade Nought hath Metellus worthy made So great a grace as Caesars ire It sorts not with thy proud desire Thinkst thou that freedoms state must stand Supported by thy feeble hand My glory wonne in so long warre Thy vaine conceipt exceeds so farre As that the lawes would lesse detest By Caesars hand to be supprest Then by Metellus voyce to hold The freedome that they did of old So Caesar spake and yet before The Tribune left the Temple dore His rage increased more and more And to the wrathfull swords he prest Forgetting what his gowne profest ¶ But Cotta check't and staied than The sawcy boldnesse of this man And said the freedome now they held To soueraigne power in spight must yeeld For though this act thou couldst maintaine Thou shouldst but freedomes shadow gaine Since our deiected state obayes So many other seruile wayes This comfort and excuse we haue If slander vs as base depraue Resistlesse power doth all men braue And I would rather wish to heare These seedes of warre dispersed weare With losse of wealth those may be vext That freedome haue for their pretext For want more grieuously doth raue Vpon the maister then the slaue ¶ Metellus being put aside The Temple was set open wide And such a noyse the rushing shockes Did make when they did force the lockes That the Tarpeian cliffe did sound Lowd with the Eccho's that rebound Out of the Temple cleane they swept The wealth that had full safe beene kept So long agoe by conquests gain'd Whereof scarce memory remain'd ¶ The treasures got in Punicke broyles The Persian and Macedons spoyles With heapes of gold that were a pray When Pirrhus trembling fled away That had Fabritius faith assay'd In vaine our Rome to haue betraid And whatsoeuer heretofore Our frugall sires laid vp in store With all the tribute and the rent From time to time that Asia sent And all the spoyles from Creta fot By conquest that Metellus got With Cato's wealth which he did bring By long seas from the Cyprus King With all the treasures of the east And those rare Trophies that did feast The eyes of all that them beheld When Pompeys triumphes so exceld And was the latest conquest wonne On those great kingdomes ouer-runne All these the Victors vse supplies By wofull rapine made good prize Whereon might truly passe this doome Caesar was richer now then Rome ¶ Pompey meane while a world had wonne That would in warre his fortune runne Great Cities on his side did band That shall at Caesars mercy stand The Graecians first their succour lends Amphisa her braue Phoceans sends Then those that doe the Countries fill On both sides of Parnassus hill With rocky Cyrrha to him swarmes The Captaines of Boetian Armes Where Cephisos with his swift waues Old Cadmus Citty weltring laues Whose water fatall answeres raues To these Pisean people ioynes With sweet Alpheus that purloynes Her secret current vnder ground Till she Trinacria hath found Menala then th' Arcadians leaue And to these warres themselues bequeaue And Trachine Souldiers thither flye From the Herculean Oeten hye The Thesprotes and Driopes Doe likewise march along with ease The Sellae that his part doe take Their solitary groues forsake That on Chaonians toppe doe shake And though th' Athaenian bands were spent In former warres whereto they went Yet loyall Salamina lent Three little shippes which now they rigge That in Phoebeian docks did ligge The ancient Creet Ioues loued land Where Citties ten times ten did stand Her Gnossian quiuers thither sent With people vsing bowes euent Gortinae shewes the like good will Whose Archers equals Easterne skill Then Orithow sent Dardan strength With Athamus that farre in length Disperseth many woods she ownes And old Enchyle where the stones Shew Cadmus metamorphoz'd bones So Colchis and Absirtos flud Whose froth filles Adriaticke mud The Paeni that with clownish skill The Countries all about there till And with Thessalian Plowes doe toyle And furrough vp Hialcons soyle From whence into the raging maine Was carried first that stranger traine Of Argonauts whose boysterous bands Did range and spoyle in forraine lands They first the practise did contriue How men against the seas might striue And how with sailes to take the winde Whereby remoted shores to finde And therewithall they did display To loathsome Death a new found way On mortals liues to raue and pray The Thracian Aemus is left bare And Pholoe whose manrood are
As lying fables leaue to minde By nature shap't of Centaurs kinde Strymon that doth to Nylus sands Send birds of the Bistonian lands Her aid sets out in warlicke bands And barbarous Conè when she leaues Sarmatian streames and after cleaues To Peucens spreading channell deepe One of those heads alone doth keepe That from great Istars current sweepe Then Misia and Idalis land That mingles with cold Caicos strand And the Arisban barren mould With those that doe Pitanen hould Then the Celenes most accurst Lamenting that their Marsia durst O Pallas with thy gifts elate Stirre conquering Phoebus to debate And high shoar'd Marsia whose swift race Crooked Meander doth embrace And with her wheeles about her pace With Pactols sands that do vnfold The pretious graines of glowing gold To forraigne coasts and Hernius strands That equals it with pretious sands So likewise all the Ilium bands To fruitlesse warres for Pompey stands Neglecting the old flying fame That Iulius of the Troians came So Syria her assistance giues And the inhabitants that liues About Orontes desart coasts And Ninus towne whose blisse fame boasts Damascus subiect to high windes Gaza likewise and where men findes Palme-trees so rife and thicke to stand Named the Idumean land The sea-washt Citty Tyrus hight Sydon with pretious purple dight Their ships when to the warres they flye Range not the seas vncertainly No sea-men haue the Art more try'd How by the Pole their course to guide So likewise if we credit fame Phoenicians were the first had name The vse of characters to finde And letters to expresse our minde Memphis the practise had not found Of those broad flagges vpon her ground How they together should be bound Of beasts and birds this was their trade The shapes deepe cut in stones they made And so their magicke art presaru'd In brutish Images faire caru'd Then those inhabitants that roues About mount Taurus wooddy groues And Persian Tarsus with those men That cut rockes for Coricum denn The Mallians and the Aege coast Whose shippes doe ring with billowes tost And Silix now the seas frequent Allowd but not as Pyrates sent So are the Easterne Countries led Vnto this warre by fame farre spread That Ganges now her troopes forth brings The current of whose floating springs Of all streames in the world dares runne A course contrary to the Sunne And headlong flies against the East Heere it is said the warfare ceast That Macedons great Captaine made When he the Ocean did invade And did himselfe ore-come confesse With this vast worlds vnweldnesse There Indus fiercely forth doth sweepe With mighty streames and channels deepe Diuided into gulfes alone But with Hidaspis mingles none Then those that the sweet liquor swilles Which from the sugar-canes distilles And they that vse with saffrons graine To giue their haire a shining staine And so in dainty lawnes doe dangle Which they with glistering Iewels spangle And those that make their funerall piles Before that Death their Life exiles And doe without constraint embrace The furious flames with dreadlesse face O how great glory doe they gaine That death can hold in such disdaine With their owne hands in spight of fates To hasten on their welcome dates And whilst in perfect health they liue Their soules vnto the Gods do giue Then those fierce Capadocian lads Whom hunting humors so much glads With bruske Ammannian plowing swads Armenia where Nyphatem flowes And rowles huge pebbles as she goes With the Coastrae forrests hye Whose lofty toppes doe threat the skye And yee Arabians that doe view An vncoth clime vnknowne to you Do wonder much the shade to see Streame from the left side of a tree Then came vnto this Roman warre Th' Orestians that doe dwell a farre The leaders of Carmania bands Whose climate to the Southward stands Not wholly hid from Arctons light But see his Carre part of the night And Aethiop neere to all the signes That in the cirkling Zodiaque twines Excepting Taurus clouen heeles When cowring crookedly he reeles And where great Euphrates is bred With swift stream'd Tygris from one head In Persian fountaine ioyntly fed Who when they mingle here and there Breeds doubt which of the names they beare But Euphrates with fruitfull streames As she doth trauerse sundry realmes Resembles Nylus in her course But Tygris in her rapid sourse Is suddenly deuoured quite Into the earth from all mens sight And vnder ground doth runne her race Till with new head her streame she trace And with the Ocean enterlace This while the Parthians held them coy Either to helpe or to annoy Any of these two mighty guides They 'l warre on none of both their sides But laugh which way the world it slides The wandring Scyths with poysned darts Their aid vnto this warre imparts And Bactrians closd with chilly gulfes VVith Hircane forrests fostring wolfes Then the Henochians bring their band A part of Lacedemon land That headstrong are where they withstand And of Sarmatia all that track That ioynes to Mosko backe to back And where rich Phasis cuts and bounds The Colchos fields and fruitfull grounds VVith Halis bringing heauy fate To Craesus in his rich estate And where as Tannais tumbling downe His streames from off Rypheus crowne Giues vnto Nations sundry names As she her winding channels frames And Europe doth on either side From Asia with her bankes diuide Now here now there which way she bends The limits of the world extends And where the Euxine sea doth take Huge torrents from Meotis lake And so the glory doth abate Of Gades whom as tales relate Did onely through her pillars twaine That way let in the westerne maine VVrought by the huge Herculean paine Then aids come from Scythonian ports With whom the Arimasps consorts Those doe with golden phillets dresse Their curled lockes and combed tresse The Axij Pompey's part professe With Massagets that did let blood Their horses hoofes in steed of food So to releieue their hungry mood In the Sarmatick lingring brawle And Gelons swiftest of them all So huge a masse of Martiall bands Came not from the Memnonian lands When Cyrus did his armies make For warres that he had vndertake Nor Zerxes with his boysterous crew That all his thousands onely knew By counting of the darts they threw Nor Agamemnons nauy strong Which to reuenge his brothers wrong With Graecian Princes past the seas In number euer equal'd these So many Kings to battaile prest Neuer obay'd one Chiefetaines hest Such diuers formes of habites strange Of language such confused change So great a traine of royall Peeres Was neuer seene in former yeares As Fortune now did lead in dance To mingle with this warres mischance Like funerals for Pompey's sake A fitting exequie to make Then Corniger that Hammon hight Did not forbeare with supreme might To summon all Marmatick lands Vnto these warres to leade their bands Or
and hides amongst the brakes When by the winde the sent he takes Of bow or shaft or human breath Which he doth shun vnto the death Thus while the hunt with-holds the sounds Of his fleet-hunting wel-mouth'd hounds And therewithall in cooples clogges His Spartane and his Cretan dogges And suffers none the Chase to sue But some old hound that can hunt true· On dry-foots sent with nusling snowt That will not put the beast in rowt With spending of his open iawes But when the tapise neere he drawes Will shake his taile and quiet stand To fit all for the hunters hand Now these huge Raffes with speed they load And then conuey them from the road VVhen as the last of dayes twy-light VVithstood the first approch of night Then Cilix that same Pirate old That did on Pompeys party hold A slight deuisd them to betray VVhen on the seas they were mid-way A long huge chaine there he did sinke And to a rocke the end did linke Of the Ilyrian cliffie shore But lets the first ship passe it ore And so the second in likewise And then the third he did surprise VVith his hook't chaine the which he drew Vnto the shore with her arm'd crew This land doth sheluing hollow lye Ouer the seas strange to the eye VVhereon a tuffe of huge trees growes That on the waues great shadowes strowes Hither from ships by North-windes torne Many dead carkasses are borne And in the creekes a while lye closd But after are againe exposd For when the Cauernes of this bay VVith ebbe returnes his circling sway These whirle-pooles spue vp from their maw More then Charybdis gulfie iaw Here now this Raffe inclosed is Deepe laden with the Colonies Of Opiterge and then the fleet Of enemies about them meet And all about the neighbour strands In Clusters gazing on them stands Vulteius now discerned plaine That he was taken in a traine For of this Raffe he was the chiefe And seeing no meanes of reliefe Nor that this cumbrous tangling chaine By any force would breake in twaine He takes his Armes with doubtfull hope VVhether by flight to compasse scope Or with the sword a passage ope Yet in this hard distressed plight Valour affoords her manly might For being closed in a pownd With thousands that this raffe did rownd Which scarcely had aboord it than One Cohort full the same to man Although not long they maintain'd fight Vntill at last they wanting light The fray was parted by darke night ¶ Then did Vulteius stoutly braue With dreadlesse speech himselfe behaue And cheereth vp his staggering band Amazed with the fate at hand Braue youths quoth he weigh in your breasts This little time of night that rests And do resolue in this short date How you will seeke your latest fate Scarce haue we so long time of breath With leasure to fore-thinke our death More glory we shall giue our end To meet our Fate then it attend Those mindes do merit no lesse praise That dare cut off their doubtfull dayes Then those that shorten doe the scope Of longer yeares that they doe hope For he that doth with his owne fist In sunder breake his life-spun twist A conquest to himselfe hath gain'd Willing to dye comes not constrain'd To scape no meanes vs hope affoords We are empal'd with Romans swords Out-face proud death lay dread aside Freely affect that must betide But let vs not take heed withall Like slaughtred beasts in clusters fall With hostile hands hew'd downe and hack't Be in a cloud obscurely wrack't Or else be slaine whilst night doth last With showres of darts from our foes cast For they that so confusedly Fighting doe intermingled dye True valour shades from sight of eye The Gods on vs this stage bestowes In open view of friends and foes The rowling seas and mountaines hye Shall see our courage death defie This Island witnesse shall the same And to her rockes record our fame The coasts on both sides shall behold Valour vn-vanquisht vn-controld O Fortune we vnwitting are What endlesse fame thou doest prepare Wherewith to glorifie our Fates For all records of future dates That endlesse ages can retaine Our memory shall still maintaine And for our sakes repeat with ruth To constant Mart our spotlesse truth Eternizing our famous youth And Caesar for thy sake we know In this too little we bestow With our owne swords our selues to gore But thus beset we can no more This constant death that we will proue We dedicate vnto thy loue But enuious Fate our praise did grutch And from it hath detracted much In that our Parents and our sonnes With vs none of this fortune runnes Then should they know had we some aid What dauntlesse spirits they way-layd And doubtlesse we should make them feare To mell with vs that such minds beare But they may hold them well-a-paid That no more of our ships they staid For then must they some means haue found For our enlargement to compound And sought with some vaine offers base Our liuing honour to deface O would that now to giue our death One glory more ere our last breath They would but vs some offer make Whereby we might our pardon take That we with scorne might it forsake That thereby they might plainely know How dreadlesse we to death do goe And not as men in hopelesse mood With our own swords coole our own blood Let vs such vertue now expresse That Caesar may with right confesse That he in vs hath vndergone A bloody losse worthy of mone Although we few are but a mite Mongst thousands that for him do fight Though fate would set vs free againe That offer yet would I disdaine Deere mates this life to me is scorne Deaths motiues do my thoughts suborne Fury diuine hath rap't rap't my minde The Gods in fauour haue design'd That we to death should giue our minde To others they such grace deny To thinke it happinesse to dye Because here in this world of strife They should protract a wretched life Now are these noble youths on fire To haste their fates with true desire Who did before gaze on the skies With heauy hearts and watry eyes Expecting death when sunne did rise And did behold with grieuing feare The stooping of the greater Beare Before that they this speech did heare But then they wisht to see dayes light So free they were from deaths affright For now their Captaines glorious words Prouok't their hearts like points of swords The Sphere with all her lampes of night Haste in the seas to plunge their light The Sunne his parting then begins From out the armes of Laeda's twins And now this lofty starre him drawes To lodge more neere to Cancers clawes And for a farewell night imparts With vs her two Thessalian darts ¶ The day spring doth descry abroad How Istrian troopes the Cliffes do load And how the stout Liburnian fleet With Greekish ships in consort meet But
first the rage of warre to cease They offer them to treate of peace And onely this contract would haue To yeeld themselues their liues to saue Except they more desired death Then to preserue a Captiue breath But these braue yonkers did disdaine Parlie for life to entertaine They were resolu'd that their owne Armes Should free them from all scornfull harmes Their mindes prepar'd for vtmost woes Could not be mou'd with clamorous foes Few hands of theirs sustain'd the brunt Of multitudes that them affrunt By land and seas on euery side Constant to death they firme abide And when they saw of hostile gore That they had shed sufficient store They turn'd their fury from the foe And with themselues in hand they goe The noble Captaine led the way Vulteius braue that doth display His naked breast and thus did say That hand amongst you most of worth My blood with glory to let forth Let him giue proofe by wounding me That he likewise himselfe dares free From captiue fate No more he spake But therewithall short worke to make More swords then one became so fierce That all at once his bowels pierce Yet he that on him first did light Him with like kindnesse to requite His dying hand did then bestow On him againe a fatall blow Then all the Troope hand ouer head With mortall wounds each other sped In such sort rag'd the Dircaean breed That did spring vp of Cadmus seed Which did presage the dismall fate Of Theban brethrens dire debate Whose earth-bred race their linnage drawes From that same waking Dragons iawes Whose teeth sowne in the Phasian fields Such cankred bloody natures yeelds As that the furrowes flowing stood With fowle inrag'd allied blood Contriu'd by wrathfull Magickes mood And vile Medea that these harmes Did bring to passe with sorcerous charmes Fear'd what thereof might more betide Because those spelles she had not try'd In this sort dy'd those gallant laddes Whose mutuall fate each other glads Death to great vertue did expose To quell such valiant men as those Yet they together dye and fall No one mans hand did faile at all To giue a wound but it did bring With dying hand deaths deadly sting Neither did they to strong blowes trust But through their breasts the swords did thrust And for it should be throughly donne Vp to the hilts they did them runne In this blood-thirsty slaughtring fray The brother doth the brother slay Sonnes fathers send the selfe-same way And yet their hands were not affright ' Gainst natures lawes to shew their might But this was deem'd a pious deed With one blow and no more to speed Now did the bowels all bestrow The hatches and the bloud did flow Ouer the sides into the seas To see the light did them displease But that with proud disdainfull grace They might looke in the victors face And scornfully their deaths embrace The Raffe was heap't and ouer-spred With these braue youths that there lye dead To whom the Conquerors impart Due funerals as their desart And all the Captaines wondring stood At this braue Captaines dauntlesse mood And now the fame of this deed donne As matchlesse through the world did run But yet this patterne cannot make Many base mindes like heart to take Dread will not let them vnderstand That Vertue with her valiant hand May easily their woes release If slauish Fate do them oppresse But Tyrants swords do them appall Their freedome vnder force doth fall Because they do not vnderstand Why swords were fitted to the hand O Death therefore doe not affright The poore dismaied coward wight But shew thy tyrant murdrous dart Vnto the dauntlesse noble heart Like courage he in Mart exprest That doth the Lybian fields inuest For noble Curio leaues the rode Of Lilybey where his abode With all his fleet a while he made Which now the Ocean do inuade When as a friendly Northerne gale His ships vnto the port did hale Whereas the waues the ruines beat Of great Carthagoes famous seat And then vnto the harbour came Clupea hight of noted name There first he maketh his discents And farre in land did pitch his tents Hard by the stow Bagrada's sides That furrowes vp the sands with tides Then to the hilles his Army goes And to those hollow rockes that showes Where great Antaeus raigned king As old bards do not vainly sing Here Curio seriously desires To heare report of ancient sires And what the peasants of the land Did by tradition vnderstand From what occasion that tale rose That through the world this rumor blowes ¶ Long after that same monstrous brood Of Earth-borne Gyants Ioue with-stood Our Libian Countrey did not reare Such ore-growne creatures as they were Neither was Typhons worth so much Nor Tityos nor Briareus such As in the world they glory bare But sure the earth the heauens did spare That then Antaeus was not borne Nor did in Thessaly soiorne A man so deere vnto the earth From whom he tooke his liuing birth As that he neuer touch't the ground But his maine force did more abound And when his huge limbes fainting grew Fresh strength in them it did renue This caue the house where he did dwell And vnder this high rocke the cell Where he did lodge and for his meate The flesh of Lyons he did eate On wilde beasts skinnes he would not lye Nor on the broad leaues soft and drye But on the bare mould he would rest Wherewith his vigor still encreast The people ouer all the lands Were mangled with his murdrous hands Of strangers that the coast did trade A slaughter and a spoyle he made But for a time proud of his force He did the helpe of earth diuorce And though he were of so great might That none durst him withstand in fight Yet when the fame abroad was spread Of this foule monster so a-dread And what great mischiefe he had donne It mou'd Alcides noble sonne To passe to Affricke on the maine To buckle with this surly swaine ¶ But ere his taske he did beginne From him he casts his Lyons skinne That in Cleoneae he had slaine Antaeus likewise did refraine To weare his Lybicke Lyons spoyle Then Hercules the soueraigne oyle Vpon his brawny limbes infusd That in Olympian games he vsd But now Antaeus earst so stout His proper force began to doubt And therefore stretcht himselfe at length Vpon the sands that gaue him strength Now with their hands they hand-fast take And fiercely doe their straind armes shake Then did they long but all in vaine Each other by the collars straine And brow they doe confront to brow Which neither of them both would bow But each of them did muse to see One that his equall match could bee Alcides yet forbare to show His vtmost vigor on his foe But vrg'd him so with cunning slight That out of breath he puts him quight Which by oft
panting he exprest With cold sweat trickling downe his breast Then both their necks with straining shakes Breast against breast resistance makes Whilst their crost arms with stooping chine About each others thighes they twine Then doth Alcides leaue that hold And fiercely both his armes did fold About Antaeus bending waste And wringing girds his bowels fast Whilst he his foot with skill did slide Betwixt his shankes and made him stride Then with an in-turne following that Vpon his backe he threw him flat The parched earth the sweat receaues And vnto him new force bequeaues Fresh blood reuiueth euery vaine His sinowy necke grew strong againe His ioynts more firme and nimble were And with such force himselfe did beare That all that Herc'les did before His body now annoy'd no more Herewith Alcides grew amaz'd And on this strength increasing gaz'd For he was not so much affright When he did with that Hydra fight That new heads for his old could dight In the Inachian plashie fenne Though he were but a stripling then Long doubtfully did they contend One trusts the strength the earth did lend Th' other did on the vertue rest That lodg'd within his manly breast His bitter step-dame neuer had Such cause as now her hopes to glad In seeing him so hard bestad For now she sees his limbes to sweate And his strong shoulders starke with heate Whereon he wonted was to beare The burthen of the starry spheare But now againe he did begin His armes about his foe to cling Which when Antaeus did perceaue He straight vnto the earth did cleaue From whence new force he did receiue And all the helpe the earth could giue Her sonne therewith she did relieue And labours with her might and maine His wearied limbes to strength againe Now when Alcides found at length That still he did renew his strength By vertue of the touched earth His mother whence he tooke his birth Stand now quoth he and trust no more As thou didst to the earth before I will restraine thee from that hope Within my armes shall be thy scope Thy heft shall stay vpon my breast Here is the place that thou shalt rest And with that word aloft him hent That struggling to the earth-wards bent But there the ground no whit auailes Her childs crusht chest whom death assailes Thus did Alcides gird him fast Vntill his chine he brake at last And now deaths pangues with crazie cold On all his limbes did lay sure hold Thus he a long time did him straine Ere he would let him fall againe This combate hath beene since the cause From whence our Countries ancient sawes Admiring this great Gyants fame Vnto his mother gaue his name But since a name of greater grace Was giuen vnto this hilly place By Scipio that braue Roman knight That did by valor and by might Constraine the hostile Punicke powers Home to returne from Latium bowers And here when first the Lybicke land He did inuade his campe did stand And in this place still may you see Where ramparts and huge trenches bee So as the fields did first of all Vnto the Roman conquest fall ¶ Curio is pleasd that he hath found The chance of such a lucky ground And thinkes the fortune of the place His warre with like successe would grace As it had done that noble Peere Scipio that earst incamped heere And therefore on this happy land His haplesse tents he causd to stand Too loosely he doth range his host And of these hilles the vantage lost Then with vnequall force doth goe To dare a mighty armed foe In Affricke all the Roman bands That seru'd were vnder Varus hands Whos 's Latium forces might suffice Yet he seekes all the best supplies That Lybicke kingdome would affoord And subiects were to Iuba's sword Who farre and neere his force did raise And so his standard he displaies In all that continent no King Could so great powers together bring His Territory from the west Where Atlas mount neere Gades doth rest Begins and so forth Eastward runnes Vnto the Syrtes where Ammon wonnes And then in bredth takes all that cost Whose lands the Torrid Zone doth tost With those vaste kingdomes stretcht a farre That bounded with the Ocean are Vnto his Campe repaired these The Nation of Antololes The vagrant fierce Numidaeans The still prepar'd Getulians That doe vnarmed horses ride Then Moores whose skins are cole-black dy'd The Nasamons that riches wants And all the parched Garamants The Marmaryds so swift of foote With Maxans that as strongly shoote Those darts that from their armes they throw As Medes can shafts out of a bow And those Massilians that bestride Their horses bare-back't when they ride And neuer doth a bridle need But with a wand can guide his steed The hunting Aphers that did vse No steady dwelling house to chuse But rang'd in Tents from place to place As they pursue the Lyons chase And trusts not to their headed speare But with their clokes his eyes will bleare And nothing do his raging feare ¶ Neither did Iuba raise his Mart Onely regarding to take part With one side in this ciuill fight But was drawne on with priuate spight For Curio in his Tribunes time That had committed many a crime Against the Gods and humane right Did practise then with all his might By his owne Tribunitian law King Iuba's realme from him to draw And to disgrade him from the Throne By true discent that was his owne VVherein thou didst thy power display VVhen Rome gaue thee too great a sway Iuba remembring this abuse Did of this warre make priuate vse Hoping thereby that vncontrold He should his crowne more freely hold The fame of this offended king VVith feare in Curios Campe did ring For most of all the troopes he led In Caesars Armes were neuer bred Nor in those Gallicke warres were train'd Nor with their blood the Rhene had stain'd But from Corfinium garrison They were with-drawne when it was wonne And to new leaders bare small trust As they to former were vniust Still thinking to doe what they lust When therefore Curio plainly saw Base feare their mindes did ouer-awe Whereby the trenches euery night Were barely man'd by sluggish fright And that his Souldiers day by day From out the trenches fled away His minde these ill presages mates And with himselfe he thus debates Daring attempts doe couer dread My Ensignes therefore I will spread And with my Souldiers take the field Whilst they to me obedience yeeld For Idlenesse breeds mutiny But action voids conspiracy Whilst that the valiant minde is prest And sees the sword against his breast His helmet then doth shelter shame He leasure wants to scorne or blame His Captaines will or to compare How martiall causes ordered are But on which part in armes he stands There he imployes his hired hands So do the fencers for rewards Expose their skill and ventrous
can the Rostrum thee auaile Or Forum now when Fates assaile What boots it that in thee it lay The armed peoples willes to sway What profits it thy voyce did draw The Senate to infringe the law Whereby the Father and the Sonne This hatefull ciuill warre begunne Sith thou to death thy date must yeeld And shalt not see Pharsalia's field Where these great Captaines led with rage To battailes chance their states engage For crosse-bent Fate denies to thee The issue of these warres to see So you disturbers of the state Make your owne selues a prey to fate And pay the price with your owne blood For which you sold the common good O happy Rome couldst thou but finde Thy Citizens so iust and kinde As that the Gods their mindes would moue Rather to cherish and to loue The publique freedome of the state Then to reuenge their priuate hate O noble Curio 't is thy meed The rau'ning Libicke fowles to feed For to thy lot will neuer fall The honor of a funerall But yet our lines might merit blame To silence that which for thy name Deserues to be in brasse inchast That with all ages it might last I yeeld this therefore to thy spirit The due commend that it did merit Rome neuer bred a greater wit That did within the Rostrum sit Nor more did dignifie the lawes Whilst thou didst stand for iustice cause But after Pride and Luxurie With auaritious Briberie Possest the head-strong wils of youth They swamme in streames that led to ruth So with the times things changed then That age corrupt corrupted men And Curio blasted with the rest Was chiefest cause of Romes vn-rest For Caesar did his minde inthrall With golden gifts of conquered Gaule Though Sylla's power and Marius wrath And Cinna's rage bred Roman scath Though Caesars ancient noble line With glory long did sway and shine Yet for all this their swords lack't might To frame a tyranny out-right They all did still attempt with gold To purchase Rome which Curio sold Finis Libri quarti Lucans Pharsalia The fifth Booke THE ARGVMENT IN Greece the Senate doe decree That Pompey shall their leader be Then Appius doth to Delphos goe The Oracles aduice to know Now Caesar hauing maistered Spaine His mutiners supprest againe And then to Rome in haste he goth There Consull and Dictator both Thence to Brundusium he departs And to Epyrus bends his Marts He rashly venters on the Maine Then comes Antonius with his traine Pompey Cornelia doth betake To Lesbos whilst he warre doth make THESE Captaines now on either side The wrackes of Ciuill warre had try'd And Fortune partiall vnto neither Mingled good lucke and bad together Bringing them with an equall hand Into the Macedonian land Mount Aemus now was thatch't with snow That from th' Atlanticke skies did blow And then the feast dayes onward drew VVhich did their Magistrates renew And that prime season gan appeare That leads the vaunt-gard of the yeare But whilst some latter time remaines To those that yet doe rule the raines The Consuls both did then decree The Senate should assembled be VVith those great Lords both farre neare In Prouinces did office beare And then Epyrus they did chuse The place for this warres Randezvous But oh this forraigne sordid seat For Roman Peeres was farre vnmeet It needs must be a scornfull iest That their high Court should be a guest In stranger lands there to debate The Councels of the Empires state For who a Campe will deeme this place That all the Consuls axes grace The Senates reuerend order sayes They runne not after Pompeys wayes But Pompey for the publicke cause Saith he obserues the Senates lawes ¶ Now when these sad assembled Peeres VVith silence gaue attentiue eares Lord Lentulus from his high Throne In these words makes his meaning knowne If courage such your mindes doe feed As worthy of the Latium breed Or ancient blood boyle in your breast VVhat matter is 't where Romans rest Regard not how farre we reside From Rome by Caesar vilefi'd But know you now with loue and grace Your natiue Countrey peoples face First therefore reuerend Fathers heare By all your powers make it appeare That you the rightfull Senate are Whose high decrees in peace and warre Nations must reuerence neere and farre For be it so that Fortunes sway Would carry vs so farre away As where the ycie lesser Beare Doth dimly twinkle in the spheare Or else whereas the Torrid Zone Refreshing vapours casteth none But alwayes with one counterpaise Equals the length of nights and dayes Yet wheresoeuer we should roame There alwayes is the Empires home With vs we hold as proper mate The supreame care and rule of state So when with fire the furious Gaules Assail'd the high Tarpeian walles At Veia did Camillus wonne And there did Rome her fortune runne The Senatorian ordred state Is neuer chang'd by place or date Caesar the City doth retaine Whose houses empty do remaine The mourning Courts he ouer-awes Where Armes haue silenced the lawes The Roman Courts know but the face Of Senators which he did chase From out the Citty swarming than And him that Caesar did not ban Of that great Senatorian traine His fellowship we must disdaine That fury first did scatter such As did at wicked discord grutch Who with their children and their wiues In peace desir'd to lead their liues But yet for all this raging vaine Here are we now well met againe And all the Gods in recompence Of Italie though chast from thence Hath giuen vs to cheere our hearts The whole worlds force that takes our parts And now in the Ilirian maine Vulteius and his troopes are slaine And Curio that was greatest part Of Caesars Senate in his Mart Lies foyl'd with all his Martiall bands In Affrickes filthy parched sands Therefore your Ensignes now display Braue Captaines thrust on Fortunes way In Ioues high grace your hopes repose Your mindes as forward now expose Against the forces of your foes As you were ready then to run When their approches you did shun Our power no further doth extend For with the yeare the Consuls end But reuerend Lords your powerfull state Is not confin'd to any date Therefore conclude amongst you all That Pompey be your General Hereat the Senate did reioyce And then decreed with one voyce That they would lay on Pompey's fate The publique and their priuate state That done to honors they prefer'd The Kings and people that deseru'd And vnto Rhodes Apollo's seat Whose power by sea was stout and great They presents gaue and for their truth The like vnto the homely youth Of Taygety and then the Towne Of ancient Athens they renowne And to Massilians Caesars spoyle They freely gaue the Phocean soyle ¶ Then Sadalen and Cotyn strong And Deiotarus that had long Beene loyall to the Roman state To honors they did eleuate And therewithall Rhasipolin The Lord of that
backe my desires so long Therefore passe boldly through this rage Secured in my safe presage This is but toyle of windes and seas Which shall no whit our barke disease Thy ship for fraight doth Caesar beare To free thee from the Oceans feare And these fierce windes that blow so hye Shall be appeased by and by And euen the very raging maine Shall by our ship his quiet gaine Thy course in no case see thou change But from a loofe this next shore range And then beleeue thou shalt attaine Calabria coast and end thy paine When no lands else beneath the skye Doth for our ship and safety lye Thou little knowst that all these threates That so the waues with tempests beates Is but that Fortune would declare To me her tender loue and care VVhen skies and seas most furious are The word he had no sooner spoke But from a cloud a whirle-winde broke The cordage and the tackling rownd So that the sailes aloft did bound And whirle about the tottring mast The ships ioynts open with the blast And all the perils of the earth VVere here deliuered at a birth For first from the Atlanticke maine The billowes rowl'd with westerne straine And when they had this sea ingag'd Against the rockes they roar'd and rag'd VVith that comes in the Northerne blast VVhich doth the waues repell as fast So as the seas did stand at stay VVhich of the two they should obay But yet the rauing Scithian flawes Did wrest the waues vnto his lawes And so the Oceans bottome rakes That in the sands it path-way makes Neither did Boreas with his freate Against the cliffes the billowes beate But euen against those raging waues That with the Westerne Tempest raues And now the seas are growne so hye That waue against the waue doth flye Although the winde doe calmed lye But yet the East-winde did not cease His fury likewise to expresse Neither thinke I that in this storme The South-winde did his blasts conforme To milder mood with showres supprest And still in Aeols dungeon rest But that the windes from euery part Incensed were to striuing Mart. And that each one exprest his most To blow the billow from his cost And twixt them held the maine embost For now the lesser seas likewise In mutiny began to rise Th' Aegean gainst the Tyrrhen waues Impetuously resisting raues And the Ionian roaring vease Confronts the Adriaticke seas How oft that day were steepy rockes Cleane ouerturn'd with whirle-wind shocks Gainst which the billowes beate in vaine And could not such huge mountains straine As quite did ouer-whelmed lye Whose towring toppes did threat the skye Neuer I thinke did any shore Endure the like sea-storme before Nor any clime twixt either pole Did from her coasts such billowes role These seas where they the lands surrownd In diuers parts with indraughts drown'd So did high Ioue in former times Weari'd with scourging worldly crimes His thunder-bolts at last forbeare And causd his brothers Trydent speare To helpe him vengeance due to take Which did a second Empire make When Nations were in waters drownd And Thaetis would admit no bound Vnto the lands but heauens high cope Neither could that haue beene her scope But to the starres it would haue rose If Iupiter did not oppose And her with weighty clouds foreclose ¶ This night was not the heauens night But hellish darke depriuing light And thickned with such clouds of showres That whole vnparted downe-right powres So as the feared lightning flash And his swift brightnesse it did quash The clouded aire becomes obscure The conuex spheares quakings endure The Axle that the world sustaines Doth sound aloud with cracking straines The ioynts and structures of the poles VVith labouring motion tottring roles Nature suspects the Chaos old And that discording vncontrold The Elements againe would warre And in their harmony would iarre And that with Gods the fiends of hell Would now all mingled be pell-mell One onely signe some hope did giue That in this storme this barke could liue But looke how farre the distance showes Downe where the pleasant Ocean flowes To him that on the top doth stand Of mount Leucades lofty land Euen so the trough of seas appear'd To him that now the rudder stear'd When as the ship was borne aloft With swelling of the billow soft And when againe she did descend Betweene the billowes as they bend So hollow in the furrow lies As that her mast is hid from eies Sometimes as high as clouds her sailes Sometimes her keele the bottome trailes For where the sea doth breake a sunder The sands are bared that lye vnder And when the parted billowes filles They rise in heapes like mighty hilles ¶ Feare now all hope of Art exceedes To guide the helme the maister dreads To port or weare or serue the seas The labouring ship he cannot ease Onely by this they did suruiue The waues so contrary did striue As that it kept the ship vpright Betwixt them both with equall might For as one billow downe did straine Another check't him vp againe And by this meanes not ouer-set With every surge aloft they get Of Sasons shelues and lowly sand Nothing at all in feare they stand Nor yet of the Thessalian shore Whose crooked strands the pibbles store Nor yet Ambracia's noysome bay Where ships so oft are cast away But that which feares these sea-men most Is the high-clift Caeraunian cost Now Caesar thinkes this dangerous state Is worthy to confront his fate How now quoth he are powers Diuine So troubled with this life of mine As that they should such care bestow How they the same might ouer-throw That sailing in this trifling boat Such monstrous seas together float If that the glory of my end Vnto the seas the Fates do lend And warres no more we must intend Yee Gods aboue with dreadlesse minde I take what death you haue design'd Although this hastned date preuents The finishing of braue euents But I haue done acts great enow I made the Northerne Nations bow The forces of my enemy For feare of mee I made to flye And Rome it selfe doth plainly see Pompey a second is to mee The fagots me by warre deny'd With peoples voyce to me were cry'd No Titles of the Roman state Haue wanted to adorne my Fate And no wight now but thou alone Fortune to whom my vowes are knowne Shall know the secrets of my will For though that I haue had my fill Of honors and enioy the grace Of Consull and Dictators place And so to Stygian shades will trace O yet t is my desire to dye In priuate sort and secretly O Heauens no funerals I craue Let my torne body for a graue Be kept amidst the weltring waue Both fires and mournings me deny Whereby my fame the more shall flye For no man witting of my end All coasts with dread will me attend ¶ So hauing said the surging whifts
Did vnto eldest yeares designe And in the midst breake off his twine But since the order of all things From one first chiefe beginning springs And Fates do labour in this all And thou of that a change wouldst call Whereby one onely mortall stroke Might this worlds vniverse revoke All our consorts must needs agree That Fortune can do more then wee But if it may suffise thy hope Of one mans hap to know the scope T is easie certainly to doe And many meanes do helpe thereto The earth the aire the Chaos old The fields with hearbes so manifold The rockes of Rhodopeian land VVould sound that we should vnderstand But since that daily there is store Of new slaine bodies with fresh gore T is easie for Emathia's field One head for our designes to yeeld VVhose carkasse warme and newly slaine Doth yet a sound of voyce retaine VVhose corpes not parched with the sunne Nor warmth as yet from members runne This Stygian ghost not yet will stutter But to our eares will plaine words vtter ¶ VVhen she had said her sullen head She artificially ore-spread VVith doubled darknesse of the night And with a foggy mist bedight About the bodies slaine she pries That in the fields vnburied lies And with her lookes she did affray The rauening Wolues and birds of pray VVho from the bodies fled away VVhilst that this hagge a carkasse prold And search't the marrow deadly cold Wherein the lungs and lights she found Quite starke but free from any wound Then for a voyce she seekes and pries Within this body where it lies Meane while there hung in question than The fate of many a slaughtred man VVhom she againe from death would call For had she try'd to take them all That of both Armies there lay slaine The warres she had supply'd againe And silenced Erebus law For could this powerfull monster draw From Stygian lake so great a crew Their fighting alwayes would renew But now a body she hath got That had no wound but in the throat Him she elects and him doth hooke VVith halter and with Iron crooke And through the rockes the ruthlesse hagge This miserable corpes did dragge That life must take and doth it trace VVhereas a hollow vaulted place Vnder a lofty cliffe doth rise VVhere she fell Witch doth sacrifice ¶ Here is a land not farre from hell VVhere lies a deepe obscured cell Sunke vnder ground with cauernes vast VVhose toppe with shades is ouer-cast For bowes of trees so enter-lace That they obscure and vaile this place So as no where can mortall eye Discerne the Sunne or glimpse of skye But deadly darknesse and long night In this sad Denne be-clouds all sight And but by charmes hath neuer light The foggy aire within this cell More lothsome is then dampes of hell And this swarth Region on all sides Auernus from our world diuides And hither the infernall King His ghosts doth neuer feare to bring For though this witch of Thessaly The Fates by force can qualifie Yet doubtfull is it whether she From this place into hell can see Or whether personally this fend Vnto the Stygian shades discend A smokie foule rag'd weed she weares With open face and back-cast haires The fillets that her lockes do trace She doth with vipers inter-lace And when she saw in how great feare Yong Pompey and his followers were As men that horror did confound Looking downe wistly to the ground What now quoth she be of good cheare Lay doubt aside and do not feare For now you shall forthwith perceaue A figure new true life receaue Though dread do make your spirits weake Yet may you heare him plainly speake If I should shew you Stygian lakes And helles bankes breathing fiery flakes And that you may the Furies see Safely safe-conduited by me And Cerberus with curled breast Shaking his hideous snaky crest And Gyants huge whose feter'd hands Behinde their backes are tide in bands VVhy stand you cowards in such frights To looke vpon poore trembling sprights ¶ Then she doth luke-warme blood convay Into the body as it lay And with new wounds the same doth gash And clotterd gore away doth wash Then she together working mings All vncoth births that Nature brings The froth of mad dogges iawes she takes That feare to see fresh watry lakes The Lynx his bowels laid thereon With the Hyena's ioyntlesse bone The marrow of a stagge new dead That hath a serpent swallowed And that same little fish whose force Can so with-hold the forward course Of any ship amidst the maine When all her sailes the winde doth straine A Dragons eyes therewith she prest And that stone in the Aegles nest That ratling sounds and heate doth catch Amongst the egges that she doth hatch Th' Arabian Serpent that makes wing The poys'nous Viper whose sharpe sting The red-sea Cockle doth defend Wherein the pretious pearle is pen'd And therewithall the skinne new flead From the Coerastae but halfe dead With those burnt ashes that arise Out of the Phoenix sacrifice These venom'd heapes she workes frames Distinguish't by their seuerall names And leaues she addes repleate with spelles And growing hearbes wherewith she melles The spittle of her driueling iawes And euery other poysons cause Deuised by her sorcerous sawes ¶ Then with a voyce that farre exceeds The strength of all hearbs that earth breeds She calles and charmes the Gods of hell And mutters first a confus'd spell Of varying sounds that wistly iarre From humane language diffring farre She hath the barking of a hound And of a Wolfe the howling sound The hollow whooping of the Owle The skryching of the blacke night fowle The bellowing of the sauadge beast With hissing of a Snake exprest The hollow murmures of the waues Beating against the cliffie caues The whistling of the wooddy leaues And thunders noise the clouds that cleaues So many sounds from one voyce flye The rest her direfull charmes supply And with her tongue she frames a spell That pierc'd downe to the depth of hell ¶ Ye Destinies the Stygian scourge That torments on offenders vrge And thou Auernus gulfe profound That swalowing canst whole worlds confound And thou that all this earth dost sway Whose death the heauenly powers delay That thereby thou for longer times Maist be reseru'd to plague thy crimes O Styx and yee Elizian fields That solace none to witches yeelds And thou Persephon that dost loth The heauens and thy mother both And Hecate our deerest frend That to my tongue dost cunning lend Whereby commerce and vse I haue Of ghosts and the infernall graue Thou Porter of infernall gates That dost on bowels share for cates VVith thy deuouring rauenous iawes And you three sisters that forth drawes And cuts in two each liuing line Of power to breake this worke of mine And thou ô Ferry-man growne old That hast so long those waues controld Doe not these soules from me with-hold But grant to me that I request If my petition
Marius with his bloody harmes Cethegi with their naked armes There likewise I the Drusians saw That made their libertie a law Reioycing in a popular loue And Gracchi that great things durst proue Though hampered with lasting chaines Whose liberties hell-gates restraines Yet clap their hands that plaudits yeelds These wicked ghosts craue blessed fields Then this infernall Realmes great guide His stations did enlarge more wide And therewithall he sharpes the rocks Hard adamantine chaines and locks With iron links he doth prepare As torments for the victors share But yet ô youth take now with thee This comfortable word from me Expect a blessed resting place For thy sires soule and all his race For in that kingdome deepe of Dis A pleasant part reserued is To entertaine great Pompeys spright Let not the glory him delight Of this short lifes vncertaine date The houre drawes neare whose present fate Shall these great captains fortunes mixe In death therefore your comforts fixe Go proudly and with high desires Vnto your lowly funerall fiers And spurning scorne those haughty soules That Roman rites like Gods controules For now the strife is who shall haue On Tybris or on Nyle his graue And all the warre these Captaines wage Is where shall be their funerall stage ¶ But as for what concernes thy fate Do not desire I should relate Spare me for though I silence keepe A Prophet of more knowledge deepe Will let thee all things vnderstand And thou in the Sicilian land Shalt haue it at thy fathers hand Whose mind as yet I do not know Whither he meanes that thou shalt go Or from what place thou shouldst refraine Or what vnluckie coasts disdaine Or in which part of this worlds clime Thou shouldst abide and spend thy time But haplesse ye Europe forbeare Affricke and Asia likewise feare Fortune your tombes will there diuide Where earst triumphant you did ride O wretched house the world you yeelds Nought safer then Pharsalias fields Thus hauing his relation told With mornefull lookes did silence hold And death was his desired meede But Magicks charmes thereto would neede And hearbes to make the carkasse fall For Fates could not againe recall The soule that once at large did rome By lawes expir'd of Stygian doome Then did Erictho frame withall A pile of wood for funerall Thus to the fire the bodie went Which kindled was laid downe and brent Where when Erictho saw him lie She left him in that place to die And so along with Sextus went To visite Pompey at his Tent. But now the mornings dawne drew neare So that the dayes peepe did appeare Therefore that they might secret passe To Pompey where he camped was She did inchant the scowling night With sable vailes to clowd the light Finis Libri Sexti Lucans Pharsalia The seuenth Booke THE ARGVMENT THis doth great Pompeys dreame relate And wailes withall hi haplesse Fate His eager troopes would battell haue Tully the same doth likewise craue With filed speech to giue content Pompey though loath yeelds his consent Prodigious signes appeare in sight Both Armies in point to fight The Chieftains with couragious words Inuite the souldiers to their swords The battels ioyne and Pompeys hoast Is ouerthrowne his Campe is lost To saue himselfe away he flies Caesar a victors Fortune tries The spoyles he freely doth bestow Pharsalias field with blood doth flow MOre slow then euer was his guise Tytan did from Aurora rise And contrary to Natures will Clymes heauily the Easterne hill He neuer more vnwillingly Did driue his Teeme against the skie And lasily hung dragging backe Though fiercely rapt with sweeping racke So prone he was to shew defect Vnder Ecclips his bright aspect Doth labour now and blacke clouds breeds Not such as fed his flaming steeds And all this was but to delay From Thessaly the light of day But now Boötes with his cart Drawes on darke night the latest part Of woefull Pompeys happy life Whom pleasing dreames so free from strife Did entertaine and fained showes His troubled thoughts did interpose It seemed in this dreaming fit That he with stately pompe did fit In that Theatre he did frame At Rome which carryed Pompeys name Thither the Romane people thrung In multitudes whose voices rung With ioyfull shouts vnto the starres To see him safe return'd from warres And more to shew how they reioyce They clapt their hāds with thundring noyce Euen such applauding shouts they raise As they did in his youthfull daies And with such fawning him beheld As when he had Sertorious queld That fugitiue in armes so fierce And when he did with conquest pierce The westermost Iberian pride And did for it in triumph ride Then being but a youthfull knight Attired in a robe sun-bright And in a lofty Charriot plac't Whom with applause the Senate grac't Now whether that this did portend Of all his happinesse the end And as a last retraite of ioy Did but presage future annoy Or that this sound reuealing sleepe That doth our thoughts in fancies steepe Did with accustom'd ambages Expresse his fate by contraries All turn'd to Pompeys miseries Or that Romes fortune did bequeaue To him this sight for her last leaue Knowing that he should neuer more Set footing on his natiue shore Ye that the Camping watches keepe Do not breake off this pleasant sleepe Let not the sound of trumpets charmes Pierce through his eares with wars alarmes The next night she shall haue dire rest And sad sights shall his soule inuest On both sides armed hoasts shall meete And raging warre each other greete Whence then could souldiers free frō care Such sound sleeps and such sweet rest share O happy would that day haue beene If thy Rome so could thee haue seene O Pompey would the Gods of heauen That one desired day had giuen Vnto thy country and to thee Of eithers fate assur'd to bee Whereby you mutuallie might proue The latest fruits of your deare loue Thou Pompey to the warres didst wend As though thy daies in Rome should end And Rome that knew her conscience cleare Tender of thee to her vowes deare Did neuer thinke that foule offence Had with the Fates hung in suspence That Rome should not the fortune haue To giue her Pompeys bones their graue For then would youths and aged sires Vnbidden boyes with selfe desires Haue mingled howling plaints with teares The Matrones with disheueled haires And virgins would their brests haue torne Euen as the people then did mourne When Brutus was laid in his vrne And now although they feare the hand Of him that doth the victor stand Though Caesars selfe should first relate The newes of Pompeys wretched fate Yet would they not forbeare to mourne Whilst Caesar were in triumph borne And that the incense burning were And that to Ioue they Bayes did beare O wretched Citizens that hate The plaints of your owne greeued Fate Because all could not with one haile In full Theatre him bewaile ¶ Now
corps behould Pale and dis-figured on the mould Another in his dreame discernes His fathers wounds whereat he yearnes And all these sprights and hellish feares Then Caesars guilty conscience teares No lesse then did those hagges of hell Within Orestes spirits dwell That with affrights his visage vrg'd Till Scythian Altars him had purg'd Nor yet Pentheius in his minde More furious gastly fits did finde Nor mad Agaue in her kinde ¶ For all the swords that bloud did staine Now shed on the Pharsalian plaine And those reuenging swords withall That should in future on him fall By force of Senatorian spight In dreames oppressed him this night So doe the furies him affright How liues this wretched man in feare That doth such guilt in conscience beare That in his dreames he seemes to see The Stygian ghosts about him flee With all the foule infernall traines Whilst Pompey still aliue remaines Yet this no whit his conscience straines But when cleare day with shining beames Bewraid Pharsalia's bloody streames The horror of that vgly sight Did not his gasping eyes affright Nor turne them from those lothsome lands But lookes how thicke the riuers stands Clotted with gore and how likewise As high as hilles the bodies rise That on the Champian heaped lies Of Pompeys men a tale he takes And in that place a feast he makes He pries amongst the bodies there What faces knowne vnto him were And herein great contentment found He could not see Emathias ground Nor cast his eyes vpon the plaine Hid with the bodies that lay slaine There saw he how his fortune stood And all his Gods clothed in blood And for because he would not lose This pleasing prospect on dead foes Still madding in his wicked ire He would not giue them funerall fire But let them rotting there to rest Emathias aire so to infest He might haue learn'd by Hanniball That gaue our Consull funerall And how he humane rites bestowes In Cannas fields vpon his foes With pyles of wood to burne the dead Which Lybicke torches kindled But that sterne wroth that him enrag'd The slaughter had not yet asswag'd For he remembred in his minde The Romans were to him vnkinde But now we do not here desire For euery one a single fire Or any glorious funerall Bestow but one fire on them all We do not seeke that they should burne In parted flames and shared vrne Or if thou Pompey more wouldst spite All Pindus woods then hew downe quite And the Oetean oakes lay wast And make of all one pile so vast That he may from the seas descrie Pharsalian flames streame in the skie ¶ This rage of thine auaileth nought By whatsoeuer meanes t is wrought That these dead bodies may consume For be it with a fierie fume Or else with time that they do rot And turne to dust it skilleth not For nature in her louing wombe Doth freely mortals all intombe All bodies that do breath and liue Their end to her as debt must giue And though that Caesar in disdaine Their funerall fire from them detaine Yet when the Earth and Ocean vast Shall be consum'd with flames at last One common fire the world shall haue And starres with humane bones engraue And vnto whatsoeuer place Fortune thy flitting soule shall chase These soules the selfe-same way shall wend No higher shall thy ghost ascend But lodge in Stygian shade below No better mansion shalt thou know From Fortunes freakes death frees vs all What earth doth yeeld earth doth recall And he that lies vnburied With heauens high cope is couered And thou that dost whole nations wrong From burials that to them belong Why dost thou loth these slaughtred bands And shunne these soild contagious lands Caesar doe thou these waters drinke In this aire breath that so doth stinke But these corrupted bodies slaine Doe take from thee Pharsalia plaine And in despight do hold the place And thence the conquerours do chase ¶ But to this carnage for their food Thither repaires with rauening mood The Thracian wolues that vent from farre The bloud of this Aemonian warre The Lyons come from Pholoen And doe forsake their haunted denne To quench in gore their thirsting iawes Whom sent of slaughter thither drawes The grisly Beares do leaue their caues And on these festred bodies raues The filthy dogges forsake their homes And all about these fat fields romes And whatsoeuer else by kinde With senting nose can sauors winde When as the aire is putrifide With carkasses long mortifide And hither flocks of fowles do throng That both the camps had followed long And those same birds that change the aire Of Thracian cold and do repaire Vnto the gentle Southerne blast Where they the streames of Nylus tast So many vultures thither flie As neuer earst did clowd the skie With other rauenous foules of pray Which euery wood sent day by day And to the branches boughs and leaues The clotterd gore and bowels cleaues That these birds brings and oft withall Vpon the victors heads doth fall And on those wicked ensignes borne The flesh and guts that they had torne Which from their weary talents slip Hauing got more then they could grip Neither could they so sharke and share The flesh whereby the bones were bare All was not made a pray to beasts They were so glutted with these feasts As that they now began to loath The inwards and the marrow both And onely on choise morsels feede Most of the lims of Latium breede Vnto long time to wet and heate They left to rot and would not eate So as whole troops in heaped bands Lay festring there and dung'd the lands O Most vnhappy Thessaly How hast thou wrong'd the Gods on hie That thou shouldst be so pestered With cruell slaughters and bloodshed What future age or tract of time May well repaire this bloody crime Or lodge this in obliuous graue VVhat corn bringst thou that shal not haue Vpon his blade a bloody staine To shew these slaughters in thy graine VVhat plow-share can here furrows rend But they will Roman ghosts offend And yet new armies here shal meet And with like rage each other greete Before that euer thou canst drye The blood that in thee now doth lie Should we our fires sepulchers rake And of their tombes a ruine make Searching the depth to find the chest And lay all open where they rest More cynders yet there would be found Turnd vp in the Aemonian ground By force of crooked cultors share VVhen as the plowman tilleth there And more bones spuing out their marrow Crusht with the iron-toothed harrow No marriner though tempest tost VVould euer anchor on this coast No tilsman would plow vp these fields That vnto Romans buriall yeelds Their ghosts wold cause the peasants quake The droues the pastures would fosake The shepheards durst not be so bold Their fleecie flocks to feede and fold That they their hunger might suffise On grasse that from our bowels rise But thou
and in such lands As to our state malignant stands And stars that vs no good lucke bods Wilt thou adore Chaldean Gods And with Barbarian rites polluted Be now the Parthians thrall reputed Why did we first to armes discend Our libertie but to defend O wretch thou didst the world delude If thou canst liue in seruitude Shall Parth that thee beheld with hate A ruler in the Roman state That saw thee from Hyrcania leade Great kings thy captiues and with dread Beheld the Indians conquered See thee deiected and cast downe And basely yeeld to fortunes frowne Whilst they puft vp in mind with pride Do but the Latium name deride And value Rome lesse then their state To see thee so degenerate O Pompey in thy speech we finde Nought suting with thy worth or mind The Parth that doth not vnderstand The language of the Latium land When thou of him dost aide request By teares thy mind must be exprest Shall we this wounding scorne endure That Parths shall our reuenge procure Rather then Rome with her owne armes Shall remedy Hesperias harmes Did she for this thee chieftaine make That thou no more regard shouldst take But spread abroad with such disgrace Her maymes vnto the Scythian race And secret scarres her to deface What wilt thou teach the Parthian swarmes The way to vexe vs with their armes Hath Rome the hoped comfort lost Of such a warre and such an host Because no kings she would obey But that her Citizens should sway And wilt thou now the wide world range To bring whole nations fierce and strange To ransacke Rome that will display Those ensignes that they wonne away From Crassus when they vanquished And must from Euphrates be led And here to our disgrace be spred That king that vs his aide denide When as our Fortune was vntride And came not to Emathia field To vs will he now comfort yeeld And so prouoke the victors spight Whom he doth heare to be of might And now will Pompeys fortunes runne Such trust with them did neuer wonne The nations of the Northerne climes Where fals the dewes and foggie rimes Are stout in warre and feare not death But those that in the East take breath And leade their liues in warmer soyles Luld in sweet aire hate martiall broyles You see what loose attires and vailes Their men do weare that flit like sailes The Parth vpon the Median fields And Sarmates downes that large scope yeelds And on those plains by Tygris bankes VVhen they in length may streach their ranks And at their pleasure come and goe Cannot be vanquisht by a foe But where the soyle is full of hills These horsmen come not by their wills Their roaming bow can make no fight In bushie straights or in the night When need requires they neuer guides Their horse to swim from sides to sides Nor with their armes stem streaming tides Nor yet will they their fight make good When as their bodies bathe in blood Nor yet endure the parching heate Nor in the dust to toyle and sweate They haue no engins for the warre For rams they know not what they are They want the art a trench to fill And he the Parth repulseth still And as a wall doth him oppose That can keep out weake arrowes blows His battell weake his warre is flight His troops still ranging and but slight A souldier fit to quit a place But not to put his foe to chace His armes defilde with poysons art He dares not come to handy Mart A farre off he his shafts doth dart VVith euery blast of wind they flit And as it blowes they misse or hit ¶ The sword is of more great import And best with valiant men doth sort The Fauchion sharpe but the first fight Disarmes the Parths of all their might For when their quiuers emptied are They do retire and end their warre They neuer trust vnto their hands In poysned shafts their furie stands O Pompey in the chance of warre Thinkst thou it doth nor make nor marre VVhether the souldier do prouide A trusty sword girt to his side And doth thy case thee so constraine That thou wouldst worthlesse aid retaine And nations so remote wouldst trie And out of thine owne countrey die Is some Barbarian land design'd The place where thou thy graue must find There some base shrine thy lims shall haue Since they would not vouchsafe a graue To Crassus that his fate complaines But better hap for thee remains For our last paine with death is fled Which manly hearts do neuer dread For death Cornelia needs not care That wicked King her life will spare We well do know the barbarous rites That they do vse in loues delights And how like to the brutish beasts All humane laws their lusts detests With wiues they neuer contracts hold But like to swine they do vnfold The secrets of the nuptiall bed And that same Tyrants court is sped With thousands for his concubines After his feasts and change of wines One man prouoketh his delight With sundry women euery night The brothers with the sisters weds The sonnes defile their mothers beds That wicked rumour that doth run Of Oedepus that Theban sonne How doth the world condemne and loth Although vnwitting to them both How often hath Arsaces race That holds in Parth the regall place By this incestious sauage moode Commixed bene with slauish blood So as great Scipios noble child Shall not all onely be defilde But with a thousand more be wed As wiues to this Barbarians bed Although his kingly lust and flame Stird vp with beauty of the dame And glory of her husbands name Will make him more to her incline Then any other Concubine For how much more the Parth delights In humane wrackes and foule despights He wil know her for Crassus mate As destin'd to the Parthian fate And deeme that she her selfe must owe A captiue for that ouer-throw O let that miserable foyle Of Easterne wounds in thy breast boyle And bee not onely thou asham'd That to a base King thou hast fram'd Petitions for to lend thee aid Bu◠be thou all as much dismaid That first thou ciuill armes displaid For no fault more the people loth Acted by thee and Caesar both Then that you two by ciuill warre Reuenge for Crassus doe debarre Our Captaines all should then haue tryde Their force against their Parthian pride And rather then haue Armies wanted The Northern climes should haue displanted And from the Dakes and from the Rhene The Roman Legions withdrawen cleane And so strong forces to prouide Haue bar'd the Empire on that side Vntill perfidious Susis towne And Babylon they had throwne downe To serue the Crassi for their tombe As monuments to honour Rome To fortune we our prayers send That with the Parths our peace may end And if Thessalias battell past Hath giuen this ciuill warre his last Let him that conquest doth enioy Against the
But manfully the stroke did bide And onely turn'd his face aside And from his place he neuer moues But dying so himselfe approues And thus resolues within his thought Who then this villany had wrought All after times that vs succeedes And doe record the Romans deedes This wicked act will not obscure But whilst the heauen and earth endure To all parts of the world will flye This sippe and Pharian perfidie But Pompey now thy fame intend Fate long thee happy life did lend And didst thou not by dying trye The valour that in thee doth lye How should men know that as thou list Aduersity thou couldst resist Giue then no way to others shame Nor yet this actor onely blame Though others hand thy life hath wrack't Beleeue it to be Caesars fact Let them my carkasse rent at will O Gods I shall be famous still No power this happinesse can rend Though Fortune bee no more my frend I am not wretched in my end My deere Cornelia and my sonne Doe see this slaughter on me done And therefore Sorrow I thee pray Shut vp my woes and all dismay But if my wife and sonne see this With griefe their loue the greater is Such was the fortresse of his minde Thus stout in death he life resign'd ¶ But now Cornelias patience Could not so easily dispence To see this deed on Pompey done As if her selfe that hap had runne So as with wretched sighes and cries She dimmes the aire and filles the skies O my deere husband I am she That thus hath bred the wracke of thee When Lesbos Isle with fatall stay Drew thee so farre out of the way Then Caesars plots arriu'd before Thy selfe on damned Nylus shore For who else durst take liberty On thee to shew such cruelty But whosoeuer that thou bee Ordain'd thereto by heauens decree Or else by Caesars hest design'd Or from thine owne corrupted minde Vpon his head such rage to shew O cruell thou dost little know Where noble Pompeys heart doth rest Come with thy sword and pierce this breast That vnto him is vowd and bent That more then death would him torment Shew my head ere his life be spent I am not guiltlesse of this warre As other Roman matrons are For neither I vpon the maine Nor in the Campe did him refraine I stucke to him in misery VVhen Kings did shunne his company Haue I O husband this deeseru'd In thy safe ship to be preseru'd Vngratefull man thou spard'st thy wife Was I then worthy of my life When death on thee his force would trye No I in spight of Kings will dye O Marriners stay not my veaze Headlong to plunge into the seas Or with your hands prepare a twine That strangle may this throate of mine Or some one that was Pompeys frend Come with thy sword and my life end Thou shalt doe that for Pompeys sake Which Caesars fury else will take O cruell wights why should you giue Me longer life that loath to liue But husband mine thou art not dead Of my selfe yet I am not head Of these my death I cannot craue The victor must that honour haue So hauing said amidst them all Rapt with a trance shee downe did fall And thence was borne in mazed plight In her owne shippe that then tooke flight ¶ But thogh their swords from side to side Had pierc't him through with gashes wide Hee still retain'd within his face A sweete aspect and reuerent grace His browes against the Gods hee bent And when his life was gone and spent Yet in his lookes or in his cheare No change at all there did appeare As they themselues did make report That saw him murdred in that sort For cruell hee Septimius To make his act more odious His sacred face laid open bare The couering vaile hee rent and tare And whilst the head yet breathes with sweat Hee takes it vp and thwart a seat The lithy hanging necke hee puts And so the veines and sinewes cuts Then long he hackes the knotty bone To cut it cleane he Art had none But with his hewing that he makes From off the corpes the head he takes The which Achillas from him teares And in his hand it proudly beares O Roman Souldier slauish base That woulds thy selfe so much disgrace To be an vnderling to such For since thy hand had done so much Vpon that head of so great fame Thou shouldst thy selfe haue borne the same O shamefull Fates this boyish King When they to him the head did bring That he might know his manly looke The same in his right hand he tooke And by the haire he did it hold Those reuerent lockes now hoary old That had so many Kings controld And shadowed his comely brow This noble head he pitcheth now Vpon a Pharian sharpned stake Whilst yet with life the cheekes did quake And whilst with throbs the spirits beat And ere the eyes were throughly set So was this honored head abusd That neuer peace for warre refusd The Countries lawes the armed field And Rostrum did him reuerence yeeld That noble face that braue aspect The Romane fortune did affect But yet this wicked Tyrants heart Was not suffisd with this vile part For he desires his villany Might goe beyond his perfidy And when they cleansd his head and braine So as no humors should remaine To putrifie then Art they vse To keepe the face and balme enfuse ¶ Thou off-spring last degenerate Of Lagus line art neere thy date For thy incestious sisters hand Shall reaue thy scepter and thy land Must Pompeys corpes with so great scorne Lye on the sands mangled and torne And thence be cast from side to side Against the rockes with euery tide Whilst that thy Macedonian race In sacred sepulchers haue place And that their ashes quiet rest With Graues and Monuments possest And damned ghosts of wicked mood Come from the Ptolmean brood Be closd in Pyramids of fame And with Mausolas worthy frame Was it a worke of so great paine To let the corpes entire remaine That Caesar might behold it plaine Hath Fortune after all her smiles Thus Pompey foyl'd with her last guiles Are all those glories him assignd Shut vp with death of such a kinde O cruell dame must all thy threapes Fall all on him at once in heapes That neuer earst did feele mis-happe But alwayes dandled in thy lappe Pompey is hee that this can say Hee neuer yet saw lucky day Mingled with any crosse dismay His happy fate without stoppe goes None of the Gods did it oppose But when his ruine was decreed They laid on load and made quicke speed Fortune sometimes did him aduance And by the hand leades him in dance But now on sands hee lyes ore-flowne And on the rockes with billowes throwne And as a scorne in seas is drownd Where waues make gutters through each wound No forme in him is to bee found Pompey hath no marke to be
knowne But that his corps a head hath none ¶ And yet before the Conqueror Arriued on the Pharian shore Fortune for Pompey tooke some care And did in hast his tombe prepare Whereby he should not want a graue Although no fitting buriall haue For Codrus that there hidden lay Came fearefully downe to the bay This man that crept so from his den Was one of Pompeys haplesse men And lately made his Treasurer When they put from the Cyprus shore He durst come out in darke of night And loue vnto his feare gaue might To seeke the body in the maine To bring it to the land againe And to the shore his Pompey traine The Moone a little glimmering lent Which through the duskie clouds she sent Whereby the body he discouerd That with a differing colour houered Vpon the waues that strugling make When in his armes he did him take And being tired with the fraight He hop't the wane would lift the waight The which it did and with that aid The corps he to the shore conuaide And on the land where it lay drie Vpon the body he did lie And wailing there twixt griefe and feares He euery wound did fill with teares And to the Gods and stars in skies He thus poures out his wofull cries ¶ Thy Pompey doth not of thee craue O Fortune any glorious graue Nor yet that gums of pleasant sent Vpon his funerall be sprent Nor that the fat his members yeelds Mixt with the drugs of Easterne fields With orders should perfume that aire Which smoaking to the skies repaire Nor that with loue the Romans led To their deare parent being dead Should him vpon their shoulders place His day of funeral to grace Nor that the pompe of his last date Should all exceed in glorious state Nor that the court with heauie notes Should singing straine their wailing throtes Nor that the armie in a file Should march about the flaming pile And throw their weapons down the while Giue Pompey but a common chest Wherein his bones may safely rest And that his rent torne lims may burne Together and to ashes turne And that I miserable wight This to performe may want no might A worthlesse man his fire to light It is enough ô Gods diuine That there is wanting at his shrine Cornelia with disheueled tresse And that she cannot here expresse Poore soule to him her latest vowes With deare embracements of her spouse And on his face her teares deplore Though farre shee be not from this shore ¶ As soone as he these words had spoke Farre off he spide a fire and smoke VVhere some base body was a burning VVithout attendance or friends mourning From thence some fire he takes away And brands that with the body lay VVho so thou art quoth he that heere Neglected burnst to no man deare Then Pompey yet thou happier art Be not displeased for thy part That my last hands do thus beguile Some portion of thy funerall pile And if that any sence remaine In mortals that deaths dart hath slaine Then giue me leaue I thee desire To take this pittance from thy fire I shame to see thy Cinders burne Whilst fire shall want for Pompeys vrne So said the kindled brands he takes And for the corpes a fire he makes Which then the tide had well neare reacht But some part on the strand lay streacht From it the sands he wipes away And then together he doth lay The broken fragments of a boate With fearefull hand which there did float In a foule ditch somewhat remote No heaped stacke of oaken piles These noble lims did presse the whiles Vnder the corps no wood was laid But to this slender flame conuaid A loft the body burning staid ¶ He sitting downe hard by the flame Thus said O Captaine great of name Chiefe maiestie of Roman fame If that the tossing of the seas And no graue would thee better please Then this poore obsequie of mine Let thy braue spright and soule diuine These my endeauours nought esteeme But iniury of Fate it deeme That I haue thought this lawfull done Thereby thy bodies spoiles to shun From monsters of the raging waues And from those beasts on flesh that raues And from the vultures greedy mawes And from the wrath of Caesars pawes Therefore in worth accept of me This last fire that I offer thee If so it with thy honor stand Now kindled with a Roman hand But if that Fortune do recoyle And bring thy friends to Latium soyle Thy sacred Cyndars may find grace To be lodg'd in a worthier place So as Cornelia Pompeys spouse May yeeld to thee more glorious vowes And with my helpe that now thee burne May put thy cinders in an vrne Meane while to shew where is thy graue Some litte stone a marke shall haue Vpon this shore that if some frend Thy greater honor do intend And would thy death more eternize He may know where thy body lies And to great Pompey here laid dead He may againe restore the head Thus hauing said doth fuell adde To this small fire that burnes so sad And then the fat that in it fries Doth cause the flame aloft to rise And to the fire giue fresh supplies By this Auroras blushing face The glittring stars away did chace And he poore soule with maze afright Disorderly breakes of this right And in a corner shuns the light ¶ Vaine man what feare doth thee distract For thy performance of this act Whereby vnto all future dayes Thy fame with honor thou dost raise Since wicked Caesar will commend These bones so buried by a frend Go safely and desire to haue The head likewise to lay in graue For pietie bids thee not shun To end this duttie well begun Then doth he take these bones halfe burnd And members not to ashes turnd Which he together doth dispose And in a little pit inclose Then lest the wind the sand should raise Vpon the graue a stone he layes And that no Marriners should bind Their Cable where this stone they find About the same and it displace Vpon the top he did inchace The sacred name with a burnt brand Pompey lies buried in this sand Where Caesar rather would he lay Then want his graue or funerall day But ô rash hand that dost suppose In such a sepulcher to close Great Pompey and his wandring ghost That rangeth ouer euery coast As farre as any land extends And to the vtmost Oceans ends The Empire large and name of Rome The true tipe is of Pompeys tombe Remoue this stone for very shame Which to the Gods imputeth blame If Hercules must needs haue all Mount Oete for his funerall And Bacchus must with like accompt Take all Parnassus sacred mount Why then should one Egyptian stone Suffise for Pompeys tombe alone All Egypt should stand for his graue If no stone his inscription haue We Romans shal be still in dread Lest we on Pompeys ashes tread When we do range
about those lands And doubt to march on Nylus sands But if so reuerent a name Thou wilt inscribe vpon the same His noble acts therewith consort His great atchieuements of imports And there to that rebellious iarre That he supprest in th' Alpyn warre VVhen as proud Lepidus conspirde And how a Consull he retirde Cald backe when he had put to foyle Setorrius in his Spanish broyle When for it he in Triumphs pride Through Rome with great applause did ride And how he gaue the world commerce When he the pirats did disperse Adde thereunto the nations wonne And the Barbarians ouerrunne With whatsoeuer in the East Or in the Northerne parts did rest Shew that he euer armes laid downe His conquest done and tooke the gowne That thrice he had in Triumphs sate And gaue great spoyles vnto the state What graue can this mans worth containe His tombe lies leuell with the plaine His wretched hearse thou dost not raise With titles equall to his praise Nor yet those holy orders write That Roman Callenders recite Which on the stately pillars stand Of Gods the Patrons of our land Nor with those glorious trophees grac't That are on temples arches plac't Alas our Pompeys sepulcher Leuels the Egypt sands so neare And lies so flat vpon the shore To reade it men must stooping pore Which any Roman that goes by But being told will hardly spy ¶ We were not cautious as we ought Of that Cumana Sybill wrote Who warn'd vs in all ciuill broyle To shun the harmes of Egypts soyle And that no Roman chieftaine should Come neare to Nyles Pelusian mould But shun that sommer swelling shore What dismall fate may I implore Against that cruell land that durst Attempt and act this deed accurst Let Nylus bacward bend his head And stay whereas his spring is bred And let this parched soile remaine VVithout all helpe of winters raine And let such burning heates it rost As fries the Aethiopian coast Thy Isis Aegypt for thy sake We did into Romes temple take And currish Demigods withall On whom with Cymbals you do call And thou Osyris whom with plaint As but a man your selues depaint But Egypt thou in scorne dost hold Our spirits in base dustie mould And thy selfe Rome that with such state Didst those braue Temples dedicate Vnto the wicked Tyrants name Hast not yet ask't for feare of blame The ashes of thy Pompey slaine VVhose ghost doth banisht still remaine And though at first that fearefull age VVere ouer-awd by Caesars rage Yet now take vnto thee at last Thy Pompeys bones since feare is past Except that the encroaching maine Do them and all that shoare detaine Else who needs doubt his graue to turne VVith sacred rites to grace his vrne O would that deed were made my taske And Rome at my hands would it aske O happy I and too much blest Might I remoue that sacred chest And bring the same to rest in Rome If lawfull tis to force his tombe ¶ But yet ô Pompey it may chance That if ill seasons dearth aduance Or that contagious plagues oppresse Or fearefull fires should Rome distresse Or earthquakes put vs in a fright These miseries to banish quite Vnto the Gods we make request And thereupon by their behest Thou maist againe to Rome returne To expiate these with thy vrne And that the chiefe Priest we shall call To beare thee to thy funerall But now what passenger goes by Syenen that the heates do frie Of Cancers parched torryd zoane Or vnto whom is Nylus knowne That costs her Thaebas burning sands Which vnder showring Plyades stands Or who the red Seas gulffe doth trade Or trafficks vsing to be made About the rich Arabian ports Or else for marchandise consorts With those that come from Eastern shore But Pompeys graue he will explore And seeke to see that reuerent stone That lies his low lodg'd tombe vpon And turne a side out of the way To see thy cynders if he may That on the sands perhaps do stray And therewithall will take delight To sacrifice vnto thy spright And will thy worthie name preferre Before the Cassian Iupiter So as this little paltery shrine Will more aduance that fame of thine Then if thou hadst a Tombe of gold Such as our Temples vse to hold For here interred lies with thee The Fortune of Romes libertie So as a farre more happie stone The Lybicke waues shall beate vpon Then are those Altars to be prisde Whereon the victor sacrifisde For those that often are so bold Their incense offrings to withhold From the Tarpeian Deities Will shew their loues and charities Vnto the shrine of thy sweete soule Here raked vp in this duske hole ¶ Hereof the fame of future dayes More glory vnto thee will raise Then if thy monument were built With stately marbles caru'd and guilt And that the measure of thy graue A huger height and scope might haue For now a little time will chace Thy heaped cinders from this place When as these sands away shall fall That couer now thy buriall And so the knowledge will decay How thou camst to thy fatall day Then ages happier will liue Which will no trust nor credit giue To any that this stone shall show Which yet the world so well doth know But Egypt will disproue this reed Vnto her children that succeed And make the Death and Tombe likewise Of Pompey but such tales and lies As were those of the Cretan I le Whence thundring Ioue doth take his style Finis libri octaui Lucans Pharsalia The ninth Booke THE ARGVMENT FRom Earth great Pompeys blessed spright Vnto the heauens doth take his flight Cato the remnants of the host Transports vnto the Lybian cost Cornelia wailing grieues and mournes And Pompeys robes to ashes burnes Cnaeus his sonne reuenge intends Cato his noble minde commends The saylers fall to mutinie Whom Catos speech doth qualifie About the Syrtes his nauie trades And Lybia then his hoast inuades Thence through the wildernesse he trends And vnto Hamons Temple wends Caesar Pharsalia now forsakes And towards Nyle his iourney takes Where Pompeys head they him present The which with teares he doth lament BVt yet the soule aloft aspires And staid not in the Pharian fires Such flames could not his blessed spright Restraine from their high mounting flight But from the funerall it flits And those halfe burned members quits That base vnworthy tombe it leaues The thundring vault the same receaues Whereas the duskie aire confines Next to the orbes that lowest shines And where the distance spacious Is spread betweene the Moone and vs. Where soules and demi-gods doe dwell Whose shining vertues did excell And vpright liues did them prepare In this low element to share Whereas his blessed ghost it reares To rest in the eternall spheres Those come not thither that are plac't In perfum'd tombes beguilt and chac't And when he was in this faire seate With ioyous perfect
Fortune of this conquering guest Did with false Aegypts fate contest Whether that now the Lagian state The Roman Armes should captiuate Or that the Memphit murdering gleaue Should trayterously the world bereaue As well of him that conquered As of the other vanquished Thy death O Pompey did much good To Caesar and preseru'd his blood By losse of thine whereby the Nyle Should not the Romans trust beguile Hence he to Alexandria Towne Goes safely and for more renowne His Ensignes are before him borne And that dire pledge their wicked scorne But he perceiues that in their breasts A secret spleene repining refts Amongst that people that did hate And murmure so to see their state Subiected to the Roman guise With fagots borne which they despise He sees their mindes and thereby try'd T was not for his sake Pompey dy'd Yet in his lookes no dread appeares But passeth on deuoyd of feares Vnto their Temples and suruayes The Monuments that they did raise Of old vnto Macedons praise But with no pleasure sees those sights Nor in those golden shewes delights Their garnisht Gods feast not his eyes Nor their huge walles that stately rise He willingly discends to see The vault where their Kings tombed bee There he beholds the body laid Of that same Fury that dismaid The worlds Comerce whereon he praid VVith happy mart so ouer-run That Pollean Spring old Philips sonne Whose twist of life reuenging Fate Hath shortned with vntimely date And now his bones interred are Within an holy Sepulcher Whose ashes rather should be strode Throughout the aire the world abrode But Fortune so his ghost did frend That there a Tombe she did him lend Vntill this kingdomes state did end ¶ For if the world should once retaine Her ancient liberty againe His memory would be a scorne As fruitlesse to all Nations borne That possibly so many lands Should subiect be to one mans hands Macedons soyle he did forsake The seate where he his birth did take And conquer'd Athens he despisd Whose state his father had surprisd And carried on by fatall rage With bloody slaughters warre did wage And Asias people did engage His sword each where is exercisd And ouer all he tyrannisd Strange Riuers he with blood engraines The Persian Euphrates he staines And Ganges that doth India trend On earth he was a raging fiend A lightning that such flames did cast As did all lands and people blast A starre malignant vnto Realmes With fleetes he cuts the Ocean streames And then he Nauies did prepare To search the seas that vtmost are Neither the waues nor scorching gleed Nor barren Lybs where Serpents breed Nor Ammons Syrts could him withstand He pierc'd them all with powerfull hand Nay he was wending to the west Whereas the Sunne declines to rest To either Poles his heart was led And would haue drunke at Nylus head But that his latest day him met And Nature onely bounds could set To the ambitious haught desire That this fierce Prince had set on fire And with like enuie workes his bane As he vnto himselfe had tane The whole worlds Empire for his owne Leauing behinde him no heire knowne Whereby great Citties and rich soyles Abandon'd were to wrackes and spoyles In his owne Babylon he dy'd A terror to the Parthian pride O shame these Easterne nations all Macedon Pykes did more appall Then now those people stand in feare Of Roman Piles that we doe beare And though the North wee ouer-awe And Westerne clymes to tribute draw And to the South prescribe their law Yet from the East we haue disgrace Affronted by Arsaces race Crassus with all his Roman host Was haplesse on the Parthian coast Whilst Macedon that little state Securely did suppresse their hate ¶ Now was this boy the King come down From that side of Pelusium Towne Where Nylus fall doth make a Bay Then he the mutinie did stay That this vnwarlike people make And he himselfe doth vndertake To be the hostage and procure All peace and quiet to secure Caesar himselfe and all his traine Whilst in his Court they did remaine Then Cleopatra giues in charge To fit for her a gally barge Wherein she doth her selfe imbarke And findeth meanes that in the darke The chaine that doth the hauen barre The Pharus keeper should vnsparre Whom she corrupts and so she past To Caesars lodgings in great hast VVho thereof neuer thought nor knew Before her presence he did view O Egypts impudence and shame Erynnis fierce to Latium name A strumpet to the Roman state Vnchast our fuell of debate Looke how much woe and wretched toyle Fell out vpon the Grecian soyle And with what wracks and ruine wrought That Spartan face the Troians bought In no lesse fury and mishap Did Cleopatra Latium wrap She frighted if I so might say The Capitoll with Systrons bray And would our Roman spoiles haue bore Vnto Canopo's coward shore And Caesar then haue captiued And him in Pharian triumphs led For doubtfull t was at Actium fight VVhat hand shold sway the Empires right And whether that our Matron Rome Should rule the world with her sole doome These humors that night brought to passe VVhen first this Ptolomean lasse Did with incestious armes imbrace The chieftains of our Roman race ¶ O Anthonie who will disproue Thee for thy lawlesse filthy loue Since Caesars haughtie heart so fries VVith this bewitcing harlots eyes As that amidst the rage of armes Amongst these broiles and ciuill harmes And in this court where Pompeys ghost Did crie for vengeance on this coast And whilst as yet thou wert bespred With blood at thy Pharsalia shed Thou wouldst admit vnto thy bed This foule adulterous venerie And mixe thy armes with bauderie And so didst seeke to raise thy line Vpon a strumpet concubine O shame to Iulia this is scorne That though her Pompey be forlorne Thou her of brothers wouldst prouide Begotten of a Bastard side Thou dost constraine those Roman troops That vnder Pharsals ruins droops To roame about the Lybian coast Who still from place to place are tost Whilst thou thy time dost so mispend And Egypts filthie Iust entend And rather pardon'st Pharos spight Then subiect her to Roman might ¶ To Caesar Cleopatra goes And in her beautie trust repose Her lookes demure and sad withall But yet no teares she did let fall A fained sorrow in her face Which vnto her gaue greater grace Her curled lockes in carelesse wise Dangling about her shoulders flies She thus her speech begins to frame Most mightie Caesar great of fame If noble birth may purchase gace Behold one of the royall race Of Egypts blood king Lagus childe That am distrest and liue exilde From my paternall lawfull right I am withheld by maistring might And if thou wilt vouchsafe therefore With powrefull hand me to restore Vnto my former state and place I will a Queene thy feet imbrace That art a plannet sent
to auoid the disdaine of Syllas insolencies An old mans report of Syllas time A Marian cruelly tortured by Sylla's Executioners Rome did neuer by any meanes suffer so great desolation as by Marius and Sylla Sylla beholds the slaughters without any remorse Tyber stopt of his course with the infinite number of slaine bodies A speech of scorne against Sylla The feare and doubt that this ciuill warre will bring a worse euent then the factions of Marius and Sylla Brutus constancy and courage Brutus speech to Cato Cato's answere to Brutus Martia Cato's old wife returnes to his house againe Martias speech to Cato Martia againe married to Cato What Ceremonies Cato would haue at his wedding Martias attire The description of Cato and his manner of life Pompey hauing forsaken Rome comes to Capua The mounts Apenius Names of sundry riuers that flow from the Apenius Phaetons flames Caesars humor and expedition At the first beginning of the warre the Citties of Italy stood wauering to which side to incline The vulgar do more affect Pompey then Caesar Libo flyes from his charge Pompeyes great Commanders flie from their garisons before they saw the enemy Sylla flies from his charge Varus flies frō Auximium Lentulus forsooke Aesculea his garrison Scipio forsook Nuceria that was man'd with a braue garrison of Roman Veterans Domitius speech to his garrison Souldiers Caesars words at the siege of Corfinium Domitius deliuered to Caesar by his owne men Caesars words to Domitius his prisoner Domitius his inward troubled thoughts Pompeys oration to his souldiers Hee compares Caesar to Cataline The house of the Caethegi vsed alwayes to fight bare Armed Sertorius Spartacus a Rebell Pompeys ostentation recounting all his owne great deeds A vaine-glorious speech Pompey chargeth Caesar to haue fled from the Brittons A poore excuse Pompey recounts his actions Pompeys Souldiers but little mou'd with his great words Pompey's men amazed at the fame of Caesar Pompey comes to Brundusium Brundusium described Pompey his words to his eldest sonne whom hee sends for aids A briefe Catalogue of the nations that aid Pompey Pompeys words to the Roman Lords at Brundusium Caesar followes Pompey close at the heeles Caesars humor Caesar goes about to shut vp the Hauen of Brundusium to keepe in Pompey from flying away The like was vsed by the Spaniards before Antwerpe which they tearmed a Stockado Zerxes Pōpey forceth a way through Caesars worke before the harbour It seemes Lucan is heere mistaken for that this beginning of the war was in the Spring of the yeare as Appian writeth Pompey leaues Brundusium flies by sea in the night A reproch to Pompey Iason Pompey flying by sea still casts his eyes toward Italy Pompeys vision in a dreame on the sea Iulias speech to him Pompeys words hauing seene the vision Caesar discontent with Pompeis escape Caesar affects to winne the peoples fauor Curio sent into Sycilia Sycilias fruitfulnesse Caesar comes to Rome Caesar not applauded by the Citties as he past towards Rome Caesars speech looking vpon Rome Caesar is not so cruell as the Romans suspected Caesars great authority in Rome Caesars modesty Metellus a Roman Tribune contests with Caesar Metellus would protect the Treasury of Rome from Caesars spoyle Caesars words to Metellus the Tribune Cotta's discreet words to Metellus The treasures of Rome taken by Caesar A Catalogue of those places from whence the Roman treasures came Caesar richer then all Rome The aids that came to Pompey Caesar supposed to bee come of the Troians The Tyrians Sidonians skilfull sea-men The Phaenicians the first that inuented letters The Memphites kept their magicke art carued in stones with the figurs of Beasts and Birds before they knew letters These were the Pirats that Pompey conquered and triumphed for long befor the ciuill war began Ganges runnes his course cōtrary to the Sunne The place where Alexander ended his warre A people that doe paint and adorne their haire with Iewels A people that do burn themselues and not attend their natural death A hunting nation The riuer Tygris runnes a great way vnder the ground and then rises againe The Parthians refused to ioyne either with Caesar or Pompey but laugh and looke on Hercules Pillars set vp at Gades The delicacy of the Arimaspes The Massagets in their warres for want of victuals let their horses bloud so relieued themselues The variety of Nations Languages and attires that were in Pompeys campe Iupiter Hammon Caesar takes his iourney from Rome towards Spaine The courage of the Massilians The Oration of the Massilians to Caesar Massiliians offer to aid Caesar in forraigne warres but not to intermeddle in this ciuill strife A reprehension of this ciuil warre The summe of the Massilians Petition to Caesar The Massilians offer to receiue Caesar vnarmed and without his Troopes Massilia indifferēt between Caesar Pompey offer their Towne for a place of parly The strength of the Massilians consisted in their loyall dealings with their neighbours The resolution of the Massilians Caesars answere to the Massilians Caesars Army cannot indure idlenesse Caesar disdains that the Massilians offer him to come disarmed into their Towne or else to shutte their Gates against him as an enemie The siege of Massilia Caesar inuirons Massilia with a trench on all sides of the land Massilia shews more valor in resisting Caesar then all Pompeys townes in Italy The description of a strange and hideous groue neere Massilia Strange sights in this groue This should seeme to bee a very melancholy God Caesars Souldiers make scruple to cut this groue Caesar by his own example causeth his Souldiers to cut down this groue The Souldiers doubtful whether to anger Caesar or the Gods The peasants of Gaule grieued to see this groue cut downe But the Massilians being glad of it The Gallicke peasants repine that their plowing is hindered by Caesars carriages Caesar offended to be thus staied before Massilia Caesar erects Engines against the walles of Massilia The Massilians wonder at Caesars Tower to see it goe and shake The Massilians resisting engines The walles assaulted by Caesars souldiers The strength of the Romans target-fence The Target-fence at last broken and Souldiers retire With an other Engine the walles are begun to be vndermined The Ramme brought to the walles The Romans retire to their campe seeing their Engines burnt spoyled The Massilians sally out and set fire on the Roman fortifications engines If Caesar had beene as well resisted by Pōpeys Captaines in Italy or by Pompey himselfe in Rome hee had not found so easie and speedy a conquest Great spoyle by fire in the Roman Campe The Romans doe now prepare to attempt the towne by sea The Roman fleet whereof Dectus Brutus was Admirall The Massillians prouide to incounter the Romans on the sea The Roman wings on the sea Brutus his Gallion The battaile on the sea begun The Massilian ships nimble and swift The Roman ships stout or deepe draught Brutus stout words to the
Pharsalia A strange marke to be knowne by Codrus Pompeys seruant entends a funerall sire for his masters body whē he had found it Codius complaint against Fortune Codrus makes hard shift for fuell and fire to bury Pompeys body Codrus speech to Pompeys ghost whilest the body was burning Codrus hauing performed his last office to his maister hides himselfe again Codrus buryes the cinders layes a stone with an inscription on it Hercules and Bacchus tomb A breefe recitall of Pōpeys noble acts The basenes of Pompeys Tombe Sybilla Cumana her prophetes A curse against Egypt Isis the wife of Osiris one of the Egyptian Gods Meaning Caesar whom they accompted a tyrant for taking such power to him ouer the Empire The Authors loue to Pompeys merit Pōpeys graue stands in the high way of those that trade frō many nations Romes liberty buried with Pompey The authour meanes here that if Pompy had no tōbe at all the place of his sepulcher forgottē that then future ages wold by considering his acts thinke he were deified The Aegyptiās will obscure this vile treachery from their successors report so of Pompey as the Cretans did of Iupiter Pompeys soule receiued into the lower spheres Pompeys soule contemplates the earthly passages Cato disliked Pompey Cato takes on him the protection of his comely Cato assembles all the scattred Romans of Pharsalia Catoes Nauie and his nauigation Palinurus Aeneas Pilot. Cornelia desires to stay on the Aegyptian coast To bee buried in that treacherous land was a dishonor to Pompey The land where Pompey is interred deerer to Cornelia then any other land Cornelia perswades Sextus to Armes Cornelia deliuers Pompeys words and charge to his sonnes Here he speaks according to the opinion of Seneca with whom hee was brought vp Cornelias solitary griefes Cornelias fleete arriues on Lybia where Cato was incamped Cnaeus Pompeius words to his brother Sextus Sextus answere to his brother Cnaeus reply speeches of reuenge for his father so murdred Cato appeaseth the wrath of yong Cnaeus The great lamentations of the people for Pompey Cornelias great piety towards Pompey The custome of some countries in burning their lands to make them fruitful Catos Oration in the praise of Pompey Catos words to Tarchon a Seaman The oration of one of the sea-men to Cato Meaning Caesar Caesar was then Consull Catos answere to the mutinous mariners Meaning that Pompey beeing dead if they were victors there remained none to tyranize Meaning Crassus Pompey and Caesar A disdainfull manner of speech that Cato vsed to the reuolting Seamen An apt comparison of Bees A digression from the matter to the nature of the Syrtes The description of a cruell tempest on the Seas A Riuer in Affricke Tryton Neptunes Trumperer The riuer Laethe The fable of Hercules that tooke away the golden Apples from the gardē Hesperides Catos oration to his souldiers before hee takes his iourney into the desarts of Lybia Cato enters the deserts of Lybia Mauritania the manner of that nation The Nasmons that liue vpon sea wracks The furious effects of the Lybian winds The perils of the Lybian sands Men trauel on land by the helpe of the stars as on the Seas A souldier brings Cato water in his helmet Catos continencie So did Alexander Berennicis and Leptis two Cities A relation how the signes and poles doe lye to those parts of Lybia Labienus speech to Cato Catos diuine conceits Catos temperance Two sortes of venemous serpents Cato drinkes first of suspected water Meaning the fable that followes The fable of Medusa These twelue translated verses are so ambigious in the Latine as that it rests to the best and most probable construction that can bee made thereof They were two other Gorgons her sisters Atlas metamorphosed by Medusa Mercury the founder of the Arcadian harp and of wrastling Perseus borne of Danae and the golden showre Pallas Target Perseus with harpe the fauchion of Mercury cuts off Medusas head The diuers kindes of serpēts that were ingendred in Lybia by the drops of blood that fell from the necke of Medusa according to fabulous antiquity Therfore called Basiliscus of the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The poyson of Dipsaes The poyson of the Seps The poyson of the Prester The poyson of the Hemorrhois The nature of the Aspicks poyson The nature of the serpent called a Iaculum The nature of the Basilisks poyson Salpuga a kind of poysnous Ants. The murmuring and repining of the soldiers against their miserable iourney The Serpents of Lybia This part of Lybia not ordained for man to liue in In this part of the world both the Poles do seeme to be as low as the horyson There opiniō then of the Antipodes Catos prsise The nature of a people in Lybia called the Psilli that cure the bites of Serpents How the Psilli try their wiues chastitie Medicines against the serpents poyson Leptis a good citie on the frontiers of Lybia He now returns to speak of Caesar Here was Achilles his Tombe Hesione Laomedons daughter Ganimed Paris The words of a Peasant to Caesar The praise of of Poësie Homer Caesars sacrifice at Troy and his vowes Caesar doth challenge his descent from the Troians Caesar sailes towards Affricke Pompeys head brought to Caesar with an Oration Caesars behauiour at the sight of Pompys head Caesars words to him that presented Pompeys head Caesar reproues Ptolemey Caesar giues cōmandement for Pompeys funerall Caesar pretends a meaning to haue been reconciled to Pompey The Cōmentators do vary in opinion vpon the construction of these 4. verses wherein I doe follow the exposition of Hortensius as most probable Meaning Pompeys head Caesar visits the Aegyptian monuments Meaning Alexander the Great He enuies bitterly against Alexander the Great Death preuēts Alexanders designes The Parths alwayes infestious to the Romans Ptolemy comes to see Caesar Cleopatra comes to Caesar by stealth The Systron was an instrument of warre vsed by the Egyptians in stead of a Trumpet Meaning the battell betwin Augustus and Anthonie Anthony loued Cleopatta and forsooke Octauia Caesar had issue by Cleopatra and a sonne called Caesareon Cleopatras manner and speech to Caesar The crown of Egypt as capable of a Quene as a King Cleopatra affects not to mary her brother as her father appointed She inueies against Photinus The sumptuous entertainment the Egyptians gaue vnto Caesar Some of the Egyptians haue faire colourd haire Cleopatras attires The Egiptians folly so to discouer their abundant treasures to Caesar The excesse of a feast Alluding to the Idolatrous Egyptians that worshipped beasts bird◠Mareotis a little Prouince in Egypt that yeelds the best wines A place where the pleasant Muscadine grapes do grow The Egyptian Ladies did vse to pouder their haires as now a daies is vsed Caesars word to Achoreus The Egyptian priest Caesar reduced the yeare to a iuster account then Eudoxus did Caesars desire to find out the springs of Nylus head Achoreus answer to Caesars demands He refels their opinions that do thinke the fals of the molten snow to be the cause of Nylus increase Syene a cittie vpon Nylus Diuers opinions for the flowing of Nylus How many great Kings searched to know the secretes of Nylus and his fountaines What these Seres are all the Commentators are doubtfull and doe think the word to be mistakē But such there are towards the North-pole Neroë the greatest Island that is in Nylus Phile a Citty neere Nylus The Cataracts of Nylus Abatos an Iland by Memphis not to be approched for quick-sands as some write Photinus conceiues a practise of treason vpon Caesar Achillas the Generall of Ptolemeys forces Photinus letter to Achillas Cleopatras hate to Photinus Achillas In scorne hee tearms Pompey Caesars equall Photinus hopes to gratifie the Roman state by murdering Caesar as he hop't to please Caesar by killing Pompey Achillas prepares forces to surprise Caesar No trust in mercenary Souldiers The Romans apt to ciuill dissention Caesar his carelesnesse whilst he was in Cleopatras company It is ill trusting to the moderation of the sword in the fury of fight Opportunity in martiall affaires once lost is hardly recouered Their foolish discipline in seeking to surprise Caesar Caesar dangerously engaged Apt comparisons Small things do oftentimes more annoy men then greater Caesar holds Ptolemey with him for his security Luxury and pleasure dangerous to great men Caesars valor The ships fired in the hauen The citie of Alexandria fired at which time the famous library was burnt Caesar for safety takes Pharos Photinus put to death Here it seems that in the former parts some thing is wāting for no relation is euer made how Photinus came within Caesars power Arsinoe the sister of Cleopatra Achillas slaine Reuenge obserued for Pōpeys murder Caesar in great danger The force of braue examples in extremitie In the Lattin copie these verses to the end were supplied by Sulpitius and so translated Caesar saues himselfe by swimming
faire Hesperian fields That nothing now but thistles yeilds Cries out for hands to plow and plant Her labourers are growne so scant ¶ This dismall state wherein she stands Proceedes not from fierce Pyrrhus hands Nor yet could Hannibals despight Inflict on vs this wretched plight No forraine foes could so preuaile Our setled state to rent and quaile Th' audacious sword worne by thy side Hath hewen in thee these gashes wide ¶ And yet if Fates haue so decreed That thou O Nero shouldst succeed By these meanes to the Empires throne Our fore-past armes the lesse we moane For Iupiter was not possest Of heauens sole rule in setled rest Before the Gyants were supprest Let then Pharsalia fields be spread With yron legions scorning dread So to appease the whining mood Of Punique Ghosts with Latium blood Let Munda be the fatall place Where Caesar quailes great Pompeys race And let as hard a siege betide As earst Mutina did abide Yea let as great a famine flow As euer did Perusia know And two such Fleetes confronting rage As did the Axium battell wage With as much broyle and hammering dinne As when that Vulcan did beginne To set his Cyclops to their taskes Whose sparkling forges Aetna maâ—kes ¶ And yet thou Rome shalt be in debt Vnto these wrackes that did beget This happy peace wherein we liue And to our toyles an end did giue But when O Nero Atrops knife Shall shred in twaine thy time of life And thou vnto the starres bequeau'd With Heauens ioy shalt be receiu'd There shalt thou freely take thy choyce Whether thy humor more reioyce To sit in the Empiring Throne As ruling ouer all alone Or whether thou doe more desire To sway the Carre of Phoebus fire And thence with wandring flames suruay The earth in all her rich array Whom thy milde beames will not dismay The Deities bend to thy hest And Nature yeelds thee thy request To be what God-head likes thee best And where thy Empires seate shall rest But I beseech thee of high grace Doe not thy Soueraigne Mansion place About the North or Southerne starre Which is from vs remote so farre For then should Rome fall to mischance If thou on her looke but a scance But if a part of heauens huge sphere Thou choose thy ponderous heft to beare O let the Axle-tree sustaine The paise of thy Maiesticke traine Amidst the firmament be plac'd For that with brightest beames is grac'd So Neroes shine shall still subsist Neuer obscur'd with cloudy mist Then shall men lay aside their Armes And rue the shame of ciuill harmes All Nations then shall be at peace With mutuall leagues and Trades increase So when all iarres doe end their dates Ianus may sparre his Iron gates But whilst that I some power Diuine Inuoke to strength this Muse of mine If I thy fauour can obtaine O Nero to assist my vaine I will not then desire or craue Apollo's furtherance to haue Nor yet intreat the God of wine To aid this Tragicke worke of mine For thou alone canst life infuse And spirit to my Latine muse ¶ My minde giues me the cause to write That did this humorous rage incite A taske that will much labour cost To shew what franticke feuers tost This peoples moode to raue in spoyle And banish peace from Latium soyle It was conspiring Destiny The bane of all felicity And that which is by heauenly reed As doome to greatnesse still decreed Not long to stand in setled state But being too much eleuate The owne paize must it ruinate And Rome her selfe too powrfull growne With insolence was ouer-throwne So when by great resistlesse Fate The world dissolues to her last date Returning to that formlesse masse Which was before ought formed was Starres shall with starres confusedly In clusters meet within the skye The fiery Element displac't Shall downe into the deepe be cast The massy globe in this disease Denie due bounds vnto the seas Belphoebe will runne counter quite To Titan that doth lend her light And scorning her owne oblique way Would guide the Lanthorne of the day So that the course of this vaste All Into confusions lappe will fall For Ioue to great things this doome left They should be crusht with their owne heft Fortune doth scorne to cast a frowne On those that meane estate keepes downe But enuies those that lofty stand Empiring ouer sea and land O Rome then bondage pressed thee When thou wert first made slaue to three Diuided kingdomes staggring stand One Scepter fits one soueraigne hand ¶ O yee contentious Roman knights Whom blinde Ambition so incites What solace yeelds that Soueraignty That 's gain'd with such hostility As doth your hands and hearts diuide And turmoiles all the world beside But otherwise it neuer sorts For whilst the land the seas supports Or that the Aire in heats and colds The Earth in her soft mantle folds And Phoebus shall maintaine his race Or Cinthia supply his place So long Competitors of States In iealousie shall cloke debates Faith holds not firme twixt crowned Mates We need not farre examples seeke What other clymate breedes the like For when Rome first her walles ordain'd With brothers blood they were distain'd Yet all the whole worlds worth that time Could not requite so foule a crime A petty structure scarce begun Hath this fraternall outrage spun Our two great Chiefetaines for a space A iarring concord did embrace And so an outward peace maintain'd Which their ambitious hopes disdain'd But Crassus power doth interpose And hold them off from fatall blowes Like Istmos that diuided keepes The raging concurse of the deepes And doth so strongly part the waues That each with other neuer raues But if this Istmos breake asunder How would th' Aegean billowes thunder Incountering the Ionian seas And struggle with their counterpaise So Crassus whilst he was a life Held these two worthies off from strife And with perswasiue powerfull words Within their sheathes confin'd their swords But when the haplesse Carran fight Brought Crassus to his latest night This Parthian blow dissolu'd the Chaine That did these head-strong Peeres restraine And bred more scath vnto our state Then it was ware by home-debate For now the Roman Lordly guides Diuide themselues in factious sides And our great fortune that had long Subsisted by a people strong That conquered worlds on seas and maine Could not two haughty mindes containe For Iulia with like cruell fate Vntimely brought vnto her date By Atrops life-destroying hands Dissolu'd the neere-allianc'd bands Betwixt her father and her spouse Forgetting their contracted vowes Whereas if Iulias line of life Had longer scap't the fatall knife Euen she had beene of power alone Betwixt them two to make attone And from insulting force to cease With ioyning armed hands in peace As did the Sabines daughters earst Who sweetly all dislikes dispearst Betwixt their Fathers and their Pheeres But by thy death
these pride-swolne Peeres Shake off all leagues and straine to warres Where vertue emulates it iarres ¶ For thou great Pompey dost suspect That new-raisd triumphes thine deiect And that thy Pyrate-Laurell falles Short of the conquest of the Gaules Thus the remembrance of thy deeds In thee so great impatience breeds As that thou holdst it fowle disgrace Except thou runne a matchlesse race None now endures a second place For Pompey will no equall haue Nor supreme Lord must Caesar braue Heynous it was but to be scand Which of them in the right did stand And tooke vp Armes with iust pretence Great Iudges doe with both dispence The conquering part the Gods avowes Cato the vanquished allowes Th' ambition of these captaines tends Not to the like and selfe-same ends Pompey surpris'd with elder yeares His course in quiet glory steeres And keeping state in peacefull gowne Followes not Mart for more renowne He dotes vpon domesticke fame And so to glorifie his name To State-affaires doth frame his bent And then to giue the world content With largesse plyes the common Rowt And on the Theaters sets out His great exployts and seruice done Till through the peoples eares it runne Suffis'd when their applause is wonne No new imployments he requests But on his fore-past fortunes rests So Pompeyes name is like a shade That by a stately Oke is made Towring amidst a flowring field Adorn'd with many a battred shield With Trophies hanging on his twists The gifts of famous Martialists And though not rooted deepe in land With his owne weight vpright doth stand With leauelesse armes spreading his spraies From naked trunkes doth shadowes raise Yet brangling with tempestuous blast Is danger'd to be ouer-cast When other trees growne round about Against the windes standing more stout To this old Oke doe lowly lowt But Caesars name in mens conceit Was not yet growne vnto that height Nor for the warres in like request And yet his vertue cannot rest But prickes him forth to thinke it shame By valour not to winne the game His dreadlesse courage and his hope Vnto his plots gaue ample scope Neuer to spare his daring sword Where glory might him worke affoord And his success-full fate pursue Which in heauens fauour daily grew Affecting all daunts as him lists What force soeuer him resists Contented best when that he may Leuell out paths for Ruines way Like lightning gendred in the Clouds By force of winde itselfe vnshroudes Teares through the aire with claps of thunder Mazing the world twixt feare and wonder The Temples filles with oblique flashes And of their lampes the lights out dashes The strongest walles asunder rents If they resist or stop his vents And spoyling all makes Reuell-rout In going in and comming out Collects his parted flames againe And with fresh force doth striue and straine Gainst which resistance all is vaine ¶ These former motiues led the way Vnto these Captaines lawlesse sway But publique seeds were after sowne From whence this banefull strife is growne Which hath great Kingdoms ouerthrowne O this was it when conquering Fates Had made vs Lords of mighty states And cloyd vs with aboundant treasure We steept our thoughts in pride pleasure Then Luxurie the State surpriz'd And vertuous manners grew disguis'd For Auarice that rauening gull Who more she hath the lesse is full To stately mansions drawes their mindes And Gluttony new dainties findes The moderate dyet not regarded Our appetite must now bee larded So men from manly humors fall And grew effeminate withall Decking themselues with queint attires Scarce fit for womens nice desires Then Pouerty that had of yore Of worthy Champions bred such store Did scorned creepe from doore to doore And Riches michiefes pleasing guest Then onely grew into request Pamperd Delight spares for no charge Their Territories they inlarge Camyllus Plow eares not their lands Nor Curios spades will fit their hands Their bounds no measure can endure And strangers must their farmes manure And yet this opulent increase Could not containe their mindes in peace But as their plenty more did flow Ambition with it more did grow And many vices more to boote Which in them tooke so deepe a roote That Couetyse no crime was thought What force could win was held as bought Oppression all doth ouer-awe And wrong to right prescribeth law Then Faction vshers on this warre The Senate with the people iarre Force doth authorize their decrees The lawes their sacred freedome leese Consuls with Tribunes now contest Priuate respects their censures wrest All suffrages are bought and priz'd The Consulships are Merchandiz'd And Bribery the Cities bane Did Campus Martius so prophane That her braue Palmes the Victors hire The purses vertue did acquire Then Vsuryes moth-eating trade So rife was growne and lawlesse made That Debters at the payment day To Creditors became a pray So Banque-rupts wanting meanes to liue Their hopes to warre and spoyle did giue ¶ Now Caesars Army marcheth fast And ore the frosty Alpes was past But ere he said The dyce are cast Within his troubled thoughts he scand The boysterous stormes of warres at hand And hauing led his legions on Vnto the Riuer Rubicon In gloomy night there did appeare In dreames to him with trembling cheere Of Italy the Image vaste With naked Armes abroad out cast And as a woman in distresse Shaking her head and fettred tresse That was ingrain'd with aged hoare In sobbing speech doth thus deplore Whither quoth she doth your march tend Whither deere sonnes and to what end My famous Standard do you spread Can lawfully these Troopes be led Vnto this place prohibited Therewith did Horrors heauinesse This Captaines spirits so oppresse As that his haire stood vp an end And faintnesse doth his pace suspend Then at the Riuers brinke he stayes And with a manly voyce he sayes Great Thunderer that dost protect From thy Tarpeyan high prospect The Romane State with grace diuine The Iulian and the Latine Line The mysteries of rap't Quirine O Iupiter the Latium guide That in high Alba dost reside Preseruer of our Vestall flame And Rome thou type of supreame name From your applause doe not exempt This enterprise that I attempt I doe not I with furious armes Deare Citty seeke thy wrackes or harmes Behold thy Caesar here doth stand That hath with his success-full hand Conquer'd for thee by sea and land Let me thy Champion now be hight And deeme him heynous in thy sight That me prouokes to such debate As must disturbe thy setled state This said he shakes off all delay That might his speedy passage stay His armed legions he will guide Vnto the Riuers further side And as a Lybian Lyon dread In sun-burnt Desarts bloody bred When Hunters neere at hand he spyes Vpon the sandy soyle downe lies And doth a while amaz'd remaine Till his fierce courage comes againe Then rouzing vp his curled crest His beesom'd