as much as desperate rage The worlds loud thund'rings he unshaken heares Nor will he death or life or seek or flie Readie for both He is as cowardly That longer fears to live as he that fears to die 9 Worst was his civil warre where deadly fought He with himself till Passion yeelds or dies All heart and hand no tongue not grimme but stout His flame had counsell in 't his furie eyes His rage well temper'd is no fear can dant His reason but cold bloud is valiant Well may he strength in death but never courage want 10 But like a mighty rock whose unmov'd sides The hostile sea assaults with furious wave And 'gainst his head the boist'rous North-winde rides Both fight and storm and swell and roar and rave Hoarse surges drum loud blasts their trumpets strain Th' heroick cliffe laughs at their frustrate pain Waves scatter'd drop in tears windes broken whining plain 11 Such was this Knights undanted constancie No mischief weakens his resolved minde None fiercer to a stubborn enemie But to the yeelding none more sweetly kinde His shield an even-ballast ship embraves Which dances light while Neptune wildely raves His word was this I fear but heav'n nor windes nor waves 12 And next Macrothumus whose quiet face No cloud of passion ever shadowed Nor could hot anger Reasons rule displace Purpling the scarlet cheek with firie red Nor could revenge clad in a deadly white With hidden malice eat his vexed sprite For ill he good repay'd and love exchang'd for spite 13 Was never yet a more undanted spirit Yet most him deem'd a base and tim'rous swain But he well weighing his own strength and merit The greatest wrong could wisely entertain Nothing resisted his commanding spear Yeelding it self to him a winning were And though he di'd yet dead he rose a conquerer 14 His naturall force beyond all nature stretched Most strong he is because he will be weak And happie most because he can be wretched Then whole and sound when he himself doth break Rejoycing most when most he is tormented In greatest discontents he rests contented By conquering himself all conquests he prevented 15 His rockie arms of massie adamant Safely could back rebutt the hardest blade His skinne it self could any weapon dant Of such strange mold and temper was he made Upon his shield a Palm-tree still increased Though many weights his rising arms depressed His word was Rising most by being most oppressed 16 Next him Androphilus whose sweetest minde 'Twixt mildenesse temper'd and low courtesie Could leave as soon to be as not be kinde Churlish despite ne're lookt from his calm eye Much lesse commanded in his gentle heart To baser men fair looks he would impart Nor could he cloak ill thoughts in complementall art 17 His enemies knew not how to discommend him All others dearely lov'd fell ranc'rous Spite And vile Detraction fain would reprehend him And oft in vain his name they closely bite As popular and flatterer accusing But he such slavish office much refusing Can eas'ly quit his name from their false tongues abusing 18 His arms were fram'd into a glitt'ring night Whose sable gown with starres all spangled wide Affords the weary traveller cheerfull light And to his home his erring footsteps guide Upon his ancient shield the workman fine Had drawn the Sunne whose eye did ne're repine To look on good and ill his word To all I shine 19 Fair Vertue where stay'st thou in poore exile Leaving the Court from whence thou took'st thy name While in thy place is stept Disdaining vile And Flatterie base sonne of Need and Shame And with them surly Scorn and hatefull Pride Whose artificiall face false colours di'd Which more display her shame then loathsome foulnesse hide 20 Late there thou livedst with a gentle Swain As gentle Swain as ever lived there Who lodg'd thee in his heart and all thy train Where hundred other Graces quarter'd were But he alas untimely dead and gone Leaves us to rue his death and thee to mone That few were ever such now those few are none 21 By him the stout Encrates boldly went Assailed oft by mightie enemies Which all on him alone their spite misspent For he whole armies single bold defies With him nor might nor cunning slights prevail All force on him they trie all forces fail Yet still assail him fresh yet vainly still assail 22 His body full of vigour full of health His table feeds not lust but strength and need Full stor'd with plenty not by heaping wealth But topping rank desires which vain exceed On 's shield an hand from heav'n an orchyard dressing Pruning superfluous boughs the trees oppressing So adding fruit his word By lessening increasing 23 His setled minde was written in his face For on his forehead cheerfull gravitie False joyes and apish vanities doth chase And watchfull care did wake in either eye His heritance he would not lavish sell Nor yet his treasure hide by neighbouring hell But well he ever spent what he had gotten well 24 A lovely pair of twins clos'd either side Not those in heav'n the flowrie Geminies Are half so lovely bright the one his Bride Agnia chaste was joyn'd in Hymens ties And love as pure as heav'ns conjunction Thus she was his and he her flesh and bone So were they two in sight in truth entirely one 25 Upon her arched brow unarmed Love Triumphing sat in peacefull victorie And in her eyes thousand chaste Graces move Checking vain thoughts with awfull majestie Ten thousand moe her fairer breast contains Where quiet meeknesse every ill restrains And humbly subject spirit by willing service reignes 26 Her skie-like arms glitter'd in golden beams And brightly seem'd to flame with burning hearts The scalding ray with his reflected streams Fire to their flames but heav'nly fire imparts Upon her shield a pair of Turtles shone A loving pair still coupled ne're alone Her word Though one when two yet either two or none 27 With her her sister went a warlike Maid Parthenia all in steel and gilded arms In needles stead a mighty spear she swayd With which in bloudy fields and fierce alarms The boldest champion she down would bear And like a thunderbolt wide passage tear Flinging all to the earth with her enchanted spear 28 Her goodly armour seem'd a garden green Where thousand spotlesse lilies freshly blew And on her shield the ' lone bird might be seen Th' Arabian bird shining in colours new It self unto it self was onely mate Ever the same but new in newer date And underneath was writ Such is chaste single state 29 Thus hid in arms she seem'd a goodly Knight And fit for any warlike exercise But when she list lay down her armour bright And back resume her peacefull Maidens guise The fairest Maid she was that ever yet Prison'd her locks within a golden net Or let them waving hang with roses fair beset 30 Choice Nymph the crown of chaste Diana's train
crosses By with'ring springing fresh and rich by often losses 36 Vain men too fondly wise who plough the seas With dangerous pains another earth to finde Adding new worlds to th' old and scorning ease The earths vast limits dayly more unbinde The aged world though now it falling shows And hastes to set yet still in dying grows Whole lives are spent to win what one deaths houre must lose 37 How like 's the world unto a tragick stage Where every changing scene the actours change Some subject crouch and fawn some reigne and rage And new strange plots brings scenes as new strange Till most are slain the rest their parts have done So here some laugh and play some weep and grone Till all put of their robes and stage and actours gone 38 Yet this fair Isle sited so nearely neare That from our sides nor place nor time may sever Though to your selves your selves are not more deare Yet with strange carelesnesse you travell never Thus while your selves and native home forgetting You search farre distant worlds with needlesse sweating You never finde your selves so lose ye more by getting 39 When that great Power that All farre more then all When now his fore-set time was fully come Brought into act this undigested Ball Which in himself till then had onely room He labour'd not nor suffer'd pain or ill But bid each kinde their severall places fill He bid and they obey'd their action was his will 40 First stept the Light and spread his chearfull rayes Through all the Chaos darknesse headlong fell Frighted with suddain beams and new-born dayes And plung'd her ougly head in deepest hell Not that he meant to help his feeble sight To frame the rest he made the day of night All els but darknesse he the true the onely Light 41 Fire Water Earth and Aire that fiercely strove His soveraigne hand in strong alliance ti'd Binding their deadly hate in constant love So that great Wisdome temper'd all their pride Commanding strife and love should never cease That by their peacefull fight and fighting peace The world might die to live and lessen to increase 42 Thus Earths cold arm cold Water friendly holds But with his drie the others wet defies Warm Aire with mutuall love hot Fire infolds As moist his dryth abhorres drie Earth allies With Fire but heats with cold new warres prepare Yet Earth drencht Water proves which boil'd turns Aire Hot Aire makes Fire condenst all change and home repair 43 Now when the first weeks life was almost spent And this world built and richly furnished To store heav'ns courts and steer earths regiment He cast to frame an Isle the heart and head Of all his works compos'd with curious art Which like an Index briefly should impart The summe of all the whole yet of the whole a part 44 That Trine-one with himself in councell sits And purple dust takes from the new-born earth Part circular and part triang'lar fits Endows it largely at the unborn birth Deputes his Favorite Vice-roy doth invest With aptnesse thereunto as seem'd him best And lov'd it more then all and more then all it blest 45 Then plac't it in the calm pacifick seas And bid nor waves nor troublous windes offend it Then peopled it with subjects apt to please So wise a Prince made able to defend it Against all outward force or inward spite Him framing like himself all shining bright A little living Sunne Sonne of the living Light 46 Nor made he this like other Isles but gave it Vigour sense reason and a perfect motion To move it self whither it self would have it And know what falls within the verge of notion No time might change it but as ages went So still return'd still spending never spent More rising in their fall more rich in detriment 47 So once the Cradle of that double light Whereof one rules the night the other day Till sad Latona flying Iuno's spite Her double burthen there did safely lay Not rooted yet in every sea was roving With every wave and every winde removing But since to those fair Twins hath left her ever moving 48 Look as a scholar who doth closely gather Many large volumes in a narrow place So that great Wisdome all this All together Confin'd into this Islands little space And being one soon into two he fram'd it And now made two to one again reclaim'd it The little Isle of Man or Purple Island nam'd it 49 Thrice happy was the worlds first infancie Nor knowing yet nor curious ill to know Joy without grief love without jealousie None felt hard labour or the sweating plough The willing earth brought tribute to her King Bacchus unborn lay hidden in the cling Of big-swoln grapes their drink was every silver spring 50 Of all the windes there was no difference None knew mild Zephyres from cold Eurus mouth Nor Orithyia's lovers violence Distinguisht from the ever-dropping South But either gentle West-winds reign'd alone Or else no winde or harmfull winde was none But one winde was in all and all the windes in one 51 None knew the sea oh blessed ignorance None nam'd the stars the North carres constant race Taurus bright horns or Fishes happy chance Astraea yet chang'd not her name or place Her ev'n-pois'd ballance heav'n yet never tri'd None sought new coasts nor forrain lands descri'd But in their own they liv'd and in their own they di'd 52 But ah what liveth long in happinesse Grief of an heavy nature steddy lies And cannot be remov'd for weightinesse But joy of lighter presence eas'ly flies And seldome comes and soon away will goe Some secret power here all things orders so That for a sun-shine day follows an age of woe 53 Witnesse this glorious Isle which not content To be confin'd in bounds of happinesse Would trie what e're is in the continent And seek out ill and search for wretchednesse Ah fond to seek what then was in thy will That needs no curious search 't is next us still 'T is grief to know of grief and ill to know of ill 54 That old slie Serpent slie but spitefull more Vext with the glory of this happy Isle Allures it subt'ly from the peacefull shore And with fair painted lies colour'd guile Drencht in dead seas whose dark streams full of fright Emptie their sulphur waves in endlesse night Where thousand deaths and hells torment the damned sprite 55 So when a fisher-swain by chance hath spi'd A big-grown Pike pursue the lesser frie He sets a withy Labyrinth beside And with fair baits allures his nimble eye Which he invading with our-streched finne All suddainly is compast with the ginne Where there is no way out but easie passage in 56 That deathfull lake hath these three properties No turning path or issue thence is found The captive never dead yet ever dies It endlesse sinks yet never comes to ground Hells self is pictur'd in that brimstone wave For what retiring from that hellish grave Or
most I love with just adoring That Mantuan swain who chang'd his slender reed To trumpets martiall voice and warres loud roaring From Corydon to Turnus derring-deed And next our home-bred Colins sweetest firing Their steps not following close but farre admiring To lackey one of these is all my prides aspiring 6 Then you my peers whose quiet expectation Seemeth my backward tale would fain invite Deigne gently heare this purple Islands nation A people never seen yet still in sight Our daily guests and natives yet unknown Our servants born but now commanders grown Our friends and enemies aliens yet still our own 7 Not like those Heroes who in better times This happy Island first inhabited In joy and peace when no rebellious crimes That God-like nation yet dispeop'led Those claim'd their birth from that eternal Light Held th' Isle and rul'd it in their fathers right And in their faces bore their parents image bright 8 For when the Isle that main would fond forsake In which at first it found a happy place And deep was plung'd in that dead hellish lake Back to their father flew this heav'nly race And left the Isle forlorn and desolate That now with fear and wishes all too late Sought in that blackest wave to hide his blacker fate 9 How shall a worm on dust that crawls and feeds Climbe to th' empyreall court where these states reign And there take view of what heav'ns self exceeds The Sunne lesse starres these lights the Sunne distain Their beams divine and beauties do excell What here on earth in aire or heav'n do dwell Such never eye yet saw such never tongue can tell 10 Soon as these Saints the treach'rous Isle forsook Rusht in a false foul fiend-like companie And every fort and every castle took All to this rabble yeeld the soveraigntie The goodly temples which those Heroes plac't By this foul rout were utterly defac't And all their fences strong and all their bulwarks raz'd 11 So where the neatest Badger most abides Deep in the earth she frames her prettie cell And into halls and closulets divides But when the stinking fox with loathsome smell Infects her pleasant cave the cleanly beast So hates her inmate and rank-smelling guest That farre away she flies and leaves her loathed nest 12 But when those Graces at their fathers throne Arriv'd in heav'ns high Court to Justice plain'd How they were wrong'd and forced from their own And what foul people in their dwellings reign'd How th' earth much waxt in ill much wan'd in good So full-ripe vice how blasted vertues bud Begging such vicious weeds might sink in vengefull floud 13 Forth stept the just Dicaea full of rage The first-born daughter of th' Almighty King Ah sacred maid thy kindled ire asswage Who dare abide thy dreadfull thundering Soon as her voice but Father onely spake The faultlesse heav'ns like leaves in Autumne shake And all that glorious throng with horrid palsies quake 14 Heard you not late with what loud trumpet sound Her breath awak'd her fathers sleeping ire The heav'nly armies flam'd earth shook heav'n frown'd And heav'ns dread King call'd for his three-forkt fire Heark how the powerfull words strike through the eare The frighted sense shoots up the staring hair And shakes the trembling soul with fright shudd'ring fear 15 So have I seen the earth strong windes detaining In prison close they scorning to be under Her dull subjection and her power disdaining With horrid struglings tear their bonds in sunder Mean while the wounded earth that forc'd their stay With terrour reels the hils runne farre away And frighted world fears hell breaks out upon the day 16 But see how 'twixt her sister and her sire Soft-hearted Mercy sweetly interposing Settles her panting breast against his fire Pleading for grace and chains of death unloosing Heark from her lips the melting hony flowes The striking Thunderer recals his blowes And every armed souldier down his weapon throwes 17 So when the day wrapt in a cloudie night Puts out the Sunne anon the rattling hail On earth poures down his shot with fell despight His powder spent the Sunne puts off his vail And fair his flaming beauties now unsteeps The plough-man from his bushes gladly peeps And hidden traveller out of his covert creeps 18 Ah fairest maid best essence of thy father Equall unto thy never equall'd sire How in low verse shall thy poore shepherd gather What all the world can ne're enough admire When thy sweet eyes sparkle in chearfull light The brightest day grows pale as leaden night And heav'ns bright burning eye loses his blinded sight 19 Who then those sugred strains can understand Which calm'd thy father and our desp'rate fears And charm'd the nimble lightning in his hand That all unwares it dropt in melting tears Then thou deare swain thy heav'nly load unfraught For she her self hath thee her speeches taught So neare her heav'n they be so farre from humane thought 20 But let my lighter skiffe return again Unto that little Isle which late it left Nor dare to enter in that boundlesse main Or tell the nation from this Island reft But sing that civil strife and home dissension 'Twixt two strong factions with like fierce contention Where never peace is heard nor ever peaces mention 21 For that foul rout which from the Stygian brook Where first they dwelt in midst of death and night By force the left and emptie Island took Claim hence full conquest and possessions right But that fair band which Mercie sent anew The ashes of that first heroick crue From their forefathers claim their right Islands due 22 In their fair look their parents grace appeares Yet their renowned sires were much more glorious For what decaies not with decaying yeares All night and all the day with toil laborious In losse and conquest angrie fresh they fight Nor can the other cease or day or night While th' Isle is doubly rent with endlesse warre and fright 23 As when the Britain and Iberian fleet With resolute and fearlesse expectation On trembling seas with equall fury meet The shore resounds with diverse acclamation Till now at length Spains firie Dons 'gin shrink Down with their ships hope life and courage sink Courage life hope and ships the gaping surges drink 24 But who alas shall teach my ruder breast The names and deeds of these heroick Kings Or downy Muse which now but left the nest Mount from her bush to heav'n with new-born wings Thou sacred maid which from fair Palestine Through all the world hast spread thy brightest shine Kindle thy shepherd-swain with thy light flaming eyn 25 Sacred Thespio which in Sinaies grove First took'st thy being and immortall breath And vaunt'st thy off-spring from the highest Iove Yet deign'dst to dwell with mortalls here beneath With vilest earth and men more vile residing Come holy Virgin in my bosome sliding With thy glad Angel light my blindfold footsteps guiding 26 And thou dread Spirit which at first