HIS MAIESTIES LEPANTO Or HEROICALL SONG being part of his Poeticall exercises at vacant houres Imprinted at London by Simon Stafford and Henry Hooke 1603. THE AVTHOVRS Preface to the Reader IT falls out often that the effects of mens actions comes cleane contrary to the intent of the Authour The same find I by experiēce beloued Reader in my Poeme of Lepanto For although till now it haue not bene imprinted yet being set out to the publike view of many by a great sort of stoln copies purchast in truth without my knowledge or consent it hath for lack of a Preface bene in some things misconstrued by sundry which I of very purpose thinking to haue omitted for that the writing thereof might haue tended in my opinion to some reproch of the skilful learnednes of the Reader as if his braynes could not haue conceyued so vncurious a work without some maner of commentary so haue made the worke more displeasant vnto him it hath by the contrary falne out that the lack thereof hath made it the more displeasāt to some through their mistaking a part of the meaning thereof And for that I know the special thing misliked in it is that I should seeme far contrary to my degree Religion like a mercenarie Poet to pen a worke ex professo in praise of a forraine Papist hastard I will by setting downe the nature and order of the Poeme resclue the ignorant of their error and make the other sort inexcusable of their captiousnes The nature then of this Poeme is an argument a minore ad maius largely intreated by a Poetike comparison being to the writing hereof moued by the stirring vp of the league cruell persecution of the Protestants in al coūtries at the very first raging wherof I compiled this Poeme as the exhortation to the persecuted in the hinmost eight lines thereof doth plainely testify being both begun and ended in the same Summer wherin the league was published in Fraunce The order of the Cantique is this First a Poetike preface declaring the matter I treat of wherein I name not Don-Iohn neither literally nor any wayes by description which I behoued to haue done if I had penned the whole Poeme in his praise as Virgil Arma virumque cano Homer Dic mihi musa virum of whose imitation I had not bene ashamed if so my purpose had bene framed Next followes my inuocation to the true God onely and not to all the Hee and Shee Saints for whose vaine honors Don-Iohn fought in al his wars Next after my inuocation followes the poetike History of my comparison wherein following forth the ground of a true history as Virgil or Homer did like a painter shadowing with vmbers a portrait els drawne in grosse for giuing it greater viuenes so I eike or paire to the circumstances of the actions as the rules of the poetike arte will permit which historike comparison continues till the song of the Angels in the which I compare and apply the former comparison to our present estate taking occasion thereupon to speak somewhat of our religion Lastly the Epilogue of the whole in the last eight lines declares fully my intention in the whole and explaines so fully my comparison and argument from the more to the lesse as I cannot without shameful repetition speak any more thereof And in a word what soeuer praise I haue giuen to Don-Iohn in this Poem it is neither in accounting him as first or second cause of that victorie but onely as a particular man when hee falles in my way to speake the truth of him For as it becomes not the honour of my estate like an hireling to pen the praise of any man So becomes it far lesse the highnesse of my ranke and calling to spare for the feare or fauour of whomsoeuer liuing to speake or write the truth of any And thus crauing pardon beloued Reader for this long some Apologie being driuen thereto not by nature but by necessitie I bid you hartily farewell THE SONNET THe azur'd vault the cristall circles bright The gleaming fiery torches powdred there The changing round the shining beamy light The sad and bearded fyres the monsters fayre The prodigies appearing in the ayre The rearding thunders and the blustering winds The fowles in hew in shape and nature rayre The pretty notes that wing'd musicians finds In earth the sau'ry flowres the mettal'd minds The holesome hearbes the haughty pleasant trees The siluer streames the beastes of sundry kinds The bounded roares and fishes of the seas All these for teaching man the LORD did frame To doe his will whose glory shines in thame I. R. HIS MAIESTIES LEPANTO OR HEROICALL SONG I Sing a wondrous worke of God I sing his mercies great I sing his iustice heere withall Powr'd from his holy seat To wit a cruell Martiall warre A bloudy battell bold Long doubtsome fight with slaughter huge And wounded manifold Which fought was in LEPANTOES gulfe Betwixt the baptiz'd race And circumcised Turband Turkes Rencountring in that place O onely God I pray thee thrice Thrice one in persons three Alike Eternall like of might Although distinct ye be I pray thee Father through thy Sonne Thy word immortall still The great ARCHANGELL of records And worker of thy will To make thy holy Spreit my Muse And eik my pen inflame Aboue my skill to write this worke To magnify thy name Into the turning still of times I erre no time can be Where was and is and times to come Confounded are all three I meane before great God in Heauen For Sunne and Moone deuides The times in earth by houres and dayes And seasons still that slides Yet Man whome Man must vnderstand Must speake into this case As man our flesh will not permit Wee heauenly things imbrace Then as I els began to say One day it did fall out As glorious God in glistering throne With Angels round about Did sit and Christ at his right hand That crafty Satan came Deceyuer Lyar hating man And Gods most sacred Name This olde abuser stood into The presence of the Lord Then in this maner Christ accus'de The sower of discord I know thou from that Citie comest CONSTANTINOPLE great Where thou hast by thy malice made The faythlesse Turkes to freat Thou hast inflamde their maddest mindes With raging fire of wraith Against them all that doe professe My Name with feruent fayth How long O Father shall they thus Quite vnder foote be tred By faythlesse folkes who executes What in this Snake is bred Then Satan answered Fayth Quoth he Their Fayth is too too small They striue me thinke on eyther part Who farthest backe can fall Hast thou not giuen them in my hands Euen both the sides I say That I as best doth seeme to me May vse them euery way Then IEHOVA whose nod doth make The heauens and mountaynes quake Whose smallest wrath the Centers makes Of all the Earth to shake Whose word did make the world of
to rowe And in the ships the Marriners Did skippe from towe to towe With willing minds they hayld the Tyes And hoyst the flaffing Sayles And strongest towes from highest mastes With force and practique hayles The Forceats lothsomly did rowe In Gallies ' gainst their will Whom Galley-masters oft did beat And threaten euer still The foming Seas did bullor vp The risking Oares did rash The Souldats pieces for to clenge Did showres of shots delash But as the Deuill is ready bent Good workes to hinder ay So sowd he in this Nauy strife Their good successe to stay Yet did the wisdomes of the Chiefes And of the generall most Compound all quarrels and debates That were into that Host Preferring wisely as they ought The honour of the Lord Vnto their owne the publike cause To priuate mens discord The feathered fame of wondrous speed That doth delight to flee On tops of houses pratling all That she can heare or see Part true part false this monster strange Among the Turkes did tell That diuers Christian Princes ioynd Resolu'd with them to mel Then spyes were sent abroad who told The matter as it stood Except in Arythmetique as It seemd they were not good For they did count their number to Be lesse then was indeed Which did into the great Turkes mind A great disdayning breed A perrilous thing as euer came Into a Chieftaynes brayne To set at nought his foes though small By lighleing disdayne Then Selym sent a Nauy out Who wandred without rest Whill time into LEPANTOES gulfe They all their Ankers kest In season when with sharpest hooks The busie shearers cowe The fruitfull yellow locks of gold That doe on Ceres growe And when the strongest Trees for weight Of birth doe downeward bow Their heauy heads whose colourd knops In showres rayne ripely now And husband men with Woodbind crownes To twice borne Bacchus dance Whose pleasant poyson sweet in taste Doth cast them in a trance Into this riping season sure The Christian Host I say Were all assembled for to make Them readie for the way But or they from Messena came The Vines were standing bayre Trees voyd of fruite and Ceres polde And lacking all her hayre But when that leaues with ratling falles In banks of withered boughes And carefull labourers doe begin To yoke the paynefull ploughes The Nauies neere to other drew And Venier sent before Gaue false Alarum sending word The Turkes had skowp'd the score That fifty Gallyes quite were fled This word he sent expresse To make the Christians willingly To battell them addresse As so they did and entred all Moou'd by that samin flight Into LEPANTOES gulfe and there Preparde them for the fight Whill this was doing here on earth Great God who creates all With wakrife eye preordoning What euer doth befall Was sitting in his pompous throne In highest heauen aboue And gloriously accompanide With Iustice and with Loue The one hath smiling countenance The other frowning cheare The one to mercy still perswades Him as a Father deare The other for to powre his plagues Vpon repining sinne And fill the fields with wofull cryes The houses all with dinne But yet the Lord so temperates them That both doe brooke their place For Iustice whiles obtaynes her will But euermore doth grace IEHOVA al 's hath balances Wherewith hee weighes aright The greatest and the heauiest sinnes With smaller faults and light These grace did moue him for to take And so he weighed in heauen The Christian faults with faithlesse Turkes The ballance stood not eauen But sweyd vpon the faythlesse side And then with awfull face Frownd God of Hosts the whirling heau'ns For feare did tremble space The stayest mountaynes shuddred all The grounds of earth did shake The Seas did bray and Plutoes Realm For horrour cold did quake HOW soone Aurâ—raes ioyfull face Had shead the shady night And made the chiuering Larks to sing For gladnesse of the light And Phoebe with inconstant face In Seas had gone to rest And Phoebus chasing vapours moyst The Skye made blew celest The Generall of the Christian Host Vpon his Galley Mast The bloudy signe of furious Mars Made to be fixed fast Then as into a spacious towne At breaking of the day The busie worke-men doe prepare Their Worklumes euery way The Wright doth sharpe his hacking Axe The Smith his grinding File Glasse-makers beets their fire that burnes Continuall not a while The Paynter mixes colours viue The Printer Letters sets The Mason clinks on Marble stones Which hardly drest he gets Euen so how soone this Warriour world With earnest eyes did see Yon signe of warre they all preparde To winne or else to dye Here Hagbutters prepar'd with speed A number of Bullets round There Cannoners their Cannons steild To make destroying sound Here Knights did dight their burnisht brands Their Archers bowes did bend The Armorers on Corslets knockt And Harnesse hard did mend The fiery Marriners at once Made all their tackling claire With whispering dinne and cryes confus'd Preparing here and there As busie Bees within their Hiues With murmuring euer still Are earn'st vpon their fruitfull worke Their empty holes to fill The Flags and Ensignes were displayd At Zephyrs will to waue Each paynted in the colours cleare Of euery owner braue But all this time in carefull minde The Generall euer rolde What maner of aray would best Fit such an army bolde To pance on this it paynd him more This more did trouble his brest Then Cannons Corâ—e-lets Bullets Tackle And Swords and Bowes the rest And at the last with ripe aduice Of Chieftaynes sage and graue He shead in three in Cressents forme This martiall army braue The Generall in the battayle was And Colonell vndertooke The right wing with the force of Genes The left did Venier brooke WHEN this was done the Spanish Prince Did rowe about them all And on the names of speciall men With louing speach did call Remembring them how righteous was Their quarrell and how good Immortall praise and infinit gaynes To conquere with their blood And that the glory of God in earth Into their manhead stands Through iust reliefe of Christian soules From cruell Pagans hands But if the Enemie triumphed Of them and of their fame In millions men to bondage would Professing IESVS name The Spaniol Prince exhorting thus With glad and smiling cheare With sugred words and gesture good So pleas'd both eye and eare That euerie man cryed victorie This word abroad they blew A good presage that victorie Thereafter should ensew The Turquish Host in manner like Themselues they did aray The which two Bashas did commaund And order euery way For Portan Basha had in charge To gouerne all by land And Ali-Basha had by Sea The onely chiefe command These Bashas in the battaile were With mo then I can tell And Mahomet Bey the right wing had The left Ochiali fell Then Ali-Basha visied all With bold and manly face Whose tongue did vtter courage more Then had alluring
continued thus Vncertayne all the while For Fortune oft on either side Did frowne and after smile It seem'd that Mars and Pallas both Did thinke the day too short With bloody practise thus to vse Their olde acquainted sport For as the slaughter ay increast So did the courage still Of martiall men whome losse of friends Enarm'd with eigre will The more their number did decrease The more that they were harmd The more with Mars then were they fild With boldning spite inarm'd Now vp now downe on either side Now Christians seemd to winne Now ouerthrowne and now agayne They seemd but to beginne My pen for pitty cannot write My hayre for horrour stands To thinke how many Christians there Were kild by Pagane hands O Lord throughout this Labyrinth Make me the way to view And let thy holy threefold Sprcit Be my conducting clew O now I spy a blessed Heauen Our landing is not farre Loe good victorious tydings comes To end this cruell warre IN all the time that thus they fought The Spanish Prince was clipt With Ali-Basha whome to meet The rest he had oreslipt And euen as throughout both the Hosts Dame Fortune varied still So kythde she twixt those Champions two Her fond inconstant win For after that the Castles foure Of Gallies both with found And slaughter huge their Bullets had In other made rebound And all the small Artillery Consumde their shots below In killing men or else to cut Some Cable strong or Towe Yet victory still vncertayne was And Soldats neuer ceast With interchange of Pikes and Darts To kill or wound at least In end when they with bloud abroad Had bought their meeting deare The victory first on Spanish side Began for to appeare For euen the Spanish Prince himselfe Did hazard at the last Accompanied with boldest men Who followd on him fast By force to winne the Turkish decke The which he did obtayne And entered in their Galley syne But did not long remayne For Ali-Basha prou'd so well With his assisters braue That backward faster then they came Their valiant foes they draue That glad they were to scape themselues And leaue behind anew Of valiant fellowes carcases Whom thus their enemies slew The Generall boldned then with spight And vernisht red with shame Did rather chuse to leese his life Then time his spreading fame And so of new encouraged His Souldiers true and bolde As now for eigrenesse they burne Who earst were waxed cold And thus they entred in agayne More fiercely then before Whose rude assault could Ali then Resist not any more But fled vnto the Fort at STEVIN For last refuge of all Abiding in a doubtsome feare The chance he did befall A Macedonian Souldier then Great honour for to win Before the rest in earnest hope To Basha bold did rin And with a Cutlace sharpe and fine Did whip me off his head Who lackt not his reward of him That did the Nauy lead The Generall syne caus'd fixe the head Vpon his Galley Mast At sight whereof the faythlesse Host Were all so sore agast That all amaz'd gaue backe at once But yet were stayd agayne And neuer one at all did scape But taken were or slayne Ochiali except with three times ten Great Galleyes of his owne And many of the Knights of MALT Whome he had ouerthrowne But if that he with his conuoy Had mist a safe retreat No newes had SELYM but by brute Heard euer of this defeat WHEN thus the victory was obtaynd And thanks were giuen to God Twelue thousand Christians counted were Releeu'd from Turquish rod. O Spanish Prince whome of a glance And suddenly away The cruel fates gaue to the world Not suffering thee to stay With this the still night sad and blacke The earth oreshadowed then Who Morpheus brought with her and rest To steale on beasts and men BVT all this time was Venice Towne Reuoluing what euent Might come of this prepared fight With doubtsome mindes and bent They long'd and yet they durst not long To heare the newes of all They hoped good they fear'd the euill And kest what might befall At last the ioyfull tydings came Which such a gladnesse bred That Matrons graue and Mayds modest The market place bespred Anone with cheerefull countenance They dresse them in a ring And thus the formost did begin Syne all the rest to sing Chorus Venetus SIng praise to God both young and olde That in this towne remayne With voyce and euery Instrument Found out by mortall brayne Sing praises to our mighty God Prayse our deliuerers name Our louing Lord who now in need Hath kythd to be the same The faythlesse snares did compasse vs Their nets were set about But yet our dearest Father in Heauen He hath redeemd vs out Not onely that but by his power Our enemies feet they slayd Whom he hath trapt and made to fall Into the pit they made Sing prayses then both young and olde That in this towne remayne To him that hath releeu'd our necks From Turkish yoke prophane Let vs wash off onr sinnes impure Cast off our garments vile And haunt his Temple euery day To pray his name a while O prayse him for the victory That he hath made vs haue For he it was reueng'd our cause And not our army braue Prayse him with Trumpet Piphre drum With Lutes and Organes fine With Viols Gitterns Cistiers al 's And sweetest voyces syne Sing prayse sing prayse both yong and old Sing prayses one and all To him that hath redeemd vs now From cruell Pagans thrall IN hearing of this Song me thinks My members waxes faynt Nor yet from dulnesse can I keepe My minde by no restraint But loe my Yrny head doth noâ— Vpon my Adamant brest My eye-lids will stand vp no more But fall to take them rest And through my weake and weary hand Doth slide my pen of lead And sleepe doth else possesse me all The similitude of dead The God with golden wings through ports Of horne doth to me creepe Who changes ofter shapes transformd Then Proteus in the deepe How soone he came quite from my mind He worldly cares remoou'd And all my members in my bed Lay still in rest belou'd And syne I heard a ioyfull song Of all the feathered bands Of holy Angels in the heauen Thus singing on all hands Chorus Angelorum SIng let vs sing with one accord Hallelu-iah on hye With euery elder that doth bow Before the Lambe his knee Sing foure and twenty all with vs Whill Heauen and earth resound Replenisht with Iehouas prayse Whose like cannot be found For he it is that is and was And euermore shall be One onely one vnseparate And yet in persons three Prayse him for that he create hath The Heauen the earth and all And euer hath preseru'd them since From their ruine and fall But prayse him more if more can be That so he loues his name As he doth mercy shew to all That doe professe the same And not alanerly to them Professing it aright But euen to them that mixe therewith Their owne inuentions slight As specially this samin time Most playnely may appeare In giuing them such victory That not aright him feare For since he shewes such grace to them That thinke themselues are iust What will he more to them that in His mercies onely trust And sith that so he vses them That doubt for to be sau'd How much more them that in their hearts His promise haue engrau'd And since he doth such fauour shew To them that fondly pray To other Mediatours then Can helpe them any way O how then will he fauour them Who prayers doe direct Vnto the Lambe whom onely he Ordaynd for that effect And since he doth reuenge their cause That worship God of bread An errour vayne the which is bred But in a mortall head Then how will he reuenge their cause That onely feare and serue His dearest Sonne and for his sake Will for no perils swerue And since that so he pities them That beare vpon their brow The marke of Antichrist the Whoore That great abuser now Who does the truest Christians With fire and sword inuade And make them holy Martyrs that Their trust in God haue layd How will he them that thus are vsde And beare vpon their face His speciall marke a certayne signe Of euerlasting grace Put end vnto the trauels Lord And miseries of thy Saynts Remouing quite this blindnesse grosse That now the world so dants Sing prayses of his mercy then His superexcellence great Which doth exceed euen all his works That lye before his seat And let vs sing both now and ay To him with one accord O holy holy God of Hosts Thou euerliuing Lord. THus ended was the Angels song And also here I end Exhorting all you Christians true Your courage vp to bend And since by this defeat ye see That God doth loue his name So well that so he did them ayd That seru'd not right the same Then though the Antichristian fect Against you doe coniure He doth the body better loue Then shaddow be ye sure Doe ye resist with confidence That God shall be your stay And turne it to your comfort and His glory now and ay FINIS