Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A30820
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The heroical lover, or, Antheon and Fidelta a poem / written by Thomas Bancroft.
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Bancroft, Thomas, fl. 1633-1658.
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1658
(1658)
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Wing B641; ESTC R22823
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36,518
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104
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regâ—late its acts and teach his Will To yield obedience to its dictates still Hence famous for his wisdome he became And justly sith enlightned by the same All vertues are which in his gentle breast Meeting with much content their centre blest Such was his valour that he knew not how To fear invasive danger nor to bow Under afflictions weight but upright stood With heart unconquer'd and unchilled blood In the foul gulfs of luxury he nere Emplunged himself but a fair course did sâ—eere In Seas of plenty and what ere he took In hand did fixtly at fair justice look Nor so much as his Poniards breadth would pass Beyond the way that right and level was His courteous sweetness humbly seem'd to show That from high Ancestry his blood did flow His bounty free as heavenly influence Made good the style of brave magnificence And all his vertues were wrought up so high So full of lustre strength and dignity That nothing could be added save the sound Of mighty Fame to make them more renown'd THE HEROICAL LOVER CANTO 2. The Argument The young Knight of Fidelta hears And thinks her praises tune the spheres Seeks her through Italy in vaine But finds Aselgia with her train WHen at the beam of youth this matchless Knight Now weigh'd himself sound his spirits light And felt more fervent blood he thought to prove The sweet endearements of desertful love And call'd to mind what Beauty he had seen Fit to be took for his affections Queen As minded some brave Heroine to wed Or never else to warm a Genial bed Mean while comes Fame than thinnest sume more light Or wings of insects shining in their flight And tells him in a busy panting hast Of a renowned Lady richly grac'â— With all endowments Nature can bestow By name Fidelta who her self would snow Most worthy of his love although it were A treasure of affection nere so dear But was so wondrous modest so retir'd So sweetly humble that she much desir'd Her beauties though as sparks of heaven beheld Might yet encloud their beams and be conceal'd So much her precious vertue fear'd to be Allaid by th' mixture of much company And for this reason as some birds do flit From coast to coast she did so often quit The place she honour'd from resort to go That where to find her very few did know As sure now said Sir Antheon as I draw A trusty sword I such a Lady saw In my last dream who having at me cast Some smiling glances vanisht at the last And left my heart on fire t' is surely she That must be mine by Destinies decree This to confirme I now remember well What oft to me my chary Nurse did tell To wit that great Astrologers once said That I a Lady of this name should wed I 'le travel through this Globe to seek her out Where'ere she hidden lyes and should not doubt But to discloud her though her beauty bright Were maskt in shadowes of Cimmerian night The Stygian Prince that Proserpine did steale Should not this Lady from my sight conceal In 's inmost cell though it with clouds were hung And 'bout her bed redoubled darkness flung But with a deep device I would orethrow His shady palace and her beauties show To th' upper world that would admiring stand And offer service what she should command This said he call'd for gentle Eubulus A man mature discreet and vertuous And thus bespake him Friend I now must try The strength and temper of your amity So long profest by all fair promises Of friendly aide all vowes of services Heâ—ted with zeale and yet I know your heart 's So firme that needless are perswasive arts I must intreat you readily to goe With me and help my skilless youth to wooe For I must travel who can tell how farre To seek a bright though sublunary starre A Lady whom all beauty doth embeam Though never by me seene save in a dream But so we do adore the Powers on high Though not expos'd to view of mortal eye And we admire the Phoenix though there be Few that did ere that winged wonder see The place of her retirement I no more Know then I do the Oceans utmost shore Yet shall I finde her to my wisht content My Genius tells me so if you 'l assent To my desires and cause my paines to be More short through your long-lov'd society To make a question Eubulâ—s reply'd Of service is to make our friendship void As cancell'd were its bond command me t' go On bare feet through the Hyperbâ—rean snow Or through dry parched Desarts seek my way 'Mongst poisonous Serpents and without delay I 'le run those hazards the sweet style of Friend Is charme enough to cause me to attend Your motions through the world and to despise The frowns of Fortune strokes of Destinies These words made musick in St. Anthâ—ons eare Who for th' affection he profest to beare Return'd him thanks and further did devise How to atchive his amorous enterprize But as a Sea-man ready to launch out O' th' Harbour when the winds do shift about From point to point well knows not how to set His hoised sailes that he may forward get So did this noble Lover doubtful stand Whither he should direct his course what land He should â—ill with his fame what region see To make therein blind loves discovery But having heard how Italy was grac't Sometime with Ladyes of renown as chast Lucretia Arria and Paulina deare To Seneca he now resolv'd to sâ—eere A straight course thither hoping there to find Fidelta th' honour of all woman-kinde And to observe with some delight what breed Of beauties now those Ladyes did succeed So like the Trojan Knight attended by Faithful Achates full of hope and joy Went he with Eubulus by land and Sea Juâ—iled with roâ—ky dangers in his way And at a hard rate did experience buy Yet came at last in ken of Italy And saw the smoke of Rhegium where t' is said That famous land was sometime severed From Sicily the force of waves and wind Driving asunder what had been joyn'd Having arriv'd where Harbour did invite And chear'd his worthy friend his dear delight Of that fair coast a greedy view he tooke More pleas'd therewith than Jason was to looke On Colchis strand th' one for a golden â—leece Sail'd farre this other a faâ—re richer piece Of beauty sought Like Mercury he mov'd And truth of history by tryal prov'd Apt to take notice and to give account Of every wood and river Plaine and Mount In the whole region One day as he came Near to Vesuvius when it belcht a flame Out of its horrid moâ—th and sent a smoke Therewith that threatned half the world to choke O Hell said he thy happiness is great That hast no feeling of that fervent heat Within thy bowells nor art rapt along By force thereof but restest on a strong And fixed Base whereas in my sick heart
tame As live like Harpyes flying at all Game These are high waies to honour but for toyes To brawl is infamous more fit for boyes Than well-bred men who wrongs should rightly weigh Nor in the ballance heavy hatred lay Whole kingdomes suffer for wild fervency Of blood and blindly-bold temerity And oft the Flow'rs of families that might Have done their country much obliging right By trifling quarrels have I known to fall And damp our hopes with sudden funeral Come let me link your hands as is most fit And in like manner let your hearts be knit And as your mettal is now found to be Solid and firme so prove your amity This speech did work no less than Mercuries Pastoral musick charm'd their enmities And caused them in stead of angty blowes To strike a league and hate the name of foes So home they went but him that made their peace Nor Love nor Destiny would yet release From painful taskes of travel Thence he hyes To famous Sevil where Columbus lyes And coming there his Epitaph to view Blowes off the dust with sighs and much doth rue That a brave Ttraveller who bare a mind As ample as the world should be confin'd T'a narrow vault and he that had surveid New unknown stars should be in darkness laid Through many cities makes he then his way But his chief Scene of business does he lay In fair Madrid which as sometimes a clown May rise to honour from a vâ—lgar town Is grown a royal seat But neither there Nor elsewhere can he of Fidelta heare Nor of such noble qualities as might Thither a Lady of much worth invite VVherefore at present making there a stand He meanes to visit some more hopefull land THE HEROICAL LOVER CANTO 5. The Argument To Greece th' unwearied Lover hyes All obvious dangers doth despise A huge impetuous Serpent slayes And on the ground a Braggart layes THE Knight now having 'gainst his passions strove And made them all subservient to his Love That like a Torrent all things in its way Ore-bare some other aires would yet assay And either find his Lady or dispread Her fame and make her worth more honoured His mind was bent on Greece that once brought forth Wits beauties courages of highest worth Was Learnings fruitful mother sending thence All arts as from a happy confluence And in such noble qualities excel'd As scarcely have on earth been parallel'd Towards that land with hoised sailes he went And though he heard that Pirates do frequent Those Eastern Seas yet forwards did he steer With dauntless heart scarce knowing what to fear On the wild Deep not many dayes he spent Though oft beset with dangers incident To Sailours ere he to Morea came That had from Pelops a more ancient name There travelling with much desire to see Things of most fame in faithful history He most intensively that Isthmus view'd Reaching about six miles in latitude Which to have digged through Caligula Nero and other Princes did assay That so two Seas which Nature had disjoyn'd Might as it were in marriage be combin'd But Heaven forbad the Match strange prodigies Of blood that issued forth of frightful cries And fights of vengeful Furies sent away The Pionieres with terrour and dismay The Pow'rs celestial seeming thus to threat Mortalls for acts of insolence so great With like desire transported was the Knight With clear-stream'd Alpheus to compare his sight Upon whose flowâ—y margin when he stood Viewing the motions of the sportive Floud He said Fair River that thy Areâ—huse Dost sollow under Seas to Syracuse But there dost thy beloved Nymph enjoy I envy much thy great felicity But hope withall that I who likewise go Through sundry coasts for love shall not bestow My paines in vaine but finally possess My dear delight my high-priz'd happiness So other Lovers at that bliss of mine Will look with languishment as I at thine After some dayes int' Attica he came And for Minerva's City of much fame Did look but nothing did like Athens see That sometimes was the fruitfull'st nursery Of aâ—ts and armes brave worthy warriours bred Sâ—ch as elsewhere have scarce been equalled And through the world such streames of learning sent As have supply'd all wits with nourishmenâ— The Genius of the place as did appeare Making the phansy quick the â—udgment cleare Now in regard that Aâ—tick fâ—ith was known T' have been so firme that 't was proverbial grown Sir Antheon with fair hope did feed his mind That there he should his faithful Lady find But as an Alchymist that long hath swet Pufft and projected the rare Stone to get But nought save ashes finds doth sigh and mourne For that his furnace seems the fatall urne Wherein his wealth lyes buried so the Knight Not finding his chiefe jewel and delight Felt discontents arising in his breast Like vap'rous stormes disturbing much his rest But with Philosophies instilled Balme He cur'd the wound of griefe and did becalme His spirits so that cheerfully he went Forwards arriving ere much time was spent At those Fame-widn'd Streights Thermopylae VVhere Xerxes host which as Historians say Had soakt up flouds as it along did pass VVas by brave Lion-like Leonidas VVith some few Spartan troopes dismembred sore Full thirty thousand weltring in their gore Such fire strikes fortitude when throughly steel'd VVith resolution that disdaines to yield Having well view'd that place his way he tooke Into the parts of Phocis there to looke For Pytho famoused by mighty Jove VVho by a rare experiment to prove VVhere this enflowred Globes firme navel stands Sent forth out of his thunder-swaying hands Two Eagles one of them fro'th ' shining East Directed th' other from the cloudy West These flying met with weary wings about That town and by th' encounter clear'd the doubt From thence the Traveller with high desire Marcht to Parnassus whose two tops aspire To pass the clouds and Embleme-wise express Of God and Nature the clear knowledges At foot â—hereof the pure Castalian spring That oft had mov'd the Muses sonnes to sing He tasted and beheld th' adjoyning Cave Whence sometime wise Apollo answers gave Then as that liquor had with fluency Inspir'd him thus he said How happy be Those wits whom time and Fortune do allow To walk at leisure on the lofty brow Of this fair Mount as in the Court of Iove Embeam'd with starry lights Celestials move They with no small delight the trackes may see Where th' ancient Muses danc't so orderly As th' hosts of Heaven do march and rest in those Sweet Laurel-aâ—bours where they did compose Songs of choice sâ—bjects and fresh garlands made For happy browes whose fancies would not fade But my condition 's like the restless stone Of Sisâ—phus and hence I must be gone To seek a cure for my love-strucken heart Which onely sweet Fidelta can impart This having utter'd with some discontent Sign'd in his cloudy bâ—ow forthwith he went Towards Helicon a mountain high in site And fame wherein