Selected quad for the lemma: state_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A36627
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The hind and the panther a poem, in three parts.
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Dryden, John, 1631-1700.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing D2281; ESTC R179
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43,423
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154
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can contain the Press For Birds of ev'ry feather fill th' abode Ev'n Atheists out of envy own a God And reeking from the Stews Adult'rers come Like Goths and Vandals to demolish Rome That Conscience which to all their Crimes was mute Now calls aloud and cryes to Persecute No rigour of the Laws to be releas'd And much the less because it was their Lords request They thought it great their Sov'rain to controul And nam'd their Pride Nobility of Soul. 'T is true the Pigeons and their Prince Elect Were short of Pow'r their purpose to effect But with their Quills did all the hurt they cou'd And cuff'd the tender Chickens from their food And much the Buzzard in their Cause did stir Tho' naming not the Patron to infer With all respect He was a gross Idolater But when th' Imperial owner did espy That thus they turn'd his Grace to villany Not suff'ring wrath to discompose his mind He strove a temper for th' extreams to find So to be just as he might still be kind Then all Maturely weigh'd pronounc'd a Doom Of Sacred Strength for ev'ry Age to come By this the Doves their Wealth and State possess No Rights infring'd but licens'd to oppress Such Pow'r have they as Factious Lawyers long To Crowns ascrib'd that Kings can do no wrong But since His own Domestick Birds have try'd The dire Effects of their destructive Pride He deems that Proof a Measure to the rest Concluding well within his Kingly Breast His Fowl of Nature too unjustly were opprest He therefore makes all Birds of ev'ry Sect Free of his Farm with promise to respect Their sev'ral Kinds alike and equally protect His Gracious Edict the same Franchise yields To all the wild Encrease of Woods and Fields And who in Rocks aloof and who in Steeples builds To Crows the like Impartial Grace affords And Choughs and Daws and such Republick Birds Secur'd with ample Priviledge to feed Each has his District and his Bounds decreed Combin'd in common Int'rest with his own But not to pass the Pigeons Rubicon Here ends the Reign of this pretended Dove All Prophecies accomplish'd from above For Shiloh comes the Scepter to Remove Reduc'd from Her Imperial High Abode Like Dyonysius to a private Rod The Passive Church that with pretended Grace Did Her distinctive Mark in Duty place Now Touch'd Reviles Her Maker to his Face What after happen'd is not hard to guess The small Beginnings had a large Encrease And Arts and Wealth succeed the secret spoils of Peace 'T is said the Doves repented tho' too late Become the Smiths of their own Foolish Fate Nor did their Owner hasten their ill hour But sunk in Credit they decreas'd in Pow'r Like Snows in warmth that mildly pass away Dissolving in the Silence of Decay The Buzzard not content with equal place Invites the feather'd Nimrods of his Race To hide the thinness of their Flock from Sight And all together make a seeming goodly Flight But each have sep'rate Int'rests of their own Two Czars are one too many for a Throne Nor can th' Usurper long abstain from Food Already he has tasted Pigeons Blood And may be tempted to his former fare When this Indulgent Lord shall late to Heav'n repair Bare benting times and moulting Months may come When lagging late they cannot reach their home Or Rent in Schism for so their Fate decrees Like the Tumultuous Colledge of the Bees They fight their Quarrel by themselves opprest The Tyrant smiles below and waits the falling feast Thus did the gentle Hind her fable end Nor would the Panther blame it nor commend But with affected Yawnings at the close Seem'd to require her natural repose For now the streaky light began to peep And setting stars admonish'd both to sleep The Dame withdrew and wishing to her Guest The peace of Heav'n betook her self to rest Ten thousand Angels on her slumbers waite With glorious Visions of her future state Errata PAge 84. Line 5. for easie read yielding p. 105. l. 15. for offsprings r. offrings p. 114. l. 17. for no dangers from r. no dangers to p. 129. l. 5. for Modi'um r. Modicum p. 130. l. 12. for restless r. restiff ibid. l. 17. for undrest r. undress p. 142. l. 4. for but licens'd r. but licence PAge 129. Line 5. for Modi'um read Modicum p. 130. l. 12. for restless r. restiff ibid. l. 17. for undrest r. undress p. 142. l. 4. for but licens'd r. but licence Books printed for Iacob Tonson at the Iudges Head in Chancery-Lane near Fleet-street MIscellany Poems in two parts Containing a new Translation of Virgil's Eclogues Ovid's Love Elegies several parts of Virgil Lucretius Horace and Theocritus with several Original Poems By the most Eminent hands Published by Mr. Dryden Ovid's Epistles Englished by the Earl of Mulgrave Sr. Ca. Scrope Mr. Dryden and several other hands Poems upon several occasions with a Voyage to the Island of Love. By Mrs. Behn The Works of Horace Translated into English by Mr. Creech Absalom and Achitophel A Poem in two parts The Medal Or a Satyr upon Sedition Thraenodia Augustalis A Pindarick Poem Sacred to the Happy Memory of King Charles the Second By Mr. Dryden Seneca's Troas A Tragedy Translated from the Latin by I. T. Vid. Pres. to Heyl. Hist. of Presb. * The Wolfe Marks of the Catholick Church from the Nicene Creed The renunciation of the Benedictines to the Abby Lands 〈◊〉 loquitur * Otherwise call'd Martlets
the Subject of the Controversy the Change it self And because I would not take up this ridiculous Challenge he tells the World I cannot argue but he may as well infer that a Catholick can not fast because he will not take up the Cudgels against Mrs. James to confute the Protestant Religion I have but one word more to say concerning the Poem as such and abstracting from the Matters either Religious or Civil which are handled in it The first part consisting most in general Characters and Narration I have endeavour'd to raise and give it the Majestick Turn of Heroick Poesie The second being Matter of Dispute and chiefly concerning Church Authority I was oblig'd to make as plain and perspicuous as possibly I cou'd yet not wholly neglecting the Numbers though I had not frequent occasions for the Magnificence of Verse The third which has more of the Nature of Domestick Conversation is or ought to be more free and familiar than the two former There are in it two Episodes or Fables which are interwoven with the main Design so that they are properly parts of it though they are also distinct Stories of themselves In both of these I have made use of the Common Places of Satyr whether true or false which are urg'd by the Members of the one Church against the other At which I hope no Reader of either Party will be scandaliz'd because they are not of my Invention but as old to my knowledge as the Times of Boccace and Chawcer on the one side and as those of the Reformation on the other THE HIND AND THE PANTHER A Milk white Hind immortal and unchang'd Fed on the lawns and in the forest rang'd Without unspotted innocent within She fear'd no danger for she knew no sin Yet had she oft been chas'd with horns and hounds And Scythian shafts and many winged wounds Aim'd at Her heart was often forc'd to fly And doom'd to death though fated not to dy Not so her young for their unequal line Was Heroe's make half humane half divine Their earthly mold obnoxious was to fate Th' immortal part assum'd immortal state Of these a slaughtered army lay in bloud Extended o'er the Caledonian wood Their native walk whose vocal bloud arose And cry'd for pardon on their perjur'd foes Their fate was fruitfull and the sanguin seed Endu'd with souls encreas'd the sacred breed So Captive Israel multiply'd in chains A numerous Exile and enjoy'd her pains With grief and gladness mixt their mother view'd Her martyr'd offspring and their race renew'd Their corps to perish but their kind to last So much the deathless plant the dying fruit surpass'd Panting and pensive now she rang'd alone And wander'd in the kingdoms once Her own The common Hunt though from their rage restrain'd By sov'reign pow'r her company disdain'd Grin'd as They pass'd and with a glaring eye Gave gloomy signs of secret enmity 'T is true she bounded by and trip'd so light They had not time to take a steady sight For truth has such a face and such a meen As to be lov'd needs onely to be seen The bloudy Bear an Independent beast Unlick'd to form in groans her hate express'd Among the timorous kind the Quaking Hare Profess'd neutrality but would not swear Next her the Buffoon Ape as Atheists use Mimick'd all Sects and had his own to chuse Still when the Lyon look'd his knees he bent And pay'd at Church a Courtier 's Complement The bristl'd Baptist Boar impure as He But whitn'd with the foam of sanctity With fat pollutions fill'd the sacred place And mountains levell'd in his furious race So first rebellion founded was in grace But since the mighty ravage which he made In German Forests had his guilt betrayd With broken tusks and with a borrow'd name He shun'd the vengeance and conceal'd the shame So lurk'd in Sects unseen With greater guile False Reynard fed on consecrated spoil The graceless beast by Athanasius first Was chas'd from Nice then by Socinus nurs'd His impious race their blasphemy renew'd And natures King through natures opticks view'd Revers'd they view'd him lessen'd to their eye Nor in an Infant could a God descry New swarming Sects to this obliquely tend Hence they began and here they all will end What weight of antient witness can prevail If private reason hold the publick scale But gratious God how well dost thou provide For erring judgments an unerring Guide Thy throne is darkness in th' abyss of light A blaze of glory that forbids the sight O teach me to believe Thee thus conceal'd And search no farther than thy self reveal'd But her alone for my Directour take Whom thou hast promis'd never to forsake My thoughtless youth was wing'd with vain desires My manhood long misled by wandring fires Follow'd false lights and when their glimps was gone My pride struck out new sparkles of her own Such was I such by nature still I am Be thine the glory and be mine the shame Good life be now my task my doubts are done What more could fright my faith than Three in One Can I believe eternal God could lye Disguis'd in mortal mold and infancy That the great maker of the world could dye And after that trust my imperfect sense Which calls in question his omnipotence Can I my reason to my faith compell And shall my sight and touch and taste rebell Superiour faculties are set aside Shall their subservient organs be my guide Then let the moon usurp the rule of day And winking tapers shew the sun his way For what my senses can themselves perceive I need no revelation to believe Can they who say the Host should be descry'd By sense define a body glorify'd Impassible and penetrating parts Let them declare by what mysterious arts He shot that body through th' opposing might Of bolts and barrs impervious to the light And stood before his train confess'd in open sight For since thus wondrously he pass'd 't is plain One single place two bodies did contain And sure the same omnipotence as well Can make one body in more places dwell Let reason then at Her own quarry fly But how can finite grasp infinity 'T is urg'd again that faith did first commence By miracles which are appeals to sense And thence concluded that our sense must be The motive still of credibility For latter ages must on former wait And what began belief must propagate But winnow well this thought and you shall find 'T is light as chaff that flies before the wind Were all those wonders wrought by pow'r divine As means or ends of some more deep design Most sure as means whose end was this alone To prove the god-head of th' eternal Son. God thus asserted man is to believe Beyond what sense and reason can conceive And for mysterious things of faith rely On the Proponent heav'ns authority If then our faith we for our guide admit Vain is the farther search of humane wit As when the building gains