quivers bring along If you O Parthians vndisquieted I ever left when I pursu'd the fled Vnquiet Alans to the Caspian strait And forc'd you not for safety to retreat To Babylon marching ore Cyrus ground And the Chaldaean kingdomes vtmost bound Appearing nearer then the Persian To the Suns rise where into th' Ocean Nysas Hydaspes and swift Ganges fall Suffer'd you only when I conquer'd all To goe vntriumph'd Parthias King alone Of all th' Easts monarchs scap'd subjection Nor once alone doe you your safety ow To me who after Crassus overthrow Appeas'd the just incensed wrath of Rome For all my merits now let Parthia come Out of her bounds appointed and passe ore Greeke Zeugma's walls and the forbidden shore Conquer for Pompey Rome will loose the day Gladly The King refus'd not to obey Though hard were his command laying aside His kingly robes and in a servants weede Attir'd he goes in a distressed time 'T is safe for Kings like poorest men to seeme Therefore how much liues he that 's truely poore Safer then Kings The King tooke leaue at shore And by the Icarion rockes great Pompey gone Leaues Ephesus and sea-calme Colophon Shaving small Samos foaming rockes he go's A gentle gale blowes from the shore of Cos Gindon and Phebus-honour'd Rhodes he leaues And sailing straight in the mid-Ocean saues Telmessums long and winding circuits First Pamphylia greetes their eyes but Pompey durst Commit his person to no towne but thee Little Phaselis thy small company And few inhabitants could not cause a feare More in the ship then in thy walls there were But sailing thence againe high Tauâ—us showes It selfe and Dipsas that from Taurus flowes Could Pompey thinke when erst he clear'd the seas Of Pirates rage it purchas'd his owne ease He now flyes safe along Cicilian shores In a small ship there many Senators Following oretake their flying generall Within the haven of Celendrae small Where in and out ships on Selinus past In full assembly of the lords at last Thus sadly Pompey spake my Lords whose sight As deare companions botâ— in war and flight I doe esteeme my country though we stand On a bare shore in poore Cicilian land Attended with no force advice to take And new provision for a war to make Yet bring couragious hearts I lost not all In Thessaly nor did my fortune fall So low but that this head againe may rise Could Marius after all his miseryes In Libya rise to a seaventh Consulship And me so lightly fall'n will fortune keepe A thousand Captaines on the Graecian sea A thousand ships I haue Pharsalia Has rather scatter'd then quite overthrowne My strength but me my actions fame alone Which all the earth haue seene my name that now The whole world loues shall guard Consider you Th' Aegyptian Libyan Parthian monarchies Bâ—th in their strength and faith and then advise Which fittest is to ayde Roms labouring state But I my Lords will to your eares relate Freely my secret'st cares and tell the truth How I encline I doe suspect the youth Of Aegypts King for true fidelity Requires strong yeares I feare the subtlety And double heart of Mauritania's King Remembring Carthage whence his race did spring He gapes for Italy and his vaine brest Is much with thought of Hanniball possest Whose blood commixt with th' old Numidiâ—ns Obliquely Iuba's pedegree distaines He swell'd to see Varus a suppliant growne And Roman fates inferiour to his owne Therefore my Lords to th' Easterne world let vs Retire Euphrates with a spacious Channell divides the world the Caspian straits On tother side yeild safe and large retreats Another pole measures th' Assyrian dayes And nights another colour beare the seas Sever'd from ours their ainâ—e is soveraignty Their bowes more strong their steeds more fierce and high Then ours no boy nor aged man wants skill Or strength to shoot deadly their arrows kill Their bowes first brooke Pellaean speares and won Th' Assyrian wall-renowned Babylon And Median Bactra Nor so fearefull are The Parthians of our piles but that they dare Come out to war against vs they haue try'd Their shafts sufficiently when Crassus dy'd Nor are their trusty shafts arm'd at the head With steele alone but deadly venomed Slight wounds are mortall and the least blood drawne Will kill Oh would on the fierce Parthian I were not forced to depend their fate Does too too much Romes fortune aemulate Too many gods ayde them He draw from home Some other nations of the East to come To war But if Barbarians leagues deceiue Our hopes or else our scorn'd alliance leaue Let fortune then our sad and shipwrack'd state Beyond the knowne and traffiqu'd world translate I will not sue to Kings whom I haue made But in my death this comfort shall be had Lying far off this body shall not be Subject to Caesar's rage nor piety But there revolving my whole life's past fate Still honour'd in those parts was Pompey's state How great has Easterne Tanais me seene How great beyond Maeotis haue I bin Into what lands did my victorious name More sound or whence in greater triumph came Favour my purpose Rome what happyer Can the go is grant thee then in civill war To vse the Parthian armes to overthrow That land and mixe their ruine with our woe When the fierce Parthians haue with Caesar fought Crassus revenge or mine must needes be wrought This said he heard their murmur to condemne His plot But Lentulus ' mongst all of them In spirit and noble griefe the forward'st man Thus worthy his late Consulship began Has the Pharsalian losse so broke thy minde Has one dayes fate the world so low declin'd Doth that one battell our whole cause decide And no cure left to helpe our wounded side Is no hope left thee Pompey but to sue At the proud Parthians feete woulâ—st thou eschew All lanâ—s and climes and thither aime thy flight Where crosse poles reigne and vnknowne starres giue light T' adore the Parthians and their deityes Chaldaean fires and Barbarous sacrifice Why in this war pretend'st thou liberty Why is the wretched world deceiv'd by thee If thou canst serue whose name they trembled at As the cheife ruler of the roman fate Whom they haue seene leade captiue Kings before From wilde Hyrcania and the Indian shore Shall they now see cast downe and broke by fate Measuring themselues by Pompey's begging state With Rome and Italy aspire t'enherit Thou canst spake nothing worth thy fate and spirit Their ignorance i th' Roman tongue requires That thou in teares shouldst vtter thy desires Would'st thou so wound our shame that not from Rome But Parthia the revenge of Rome should come She chose thee Generall of her civill war Why doest thou spread her losse and wounds so far As Scythia and teach Parthia to goe Beyond her bound Rome shall in her deepe woe This speciall comfort loose of bringing in No Kings but serving her owne citizen Canst thou delight from farthest parts to come
wars Long vse their houshold gods their minds gan mooue And piety but straight the swords dire loue And feare of Caesar turnde them backe againe Lalius the first Files leading did obtaine For saving of a Roman Soldier Oake-crownd and freed from duties of the war If I may speake Romes greatest Generall Thy Soldiers thoughts quoth he It grieues vs all That such long patience kept thee from so just A war or didst thou not thine army trust While life-bloud keepes this breathing body warme While brandisht Darts fly from this agile arme Wilt thou weake gownes and Senates raigne endure In civill war is Conquest so impure Lead vs through Libyas gulfes cold Seythian land Lead vs ore thirsty Affrickes scorched sand This arme the conquerde world behind to leaue Has plowde the Brittish Oceans curled waue And broke the Rhines swift current thy command To doe my will 's as ready as my hand Hee s not my friend gainst whom thy trumpets sound By these thy colours which ten Camps haue found Ever victorious Caesar here I sweare And by thy triumphs ore what foe so ere If thou command me spill my brothers life Kill my old Father or my pregnant wife I le doo 't though with a most vnwilling hand Fire Temples rob the godds at thy command Great Iunoes Temple in our flames shall sinke If to encampe on Tuscan Tybers brinke I le boldly pitch in Italy thy tent If to dismantle townes be thy entent These armes of mine the battering Ram shall place Although the city thou wouldst quite deface Were Rome it selfe The Souldiers all agree And promise â—im their lifted hands on high To any war Their shout not that can passe Which the loud blast of Thracian Boreas On piny Ossa makes and bowes amaine The ratling wood or lets it rise againe Caesar perceiving that the Fates gaue way To war and his Men prone fearing delay His troopes through France dispers'd straight calling home With flying colours marches on to Rome They leaue their tents pitcht by Lemanus v Lake And those on Vogesus high Rockes forsake Which aw'de the painted Lingones so strong Isara's Fords they leaue that runne so long Alone but in a River of more fame Falling to ' the Ocean beares an other name The yellow Ruthens eas'de of their long feare Milde A tax ioyes no Roman shipps to beare And Varus Italyes encreased bound That haven Alcides consecrated ground With Cliffes orelookes the Sea no Northwest winde Nor West blow there Cirtius their proper winde Reignes there where safe Alcides fort dooes stand And that still doubtfull-coast that Sea and Land Callenge by turnes firme land it is when low The Ocean ebbes but sea at every flow VVhither the winde strong blowing from the Pole And then retiring to and fro doe rowle The Sea or that the Moone his course doe guide Or burning Titan moist foode to provide Attracting lift the Ocean to the sky Seeke you that labour for such skill for me VVhat ere thou be that cause this ebbe and flow Be still conceal'd since heauen will haue it so They march away that Nemasus did hold And Adors bankes where Tarbe does enfold In her crookt shore the sea that gently flowes The Santoni reioyce now free'd from foes Th'Leuci and Rhemi Archers good with these Bituriges and Speare-arm'd Suessones The dwellers neere Sequana skilfull riders The Belgae hooke-arm'd Chariots expert guiders Sprung from the Troian blood the Hedui That durst claime bâ—otherhood of Italy Rebellious Neâ—uiars x stain'd with Cotta's fate And they that in loose Mantles imitate Sarmatia fierce Batauians whom to warre Crookt Trumpets call those that neere Cinga are VVhere Araris with Rhodanus now met Runnes ioyn'd into the Sea the men whose seate Is on Gebenna mount couer'd with snow The Pictones now free their fields can plow The fickle Turones are not restrain'd By garrison the Andian now disdain'd To pine in Medna's thick fogges but goes For pleasure where delightfull Liger flowes Faire Genabos is freed from garrison Treuer is glad the warre from thence is gon The Ligures now shorne once like the rest Long haird of all the vnshorne Gaules the best And where with offerings stayn'd of humane blood Hermes and Mars their cruell Altars stood And Ioue that vilâ— as Scythian Dian's are Then you that valiant soules and slaine in warre Doe celebrate wâ—th praise that neuer dyes You Bards securely sung your Elegyes You Drâ—ides now free'd from warre maintaine Yâ—ur Barbarous rites and Sacrâ—fice againe You what heauen is and gods alone can tell Or else alone are ignorant you dwell In vast and desert woods you teach no spirit Plutoes pale kingdome can by death inherit They in another world informe againe The middst twixt long liues if you truth maintaine Is death But those wilde people happy are In this their errour whom feare greatest farre Of all feares iniures not the feare of death Thence are they prone to warre nor losse of breath Esteeme nor spare a life that comes againe They that the hair'd Cayes did conteine In their obedience marching now to Rome From Rhines rude bankes and new found countrey come VVhen Caesar's novv collected strength had bred More lofty hopes through Italy he spred His troopes and all the neighbouring Cities seiz'd Then idle rumours their true feares encreas'd And peirc'd the peoples hearts swift fame gan show The warres approach and their ensuing woe Then euery tongue a false alarum yeilds Some dare report that on the pasture fields Of faire Meuania is the warre begunne And bloody Caesar's barbarous Cohorts runne VVhere Vmbrian Nar does into Tyber flow That all his Eagles and ioyn'd Standards now With a vast strength make furious approach Nor doe they now suppose him to be such As once they saw him fiercer far then so They thinke and savadge as his conquer'd foe That all th' inhabitants twixt th'Alpes and Rhine Drawne from their countries and cold Northerne clime Follow and Rome a Roman looking on By barbarous hands shall fall thus every one By feare giues strength to Fame no author knowne They feare what they suppose but not alone The People dooes this vaine surmise deceiue The Senate shakes th' affrighted Fathers leaue Their seates and flying to the Consuls giue Directions for the war VVhere safe to liue VVhat place t' avoide they know not whither ere Their suddaine wits directs their steps they beâ—re Th' amazed people forth in troopes whom nought So long had stirr'de a man would then haue thought The city fir'd orth'houses sudaine fall By earthquake threatned the madd people all VVith hasty steppes so vnadvised runne As if no way at all were left to shunne Their imminent and feard destruction But to forsake their habitation As when rough Seaes by stormy Auster blowne From Libia's Sands haue broke the maire mast down Master and Marriners their Ship forsake Not torne as yet leape into th' Sea and make Themselues a Shipwracke so from th' City they Fly into warre no Sire
dead Hortensius Tombe Againe is married in a funerall dresse Pompey to Capua flyes What Fortrâ—sses By Caesar are surprisde who without fight Puts Sylla Scipio Lentulus to flight And takes Domitius at Corfinium Pompey's Oration From Brundusium He sends his eldest Sonne to bring from farre The Easterne Monarchs to this civill Warre But there besiedg'd by Caesar scarse can he Scape safe away by nights obscurity NOw the gods wrath was seene playne signes of warre The world had given forespeaking nature farre From her true course tumultuous monsters made Proclaiming woe Oh Ioue why dost thou adde This care to wretched men to let them see By direpoâ—tents their following misery Whether the worlds Creator when he did From the darke formlesse Chaos light divide Stablisht eternall Lawes to which he ty'de The creatures and himselfe and did divide The worlds set ages by vnchanged fate Or whither nothing preordain'd the state Of mortall things chance rules yet let that be Secret that thou entendst let no eye see His future Fate but hope as well as feare VVhen the sad City had conceiu'd how deare Heavens truth would cost the world her generall woe Proclaim'de a Fast the mourning Senate goe Like the Plâ—beians clad the Consuls ware No purple Roabes no words their griefe declare Mute is their sorrow such a silent woe A dying man's amazed houshold show Before his funerall conclamation Before the mothers lamentation Call on the seâ—vants weeping but when she Feeles his stiffe limmes dead lookes and standing eye Then t is no feare but griefe downe she doth fall Howling vpon him So Romes Matrons all Leaue off their habits and attires of grace And in sad troopes the Altars doe embrace One weepes before the gods one heâ— torne lockes Throwes in the sacred porch another knocks Her breast against the ground the god whose eares VVere vide to pâ—ayers now onely howling heares Nor to Ioues temple did they all repaire They part the gods no altar wants his share Of envy-making mothers but one there Her plâ—int-brusde armes moystned cheekes did teare Now now quoth she oh mothers teare your haire Now beat your breasts doe not this griefe deferre Till the last ills while the Cheifes doubtfull are We may lament when one is conquerer We must reioyce thus griefe it selfe did mooue Such just complaints against the powers aboue The Souldiers make that to each army turne Oh miserable men that were not borne When Carthage warr'de at Trebia's overthrow Or Cannae's mortall field nor beg we now For peace oh gods stirre each fierce Nation Raise mighty Cities let the world in one Conspire let Median powers from Susae come Nor let cold Ister hold his Scythians from This war the Suevians from the Northren clime Let Albis send and the rude head of Rhine Make vs all peoples foes so not our owne Here let the Daci there the Getes come on Let one his forces against Spaine employ Gainst th'Easterne bowes let tothers Egles fly Let Rome haue war with all or if our names You gods would ruine let the sky to flames Dissolv'd fall downe and quite consume our coasts Or thunder strike both Captaines with their hosts While they be guiltlesse Ioue seeke they to try With so much mischeife who Romes Lord shall be 'T were scarse worth civill war that none should reigne Thus then did bootlesse piety complaine But the old men mov'd with particular griefe Curse their old age and ill prolonged life Their yeares reserv'd againe to civill war a One seeking presidents for their great feare Such woes quoth he the gods intended vs When after b both his triumphs Marius His flying head among the reedes and sedge Once hid the Fennes then cover'd Fortunes pledgeâ— But taken he endur'd a prison's stinch And his old limmes did iron shackles pinch To dye a Consull happy and in Rome Before c hand suffered be for guilt to come Death fled him oft and power to shed his blood In vaine a Cimbrian d had who trembling stood Offring a stroke his faultring hand the sword Let fall his dungeon did strange light afford Th' affrighted Cimbrian furyes seem'd to see And heard what Marius afterward should be Thou canst not touch this life to fate he owes Thousands of liues ere he his owne can loose Cease thy vaine fury if you Cimbrians wou'd Revenge on Rome your slâ—ughtred Nations blood Saue this old man whom their sterne will to serue Not the gods loue but anger did preserue A cruell and fit man when Fate contriu'de Romes ruine he on Libyan coasts arriu'de Wandred through empty cottages vpon Triumphed Iugurth's spoil'd dominion And Punicke ashes troad each others state Carthage e and Marius there commiserate And both cast downe both now the gods excus'd But into Marius minde that ayre infusde A Libian rage when Fortune turn'de againe Slaues from f their Lords prisoners froÌ„ the chaine He free'de and arm'de no man his Ensignes bore But who the badge of some knowne miâ—chiefâ— wore And brought guilt to the campe oh Fates how sad A day was that when conquering Marius had Surpris'de the walls how swift flew cruell death Senators with Plebeians lost their breath The sword rag'd vncontrol'de no breast was free The temples stainde with blood and slippery Were the red stones with slaughter no age then Was free the neere spent time of aged men They hasten'de on nor sham'de with bloody knife To cut the Infants new span thread of life What crime had lnfants done to merit death But 't was enough that they could loose their breath Fury directs them guilty liues to take A lone seem'd too remisse for number sake Some fall one cutt ' off heads he does not know Whilst empty-handed hee 's a sham'd to goe No hope to scape but kisse the bloud-staind g hand Of Marius though a thousand swords did stand Ready base People did you not disdaine At such a price a life though long to gaine Much lesse a time so short so troublesome And breath but respited till Sylla come Who now has time to waile Plebejan fates Scarce can we thine braue Babim h whom the hates Of the fierce multitude in pieces tore Nor thine Antonius i that thy death before Couldst prophesie whose gray-head bleeding yet On Marius table the rude Souldier sett Torne are the headlesse Crassi k impious wood Is stain'd with sacred Tribunitiall l blood Thou Scavola m that didst a kisse disdaine Of Marius hand at Vestaes Altar slaine And never quenched fires but ages drought Left thee not so much blood as would put cut The flame His seventh n Consulship now come Old Marius dies a man that had orecome Fortunes worst hate and her best loue enjoy'de And tasted all that Fates for man provide How many neere the Colline port were kill'd How many Carcasses on heapes were pil'de At Sacriportum o where almost her seate Had the worlds Eâ—pire chang'd and Sâ—mnis yet Hop'd deeper farre to wound the Roman name Then at the Caudine p Forkes then
Appius feares warres doubtfull chance alone Solliciting the gods th' events to heare And Phoebus Temple that for many a yeare Had beene shut vp at Delphos opens he Parnassus with two tops reaching the sky Twixt East and West aequally distant lyes To Bacchus and Apollo's deityes Sacred to whom in mixed sacrifice The Theban wiues at Delphos solemnize Their trieterickes this one hill alone Appear'd when all the world was overflowne And stood as middle twixt the sea and sky One top Parnaffus then contented thee For one alone did aboue water shew Young Phoebus there with shafts vnvsed slew The speckled Python that in waite long lay His banisht mother great with childe to slay Themis the kingdome then and Tripos held But when h Apollo the cleft ground beheld T' inspire oraculous truth and further findes The gapâ—ng earth exhale prophetike windes Downe in that sacred caue himselfe he hides And now turn'd Prophet there Apollo bides VVhich of the gods lurkes here what deity Shot downe from heaven vouchsafes to dignify This caue what heavenly god dwells heere below That does the fates aeternall courses know And things to come and telling people sure Vouchsafes the touch of woman to endure VVhether this powerfull god barely relate The fates or his relation make them fate Perchance that spirit that all the world maintaines And the poiz'd earth in empty aire susteines Through these Cirrhaean caues does passage get Striving with his aethereall part to meete This spirit once entered the virgins brest Striking her humane soule sounds forth exprest VVith hideous noise so vrging flames come from Sicilian Aetna's over burden'd wombe Typhaeus so throwes vp his stones abroade Prest with Inarime's aeternall loade This god expos'd to all deny'd to none Is free'd from hearing human crimes alone To him no man whispers vnlawfull prayers For he things fixt vnchangeable declares Forbidding men to wish and gratiously Giues just men dwellings though whole townes they be As once to Tyre he teaches vs wars slight As to th' Athenians in their navall fight At Salamine he cleares the causes showne Earths barrennesse and aire 's infection Our age no gift of heaven wants more then this Of Delphos oracle which silent is Since Kings afraid to haue their fates exprest Forbid the gods to speake nor is the Priest Of Delphos for the god 's long silence sad This Oracle's cessation makes them glad For to that breast where ere he doe inspire Vntimely death is punishment or hire Of his reception the fitt's vehemence Too much orecomes the strength of human sence And their fraile soules the god 's high motion shakes Appius whilest too too neare a search he makes To know Rome's fate to th' vnstirr'd Tripodes And silent cavernes does his steps addresse The Priest commanded t'ope that dreadfull seate And for the god a prophetesse to get Findes young Phemonoe as she carelesse roues ' Mongst the Castalian springs and silent groues And makes her breake the Temple doores The maide To stand in that most horrid place afraide Thought by a vaine deceit Appius to bring From his desire of knowing future things Why hop'st thou Roman truth should here be showne The hill quoth she is mute the god is gone Whether the spirit haue left these cavernes quite And to the worlds far regions tane his flight Or Phytho burnt by barbarous Brennus vp Did with the ashes fill this hole and stop Great Phaebus way or that the gods decree Make Cirrha mute thinking it prophecy Enough that Sibyll's bookes among you liue Or Phoebus wont from out his temple driue All wicked persons now no mouth haue found Worthy enough his Oracles to sound The Maids deceit appear'd her feare imply'd She falsely had the present gods deny'd Then a white fillet ties her lockes behinde With Delphian Bayes and wreathed garlands binde Her haire before The Priest thrusts on the maid VVho fearefull still about the entrance staid And durst no neerer to the god to come Nor to approach the temples inmost roome There counterfeiting that she was possest She vtters from an vndisturbed brest Fain'd words with no confused murmure flowing Nor the least signe of divine fury showing Her words so deepely could not Appius wound As great Apolloes truth no trembling sound That broke her speech there was no voice so shrill As all the caues capacious throat might fill Her Lawrell fell not from her frightd haire The temple and the wood vnshaken were These signes betray'd her fearefull to receiue The god when angry Appius did perceiue That 't was no Oracle Thou wretch quoth he Both I and these abused gods will bee Reveng'd for this vnlesse thou straight descend And truely tell what all these stirres portend To the affrighted world with that the maid Descends downe to the Oracle afraid And standing ore the vault the god possest VVith a full spirit her vnaccustom'd brest The rockes so many yeeres vnwasted spirit He fills her with and comming to inherit A Delphian brest nere fill'd he Prophetesse Fuller her former minde he banishes And bids all woman from her breast begone She raging beares in this distraction Not her owne necke her haire vpright throwes downe The sacred ornaments and Phoebus crowne Her necke turnes wildly round downe she throwes All tripodes she meets with as she goes And with an inward fire she burnes which shewes Thee Phoebus wrath nor doest thou onely vse Thy prickes thy flames and incitations now But bridles too the Prophetesse shall know More then she must reveale all times are heapt Vp in one heape and many ages crept Into her wretched breast things orders too And all contend out into light to goe The Fates desiring vtterance striue within VVhen the world ends and when it shall begin The prophetesse can tell and vnderstands The Oceans depth and number of the sands As the Cumaean Sibyll in a scorne Her prophecies should serue all nations turne From the vast heape of vniversall Fate VVith a proud hand cull'd out the Roman State So now the Phoebus fill'd Phemonâ—â— Striues obscure Appius where to find out thee ' Mongst all the Delphian inspirations Then first from her mad mouth the foaming â—unnes And in the horrid caue were heard at once Broke-winded murmurs howlings and sad grones At last these words fall from the maide orecome Great threates of war thou only freed from Shalt in Eubaea's pleasant valleys rest And there she stopt Phoebus her speech supprest Yee Tripodes keepers of fate that know All the world's secrets and Apollo thou Skill'd in all truth from whom the gods conceale No future times why fear'st thou to reveale That action that our Empire 's ruine brings Great Captaines deaths and funeralls of Kings And all the people that with Rome shall bleede Haue not the gods this mischiefe yet decree'd Or stay those fates whilest planets are at strife And doubt about condemning Pompey's life Or hid'st thou fortune to effect more sure Our liberties revenge and Brutus cure Of monarchy
catches The kindling brand in their sad parents hand The funerall beds blacke smoaking fragments and Their ashy garments and flesh-smelling coales But when she findes a coarse entombed whole Whose moisture is drawne out and marrow growne Hard by corruption greedy havocke on Each limbe she makes and from their orbes doth teare His congeal'd eyes and stickes her knucles there She gnawes his nailes now pale oregrowne and long Bites halters killing knotts where dead men hung Teares from the gibbetts strangled bodies downe And from the gallowes licks corruption Shee gathers dead mens limmes which showres haue wet And marrow harden'd in Sols scorching â—eate She keepes the nailes that pierc'd crucifi'd hands And gathers poysonous filth and slime that stands On the cold joynts and biting with her fanges The harden'd sinewes vp from ground she hangs And where so ere a naked carcasse ly Before the beasts and ravenous fowles sits she But teares or cuts no limbe till it be bit By Wolves from whose dry jawes she snatches it Nor spares she murdering if life blood she need That from a throat new open'd must proceede She murders when her sacrifices dire Life-blood and panting entrailes doe require And births abortiue by vnnaturall wayes From wounded wombes she takes and burning layes Them on her wicked altars when she lacks Stout cruell ghosts such ghosts forthwith she makes All deaths of men serue for her action From young mens chinns she puls the growing downe And dying striplings haire she cuts away Ericttho oft when ore the coarse she lay Of her dead kinseman and did seeme to kisse Off from his maimed head would bite a piece And opening his pale lips gelled and clung In his dry throat she bites his cold stiffe tongue And whispering murmurs dire by him she sends Her banefull secrets to the Stygian feinds By generall fame when Sextus notice had Of her in depth of night when Titan made At the Antipodes their noone of day Over the desart fields he takes his way The servants waiting on his folly then Searching through broken tombes and graues of men Spy'd on a rocke at last where Aemus bends And the Pharsalian lofty hills extends Ericttho sitting she was trying there Spells which nere witch nor magicke god did heare And for new purposes was framing charmes For fearing lest the civill warres alarmes Should to some other land be carryed thence And Thessaly should want that blood's expence Phillippi feilds with incantations stain'd And sprinâ—kled with dire iuice she did command Not to transferre the war meaning t' enioy So many deaths and the worlds blood t' employ The carcasses of slaughter'd Kings to maâ—me And turne the Roman ashes was her aime To search for princes bones and each great ghost But what best pleas'd her and she study'd most Was what from Pompey's coarse to take away Or vpon which of Caesars limmes to prey Whom first thus Pompey's fearefull sonne bespake Wisest of all Thessalians that canst make Foreknowne all thingâ— to come and turne away The course of destiny to me I pray The certaine end of this wars chance relate I am no meane part of the Roman state Great Pompey's sonne now either lord of all Or wofull heir of his great funerall My minde though wounded now with doubtfull feare Is well resolv'd any knowne woe to beare Oh take from chance this power it may not fall Vnseene and suddaine on me the gods call Or spare the gods and force the truth out from The ghosts below open Elysium Call forth grim death himselfe bid him relate Which of the two is given to him by fate T is no meane taske but labour worthy thee To search what end of this great war shall be The impious Witch proud of a fame to spread Replyes young man wouldst thou haue altered Some meaner fate it had beene easily done I could haue forc'd to any action Th' vnwilling gods I can preserue the breath Of him whom all the starres haue doom'd to death And though the planets all conspire to make Him old the midst of his lifes course can breake But fates and th' order of great causes all Worke downeward from the worlds originall When all mankinde depend on one successe If there you would change ought our arts confesse Fortune has greater power but if content You be alone to know this wars event Many and easie wayes for vs there be To finde out truth the earth the sea the sky The dead the Rodopejan rockes and fields Shall speake to vs. But since late slaughter yeilds Such choise of carcasses in Thessaly To raise vpone of those will easyest be That a warme new-slaine carcasse with a cleare Intelligible voice may greete your eare Least by the Sunne the organs parch'd and spill'd The dismall ghost vncertaine hizzings yeild Then double darkenesse ore nights face she spred And wrapping in a foggy cloud her head She searches where th'unbury'd bodyes lye Away the wolues and hungry vultures flye Loosening their tallands when Ericttho comes To choose her prophet griping with her thummes Their now cold marrows seeking where a tongue And lungs with fillets whole vnwounded hung The fates of those slaine men stand doubtfull all Which of their ghosts she from the dead would call Had she desir'd to raise th' whole army slaine And to reviue them for the war againe Hell had obey'd from Styx by her strange might The people all had beene drawne backe to fight When she a carcas sitting had espy'd An hooke she fasten'd in his throate and ty'd To it a fatall rope by which the hag Ore rockes and stones the wretched carcasse drag That must reviue Vnder the hollow side Of an high mountaine which to this blacke deede The witch had destin'd she the carcasse layes A deepe and vast descent of ground there was As low almost at the blinde caues of Diâ— Which a pale wood with thicke and spreading treâ— Barring the sight of heaven and by Sol's light Not penetrable did oreshadow quite Within the caue was bred by dreary night Pale mouldy filth darkensse sad no lighâ— But light by magicke made ere shined there Within the jawes of Tanarâ—â— the aire Is not so dull that balefull bound twixt hell And vs the princes in those shades that dwell Send without feare their spirits hitherto For though this hag can force the fates to doe What ere she please t is doubtfull whether here Or there those ghosts in their true place appeare She puts a various colour'd cloathing on And fury-like her haire loose hanging downe Was bound about with vipers her face hid But when young Sextus and his traine she spy'd Shaking for feare and his astonisht eye Fixt on the ground banish those feares quoth she His life 's true figure you shall see him take That cowards neede not feare to heare him speake But if the furyes to your eyes were showne The Stygian lakes and burning Phlegeton The gyants bound and Cerberus that shakes His dreadfull curled mane of hissing snakes Why