The Poetical Works of - OUDL Home

Nor the swift fune of the flames aspiring,
Nor the deep wounds of victours raging blade,
Nor ruthlesse spoyle of souldiers blood-desiring,
The which so oft thee {Rome) their conquest
made, 172
Ne stroke on stroke of fortune variable,
Ne rust of age hating continuance,
Nor wrath of Gods, nor spight of men vnstable,
Nor thou opposd' against thineowne puissance,
Nor th'horrible vprore of wmdes high blow
mg,
Nor swelhngstreames of that God snakie paced,
Which hath so often with his overflowing
Thee drenched, haue thy pride so much abaced,
But that this nothing, which they haue thee
left, 181
Makes the world wonder, what they from
thee reft
14
As men in Summer fearles passe the foord,
Winch is in Winter lord of all the plaine,
And with lus tumbling streames doth beare
aboord
The ploughmans hope, and shepheards labour
vaine
And as the coward beasts vse to despise
The noble Lion after his hues end,
Whetting their teeth, and with vaine foolhardise
Daring the foe, that cannot him defend 190
And as at Troy most dastards of the Greekes
Did braue about the corpes of Hector colde ,
So those which whilome wont with pallid
cheekes
The Romane triumphs glone to behold,
Now on these ashit tombes shew boldnesse
vaine,
And conquer'd dare the Conquerour disdaine
Ye pallid spirits, and Ye ashie ghoasts,
Which loying in the brightnes of your day,
Brought foorth those signcs of your presump
tuous boasts 199
Winch now their dusty reiiques do bewray,
Tell me ye spirits (sith the darksome nuer
Of Slyx, not passable to soulcs rtturning,
Enclosing you in thrice three wards for euer,
Doo not astraine your images still mourning)
Tell me then (for perhaps some one of you
Yet here aboue him secretly doth hide)
Doo ye not feele your torments to accrewe,
When ye sometimes behold the ruin'd pride
Of these old Romane works built with your
hands, 209
Now to become nought els, but heaped sands?
RVINES OF ROME. 511
16
Like as ye see the wrathfull Sea from farre,
In a great mountaine heap't with hideous noyse,
Eftsoonts of thousand billowes shouldred narre,
Against a Rocke to breake with dreadfull poyse
Like as ye see fell Boreas with sharpe blast,
Tossing huge tempests through the troubled
skie,
Eftsoones hauing his wide wings spent in wast,
To stop his weane cariere suddenly
And as ye see huge flames spred diuershe,
Gathered in one vp to the heauens to spyre,
Eftsoones consum'd to fall downe feebily
So whilom did this Monarchic aspyre 222
As waues, as winde, as fire spred ouer all,
Till it by fatall doome adowne did fall
17
So long as loues great Bird did make his flight,
Bearing the fire withwhich heauen dothvs fray,
Heauen had not feare of that presumptuous
might,
With which the Giaunts did the Gods assay
But all so soone, as scortchmg Sunne had
brent 229
His wings, which wont the earth to ouerspredd,
The earth out of her massie wombe forth sent
Thatantiquehorrcr, which madeheauenadredd
Then was the Germane Rauen in disguise
That Romane Eagle seene to cleaue asunder,
And towards heauen freshly to arise
Out of these mountames, now consum'd to
pouder
In which the foule that serues to beare the
lightning,
lb now no more seen flying, nor alighting
18
These heapes of stones, these old wals which
ye see, 239
Were first enclosures but of saluage soyle,
\ And these braue Pallaces which maystred bee
Of time, were shepheards cottages somewhile
Then tooke the shepheards Kingly ornaments
And the stout hynde arm'd his right hand with
Steele
Eftsoones their rule of yearely Presidents
Grew great, and sixe months greater a great
deele,
Wlnchmadeperpetuall,rosetosogreatmight,
That thence th'Impenall Eagle rooting tooke,
Tillth'heauen it selfe opposing gainst her might,
Her power to Peters successor betooke, 250
Who shepheardhke, (as fates the same fore
seeing)
Doth shew, that all things turne to their first
being