The Poetical Works of - OUDL Home

0 that I had the Thractan Poets harpe,
For to awake out of th'mfernall shade
Those antique Ccesars, sleeping long in darke,
The which this auncient Citie whilome made
Or that I had Amphons instrument, 341
To quicken with his vitall notes accord,
The stonie loynts of these old walls now rent,
By which tWAusonian light might be restor'd
Or that at least I could with pencill fine,
Fashion the pourtraicts of these Palacis,
By paterne of great Virgils spirit diuine,
I would assay with that whicn in me is,
To builde with leuell of my loftie style, 349
That which no hands can euermore compyle
26
Who list the Romane greatnes forth to
figure,
Him needeth not to seeke for vsage right
Of line, or lead, or rule, or squaire, to measure
Her length, her breadth, her deepnes, or her
hight
But him behooues to vew in compasse round
All that the Ocean graspes in his long armes ,
Be it where the yerely starre doth scortch the
ground,
Or where colde Boreas blowes his bitter stormes
Rome was th'whole world, and al the world
was Rome,
And if things nam'd their names doo equalize,
When land and sea ye name, then name ye
Rome , 361
And naming Rome ye land and sea comprize
For th'auncient Plot of Rome displayed
plaine,
The map of all the wide world doth containe
27
Thou that at Rome astomsht dost behold
The antique pride, which menaced the skie,
These haughtie heapes, these palaces of olde,
These wals, these arcks, these baths, these
temples hie, 368
Iudge by these ample ruines vew, the rest
The which iniurious time hath quite outworne,
Since of all workmen helde in reckning best,
Yet these olde fragments are for paternes
borne
Then also marke, how Rome from day to day,
Repaynng her decayed fashion,
Renewes herselfe with buildings rich and gay ,
That one would rudge, that the Romaine
Damon
Doth yet himselfe with fatall hand enforce,
Agame on foote to reare her pouldred corse
SPENSER
RVINES OF ROME 5*3
I 28
He that hath seene a great Oke drie and dead,
Yet clad with rehques of some Trophees olde,
Lifting to heauen her aged hoane head, 381
Whose foote in ground hath left but feeble
holde,
But halfe disbowel'd lies aboue the ground,
Shewing her wreathed rootes, and naked armes,
And on her trunke all rotten and vnsound
Onely supports herselfe for meate of worrnes,
And though she owe her fall to the first wmde,
Yet of the deuout people is ador'd,
And manie yong plants spring out of her nnde,
Who such an Oke hath seene let him record 390
That such this Cities honour was of yore,
And mongst all Cities flonshed much more
29
All that which Aegypt whilome did deuise,
All that which Greece their temples to embraue,
After th'Ionicke, Atticke, Doricke guise,
Or Corinth skil'd in curious workes to graue,
All that Lysippus practike arte could forme,
Apelles wit, or Phidias his skill,
Was wont this auncient Citie to adorne,
And the heauen it selfe with her wide wondere
fill, 400
All that which Athens euer brought forth
wise,
Allthat which Afrtkeeuei broughtforth strange,
All that which Asie euer had of prise,
Was here to see 0 meruelous great change
Rome liumg, was the worlds sole ornament,
And dead, is now the worlds sole moniment
30
Like as the seeded field greene grasse first
showes,
Then from greene grasse into a stalke doth
spring,
And from a stalke into an eare forth-growes,
Winch eare the frutefull grame doth shortly
bring, 410
And as m season due the husband mowes
The wauing lockes of those faire yeallow heares,
Which bound in sheaues, and layd in comely
rowes,
Vpon the naked fields in stackes he reares
So grew the Romane Empire by degree,
Till that Barbarian hands it quite did spill,
And left of it but these olde markes to see,
Of which all passers by doo somewhat pill
As they which gleane, the rehques vse to
gather,
Which th'husbandman behind him chanst to
scater 420