And choakt with thorns, that greedy earth wants hinds. Fierce Pirhus, neither thou nor Hanniball
Art cause, no forraine foe could so afflict vs,
These plagues arise from wreake of ciuill power. But if for Nero (then vnborne) the fates
Would find no other meanes, (and gods not sleightly Purchase immortal thrones; nor Ioue ioide heauen Vntill the cruel Giants war was done.)
We plaine not heauens, but gladly beare these euils For Neros sake: Pharsalia grone with slaughter, And Carthage soules be glutted with our blouds; At Munda let the dreadfull battailes ioyne; Adde Cæsar, to these illes Perusian famine; The Mutin toyles; the fleet at Leuca suncke; And cruel field nere burning Aetna fought : Yet Room is much bound to these ciuil armes, Which made thee Emperor, thee (seeing thou being old Must shine a star) shal heauen (whom thou louest,) Receiue with shouts; where thou wilt raigne as King, Or mount the sunnes plume bearing charriot, And with bright restles fire compasse the earth, Vndaunted though her former guide be chang'd. Nature, and euery power shal giue thee place, What God it please thee be, or where to sway: But neither chuse the north t'erect thy seat; Nor yet the aduerse reking southerne pole,
Whence thou shouldst view thy Roome with squinting beams.
If any one part of vast heauen thou swayest, The burdened axes with thy force will bend; The midst is best; that place is pure, and bright, There Cæsar may'st thou shine and no cloud dim thee; Then men from war shal bide in league, and ease, Peace through the world from Ianus Phane shal flie, And boult the brazen gates with barres of Iron Thou Cæsar at this instant art my God, Thee if I inuocate, I shall not need
To craue Appollo es ayde, or Bacchus helpe;
Thy power inspires the Muze that sings this war. The causes first I purpose to vnfould
Of these garboiles, whence springs a long discourse, And what made madding people shake off peace.
42 Leuca] Lucas Bull. along 1600
The fates are enuious, high seats quickly perish, Vnder great burdens fals are euer greeuous; Roome was so great it could not beare it selfe : So when this worlds compounded vnion breakes, Time ends and to old Chaos all things turne; Confused stars shal meete, celestiall fire Fleete on the flouds, the earth shoulder the sea, Affording it no shoare, and Phoebe's waine
Chace Phoebus and inrag'd affect his place, And striue to shine by day, and ful of strife Disolue the engins of the broken world.
All great things crush themselues, such end the gods Allot the height of honor, men so strong
By land, and sea, no forreine force could ruine : O Roome thy selfe art cause of all these euils, Thy selfe thus shiuered out to three mens shares: Dire league of partners in a kingdome last not. O faintly ioyn'd friends with ambition blind, Why ioine you force to share the world betwixt you? While th' earth the sea, and ayre the earth sustaines; While Titan striues against the worlds swift course; Or Cynthia nights Queene waights vpon the day; Shall neuer faith be found in fellow kings. Dominion cannot suffer partnership;
This need no forraine proofe, nor far fet story:
Roomes infant walles were steept in brothers bloud; 95 Nor then was land, or sea, to breed such hate,
A towne with one poore church set them at oddes. Cæsars, and Pompeys iarring loue soone ended, T'was peace against their wils; betwixt them both Stept Crassus in: euen as the slender Isthmos, Betwixt the Aegean and the Ionian sea, Keepes each from other, but being worne away They both burst out, and each incounter other :
So when as Crassus wretched death who stayd them Had fild Assirian Carras wals with bloud, His losse made way for Roman outrages.
Parthians y'afflict vs more then ye suppose,
Being conquered, we are plaugde with ciuil war.
Swords share our Empire, fortune that made Roome Gouerne the earth, the sea, the world it selfe Would not admit two Lords: for Iulia
Snatcht hence by cruel fates with aminous howles,
Bare downe to hell her sonne the pledge of peace, And all bands of that death presaging aliance. Iulia, had heauen giuen thee longer life
Thou hadst restrainde thy headstrong husbands rage, Yea and thy father to, and swords thrown down, Made all shake hands as once the Sabines did; Thy death broake amity and trainde to war These Captaines emulous of each others glory. Thou feard'st (great Pompey) that late deeds would dim Olde triumphs, and that Cæsars conquering France Would dash the wreath thou wearst for Pirats wracke. Thee wars vse stirde, and thoughts that alwaies scorn'd A second place; Pompey could bide no equall, Nor Cæsar no superior, which of both
Had iustest cause vnlawful tis to iudge :
Each side had great partakers; Cæsars cause
The gods abetted; Cato likt the other.
Both differ'd much, Pompey was strooke in yeares,
And by long rest forgot to manage armes,
And being popular sought by liberal gifts,
To gaine the light vnstable commons loue, And ioyed to heare his Theaters applause; He liu'd secure boasting his former deeds, And thought his name sufficient to vphold him, Like to a tall oake in a fruitfull field, Bearing old spoiles and conquerors monuments,
Who though his root be weake, and his owne waight Keepe him within the ground, his armes al bare, His body (not his boughs) send forth a shade; Though euery blast it nod, and seeme to fal, When all the woods about stand bolt vp-right, Yet he alone is held in reuerence.
Casars renowne for war was lesse, he restles, Shaming to striue but where he did subdue, When yre, or hope prouokt, heady, & bould, At al times charging home, & making hauock; Vrging his fortune, trusting in the gods, Destroying what withstood his proud desires, And glad when bloud, & ruine made him way: So thunder which the wind teares from the cloudes, With cracke of riuen ayre and hideous sound Filling the world, leapes out and throwes forth fire, Affrights poore fearefull men, and blasts their eyes With ouerthwarting flames, and raging shoots
Alongst the ayre and nought resisting it Falls, and returnes, and shiuers where it lights. Such humors stirde them vp; but this warrs seed Was euen the same that wrack's all great dominion. When fortune made vs lords of all, wealth flowed, And then we grew licencious and rude, The soldiours pray, and rapine brought in ryot, Men tooke delight in Iewels, houses, plate, And scorn'd old sparing diet, and ware robes Too light for women; Pouerty (who hatcht Roomes greatest wittes) was loath'd, and al the world Ransackt for golde, which breeds the world decay; And then large limits had their butting lands, The ground which Curius and Camillus till'd, Was stretcht vnto the fields of hinds vnknowne; Againe, this people could not brooke calme peace, Them freedome without war might not suffice, Quarrels were rife, greedy desire stil poore
Did vild deeds, then t'was worth the price of bloud 1753 And deem'd renowne to spoile their natiue towne, Force mastered right, the strongest gouern'd all.
Hence came it that th' edicts were ouerrul'd,
That lawes were broake, Tribunes with Consuls stroue,
Sale made of offices, and peoples voices
Bought by themselues & solde, and euery yeare
Frauds and corruption in the field of Mars;
Hence interest and deuouring vsury sprang,
Faiths breach, & hence came war to most men welcom. Now Cæsar ouerpast the snowy Alpes.
His mind was troubled, and he aim'd at war,
And comming to the foord of Rubicon,
At night in dreadful vision fearefull Roome,
Mourning appear'd, whose hoary hayres were torne, And on her Turret bearing head disperst,
And armes all naked, who with broken sighes,
And staring, thus bespoke: What mean'st thou Casar? Whether goes my standarde? Romans if ye be, And beare true harts, stay heare. This spectacle
Stroake Casars hart with feare, his hayre stoode vp, 195 And faintnes numm'd his steps there on the brincke: He thus cride out: Thou thunderer that guardst Roomes mighty walles built on Tarpeian rocke,
Ye gods of Phrigia and Iúlus line,
157 nought T. B.: not 1600, Dyce to Bull.
Quirinus rites and Latian Ioue aduanc'd Ön Alba hill, ô Vestall flames, ô Roome, My thoughts sole goddes, aide mine enterprise. I hate thee not, to thee my conquests stoope, Cæsar is thine, so please it thee, thy soldier ; He, he afflicts Roome that made me Roomes foe. This said, he laying aside all lets of war,
Approcht the swelling streame with drum and ensigne, Like to a Lyon of scortcht desart Affricke, Who seeing hunters pauseth till fell wrath And kingly rage increase, then hauing whiskt
His taile athwart his backe, and crest heau'd vp, With iawes wide open ghastly roaring out; (Albeit the Moores light Iauelin or his speare Sticks in his side) yet runs vpon the hunter. In summer time the purple Rubicon,
Which issues from a small spring, is but shallow, And creepes along the vales deuiding iust The bounds of Italy from Cisalpin Fraunce; But now the winters wrath and wat'ry moone, Being three daies old inforst the floud to swell, And frozen Alpes thaw'd with resoluing winds. The thunder hou'd horse in a crooked line,
To scape the violence of the streame first waded, Which being broke the foot had easie passage. As soone as Cæsar got vnto the banke
And bounds of Italy; here, here (saith he)
An end of peace; here end polluted lawes;
Hence leagues, and couenants; Fortune thee I follow, Warre and the destinies shall trie my cause.
This said, the restles generall through the darke (Swifter then bullets throwne from Spanish slinges,
Or darts which Parthians backward shoot) marcht on And then (when Lucifer did shine alone, And some dim stars) he Arriminum enter'd : Day rose and viewde these tumultes of the war; Whether the gods, or blustring south were cause I know not, but the cloudy ayre did frown; The soldiours hauing won the market place, There spred the colours, with confused noise Of trumpets clange, shril cornets, whistling fifes; The people started; young men left their beds, And snatcht armes neer their houshold gods hung vp Such as peace yeelds; wormeaten leatherne targets,
« ZurückWeiter » |