XV.

Now on these ashie tombes shew boldnesse vaine,

195 And, conquer’d,dare the Conquerour disdaine. Ye pallid fpirits, and ye

afhie ghoafts, Which, ioying in the brightnes of your day, Brought foorth those lignes of your presump

tuous boasts
Which now their dusty reliques do bewray; 200
Tell me, ye spirits ! (lith the darksome river
Of Styx, not paffable to foules returning,
Enclosing you in thrice three wards for ever,
Doo not restraine your images ftill mourning,)
Tell me then, (for perhaps fome one of you 205
Yet here above him fecretly doth hide,)
Doo

ye
not feele

your torments to accrewe, When

ye

fometimes behold the ruin'd pride Of these old Romane' works, built with your

hands, Now to become nought els but heaped fands?

XVI.

Like as ye see the wrathfull fea from farre 211 In a great mountaine heap't with hideous noyfe, Eftfoones of thousand billowes shouldred narre, Against a rocke to breake with dreadfull poyfe: Like as ye fee fell Boreas with fharpe blaft 215

Toffing huge tempests through the troubled skie,
Eftfoones having his wide wings spent in wast,
To stop his wearie cariere suddenly:
And as ye fee huge flames fpred diversie,
Gathered in one up to the heavens to fpyre, 220
Eftfoones consum'd to fall downe feebily :
So whilom did this Monarchie aspyre

As waves, as winde, as fire, spred over all,
Till it by fatall doome adowne did fall.

XVII.

So long as Ioves great bird did make his flight, Bearing the fire with which heaven doth us fray,

226 Heaven had not feare of that presumptuous

might, With which the Giaunts did the gods assay. But all so soone, as scortching funne had brent His wings which wont the earth to overspredd, The Earth out of her massie wombe forth fent 231 That antique horror, which made heaven adredd. Then was the Germane Raven in disguise That Romane Eagle seene to cleave asunder, And towards heaven freshly to arise Out of these mountaines, now consum'd to

pouder; In which the foule, that serves to beare the

: lightning, Is now no more seen flying, nor alighting:

235 XVIII.

These heapes of stones, these old wals, which

ye see,

Were first enclofures but of falvage foyle; 240 And these brave pallaces, which maystred bee Of Time, were shepheards cottages fomewhile. Then tooke the shepheards kingly ornament And the stout hynde arm’d his right hand with

steele : Eftfoones their rule of yearely Presidents Grew great, and fixe months greater a great

245

deele;

250

Which, made perpetuall

, rose to fo great might, That thence th' Imperiall Eagle rooting tooke, Till th'heaven it felfe, opposing gainst her might, Her power to Peters successor betooke; Who, shepheardlike, (as fates the same fore

seeing) Doth shew that all things turne to their

first being.

XIX.

All that is perfect, which th' heaven beautefies; All that's imperfect, borne belowe the Moone; All that doth feede our spirits and our eies; And all that doth consume our pleasures foone; All the milhap, the which our daies outweares, All the good hap of th' oldest times afore; Rome, in the time of her great ancesters,

260

Like a Pandora, locked long in store.
But Destinie this huge Chaos turmoyling,
In which all good and evill was enclosed,
Their heavenly vertues from thefe . woes af-

Ti foyling,
Caried to heaven, from sinfull bondage losed :
But their great finnes, the causers of their

paine, Under these antique ruines yet remaine. :::

265

271

No otherwise than raynie cloud, first fed
With earthly vapours gathered in the ayre,
Eftsoones in compas arch't, to steepe his hed, )
Doth plonge himselfe in Tethys bosome faire ;
And, mounting up againe from whence he

came,
With his great bellie spreds the dimmed world,
Till at the last, diffolving his moist frame,
In raine, or spowe, or haile, he forth is horld ;
This Citie, which was first but shepheards

shade, Uprising by degrees, grewe to such height, That Queene of land and sea her selfe she made. At last, not able to beare so great weight, Her

power, disperst, through all the world did vade;

275

280

To Thew that all in th' end to nought fhall
fade..

XXI.11.1
The fame, which Pyrrhus and the puiffaunce :'
Of Afrike could not tame, that fame brave

Citie,
Which, with stout courage, arm’d against mis-

chaunce,
Sustein'd the shocke of common enmitie; }
Long as her ship, tost with so manie freakes, 285
Had all the world in armes against her bent,
Was never feene, that anie fortunes wreakes
Could breake her courfe begun with brave

intent.
But, when the obiect of her vertue failed,
Her power it felfe against it felfe did arme; 290
As he that having long in tempest failed,
Faine would arive, but cannot for the forme,
If too great winde against the port him

drive,
Doth in the port it felfe his veffell tive.

XXII,
When that brave honour of the Latine name,
Which mear'd her rule with Africa, and Byze,
With Thames inhabitants of noble fame,
And they which see the dawning day arize;

XXII. 2.

mear'd] Divided. See the uote on meare, F. Q. iii. ix, 46. TODD.

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