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XVIII.

Thefe heapes of ftones, these old wals, which ye fee,

Were first enclofures but of falvage foyle; 240 And these brave pallaces, which mayftred bee Of Time, were fhepheards cottages fomewhile. Then tooke the fhepheards kingly ornament And the ftout hynde arm'd his right hand with fteele :

245

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

deele ;

Which, made perpetuall, rofe to fo great might,
That thence th' Imperiall Eagle rooting tooke,
Till th' heaven it felfe, oppofing gainst her might,
Her to Peters fucceffor betooke;
Who, fhepheardlike, (as fates the same fore-
feeing,)

power

250

Doth fhew 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 fpirits and our eies; And all that doth confume our pleasures foone; All the mishap, the which our daies outweares, All the good hap of th' oldeft times afore Rome, in the time of her great ancesters,

260

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

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Caried to heaven, from finfull bondage lofed: But their great finnes, the caufers of their paine,

Under these antique ruines yet remaine.

XX.

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265.

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

...came,

271

With his great bellie fpreds the dimmed world,
Till at the last, diffolving his moift frame,
In raine, or fnowe, or haile, he forth is horld;
This Citie, which was firft but shepheards

fhade,

275

Uprising by degrees, grewe to fuch height,
That Queene of land and fea her felfe fhe made.
At laft, not able to beare fo great weight,
Her power, difperft, through all the world
did vade;

XX. 13.

vade,] Vanish. Lat. vado.

See alfo F. Q. i. v. 15, iii. ix. 20, &c. And fee Cotgrave, "To vade, Se flestrir, fe faner."

VOL. VII.

TODD.

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To fhew that all in th' end to nought shall

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The fame, which Pyrrhus and the puiffaunce. Of Afrike could not tame, that fame brave Citie,

Which, with ftout courage arm'd against mifchaunce,

Suftein'd the fhocke of common enmitie;

Long as her fhip, toft 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 tempeft failed,
Faine would arive, but cannot for the ftorme,
If too great winde against the port him
drive,

Doth in the port it felfe his veffell rive.

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.

Her nourflings did with mutinous uprore
Harten against her felfe, her conquer'd fpoile,
Which he had wonne from all the world afore,
Of all the world was fpoyl'd within a while : 302
So, when the compaft courfe of the universe
In fixe and thirtie thoufand
is
yeares ronne,
The bands of th' elements fhall backe reverse
To their first difcord, and be quite undonne:
The feedes, of which all things at first were
bred,

Shall in great Chaos wombe againe be hid.

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O warie wifedome of the man, that would That Carthage towres from spoile should be

forborne,

..: 310

To th' end that his victorious people should
With cancring laifure not be overworne!
He well forefaw, how that the Romane courage,
Impatient of pleasures faint defires,

Through idlenes would turne to civill rage, 315
And be her felfe the matter of her fires.
For, in a people given all to ease,

Ambition is engendred eafily;

As, in a vicious bodie, grose disease

Soone growes through humours fuperfluitie. 320 That came to paffe, when, fwolne with plenties pride,

Nor prince, nor peere, nor kin, they would

abide.

XXIV.

325

If the blinde Furie, which warres breedeth oft,
Wonts not t' enrage the hearts of equal beafts,
Whether they fare on foote, or flie aloft,
Or armed be with clawes, or fcalie creafts;
What fell Erynnis, with hot burning tongs,
Did grype your hearts with noyfome rage
imbew'd,

That, each to other working cruell wrongs,
Your blades in your owne bowels you em-

brew'd?

330

Was this (ye Romanes) your hard deftinie?
Or fome old finne, whofe unappeafed guilt
Powr'd vengeance forth on you eternallie?
Or brothers blood, the which at first was spilt
Upon your walls, that God might not en-

dure

Upon the fame to fet foundation fure?

XXV.

335

O that I had the Thracian Poets harpe,
For to awake out of th' infernall shade
Those antique Cæfars, fleeping long in darke,
The which this auncient Citie whilome made!
Or that I had Amphions inftrument,

To quicken, with his vitall notes accord,
The ftonie ioynts of thefe old walls now rent,

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341

See my note on this

And fee also the note

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