Greece will the olde Ephesian buildings blaze; And Nylus nurflings their Pyramides faire ; The fame yet vaunting Greece will tell the storie Of loves great Image in Olympus placed; 20 Manfolus worke will be the Carians glorie; And Crete will boast the Labyrinth, now raced; The antique Rhodian will likewise set forth The great Coloffe, erect to Memorie;

And what els in the world is of like worth, 25 Some greater learned wit will magnifie.

But I will fing above all moniments

Seven Romane Hils, the worlds Seven Wonderments.

III.

Thou ftranger, which for Rome in Rome here feekeft,

And nought of Rome in Rome perceivst at all, so These fame olde walls, olde arches, which thou

feeft,

Olde palaces, is that which Rome men call. Beholde what wreake, what ruine, and what waft, And how that fhe, which with her mightie

powre

Tam'd all the world, hath tam'd herselfe at laft; The pray of Time, which all things doth devowre!

Rome now of Rome is th' onely funerall,
And onely Rome of Rome hath victorie ;
Ne ought fave Tyber haftning to his fall

36

Remaine sof all: O worlds inconftancie!
That which is firme doth flit and fall away,
And that is flitting doth abide and stay.

IV.

40

She, whofe high top above the starres did fore, One foote on Thetis, th' other on the Morning, One hand on Scythia, th' other on the More, 45 Both heaven and earth in roundneffe com

paffing ;

Iove fearing, leaft if she should greater growe,
The Giants old fhould once againe uprise,
Her whelm'd with hills, these Seven Hils, which
be nowe

Tombes of her greatnes which did threate the

fkies:

50

Upon her head he heapt Mount Saturnal,
Upon her bellie th' antique Palatine,
Upon her ftomacke laid Mount Quirinal,
On her left hand the noyfome Efquiline,
And Cælian on the right; but both her feete
Mount Viminal and Aventine doo meete. 56.

V.

Who lifts to fee, what ever nature, arte, And heaven, could doo; O Rome, thee let him fee,

In cafe thy greatnes he can geffe in harte,

IV, 6. The Giants old &c.] So the folio of 1611, corrected the paffage. It was before "Th' old Giants &c." And in the fourteenth line the folio rightly fubftituted Viminall for Vimnial TODD.

A

60.

By that which but the picture is of thee!
Rome is no more: but, if the fhade of Rome
May of the bodie yeeld a feeming fight,
It's like a corfe drawne forth out of the tombe
By magicke fkill out of eternall night:

.

65

The
corpes of Rome in afhes is entombed,
And her great fpirite, reioyned to the spirite
Of this great maffe, is in the fame enwombed;
But her brave writings, which her famous
merite

In fpight of Time out of the dust doth reare,
Doo make her 'Idole through the world ap-

peare.

VI.

70

Such as the Berecynthian Goddeffe bright,
In her swifte charret with high turrets crownde,
Proud that fo manie gods the brought to light;
Such was this Citie in her good daies fownd:
This Citie, more than that great Phrygian
mother

75

Renowm'd for fruite of famous progenie, Whofe greatnes by the greatnes of none other, But by her felfe, her equall match could see: Rome onely might to Rome compared bee, And onely Rome could make great Rome to

tremble:

So did the gods by heavenly doome decrée,

That other earthlie power should not resemble

80

Her that did match the whole earths puif

faunce,

And did her courage to the heavens advaunce.

VII.

85

Ye facred ruines, and ye tragick fights,
Which onely doo the name of Rome retaine,
Olde moniments, which of fo famous fprights
The honour yet in ashes doo maintaine ;
Triumphant arcks, spyres, neighbours to the

skie ;

That you to fee doth th' heaven it felfe appall; 90 Alas, by little ye to nothing flie,

The peoples fable, and the spoyle of all!

And though your frames do for a time make

warre

Gainst Time, yet Time in time shall ruinate Your workes and names, and your last reliques

marre.

My fad defires, reft therefore moderate!

95

For if that Time make ende of things fo fure,
It als will end the paine which I endure.

VIII.

Through armes and vaffals Rome the world fubdu❜d,

That one would weene that one fole Cities

ftrength

100

Both land and fea in roundnes had furvew'd, To be the measure of her bredth and length: This peoples vertue yet fo fruitfull was

Of vertuous nephewes, that pofteritie,
Striving in power their grandfathers to paffe, 105.
The loweft earth ioin'd to the heaven hie;
To th' end that, having all parts in their power,
Nought from the Romane Empire might be
quight;

And that though Time doth Commonwealths devowre,

Yet no time fhould fo low embase their hight, 110 That her head earth'd in her foundations

deep

Should not her name and endles honour keep.

IX.

115

Ye cruell ftarres, and eke ye gods unkinde,
Heaven envious, and bitter stepdame Nature!
Be it by fortune, or by course of kinde,
That ye doo weld th' affaires of earthlie creature;
Why have your hands long fithence traveiled
To frame this world, that doth endure so long?
Or why were not these Romane palaces
Made of fome matter no leffe firme and strong?
I fay not, as the common voyce doth fay, 121
That all things which beneath the Moone have
being

Are temporall, and fubiect to decay:

But I fay rather, though not all agreeing

VIII. 6. nepotes. T. WARTON.

nephewes,] Defcendants. Lat.