A continuation of Lucan's historicall poem till the death of Iulius Cæsar by TM

A continuation of Lucan's historicall poem till the death of Iulius Cæsar by TM

Table of contents

Title page

TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY MONARCH CHARLES BY THE GRACE of God, King of Great Brittaine, France, and Ireland, &c.

IOHANNIS SVLPITII Verulani querela de interitu Lucani, opere nondum perfecto.

THE COMPLAINT OF CALLIOPE AGAINST THE DESTINIES.

The first Booke.

Annotations to the first Booke.

THE SECOND BOOKE.

Annotations to the second Booke.

THE THIRD BOOKE.

Annotations vpon the third Booke.

THE FOVRTH BOOKE.

Annotations vpon the fourth Booke.

THE FIFTH BOOKE.

Annotations vpon the fifth Booke.

THE SIXTH BOOKE.

Annotations vpon the sixth Booke.

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THE SEVENTH BOOKE.

[Page] [Page] A CONTINVATION of the Subiect OF LƲCAN'S HISTORICALL POEM till the death of Iulius Caesar.

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A CONTINVATION of Lucan's Historicall Poem till the death of IVLIVS CAESAR By T M

London Printed for James Boler at the Signe of the Marigold in Pauls Church-yard. 1630

TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY MONARCH CHARLES BY THE GRACE of God, King of Great Brittaine, France, and Ireland, &c.

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SIR,

I SHOVLD haue taught my humble labors a lower presumption than to haue approached your sacred hand, if I had onely [Page] weighed mine owne weaknesse and disabilitie; but the dignitie of this subiect did somewhat encourage mee, being a remainder of that great Historie, whose former part was so richly dressed in the happie conceits, and high raptures of that Noble LVCAN: of whose abilitie in writing I was not so ambitious in emulation, as officious in desire, to continue so stately an argument for your Princely eare: with what successe I haue performed [Page] it, your MAIESTIES acceptation onely can determine; to whom if it present but the least delight, my end is accomplished, for which I haue runne so great a hazard, as (perchance) to be censured a foile onely to Lucan's lustre; and chose rather to fall vnder the weight of a great argument, than to present a meane one to so high a hand: your Maiesties renowned worth, and Heroicall vertues (the perfection of minde meeting in you [Page] with the height of Fortune) may make you securely delighted in the reading of great actions; to whom I humbly present this weake Worke, beseeching Almighty GOD long to establish your MAIESTIES Throne vpon earth, enriching it with blessings of the right hand and the left; and after to Crowne you with incorruptible Glorie: So prayeth

Your Maiesties most humble subiect THO. MAY.

IOHANNIS SVLPITII Verulani querela de interitu Lucani, opere nondum perfecto.

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HAEC cecinit vates, scripturus plura: sed illum

In medio cursu iussit mors dira silere.

Accidit vt cigno, qui fixus arundine, carmen

Mille modis querulum, quod caeperat, interrumpit.

Nec Phaenix aliter, cum sese imponit in altum

Quem struit ipse, rogum, cantus dulcedine mira

Nondum perfectos plaudenti morte relinquit.

Nec secus Ismariis vates oppressus in oris

A Ciconum nuribus, Superûm dum cantat amores,

[Page]Bruta (que) cum syluis, & saxa sequentia ducit,

Haud potuit moriens medios absoluere cantus.

Proh scelera! Oh superi, cruciat quae poena Neronē?

Num rota, num saxum, num stagna fugacia vexant?

An vultur, pendensue silex? an feruet in vnda?

Illum comburat Phlegeton, lacerent (que) Cerastae:

Hydra voret, raptent (que) canes, semper (que) flagellis

Torua Megaera secet, nec sit requies (que) modus (que).

Quanto fraudata est tua gloria plena nitore

Corduba! quam (que) minus te Mantua docta veretur▪

Mantua, cui primae fulget nunc gloria palmae;

Sed contenta tribus longè lacteris alumnis.

Tu verò O nostrum vates diuine laborem,

Quem pro te subij, non auersate probabis.

THE COMPLAINT OF CALLIOPE AGAINST THE DESTINIES.

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TOO cruell Sisters, why againe am I

Enforc'd to weepe, and tax your tyranny?

Was not my Orpheus death (though long agoe)

Enough for me to beare, for you to doe?

Orpheus so much by all the graces lou'd,

Whose charming skill, and matchlesse Musi [...]ke mou'd

The sauage beasts, the stones, and senselesse trees,

Yet could not moue the harder Destinies.

J saw his limbes (alas) scattered abroad

On Hebrus bankes, while downe the siluer flood

His learned head was rowl'd, and all along

Heard the sad murmurs of his dying tongue.

[Page]No other Tragedy but Lucan slaine

By your vntimely stroke could thus againe

Reuiue my griefe: Oh could you not prolong

That thread awhile, vntill the stately song

Of his Pharsalia had beene finish'd quite?

What sauage bird of prey, what murdring Kite

Could, in the mid'st of that melodious lay,

Rauish the charming Nightingall away?

Thou sung'st no lusts, no riots, nor mad'st knowne

(Corrupting others manners with thine owne)

New crimes, nor with lasciuious wantoning

Did'st thou defile the sacred Thespian spring.

Thy verses teach no foule adulteries,

Nor rapes committed by the Deities,

Which may from guilt absolue the worst of men;

But actions great and true: thy happie pen

Adorning History with raptures high,

With quicke conceits and sound moralitie

Condemn'd the strong iniustice of that age,

And reines too much let lose to ciuill rage,

When Rome the strength, which she had made, did feare,

No longer able her owne weight to beare,

Taxing bad greatnesse, and in deathlesse verse

Bestowing fame on Noble Sepulchers;

And had'st enobled moe; but woe is me,

Th' vntimely stroke of death did silence thee.

Of which the griefe not onely vs inuades,

But diues into the blest Elysian shades,

Sadding the worthies there, that so did long

To fill a roome in thine eternall song.

There Cato thinkes (and grieues it was deny'd)

If thou had'st liu'd, how great he should haue dy'd:

The Roman Scipio, did disdaine a Tombe

On Libya's shore, in hope to finde a roome

[Page]Within thy stately Poem, well content

Saue there, to haue no other Monument,

Those stately Temples, where Great Caesar's name

Shall be by Rome ador'd, wanting the fame

Which thy high lines might giue, in time to come

Shall enuy Pompey's small Aegyptian Tombe.

Had Iuba's Tragicke fall beene sung by thee

'T had eas'd the losse of his great Monarchy▪

But that to them and vs did Fate deny

That we the more might waile thy Tragedy.

The first Booke.

The Argument of the first Booke.

Th'Aegyptians sue to Caesar for a peace,

Excuse their crime, and craue their King's release:

The King restor'd by Caesar to his state,

Reuolts againe: Euphranor's noble fate.

Ptolomey's vision from Serapis sent

Foreshews the change of Aegypts gouernment.

The warre in Delta; Caesars victory.

The ouerthrow and death of Ptolomey.

THe threatning Ocean now had spent in vaine

His swelling spite, and from the watery maine▪

From Aegypts feeble Treason, and the band

Of Pharian slaues is Caesar safe at land

Fill'd with reuenge and scorne, arm'd with a rage

Greater than Aegypts ruine can asswage.

[Page]His warre is now made iust; but that great minde

Too much disdaines so iust a cause to finde

From such a State, grieu'd that they durst afford

Wrongs proud enough to call on Caesar's sword,

Or prouocation to his fury lend,

Whom Rome it selfe had trembled to offend,

And ru'd his anger at no cheaper rate

Than Pompey's fall, and ruine of the State.

How well could Rome excuse the gods aboue

For Caesar's late-wrought safetie, and approue

Their fauour in it, if no other State

Had felt the force of his reuiued fate

But Aegypts guilty land? in that warre nought

But iust reuenge for Pompey had beene wrought.

The willing Senate had with ioy decreed

Honours for such a conquest; for that deed

From euery Towne th' Italian youth in throngs

Had met his Charriot with triumphall songs,

Nor had great Pompey's spirit from the skie

Repin'd at sight of that solemnitie.

That act had reconcil'd the Conquerer

To Rome againe, had not the fatall warre,

Which straight in Affrick, and in Spaine ensew'd,

His conquering army with first guilt embrew'd.

The treacherous band of Aegypts Souldiers now

That chose Arsinoë Queene, gan disallow

The pride of Ganymedes, and disdaine

A feeble woman, and base Eunuchs reigne.

All murmur, all to muteny inclin'd,

Yet each afraid to sound each others mind:

Till one at last more venturous than the rest

Thus with his owne the thoughts of all exprest.

What end haue these our armes? Why doe we make

Tumults in stead of warres? If armes we take

[Page]To free Niles fruitfull regions from the yoke

Of Romes ambition, why doe we prouoke

The strength of Caesar at a time when he

Detaines our King within his custodie?

The King as hostage for our truth doth lie

We hazard not the warre but Ptolomey.

Though our attempt 'gainst Caesar should succeed

We staine the honour of so great a deed

Wanting a lawfull chiefe; and twill be thought

Rebellious tumults not iust warres haue wrought

Rich Aegypts freedome: More may be obtain'd

By peace, than can be by such hazards gain'd.

Then let vs sue for Ptolomey's release:

Caesar (though now incenst) will grant vs peace

On easie termes; and thinke it better farre

Then to be here entangled in a warre,

Whilest yet Pharsalia's reliques doe remaine

To ioyne their strength, and trie their fate againe:

Whilest the dispers'd not conquer'd powers of Rome

Are gathering head, and furious nations come

From Iuba's kingdome, Ammons farthest sands,

And where Spaines Calpe bounds the Westerne lands

To crosse his growing fortunes: But if we

Tender the state of young Arsinoë,

(Because descended from great Lagus race,)

Why doe we wrong her brother, and misplace

Our dutie so? Preposterous loyalty

It is, to honour Lagus family,

And therefore Lagus lawfull heire depose.

A generall shout, which through the Campe arose,

Shewes their agreement too too great to be

Suppressed now, or term'd a muteny.

That euen Arsinoë seeing this consent

Is forc'd to be, or seeme (at least) content.

[Page]Embassadours to Caesar they addresse

To begge the King's inlargement, sue for peace,

And pardon for their treachery to him:

Which they excus'd at large, and all the crime

Vpon Photinus and Achillas lay'd:

Whose liues (say they) haue for their treasons pay'd.

Caesar, though once enrag'd, admits their low

Submissiue prayers, and smooths his angry brow,

Scorning to lose so proud a wrath vpon

Such worthlesse obiects; or intent alone

On ciuill warres, reserues his fury all

To wreake in nothing but his countreys fall.

Nought but so hard, and so abhorr'd a crime

Had guilt and danger great enough for him.

He breefly grants them their desired ends,

And Ptolomey backe to his kingdome sends.

Poore boy, what fatall freedome hast thou gain'd?

Thou to thy ruine hast thy wish obtain'd.

Tis Caesar's crueltie that sets thee free,

To make thee guiltie and then punish thee.

Thine innocence did guard thee, whilest by him

Thou wert confin'd, and could'st not act a crime

That might deserue thy death; but well knew he

Thy ages weaknesse, and the treachery

Of thy perfidious and vnconstant men

Would draw thee to offences, and thou then

By faire pretence of iustice might'st be slaine

A sacrifice to Cleopatra's a reigne,

And his desires, who meanes thy crowne shall buy

Or pay the hire of his adultery.

Caesar's surmises finde a true euent;

For Ptolomey backe to his people sent

(Whether that falsehood were the nations vice,

Or else by nature or bad nurture b his,

[Page]Or he by others easie to be sway'd)

Forgets the oath that he to Caesar made.

And fill'd with vaine and flattering hopes, calls on

The forward fates t'his owne destruction.

A well rigg'd fleet of Ships he forth doth send

In ambush neere Canopus to attend

(An Ile that East from Alexandria lies)

To cut off all prouision and supplies,

That might by Sea to Caesar's campe arriue.

To this his first attempt doth Fortune giue

Some seeming fauour; for while there they lie,

Euphranor's Ship, seuer'd vnhappily

Alone from all the rest of Caesar's fleet,

By this Aegyptian Nauy is beset.

c Euphranor's valour, that had neuer found

The fates but friendly, and so oft renown'd

With Caesar's fortune had for Caesar fought,

This change affrights not; his vndaunted thought

Not feare but rage possesses; and though there

Beset, he playes th' assailant euery where.

They feare to ioyne with him, and euermore

Fly from his grapple; as a chafed Bore

The following hounds auoid, so Aegypts fleet

Surprises danger which it dares not meet.

But being so many Ships they cannot all

Escape from him; some, though vnwilling, fall

Vpon Euphranor, and are forc'd to buy

With their owne losse their fellowes victory.

Some vessels bor'd twixt wind and water sunke,

And drinking waues into the waues were drunke.

'Gainst others from the Roman vessell fire,

Wrapt vp in balls was throwne; whose actiue ire

The Ocean could not quench vntill too late,

And did not succour then, but change the fate.

[Page]Some dead, some liuing float in Neptunes flood

The Sea discolour'd with the victours blood.

Had but one more of Caesars Ships beene caught

Th' Aegyptian fleet a fatall prey had sought,

And learned then how they deceiued tooke

But Fortunes bait, which hid a mortall hooke.

But when at last those few Caesarians

Were spent with wounds and toile, and that their hands

Could for that endlesse taske no more suffice

Euphranor weary with subduing dies,

Leauing the rest of those Aegyptian powers

Suruiuours rather than true Conquerours.

Now Ptolomey was leuying strength by land,

When Mithridates with a warlike band

Of men, from Syria, and Cilicia came

Raised from thence by him in Caesar's name.

And marching swiftly ore the land, at last

Arriu'd where strong Pelusium's fitly plac'd

Vpon the continent, and on that side

Th' Aegyptian bounds from Syria doth diuide:

Pelusium's strength is thought by land to be

Aegypts defence as Pharos is by Sea.

But now (alas) too weake it proues to stay

Fierce Mithridates course, who in one day

(Though there Achillas left a Garrison)

Summons, assaults, and wins by force, the Towne;

Nor stayes he there, but marches speedily

To ioyne his strength with Caesar's power, whom he

Of this exploit before had certifi'd.

This Mithridates, who on Caesar's side

So well had seru'd as to deserue from him

After this warre, the Thracian diadem,

Of great and royall parentage was sprung,

And trained vp in princely arts, when young,

[Page]By that great King, that Asian Conquerour,

Who fortie yeares withstood the Roman power,

And in so many honour'd fields did fame

Lucullus, Sylla, and great Pompey's name.

The King, that now besides Canobus lay,

With all his power, intends to march away

With speed through Delta, where the Fates decree

To seat the warre, and his sad tragedy.

Rich Delta, Aegypts pride the flower alone

Of all the Pharian Kings dominion;

Vpon whose fertile brest a thousand wayes

In winding tracks the wanton Nilus playes,

And with his amorous folding armes doth seeme

T' embrace small Ilands, whilest his siluer streame

From seuerall channells oft it selfe doth meet,

And oft it selfe with wanton kisses greet.

So those faire riuolets, which for the food

Of liuing bodies, beare the crimson blood

To euery part, within the liuer meet,

And there with kisses number lesse doe greet

Themselues; and as they through each other glide

Make many knots, as if they tooke a pride

In their strange foldings, and themselues did please

In those admired Anastomoses.

This fertile region, whose extension makes

A iust triangle, from the letter takes

Delta for name, whose basis is the Sea,

Whose two sides Niles two widest channells be.

For all the other fiue within those two

Into the Northren Sea through Delta goe.

Downe from the lesser cataract Nile flowes,

And in one single channell Northward goes

From Elephantis Ile the ancient bound,

Twixt th'Aethiopian, and Aegyptian ground

[Page]Foure thousand furlongs to that spatious plaine,

Where Memphis stands, so famed for the vaine,

And mispent labour of so many men,

Her wondrous Pyramids; which had not beene,

If natures bountie, and the wealthy soile

Had not too much excus'd the Plowmans toile.

So many hands (as there were vainly found)

Had beene enough t' haue made the barren'st ground

Of Ammons deserts, or the Libyan sands

Fruitfull by working, t' haue entrench'd whole lands,

And fenc'd their Aegypts often conquer'd Towers

From Persian, Graecian, and Italian powers.

At Memphi [...] Nile his channell doth diuide:

That branch that flowes along the Easterne side,

Into the Ocean rowles his curled waues

At strong Pelusium; tother channell laues

(A thousand furlongs distant thence, as he

Into the Ocean falls) the regions nigh

To faire Canobus, which (by ancient fame)

From Menelaus Pylot tooke the name;

Who dying there, was buried on the shore,

When Aegypts Crowne that iust King Proteus wore:

Who tooke from Priam's wanton sonne away

Atrides beautious wife, his rauish'd prey,

And to her husband after her restor'd

When Troyes sack'd towers had felt the vengefull sword

Of armed Greece. That region, which betweene

Those two the widest armes of Nile is seene,

Is Delta, which so plentifully yeelds,

Ceres and Bacchus, rich in pasture fields,

And flowery meadowes, where the bleating flocks,

And horned heards doe graze; the labouring Ox

Weary'd in those fat furrowes, nere deceiues

Hopes which the greediest husbandman conceiues.

[Page]There loftie Cities stand, and Townes of fame,

Lakes flow, which from those Cities take their names.

Butum enuiron'd with the Buticke lake,

Where once her Oracles Latona spake:

There faire Diospolis, Lycopolis,

Hermopolis, and Leontopolis

Proud Cities rise: There doth Busiris stand

Fatall to strangers, that were forc'd to land

Vpon her bloody shore; vntill the hand

Of great Alcides freed the grieued land

From that fell Tyrants reigne, whose name the towne

Yet beares; neere that is that faire Citie knowne

By Venus name; there faire Panephysis,

Tanitis, Xois, and Cynospolis,

And Sais chiefe of all the region,

In which Minerua's stately Temple's showne,

Where fam'd Psammiticus entombed lies.

There also Mendes famous walls doe rise,

Where Pan th'Arcadian god is worshipped,

And goates ador'd; there goates (as we haue read)

Doe mix with womankinde; so got was he

That lou'd the boy turn'd to a Cypresse tree.

But now to know the future warres successe,

The King aduis'd by Dioscorides

Ere from Canobus he through Delta passe,

(Since there Serapis stately Temple was)

Resolu'd to craue that Oracles aduice

Commands the Priests prepare a sacrifice.

This snake-like god Serapis seated there,

Whom all rich Aegypt, and the nations neere

Deuoutly worship, and from euery port

To his vndoubted Oracle resort,

Speakes not to men, like other gods, nor snewes

His truth by voyce, as horned Ammon does;

[Page]Norlike their Apis, fore-declaring good

Or bad, by taking or refusing food;

Nor like the Delphian Phaebus doth possesse

In killing rage, a wretched Prophetesse,

Making sad death the punishment or hire

Of euery soule his fury doth inspire;

But gently glides into a sleeping brest,

By dreames instructing our repose and rest,

In truths that can be by no labour gain'd:

There only knowledge is with ease attain'd.

To this renowned Temple farre and neere

Th' Aegyptian Lords and Princes come to heare

Truth without helpe of senses, and to know

By dreaming there their future weale or woe.

Why should this god his knowledge then declare

To men, when men least fit for knowledge are?

And chuse to come to them at such a time

When they no duties can returne to him?

Is it his bountie or his power to show,

That men so taught may plainly see they owe

Nothing at all to studies of their owne,

But to his bountie and his power alone,

That then can make them vnderstand aright

When they are rest of vnderstanding quite?

Or else the god, when men can exercise

Their powers and intellectuall faculties,

Will not descend with their weake thoughts to ioyne

Commixing human reason with diuine.

Within the Temples inmost roome, a bed

Of richest purple wrought with gold was spred;

To which the King was by the Priests conuay'd,

And there, to take his dreaming vision, lay'd.

No dreames at all within that sacred roome

But such as were diuinely sent, might come.

Others, which from complexions difference

[Page]Or naturall humors flow'd, were banish'd thence;

And those which from the studies of the day,

Or cares arose, in th' outward Temple stay,

And there together flie in companies

Of different colours, shapes, and qualities.

Faire sanguine dreames, that seeme to cheere the night,

With beautious shapes, and rosie wings, as bright

As is the morning, or those flowers, that grace

In mid'st of spring, the painted Flora's face,

Within the Temple merrily doe sport;

To whom the little Cupids oft resort;

The little Cupids from faire Venus groue

Stealing by night, doe thither come, and loue

With those bright sanguine dreames to passe away

The howers of night in sport and amorous play.

There dreames of choller in a flame-like hew

Through th' aire, like little fierie Meteors flew

With swift and angrie motion to and fro,

As if they sought within that place a foe.

Sometimes vp to the Temples roofe on high

They soare, as if they meant to scale the skie,

Or some impossible atchieuement sought

T' allay the thirst of an aspiring thought.

But downe below with sad and heauy cheere

On dead mens Tombes, and euery Sepulcher,

The duskie dreames of melancholly light,

With sable wings like Bats, or birds of night.

Fluttering in darkest corners here and there,

But all alone, and still each other feare.

Courting dead skulls, and seeming to inuite

The dismall ghosts for company by night.

There all along the Temples whited wall

Phlegmaticke lazy dreames, not wing'd at all,

But slow, like slimie Snailes, about doe crawle,

And euermore are thence afraid to fall

[Page]And so be drown'd; for on the floore below

They doe suppose deepe pooles of water flow.

But swift as thoughts can flie, as windes doe blow

Or winged lightning, in a moment goe

The flatuous dreames through th' aire; sometimes with noyse

Like the farre-off affrighting thunders voyce.

Besides a thousand other companies

Of dreames, which doe from daily cares arise,

From thoughts and deeds of men; which doe appeare

In formes as many and as different there

As all the world has obiects, or is fil'd

With deeds: All these to dreames diuiner yeeld,

And flie aloofe without; nor dare they come

Into the Temples inward sacred roome.

The dead of night had closed euery eye,

And sleepe now seiz'd the brest of Ptolomey,

When loe a vision from Serapis sent

To his affrighted fancy did present

The changed state of Aegypts haplesse land,

Which now by fates appointment was at hand.

A large-siz'd Ox, into that sacred roome

With sad and heauy pace did seeme to come,

And leane he was, as if he had not eat

Of long, or wanting, or refusing meat;

Saue two white spots, his colour wholly blacke,

One on his forehead, tother on his backe:

And passing by he seem'd to waile and moane,

From his blacke eyes the teares fast trickling downe.

After a woman came of stature tall,

Of presence stately and maiesticall;

High Towers, and Castles on her head she bare,

But loose, as if all torne, hung downe her haire.

Strong chaines did seeme her naked armes to tie;

With that arose a dismall shreeke and crie,

[Page]As it had beene from ghosts infernall sent,

Whose fury rent the regall monument:

And from their open'd tombes he saw arise

The ghosts of all the bury'd Ptolomeys,

From Lagus sonne the first, in order all,

Who following, seem'd to waile the womans fall.

With that cold chilling horrour from the brest

Of sleeping Ptolomey had banish'd rest,

Who with amazed thoughts look'd vp and downe▪

But when his eyes were ope, the sight was gone.

The Priests approach, and hearing him relate

His dolefull dreame, lament the wretched State

Of Aegypts kingdome, and with one consent

Foretell th' approaching change of gouernment:

Yet to appease the gods, by their aduice,

The King commands a solemne sacrifice.

But neerer miseries by farre than those

Doe threaten thee, poore King; the god foreshowes

Thy Countries future dangers, and from thee

Conceales thine owne approaching tragedy.

To meet with Caesar then he march'd away

Through wealthy Delta, and encamped lay

Vpon an high and spatious hill, which round

About commands the lower champian ground;

From whence the Countrey he afarre descri'd.

A place by nature strongly fortifi'd

Three seuerall wayes; th' ascent so steepe and hard

To climbe, as seem'd impregnable, did guard

One part alone without rhe aid of men:

Vnto another part a spatious fen

And lake did seeme to giue protection:

To guard the third a riuer swiftly run.

Betwixt the lake and which alone did stand,

To lend some passage, a small necke of land:

[Page]That little Isthmos seem'd alone to stand

In need of guarding by a souldiers hand

Against the foes assault. But in that place

The King supposes, twere too much disgrace

To be assaulted first, and would dismay

His souldiers hearts, for Caesar there to stay;

Or else not safe in what defence the lake,

The riuer, hill, or his owne workes could make,

To hinder Caesar's comming he intends

Farre off; and most of all his forces sends

To guard a riuer where his passage lay.

That banke, on which th' Aegyptian souldiers stay,

Was high, and farre from water, and might well

Keepe the Caesarians off, or them compell

To fight on wondrous disaduantage there.

But Caesar's troops incapable of feare,

At first approach, resolue, viewing the place,

In spight of disaduantages to passe.

And whilest the legionary souldiers throw

'Gainst tother side, to busie there the foe,

Thicke stormes of winged piles; whilest some of them

Striue to lay trees, for bridges, ore the streame,

The German cohorts vp and downe doe try

The riuers depth, and where most easily

They may or swim, or wade the channell through;

And make as boldly their attempts as though

They went against no enemie at all.

Whilest the Aegyptians doe securely gall

Downe from aboue their labouring enemy,

And on the place, not their owne worth rely:

For all the weapons, which from them are throwne,

Require no strength, but by descent alone

Bring wounds to the Caesarians, who, inrag'd

To be 'gainst such aduantages ingag'd,

[Page]Sigh, that their valour they must vainly lose

Not to subdue, but to approach their foes,

And must contend as eagerly to gaine

A fight, as erst a conquest to obtaine.

Against the riuer and the bankes they goe:

And in this warre the foe is least the foe.

Caesar perceiues in what distressed plight

The legionaries are enforc'd to fight,

And therefore straight commands his lightest horse

To wheele about, and with a speedy course

Farre from that place to crosse the riuer ore.

Which they performed swiftly, and before

Th' Aegyptian Souldiers their approach could feare,

Behinde they charg'd them in a full carriere.

Whose force whilest they, turning about, withstood,

The legionary Souldiers past the flood

With greater ease by bridges which they made,

And through the shallowest fordes the Germans wade.

And now at last th' Aegyptian Souldiers

Are forc'd, though loth, to enter equall warres.

But feare made them vnequall, and subdu'd

As soone as fought with, by the fortitude

Of Caesar's men, who else had sought in vaine

By so much sweat and labour to obtaine

A battell, had they not a conquest had:

And now a slaughter, not a warre was made.

The King from out his loftie Campe beheld

His slaughtred Souldiers bodies strow the field,

Which late they stood vpon: for scarce by flight

Were any saued; the Caesarian spight

Pursu'd the conquest which they had obtain'd

With such a fury, that the fields distain'd

All ore with blood, might let th' Aegyptians see

How they before had fought vnequally.

[Page]He viewes how few return'd, that newes to tell,

Which he had seene, and knew too sadly well.

But to the Campe those, that escaped were

Brought nothing but astonishment and feare.

Th' incamped finde in them no aid at all,

But see the greatnesse of their fellowes fall:

Whom Caesar's men so swiftly follow home,

That to the trenches, and out-workes they come.

Caesar, that neuer in his battells, held

A foe subdu'd, till from his Campe expell'd,

Exhorts his Souldiers to forget their paines

And freshly force the workes, whilest feare there reignes,

To end this warre, and with the wealthy spoyle

Of Aegypts King to recompence their toyle.

Nor need the Souldiers be incouraged

To seeke their wages for the blood they shed.

They first inuade that little necke of land

Which twixt the riuer and the lake did stand.

But that th' Aegyptian Souldiers most doe guard;

When on the passage there begins a hard

And bloody conflict; one side fight to make

Their conquest perfect, and the fruit to take:

Tother despaire in stead of courage armes;

For vanquished they feare the worst of harmes.

From either side the passage where they stood,

The lake and riuer are distain'd with blood.

Downe halfe dead bodies they precipitate,

Who drown'd in water taste a double fate.

There oft together, as they fighting stand,

Aegyptians and Caesarians hand in hand

Doe grappling fall into the crimson lake;

Nor there (alas) their enmitie forsake:

But weakely trie the combat out, where he

That conquers can no long suruiuour be.

[Page]Whilest on that side the Campe, both parties fought

So furiously, and all hands thither brought;

Caesar perceiued on the other side,

That seem'd enough by nature fortifi'd,

Where the ascent was craggie, steepe, and hard

To climbe, that Ptolomey had left no guard;

Or those that had beene left, from thence were gone

To tother side, as aid, or lookers on.

Thither his lightest cohorts he commands;

Bold Carfulenus leads those actiue hands,

Who straight, as Caesar gaue in charge to him,

With those light-armed cohorts gins to climbe.

Th'ascent so steepe and hard, that to the foe

Did seeme impregnable, but prou'd not so,

Brought on their ruine; death there enter'd in,

From whence with greatest ease he might haue beene

Repel'd by them. But Carfulenus now

Entring th'Aegyptian Campe, with small adoe

Kills or repells his few resisting foes,

Feare and distraction through the Campe arose.

The workes, whilest to and fro th' amazed runne,

On euery side by the Caesarians wonne:

To whom for mercy now they sue in vaine,

Nor does the Generall their swords restraine;

But bids them kill, and in their slaughter free

The world from so much fraud and treachery.

Part of th'Aegyptian-Campe had beene before

Romes legionary Souldiers, and brought ore

Vnder Gabinius, there in Aegypt left

Were by her pleasures softned, and bereft

Of military vertue, and became

Degenerate staines vnto the Roman name.

Like the Aegyptians they were growne to be

In manners, basenesse, fraud, and treachery.

[Page]Not farre from thence, vnto the riuer side

A little vessell by a rope was ti'd:

Whither the King in this tumultuous heat

Of flight, escaped from the Campe, doth get;

And now aboord, commands his slender traine

With all their strength to launch it forth amaine.

His purple robe vpon the shore he throwes

To flie disguis'd; but cruell Fate allowes

No flight nor safetie to him; nought at all

Gaines his disguise but a Plebeian fall.

For loe the flying multitude espi'd

(That from the Campe prest to the riuers side)

That barke, contending all to get aboord

To saue themselues, respectlesse of their Lord.

He cries, the King is here; doe not intrude;

There is no safetie for a multitude

In one small vessell; why should you destroy

(Losing your selues) the life of Ptolomey?

Though Fortune worke my ruine, doe not you

Murder your King: but Caesar's men pursue,

Amazement stops their eares, and feare of sword

Had banish'd all allegiance to their Lord:

Till, the ore-laden vessell sinking downe,

Themselues together with their King they drowne.

Mixt with Plebeian deaths a Monarch lies

The royall race of th' ancient Ptolomey's

Vnder no couert but his Nile's cold waues,

No Pyramids, nor rich Mausolean graues,

Nor sacred Vaults, whose structures doe excell:

As his fore-fathers ashes proudly dwell,

And dead, as liuing, doe their wealth expresse

In sumptuous tombes as gorgeous Palaces.

Vnhappie Ptolomey, how short a date

Haue Fates allotted to thy kingly State?

[Page]No otherwise didst thou a Crowne obtaine

Than sacrifices, crowned to be slaine.

Happier might'st thou haue di'd, before thy reigne

(Though short it were) had left that lasting staine

Of Pompey's death vpon thy name, and shew'd

To future times thy foule ingratitude,

Depriuing him of breath, that did before

Thy banish'd e Father to a Crowne restore.

And now to that dead Roman worthyes Tombe

Art thou enforc'd a Sacrifice to come

T'appease his Ghost, and offer'd vp by him,

In whose behalfe thou did'st that heinous crime.

Who chooses rather to reuenge, than owe

To thee, so base a ruine of his foe.

Caesar, possest of this great victory,

By land, through Delta marches speedily

To Alexandria; but supposing there

How much the Citie his iust wrath might feare,

He sends before to comfort them, and free

Th' inhabitants from feare and iealousie.

To be with ioy receiued, he declares

That all his wrath is ended with his warres;

That he, as Romes Dictatour, would preserue

Their liues and liberties, and still reserue

The Crowne of Aegypt free, rightly to place

Vpon the next of Lagus royall race.

And that no other now was his intent

Than to confirme f Auletes g Testament.

[Page]

Annotations to the first Booke.

a Thus Dion; Caesar beleeued that the Aegyptians had truly desired peace, disheartned with their designes not succeeding (for he had heard they were a people by nature timorous and vnconstant;) but howsoeuer their intentions were, he resolued to grant their request, lest he should seeme to withstand an offered peace; he sends therefore their King to them; for by his presence he knew there was no increase of strength brought to them, considering his age and bad education: by this meanes he supposed he might afterwards conclude a peace with the Aegyptians vpon his owne termes, or finde a iust pretence of conquering the Countrey, and giuing the Kingdome to Cleopatra: for he was not at all afraid of their strength now, hauing receiued his army out of Syria. Dion. lib. 42.

b The young King educated in false and deceitfull disciplines, that he might not seeme to degenerate from the manners of his Nation, weeping intreated Caesar that he would not send him from him; for enioying of a Kingdome could not be to him so pleasant as the presence of Caesar. Caesar moued with his teares comforted him, and promised if there were need shortly to visite him; but Ptolomey at libertie, began immediatly to warre against Caesar with so fierce and eager a desire, that the teares which at the parting he shed, might seeme to be teares of ioy. Hirt. Commen. de bello Alexan.

c None of the Roman ships came at all to the succour of Euphranor, either bacause they durst not partake of the danger, or because they had a strong confidence in the great vertue, and extraordinary felicitie of Euphranor, which in all his other fights had euer attended him: so that he only at that time behaued himselfe well, and perished alone with his victorious Galley. Hirt. Commen. de bello Alexan.

d Of this towne Canopus, and the Temple of Serapis there, [Page] thus Strabo speakes in his seuenteenth booke; Canopus distant from Alexandria an hundred and twentie furlongs by land, was so called from Canopus Menelaus his Master of his ship, who was buried there: in it is the Temple of Serapis, with great deuotion honoured amongst them, insomuch as the Noblemen put great affiance in that god, and come thither to take dreames both for themselues and others: some of them haue written of diuers cures which haue beene there wrought, and many miracles in seuerall kindes: but aboue all other things, wonderfull is that number, who vpon Festiuall times come downe thither by the Lake from Alexandria: for night and day is that Lake full of boats, in which men and women with songs, and gestures of all manner of Lasciuiousnesse doe recreate themselues; and in Canopus it selfe, diuers Jnns there are vpon the Lake side to entertaine passengers with such leuities and vaine delights. Strabo lib. 17.

e This young King Ptolomeus Dionysius sonne to Ptolomeus Auletes the last of all the race of Ptolomey's, by the wicked counsell of his followers, as Photinus the Eunuch, Achillas Captaine of the guard, and Theodorus Chius the Rhetorician, had vnthankefully slaine Pompey the great flying to him in his necessitie, who before had beene the greatest meanes of restoring his father Auletes to the Crowne of Aegypt. Dion. Plutarch. Appion.

f Auletes Ptolomeus the ninth Ptolomey from the sonne of Lagus, who after the death of Alexander the great possessed Aegypt, was a man (saith Strabo) of most dissolute and wicked manners, for which he was expelled his kingdome by the people of Alexandria; who made the eldest of his three daughters Queene ouer them; his two sonnes being both infants had by this meanes lost all hope of succession in their fathers Kingdome: the Queene elected was married to one Cybiosactes of Syria, who deriued his pedigree from the ancient Syrian Kings: but the Queene within few dayes strangled her husband, not able to endure his sordid and base nature; and married her selfe to Archelaus, [Page] who fained himselfe the sonne of Mithridates Eupator; but was indeed the sonne of that Archelaus, who had warred against Sylla, but was afterwards h [...]noured by the Romans, and grandfather to him who reigned last in our times ouer Cappadocia: this Archelaus liuing then with Gabinius, whom he promised to aid in a warre against the Parthians, was by some of his friends (vnknowne to Gabinius) brought vnto the Queene, and declared King: at that time the banished King Ptolomeus Auletes was fled to Rome, and there kindly entertained by Pompey the Great, and by him commended to the Senate: Pompey aduised them to restore Auletes to his Kingdome and put to death those Embassadours that were come thither to plead against their Prince, of which Embassage Dio the Academian was chiefe. Auletes therefore brought backe to his Kingdome by Gabinius ouercame, and killed the Queene his daughter, and Archelaus his sonne in law; dying sh [...]rtly after he left behinde him two sonnes and two daughters. Strabo lib. 17.

g Ptolomeus Auletes by his testament had willed (according to the incestuous custome of that family) that his eldest sonne Ptolomey should marry his eldest daughter Cleopatra, and with her enioy the Crowne of Aegypt: the procuration of this testament was by him assigned to the people of Rome, which Caesar as Dictator had power to execute. Dion. lib. 42. Hirt. Commen. de bello Alexand.

FINIS.

THE SECOND BOOKE.

[Page]

The Argument of the second Booke.

Faire Cleopatra is espous'd, and led

A wife in name, to her young brothers bed:

Great Caesar's heart her tempting beauties fire,

Who reapes the wanton fruit of his desire.

The scatter'd reliques of Pharsalia

Scipio vnites againe in Affrica.

The strength of Varus there; each nations name,

That vnder Iuba's royall standard came.

Caesar from Aegypt 'gainst Pharnaces goes,

And vanquishes, as soone as sees, his foes:

Erects a trophee there; and crossing ore

More swift than thought, arriues on Libya's shore.

THe Alexandrian Citizens releast

From all their feares by Caesar's pardon, feast

With ioy; extoll his goodnesse to the skies,

And to their gods deuoutly sacrifice

With vsuall rites: Alas, you doe not know

Fond Alexandrians, to whom you owe

Your Cities safetie; not those deities,

That you with vaine and barbarous mysteries

Adore, haue wrought it; nor could all your Towers,

Your stately Temples, Tombes of Conquerours,

Nor Alexander's buri'd dust, which more

Than your religion Caesar's thoughts adore,

[Page]Preuaile so much in purchasing his grace,

As beauties charmes in Cleopatra's face.

It was the glance of her bewitching eyes,

Had power to helpe your helplesse deities:

Nor was it fit such people, rites, and lawes

Should owe their safetie to a better cause.

Great Cleopatra mistresse of the State,

To giue the conquering author of her Fate

High entertainment, to his eye displayes

Th' Aegyptian wealth in such luxurious wayes

As might excuse euen Rome, and make the riot

Of her degenerate Senate seeme the diet

Which th' ancient Curii, and Camillus vs'd,

Not what her Asian victories infus'd.

The gorgeous Pallace with such lustre shone

As wealthy kingdomes neere their ruine growne

Vse to expresse; which shew the present crimes,

And speake the fortune of precedent times.

But Caesar's eyes in all that wealthy store,

Which he so lately had beheld before,

No pleasure finde, nor with delight viewes he

The golden roofes, nor precious imag'ry,

Rich Eben pillars, boords of Citron wood,

Which on their carued Iuory tressells stood:

Nor curious hangings doe his eyes admire.

For Cleopatra's beautie, and attire

Did quite eclipse all obiects, and outshone

All other splendours; on her lookes alone

His eyes are fix'd; which, though beheld before,

The more he viewes, doe rauish him the more.

All other obiects lose at second sight;

But womans beautie breeds the more delight

The ofter seene: he viewes that snowie necke,

Those golden tresses, which no gems can decke.

[Page]The wealth, she wore about her, seem'd to hide,

Not to adorne her natiue beauties pride.

Though there bright Pearles from th' Erythraean shores,

From all th' Assyrian lakes, the wealthy stores

Of siluer Ganges, and Hydaspes shone;

From Aegypts Easterne Iles the gold-like stone,

And cheerefull Emeraulds gather'd from the greene

Arabian rocks were in full splendour scene.

Pale Onyx, Iaspers of a various die,

And Diamonds darkned by her brighter eye.

The Saphires blew, by her more azure veines,

Hung not to boast, but to confesse their staines.

And blushing Rubies seem'd to lose their die

When her more ruby lips were mouing by.

It seem'd (so well became her what she wore)

She had not robb'd at all the creatures store,

But had beene natures selfe, there to haue show'd

What she on creatures could, or had bestow'd.

But Caesar's heart enflamed long before

Burnes with fresh fury, and resolues no more

Now to conceale, but feed the pleasing flame.

What power (quoth he) controules my wish, what fame?

What would the sowrest seeming vertue doe

Arm'd with a power like me, and tempted so?

By such a beautie as from guilt would free

A Rauisher, and make adulterie

No crime at all, but such a piece of vice

As former times vnto the Deities

Did oft impute; had Cleopatra beene

By those renowned Graecian writers seene,

Whose deathlesse Poems in the skies aboue

Haue fix'd so many paramours of Joue;

Before the daughters of faire Pleione,

Atlanta, Maia, and Taygete, she

[Page]Had there beene grac'd: her Tresses farre more faire

Had shew'd in Heauen than Berenices haire.

Calistho's Waine had not in skies beene set,

Nor Ariadnes shining Coronet,

Till Cleopatra's Starre had found a place,

And chose what part of Heauen she meant to grace.

Let Ioue my warrant be; whom powerfull loue

So oft has forc'd from Heauen; or let it proue

The Thunderers excuse to future times

That Caesar now partakes the Thunderers crimes.

There is no cause thou should'st misdoubt thy suit,

No waking Dragon keepes that golden fruit

Thou mean'st to taste, nor need'st thou feare to finde

That beautie guarded by too chast a minde.

Yet wanton loue, and Cupids childish fires,

Which warme Plebeian hearts, and moue desires

In rurall Girles, and lowly Shepherds swaines,

Aid not thy suit, Oh Caesar. She disdaines

That common cause should make her beautie yeeld

To thy embraces; her proud brest was fill'd

With higher thoughts; desire of Soueraigntie,

Aspiring hopes of State and Maiestie

In Cleopatra's brest had now controll'd

All other passions; had her blood beene cold,

Yet when ambition pleaded on thy side,

Her chastitie had yeelded to her pride.

That reason Caesar, that did first subdue

Thy loyaltie to Rome, made thee embrue

Thy parricidall hands in her sad wounds,

And die with blood Thessalia's guiltie grounds,

Proues now the selfe same cause that conquered

This Queene, and drew her to thy wanton bed.

Let not the guiltie greatnesse of thy minde

Be by vaine men extoll'd; since here we finde

[Page]A womans brest the same impressions moue:

Ambitious pride, and Soueraignties dire loue

Alike in thee and Cleopatra plac'd,

Made thee disloyall proue, and her vnchast.

Caesar, lest Rome should iudge he first did moue

This warre alone for Cleopatra's loue,

To winne for her, not for his Countries sake,

(For conquer'd Aegypt he intends to make

No a Roman prouince) and on th' other side

Too much suspecting that th' Aegyptians pride,

His bountious fauour would farre lesse esteeme

If that a woman wore their Diadem,

Whilest yet a male childe liu'd of Lagus blood;

Thus cleares both doubts; to make the action good

One colour serues: young Ptolomey, whom he

Before had married to Arsinoë,

A childe of eight yeares old, must now supply

The roome of his dead brother Ptolomey,

And weare two shadowes both of loue and State,

Of Aegypts King, and Cleopatra's mate.

What more than names, poore boy, dost thou obtaine?

As vaine thy marriage is, as is thy reigne,

And but in title nothing is thine owne:

Caesar thy bed possesses, she thy Crowne.

Nor canst thou yet so much as riuall proue

In Cleopatra's reigne, or Caesar's loue.

Yet happie art thou that thy tender age

Cannot enioy th' incestuous marriage:

For if the match for thee had beene more fit,

Thou had'st contracted greater guilt from it,

And with fowle Incest stain'd a brothers name;

But whilest thou want'st the fruit, thou want'st the blame.

Now without care thou dost a Crowne obtaine,

And an Incestuous marriage without staine.

[Page]Now nights blacke mantle had the earth ore-spread,

And all the host of Starres in Phaebus stead

(Though with lesse light) adorn'd the spangled skie:

When Caesar fir'd with loue, and raised high

With M [...]roës sparkling wine, pursues his suit,

And soone obtaines the wish'd and wanton fruit

Of his late warres and toiles; his fame and glory,

His power, and gifts the strongest oratory

Had woo'd, and wonne the Queene to his delight,

Within whose armes he spends the wanton night.

Nor, Cleopatra, was 't a crime in thee;

Th' incestuous custome of thy family,

Where sisters wiues on brothers are bestow'd,

And mixture of the nearest names allow'd,

Makes this a vertuous loue: thou had'st beene led

With greater guilt to such a Nuptiall bed;

And 'tis thy fate, thy beautie cannot be

Better enioy'd than by adulterie.

Yet from the burden of her fruitfull wombe

Both hers, and Caesar's punishment come.

For young b Caesario, whom their loues short ioy

With aduerse Fates begets (vnhappy boy)

Vntimely slaine, shall be in future time

Augustus Caesar's parricidall crime,

And Caesar's house with Caesar's blood shall blot;

Thy guilt, Augustus, is that night begot,

Which shall hereafter those rich triumphs staine,

Which thou from Aegypts conquest shalt obtaine;

Vnlesse that flattery be taught for thee

To wrest all natures lawes, and policie

Of State, together with the peace of Rome

Alleag'd to iustifie thy bloody doome.

Whilest Caesar thus a wanton Conquerour

In Aegypt stayes, the Senats scatter'd power

[Page]And flying legions from Pharsalia

Scipio againe vnites in Affrica,

'Great Pompey's father in law, who now ore all

Is by consent elected Generall.

Stout Labienus most engag'd of all

In hate to Caesar, (though against the Gaule

He vnder Caesar's colours oft had fought)

Serues vnder him; and matchlesse Cato brought

By no engagement of a priuate cause,

But for his Countries libertie and lawes.

d Petreius falsely there takes armes againe

'Gainst Caesar's side, by Caesar once in Spaine

Pardon'd before; there Attius e Varus stands,

Who all the Roman Prouinces commands

In Affrick, once proud Carthage feodars:

Who brings his Punick forces to the warres,

Subtle in warlike slights, with Targets light,

Short swords, and brests vnarm'd they vse to fight▪

And still in battell weare their Cassocks red

To hide the colour of the blood they shed.

Drie Barces scorch'd, and euer-thirsting sands

Send men to Varus; there the warlike bands

Of hot Cyrene stand, the progeny

Of Pelops stain'd and tragick family,

That from Mycena came; there th' Aaeans stood

Mixed of Libyan and Sicilian blood;

And those of Tabraca, th' old Tyrians brood.

The men of Leptis, and at Hippo bred,

Where the Phaenicians first inhabited

When they to Affrick came; Hippo, whose site

Made it the ancient Libyan Kings delight.

And there in armes the men of Thapsus be,

That from the Latines draw their pedigree.

Juba to these his mighty army brings,

Juba the greatest of all Affricks Kings,

[Page]Who had already giuen a fatall blow

In Curio's sad and mortall ouerthrow

To Caesar's side: No Libyan King alone

Commands so large and vast a region.

Th' extent of his dominion lies as farre

As Thera's plaines, and horned Ammon are

From Mauritania's farthest Westerne lands,

Where neare the Gades heauen-propping Atlas stands.

With whom to warre so many nations went

Of manners, rites, and habits different;

Fierce Mauritanians, which deriue their race

From th' ancient Medes, who peopled first the place.

The Nasamonians euer bare and poore

Till wrackes at Sea enrich their fatall shore

With mankindes ruine; the scorch'd swarthy bands

Of Garamantians, on whose barren sands

No shady trees ere spred, no flockes doe feed,

Nor ought but serpents, and dire monsters breed.

With these Marmarians march, whom nature makes

As antidotes against those mortall Snakes.

Then march the vagrant bold Numidians

On well-rein'd Steeds; and light Massylians,

Who euermore their Horses bitlesse ride;

And them alone with slender wands can guide▪

The strong Getulians, that no dwellings know,

But with their heards doe wander too and fro;

That in no sports but dangerous delight;

And singly dare with raging Lions fight.

The light Autololes, whose winged speed,

In running, farre out-strips the swiftest Steed,

Equalls the winds themselues, and, as they passe,

Scarce bend the standing corne, or slender grasse.

The cole-blacke Mibian next, vpon whose brow

And curled-lockes the scorching Sunne doth show

[Page]His lasting Tyranny; who to the warre

Does lightly goe, his brest and body bare,

And neuer iron nor brasse armour weares;

Great linnen Turbants on his head he beares

In stead of helmes: his arrowes mortall points

With venom'd iuyce he treacherously annoints.

Shaggie Cyniphians too were armed there

Who Goats rough skinnes vpon their shoulders weare,

Their beards oregrowne and horrid: neare to these

With painted shields the Adyrmachides

Arm'd on the left side only, not the right;

And swords, like sickles, crook'd they vse in fight.

Of diet course and rude; their meat vpon

The sands is roasted by the scorching Sun.

Besides the troops that were from Vaga sent,

That from Ruspina and faire Zamah went.

From all these seuerall places Iuba drawes

A royall Army t' aid the Senates cause,

Ioyning himselfe with Roman Scipio.

With all these forces they intend to goe

When first the spring her verdant face shall show,

And comfortable gales of Zephyre blow,

T' inuade their natiue Countrey, and set free

Subiected Rome from Caesar's Tyrannie:

And this their great designe from the euent

Of old examples found encouragement.

Since sad experiences did often shew

Romes strength, neere Rome, 't was easiest to subdue.

They knew the barbarous Cimbrian, furious Gaule,

The force of Carthage led by Hannibal

Beat oft in forren parts by Roman powers,

In Italy prou'd easie Conquerours.

With these they sadly call to minde how soone

Cinna, Sertorius, Carbo, Marius wonne

[Page]Rome by surprise, though beat in forren lands

With ease by Sylla, and great Pompey's hands.

And last of all, when this sad warre begun,

And Caesar first had crossed Rubicon,

Pompey without one conflict fled away,

And Rome to him became an easie prey.

But Caesar's fortune frustrates their intents;

His wonted speed and strange successe preuents

Their expedition; and, as euery where

He had before, so playes th' assailant here.

Too soone, alas, shall you in Affrick see

Whom you intend to seeke in Italy.

But Caesar plung'd in Aegypts soft delights

Insnar'd by beautie, and the charming slights

Of Cleopatra, could almost forget

How many armed foes, and forces, yet

Oppose his growing fortunes, and remaine

Threatning the height of his vsurped reigne.

As when Alcides with ill fate had seene

The tempting beauties of th' Oechalian Queene▪

His brawny shoulders straight forget to weare

The lions skin, his awfull hand to beare

The monster-taming club; from his rough head

The poplar garland falls; no tyrants dread

That world-auenging strength; which had well nigh

Beene sunke into a famelesse lethargy.

And Iuno's hopes of great Alcides fall

A womans beautie further'd more than all

Those monstrous plagues, which she had power t' inuent,

Or could from aire, earth, seas, or hell be sent.

But Fortune findes alarums to awake

The soule of Caesar from this dreame, and make

Compleat for him the worke she had begun,

Whither she hasten'd Romes sad ruine on;

[Page]Or rather blush'd such liberties and lawes,

Should owe their safetie to so base a cause

As Caesar's sloth; and iudg'd it better farre

Than keepe it so, to lose it by a warre:

That warre alone, which built vp Romes high reigne,

Should now haue power to ruine her againe.

Nor were the Fates pleas'd that the wanton loue

Of Cleopatra should more helpfull proue

To Romes affaires, than all those iust-drawne swords,

Which once Thessalia, Libya now affords.

Yet was it now no strength, no armes of Rome,

No part of Ciuill warre drew Caesar from

Aegypts delights; f Pharnaces feeble power

Prouok'd him first to make him Conquerour

Of greater forces than his owne; as when

A sleeping Lion's couched in his den,

The horned heards securely graze along

The verdant pastures; till that Lion stung

By some presumptuous little Gnat awake,

And wanting there his full reuenge, doth make

Those cattell feele his wrath; whose liues anon

Doe rue the little Gnat's presumption.

This false Pharnaces, who from Pompey's hand

Receiu'd (as price of parricide) the land

Of rich Cimmerian Bosphorus, was sonne

To Mithridates, whose fear'd power had wonne

From Nicomedes his Bithynia,

Conquer'd Armenia, Cappadocia,

And wealthyest Graecian Iles, whose swelling fame

Began to riuall Romes victorious name,

And long withstood her growing Fate; at last

By Pompey's force from all his kingdomes chac'd

He fell by treason, to increase the shame

Of his false sonne, and lessen Pompey's fame.

[Page] Pharnaces now with vaine ambition swell'd,

Deceiu'd by flattering hopes, when he beheld

Romes broiles, and saw how her diuided bands

Against themselues imploy'd their conquering hands,

Sought to regaine what once his father had,

And gan the Roman prouinces inuade:

In Asia minor, (his first enterprise

Fortune beholding with propitious eyes)

Domitius fall, who with ill Fate imploy'd

The swords of Caesar, rais'd his boasting pride.

Nicopolis, whose loftie walls were there

Founded as Pompey's Trophees, still to beare

Name of his Conquest, and the place to show

Of Mithridate [...] finall ouerthrow,

Beheld the slaughter of Domitius hosts

A parentation to the Ponticke ghosts.

Nine times had Cynthia now restor'd againe

Light to her waned hornes, when Caesar chain'd

In Cleopatra's wanton armes, had stay'd

On Aegypts coast; her swelling wombe display'd

At last th' effect of an adulterous bed.

Whom Caesar thus departing comforted:

Faire Queene, sole mistresse of thy Caesar's State,

The fate of him that rules all other fate,

Pharnaces cruell to himselfe and me,

With his owne ruine parts our company.

His treasons, Loue, now call my vengefull steele.

Doe not thou grieue; the conquer'd foes shall feele

Our parting griefe, and in their slaughter see

With how much anger Caesar goes from thee.

But that poore King dares not my force withstand;

He onely drawes me from this happie land,

To make a iourney rather than a warre,

For he at first will flie, and easier farre

[Page]May I obtaine a conquest than a fight:

His dastard troops my name alone shall fright.

And easie triumph comes; but I from thee

Goe grieu'd to triumphs, sad to victory.

From thee, whose eyes make Aegypts swarthy face

Brighter than that white path the gods doe trace▪

Without whose light no land breeds my content▪

And Rome it selfe to me is banishment.

But Fate to vs farre greater conquests owes:

How much, alas, would Cleopatra lose

If Caesar stay'd at home? we haue not yet

Fully attain'd that world-commanding height,

That must enthrone thy beautie in a State

High as it selfe, for all to wonder at

Like some new Constellation: those that neare

Th' Antartick pole, ne're see the Northren Beare

Descend into the Ocean; those that lie

(Enduring winters lasting tyranny)

Vnder the frozen wa [...]e, and lose the sight

Of bright Canopus, whose desired light

Cheeres this Horizon still, shall both adore

Faire Cleopatra's name; the farthest shore

That Peleus siluer-footed wife doth know

Shall honour thee; euen Rome her selfe shall bow,

And with her Eagles shall thy State maintaine,

Whilest Kings doe wait in Cleopatra's traine.

For such effects, faire Queene, (if Caesar know

His Fate aright) shall this our parting now

Returne to thee when I in triumph come:

By this deare part of Caesar, which thy wombe

Encloses here, thou shalt engage our speed:

Therefore farewell; we must pursue in deed

Our consultations, swiftly as we thought.

But Cleopatra, whom loues Queene had taught

[Page]All winning wiles; and blest with such a face

As teares became, and griefe it selfe did grace,

Thus with a seeming griefe, and teares replies:

I dare not hope to change the Fates, or prize

My worthlesse prayers at so high a rate,

As to haue power to change at all the State

Of Caesar's great resolues, on which depend

All nations Fates, and all the Starres attend.

If by their prayers fraile Mortalitie

Should hope to alter what the gods decree,

'Twere a proud pietie. Ile rather lose

My suit, and checke my loue, than interpose

It so; and rather to my selfe deny

The happinesse of Caesar's company,

Than loue it with so great presumption,

As, for mine owne delights, to hinder one

Of his resolues; yet pardon, mighty Lord,

If to mine owne desires I doe afford

One place in loue: cannot Great Caesar thriue

In these his warres, if Cleopatra liue

Neere to his person? Can it ouerthrow

His fortune to procure my safetie so?

There's no retreat in all the world for me,

So safe as thy victorious Campe will be.

But I am pleas'd to stay at thy command

In Aegypt still, and still suppose this land

Within Great Caesar's reach; whose powerfull hands

From siluer Ganges to the Baetick sands,

From Pole to Pole extend their conquering force:

No distances of place can long diuorce

Vs two, if Caesar in his loue can be

As speedy as in warre and victory,

And march as farre to finde his friends as foes▪

This pledge, which I within my selfe inclose,

[Page]Assures my longing minde against delay,

That Caesar long will not protract his stay.

Then with a kisse he bad the Queene adieu;

And wing'd with haste into Armenia flew

Swifter than lightning, or the Southern wind

Along through Libya's yeelding aire, to finde

Pharnaces out; whom he (past thought) oretooke

Neere Zela walls, and vanquish'd with a looke.

Soone beat, he left behinde him nought at all

That might deserue a mention, but his fall:

Nor can there ought of this short warre be said

But Caesar g came, and saw, and vanquished.

How much did Pompey's honour suffer there▪

When Caesar's troops beheld that nations feare?

And saw how easie 'twas to conquer them?

How vndeseru'd did his great triumph seeme

Ore Pontus and Armenia? More was lost

Than poore Pharnaces Crowne, and feeble host;

The fame of Pompey was orethrowne that day,

When Caesar boasting could finde cause to say;

Oh Pompey; happie thou, that by defeat

Of these base nations, got'st the name of Great;

Whilest I subduing the fierce Ganles, deseru'd.

No name, enioy'd no triumph: had'st thou seru'd

Beyond the frozen Alpes, or past the bound

Of Rhenes swift streame, the big-bon'd Germans found,

A difference twixt our acts thou then had'st seene;

Our Ciuill warres perchance had neuer beene.

Yet ere that he from thence to Affrick passe,

Though haste important vrge him, in the place

A stately Trophee he erects to show

To future times Pharnaces ouerthrow,

Not farre from that proud Trophee, which before

Great Mithridates for his Conquest ore

[Page] Triarius, had erected: that this story

Might quite eclipse old Mithridates glory,

Or please his Manes, that the field there wonne

Tooke punishment of his vnnaturall sonne.

But greater warres call Caesar thence away;

Scipio not farre from Adrumetum lay

With all the power of Rome, but did not h now

Since Winters fury rag'd, expect a foe.

For Phaebus lampe, to our Horizon low,

The shortest dayes, and coldest did bestow

From Capricorne, cold Winter glaz'd the floods,

And pur [...]'d with frost the fields and naked woods.

But Caesar's heart, admitting no delay,

Whose speedy march no season ere could stay,

When he his third Dictatorship at Rome

Had tane, and thence to Sicily was come,

Lest any time should to his fame be lost,

Euen then the Seas from Lilybaeum crost.

And sailing by the Libyan shores, espies

Great Carthages halfe-ruin'd edifice;

And Clupe as fatall station passes by

With griefe remembring how vnhappily

Bold Curio there did with his legions land,

A wofull prey to Juba's barbarous band.

Then from this ominous place he sailes away

Westward along; and leauing Vri [...]a

(Where Cato then in Garrison did lie;

Cato the soule of Roman libertie,

Who from that Towne must shortly take a name,

And leaue the Towne, in lieu, eternall fame)

At Ad [...]umetum lands; vpon which coast

Scipio encampes with all his Roman hoast.

[Page]

Annotations to the second Booke.

a Dion relates it thus; Caesar hauing subdued Aegypt, would not subiect it, as a Prouince to the people of Rome, but bestowed it wholly vpon Cleopatra, for whose sake he bad made the whole warre in Aegypt; yet fearing lest the Aegyptians vnder the reigne of a woman would rebell againe, and that he might perchance alienate the hearts of the Romans from himselfe by reason of this, and the familiaritie, which he was knowne to haue w [...]th Cleopatra, he gaue her in marriage to her younger brother, and confirmed the Kingdome to them both; which was indeed but a show, for Cleopatra wholly possessed the power; her husband being a childe; therefore vnder a pretext of marriage, by which she should ioyne with her brother in the Kingdome, she both reigned alone, and enio [...]ed the bed of Caesar. Dion. lib. 42.

b This Caesario, both Dion and Plutarch report to be the sonne of Iulius Caesar by Cleopatra, when after the Alexandrian warre, and before his expedition against King Pharnaces, he stayed in Aegypt (according to Dion) nine moneths: after the victory of Augustus Caesar against Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra, this Caesario being sent away for safetie into Aethiopia (saith Dion) was intercepted in the iourney and slaine by Caesar's command: the reasons that moued Augustus to this cruelty were partly the Counsell (according to Plutarch) of Arius the Philosopher, his Tutor, who told him it was not s [...]fe to suffer too many Caesars: partly the remembrance of what Antonius had done, who before had commended this Caesario to the old Souldiers, aduising them rather to honour the true and naturall sonne of Iulius Caesar, than Octauius who was but an adopted heire.

c Scipio was chosen Generall of all the Roman forces in Affrica that meant to continue the warre against Caesar, partly by reason of his dignitie, and partly by an absurd persuasion (saith [Page] Dion) that no Scipio in Affrick could be vnfortunate: which thing when Caesar perceiued might encourage the enemie, and disharten his Souldiers, he tooke along with him a certaine obscure man descended of the ra [...]e of the Scipios, and of that name (but his surname was Salatto) and with him to thwart the other superstitious feare, he landed at Adrumetum before the enemie expected him, it being then an vnse [...]sonable time of yeare. Dio. lib. 43.

d Varus so long had gouerned those Countries, and was so puffed vp by the victory of [...]uba (saith Dion) that he contended with Scipio himselfe for the chiefe command: but by the authoritie of Cato it was swayed on Scipio's side. Cato, when all the Souldiers offered to him the chiefe command, or at least to be ioyned Generall with Scipio, refused both; accounting it iust that he which by the lawes had attained the highest dignitie, should haue now the greatest command; but hee himselfe had neuer attained to so much dignitie in Rome as Scipio; to him therefore of his owne accord he yeelded place, and gaue him also that army which he had brought into Affrick. Dion. lib. 43.

e Petreius had before beene vanquished by Caesar in Spa [...]ne. Lucan. lib 4. He was th [...]n pardoned and set free vpon oath neuer to warre against Caesar againe; which oath here hee violated.

f Cleopatra (saith Dion) had stayed Caesar longer in Aegypt or else accompanied him to Rome, if Pharnaces had not beene the hindrance: this Pharnaces the sonne of great Mithridates was King of Bosphorus Cimmeriu [...]; but m [...]ued with an ambitious desire of recouering all his fathers Kingdome, while Rome was intangled in Ciuill warre, he had rebelled: and during the time of the Ciuill and Aegyptian warres had with small adoe subdued Colchis, and all Armenia in the absence of Deiotarus, besides many Cities of Cappadocia, Pontus, and Bithynia. Caesar busied then in the affaires of Aegypt, and hoping to subdue Pharnaces by a Lieutenants hand, sends Domitius Caluinus to that [Page] warre, commanding him to take the regency of Asia, and of those armies which he found there. Domitius ioyning the Kin [...]s Deiotarus and Ariobarzanes to him, marches directly against Pharnaces, who was then at Nicopolis, where in fight Domitius was vanquished. Dion. lib. 43.

g Those three words Veni, vidi, vici, did afterward in Caesar's triumph expresse his sudden Conquest of Pharnaces, and that then he vttered such a speech concerning Pompey, Appian is [...]y authoritie.

h Caesar in the midst of Winter sailed into Affrica; by which speed of his (saith Dion) in comming vnawares vpon his enemies, hee had often prospered in his greatest affaires: nor was there any other so great reason, why Caesar so much excelled all other Generalls of those times, as his wonderfull speed in all expeditions. Dion. lib. 42.

FINIS.

THE THIRD BOOKE.

[Page]

[Page]

The Argument of the third Booke.

Iuba from Scipio to his Kingdome goes.

Caesar escapes the ambush of the foes,

And till th' arriuall of his full supplies

Himselfe within Rhuspina fortifies.

Sage Cato's counsell to great Pompey's sonne.

Iuba's returne; the whole warre meets vpon

Vzzita's plaines, and is remou'd from thence

To Thapsus fatall fields: what dire ostents

Foregoe the battell; Caesar's victory.

To seuerall coasts the vanquish'd Princes flie.

NOw neere this mighty warre began to draw:

Those blood-stain'd swords, which dire Pharsalia saw,

With no lesse guilt in Libya meet againe,

To draw that little blood that did remaine

In Romes afflicted State: Why did you spare

It then, oh gods, to make a second warre?

Was it cause one, though ne're so great a blow,

The Roman Empire could not ouerthrow?

Or must moe lands behold her fall? moe grounds

Drinke in the blood of her vnnaturall wounds?

Or must this second warre declare to all

The State subsisted after Pompey's fall,

[Page]And once againe her freedome might haue seene

Had Caesar's warre alone 'gainst Pompey beene.

Rome now in Affrick is; those scorched grounds

That once her Conquest saw, now see her wounds.

Where once the Scipios with triumphant Fate

Aduanc'd her Eagles 'gainst a riuall State,

This Scipio now, in stead of barbarous foes,

In Romes behalfe 'gainst Romes Dictator goes.

But Fate a while, content with meaner play,

Respi [...]s the tryall of so great a day.

So many liues, as there resolu'd were met,

Must not be throwne into the hazard yet.

Nor must sad Thapsus giue the fatall blow

Of Juba's fall, and Scipio's ouerthrow,

Vntill Rhuspina, and Vzzita's walls

Haue felt the force of both the Generalls,

And other parts of Affrick haue beheld,

Some bloody Prologues to so great a held.

Fortune a while from helping Scipio,

Diuerts King Juba's strength, inforc'd to goe

With speedy marches to his Kingdomes aid;

Which a Sittius now and Bocchus did inuade.

And Caesar's troops remaining on the shore

Of Sicily, himselfe had crossed ore

Into a land possessed by his foes,

With one weake new-fill'd legion; nor to those

That stay'd behinde, could he appoint the port

Where they should land, or whither to resort,

(As be in former warres had euer done)

Committing all to Fortunes rule alone.

So much on her protection he rely'd;

Nor had she euer fail'd his greatest need.

Could it not seeme to thine ambitious thought

Caesar, enough, that Fortune euer wrought

[Page]Th'accomplishment of all thy highest hopes

When ere in field inuiron'd with thy troops

Thou foughts against the greatest foes; but she

Without an army too, must succour thee?

And all thy rash aduentures rectifie?

Was not thy scape from Aegypts treachery,

Thy safe arriuall on Brundusiums shore;

(The stormy Seas so boldly ventur'd ore

From Greece by night) enough for her to doe?

How oft shall Fortune more her fauour show

From priuate dangers in protecting thee,

Than in bestowing th' earths sole Monarchy?

From Adrumetum, where in Garrison

Confidius lay, whose truth could not be won

From Scipio's side, does Caesar march away

With his small army, but in faire array.

Since now his highest hopes were not to get

The Towne, but thence in safetie to retreat.

Nor was that granted him; Confidius horse

With furious sallyes oft molest his course,

And vex his Armies rere: t' encounter those

Assaults, does Caesar in the rere dispose

The ablest men, and marching slowly on

Safe to Rhuspina brings his legion.

Nor did that act of warre, though seeming small,

But well become so great a Generall.

From thence remouing, Leptis him receiues,

In which a little Garrison he leaues,

And to Rhuspina marches backe againe;

That onely Towne in Affrick did remaine

A safe retreat for Caesar's feeble power:

Nor thither then, vnlesse a Conquerour,

Could he arriue; danger beset the way.

Pierce Labienus and Pacidius lay

[Page]In ambush there: in which, though timely spi'd,

Was Caesar's skill, and Fortune wholly tri'd.

He breakes with conquest through the aduerse troops,

Fortune but mocking Labienus hopes.

Who now with losse forsakes the field, and beares

To Adrumetum his hurt Souldiers.

Caesar returning with his little band

Vnto Rhuspina, takes a worke in hand

Of wondrous toile, (since now resolu'd no more

To march from thence, till on the Libyan shore

His legions all arriue; whom euery day

Chiding the Winds, and Fortune for their stay,

His eager thoughts expect) two trenches downe

To the Sea-shore he drawes, one from the Towne,

Another from his Campe; on either side

With sharpned stakes, and engines fortifi'd

So well, as that, without the Garrison

They might by land secure both Campe and Towne,

And make the shore betweene at his dispose:

But there inclos'd by his insulting foes

(For Scipio now with his great strength drew nigh)

He payes, in wants, for that securitie.

Nor can his men from out their Trenches goe

To fetch prouision in by land; the foe

Cuts off all passage there; and in disdaine

Of Caesar's weaknesse, on the spatious plaine

Scipio oft sets his Battells in array,

Who 'mong'st themselues in wanton skirmish play,

And exercise their Elephants, in sight

Of Caesar's trenches, and vnusuall fight

In Roman armies; those beasts ne're had beene

Till Pyrrhus warr'd with Rome, by Romans seene;

Nor ere in Triumph to the people showne,

Till the Dictator Curius had orethrowne

[Page]The Samnites, Sabines, and King Pyrrhus power:

The like Metellus Cretes fam'd Conquerour,

From his Sicilian Victory did bring,

And Pompey's Triumph ore Numidia's King.

Vncertaine aids in warre they euer proue,

And with like danger to both armies moue,

As well their owne annoying as the foes,

Fitter for other labours (sure) than those;

Nor, though their strength be wondrous, for that end

Did prudent Nature those great beasts intend.

The Nabathaean lands, where they are bred,

Are recompens'd with those rich teeth they shed.

Through all the world a wealthy merchandise,

Which on their deaths oft sets a greedy price.

But greater farre the Easterne countrey yeelds

Than those within the Mauritanian fields,

And farre more fierce; such as in India

Great Alexander's frighted Souldiers saw.

These mighty beasts, as they in bulke exceed

And passe in strength all other farre, that feed

On earths vast bosome, doe as farre excell

(If ancient authors haue obserued well)

In apprehension, and large faculties

Of soule; 'mongst beasts they onely exercise

Those qualities (or like to them) which we

In men stile vertues; perfect equitie

They keepe, and lawes of iustice haue in vse;

To which all morall vertues we reduce.

Nor are these creatures thought by some to be

Quite void of th' intellectuall facultie.

But that they can discerne and vnderstand

The language spoken in their natiue land;

And might discourse, if to so strange a wit

Nature had pleas'd to lend them organs fit:

[Page]Not speake as Crowes and Parrats oft haue done

By imitation of a sound alone.

If we so much to Elephants should giue,

Why should we call them creatures sensitiue?

We must extend the facultie of sense

To larger bounds; and put lesse difference

Twixt that and reason; or betwixt the two

Finde out a middle region to bestow

Their knowledge in; as to some things that liue

We place twixt sense and vegetation giue.

But in a higher kinde (as some relate)

Doe Elephants with men communicate.

(If you beleeue it) a religion

They haue, and monethly doe adore the Moone.

Beside the loftie Nabathaean wood

Of vast extent, Amylo's gentle flood

Gliding along the sandy mould combines:

Thither, as oft as wexing Cynthia shines

In her first borrowed light, from out the wood

Come all the Elephants, and in the flood

Washing themselues (as if to purifie)

They prostrate fall; and when religiously

They haue ador'd the Moone, returne againe

Into the woo is with ioy. Nor halfe so vaine

Is this deuotion which these beasts present,

As that which men more brutishly inuent;

Nor (as the mad Aegyptians vs'd) doe they

To Dogges and Snakes, and vilest creatures pray▪

Nor to the senselesse Leekes and Onyons bow,

Such gods as yearely in their Gardens grow;

Nor yet to wood or stone deuotion doe,

More senselesse than the stones they bow vnto;

A farre more glorious creature they adore.

Should this be true of Elephants; farre more

[Page]Wise in Religion are those beasts than men▪

But if that this a fiction be, why then

Did mens inuention faine a beast to be

Wiser, than are themselues, in Pietie?

While at Rhuspina both the Generalls

Encamped rest; in Vtica's strong walls

Cato remaines with Pompey's eldest b sonne,

Whom thus sage Cato sharply sets vpon▪

Awake young man, and now in time redeeme

Thy youth from sloath-bred scorne; from disesteeme

Goe vindicate the name of Pompey now:

Goe trie all Kingdomes, search all Seas to know

How great thy father was; what fame he wonne,

How strong he leaues thee in thy name alone:

Trie if the Seas, which his braue hand did free

From Pyrates, can deny a fleet to thee.

That stocke of glory, which thy father won,

And left behinde for thee to spend vpon,

Armes thee with strength enough (though nought beside

So good a cause could lend) 'gainst Caesar's pride.

Goe trie the farthest West, sollicite Spaine;

The name of Pompey is enough to gaine

Those Nations to thy side: if nought at all

Thy groaning Countries suffrings, nor the fall

Of Roman libertie affect thy minde:

Although thou could'st endure a Lord, and finde

Content in seruing, yet the wrongs, which thou

Alone from Caesar suffrest, were enow

To rowze thy spirits, and stirre thine enmitie.

If thy great Father for Romes libertie

And Lawes alone fought in Pharsalia,

As great a Fortune did'st thou lose that day

As on a priuate Citizen could light:

But if thy Father for himselfe did fight;

[Page]Thy losse was more, and Caesar then from thee

By Conquest tooke the Worlds sole Monarchy.

But would'st thou know the true inheritance

Which he did dying leaue thee, to aduance

The name of Pompey; which may euer be

Thine owne, in spight of Caesar's enmitie,

Which honour bids thee claime, and Rome now needs?

The imitation of his noble deeds

Is thine inheritance: 'twas his braue Fate,

When great bad men had seiz'd th' afflicted State,

When Marius faction did the walls inuade,

And Rome it selfe a slaughter-house was made,

To saue his Countrey bleeding then, as now,

And not so much in debt to yeares as thou.

When he no honours yet, no titles had,

No power at all but what his vertue made,

He rais'd an army, rescu'd Italy.

By him did Carbo in Sicilia die;

By him did Spaine behold Sertorius fall:

And then in triumph to the Capitoll

He, but a Gentleman of Rome did bring

Hyempsal vanquish'd the Numidian King.

All this before he had attain'd vnto

Thy age, young Pompey, did thy father doe;

Which to his future greatnesse made the way:

And sleep'st thou here? What helpe in Affrica

Lend'st thou to Rome more than one priuate hand?

Goe gather forces in another land;

Repaire the ruines of thy house, or die

Great as thy birth has made thee. No reply

Young Pompey made at all; but, as if from

Some sacred Oracle the speech had come,

Or Romes owne voyce from Cato's brest had spoke,

His modesty obey'd, and straitway tooke

[Page]A long c farewell, neuer to meet againe;

But finde a Tombe in Europe, and to Spaine

Carry as great a part of Romes sad wounds

As dire Thessalia's blood-distained grounds,

Or fatall Thapsus saw. Though destinie

Haue not allotted, braue young man, to thee

So great and long a race of happinesse

As to thy Father, yet thy fall no lesse

Than his shall be in weight, nor shall the field

Of fatall Munda to Pharsalia yeeld.

Caesar supply'd with strength from Sicily

Marches away, to take and fortifie

Those loftie Hills (in spight of enemies)

Which from the champian, neere Vzzita, rise:

Which Hills he takes and fortifies with ease:

Though Labienus vaine-lay'd ambushes

To their owne ruine did molest his way,

By Caesar's Scouts discouer'd where they lay

Too soone; and so by changed Fate, call'd on

In stead of his, their owne destruction.

So a Getulian Lion when beset

By weake-arm'd Hunters, whose vaine force doth whet

Not daunt his courage, with collected ire

Breakes through, and makes his wounded foes retire:

His seeming danger nought but anger moues,

And fatall onely to the Hunters proues.

Juba return'd and ioyn'd with Scipio,

With all their forces to Vzzita goe:

Now the whole warre was met; Vzzita's walls

Beheld the Campes of both Romes Generalls.

Thrice there did Scipio his whole strength display;

Thrice Caesar set his battells in array

Eager of fight; and thrice prouok'd his foe,

To triall of the day; but Scipio

[Page]Would not th' aduantage of the place forsake.

Nor did the Destinies intend to make

Vzzita guiltie of so great a staine,

Which did for Thapsus fat all fields remaine.

Whither, dislodging from his Campe by night

(When Scipio could not be prouok'd to fight)

With prosperous Omen, Caesar marches on:

There then Virgilius lay in Garrison,

Faithfull to Scipio and the Senates side,

The place by Nature strongly fortifi'd.

Scipio and Iuba follow, though the aire

Gaue sad presages of the future warre,

The Earth and Skies the like; his mourning face

The Sunne with clouds obscured: in whose place

Ruine portending Comets did display

Their blazing Lampes, and made a dismall day:

And lightning through th' vncertaine aire gaue light

More full of horrour than the shades of night.

The Thunders voyce was heard there where the aire

From clouds was free; and th' horrid noise of warre

From thence resounded: Helmes of Brasse did sweat,

Some Piles and Swords did melt; nor could they get

By strength their heauy Standards from the ground:

Which swarmes of Bees orespread; a hollow sound

Of Lions sadly murmuring was heard

About the Campe: the Mountaines all appear'd

To moue, which did about Vzzita stand.

And from the farthest part of Libyan land

The Mauritanian Atlas seem'd to shake

His skie-supporting top: Birds seem'd to take

Vnusuall flights; sad entrailes did appeare,

And fill'd the sacrificing Priests with feare:

Nor meane the gods, when these portents they show,

To teach fraile mortalls to preuent the woe,

[Page]But feare it onely. The vnhappie troops

To Thapsus march distraught twixt feares and hopes,

Where this great warre shall shortly finde an end,

On which so many ruines doe depend.

The Libyan Thapsus a Sea-bordering Towne,

An Ile almost by situation,

Is by that Sea, which Affrick doth diuide

From Sicily, enuiron'd at one side;

The other side a spatious fenne oreflowes,

Guarding that part from all approach of foes:

Betwixt the Sea, and that great fenne, doth stand

(The onely passage to the Towne by land)

A little Isthmos, which (although not wide)

A standing lake doth in the mid'st diuide,

And makes two narrow passages of one:

Within these straits, not farre from Thapsus Towne

Caesar is enter'd now with all his troops,

And with strong workes; and deepe-digg'd trenches stops

All meanes of sallies from the Towne, that might

Perchance infest his armies rere in fight.

Scipio encamp'd there where the Isthmos ends

Within the continent, with speed intends

To draw a trench downe to the shore, and so

Within that necke of land shut vp the foe:

But till the worke be perfected, to hide

What he intends, or battell to abide,

In faire array he marshalls all his bands:

Himselfe with his Italian legions stands

In the mid-battell; Iuba's legions

Mixt of so many seuerall Nations

Make the right battell; on the left doth stand

Stout Labienus with a warlike band

Of Gaules, which he had from Brundusium led,

And German troops, which from Pharsalia fled.

[Page]Old foes to Caesar: thither Varus brings

His Libyan cohorts: but before both wings

The mighty Elephants are plac'd, to fright

The foes first on-set; and by them the light

Numidian horse, and Mauritanian too:

Behinde the beasts the light-arm'd Souldiers goe,

His poison'd Quiuer the blacke Mibian beares,

The strong Mazacians their well-brandish'd Speares

Of aime as sure as Parthian Shafts; by these

With crooked Swords the Adyrmachides.

But seeing Caesar's army in array,

And now not likely to protract the day,

Thus Scipio speakes: True Romans, if a cause

So iust, so great, as to this battell drawes

Your farre-engaged hands, could need at all

Any incitements from a Generall,

The wrongs of Rome, the foes impietie

Afford too large, too sad a scope for me

To play the Oratour: and though the fall

Of our sad State and Lawes in generall

Should not affect your mindes; cast but an eye

Vpon those blood stain'd fields of Thessaly,

Thinke on Pharsalia's slaughter, and learne there

What each man suffers in particular,

Beside the publike losse: let euery ghost

Of friend or kinsman, that that day was lost,

(Yet vnreueng'd) excite your valour now:

On vs the gods and Fortune here bestow

A iuster cause than there, for Caesar's guilt

Was not so great before that blood was spilt;

Nor could that honour, Souldiers, haue beene gain'd

In Thessaly, that may be here obtain'd

By Caesar's fall; now his esteeme is more,

Although his strength no greater than before,

[Page]And we are bound to Fortune, who in this

On equall hazard sets a greater price.

Nor need you feare that she should now forsake

Her Romes defence, whom she has toil'd to make

Head of the World so long, because you saw

Caesar subdu'd Rome in Pharsalia.

The date of Pompey's fortune was expir'd,

His many triumphs, which her fauour tir'd,

So long had lasted, as it had beene thought

(Had Caesar fall'n when that great field was fought)

Not Romes, but Pompey's fortune had preuail'd:

And Rome then onely her long fauour fail'd,

As loth a priuate man should thinke her his,

And she depriu'd of publike sacrifice.

But thinke not, Romans, the rebellious Fate

Of one proud man shall still out-weigh the State:

Nor does the anger of the gods appeare

(If this good Omen we may trust) that here

On Affricks Sun-burnt face you meet the foe

Vnder the conduct of a Scipio.

I need not boast, what euery Nation knowes,

With what triumphant Fate the Scipio's

In Affrick haue aduanc'd Romes power and fame,

How well her Fortune pleas'd her in that name?

And what forbids vs hope the like, since we

As lawfully are armed here, and he,

Whom now our loyall valour copes withall,

As great a foe to Rome as Hannibal?

Into your hands the gods haue put their doome;

Nought but your vertue can restore to Rome

Her Lawes, and banish'd Citizens againe:

For banished are you, and must remaine

For euer so, vnlesse you conquer here:

He that would see his natiue land, his neere

[Page]And dearest pledges, by the Sword must now

Redeeme them all in Caesar's ouerthrow.

Their spirits were rowzed; and the Roman troops

Inflam'd with loue of fight, and fill'd with hopes;

No lesse did Iuba's barbarous Nations,

With rude and different acclamations

Desire a signall, and precipitate

With eagernesse their owne vnhappie Fate.

Caesar perceiuing that the gods gaue way

To his desire, and now the wish'd for day

Of fight was come, aduances, and thus cheeres

With confidence his forward Souldiers.

The time is come, braue Souldiers, that must crowne

And guerdon all the seruice you haue done,

That must conclude the labours of the Sword,

And (maugre enuy) to your heads afford

All those triumphant Bayes, which hitherto

Haue beene deferr'd, deseru'd so long agoe,

For conquer'd Gallia, Brittaine, Germany,

Treacherous Pharnaces, and false Ptolomey:

All these has Fortune but deferr'd till now,

To ioyne with them proud Iuba's ouerthrow

Great as the greatest; and this held, when done,

Confirmes, or loses all that we haue wonne:

But 'twere a crime to doubt it, since I see

Those lookes that neuer fail'd of victory.

Let you torne remnant of Pharsalia know

Their Conquerours. More would he say, when loe

From the right-wing, not staying his command,

The Trumpets sound a charge, and from their stand

(Although the Tribunes, and Centurions striue

To keepe them backe) the Souldiers rush to giue

The on-set straight; nor them in vaine to stay

Does Caesar striue, but giues their courage way:

[Page]As when two Charriots are prepar'd to run,

And one too hasty from the list is gone,

In vaine the Charrioter their course would stay,

Th' vngouern'd Horses hurry him away.

Then with a rage as great as if two Seas

(Some god remouing, for the Sailers ease,

The long Malaea) should each other meet,

Both hosts incounter, and begin the fight

With horrid showts, that all the Mountaines nigh

Resound aloud, and backe from Sicily

High Lilybaeum to the Libyan shore,

Returnes againe their eccho'd clamours ore,

As much afray'd to harbour but the sound,

Of such a warre within that quiet ground:

Their noise not that of Thracian Boreas

Among the Pines of Ossa, can surpasse,

Nor that which Nilus falling water makes

Precipitated downe the Cataracts,

When with his foame he seemes to laue the skie,

And strikes a deafenesse through the dwellers nigh▪

Mischiefe and fury rage; reuenge doth one

Excite, the other indignation:

That after Pompey's death the warre at all

Should laste, and finde another Generall.

Blood all th' adioyning fenne discolours ore,

And makes a flood, where ne're was flood before,

And from the moisture of so many wounds,

Combines the mould of Affricks thirsty grounds▪

Through both the hosts Enyo's blazing light

Like fatall lightning flashing flies t' excite

Their thoughts to fury; the Tartarian god

Set ope the vaults where Libyan ghosts abode,

And from th' infernall cauernes set them free

To view a while this fatall Tragedy.

[Page]And glut their dire reuenge with Roman blood:

Vpon the Mountaines gloomy tops they stood,

Blasting the day, and round about the hosts

Making a balefull ring; the cruell ghosts

Of Iugurth, Syphax, and Great Hannibal;

Who for their owne, and Carthages sad fall

Did then excuse the gods, when they beheld

The Roman fury in that mortall field.

Yet in Romes ruine Libya suffers too:

More wracke, alas, shall this sad battell doe

Than after-ages can repaire with ease.

More desolation now, more wildernesse

The wasted face of Affrick shall orespread,

And beasts possesse the seats of Nations dead:

Where feared Monarches once gaue Lawes to men

Shall Lions reigne, and Tygers make their dens;

The slimy Serpents all alone shall crawle,

And wanting men, shall be no plague at all.

Caesar foreseeing th'Elephants, that were

In front of Iuba's battell, would strike feare

Into his troops, doth such a cure prouide

As quite conuerts vpon the other side

The Fate that threatned his; to the right wing

His choicest bowes, and missile armes he brings,

And sets them, at faire distance, opposite

To th' Elephants; who there begin the fight

With such successe, as makes those beasts to be

The onely cause of Caesar's victory.

For gaull'd with shafts, confusedly they run

In spight of their distracted guides, vpon

Their owne vnhappie troops, to sudden rout

Putting all Iuba's quarter round about,

And bearing downe all that before them lay

To Caesar's conquest make a speedy way;

[Page]Their mighty strength, since now vngouerned,

Is by the hand of Fortune onely led,

And brings aduantage to that side alone,

Which she is pleased to bestow it on.

The Mauritanian, and Numidian Horse,

Which there were plac'd, by th' Elephants rude force

Orethrowne, were crush'd to death, or headlong downe

Into the trenches with their riders throwne,

Some few escaping by disorder'd flight:

The light-arm'd Souldiers mixt with these to fight

Reft of their shelter, now by heapes are slaine,

And to the foes a prey, no warre, remaine;

And tire (as standing not to fight but die)

With their bare throats the murdring enemie:

Nought there, alas, can weake Bamurians doe

With their fire-harden'd Darts; nought can the Bow

And poison'd Shafts the coale-blacke Mibian weares

Auaile their Master; vaine those brittle Speares

Are in the hands of light Autololes,

And crooked Swords of th' Adyrmachides:

The weake Cyniphians finde that skinnes of Goats,

Are too light armour to protect their throats;

When Brasse, and Iron no defence affords,

Against the force of the Caesarian Swords.

The purple field so great a slaughter strowes,

Blood from so many different people flowes,

That while King Juba takes a sad suruey

In how great breadth his Empires ruine lay,

No priuate deaths distinguishing at all,

He scarce can count how many Nations fall:

Nor does he thinke, his Campe, after so great

An ouerthrow, can be a safe retreat;

But leauing that to greedy enemies

A wealthy spoile, he with Petreius flies.

[Page]King Juba's Campe by the pursuing foe

Is soone possest, and the Caesarians know

Before their victory be fully done,

How great a prize their bloody toiles haue wonne.

But Fortune, where th' Italian legions fought,

And Scipio stood, had not so quickly wrought

Her Caesar's ends: there strength by strength repell'd,

And fury ioyn'd with equall fury, held

The ballance straight, whilst doubting victory

Seem'd, not, a while, resolued whose to be;

Or else deferr'd it onely to declare

That highest fury reignes in ciuill warre,

That countrey men in fight are cruell'st foes,

Or greatest courage from worst causes growes.

On equall hopes they both engaged were,

And in no quarter of the warre but here,

Did it at all into a question come

What should be Romes estate, or Caesar's doome.

Nor was the question here determined,

Till with his Libyan cohorts Varus fled,

And Labienus too, when he beheld

His slaughter'd Gaules, and Germans strow the field,

Reseru'd a while by Destinies to see

Another ruine great as this, to be

A bleeding part of Romes third mortall wound;

And lie enterr'd in Munda's fatall ground:

As long meant Fortune to prolong their fall

As Rome with Caesar could contend at all.

Scipio perceiues his army ouerthrowne,

And now the losse irreparable growne:

Horror distracts his thoughts; what should he doe▪

Suruiue this battell? and not rather goe

Vpon the Swords, and there in height of all

His honour die as Romes chiefe Generall,

[Page]And by the ruine of so great a name

Enoble Caesar's conquest? Or giue fame

To Thapsus fatall field? For what has Fate

Power to bestow on such a wretched State,

That can at all his minde to liue inuite?

With this resolue in fury of the fight

Had Scipio dy'd; but flattring hope withheld

(Euen such as from Pharsalia's mortall field,

Made Pompey flie to meet a sadder Fate)

His eager soule, that the afflicted State

Though seeming dead, after this fatall hower,

Might once more struggle against Caesar's power:

Then mounted on a Libyan Steed he flies;

And ore the field his routed companies,

Mixt with the Horsemen take disordred flight;

Some legions hoping to retire from fight

To Juba's Campe, and it to fortifie,

And finding that seiz'd by the enemie,

After the vsuall manner, casting downe

Their armes, they tender a submission.

But all in vaine; no safetie at the hands

Of the enrag'd, and fierce Caesarians,

(Oh shame of warre!) could their submission get,

Although that Caesar did himselfe intreat,

Grieuing that in his power it lay not then,

To saue from death his wretched countrey men▪

And by his speech and actions did declare,

That he was then no part of ciuill warre.

He cries aloud, Oh spare the yeelding foe,

They are no longer foes, but Romans now:

You more than lose your valour, and to me

Doe purchase enuy here, not victory:

They, that in conquest of so many lands

Nere disobey'd his most seuere commands,

[Page]Nor ere refus'd what he would put them too,

In this alone their disobedience show

Now his commands are good: all ore the plaine

Are Scipio's Souldiers miserably slaine,

That, to this Tragedy compared, light

Were all the slaughters of the former fight.

And now the mourning fields with slaughter strow'd

And couer'd ore with horrid ruine, show'd

A full and perfect conquest was obtain'd

That for the sword no farther worke remain'd;

When Caesar master of his highest hopes,

From the pursuit calls backe his weary troops,

And recompences, with the wealthy spoiles

Of Kings and Nations, their successefull toiles.

Annotations vpon the third Booke.

a Caesar hauing but a small force in Affrica, and much troubled at the report of the great army of his enemies, that all King Iuba's forces ioyned with Scipio, found helpe from an occasion little expected: for (as Dion relates it) Publius Sittius (if we may attribute it to Sittius, and not rather to Fortune) brought vnto Caesar not onely a timely safetie, but a great victory: this Sittius expelled before out of Italy, and ioyning to himselfe some other exiles, passed ouer into Mauritania; there obtaining an army from King Bocchus, he resolued to aid Caesar in this warre: though he had neither receiued any benefits from him, nor was at all knowne to him: but because he heard that Caesar was farre from him, and could then giue him no great helpe (for Caesar's forces in Affrick were then but small) watching the time when King Iuba drew his army out of his owne Countrey, hee inuaded Numidia, and Getulia another part of [Page] Iuba's Kingdome, wasting and spoiling both the Countries: by which accident King Iuba was forced to omit his expedition, and march backe againe with the greater part of his forces to the rescue of his owne Kingdome; for he had sent part of his strength to Scipio before: so that it is certaine if King Iuba by Fortune had not then beene diuerted from ioyning with Scipio, Caesar had not beene able to haue stood against their vnited forces, nor maintained himselfe then in Affrica. Dion. lib. 43.

b The Roman army remaining in Affrica, hearing that Spaine was vexed with dissentions and seditions, sent thither Cneius Pompeius the eldest sonne of Pompey the Great, as thinking that he for his Fathers sake would be receiued in Spaine with greatest honour; aduising him that when he had setled his affaires there, he should march to Rome; and they themselues intended with all their forces to meet him there, and make the warre in Italy, this counsell was had while Caesar as yet lingred in Aegypt according to Dion. lib. 42. but Hirtius in his Commentaries relates it after that time.

c Cneius Pompeius chid by Cato, and aduised to goe into Spaine and raise forces, with thirtie Ships of all sorts, putting to Sea at Vtica, sailed to Mauritania, and entred the Kingdome of King Bogud: there setting his army on shore, which consisted of about two thousand slaues, and Freemen, part armed, and part vnarmed, he marched toward the Towne of Ascurum; in which Towne there was then a Garrison of the Kings: the Garrison suffering Pompey to passe quietly till he approached the very walls of the Towne, sallying out then, on the sudden ouercame them, and some they killed, some they forced into the Sea; Pompey himselfe with a few of his men getting to their Ships sailed away; after which he neuer more arriued on the shore of Affrick, but went to the Balearicke Ilands, and from thence to Spaine. Hirt. comment. de bello Affricano.

FINIS.

THE FOVRTH BOOKE.

[Page]

[Page]

The Argument of the fourth Booke.

To his imperiall Zamah Iuba flies,

And thence excluded, with Petreius dies

Amidst their banquets bleeding. Scipio slaine

By his owne hands, within the watery maine

Intombes himselfe: The death of Cato fames

Old Vtica; Caesar laments, and blames

His wilfull Fate; and from the Libyan coast

Is ship'd for Rome with his victorious host.

BVt all the wracke, that Thapsus fields had made,

The fields could not containe; nor could so sad,

And great a ruine in such narrow bounds

Be circumscrib'd: the high Imperiall wounds

Which there were giuen, in other regions bled:

And those great names, which from that battell fled,

As loth to mix with vulgar Funeralls,

Must beare the fame of their renowned falls

To other lands, lest this great losse should be

In story told as one calamitie.

With winged speed by nights obscuritie

From Thapsus Iuba and Petreius flie,

To reach strong Zamah the Imperiall seat

Of Iuba's Realme, a Citie faire and great;

In which, when first the warre began, he lay'd

His wealth, and dearest pledges had conuey'd:

[Page]But now the gates were shut; the men deny'd

Their King an entrance; and with scoffes deride

His threats and prayers, for his changed Fate

Now gaue them leaue freely to shew their hate;

And all too late is Iuba forc'd to see

The curs'd effects of former tyranny.

Oh wretched State of Tyrants that nere see,

Vntill their sight in vaine and bootlesse be,

Their iust esteeme: nor euer till too late,

Can know what men deserue their loue, or hate.

In wretched times your friends are onely knowne;

But when that knowledge comes, the power is gone.

Your State requitall, or reuenge denies,

And Fortune, but to grieue you, opes your eyes.

The King opprest with griefe, and fill'd with ire

Vnto a Countrie Palace doth retire,

Not farre from thence; with him Petreius goes,

And a small troope of Horse: there they repose

Their weary bodies and vex'd mindes, vntill

A great resolue their brests with comfort fill:

Then he commands his seruants to prepare

Forthwith a stately banquet, and with rare

And sumptuous cates a full repast they take;

When thus King Juba to Petreius spake;

Roman, thou seest how Fortunes vtmost spight

Pursues our actions, and has rest vs quite

Of any future hopes; nothing can be

Safetie to vs but Caesar's clemency.

But thou and I in all this Ciuill warre

'Gainst Caesar's side, haue beene engag'd too farre

To hope for mercy; which, if I might haue,

By all our gods I should disdaine to craue:

For loue of Pompey I was Caesar's foe,

And in the great'st extreme dare still be so.

[Page]Had he preuail'd, a welcome friend to Rome

With greatest honour Iuba might haue come:

Nor shall she now behold me captiue there,

And led as Syphax and Iugurtha were,

Like slaues through her proud streets, to grace the power

Of an insulting laurell'd Conquerour:

No, let Rome rather heare how Iuba dy'd,

Disdaining Caesar's pitie, or his pride.

I doe not want a Hand, a Heart, a Sword,

Or whatsoeuer else may death afford;

But doe inuite Petreius as my friend,

To share in this last act of fame, my end:

Our cause, our Fortunes are alike in all;

Then like our selues, braue Roman, let vs fall,

But vse each others helpe: vnsheath thy Sword,

And let our friendship striue who shall afford,

First freedome to his friend; loue shall ingage

My valour against thee, as much as rage

Against a foe. Petreius drawes his Sword,

And thus in short returnes: braue Libyan Lord,

Worthy whom Rome with honour still should name,

To whom Petreius gladly owes his fame;

Nor (though a Roman Generall) doe I

Blush to be taught by Iuba how to die:

It was the Roman g [...]nius prompted thee

To this, lest Rome should be inforc'd to see

That King a captiue, and in triumph brought,

That had for her, her lawes, and freedome fought,

That had with Scipio and the Senate stood;

And thy disgrace proue Caesar's conquest good

Against his Countrey: No, great King, of thee

Rome still shall hold a dearer memory;

With Massanissa shalt thou ranked stand,

When our sad Annalls Caesar's deeds shall brand,

[Page]And marke his partie with as blacke a staine

As Catiline, and his rebellious traine.

The rest my Sword shall speake for me, and proue

How much thy freedome, and mine owne I loue.

With that they both in equall fury meet,

And with such fierce assaults each other greet,

As who had seene the combat, might suppose

That so much valour had not fought to lose,

But guard by conquest a desired life:

At last to end this hot despairing strife,

Iuba a bootlesse conquest did obtaine;

Vnder whose force was weake Petreius slaine:

Keepe in (quoth Iuba) life a while, and see

A life let out to beare thine company:

If not, before thou crosse the Stygian lake,

My fleeting soule thy ghost shall ouertake.

Farewell you fading glories that attend

A kingly State, too feeble to defend

Your proud possessours from the stormes of Fate:

What rest vpon the slippery heights of State

Findes man? What stay on Fortunes restlesse wheele?

Oh treacherous Zamah, may thy false necke feele

Romes yoke as hard, as thou to thy true Lord

Disloyall prou'st: then falling on his Sword,

From forth his strugling brest his Spirit flies,

And night eternall closes vp his eyes.

But see, from Thapsus fatall ouerthrow

A nobler death drawes neere, Great Scipio

Romes Generall, that had so lately led

The Senats warre 'gainst Caesar's fortune, fled

From that sad battell in a poore disguise,

And one small barke, the Seas of Libya tries,

To finde from thence safe passage into Spaine,

Where Pompey's sonnes with all their strength remaine.

[Page]But by a storme was driuen into the Bay

Of Hippo, where the Ships of Sittius lay,

Left there in Caesar's name to guard the coast.

Scipio perceiues himselfe and Barke are lost,

The weather crosse cuts off all hope of flight;

The winds (quoth he) and Seas for Caesar fight:

Why did I scape the stormy maine? Oh why

From Thapsus fatall battell did I flie,

And not in height of all mine honour fall,

Fighting for Rome to die her Generall?

Oh would Pharsalia's battell had destroy'd,

This ill-kept life, before that here imploy'd,

The Senats warre with ill successe I led,

And Affrick saw a Scipio vanquished.

You noble Soules of my dead ancestours,

That hither oft haue led the Roman powers

With glorious fame, as Carthages great fall,

As captiue Syphax, vanquish'd Hannibal,

And saued Rome can witnesse, blush not now

At this your Nephews haplesse ouerthrow;

No Libyan forces, but the strength of Rome,

Has Rome it selfe, and Scipio ouercome;

By her owne strength subdu'd, with her I die,

To wait vpon expiring libertie.

By this occasion Fate with kinde intent,

To me necessitie of death has sent,

Lest I my freedome might perchance out-liue;

Nor could the gods a fitter bountie giue.

Let Pompey's sonnes now trie their Fate, and gaine

Our Lawes and State againe, or lose in Spaine

As much from Rome, as here in Affrick I,

Or their Great Father lost in Thessaly;

My course is runne; and, though this armed hand

Shall testifie I could haue dy'd by land,

[Page]The Ocean likes me best, within the maine

Vnknowne for euer Scipio shall remaine:

Oh let my floating carcasse neuer come

To land, lest Affrick should bestow a Tombe,

And to her sonnes in after-ages show

A monument of vanquish'd Scipio:

With that a Ponyard in his hand he tooke,

And with a strength and aime so certaine s [...]rooke

His willing brest, that thence the gushing blood,

Made on the Deckes a crimson pretious flood:

But he, while yet his vitall parts retaine

Some spirits, leaps into the curled maine;

And her blew waues with purple staining, dies:

Vnbury'd Sc [...]pio's noble body lies

Within the Seas deepe bosome; th' Oceans frie

Deuoure the flesh of that braue family,

In which great Rome may make her iustest boast;

If all her actions, all her fame were lost,

If all those seuerall vertues, pietie,

True fortitude, admired constancy,

Impartiall iustice, frugall temperance,

That through the World her honour did aduance,

In all names else had beene forgot and gone,

In this renowned family alone

All might be found; nor did the Roman fame

Ere shine, more bright than in a Scipio's name:

Why did thy Countrey want an vine for thee?

Ore which the peoples vntaught pietie

Might truly mourne, and pay the teares they owe

Vnto the ruin'd race of Scipio.

By this the flying companies, that were

From that sad battell scap'd, had euery where

Fill'd Libya's Townes with terrour and dismay:

At V [...]ica the noble Cato lay

[Page]In Garrison; who free from priuate feare,

Not for himselfe dismay'd at all, to heare

The fatall newes of Scipio ouerthrowne,

Exhorts his Souldiers to defend the Towne

'Gainst Caesar's entrie; but perceiuing then

Th' astonishment, and faintnesse of his men,

He with the same vnshaken constancy

Forgiues their feare, and counsells them to flie;

Prouides from all the neighbouring ports a fleet

Vsing his vtmost diligence to get

Them safely all aboord, and timely gone,

Carefull for euery safetie but his owne.

The Citizens of Vtica he cheeres

With hope of Caesar's clemency, and cleeres

All dismall clouds of feare and iealousies,

That might within their fainting brests arise:

And such to them with cheerefull lookes (although

Resolu'd to die) did Cato striue to show,

As if himselfe had not at all disdain'd,

To begge, or take a life at Caesar's hand.

He, whose austerer vertue nere before

Had giuen him leaue to hide, or colour ore

His least intention, whom no feare had taught

How to dissemble, or once swerue in ought

From his profest, and rigid path of right,

For loue of death now prayes the hypocrite.

Nights silent reigne had robb'd the World of light

To lend, in lieu, a greater benefit,

Repose and sleepe; when euery mortall brest

Whom care or griefe permitted, tooke their rest.

But Cato's brest was not alone set free,

From perturbation and anxietie,

By vertues constant vse, for soft repose

Or sleepe, the common end, but to compose

[Page]And raise it selfe vnto an act more high

The contemplation of eternitie.

In contemplation the vntroubled Soule

Parts from the bodies bonds, free from controule

Of fleshly passions, by no cares distracted,

(Not as in sleepe she does, to lie contracted

Within her selfe, and from all action cease)

But to imploy her purest faculties

At nobler distance, where no sense of sight,

Or outward organ can direct her flight:

There by her selfe the Soule can take suruey

Of those high glorious bodies, which display

(Obiects too bright for sense) in their owne light

Some beames and glimpses of that infinite

Eternall essence, from whose fulnesse they

Deriue their beauties: there the Soule would stay,

Or wishes that from lets corporeall free,

She might (what now she cannot) plainly see

Those formes; and does in that desire imply

Her owne vndoubted immortalitie.

But ere the minde of man can fitted be,

To search the depth of true Philosophy,

It must be purg'd by morall rules, and freed

From impious lusts, from vice of thought and deed.

And as a wise Physitian euer giues

Before his medicines, cleane preparatiues,

So let no Soule contemplate, till it be

Prepar'd, and purg'd by sound moralitie.

First let it practise vertue here, before

With contemplations wings it dare to soare

In search of that, which is the perfect'st good,

And height of all that can be vnderstood;

Lest, as in Physicke, th' vnpurg'd humours may

Distract the medicines working force; so they

[Page]Not purg'd from vices through false glasses see,

And oft deceiu'd in speculation be:

Vnto thy selfe first morall Physicke giue,

And then securely be contemplatiue.

So cleans'd was Cato's soule; and fit was he

For strictest precepts of Philosophy,

Since vertues paths, which rough to others seeme,

Long vse had made habituall to him.

To whom the Fates present, as now on high

His thoughts were soaring to eternitie,

An obiect fit; casting his eye aside

Diuinest Plato's Phaedon he espy'd.

Oh welcome Booke sent from the gods (quoth he)

To teach a dying man Philosophy;

And though thou canst not further, or controule

The resolution of my fixed soule,

Since Fate has doom'd my end, yet may'st thou giue

Comfort to those few houres I haue to liue.

Man's Soule immortall is;

Plat. Phaed.

whilest here they liue

The purest mindes for perfect knowledge striue;

Which is the knowledge of that glorious God,

From whom all life proceeds: in this abode

Of flesh, the Soule can neuer reach so high;

So reason tells vs; if the Soule then die,

When from the bodies bonds she takes her flight,

Her vnfulfill'd desire is frustrate quite,

And so bestow'd in vaine: it followes then

The best desires vnto the best of men,

The great Creator did in vaine dispence;

Or else the Soule must liue when gone from hence:

And if it liue after the body fall,

What reason proues that it should die at all?

Since, not compounded as the body is,

And mixt of euer-fighting contraries,

[Page] But one pure substance, like it selfe, and may

(By reasons rules) subsist alone for aye.

And though we yeeld that God, who did create,

Can, if he please, againe annihilate

The Soule; and nothing in that sense can be

Indissoluble, saue the Deitie,

Yet Soules, which in their nature doe agree

So neare with that, shall nere d [...]ssolued be,

Till they at last their wished end attaine,

And so immortall by themselues remaine.

True grounds (quoth he) diuine Philosopher:

Else what were vertue, or true knowledge here

But waking dreames? Why, more than beasts, should we

Oblige our selues to Lawes of pietie,

Or curbe our lusts? Oh why should vertue be

Iudg'd, by the wisest, true felicitie

Before wealth, honour, pleasure? Vertue here

Does not (alas) so beautifull appeare,

But poore, and wretched rather; nor is she

(Vnlesse, which in this life we doe not see,

Some fairer substance or true forme she haue)

Ought but an emptie name, or Fortunes slaue.

The wisest men are glad to die; no feare

Of death, can touch a true Philosopher.

Death sets the Soule at libertie, to flie,

And search the depth of that Diuinitie;

Which, whilest imprison'd in the body here,

She cannot learne: a true Philosopher

Makes death his common practice, while he liues▪

And euery day by contemplation striues

To separate the soule, farre as he can,

From off the body: (what's the death of man

But separation of those two?) Should he,

That euery day did striue in some degree

[Page] To gaine this freedome, feare it at the time

When nature has allotted it to him?

Would birds incag'd, that with all motions trie,

And seeke all wayes to gaine their libertie,

The cage set ope, refuse to flie from thence?

Nay more, haue louers in impatience

Forc'd out their liues, and violently fled

Into the other World, to finde their dead

Deare loues? And should the Soule, which here below

Clos'd in the body, euery day did wooe,

And court that knowledge, which is perfect blisse,

Refuse to goe, and finde it where it is,

Then when the gods haue open'd her the way?

But here, till then, the Soule is bound to stay;

Nor must she leaue her station, till that God

Dee call her hence, that gaue her this abode.

Here Cato stopt and paws'd; is death (quoth he)

Vnlawfull then till rude necessitie

Inforce a man to taste it? And must I

Weare this loath'd life, till Caesar bid me die?

Is not the fatall ouerthrow so late

In Thapsus fields, and ruine of the State,

Necessitie of death enough for me?

May I not thinke the gods in that decree

The death of Cato? But must hold my hand

Expecting till the Conquerour command?

And giue more power to him, whose lawlesse might

Already has vsurp'd aboue his right?

Or begge for life, acknowledging him so

My Lord, whom iustly I adiudg'd Romes foe?

So saue my life by sinning, or el [...]e die

With one sinne more, if mercy he deny?

But this sure hand shall saue that hazard now▪

Plato, and all diuinest Lawes allow

[Page]Rather than act a crime, a man should die.

Should I take life from Caesar's clemencie,

It would be iudg'd by all (what ere were ment)

I did approue of Caesar's gouernment.

How great a crime might mine example proue?

How great a wrong to Rome, and all that loue

Her Lawes and liberties? Great Pompey's sonnes,

That now doe arme the Westerne regions,

And for their Countrie yet intend to fight,

Might thinke themselues excus'd if I submit,

And from their iustest resolution swerue

When old free Cato were content to serue.

Ile trie (since most assur'd the Soules doe liue)

What Lawes to vs the other World will giue:

For sure the gods, 'mongst Soules departed hence,

Twixt good and bad will put a difference.

Those happy Soules, that while they liued here,

By pure and perfect contemplation were

Abstracted from the body, that with true

Desires did oft the heauenly beauties view,

Shall thither goe, when they from hence are fled,

To haue their ioyes and knowledge perfected.

Within the Heauens shall they for euer be,

Since here with Heauen they made affinitie.

But those darke Soules, which drowned in the flesh

Did neuer dreame of future happinesse,

That, while they liued here, beleeu'd, or lou'd

Nothing but what the bodies taste approu'd,

When they depart from hence, shall feare the sight

Of Heauen, nor dare t' approach that glorious light;

But wander still in dismall darknesse, neere

Their bodies, whom alone they loued here.

Those sad, and ghastly visions, which to sight

Of frighted people doe appeare by night

[Page] About the Tombes and Graues, where dead men lie,

Are such darke Soules condemn'd t' accompany

Their bodies there; which Soules, because they be

Grosse and corporeall, men doe therefore see.

How different shall the Soules condition be,

If this (quoth he) be true Philosophy?

As true it is, nor doe I thinke it lesse;

If vertue be the way to happinesse:

And that be vertue, which we men haue thought,

What in-bred reason to our Soules has taught,

And Lawes commanded vs; if such thou be

Oh vertue, Cato still has follow'd thee;

And neuer from thy hardest precepts sweru'd;

Nere has this Soule the bodies pleasures seru'd.

What doubts can shake my long securitie?

But doubts, where frailtie is, will euer be:

Farewell, fraile World; what here we cannot see,

I goe to finde, cleare truth and certaintie:

Then with a fatall stroke he pierc'd his brest;

At noise of which his seruants vainely prest

In, to preuent the Fate; nor could they lend

Helpe to his life, but trouble to his end:

Who sadly shew'd, death could not be deny'd,

And rending wider his large wound, he dy'd:

The Citizens with honour did inter [...]e

That spotlesse mansion of a Soule so cleare.

Caesar from Thapsus, now secur'd from foes

By that full conquest, to Vzzita goes,

With ease possessing there all Scipio's store

Of corne and armes; and where the Sword before

Threaten'd his march, where horrid dangers lay

And ambushes, he now findes quiet way

To Ad [...]umetum backe; where he bestowes

A cheerefull pardon on his yeelding foes,

[Page]Since now all Affricke from his feares was free,

And Fortune had secur'd his clemency.

Marching away to Vtica from thence,

Humbly receiu'd by all the Citizens,

Who then solemniz'd Cato's funerall;

He sigh'd, and thus complain'd; Why did'st thou fall

Oh enuious man? Rather than not depriue

Caesar of honour, Cato could not liue.

How sadly cruell hast thou beene to me,

Against thy selfe to wrong my clemency?

And shew thy death a greater enemy,

Than all thy liuing power or armes could be.

To kill my ioyes thou dy'st, choosing to be

Lamented rather than embrac'd by me:

It is my sorrow not my loue is sought.

What strange rewards haue all my mercies got,

That greatest Romans rather chose to flie

To death it selfe, than to my clemency?

So haplesse Pompey, while he fled from me,

Durst rather trust th' Aegyptian treachery,

And there to perish by ignoble hands,

Than liue with Caesar, thinking barbarous lands

Better than Rome with vs: but he againe

Hop'd to repaire his strength; thou in disdaine

Of Caesar dy'st; but yet my goodnesse shall

Orecome thy enuy, and qui [...]e frustrate all

Thy scope in death; Ile giue all dues to thee;

Thy sonne in honour shall remaine with me,

And to the World shall witnesse, thou didst die

By thine owne enuy, not my crueltie.

Then to his grace he takes th'inhabitants

Of Vtica, and for his armies wants

Commands prouision, and, while there he stayes

The Cities walls, and fortresses suruayes.

[Page]Walking not farre from off the Towne, he saw

Vpon the sandy banke of Bagrada,

Which slowly there his muddy waues doth moue▪

(Within that Countrey rare) a stately groue

Not wide in circuit, where an awfull shade

The meering boughs, exiling Phaebus, made:

That shady groue, whilest with a curious eye

Caesar suruey'd, he chanced to espy

Within, a deepe and vast descent of ground;

The iawes of Taenarus, that balefull bound

Twixt earth and hell, is not a blacker roome;

To which, they say, the ghosts infernall come.

A Caue there was, in which no cheering light

At all ere peep'd; but sad and drery night

A squallid filth, and mouldinesse had made,

From whence exhaled stinches did inuade

The vpper aire, Whilest Caesar in amaze,

Doth neerely view the horrour of the place

His longing thoughts a Libyan standing by

(Taught by tradition) thus doth satisfie.

This denne, Oh Caesar, which for many a yeare

Hath emptie stood, and freed the land from feare,

A monstrous Serpent, by Heauens vengeance bred

The plague of Affrick, once inhabited.

The earth a greater monster neuer bare;

Not Hydra might with this dire Snake compare,

Nor that great Dragon, whose still waking eyes

Medea charm'd, when Colcho's golden prize

The venturous Iason bore to Thessaly;

Nor that, as great and watchfull too as he,

Whom great Alcides conquer'd to possesse

The glittering orchard of th' Hesperides;

Nor, though the Sunne that mighty Python slew,

Did ere the Sunne a greater Serpent view.

[Page]The seuerall Snakes, that out of Libya's slime

Are bred, might all haue beene combin'd in him;

Nor could Medusa's head, had all the blood

At one place fall'n, produce a greater brood.

A hundred ells in length was his extent;

When he vpon this side the riuer went,

With his long necke stretch'd out, what ere he spy'd,

With ease he seized from the other side.

With Lions here he fill'd his hungry maw,

That came to drinke the streames of Bagrada,

And fiercest Tigers all besmear'd with blood

Of cattell slaine, became themselues his food.

When first the Roman armies sailing ore,

And threatning Carthage on the Libyan shore

Were led by Regulus, whose tragicke fall

Sadly renown'd the Spartan Generall,

Here then this hideous monster did remaine:

The army marching on you spatious plaine,

Three Roman Souldiers, by ill Fate, drew neere

To quench their fiery thirst, the riuer here,

And tempted by these shady trees, to shunne

A while the scorching fury of the Sunne,

Entring the wood, downe to the streame they stoope,

And take in helmets the coole liquour vp;

When suddenly surpris'd with chilling feare,

A horrid hissing through the aire they heare,

And from the den the Serpents head appeares,

At once amazing both their eyes and eares.

What should they doe? For helpe they could not call;

The Serpents hissing loud had filled all

The wood; nor strength, nor hearts had they to fight,

Nor scarce did any hope appeare by flight.

Nor could their trembling hands the helmets hold;

When straight the Serpent from his scaly fold

[Page]Shot forth, and seized one, who calling on

His fellowes names in vaine, was swallowed downe,

And buried in the Monsters hungry maw,

His horrid destiny when th' other saw,

They leapt into the streame to saue their liues:

But that (alas) to them no safetie giues;

For forth his long twin'd necke the Serpent stretch'd,

And swimming Hauens in the riuer reach'd;

Who, though too late he striued to be drown'd

In Bagrada, a fate more cruell found.

Marus at last, while Hauens death did stay

The Monsters speed, had time to scape away;

And to th' amazed Generall relates

The Serpents greatnesse, and his fellowes fates.

But ere his faultring tongue had fully told

The tragicke story, they from farre behold

The scaly Monster rowling on the sands

In spatious windings: Regulus commands

The army straight their piles and speares prepare

To charge, and march against it as a warre,

And ready all their battering engines make,

That strongest walls and bulwarkes vs'd to shake:

The Trumpets then, as to a battell, sound;

Which noise the Serpent hearing, from the ground

Where he in spatious rings infolded lay,

Aloft his head aduances to suruay

The Champion round, and to their eyes appeares,

Long as that Dragon twixt the heauenly Beares.

Fire from his threatning eyes, like lightning, shot,

And Stygian blasts exhal'd from his dire throat;

While he aduanc'd, you would suppose from farre

A mouing Castle made offensiue warre:

And shooting forth he in a moment flew

Vpon farre distant faces; at whose view

[Page]The starting Horses could no more be held

By bits, but snorting flew about the field;

Whilest this dire Serpent sad massacres makes

Among the men, some twixt his iawes he takes,

And crushes there, some into aire he flings,

Who falling die: and while his spatious rings

He does vnfold with fury, sweeping round

The sands, he beats whole cohorts to the ground.

The army now gaue ground, and gan reti [...]e,

When noble Regulus inflam'd with ire

To see that shame, cries out, Oh stand the field;

To Libyan Monsters shall Romes vertue yeeld?

If so, I singly will the combat trie,

And expiating Romes dishonour die:

Then all alone, deuoide of feare, he goes,

And his strong pile against the Serpent throwes

With well tane aime, whom not in vaine he strucke▪

In his tough forehead the steel'd Iauelin stucke.

The hideous Monster, whose long age before

Had nere felt steele, sent out a yelling rore,

And shooting forth, impatient of the wound;

With his long taile he lash'd the suffering ground.

A shout the Souldiers raise, incourag'd now,

And altogether stormes of Iauelins throw;

Some harmelesse lighting on his scaly backe

Such noise, as Haile on tiled houses, make;

Some pierce his brest, and softer belly wound;

Those parts alone they penetrable found.

Blacke gore from thence distaines the swarthy sand;

At last two Iauelins sent from lucky hands

In both his fiery threatning eyes did light,

Depriuing him, though not of strength, of sight:

Whose yet blinde rage drawes many a ruine on,

Vntill at last a huge, and massie stone,

[Page]Shot from a bulwarke-battring engine, stroke

His bowed backe with such great force, it broke

That many-ioynted bone; nor then could he

Lift, as before, his speckled crest on high;

But while he struggling lay vpon the plaine,

Another stone dash'd out his poisonous braine;

The sands discolour'd with blacke filth appeare,

And that so lately feared Serpent there,

Stretch'd out at length his balefull life expires;

His vast extent the Generall admires:

But straight a grone the mourning Riuer gaue,

A dolefull noise the Wood, and hollow Caue

Resounded forth; the Naiades, that kept

Slow Bagrada, for their dead seruant wept;

Nor did the augurs then forbeare to shew,

The Roman troops his death should dearely rew,

And Regulus become a captiue prey

To his insulting foes; on whom (said they)

The Nymphs, and wrathfull Naiades would take,

That dire reuenge for their slaine Serpents sake.

Caesar enough delighted to behold

The Caue, and pleas'd with what the Libyan told,

Returnes to Vtica; thence marching on

With speed through Iuba's lost dominion,

Arriues at wealthy Zamah, Libya's pride,

Where late a powerfull Monarch did reside▪

And hearing there of Iuba's wretched fate,

Laments the frailtie of mans highest state:

Then he commends the Citizens, and ore

The Countrey leaues Sallustius Gouernor,

Which from a Kingdomes State is now become,

A subiect Prouince to Imperiall Rome.

[Page]Then marches backe to Vtica againe,

And lanching forth his fleet into the maine

Sailing by Sardos, on th' Italian coast

He safe arriues with his victorious host.

Annotations vpon the fourth Booke.

Lucius Scipio, Generall at Thapsus, perished at Sea by the report of all that write that story, but the manner of his death, as J haue here related it, is to be found onely in Appian, which I haue read, that first hee wounded himselfe with a Sword, and afterwards leaped into the Sea, as loth that his dead body should either suffer despight, or receiue fauour from his enemies. Appi. lib. 2. de bello ciuili.

FINIS.

THE FIFTH BOOKE.

[Page]

The Argument of the fifth Booke.

What vnaccustom'd honours by decree

The Senate gi [...]e to Caesar's victory.

His foure rich triumphs shew'd ore Gallia,

Conquer'd Pharnaces, Aegypt, Affrica.

Whose pompous showes display the captiu'd fate

Of seuerall Princes: Caesar's high estate

To throw into the hazard once againe,

Great Pompey's sonnes reuiue the warre in Spaine.

WHen Caesar's conquest borne by winged Fame,

Had enter'd Rome, and to the Senate came,

Th' affrighted Fathers in pale haste declar'd

Their forced ioy; and while the Priests prepar'd

For Sacrifice, officiously decreed,

(Though Rome it selfe in that dayes fate did bleed)

That Supplications to the gods should be,

Twice twentie dayes for Caesar's victory;

Through all the Roman Temples they inuoke

The gods for him, and all their Altars smoke

With thankfull incense, more than when the fall

Of Carthages so feared Hannibal,

Or that defeat of all the Cimbrian powers

By Marius hand, that sau'd Quirinus Towers,

First pierc'd their ioyfull eares; no vanquish'd foe

Ere caus'd such seeming ioy. Rome's forced now

[Page]To thanke the gods for her subiection more,

Than all the greatnesse she had won before.

To that great Triumph, which so long before,

His ten yeares labour had deserued, ore

The conquer'd Gaules, and well deferr'd till now,

The forward Senate grant three Triumphs moe,

T' expresse more pompous State than ere before

The people saw, or lawrell'd Roman bore;

That all the seuerall vanquish'd Nations

From East and West, from both the Poles at once,

By his triumphant Charriot might combine,

The yellow Germans with blacke Libyans ioyne,

Gaules with Armenians meet, the Sun-burnt bands

Of Meroë with cold Pannonians,

The painted Brittaines, curl'd Sicambrians

With coale-blacke Mibians, and Mazacians.

Those that at farthest distance neuer yet

Each other view'd, at Caesar's Triumph met,

Might there acquainted in sad bondage grow,

And waile in chaines their common ouerthrow:

That the Imperiall Tyber might at once

All floods, that blesse so many regions,

In Caesar's rich Triumphall tablets see

Display'd, bewailing their captiuitie.

And bridled there by his proud conquest, ioyne

Seuen-channell'd Nilus with the German Rhine,

The swift Danubius with slow Bagrada;

And all those winding streames, which euery way

From North to South into the Ocean rowle,

Twixt fardest Thule and Tritonia's poole;

From whence Minerua deign'd her name to take,

When first within the quiet Chrystall lake

Come downe from Heauen, she view'd her virgin face.

Nor euer so did any Triumph grace

[Page]Romes power (as this had done;) nor yet in all

Those former Bayes, which deckt the Capitoll,

If here her selfe no part at all had beene

Of the subdu'd, had she more glory seene.

But lest these honours should not seeme to be

Enough for Caesar, by a new decree

The Senatours, before he enter Rome,

Make him Dictator for ten yeares to come,

And three yeares Censor; that it might be showne

How Caesar's conquering power had ouerthrowne

Their liberties, together with the fall

Of barbarous Nations: In the Capitoll

He in a Charriot was aduanc'd to sit,

To Ioue himselfe directly opposite:

A Globe terrestriall not farre from thence,

Display'd in short the vast circumference

Of all the earth; on which his Statue trod

With this inscription, He's a demy-god.

Swell'd with the Senates flattering decrees,

And fortune of so many victories,

Does Caes [...]r now in Pompe triumphant come,

His loftie Charriot through the streets of Rome

By snow-white Horses drawne, more bright by farre

Than those fam'd Steeds, which in the Troian warre

From slaughter'd Rhesus tent Tydides tooke,

Before they drunke of Xanthus Chrystall brooke,

Or cropt the Troian pastures, a vaine aid

To falling Ilion, the first night betray'd.

Declare, ye sisters of the Thespian spring,

(For you remember well, and well can sing,)

In those foure Triumphs, which the people saw

Ore Aegypt, Pontus, France, and Libya,

How many captiu'd people sadly went

In habits, tongues, and visage different

[Page]Before Great Caesar's Charriot, shewing there

With different gestures their disdaine, or feare.

How many lands and stately Cities there,

Display'd in his triumphall tables were,

Where skilfull hands had wouen to delight,

So many Nations seuerall kindes of fight,

With his proud conquests, and succesfull toiles;

By which were borne the armes, and wealthy spoiles

Of vanquish'd Princes, Crownes of burnish'd gold

For all the wondring people to behold.

But if ye Muses in so high a State,

Disdaine to mourne for each plebeian Fate;

Yet passe not slightly by that princely Gaule,

Stout Vercingetorix, for whose great fall

Some hearts relented there; whose stubborne thought,

Could not at all in nine yeares warre be taught

To brooke with patience the proud yoke of Rome:

Who now reseru'd for death by Caesar's doome,

Before the Charriot a chain'd Captiue went,

Striuing in vaine t' orecome the discontent

Of that dayes shame; and, though his hands were ty'd,

Shaking his blacke curl'd lockes, he sought to hide

His angry front, whil'st his vndaunted looke

Seem'd more to wish than feare deaths fatall stroke.

Another obiect, though vnlike to this,

Yet fall'n alike from height of worldly blisse,

Mou'd the beholders hearts; they earn'd to see,

The tender beauties of Arsinoë

A virgin a branch of Lagus royall Stem,

That once had worne th' Aegyptian Diadem,

By Fortune throwne into so low a state

Of bondage now; pittying her changed fate:

Those snow-white armes, that did a Scepter hold,

(Oh mocke of Fortune!) manicled in gold:

[Page]Although for her a gentler doome then death

Remaine, and Caesar's pitie spare her breath,

Or else his ends in loue restore her backe

Againe to Aegypt for her sisters sake:

How much (alas) had there her blood beene spilt,

Had Fortune tane from Cleopatra's guilt?

For all the fauour, which t' Arsinoë

Rome shew'd, repriu'd her but a while, to be

In after-times her sisters crime, and die

By Cleopatra's foule impietie.

But that in Libya's triumph, which aboue

All other obiects might deserue to moue

A iust compassion (if true innocence

In misery may iustly moue the sense)

Was young Prince Iuba, led in chaines, the sonne

Of that great Juba, whose dominion

From Mauritania's farthest Westerne end,

To Thera's sands so lately did extend:

Whose puissant hand a prouder Scepter bore,

Than euer Libyan Monarch did before.

This poore b young Prince by Fortune seem'd to be

Brought as a spectacle of misery,

Depriu'd so lately of so many lands,

And, ere his yeares could act a crime, in bands.

But Oh (how blinde are mortall eyes?) that day

Of seeming woe, first made the glorious way

To Iuba's future happinesse; and he

Was farre more blest in that captiuitie,

Than if his Fathers greatnesse still had stood.

Train'd vp at Rome he gain'd a truer good;

And freed from barbarisme, was taught to know

What Rome, or learned Athens could bestow:

Adorning so his minde, as wisest men

In euery age admir'd his happy pen.

[Page]So that to grace his future prosperous reigne,

(For great Augustus hand restor'd againe

This captiue Iuba to a kingly Throne)

A lasting name his Histories haue wonne,

And fame vnto his natiue Libya giue;

Where with himselfe those mention'd Kings shall liue,

When brazen Monuments are eat with rust.

And marble Columnes time shall bruise to dust.

And had the Ponticke King c Pharnaces beene

In person there and by the people seene,

That obiect well had ballanc'd with delight

The others ruth; but he was scap'd by flight:

Whose absence one proud sentence must supply,

J came, I saw, and vanquish'd th' enemy.

But those sad stories, which the tables show,

More than the liuing spectacles could doe,

Affect the peoples hearts: for there (although

No vanquish'd Roman might a captiue goe)

The bleeding wounds of Rome it selfe are spread;

And each man there his owne deare losse may read.

For mixt with forren conquests, with the falls

Of barbarous Captaines, Princes of the Gaules,

With dying Juba, drowned Ptolomey,

Those enuious tables to the eyes display

Domestike losse; and in sad figures tell,

By Caesar's Sword what vanquish'd Romans fell.

Here with King Iuba old Pe [...]reius dies,

Here slaughter'd Sylla, there Afranius lies:

There Damasippus and Torquatus fall;

And here (Oh wofull sight!) Romes Generall,

The Noble Scipio by his owne hand slaine,

Falls bleeding downe into the watery maine;

And sinking leaues a Noble crimson dye

On Neptunes face: but what true Roman eye

[Page]Refrain'd from teares, when he beheld the fall

Of matchlesse Cato, who, in spight of all

His friends preuention, dy'd, and wider tore

With his owne hands the wounds he made before?

Yet 'mongst so many wofull stories showne,

One Noble name was spar'd, one Fate alone

Was thought too sad; nor to the peoples eye

Durst they present Great Pompey's tragedy,

For feare so great a sorrow might outweigh

The pompous ioyes of that triumphant day:

But that conceal'd, which most of all was sought,

Remain'd more deeply fixt in euery thought▪

And they, without a picture, can supply

Each part of his lamented History.

What tongue, what pen can at the height relate

Each sumptuous part of that so enuy'd State?

The publike feasts, rare spectacles deuis'd,

And games by all the people exercis'd;

Who without number flock'd to doe him grace:

When all the Senate from the Iulian Place

Waited him home, and seem'd not then to be

The Worlds high Lords, but Caesar's family.

And as they passe, to gild their pompous way,

Numberlesse lights the Elephants display

Vpon their captiue backes, and mouing through

The streets, like heauenly Constellations show,

Like those great beasts, which in th' Horizon plac'd

Through euery part with glorious Starres are grac'd.

Nor in vaine showes was this Magnificence

Alone consum'd, but reall Monuments,

Which his great power to after-ages prais'd:

A stately Temple he to d Venus rais'd,

Or in Deuotion, or in pride to grace

That Deitie from whom he drew his race,

[Page]That now the Paphian Queene, by Caesar's reigne,

Might seeme a truer conquest to obtaine,

Ore blew-ey'd Pallas, and the wife of Ioue,

Than when they for the golden Apple stroue,

And Paris fatall iudgement did bestow,

The prize on her to Iliums ouerthrow.

For Rome and all the conquer'd World farre more,

Are forced now to honour and adore

Her name than theirs, so much it was to be

Th' originall of Caesar's pedigree,

More than the daughter, or the wife of Ioue:

The Temples structure in rare beautie stroue,

With what the height of fancy could expresse,

Or any pennes most gracefull happinesse

Describe aright: vpon the walls did stand

In Parian marble wrought with curious hand,

That amorous story where the Phrygian boy

The beautie of a goddesse did enioy:

The vale of Ida there was shadowed such,

As Poets made it, Ida vale so much

Indebted to the Muses, seemed now

Vnto a Painters hand as much to owe:

The bower of Loue was richly carued there,

That happie bower of blisse and pleasure, where

Venus descended from the Chrystall skie,

To generate the Iulian family;

Was as a Bride in all her glories led,

To fill with beautie young Anchifes bed.

Neere them their Noble issue, in whose blood

A Goddesse mixt with man, Aeneas stood;

Such was his shape, so shone his cheerefull face

As young Apollo's, when he goes to grace

His natiue Delos, and in height of State

That Festiuall intends to celebrate,

[Page]Or Bacchus, when from conquer'd India,

The yoked Tygers his proud Charriot draw,

Troian Aeneas, whose fam'd History,

Great Maro's Muse did after raise as high,

As th' old Maeonian did Achilles fame.

But that most pious posture more became

Aeneas farre, when at the fatall sacke

Of Troy, he stoop'd, and on a willing backe

Flying from thence, carry'd his aged Sire

From the Greekes Swords, and all-deuouring Fire,

Together with his gods, whom he priz'd more

Than Priam's wealth, and all Troyes burning store.

Behinde was young Iulus, and did seeme

With short vnequall steps to follow him,

That Prince, from whom the Iulian family

Deriue their name as well as pedigree,

Who the foundations of long Alba lay'd,

And ore that land a powerfull Scepter sway'd.

By him the Scepter'd issues of his blood,

In their successiue order carued stood;

Till Alba was destroy'd by Tullus doome,

And all her people were transfer'd to Rome:

From Alba's sacke the pedigree went on,

And was deduced lineally downe

To Caesar's time; in whose successe and reigne

Alba had seem'd to conquer Rome againe.

But into th' hazard once againe to throw

A State so strong, so sure as Caesar's now

Seem'd to the World to be, a furious e warre

More full of threats, of doubt and danger farre

Than euer had as yet oppos'd his reigne,

The two young Pompeys raise in farthest Spaine

There where the Great Alcides pillars stand,

And proudly boast to bound the farthest land.

[Page]That part of Spaine must proue the third sad stage

Of Ciuill warre, and Romes selfe-wounding rage.

Those, that inhabit that farre Westerne shore,

Vainely suppose that they alone, before

The setting Sunne forsake this Hemisphere,

Doe view his face at nearer distance there

Than other men, than other Countries can;

And that he falls into their Ocean

As Poets taught; or else his loftie Sphere

Bowes downe more neare the Globe terrestriall there,

Because his beautious Orbe, before the set,

Vnto their eyes appeares more large and great.

Those mistie fogges and vapours that arise

From that great Sea, which interposed lies,

Breaking diffuse the rayes, from th' eyes that went,

Or else inlarge the obiects figure sent,

And make the setting Sunne seeme greater so,

As bright things largest in the water show:

Whence they scarce any twilight haue at all,

Either at Phaebus rising, or his fall;

Day breakes together with the rising Sunne,

And day together with the set is done.

All Spaine, in figure of a bullockes hide,

Is by the Ocean wash'd on euery side,

And made almost an Ile, saue where her ground

The Pyrenaean hills from France doe bound:

From whose East end (for old description makes

Fiue sides of Spaine) the first beginning takes,

And Westward thence vnto the Gades extends,

But by the way to South obliquely bends;

And is inuiron'd by the mid-land Seas,

Where stand those Ilands Balearides,

From whence Metellus tooke his famous stile,

Faire Ebusu [...], and that small snaky Ile.

[Page]The second side from Gades, (of small extent)

Is to the sacred promontory bent;

In which short space two riuers, of no small

Account in Spaine, into the Ocean fall,

Baetis and Anas; farre their channells spread,

And from the siluer Mountaines both take head:

Both their great channells doe at last diuide,

And make two Ilands by the Oceans side:

From thence the third side in a line extends,

And at the Nerian promontory ends,

From South directly North it goes; this bound

Of Spaine doth Westward know no further ground:

That all along the boundlesse Ocean laues;

Thither the golden Tagus rowles his waues,

Winding through Lusitania, and into

That Ocean doth in one great channell flow:

From thence the Northerne side of Spaine extends,

And at the Pyrenaean Mountaines ends,

Bounded along by the Cantabrian Sea;

Within those shores the wildest Nations be

The barbarous Celtae, rough Asturians,

And (those that name the Sea) Cantabrians▪

But last of all, the fifth, and North-East side

The Pyrenaei make, which doe diuide

Gallia from Spaine, which by their wondrous height

Might seeme to threat the Skies, and once more fright

The gods with a Gigantike warre: that side

Of those high Mountaines, which surueyes the pride

Of wealthy France, doth bare and barren show,

Cloth'd with no grasse, no trees at all there grow▪

The other side, which barren Spaine oresees,

Shewes like a fruitfull Summer, cloth'd with trees

Which neuer doe their verdant colour lose:

And so to both th' adiacent Countries showes,

[Page]As if to clothe himselfe, he had robb'd Spaine,

And lost his owne, to make France rich againe.

That loftie Mountaine (if we trust to fame)

Did from the faire Pyrene take his name,

When Great Alcides moued by the fame

Of King Geryon's stately cattell, came

From Greece, to fetch that wealthy spoile away,

Entring the bounds of Spaine, he there made stay.

King Bebrix then ore all those Mountaines reign'd,

And there with Feasts Alcides entertain'd:

The conquering guest, by Fate vnhappie, spy'd

Pyrene daughter to the King, and fry'd

With inward flames; at last, while there he stay'd,

His charming words had wonne the royall maid:

He vowes his loue still constant shall remaine,

And, when with Conquest he returnes againe,

Espousall rites: But cruell Fates deny,

And make Alcides slow in victory,

Too slow, alas; nor could the fight be try'd

Ere faire Pyrene miserably dy'd.

Her swelling wombe now gan the fact reueale,

Nor could she longer her stoll'n loue conceale,

When fearing her sterne Fathers wrathfull spight,

Into the woods she takes a secret flight:

There all alone to caues and senselesse trees

She wailes her Fate, and calls Great Hercules,

Or false, or slow; till some fell beasts, that were

More sauage than their kinde, had seized her,

And whilest in vaine, alas, she did implore

Her absent louer, her to peeces tore.

Seuen times had Cynthia fill'd her waned light,

When he return'd with Conquest from the fight;

And laden with G [...]ryons wealthy spoiles,

The recompence of his successefull toiles,

[Page]Sought for Pyrene, but inforc'd to finde

What oft before his sad misgiuing minde

Made him suspect, distraught with griefe and woes

Among the woods, and craggy hills he goes

In search of her, and with a mournefull sound,

Calls his Pyrene; all the hills rebound

Pyrenes name; the hills themselues did shake,

The sauage beasts, and mountaine robbers quake;

No Tygers prey'd, nor Lions durst to moue,

Whilest Great Alcides sought his wretched Loue.

But wandring through the solitary wood,

When he had found her limbes, and vnderstood

Pyrenes wretched Fate, Oh loue, (quoth he)

'Twas my accursed absence murder'd thee:

What sauage beast durst this? What power aboue

Suffer'd so much against Alcides loue?

Oh would Geryons spoiles had all beene lost,

And I nere stirr'd from this beloued coast:

Then gathering vp those sad deare reliques, there

Within the Mountaines side he did interre

His loue and sorrow. This small Tombe (alas)

When Times strong hand (quoth he) shall quite deface,

Thy state shall greater be, and time to come,

Shall reckon all these hills Pyrenes Tombe:

The Fates consented, and by lasting fame

Those Mountaines euer bore Pyrenes name.

The two young Pompey's with their powers, not farre

From Gades now marching, meant to seat the warre

In that rich Countrey, where faire Baetis flowes,

And on the region his owne name bestowes,

(Though Turdetania, from the men that came

To plant it first, be yet another name.)

There they the fatall Munda doe possesse,

A Towne yet famous for their dire successe,

[Page]With other Townes not farre, A [...]egua,

And Vcubis, and stately Corduba

That old Patritian colony, whose name

The births of great and learned Romans fame.

The Turdetanian region may for rare

And wondrous gifts of nature well compare,

With any peece of earth; no other soile

Does more reward th' industrious plowmans toile

With rich increase; no other pastures keepe

Moe horned heards, moe wealthy-fleeced Sheepe,

Those many branches, which from Baetis flow,

Such wealth on all the neighbouring fields bestow;

Whose yellow bankes, no lesse than Tagus is,

Are stor'd with metalls of the highest price

In euery place; more gold no barren ground

Affords, than in that wealthy glebe is found:

Which nature seldome does together giue;

And happy might the Turdetanians liue,

But that their Countrey too too happy is,

And on their conquest sets too high a price.

Their wealthy grounds are oft the seat of warre,

And prey to euery powerfull conqueror:

There Rome and Carthage fought, and did maintaine

Their riuall forces with the wealth that Spaine

Afforded there, while Fortune doubted yet

Which land to make the Worlds Imperiall seat.

When like to Titius fruitfull liuer, they

Sustein'd those birds, to whom they were a prey;

And suffring Spaine by those great factions rent,

That Vultur fed which did it selfe torment;

Nor lies the gold of that rich region

Deepe in the bowells of the earth alone,

Thence to be digg'd vp with a toile as great

At is the value; there they need not sweat

[Page]In gathering wealth, nor need they farre to fire

From day, or threaten Pluto's monarchy

With their deepe labours; the rich metall's found

Vpon the glistering surface of the ground,

And lies on riuers bankes commixt with sand,

Or else with dust vpon the drier land,

And Mountaines tops: what reason can be found

Should so inrich the vpper part of ground

Vnlesse you trust a tale? When Phaëton

Did erst misguide the Charriot of the Sunne,

And scorch'd the earth; the nature then of all

These grounds Sulphurious was, and Minerall,

The metalls melted by the Sunne, fry'd vp,

And so with ease are gather'd at the top.

To Pompey's army, while they there remaine,

The seuerall nations from all parts of Spaine

(Besides those scattered troops, from Thapsus fled,

Which Labi [...]nus there and Varus led)

Adioyne themselues; the fierce Cantabrians,

That thinke it base to yeeld to Natures hands

Their liues, as if bestow'd for warre alone;

Gallecians skill'd in diuination;

The Callaicians too, whose men intend

Nothing but warre, and still in rapine spend

Their ventrous liues, vsing the womens hands

To all workes else, to sow and plow the lands:

From old Ilerda, that so lately try'd

Romes Ciuill warrs, comes aid to Pompey's side:

From Minius bankes come bold Asturians,

From golden Tagus Lusitanians;

Fierce Ceretans, Alcides Souldiers,

The light-arm'd Vascon, that no helmet weares:

And Concani, that in their drinke expresse

Themselues deriu'd from wilde Massagetes,

[Page]Their greatest thirst with horses blood they slake.

The Celtiberians, that mixt birth did take

From Gaules and Spaniards; who doe euer burne

Their friends dead bodies, and extremely mourne

(Accounting it the worst vnhappinesse)

If Wolues, or Vulturs their dead limbes should seize.

From Sucro's bankes come Hedetan supplies,

And from the loftie Towers of Serabis:

The Vettones, the Oretanians too,

And th' ensignes of Parnassian Castulo,

With all the Spanish Nations else, whom loue

Of old dead Pompey to the warre did moue.

Annotations vpon the fifth Booke.

a This Arsinoë, which had in the tumult of Aegypt beene saluted Queene by the Souldiers (as was before declared) and afterwards by Caesar apprehended, and here led in Triumph (according to Dion) and released at the suit of her sister Cleopatra then Queene of Aegypt, was afterwards murthered by the same Cleopatra (as Iosephus reports) for Cleopatra in the time of Marcus Antonius the Triumuir, did by her cruelty extinguish the royall blood of the Ptolomeys, and impatient of any that might afterwards proue riualls to her in that gouernment, did not onely poison yo [...]ng Ptolomey, her brother, whom Caesar had made her husband, but caused her sister Arsinoë to be murdered as she was at her Deuotion in the Temple. Iosephus lib. 15. de antiquitat.

b This Iuba (saith Plutarch) was happie in his captiuitie, and losse of his so great an inheritance, for at Rome he obtained happie education, and in stead of a barbarous Prince became a learned and iudicious writer: he is mentioned by diuers of those [Page] ages; he wrote Commentaries of the Libyan Kings, and diuerse obseruations of his owne times; he was industrious in the study of naturall Philosophy, and searching the natures of herbes & plants: he was the first that found out the vertues and malignitie of the herbe Euphorbium, and called it by the name of his chiefe Physitian: he serued Augustus Caesar in his warres against Marcus Antonius, and was afterwards by his bountie restored to a Crowne (though not to all the Dominions of his father) and married Cleopatra the daughter of Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra. Strabo. lib. 17.

c Pharnaces had escaped by flight, and was slaine by Asander, who rebelled against him, to whom he had committed the gouernment of Bosphorus in his absence: so that his Person was not led in Triumph; the conquest of Pharnaces (saith Dion) though it were not glorious by reason it was so easily obtained, yet Caesar much gloried in it by reason of the speed, and that he might carry those three words in Triumph, Veni, vidi, vici. Dion. lib. 42.

d Caesar was especially magnificent in doing honour (saith Dion) to Venus, whom he accounted, and desired to haue it generally beleeued, the originall of his pedigree; from her also (as Appian reports) he would glory that he had receiued beautie of body, she being the Queene of Loue and Beautie.

e Caesar after all these Triumphs, and assurances of greatnesse was yet threatned by a third warre in Spaine: a warre (saith Dion) not to be contemned; nay, farre greater and more full of danger than all his former warres: the battell of Munda (saith Florus) for fury, slaughter, and crueltie as much exceeded Thapsus, as Thapsus did Pharsalia, &c.

FINIS.

THE SIXTH BOOKE.

[Page]

[Page]

The Argument of the sixth Booke.

Varus by Didius on the stormy Maine

Js vanquished: Caesar arriues in Spaine,

And raises Pompey's siege from Vlla's walls;

He takes Ategua: both Generalls

Remou'd from thence, the warre to Munda beare▪

Caesar's despa [...]re; his mens vnsuall feare;

A bloody conquest they at last obtaine,

Young Pompey, Varus, Labienus slaine.

BVt ere the Tragicke warre arriu'd in Spaine,

And did with blood the continent distaine,

The Ocean bore it, and was first the Stage

Of this third fury, and reuiued rage:

There where th' extended Libyan coast doth meet

Almost with Spaines Tartessus, Varus Fleet

Guarded the straightened Sea in Pompey's name;

Thither for Caesar Didius Nauy came:

Two shores their fury at neere distance saw,

Fearing to whether land the warre would draw;

But Affrick bled before; what did remaine

Of Romes dissentions, Fates decreed to Spaine:

That narrow point of Sea on all foure sides

Great Lands from Lands, great Seas from Seas diuides,

In breadth the Libyan continent and Spaine,

In length th' Iberian and great Westerne maine.

[Page]The Nauies scarce their furious fight began,

When all in waues the threatning Ocean

Swell'd vp; and they encounter'd from the Sea

As great a danger as the warre could be.

The Southerne wind from Tingitania blowes;

And from the Westerne Ocean Corus rose;

Fierce Boreas met them from the Spanish coast,

And now the Sea on euery side was tost:

Their seuerall waues the different winds did moue,

As if that Aeolus and Neptune stroue

A warre so sad and wicked to preuent,

Or drowne both Fleets while they were innocent.

But greater was their dire desire of fight

Than was the Oceans rage, or winds despight:

To impious warre through stormes as rough they goe

As would the greediest venturing Merchant doe

For Parma's wealthy fleeces, Spaines rich ore,

Or brightest gemmes from th' Erythraean shore.

But when no space almost at all diuides

Both eager Fleets, the rowers take their sides,

Tugge at the oare, and (though the Ocean raues)

With armes vnweary'd cut the curled waues:

The horrid showting of the Souldiers drown'd

All noise of rowing and shrill Trumpets sound.

Yet all these sounds, and all the noise of warre

The winds, and louder stormes out roared farre,

With which, and Darts, the aire is darkned round;

Ships against Ships, beakes meeting beakes resound:

Some by their owne endeuours meet their foes,

Others the winds and stormy Seas expose

Before they thought; to triall of the warre,

Dashing together with more fury farre

The aduerse Ships, than else they would haue met;

Now grew the horrour and confusion great:

[Page]Their feares were different; some, while others fought,

Repair'd those ruines which the storme had wrought,

And stopp'd their leaking Ships, preuenting so

The certaine danger of a nearer foe:

Nor could stout Didius now his Souldiers cheere,

Or guide his Fleet; the tempest euery where

Is onely heard; but leauing his commands

Puts all into the winds and Fortunes hands;

No more could Varus for young Pompey doe:

Guided by chance against each other goe

Th' amazed Fleets; some vessells sides bor'd through

By sharpe and brazen stemmes; nor doe they know

Surely to whom they doe their ruine owe,

Whether the weathers fury or the foe.

Nor did confusion of all sounds affright

The eares alone; but through that horrid night,

Which showre-black clouds, & skies tempestuous brought,

With no small terrour the wing'd lightning shot:

No other light to them the day could giue;

No other fire in such a storme could liue.

Some Ships now almost taken by the foes,

The swelling Sea with violence orethrowes,

And vindicates their honour from surprise;

Some sinke, when boorded by the enemies,

Drowning the victors, and the vanquish'd see

A quicke reuenge of their captiuitie.

Fortune did seeme against both sides to fight

A while, and wreake in common her despight,

But long it held not; She at last decided

The day, and shew'd for whom she had prouided

So great a labour of the troubled Maine;

And Caesar's forces a full conquest gaine:

Though Didius blush it should be thought that he

Ow'd to such aids as those the victory.

[Page] Varus perceiues the Fates themselues conspire

On Caesar's side, and forced to retire

When now be saw part of his haplesse powers

Orewhelm'd, part seized by the conquerours,

With his poore remnant flies, and gets into

Carteias harbour; thence by land to goe

To Pompey's Campe; Pompey at Vlla stay'd,

And siege in vaine to that strong Citie lay'd.

Caesar with more than his accustom'd speed

(By which his great designes did still succeed)

Hasts to the warre in Spaine, and gone from Rome

In seuenteene dayes was to Sagunthus come,

That true Sagunthus, whose so Tragicke fall

Did once vpbraid the Heauens, and enuy call

Vpon their Iustice, till th' offenders fate,

And small ruine of the Punike State

Absolu'd the gods againe: with Chrystall waues

The Cities Westerne side faire Dur [...]as laues,

Clothing with verdant grasse th' adioyning plaine,

And gently slides into th' Iberian Maine.

His quicke arriuall, vnexpected there,

With sudden ioy did all the Souldiers cheere:

With speed as great from thence he marches on

Thorough the Celtiberian region,

Nor Duria's streame, nor mount Idubeda,

Nor Sucro's rapid flood his course could stay,

Nor that high glittering Mountaine, that for fame

Of his great wealth retaines the siluer name:

From whose descent rich Baetis takes his head;

Along, the shore of Baetis Caesar led

His cheerefull Souldiers on to Corduba;

Either to take that wealthy Towne, or draw

Pompey from Vlla's siege; the first in vaine

Caesar assay'd, the last he did obtaine:

[Page]For Pompey straight, although within the Towne

His brother Sextus lay in Garrison,

Abandons Vlla, and 'gainst Caesar goes;

Who from the walls of Corduba arose

Before his foes approach, loth there to trie

The vtmost hazard of a warre so high.

But passing thence ore Salsus streame, does lay

With more successe, siege to Ategua,

And winnes the Towne, maugre the feeble aid

Munatius brought: but there while Caesar stay'd,

A faire ostent the gods were pleas'd to shew,

A towring Eagle long ore Caesar flew

Till seeming weary, with a faire descent

It gently pearch'd on young Octauius tent,

Who follow'd then his Father to the warre.

A good presage the augurs all declare,

And not alone to shew the warres successe,

But young Octauius future happinesse:

But not so soone, alas, could they foresee

The full effect of this faire augury:

How many ciuill wounds did yet remaine

Ere Rome with patience brooke a Caesar's reigne,

And for her safetie be inforc'd to flie

To Great Augustus happy Monarchy?

For thee, great Prince, and thy insuing State

Was Rome opprest, and Iulius fortunate;

For thee were Marius crimes, and Sylla's wrought:

For thee was Thapsus and Pharsalia fought,

That Rome in those dire Tragedies might see

What horrid dangers follow'd libertie:

And thou at last a welcome conqueror,

Might'st those high titles without enuy weare

Which mighty Iulius with a toile so great,

With so much blood and enuy striu'd to get.

[Page]Thou then anew that powerfull State shalt mould,

And long the Worlds high Scepter safely hold,

Aboue all Riualls plac'd; thy god like State

No force shall shake; when shutting Janus gate,

Thou shalt set ope the sacred Thespian spring,

And there securely heare the Muses sing,

Whose stately layes still keepe thy deathlesse fame,

And make immortall Great Augustus name:

Nor euer did the Arts so truly reigne,

Nor sung the Muses in so pure a straine

As then they did, to grace thy glorious time;

As if the Muse before lack'd power to clime,

Or else disdain'd her highest notes to raise,

Till such a Monarch liu'd to giue the Bayes.

Grieu'd for Ategua's losse, and fearing now

That other Townes would, following Fortune, goe

To Caesar's partie, and his cause forsake,

Pompey resolues with all his strength to make

A speedy triall of a warre so great,

And on one hazard his whole Fortune set.

To Munda's fatall fields was Caesar gone;

Thither young Pompey's army marches on:

The Towne was his; and neere the Towne, arose

An high and spatious hill; where Pompey chose

T'incampe his men; from whence he might suruay

The plaines below where Caesar's army lay.

No prodigies forespake the blacke euent

Of that dayes wondrous battell, no ostent

At all was show'd from seas, earth, aire, or skies,

No entrailes spake, no birds gaue auguries:

Those sad protents, that vs'd to strike a feare

At other times in men, were spared there.

Yet were their feares farre greater; they suspect

The silence of the gods, loth to detect

[Page]So great a ruine as did then ensue:

Horrour inuades their brests; although they knew

No cause from whence those strange amazements grow,

No outward signes appear'd, their threatnings now

Were inward all; they make, by sad surmise

Within themselues a thousand prodigies.

In Pompey's campe th' amazed Souldiers

Sad silence kept, distraught twixt desp'rate feares,

And tragicke hopes; pale horrour to their eyes

Seemes to present the future Tragedies,

And the deare ghosts of slaughter'd friends appeare:

Yet know not they whether themselues should feare,

Or hope their hands should make th' ensuing Fate.

On one side Caesar's Fortune does abate

Their confidence too much; on tother they

Resolue, orecome, not to out-liue the day:

But (Oh strange Fate!) the bold Caesarians

Grow faint and heartlesse; and those actiue hands,

That had so often drawne their Countries blood,

And 'gainst all Lawes for Caesar's fortune stood;

That had before to their successefull toiles,

Promis'd the Worlds sole sway, and wealthy spoiles

Of euery nation, quake, and faulter here,

Nor from each other can conceale their feare.

How deare this field would cost, what 'twas to goe,

Against the fury of a desperate foe,

Their trembling thoughts reuolue; nor to their friends

Shame they to vtter it; those dauntlesse mindes,

That met with ioy Pharsalia's dreadfull day,

Those that at Thapsus battell could not stay

The Generalls command; preuenting there

The signall, now both fight and signall feare.

But that the feare, which did his Campe inuade

Might not seeme strange, Caesar himselfe was sad

[Page]Before the battell, and that cheerefull looke,

That vsuall vigour, whence his Souldiers tooke

Happie presages still, was changed there;

Nor did his wonted confidence appeare:

Perhaps reuoluing the vncertaine Fate

Of things, and frailtie of man 's highest state,

And how vncessant stormes doe beat vpon

The loftie Cedars, learnes to feare his owne

By other mighty falls so lately wrought;

Or Fortune else presenting to his thought

Her many fauours, and his long successe,

He weigh'd the time of Pompey's happinesse,

Who in her fauour claim'd as great a share

As he could now, before Phar [...]alia's warre.

That he arriued now as high in State

As Pompey was; might feare Great Pompey's Fate:

Whose fall (though wrought for him) had let him see

Fortunes great power, and strange vnconstancy▪

But lest his sadnesse should too much dismay

The Souldiers hearts before so great a day,

He recollects himselfe, and with fain'd cheare,

And forced lookes, taught to dissemble feare,

Thus to his army speakes; Victorious troops,

On whose knowne valour more than Caesar's hopes,

His certaine State depends, see here in Spaine

This fainting Hydra yet shoots forth againe

His last weake heads; let that Herculean might,

That lopt the first, and strongest off in fight,

Make perfect your great labour, which requires

The last hand here: of all your large desires

You are free masters, when this field is fought,

Though all the World for fresh supplies were sought,

In Fortunes power it lies not to expose

Your quiet State againe, or finde you foes.

[Page]But what are these that once againe should dare

Molest our peace with vnexpected warre?

What can these barbarous halfe-arm'd Nations doe?

Or what vnfain'd affection can they owe

To Pompey's side? or doe they feare his name,

And haue not heard enough of Caesar's fame?

Haue not the warres by old llerda taught

Our strength to Spaine? what Roman powers are brought

Thither, but young raw Souldiers, and vnskill'd

In Military arts, that nere beheld

A foe before? and those poore few that know

The warre, are such as haue beene beat by you;

And bring more feare than helpe vnto their side:

Will Varus troops your well-knowne strength abide?

Or that so often vanquish'd runnagate

False Labienus, long mainteine the Fate

Of his young Generall? Braue Souldiers on,

Perfect that worke that is so neerely done.

His speech no shouts, no acclamation findes,

Nor could it raise their sad deiected mindes:

And though, the signall giuen, all Trumpets sound,

And Pompey's army from the vpper ground

Make downe to charge, the cold Caesarians

Dare not approach, nor follow the commands

Of their great Generall; when Caesar fill'd

With griefe and rage, seizing a Speare and Shield,

This day, quoth he (no more my Souldiers)

Shall end the life of Caesar, and your warres;

Remember whom you leaue; then forth he flies

Alone to charge th' amazed enemies;

Who, till their wonder was expell'd by hopes,

Awhile made stand; at last from all the troops

'Gainst Caesar's head whole stormes of Iauelins come;

Some in his shield he does receiue, and some

[Page]Auoids, declining of his body downe

Till shame not courage brought his Souldiers on

To saue their Generall; and 'gainst the foe

They doe begin a fight so a furious now,

As if with this new rage they would appeare

To recompence their ignominious b feare.

Th'auxiliary troops on either side

Gaue backe, and left the battell to be try'd

By none but Roman hands; who man to man,

And foot to foot a constant fight began

With so great horrour, as who had beheld

Pharsalia's fight, or Thapsus bloody field,

Would haue esteem'd those furies light, and thought

He nere saw warre till Munda's field was fought.

Both Generalls alike twixt hope and feare,

With needlesse speeches their fierce Souldiers cheare,

Till weary'd with the toile, they both retire,

And from two little hills behold the dire

Encounter of their men; when Caesar's eyes,

That drie, had view'd whole Nations tragedies,

Began to melt; and whilest bright victory,

Ore both the armies houer'd doubtfully,

Caesar and Pompey had forgot their hopes,

And onely pity'd their engaged troops,

Fearing both armies in the place would die,

And leaue no conquest, but one tragedie.

A balefull silence on the sudden then

Possest the field; no showts of fighting men

Were heard; as if they labour'd to keepe in

Their sp'rits for action; hands alone were seene

To moue, and write in bloody Characters

Their deepe resolues: young Pompey's Souldiers

Beyond this day disdaine to hope at all;

And Caesar's men promise, in Pompey's fall

[Page]To all their toiles a rich and quiet close,

And that the World no more can finde them foes▪

At last the battells fortune seem'd to leane

To Pompey's side, and Caesar's fainting men

Gaue backe apace, nor scarce with all their might

Could the Centurions stay their open flight:

When Caesar arm'd with high despaire, preparing

The fatall Ponyard, which he wore, and baring

His manly brest, thus speakes; Oh Fortune, now

I see thou wants not power to ouerthrow

What ere thou build'st: but I accuse not thee;

Enough already hast thou done for me:

Enough haue thy transcendent fauours grac'd

My liues whole course: should'st thou not change at last

Perhaps the erring World might censure me

More than a man, and thee no Deitie:

I that so long haue thy high fauours knowne,

Can thus securely entertaine thy frowne.

There had he dy'd; but as kinde mothers doe

Oft let their children neere to dangers goe,

That then, when they perceiue them most afraid,

They may the more endeare their timely aid:

So Fortune findes an vnexpected way

To saue his Fate; whilest yet his men made stay

And kept the field, King Bogud, that without

The battell stood, wheeles suddenly about

To seize young Pompey's Campe; which to preuent

Leauing his station Labienus went,

And with him drew fiue cohorts from the fight:

Which action chang'd the battells fortune quite;

Whilest haplesse errour through both armies flew,

And Pompey's battell suddenly orethrew;

For misconceit that Labienus fled

Had quite disheartened his owne side, and bred

[Page]In Caesar's Souldiers most assured hopes:

Nor could young Pompey stay his flying troops,

Too late (alas) it was to make them know

What haplesse errour caus'd their ouerthrow▪

For routed once ore all the field they flie

A prey to the pursuing enemie.

Vnhappie Attius Varus, where he stood

Enuiron'd round with carcasses, and blood;

Varus, that twice before a warre had led

'Gainst Caesar's fortune, and twice vanquished,

When he had labour'd long in vaine to stay

His flying men, loth to out-liue the day,

Or longer keepe that often conquer'd breath,

Now rushes boldly on, to finde a death

Amid'st the thickest of his enemies,

And gladly there on all their weapons dies.

But when (alas) sad Labienus view'd

How great and swift a ruine had ensu'd

Vpon his haplesse action, cursing Fate

And his owne dire misfortue, too too late

Seeking to ralley his disorder'd troops,

He cryes, 'tis I, that haue vndone the hopes

Of wretched Rome; 'tis I haue lost the day:

Through this dire brest take your reuenging way,

And expiate this fatall ouerthrow,

Or Caesar's swords shall take reuenge for you:

Then (like a Libyan Lion round beset,

Arm'd with a high despaire and rage as great)

Carelesse of wounds or weapons forth he goes

To sell a loathed life deere to his foes:

Till by a thousand swords at last he dies,

And to the shades his angry spirit flies.

Pompey perceiues his army ouerthrowne,

And now the losse irreparable growne,

[Page]And though he see no cause that should inuite

Him to out-liue the fury of the fight,

His owne fresh youth perswades him t' entertaine

A future hope to raise his State againe:

High mounted on a Spanish Steed he flies

(Leauing in field his routed Companies)

With speed, Carteia's harbour to attaine,

And saile from thence: but to disastrous Spaine

Sterne Fates the death of this young man decree

And he ere long the selfe same destiny

Forc'd to endure on Spaines vnhappie ground

That his great Father in false Aegypt found.

His brother c Sextus scap'd from that sad day

Fortune long hides in Celtiberia

To raise his State againe, againe to breathe

Fresh warre and ruine after Caesar's death,

And once againe with faction rend the State

In that sad time of Romes Triumuirate.

The fight was done, and nothing now ensu'd

But impious rage, and murder; the pursu'd

To Pompey's Campe and Munda's walls (alas)

For refuge fled, but vaine that refuge was▪

So horrid now was the Caesarians rage,

That neither pitie could their heat asswage,

Nor strength defend their wretched enemies

From their dire force; on euery side the cries

And groanes of dying men are heard alone.

Neuer so sauage crueltie was showne

Against the worst of forren foes, as then

The vanquish'd felt from their owne Countrymen▪

Which most appear'd, when to surprise the Towne

(A thing among'st Barbarians neuer knowne)

The workes they rais'd against it to maintaine

The siege, were carcasses of Romans slaine.

[Page] Caesar, that nere before did truly see

How hard it was to gaine a victory,

(Since Fortune still his wish with ease had wrought,

And he for glory, not for life had fought

Till Munda's field) recounts what he had lost,

Grieuing to finde what this sad conquest cost,

He sometimes wail'd his owne slaine Souldiers then,

Sometimes the slaughter'd foes, as Countrimen,

And wishes some, to whom he now might show

His mercy, had suruiu'd the ouerthrow;

And almost taxes Fortune, who that day

Had wrought his ends by such an enuy'd way.

Neuer till now did Caesar's pensiue brest,

Truly reuolue how tragicall the best

Successe will be that Ciuill warre affords,

And how deepe wounds his sadly conquering swords

Had made in th' entrailes of afflicted Rome.

Now Thapsus battell, now Pharsalia come

Into his sad remembrance; and almost

He wishes all his Triumphs had beene lost,

Rather than with such horrid slaughter won,

And that he nere had crossed Rubicon:

Scarce can the glories, that it brings, outweigh

The inward sorrow for so blacke a day.

While thus Great Caesar's troubled thoughts were led,

Cenonius enters and presents the head

Of Noble Pompey, whose now pitty'd state

Call'd to remembrance his great Fathers fate,

In treacherous Aegypt; and no lesse than his

Inforced teares of ruth from Caesar's eyes.

How did he die (quoth he) relate to vs

His tragedy: when thus Cenonius;

When Munda's fields strew'd with his slaughter'd troops

Young Pompey saw, and voide of present hopes

[Page]Fled to Carteia, to embarque from thence

For forren coasts, fearing the Citizens

And our pursuit, he left the Towne againe,

And quite bereft of all his scattered traine

Wounded and lame, retir'd into a wood,

That not farre distant from Carteia stood,

Hoping the couert of that shady place

A while might yeeld him shelter from the chace▪

We enter'd in, and long the wood suruay'd

With curious eyes, and long in vaine we stray'd:

But farre within a spreading Beech there stood,

Where weary'd now, and faint through losse of blood

Alone he sate; he that had fought so late

'Gainst thee, Oh Caesar, with long doubtfull fate;

He whom so many Roman legions

Did lately guard, so many nations

Obey'd and seru'd, now all forsaken fate

A sad example of mans fraile estate.

When I approaching bad him yeeld to me

In Caesar's name: neuer aliue (quoth he,)

Let Caesar see my head, for nere can that

Be my disgrace, that was my Fathers fate▪

By this vnhappie token let him know

The heire of Pompey, and perceiue a foe

That might haue proued worthy of his feare

So let me goe to him, rather than beare

A conquerours disdaine, or blushing be

The pitty'd subiect of an enemie:

Nor shall you finde I prize, so cheape a life

(Though vanquished) as without any strife

To send it him: Then with a courage high

Aboue his strength, aboue the misery

Of his forsaken state, among vs all

He flies; or to preuent, or sell his fall

[Page]Deere as he could; alas, for victory

Fortune forbid him hope; nor did it lie

Within the power of his vnwilling foes

To saue that life which he resolu'd to lose;

But meeting wounds away at last it fled:

Caesar, with sighs, beholds the Noble head,

Pittying his fall, and bids Cenonius beare

It thence, to finde the body, and interre

Them both in such a manner, as became

Th' vnhappie ruines of so great a name:

And thence, secur'd from feares, marches away

By Baetis streame, to stately Corduba,

Now the Herculean Gades, faire Hispalis,

Munda, so lately fatall, Vcubis,

Ategua, and all the other Townes

Which fence the wealthy Beticke regions,

Breathe nought but peace, nor longer to oppose

Caesar's preuailing Fortune, harbour foes▪

Nor doe these onely their subiection yeeld

To Caesar, but the farthest, the most wilde,

And sauage Nations, rough Asturians,

Fierce Callaicians, bold Cantabrians

From all the farthest distant shores of Spaine

Doe humbly sue his fauour to obtaine:

The loue they bare to Pompey's name before

Was quite oreborne by Fate, and could no more

Maintaine a faction against Caesar's power;

Who now a sole vnriuall'd conquerour,

From that subiected coast hasts to be gone

To visite Rome, which now was his alone,

And there in fearelesse Triumphs to display

The wofull glories of blacke Munda's day.

[Page]

Annotations vpon the sixth Booke.

§

a How truly the manner of this battell is here expressed, or how farre it may be lawfull for one writing by the way of a Poet to digresse, I leaue it to the iudgement of the Reader: and that you way briefely see it without the labour of searching Bookes, thus the cruell battell of Munda by two Historians of credit is described (to omit others for breuitie sake.)

Dion Cassius lib 43. thus: At the first conflict the auxiliaries on both sides fled away; but the Roman forces encountering fiercely continued the fight long, not regarding at all what became of their associates, euery man thinking that the whole victory depended vpon his hand: they gaue no ground, nor left their stations, but killing, or dying made good the place: there were no clamours nor military showtes heard, nor hardly groanes, onely these speeches, strike, kill. Caesar and Pompey both on horsebacke from two hills beheld the battell, and knew not what they should resolue, but were equally distracted betweene feare and confidence. And afterwards thus: so long and fiercely with equall hopes both armies fought, that vnlesse King Bogud, who stood with his forces without the battell, had turned about to surprise the Campe of Pompey, and Labienus had left the battell to preuent him, they had all without doubt died in the battell, or night had parted them vpon equall termes.

Florus relates it thus: Doubtfull and sad was this battell, Fortune seeming to deliberate, and not resoluing what to doe: Caesar himselfe was sad before the battell, contrary to his custome, either considering the frailtie of mankinde, or suspecting the long continuance of his prosperitie, or else fearing the fate of Pompey being now growne to the height of Pompey: but in the battell it selfe (what neuer before had beene knowne to happen) while both the armies were in their height of fury, a sudden silence, as if by consent, was throughout the field: and last of all (a [Page] thing not usuall in Caesar's army) the old Souldiers began to giue ground, and that they did not absolutely flie, it seemed to be shame, not valour that withheld them: Concerning the despaire of Caesar, and this his action Appian is my warrant, and Florus partly testifies as much.

§

c Sextus Pompeius did long lurke in Celtiberia, till after the death of Iulius Caesar he leuied forces, and surprising the Iland of Sicily, he commanded the Seas in those parts, and saued many Romans that fled to him from the proscription of the Triumuiri: he was at last vanquished at Sea by Marcus Agrippa the chiefe Generall for Augustus Caesar, and slaine in Asia by the Souldiers of Marcus Antonius the Triumuir.

FINIS.

THE SEVENTH BOOKE.

[Page]

The Argument of the seuenth Booke.

What different passions 'mongst the people rise

At Caesar's new transcendent dignities:

He, to decline the Enuy of his reigne,

Designes a warre against the Parthian.

Cassius consults with Brutus to set free

The State againe by Caesar's Tragedy.

The Lords conspire: vnto the Capitoll

Caesar securely goes (though of his f [...]ll

By fatall prodigies foretold in vaine)

And entring there is by the Senate slaine.

THat ciuill fury, that so long had torne

Romes state, & through so many regions borne

Her bleeding wounds, it selfe had wasted now;

And long'd-for peace did seeme againe to show

Her cheerefull face; the people hop'd for rest,

Since now vnriuall'd Caesar was possest

Of all the honours, Rome could giue, alone,

And the World knew no other power but one.

The ore-ioy'd people wish it euer so:

(His power was growne aboue their Enuy now)

And to the gods they willingly forgiue

The losse of that vnsafe prerogatiue

Their libertie, and gladly would adore

A safe and peacefull Scepter; for the more

[Page]His might in warre their terrours did increase

The more his vertues now secure their peace:

No better guardian, wish they, to the State

Than mighty Caesar, whose vnconquer'd Fate

So long preuail'd 'gainst all opposing powers,

And crush'd so many great competitours.

Nor doe the poore plebeians wish it so

Alone; these hopes the weary'd Senate too

(Except some few) doe harbour with delight,

And gladly giue consent to Caesar's height:

They most of all desire a calme, since most

The highest Cedars by rough stormes are tost;

They wish the shadow of that freedome gone

Whose substance long agoe was ouerthrowne.

For what since Marius times, since Sylla's reigne

Did they of ancient libertie retaine,

But the bare name? For which so deere a price

They pay'd, and saw so many Tragedies:

And therefore not alone from flattery,

But from true ioy to Caesar they decree

More height of honour, and more state than can

Fit the condition of a priuate man,

Left he perchance might seeme in his owne eyes

Lesse than a Monarch: to those dignities,

Which after the defeat of Scipio

He had receiu'd, they adde farre greater now,

Diuine and humane; that throughout all lands,

And all the kingdomes which great Rome commands,

Not onely Sacrifices should be had

For him, and offerings in all Temples made,

But Temples to himselfe they doe decree

To consecrate as to a Deirie:

But one more sumptuous than the rest, and high

Erected is to him and Clemency

[Page]Ioyning their Deities, where hand in hand

Does Caesar's image with the Goddesse stand:

And (as his Countries sauiour) euery where

His rich-wrought Statues oaken Garlands weare▪

They stile him Consull for ten yeares to come,

Dictator euer, Father of his Rome;

And that in euery cause, for ample State,

He, as Supreme, and Soueraigne Magistrate

Should iudgement giue from a Tribunall high

Of burnish'd Gold and polish'd Iuory.

That those chaste maides, which keepe the Vestall flame,

And all Romes Priests should vow in Caesar's name,

And for his safetie offer euery yeare,

And he himselfe a robe Triumphall weare

At publike Sacrifice; that thankes should be

Giu'n to the gods for his each victory,

And the dayes sacred. Who could ere haue thought

That day, on which Pharsalia's field was fought,

Or that of Thapsus, or sad Munda's warre

As holidayes should fill the Calendar?

And Cato, Scipio, Pompey's tragicke falls

Be kept with ioy as Roman Festiualls?

The moneth Quintilis, to his lasting fame,

(Which gaue him birth) must beare great Iulius name.

What more deserued honour could there be,

More fit, more gratefull to posteritie

For Caesar's future memory to weare,

Than mention in his owne amended yeare?

That he, whose wisdome from confusion

Had freed th' accounts of time, and to the Sunne

Had squar'd his yeare, from all those errours freed

Which negligence insensibly did breed,

In that should liue, while people euery where

Throughout the World obserue the Iulian yeare.

[Page]And more to heighten his transcendent State,

They make decree, that euery Magistrate

Shall (when elected) sweare not to withstand

What euer Caesar's edicts shall command,

Making his power so great, there's nothing now

But he himselfe may on himselfe bestow.

What now should Caesar feare? What ill successe

Can shake so strong a grounded happinesse?

Or what should Rome now in a State so blest

Suppose can rend her peace, or reaue her rest?

Askes it a greater vertue to maintaine

A setled fortune than at first to gaine?

Or is it easier to the powers on high

To giue, than to preserue prosperitie?

Or would the gods else let proud mortalls see

By this so fatall mutabilitie,

Their fraile estate, and finde the distance so

Betwixt Celestiall powers and powers below?

Caesar to mould the State a new beginnes

With wholesome Lawes, and by his mercy winnes

(If mercy could such Enuy ouercome)

The peoples hearts, calling from exile home

Those banish'd Lords that had against him fought

To make all hatred, with the warre, forgot:

And through the Empires wide circumference

Extends his bountie and Magnificence;

Carthage and Corinth he re-edifies,

And plants them both with Roman Colonies,

And not detracting from th' old founders fames,

Lets them both beare their first renowned names.

But yet suspecting (what the sadde euent

Prou'd true) how hardly his new gouernment

Will at the first be brook'd, till time allay

That Enuies heat, that does as yet outweigh

[Page]His lenitie, and nothing more than rest

Matures the plots of discontented brests,

Caesar resolues with speed to entertaine

An honourable warre to wipe the staine

Of ciuill blood, by forren deeds, away,

To fetch againe from conquer'd Parthia

(Which yet secure did of Romes Trophees boast)

Those captiue Eagles which slaine Crassies lost.

His fixed thoughts on that high action set,

Vnto a great and frequent Senate met,

Thus Caesar speakes; Fathe [...]s Conscript, had I

Meant to abuse my power in crueltie,

As Cinna, Marius, and dire Sylla did,

What closest vizour could so long haue hid

My nature from you? You had found ere this

Some fatall signes: but I, that still did wish

Power, for no other end than to secure

The vse of vertuous deeds, and put in vre

Nor what my passions but true reason taught,

In all these warres haue for the publike fought,

To make my selfe a Guardian, not a Lord

Of Rome and you, and with a conquering Sword

Keepe out all Tyrants, that might else intrude,

Working your safetie, not your seruitude.

What can this Senate, or the people feare

From Caesar's power, whose mercy euery where

So many pardon'd enemies haue try'd?

And, saue in battell, none by me destroy'd:

Let those suruiuing witnesses relate

How I in warre haue vs'd my prosperous Fate;

Let Scip [...]o's papers burn'd, vnread by me

(After the field of Thapsus) testifie

How loth I was to finde in Rome a foe▪

And rather chose my dangers not to know,

[Page]But still to liue in danger, than to be

Secur'd by slaughter and seueritie:

Nor, but enforc'd, witnesse ye gods of Rome,

To this sad ciuill warre did Caesar come,

And was compell'd (though loth) to conquer more

To purchase that, which I deseru'd before,

For which ten yeares successefully I fought

Against the Gaules, and all those regions brought

Vnder the power of Rome, which lie betweene

The Pyrenaean hills, the German Rhine,

And Brittish Seas; nor did the German Rhine,

Or Brittish Seas my victories confine,

Which flew beyond them both, and crossing ore

(Where neuer Roman Eagles pearch'd before)

I taught the Germans there our yoke to carry,

And made the painted Brittaines tributary:

For which my Triumphs Enuy did deny;

To winne for Rome was made a crime in me.

Had not my foes vngratefull iniury

Turn'd backe those conquering armes on Italy

They had, perchance, Fathers, by your command

Ere this subdu'd the farthest Easterne land.

Our name the Indians, and tam'd Medes had knowne▪

The Persian Susa, and proud Babylon

Had felt our strength, nor on the Parthian coast

So long had Crassus vnreuenged ghost

Complaining wander'd: That designe for me

Rests now to act (so you the warre decree.)

When first the Spring dissolues the mountaine snow,

And Westerne winds vpon the waters blow;

When with his golden hornes bright Taurus opes

The chearefull yeare; shall these victorious troops

Aduance against the Parthians, and there die,

Or fetch those Eagles home with victory

[Page]Which Crassus lost: till then you need not feare

The insolency of the Souldier,

That their disorder'd licence here at home

May any way disturbe the peace of Rome.

My care already has (besides the spoiles

Of forren foes) rewarded all their toiles

With those great summes, which here so lately I

(Perchance much enuy'd) rais'd in Italy

To keepe them still, and did not feare to buy

With mine owne Enuy your security.

Then, Conscript Fathers, if your wisdomes shall

Esteeme of Caesar as a Generall,

Fit to reuenge the Roman infamy

'Gainst Parthia's pride, decree the warre to me:

I am your Souldier still; nor ere has ought

But Romes renowne by all my toiles beene sought:

You shall perceiue that Caesar's Souldiers are

Not onely fortunate in Ciuill warre.

Caesar had ended; when the Fathers all

To such a warre, and such a Generall

Giue glad consent, and with one voyce decree

The Parthian warre to Caesar's auspicie.

But Fates deny what they so much desir'd;

The date of Caesar's glory was expir'd,

And Fortune weary'd with his Triumphs now

Reuolts from him; more ruine and more woe

Was yet behinde for wretched Rome to tast▪

Nor can their quiet happinesse out-last

The life of Caesar, whose approaching Fate

More Ciuill warres and wounds must expiate▪

No vertue, bountie, grace, nor clemency

Could long secure vsurped Soueraignty:

For more that power to Citizens borne free

Distastfull was than benefits could be

[Page]Sweet and delight some: which soone hasten'd on

Th' vntimely death of Caesar; Nor alone

To this conspiracy did hatred draw

His ancient foes▪ as Pontius Aquila,

Bucolianus, and Cecilius,

Ligarius pardon'd once, and Rubrius,

Scruilius Galba, Sextus Naso too,

Spurius, with many of the faction moe:

But euen 'mongst Caesar's friends dire Enuy wrought;

And to his slaughter bold Trebonius brought,

Casca, and Cimber, and Minutius

His seeming friends; nor thee, Oh Cassius,

Could Caesar's fauour, nor thy Pretorship

Of Rome obtain'd, from this dire murther keepe.

Decimus Brutus too, so highly grac'd,

And in so neere a ranke of friendship plac'd

With Caesar, to whose trust and gouernance

The wealthy prouince of Transalpine France

Caesar had left, enuying his Patrons power

Among the rest is turn'd conspiratour:

Nor seemes the knot of this great faction yet,

To be of strength enough, vnlesse they get

Young Marcus Brutus in, who then did sway

The Prouince of Cisalpine Gallia,

Colleague with Cassius (as Romes Pretors) then,

And high in Caesar's grace: this braue young man

For his knowne vertues and admired parts,

In all the peoples discontented hearts

Did seeme most thought of, and mark'd out to be

The vindicatour of lost libertie:

Nor did they hide it, but in libells wrote

On his Pretorian cell, exprest their thought,

Taxing his courage as degenerate

From th' ancient Brutus, who first freed the State

[Page]Of Rome from Monarchy; as if the fame

Of such an act could suit no other name,

And he by fatall birth condemn'd to be

An Actor now in Caesar's Tragedy.

Now had Rh [...]m n [...]sian Nemesis possest

In all her blackest formes, the vengefull brest

Of fierie Cassius, and did wholly sway

His eager thoughts, impatient of delay:

Who, by nights silence, enters Brutus house▪

Him there he findes alone, and anxious,

Wailing his Countries Fate, and sadder farre

Than when the feare of this great Ciuill warre

First seiz'd the peoples hearts, and frighted Rome

Was fill'd with fatall prodigies: to whom

Cassius beginnes: Oh why should Brutus spend

That pretious time in thought, which he should lend

In actiue aid, to his sad Countries need;

That would againe by Brutus hand be freed.

See what the peoples longing thoughts expect

That thou should'st worke for them; marke the effect

Of what they write on thy Praetorian Sell:

There may'st thou read that (though contented well)

They look'd no farther than for vaine delights

(As Libyan huntings, and Circensian sights)

From other Praetors, they expect from thee

A benefit, no lesse than libertie:

Can Brutus thinke that Caesar, while he liues▪

Will ere resigne so great a power, who striues

To make it more his owne; and not content

With a Dictator's name and gouernment,

An office oft bestow'd, while Rome was free,

Aimes at more certaine markes of Monarchy

The Regall Crowne and Scepter, thinking all

The Senate giues, cause they can giue it, small?

[Page]Why were the Tribunes else, for taking downe

From Caesar's Statue, late, a golden Crowne,

Depos'd? Or what could he by law alleage

Against their persons sacred priuilege?

Did lewd Antonius put a Diadem

On Caesar's head, to be refus'd by him

In publike onely, and not there to trie

How we would all allow his Monarchy?

Besides a thousand more ambitious arts,

He daily findes to sound the peoples hearts.

His death the period of his pride must be,

And must with speed be wrought: for if, till he

Returne triumphant from the Parthian warre,

We should delay our vengeance, harder farre,

And with more enuy must it then be done,

When he more honour and more loue has wonne.

To shake off Caesar's yoke this is the time,

Or make it not our owne, but Fortunes crime:

The Noble Brutus sigh'd; Oh Cassius,

If Heauens (quoth he) haue not allotted vs

A longer date of freedome, how can we

With feeble armes controule their high decree?

They, that in Affricke, Spaine, and Thessaly

Condemn'd the cause of Roman liberty,

Will not protect it now: and better farre

It should be lost in faire and open warre,

From whence at first it sprung, and grew so high,

Than to be sau'd by secret treachery,

Such as the ancient Romans scorn'd to vse

'Gainst worst of foes. Noble Fabritius,

When conquering Pyrrhus threaten'd Rome, disdain'd

To free his Countrey by a traitours hand,

Aduenturing rather Romes sad ouerthrow

By open warre: nor 'gainst a forren foe

[Page]Were these respects obseru'd alone by vs:

What greater traitour than Sertorius,

And foe to Rome? Yet he by treason slaine

On base Perpenna stucke a lasting staine:

What hope was there that one so deepe in blood

As was that Butcher Sylla, euer would

Resigne his reigne to be a priuate man?

Yet who 'gainst Sylla's life attempted then?

Twixt whom and Caesar was as great an ods

Almost, as twixt the Furies and the Gods.

As much as those then liuing Romans were

Too timorous, too base, and prone to beare

A Tyrants yoke, as much, for this, shall we

Be iudg'd ingrate to Caesar's clemency:

And those old men will more accuse our crime,

That can remember Sylla's bloody time:

But I (of all accurst) that so much owe

To Caesar's fauours, am condemned now

To be a subiect, or from seruitude

To free my selfe by foule ingratitude:

Oh what a torture my distracted brest

Suffers, twixt two such sad extremes opprest?

Oh why, when dire Pharsalia's field was fought,

And I disguis'd in common armour sought

To reach his life, before I was descry'd,

And sau'd by Caesar, had not Brutus dy'd,

And free descended to the shades below?

Or if my aime had hit, one happie blow

Had rescu'd Rome from thrall without a staine

(Vnlesse Great Pompey had vsurp'd a reigne)

And had not left our libertie to be

Thus poorely wrought by secret treachery:

Oh, stay awhile our vengeance, Cassius,

See what the gods, and Fate will doe for vs▪

[Page]Or what ere long our fatall enemies

The Parthians can doe. Cassius replies,

Could Brutus then be pleas'd, the Parthian foe

Againe should triumph in our ouerthrow?

To haue, with publike losse and infamy

That wrought for vs, which may with honour be

(And Rome yet safe) by our owne hands atchieu'd.

In all thy reasons, yet, thou art deceiu'd,

Mistakinq grounds of things, thou dost conclude

Impartiall Iustice foule ingratitude:

For if the deed be iust, no benefit

Receiu'd, should hinder thee from acting it;

That were corruption, not true gratitude:

The greater fauours Caesar ere has shew'd

To thee, the more thy Iustice will appeare

In that the publike good thou dost preferre:

'T would take much honour from a deed so high,

If Caesar had beene knowne thine enemie:

Nor could an act, wherein thy priuate hate

Had borne a share, so much oblige the State:

To purchase honour, and our Countries good

Priuate respects of friendship or of blood

Must be forgot and banish'd: is that old

Brutus through, all succeeding times extoll'd,

By whose strict Iustice his owne sonnes did die,

That sought againe to bring in Monarchy?

And art thou bound to suffer Caesar's reigne?

What would old Brutus doe, if here againe?

Or vnto thee can Caesar's fauour seeme

A greater bond than nature was to him?

Nor canst thou terme it secret treachery

If by our hands vsurping Caesar die;

Since Fate of warlike power has vs bereft,

And no meanes else to worke our freedome left.

[Page]Should we a while deferre the action,

It cannot be, perchance, hereafter done

But with dishonour and base Treasons staine,

When we before haue both approu'd his reigne:

For in the Sibils bookes 'twas lately read,

The Parthians neuer can be vanquished

But by a King: which in the peoples eares

Is told already; and his Flatterers

By them would haue it publikely desir'd;

Our voyces, Brutus, will be then requir'd;

Which we with greatest perill must deny,

Or else for euer lose our libertie.

When Cassius had with his persuasiue art

Fully confirm'd young Brutus wauering heart

To this sad deed; a noise at doore they heare;

Decimus Brutus now was enter'd there,

And all the rest of that conspiracy:

Where 'mongst themselues the fatall knot they tie,

By mutuall othes; striuing (alas) in vaine

By Caesar's death that freedome to attaine,

Which was for euer banish'd by the doome

Of Fate, and neuer to returne to Rome

Though often sought; in stead of freedome now

More desolation, Tragedies and woe

After this slaughter must againe ensue;

And all the people that dire action rue

Which they desir'd. Philippi's balefull day,

Perusia's siege, and fatall Mutina,

With Leuca's fleet shall make afflicted Rome

Truly lament ore slaughter'd Caesar's Tombe.

The balefull Ides of March approaching nigh

Ordain'd by Fate for this great Tragedy,

Th' Etrurian Augurs, who diuine by sight

Of slaine beasts entrailes, and the various flight

[Page]Of Birds, in Caesar's danger were not dumbe,

But boldly told what they foresaw to come.

The Ides of March Spurinna bids him feare:

Nor did the Earth, the Aire, or Skies forbeare

Presaging signes (if any signes could lend

Meanes to preuent what destinies intend:)

Affrighting voyces in the Aire were heard;

The Sunne himselfe in threatning formes appear'd,

Sometimes, as if he wept, his glorious head

With a blew Rainebow round enuironed;

Sometimes quite dimm'd, as if he fled the sight

Of men, and meant to make eternall night.

The windy Spirits through earth's torne cauernes breake:

Floods change their courses: beasts 'gainst nature speake▪

The swelling Poe oreflowes th' adioyning plaine,

And to his channell suddenly againe

Retiring backe, thousands of monstrous Snakes,

Which he brought forth, vpon dry ground forsakes.

The Sea, that had orewhelm'd a part of land

By Tyber's mouth, retiring, on the sand

As many fish did in like sort forsake:

But nearer signes great Caesar's death fore-spake.

Those stately Steeds, which, when the warre begun,

He crossing ore the streame of Rubicon

Had consecrated, and for euer freed

From future seruice of the warre, to feed

At libertie along the Chrystall flood,

And quiet wander through the shady wood,

For many dayes before their Lord was slaine,

Did, of themselues, their pleasant food refraine:

Their mourning eyes presaging sorrow shew'd,

And all the pasture fields with teares bedew'd.

The little regall Bird, the day before,

Flying along, a sprig of Laurell bore

[Page]Within her mouth; whom straight a multitude

Of Birds from out the neighbouring wood pursu'd,

Till she had enter'd Pompey's Court, and there

The Laurell'd Bird did all to peeces teare.

That night, that vsher'd forth the fatall day,

Was come, and with her darknesse did display

Prodigious feares, bringing, in stead of rest,

A sad disturbance to each wakefull brest:

Throughout the Palace, where great Caesar slept

His last, the armes of Mars, which there were kept,

Were heard to yeeld a horrid ratling sound,

Clashing together of themselues; and round

About the house the doores flew ope at once:

The aire of night was fill'd with dismall grones;

And people oft awaked with the howles

Of Wolues and fatall Dogges: ill boding Owles,

Night-iarres, and Rauens with wide-stretched throats

From yews, and holleys send their balefull notes;

The shrieches wailings, and all cries were heard

Of euery fatall and affrighting Bird.

Shape-faining Morpheus, in the dead of night,

Sent from the King of rest, with speedy flight

Entring the Palace, to Calphurnia,

Who sleeping in her Lords embraces lay,

Presents his slaughter'd figure in such wise

As vnto all th' amazed peoples eyes,

The next day's Sunne must show; all stain'd with blood

Before the bed she dreamt her Caesar stood,

His visage pal'd with death: that robe of State,

Which neuer foe before could violate,

All torne, through which his gaping wounds appeare:

Calphurnia weepes, then shriekes aloud for feare,

[Page]And stretching ore the bed her louing armes

T' embrace the flying shade; though free from harmes

She finde her Lord, who was awaked now,

Scarce dares she trust her waking senses so

As she beleeues the vision; in her thought

So much that too prophetike dreame had wrought.

Caesar with kisses wipes away her teares,

And askes the cause of her so sudden feares:

She trembling yet, the fatall dreame declares

Which had disturb'd her sleepe (nor could the cares

That rose from thence, be banish'd) with the story

Mixing fresh teares, and louing oratory,

Persuades her Caesar to remember now

What th' Augur's skills so lately did fore-show,

And what the learn'd Spurinna bad him feare

From th' Ides of March, which now (ill) present were:

She begges of him he would forbeare to goe

That morning to the Senate, and bestow

That one poore day, if not vpon his owne

Deare safetie, yet vpon her feares alone:

And grant to her as much, as to a wife

Was due, of int'rest in a husbands life.

That he those Spanish guards would entertaine,

Which had so lately beene dismiss'd, againe:

That safe preuention of a danger neere

Was Noble still, and could be stiled feare

No more than scorning the gods threats could be

True fortitude or magnanimitie.

Caesar replies; Ah deare Calphurnia,

Dearer to me than that life-breath I draw,

Would'st thou forbeare thy griefe, it could not lie

Within the power of any prodigie

[Page]To make this day a sad one: should I here

Begin to learne that superstitious feare

Of fatall dayes and houres, what day to me

Could ere hereafter from such feares be free?

I onely should my wretched life torment,

And not my destin'd time of death preuent,

But liue for euer with vaine feares diseas'd

When ere Astrologers or Augurs pleas'd:

Euery beasts entrailes were a care to me,

And flight of euery bird a malady.

If Caesar's danger grow from discontent

Of Rome, not one dayes absence can preuent,

Nor scarce repriue my Fate; and once to die

Better than euer feare conspiracie:

What good can strongest guards on me conferre

But make me liue perpetuall prisoner?

Why should I feare the peoples discontent,

Who now enioy vnder my gouernment

More wealth, more safetie, and prosperitie

Than by my death they could? The death of me,

That haue already reach'd the height of all

Glory and State that can to man befall,

And wrought my farthest ends, can neuer be

So much mine owne as their calamitie;

Who will againe with Ciu [...]ll iarres be rent,

And wish a safe and setled gouernment:

Oh doe not feare thy dreame, Calphurnia,

Nor sad presages from such trifles draw:

If dreames were fatall, Loue, sleepe were not rest;

Since most our cares would be by sleepe increast:

But if they were presages, tell me then,

For our two dreames to night haue different beene,

[Page]Which should preuaile? Me thought I flew aboue

The loftie Cloudes, and touch'd the hand of Joue,

And to my selfe did seeme more great and high

Than ere before: what but felicitie

Should this portend? I dare not now suspect

In calmest peace, those powers, that did effect

My roughest warres; Oh let no sad surmise

With causelesse griefe distaine Calphurnia's eyes.

Aurora now from T [...]thon's purple bed

Arose, and th' Easterne skie discoloured

Gaue cheerefull notice of th' approaching Sunne;

When forth, through Rome, th' officious clients [...]unne,

The Palace all with early visitants

Was fill'd, to wait when Caesar would aduance

Forth to the Senate; striuing to be seene

Neere th' earthly Sunne, and in his raies to shine:

Some to doe grace, and grace receiue from him,

Some, like malignant cloudes prepar'd to dim,

Or in eclipse eternall bury quite

Before the set of Phaebus, Caesar's light.

Among the rest did Decimus attend

With fained seruice, and the name of friend

To Fatall ends abusing, hasten'd on

Perswaded Caesar to destruction;

Though, ere they goe, the Sacrifices all

Threatning and blacke appear'd, and did appall

The fearefull Priests, who from those entrailes show

Portent of dire calamitie and woe:

Some Bulls they could not at the Altar stay,

Who breaking thence fled through the streets away;

In others, which were slaine and open'd there,

None but th' infernall gods deign'd to appeare:

[Page]The hearts were perish'd, and corruption flow'd

Through all the vitall parts, blacke was the blood.

The burning entrailes yeelded onely fume,

No flame at all, but darkely did consume

Mouldring away to ashes, and with blacke

Vnsauoury clouds through th' aire a darkenesse make.

But Caesar, maugre what the entrailes threat,

Vndaunted passes on (how wondrous great

Is Destiny?) and as he goes, neglects

That Scroll presented to him, which detects

The whole conspiracy: which, as of small

Import, he pockets vp not read at all,

And enters Pompey's bloody Court, led on

By powerfull Fate to his destruction:

Where ominously receiu'd, he mounts his high

Dictator's Sell of Gold and Iuory:

The Lords obeisance make in humblest wise,

When different passions in their brests arise;

Euen those bold hearts that vow'd his Tragedy,

Almost relent: the mans great Maiestie,

That awfull Fortune, that did still attend

His deeds, in all extremes a constant friend

Produce a feare t' encounter discontent:

Nor doe their fancies onely him present

Inuincible in open field, as when

He stood enuiron'd with his armed men:

But such as when alone he wrought his ends,

Aided by none but Fortune, as his friends,

As when he scap'd th' Aegyptian treachery,

When he appeas'd his Souldiers muteny,

Or when the stormy Seas he crossed ore

By night, and safely reach'd Brundusium's shore:

[Page]And why should not that friendly Fortune now,

As then (thinke they) preuent his ouerthrow

And to their ruine quite defeat the plot.

But shame forbid them to relent; the knot

Among too many conscious brests was ty'd

To let them start; and on the other side

Reuenge encourag'd by the multitude

Of Actors, enter'd, and all feares subdu'd,

First to his Sell bold Cimber made approach,

And seiz'd his Purple robe; at whose rude touch

While Caesar's wrath together with amaze

Began to rise, the rest from euery place

Drawne neere, no longer hiding their intent

The fatall Ponyards to his brest present:

The first wound on him Casca did bestow,

Whose Ponyard Caesar wresting, to his foe

Returnes a stabbe backe for the stabbe he gaue,

Striuing in vaine with one poore strength to saue

A life assaulted by so many hands;

No succours could approach, no guard, nor bands

Of aiding friends were nigh; that courage quite

Was lost, that nere was lost before in fight;

Vntill enfeebled by a deeper wound,

And by inuading death enuiron'd round,

Hopelesse he hides his face, and fixed stands

T' endure the fury of reuenging hands

Repressing groanes or words, as loth to shame

His former life, or dying staine the fame

Of those great deeds through all the World exprest,

These silent thoughts reuoluing in his brest:

Yet has not Fortune chang'd, nor giuen the power

Of Caesar's head to any Conquerour;

[Page]By no Superiours proud command I die,

But by subiected Romes conspiracy:

Who to the World confesses by her feares,

My State and strength to be too great for hers,

And from earths highest Throne, sends me to be

By after-ages made a Deitie:

Through many wounds his life disseized, fled

At last; and he, who neuer vanquished

By open warre, with blood and slaughter strew'd

So many lands, with his owne blood embrew'd

The seat of wronged Iustice, and fell downe

A sacrifice t' appease th' offended gowne.

FINIS.

Information about this book

Title statement

A continuation of Lucan's historicall poem till the death of Iulius Cæsar by TM

May, Thomas, 1595-1650.

Edition statement

1630

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2006-02 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A07324

ID [STC]

STC 17711

ID [STC]

ESTC S108891

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99844543

ID [PROQUEST]

99844543

ID [VID]

9367

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Series

Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A07324)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 9367)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 966:04)

Source

— A continuation of Lucan's historicall poem till the death of Iulius Cæsar by TM, May, Thomas, 1595-1650., Lucan, 39-65. Pharsalia., Cockson, Thomas, engraver..

Extent

[160] p.

Printed [by J. Haviland] for James Boler at the signe of the Marigold in Pauls Church-yard,. London :: 1630.. (In verse.) (The title page is engraved and signed: T Cockson sculp.) (Printer's name from STC.) (Signatures: A-K.) (The first two leaves and the last leaf are blank.) (Reproduction of the original in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery.)

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EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.