The Colonies of Bartas VVith the Commentarie of S. G. S. in diuerse places corrected and enlarged by the Translatour [i.e. William Lisle] |
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[As when the skie orecast vvith darkesome cloudy racke] |
 | The Colonies of Bartas |  |
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[As when the skie orecast vvith darkesome cloudy racke]
As when the skie orecast vvith darkesome cloudy racke,A vvoods heart thorow-strikes vvith some great thunder-cracke,
The birdes eu'n all at once their neast and pearch forsake,
And through the troubled aire they flote for feare, and quake,
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Is noysed all about: no gressell Turtl' is found
Together with her make; with downie callow feather
Some yong ones dare assay to vvrastl' against the vveather.
Right so the men vvho built the Babylonian tower,
Perceiuing Gods great voice in thunder-clashing stower,
Of their confounded speech, each barbarous to either,
Betake them to their heeles, all fearfull altogether.
Some to the left hand run, and some run to the right,
All tread sh'vnhaunted earth, as God ordaind their flight.
For that great king of heau'n, vvho long ere creature breath'd
In priuie counsell had this vnder-world bequeath'd
Unto the kind of Man, could not at all abide it,
To be a den of theeues, or that men should deuide it
By dreadfull dint of sword, and eu'ry people border
This thickned Element beast like and out of order:
But, fire of getting barr'd, as did himselfe deuide,
Sem, Cham, and Iaphet held all this the vvorld so vvide:
To Sem vvas giu'n in fee the day-beginning East,
To Cham befell the South, & Iaphet gain'd the West.
| The Colonies of Bartas | |