University of Virginia Library

A Myrrour of the fall of Pride.

Sometime the Giants did rebell
against the mightie Ioue,
They thought in Olymp Mount to dwell
and long for that they stroue.
A hundred handes eche Monster had
by course of curssed kinde:
A stock so stubborne and so mad
I no where else can finde.
Dame Tellus was their Mother thought
of pleasant Poets all,
By whome they would haue brought to nought
the seate Olympicall.
First Briareus began the broyle
who tooke a hill in hand,
And layde it on another soyle
that thereabout did stand:
Still calling on his monstrous Mates
exhorting them the same,
And with the reast the Gnuffe debates
how stately Gods to tame.
Ossa was layde on Pyndus back,
and Pelion on hie:
And thus they thought to bring to sack
in time the starrie Skie.
They did enuie the Gods the place
by nature them assignde:
And thought it meeter for a race
which Tellus bred by kinde.
They would haue had the highest throne
that Ioue had long possest:
And downe they would the Gods haue throwne
and Princely powre represt.
At length the route began to rore
in making dreadfull sound,
The like was neuer heard before
to Heauen from the ground.
Then Iupiter began to gaze
and looke about the Skie,
And all the Gods were in a maze
the Monsters were so nie.
They callde a counsaile then in haste
the Gods assembled tho:
And common sentence was at last
that mightie Ioue should throw
His thunderbolt that Vulcan lame
prepared for the nonce,
Whereby he might eftsoone make tame
the haughtie Giants bones.
Then might you see the Mountaines fall
and hill from hill depart,
And monsters in the valley crawle
whome Thunder did subuart.
The Mountaines were not raysde so quick
but downe they fell as fast:
And Giants in a cluster thick
to Tellus fell at last.
Such plagues had pride in former time,
the Gods abhorred so
That mortall men should dare to clime
the Heauens hie to know.
And not alone the heauenly route
the loftie lookes correct
Of such as prowdly go about
their Empire to reiect:
But other Gods of meaner state
(of whome the Poets write)
Such pieuish Pecocks pride doe hate
and seeke reuenge by might.
The grisly God whome flouds obay
and drenching Seas imbrace,
Who in the waters beares the sway
where Nereus shewes his face:
Whome forceth he by surge of Seas
into Charybdis cliues?
Or whome doth Neptune most disease?
or whome to Scylla driues?
Not him that beares his Sailes alowe,
nor him that keepes the shoare:
Ne yet the Bargeman that doth rowe
with long and limber Oare.
Not those that haunt the Hauen sure
and port of perill voide,
They cannot Neptunes wrath procure
the Chanell that auoide:
But those that voide of carck and care
and feare of Neptunes yre,
Doe hoise their Sailes and neuer spare
to further their desyre,
And doe receiue whole Gales of winde
from mightie Æole sent:
Those, those are they by course of kinde
that Neptune makes repent.
He spoiles the Sailes, and tackle teares,
the Mast it goes to wrack:
The Ribbes they rent, the Shipmen feares
when Gables gin to crack.
Then whereto serues the Pilats pride
that hoyst his Sailes so hie?
And where is he that fearde no tide
nor threatning from the Skie?
His pride procurde his fearefull fate
and fortune that befell
Which Neptune most of all doth hate
as Shipmen know right well.
Let Giants fall and Shipmens case
a myrrour be therefore
To such as seeke to hie a place,
for like shall be their lore.
Narcissus may example bee
and myrrour to the prowde,
By whome they may most plainly see
how pride hath beene allowde.
His beautie braue such loftie cheere
in him did breede in time:
That Gods themselues agreeued were
with such a haynous crime.
No loouing Lasse might him allure,
nor Dians Nymphes at all
By ought his friendship might procure:
but note ye well his fall.
In Sommer time as Fortune would
his Fortune was to bee
In open fielde, where no man could
his blazing beautie see.
At length in raunging to and fro
his fortune was to finde
A Fountaine freshe that there did flow
as Gods (I think) assignde.
He thought forthwith his thirst to quent
by pleasant trauaile gote,
But there he found or ere he went
a greater drought God wote.
In stooping downe to take the taste
of Christall waters theare,
(Unhappie Boy) had spide at last
a little Boy appeare.
Whose beautie braue, and liking looke
his fansie pleasde so well,
That there himselfe the Boy forsooke
and to a frensie fell.
He had that he so fondly looude:
and yet it was not so:
And from himselfe he was remooude
that thence did neuer go.
He was the Boy that tooke the vewe,
he was the Boy espide,
And being both he neither knewe,
such was the ende of pride.
Then gan he shed his teares adowne,
then gan he make his plaint:
And then at length he fell to grounde
sore feebled all with faint.
His spirite that earst so prowde was seene
conuerted into winde:
But of his Corps a flower greene
still there abode behinde.
Narcissus callde (as Poets tell)
as Narcisse was before,
In token that to Narcisse fell
this most vnhappie lore.
I could recite the histories
of many other moe,
Whome pieuish pride the miseries
of Fortune forst to knowe.
But I of purpose will let passe
Apollos Bastard Sonne,
Who Phaeton ycleped was
when first his fame begonne.
I minde not to rehearse at all
the charge he tooke in hande,
I wittingly omit his fall
into Eridan sande.
But this I say assuredly
had it not beene for pride,
The Charret had not gone awrie
though Phaeton were guide.
But glorie vaine and want of skill
enforste his haughtie hart,
Of Phœbe to craue to worke his will
in ruling Phæbus Cart.
The like attempt tooke Icarus
from Creta that did flie
By wings of War with Dedalus,
when Icar flue to hie.
His Fathers words preuailed not
nor lesson taught before,
Till fained fethers were so whot
as he could flie no more.
For want of wings then gan he clap
his breast with open armes
Till downe he fell: such was his hap,
whose pride procurde his harmes.
When wrastling windes from Æole sent
befight themselues so long
That East against the West is bent,
and North puts South to wrong:
Then may you heare the Pine to crack
that beares his hed so hie,
And loftie lugs go then to wrack
which seeme to touch the Skie.
When Ioue flings downe his thundring bolts
our vices to redresse,
They batter downe the highest holts
and touch not once the lesse.
The Cotte is surer then the Hall
in proofe we daylie see:
For highest things doe soonest fall
from their felicitee.
What makes the Phænix flame with fire
a Birde so rare in sight?
What causeth him not to retire
from Phæbus burning light?
In faith if he woulde liue belowe
as Birds Dame Nature tought,
The Esterlings should neuer knowe
their Phœnix burnt so oft.
All ye therefore that suretie looue
and would not haue a fall,
From you the Peacocks pride remooue
and trust not Fortunes Ball.
Let Phaetons fate be fearde of you
and Icars lot also:
Remember that the Pine doth rue
that he so high doth grow.