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[Th' Allusion of words is not a suer ground]

Th' Allusion of words is not a suer ground

Why it is a hard matter to search Antiquities.

For any man thereon a steddy worke to found;
Sith greatest hils and seas and most-renoumed riuers,
Though they continue still, among long-after liuers
Are often diuerse-nam'd: as eke the generation
Of him that built a wall, or laid a townes foundation,
Inherits not the same; nor any mortal race
Hath an eternall state in this same earthly place:
But holds for tearme of life, in fee-farme, or at will,
Possession of a field, a forest, or an hill.
And like as, when the wind amids the maine sea rustles,
One waue another driues, and billow billow iustles;
So are the people at oddes each one for others rome:
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One thrusts another out, scarse is the second come
Unto that houses dore whereas he meanes to keepe,
But comes a third and makes him forth at window leep.
So from great Albion th'old Bretton being chas'd

A fit Example.
By Saxon-English force, the Gaules forthwith displac'd
That wond in Armoricke and call'd the land Brettaine,
Where Loyre his glyding charge vnloadeth on the maine:
So when the Lombard left (with mind to rome at large)
Vnto the skotched Huns the diuerse-furrow'd marge
Of Ister double-nam'd, he made the French to flie,
By force of warly rage, out of rich Insubrie:
But vnder-fell againe the French reuenging heate,
And was to bondage brought by sword of Charles the great.
And so th'Alaine, and so the Northen-borne Vandall
Dislodged by the Goth from Cordube and Hispall,
In Carthage harboured; then by the conquering stroake
Of him that fram'd the lawes sustain'd the Romane yoake.
The Roman aft'r and all the land Barbarian
Of frizel-headed Moores obayd th'Arabian.

What causeth people often to remoue and change their dwelling.
This hunger neare-suffiz'd of gold and great Empire
This thirst of sharpe reuenge, and further this desire
Of honour in-conceit, all builded on rapines,
On slaughters, cruelties, towne-burnings and ruines,
Dishabiteth a land, and diuerse-wayes and farre
To waue and wander makes the people sonnes of warre.
I do not speake-of here the spoiling Arabes,

Diuerse examples of wādring people.
The Hordies proper Scythes, or Sheppardes Nomades,
Who grazing on in troopes despised eu'ry fence,
And pitched where they list their bristel-hairie tents:
Like as with wing are vvont blacke swarmes of Swallovves swift
Acrosse the sayled sea their bodies light to lift,
And chaunging their aboade as'twere on prograce go
For loue of sweeter aire twice yearely too and fro:
But other peoples feirce, who for Bellones renowne
With often losse of bloud haue romed vp and downe.
And weeting better how to ouercome them vveild;
To conquer, then to keepe; to pull dovvne them to build;
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And choosing rather warre, then ivst and holy rest;

The naturall countrie of the Lombardes, their diuerse remooues & conquests.

Haue boldly diuerse lands, one after other prest.
Right such that Lombard was, who borne in Schonerland
Seiz'd on Liuonia, thence went to Rugtland;
And hauing wrought reuenge vpon the Bulgar-men
Of Agilmond his death, he boldly ventur'd then
Vpon Polonia, so march'd on braue and fine
To bath his golden haire in siluer flote of Rine:
Thence turning him about he setled in Morauie,
And so to Buda went, and after flew to Pauie:
There rain'd two hundred yeares, and honour'd Tosin so
He princely dares compare streames with his neighbour Po.

Of the Goths,

Such was the Goth, who left the freizing-cold Finland
Scanzie, and Scrifiaie, Norway and Gotterland,
To sit on Wixel-banks; and for that aire did please,
In temper keeping neare that of the Baltik seas,
With his victorious hoast entring Sclauoniæ
Surprized Zapserland and all Vælachia:
And then set foote in Thrace, but scorning long to toile
Among the beggar Greekes, for hope of richer spoile
Four times the Roman tryde, God Mars his elder Sonne,
To robbe him of the crowne that he from all had wonne;
Once led by Radaguise, once led by Alarick,
Once vnder Vidimer, once vnder Theodricke.
And after dwelt in France, then chased from Gascoine
Aboade in Portugal, Castile and Cataloine.

Of the auncient Gaules.

Such was the French of old, who roaming out as farre
As darted are the beames of Titans firie carre,
Inuaded Italie, and would in rage haue spilt
The tow'rs that Romulus, or Mars himselfe, had built:
Went thence to Hungarie, then with his conquering plough
He fallowes vp the ground cold Strimon runneth through:
The faire Emathick fields doth alto spoile and fleece,
And spareth not at all the greatest Gods of Greece.
At length with Europe Cloy'd he passeth Hellespont,
And wasteth as he goes of Dindyma the Front,
Pisidia ruineth, surprizeth Mysia,
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And plantes another Gaule in midst of Asia
Of people most renownd the darke antiquitie
Is like a forest wide where Hardy-foolery
Shall stumble at eu'ry step, the learned Souenance
It selfe intangled is, and blindfold ignorance
Blundring athwart the thick of her dark-nighty wits
Is euer-throwne in Caues, in Quagmiers and Pitts.
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