University of Virginia Library

ONOCROTALVS.

DEDICATED TO THE RIGHT hopefull Knight, Sir Thomas Sovthvvell.

Your name hath long been mist, now fairely rise
And make your Country flourish. All our eyes
Are cast vpon your actions; then on vs
Reflect your loue. Shun Onocrotalus.
VVhilome within the Persian gulfe did haunt
A fowle much like our greedy Cormorant,
Cal'd Onocrotalus, who vsde to prey,
On fish, or fowle, or beast which past his way.
He had a crop vnder his bosome wide,
In compasse like a sacke, and thereto side.
Much harme and spoile he did, for none could passe
But fild his pouch, if bird, beast, fish, it was.
At length th'oppressed birds, with fish, and beast,
Petition to their Soueraignes, and request
Aide and protection gainst the open wrong,
This tyrant daily did, and had done long.
The beasts vnto the Lyon made complaint.
Birds to the Eagle. Fishes did acquaint
The Seas great Emperour the Whale. with griefe,
They all sustain'd, and all implor'd reliefe.
Long was it ere they could be heard, for still,
The Cormorant, (for so we call him will)
Had many friends in euery Court, which he
Maintainde with large shares, and full liberall fee.
For still his gorge full laden, ready stood,
And when they mist else-where they here had food:
Food of each kinde, for euery stomacke fit,
And such as fauorites were, had part of it.
Long thus he put them off, yet at the last,
By counter-bribes, their weake petitions past.
The Eagle first did seeke him, and he found,
The theefe where he would wish, vpon the ground,
Quoth he, well met, are you the fowle that prey,
Vpon our harmlesse subiects night and day,
That none can this way passe and vse his trade,
But is a subiect to your fury made?
Not I sir (quoth the Cormorant) I am one,
That liue in contemplation all alone.
This poke I begge with, to sustaine my need,
And I no fowle am but a beast indeed.
Quoth then the Eagle, wherefore serue thy wing?
O (quoth the Cormorant) thou mighty king
Of feathered fowles, these two are my forefeet,
Held vp to honor thee, with reuerence meete.
And that thou maist be full resolu'd, and know.
That I vnto the Lyon duty owe,
As subiects to their Soueraignes, not to thee,
Without thou wilt vsurpe authoritie,
And into other neighbour Realmes incroch
(Which to thy Iustice were a fowle reproch)
Heare but my voice. With that he steps aside,
And in the water thrusts his wezand wide,
And like an Asse gan bray. The Eagle straight
Hearing his voice, suspected no deceit,
But past away to seeke what now he saw.
When the late noyse he made did thither draw
The kingly Lyon, who did hunt about,
As th'other did to finde th'oppressor out.
And when he spide him; What art thou quoth he
The beast gainst whom so many plaine to me?
O noble Lyon, quoth the Cormorant,
I am a fish, the water still I hant.
And here I take my food, and lead my life,
Free from oppression, and each cause of strife.
Why, quoth the Lyon, now I heard thee bray
Like to an Asse. True, True, my Lord ye say,
(Quoth this smooth hypocrite) for I would faine
Be like an Asse, so innocent and plaine.
I loue beasts well, and next your excellence,
The humble Asse, for still his patience.
And now to put your highnesse out of doubt,
Behold me swimme and diue, (so launcht he out
Far from the Lyons reach) If beasts quoth he,
Can swimme and diue thus, I a beast may be.
With that he diues, saying, Sir fare you well,
Your faire commends to the King Whale I'le tell.
The Lyon parted thence; the Whale that way
Had sought this Monster all the liue-long day;
And seeing such an vncouth thing glide past,
Within his Kingdome, with such nimble hast;
He call'd and bad him stay, and will'd him tell,
If he were Onocrotalus, that fell
And cruell murtherer, who hauocke made
Of all that in that wealthy Rode did trade?
O mighty Emperour (aloud he cri'de)
I hardly scap't euen now his cursed pride
For being by my noble Master sent,
(The Eagle King of fowles) you to present
With birds and other iunkets in my crop,
He needs would me from your glad presence stop;
And but he heard you comming, I surmise,
His lawlesse force had made me lawfull prize.
Quoth then the Whale, I search to meete that slaue.
But what art thou that canst so well behaue,
Thy tayle and nimble fins? Art not a fish?
That I were such (quoth he) it is my wish.
I like thy milder reigne where subiects say,
For loue, and not for dread, they thee obey.
And would arm'd in white scales, if I might choose
Serue thee a fish, and my blacke feathers loose.
But Nature this forbids; yet still I striue,
Euen from my youth, fish-like to swim and diue:
And vnderstand their language, and conuerse
With them whose ciuill manners, are lesse fierce
Then beasts or birds be. For they drinke far more
And eat much lesse, then we doe on the shore.
This drinking I delight in, and haue tride,
By all good meanes to make my belly wide.
Yet see, I am a fowle. So vp he hies,
And takes his wings with speede, and far thence flies?
The Whale then found his cunning and straight sent
A priuy letter of his close intent,
Both to the Eagle and the Lyon stout,
To meet and ioyne, and finde this Out-law out.
They met, and ioynd, and then this Out-law found
Nor in the Sea, nor yet vpon the ground:
Nor flying in the aire, but in a hold,
A hollow tree, whose strength made braggard bold.
They spoke him faire, but he discerned plaine,
Their drift, and cride: Faire words make Idiots faine.
They threatned him, but threats he doth deride,
And saith, by threatning words none euer dyde.
The Eagle would haue ventred on his neast,
But he his bill held right vpon his breast,
Like a stiffe souldiers pike, sharpe, long, and armd;
And no way but right downe he could be harmd.
The Lyon would haue torne with teeth and nailes
The tree vp by the roote, but wanted sailes
To swim so farre, for it in waters stood.
The Whale then thought to tosse it in the flood,
But in a rocke it grew, and growing so,
He bad them do their worst, he fear'd no foe.
They saide, they would besiedge and starue him out;
He laught amaine, and shew'd how gainst that doubt
He was prouided, hauing store to serue
So long, till if they staid, they all would starue.
Then each bethought himselfe of many a wile
And war-like stratagem, how to beguile
This politique Rebell, and to force him yield
Or starue within, or venter to the field.
All workes the ayre, the water, or the land
Did ere produce, these Captaines vnderstand:
But none found able to enforce his strength:
The warlike Lyon yet conceiu'd at length
How to effect it. Great confederates heare,
(Quoth he) what I propound. There's nought I feare
But what I speake of. Once I did rebell
Against out Generall Soueraigne Man: to tell
This fault doth touch my honour, but you all,
I know haue been co-partners in my fall,
And his most gracious pardon. Then, O then
I kept within my fort, a hideous den
Caru'd out of rocke it was; and no way he
Could force me out, or make assault on me.
At last with indignation mou'd, he takes
A mighty flint vp, and with hurling, breakes
The same against a rocke, which flying sings,
And sparkles from the ayre betwixt them springs
As from a red-hot yron, when a Smith
With heauy hammer beats it on a stith.
Neere hand he had before laid leaues with rosse
From Okes torne with a Northern blast, and mosse
Dride in the parching Sun: and wood which dide
By killing age, and stood my den beside.
The sparks inflam'd this stuffe, which in the mouth
Of my darke Caue he plac'd: the winde then South
Forc'd in the smoke, and this ayre-thickning smoke
Infor'd me thus, either come out or choke.
The issue you remember: this alone
Must be our proiect now; or Art hath none.
Hie therefore braue-bird brother, quickly take
Twixt your strong tallents this great flint, and make
Experience of my plot. Mount with it hie
And let it fall, that fire may from it flie:
Which kindled once, fan gently with your wing,
And cherish with soft breath: then let the king
Of fishes with his mighty nostrels puffe
Till it flames fiercely, and burnes hot enough.
This counsell they applaud; but th'Eagle thought
How purer, hotter, flames might soone be fought:
And vp he nimbly sores the milke-white way,
Where (being a minion knowne) he findes no stay;
Each dore flies ope alone, till to the eare
Of mighty Ioue he gets, and let him heare
His businesse and his suite, which was for fire
And thunderbolts; Ioue grants his full desire.
Downe quickly he descends and makes a traine
About the place where this theefe doth remaine:
Then powder he applies vnto the root
Oft' hollow tree, and thence the slaue doth shoot.
He shoots him thence into the ayre as hye,
As th'Eagles selfe could follow with his eye.
And downe he comes and doth descend the deep,
Where the still Center doth no motion keep.
Then vp againe aboue the swelling maine,
He bounds, there floting without sense or paine.
And ere he can recouer labouring breath,
That's loth to part, the Whale from vnderneath
The traytor doth attach, and straightway brings
To be arrayn'd before the other Kings.
Him they examine, but he will confesse
No truth, but what they know as he doth ghesse.
Then they doe racke him (being rent before)
Yet he no truth, but many a lye doth rore.
Till with the violent torture and constraint,
Life almost failing, and with sufferings faint,
His gorge he vomits and bewraies with paine
The truth, for which they sought so long in vaine.
And first (preposterously) he casteth out,
All slimy lubricke meats, Eele, Gudgeon, Trout;
The Citie heires, Gilt-head and Golden-eye,
Belonging to the Sea-kings soueraignty.
And with this euidence conuict, the tryall
Proceeds to proue him guilty in denyall
Of farther wrongs done. The Wood-cocke, Parret,
The Goose, the Dotterell, Iack-daw prone to parret,
The Sea-gull and the Cinclos weake and friendlesse,
And of poore widdow-Turtles numbers endlesse,
With diuers subiects to the royall Eagle,
He doth as easily voide, as erst inueagle.
Yet still vnto the Lyon he denies
Himselfe a trespasser, but all those lyes
He lately made, and late was taken in,
Afford presumption of his farther sinne.
For which againe they racke him one pin higher,
And then he vtters more then they desire.
A foolish Cony, and an innocent Lambe,
A credulous Calfe new weaned from the dam,
And yet in wardship; a ridiculous Mouse
For feare of Cats leauing her sheltring house:
And last of all, (for which the Lyon greeued)
A Hare, from execution oft repreeued.
All these with easie vtterance, doth declare
That he did fowle, nor beast, nor fishes spare
But preide on all, and so became a prey
To the Eagle, Whale, and Lyon, eu'ry way.
Which prou'de and made by demonstration plaine,
Beyond the power of impudence to faine:
He then excepts against th'vndue proceeding,
They in his apprehension vsde, not heeding
The law of Nations, but by force constraining
(Himselfe) an others subiect, remaining
In peace, and league with them, to be arrayn'd
Like to a Traytor, and with tortures payn'd.
He saith the place he kept in was without
Their iurisdiction, and he made no doubt
To proue it with large priuiledges blessed
A sanctuarie for the poore distressed.
They slight his cauils; And the Whale demands
In whose vnknowne, strange gouernment it stands
If not in one of theirs? For ayre, earth, sea,
And all they haue (but Man and what Mans be),
Doe properly belong to one of these,
Who may dispose of all, as they best please.
I pray then (quoth the Cormorant) relate
To whose Emperiall crowne, and to whose state,
My enuy'd neast belongs? which of you three
Claime th'interest as Lord by right of fee?
For if it proper be to one, the rest
Haue done much wrong, t'vsurp his interest
Whose it should be. This question he did make
Hoping thereby their setled loues to shake
By couetous ambition, whilst they all
Would make their claimes, and so asunder fall.
But the foreseeing Eagle bids him minde
His owne affaires, and not to thinke t'vnwinde
The snares true Iustice laies about his life,
But interposing such slight cause of strife
Betwixt such firme friends, in strong league combinde
And with all strength of entercourse entwinde.
And yet to satisfie this curious doubt,
Know (quoth the Eagle) that being hem'd about
With floting waters, it belongs to him
Who gouerns all that in the waters swim.
But as it on the stedfast earth doth stand,
It longs to him that is the king of land.
And the large tree which spreads his spacious bowes
In th'open ayre, within my kingdome growes.
Thy neast thus longs to all of vs, thy food
Stolne from our subiects, in th'ayre, earth, flood:
And thou thy selfe must needs, if thou beest either
Beast, bird, or fish, be one of ours; if neither,
Say what thou art, or whose thou art; for all
But Man and Monsters in this number fall.
Then (quoth the Cormorant) I doe belong
Vnto the fearefull Dragon, whose blacke tongue
Threats death to each of you, and keeps in awe
Your humbler spirits, making his will your law,
He is the king of serpents, whose strong breath
Confounds your strength with all-subduing death.
He rules the vpper region, purging fire
Which searcheth hell, and doth to heau'n aspire.
This, this alone it was which I obay'd
When that strong law vnto my neast you layd.
But you that sprightly power by intrusion
Falsely vsurpt to my deuout confusion.
Fire onely to the Dragon doth belong;
To him, and vnto me, you haue done wrong.
To him I doe appeale; and haue resort
In this great cause to his infallible Court.
This speech inflam'd their hearts with heat & scorne
To be confronted thus, thus ouerborne
By a base villaine who did proudly brag on
The free protection of their foe the Dragon.
So with a full resolue, they all agree
Each for himselfe and his reueng to bee.
The Lyon takes, feet, head and throat away:
With those he walk't and like an Asse did bray.
The Eagle seaseth on his wings and taile,
With these he bird-like in the ayre did saile.
The Whale his body swallowes at a bit
Which he vs'de fish-like, diu'd and swam with it.
Thus Traytor-like hee's quarter'd out and caru'd;
Would land and water Pyrats were so seru'd.

Epimythium.