The Works of William Fowler :: :: University of Virginia Library

Now after hend that cruell deathe had Triumpht in hir face,
which oftentymes so ouer me Triumphed in lyke cace,
And after that furth from this world my Sun wes taken away,
and that dispytfull wicked beist, which dois all folk affray,
Paill, sad in visage, horrible, and in hir countenance prowd,
had bewteis light extinguished, which did all brightnes shrowd,

Than lookeing so me round about vpoun the growing grass,
I quiklye on the other part espyde a dame to pass,
And nerar me for to arrywe, who drawis men from thair grawe
and from thair tombe, thought being deid, in longer lyfe dois sawe.
And looke how dois the morning starr at brek of day appeir,
and cam from eist befoir the Sun within hir purpled spheir,
Who willinglie dois marrow hir with all his light and flame,
So in suche sort and all alyke approched then this Dame.

Oh, sall I sie now from what scoole a maister sall proceid,
that can at large descrywe what I do speik in simple leid!
The heavinis about hir wer so cleir, so that through grit desyre
whairwith my lingring hart wes brunt and waisted in a fyre,

My daisled eyes, vncapable of suche a splendant light,
war than maid less, and culd not weill sustane suche fair a sight.
Vpon thair forheades wer ingrawen the valeur of these men
who wer a people honorable; amangis thame saw I then
Great sort of these whome lowe before had with him captiwe led
as presoneris, and thame enforst his tract to trace and tred.

And first vnto my sight appered to be in Fames right hand
great Cæsar and brawe Scipio about hir than to stand;
Bot who of thame was nerest hir I culd not weill perceawe,
for one of them to vertew was, and not to lowe, a slawe,
The other subiect was to bothe, and with thame both indewed.
so after this beginning brawe and glorious ensewed
A cumpanie & rank of men, a people warlike wyght,
with valeur and with armour armed, and full of force and might,
Lyke these who in the ancient tymes, in high Triumphant chair,
To Capitoll by Sacra streit or lata did repair;
These all so orderlyke, I say, with famous Fame thame sped,
whair thair in euerie bree and brow might than his name bene red,
Who most through gretest glorye to this glorious world was freind,
and by his valiancye and deadis obtened great commend.

As I did mark attentiwely thair Noble secreit talk,
thair gesture, acts, and countenance, behold, I saw to walk
With thame two other in array, the one ones Neucis was,
the other his Sone, who through his deadis did all the world surpass.
Thair also these men I beheld who by thair valiant corss
did cloiss the passage to thair foes, and staide thair force perforce,

Two fatheris brawe, accumpanyed with the victorious sones,
and one before and two behind so marched to thair thrones;
Of whose the last and hindmest was the cheifast first in glore,
thought not in marche yit far in praise the formest wes before.

Thair after, lyke a Carbuncle great, Claudius flamd and shynde
that by his counsell and his handis from Italie declynde
The tempestes of more greit effairis, that secreitlie at night—
as weill the flood Metaurus yit can weill recorde his might—
Cam quiklye thair, and did defait Asdruballis sakking host,
that threatninglie the Romane armes so threatned and did bost,
Who thair did purge the romane feildis of that most noysum seid,
and in this fact he had both eyes and wingis to mak more speid.

Thair oulde great Captane Fabius did second him nixt fame,
who by great craft ferse Anniball and drift of tyme ourcame;
With him a nother Fabius, with thame Two Catois toe,
two Pauls with thame, two Bruti als, and eik Marcelli twoe,
One Regulus that lowed Rome and did him self more hate,
on Curio with Fabricius, more fair in poore estait
Than Midas or yit Crassus to, for all thair glanceing gold,
whose auarice thair greadie myndis from vertew did with hold;
With thame did Cincinnatus march, with him Serianus walk,
not distant be a stapp or pace from thame of whome we talk.
And thair I saw Catullus go, that great Camillus come,
that rather lothe to liwe or that he did not good to Rome,
So that the goddes him fauouring so did bring him bak agane
by his great proofe of manfull mynde and thair for to remane,

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When that the blinde and furious rage of Vulgar people vyle
did banish him from natiwe soyle and chaist vnto exyle.

So thair I did Torquatus sie to giwe command to kill
his valiant and victorious youth that disobeyed his will,
And chosed rather to indure, to liwe but chylde and sone,
than that the discipline of wars by him suld be vndone;
Heir One and other Decius who with thair breists maid way
owt through the thikkest of thair foes thame ferslie to assay.
O cruell vow which with the Sone the father reft of breathe,
and caused thame bothe offer wp thair lyfe vnto one deathe!

Now Curtius with thame dois walk no less then those devote
that to the Cawe did both him self and armour all alote,
And filled wp that vglie den, alace, by horrible vow,
in midst within the market place that trembling so did bow;
Leuinius with Mummius Attilius was, with thame
Flamminius who bothe by force and pittie greikis ourcame.

Thair also was that Roman bauld who, bounded with a wand,
the Syrien king within a rounde to answer did demand,
And with his gesteur and his brow, and with his toung constraind
vnto his will and his desyre which he afore disdaind;
And him I spyed who all Inarmed alone did keip the hill
from whense he afterwart wes thrust and hurled by thair will;
With him also Horatius that did alone defend
the bridge aganis the Thoskan force and brought thame to thair end;
And him I saw who in the midst and thikkest of his foes
in vane did thrust his hand in fyre his boldnes to disclose,
And thair so long did it retane till it was burned quyte,
for anger than effaist his pane and all his doole despyte;

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With him was he who first ourcame the Africans by sea,
and with him had that man who tuix Sardene and Scicilie
Disparpled all thair Nauall ost, and brought thame all to sak,
and one part brak, ane other drowned, the rest did captiwe mak.

I appius knew evin by his eyes that heavie war and blinde,
against the vulgar sort of folk vnplesand and vnkynde.
Than after thair I did espye that chiften goode and greate,
the conquerour of manye realmes which he did all defait,
Sweit, courteous, douce in all his deidis, who him behawed so
that nixt to Fame and to renoun he well deserwed to go,
Wer not his light wes neir at hand, and glorye in decay,
and yit with ws Italian folk he might bene weill, I say,
Evin he alone, as all these thrie was vnto Thebes toun,
Alcides, Bachus, Epaminond, of fame and brute renoun.
Bot oh! alace! to liue to long is to Suruiue to shame,
and longest lyfe through lenthe of yeares dois shorten but our name.

And him I saw who had his name for to be brawe disposed,
and in his youth great valiancye and proofes of praise disclosed;
And looke how Raw and how seueir he bloodye was and fearse,
evin far more courtess and beninge was he whome I reherse,
Whose manhoode was so excellent as skairslie I can tell,
Now whidder he as chiften did, or suldartlyke, excell.

Than after came Volumius who through weill knowen deids
represt the ranckled swelling rage that wepeth sore mens heids,
And swellis the bloode, and it infectis maliciouslye with byillis,
and putrefeing the corss of man both plageth and defyillis.
With him I spyed Rucilius, with Cossus Philon nixt,
and after hend to stand apart this thikkest light betuixt

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Thrie valiant knyghts whose memberis war both lamed and hurt with wounder,
whose armour wes both loss and clowen and hinging all a sounder,
Luce Dentat, and Mark Sergius, and Cetius Sceua named,
thrie thunderboltis, thrie fyrie flaughts, thrie rokis of wars vntamed;
With thame wes cursed Cateline that did from Sergius springe,
successour of a wrongus fame, and cruell, inbeninge.

Than Marius after thair I spyed who Iugurth did subdew,
and Cymbais with the duchemens rage and furie owerthrew;
And Fuluius Flaccus thair I saw, who purpoislye did err
in heading of these thankles men that so ingraitfull wer;
Nixt him more noble Fuluius, with him I Gracchus spyed,
the father of these other two who did the toun dewyid,
Whose clattering nest and combersome the Romans oft hes rent,
and wes the causs that so greit death and so muche blood wes spent.
And him I saw who dois appeir to others blyithe and blist,
bot not to me who dois not sie suche grace in him consist,
Or yit to be within his thoughts and secrecie inclosed
a closed hart on which all happ and mishappe is reposed:
Heirby I do Metellus meane, his father and his air,
That from Numidia and from Spane the spoyle and booting baire,
From Macedone and Cretas Ile to Rome great riches brought,
and from these townis whairin such loss and saccage he hes wrought.

Than after hend Vespasian I spyed to walk with Fame,
with him his sone, both good and fair, who Titus heght by name,
And not that curst Domitian, vnworthie ay of praise;
Goode Nerua, and Traianus eik, iust princes in thair dayis,

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And Helius Adrianus I with Antonie Pius spyed,
whose offspring and successioun in Marius did abyde,
Who had at leist to rewill and ringe a naturall desyre,
and gouerne in iustice and in right thair noble large impyre.
And whils with wandring eyes I lookt to spye the wandring way,
I saw the first foundatour of the Romane walls, I say;
With him fywe other Kings with fame did fordwart march and stapp,
The sevint lay charged on the ground with Ill and all mishapp,
Euin as it oft befallis to these that verteu dois forsake
to follou euill and wickidnes and vnto vyce thame take.

Finis .i. cap.