KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world With an Appendix of Gods resting day, Edon Garden; Mans Happiness before, Misery after, his Fall. Whereunto is added, The Praise of Nothing; Divine Ejaculations; The four Ages of the world; The Birth of Christ; Also a Century of Historical Applications; With a Taste of Poetical fictions. Written some years since by N. B.[i.e. Nicholas Billingsley] ... And now published at the request of his Friends |
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Sect. 5.
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 | KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world |  |
27
Sect. 5.
The Argument.
God replenisheth the watersWith innumberd living creatures,
Giving to them divers natures,
Properties, and several features.
When rosy-fac'd Aurora did unfold
Her dappled Curtains, fring'd with burnish'd gold,
And rudie Titan from his saffron bed
Rowzed the glory of his early head:
God spake the word, and fishes small and mighty
Furnish'd the Courts of Sea-green Amphitrite;
The family of Neptune soon amounted
To a great number more then can be counted.
Some of these wat'ry Citizens doe love,
Salt habitations; others fresh approve.
Nature hath given to these new formed creatures,
Diversities of natures, names, and features.
The Sturgeon loves to swim against the stream;
These live in ponds, the Perch, the Roch, & Bream,
The retrograding, Crab the Canther chast,
The Cephalus find in the Sea repast,
He hides his head then thinks himself secure,
The crafty Barble first unhooks the Lure.
“Great Neptune's Sea Clark cal'd the Calamary,
“About him doth his Pen and Penknife carry.
The lowzy Arica feeds upon flesh,
The Lamp'ry, Salmon live in waters fresh.
The tongueless Carp, doth in the fish pond dwell
The eyeless Cockle walketh from his shel.
The Musick charmed Dolphin, feried ore
Sea coast Arion to the wish'd for shore.
The fish Plagusia swimeth one her sides,
The Remora resisteth winds and tides.
Large Oars stul'd sails, and cleaving to a ship
Strongly and straingly stops it, if you rip
Thorn'd-foot Echinus, and him water give,
He'l reunite his parts dis-joyn'd and live.
The wide-mouth'd Labrax ever loves to yawn:
She Pearl-fish, alwayes leagueth with the Prawne.
Are you a hungry go and catch a Conger
What fish is larger then the Whale or longer?
His monstrous bulk doth like an Island seem,
Around enclosed in a watery stream.
The gilden Spirlings in cold winters weather,
Ly round (to keep them warm) in bals together.
The wing'd Voligo 'bove the water flies;
His head between his feet and belly lyes,
The Wolf-fishc aught, ploughs with his taile the sand,
And hiding there, escapes the fishers hand.
From Margarus our Margerites doe come:
The Meryx [Cow like] chews the cud say some.
When the Milvago 'bove the waves doth fly,
Tempests and stormes give o're immediatly.
The Musculus (making his fins his Oars)
Ushers the Whale from rockie shelves & shores.
Ears to the belly of the Oysters joyne;
The Oxyringus eyes most brightly shine.
The Muscle and the speckled Leopard:
The Peacock swimmeth like the heaven bestarr'd
Pediculus the Dolphins parasite,
Doth in the food, the Dolphin gets, delight.
The bleating Sea calfe, hath an hairy hide.
The fraud'lent Manifeet loves paciride.
Th'adultrous Sargus, the Sea grunting-hog,
The Turbet the Cærulian speckled frog.
The Scarus much delights to ruminate
The Scolopender swal'wing hook and baite
Vomits his bowels? having los'd the hook
It slips them in againe and is not took.
The Stockfish is a fish that wil not boyl
Unless you beat it with a stick a while
The bane-tooth'd Cuttle nigh destructions brink
Absconds her body with effused ink,
Which while it dazleth the poore fishers eyes
From the surprizer then escapes the prize.
The water's scale-backt golden-coated Ape,
Is like the earths in colour and in shape.
The Star-fish, by a natural instinct
Burneth what e're it toucheth; would you think't?
Tis said the Cramp fish will benum the hands
Of him that fisheth, and a distance stands.
The Lampreys life within her taile doth ly:
From Purple-fishes comes our purple dy.
Nature doth the Amphibious Sea-calfe give,
By water and by land full leave to live,
She breeds upon the land and by degrees
Her young sh' accustoms to the briny Seas.
A thousand colours (if't be true) 'tis strange
(As in Hyena's) in her eyes doe range.
The Sea grape squezed in the Vintage press,
Of Wine will take away the irksomeness.
The skin of Pompilous makes many a thong
Of a great value ever-during strong.
Th'Adult'rous Sargus changing mates behorns
The pates of Hee-Goats which before had horns.
Th'Vranoscop, alwayes his eyes round balls
Bands (as it were) against th'ætherial walls.
Lexus a fish is enemy to man,
And man to him, both are each others bane.
And thou Thymalus, left almost behind,
What fish more precious then thy noble kind?
Can any thing in sweetness thee excell?
Yields any odour a more fragrant smell?
Above all fishes thou deserv'st the Palme,
In that thou breathest like Arabian balme.
The wry-mouth'd Plais, the Whiting, & the Mackrel:
The slippry Eel, the Lobster, and the Cackrel
Making the eater laxative; the Trout,
The Herring King of fish, the Flownder, Pout,
The Wraith, the Gudgeon, and the boneless Seal,
And more there are, whose names I must conceal;
A world of Paper, and a Sea of Ink,
Would scarce suffice to hold them all I think.
But ah! what do we? we must hast to th'shore
The winds do rise, the waves begin to roar:
Let's tack about, and strive the land to gain,
Enough of roaming on the foaming main.
Hark! Cliô hark! behold the warbling Quire,
Call thee to play upon thine Iv'ry Lyre.
Her dappled Curtains, fring'd with burnish'd gold,
And rudie Titan from his saffron bed
Rowzed the glory of his early head:
God spake the word, and fishes small and mighty
Furnish'd the Courts of Sea-green Amphitrite;
The family of Neptune soon amounted
To a great number more then can be counted.
Some of these wat'ry Citizens doe love,
Salt habitations; others fresh approve.
Nature hath given to these new formed creatures,
Diversities of natures, names, and features.
The Sturgeon loves to swim against the stream;
These live in ponds, the Perch, the Roch, & Bream,
28
The Cephalus find in the Sea repast,
He hides his head then thinks himself secure,
The crafty Barble first unhooks the Lure.
“Great Neptune's Sea Clark cal'd the Calamary,
“About him doth his Pen and Penknife carry.
The lowzy Arica feeds upon flesh,
The Lamp'ry, Salmon live in waters fresh.
The tongueless Carp, doth in the fish pond dwell
The eyeless Cockle walketh from his shel.
The Musick charmed Dolphin, feried ore
Sea coast Arion to the wish'd for shore.
The fish Plagusia swimeth one her sides,
The Remora resisteth winds and tides.
Large Oars stul'd sails, and cleaving to a ship
Strongly and straingly stops it, if you rip
Thorn'd-foot Echinus, and him water give,
He'l reunite his parts dis-joyn'd and live.
The wide-mouth'd Labrax ever loves to yawn:
She Pearl-fish, alwayes leagueth with the Prawne.
Are you a hungry go and catch a Conger
What fish is larger then the Whale or longer?
His monstrous bulk doth like an Island seem,
Around enclosed in a watery stream.
The gilden Spirlings in cold winters weather,
Ly round (to keep them warm) in bals together.
29
His head between his feet and belly lyes,
The Wolf-fishc aught, ploughs with his taile the sand,
And hiding there, escapes the fishers hand.
From Margarus our Margerites doe come:
The Meryx [Cow like] chews the cud say some.
When the Milvago 'bove the waves doth fly,
Tempests and stormes give o're immediatly.
The Musculus (making his fins his Oars)
Ushers the Whale from rockie shelves & shores.
Ears to the belly of the Oysters joyne;
The Oxyringus eyes most brightly shine.
The Muscle and the speckled Leopard:
The Peacock swimmeth like the heaven bestarr'd
Pediculus the Dolphins parasite,
Doth in the food, the Dolphin gets, delight.
The bleating Sea calfe, hath an hairy hide.
The fraud'lent Manifeet loves paciride.
Th'adultrous Sargus, the Sea grunting-hog,
The Turbet the Cærulian speckled frog.
The Scarus much delights to ruminate
The Scolopender swal'wing hook and baite
Vomits his bowels? having los'd the hook
It slips them in againe and is not took.
The Stockfish is a fish that wil not boyl
Unless you beat it with a stick a while
30
Absconds her body with effused ink,
Which while it dazleth the poore fishers eyes
From the surprizer then escapes the prize.
The water's scale-backt golden-coated Ape,
Is like the earths in colour and in shape.
The Star-fish, by a natural instinct
Burneth what e're it toucheth; would you think't?
Tis said the Cramp fish will benum the hands
Of him that fisheth, and a distance stands.
The Lampreys life within her taile doth ly:
From Purple-fishes comes our purple dy.
Nature doth the Amphibious Sea-calfe give,
By water and by land full leave to live,
She breeds upon the land and by degrees
Her young sh' accustoms to the briny Seas.
A thousand colours (if't be true) 'tis strange
(As in Hyena's) in her eyes doe range.
The Sea grape squezed in the Vintage press,
Of Wine will take away the irksomeness.
The skin of Pompilous makes many a thong
Of a great value ever-during strong.
Th'Adult'rous Sargus changing mates behorns
The pates of Hee-Goats which before had horns.
Th'Vranoscop, alwayes his eyes round balls
Bands (as it were) against th'ætherial walls.
31
And man to him, both are each others bane.
And thou Thymalus, left almost behind,
What fish more precious then thy noble kind?
Can any thing in sweetness thee excell?
Yields any odour a more fragrant smell?
Above all fishes thou deserv'st the Palme,
In that thou breathest like Arabian balme.
The wry-mouth'd Plais, the Whiting, & the Mackrel:
The slippry Eel, the Lobster, and the Cackrel
Making the eater laxative; the Trout,
The Herring King of fish, the Flownder, Pout,
The Wraith, the Gudgeon, and the boneless Seal,
And more there are, whose names I must conceal;
A world of Paper, and a Sea of Ink,
Would scarce suffice to hold them all I think.
But ah! what do we? we must hast to th'shore
The winds do rise, the waves begin to roar:
Let's tack about, and strive the land to gain,
Enough of roaming on the foaming main.
Hark! Cliô hark! behold the warbling Quire,
Call thee to play upon thine Iv'ry Lyre.
| KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world | |