University of Virginia Library

Chorus.

Which way O Prince of landes and Gods on hie,
At whose vprise eftsones of shadowd night
All beawty fleeth, which way turnst thou awrye?
And drawest the day in midst of heauen to flight?
Why dost thou (Phœbus) hide from vs thy sight?
Not yet the watch that later howre bringes in,
Doth Vesper warne the Starres to kindle light.
Not yet doth turne of Hespers whele begin
To loase thy chare his well deserued way.
The trumpet third not yet hath blowen his blast
Whyle toward the night beginnes to yeld the day:
Great wonder hath of sodayne suppers hast
The Plowman yet whose Oxen are vntierd.
From woonted course of Heauen what drawes thee back?
What causes haue from certayne race conspierd
To turne thy horse? do yet from dongeon black
Of hollow hell, the conquerd Gyantes proue
A fresh assaut? doth Tityus yet assay
VVith trenched hart, and wounded wombe to moue
The former yres? or from the hil away?
Hath now Typhœus wound his syde by might?
Is vp to heauen the way erected hie
Of phlegrey foes by mountaynes set vpright?
And now doth Ossa Pelion ouerlye?
The wonted turnes are gone of day and night,
The ryse of Sunne, nor fall shall be no more,
Aurora dewish mother of the light
That wontes to send the horses out before,
Doth wonder much agayne returne to see,
Her dawning light: she wots not how to ease
The weary wheeles, nor manes that smoaking be
Of horse with sweate to bathe amid the seas.
Himselfe vnwonted there to lodge likewise,
Doth setting sonne agayne the morning see,
And now commaundes the darkenes vp to ryse,
Before the night to come prepared bee.
About the Poale yet glowth no fyre in sight.
Nor light of Moone the shades doth comfort yet.
What so it be, God graunt it be the night.
Our hartes do quake with feare oppressed gret,
And dreadfull are least heauen and earth and all
With fatall ruine shaken shall decay:
And least on Gods agayne, and men shall fall
Disfigurde Chaos: and the land away
The Seas, and Fyres, and of the glorious Skise
The wandring lampes, least nature yet shal hide.
Now shall no more with blase of his vprise,
The Lord of starres that leades the world so wyde,
Of Sommer both and Winter geue the markes.
Nor yet the Moone with Phœbus flames that burnes,
Shall take from vs by night the dreadful carkes,
With swifter course or passe her brothers turnes,
While compasse lesse she fets in croked race:
The Gods on heaps shal out of order fall,
And each with other mingled be in place.
The wryed vvay of holy planets all,
With path a slope that doth deuide the Zones.
That beares the sygnes, and yeares in course doth brynge,
Shall see the starres with him fall downe at ones.
And he that first not yet vvith gentle spring,
The temperate Gale doth geue to sayles, the Ramme
Shall headlong fall a dovvne to Seas agayne,
Through vvhich he once vvith fearefull Hellen svvam.
Next him the Bull that doth vvith horne sustayne
The systers seuen with him shall ouerturne
The twins and armes of croked Cancer all,
The Lyon hoat that wontes the soyle to burne
Of Hercules agayne from heauen shall fall.
To landes once left the Virgin shall be throwne,
And leueld payse of balance sway alow,
And draw with them the stinging Scorpion downe.
So likewyse he that holdes in Thessale bowe
His swift wel fethred arrowes Chiron old,
Shal breake the same and eke shal lese his shotte
And Capricorne that bringes the winter cold
Shall ouerturne and breake the water pot
VVho so thou be: and downe with thee to grounde,
The last of all the sygnes shal Pisces fall
And monsters eke in seas yet neuer drounde,
The water gulph shal ouerwhelme them all.
And he which doth betwene each vrsa glyde,
Lyke croked flood the slipper serpent twynde:
And lesser Beare by greater Dragons syde,
Full cold with frost congealed hard by kinde,
And carter dull that slowly guides his waine
Vnstable shall Bootes fall from hye.
VVe are thouhgt meete of all men whom agayn
Should hugy heape of Chaos ouerly.
And world oppresse with ouerturned masse
The latest age now falleth vs vppon.
VVith euil hap we are begot alas
If wretches we haue lost the sight of sonne,
Or him by fraught enforced haue to flye
Let our complayntes yet goe and feare be pasts
He greedy is of life, that wil not die
VVhen all the world shall end with him at last.