All the workes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet Being Sixty and three in Number. Collected into one Volume by the Author [i.e. John Taylor]: With sundry new Additions, corrected, reuised, and newly Imprinted |
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 | All the workes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet |  |
The memorable honour of the Goose sauing the Capitoll at Rome.
Bvt now to shew her neuer-dying name,And how at Rome she wan deseruing fame:
When barbarous Brennus, cruell King of Galls,
Had wasted Italy, and raz'd Romes walls:
When deuastation did depopulate,
With sword and furious fire the Romane state.
When many a throat was tyrannously cut,
And all the Citie to the sacke was put:
When many of the Citizens did flye
Into the Capitoll to liue and dye,
Whereas the Image of great Iupiter,
(The rip rap, thwick thwack thumping thunderer)
Was of refined gold, adorn'd, ador'd,
Where helples fooles, poore helples helpe implor'd.
The Capitoll a goodly building was,
And did (for strength) by Art and Nature passe,
So that the people that were there within,
Thought it impregnable, that none could win:
But slender watch vpon the walls they kept,
And (thinking all secure) secure they slept,
They thought Ioues Statue, and his Temple there,
Was a sure guard, that foes they need not feare:
But Ioue these dangers did not vnderstand,
Or else he had some other worke in hand:
Perhaps poore Io like a Cow in shape,
He like a Bull then wrong'd with beastly rape,
Or like a Swan for Leada, he thought fit,
In that fowles forme, that foule fault to commit:
Perchance that time faire Danae to intrap,
He rain'd bewitching gold into her lap;
He then (perhaps) did to Alcmena goe,
And made a Cuckold of Amphitrio,
Or else to Semele that time he came,
And burnt his burning loue with lightnings flame,
Perhaps with Hele he the Ram did play,
Or with Europa toy'd the time away,
Mnemosine he could not let alone,
Or he to Hebe at that time was gone,
It may be to Antiopa he went,
Or to Astery, for his more content:
Or it may be he lay within his bed,
And play'd and fool'd with wanton Ganimede:
But whither Iupiter that time was got,
He to defend the Capitoll was not,
Vnlesse he were transformed wondrous strange,
And to a Gooses shape his Godhead change:
For all the Guard were sleeping at that time,
When as the armed Galls the walls did clime.
Then when the Watch did to destruction sleepe,
The carefull Goose true sentinell did keepe,
She spide the foe, and keak'd out an Alarme,
At which the Sleepers wak'd, & cri'd, Arme, Arme:
Then they their Enemies in fury slew,
Which down the battlements in heaps they threw.
And thus a Goose the honour did obtaine,
To saue the Romanes, which had else beene slaine:
And to preserue the famous Capitall,
And set Rome free from the insulting Gall.
The Romane Generall that time, as then
Was manly Manlius, a stout man of men,
The Senate gratefully did raise anon,
An Altar with a golden Goose thereon,
And for the Gooses seruice had beene such,
They allowd almes-Oates from the common Hutch,
For old and sicke decayed Geese to feed,
In memory of that braue Gooses deed.
Why should the Eagle be the Bird of Ioue,
When as the Goose deserueth so much loue?
'Tis plaine and euident the Goose was cause,
That all Rome scap't from speedy Martiall lawes,
Yet did the Romans (like ingratefull Nags)
Aduance an Eagles portrait in their Flags,
When as Cornelius Agrippa sayes,
The Goose deseru'd it more by many wayes.
Now hauing done the Capitoll Goose right,
Ile trye some other wayes to breed delight.
| All the workes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet | |