Fovre bookes of Du Bartas I. The Arke, II. Babylon, III. The Colonnyes, IIII. The Columues or Pyllars: In French and English, for the Instrvction and Pleasvre of Svch as Delight in Both Langvages. By William Lisle ... Together with a large Commentary by S. G. S |
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Th'Allusion of words is not a suer ground
For any man thereon a steddy worke to found;
Sith greatest hilles and seas, and most renowmed riuers
(Though they continue still) among long-after liuers
Are often diuers-nam'd; as eke the generation
Of him that built a wall, or laid a townes foundation,
Enhabits not the same; nor any mortall race
Hath an eternall state in any one earthly place:
But holds for terme of life, in fee-farme, or at will,
Possession of a field, a forrest, or an hill.
And like as when the wind amid the main-sea rustles,
One waue another driues, and billow billow iustles;
So are the peopl' at oddes each one for others roome,
One thrusts anoth'r away, and scarce the seconds, come
To threshold of that house whereas he meanes to keepe,
But comes a third and makes him forth at window creepe.
For any man thereon a steddy worke to found;
Sith greatest hilles and seas, and most renowmed riuers
(Though they continue still) among long-after liuers
Are often diuers-nam'd; as eke the generation
Of him that built a wall, or laid a townes foundation,
Enhabits not the same; nor any mortall race
Hath an eternall state in any one earthly place:
But holds for terme of life, in fee-farme, or at will,
Possession of a field, a forrest, or an hill.
And like as when the wind amid the main-sea rustles,
One waue another driues, and billow billow iustles;
So are the peopl' at oddes each one for others roome,
One thrusts anoth'r away, and scarce the seconds, come
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But comes a third and makes him forth at window creepe.
So from great Albion th'old Britton being chas'd
By Saxon-English force, the Gaules forthwith displac'd
That wond in Armoricke, and call'd the Land Brittaine,
Where Loyre his gliding charge vnloadeth on the maine.
By Saxon-English force, the Gaules forthwith displac'd
That wond in Armoricke, and call'd the Land Brittaine,
Where Loyre his gliding charge vnloadeth on the maine.
So when the Lombard left (with minde to rome a large)
Vnto the Skotched Hunnes the diuers furrow'd marge
Of Ister double-nam'd, he made the French to flie
By force of warlike rage from out rich Insubrie;
But vnder-fell againe the French reuenging heat,
And was to bondage brought by sword of Charles the Great.
Vnto the Skotched Hunnes the diuers furrow'd marge
Of Ister double-nam'd, he made the French to flie
By force of warlike rage from out rich Insubrie;
But vnder-fell againe the French reuenging heat,
And was to bondage brought by sword of Charles the Great.
And so th'Alaine, and so the Northen-borne Vandall.
Dislodged by the Goth from Cordube and Hispall,
In Carthage harboured, then by the conquering stroke
Of him that fram'd our Lawes, sustain'd the Roman yoke.
The Roman eke, and all the soyle Barbarian
Of frizell-headed Moores, obay'd th'Arabian.
Dislodged by the Goth from Cordube and Hispall,
In Carthage harboured, then by the conquering stroke
Of him that fram'd our Lawes, sustain'd the Roman yoke.
The Roman eke, and all the soyle Barbarian
Of frizell-headed Moores, obay'd th'Arabian.
This hunger ne'r-suffiz'd of gold and great Empire,
This thirst of sharpe reuenge, and further this desire
Of honour in conceit (all builded on rapines,
On slaughters, cruelties, towne-burnings and ruines)
Dishabiteth a Land, and diuers waies and farre
To waue and wander makes the people sonnes of Warre.
This thirst of sharpe reuenge, and further this desire
Of honour in conceit (all builded on rapines,
On slaughters, cruelties, towne-burnings and ruines)
Dishabiteth a Land, and diuers waies and farre
To waue and wander makes the people sonnes of Warre.
I doe not speake-of here the spoiling Arabes,
The Hordies ancient Scythes or shepheards Nomades,
Who gazing on in troopes disdained eu'ry fence,
And pitched where they list their bristle-hairy ten's;
Like as with wing are wont black swarmes of swallowes swift
Crosse o're th'embillowed sea their airy bodies lift,
And changing their abode, as 'twere on progresse goe
For milder season'd aire, twice yearely to and fro;
But other Nations fierce, who for a war-renowne,
With often losse of Bloud haue roamed vp and downe:
Who better skill'd the way how t'ouercome then weild;
To conquer, then to keepe; to pull downe, then to build;
And chosing rather warre, than holy and lawfull rest,
Haue boldly diuers lands, and one aft'r other, prest.
The Hordies ancient Scythes or shepheards Nomades,
Who gazing on in troopes disdained eu'ry fence,
And pitched where they list their bristle-hairy ten's;
Like as with wing are wont black swarmes of swallowes swift
Crosse o're th'embillowed sea their airy bodies lift,
And changing their abode, as 'twere on progresse goe
For milder season'd aire, twice yearely to and fro;
But other Nations fierce, who for a war-renowne,
With often losse of Bloud haue roamed vp and downe:
Who better skill'd the way how t'ouercome then weild;
To conquer, then to keepe; to pull downe, then to build;
And chosing rather warre, than holy and lawfull rest,
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Right such that Lombard was, who, borne in Schonerland,
Seiz'd on Liuonia, thence went to Rugiland;
And hauing wrought reuenge vpon the Bulgar-men
Of Agilmond his death, he boldly ventur'd then
Vpon Polonia; so march'd on braue and fine
To bathe his golden haire in siluer streame of Rhine:
Thence turning him about he setled in Morauie,
And so to Buda went, and after flew to Pauie:
There raign'd two hundred yeares, and honour'd Tesin so,
He princely dares compare streames with his neighbour Po.
Seiz'd on Liuonia, thence went to Rugiland;
And hauing wrought reuenge vpon the Bulgar-men
Of Agilmond his death, he boldly ventur'd then
Vpon Polonia; so march'd on braue and fine
To bathe his golden haire in siluer streame of Rhine:
Thence turning him about he setled in Morauie,
And so to Buda went, and after flew to Pauie:
There raign'd two hundred yeares, and honour'd Tesin so,
He princely dares compare streames with his neighbour Po.
Such was the Goth, who left the freezing-cold Finland,
Scanzie, and Scrifinie, Norway and Gottherland,
To sit on Wixel-bankes; and, for that aire did please,
As most in temper neare his owne of Baltick seas,
With his victorious hoste entring Sclauonia
Supprised Zipserland and all Valachia:
Then fortifi'd in Thrace; but scorning long to toile
Among the beggar Greekes, for hope of greater spoile
Foure times the Roman tride, God Mars his elder sonne,
To rob him of the crowne that he from all had wonne,
Led once by Radaguise, led once by Alarick,
Then vnder Vidimare, then vnder Dietrick:
And after dwelt in France; then (chased from Gascoine)
Aboade in Portugal, Castile and Cataloine.
Scanzie, and Scrifinie, Norway and Gottherland,
To sit on Wixel-bankes; and, for that aire did please,
As most in temper neare his owne of Baltick seas,
With his victorious hoste entring Sclauonia
Supprised Zipserland and all Valachia:
Then fortifi'd in Thrace; but scorning long to toile
Among the beggar Greekes, for hope of greater spoile
Foure times the Roman tride, God Mars his elder sonne,
To rob him of the crowne that he from all had wonne,
Led once by Radaguise, led once by Alarick,
Then vnder Vidimare, then vnder Dietrick:
And after dwelt in France; then (chased from Gascoine)
Aboade in Portugal, Castile and Cataloine.
Such whilome was the French, who, roaming out as farre
As darted are the beames of Titans firie carre,
Inuaded Italy, and would in rage haue spilt
The Tow'rs that Romulus, or Mars himselfe, had built:
Went thence int' Hungary, then with his conquering plough
He fallow'd-vp the soile cold Strimon runneth through:
The faire Emathick fields he then doth all-to-fleece,
And spareth not at all the greatest gods of Greece:
At last with Europe cloy'd he passeth Helespont,
Of th'Eunuck Dindym hill he wasteth all the Front,
Pisidia ruineth, surpriseth Mysia,
And plants another Gaule in mid'st of Asia.
As darted are the beames of Titans firie carre,
Inuaded Italy, and would in rage haue spilt
The Tow'rs that Romulus, or Mars himselfe, had built:
Went thence int' Hungary, then with his conquering plough
He fallow'd-vp the soile cold Strimon runneth through:
The faire Emathick fields he then doth all-to-fleece,
And spareth not at all the greatest gods of Greece:
At last with Europe cloy'd he passeth Helespont,
Of th'Eunuck Dindym hill he wasteth all the Front,
Pisidia ruineth, surpriseth Mysia,
And plants another Gaule in mid'st of Asia.
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Of people most renown'd the darke antiquitie
Is like a Forrest wide, where hardy-foolery
Shall stumbl' at eu'ry step, the learned Souuenance
It selfe entangled is; but blind-fold ignorance
By blundring through the darke of her eternall Fogges,
Falls headlong downe in pits, in dungeons and bogges:
Is like a Forrest wide, where hardy-foolery
Shall stumbl' at eu'ry step, the learned Souuenance
It selfe entangled is; but blind-fold ignorance
By blundring through the darke of her eternall Fogges,
Falls headlong downe in pits, in dungeons and bogges:
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