University of Virginia Library

Chorus.

O Titan crownd with blasing bush whose morning moystures make
The Moone her foamy bridell from her tyred teame to take.
Declare to'th Easterlinges whereas the ruddy morne doth ryse.
Declare vnto the Irishmen aloofe at western Skies.
Make knowne vnto the Moores annoyed by flaming axentree.
Those that with the ysy Wayne of Archas pestred bee.
Display to these that Hercules to th'eternall ghostes is gone
And to the bauling mastiffes den from whence returneth none.
With dusky dampe of filthy fog O Titan choake thy blaze,
With lowring light of wanny Globe on wofull wordlings gaze,
And let thy head bee muffled vp with cloudes and darknesse dim.
For Hercles sake, when shall thou finde, or where the like to him?
(O wretched worlde to whom wilt thou henceforth thy woes cōplaine,)
If any scattring pestilence on earth shall be renewde,
By venom ranck, from poyson mouth of scaly Dragon spewde:
If any Bore of Arcadie shall comber all a wood,
And teare the trauelers flesh with tuske embrewed in goary blood:
If any champion rough of Thrace with heart more hard in breast,
Then are the ysy rockes, where as the frozen Beare doth rest,
Shall trample thicke his stables fowle with bloud of slaughterd men,
When people quake for feare of warre, who shall assist them then?
If wrathfull Gods for vengeaunce will some monsters to be bread?
Loe nowe enfebled all of force his Karkasse lyeth dead,
Whom Natures moulde had made a match to thūdring Ioue in strēgth.
Hale out (alas) and let your playnt be hearde to townes at length.
Let women beat their naked armes, and wring their trembling handes,
Untrusse their hayre, and from theyr locks pluck of their binding bands.
Boult vp, and lock the Temple gates of Gods, and gave bee none,
But despret Iunoes Chapple doares. O Hercles thou art gone
To Lethes lake, and streame of Stix, from whence no Keele agayne
Shall bring thee backe: O silly soule thou goest to remayne
Among the grisely goblins grymme: from whence thou whilom came
With triumph sooner daunted death, and conquest of the same.
With gastly face, and karrayne armes, and neck that yeeldes to waight,
Thy ghost returnes, but Carons boate then shall not haue her fraight,
As balased with thy onely payse, and yet shalt thou not byde
Among the rascall sprites, but sit on bench by Eacus side,
And with the Iudges twayne of Creete as Umpier there to bee,
Appoynting paynes to soules that maye to their desartes agree.
Frō slaughter hold your guiltlesse hands, bath not your blades in bloud.
Yee states, that beare high sayle on earth, and floate in worldly good:
It merits prayse a mayden sword vndipt in goare to beare,
And while thou rayne, to keepe thy realme from cruell doings cleare.
But vertue hath a pryuiledge to passe vnto the skies.
To'th top of trosen Apell tree O Hercules wilt thou ryse?
Or where the sunne with scorching blaze his burning beames doth rest?
Or wilt thou bee a shyning starre amid the lukewarme west?
Where Calpe Rocke is heard with roaring noyse of wrastling waue?
What place amid the azur skye entendest thou to haue?
What place shall be in all the heauens from hurley burley free?
When Hercules amid the starres shall entertayned bee?
Let Ioue appoynt thy byding from the ougly Lion farre,
And burning Crab least thou with grysely countnaunce do thē skarre.
And make the trembling starres in heauen for feare to breake aray
And Titan quake: while spring doth prank with flowers ye tender spray,
Then hasty winter strip the trees of all their braunches greene.
Or sudden Summer deckt with leaues in busshy woods be seene.
And from the trees the Apples fall, the haruest being doone:
No age on earth shall wipe away the fame that thou hast woone.
As farre as Sun, or Stars can shyne, thy glorious name shall goe.
Amid the botome of the Sea first Corne shall sprout, and grow,
And brackish Seas his waters salt to water fresh shall chaunge:
And fixed starre of ysy beare from Clime to Clyme shall raunge,
And sink into the frozen poole agaynst his kindly sway,
Ere people cease the honour of thy triumphes to display:
O soueraygne Ioue wee wretched wightes this boone of thee doe craue,
No monstrous beastes, no noysome plagues, hereafter let vs haue:
With bloudy champions let the earth encombred bee no more:
Cast downe the hauty sway of Courtes: if ought annoyaunce sore
Shall cloy the earth, a champion to bee our shylde wee caue,
Whom as an honour of the Crowne his ruefull realme may haue.
(That stil will keepe his swerd from being taint with guiltlesse bloud.)
But loe what meanes this rumbling noyse? loe Hercles ster doth grone,
And sigheth for his sonne: is it the Gods that wayle, and mone.
Or is it Iunoes fearefull shrike, whom Hercles doth aggrise,
That seeing him for teare shee roares, and runneth from the skyes.
Or els did Atlas faltring feete with feeble sturring stumble?
And shrinking from his tottring waight thus force the Gods to rumble?
Or scared he the wauling ghostes, the which to feare he draue?
Or Cerberus brast his gingling Chaynes with buskling in his caue.
It is not so: but loe where Philoctetes doth appeare,
And Hercles famous shaftes to him bequeathed doth hee beare.