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With that Ioues yssue did prouoke the God,
Whose visage is compact of salarode;
To leaue his throne of waters and descend;
To giue their serious Controuersie end,
Vrging being vrg'd herselfe by hope of fame,
The yong Ionia might affect hir name.
Neptune his dangling bawdricke cast aside,
Which to a well tun'd Lyre his hand did guide.
And then sustaines his scepter, which to beare
Is Isthmian labor; Thus Tridentifer
Gazing at honors worth, forsakes his Court,
Where Mermaids do for choristers resort,
Whose diuidence incestuous and vnchaste
Rauisht the Citizens of seas laid waste.
Vpon a faire find Dolphin did he ride,
While blew Nereides lackey by his side,
And with their measuring feet checke corall beds,
The richest meteor that the Ocean breeds:
The Godhead that in shape of Bull did lie,
Had not a carriage of such Maiestie.
By this the Seas great Arbiter attain'd
The farthest bounds Oceanus had gain'd,
And now the yeelding sand did testifie
That earth shooke vnderneath his surquedrie.
The azure God at Agas strond arriued,
The stall from whence his Nerean steeds contriu'd
Their thriftie fodder, Agas well suruaid
The faire sonicke structure vnderlaid:
This infant citie plac't in Attica,
Was proud of his accesse, there did he stay.
There Pallas and Palæmon do allow
The moderation of their randeuow.
The disputants thus haue they both decreed,
That humane censure shall preferre the deed
Whereby their deities may best disclose,
Who ought so faire a title to impose.
His mother Vestaes sonne did inuocate,
And on her bosome laid his scepters waight:
Thus the desire of Flamen and of Phane,
Causde him to wound her breast coniure her name:
Out of whose entralls did prosiliate
A horse from whom his kind is propagate.
Hereby he woed the suffrage of mankind,
And made Hyppona Goddesse of that shrine:
She that vnknowne by Trytons side did sit,
Contemn'd the God and counterpois'd the gift,
Stirculeus did inspire her with his Arte,
Diuiding natures influence apart.
For Neptune cald him Sire falcipotent,
And when he stood proscript to banishment:
Did he diuide his heauen wrackt soule from harmes,
And vnto Latium beares him in his armes,
Lamenting him and his attending feares,
Made the worldes greater part a sea of teares:
Whose teares the faire Hyperion from his cheekes
Extracts, and swolne with moysture kindly weepes,
The God that chang'd his Scepter for a scythe,
Inspird the Dame that did with Neptune striue:
He taught her exorcismes and practicke skill
To make the earth obsequious to her will.
In honor of Minerua did it yeild
An Oliue tree, the first that grac't the field:
For this the Consistorie did assigne
To gratifie him with Ionicke shrine.
There the Filamines with temples bound,
Present large Vrnes that are with incense crownd,
Whose flame with soueraigne liquor they infuse
Conuerts to smoke and makes the ayre obtuse.
Hereat the enuious Saturnist repinde,
His weake assumption retrograde enclinde:
Albeit they gaue him temple and a flame,
Yet fortune had not equallisde their fame.
His comicke Alcoran was desolate,
VVhilst hers with Nardus fumes did suffocate:
His Priests their emptie challices extend,
Her Ministers amnionius sente commend;
And through their nostthrils conduit entertaine
The gentle odor they expire againe:
From hence Ennosigaus did acquest
The motiue which his drooping soule deprest;
And this the rather aggrauates the same,
That Athens should affect Athenaes name.
Ioue-lou'd Athena great in Athens loue
Aspir'd the spheare where Ions starre did moue,
And forc't him from his separable orbe,
whose exhalation Neptune did absorbe:
wherewith enrag'd the furious Orgist raues,
And with his head subornd the purple waues.
This exit introduct a second stage,
where Athens did intend the vmpirage
Of her Athena, in whose breast appears
Legends of acts, deceiptfull characters:
There Athens in abrasiue lines did write
A borrowed name with brittle Chyrsolite:
In Times compendious booke did she ymprage
A name vnguiltie of succeeding age;
VVhy then, O name recorded to misprision,
O time-bred shame: O booke of delinition.
Their mutuall loue suspir'd a liuely heate,
When misaffecting rites were incomplete:
For many rites are intercedent there,
Where loue with arts and arts with loue conspire:
So Athens loude Athena for her name,
And so for loue was she turnd Artisane.
O happie change if neuer to returne,
Thynesian mount with arts might euer burne.
The seeing Goddesse vsd a seemely might
To make her Athens see with learnings light:
But eyes that trauaile vnderneath her zone
Sustaine ecclypse of reputation:
And such as are to schollership enclind,
Learne best to see how they may best be blind.
Her Athens was the Muses Helicon,
For there she raisd a second Hieron:
That Gymnasie which platane shades enchase,
Concealing it from each celestiall face.
O had it bin immur'd with reputation,
Or had it not such ciuill intimation,
Then vile respect that child of ignorance,
Had not conspird with learned arrogance.
But woe is me for arte lies prostitute
While ignorance doth tread her vnder foote.
The Phocion is insatiate in his lust,
Whose hot coniunction makes my muse combust:
Thus is she most vnhappie of the nine,
Thus is her ill made worse by being thine.
Like chaste Euridice she flies from fate,
Euridice faire and infortunate,
VVhile he pursues with Aristæan will
My muse from whom this passion doth distill.
Yet were she free from any serpents sting,
If sanctuarie were an holy thing:
But faction abrogates her holy vse,
Arte is opposd to arte and Muse to muse:
She harbors enuie and not emulation,
Sinceritie is made selfe affectation.
Beleeue mee Athens, this imputes thy worth,
That monster faction was by thee brought forth.
The loue of him hath made thee arrogant,
He hath betraid thee to the ignorant.
By faction didst thou fall from thy estate;
T'was faction made thee first infortunate:
That all in ill and ill in euery part,
Hath made thee factious Athens as thou art:
T'is arte indeed whom thou hast wrong'd in this;
T'is I for loue of both made Bigamis.
I flie contempt of learning it is I
That cannot meete with true sinceritie:
To me the vice of schollership belongs,
I haue an inward feeling of her wrongs:
T'is I whom learning tempts to imprecation,
Being impatient of her estimation.
I challenge faction for her vile estate,
And cursing it, I still asseuerate,
Since arte from Athens tooke her opprobrie,
And both their ills did transmigrate in me;
It was because I plac't my loue amisse,
Where no respect nor good opinion is.
For louing her am I opinions grate,
And out of loue become thus passionate:
If this be made the vmpire of her liking,
May faint defection practise mine acquiting.
I'le change this arte for some mechanicke skill,
And Athens for a moderne Thracian hill:
A Muse-forsaken Thrace, an Ismarus,
Long lif'd by memorie of Orpheus;
Orpheus, who dignified with legacie
Hebrus and heauen for head and choristrie.
What imputation is familiar,
If I disclaime this inauspicious star,
If borrow wings to flie from Mercurie;
T'is but defection not Apostasie.
When heau'n was turbulent with Iouian pride,
Liu'd not Apollo by Amphrysus side?
For there he did auoid a troubled aire,
And here Admetus he was passing faire.
At Thracian Ismarus will I repose
Within the mount Hermaphrodite, that knows
Two parts distinguisht, and as different
In qualitie for their distract intent.
Whats Ismarus, thou art so rapt with seeing?
T'is any thing but that which hath no beeing.
Europe of her descent doth vainely boast,
Much owes she vnto Thrace, to England most.
The Countrie loues this faire Hermaphrodite,
The Citie knowes her for the Cities type,
In Court a Courtier, and the Courtier, it
Is nothing but a somewhat Ismarit,
In liuing there I shall not liue abstract,
Nor to one residence my selfe contract:
Since Ismarus each Nation doth affine,
Saue Athens onely all the world is mine.
The world is mine in natures sympathie,
For both sustaine but contrarietie:
So Ismarus earths partie coloured kertle,
Hath one side barren and the other fertle.
Her barren part that's bare in all good parts,
Whether from outward cause or els desarts,
Or from a well beseemd distinguishment,
Or all, I doubt how safely to assent.
This onely doth his steril mold suggest,
Each land of euery plant is not possest;
For this blame Nature, and yet blame her not,
Shee's better idle then Haliphlœot.
If Nature were alike industrious,
Th' indifferent arbiter of Ismarus,
Each part were reconcil'd, and Cedars height
Should leuell with the earth of meanest sprite.
But she in wisedome thought it no offence,
By rest to giue to shrubs preeminence:
So we vphold the state of gouernement,
As Natures instance makes vs prouident.
Admit that either side of Ismarus
VVere equall apt in his materiall drosse
To entertaine each forme that's vegitant
Of herbe or tree or whatsoeuer plant.
Nature being prodigall of influence,
Should yeeld her wisdome to suspicious sense.
Giue vnto heauen alike in euery part.
Like grosse densation, and Apolloes harpe,
Shall be as pale an obiect in the eie,
(Though set with gold) as brasse pau'd Galaxie,
And it, as much vnable to reflect,
As where the Cynthides make breach vncheckt.
Repine at this, so shalt thou call in question
Natures decree and by strong insurrection
Be openly rebellious to that state,
VVhereby thou wert thy selfe predestinate:
So shalt thou in thine owne immodestie
Looke vppon heauen with a Promethean eie,
Endeuour to reduce the earth againe
Into her ancient indigested frame,
Rob heauen of stars, stars their intelligence,
The world of motion, light and influence.
Of this repining sect, two sects there are,
VVhose fortunes (albeit vnfamiliar)
Coniure herein. The one is Atheist:
The other thinks that God is onely his.
Atheisme an Ismarite and Politician,
Being rich in generall for his condition:
So giues all franchisement of libertie
T'aspire through an ambitious industrie,
Disputes that Mightines must be attaind
Through broken vowes through faith and conscience staind.
These darke endeuors are religion
To Atheisme, other faith he knoweth none:
But making of deuotion an extent,
Exceeds a Democraticke gouernement,
As not sufficient spacious to admit
A generall weale of equallisde conscript.
So he repines the poorest rational
Should dwell contented by his natiue thrall,
Since in ambition lies his remedie,
And by neglecting curious pollicie,
He leaues the meanes whereby he may inuite
Fortune that's flexible to all alike.
Precisianisme whose zeal's at interest,
Who of himselfe doth selfe conceit it best,
Exemplifies his instance in proces,
And wils an vniuersall barrennes:
Forbids the day producing chariot,
To draw about the all suruaying God:
Because his seruile hand doth well sustaine
The needie traces of a Lydian waine:
Enuies the gouernement that's temporall,
Repines at order hierarchicall,
And in his scruple doth extenuate
Whateuer office fortune or estate.
Yee faithfull vnto orthodoxall terror,
Religious authors of religious error,
Vsing her proper organs and protect
In selfe conspiracie which you affect,
O wherefore is the name of Magistrate
So harsh of cadence? wherefore doe you hate
The purple garment or the scarlet mantle?
How ill beseemes it those rude palmes to handle
The scepter or the sword, how more then ill
To slay the Iudge vnroyallize the King?
The price of this strong heresie contriu'd,
Thy faith must be deprau'd, thy selfe depriu'd
Of all commercement with sincere deuotion,
For thou art mou'd vnto that violent motion
Of Atheisiue blind of God, and both agree
By different meanes to worke equalitie:
The one commends the Sunne for his accesse,
What he elates, the other doth depresse,
And what they both preferre, it is to all,
Each season for an Equinoctiall,
Improouing the premist necessitie
Of Ismarus dispo'sd so diuersly.
This Thracian hill contends to imitate
Man in his liuely forme and inward state:
And how conuenient is the presidence
Of soule and mind and intellectuall sense
Before the bodie that affects but clay,
Let the repiner in his manhood say:
Then shall he seriously affirme with me,
That speake out of mine owne necessitie.
I speake the necessary barrennesse
Of Ismarus and natures inaccesse:
Albeit I do preferre her fruitfull side,
Not led by discontent that child of pride,
But by innated loue of selfe well willing,
We wish all fruitfull parts within our dwelling.
There dwell where Ismarus in iocund sense
Of Natures hand commends her excellence.
Vnto that fertile part her fairer field,
Will I my poesie and my passion yield:
Faire is that field which richly shal infuse
Nature for arte, spirit for Genius.
Into her Orpheus did she breath such spirit
And nature such as none since did inherit.
For since his time all studie was disposd
To the obscurities which Artes disclose.
Who cares for simples skill? or who is he,
That vnto trees will play his minstrelsie?
Arte beares a nimbler wing, the Lupricall
Is made the pearch where Learning loues to fall.
Then soare aloft and shadow with your wings
A cash't Athenian, who in passion sings
To Ismarus exceeding in the fertle
Of Vine and Oliue, and the conquerors Mirtle,
The Rose, the Tamarix, and the Iouian Oake,
The Laurell vnacquainted with the stroake
Of thunder, the Italian Cyprus tree,
The Pine, the Poplar and the Mulberie:
Lethiferous Ewe, whose nature euer craues
Some Golgotha or seat of dead mens graues:
I'le sing to Plants of others and of these,
And call no auditorie but of trees.
The fruitfull Ismarus did iustly boast
That she exceld in Vine and Oliue most:
Then let thy song measure her symphony
In time as semblable: that thou thereby
Maist make their donatiue the former place
To giue vnto thy verse a measures grace.