Sixe idillia that is, sixe small, or petty poems, or aeglogves, chosen out of the right famous Sicilian Poet Theocritus, and translated into English verse |
 |
 |
|
| THE XVI. JDILLION.
|
|
|
|
 | Sixe idillia |  |
THE XVI. JDILLION.
Charites, or Hiero.
Argument.
The stile of this Poeme is more loftie than anie of the rest, & Theocritus wrote it to Hiero king of Siracuse in Sicily. Wherein hee reprooueth the nigardise of Princes and great men, towards the learned, and namelie Poets, in whose power it is, to make men famous to al posterity. Towards the end he praiseth Hiero, and praieth that Sicilie may be deliuered, by his prowes, from the inuasions of the Carthagineans. This Idillion is named Hiero, in respect of the Person to whome it was written, or Charites, that is Graces, in respect of the matter whereof it treateth.
Poets haue still this care, and stil the Muses haue this care
To magnifie the Gods with songes, and men that worthy are.
The Muses they are Goddeses, and Gods with praise they crowne,
But we are mortall men, and mortall men let vs renowne.
But who of all the men, vnder the cope of heauen that dwell,
By opening of his dores, our Graces entertaines so well,
That vnrewarded quite he dothe not sende them back agayne?
Thay in a chafe, al barefoote home to me returne with paine,
And me they greatly blame, &, that they went for nought, they grutch,
And al to weary, in the bottome of an empty hutch,
Laying there heades vpon there knees full colde, they still remaine,
Where they doe poorely dwell, because they home returnde in vaine.
Of all that liuing are, who loues a man that speaketh well?
I knowe not one; for now a daies for deedes that doe excell,
Men care not to be praysde. But all are ouercum with gaine.
For euery man looks rounde, with hand in bosome, whence amaine
Coyne hee may get, whose rust rubde off, he wil not giue againe.
But straite way thus he says; the legge is further then the knee,
Let me haue goulde inough, the Gods to Poets paie their fee,
Who would an other heere? Inough for al, one Homer is.
Of Poets he is prince, yet getts he nought of me Iwis.
To magnifie the Gods with songes, and men that worthy are.
The Muses they are Goddeses, and Gods with praise they crowne,
But we are mortall men, and mortall men let vs renowne.
But who of all the men, vnder the cope of heauen that dwell,
By opening of his dores, our Graces entertaines so well,
That vnrewarded quite he dothe not sende them back agayne?
Thay in a chafe, al barefoote home to me returne with paine,
And me they greatly blame, &, that they went for nought, they grutch,
And al to weary, in the bottome of an empty hutch,
Laying there heades vpon there knees full colde, they still remaine,
Where they doe poorely dwell, because they home returnde in vaine.
Of all that liuing are, who loues a man that speaketh well?
I knowe not one; for now a daies for deedes that doe excell,
Men care not to be praysde. But all are ouercum with gaine.
For euery man looks rounde, with hand in bosome, whence amaine
Coyne hee may get, whose rust rubde off, he wil not giue againe.
But straite way thus he says; the legge is further then the knee,
Let me haue goulde inough, the Gods to Poets paie their fee,
Who would an other heere? Inough for al, one Homer is.
Of Poets he is prince, yet getts he nought of me Iwis.
Mad men, what gaine is this to hoorde vp baggs of goulde within?
This is not monyes vse, nor hath to wise men euer bin.
But part is due vnto our selues, part to the Poets pen,
And many kinsfolkes must be pleasured, and many men,
And often to the Gods thou must doe solleme sacrifise.
Nor must thou keep a sparing house, but when in frendlie wise
Thou hast receiued strangers at thy boorde, when they will thence.
Let them depart, but cheefely Poets must thou reuerence.
That after thou art hidden in thy graue, thou maist heere well,
Nor basely maist thou mourne, when thou in Acharon dost dwell;
Like to sum ditcher vile, whose handes with worke are harde & drie,
Who from his parentes poore, bewailes his life in beggerie.
In king Antiochus his Court, and king Aleuas toe,
To distribute the monthly bred, a many had to doe.
The Scopedans had many droues of calfes, which in their stales
Mong Oxen lowde, and shepeheardes kept in the Cranonian dales
Infinite flockes, to beare the hospital Creondan's charge.
No pleasure should these men enioy, of their expenses large,
When ons their soules they had embarkt in the infernal Barge,
But leauing all this wealth behind, in wretched miserie,
Among the dead, without renoune, for euer they shoulde lie,
Had not Simonides, the Chian Poet with his pen,
And with his Lute of many stringes, so famous made these men
To all posteritie the verie horses are renoun'd,
Which from their races swift return'd, with olife garlandes crounde.
Who euer shoulde haue knowne the Lician Princes, and their race,
Or them of Troie, or Cignus with his womans color'd face,
Had not the Poets sung the famous warrs of them of oulde?
Nor yet Vlysses (who for ten yeeres space, on Seas was roulde
By sundry sorts of men, and who at last went downe to Hell
As yet aliue, and from the Cyclops den escaped well)
Had got such lasting fame; and drounde should lie in silence deepe
Swinehearde Eumæus, and Philætius, who had to keepe
A hearde of Nete; Laertes eke him selfe had bin vnknowne,
Jf far and wide their names, great Homers verses had not blowne.
This is not monyes vse, nor hath to wise men euer bin.
But part is due vnto our selues, part to the Poets pen,
And many kinsfolkes must be pleasured, and many men,
And often to the Gods thou must doe solleme sacrifise.
Nor must thou keep a sparing house, but when in frendlie wise
Thou hast receiued strangers at thy boorde, when they will thence.
That after thou art hidden in thy graue, thou maist heere well,
Nor basely maist thou mourne, when thou in Acharon dost dwell;
Like to sum ditcher vile, whose handes with worke are harde & drie,
Who from his parentes poore, bewailes his life in beggerie.
In king Antiochus his Court, and king Aleuas toe,
To distribute the monthly bred, a many had to doe.
The Scopedans had many droues of calfes, which in their stales
Mong Oxen lowde, and shepeheardes kept in the Cranonian dales
Infinite flockes, to beare the hospital Creondan's charge.
No pleasure should these men enioy, of their expenses large,
When ons their soules they had embarkt in the infernal Barge,
But leauing all this wealth behind, in wretched miserie,
Among the dead, without renoune, for euer they shoulde lie,
Had not Simonides, the Chian Poet with his pen,
And with his Lute of many stringes, so famous made these men
To all posteritie the verie horses are renoun'd,
Which from their races swift return'd, with olife garlandes crounde.
Who euer shoulde haue knowne the Lician Princes, and their race,
Or them of Troie, or Cignus with his womans color'd face,
Had not the Poets sung the famous warrs of them of oulde?
Nor yet Vlysses (who for ten yeeres space, on Seas was roulde
By sundry sorts of men, and who at last went downe to Hell
As yet aliue, and from the Cyclops den escaped well)
Had got such lasting fame; and drounde should lie in silence deepe
Swinehearde Eumæus, and Philætius, who had to keepe
A hearde of Nete; Laertes eke him selfe had bin vnknowne,
Jf far and wide their names, great Homers verses had not blowne.
Jmmortal fame to mortal men the Muses nine do giue.
But deade mens wealth is spent, and quite consumde of them that liue.
But all one paine it is, to number waues vpon the bankes,
Wherof great store, the winde from Sea, doth blowe to lande in rankes,
Or for to wash a brick with water cleere, till it be white,
As for to moue a man, whome auarice doth ons delite.
Therefore adue to such a one for me, and let him haue
Huge siluer heapes at will, and more and more still let him craue;
But I, Goodwil of men, and Honor wil prefer, before
A many Mules of prise, or many horses kept in store.
Therefore I aske, to whom shall J be welcome with my traine
Of Muses nine? whose waies are hard, if Joue guides not the raine.
But deade mens wealth is spent, and quite consumde of them that liue.
But all one paine it is, to number waues vpon the bankes,
Wherof great store, the winde from Sea, doth blowe to lande in rankes,
Or for to wash a brick with water cleere, till it be white,
As for to moue a man, whome auarice doth ons delite.
Therefore adue to such a one for me, and let him haue
Huge siluer heapes at will, and more and more still let him craue;
But I, Goodwil of men, and Honor wil prefer, before
A many Mules of prise, or many horses kept in store.
Therefore I aske, to whom shall J be welcome with my traine
Of Muses nine? whose waies are hard, if Joue guides not the raine.
The heauens yet haue not left to roule both monthes & yeares on reeles,
And many horses yet, shal turne about the Charret wheeles;
The man shall rise, that shall haue neede of me, to set him out,
Doing such deeds of armes, as Aiax, or Achilles stoute
Did in the fielde of Simois, where Ilus bones doe rest.
And now the Carthagineans, inhabiting the West,
Who in the vtmost ende of Liby dwell, in armes are prest;
And now the Syracusians their speares doe carrie in the rest.
Whose left-armes laden are, with targets made of willoe tree.
Mongst whom, king Hiero, the anchent Worthies match, I see
In armour shine, whose plume doth ouershade his helmet bright.
And many horses yet, shal turne about the Charret wheeles;
The man shall rise, that shall haue neede of me, to set him out,
Doing such deeds of armes, as Aiax, or Achilles stoute
Did in the fielde of Simois, where Ilus bones doe rest.
And now the Carthagineans, inhabiting the West,
Who in the vtmost ende of Liby dwell, in armes are prest;
And now the Syracusians their speares doe carrie in the rest.
Whose left-armes laden are, with targets made of willoe tree.
Mongst whom, king Hiero, the anchent Worthies match, I see
In armour shine, whose plume doth ouershade his helmet bright.
O Iupiter, and thou Minerua fierce in fight,
And thou Proserpina, who with thy mother, hast renowne
By Lysimelia streames, in Ephyra that wealthy towne,
Out of our Iland driue our enimies, our bitter fate,
Along the Sardine Sea, that death of friends they maie relate
Vnto their children and their wiues, and that the townes opprest
By enimies, of th'old inhabitants maie be possest;
That they maie till the fields, and sheepe vpon the downes maie blete
By thousandes infinite, and fat, and that the heardes of Nete
As to their stalles they goe, maie presse the lingring traueler.
Let groundes be broken vp for seede, what time the Grashopper
Watching the sheepheards by their flocks, in boughs close singing lies;
And let the Spiders spread their slender webs in armories,
So that of warr, the verie name maie not be heard againe.
But let the Poets striue, king Hieros glorie for to straine
Beyonde the Scythean Sea, & far beyond those places, where
Semiramis did build those statelie walles, and rule did beare.
Mongst whom, J will be one; for manie other men beside
Joues daughters loue, whose studie still shal be, both far and wide
Sicilian Arethusa, with the people, to aduance,
And warlike Hiero. Yee Graces, who keepe resiance
In the Thessalian mount Orchomenus, to Thebs of olde
So hateful, though of you belovde, to staie J wil be bolde,
Where I am bid to come, and I with them will stil remaine,
That shall inuite me to their house, with all my Muses traine.
Nor you will I forsake; for what to men can louelie be
Without your companie? the Graces alwaies be with me.
And thou Proserpina, who with thy mother, hast renowne
By Lysimelia streames, in Ephyra that wealthy towne,
Out of our Iland driue our enimies, our bitter fate,
Along the Sardine Sea, that death of friends they maie relate
Vnto their children and their wiues, and that the townes opprest
By enimies, of th'old inhabitants maie be possest;
That they maie till the fields, and sheepe vpon the downes maie blete
By thousandes infinite, and fat, and that the heardes of Nete
As to their stalles they goe, maie presse the lingring traueler.
Let groundes be broken vp for seede, what time the Grashopper
Watching the sheepheards by their flocks, in boughs close singing lies;
And let the Spiders spread their slender webs in armories,
So that of warr, the verie name maie not be heard againe.
But let the Poets striue, king Hieros glorie for to straine
Beyonde the Scythean Sea, & far beyond those places, where
Semiramis did build those statelie walles, and rule did beare.
Mongst whom, J will be one; for manie other men beside
Joues daughters loue, whose studie still shal be, both far and wide
Sicilian Arethusa, with the people, to aduance,
And warlike Hiero. Yee Graces, who keepe resiance
In the Thessalian mount Orchomenus, to Thebs of olde
So hateful, though of you belovde, to staie J wil be bolde,
Where I am bid to come, and I with them will stil remaine,
That shall inuite me to their house, with all my Muses traine.
Nor you will I forsake; for what to men can louelie be
Without your companie? the Graces alwaies be with me.
Embleme.
Si nihil attuleris, ibis Homere forás.
| Sixe idillia | |