Bosworth-field With a Taste of the Variety of Other Poems, Left by Sir John Beaumont ... Set Forth by his Sonne, Sir Iohn Beaumont |
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To the most illustrious Prince Charles, of the excellent vse of Poems.
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To the most illustrious Prince Charles, of the excellent vse of Poems.
Diuine example of obedient heires,
High in my hopes, and second in my prayers:
True Image of your Father to the life,
VVhom Time desir'd, and Fates in iealous strife,
VVith chearefull voices taught their wheeles to runne,
That such a Father might haue such a Sonne;
Since God exalts you on this earthly Stage,
And giues you wisedome farre aboue your age,
To iudge of men, and of their actiue pow'rs:
Let me lay downe the fruits of priuate houres
Before your feet, you neuer will refuse
This gift, which beares the title of a Muse.
High in my hopes, and second in my prayers:
True Image of your Father to the life,
VVhom Time desir'd, and Fates in iealous strife,
VVith chearefull voices taught their wheeles to runne,
That such a Father might haue such a Sonne;
Since God exalts you on this earthly Stage,
And giues you wisedome farre aboue your age,
To iudge of men, and of their actiue pow'rs:
Let me lay downe the fruits of priuate houres
Before your feet, you neuer will refuse
This gift, which beares the title of a Muse.
Among your serious thoughts, with noble care
You cherish Poets, knowing that they are
The Starres which light to famous actions giue,
By whom the mem'ries of good Princes liue:
You are their Prince in a peculiar kind,
Because your Father hath their Art refin'd.
And though these Priests of greatnesse quiet sit
Amid'st the silent children of their wit,
Without accesse of sutours, or dispatch
Of high affaires, at which th' ambitious catch;
They are not idle, when their sight they rayse
Beyond the present time to future daies;
And braue examples, sage instructions bring
In pleasing verses, which our sonnes may sing.
They oft erect their flight aboue the Land,
When graue Urania ioyning hand in hand
With soft Thalia, mix their diff'rent strings,
And by their musick make celestiall things;
More fit for humane eares, whose winding rounds
Are easly fill'd with well digested sounds.
Pale Enuy and dull Ignorance reproue
This exercise, as onely apt for loue,
Deuis'd t'allure the sense with curious Art:
But not t'enrich the vnderstanding part.
So might they say, The Sunne was onely fram'd
To please the eye, and onely therefore nam'd
The Eye of Heau'n, conceiuing not his wheele
Of liuely heate, which lower bodies feele.
Our Muses striue, that Common-wealths may be
As well from barb'rous deedes, as Language free:
The seu'rall sounds in harmony combin'd,
Knit chaines of vertue in the hearers mind:
And that he still may haue his teacher by
With measur'd lines, we please his curious eye.
We hold those works of Art, or Nature best,
Where Orders steps most fully are exprest
And therefore all those ciuill men that liue
By Law and rule, will to our numbers giue
The name of good, in which perfection rests;
And feele their strokes with sympathyzing brests.
Not Oratours so much with flowing words,
Can sway the hearts of men, and whet their swords:
Or blunt them at their pleasure, as our straines,
(Whose larger Spheare the Orbe of prose containes)
Can mens affections lessen or increase,
And guide their passions whisp'ring warre or peace?
Tyrtæus by the vigour of his verse,
Made Sparta conquer, while his lines reherse
Her former glory, almost then subdude
By stronger foes, and when the people rude
Contend among themselues with mutuall wrongs,
He tempers discord with his milder songs:
This poore lame Poet hath an equall praise
With Captaines, and with States men of his dayes:
The Muses claime possession in those men,
Who first aduentur'd with a nimble pen;
To paint their thoughts, in new inuented signes,
And spoke of Natures workes in numbred lines:
This happy Art, compar'd with plainer wayes,
Was sooner borne, and not so soone decayes:
She safer stands from times deuouring wrong,
As better season'd to continue long;
But as the streames of time, still forward slow;
So Wits, more idle and distrustfull grow:
They yeeld this Fort, and cowardly pretend
Prose, is a castle easier to defend;
Nor was this change effected in a day,
But with degrees, and by a stealing way,
They pull the Muses feathers one by one;
And are not seene, till both the wings be gone.
If man inioying such a precious Mine,
Esteem'd his nature almost made Diuine:
When he beheld th' expression of his thought,
To such a height, and Godlike glory brought:
This change may well his fading ioy confound,
To see it naked, creeping on the ground;
Yet in the lands that honour'd learnings name,
Were alwayes some, that kept the vestall flame
Of pow'rfull Verse, on whose increase or end,
The periods of the soules chiefe raigne depend.
Now in this Realme I see the golden age
Returne to vs, whose comming shall asswage
Distracting strife, and many hearts inspire,
To gather fewell for this sacred fire:
On which, if you, great Prince, your eyes will cast;
And like Fauonius, giue a gentle blast:
The liuely flame shall neuer yeeld to death,
But gaine immortall spirit by your breath.
You cherish Poets, knowing that they are
The Starres which light to famous actions giue,
By whom the mem'ries of good Princes liue:
You are their Prince in a peculiar kind,
Because your Father hath their Art refin'd.
And though these Priests of greatnesse quiet sit
Amid'st the silent children of their wit,
129
Of high affaires, at which th' ambitious catch;
They are not idle, when their sight they rayse
Beyond the present time to future daies;
And braue examples, sage instructions bring
In pleasing verses, which our sonnes may sing.
They oft erect their flight aboue the Land,
When graue Urania ioyning hand in hand
With soft Thalia, mix their diff'rent strings,
And by their musick make celestiall things;
More fit for humane eares, whose winding rounds
Are easly fill'd with well digested sounds.
Pale Enuy and dull Ignorance reproue
This exercise, as onely apt for loue,
Deuis'd t'allure the sense with curious Art:
But not t'enrich the vnderstanding part.
So might they say, The Sunne was onely fram'd
To please the eye, and onely therefore nam'd
The Eye of Heau'n, conceiuing not his wheele
Of liuely heate, which lower bodies feele.
Our Muses striue, that Common-wealths may be
As well from barb'rous deedes, as Language free:
The seu'rall sounds in harmony combin'd,
Knit chaines of vertue in the hearers mind:
And that he still may haue his teacher by
With measur'd lines, we please his curious eye.
We hold those works of Art, or Nature best,
Where Orders steps most fully are exprest
130
By Law and rule, will to our numbers giue
The name of good, in which perfection rests;
And feele their strokes with sympathyzing brests.
Not Oratours so much with flowing words,
Can sway the hearts of men, and whet their swords:
Or blunt them at their pleasure, as our straines,
(Whose larger Spheare the Orbe of prose containes)
Can mens affections lessen or increase,
And guide their passions whisp'ring warre or peace?
Tyrtæus by the vigour of his verse,
Made Sparta conquer, while his lines reherse
Her former glory, almost then subdude
By stronger foes, and when the people rude
Contend among themselues with mutuall wrongs,
He tempers discord with his milder songs:
This poore lame Poet hath an equall praise
With Captaines, and with States men of his dayes:
The Muses claime possession in those men,
Who first aduentur'd with a nimble pen;
To paint their thoughts, in new inuented signes,
And spoke of Natures workes in numbred lines:
This happy Art, compar'd with plainer wayes,
Was sooner borne, and not so soone decayes:
She safer stands from times deuouring wrong,
As better season'd to continue long;
But as the streames of time, still forward slow;
So Wits, more idle and distrustfull grow:
131
Prose, is a castle easier to defend;
Nor was this change effected in a day,
But with degrees, and by a stealing way,
They pull the Muses feathers one by one;
And are not seene, till both the wings be gone.
If man inioying such a precious Mine,
Esteem'd his nature almost made Diuine:
When he beheld th' expression of his thought,
To such a height, and Godlike glory brought:
This change may well his fading ioy confound,
To see it naked, creeping on the ground;
Yet in the lands that honour'd learnings name,
Were alwayes some, that kept the vestall flame
Of pow'rfull Verse, on whose increase or end,
The periods of the soules chiefe raigne depend.
Now in this Realme I see the golden age
Returne to vs, whose comming shall asswage
Distracting strife, and many hearts inspire,
To gather fewell for this sacred fire:
On which, if you, great Prince, your eyes will cast;
And like Fauonius, giue a gentle blast:
The liuely flame shall neuer yeeld to death,
But gaine immortall spirit by your breath.
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