KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world With an Appendix of Gods resting day, Edon Garden; Mans Happiness before, Misery after, his Fall. Whereunto is added, The Praise of Nothing; Divine Ejaculations; The four Ages of the world; The Birth of Christ; Also a Century of Historical Applications; With a Taste of Poetical fictions. Written some years since by N. B.[i.e. Nicholas Billingsley] ... And now published at the request of his Friends |
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 | KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world |  |
Now on the feather'd fowls bestow thine eyes,
(Kind reader) and observe their properties.
Mark how they fly and cut the flitting ayer,
These clap their wings, and those do quite contrair
Some run upon the ground, and some alway
Do leap from bough to bough from spray to spray,
These are delighted in the shadie grove;
Whilst others in the open champion rove.
Some chuse to fly on high, and some as low,
And some do fly as swift as others go.
These hop about, while others love to sing
The praises of their everlasting King:
Some desarts haunt, some take a pride to shew
Their 'pinions colour'd like the rainy bow.
The silvan Choristers in various notes.
Send out sweet Carrols from their mus'call throats
The warbling Philomel her Sonnets sings,
So shril that at the sound each forrest rings.
The milk-white Swan the river swims along,
Dying, sings sweetest, her Elegious song,
The pretty Linnet, and the whistling Thrush,
And Mavis chaunt in ev'ry thorny bush
Eare charming Ditties, and in ample story
Devulge the greatness of their makers glory.
Nature to speak the Cisla doth inveigle
'Tis strange to think how the Majestick Eagle
The Armiger of Iove, with percing eye
Dares to confront the Sun's coruscancy.
Amongst these aiery Cittizens we find
The Cipphos tost with ev'ry gust of wind
The gaggling-Goose, the Gosling, & the Gander;
The brood-hen clucking, to and fro do wander:
Th'indulgent Stork most gratefuly doth feed
His aged parents, in their time of need:
He broods and carries them; the kissing Dove
Always lives single, having lost her love:
Th'Hedg Sparrow norisheth the Cucko's eggs.
The bird Apodes useth not his leggs.
Hast thou the Iaundice? Icterus but eye
And thou'lt recover but the bird will dy.
The stately Cock, with his elated Crest
Comes stalking on, new rowzed from his rest,
His taile advanc'd, with a clear voyce he crows,
He daunts the Lion and the light foreshowes,
Fair weather followes when the Cranes soar high
Fowl weather followes when apace they fly.
The greedy Corm'rant seeing storms before,
With clam'rous noise doth hasten to the shore.
The Cat fac'd melancholy Owl doth hollow
The swift wing'd lofty winding garr'lous swallow
Sings as she flyes; this Herauld of the spring,
From frozen winter flyes with speedy wing.
The great Bee backward flyes, the Black-Bird loves
To lead a solitary life in groves.
The Chough's fair body is about enroul'd
With plumes of silver, mixt with plums of gold.
The gnat-devouriug Bat suckles her brood,
And shreds (for she hath teeth) her gotten food.
The prattling Parrot with his opned beak
In human language takes a pride to speak.
The Pel'can tares her breast her young ones slayn;
And with her blood reviveth them againe.
The chat'ring Py foretelling guests are neere.
The chirping Sparrowes under house eves are.
The scent-strong Vulter in his flight most slow,
Loves Carrion touching not what mortals sow;
Five hundred miles doth putred Carrion smell
(If all be true Historians do tell)
The inauspicious Crow, th'unluckie Kite.
The witless Woodcock, and the simple Snite:
The long-neck'd hern, the wadling duck, & widgeon
The gold-finch, bull-finch, chaffinch & the pidgeon
The Lapwing, Wagtail, Feildfare, and the Stare.
The pleasant Phesant and the Partridg rare.
The Kestrel, Martin, Puet and the Plover,
The Rook, the Titmouse, up and down do hover.
The Robin-red-breast flyeth too and fro,
The Red-shank, Red-start and the Red-tail too.
The rav'nous Raven and the pratling Iay,
Proud of his borrowed plums, his plums so gay.
The Iron eating Corp'lent Estrich runs
As swift as doth a horse, Spinturus shuns
No sacred place, for she a burning cole
Hath from the Alters very often stole.
The envious Peacock hideth out of spight
His med'cinable dung from humane sight:
Treads softly like a theif, but from his throat
Yels out a horible Tartarian note;
A pride he takes in flinging up his head,
And doth abroad his starie spangles spread.
The Bee with laden thighs doth whom return
With prudent art doth tare the hony-comb
With flowry Tyhme (oh admirable thing!)
So loud a humming voyce, so stiff a sting.
Plant-wasting Locusts which without wings fly,
The Moth, the Horner, Butterfly, and Fly?
The golden coloured Cantharides
Are stiled insects; I may add to these
Th'industrious Silk-worme which of Thisbian rine
And leaves; for nobles silken-sleeves doth twine.
Next in my way the Indian Griffin flyes,
With's snow-white wings; his fierce and fiery eyes
Ev'n dazle mine; four feet he doth not lack
A purple belly and a cole black back;
His hindmost part is fashion'd like a Lion,
His unked talents tare what he doth fly on.
And lastly, although last of all, not least
Th'Arabian Phenix passeth all the rest:
The rarest bird that under heaven flyes,
Glory's enthroned in her sparkling eyes.
A golden collar goeth round her neck:
A Purple colour doth her body deck;
A goodly taile she bears: a plumy crown
Upon her head appears; a scarlet down
Adornes her back: search throughout ev'ry clime
You'l find one only living at one time.
Six hundred years she lives then being old
Builds her a nest, a nest she doth infold
With fragrant Cassia, Cinamon, and Myrrh,
And such like Aromatick sprigs, t'interr
Her self therin; she makes hir selfe an Urn
And fi'ry Titan with his rayes doth burne
(His rags reflecting on her lab'ring wings)
The crazy Phenix; from whose ashes springs
A little worme crawling in fun'ral spices,
And from that worme another Phenix rises.
When God created had all winged creatures
Divers for natures, discrepant in features,
And gave them power with their nimble wings
To soar alof, above terestrial things:
(Kind reader) and observe their properties.
Mark how they fly and cut the flitting ayer,
These clap their wings, and those do quite contrair
Some run upon the ground, and some alway
Do leap from bough to bough from spray to spray,
These are delighted in the shadie grove;
Whilst others in the open champion rove.
Some chuse to fly on high, and some as low,
And some do fly as swift as others go.
These hop about, while others love to sing
The praises of their everlasting King:
Some desarts haunt, some take a pride to shew
Their 'pinions colour'd like the rainy bow.
33
Send out sweet Carrols from their mus'call throats
The warbling Philomel her Sonnets sings,
So shril that at the sound each forrest rings.
The milk-white Swan the river swims along,
Dying, sings sweetest, her Elegious song,
The pretty Linnet, and the whistling Thrush,
And Mavis chaunt in ev'ry thorny bush
Eare charming Ditties, and in ample story
Devulge the greatness of their makers glory.
Nature to speak the Cisla doth inveigle
'Tis strange to think how the Majestick Eagle
The Armiger of Iove, with percing eye
Dares to confront the Sun's coruscancy.
Amongst these aiery Cittizens we find
The Cipphos tost with ev'ry gust of wind
The gaggling-Goose, the Gosling, & the Gander;
The brood-hen clucking, to and fro do wander:
Th'indulgent Stork most gratefuly doth feed
His aged parents, in their time of need:
He broods and carries them; the kissing Dove
Always lives single, having lost her love:
Th'Hedg Sparrow norisheth the Cucko's eggs.
The bird Apodes useth not his leggs.
Hast thou the Iaundice? Icterus but eye
And thou'lt recover but the bird will dy.
34
Comes stalking on, new rowzed from his rest,
His taile advanc'd, with a clear voyce he crows,
He daunts the Lion and the light foreshowes,
Fair weather followes when the Cranes soar high
Fowl weather followes when apace they fly.
The greedy Corm'rant seeing storms before,
With clam'rous noise doth hasten to the shore.
The Cat fac'd melancholy Owl doth hollow
The swift wing'd lofty winding garr'lous swallow
Sings as she flyes; this Herauld of the spring,
From frozen winter flyes with speedy wing.
The great Bee backward flyes, the Black-Bird loves
To lead a solitary life in groves.
The Chough's fair body is about enroul'd
With plumes of silver, mixt with plums of gold.
The gnat-devouriug Bat suckles her brood,
And shreds (for she hath teeth) her gotten food.
The prattling Parrot with his opned beak
In human language takes a pride to speak.
The Pel'can tares her breast her young ones slayn;
And with her blood reviveth them againe.
The chat'ring Py foretelling guests are neere.
The chirping Sparrowes under house eves are.
The scent-strong Vulter in his flight most slow,
Loves Carrion touching not what mortals sow;
35
(If all be true Historians do tell)
The inauspicious Crow, th'unluckie Kite.
The witless Woodcock, and the simple Snite:
The long-neck'd hern, the wadling duck, & widgeon
The gold-finch, bull-finch, chaffinch & the pidgeon
The Lapwing, Wagtail, Feildfare, and the Stare.
The pleasant Phesant and the Partridg rare.
The Kestrel, Martin, Puet and the Plover,
The Rook, the Titmouse, up and down do hover.
The Robin-red-breast flyeth too and fro,
The Red-shank, Red-start and the Red-tail too.
The rav'nous Raven and the pratling Iay,
Proud of his borrowed plums, his plums so gay.
The Iron eating Corp'lent Estrich runs
As swift as doth a horse, Spinturus shuns
No sacred place, for she a burning cole
Hath from the Alters very often stole.
The envious Peacock hideth out of spight
His med'cinable dung from humane sight:
Treads softly like a theif, but from his throat
Yels out a horible Tartarian note;
A pride he takes in flinging up his head,
And doth abroad his starie spangles spread.
The Bee with laden thighs doth whom return
With prudent art doth tare the hony-comb
36
So loud a humming voyce, so stiff a sting.
Plant-wasting Locusts which without wings fly,
The Moth, the Horner, Butterfly, and Fly?
The golden coloured Cantharides
Are stiled insects; I may add to these
Th'industrious Silk-worme which of Thisbian rine
And leaves; for nobles silken-sleeves doth twine.
Next in my way the Indian Griffin flyes,
With's snow-white wings; his fierce and fiery eyes
Ev'n dazle mine; four feet he doth not lack
A purple belly and a cole black back;
His hindmost part is fashion'd like a Lion,
His unked talents tare what he doth fly on.
And lastly, although last of all, not least
Th'Arabian Phenix passeth all the rest:
The rarest bird that under heaven flyes,
Glory's enthroned in her sparkling eyes.
A golden collar goeth round her neck:
A Purple colour doth her body deck;
A goodly taile she bears: a plumy crown
Upon her head appears; a scarlet down
Adornes her back: search throughout ev'ry clime
You'l find one only living at one time.
Six hundred years she lives then being old
Builds her a nest, a nest she doth infold
37
And such like Aromatick sprigs, t'interr
Her self therin; she makes hir selfe an Urn
And fi'ry Titan with his rayes doth burne
(His rags reflecting on her lab'ring wings)
The crazy Phenix; from whose ashes springs
A little worme crawling in fun'ral spices,
And from that worme another Phenix rises.
When God created had all winged creatures
Divers for natures, discrepant in features,
And gave them power with their nimble wings
To soar alof, above terestrial things:
The fifth day left a universal shade,
And heav'n was pleased with the works he made.
And heav'n was pleased with the works he made.
| KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world | |