 | Cinthia's revenge : Or Maenanders extasie |  |
Scœn. 6.
Cinthia.Error of man which over-tops the sky,
And with quicke waftage doth for vengeance fly;
Cal's downe Gods iudgement (mischiefe to amend)
Nay, often doth enforce the Gods descend:
Horror, more vgly then the iawes of hell,
Horror, that apprehension doth excell,
Startles my God-head to imagine how
I further may avenge the Spartans vow:
Shall wee (great empresse of Imperious night,
Heavens wonder, and wide Corinths blessed Saint)
Thus be, ô thus compel'd, presumptuous King,
To spit our vn-appeas'd flames in thy face?
O the sharpe edge of bitter blasphemy!
How deepe incision doth attend on it?
Flesh cannot brooke one triviall abuse,
No; Il'e inflict a terror to offence,
And will (without compassion) scourge thy sence:
For like some snow-ball toss'd vpon hot coles,
Thy wit shall vanish, and thy sence consume:
A madnesse must ensue, but mad alike,
Neuer was any; those that see shall shake
And tremble at our vengeance; but because
Thy vn-aduised rashnesse railes vpon
Our monthly change, vp-braiding holinesse,
With a false friends mis-carriage, Il'e impose
A change vn-parralel'd, which ner'e shall cease,
Till thy distracted body sleepe in peace:
The most magnificent may learne of thee,
Kings from a dreadfull vengeance are not free:
Kings may like petty-gods, insult below,
But of a deere-deepe reckoning they must know:
Fame, freedome, fates, and all that may conspire
To make man happy, shall not make thee man:
For Fates doe rescue neither life nor fame,
If Gods high iustice do inthrall the same:
Nor may the strict evasion of mis-hap,
Hurt who secured lye in Uertues lap.
But if destruction be aboue decreed,
Meanes stop in iustice, few by meanes are freed.
Fall then the horror of blaspheaming feares,
Not wip'd away with pœnitentiall teares;
Till by his death my vengeance be appeas'd,
And wrathfull famine absolutely pleas'd.
| Cinthia's revenge : Or Maenanders extasie | |