University of Virginia Library

Bright Phœbus who with morning light
Put'st Hesperus twinckling traine to flight,
When as thou rowzest, and display
Thy golden locks, and summon day;
Thou who dost rest thy drowzie-head,
In aged Thetis froathy bed:
When as thy gilded Car of day,
His glowing axle doth allay.
Thou who in twice 6 Months fulfill
Thy journall on th' Olympian hill,
Illustrious Lord of light, in vaine
Thou bragg'st with arrowes to have slaine
Thy Python sterne, whose massie bones
Were Iron barres, like congeal'd stones
His knotty sinewes were, the boughes
Wer's shady covers; his great troughes
Deepe Rivolets, which he (well nigh)
Caroused at one watering dry:
His belching shot forth flames, his eye
Shin'd like the dapled morning skie.
Faire Venus thy young hood winkt sonne
More glorious trophies oft have won,
Thou that crown'st thy loves with bayes,
Inventer of mellodious Layes.
Thou left'st Pernassus bifork't hill,
And Tempe thy faire domicill,
At loves command, and all to be
At Daphne's shrine a Votary.
Thou that did'st by virtuall heat
The happy plants, and herbes create,
Couldst find no plant, or herbe to be
A medicine for loves maladie.
When thou commandst the birds to bring,
In triumph to the world, the Spring,
The new-clad earth hath quickly lost
Her Snow-white roabes, no chilly frost
Candies the grasse, no ycie creame
Congeale the lake, or pearly streame;
No snow lies sheltred in the shade,
The earth is thaw'd and tender made:
For all thy heat, thy love doth lowre,
Nor had thy scalding rayes the power
To thaw her Marble yce, and this
T'was caus'd her Metamorphosis.

Large limb'd Hercules trebly blest
With fame, thou who in youth exprest
Deedes of honour, thy cradle's crownd
With brave achivements, which renown'd
Thy name; thy valour was suppli'd
With strength, thy haughty spirit defi'd
An hoast of men, Heaven ne're conjoyn'd
So strong a body, or so stout a mind.

1.

Brag not cause you slew and withstood
Within the thick Næmæan wood
A beast, the temper of whose heart
Was like a nether Milstone; Dart,
Nor threatning Sword, nor frightfull Speare,
Could terrifie it with Panick feare:
Like knotty wreaths of craggy brasse
His sinewes were, a noise did passe
From's mouth, which might strike deafe the eares
Of mortals, and affright the Spheres;
You wore his ruggid shaggie hide
About your shoulder, and left side.

2.

The Hydra by thy hand was slaine,
Whose heads lopt off sprouted againe.
The mud was made his downie bed,
The stones were pillowes for his head,
His speckled jawes which hideous were,
Thy brawny armes did boldly teare.

3.

Thy club made th' Erymanthean Beare.
Lye weltring in his ruddy goare,
His sharpened tusks shall spoile no more
(As it was wont to doe before)
Arcadia, which in antique dayes
Did warble out her well-tun'd Layes,
And sing loves on her oaten reed,
Whilst her secure flocks did feed.

4.

The Centaure thou subdu'st by force,
Halfe like a man, halfe like a horse.

5.

Swifter then wind you ran, or thought,
On foot a running Stag you caught.

6.

Rapacious bird Stymphalide,
Were made a prey to death by thee.

7.

Thou mighty Scavinger wert able
To clense the foule Augean stable,

8.

You made a Bull to crosse the Maine,
And graze on Neptunes liquid plaine.

9.

And Diomedes fell monster,
Who made his captives provender
To his proud pamper'd steeds, by thy
Revengefull hand did justly dye.

10.

False Cacus thou didst crush to death,
And 'twixt thy armes squeeze out his breath:

11.

Cease the adjuring world to tell
Of thy forc't entrance into Hell.
You swadled Charon with his oare,
The triple-headed ban-dog roare,
And yelle: you Pluto ere you're gone
Confronted on his jeaty throne.

12.