"How comes it then, that in so near decay Wake then, thy soul, that deadly slumbercth: breath, Too late to wish past life, too late to wish for death. "Caro the vanguard with the Dragon led, Cosmos the battle guides, with loud alarms; Cosmos the first son to the Dragon red, Shining in seeming gold, and glitt'ring arms; Well might he seem a strong and gentle knight, As e'er was clad in steel and armour bright; But was a recreant base, a foul, false cheating spright. "And as himself, such were his arms; appearing Bright burnish'd gold, indeed base alchymy, Dim beetle eyes, and greedy worldlings blearing; His shield was dress'd in night's sad livery, Where man-like apes a glow-worm compass round, Glad that in wintry night they fire had found: Busy they puff and blow: the word Mistake the ground.' "Mistake points all his darts; his sun shines bright, (Mistaken) light appears, sad lightning prove : His clouds (mistook) seem lightnings, turn'd to light; His love true hatred is, his hatred love; His shop, a pedlar's pack of apish fashion; His honours, pleasures, joys, are all vexation: His wages, glorious care, sweet surfeits, woo'd damnation. "His lib'ral favours, complimental arts; His high advancements, Alpine slipp'ry straits; His smiling glances, death's most pleasing darts; And (what he vaunts) his gifts are gilded baits: Indeed he nothing is, yet all appears. Hapless earth's happy fools, that know no [of fears.' Who bathes in worldly joys, swims in a world "Pure Essence! who hast made a stone descry tears. "Twixt nature's hid, and check that metal's pride That dares aspire to gold's high sor'reignty; Ab, leave some touchstone erring eyes to guide, And judge dissemblance! see by what devices, Sin with fair gloss our mole-ey'd sight entices, That vices virtues seem to most; and virtues vices. "Strip thou their meretricious seemliness, And tinfold glitt'ring, bare to ev'ry sight, That we may loath their inward ugliness; Or else uncloud the soul, whose shady light Adds a fair lustre to false earthly bliss: Thine and their beauty differs but in this; Theirs what it is not, seems; thine seems not what it is. "Next to the captain, coward Deilos' far'd, Him right before he as his shield projected, And following troops to back him as his guard; Yet both his shield and guard (faint heart) suspected: "With him went self-admiring Arrogance; And Brag; his deeds without an helper praising; Blind Carelessness before would lead the dance; Fear stole behind, those vaunts in balance paysing, [lence, Which far their deeds outweigh'd; their vio'Fore danger spent with lavish diffluence, Was none, or weak, in time of greatest exigence. "As when a fiery courser ready bent, Puts forth himself at first with swiftest pace; Till with too sudden flash his spirits spent, Already fails now in the middle race: Over-boldness, or fool-hardiness. The philosopher rightly calls such (garudiínovs, Ethic. 3, oup. 7. not only foolhardy, but faint hardy. 2 Fearfulness. 1 Deep from the ground he digs his sweetest gain, And deep into the earth digs back with pain; From Hell his gold he brings, and heards in Hell again. "His clothes all patch'd with more than honest thrift, [ing: And clouted shoes were nail'd for fear of wastFasting he prais'd, but sparing was his drift; And when he eats, his food is worse than fasting: Thus starves in store, thus doth in plenty piue; Thus wallowing on his god, his heap of mine, He feeds his famish'd soul with that deceiving shine. "O, hungry metal! false deceitful ray, Yet through our mother's entrails cutting way, "Who was it first, that from thy deepest cell, fill. [ill! Fond men, that with such pain do woo your Needless to send for grief, for he is next us still. His hanging crest far from his wonted pride, "Thus ran the rash Tolmetes, never viewing The fearful fiends that duly him attended; Destruction close his steps in post pursuing; And certain ruin's heavy weights depended Over his cursedhead; and smooth-fac'd Guile, That with him oft would loosely play and smile; [wile. Till in his snare he lock'd his feet with treach'rous "Next march'd Asotus', careless spending swain; Who with a fork went spreading all around, Which his old sire with sweating toil and pain, Long time was raking from his racked ground: In giving he observ'd nor form nor matter, But best reward he got, that best could flatter. [but scatter. Thus what he thought to give, he did not give, "Before array'd in sumptuous bravery, [guise; Deck'd court-like in the choice, and newest A sad black hearse borne up with sable swaius; To endless darkness; while the Sun's bright With fiery beams, quenches their smoking tow, And wastes their idle cost: the word, 'Not need, but show.' "His arms were light and cheap, as made to save His purse, not limbs; the money, not the man: Rather he dies, than spends: his helmet brave, An old brass pot; breast-plate, a dripping-pan: His spear a spit, a pot-lid broad his shield, Whose smoky plain a chalked imprese fill'd; Strew him with vain spent pray'rs and idle lays; A bag sure seal'd: his word, Much better sav'd And Flatt'ry to his sin close curtains draws, Clawing his itching ear with tickling praise. "A vagrant rout (a shoal of tattling daws) Behind fond Pity much his fall lamented, So lost his treasure getting nought in lieu But ostentation of a foolish pride, [wide, His servant's drudge, slave to his basest slave; • Prodigality. 7 Covetousness. Arist. Eth. 4. • Arist. Ert. than spill'd.' "By Pleonectes, shameless Sparing went, His cares to lessen cost with cunning base; Loud would he cry, and howl, while others "Long after went Pusillus, weakest heart; And now full loth, amidst the warlike band, Upon his shield was drawn that noble swain, That loth to change his love and quiet reign, For glorious warlike deeds, did crafty madness feign.. 'Feeble-mindedness. "inely the workman fram'd the toilsome plough "Ey him went Idleness, his loved friend, And Shame with both; with all, ragg'd Poverty: Behind sure Punishment did close attend, Waiting a while fit opportunity; And taking count of hours mispent in vain, And graces lent without returning gain, [pain. Pour'd on his guilty corse, late grief, and helpless "This dull cold earth with standing water froze; At ease he lies to coin pretence for ease; His soul like Ahaz' dial, while it goes Not forward, posteth backward ten degrees: In's couch he's pliant wax for fiends to seal; He never sweats, but in his bed, or mea!: He'd rather steal than work, and beg than strive to steal. "All opposite, though he his brother were, Was Chaunus ", that too high himself esteem'd: All things he undertook, nor could he fear His power too weak, or boasted strength mis- For known to all men weak ", was to himself unknown. "Fondly himself with praising he disprais'd, Vaunting his deeds and worth with idle breath; So raz'd himself, what he himself had rais'd: On's shield a boy threatens high Phoebus' death, Aiming his arrow at his purest light; · But soon the thin reed, fir'd with lightning bright, [right. Fell idly on the strand: his word, 'Yet high, and "Next brave Philotimus 12 in post did ride: Like rising ladders was his climbing mind; His high-flown thoughts had wings of courtly pride, Which by foul rise to greatest height inclin'd; His heart aspiring swell'd until it burst: But when he gain'd the top, with spite accurst, Down would he fling the steps by which he clamber'd first. "His head's a shop furnish'd with looms of state: His brain the weaver, thoughts are shuttles light, Sin's and Hell's winning bawd, the Devil's fact'rWith which, in spite of Heav'n, he weaves his fate; Honour his web: thus works he day and night, Till Fates cut off his thread; so heapeth sins, And plagues, nor once enjoys the place he wins; [begins. But where his old race ends, there his new race "Ah, silly man, who dream'st that honour stands In ruling others, not thyself!-thy slaves Serve thee, and thou thy slaves:-in iron bands Thy servile spirit prest with wild passions raves. Wouldst thou live honour'd, clip ambition's wing; To reason's yoke thy furious passions bring. Thrice noble is the man, who of himself is king.' "Upon his shield was fram'd that vent'rous lad, That durst assay the Sun's bright flaming team Spite of his feeble hands the horses mad, Fling down on burning Earth the scorching beam; So made the flame in which himself was fir'd; Though Glory offer'd him her sweet imbrace, "And now by force dragg'd from the monkish cell, His work to eat, drink, sleep and purge his reins. His servile tongue, base slave to greatness' name, He, temp'ring lies, porter to th' ear resides; From hollow breast for one will two repay; "His art is but to hide, not heal a sore; To nourish pride, to strangle conscience; 1 Arrogancy. The arrogant are more stupid. Arist. Eth. 4. 12 Ambition. ing knave. A mist he casts before his patron's sight, His clawing lies, tickling the senses frail fail, 'Less hurts the lion's paw, than foxes' softest tail." "His arms with hundred tongues were powder'd gay, (The mint of lies) gilt, fil'd, the sense to please; 13 Baseness of mine. 4 Flattery. "Next follow'd Dyscolus 15, a froward wight; His lips all swol'n, and eye brows ever bent; With sooty locks, swart looks, and scouling sight; His face a tell-tale to his foul intent: He nothing lik'd, or prais'd; but reprehended What every one beside himself commended. Humours of tongues imposthum'd, purg'd with shame, are mended. "His mouth a pois'nous quiver, where he hides "Geloios 1 next ensu'd, a merry Greek, Whose life was laughter vain, and mirth misplac'd; His speeches broad, to shame the modest cheek; vain His foul jests, steep'd and drown'd in laughter [madness: And rotten speech (ah!) was not mirth, but His armour crackling thorns all flaming stain With golden fires (emblem of foppish gladness): Upon his shield two laughing fools you see, (In number be the third, first in degree) At which himself would laugh, and fleer; his word, We three.' "And after Agrios ", a sullen swain; All mirth that in himself and others hated; Dull, dead, and leaden, was his cheerless vein; His weary sense he never recreated; Is Morosity. 16 Mad laughter, Eccles. ii. 2. Rusticity, or ferity. "Last Impudence, whose never changing face Knew but one colour; with some brass-brow'd lie, And laughing loud she drowns her just disgrace: About her all the fiends in armies fly: Her feather'd beaver sidelong cock'd, in guise Of roaring boys; set look, with fixed eyes Out looks all shame-fac'd forms, all inodesty defies. "And as her thoughts, so arms all black as Hell, "The aged day grows dim, and homeward calls: The shady cloud of night 'gins softly creep, And all our world with sable tincture steep: Home now ye shepherd-swains; home now my loved sheep." CANTO IX. THE bridegroom Sun, who late the Earth had spous'd, Leaves his star-chamber; early in the east He shook his sparkling locks, head lively rouz'd, While Morn his couch with blushing roses drest; His shines the Earth soon latcht to gild her flow'rs: [bow'rs, Phosphor his gold-fleec'd drove folds in their Which all the night had graz'd about th' Olympic tow'rs. The cheerful lark, mounting from early bed, With sweet salutes awakes the drowsy light; The Earth she left, and up to Heav'n is fled; There chants her Maker's praises out of sight. Earth seems a molehill, men but ants to be; Teaching proud men, that soar to high degree, [and see. The further up they climb, the less they seem The shepherds met, and Thomalin began; Young Thomalin, whose notes and silver string } Silence the rising lark, and falling swan: "Come Thirsil, end thy lay, and cheerly sing; Hear'st how the larks give welcome to the day, Temp'ring their sweetest notes unto thy lay; Up then, thou loved swain; why dost thou longer stay?" "Wells tt'st thou, friend, the lark before mine eyes. Much easier to hear than imitate; Her wings lift up her notes to lofty skies; Down to the centre ties with captive string; Well might I follow here her note and wing; Singing she lofty mounts, ah! mounting should I sing. "Oh, thou dread king of that heroic band! Which by thy pow'r beats back these hellish sprites, Rescuing this state from death and base command: "The first commanders in this holy train, Fair had she been, and full of heav'nly grace, "His arms, with flaming tongues all sparkled The constellations, lower bodies swaying, Sway'd by the higher) she bore: her word, I rule obeying.' "His glitt'ring armour shin'd like burning day, Garnish'd with golden suns, and radiant flow'rs; Which turn their bending heads to Phoebus' ray, And when he falls, shut up their leafy bow'rs; Upon his shield the silver Moon did bend Her horned bow, and round her arrows spend: His word in silver wrote, I borrow what I lend.' "All that he saw, all that he heard, were books, In which he read, and learn'd his Maker's will; Most on his word, but much on Heav'n he looks, And thence admires with praise the workman's skill. [tion, Close to him, went still-musing ContemplaThat made good use of ills by meditation; So to him ill itself was good, by strange mutation. "And Care, who never from his sides would part, Of Knowledge oft the ways and means inquiring, To practise what he learu'd from holy art; And oft with tears, and oft with sighs desiring Aid from that sovereign guide, whose ways so steep, [not keep; Though fain he would, yet weak, he could But when he could not go, yet forward would he creep. "Next Tapinus, whose sweet, though lowly All other higher than himself esteem'd; [grace, He in himself priz'd things as mean and base, Which yet in others great and glorious seem'd; All ill due debt, good undeserv'd he thought; His heart a low-roof'd house, but sweetly wrought, [dearly bought. Where God himself would dwell, though he it "Honour he shuns, yet is the way unto him; As Hell, he hates advancement won with bribes; But public place, and charge are forc'd to woo him; He good to grace, ill to desert ascribes: Him (as his Lord) contents a lowly room, Whose first house was the blessed virgin's [tomb. The next a cratch, the third a cross, the fourth a womb, "So choicest drugs in meanest shrubs are found; Who with a sling threw down faint Israel's fears; But yet no servile yoke his forehead brands, In this Obedience rules, and serving thus com " mands. By them went Fido', marshal of the field; Weak was his mother when she gave him day; About them swarm'd their fruitful progeny; An heav'nly offspring of an heav'nly bed; Well mought you in their looks his stoutness see, With her sweet graces lovely tempered. Fit youths they seem'd to play in prince's ball, [nish'd all), (But ah! long since they thence were baOr shine in glitt'ring arms, when need fierce war doth call. "The first in order (nor in worth the last) Is Knowledge, drawn from peace, and Muse's Where shaded in fair Sinai's groves, his taste king; But now to bloody field is fully bent: Yet still he seem'd to study as he went; His arms cut all in books; strong shield slight papers lent, ' Heaven. 2 Humility. 3 Faith. |