Part 8

Rise heire of fresh Eternity 1 From thy virgin tombe! Rise mighty Man of wonders, and Thy World with Thee! Thy tombe the uniuersall East, Nature's new wombe, 5 Thy tombe, fair Immortalitie's perfumèd nest.

Of all the glories make Noone gay, This is the Morne; This Rock buds forth the fountaine of the streames of Day; In Joye's white annalls live this howre 10 When Life was borne; No cloud scoule on His radiant lids, no tempest lower.

Life, by this Light's nativity All creatures have; Death onely by this Daye's just doome is forc't to dye, 15 Nor is Death forc't; for may he ly Thron'd in Thy grave, Death will on this condition be content to dye.

SOSPETTO D' HERODE.

LIBRO PRIMO.[41]

ARGOMENTO.

_Casting the times with their strong signes, Death's master his owne death divines: Strugling for helpe, his best hope is Herod's suspition may heale his. Therefore he sends a fiend to wake The sleeping tyrant's fond mistake; _foolish_ Who feares (in vaine) that He Whose birth Meanes Heav'n, should meddle with his Earth._

I.

Muse, now the servant of soft loves no more, Hate is thy theame, and Herod, whose unblest Hand (O what dares not jealous greatnesse?) tore A thousand sweet babes from their mothers' brest: The bloomes of martyrdome. O be a dore Of language to my infant lips, yee best Of confessours: whose throates answering his swords, Gave forth your blood for breath, spoke soules for words.

II.

Great Anthony! Spain's well-beseeming pride, Thou mighty branch of emperours and kings; The beauties of whose dawne what eye may bide? Which with the sun himselfe weigh's equall wings; Mappe of heroick worth! whom farre and wide To the beleeving world, Fame boldly sings: Deigne thou to weare this humble wreath, that bowes To be the sacred honour of thy browes.

III.

Nor needs my Muse a blush, or these bright flowers Other than what their owne blest beauties bring: They were the smiling sons of those sweet bowers That drink the deaw of life, whose deathlesse spring, Nor Sirian flame nor Borean frost deflowers: From whence heav'n-labouring bees with busie wing, Suck hidden sweets, which well-digested proves Immortall hony for the hive of loves.

IV.

Thou, whose strong hand with so transcendent worth, Holds high the reine of faire Parthenope, That neither Rome nor Athens can bring forth A name in noble deeds rivall to thee! Thy fame's full noise, makes proud the patient Earth, Farre more then, matter for my Muse and mee. The Tyrrhene Seas and shores sound all the same And in their murmurs keepe thy mighty name.

V.

Below the bottome of the great Abysse, There where one center reconciles all things: The World's profound heart pants; there placèd is Mischiefe's old master. Close about him clings A curl'd knot of embracing snakes, that kisse His correspondent cheekes: these loathsome strings Hold the perverse prince in eternall ties Fast bound, since first he forfeited the skies.

VI.

The judge of torments and the king of teares, He fills a burnisht throne of quenchlesse fire: And for his old faire roabes of light, he weares A gloomy mantle of darke flames; the tire That crownes his hated head on high appeares: Where seav'n tall hornes (his empire's pride) aspire. And to make up Hell's majesty, each horne Seav'n crested Hydras, horribly adorne.

VII.

His eyes, the sullen dens of Death and Night, Startle the dull ayre with a dismall red: Such his fell glances, as the fatall light Of staring comets, that looke kingdomes dead. From his black nostrills, and blew lips, in spight Of Hell's owne stinke, a worser stench is spread. His breath Hell's lightning is: and each deepe groane Disdaines to think that Heav'n thunders alone.

VIII.

His flaming eyes' dire exhalation, Vnto a dreadfull pile gives fiery breath; Whose unconsum'd consumption preys upon The never-dying life of a long death. In this sad house of slow destruction, (His shop of flames) hee fryes himself, beneath A masse of woes; his teeth for torment gnash, While his steele sides sound with his tayle's strong lash.

IX.

Three rigourous virgins waiting still behind, Assist the throne of th' iron-sceptred king. With whips of thornes and knotty vipers twin'd They rouse him, when his ranke thoughts need a sting. Their lockes are beds of uncomb'd snakes that wind About their shady browes in wanton rings. Thus reignes the wrathfull king, and while he reignes, His scepter and himselfe both he disdaines.

X.

Disdainefull wretch! how hath one bold sinne cost Thee all the beauties of thy once bright eyes! How hath one black eclipse cancell'd, and crost The glories that did gild thee in thy rise! Proud morning of a perverse day! how lost Art thou unto thy selfe, thou too selfe-wise Narcissus! foolish Phaeton! who for all Thy high-aym'd hopes, gaind'st but a flaming fall.

XI.

From Death's sad shades to the life-breathing ayre, This mortall enemy to mankind's good, Lifts his malignant eyes, wasted with care, To become beautifull in humane blood. Where Iordan melts his chrystall, to make faire The fields of Palestine, with so pure a flood, There does he fixe his eyes: and there detect New matter, to make good his great suspect.

XII.

He calls to mind th' old quarrell, and what sparke Set the contending sons of Heav'n on fire: Oft in his deepe thought he revolves the darke Sibill's divining leaves: he does enquire Into th' old prophesies, trembling to marke How many present prodigies conspire, To crowne their past predictions, both he layes Together, in his pondrous mind both weighs.

XIII.

Heaven's golden-wingèd herald, late he saw To a poore Galilean virgin sent: How low the bright youth bow'd, and with what awe Immortall flowers to her faire hand present. He saw th' old Hebrewe's wombe, neglect the law Of age and barrennesse, and her babe prevent _anticipate_ His birth by his devotion, who began Betimes to be a saint, before a man.

XIV.

He saw rich nectar-thawes, release the rigour Of th' icy North; from frost-bound Atlas hands, His adamantine fetters fall: green vigour Gladding the Scythian rocks and Libian sands. He saw a vernall smile, sweetly disfigure Winter's sad face, and through the flowry lands Of faire Engaddi, hony-sweating fountaines With manna, milk, and balm, new-broach the mountaines.

XV.

He saw how in that blest Day-bearing Night, The Heav'n-rebukèd shades made hast away; How bright a dawne of angels with new light Amaz'd the midnight world, and made a Day Of which the Morning knew not. Mad with spight He markt how the poore shepheards ran to pay Their simple tribute to the Babe, Whose birth Was the great businesse both of Heav'n and Earth.

XVI.

He saw a threefold Sun, with rich encrease Make proud the ruby portalls of the East. He saw the Temple sacred to sweet Peace, Adore her Prince's birth, flat on her brest. He saw the falling idolls, all confesse A comming Deity: He saw the nest Of pois'nous and unnaturall loves, Earth-nurst, Toucht with the World's true antidote, to burst.

XVII.

He saw Heav'n blossome with a new-borne light, On which, as on a glorious stranger gaz'd The golden eyes of Night: whose beame made bright The way to Beth'lem and as boldly blaz'd, (Nor askt leave of the sun) by day as night. By whom (as Heav'ns illustrious hand-maid) rais'd, Three kings (or what is more) three wise men went Westward to find the World's true orient.

XVIII.

Strucke with these great concurrences of things, Symptomes so deadly unto Death and him; Faine would he have forgot what fatall strings Eternally bind each rebellious limbe. He shooke himselfe, and spread his spatious wings: Which like two bosom'd sailes, embrace the dimme Aire, with a dismall shade; but all in vaine: Of sturdy adamant is his strong chaine.

XIX.

While thus Heav'n's highest counsails, by the low Footsteps of their effects, he trac'd too well, He tost his troubled eyes: embers that glow Now with new rage, and wax too hot for Hell: With his foule clawes he fenc'd his furrowed brow, And gave a gastly shreeke, whose horrid yell Ran trembling through the hollow vaults of Night, The while his twisted tayle he gnaw'd for spight.

XX.

Yet on the other side, faine would he start Above his feares, and thinke it cannot be. He studies Scripture, strives to sound the heart And feele the pulse of every prophecy; He knows (but knowes not how, or by what art) The Heav'n-expecting ages hope to see A mighty Babe, Whose pure, unspotted birth From a chast virgin wombe, should blesse the Earth.

XXI.

But these vast mysteries his senses smother, And reason (for what's faith to him?) devoure. How she that is a maid should prove a mother, Yet keepe inviolate her virgin flower; How God's eternall Sonne should be Man's brother, Poseth his proudest intellectuall power. How a pure Spirit should incarnate bee, And Life it selfe weare Death's fraile livery.

XXII.

That the great angell-blinding Light should shrinke His blaze, to shine in a poore shepherd's eye: That the unmeasur'd God so low should sinke, As pris'ner in a few poore rags to lye: That from His mother's brest He milke should drinke, Who feeds with nectar Heav'n's faire family: That a vile manger His low bed should prove, Who in a throne of stars thunders above.

XXIII.

That He Whom the sun serves, should faintly peepe Through clouds of infant flesh: that He the old Eternall Word should be a child, and weepe: That He Who made the fire, should feare the cold: That Heav'n's high Majesty His court should keepe In a clay-cottage, by each blast control'd: That Glorie's Self should serve our griefs and feares, And free Eternity, submit to yeares.

XXIV.

And further, that the Lawe's eternall Giver Should bleed in His Owne Lawe's obedience: And to the circumcising knife deliver Himselfe, the forfet of His slave's offence: That the unblemisht Lambe, blessèd for ever, Should take the marke of sin, and paine of sence. These are the knotty riddles, whose darke doubt Intangles his lost thoughts, past getting out.

XXV.

While new thoughts boyl'd in his enragèd brest, His gloomy bosome's darkest character Was in his shady forehead seen exprest: The forehead's shade in Griefe's expression there, Is what in signe of joy among the blest The face's lightning, or a smile is here. Those stings of care that his strong heart opprest, A desperate, Oh mee! drew from his deepe brest.

XXVI.

Oh mee! (thus bellow'd he) Oh mee! what great Portents before mine eyes their powers advance? And serves my purer sight, onely to beat Downe my proud thought, and leave it in a trance? Frowne I: and can great Nature keep her seat? And the gay starrs lead on their golden dance? Can His attempts above still prosp'rous be, Auspicious still, in spight of Hell and me?

XXVII.

Hee has my Heaven (what would He more?) whose bright And radiant scepter this bold hand should beare: And for the never-fading fields of light, My faire inheritance, He confines me here To this darke house of shades, horrour and night, To draw a long-liv'd death, where all my cheere Is the solemnity my sorrow weares, That mankind's torment waits upon my teares.

XXVIII.

Darke, dusky Man, He needs would single forth, To make the partner of His Owne pure ray: And should we powers of Heav'n, spirits of worth, Bow our bright heads before a king of clay? It shall not be, said I, and clombe the North, Where never wing of angell yet made way: What though I mist my blow? yet I strooke high, And to dare something, is some victory.

XXIX.

Is He not satisfied? meanes He to wrest Hell from me too, and sack my territories? Vile humane nature means He not t' invest (O my despight!) with His divinest glories? And rising with rich spoiles upon His brest With His faire triumphs fill all future stories? Must the bright armes of Heav'n, rebuke these eyes? Mocke me, and dazle my darke mysteries?

XXX.

Art thou not Lucifer? he to whom the droves Of stars that gild the Morne, in charge were given? The nimblest of the lightning-wingèd loves, The fairest, and the first-borne smile of Heav'n? Looke in what pompe the mistrisse planet moves Rev'rently circled by the lesser seaven: Such, and so rich, the flames that from thine eyes, Opprest the common-people of the skyes.

XXXI.

Ah wretch! what bootes thee to cast back thy eyes, Where dawning hope no beame of comfort showes? While the reflection of thy forepast joyes, Renders thee double to thy present woes: Rather make up to thy new miseries, And meet the mischiefe that upon thee growes. If Hell must mourne, Heav'n sure shall sympathize, What force cannot effect, fraud shall devise.

XXXII.

And yet whose force feare I? have I so lost My selfe? my strength too with my innocence? Come try who dares, Heav'n, Earth, what ere doth boast A borrowed being, make thy bold defence. Come thy Creator too: What though it cost Me yet a second fall? wee'd try our strengths: Heav'n saw us struggle once; as brave a fight Earth now should see, and tremble at the sight.

XXXIII.

Thus spoke th' impatient prince, and made a pause: His foule hags rais'd their heads, and clapt their hands, And all the powers of Hell in full applause Flourisht their snakes, and tost their flaming brands. We (said the horrid sisters) wait thy lawes, Th' obsequious handmaids of thy high commands: Be it thy part, Hell's mighty lord, to lay On us thy dread command, our's to obey.

XXXIV.

What thy Alecto, what these hands can doe, Thou mad'st bold proofe upon the brow of Heav'n, Nor should'st thou bate in pride, because that now To these thy sooty kingdomes thou art driven. Let Heav'n's Lord chide above lowder than thou In language of His thunder, thou art even With Him below: here thou art lord alone, Boundlesse and absolute: Hell is thine owne.

XXXV.

If usuall wit, and strength will doe no good, Vertues of stones, nor herbes: use stronger charmes, Anger and love, best hookes of humane blood. If all faile, wee'l put on our proudest armes, And pouring on Heav'n's face the Sea's huge flood Quench His curl'd fires: wee'l wake with our alarmes Ruine, where e're she sleepes at Nature's feet: And crush the World till His wide corners meet.

XXXVI.

Reply'd the proud king, O my crowne's defence, Stay of my strong hopes, you of whose brave worth, The frighted stars tooke faint experience, When 'gainst the Thunder's mouth we marchèd forth: Still you are prodigall of your Love's expence In our great projects, both 'gainst Heav'n and Earth: I thanke you all, but one must single out: Cruelty, she alone shall cure my doubt.

XXXVII.

Fourth of the cursèd knot of hags is shee, Or rather all the other three in one; Hell's shop of slaughter shee do's oversee, And still assist the execution. But chiefly there do's she delight to be, Where Hell's capacious cauldron is set on: And while the black soules boile in their own gore, To hold them down, and looke that none seeth o're.

XXXVIII.

Thrice howl'd the caves of Night, and thrice the sound, Thundring upon the bankes of those black lakes, Rung through the hollow vaults of Hell profound: At last her listning eares the noise o're takes, She lifts her sooty lampes, and looking round, A gen'rall hisse from the whole tire of snakes Rebounding, through Hell's inmost cavernes came, In answer to her formidable name.

XXXIX.

'Mongst all the palaces in Hell's command, No one so mercilesse as this of her's. The adamantine doors, for ever stand Impenetrable, both to prai'rs and teares; The walls inexorable steele, no hand Of Time, or teeth of hungry Ruine feares. Their ugly ornaments are the bloody staines Of ragged limbs, torne sculls, and dasht-out braines.

XL.

There has the purple Vengeance a proud seat Whose ever-brandisht sword is sheath'd in blood: About her Hate, Wrath, Warre and Slaughter sweat; Bathing their hot limbs in life's pretious flood: There rude impetuous Rage do's storme and fret, And there as master of this murd'ring brood, Swinging a huge sith stands impartiall Death: _scythe_ With endlesse businesse almost out of breath.

XLI.

For hangings and for curtaines, all along The walls (abominable ornaments!) Are tooles of wrath, anvills of torments hung; Fell executioners of foule intents, Nailes, hammers, hatchets sharpe, and halters strong, Swords, speares, with all the fatall instruments Of Sin and Death, twice dipt in the dire staines Of brothers' mutuall blood, and fathers' braines.

XLII.

The tables furnisht with a cursèd feast Which Harpyes, with leane Famine feed upon, Vnfill'd for ever. Here among the rest, Inhumane Erisicthon too makes one; Tantalus, Atreus, Progne, here are guests: Wolvish Lycaon here a place hath won. The cup they drinke in is Medusa's scull, Which mixt with gall and blood they quaffe brim-full.

XLIII.

The foule queen's most abhorrèd maids of honour, Medæa, Jezabell, many a meager witch, With Circe, Scylla, stand to wait upon her: But her best huswife's are the Parcæ, which Still worke for her, and have their wages from her: They prick a bleeding heart at every stitch. Her cruell cloathes of costly threds they weave, Which short-cut lives of murdred infants leave.

XLIV.

The house is hers'd about with a black wood, _hearsed_ Which nods with many a heavy-headed tree: Each flowers a pregnant poyson, try'd and good, Each herbe a plague. The wind's sighes timèd bee By a black fount, which weeps into a flood. Through the thick shades obscurely might you see Minotaures, Cyclopses, with a darke drove Of Dragons, Hydraes, Sphinxes, fill the grove.

XLV.

Here Diomed's horses, Phereus' dogs appeare, With the fierce lyons of Therodamas. Busiris has his bloody altar here: Here Sylla his severest prison has: The Lestrigonians here their table reare: Here strong Procrustes plants his bed of brasse: Here cruell Scyron boasts his bloody rockes And hatefull Schinis his so fearèd oakes.

XLVI.

What ever schemes of blood, fantastick Frames Of death, Mezentius or Geryon drew; Phalaris, Ochus, Ezelinus: names Mighty in mischiefe; with dread Nero too; Here are they all, here all the swords or flames Assyrian tyrants or Egyptian knew. Such was the house, so furnisht was the hall, Whence the fourth Fury answer'd Pluto's call.

XLVII.

Scarce to this monster could the shady king The horrid summe of his intentions tell; But shee (swift as the momentary wing Of lightning, or the words he spoke) left Hell. She rose, and with her to our World did bring Pale proofe of her fell presence; th' aire too well With a chang'd countenance witnest the sight, And poore fowles intercepted in their flight.

XLVIII.

Heav'n saw her rise, and saw Hell in the sight: The fields' faire eyes saw her, and saw no more, But shut their flowry lids for ever: Night And Winter strow her way: yea, such a sore Is she to Nature, that a generall fright, An universal palsie spreading o're The face of things, from her dire eyes had run, Had not her thick snakes hid them from the sun.

XLIX.

Now had the Night's companion from her dew, Where all the busie day she close doth ly, With her soft wing wipt from the browes of men Day's sweat; and by a gentle tyranny And sweet oppression, kindly cheating them Of all their cares, tam'd the rebellious eye Of Sorrow, with a soft and downy hand, Sealing all brests in a Lethæan band.

L.

When the Erinnys her black pineons spread, And came to Bethlem, where the cruell king Had now retyr'd himselfe, and borrowed His brest a while from Care's unquiet sting; Such as at Thebes' dire feast she shew'd her head, Her sulphur-breathèd torches brandishing: Such to the frighted palace now she comes, And with soft feet searches the silent roomes.

LI.

By Herod___________________now was borne The scepter, which of old great David swaid; Whose right by David's linage so long worne, _lineage_ Himselfe a stranger to, his owne had made; And from the head of Judah's house quite torne The crowne, for which upon their necks he laid A sad yoake, under which they sigh'd in vaine, And looking on their lost state sigh'd againe.

LII.

Vp, through the spatious pallace passèd she, To where the king's proudly-reposèd head (If any can be soft to Tyranny And selfe-tormenting sin) had a soft bed. She thinkes not fit, such, he her face should see, As it is seene in Hell, and seen with dread. To change her face's stile she doth devise, And in a pale ghost's shape to spare his eyes.

LIII.

Her selfe a while she layes aside, and makes Ready to personate a mortall part. Ioseph, the king's dead brother's shape, she takes: What he by nature was, is she by art. She comes to th' king, and with her cold hand slakes His spirits (the sparkes of life) and chills his heart, Life's forge; fain'd is her voice, and false too, be Her words: 'sleep'st thou, fond man? sleep'st thou?' said she.

LIV.

So sleeps a pilot, whose poore barke is prest With many a mercylesse o're-mastring wave; For whom (as dead) the wrathfull winds contest Which of them deep'st shall digge her watry grave. Why dost thou let thy brave soule lye supprest In death-like slumbers, while thy dangers crave A waking eye and hand? looke vp and see The Fates ripe, in their great conspiracy.

LV.

Know'st thou not how of th' Hebrewes' royall stemme (That old dry stocke) a despair'd branch is sprung: A most strange Babe! Who here conceal'd by them In a neglected stable lies, among Beasts and base straw: Already is the streame Quite turn'd: th' ingratefull rebells, this their young Master (with voyce free as the trumpe of Fame) Their new King, and thy Successour proclame.

LVI.