What did of late chance to the lion stearn,
That he rul'd not the empire as he ought?
And whence were all thofe plaints unto him
brought,

Of wrongs and fpoils by falvage beafts committed?
Which done, he bade the lion be remitted
Into his feat, and those fame treachours vile
Be punished for their prefumptuous guile.
The fon of Maia, foon as he receiv'd

That word, ftraight with his azure wings he cleav'd

The liquid clouds and lucid firmament,
Ne ftaid till that he came with steep defcent
Unto the place where his prefcript did fhow;
There ftouping, like an arrow from a bow,
He foft arrived on the graffic plain,
And fairly paced forth with easy pain,
Till that unto the palace nigh he came :
Then 'gan he to himself new shape to frame,
And that fair face, and that ambrofial hue,
Which wonts to deck the gods' immortal crew,
And beautifie the fhinie firmament,
He doft, unfit for that rude rablement.
So ftanding by the gates in ftrange difguize,
He 'gan inquire of fome, in fecret wize,
Both of the king and of his government,
And of the Fox, and his falfe blandishment;
And evermore he heard each one complain
Of foul abuses both in realm and raign;
Which yet to prove more true, he meant to fee,
And an eye-witnefs of each thing to be:
Tho' on his head his dreadful hat he dight,
Which maketh him invifible to fight,
And mocketh the eyes of all the lookers on,
Making them think it but a vision.

Through power of that he runs through enemies
fwerds;
[herds
Through power of that he passeth through the
Of ravenous wild beafts, and doth beguile
Their greedy mouths of the expected spoil;
Through power of that his cunning thieveries
He wonts to work, that none the fame espies;
And through the power of that he putteth on
What fhape he lift in apparition.

That on his head he wore, and in his hand
He took Cadduceus, his fnaky wand,
With which the damned ghosts he governeth,
And turies rules, and Tartare tempereth;
With that he caufeth fleep to feize the eyes,
And fear the hearts of all his enemies;
And when him lift, an univerfal night
Throughout the world he makes on every wight,
As when his fire with Alcumena lay.
'Thus dight, into the court he took his way,
Both through the gard, which never him defcride,
And through the watchmen, who him never fpide:
Thence forth he past into each fecret part,
Whereas he faw (that forely griev'd his hart)
Each place abounding with foul injuries,
And fill'd with treasure rack'd with robberies;
Each place defil'd with blood of guiltless beafts,
Which had been flain to ferve the Ape's beheafts:
Gluttony, malice, pride, and covetize,
And lawlesness raigning with riotize;

Befides the infinite extortions

Done through the Fox's great oppreffions,
That the complaints thereof could not be told:
Which when he did with loathful eyes behold,
He would no more endure, but came his way,
And caft to feek the lion where he may,
That he might work th' avengement for his
shame,

On those two caitives which had bred him blame;
And feeking all the forreft bufily,

At last he found where fleeping he did lie.
The wicked weed, which there the Fox did lay,
From underneath his head he took away,
And then him waking, forced up to rife,
The lion, looking up, 'gan him avize,
As one late in a trance, what had of long
Become of him, for fantasie is strong.
Arife, (faid Mercury) thou fluggish beast,
That here lieft fenfelefs, like the corps deceaft,
The whilst thy kingdom from thy head is rest,
And thy throne royal with difhonour blent;
Arife, and do thyself redeem from shame,
And be aveng'd on thofe that breed thy blame.
There-at enraged, foon he 'gan up-start,
Grinding his teeth, and grating his great hart,
And rouzing up himself, for his rough hide
He 'gan to reach, but no where it espide:
There with he 'gan full terrible to roar,
And chauft at that indignity right fore;
But when his crown and scepter both he wanted,
Lord how he fum'd, and swell'd, and rag'd and

panted,

And threatned death, and thousand deadly d lours,

To them that had purloin'd his princely honour!
With that in hafte, difrobed as he was,
He towards his own palace forth did pass,
And all the way he roared as he went,
That all the forrest with astonishment
Thereof did tremble, and the beasts therein
Fled faft away from that so dreadful din.
At laft he came unto his manfion,
Where all the gates he found fast lockt anon,
And many warders round about them stood:
With that he roar'd aloud, as he were wood,
That all the palace quaked at the stound,
As if it quite were riven from the ground,
And all within were dead and heartless left;
And th' Ape himself, as one whole wits wat
reft,

Fled here and there, and every corner fought,
To hide himself feared thought:

But the falfe Fox, when he the lion heard,
Fled clofely forth, ftraightway of death afear'd,
And to the lion came full lowly creeping,
With fained face, and watry eyn half weeping,
T'excufe his former treafon and abufion,
And turning all unto the Ape's confusion :
Nath'lefs th' royal beast forbore believing,
But bade him ftay at eafe till further prieving.
Then when he saw no entraunce to him grautta,
Roaring yet louder, that all hearts it daunted,
Upon thofe gates with force he fiercely flew,
And rending them in pieces, felly flew

Those warders ftrange, and all that else he met,
But th' Ape ftill flying, he no where might get;
From room to room, from beam to beam he
fled,

All breathlefs, and for fear now almost ded:
Yet him at last the lion spide and caught,
And forth with fhame unto his judgment brought.
Then all the beafts he cauf'd affembled be,
To hear their doom, and fad enfample fee.
The Fox, firft author of that treachery,
He did uncafe, and then away let fly;

But th' Ape's long tail (which then he had) he quite

Cut off, and both ears parted of their behight;
Since which all apes but half their ears have left,
And of their tails are utterly bereft."

So Mother Hubberd her difcourfe did end,
Which pardon me if I amifs have pen'd;"
For weak was my remembrance it to hold,
And bad her tongue that it fo bluntly told.

VOL. II.

Kk

OR,

Sweet-breathing Zephyrus did foftly play
A gentle fpirit, that lightly did allay

Hot Titan's beams, which then did glifter fair,
When I, whom fullen care,

Through difcontent of my long fruitless ftay
In princes' courts, and expectations vain
Of idle hopes, which still do fly away,
Like empty fhadows, did afflict my brain,
Walk'd forth to cafe my pain
Along the shore of filver ftreaming Thames,
Whofe rufhy bank, the which his river hems,
Was painted all with variable flowers,
And all the meeds adorn'd with dainty gems,
Fit to deck maidens' bowres,
And crown their paramours
Against the bridal-day, which is not long;
Sweet Thames! run foftly till I end my fong.

There in a meadow by the river's fide,
A flock of nymphs I chanced to espy,
All lovely daughters of the flood thereby,

As each had been a bride;

And each one had a little wicker basket,
Made of fine twigs, entrailed curiously,
In which they gather'd flowers to fill their
ket,

And with fine fingers cropt full featcoufly
The tender ftalks on hie.

Of every fort which in that meadow grew
They gather'd fome; the violet, pallid blut,
The little dazie, that at evening clofts,
The virgin lillie, and the priarole true,
With ftore of vermeil rofes,
To deck their bridegroom's pofies
Against the bridal-day, which was not long;
Sweet Thames! run foftly till I end my fong,

With that I faw two fwans of goodly hue
Come foftly fwimming down along the lee;
Two fairer birds I yet did never fee;
The fnow which does the top of Pindus ftrow,
Did never whiter fhew,

Nor Jove himfelf, when he a fwan would be

For love of Ieda, whiter did appear;
For Leda was (they fay) as white as he,
Yet not fo white as thefe, nor nothing near;
bo purely white they were,

That even the gentle ftream, the which them bare,

Seem'd foul to them, and bad his billows spare
To wet their filken feathers, least they might
Soyl their fair plumes with water not so fair,
And mar their beauties bright,

That thone as heaven's light,

Against their bridal-day, which was not long;
Sweet Thames! run foftly till I end my fong.

Effoons the nymphs, which now had flowers their fill,

Ran all in haile to fee that filver brood,
As they came floting on the crystal flood;
Whoni when they faw, they stood amazed still,
Their wondring eyes to fill;

Them feem'd they never faw a fight fo fair,
Of fowls fo lovely, that they fure did deem
Them heavenly born, or to be that fame pair
Which through the fky draw Venus' filver teem;
For fure they did not fem

To be hegot of any earthly feed,

But rather angels, or of angels' breed;

Yet were they bred of fummer's-heat, they fay, la iwceteft feafon, when each flower and weed The earth did fresh array;

30 fresh they feem'd as day,

Even as their bridal- day, which was not long; weet Thames! run foftly till I end my fong.

Then forth they all out of their baskets drew
Great ftore of flowers, the honour of the field,
hat to the fenfe did fragrant odours yield,
All which upon thofe goodly birds they threw,
ind all the waves did ftrew,

hat like old Peneus' waters they did feem,
When down along by pleasant Tempe's fhore,
catter'd with flowers, through Theffaly they
freem,

hat they appear, through lillies' plentious store,

Ake a bride's chamber-floore.

Two of thofe nymphs, mcan-while, two garlands

bound

I freshest flowers which in that meed they found,

The which prefenting all in trim array,

Their fnowy foreheads therewithall they crown'd, Whilft one did fing this lay,

Prepar'd against that day,

Against that bridal-day, which was not long; weet Thames! run foftly till I end my fong.

Ye gentle Birds! the world's fair ornament, "And heaven's glory, whom this happy hour "Doth lead unto your lovers' blif-ful bower, Joy may you have, and gentle hearts content "Of your love's complement;

And let fair Venus, that is Queen of Love, "With her heart-quelling fon upon you fimile,

So ended fhe, and all the rcft around
To her redoubled that her underfong,
Which faid their bridal-day fhould not be long,
And gentle Echo from the neighbour ground
Their accents did refound.

So forth thofe joyous birds did pafs along
Adown the Lee, that to them murmur'd low,
As he would fpeak, but that he lackt a tong,
Yet did by figns his glad affection show,
Making his ftream run flow,

And all the fowl which in his flood did dwell
'Gan flock about thefe twain, that did excell
The reit fo far as Cynthia doth fhend
The leffor ftars. So they enranged well
Did on thofe two attend,

And their beft fervice lend

Against their wedding-day, which was not long; Sweet Thames! run foftly till I end my long.

At length they all to merry London came,
To merry London, my most kindly nurse,
That to me gave this life's first native fourse,
Though from another place I take my name,

An houfe of antient fame :

There when they came, whereas thofe tricky

towres

The which on Thames' brode aged back do ride, Where now the ftudious lawyers have their bowers,

There whilome went the Templer Knights to bide,
Till they decay'd through pride;

Next whereunto there ftands a flately place,
Where oft I gained gifts and goodly grace
Of that great lord which therein wont to dwell,
Whofe want too well now feels my friendless cafe;
But ah! here fits not well

Old woes, but joys, to tell

Against the bridal-day, which is not long;
Sweet Thames! run foftly till I end my fong.

Yet therein now doth lodge a noble peer,

Great England's glory, and the world's wide wonder,

Whofe dreadful name late thro' all Spain did thunder,

And Hercules' two Pillars ftanding near

Did make to quake and fear:
Fair branch of honour, flower of chevalry!
That filleft England with thy triumph's fame,
Joy have thou of thy noble victory,
And endless happiness of thine own name
That promifeth the fame;

That through thy prowess and victorious arms
Thy country may be freed from foreign harms,
And great Eliza's glorious name may ring
Through all the world, fill'd with thy wide
alarms,

Which fome brave Mufe may fing
To ages following,

Upon the bridal-day, which is not long;
Sweet Thames! run foftly till I end my fong.

From thofe high towers this noble lord iffuing,
Like radiant Hefper, when his golden hair
In th' ocean billows he hath bathed fair,
Defcended to the river's open viewing,
With a great train enfuing.

Above the rest were goodly to be seen
Two gentle knights of lovely face and feature,
Befeeming well the bowre of any queen,
With gifts of wit, and ornaments of nature,
Fit for fo goodly stature,

That like the Twins of Jove they seem'd in sight,
Which deck the bauldrick of the heaven's bright;
They two forth paffing to the river's-fide,
Receiv'd thofe two fair brides, their loves' de-
light,

Which at th' appointed tide

Each one did make his bride

Against their bridal-day, which is not long; Sweet Thames! run foftly till I end my fong.