Thy lord fhall never die, the whiles this verse "Shall live, and furely it fhall live for ever; "For ever it fhall live, and fhall rehearfe "His worthy praife, and vertues dying never,

Though death his foul do from his body fever: "And thou thy felf herein fhalt alfo live, "Such grace the heavens do to my verles give.

"Ne fhall his fifter, ne thy father, die; "Thy father, that good earl of rare renown, "And noble patron of weak poverty! "Whofe great good deeds in conntry and in

"town

"Have purchaft him in heaven a happy crown, "Where he now liveth in eternal blifs, "And left his fon t' enfue thofe fteps of his.

"He, noble Bud! his grandfire's lively heir, "Under the fhadow of thy countenance "Now gins to fhoot up faft, and flourish fair "In learned arts and goodly governance, "That him to highest honour fhall advance. "Brave imp of Bedford! grow apace in bounty. "And count of wifdem more than of thy county.

"Ne may I let thy husband's fifter dic, "That goodly lady, fith fhe eke did spring "Out of this stock and famous family, "Whofe praifes I to future age do fing, "And forth out of her happy womb did bring "The facred brood of learning and all honour, "In whom the heavens pour'd all their gifts up a

"her.

Na iiij

3

"move,

But with the gods, for former vertue's meed, On nectar and ambrofia do feed.

For deeds do die, however nobly done,

And thoughts of men do in themselves decay, But wife words, taught in numbers for to run, Recorded by the Mufes, live for ay,

'Ne

C

may with ftorming fhowers be wafht away; Ne bitter breathing winds with harmful blaff, Nor age, nor envy, fhall them ever waft.

In vain do earthly princes then, in vain,
Seck with pyramides to heaven afpired,
Or huge Coloffes built with coftly pain,
Or brafen pillows never to be fired,

Or fhrines made of the metal most defired,
To: ke their memories for ever live;
For how can mortal immortality give?

Such one Maufolus made, the world's great " worder,

But now no remnant doth thereof remain ;
Such one Marcellus, but was torn with thunder;
Such one Lifippus, but is worn with rain;
Such one King Edmond, but was rent for gain.
All fuch vain monuments of earthly mafs,
Devour'd of Time, in time to nought do pass.

But Fame, with golden wings aloft doth fly
Above the reach of ruinous decay,
And with brave plumes doth beat the azure sky,
Admir'd of bafe-born men from far away;
Then whofo will with vertuous deeds affay
To mount to heaven, on Pegasus must ride,
And with sweet poets' verfe be glorifide.

For not to have been dipt in Lethe lake
Could fave the fon of Thetis from to die,
But that blind bard did him immortal make
With verfes dipt in dew of Caftalie,
Which made the Eaftern conqueror to cry,
O fortunate young Man! whofe vertue found
So brave a tromp thy noble acts to found.

Therefore, in this half happy I do read
Good Melibæ, that hath a poct got
To fing his living praifes being dead,
Deferving never here to be forgot,

In fpight of Envy, that his deeds would spot : Since whofe decease learning lies unregarded, * And men of arms do wander unrewarded.

"These two be those two great calamities "That long ago did grieve the noble.Spright " Of Salomon with great indignities,

"Who whilom was alive the wifeft wight; "But now his wifdom is difproved quight; "For he that now welds all things at his will, "Scorns th' one and th' other in his deeper fkill,

"O grief of griefs! O gall of all good hearts! "To fee that vertue fhould defpiled be "Of fuch as first were rail'd for vertuous parts, "And now broad fpreading like an aged tree, "Let none shoot up that nigh them planted be: "O! let not thofe of whom the Mufe is fcorned, "Alive nor dead, be of the Muse adorned!

"O vile world's truft, that with fuch vain illufion "Hath fo wife men bewitcht and overkeft, "That they fee not the way of their confusion! "O vainnefs to be added to the rest, "That doth my foul with inward grief infest! "Let them behold the piteous fall of me, "And in my cafe their own enfample fee.

"And whofo elfe that fits in highest feat
"Of this world's glory, worshipped of all,
"Ne feareth change of time nor Fortun's threat,
"Let him behold the horror of my tall,
"And his own end unto remembrance call,
"That of like ruine he may warned be,
"And in himself be mov'd to pity me."

Thus having ended all her piteous plaint,
With doleful fhrieks fhe vanifhed away,
That I through inward forrow wexen faint,
And all astonished with deep dismay
For her departure, had no word to fay,
But fate long time in fenflefs fad affright,
Looking ftill if I might of her have fight.

Which when I miffed, having looked long,
My thought returned grived home again,
Renewing her complaint with paffion strong,
For ruth of that fame woman's piteous pain;
Whose words recording in my troubled brain,
I felt fuch anguifh wound my feeble heart,
That frozen horror ran through every part.

So inly grieving in my groning breast,
And deeply muling at her doubtful speech,
Whofe meaning much I laboured forth to wreft,
Being above my flender reason's reach,
At length, by demonstration me to teach,
Before mine eyes ftrange fights prefented were,
Like tragick pageants feeming to appear.

1.

I faw an Image all of maffie gold,
Placed on high upon an altar fair,
That all which did the fame from far behold,
Might worship it, and fall on lowest stair :
Not that great idol might with this compare,
To which th' Affyrian tyrant would have made
The holy brethren falfly to have praid.

But th' altar on the which this Image ftaid,
Was (O great pity 1) built of brittle clay,

Next unto this a flately Towre appear'd,
Built all of richeft ftone that might be found.
And nigh unto the heavens in height uprear'd,
But placed on a plot of fandy ground :

Not that great towre which is fo much renown'd
For tongues' confufion in Holy Writ,
King Ninus' work, might be compar'd to it.

But, O vain labours of terrestrial wit,
That builds fo ftrongly on fo frail a foil
As with each form does fall away and flit,
And gives the fruit of all your travail's toil
To be the pray of Time and Fortune's spoil!.
I faw this Towre fall fuddenly to duft,

That nigh with grief thereof my heart was brust.

TIT.

Then did I fee a pleasant Paradife,

Full of fweet flowres and daintieft delights,
Such as on earth man could not more devife,
With pleasures choice to feed his chearful sprights:
Not that which Merlin by his magick flights
Made for the gentle squire to entertain
His fair Belphoebe, could this garden stain.

But O fhort pleasure, bought with lasting pain!
Why will hereafter any flesh delight
In earthly blifs, and Joy in pleasures vain?
Since that I saw this Garden wafted quight,
That where it was fearçe feemed any fight,
That I, which once that beauty did behold,
Could not from tears my melting eyes with-hold.

IV.

Soon after this a Giant came in place,
Of wondrous powre and of exceeding ftature,
That none durft view the horror of his face,
Yet was he mild of speech and meek of nature:
Not he which in defpight of his Creatour
With railing terms defy'd the Jewish hoast,
Might with this mighty one in hugenefs boaft.

For from the one he could to th' other coaft Stretch his ftrong thighs, and th' ocean overftride,

And reach his hand into his enemies' hoaft:
But fee the end of pomp and fleshly pride!
One of his feet unwares from him did flide,
That down he fell into the deep abyss,
Where dround with him is all his earthly blifs.

V.

Then did I fee a Bridge, made all of gold,
Over the fea from one to th' other fide,
Withouten prop or pillour it t' uphold,
But like the coloured rainbow arched wide:
Not that great arch which Trajan edifides

To be a wonder to all age enfuing,
Was matchable to this in equal viewing.

But (ah! what boots it to fee earthly thing
In glory or in greatness to excel,
Sith time doth greatefl things to ruin bring?
This goodly Bridge, one foot not faftned wel,
'Gan fail, and all the reft down shortly fell;
Ne of fo brave a building ought remained,
That grief thereof my fpirit greatly pained.

VI.

I saw two Bears, as white as any milk,
Lying together in a mighty cave,
Of mild afpect, and hair as foft as filk,
That falvage nature feemed not to have,
Nor after greedy spoil of blood to trave:
Two fairer beafts might not elfe-where be fou
Although the compaft world were fought an

But what long abide above this ground
In ftate of blits, or ftedfaft happiness?
The cave, in which thefe bears lay fleep
found,

Was but of earth, and with her weightines
Upon them fell, and did unwares opprefs.
That for great forrow of ther fudden fate
Henceforth all world's felicity I hate.

Much was I troubled in my heavy spright At fight of these fad fpectacles forcpaft, That all my fenfes were bereaved quight, And I in mind remained fore agaft, Diftraught 'twixt fear and pity; when at la I heard a voice which loudly to me call'd, That with the fuddain fhrill I was appall'd

Behold, (said it) and by ensample fee
That all is vanity and grief of mind,
Ne other comfort in this world can be
But hope of heaven, and heart to God inclin',
For all the reft must needs be left behind:
With that it bade me to the other fide,
To caft mine eye, where other fights I fpide.

1.

Upou that famous river's further shore,
There flood a fnowy Swan, of heavenly he
And gentle kind, as ever fowl afore;
A fairer one in all the goodly crew
Of white Strimonion brood might no man
There he moft fweetly fung the prophecy
Of his own death in doleful elegy.

At laft, when all his mourning melody
He ended had, that both the fhores refounded
Feeling the fit that him forware'd to die,
With lofty flight about the earth be bounded,
Aud out of fight to highest heaven mounted,
Where now he is become an heavenly fign;
There now the joy is his, here forrow mine.

11.

Whilft thus I looked, low adown the lee Ifaw an Harp, ftrung all with filver twine,