Michael Drayton- Collected Poetical Works
Page 159
Whose priuiledges euer to inuade,
The Heauens command their horrors to forbeare.
But since mans pride and insolence is such,
Nor by these plagues his will to passe could bring,
Now with a sharpe and wounding hand will touch
The dearer body of each liuing thing:
To other ends his courses to direct.
By all great meanes his glory to aduance,
Altreth the cause by altring the effect,
To worke by wonder their deliuerance.
As Aaron grasping ashes in his hand,
Which scarcely cast into the open aire,
But brings a murraine ouer all the Land,
With scabs and botches such as neuer were.
What chewos the cud, or hoofe on horne alotted,
Wild in the fields, or tamed by the yoke,
With this contagious pestilence is rotted,
So vniuersall’s the Almighties stroke.
The goodly Horse of hot and fiery straine
In his high courage hardly brook’d his food,
That Ditch or Mound not lately could containe,
On the firme ground so scornfully that stood,
Crest-falne hangs downe his hardly manag’d head,
Lies where but late disdainfully he trod,
His quick eye fixed heauily and dead,
Stirres not when prick’d with the impulsiue goad.
The Swine which Nature secretly doth teach,
Onely by fasting sicknesses to cure,
Now but in vaine is to it selfe a Leech,
Whose suddaine end infallibly is sure.
Where frugall Shepheards reckoning wooll lambe,
Or who by Heards hop’d happily to winne,
Now sees the young-one perish with the damme,
Nor dare his hard hand touch the poys’ned skinne.
Those fertile pastures quickly ouer-spread
With their dead Cattell, where the birds of prey
Gorg’d on the garhidge (wofully bestead)
Pois’ned fall downe as they would fly away.
And hungry dogs the tainted flesh refrain’d,
Whereon their Master gormondiz’d of late,
What Nature for mans appetite ordain’d,
The creature that’s most rauenous doth hate.
Thus all that breathes and kindly hath encrease,
Suffer for him that proudly did offend,
Yet in this manner here it shall not cease,
In Beasts begun, in wretched man to end.
To whom it violently can,
Not by th’Almighty limited to slake,
As Beast is plagued for rebellious man,
Man in some measure must his paine partake.
Those dainty breasts that open’d lately were,
Which with rich vaines so curiously did flow,
With Biles and Blaines most loathsome doe appeare,
Which now the Dam’zell not desires to show,
Features disfigur’d onely now the faire
(All are deformed) mostill-fauour’d be,
Where beautie was most exquisite and rare,
There the least blemish easili’st you might see,
For costly garments fashion’d with deuice
To forme each choise part curious eyes to please,
The sicke mans Gowne is onely now in price
To giue their bloch’d and blistred bodies case,
It is in vaine the Surgeons hand to proue,
Or helpe of Physicke to asswage the smart,
For why the power that ruleth from aboue
Crosseth all meanes of industrie and Art.
Egypt is now an Hospitall forlorne,
Where onely Cripples and diseased are,
How many Children to the world are borne,
So many Lazers thither still repaire.
When those proud Magi as oppos’d to Fate,
That durst high Heau’n in eu’ry thing to dare,
Now in most vile and miserable state
As the mean’st Caitiue equally doe fare.
Thus stands that man so eminent alone,
Arm’d with his power that gouerneth the skie,
Now when the Wizards lastly ouerthrowne,
Groueling in sores before his doe lie.
Not one is found vnpunished escapes
So much to doe his hungry wrath to feede,
Which still appeareth in as many shapes
As Pharaoh doth in tyrannies proceede.
Euen as some graue wise Magistrate to finde
Out some vile treason, or some odious crime
That beareth euery circumstance in minde,
Of place, of manner, instance, and of time:
That the suspected strongly doth arest,
And by all meanes inuention can deuise
By hopes or torture out of him to wrest
The ground, the purpose, and consederacies,
Now slacks his paine, now doth the same
Yet in his strait hand doth containe him still,
Proportioning his allortted punishment
As hee’s remoou’d or pliant to his will.
But yet hath Egypt some what left to vaunt,
What’s now remaining, may her pride repaire,
But lest she should perhaps be arrogant,
Till she be humbled he will neuer spare.
These plagues seeme yet but nourished beneath,
And euen with man to moue,
Now Heauen his furie violently shall breath,
Rebellious Egypt scourging from aboue.
Winter let loose in his robustious kinde
Wildly runnes rauing through the airie plaines,
As though his time of liberty assign’d
Roughly now shakes off his chaines.
The windes spet fire in one anothers face,
And mingled flames fight furiously together,
Through the mild Heauen that one the other chace,
Now flying thence and then returning thether.
No light but lightning ceaselesly to burne
Swister than thought from place to place to passe,
And being gone doth sodainly returne
Ere you could say precisely that it was.
In one selfe moment darkenesse and the light
Instantly borne, as instantly they die,
And euery minute is a day and night
That breakes and sets in twinkling of an eye.
Mountaine and valley suffer one selfe iro,
The stately Tower and lowlie coate alike,
The shrub and Cedar this impartiall fire
In one like order generally doth strike,
On flesh and plant this subtill lightning praies,
As through the pores it passage fitly findes,
In the full wombe the tender burthen slaies,
Plercing the stiffe trunke through the spungie rindes
Throughout this great and Ball
The wrath of Heauen outragiously is throwne,
As the lights quickning and Celestiall,
Had put themselues together into one.
This yet continuing the big-bellied clouds,
With heate and moisture in their fulnesse brake,
And the sterne Thunder from the ayrie shrouds
To the sad world in feare and horrour spake.
The blacke storme bellowes and the yerning vaule,
Full charg’d with furie as some signall giuen,
Preparing their artillirie t’assault,
Shoot their sterne vollies in the face of Heauen.
The bolts new wing’d with fork’d AETHEREALL fire,
Through the vast Region euery where doe roue;
Goring the earth in their impetuousire,
Pierce the proud’st building, rend the thickest Groue.
When the breeme Haile as rising in degrees
Like ruffled arrowes through the aire doth sing,
Beat
ing the leaues and branches from the trees,
Forcing an Autumne earlier than the Spring.
The Birds late shrouded in their safe repaire,
Where they were wont from Winters wrath to nest,
Left by the tempest to the open aire
Shot with cold bullets through the trembling brest.
Whilst cattell grasing on the batsull ground,
Finding no shelter from the showre to hide
In ponds and ditches willingly are drownd,
That this sharpe storme no longer can abide.
Windowes are shiuered to forgotten dust,
The slates fall shatt’red from the roofe aboue,
Where any thing findes from this gust,
Now euen as death it feareth to remoue.
The rude and most impenitrable rocke
Since the foundation of the world was laid.
Neuer before stir’d with tempestuous shocke,
Melts with this storme as sensibly afraid.
Neuer yet with so violent a hand,
A brow contracted and so full of feare,
God scourg’d the pride of a rebellious Land,
Since into Kingdomes Nations gathered were.
But he what Mortall was there euer knowne,
So many strange affictions did abide
On whom so many miseries were throwne,
Whom Heauen so oft and angerly did chide?
Who but relenting Moyses doth relieue?
Taking off that which oft on him doth light.
Whom God so oft doth punish and forgiue,
Thereby to proue his mercy and his might.
So that eternall prouidence could frame
The meane whereby his glory should be tride.
That as he please, miraculously can tame
Mans sensuall wayes, his transitorie pride.
But Pharaoh bent to his rebellious will,
His hate to Israel instantly renues,
Continuing Author of his proper ill,
When now the plague of Grashoppers ensues.
Long ere they fell, on’th face of Heauen they hong,
In so vast clouds as couered all the skies,
Colouring the Sun-beames piercing through their throng,
With strange distraction to beholding eyes.
This idle creature that is said to sing
In wanton Sommer, and in Winter poore,
Praising the Emmets painefull labouring,
Now eates the labourer and the heaped store.
No blade of grasse remaineth to be seene,
Weed, hearb, nor flower, to which the Spring giues birth,
Yet eu’ry path euen barren hills are greene,
With those that eate the greenenesse from the earth.
What is most sweet, what most extreamely sowre,
The loathsome Hemlock as the verdurous Rose,
These filthy Locusts equally deuoure,
So doe the Heauens of euery thing dispose.
The trees all barcklesse nakedly are left
Like people stript of things that they did weare,
By the enforcement of disastrous theft,
Standing as frighted with erected haire:
Thus doth the Lord her nakednesse discouer,
Thereby to proue her stoutnesse to reclaime,
That when nor feare, nor punishment could moue her,
She might at length be tempred with her shame.
Disrob’d of all her ornament she stands,
Wherein rich Nature whilome did her dight,
That the sad verges of the neighbouring lands
Seeme with much sorrow wondring at the sight.
But Egypt is so impudent and vile,
No blush is seene that pittie might compell,
That from all eyes to couer her awhile,
The Lord in darkenesse leaueth her to dwell.
Ouer the great and vniuersall face
Are drawne the Curtaines of the horrid night,
As it would be continually in place,
That from the world had banished the light.
As to the sight, so likewise to the tuch
Th’appropriate obiect equally is dealt,
Darkenesse is now so palpable and much,
That as ’tis seene, as easily is felt.
Who now it hap’d to trauell by the way,
Orin the field did chance abroad to rome,
Loosing himselfe then wandred as a stray,
Nor findes his hostrie, nor returneth home.
The Cocke the Country horologe that rings,
The cheerefull warning to the Sunnes awake,
Missing the dawning scantles in his wings,
And to his Roost doth sadly him betake.
One to his neighbour in the darke doth call,
When the thicke vapour so the aire doth smother,
Making the voyce so hideous there withall,
That one’s afeard to goe vnto the other.
The little Infant for the Mother shreckes,
Then lyes it downe astonished with feare,
Who for her Childe whilst in the darke she seekes,
Treads on the Babe that she doth holde so deare.
Darkenesse so long vpon the Land doth dwell,
Whilst men amaz’d the houres are stolne away,
Erring in time that now there’s none can tell,
Which should be night, and which should be the day.
Three doubled nights the proud Egyptian lyes
With hunger, thirst, and wearinesse opprest,
Onely relieued by his miseries,
By feare enforced to forget the rest.
Those lights and fires they laboured to defend
With the foule dampe that ouer all doth flowe
Such an eclipsed sullidnesse doth send,
That darkenesse farre more terrible doth show:
When this perplexed and astonish’d King
‘Twixt rage and feare distracted in his minde,
Israel to passe now freely limiting,
Onely their cattell to be staid behinde.
Commanding Moyses to depart his sight,
And from that time to see his face no more,
Which this milde man doth willingly aquite
That he well knew would come to passe before.
That for the Droues the Israelites should leaue,
Forbid by Pharaoh to be borne away:
Israel shall Egypt of her store
To beare it with her as a violent prey:
So wrought her God in the Egyptians thought,
As he is onely prouident and wise,
That he to passe for his choise people brought,
More than mans wisedome euer might deuise.
Touching their soft breasts with a wounding loue
Of those who yet they enuiously admird,
Which doth the happy Iacobites behoue,
To compasse what they instantly requir’d,
That euery Hebrew borrowed of a friend,
Some speciall Iewell fainedly to vse,
Euery Egyptian willing is to lend,
Nor being ask’d can possibly refuse.
Now Closets, Chests, and Cabinets are sought
For the rich lem, the raritie, or thing,
And they the happiest of the rest are thought,
That the high’st priz’d officiously could bring.
Rings, chaines, and bracelets, iewels for the care,
The perfect glorious, and most lustrous stone,
The Carcanet so much requested there,
The Pearle most orient, and a Paragon.
What thing so choice that curious Art could frame,
Luxurious Egypt had not for her pride?
And what so rare an Israelite could name,
That he but asking was thereof denide?
When God doth now the Passeouer command,
Whose name that sacred mysterie doth tell,
That he pass’d or them with a spar
efull hand,
When all the first-borne of th’ Egyptians fell,
Which should to their posteritie be taught,
That might for euer memoriz this deede,
The fearefull wonders he in Egypt wrought,
For Abrahams off-spring Sarahs promis’d seede.
A Lambe vnblemish’d, or a spotlesse Kid,
That from the dam had wained out a yeere,
Which he without deformitie did bid,
Held to himselfe a sacrifice so deere.
Rosted and eaten with vnleau’ned bread,
And with sowre hearbs such as became,
Meate for the Eu’ning, that prohibited
The Morne ensuing partner of the same.
Girding their loynes, shooes fastned to their feete,
Staues in their hands, and passing it to take,
In manner asto trauailers is meete,
A voyage forth immediately to make.
Whose bloud being put vpon the vtmost posts,
Whereby his chosen Israelites he knew,
That night so dreadfull, when the Lord of Hosts
All the first borne of the Egyptians stew.
Darkenesse inuades the world, when now forth went
The spoiling Angell as the Lord did will,
And where the dore with bloud was not besprent,
There the first borne he cruelly did kill.
Night neuer saw so tragicall a deed,
Thing so repleate with heauinesse and sorrow,
Nor shall the day hereafter euer reade,
Such a blacke time as the insuing morrow.
The dawne now breaking, and with open sight
When euery lab’ring and affrighted eye
Beholds the slaughter of the passed night,
The parting plague protracted miserie.
One to his neighbour hasts his heedlesse feete,
To bring him home his heauie chance to see,
And him he goes to by the way doth meete,
As grieued and as miserable as he.
Who out of dore now hastily doth come,
Thinking to howle and bellow forth his woe,
Is for his purpose destitute of roome,
Each place with sorrow doth so ouerflow.
People awaked with this so daine fright,
Runne forth their dores as naked as they be,
Forget the day, and bearing candle light
To helpe the Sunne their miseries to see.
Who lost his first borne ere this plague begun,
Is now most happy in this time of woe,
Who mourn’d his eld’st a daughter or a sonne,
Is now exempt from what the rest must doe.
To one that faines poore comfort to his friend,
His Childe was young and neede the lesse be car’d,
Replies if his had liu’d the others end,
Withall his heart he could him well haue spar’d.
No eye can lend a mourning friend one teare,