Michael Drayton- Collected Poetical Works

by Michael Drayton

How, and from whence, he to Elizium came.

  Satyre, these Fields, how cam’st thou first to finde?

  What Fate first show’d thee this most happy store? 50

  When neuer any of thy Siluan kinde

  Set foot on the Elizian earth before?

  Satyre. O neuer aske, how I came to this place,

  What cannot strong necessity finde out?

  Rather bemoane my miserable case,

  Constrain’d to wander this wide world about:

  With wild Silvanus and his woody crue,

  In Forrests I, at liberty and free,

  Liu’d in such pleasure as the world ne’r knew,

  Nor any rightly can conceiue but we. 60

  This iocond life we many a day enioy’d,

  Till this last age, those beastly men forth brought,

  That all those great and goodly Woods destroy’d.

  Whose growth their Grandsyres, with such sufferance sought,

  That faire Felicia which was but of late,

  Earth’s Paradice, that neuer had her Peere,

  Stands now in that most lamentable state,

  That not a Siluan will inhabit there;

  Where in the soft and most delicious shade,

  In heat of Summer we were wont to play, 70

  When the long day too short for vs we made,

  The slyding houres so slyly stole away;

  By Cynthia’s light, and on the pleasant Lawne,

  The wanton Fayry we were wont to chase,

  Which to the nimble clouen-footed Fawne,

  Vpon the plaine durst boldly bid the base.

  The sportiue Nimphes, with shouts and laughter shooke

  The Hils and Valleyes in their wanton play,

  Waking the Ecchoes, their last words that tooke,

  Till at the last, they lowder were then they. 80

  The lofty hie Wood, and the lower spring,

  Sheltring the Deare, in many a suddaine shower;

  Where Quires of Birds, oft wonted were to sing,

  The flaming Furnace wholly doth deuoure;

  Once faire Felicia, but now quite defac’d,

  Those Braueries gone wherein she did abound,

  With dainty Groues, when she was highly grac’d

  With goodly Oake, Ashe, Elme, and Beeches croun’d:

  But that from heauen their iudgement blinded is,

  In humane Reason it could neuer be, 90

  But that they might haue cleerly seene by this,

  Those plagues their next posterity shall see.

  The little Infant on the mothers Lap

  For want of fire shall be so sore distrest,

  That whilst it drawes the lanke and empty Pap,

  The tender lips shall freese vnto the breast;

  The quaking Cattle which their Warmstall want,

  And with bleake winters Northerne winde opprest,

  Their Browse and Stouer waxing thin and scant,

  The hungry Groues shall with their Caryon feast. 100

  Men wanting Timber wherewith they should build,

  And not a Forrest in Felicia found,

  Shall be enforc’d vpon the open Field,

  To dig them caues for houses in the ground:

  The Land thus rob’d, of all her rich Attyre,

  Naked and bare her selfe to heauen doth show,

  Begging from thence that Iove would dart his fire

  Vpon those wretches that disrob’d her so;

  This beastly Brood by no meanes may abide

  The name of their braue Ancestors to heare, 110

  By whom their sordid slauery is descry’d,

  So vnlike them as though not theirs they were,

  Nor yet they sense, nor vnderstanding haue,

  Of those braue Muses that their Country song,

  But with false Lips ignobly doe depraue

  The right and honour that to them belong;

  This cruell kinde thus Viper-like deuoure

  That fruitfull soyle which them too fully fed;

  The earth doth curse the Age, and euery houre

  Againe, that it these viprous monsters bred. 120

  I seeing the plagues that shortly are to come

  Vpon this people cleerely them forsooke:

  And thus am light into Elizium,

  To whose straite search I wholly me betooke.

  Naijs. Poore silly creature, come along with vs,

  Thou shalt be free of the Elizian fields:

  Be not dismaid, nor inly grieued thus,

  This place content in all abundance yeelds.

  We to the cheerefull presence will thee bring,

  Of Ioues deare Daughters, where in shades they sit, 130

  Where thou shalt heare those sacred Sisters sing,

  Most heauenly Hymnes, the strength and life of wit:

  Claia. Where to the Delphian God vpon their Lyres

  His Priests seeme rauisht in his height of praise:

  Whilst he is crowning his harmonious Quiers

  With circling Garlands of immortall Bayes.

  Corbilus. Here liue in blisse, till thou shalt see those slaues,

  Who thus set vertue and desert at nought:

  Some sacrific’d vpon their Grandsires graues,

  And some like beasts in markets sold and bought. 140

  Of fooles and madmen leaue thou then the care,

  That haue no vnderstanding of their state:

  For whom high heauen doth so iust plagues prepare,

  That they to pitty shall conuert thy hate.

  And to Elizium be thou welcome then,

  Vntill those base Felicians thou shalt heare,

  By that vile nation captiued againe,

  That many a glorious age their captiues were.

  DAVID AND GOLIAH

  DAVID AND GOLIAH.

  OVR sacred Muse, of Israels Singer sings,

  That heauenly Harper, whose harmonious

  Expeld that euill Spirit which Saul possest,

  And of his torments of en him releast;

  That Princely Prophet David, whose high Layes,

  Immortall God, are Trumpets of thy praise,

  Thou Lord of hosts be helping then to me,

  To sing of him who hath so sung of thee,

  What time great Saul after so bloody fights,

  Return’d a victor of th’. Amalakites,

  (Two hundred and ten thousand men at armes

  Vnder his conduct) had the harmes

  Done to Gods chosen people, when as they

  Came back from Egypt, troubled on their way:

  Saul with their blood had now manur’d the Plaines,

  Leading King Agag (as a slaue) in chaines:

  But for that Saul this Agags blood had spar’d,

  And’gainst the will of the Almighty dar’d

  To saue that man he should haue put to sword,

  For disobeying the Almighties word,

  Their larded Fatlings keeping for a prey,

  Which he commanded to be made a way:

  For which the liuing God displeased, swore

  To holy Samuel, Saul should raigne no more;

  Samuel Gods Prophet, by whose holy hand

  The Oyle was pour’d (by his diuine command)

  Vpon the head of comely Saul when he

  Was chosen ouer Israel to be:

  But for that place another God had pointed,

  Which should by Samuel likewise be anointed:

  And this was David his most deare delight,

  The sonne of Ishay the iust Bethlemite

  Meane while this Youth like a poore Shepheard clad,

  (Of whom such care the God of Israel had)

  His fathers flock was following day by day

  Vpon a Desart neare at hand that lay;

  Whose wealthy fleeces and fat bodies he

  From rauenous vermine hourely va’d to free,

  His onely armes, his Sling and Sheephooke were,

  Other then those he had no
t vs’d to beare,

  With these a Woolfe oft comming from the wood,

  Or subtill Fox, that forrag’d for his food,

  He quickly slew; or if a Beare opprest

  With cruell hunger, hapned to molest

  His feeding flocks, he with such bangs him plyde,

  That with the prey euen in his teeth he dyde;

  Or if a Lion as his faire flock graz’d,

  Hapt to assayle it, he no whit

  At his sterne roaring, when his clutches caught

  At this braue Sheepheard, but such blowes him raught

  Till by the beard that kingly beast he shooke,

  And from his iawes the trembling Wether tooke;

  And if it chanc’i that sometime from the ayre

  An Eagle stoop’d a Lambe away to beare,

  He with a stone that from his Sling he threw,

  Downe from the clouds would fetch her as she flew.

  His curled Tresses on his shoulders hung,

  To which the dewes at Morne and Eue so clung,

  To the beholders that they did appeare

  As nature threded Pearle with euery hayre:

  The Bees, and Waspes, in wildernesses wilde

  Haue with his beauties often bin beguild,

  Roses and Lillies thinking they had seene,

  But finding there they haue deceiued beene,

  Play with his eyes, which them that comfort bring.

  That those two Sunnes would shortly get a spring;

  His Lippes in their pure Corrall liueries mock

  A row of Pales cut from a Christall Rock,

  Which stood within them, all of equall height.

  From top to toe each limbe so cleane and straight,

  By euery ioynt of his that one might try,

  Or giue true lawes to perfect Symmetry;

  The vermine (oft) his Sheepe that would surprize

  Became so charm’d with th’ splendor of his eyes,

  That they forgot their rauine, and haue layne

  Downe by his flocks, as they would glad and faine

  Keepe them from others, that on them would prey,

  Or tend vpon them, that they should not stray.

  Whether in Cotes he had his flock in hould,

  Or for the Fallowes kept them in the fould,

  He was not idle, though not taking paines,

  Celestiall Lyricks singing to the Swaines,

  And often sitting in the silent shade,

  When his faire flock to rest themselues were layde,

  On his Lyretuned such harmonious Layes,

  That the Birds pearcht vpon the tender sprayes,

  Mad at his musick, straine themselues so much

  To imitate th’vnimitable tuch,

  Breaking their hearis, that they haue dropt to ground,

  And dy’d for griefe in malicing the sound.

  Sometimes a Stag he with his Sling would slay,

  Or with his Sheephooke kill a Boare at bay,

  Or runne a Roe so long (he was so fleet)

  Till it lay trembling, breathlesse, at his feet,

  Som times againe, he practised a fight,

  That from the Desart, should a Dragon light

  Vpon his Sheepe, the Serpent to assayle,

  How by cleere skill through courage to prevaile.

  Then with a small stone throwne out of his Sling

  To hit a swallow on her height of wing,

  And home at night when they their Sheepe should driue,

  The sluggish Sheepheards lastly to reuiue,

  He tooke his Harpe so excellently strung,

  In a broad Bauldrick at his back that hung,

  And on the same stroke such mellodious straines,

  That from the Couerts as the neighboring Plaines,

  The Ecchoes wakt with sweetnesse of his notes,

  Which each to other diligently rotes;

  And thus his time the Lords beloued past,

  Till God to Samuel calling at the last;

  Samuel saith he, to Bethlem take thy way,

  To Ishays house, and to that old man say,

  Out of his loynes that I will chuse a King,

  And when his Sonnes before thee he shall bring,

  Chuse out that man that I shall thee appoint,

  With sacred Oyle and see thou him anoint,

  For of them all, he’s knowne to me right well

  The fitst to guide my people Israel.

  Samuel replyes my God, it Saul shall know

  Vpon what businesse I to Bethlem goe,

  Except my blood him nothing will susfice.

  Take thou a Heyfer, God againe replies,

  And giue it out thou purposely dost goe

  To sacrifice; as God doth counsell, so

  The holy Prophet acts, and comming thither,

  The noblest of people get together,

  Doubring the Lord had angry with them bin,

  And had sent Samuel to reproue their sinne;

  But peace to all the holy Prophet cries,

  And then preparing to the sacrifice.

  The Rites perform’d, he bids old Ishay bring

  His Sonnes before him whilst the offering

  Smoak’d on the Altars (and the Elders there

  Stood round about with reuerence and feare)

  For in his houshold he a King must chuse.

  Ishay who might not Gods command refuse,

  Cals Eliab out for Samuel to see,

  Who at the first thought surely this was he,

  Till God to Samuel said, doe not deceiue

  Thy selfe (weake man) but thy election leaue,

  Thou canst not see the scule of man, as I

  Who search the heart, and euery thought can try.

  His second sonne Abniadab then came,

  But this not he that Samuel must name;

  Then cals he Shamna his third sonne, but yet

  This was not he th’Almighties turne must fit,

  He cals for more till he had counted seauen,

  To none of these yet must the Oyle be giuen:

  Before the Prophet brother stood by brother,

  A tweluemonths growth one iust before another;

  Like seauen braue blossom’d Plants, that in the spring

  Nature prepar’d forth goodly fruit to bring:

  So comely all, that none in them could read

  Which one of them should any one exceed,

  If he exceld for louelinesse of face,

  Another for his person and his grace

  Match’d him at full, as nature meant to show

  Her equall bounties how she could bestow.

  There he beholds one brother tall and straight,

  Another that was wanting of his height,

  For his complection and his curious shape,

  Well neare out went him, nature let not scape

  Ought she could doe, in them each limbe to fit

  To grace the other that was next to it.

  When Samuel askes if these were all he had,

  Ishay replyes, onely his yongest Lad

  That in the Desart on his flocks doth tend,

  Samuel commands away for him to send,

  For till he came he vow’d he would not sit,

  Out place nor would he stirre a whit.

  Before graue Samuel David soone is brought,

  Vpon the Prophet which most strongly wrought

  When he beheld him beautifull and tall,

  Of goodly presence, and well shap’d withall,

  His cheeke a mixture of such red and white,

  As well with wonder might attract the sight,

  A sprightfull aspect, and so cleere an eye,

  As shot a lightning at the standers by,

  His euery gesture seene it in to bring

  The maiesty that might befit a King;

  All those rare parts that in his brothers were

  Epitomiz’d, at large in him appeare;

  And (in his eare) God doth the
Prophet tell,

  This David shall be King of Israel.

  Whom with the sacred Oyle (instead of Saul)

  Samuel anointed there before them all:

  Which hauing done, to Rama takes his way,

  Lest Saul for him the country should forelay:

  When Kingly David of his owne accord,

  Though he were then th’anointed of the Lord,

  And though his Sheephooke might his Scepter be,

  This holy Youth so humble is, that he

  Will back toth’ fields his fathers flock to keepe,

  And make his subiects, (for a while) his Sheepe.

  The powerfull spirit of God, redoubled grew

  Dayly in David, and his same now flew

  O’r all the Region, how he was belou’d

  Of Gods high Prophet, and by him approu’d;

  Field, Towne, and City, with his name doering,

  The tender Virginsto their Timbrels sing

  Dirtys of him, and in their rurall playes,

  The homely Sheepheards in their Roundelayes

  Record his acts, build him shady Bowers,

  The Maydens make him Anadems of flowers,

  And to what sport himselfe he doth apply,

  Let’s follow David, all the people cry.

  An euill spirit then sent by God possest

  Enraged Saul. so greeuously opprest.

  With melancholly, that it craz’d his wits,

  And falling then into outragious fits,

  With cramps, with stitches and convulsions rackt,

  That in his pangs he oft was like to act

  His rage vpon himselfe, so rauing mad,

  And soone againe disconsolate and sad;

  Then with the throbs of his impatient heart,

  His eyes were like out of his head to start,

  Fomes at the mouth, and often in his paine

  O’r all his Court is heard to roare againe;

  As the strong spirit doth punish or doth spare,

  Euen so his fits or great, or lesser are,

  That Israel now doth generally lament

  Vpon their King Gods greeuous punishment.

  When some which saw this spirit possessing Saul,

  Amongst themselues a counsell quickly call,

  To search if there might remedy be found

  For this possession, each man doth propound

  His thought of curing, as by Physick some,

  Each man speakes what into his minde doth come,

  But some whose soules were rauished more hie,

  Whose composition was all harmony,

  Of th’Angels nature and did more partake,

  By which as Seers prophetickly they spake;

  (Wish holy Magick for some spirits inspir’d

  Which by a cleere Diuinity are fier’d,

  And sharpned so, each depth and hight to try,

  That from their reach and visibility