Chapter XIII: Part V (4)

Then the faire wals inricht with painting’s grace,
And portals proud of gold are all cast downe,
Sterne Mulciber in his bright armes embrace
Doth graspe the towres, and on th’inflamed towne
Through rolling clouds of smoake doth sternely frowne;
Whose fierce fiers climing houses far away,
By foes are seene to worke the towne’s decay.

432.

Thus burnt Spaine’s Cadiz fam’d for that faire place,
Where great Alcides, when his sword did tame
The triple Gerion borne of tyrant’s race,
Did fixe his pillars t’eternize his name,
With _ne plus vltra_ grauen on the same;
Thus did it burne captiu’d in English yoke,
And all her fame lay stifled in the smoke.

433.

After the spoile, exchange of captiues made
For those, that Spaine had long captiu’d before,
Each souldier’s prize aboard the fleet conuei’d,
Leauing the towne despoil’d of all her store,
All made returne vnto the ships at shore;
At whose depart such after-signe was seene,
As had before at their arriuall been.

434.

[Sidenote: Recorded by the Author then present.]

For hoysing saile at sea, loe as before
Vpon the Arke a doue her flight did stay,
With which departing from th’Iberian shore,
She from the same departed not away;
But kept her station till that happie day,
That all the fleet did with the compleat hoast
Arriue in triumph on the English coast.

435.

Thus when vpon _Elizae’s_ royall brow,
Time’s honor’d age in print had set his signe,
Euen then her arme Spaine’s stiffened pride did bow
And when her youthfull daies did most decline,
Then did the King of heau’n to her assigne
The euer youthfull wreath of sacred bay,
In signe of triumph to her liue’s last day.

436.

The vtmost kingdomes canopi’d of skie,
Did beare record of her triumphant fame,
The vastest ocean, that did farthest lie,
With each small creeke and hauen in the same,
Did then resound the praises of her name:
Which to her friend’s defence, her foemen feare,
Her crosse-crown’d fleet about the world did beare.

437.

For all sea-bordering townes, that subiect were
Vnto the crowne of Rome-supporting Spaine,
Who high their breasts aboue the wanes did beare,
Did tremble to behold the crookt stern’d traine
Of English ships still floating on the maine;
For towards the sea’s greene bounds they often bore,
And many townes destroy’d vpon the shore.

438.

[Sidenote: _Anno eodem 38._]

Renowned _Clifford_ on the fruitfull deepe
Like Joue-borne Perseus, that illustrate knight,
In his swift Pegasus, the seas did sweepe,
And after many a prize surpriz’d in fight,
To make the land record his powerfull might,
He at that time with his triumphant host,
Got noble conquest on the Indian coast.

439.

Fortune with fame his high attempts did crowne,
And his dread name the foes with feare did fright,
Saint _Iohn de Porta Rico_ that strong towne,
And her faire castle, which did seeme in sight
Impregnable gainst all assaults in fight,
His hands to heapes of fruitlesse dust did burne,
And with her spoile he home did safe returne.

440.

The valiant English still did worke much woe
Vnto the foemen both on seas and land,
_Eliza_ still did triumph ore the foe,
And day by day vpon the English strand
Arriu’d rich prize surpriz’d by force of hand,
Whereby th’Iberian folke made poore and bare,
In heart did curse the causer of the warre.

441.

But leaue we heere of forren deeds to sing,
And turne we home at sound of those alarms,
Which on thy shores, O England, high did ring;
And let vs waile, alas, the wofull harmes,
Which did befall that valiant man of armes,
Who after all his glorie and renowne,
Beneath too hard a fate felt fortune’s frowne.

442.

_Tyrone_ that traytor, from whose treacherie
The first chiefe cause of his annoy did spring,
Disloyall to _Elizae’s_ maiestie;
Had now begun to set the war on wing
On th’Irish coast, whose townes and plaines did ring
With sad report of bloodie actions done,
By the bold rebels and the base _Tyrone_.

443.

[Sidenote: _An. Reg. 41._]

Tidings whereof to England’s rockie bound,
Borne ore the ocean’s backe on wings of winde,
The shores with Mars his rugged voice did sound,
And noble _Essex_ generall was assign’d
To crosse the fruitfull deepe, whose honor’d minde
Did wing him forward with desire of fame,
On earth to purchase an immortall name.

444.

Yet towards the coast when he this iourney tooke,
The king of flames that with delight did crowne
All that faire day before, did change his looke,
The heau’ns did thunder loud, the clouds did frowne,
And in the way Joue cast pale lightning downe,
Presaging sad euent of things to come,
Which tooke effect at his returning home.

445.

At his returning home, when his deare dame
The great _Eliza_, with maiesticke frowne
Gan change milde looks, when fortune foe to fame
Did turne her wheele about, and hurring downe
His towring state, all hope of life did drowne
In death’s deepe waues, whose most vntimely end
Both heau’n and earth lamenting did befriend.

446.

For that blacke morne, when he without appall
To lose his life vnto the blocke was led,
The sunne in heau’n, as for his Phaeton’s fall,
In sable clouds did hide his golden hed,
And from so sad a sight away he fled;
While wofull heau’n with dolefull teares sent downe,
For his sad fall the world in woe did drowne.

447.

He being dead, being dead, alas, and gone,
That hopefull lord, hight _Mountioy_, did succeed
As generall in the warre against _Tyrone_;
To whom all-seeing Joue tooke speciall heed,
And did direct his hand in euery deed,
Who would not haue _Elizae’s_ vnstain’d praise,
Distain’d by rebels in her aged daies.

448.

For what hath she in her affaires decreed,
Euen to her royall liue’s last breathing space,
In which Joue did not euer grace her deed,
Yea now when ripe yeares rugged prints had place
Vpon the fore-front of her princely face,
Then did her gratious God with compleat praise,
Perfect the vpshot of her aged daies.

449.

[Sidenote: _Anno eodem 42._

Grimestone _in his translation of the booke of the warres of the Netherlands_.]

The happie Belgians on the marine coast,
In a pight field against a prince of name,
In person fighting 'midst his royall host,
Did purchase conquest, captiues, gold and fame,
By th’only aid which from _Eliza_ came:
Without whose helpe on which their hopes did build,
All had been lost, the foes had won the field.

450.

For when the Austrian prince on Newport Sands,
After the slaughter of the valiant Scot,
Had giuen charge vpon the aduerse bands,
When by thicke volleyes of their murdring shot,
Many stout men had drawne death’s fatall lot;
Then many Belgians fainting fled away,
And left their friends to win or lose the day.

451.

'Mongst whom the English chiefely did sustaine
The furious brunt of that important fight,
Where many worthie men were helplesse slaine,
Who rather chose to make that day the night
Of death’s approch, then turne their backs for flight;
Who all had fallen by death without remorse,
Had not the _Veres_ renew’d their fainting force.

452.

For the bold brothers both the valiant _Veres_,
Deepe wounds did purchase to regaine the day,
The one breath’d comfort in the souldiers eares,
While th’other through the foes with violent sway
Of his horse troopes did force a dreadfull way,
Through which the Belgians that before had fled,
Might ’gainst the fainting foes againe make head.

453.

The foemen fled, the ground was stro’d with harmes
Of their mishap, their duke fled fast away,
Leauing his horse of honour and his armes
Vnto the victors to remaine for ay,
As signes of conquest and that glorious day,
Which by _Elizae’s_ auxilarie traine,
Then agents there the Belgians did obtaine.

454.

Thus to the life of our triumphant dame
Time in her reigne no yeere did multiplie,
Which fortune did not dignifie with fame,
Or praise of some illustrate victorie;
’Gainst Rome, ’gainst Spaine, or th’Austrian enemie,
’Gainst whom that houre that she expir’d her breath,
She di’d victorious in the armes of death.

455.

[Sidenote: _Anno Reg. 43, 44._]

For when the Austrian duke with his proud hoast,
Atrides-like laid siege to little Troy,
And by a solemne vow did vainely boast,
Not to depart vntill he did destroy
That English towne; yet to his owne annoy,
He there did lie while th’horses of the sunne,
Their yeare’s race thrice about the heauen had runne.

456.

For England’s _Hector_ and his valiant brother,
That time’s young _Troylus_ did the duke appall,
And his best hopes in blood and dust did smother;
Yea many a thousand at that siege did fall
In death’s blacke graue before the towne’s strong wall,
Which while the Belgian patronesse did liue,
Vnto the foes in fight the foile did giue.

457.

And as our queene in forraine-bred debate,
From hence to heauen victorious tooke her flight,
So here at home before her liue’s last date,
Triumphant sounds of belles the starres did smite,
And bright bon-fiers the darkesome euen did light
With gladsome flames for worthy victorie,
Atchieu’d against the Irish enemie.

458.

[Sidenote: _An. eodem._]

Yea, when the hand of vnremorsefull fate,
Had euen spun out the thred of her liue’s clew,
_Tyron_, that long disturber of her state,
With shame of his offence remorsefull grew,
And on his knees did then for mercie sue:
That dying, she might say with vading breath,
I left no foes vnuanquisht at my death.

459.

But woe, alas, the dust-borne pompe of earth,
Made thrall to death, returnes to dust againe;
All vnder heauen, that haue their beeing and breath
Of nature’s gift, no longer doe remaine,
Then nature doth their brittle state sustaine,
The prince and swaine to death are both alike,
No ods are found when he with dart doth strike.

460.

For I, that whilome sung with cheerefull breath
Her roiall reigne, whose like no age hath seene,
Now cannot sing; but weepe to thinke how death,
All pitilesse of what before had beene,
Did rob poore England of so rich a queene;
And if I sing, I must in my sad song,
Exclaime on death for doing vs such wrong.

461.

For doing vs such wrong to dim the light
Of England’s virgin glorie then decaid,
Which, while heauen’s light the earth’s broade face shall smite,
All virgins shall admire and still vpbraid
That _Tarquin_ death, with death of such a maide:
For her, whose virgin blood no _Tarquin’s_ staine,
Did euer taint, O death, thy dart hath slaine.

462.

[Sidenote: Thursday.]

That day shee di’d, which to her roiall sire,
To great _Plantagenet_ hath fatall been;
That day, when fates did his sad death conspire:
That day when his young _Edward_ dead was seene,
That day when _Mary_ left to be a queene:
That day from vs did our _Eliza_ goe,
That day, that tyrant death did worke our woe.

463.

But why do we ’gainst death vse such complaint,
Seeing not in youth, then short of yeares to crowne
Her head with age, she di’de by death’s constraint,
But ripe in yeares, and loaden with renowne;
Made mellow for the graue, she lai’d her downe:
And leauing earth that part, which earth had giuen,
On faith’s strong wings she tooke her flight for heauen.

Heere Clio ceast, her lute no more did sound,
But in a moment mounting from the ground,
She vanisht from my sight, and with her fled
The place of pleasure which mine eyes had fed;
With which all had been lost, if in minde,
My dreame’s Idæa had not stai’d behinde.

FINIS.

END OF PART V.

VOLUME THE LAST.

Transcriber’s Notes

Obvious typos have been corrected. All other spelling and punctuation remains unchanged.

The table of contents has been copied from Vol II, Part I, for the convenience of the reader.

Italics are represented thus _italic_, superscripts thus y^n, subscripts as y_{n}.