PHOEBUS

Beauteous Aurora, for full twice twelve hours Till in my sphere I have compassed round the world Farewell, I with my beams will dry these tears Thou sheddest at parting; we have chaced hence night, And frighted all the twinkling stars from heaven, And now the steep Olympus we must climb, Till from the high Meridian we peruse The spacious bounds of this large universe, And thence decline our Chariot towards the West, Till we have washed our Coach-steeds and our self In Isters icy streams: We with this eye Can all things see that mortals do on earth, And what we find inhumane, or to offend, We tell to Jove, that he may punish sins. For this I am termed a telltale and a blab, And that I nothing can conceal abroad. But let spite spit the worst and wrong me still, Day hates sins, and light despises ill. And now behold a most abhorred deed, Mars beds with Venus, shall not Vulcan know it? By my light he shall; I have seen, and I will tell, The Sun hates sin but crowns them that do well. Sometime I cast mine eye upon the sea, To see the tumbling Seal, or Porpoise play, There see I Merchants trading, and their sails Big bellied with the wind; sea fights some times Rise with their smoke, thick clouds to dark my beams. Sometime, I fix my face upon the earth With my warm fervour, to give metals, trees, Herbs, plants, and flowers life; here in gardens walk Lose Ladies with their lovers arm in arm, Yonder the labouring Plowman drives his Teem. Further, I may behold main battles pitched, And whom I favour most (by the winds help) I can assist with my transparent rays. Here, spy I Cattle feeding, Forests there Stored with wild beasts; here Shepherds with their lasses Piping beneath the trees, while their flocks graze. In Cities, I see trading, walking, bargaining, Buying, and selling, goodness, badness, all things. And shine alike on all. Sometime even mean fellows A bed with noble Ladies whom they serve, Servant with servant, married men with maids, And wives with Bachelors. And shall I tell thee Vulcan, tother day What I beheld, I saw the great God Mars. As I was peeping through a cranny; a bed. Not to dissemble Vulcan, 'twas thy wife! That's the way to be satisfied. No Emperor walks forth, but I see his State, Nor sports, but I his pastimes can behold, I see all Coronations, Funerals, Marts, Fairs, Assemblies, Pageants, Sights; and Shows. No hunting, but I better see the chase Then they that rouse the game, what see not I? There's not a window but my beams breaks in, No think or cranny but my rays pierce through, And there I see (o V lcan ) wondrous things. Things that thy self nor any God beside Would give belief to. Here, wantons on their day-beds, I see spread Clasping their amorous lovers in their arms, Who even before my face, are not sometime Ashamed to show all. Vulcan be advised, I have had notice where they use to meet, Couldst not devise to catch them by some wile? And lay their gilded, wide open to the Gods, Then mightest thou have fit colour of complaint. The Gods have laughed their fill, Vulcan's revenged, And now all friends: speak, are we? She was a pretty wench.