POET

Brother. What is it? As you came in upon me, I was then Offering the argument, and this it is. The mighty Neptune, mighty in his styles, And large command of waters, and of Isles, Not, as the Lord and Sovereign of the Seas, But, Chief in the art of riding, late did please To send his Albion forth, the most his own, Upon discovery, to themselves best known, Through Celtiberia; and, to assist his course, Gave him his powerful A NEPT by whi called Dame confe person ciall ho the All as by vid. MANAGER of Horse, With divine Proteus, Father of disguise, To wait upon them with his counsels wise, In all extremes. His great commands being done, And he desirous to review his Son, He does dispatch a floating I'll, from hence, Unto the Hesperian shores, to waft him thence. Where, what the arts were, used to make him stay, And how the Sire's wooed him, by the way, What Monsters he encountered on the coast, How near our general Joy was to be lost, Is not our subject now: though all these make The present gladness greater, for their sake. But what the triumphs are, the feast, the sport, And proud solemnities of Neptune's Court, Now he is safe, and Fame's not herd in vain, But we behold our happy pledge again. That with him, loyal HIPPIUS is returned, Who for it, under so much envy, burned With his own brightness, till her starved snakes saw What Neptune did impose, to him was law. —It was not time, To mix this Music with the vulgars chime. Stay, till th'abortiue, and extemporal din Of balladry, were understood a sin, Minerva cried: that, what tumultuous verse, Or prose could make, or steal, they might rehearse, And every Songster had sung out his fit; That all the Country, and the Citie-wit, Of bells, and bonfires, and good cheer was spent, And Neptune's Guard had drunk all that they meant; That all the tales and stories now were old Of the Sea-Monster Archy, or grown cold: The Muses then might venture, undeterred, For they love, then, to sing, when they are herd. Yes, a Vid. Lu in Dialogue & Neptu Delus: Such, as when fair Latena fell in travail, Great Neptune made emergent. Yes, we have a tree too, Which we do call the Tree of Harmony, And is the same with Vid. St Geogr. Lib. what we read, the Sun Brought forth in the Indian Musicana first, And thus it grows. The goodly bole, being God To certain cubits height, from every side The boughs decline, which taking root afresh, Spring up new Boles, & those spring new, & newer, Till the whole tree become a Porticus, Or arched Arbour, able to receive A numerous troop, such as our Albion, And the Companions of his journey are. And this they fit in Yes. Faith, we have none. None, I assure you, neither do I think them A worthy partly of presentation, Being things so heterogene, to all devise, Mere By-works, and at best Outlandish nothings. Persons! Together with their learned Authors? I conceive The way of your Gally-mawfrey. What's that? rotten? Not I. Nam lusis ipse Triumphus amat. The Antimaske is danced by the persons described, coming out of the pot. Well, now, expect the Scene it self; it opens! Behold the Palace of Oceanus! Hail Reverend structure! Boast no more to us Thy being able, all the Gods to feast; We have seen enough: our Albion was thy guest. Now turn and view the wonders of the deep, Where Proteus heards, and Neptune's orkes do keep, Where all is ploughed, yet still the pasture green The ways are found, and yet no path is seen, It's time, your eyes should be refreshed at length Which something new, a partly of Neptune's strength See, yond, his fleet, ready to go, or come, Or fetch the riches of the Ocean home, So to secure him both in peace, and wars, Till not one ship alone, but all be stars. He knows the Compass and the Carded, While Castor sits on the main yard, And Pollux too, to help your ails; And bright Leucothoe, fills your sails: Arion sings, the Dolphins swim, And, all the way, to gaze on him.