EMPRESS

THat we, in pomp peace, in God Like splendour, With adoration of dazzled eyes Should breath thus long, and grow so full of days, Be fruitful as the Vine sons and daughters, (All Emperor's, Kings, Queens) that (Like to Cedars Uprising from the bre Lyhanus, Or Olives nursed up by Jerusalem) Heightened our glories, while we held up them: That this vast Globe Terrestrial should be cantled, And almost three parts ours, and that the ons, Who suspiration draw out of this air, With universal Aves, show S, and oh es, Should us acknowledge to be head supreme To this great body (for a world of years:) Yet now, when we had made our Crown complete, And closed it strongly with a triple arch, And had enriched it with those precious jewels Few Princes ver see (white hairs) even now Our greatness hangs in balance, and the stamp Of our true , . Heaven suffers it, and sees it, and gives aim, While even our Empires heart is cleft in sunder: That strumpet, that enchantress, (who, in robes White as is innocence, and with and eye Able to tempt stern murder to her bed) Calls her self Truth, has stolen fair Truths attire, Her crown, her sweet songs, counterfeits her voice, And by prestigious tricks in sorcery, Ha raised a base impostor Like Truths father: This subtle Courtesan sets up again, Whom we but late banished, to live in caves, In rocks and desert mountains. Oh t'is a cunning Spider, And in her nets so wraps the Fairy Queen, That she sucks even her breast: Sh'as writ a book, Which she calls holy Spells. The poles of heaven must first in sunder break, For from the Fairy shores this Witch hath driven All such as are Like these (our Soothsayers) And called false Seers home, that of things passed, Sing wonders, and divine of things to come: Through whose bewitching tongues run golden chains, To which ten thousand ears so fast are bound, As spirits are by spells; that all the Tones Of harmony, that Babylon can found, Are charms to Adders, and no more regarded, Than are by him that's deaf, the sick men groans She, they, Titania, and her Fairy Lords, Yea even her vassal elves, in public scorn Defame me, call me Whore of Babylon. Give out I am common: that for lust, and hire I prostitute this body: that to Kings I quaff full bowls of strong enchanting wines, To make them dote on me. Stay: hear me: Her kingdom wears a girdle wrought of waves, Set thick with precious stones, that are so charmed, No rocks are of more force: her Fairies hearts, Lie in enchanted towers (impregnable) No e gine scales them. Therefore go you three, Draw all your faces sweetly, let your brows Be sleeked, your cheeks in dimples, give out smiles, Your voices string with silver, woo (Like lovers) Swear you have hills of pearl: show her the world, And say she shall have all, so she will kneel And do us reverence: but if she grow nice, Dissemble, flatter, stoop to lick the dust She goes upon, and (Like to serpents) creep Upon your bellies, in humility; And beg she would but with us join a league, To wed her land to ours: our blessing, go. Are they wrought? Ask these holy Father's: Ask those our outcast sons: a throne usurped Our chair is counted, all our titles stolen. All our robes, Your vestments, (reverend, yet pontifical:) This sword, these keys, (that open kingdoms hearts To let in sweet obedience) All, but borrowed. Our royal signet, With which, we, (in a mother's holy love) Have signed so many pardons, is now counterfeit: From our mouth flow rivers of blasphemy And lies; our Babylonian Synagogues Are counted Stews, where Fornications And all uncleanness Sodomitical, (Whose leprosy touched us never) are now daily acted: Our Image, which (Like Roman Caesars) stamped In gold, through the whole earth did currant pass; Is now blanched copper, or but guilded brass. A woman. The Fairy Queen: (nights Five Summer's have scarce drawn their glimmering Through the Moons silver bow, since the crowned Of that adored beast, on which we ride, (heads Were struck and wounded, but so healed again, The very scars were hid. But now, a mortal, And unrecoverable blow is taken, And it must bleed to death. And that all Potentates that tread on earth, With our abominations should be drunk, And be by us undone. Prosper: till this sun set The beams that from us shoot, seem tounte fetched. Who sets those tunes to mock us? Stay them. When those Celestial bodies that do move, Within the sacred Spheres of Princes bosoms Go out of order, 'tis as if you Regiment, Wear all in uproar: heaven should then be vexed, Me thinks such indignation should resemble, Dreadful eclipses, that portend dire plagues To nations, fallen to Empires, death to Kings, To Cities devastation, to the world, That universal hight calamity Of the last horror. But our royal blood, Beats in our veins Like seas struggling for bounds, A tna, burns in us: bearded Comets shoot Their vengeance through our eyes: our breath is lightning, Thunder our voice; yet, as the idle Cannon, Strikes at the Airs Invulnerable breast) Our darts are phillip'd back in mockery, Wanting the points to wound. No: proud spirits once denying, still deny. True, but old Lyons hardly fallen into the snare. That Satiran is this hand: his brains a forge Still working for us, he's the true set clock By which we go, and of our hours does keep The numbered strokes, when welye bound in sleep. To use. Let us behold these fireworks, that must run Upon shortlines of life: yet will We use them, Like instruments of music play on them, A while for pleasure, and then hang them by, Who Princes can upbraid, 'tis good they die. For as in building sumptuous palaces, We climb by base and slender scaffoldings, Till we have razed the Frame: and that being done, (To grace the work) we take the Scaffolds down, So must we these: we know they love us not, But Swallow-like when their own summer's passed, Here seek for heat: or Like flight Traualers, (Swollen with vainglory, or with lust to see,) They come to observe fashions and not me. What are they that fly hither (to our bosom) But such as hang the wing, such as want nests; Such as have no found feathers; birds: so poor, They scarce are worth the killing: with the Lark (The morning's fawlkner) so they may mount High, Care not how base and low their risings be? What are they but lean hungry Crows that Tyre Upon the mangled quarters of a Realm? And on the housetops of Nobility (If there they can but fit) Like fatal Ravens, Or Skrich-Owles croak their falls and hoarsely bode, Nothing but scaffolds and unhallowed graves? True: Like corrupted Churchme ̄ they are doves, That have eat carrion: home weel therefore send These busy-working Spiders to the walls Of their own country, when their venomous bags (Which they shall stuff with scandals, libels, treasons) Are full and upon bursting: let them there Weave in their politic looms nets to catch flies; To us they are but Apothecary drugs, Which we will take as Physical pills, not food: Use them as lancets to let others blood, That have foul bodies, care not whom you wound, Nor what parts you cut off, to keep this found. Welcome: rise, and rise up high In honours and our favour: you have thrust Your arms into our coffers, have you not? You shall deserve it: You see what Ocean can replenish you, Be you but duteous tributary streams: But is your temper right? are not the edges Of your sharp spirits rebated? are you ours? Do not your hearts sink down yet? will you on? Nobly resolu'de: But listen to us, and observe our counsel: Back must we send you to the Fairy Land, Danger goes with you; here's your-safety: listen. Choose winds to sail by; if the way ward seas Grow stormy, hover, keep aloof: if fears, Shipwracks, and death lie tumbling on the waves, And will not off, then on: be venturous, Conquests hard God are sweet and glorious. Being landed, if suspicion cast on you Her narrow eyes, turn your selves then to Moles, Work under ground, and undermine your country, Though you cast earth up but a hand full high, To make her stumble: if that bloodhound hunt you, (That long-eared Inquisition) take the thickets, Climb up to Hay-mowes, live Like birds, and eat The undeflowered corn: in hollow trees Take such provision as the Ant can make: Fly with the Batt under the eeues of night, And shift your nests: or Like to Ancresses, Close up your selves in artificial walls: Or if you walk abroad, be wrapped in clouds, Have change of hairs, of cie-brows, halt with soldiers, Be shaven and be old women, take all shapes To escape taking: But if the air be clear, Fly to the Court, and underneath the wings Of the Eagle, Falcon, or some great bird hover, Oaks and large Beech-trees many beasts do cover. He that first sings a Dirge tun de to the death Of that my only foe the Fairy Queen, Shall be my love, and (clad in purple) ride Upon that scarlet-coloured beast that bears Seven Kingdoms on seven heads. Weel erect ladders for you strong and high, That you shall climb to starry dignity. Fare you well: Our benediction go along with you— Our malediction and your souls confusion Like shivered towers fallen on your hickelesse heads, And wedge you into earth low as the deep Where are the damned, if our world you fire, Since desperately you'll ride and dare aspire. All Babylon! How the prevention? The manner. None this shall overwhelm: Brave voyage! Rig out ships, and fetch a Realm. Feels the base earth our weight? is't common Air We suck in and respire? do servile clouds, (Whose azu e wings spread over graves and tombs) Our glorious body circumvolve? are night Cast her black nets into days crystal streams, To draw up darkness on our golden beams: And us eclipse, why is not Babylon In a contorted chair made all of stars, Wound up by wheels as high, nay above the thrones Supernal, which with Jove's own seat stand even, That we might ride here as the Queen of heaven. And with a spurn from our controlling foot, That should Like thunder shake th'etheriall floor, Of life and heaven them both ot once bereave, That thither up dare climb without our leave. At us? what, dare they roar? Tell: We fear, no spots, the orb we shine in is so clear. Go on: the searching small wounds is no pain. But what your selves give, what have we from you? You say we are your mother, and if so, Must not sons kneel? they pay but what they owe. Nay, utter all. Out of their lips you see flows nought but gall. View our forehead? Where are we printed with such Characters? Point out these marks: Which of you all can lay A finger on that Moale that marks our face? Lets hear with what loud throats our thunder speaks, Repeat our vengeance over, which to beat Kings Must now fly over the seas with linen wings. Read them loud: Thunder never speaks, but the voice cracks a cloud. Go: cut the fault some with your mooned keels, And let our Galleons feel even childbirth pangs, Till their great bellies be delivered On the soft Fairy shores: captive their Queen, That we may thus take oft her crown, while she Kneels to these glorious wonders, or be trampled To death for her contempt: burn, b tter, kill, Blow up, pull down, ruin all, let not white hairs, Nor read cheeks blunt your wrath, snatch babes from breasts, And when they cry for milk, let them suck blood, Turn all their fields to Lake's of gellyed gore, That Seamen one day sailing by the land May say, there Fairy kingdom once did stand. Hence: sting me not: you're Scorpions to my breast, Diseases to my blood: he die that speaks. Be silent: Be damned for your speech: as you're for Act, You are all black and close conspirators In our disgrace. Thou sayest all's lost. What follows Be it so. Her fairy Lords (That play the Pilots now, and steer her kingdom In foulest weather) as white bearded corn Bows his proud head before imperial winds, Shall solely groveling (here) when that day comes. To be sure You all are ours, bow and adore the beast; On whom we ride. Be blessed, obedience is in sons most sweet, Oh strange, to you he stoops as you before him, Humility, he bows while you adore him: To kindle lusty fires in all your blood, A health to all, and as our cup goes round, Draw near, weel mark you for our chosen flock, Who builds on hearts confirmed, builds on a rock: The seal of heaven! who on their foreheads wear it, We choose for counsel: on their hands who bear it, We mark for Actium: Here, a health to all. On: All: On