279
And all the nations, fummon'd at the call,
From diff'rent quarters fill the crouded hall:
Of various tongues the mingled founds were heard;
In various garbs promifcuous throngs appear'd;
Thick as the bees, that with the spring renew
Their flow'ry toils, and fip the fragrant dew,
When the wing'd colonies first tempt the sky,
O'er dusky fields and shaded waters fly,
Or fettling, feize the sweets the bloffoms yield,
And a low murmur runs along the field.
Millions of fuppliant crouds the shrine attend,
And all degrees before the Goddess bend;
The poor, the rich, the valiant, and the fage, 290
And boafting youth, and narrative old-age.
Their pleas were diff'rent, their request the fame :
For good and bad alike are fond of Fame.
Some she disgrac'd, and fome with honours crown'd;
Unlike fucceffes equal merits found.
295
IMTIATION S.
For all the world it seemed me.
Tho gan I look about and fee
That there came entring into th'hall,
A right great company withal;
And that of fundry regions,
Of all kind of conditions, etc.- P.
VER. 294. Some fhe difgrac'd, etc.]
And fome of them she granted fone,
And fome the warned well and fair,
And fome the granted the contrair —
GIC
2
Thus her blind fifter, fickle Fortune, reigns,
And, undifcerning, fcatters crowns and chains.
First at the shrine the Learned world appear,
And to the Goddess thus prefer their pray'r.
Long have we fought t'inftruct and please mankind,
With ftudies pale, with midnight vigils blind;
But thank'd by few, rewarded yet by none,
We here appeal to thy fuperior throne:
On wit and learning the juft prize bestow,
For Fame is all we must expect below.
The Goddess heard, and bade the Muses raise
The golden trumpet of eternal Praise :
From pole to pole the winds diffuse the found,
That fills the circuit of the world around;
Not all at once, as thunder breaks the cloud;
The notes at firft were rather fweet than loud:
By juft degrees they ev'ry moment rise,
Fill the wide earth, and gain upon the skies.
At ev'ry breath were balmy odours fhed,
Which still grew fweeter as they wider spread; 315
Lefs fragrant scents th'unfolding rofe exhales,
Or fpices breathing in Arabian gales.
Next these the good and juft, an awful train,
Thus on their knees addrefs the facred fane.
Since living virtue is with envy
And the best men are treated like the worst,
Do thou, juft Goddess, call our merits forth,
And give each deed th’exact intrinfic worth.
Not with bare justice shall your act be crown'd
(Said Fame) but high above defert renown'd:
Let fuller notes th' applauding world amaze,
And the loud clarion labour in your praise.
This band difmifs'd, behold another croud
Prefer the fame requeft, and lowly bow'd;
IMITATIONS.
And down on knees they fell anone,
And faiden: We ben everichone
Folke that han full truely
Deferved Fame right-fully,
And prayen you it might be knowe
Right as it is, and forth blowe.
I grant, quoth fhe, for now we lift
That your good works fhall be wist.
And yet ye shall have better loos,
Right in defpite of all your foos,
Than worthy is, and that anone.
Let now (quoth The) thy trump gone.
And certes all the breath that went
As men à pot of baume held
Among a basket full of rofes- P.
VER. 328, 338. behold another croud, etc.-From the black
trumpet's rufly, etc.
Therewithal there came anone
Another huge companye,
The conftant tenour of whofe well-fpent-days
No lefs deferv'd a just return of praise.
But ftrait the direful Trump of Slander founds;
Thro' the big dome the doubling thunder bounds;
Loud as the burst of cannon rends the skies,
The dire report thro' ev'ry region flies,
In ev'ry ear inceffant rumours rung,
And gath'ring fcandals grew on ev'ry tongue.
From the black trumpet's rufty concave broke
Sulphureous flames, and clouds of rolling fmoke:
The pois'nous vapour blots the purple skies,
And withers all before it as it flies.
A troop came next, who crowns and armour were, And proud defiance in their looks they bore: For thee (they cry'd) amidft alarms and ftrife, We fail in tempefts down the fiream of life;
What did this Eolus, but he
Tooke out his trump of brafs,
That fouler than the devil was:
And gan this trump for to blowe,
As all the world fhould overthrowe.
Throughout every regione
Went this foul trumpet's foune,
347
For thee whole nations fill'd with flames and blood,
And swam to empire thro' the purple flood.
Thofe ills we dar'd, thy infpiration own;
What virtue seem'd, was done for thee alone.
Ambitious fools! (the Queen reply'd, and frown'd)
Be all your acts in dark oblivion drown'd;
There fleep forgot, with mighty tyrants gone,
Your ftatues moulder'd, and your names unknown!
A fudden cloud ftraight fnatch'd them from my fight,
And each majestic phantom funk in night. 355
Then came the smallest tribe I
yet had feen;
Plain was their drefs, and modeft was their mien.
351
IMITATIONS.
VER. 356. Then came the fmalleft, etc.]
I saw anone the fifth route,
That to this lady gan loute,
And downe on knees anone to fall,
And to her they befoughten all.
To hiden their good works eke?
And faid, they yeve not a leke
For no fame ne fuch renowne :
For they for contemplacyoune,
And Goddes love had it wrought,
Ne of fame would they ought.
What quoth fhe, and be ye wood?
And ween ye for to do good,
And for to have it of no fame ?
Have ye defpite to have my name?
Nay ye shall lien everichone:
Blowe thy trump, and that anone
VOL. II.
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