Classic Poem

Alexander Neville.

The mountains high the blust'ring winds,
the floods the rocks withstand,
The cities strong the cannon's shot
and threat'ning chieftain's hand,
The castles huge by long besiege
and dreadful battery brook
Both fire and flames and thund'ring thumps,
and every deadly stroke
With fervent broiling furious rage
doth beat and drive to ground
The long defenced walls by force
and throughly them confound:
Right so thy muse, O worthy Googe,
thy pleasant framed style,
Discovered lies to momish mouths,
reproachful tongues, and vile
Defaming minds. Regard them not.
Press thou for higher praise.
Submit thyself to persons grave,
whose judgement right always
By reason ruled doth rightly judge,
whom fancies none can charm,
Which in the most inconstant brains
are chiefly wont to swarm,
Whom no desire of filthy gain,
whom lucre none can move
From truth to stray. Such men esteem,
such, such, embrace and love.
On such men stay thy tender years;
such patrons seek to choose,
Which taught by time and practised proof
uprightest judgement use.
But as for those crabsnouted beasts,
those raging fiends of hell,
Whose vile, malicious, hateful minds
with boiling rancour swell,
Which puffed with pride, enflamed with spite,
and drowned in deep disdain,
Like Momus' monstrous brood outright
even of a jealous brain,
With curious, cankered, carping mouths
most famous deeds defame,
Defacing those whose labours great
deserve immortal name;
Such crabfaced, cankered, carlish chuffs,
within whose hateful breasts
Such malice bides, such rancour broils,
such endless envy rests,
Esteem thou not. No prejudice
to thee: nor yet opprest
Thy famous writings are by them.
Thou livest and ever shalt.
Not all the sland'ring tongues alive
may purchase blame or fault
Unto thy name, O worthy Googe;
no time, no fiery flame,
Not all the Furies' fretting force
thy doings may defame.
Let them in broil of burning spite
continual toil sustain,
Let them feel scourging plagues of mind,
let ever-during pain
Spread through their poisoned veins. Let care
with peise of deadly weight
Oppress their vile infected hearts,
with stinging malice freight.
Let them destroy themselves in time,
in rancour let them boil:
Let mortal hate, let pinching grief,
let flaming torments broil
Within their grievous vexed breasts
for evermore to dwell:
Let them feel envy's cursed force,
(consuming fiend of hell).
Defy them all. Misanthropoi
and squint-eyed monsters right
They are. In fine, leave sow to swill
and chuff to cankered spite.
But thou proceed in virtuous deeds,
and as thou hast begun,
Go forward still to advance thy fame.
Life's race half rightly run
Far easier 'tis for to obtain
the Type of true renown.
Like labours have been recompensed
with an immortal crown.
By this doth famous Chaucer live,
by this a thousand more
Of later years. By this alone
the old renowned store
Of ancient poets live. By this
their praise aloft doth mount
Unto the skies, and equal is
with stars above. Account
Thyself then worthy of the like,
if that thou dost proceed
By famous deeds thy fame to enhance
and name abroad to spread.
With courage stout then through the thick'st
thou need'st not for to fear:
Not he that saith, but he that doth,
ought glory's garland wear.
Thus shalt thou still augment thy name,
and win thee high renown,
And present praise in present life,
and after death a crown
Of honour, that forever lasts:
immortal fame, in fine.