Classic Poem

LXI .

For still true magnanimity we finde,
Doth harbour early in an generous brest;
To match Miltiades , whose glory shin'd,
Themistocles (a childe) was rob'd of rest;
Yet strive to be a monarch of thy minde,
For as to dare great things, all else detest,
A generous emulation spurres the sprite,
Ambition doth abuse the courage quite.

LXII .

Whil'st of illustrious lives thou look'st the story,
Abhorre those tyrants which still swimm'd in bloud,
And follow those who (to their endlesse glory)
High in their subjects love by vertue stood;
O! be like him who on a time was sorie,
Because that whil'st he chanc'd to do no good,
There but one day had happened to expire:
He was the worlds delight, the heavens desire.

LXIII .

But as by mildnesse, some great states do gaine,
By lenity, some lose that which they have,
Englands sixth Henry could not live, and raigne,
But (being simple) did huge foils receive:
Brave Scipio's army mutini'd in Spayne ,
And (by his meeknesse bold) their charge did leave:
O! to the state it brings great profit oft,
To be sometimes severe, and never soft.

LXIV .

To guide his coursers warely through the skie,
Earst Phaebus did his phaeton require,
Since from the middle way if swarving by,
The heavens would burne, or th' earth would be on fire!
So doth 'twixt two extreames each vertue lye,
To which the purest sprits ought to aspire,
He lives most sure who no extreame doth touch,
Nought would too little be, nor yet too much.

LXV .

Some kings, whom all men did in hatred hold,
With avaritious thoughts whose breasts were torne,
Too basely given to feast their eyes with gold,
Us'd ill, and abject meanes, which brave minds scorne,
Such whil'st they onely seek (no vice controul'd)
How they may best their treasuries adorne:
Are (though like Craesus rich) whil'st wealth them blinds,
Yet still as poore as Irus in their mindes.

LXVI .

And some againe as foolish fancies move,
Who praise prepost'rous fondly do pursue,
Not liberall, no, but prodigall do prove;
Then whil'st their treasures they exhausted view,
With subsidies do lose their subjects love;
And spoyle whole realmes, though but t'enrich a few:
Whil'st with authority their pride they cloake,
Who ought to die by smoke for selling smoke.

LXVII .

But O! the prince most loath'd in every land,
Is one (all given to lust) who hardly can
Free from some great mishap a long time stand;
For all the world his deeds with hatred scan;
Should he who hath the honour to command
The noblest creature (great Gods image) man,
Be, to the vilest vice, the basest slave,
The bodies plague, souls death, and honours grave?

LXVIII .

That beastly monster who retyr'd a part,
Amongst his concubines began to spinne,
Took with the habite too a womans heart,
And ended that which Ninus did begin;
Faint hearted Xerxes who did gifts impart,
To them who could devise new wayes to sinne;
Though back'd with worlds of men, straight took the flight,
And had not courage but to see them fight.

LXIX .

Thus doth soft pleasure but abase the minde,
And making one to servile thoughts descend,
Doth make the body weake, the judgement blinde,
An hatefull life, an ignominious end,
Where those who did this raging tyrant binde,
With vertues chains, their triumphs to attend:
Have by that meanes a greater glory gain'd,
Then all the victories which they attain'd.

LXX .

The valorous Persian who not once but gaz'd
On faire Pantheas face to ease his toyls,
His glory, by that continency, rais'd
More than by Babylons , and Lydia's spoyls;
The Macedonian monarch was more prais'd,
Than for triumphing o're so many soils,
That of his greatest foe (though beauteous seene)
He chastly entertain'd the captiv'd queene.

LXXI .

Thus have still-gaz'd-at monarchs much adoe,
Who (all the worlds disorders to redresse),
Should shine like to the sunne, the which still, loe,
The more it mounts aloft, doth seeme the lesse,
They should with confidence go freely to,
And (trusting to their worth) their will expresse:
Not like French Lewis th' eleventh who did maintaine,
That who could not dissemble, could not raigne.

LXXII .

But still to guard their state the strongest barre,
And surest refuge in each dangerous storme,
Is to be found a gallant man of warre,
With heart that dare attempt, hands to performe,
Not that they venter should their state too farre,
And to each souldiers course their course conforme.
The skilfull pylots at the rudder sit:
Let others use their strength, and them their wit.

LXXIII .

In Mars his mysteries to gaine renowne,
It gives kings glory, and assures their place,
It breeds them a respect amongst their owne,
And makes their neighbours feare to lose their grace;
Still all those should, who love to keep their crowne,
In peace prepare for warre, in warre for peace:
For as all feare a prince who dare attempt,
The want of courage brings one in contempt.

LXXIV .

And, royall off-spring, who may'st high aspire,
As one to whom thy birth high hopes assign'd,
This well becomes the courage of thy syre,
Who traines thee up according to thy kinde;
He, though the world his prosp'rous raigne admire,
In which his subjects such a comfort finde:
Hath (if the bloudy art mov'd to imbrace)
That wit then to make warre, which now keeps peace.

LXXV .

And O! how this (deare prince) the people charmes,
Who flock about thee oft in ravish'd bands,
To see thee yong, yet manage so thine armes,
Have a mercuriall minde, and martiall hands,
This exercise thy tender courage warmes;
And still true greatnesse but by vertue stands:
Agesilaus said, no king could be
More great, unlesse more vertuous, than he.

LXXVI .

And though that all of thee great things expect,
Thou, as too little, mak'st their hopes asham'd;
As he who on Olympus did detect,
The famous Thebans foot, his body fram'd,
By thy beginnings so we may collect,
How great thy worth by time may be proclaim'd:
For who thy actions doth remarke, may see
That there be many Caesars within thee.

LXXVII .

Though every state by long experience findes,
That greatest blessings prosp'ring peace imparts,
As which all subjects to good order bindes,
Yet breeds this isle still populous in all parts,
Such vigorous bodies, and such restlesse mindes,
That they disdaine to use mechanick arts:
And, being haughty, cannot live in rest,
Yea, such, when idle, are a dangerous pest.

LXXVIII .

A prudent Roman told in some few houres,
To Romes estate what danger did redound
Then, when they raz'd the Carthaginian towres,
By which while as they stood, still meanes were found,
With others harmes to exercise their pow'rs,
The want whereof their greatnesse did confound;
For when no more with forraine foes imbroil'd,
Straight, by intestine warres, the state was spoyl'd.

LXXIX .

No, since this soile, which with great sprits abounds,
Can hardly nurce her nurcelings all in peace,
Then let us keep her bosome free from wounds,
And spend our fury in some forraine place:
There is no wall can limit now our bounds,
But all the world will need walls in short space;
To keep our troups from seizing on new thrones;
The marble chayre must passe the ocean once.

LXXX .

What fury o're my judgement doth prevaile?
Me thinkes I see all th' earth glance with our armes,
And groning Neptune charg'd with many a sayle;
I heare th' thundring trumpet sound th' alarmes,
Whilst all the neighbouring nations doe looke pale,
Such sudden feare each panting heart disarmes,
To see those martiall mindes together gone,
The lyon and the leopard in one.

LXXXI .

I ( Henry ) hope with this mine eyes to feed,
Whilst ere thou wear'st a crown, thou wear'st a shield;
And when thou (making thousands once to bleed,
That dare behold thy count'nance, and not yeeld)
Stirr'st through the bloudy dust a foaming steed,
An interested witnesse in the field
I may amongst those bands thy grace attend,
And be thy Homer when the warres do end.

LXXXII .

But stay, where fly'st thou (Muse) so far astray?
And whilst affection doth thy course command,
Dar'st thus above thy reach attempt a way
To court the heire of Albions war-like land,
Who gotten hath his generous thoughts to sway,
A royal gift out of a royall hand;
And hath before his eyes that type of worth,
That starre of state, that pole which guides the north.

LXXXIII .

Yet o're thy father, loe, (such is thy fate)
Thou hast this vantage which may profit thee,
An orphan'd infant, setled in his seat,
He greater than himselfe could never see,
Where thou may'st learne by him the art of state,
And by another what thy selfe should'st be,
Whilst that which he had onely but heard told,
In all his course thou practis'd may'st behold.

LXXXIV .

And this advantage long may'st thou retain,
By which to make thee blest, the heavens conspire;
And labour of his worth to make thy gaine,
To whose perfections thou may'st once aspire,
When as thou shew'st thy selfe, whilst thou do'st raigne,
A sonne held worthy of so great a syre;
And with his scepters, and the peoples hearts,
Do'st still inherit his heroicke parts.