Englands Parnassus: or the choysest flowers of our moderne poets, with their poeticall comparisons Descriptions of bewties, personages, castles, pallaces, mountaines, groues, seas, springs, riuers, &c. Whereunto are annexed other various discourses, both pleasaunt and profitable.

Of Tempests.

On Neptune war was made by Aeolus and his traine, who letting loose the vvinds, tost & tormented the ayre, So that on euery coast, men shipwracke did abide, Or els were swallowed vp in open sea with waues, And such as came to shore, were beaten with dispayre. Edm. Spen.

— VVithin a little season, The vvinde discouered his deceite and treason, First from the poope, it changed to the side, Then to the prore, at last it whirled round, Long in a place it neuer would abide, vvhich doth the Pilots wit and skill confound; The surging waues swell still in higher pride, Proteus white flocke, did more and more abound, And seem'd to them as many deaths to threaten,

As the shyps sides with diuers waues are beaten, Now in theyr face the winde, straight on theyr back, And forward this, and backward that it blowes, Then on the side it makes the shyp to crack, Among the Marriners confusion growes, The Maister doubts ruine and present wrack, For none his will, nor none his meaning knowes. To whistle, becken, cry, it nought auailes, Sometime to strike, sometime to turne theyr sailes, But none there was could heare, nor see, nor marke: Theyr eares so stopt, so dazeled were theyr eyes, vvith vveather so tempestuous, and so darke, And black thick clowdes, that with the storme did rise, From whence sometimes great ghastly flames did spark•• And thunder claps that seem'd to rent the skies; Which made them in a manner deafe and blind, That no man vnderstoode the Maisters minde: Nor lesse, nor much lesse fearefull is the sound The cruell tempest in the tackle makes, Yet each one for himselfe some busines found, And so some speciall office him betakes: One this vntide, another this fast bound, He the maine bowling now restraines, now slakes, Some take an oare, some at the pumpe take paine, And powre the sea, into the Sea againe. Behold a horrible and hideous blast, That Boreas from his frozen lips doth send, Doth backward force the saile against the mast, And makes the waues vnto the skies ascend, Then brake theyr oares and rudder eke at last, Nothing was left from tempest to defend.

So that the ship as swai'd now quite a-side, Vnto the vvaues laid ope her naked side, Then all a-side the staggering ship did reele, For one side quite beneath the water lay, And on the tother side the very keele, Aboue the water plaine discerne you may; Then thought they all hope past, & down they kneele, And vnto God to take their soules they pray; Worse danger grew then this, when this was past, By meanes the ship gan after leake so fast, The winde, the waues to them no respite gaue, But ready euery houre to ouer-throw them; Oft they were hoist so high vpon the waue, They thought the middle region was below them: Oft-times so low the sand their vessell draue, As though that Charon there his boat wold show them. Scant had they time, or power to fetch their breath, All things did threaten them so present death. S. I. Harr.

— An hoast of blacke and sable clouds Gan to ecclipse Lucinaes siluer face, And with a hurling noyse from forth the South, A gust of winde did raise the billowes vp, Then scantled we our sailes with speedy hands, And tooke our drablers from our bonners straine, And seuered our bonnets from our courses: Our top sailes vp we trusse, our sprite sailes in, But vainely striue they that resist the heauens, For loe the waues incense then more and more, Mounting with hideous rorings from the depth; Our Barke is battered by encountring stormes,

And welnie steemd by breaking of the clouds: The steeres-man pale, and carefull holds the helme, Wherein the trust of life and safety lay, Till all at once, a mortall tale to tell, Our sailes were split by Bisas bitter blast; Our middle broke, and we bereft of hope; There might you see with pale and ghastly lookes, The dead in thought, and dolefull Marchant lifts Their eyes and hands vnto their Country Gods, The goods we cast in bowels of the Sea, A sacrifice to swage proud Neptunes ire. D. Lodge.

Now Nerrus foames, and now the wrathfull waue, Tost and turmoild by angry Neptunes slaues, Doe mount and rowle, gainst Thetis heauen doth fight, And she (inrag'd) vsurpt on Rheas right, An ayre, black, sable, sad, ore-spread the skies, And reaues all light from wofull Saylers eyes: Or if some beames breake through their pitchy night, This naught, but lighning flashes full of fright. I. Syluester.

The Easterne winds driues on the roring traine Of white blew billowes, and the clouds againe With fresh seas crosse the seas, and she doth send In counter-change a raine with salty blend The heauens, doe seeme in Thetis lap to fall, The Sea-starre, skies, and God to arme this all: Against one ship that skips from starres to ground, From waue to waue (like windy ballances bound) The whilst the Pylot on a foamy mount, Thinks from the pole to see hells pit profound;

And then cast downe vnto the sandy shore, Seemes from low hell to see the lofty pole, And feeling foes within and eke without, As many waues so many deaths doth doubt: The Sea sharp-surging round about the ship, Vncaulks their keele, and doth her seames vmip, Whereby the waters entring vncontrold, Ebbing abroad, yet flow a-pace in hold, For euery ••un the plied pump doth free, A flood breakes in, the amazed maister hee, His cunning conquered by the perils plaines, Doubts what to say, or where to turne his raines, Which waue to meete, or which salt surge to flie, So yeelds his charge in sea to liue or die. Strike saile the Maister cries, strike saile amaine, Vaile misme, and sprite saile, but the winds constraine With boistrous blasts that beate vpon his face, His sea-shapt speech to fly before their chace: Of men dismay'd, the sad confused cries, Wroath Neptunes noyse, and bellowing winds likewise; Heauens thunder-claps, the tacklings whistling, (Strange Minstrells) doe dire dreadfull descant sing. Iosuah Syluester.

The day with cloud was suddaine ouer-cast, And angry Joue an hideous storme of raine, Did poure into his Lemmons lap so fast, That euery wight to shroud it did constraine. Ed. Spencer.

The ayre doth on the suddaine grow obscure, Lightened sometimes with lightnings dreadfull light,

And saue their houre-glasse, kept the reckning sure, Twas hard for to discerne the day from night; The desperate Marriners doe all indure As men inured to the waters spight; The heauens aboue, the waues beneath vs roare, Yet are they not dismai'd one whit therefore; One with a whistle, hang'd about his necke, Shewes by the sound which cord must be vndone, And straite the ship-boy ready at a becke, Vnto the tops with nimble sleight doth runne: The other Marriners vpon the decke; Or at the steere the comming vvaues doe shunne, And then by turnes they pump the water out, By paine and care preuenting euery doubt. S. I. Harrington,

The heauens on euery side inclosed be, Black stormes and foggs are blowen vp from farre, That now the Pilot can no Load-starre see, But skies and Seas doe make most dreadfull warre: The billowes striuing to the heauens to reach, And th'heauens striuing them for to impeach. R. Greene.