The remains of Sir Fulk Grevill Lord Brooke being poems of monarchy and religion : never before printed.

DECLINATION OF MONARCHY. To Violence. SECT. II.

46.

NOw though the World on the Excentricks be Fashion'd to move, and ballance her own weight, Not much enclining to obliquity, Yet is her Ruler Man, through self-conceit, Violence of Pride, fate of corruption, Apt to give all her best works interruption.

47.

For since Religions name, not Nature, came To Rule, those ancient forming pow'rs gave place, The stile of Conscience over-weighing Fame, And Reason yielding up her Soveraign Mace Unto those lively Pictures which produce Unactive apparitions of no use.

48.

Which Change straight wrought, but was not straight-ways found, Pow'r was so veil'd with formal laws and baits Under which still the infinite lay bound And Man bewitcht with wits confufed sleights, To make pow'rs Throne the Idol of his heart Transforming Zeal and Nature into Art.

49.

So that without the guide of Cloud or Fire, Man since sails fatal straights of hope and fear, In Ebbs and Flouds of travelling desires, Where what we have to us is never dear Pow'r making men vainly, by off'ring more, Hope to redeem that state they had before.

50.

Hence falls it out that silly people loose Still by these thin webs of Authority. Which they that spin, yet therefore cannot use, Because these threds no more inherent be within themselves, but so transcrib'd to Crowns As they raise Pow'r by pulling freedom down.

51.

Thus by a credulous obedience, Mankind gave Might a ground to build up more, Cooling and kindling his desire with sence, Even of such things as were his own before, Disease and Error meeting both in this That many follow where one rooted is.

52.

For thus imbas'd, we since want pow'r to tie Others to us, or us unto our own; Our many passions serve to bind us by, And our distractions keep our strengths unknown, One holding that which others give away; The Base, whereon all Tyranny doth stay.

53.

Hence came these false Monarchal Councils in, And instruments of Tyrants States apart, Which to their private from the publick win, While Man becomes the Matter, Pow'r the Art; Making obedience too indefinite As taxt with all the vanities of Might.

54.

The Tenure chang'd, Nature straight chang'd the use For all the active spirits follow Might; Ignorance baseness; Negligence abuse; Inconstancy disunion, oversight, By Crowns to people so intail'd are they As no subjection can put these away.

55.

Whence neither makers now, nor Members held Men are, but Blanks, where Pow'r doth write her Lust A spriteless Mass, which, for it cannot weld It self, at others pleasure languish must; Resolve to suffer, and let pow'r do all Weakness in Men, in Children natural.

56.

From which Cras'd womb of frailty was brought forth, A Giant Creature in excess of Might, To work in all with every pow'r but worth, Who to be sure, that never shall have right, Takes not God as he is, but makes him new Like to his ends, large, narrow, false, or true

57.

Religion, Honour, Natures Laws and Nations All moulds derived from that gift transcendent, These Monsters stampt, or gave disestimation As they did find them theirs or undependent; Left nothing certain here on earth but Will, And that yet never constant, for tis ill.

58.

Instance proud Mahomet when he propos'd The Empire of this world to his ambition, Under Gods name were not his acts dispos'd To change Mans faith and freedom of condition? The sacred Dove whisp'ring into his Ear That what his Will impos'd, the World must fear.

59.

Unto Cambyses all his sages vow'd That in their reading they of no Law wist Which Marriage with his Sister had allow'd, But that their Monarch might do what he list; Licet si libet, and what be these other Then hellish words of Caracalla's Mother.

60.

And doth not our great Capitolian Lord Use the same compass in each course he steers? Are not those Acts which all Estates discord, As Kings assasinate, mutiny of Peers Stirr d up by him under pretence Divine, To force those Scepters he cannot encline?

61.

Nay, hath he not a higher pitch attain'd, A more compendious power of perswasion? Having, since Phoebus and Cybele Raign'd, Made himself, such a Trypode by occasion, As may not be examin'd, or withstood, But with a Godhead equally made good.

62.

Which Errors (like the Hectick Feavers) be Easie to cure, while they are hard to know; But when they once obtain Supremacy, Then easily seen; but hard to overthrow: So that where Pow'r prevents not this excess, Miters grow great, by making Scepters less.

63.

Therefore did these proud Tyrants live awake, Careful to Cancel all inferior Rights, And in Creations still keep pow'r to make, To fit each Instruments and fashion Spirits, That as the Head Ideas rule the Heart, So pow'r might print her Will in every part,

64.

For active Rulers seldom fail of means, Occasion, Colour, and Advantage too, To bind by Force, by Wit, by Customes chains, And make th' oppessed souls content to woe: Fear suffering much, for fear to suffer more, As still by smart made greater then before.

65.

Knowing that Men alike touch't never were, That divers sence works diversly in woe, The nimblest Wits being still kept down by fear; Dull wits not feeling neighbors overthrow; The wise mistrust the weak, and strive to bear, Thrones being strong, because men think them so: Yet mark at length how Error runs in rounds, And ever what it raiseth up confounds.

66.

For when this pow'r transcendent grows secure Flattering it self that all is made for one, Then Will, which nothing but it self endure And Pow'r that thinks it stands and works alone, With an unsatiate pride and wanton ease Surfets it self with other mens disease.

67.

Hence Laws grow tedious, and the very names Of God and Truth, whose Natures died before A heavy burthen to these racking Frames, That with a word would wrest up all and more; Assemblies of Estate disparagements be, Taxe, Custome, Fear, and Labor onely free.

68.

Hence Thrones grew Idols, Man their Sacrifice, And from the Earth as to the Sun above Tributes of Dew and exhalations rise; So humane Nature yields up all but Love, Having this strange transcendency of Might, As Child of no mean vice, but Infinite.

6

Whereby these strengths which did before concurre To build, invent, examine, and conclude, Now turn disease, bring question and demur, Oppose, dissolve, prevaricate, delude, And with opinions give the State unwrest To make the new still undermine the best.

70.

Caesar was slain by those that objects were Of Grace, and Engines of his Tyranny, Brutus and Cassius work shall witness bear, Even to the Comfort of posterity, That proud aspirers never had good end; Nor yet excess of Might a constant friend.

71.

So that although this Tyrant usurpation Stood peaz'd by humours from a present fall; Thoughts being all forc't up to adoration Of wit and pow'r (which such Thrones work withal) Yet both the Head and Members finite are And must still by their miscreating marre.

72.

The nature of all over-acting might, Being to stirre offence in each Estate, And from the deep impressions of despight Enflame those restless instruments of Fate, Which as no friends of Duty, or Devotion Easily stirre up Incursion, or Commotion.

73.

Occasion for a forreign Enemy, Or such Competitors as do pretend By any stile, or popularity, Faction or Sect, all whose endeavors tend To shake the Realm, or by assasinate, Into the People to let fall the State

74.

In which excess of Tyrants violence, If Nero lack a foreign Enemy Nero from Vindex shall receive offence, Safe from his guard Caligula shall not be; Or if these Tyrants find none worse then they. Otho shall help to make himself away.

75.

But grant the World slept in her misery, Yet greedy Time, that good and ill devours, To cross this head-long course of Tyranny, Takes from the Throne these ancient daring pow'rs; And by succession of mans discontent, Carries mischance upon misgovernment.

76.

Wherein observe the wit of former days, Which feign'd their Gods themselves (oft to prevent Pow'rs inclination to oppressing ways) Came down and give offences punishment; Lest Man should think, above mortality Against injustice there were no decree.

77.

For proof, when with Lycaon's Tyranny Men durst not deal, then did Jove to reform Descend, and savage natur'd cruelty Fitly into the greedy wolf transform; So was that Tyrant Tereus nasty Lust Chang'd into Upupa's foul feeding dust.

78.

Hence was Megaera, and her Sisters tied By God to attend the crys of Mens oppressions; Whether Orestes were for Parricide To be distracted with his own impressions; Or Pentheus for his proud blaspheming scorn In many pieces by his Mother torn.

79.

Thus as we see these guides of humane kind Chang'd from Gods, and Fathers to oppressors; So we see Tyrannie's excess of mind Against her own Estate become transgressor; And either by her subjects craft betraid Slain by themselves, or by Gods Judgement swayd.