The tenth muse lately sprung up in America or severall poems, compiled with great variety of vvit and learning, full of delight. Wherein especially is contained a compleat discourse and description of the four elements, constitutions, ages of man, seasons of the year. Together with an exact epitomie of the four monarchies, viz. The Assyrian, Persian, Grecian, Roman. Also a dialogue between Old England and New, concerning the late troubles. With divers other pleasant and serious poems. By a gentlewoman in those parts.
Bradstreet, Anne, 1612?-1672.
In honour of that High and Mighty Princess, Queen ELIZABETH, of most happy memory.
The Proem.
ALthough great Queen, thou now in silence lye,
Yet thy loud Herauld Fame, doth to the sky
Thy wondrous worth proclaime, in every clime,
And so has vow'd, whilst there is world, or time;
Page 200So great's thy glory, and thine excellence,
The sound thereof raps every humane sence;
That men account it no impiety,
To say, thou wert a fleshly Deity:
Thousands bring off'rings, (though out of date)
Thy world of honours to accumulate,
Mongst hundred Hecatombs of roaring Verse,
'Mine bleating stands before thy royall Herse:
Thou never didst, nor canst thou now disdaine,
T' accept the tribute of a loyall Braine;
Thy clemency did yerst esteeme as much
The acclamations of the poore, as rich;
Which makes me deeme, my rudenesse is no wrong,
Though I resound thy greatnesse 'mongst the throng.
The Poem.
NO Phoenix Pen, nor Spencers Poetry,
No Speeds, nor Chamdens learned History;
Eliza's works, wars, praise, can e're compact,
The World's the Theater where she did act;
No memories, nor volumes can containe,
The nine Olimp'ades of her happy reigne;
Who was so good, so just, so learn'd, so wise,
From all the Kings on earth she won the prize;
Nor say I more then duly is her due,
Millions will restifie that th•s is true;
She hath wip'd off th' aspersion of her Sex,
That women wisdome lack to play the R•x;
Spaines Monarch sa's not so; nor yet his H••st,
She taught them better manners to their cost.
Page 201The Salique Law had not in force now been,
If France had ever hop'd for such a Queen;
But can you Doctors now this point dispute,
She's argument enough to make you mute;
Since first the Sun did run, his ne'r •unn'd race,
And earth had twice a yeare, a new old face:
Sin•e time was time, and man unmanly man,
Come shew me such a Phoenix if you can;
Was ever people better rul'd then hers?
Was ever Land more happy, freed from stirs?
Did ever wealth in England so abound?
Her Victories in forraigne Coasts resound?
Ships more invincible then Spaines, her foe
She ract, she sackt, she sunk his Armadoe;
Her stately Troops advanc'd to Lisbons wall,
Don Anthony in's right for to install;
She frankly help'd Franks (brave) distressed King,
The States united now her fame doe sing;
She their Protectrix was, they well doe know,
Unto our dread Virago, what they owe:
Her Nobles sacrisic'd their noble blood,
Nor men, nor coyne she spa•'d, to doe them good;
The rude untamed Irish she did quell,
And Tiron bound, before her picture fell.
Had ever Prince such Counsellors as she?
Her selfe Minerva, caus'd them so to be;
Such Souldiers, and such Captaines never seen,
As were the subjects of our (Pallas) Queen:
Her Sea-men through all straights the world did round,
Terra incognitae might know her sound;
Her Drake came laded home with Spanish gold,
Her Essex took Cades, their Herculean hold:
Page 202But time would faile me, so my wit would to,
To tell of halfe she did, or she could doe;
Semiramis to her is but obscure,
More infamie then fame she did procure;
She plac'd her glory but on Babels walls,
Worlds wonder for a time, but yet it falls;
Feirce Tomris (Cirus Heads-man, Sythians Queen)
Had put her Harnesse off, had she but seen
Our Amazon•' th' Camp at Tilberry:
(Judging all valour, and all Majesty)
Within that Princesse to have residence,
And prostrate yeelded to her Excellence:
Dido first Foundresse of proud Carthage walls,
(Who living consummates her Funerals)
A great Eliza, but compar'd with ours,
How vanisheth her glory, wealth, and powers;
Proud profuse Cleopalra, whose wrong name,
Instead of glory prov'd her Countries shame:
Of her what worth in Story's to be seen,
But that she was a rich Aegyptian Queen;
Zenobia, potent Empresse of the East,
And of all these without compare the best;
(Whom none but great Au•clius could quell)
Yet for our Queen is no sit parallel:
She was a Phoenix Queen, so shall she be,
Her ashes not reviv'd more Phoenix she;
Her personall perfections, who would tell,
Must dip his Pen i'th' Heliconian Well;
Which I may not, my pride doth but aspire,
To read what others write, and then admire.
Now say, have women worth, or have they none?
Or had they some, but with our Queen ist gone?
Page 203Nay Masculines, you have thus tax'd us long,
But she though dead, will vindicate our wrong.
Let such, as say our sex is void of reason,
Know 'tis a slander now, but once was treason.
But happy England, which had such a Queen,
O happy, happy, had those dayes still been,
But happinesse, lies in a higher sphere,
Then wonder not, Eliza moves not here.
Full fraught with honour, riches, and with dayes:
She set, she set, like Titan in his rayes,
No more shall rise or set such glorious Sun,
Untill the heavens great revolution:
If then new things, their old form must retain,
Eliza shall rule Albian once again.
Her Epitaph.
Here sleeps THE Queen, this is the reyall bed
O'th' Damask Rose, sprung from the white and red,
Whose sweet perfume fills the all-filling aire,
This Rose is withered, once so lovely faire,
On neither tree did grow such Rose before,
The greater was our gain, our losse the more.
Another.
Here lies the pride of Queens, pattern of Kings,
So blaze it fame, here's feathers for thy wings,
Here lies the envy'd, yet unparralell'd Prince,
Whose living vertues speak (though dead long since)
If many worlds, as that fantastick framed,
In every one, be ber great glory famed.
