Book III, Chapter 18

AVgustus quayling Anthonie was Emperour alōe:
In whose vn-focd Monarchie our cōmon health was knowne.
The Brooser of the Serpents head, the Womans promisd Seede,
The Second in the Trinitie, the Foode our soules to feede,
The Vine, the Light, the Doore, the Way, the Shepheard of vs al:
Whose Manhood ioynd to Deitie did Raunsome vs from thrall,
That was, and is, and euermore will be the same to his,
That sleepes to none that wake to him, that turns our Cursse to blisse,
Whom, yet vnseene, the Patriarkes saw, the Prophets haue foretold,
Th'apossles preacht, the Saints adore, and Martyres doe behold,
The same (Augustus Emperour) in Palestine was borne,
Amongst his owne, and yeat his owne did crosse their Blisse in skorne:
Bi-formed Ianus then in Mewe: so would this Prince of Peace,
That Caesars Edict euerie wheare should Mars his enuie ceace.

THen raigned here King Cymbelyn, King Theomantius sonne:
Next him Guiderius, that with-held the Tribute Caesar wonne.
The Romaines that, in our respect, neglected Misia, Spaine,
Armenia, France, and Siria, then Recusants of their Raine,
Not by their Captaines, but himselfe the Emperour of Rome,
Into relapsed Brutaine with imperiall Ensignes come.
Then hotter than the Punike Warres to Romaines did begin:
And Claudius looseth valiantlie all that the Brutons win,
But Romish Hamo, from whose death Southhampton had that name,
In Brittish Armes salutes the King, and slewe by guile the same.
Duke Aruiragus vsing then the Armor of the King,
Maintained fight, and wonne the field ere Brutons knewe the thing.

This hardie Knight, his Brother slaine, was Crowned in his place:
And with his winnings, also wonne the Emperour to grace:
Who sending for his daughter, faire Genissa, so did ende
The Warres in Wedding: and away did Claudius Caesar wende.
But Aruiragus after this reuolted, and to stay
The hauocke made of Romaines here came succors euery day.
His Queene Genissa childing died, when his Reuolt she knew:
And Voada, deuorsed late, became his Queene of new.
Then he that at Ierusalem the fatall siege begonne,
Was sent from Rome, and warring here, the wonted Tribute wonne:
And through his gentle Victorie, bound Aruiragus still
A friend to Caesar, whome the King adopted heire by will.

I here omit the dismall Warre in Isle of Mona made
Against the Romaines, whome the Priests the Druides inuade
With banning words, and women, with their haire vntrussed, stand
With brands of fire in furious wise about their desperat Band.
The King deceased, Voada and her two daughters, they
Abused by the Romaine Lords, doe hotter warres assay.

THe noble Scot King Corbred he confedrates with the King
of Pichts: and they and Brittish Peeres to field their Armies bring
To aide the Queene of Brutes, that like the Amazonian Dame
That beating downe the bloodie Greekes in Priams succour came,
Had pight her Iauelin at her feete, when entred in among
The fearce confedrates, thus she spake amidst the silent throng:

My state and sex, not hand or heart, most valiant friends, with-hild
Me, wretched Cause of your repaire by wicked Romans ild,
From that reuenge which I do wish, and ye haue cause to worke:
In which suppose not Vo[…]da in female feares to lurke.
For Loe my selfe, vnlike my selfe, and these same Ladies faire
In Armor, not to shrinke an ynch wheare hottest doings are.
Euen we do dare to bid the Base, and you your selues shall see
Your selues to come behind in Armes: the Romaines too that bee
Such Conquerors, and valiantly can womankind oppresse,
Shall know that Brittish women can the Romish wrongs redresse.
Then Arme ye with like courages as Ladies shall present,
Whom ye, nor wounds, nor death, the praise of Onset shall preuent.
Nor enuie that our Martiall rage exceeds your manly ire,
For by how much more we endure, so much more we desire
Reuenge on those in whose default we are vnhallowed thus,
Whilst they forget themselues for men, or to be borne of vs.
Ye yeeld them Tribute, and from vs their Legions haue their pay:
Thus were too much, but more then thus the haughtie Tirants sway.
That I am Queene from being wrong'd doth nothing me protect:
Their Rapes against my daughters both I also might obiect:
They maydes deflower, they wiues enforce, and vse their wils in all,
And yeat wee liue deferring fight, inferring so our fall.
But valiant Brutons, ventrous Scots, and warlike Pichts I erre,
Exhorting, whom I should dehort your fiearcenes to deferre.
Lesse courage more considerate would make your foes to quake:
My heart hath ioy'd to see your hands the Romaine Standards take,
But when as force and Fortune faild, that you with teeth should fight,
And in the faces of their Foes your women in despight
Should fling their sucking Babes, I hild such valiantnes but vaine:
Inforced flight is no disgrace, such Flyers fight againe.
Here are ye, Scots, that with the King my valiant brother dead
The Latines, wondring at your prowes, through Rome in triumph lead.
Ye Mars-stard Pichtes of Scythian breed are here Colleagues: & more,
Ye Dardane Brutes, last named, but in valour meant before:
I[…] your conduct, most knightly friends, I superseade the rest:
Ye come to fight, and we in fight to hope and helpe our best.

Scarce did this braue Bellona end, when as the Battailes ioyne,
And life and death was bought & sould with courage, not with coine.
Aboue the rest the Queen of Brutes through blood did cut her way,
Sixe thousand Ladies Lyons-like exployting like Afray:
Till Cattus with his Romaine Armes, subdewed, fled away.
Of Romains seuentie thousand died, of Brutons then were slaine
Twise fifteene thousand, and the rest their ceased freedome gaine.

When valiant Plancius, President in Gallia, heard such newes,
He waffes an Armie out of Fraunce, and Voada pursues.
The Albines[…]s to aid the Queene assemble at her call,
And then began a second Warre, nor was the slaughter small.
The Brutons, barring flight, had clos'd themselues with waines about,
In which the awles women stood suruaying who was stout,
Controuling Cowards, and among did fill the aire with dinne:
But, valiant though the Brutones were, the day the Romaines winne.
In vaine the furious women then on Sonnes and Husbands call,
Themselues with Sonnes and Husbands did by aduerse weapons fall.
Queene Voada past helpe, and hope, betooke her selfe to flight:
Till looking backe, vnfollowed then, and hauing in her fight
The senseles Tronkes of slaughtred friends, shee leaning on her Lance
Did power forth teares, and grew at length impacient of the chance,
And said: my selfe, my trustie friends, wil with my dearest blood
Keepe Obite to your happie Ghostes, that for your Countries good
Be as you be, and I will be: no Romaine sword shall boast
Of my dispatch. So on her Lance she yeelded vp the Ghoste.

Her Daughter then, for to reuenge her friends vpon her foes,
Assisted by the vanquished against the Victors roes,
And slaughtring through the Romaine Tentes the braue Virago goes,
Till Plancius, euer prouident of perils, brought supplies,
What time Vodicia, vrging wounds, with constant courage dies.

SVch busines hanging, Lucius, here the first baptized King,
Died issulesse: and for the Crowne did long contention spring.
At length Constantius Caesar (for the Brutons yeelded so)
Did Helin, Colis daughter wed. Of her doe praises go
For finding of the holie Crosse: and for deuotion rare.
From these proceeded Constantine, the most vndoubted heire
Both to the Romaine Monarchie and this his Parents Reame.
He turn'd the Empires ebbing pompe into her flowing streame,
And was a Prince Religious: yeat (with reuerence be it said)
If lesse religious, then not he the Empire had decaide,
By largesse to a pompeous Priest, Apostolique ere then,
But now intruding euen on God, insulting ouer men.
Nor sparest thou his natiue Realme that seazed thee of Rome.
Admit his franknesse were a fault (as is their common doome,
That say he made a Paule a Saule that made a Priest a Prince,
And in that grace the Empires grace disgraced euer since)
Find thou no fault with such a fault wherby he fitted thee:
But, if thou wilt vngrateful prooue, vngracious cease to be,
A Traytors Tutor is a. K. nor force we such a. T.
Let such a Prelate blesse or banne, with Candle, Booke and Bell,
He cannot raise himselfe to heauen, nor rid a knaue from hell.
Vaine are his Bulles engendring Calues, sent hither from his Stals,
To feede (mad Sots) the Foule that by his name the Sendor cals.

Nor thinke he dreamed this in vaine that dreamed thus of late:
One seemed to haue passed Stix, and entring Plutos gate,
Saw Hecat new canonized the Sourantisse of hell,
And Pluto bad it holliday for all which theare did dwell.
Sterne Minos and grimme Radimant descend their duskie roomes:
The Docke was also cleare of Ghosts, adiorn'd to after-doomes:
The Furies and the deadly Sinnes, with their inuectiue Scroles
Depart the Barre: the Feends rake vp their euer-burning Coles:
The Elues, and Fairies, taking fists, did hop a merrie Round:
And Cerberus had lap enough: and Charon leasure found:
The airy Sprights the walking Flames, and Goblins great and small,
Had theare good cheere, and company, and sport the diuell and all:
To Tantalus the shrinking flood, nor starting fruit were such:
Nor Titius his bowels did the hungrie Vultur touch:
Vpon his Stone sat Cisaphus: Ixeon on his Wheele:
The Belides vpon their Tubs: no wonted toile they feele.
Till, in this anticke Festiuall, these last recited fiue
Of dignities for dueties theare they earnestly did striue:
And then the quarrell grew so hot that hell was hell againe,
And flocking Ghosts did seuerally their Fauctors part maintaine.
With Cisaphus tooke part the Ghosts of minds that did aspire,
And by ambitious climing fell, desarts vnlike desire.
With Tantalus hild starued Ghosts, whose pleasure was their paine,
Whose euer Hords had neuer vse, and gettings had no gaine.
To Besides assisted Soules of Vnthrifts, whose supplies
Did passe from them as Sea through Cieues, whose wastes no wealthes suffise.
Vnto Ixeon stood their Sprights that had their lusts for law,
Rebellants to a common good, and sinning without awe.
To Titius lastly ioyned Ghosts, whose hearts did emptie hate
As Todes their poyson, growing when it seemeth to abate.
About flie Apples, Stones, and Tubs, the wheele was tumbled downe,
The Vultur girds, no Ghoste but had at least a broken crowne.

This skufling and confedracie in hell made such a reare,
That (wontles of such braules and blowes) Proserpine did feare.
But Pluto, laughing, told his Bride to Ela it was Fa,
To morrowes dinne should prooue that same to be a ciuill day:
In peace these were their practises on earth, and here in hell
(Saue that their Soules haue neuer peace) we finde them as they fell.
They worke to me, each of these fiue, though dailie count I aske,
Doe newlie number Million Soules, whose torments is their taske.
The Queene of such, not free of fear, replied thus againe,
And yeat, me thinks, that Pluto should haue pittie on their paine.

He lowers, and Feast with Fray had end, and drinke did euery soule
Of Lethe: who, their ioyes forgot, euen yet in torments houle:
Nay Pluto must be Pluto still, and so I will (quoth he,)
For this same onely day the Ghosts indebted are to thee:
For as the like shall neuer come, so neuer like befell,
But henceforth all, yea Prince, and Pope, shall euer find it hell.
So dreamed one: but ouer-long on fantazies I dwell.