Book III

The Argument
Iuba from Scipio to his Kingdome goes.
Caesar escapes the ambush of the foes,
And till th' arriuall of his full supplies
Himselfe within Rhuspina fortifies.
Sage Cato's counsell to great Pompey's sonne.
Iuba's returne; the whole warre meets vpon
Vzzita's plaines, and is remou'd from thence
To Thapsus fatall fields: what dire ostents
Foregoe the battell; Caesar's victory.
To seuerall coasts the vanquish'd Princes flie.

NOw neere this mighty warre began to draw:
Those blood-stain'd swords, which dire Pharsalia saw,
With no lesse guilt in Libya meet againe,
To draw that little blood that did remaine
In Romes afflicted State: Why did you spare
It then, oh gods, to make a second warre?
Was it cause one, though ne're so great a blow,
The Roman Empire could not ouerthrow?
Or must moe lands behold her fall? moe grounds
Drinke in the blood of her vnnaturall wounds?
Or must this second warre declare to all
The State subsisted after Pompey's fall,
And once againe her freedome might haue seene
Had Caesar's warre alone 'gainst Pompey beene.
Rome now in Affrick is; those scorched grounds
That once her Conquest saw, now see her wounds.
Where once the Scipios with triumphant Fate
Aduanc'd her Eagles 'gainst a riuall State,
This Scipio now, in stead of barbarous foes,
In Romes behalfe 'gainst Romes Dictator goes.
But Fate a while, content with meaner play,
Respi•s the tryall of so great a day.
So many liues, as there resolu'd were met,
Must not be throwne into the hazard yet.
Nor must sad Thapsus giue the fatall blow
Of Juba's fall, and Scipio's ouerthrow,
Vntill Rhuspina, and Vzzita's walls
Haue felt the force of both the Generalls,
And other parts of Affrick haue beheld,
Some bloody Prologues to so great a held.
Fortune a while from helping Scipio,
Diuerts King Juba's strength, inforc'd to goe
With speedy marches to his Kingdomes aid;
Which Sittius now and Bocchus did inuade.
And Caesar's troops remaining on the shore
Of Sicily, himselfe had crossed ore
Into a land possessed by his foes,
With one weake new-fill'd legion; nor to those
That stay'd behinde, could he appoint the port
Where they should land, or whither to resort,
(As be in former warres had euer done)
Committing all to Fortunes rule alone.
So much on her protection he rely'd;
Nor had she euer fail'd his greatest need.
Could it not seeme to thine ambitious thought
Caesar, enough, that Fortune euer wrought
Th'accomplishment of all thy highest hopes
When ere in field inuiron'd with thy troops
Thou foughts against the greatest foes; but she
Without an army too, must succour thee?
And all thy rash aduentures rectifie?
Was not thy scape from Aegypts treachery,
Thy safe arriuall on Brundusiums shore;
(The stormy Seas so boldly ventur'd ore
From Greece by night) enough for her to doe?
How oft shall Fortune more her fauour show
From priuate dangers in protecting thee,
Than in bestowing th' earths sole Monarchy?
From Adrumetum, where in Garrison
Confidius lay, whose truth could not be won
From Scipio's side, does Caesar march away
With his small army, but in faire array.
Since now his highest hopes were not to get
The Towne, but thence in safetie to retreat.
Nor was that granted him; Confidius horse
With furious sallyes oft molest his course,
And vex his Armies rere: t' encounter those
Assaults, does Caesar in the rere dispose
The ablest men, and marching slowly on
Safe to Rhuspina brings his legion.
Nor did that act of warre, though seeming small,
But well become so great a Generall.
From thence remouing, Leptis him receiues,
In which a little Garrison he leaues,
And to Rhuspina marches backe againe;
That onely Towne in Affrick did remaine
A safe retreat for Caesar's feeble power:
Nor thither then, vnlesse a Conquerour,
Could he arriue; danger beset the way.
Pierce Labienus and Pacidius lay
In ambush there: in which, though timely spi'd,
Was Caesar's skill, and Fortune wholly tri'd.
He breakes with conquest through the aduerse troops,
Fortune but mocking Labienus hopes.
Who now with losse forsakes the field, and beares
To Adrumetum his hurt Souldiers.
Caesar returning with his little band
Vnto Rhuspina, takes a worke in hand
Of wondrous toile, (since now resolu'd no more
To march from thence, till on the Libyan shore
His legions all arriue; whom euery day
Chiding the Winds, and Fortune for their stay,
His eager thoughts expect) two trenches downe
To the Sea-shore he drawes, one from the Towne,
Another from his Campe; on either side
With sharpned stakes, and engines fortifi'd
So well, as that, without the Garrison
They might by land secure both Campe and Towne,
And make the shore betweene at his dispose:
But there inclos'd by his insulting foes
(For Scipio now with his great strength drew nigh)
He payes, in wants, for that securitie.
Nor can his men from out their Trenches goe
To fetch prouision in by land; the foe
Cuts off all passage there; and in disdaine
Of Caesar's weaknesse, on the spatious plaine
Scipio oft sets his Battells in array,
Who 'mong'st themselues in wanton skirmish play,
And exercise their Elephants, in sight
Of Caesar's trenches, and vnusuall fight
In Roman armies; those beasts ne're had beene
Till Pyrrhus warr'd with Rome, by Romans seene;
Nor ere in Triumph to the people showne,
Till the Dictator Curius had orethrowne
The Samnites, Sabines, and King Pyrrhus power:
The like Metellus Cretes fam'd Conquerour,
From his Sicilian Victory did bring,
And Pompey's Triumph ore Numidia's King.
Vncertaine aids in warre they euer proue,
And with like danger to both armies moue,
As well their owne annoying as the foes,
Fitter for other labours (sure) than those;
Nor, though their strength be wondrous, for that end
Did prudent Nature those great beasts intend.
The Nabathaean lands, where they are bred,
Are recompens'd with those rich teeth they shed.
Through all the world a wealthy merchandise,
Which on their deaths oft sets a greedy price.
But greater farre the Easterne countrey yeelds
Than those within the Mauritanian fields,
And farre more fierce; such as in India
Great Alexander's frighted Souldiers saw.
These mighty beasts, as they in bulke exceed
And passe in strength all other farre, that feed
On earths vast bosome, doe as farre excell
(If ancient authors haue obserued well)
In apprehension, and large faculties
Of soule; 'mongst beasts they onely exercise
Those qualities (or like to them) which we
In men stile vertues; perfect equitie
They keepe, and lawes of iustice haue in vse;
To which all morall vertues we reduce.
Nor are these creatures thought by some to be
Quite void of th' intellectuall facultie.
But that they can discerne and vnderstand
The language spoken in their natiue land;
And might discourse, if to so strange a wit
Nature had pleas'd to lend them organs fit:
Not speake as Crowes and Parrats oft haue done
By imitation of a sound alone.
If we so much to Elephants should giue,
Why should we call them creatures sensitiue?
We must extend the facultie of sense
To larger bounds; and put lesse difference
Twixt that and reason; or betwixt the two
Finde out a middle region to bestow
Their knowledge in; as to some things that liue
We place twixt sense and vegetation giue.
But in a higher kinde (as some relate)
Doe Elephants with men communicate.
(If you beleeue it) a religion
They haue, and monethly doe adore the Moone.
Beside the loftie Nabathaean wood
Of vast extent, Amylo's gentle flood
Gliding along the sandy mould combines:
Thither, as oft as wexing Cynthia shines
In her first borrowed light, from out the wood
Come all the Elephants, and in the flood
Washing themselues (as if to purifie)
They prostrate fall; and when religiously
They haue ador'd the Moone, returne againe
Into the woo is with ioy. Nor halfe so vaine
Is this deuotion which these beasts present,
As that which men more brutishly inuent;
Nor (as the mad Aegyptians vs'd) doe they
To Dogges and Snakes, and vilest creatures pray▪
Nor to the senselesse Leekes and Onyons bow,
Such gods as yearely in their Gardens grow;
Nor yet to wood or stone deuotion doe,
More senselesse than the stones they bow vnto;
A farre more glorious creature they adore.
Should this be true of Elephants; farre more
Wise in Religion are those beasts than men▪
But if that this a fiction be, why then
Did mens inuention faine a beast to be
Wiser, than are themselues, in Pietie?
While at Rhuspina both the Generalls
Encamped rest; in Vtica's strong walls
Cato remaines with Pompey's eldest sonne,
Whom thus sage Cato sharply sets vpon▪
Awake young man, and now in time redeeme
Thy youth from sloath-bred scorne; from disesteeme
Goe vindicate the name of Pompey now:
Goe trie all Kingdomes, search all Seas to know
How great thy father was; what fame he wonne,
How strong he leaues thee in thy name alone:
Trie if the Seas, which his braue hand did free
From Pyrates, can deny a fleet to thee.
That stocke of glory, which thy father won,
And left behinde for thee to spend vpon,
Armes thee with strength enough (though nought beside
So good a cause could lend) 'gainst Caesar's pride.
Goe trie the farthest West, sollicite Spaine;
The name of Pompey is enough to gaine
Those Nations to thy side: if nought at all
Thy groaning Countries suffrings, nor the fall
Of Roman libertie affect thy minde:
Although thou could'st endure a Lord, and finde
Content in seruing, yet the wrongs, which thou
Alone from Caesar suffrest, were enow
To rowze thy spirits, and stirre thine enmitie.
If thy great Father for Romes libertie
And Lawes alone fought in Pharsalia,
As great a Fortune did'st thou lose that day
As on a priuate Citizen could light:
But if thy Father for himselfe did fight;
Thy losse was more, and Caesar then from thee
By Conquest tooke the Worlds sole Monarchy.
But would'st thou know the true inheritance
Which he did dying leaue thee, to aduance
The name of Pompey; which may euer be
Thine owne, in spight of Caesar's enmitie,
Which honour bids thee claime, and Rome now needs?
The imitation of his noble deeds
Is thine inheritance: 'twas his braue Fate,
When great bad men had seiz'd th' afflicted State,
When Marius faction did the walls inuade,
And Rome it selfe a slaughter-house was made,
To saue his Countrey bleeding then, as now,
And not so much in debt to yeares as thou.
When he no honours yet, no titles had,
No power at all but what his vertue made,
He rais'd an army, rescu'd Italy.
By him did Carbo in Sicilia die;
By him did Spaine behold Sertorius fall:
And then in triumph to the Capitoll
He, but a Gentleman of Rome did bring
Hyempsal vanquish'd the Numidian King.
All this before he had attain'd vnto
Thy age, young Pompey, did thy father doe;
Which to his future greatnesse made the way:
And sleep'st thou here? What helpe in Affrica
Lend'st thou to Rome more than one priuate hand?
Goe gather forces in another land;
Repaire the ruines of thy house, or die
Great as thy birth has made thee. No reply
Young Pompey made at all; but, as if from
Some sacred Oracle the speech had come,
Or Romes owne voyce from Cato's brest had spoke,
His modesty obey'd, and straitway tooke
A long farewell, neuer to meet againe;
But finde a Tombe in Europe, and to Spaine
Carry as great a part of Romes sad wounds
As dire Thessalia's blood-distained grounds,
Or fatall Thapsus saw. Though destinie
Haue not allotted, braue young man, to thee
So great and long a race of happinesse
As to thy Father, yet thy fall no lesse
Than his shall be in weight, nor shall the field
Of fatall Munda to Pharsalia yeeld.
Caesar supply'd with strength from Sicily
Marches away, to take and fortifie
Those loftie Hills (in spight of enemies)
Which from the champian, neere Vzzita, rise:
Which Hills he takes and fortifies with ease:
Though Labienus vaine-lay'd ambushes
To their owne ruine did molest his way,
By Caesar's Scouts discouer'd where they lay
Too soone; and so by changed Fate, call'd on
In stead of his, their owne destruction.
So a Getulian Lion when beset
By weake-arm'd Hunters, whose vaine force doth whet
Not daunt his courage, with collected ire
Breakes through, and makes his wounded foes retire:
His seeming danger nought but anger moues,
And fatall onely to the Hunters proues.
Juba return'd and ioyn'd with Scipio,
With all their forces to Vzzita goe:
Now the whole warre was met; Vzzita's walls
Beheld the Campes of both Romes Generalls.
Thrice there did Scipio his whole strength display;
Thrice Caesar set his battells in array
Eager of fight; and thrice prouok'd his foe,
To triall of the day; but Scipio
Would not th' aduantage of the place forsake.
Nor did the Destinies intend to make
Vzzita guiltie of so great a staine,
Which did for Thapsus fat all fields remaine.
Whither, dislodging from his Campe by night
(When Scipio could not be prouok'd to fight)
With prosperous Omen, Caesar marches on:
There then Virgilius lay in Garrison,
Faithfull to Scipio and the Senates side,
The place by Nature strongly fortifi'd.
Scipio and Iuba follow, though the aire
Gaue sad presages of the future warre,
The Earth and Skies the like; his mourning face
The Sunne with clouds obscured: in whose place
Ruine portending Comets did display
Their blazing Lampes, and made a dismall day:
And lightning through th' vncertaine aire gaue light
More full of horrour than the shades of night.
The Thunders voyce was heard there where the aire
From clouds was free; and th' horrid noise of warre
From thence resounded: Helmes of Brasse did sweat,
Some Piles and Swords did melt; nor could they get
By strength their heauy Standards from the ground:
Which swarmes of Bees orespread; a hollow sound
Of Lions sadly murmuring was heard
About the Campe: the Mountaines all appear'd
To moue, which did about Vzzita stand.
And from the farthest part of Libyan land
The Mauritanian Atlas seem'd to shake
His skie-supporting top: Birds seem'd to take
Vnusuall flights; sad entrailes did appeare,
And fill'd the sacrificing Priests with feare:
Nor meane the gods, when these portents they show,
To teach fraile mortalls to preuent the woe,
But feare it onely. The vnhappie troops
To Thapsus march distraught twixt feares and hopes,
Where this great warre shall shortly finde an end,
On which so many ruines doe depend.
The Libyan Thapsus a Sea-bordering Towne,
An Ile almost by situation,
Is by that Sea, which Affrick doth diuide
From Sicily, enuiron'd at one side;
The other side a spatious fenne oreflowes,
Guarding that part from all approach of foes:
Betwixt the Sea, and that great fenne, doth stand
(The onely passage to the Towne by land)
A little Isthmos, which (although not wide)
A standing lake doth in the mid'st diuide,
And makes two narrow passages of one:
Within these straits, not farre from Thapsus Towne
Caesar is enter'd now with all his troops,
And with strong workes; and deepe-digg'd trenches stops
All meanes of sallies from the Towne, that might
Perchance infest his armies rere in fight.
Scipio encamp'd there where the Isthmos ends
Within the continent, with speed intends
To draw a trench downe to the shore, and so
Within that necke of land shut vp the foe:
But till the worke be perfected, to hide
What he intends, or battell to abide,
In faire array he marshalls all his bands:
Himselfe with his Italian legions stands
In the mid-battell; Iuba's legions
Mixt of so many seuerall Nations
Make the right battell; on the left doth stand
Stout Labienus with a warlike band
Of Gaules, which he had from Brundusium led,
And German troops, which from Pharsalia fled.
Old foes to Caesar: thither Varus brings
His Libyan cohorts: but before both wings
The mighty Elephants are plac'd, to fright
The foes first on-set; and by them the light
Numidian horse, and Mauritanian too:
Behinde the beasts the light-arm'd Souldiers goe,
His poison'd Quiuer the blacke Mibian beares,
The strong Mazacians their well-brandish'd Speares
Of aime as sure as Parthian Shafts; by these
With crooked Swords the Adyrmachides.
But seeing Caesar's army in array,
And now not likely to protract the day,
Thus Scipio speakes: True Romans, if a cause
So iust, so great, as to this battell drawes
Your farre-engaged hands, could need at all
Any incitements from a Generall,
The wrongs of Rome, the foes impietie
Afford too large, too sad a scope for me
To play the Oratour: and though the fall
Of our sad State and Lawes in generall
Should not affect your mindes; cast but an eye
Vpon those blood stain'd fields of Thessaly,
Thinke on Pharsalia's slaughter, and learne there
What each man suffers in particular,
Beside the publike losse: let euery ghost
Of friend or kinsman, that that day was lost,
(Yet vnreueng'd) excite your valour now:
On vs the gods and Fortune here bestow
A iuster cause than there, for Caesar's guilt
Was not so great before that blood was spilt;
Nor could that honour, Souldiers, haue beene gain'd
In Thessaly, that may be here obtain'd
By Caesar's fall; now his esteeme is more,
Although his strength no greater than before,
And we are bound to Fortune, who in this
On equall hazard sets a greater price.
Nor need you feare that she should now forsake
Her Romes defence, whom she has toil'd to make
Head of the World so long, because you saw
Caesar subdu'd Rome in Pharsalia.
The date of Pompey's fortune was expir'd,
His many triumphs, which her fauour tir'd,
So long had lasted, as it had beene thought
(Had Caesar fall'n when that great field was fought)
Not Romes, but Pompey's fortune had preuail'd:
And Rome then onely her long fauour fail'd,
As loth a priuate man should thinke her his,
And she depriu'd of publike sacrifice.
But thinke not, Romans, the rebellious Fate
Of one proud man shall still out-weigh the State:
Nor does the anger of the gods appeare
(If this good Omen we may trust) that here
On Affricks Sun-burnt face you meet the foe
Vnder the conduct of a Scipio.
I need not boast, what euery Nation knowes,
With what triumphant Fate the Scipio's
In Affrick haue aduanc'd Romes power and fame,
How well her Fortune pleas'd her in that name?
And what forbids vs hope the like, since we
As lawfully are armed here, and he,
Whom now our loyall valour copes withall,
As great a foe to Rome as Hannibal?
Into your hands the gods haue put their doome;
Nought but your vertue can restore to Rome
Her Lawes, and banish'd Citizens againe:
For banished are you, and must remaine
For euer so, vnlesse you conquer here:
He that would see his natiue land, his neere
And dearest pledges, by the Sword must now
Redeeme them all in Caesar's ouerthrow.
Their spirits were rowzed; and the Roman troops
Inflam'd with loue of fight, and fill'd with hopes;
No lesse did Iuba's barbarous Nations,
With rude and different acclamations
Desire a signall, and precipitate
With eagernesse their owne vnhappie Fate.
Caesar perceiuing that the gods gaue way
To his desire, and now the wish'd for day
Of fight was come, aduances, and thus cheeres
With confidence his forward Souldiers.
The time is come, braue Souldiers, that must crowne
And guerdon all the seruice you haue done,
That must conclude the labours of the Sword,
And (maugre enuy) to your heads afford
All those triumphant Bayes, which hitherto
Haue beene deferr'd, deseru'd so long agoe,
For conquer'd Gallia, Brittaine, Germany,
Treacherous Pharnaces, and false Ptolomey:
All these has Fortune but deferr'd till now,
To ioyne with them proud Iuba's ouerthrow
Great as the greatest; and this held, when done,
Confirmes, or loses all that we haue wonne:
But 'twere a crime to doubt it, since I see
Those lookes that neuer fail'd of victory.
Let you torne remnant of Pharsalia know
Their Conquerours. More would he say, when loe
From the right-wing, not staying his command,
The Trumpets sound a charge, and from their stand
(Although the Tribunes, and Centurions striue
To keepe them backe) the Souldiers rush to giue
The on-set straight; nor them in vaine to stay
Does Caesar striue, but giues their courage way:
As when two Charriots are prepar'd to run,
And one too hasty from the list is gone,
In vaine the Charrioter their course would stay,
Th' vngouern'd Horses hurry him away.
Then with a rage as great as if two Seas
(Some god remouing, for the Sailers ease,
The long Malaea) should each other meet,
Both hosts incounter, and begin the fight
With horrid showts, that all the Mountaines nigh
Resound aloud, and backe from Sicily
High Lilybaeum to the Libyan shore,
Returnes againe their eccho'd clamours ore,
As much afray'd to harbour but the sound,
Of such a warre within that quiet ground:
Their noise not that of Thracian Boreas
Among the Pines of Ossa, can surpasse,
Nor that which Nilus falling water makes
Precipitated downe the Cataracts,
When with his foame he seemes to laue the skie,
And strikes a deafenesse through the dwellers nigh▪
Mischiefe and fury rage; reuenge doth one
Excite, the other indignation:
That after Pompey's death the warre at all
Should laste, and finde another Generall.
Blood all th' adioyning fenne discolours ore,
And makes a flood, where ne're was flood before,
And from the moisture of so many wounds,
Combines the mould of Affricks thirsty grounds▪
Through both the hosts Enyo's blazing light
Like fatall lightning flashing flies t' excite
Their thoughts to fury; the Tartarian god
Set ope the vaults where Libyan ghosts abode,
And from th' infernall cauernes set them free
To view a while this fatall Tragedy.
And glut their dire reuenge with Roman blood:
Vpon the Mountaines gloomy tops they stood,
Blasting the day, and round about the hosts
Making a balefull ring; the cruell ghosts
Of Iugurth, Syphax, and Great Hannibal;
Who for their owne, and Carthages sad fall
Did then excuse the gods, when they beheld
The Roman fury in that mortall field.
Yet in Romes ruine Libya suffers too:
More wracke, alas, shall this sad battell doe
Than after-ages can repaire with ease.
More desolation now, more wildernesse
The wasted face of Affrick shall orespread,
And beasts possesse the seats of Nations dead:
Where feared Monarches once gaue Lawes to men
Shall Lions reigne, and Tygers make their dens;
The slimy Serpents all alone shall crawle,
And wanting men, shall be no plague at all.
Caesar foreseeing th'Elephants, that were
In front of Iuba's battell, would strike feare
Into his troops, doth such a cure prouide
As quite conuerts vpon the other side
The Fate that threatned his; to the right wing
His choicest bowes, and missile armes he brings,
And sets them, at faire distance, opposite
To th' Elephants; who there begin the fight
With such successe, as makes those beasts to be
The onely cause of Caesar's victory.
For gaull'd with shafts, confusedly they run
In spight of their distracted guides, vpon
Their owne vnhappie troops, to sudden rout
Putting all Iuba's quarter round about,
And bearing downe all that before them lay
To Caesar's conquest make a speedy way;
Their mighty strength, since now vngouerned,
Is by the hand of Fortune onely led,
And brings aduantage to that side alone,
Which she is pleased to bestow it on.
The Mauritanian, and Numidian Horse,
Which there were plac'd, by th' Elephants rude force
Orethrowne, were crush'd to death, or headlong downe
Into the trenches with their riders throwne,
Some few escaping by disorder'd flight:
The light-arm'd Souldiers mixt with these to fight
Reft of their shelter, now by heapes are slaine,
And to the foes a prey, no warre, remaine;
And tire (as standing not to fight but die)
With their bare throats the murdring enemie:
Nought there, alas, can weake Bamurians doe
With their fire-harden'd Darts; nought can the Bow
And poison'd Shafts the coale-blacke Mibian weares
Auaile their Master; vaine those brittle Speares
Are in the hands of light Autololes,
And crooked Swords of th' Adyrmachides:
The weake Cyniphians finde that skinnes of Goats,
Are too light armour to protect their throats;
When Brasse, and Iron no defence affords,
Against the force of the Caesarian Swords.
The purple field so great a slaughter strowes,
Blood from so many different people flowes,
That while King Juba takes a sad suruey
In how great breadth his Empires ruine lay,
No priuate deaths distinguishing at all,
He scarce can count how many Nations fall:
Nor does he thinke, his Campe, after so great
An ouerthrow, can be a safe retreat;
But leauing that to greedy enemies
A wealthy spoile, he with Petreius flies.
King Juba's Campe by the pursuing foe
Is soone possest, and the Caesarians know
Before their victory be fully done,
How great a prize their bloody toiles haue wonne.
But Fortune, where th' Italian legions fought,
And Scipio stood, had not so quickly wrought
Her Caesar's ends: there strength by strength repell'd,
And fury ioyn'd with equall fury, held
The ballance straight, whilst doubting victory
Seem'd, not, a while, resolued whose to be;
Or else deferr'd it onely to declare
That highest fury reignes in ciuill warre,
That countrey men in fight are cruell'st foes,
Or greatest courage from worst causes growes.
On equall hopes they both engaged were,
And in no quarter of the warre but here,
Did it at all into a question come
What should be Romes estate, or Caesar's doome.
Nor was the question here determined,
Till with his Libyan cohorts Varus fled,
And Labienus too, when he beheld
His slaughter'd Gaules, and Germans strow the field,
Reseru'd a while by Destinies to see
Another ruine great as this, to be
A bleeding part of Romes third mortall wound;
And lie enterr'd in Munda's fatall ground:
As long meant Fortune to prolong their fall
As Rome with Caesar could contend at all.
Scipio perceiues his army ouerthrowne,
And now the losse irreparable growne:
Horror distracts his thoughts; what should he doe▪
Suruiue this battell? and not rather goe
Vpon the Swords, and there in height of all
His honour die as Romes chiefe Generall,
And by the ruine of so great a name
Enoble Caesar's conquest? Or giue fame
To Thapsus fatall field? For what has Fate
Power to bestow on such a wretched State,
That can at all his minde to liue inuite?
With this resolue in fury of the fight
Had Scipio dy'd; but flattring hope withheld
(Euen such as from Pharsalia's mortall field,
Made Pompey flie to meet a sadder Fate)
His eager soule, that the afflicted State
Though seeming dead, after this fatall hower,
Might once more struggle against Caesar's power:
Then mounted on a Libyan Steed he flies;
And ore the field his routed companies,
Mixt with the Horsemen take disordred flight;
Some legions hoping to retire from fight
To Juba's Campe, and it to fortifie,
And finding that seiz'd by the enemie,
After the vsuall manner, casting downe
Their armes, they tender a submission.
But all in vaine; no safetie at the hands
Of the enrag'd, and fierce Caesarians,
(Oh shame of warre!) could their submission get,
Although that Caesar did himselfe intreat,
Grieuing that in his power it lay not then,
To saue from death his wretched countrey men▪
And by his speech and actions did declare,
That he was then no part of ciuill warre.
He cries aloud, Oh spare the yeelding foe,
They are no longer foes, but Romans now:
You more than lose your valour, and to me
Doe purchase enuy here, not victory:
They, that in conquest of so many lands
Nere disobey'd his most seuere commands,
Nor ere refus'd what he would put them too,
In this alone their disobedience show
Now his commands are good: all ore the plaine
Are Scipio's Souldiers miserably slaine,
That, to this Tragedy compared, light
Were all the slaughters of the former fight.
And now the mourning fields with slaughter strow'd
And couer'd ore with horrid ruine, show'd
A full and perfect conquest was obtain'd
That for the sword no farther worke remain'd;
When Caesar master of his highest hopes,
From the pursuit calls backe his weary troops,
And recompences, with the wealthy spoiles
Of Kings and Nations, their successefull toiles.