The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw Volume II Part 63

Yet foaming with dire rage he does not stand, Nor with hot hoof go thundering o'er the land.

Our horse's patience is a wond'rous sight!

O, say, what horse before endur'd such wight?

Old Pegasus, despising mortal sway, Bellerophon's strong hand disdain'd to obey: And yet with no such rage swells this our horse; Quiet he stands, and holds his wonted course.

Nay, though he bore such shame from thee that day, Again he bore thee--in a better way!

Then to thy shoulders fitly pa.s.s'd the blush, Which to thy countenance refus'd to rush.

His mother furious raves and wildly splutters A thousand spites, and of the law-courts mutters.

Peace, woman! or the law-courts thou wilt awe; Thou dost not leave its own voice to the Law.

O fractious eddies of the brandish'd tongue, Such words as in no law-court ever rung.

Thy very lawyers from thy thunders hide: Lo, they forget to speak, as stupefied.

Thus, thus, foul boy, thy fouled horse's hide By wrangling law-court's tedious strife is plied.

While Justice, summon'd to a cause so vile, Views the rank strife obscene with scornful smile.

Whatever judge such nasty action tries, See that he blow his nose well, I advise.

But why wouldst thou, cruel, tyrannic boy, With thy insulting weight that horse annoy?

That sacred steed, will it, then, from thee flee?-- 'Twill not turn tail, but lend its back to thee! R. WI.

AD LIBRUM

SUPER HAC RE AB IPSO LUDI MAGISTRO EDITUM, QUI DICITUR 'PRISCIa.n.u.s VERBERANS ET VAPULANS.'

Sordes o tibi gratulamur istas, O Musa aurea, blanda, delicata; O Musa, o tibi candidas, suoque Jam nec nomine, jam nec ore notas: Sacro carmine quippe delinitae Se nunc, o bene nesciunt, novaque Mirantur facie novum nitorem.

Ipsas tu facis o nitere sordes.

Sordes o tibi gratulamur ipsas.

Si non hic natibus procax malignis Foedo fulmine turpis intona.s.set, Unde insurgeret haec querela vindex, Docto et murmure carminis severi Dulces fort.i.ter aggregaret iras?

Ipsae o te faciunt nitere sordes: Sordes o tibi gratulamur ipsas.

Quam pulchre tua migrat Hippocrene!

Turpi quam bene degener parenti!

Foedi filia tam serena fontis.

Has de stercore quis putaret undas?

Sic o lactea surge, Musa, surge; Surge inter medias serena sordes.

Spumis qualiter in suis Dione, c.u.m prompsit latus aureum, atque primas Ortu purpureo movebat undas.

Sic o lactea surge, Musa, surge: Enni stercus erit Maronis aurum.

TRANSLATION.

TO A TRACTATE ON THIS SUBJECT

PUBLISHED BY THE MASTER OF THE SCHOOL HIMSELF, WHICH IS CALLED 'PRISCIa.n.u.s VERBERANS ET VAPULANS.'

On this vile theme thee we congratulate, O golden Muse, pleasing and delicate; This fair white vileness, Muse, which by its own Or name or face is now no longer known.

For, charm'd by thy poetic sacred strain, It knows not, happily, itself again; But with new face wonders at its new splendour-- For splendid e'en a vile theme thou canst render: Congratulations for vile theme we tender.

For had not _he_,[114] with headlong b.u.t.tocks base, Gone flas.h.i.+ng foully on with thunderous pace, From whence would this avenging plant have sprung, This solemn strain with polish'd music rung?

And whence had gather'd these brave angers tender?

O Muse, the vilest theme can bring thee splendour, For which congratulations now we render.

Thy Hippocrene comes with a fair face, Finely unworthy of its father base; Of a foul fountain so serene a daughter: From dunghill, who would dream such crystal water?

Thus rise, O Muse, O rise, a milk-white queen, Out of the midst of vileness rise serene.

Even as Venus rising from her spray, When she discover'd to the light of day Her golden limbs, the billowy waves surprising With the first glory of her purple rising; So rise, O Muse, thy milk-white grace unfold; Ennius' dunghill will be Virgil's gold! R. WI.

MELIUS PURGATUR STOMACHUS PER

VOMITUM QUAM PER SECESSUM.

Dum vires refero vomitus et n.o.bile munus, Da mini de vomitu, grandis Homere, tuo.

Nempe olim, multi c.u.m carminis anxia moles Vexabat stomachum, magne Poeta, tuum; Aegraque jejuno tenuebat pectora morsu, Jussit et in crudam semper hiare famem: Phbus, ut est medicus, vomitoria pocula praebens, Morb.u.m omnem longos expulit in vomitus.

Protinus et centum inc.u.mbunt toto ore Poetae, Certantes sacras lambere relliquias.

Quod vix fecissent, scio, si medicamen ineptum Venisset misere posteriore via.

Quippe per anfractus caecique volumina ventris Sacra, putas, hostem vult medicina sequi?

Tam turpes tenebras haec non dignatur, at ipsum Sedibus ex imis imperiosa trahit.

ERGO:

Per vomitum stomachus melius purgabitur, alvus Quam qua secretis exit opaca viis.

NOTE.

While we do not deem it expedient to translate this somewhat coa.r.s.e _jeu d'esprit_, its sentiment and allusions will be found antic.i.p.ated in the lines 'To the Reader, upon the Author his Kins-man,' prefixed to 'Follie's Anatomie; or Satyres and Satyricall Epigrams; with a compendious History of Ixion's Wheele. Compiled by Henry Hutton, Dunelmensis.' London, 1619 (pp. 3-4)--which we give here:

Old Homer in his time made a great feast, And every Poet was thereat a guest: All had their welcome, yet not all one fare; To them above the salt (his chiefest care) He spread a banquet of choice Poesie, Whereon they fed even to satietie.

The lower end had from that end their cates; For Homer, setting open his dung-gates, Delivered from that dresser excrement, Whereon they glutted, and returned in print.

Let no man wonder that I this rehea.r.s.e; Nought came from Homer but it turned to verse.

Now where our Author was, at this good cheere, Where was his place, or whether he were there; Whether he waited, or he tooke away, Of this same point I cannot soothly say.

But this I ghesse: being then a dandiprat, Some witty Poet took him on his lap, And fed him, from above, with some choice bit.

Hence his ac.u.men, and a ready wit.

But prayers from a friendly pen ill thrive, And truth's scarce truth, spoke by a relative.

Let envy, therefore, give her vote herein: Envy and th' Author sure are nought akin.

He personate bad Envy; yet say so, He lickt at Homer's mouth, not from below. R[ALPH] H[UTTON].

Percy Society edit. (Rimbault), 1842. Both Hutton and Crashaw remind us of the like sportiveness (rough) in Dryden and Byron. G.

c.u.m HORUM ALIQUA DEDICARAM

PRAECEPTORI MEO COLENDISSIMO, AMICO AMICISSIMO, R. BROOKE.[115]

En tibi Musam, Praeceptor colendissime, quas ex tuis modo scholis, quasi ex Apollinis officina, accepit alas timide adhuc, nec aliter quam sub oculis tuis jact.i.tantem.

Qualiter e nido multa jam floridus ala Astra sibi meditatur avis, pulchrosque meatus Aerios inter proceres, licet aethera nunquam Expertus, rudibusque illi sit in ardua pennis Prima fides, micat ire tamen, quatiensque decora Veste leves humeros, querulumque per aera ludens Nil dubitat vel in astra vagos suspendere nisus, At vero simul immensum per inane profundis Exhaustus spatiis, vacuoque sub aethere pendens, Arva procul sylvasque suas, procul omnia cernit, Cernere quae solitus: tum vero victa cadit mens, Spesque suas, et tanta timens conamina, totus Respicit ad matrem, p.r.o.nisque revert.i.tur auris.

Quod tibi enim haec feram, vir ornatissime, non ambitio dantis est, sed just.i.tia reddentis; neque te libelli mei tam elegi patronum, quam dominum agnosco. Tua sane sunt haec et mea; neque tamen ita mea sunt, quin si quid in illis boni est, tuum hoc sit totum, neque interim in tantum tua, ut quantumc.u.mque est in illis mali, illud non sit ex integro meum. Ita medio quodam et misto jure utriusque sunt, ne vel mihi, dum me in societatem tuarum laudum elevarem, invidiam facerem; vel injuriam tibi, ut qui te in tenuitatis meae consortium deducere conarer. Ego enim de meo nihil ausim boni mec.u.m agnoscere, nedum profiteri palam, praeter hoc unum, quo tamen nihil melius, animum nempe non ingratum tuorum beneficiorum historiam religiosissima fide in se reponentem. Hoc quibusc.u.mque testibus coram, hoc palam in os cli meaeque conscientiae meum jacto effero me in hoc ultra aemuli patientiam. Enim vero elegantiore obsequio venerentur te, et venerantur scio, tuorum alii: nemo me sincero magis vel ingenuo poterit. Horum denique rivulorum, tenuium utcunque nulliusque nominis, haec saltem laus erit propria, quod suum nempe norint Oceanum.

TRANSLATION.

WHEN I HAD DEDICATED CERTAIN OF MY POEMS

TO MY MOST ESTIMABLE PRECEPTOR AND MOST FRIENDLY FRIEND, R. BROOKE.