The Caspian Sea which seemes an Ocean,
Within his Circuits is restraind and bound:
But this outragious race of Ottoman,
Which hath no end, nor limits euer found:
Scorning with bancks or borders to be held,
Hath o're Euphrates, and broad Tygris sweld.
Great Babylon sometimes Assyria's pride,
By their preuailing armies ouerthrowne,
Their fury, and their fiercenesse hauing tride,
Now feeles by deere experience of her owne,
What griefe Judæa captiue then sustain'd,
When by her Riuers weeping shee complain'd.
Yet now no comfort can Judæa take
In this her Neighbour nations juster woe,
Her fellowship in miserie may make
Her like distresséd minde like passion show,
Yet not bewail it, sith her losse more neare,
May borrow many, but not lend a teare.
This Country by the Midland Sea confin'd,
Was once a happy, and a Holy Land:
To Gods owne peoples heritage assign'd,
Manured onely by his royall hand,
Then Scone of heau'nly fauour, since the stage
Of most inhumane, furious, hellish rage.
Here He, who hath the highest Heau'n his Throne,
The Earth his foote-stoole, did vouchsafe to make
His regall Presence, that thrice-sacred One,
Whose mightie vertue Diu'lish forces brake,
In humane nature borne to vndergoe
Our most inhumane sinne-reuenging woe.
O blessed Loue, of Juda's blessed King!
O happy Mercy of that blessed Loue!
Let Quires of Angels to his glory sing,
Let Earth beneath, let highest Heau'ns aboue
Assist poore
Man his soules best thoughts to raise,
To his distresséd soules Redeemers praise.
Hierusalem, thou Juda's choysest Cittie,
Beholding all his wonderfull effects,
Wer't chiefest obiect of his tender pittie,
But yet his kindnes cruelly neglects:
Which foule offence deseruing thy decay,
Jordan may witnesse but ne're wash away.
Thy glory since to desolation chang'd,
Thy Bulwarks, and faire Buildings are defaced,
All fauours of the Heau'ns are quite estrang'd,
Thy people fleeing thee, elsewhere disgraced:
And Sion which did Siluer drops distill
Thy Vallyes with Salt teares of grief doth fill.
Aboue Judæa, bord'ring on the West,
Of great Armenia, lesser Asia lyes;
Which on three sides, three famous Seas inuest, Once knowne so many Kingdomes to comprise, Now his entire, whose Tyranny so farre, Sworne foe to peace, hath rauagéd in warre.
His burden stiffe-neckt Taurus vndergoes,
And slye Mœander by his winding shelfe,
Snake-like enwreathéd, which so doubtfull flowes,
Deludes obseruers, and doth loose himselfe,
Vnwilling his strange cruelty to see,
Doth euer seeke, but findes no corner free.
Betwixt the red Sea, and the Persian bay,
From Palæstina to the Southerne Maine,
Famous Arabia doth at large display
Her triple-folded thrice-illustrous traine,
Whose riches into diuers Countries brought,
Are with great travell, and much danger sought.
To those faire parts which being farthest plac't,
Doe serve as Spicery to other Lands,
A tedious fearefull iourney must be pac't,
Through Rocky desarts, and Wind-driuen Sands,
Where many Merchants trading oft haue bin,
Lost in the spatious Wildernes of Sin.
Of Baulmes and Spices well this soyle may boast,
Whilst Mahomet from hence first issued forth:
We enuy not the fruit of this faire coast,
Nor ought that to despise the colder North,
Which so great distance from those parts remou'd, Haue beene no lesse by bount'ous Heau'n belou'd.
AFRIQUE remouéd to the Southern parts,
In forme resembling some well-shapen shield,
Would ill resist the Sunnes more piercing darts,
But that her vncouth monster-bearing field,
To Phoebus angry fury most expos'd,
Within great Neptunes Bauldrick rests inclos'd:
Betwixt the Midland Sea, and Sanguine bay,
Deuided by a little tract of ground,
Hither from out of Asia, away
As o're a straight, but strong-built Bridge is found, Where Nilus streames, like many branching vaines Doe feed with plenty Ægypts fruitfull plaines.
Nature dispos'd her selfe to recreate,
As in her fittest worke-house, here doth vse,
(Which Art may wonder at, not imitate)
Life into new created shapes t' infuse,
The Sun-beames serue as fire, the worke to make,
The slymy soyle as apt each forme to take.
Industrious Art, lesse potent, not lesse proud,
Enuying Natures vncomparéd power,
Hath there vprais'd outreaching eu'ry cloud,
Many a gallant, and starre-threatning Tower:
Whose strange, sky-piercing, flame-resembling spires
This age distrusts, Antiquitie admires.
Next, neere those Cynthia's-kisse-aspiring Hils,
Where prófuse Nilus hides his Bankrupt-head:
Those tawny troopes whose fame all Afrike fils,
Vnder great Præster Johns* condúct are led,
By whom the Christian ensignes are retain'd,
But with some blots of error fowly stain'd.
And least some corner more diuinely blest,
From strange Prodigious monsters should be free,
A late vsurpéd Kingdom's here possest
By that rude Amazonian Anarchy,
Where they, who should a distaff, scepters sway,
And Men their Wiues imperious rules obay.
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