Metamorphoses

Ovid

Ovid. The XV bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, entytuled Metamorphosis. Golding, Arthur, translator. London: W. Seres (printer), 1567.

Next Proca, reignd Amulius in Awsonye by wrong,
Till Numitor, the ryghtfull heyre, deposed verry long,
Was by his daughters sonnes restorde. And on the feastfull day
Of Pale, foundation of the walles of Rome they gan to lay.
Soone after Tacye, and the Lordes of Sabine stird debate:
And Tarpey for her traytrous deede in opening of the gate
Of Tarpey towre was prest to death according to desert
With armour heapt uppon her head. Then feerce and stowt of hart
The Sabines like to toonglesse woolves without all noyse of talke
Assayld the Romanes in theyr sleepe, and to the gates gan stalke
Which Ilias sonne had closed fast with lockes and barres. But yit
Dame Juno had set open one, and as shee opened it
Had made no noyse of craking with the hindges, so that none
Perceyvd the opening of the gate but Venus all alone.
And shee had shet it up, but that it is not lawfull to
One God to undoo any thing another God hath doo.
The water nymphes of Awsonie hild all the groundes about
The Church of Janus where was store of springs fresh flowing out.
Dame Venus prayd theis nymphes of help. And they considering that
The Goddesse did request no more but ryght, denyde it nat.
They opened all theyr fountayne veynes and made them flowe apace.
Howbee't the passage was not yit to Janus open face
Forclosed: neyther had as yit the water stopt the way.
They put rank brimstone underneathe the flowing spring that day,
And eeke with smokye rozen set theyr veynes on fyre for ay.
Through force of theis and other things, the vapour perced lowe
Even downe unto the verry rootes on which the springs did growe.
So that the waters which alate in coldnesse myght compare
Even with the frozen Alpes, now hot as burning furnace are.
The two gate posts with sprinkling of the fyry water smoakt.
Wherby the gate beehyghted to the Sabines quyght was choakt
With rysing of this fountaine straunge, untill that Marsis knyght
Had armed him. Then Romulus did boldly offer fyght.
The Romane ground with Sabines and with Romanes bothe were spred.
And with the blood of fathrinlawes which wicked swoord had shed
Flowde mixt the blood of sonneinlawes. Howbee't it seemed best
To bothe the partyes at the length from battell for to rest,
And not to fyght to uttrance: and that Tacye should becoome
Copartner with king Romulus of sovereintye in Rome.
Within a whyle king Tacye dyde: and bothe the Sabines and
The Romanes under Romulus in equall ryght did stand.
The God of battell putting off his glittring helmet then,
With such like woordes as theis bespake the syre of Goddes and men:
The tyme, father (in as much as now the Romane state
Is wexen strong uppon the good foundation layd alate,
Depending on the stay of one) is comme for thee to make
Thy promis good which thou of mee and of thy graundchyld spake:
Which was to take him from the earth and in the heaven him stay.
Thou once (I markt thy gracious woordes and bare them well away)
Before a great assembly of the Goddes didst to mee say
There shalbee one whom thou shalt rayse above the starry skye.
Now let thy saying take effect. Jove graunting by and by
The ayre was hid with darksom clowdes, and thunder foorth did fly,
And lyghtning made the world agast. Which Mars perceyving to
Bee luckye tokens for himself his enterpryse to do,
Did take his rist uppon his speare and boldly lept into
His bloodye charyot. And he lent his horses with his whippe
A yirking lash, and through the ayre full smoothely downe did slippe.
And staying on the woody toppe of mountayne Palatine,
He tooke away king Romulus whoo there did then defyne
The pryvate caces of his folk unseemly for a king.
And as a leaden pellet broade enforced from a sling
Is woont to dye amid the skye: even so his mortall flesh
Sank from him downe the suttle ayre. In sted wherof a fresh
And goodly shape more stately and more meete for sacred shryne
Succeeded, like our Quirin that in stately robe dooth shyne.
Hersilia for her feere as lost, of moorning made none end,
Untill Queene Juno did commaund dame Iris to discend
Uppon the Raynebowe downe, and thus her message for to doo:
O of the Latian country and the Sabine nacion too
Thou peerlesse perle of womanhod, most woorthy for to bee
The wyfe of such a noble prince as heertofore was hee,
And still to bee the wyfe of him canonized by name,
Of Quirin: cease thy teares. And if thou have desyre the same
Thy holy husband for to see, ensew mee to the queache
That groweth greene on Quirins hill, whoose shadowes overreache
The temple of the Romane king. Dame Iris did obey.
And slyding by her paynted bowe, in former woordes did say
Her errand to Hersilia. Shee scarce lifting up her eyes
With sober countnance answerd: O thou Goddesse (for surmyse
I cannot whoo thou art, but yit I well may understand
Thou art a Goddesse) leede mee, O deere Goddesse, leede mee, and
My husband to mee shewe. Whom if the fatall susters three
Will of theyr gracious goodnesse graunt mee leave but once to see,
I shall account mee into heaven receyved for to bee.
Immediatly with Thawmants imp to Quirins hill shee went.
There glyding from the sky a starre streyght downe to ground was sent,
The sparkes of whoose bryght blazing beames did burne Hersilias heare.
And with the starre the ayre did up her heare to heavenward beare.
The buylder of the towne of Rome receyving streyght the same
Betweene his old acquaynted handes, did alter both her name
And eeke her bodye, calling her dame Ora. And by this
Shee joyntly with her husband for a Goddesse woorshipt is.

A Persone in the whyle was sought sufficient to susteine
The burthen of so great a charge, and woorthy for to reigne
In stead of such a mighty prince. The noble Nume by fame
(Whoo harped then uppon the truthe before to passe it came)
Appoynted to the Empyre was. This Numa thought it not
Inough that he the knowledge of the Sabine rites had got.
The deepenesse of the noble wit to greater things was bent,
To serch of things the natures out. The care of this intent
Did cause that he from Curie and his native Countrye went
With peynfull travell, to the towne where Hercules did hoste.
And asking who it was of Greece that in th'Italian coast
Had buylt that towne, an aged man well seene in storyes old,
To satisfye his mynd therin the processe thus him told:
As Hercules enriched with the Spannish kyne did hold
His voyage from the Ocean sea, men say with lucky cut
He came aland on Lacine coast. And whyle he there did put
His beace to grazing, he himself in Crotons house did rest,
The greatest man in all those parts and unto straungers best:
And that he there refresht him of his tedious travell, and
That when he should depart, he sayd: Where now thy house dooth stand,
Shall in thy childers childrens tyme a Citie buylded bee.
Which woordes of his have proved trew as playnly now wee see.
For why there was one Myscelus, a Greeke, Alemons sonne,
A persone more in favour of the Goddes than any one
In those dayes was. The God that beares the boystous club did stay
Uppon him being fast asleepe, and sayd: Go seeke streyght way
The stonny streame of Aeserie. Thy native soyle for ay
Forsake. And sore he threatned him onlesse he did obey.
The God and sleepe departed both togither. Up did ryse
Alemons sonne, and in himself did secretly devyse
Uppon this vision. Long his mynd strove dowtfull to and fro.
The God bad go. His country lawes did say he should not go,
And death was made the penaltie for him that would doo so.
Cleere Titan in the Ocean sea had hid his lyghtsomme head,
And duskye nyght had put up hers most thick with starres bespred.
The selfsame God by Myscelus did seeme to stand eftsoone,
Commaunding him the selfsame thing that he before had doone,
And threatning mo and greater plages onlesse he did obey.
Then being stricken sore in feare he went about streyghtway
His household from his natyve land to forreine to convey.
A rumor heereuppon did ryse through all the towne of Arge
And disobedience of the lawe was layed to his charge.
Assoone as that the cace had first beene pleaded and the deede
Apparantly perceyved, so that witnesse did not neede,
Arreyned and forlorne to heaven he cast his handes and eyes,
And sayd: O God whoose labours twelve have purchaste thee the skyes,
Assist mee, I thee pray. For thou art author of my cryme.
When judgement should bee given it was the guyse in auncient tyme
With whyght stones to acquit the cleere, and eeke with blacke to cast
The giltye. That tyme also so the heavy sentence past.
The stones were cast unmercifull all blacke into the pot.
But when the stones were powred out to number, there was not
A blacke among them. All were whyght. And so through Hercles powre
A gentle judgement did proceede, and he was quit that howre.
Then gave he thankes to Hercules, and having prosprous blast,
Cut over the Ionian sea, and so by Tarent past
Which Spartanes buylt, and Cybaris, and Neaeth Salentine,
And Thurine bay, and Emese, and eeke the pastures fyne
Of Calabrye. And having scarce well sought the coastes that lye
Uppon the sea, he found the mouth of fatall Aeserye.
Not farre from thence, he also found the tumb in which the ground
Did kiver Crotons holy bones, and in that place did found
The Citie that was willed him, and gave thereto the name
Of him that there lay buryed. Such originall as this same
This Citie in th'Italian coast is sayd to have by fame.