Metamorphoses

Ovid

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

Although to bee a God with us admitted were this wyght,
Yit was he borne a forreiner. But Caesar hathe obteynd
His Godhead in his native soyle and Citie where he reignd.
Whom peerelesse both in peace and warre, not more his warres up knit
With triumph, nor his great exployts atcheeved by his wit,
Nor yit the great renowme that he obteynd so speedely,
Have turned to a blazing starre, than did his progenie.
For of the actes of Caesar, none is greater than that hee
Left such a sonne behynd him as Augustus is, to bee
His heyre. For are they things more hard: to overcomme thy Realme
Of Britaine standing in the sea, or up the sevenfold streame
Of Nyle that beareth Paperreede victorious shippes to rowe,
Or to rebelliouse Numidye to give an overthrowe,
Or Juba, king of Moores, and Pons (which proudely did it beare
Uppon the name of Mythridate) to force by swoord and speare
To yeeld them subjects unto Rome, or by his just desert
To merit many triumphes, and of sum to have his part,
Than such an heyre to leave beehynd, in whom the Goddes doo showe
Exceeding favour unto men for that they doo bestowe
So great a prince uppon the world? Now to th'entent that hee
Should not bee borne of mortall seede, the other was too bee
Canonyzde for a God. Which thing when golden Venus see,
(Shee also sawe how dreadfull death was for the bisshop then
Prepaard, and how conspiracye was wrought by wicked men)
Shee looked pale. And as the Goddes came any in her way,
Shee sayd unto them one by one: Behold and see, I pray,
With how exceeding eagernesse they seeke mee to betray,
And with what woondrous craft they stryve to take my lyfe away,
I meene the thing that only now remayneth unto mee
Of Jule the Trojans race. Must I then only ever bee
Thus vext with undeserved cares? How seemeth now the payne
Of Diomeds speare of Calydon to wound my hand ageyne?
How seemes it mee that Troy ageine is lost through ill defence?
How seemes my sonne Aenaeas like a bannisht man, from thence
To wander farre ageine, and on the sea to tossed bee,
And warre with Turnus for to make? or rather (truth to say)
With Juno? What meene I about harmes passed many a day
Ageinst myne ofspring, thus to stand? This present feare and wo
Permit mee not to think on things now past so long ago.
Yee see how wicked swoordes ageinst my head are whetted. I
Beseeche yee keepe them from my throte, and set the traytors by
Theyr purpose. Neyther suffer you dame Vestas fyre to dye
By murthering of her bisshop. Thus went Venus wofully
Complayning over all the heaven, and moovde the Goddes therby.
And for they could not breake the strong decrees of destinye,
They shewed signes most manifest of sorrowe to ensew.
For battells feyghting in the clowdes with crasshing armour flew.
And dreadfull trumpets sownded in the aire, and homes eeke blew,
As warning men before hand of the mischeef that did brew.
And Phebus also looking dim did cast a drowzy lyght
Uppon the earth, which seemd lykewyse to bee in sorrve plyght.
From underneathe amid the starres brands oft seemd burning bryght.
It often rayned droppes of blood. The morning starre lookt blew,
And was bespotted heere and there with specks of rusty hew.
The moone had also spottes of blood. The Screeche owle sent from hell
Did with her tune unfortunate in every corner yell.
Salt teares from Ivory images in sundry places fell.
And in the Chappells of the Goddes was singing heard, and woordes
Of threatning. Not a sacrifyse one signe of good afoordes.
But greate turmoyle to bee at hand theyr hartstrings doo declare.
And when the beast is ripped up the inwards headlesse are.
About the Court, and every house, and Churches in the nyghts
The doggs did howle, and every where appeered gastly spryghts.
And with an earthquake shaken was the towne. Yit could not all
Theis warnings of the Goddes dispoynt the treason that should fall,
Nor overcomme the destinies. The naked swoordes were brought
Into the temple. For no place in all the towne was thought
So meete to woork the mischeef in, or for them to commit
The heynous murder, as the Court in which they usde to sit
In counsell. Venus then with both her hands her stomacke smit,
And was about to hyde him with the clowd in which shee hid
Aenaeas, when shee from the swoord of Diomed did him rid,
Or Paris, when from Menelay shee did him saufe convey.
But Jove her father staying her did thus unto hir say:
Why, daughter myne, wilt thou alone bee stryving to prevent
Unvanquishable destinie? In fayth and if thou went
Thy self into the house in which the fatall susters three
Doo dwell, thou shouldest there of brasse and steele substantiall see
The registers of things so strong and massye made to bee,
That sauf and everlasting, they doo neyther stand in feare
Of thunder, nor of lyghtning, nor of any ruine there.
The destnyes of thyne offspring thou shalt there fynd graven deepe
In Adamant. I red them: and in mynd I doo them keepe.
And forbycause thou shalt not bee quyght ignorant of all,
I will declare what things I markt herafter to befall.
The man for whom thou makest sute, hath lived full his tyme
And having ronne his race on earth must now to heaven up clyme.
Where thou shalt make a God of him ay honord for to bee
With temples and with Altars on the earth. Moreover hee
That is his heyre and beares his name, shall all alone susteyne
The burthen layd uppon his backe, and shall our help obteyne
His fathers murther to revenge. The towne of Mutinye
Beseedged by his powre, shall yeeld. The feelds of Pharsaly
Shall feele him, and Philippos in the Realme of Macedonne
Shall once ageine bee staynd with blood. The greate Pompeius sonne
Shall vanquisht be by him uppon the sea of Sicilye.
The Romane Capteynes wyfe, the Queene of Aegypt, through her hye
Presumption trusting to her match too much, shall threate in vayne
To make her Canop over our hygh Capitoll to reigne.
What should I tell thee of the wyld and barbrous nacions that
At bothe the Oceans dwelling bee? The universall plat
Of all the earth inhabited, shall all be his. The sea
Shall unto him obedient bee likewyse. And when that he
Hathe stablisht peace in all the world, then shall he set his mynd
To civill matters, upryght lawes by justice for to fynd,
And by example of himself all others he shall bynd.
Then having care of tyme to comme, and of posteritye,
A holy wyfe shall beare to him a sonne that may supply
His carefull charge and beare his name. And lastly in the end
He shall to heaven among the starres, his auncetors, ascend,
But not before his lyfe by length to drooping age doo tend.
And therfore from the murthred corce of Julius Caesar take
His sowle with speede, and of the same a burning cresset make,
That from our heavenly pallace he may evermore looke downe
Uppon our royall Capitoll and Court within Rome towne.
He scarcely ended had theis woordes, but Venus out of hand
Amid the Senate house of Rome invisible did stand,
And from her Caesars bodye tooke his new expulsed spryght
The which shee not permitting to resolve to ayer quyght,
Did place it in the skye among the starres that glister bryght
And as shee bare it, shee did feele it gather heavenly myght,
And for to wexen fyrye. Shee no sooner let it flye,
But that a goodly shyning starre it up aloft did stye
And drew a greate way after it bryght beames like burning heare.
Whoo looking on his sonnes good deedes confessed that they were
Farre greater than his owne, and glad he was to see that hee
Excelled him. Although his sonne in no wyse would agree
To have his deedes preferd before his fathers: yit dooth fame,
(Whoo ay is free, and bound to no commaund) withstand the same
And stryving in that one behalf ageinst his hest and will,
Proceedeth to preferre his deedes before his fathers still.
Even so to Agamemnons great renowne gives Atreus place,
Even so Achilles deedes, the deedes of Peleus doo abace.
Even so beyond Aegaeus, farre dooth Theseyes prowesse go.
And (that I may examples use full matching theis) even so
Is Saturne lesse in fame than Jove. Jove rules the heavenly spheres,
And all the tryple shaped world. And our Augustus beares
Dominion over all the earth. They bothe are fathers: they
Are rulers both. Yee Goddes to whom both fyre and swoord gave way,
What tyme yee with Aenaeas came from Troy: yee Goddes that were
Of mortall men canonyzed: thou Quirin whoo didst reere
The walles of Rome: and Mars who wart the valeant Quirins syre
And Vesta of the household Goddes of Caesar with thy fyre
Most holy: and thou Phebus whoo with Vesta also art
Of household: and thou Jupiter whoo in the hyghest part
Of mountayne Tarpey hast thy Church: and all yee Goddes that may
With conscience sauf by Poets bee appealed to: I pray
Let that same day bee slowe to comme and after I am dead,
In which Augustus (whoo as now of all the world is head)
Quyght giving up the care therof ascend to heaven for ay,
There (absent hence) to favour such as unto him shall pray.
Now have I brought a woork to end which neither Joves feerce wrath,
Nor swoord, nor fyre, nor freating age with all the force it hath
Are able to abolish quyght. Let comme that fatall howre
Which (saving of this brittle flesh) hath over mee no powre,
And at his pleasure make an end of myne uncerteyne tyme.
Yit shall the better part of mee assured bee to clyme
Aloft above the starry skye. And all the world shall never
Be able for to quench my name. For looke how farre so ever
The Romane Empyre by the ryght of conquest shall extend,
So farre shall all folke reade this woork. And tyme without all end
(If Poets as by prophesie about the truth may ame)
My lyfe shall everlastingly bee lengthened still by fame.