An elegie on the late fire and ruines of London by E. Settle. Settle, Elkanah, 1648-1724. 1667 Approx. 10 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 4 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2003-05 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A59306 Wing S2677A ESTC R27009 09606315 ocm 09606315 43813 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A59306) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 43813) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1339:45) An elegie on the late fire and ruines of London by E. Settle. Settle, Elkanah, 1648-1724. 7 p. Printed for W. Crook, London : 1667. In verse. Reproduction of original in the Harvard University Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO. EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor. The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines. Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng London (England) -- Fire, 1666 -- Poetry. 2002-12 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2003-01 Aptara Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2003-02 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2003-02 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-04 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion AN ELEGIE On the late FIRE And Ruines of LONDON , By E. Settle . Oxon. LONDON , Printed for W. Crook , in the Strand . 1667. AN ELEGIE On the late Fire of London . WHat weep in Verse ? Yes , yes , taught by this Fire When burnt to Mourn , but burning to admire . Distill'd by measure ? A Poetick tear ? There 's more of Chymistry then nature there . Poets here needless are , unless the Charm In verse had been sufficient to disarm The force and power of fire , if that could do it Each Loyal Subject would have then turn'd Poet. But since a rude confused draught fits best , As like th' effects of fire , let me express't . Decaying Trophies , and declining States , And what the series of Age relates ▪ Joyn'd with the Wonders of the World , and all That we may height , or worth , or greatness call , Like Troy intomb'd in Iliads , story showes The compass of a Nutshel may inclose ▪ Or like deceased Potentates of old The narrow volume of a Sheet may hold . Thus Londons Beauty , Pomp , Varieties Their only being in a Catalogue lies : Preserv'd by memory maintain'd by Fame Lives only in the story and the name . Is Poetry a Rage ? Yes justly styl'd But were 't a Fury too , 't were here too mild : Were it distracted too , A passionate Distraction only makes it imitate . For hark the cryes the frights and the complaints Of London's poor deplor'd Inhabitants . Here an united multitude combine Together all their helpless succor joyn : As many there distrest in an amaze Beset with tears as sad spectatours gaze But Argus Eyes , joynd with Briareus hands Are too too weak supplies to countermand So great a force , which like a torrent gorwes When stopt the greater , and with unlimited measure overflowes . The face of Heaven with an unusual veile Is over spread , while the proud fires exhale Innumerous Clouds of smoak , that they appear To make themselves another Hemispheare . That seems to each approaching dazled sight Both Fire and Smoak , both Hell and Heaven unite . Some the next Church their Sanctuary make And that as Common Treasury partake , But for defence in vain their Wealth remove When for their own their Sanctuaries prove Too weak ; in brief 't is but a short Repreive Surpris'd at last only a while survive , One Merchant swears the Elements conspire Rescu'd from Water to be wrackt by Fire . Finding more mercy in the rageing Waves Whose sinking billowes but present their Graves Which here too true he finds : His Merchandise In a confused Chaos buried lies . His Arabian wealth serves but for one Perfume : His Indian , Gold and Silver , reasume Their first Original , and in the Earth , Make that their Tomb whence they receiv'd their Birth : Once more , dispersed in a liquid train Both Or and Argent turn into a Vein . Others who once their Honour and Estate In the same Ballance weigh'd , by th' common fate Like German Emp'rours youngest sons , now are , Or like declining Kings but Titular . But when I weigh the general loss , I swear If Riches ever yet had wings 't was there . Here are those Planets influence of late Which in the Fiery Trigon met , and that Since the great Monarch Cesar wore the Bays But once and then in Carolus Magnus daies : One Planet rule a greater ? London far Exceeds the power of every weaker Star , For this , to feel its loss , imparts from hence Through the whole Kingdome its sad Influence . Nay threatens Heaven . At this deep Tragedy The Sun's spectator but with half an Eye , Whilst his diminishing and weaker Rayes In such a fainting manner he displayes , That what was totally then threatned here Some part of an Eclipse they seem to beare . That 't was a Planet too , a wandring Fire It s swift extent and motion did require . But if these Stars rule here , let them compleat Their yet continued Aspect , as great As was the former that there may ensue As did the last a Carolus Magnus too . That London may arise and dayly higher With its triumphant Monarch may aspire . But as for those profest Astrologers , ( Beyond our Spheare , ) Heavens Privy Counsellours Who know by Signs the very Stars intent , Give reason for 't ( above my Element . ) As if they would foretel what 's past . T' apply Portents to a foregoing destiny That 's base : The nobler way 's , search future Fate Help build another , then foretel of that . But hark ( me thinks ) I heare some say 't is just That Londons Pride is humbled in the dust . Alas thus fire and smoak have left behind This its one property to make men blind Too like this Iustice that they plead , unless Ambition height , and Beauty Pride express . Away dark blindness , t is the only part Of Ignorance to censure the desert By the event as if that fortune could , Because that , Justice is by merit rul'd . Nay were its guilt the high'st , who , but mad denies T were , thus absolv'd , too great a sacrifice ? And would not cry , quench , quench the Fire , t is time Such Incense more then expiates a crime ? With Arts variety , and natures pride , And all the Ornaments i th' world beside ; Englands Metropolis once seem'd to be A lesser World in an Epitome . But now from such variety is grown So poor reduc'd to nothing , or but one , And that a Spectacle of sad confusion Whole Ages labour , but one days conclusion . That it might be , and not absur'd , affirm'd , A disunited union justly term'd . Nor doth it in this sad and desolate case Seem only to have chang'd its state , but place For thus transform'd so great a change hath wrought That each Spectatour's to a nonplus brought . That the late fire might worthily seem thus converted to an Ignis fatuus ; Only that men , but this makes Reason stray ▪ And Knowledge too to erre as well as they . Such an amaze and horror doth surprise , That the beholder credits not his eyes . T is changd , without a Metaphor , I may say From Terr' del ' foego to Incognita . T is now made destitute , wast , and forlorn , And now in more then Ashes forc'd to mourn . Here stands a naked Church that 's now become Its own and that an Universal Tomb Whose Stone and Pillars are alone surviv'd Being of all other Neighbourhood depriv'd . As if the fury of the fire had meant At once Urne , Funeral and Monument . So that its Coat of Arms , if but the Sword Excluded were , would properly accord With its last State , what Herauld would not yeild 'T were then like London left an Open Field ? Were I for any man to choose a Curse Or Banishment , I could not think a worse , Though 't were his home ( were I but to assigne him His doom ) then hither damne him and confine him . The Fates thus in a Title we may see Or in a Name may write a Destiny . Is Fate Hereditary ? Can the line That joyneth the descent the Fortune joyn ; For Troynovant thus Ruind from the same Derives its Fortune , whence it took its Name Only the milder Fates ordein by fire This to Revive , but Troy for to Expire , The Ship was burnt which late bore Londons Name As the forerunner of its Authors Flame . Whilst Fate in Red Character together Decreed to write the Destines of either . The like Disaster Chronicles scarce tell But in our Conqu'rour Williams daies befell , When London in like sort from Gate to Gate Seem'd like a ruind Monument of State. When I consider both , I dare presage The only difference is in the Age : Which to compleat each Loyal Subject prayes May 't likewise happen in a Conqu'rours dayes , Whilst our Victorious Charles proves to our Eyes A Phenix may out of her Ashes rise . An Anagram on The Citie London , The City London when I now behold it In its true Anagram Then I Condole it . But when 't revives , whose Triumph shall transcend Turning the Anagram , Let Ioie contend . Postscript . Amongst th' effects of Fire this one there is To force a Blush , The Author fears t is his . His Labour too that 's here Produc'd , he fears As an Abortive to each sight appears While riper Wits and each judicious Eye Its Imperfections and Defaults descry : Yet begs your Pardon that it came to light Abortive why ? Conceiv'd in an affright . Imprimatur R. L' Estrange ▪ FINIS .