AN Hymenaean Essay, OR An EPITHALAMY, UPON THE ROYAL MATCH OF HIS most Excellent Majesty CHARLES the Second, with the most Illustrious KATHERINE, Infanta of PORTUGAL. 1662.  
By J. D.  
Printed in the Year, M.DC.LXII.   

UPON THE ROYAL MATCH, OF HIS most Excellent Majesty, CHARLES the Second, with the most illustrious CATHARINE, Infanta of Portugal.  

THe Bride-God lately met the Powe'rs of Love,  
Venus and Cupid, as they loosely rove  
About Iberian Provinces: his breast  
With indignation justly was possessed;  
When thus the soft ones did he sternly greet:  
Now must I vent; since we so seldom meet.  
Shall you still act without me here in Spain;  
And to no purpose longer me detain,  
Where I am nothing; no more honour have  
Then Africa Negro, or poor Indian Slave?  
True you reign like yourselves; and have so common  
Not only worship both of Man and Woman;  
But they themselves your Sarifices come,  
Willing, nay wilful, in an hecatomb.  
Upon your downy Altars most expire,  
Where first they kindled, in their own base fire.  
In Taurica Diana was content  
With a few Strangers by hard Fortune sent:  
But you have willing victims, not from far;  
They are your friends, and most familiar.  
So let it be, and (if it might be) more;  
Since they can you, without myself, adore:  
Whom they so slight, that, if they chance to use me,  
Within a week or two they soon abuse me.  
When married. Spaniards, who no equal brook,  
Their chiefest servants, not their consorts, took.  
So leaving you (for you leave me) awhile;  
I'll post for England's brave Uxorious I'll.  
Which if your Uncle did not so embrace,  
I would; 'twere min● as every Woman's place.  
Howe'er that famous Isle I shall prefer,  
(●f you love distance) in diameter  
To your notorious Cyprus; where North-West,  
And you Southeast, I shall contented rest.  
The Bravest Prince there shall I first attend:  
And shall not lose mine honour nor mine end.  
When all his manly virtues shall combine  
With his Queen's Graces sweetly Feminine.  
They Virtues in the abstract, there will be,  
To my renown, in two Polygamy.  
Besides I know, that each inferior state  
Will zealously their Princes imitate.  
As Kings get Kings, their Loyalty does bind,  
That they contemporary Subjects find.  
They seize the quarters of the World; they plant,  
And cheequer afric with Inhabitant.  
They send Nobility and Gentry first,  
And valiant Veteranes there to be nursed:  
Whereas your mounted City did compile  
Itself with Rogues for shelter of Asyle.  
These must surmount them then: if generous seed  
Will a more Noble fruit and of spring breed.  
And from the English pedigree may come  
Another Punic to affright your Rome.  
So in America my honour's seen,  
Where I can scarce remember to have been,  
By benefit of them no manhood want,  
But double have, who conquer and who plant.  
And can I choose but honour then that Nation,  
That honours me thus in their propagation?   

When Cytherea mildly answered thus:  
The People's crime why dost object to us,  
Against our wills so impiously devout?  
'Twere best for all that thou wert not left out.  
Mine and my Son's design and occupation  
Is not the Death of men, but Procreation.  
Nor do I hinder, or thy words refel;  
But will promote the motion liked so well.  
Yet pray excuse my presence: it is uncouth  
For me to Travail from the warmer South.  
Nor can I in those Britain's much delight  
In any sense, content with little night.  
My Son shall bear thee Company: for me  
Take my advice. Consider their degree,  
And use them not as vulgars': leave then here,  
My Lads, your Torches nor your badges bear:  
They need no flames; their presence is so bright;  
Your paler fires may burn, but show no light.  
Their Court's perpetual Day: and 'tis all one  
To make a Candle emulate the Sun.  
Since arms are odious now; pray Cupid use  
No Archey: thy naked self infuse:  
Be thou thy Arrow thus most expedite,  
And shoot thee through their eyes, yet out of sight.  
When they salute, and seal th' agreement, then  
Exchange their Souls; where fly to and again;  
Search every closet of them; every gate  
Or door of sense be sure thou penetrate.  
Then live in her so long, till incarnation  
Shall thee invest, complete the generation  
Of such a body, which shall only move  
By such a soul, as is all purely Love,  
That as thyself this universal Minion  
May have as universally dominion.  
And Hymen leave thy mantle; for the Zealous,  
Without thy Saffron, are already jealous.  
Though for the King thou goest, it may do harm;  
And give misprising Presbyters alarm,  
Who, apt to take occasion, will spread  
From pulpit, Essex risen from the dead.  
So they to make the Essex will endeavour;  
Though thou to Essex wert unlucky ever;  
And most unlike, thou tender, and he brawny;  
Yet they will make thy Mantle orange-tawny.  
No war no threats, but mine, shall break the peace;  
My wars are peaceful, and my labours ease.  
Tell him from me; that blushing Roses scratch:  
And female Monarches do their honeys watch.  
Love's bitter-sweet, the sweeter so: and lo!  
A mole in my fair face, and fairer so.  
Observe my Laws, which never were defence  
Unto my sex, but gentle violence.  
Nor do thy Laws, brave Charles, forbidden: be bold;  
Without a witness Laws can take no hold  
See how thy house does as thy houses lie;  
It's instauration why so late to try▪  
O quickly heal thy much impaired Line:  
Make them Immortal too that are Divine.   

The Gods intent it so, then Hymen said,  
Whom they from dangers desperate conveyed  
With Queens and Kingdoms and a Royal race  
(Themselves to heaven returned) to rule in place;  
With such as brave achievements bravely write,  
Those Heroes for their Labours they requite.  
So thy AEneas did through perils come  
T' enjoy Lavinia with her Latium.  
The adventures were alike; the diffe'rence is  
The Poet wrote thy sons, th' Historian his.  
Aeneas one mixed colony constrained;  
By Charles the Universe is best maintained  
By his own men: afric, America  
Shall make him write, like Spain; etc.  
Which twisted Dragon's tail shall hurl the Nations,  
As Stars the Dragons did i'th' Revelations.   

But tell, said Venus, how they could dispatch  
Through various obstacles this happy Match.   

The airy messenger, he answered, Fame  
Blasoned with sound of Trumpet first her Name  
Through neighbo'uring Kingdoms; then did nearer come,  
And in his ear next beat the Royal Drum  
With Brasil Stick; then took the Rapper there,  
And knocked so loud, Charles opened wide his ear:  
Fame entered then; her Starry Servant Fame  
Possessed his Sense and Soul, in Cupid's name.  
As Men love Angels which they yet not see;  
So Royal Love's Celestial Sympathy.  
Still stubbornly, although collapsed, they  
Obstruct Church-paths; and cross the King's high way.  
Nor will these Stumbling-Blocks e'er better prove them;  
Till Overseers do lift and quite remove them:  
As these themselves, both Root and Branch, o'rturned;  
Let them likewise, both Root and Branch, be spurned.  
Such, as are somewhat sound, and may be squared,  
To edify beyond Sea be prepared  
But dry and rotten Blocks, which were such cruel  
And Kindling Touchwood to themselves be fuel:  
While them their choler, burnt to black, consumes;  
And smothered zeal, like stifled charcoal, fumes.  
Then, not till then, when hush is all their Noise,  
Shall Charles lie quiet with his happy Choice.   

Adieu; said Hymen, then: we must remove;  
We can no longer talk. So I and Love  
Will take our Voyage; leaving dle you;  
And bear another Fairest hence in lieu:  
Which, in her Empire when she shall be seen,  
Far rather will be deemed the Cyprian Queen.  
She with her thousand Graces, will instill  
In every honest breast immense goodwill.  
(In all good hearts I say; but there are such  
Whose black malignance Candour cannot touch.)  
You, and your Three, need not for her to act:  
She! numerous she will all that's good attract.  
She in Conjunction (for they both are Stars)  
Will be much more Benign, than You with Mars;  
And cause that they no Peace, nor Plenty want;  
When new D●lichium joins with Troy-novant:  
When Golden Tagus Sylver Thamesis  
Meet in their wat'ry rendezvous, and kiss;  
So eagerly incorporate, as both  
Would mean some other Venus by their froth.  
Tagus shall dote on Tamesis; and burn  
Enough to try his ore; enough to turn  
His sandy atoms to a mass, and send  
His native present to his noble friend:  
Who shall return by Thousands then his thanks;  
And help Protect his amicable Banks;  
So long as he shall from Iberus run;  
Which seeks the Rising, he the Setting Sun;  
Those Banks, which now our Authors do not feign,  
Swift Mares, conceiving Zephyrus, sustain;  
And whose swift vital course is but three years:  
For these to be his Eastern fleet appears;  
Which in her poop conceives the Western gales;  
And rides triennial liquid hills and dales;  
Well burdened with all rarities, to greet  
His Thames; and lay them at his silver feet.  
Scorning with mere domestic gifts to woe,  
He ventures far, to fetch exotic too.  
True amity, where best things common stand:  
Free as his Waters he dispenses Land:  
And says, his Nymph shall, to their glorious King,  
Both glorious Kings and glorious Kingdoms bring.   

These Youths informed me thus; and gave this Theme  
(As they come often to me) in a dream.  
Waked, with the solemn noise, I fell to pray  
All might be real that these Angels say:  
That (if not peerless) she may be no other  
Than was, for Wife and Queen, his pious Mother.  
May she have what's the Queens; he what's the Kings;  
Enjoy all Honours, but of Sufferings.  
Whilst We are blest by both: And every Summer  
Enlarge our Welcomes to a Royal Comer.  
When first we had him single, how amazed  
Were ardent hearts, which as their bonfires, blazed.  
Yet with him joys are doubled; and do thrive  
Into a jubily superlative.  
But when he's trebled with a Royal Boy,  
O! then exceeding joy, exceeding joy,  
Will grow ecstatick: When thrice happy, We  
Rapt to our third terrestrial Heaven shall be.   
FINIS.