English Iliads, OR A SEA-FIGHT REVIEWED IN A POEM Occasioned by the death of a person of Honour slain in the late War between the English and the Dutch. By J. W. Together with an Irenicum, or Reflections on the Trumpeter and Conditions of Peace. — moriemur in ultis At moriemur ait— Virg. Aeneid. The noble Volunteers free as man's Will Equally ready to be killed or kill. — 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. Iliad. 4. But slavish Seamen forced by a Press Stood on the Decks, like Vooden men at Chess. London, Printed for Jonathan Edwin at the three Roses in Ludgate Street, 1674. An Advice to a Friend to print his Poem, part being written some years past. WHen sense in Poesy heightened cometh forth, It doth not borrow from the times its worth, As some spruce Wits, whom Fortune doth renown For some caught upstart humour of the Town, Which when digested in a waggish Verse, Extorts a laugh from Clubbing Stationers, Or some pert Novice who will them commend, If luckily a pair of lines do end, Or some fond Poet, who writes Plays in rithm, With a new measure vaumping up old time, Which made Theatrical, the vulgar stairs, At's jingling verse, tagged as the points he wears, 'Tis trifling Art which syllables cant vary, What you writes like Caesar's Commentary, And what's eternal do not call too late, That neither hath a Post or Antedate. J. W. ENGLISH ILLIADS, OR A SEA-FIGHT REVIEWED IN A POEM Occasioned by the death of a person of Honour slain in the late War between the English and the Dutch. On the Death of the Lord of MAIDSTONE. Were't proper now to cry or make sad noise, I'd borrow breath, or steal a Stentors voice Rending the Earth for's Vault, and with my moan The Earth should echo whilst the Sea did groan. His Mourners throat must all be Canon bore, Who ' wails his fate, loud as the Seas must roar. I call my Muse, which through a tender throat, At vulagar death sends forth a whining note; Here must be sighs like winds, which raging blow With lofty wings disordering all below. Some with their sudden shrieks awakened death, Whilst men expiring catch their mourner's breath, By which but half alive, they ghastly stare, Till Fates retake their rescued Prisoner, Way with such accents, they are childish tones. Honours disturbed by ' frighting Female moans. NOBLES and TARPOLLINS compared. THough the bold Sailor's armed 'gainst wind and weather, Whose Nerves like cordage knit his limbs together, Whose joints like Pulleys, and his Callous hand, Like the Ships helm, can its bulk command; And legs and arms, as yards and masts, whilst he Vaunts with his strength, the Ships Epitome: Rigged by his King he fears not to prevail, Tallowed in's melts, and when clothed under sail, Such a Seaman of War by's own broadside, Not by the Ships, thinks himself fortified, Though this Pitched Monster strutting on the decks In heat of fight melts like a Babe of wax: Yet Nobles tender frame Seamen deride, Not built by Nature t'outface wind and tide, But the Tarpollin thinks his own skin buff, Tanned by the weather to be Musket proof, And in his sinews only made for toil Thinks himself wrapped as in a cable coil Yet he's not safe, though he scape iron balls As ill built fabrics by's own weight he falls, As Niobe suppose him made of stone, With marble sides hard as the rock, his bone Ribbed like his vessel, whom if you look on You'll swear his soul's in Natures' garrison Yet not secure, a little force hath broke The sturdy flint when art did give the stroke A twisted silk much stronger is than thread, Those who are finest made, not soon dead. How much of Canvas, and rude flesh was torn? How many limbs broke in that bloody morn? Yet Maidstone's safe, the cruel Fates all day, 'Fore they could hit, their threatening balls did lay. Some look on Volunteers as on the Moon, Which the Clown thinks made to be gazed upon These are but vulgar errors, for each ray Commands a wave, her all the Seas obey. Such true Heroes, who adorn their breast, With a brave courage, not for fight were dressed, Yet the Ships Glory, they as Colours are To show whose Ship it is, and cause of War, Which Flags of silk are oft with honour born, On the Main Top when lower sails are torn. Late Wars compared with those in former Ages. Speak not of men who dare in forest's stalk, 'Mongst Dens and Caves, but who on Decks can walk. The Naval Squadrons when designed for War, Seem like a Wood where fiercest Creatures are, Whose Images, placed on the Sterns, do more Affright than living savage Beasts at shore, Under those shadows the loud Cannons roar, These senseless Figures only made for state, Seem living when the Guns them animate; From Mast to Mast Seamen like Squirrels skip, Whilst great Guns roar, as Lions, in the ship; A Fleets a moving Desert on the Seas, An artificial floating Wilderness. When Soldiers were first trained they only knew To bend a Wooden Arch, a piece of Yew, Or sturdy steal, which scorns its bridle string, And humane arms, whilst it the shot doth sling, They sent their darts like winged death through the air, Whose threatening plumes struck Armies in despair, But never bullet shot, which as it flies, Does whistle death, and sing men's Obsequies. When steal's edged force, and hollow brass unknown, Prodigious stones were by great Ajax thrown, Which by success 'mongst Greeks were famed and made The subject of Old Homer's Iliad, The Roman who by sieges spread his name, His chiefest Engine was the battering Ram When Cities were as folds, the Hurdle wall By such mechanical devise did fall: When brutish men first yoked in towns were staled And Kings and Shepherds by the same name called The first and best of Engineers did use Glass to burn Ships which were at Syracuse, Such weapons if with ours compared are toys, Ours look like Soldiers arms, theirs fit for boys; Though Glasses (those bold thiefs) out face the Sun, And steal noons fire, they are by Guns out down, Canons their Engines do as much surpass As a Fire ship doth a small burning Glass Let Carthaginians talk of Alps and snow, The Liquid Mountains, which on leas do flow, Are much more terrible, rock mountains there, Yield not to ships though fraught with vinegar By punic Art ' haps such sour liquor, can Consume Land rocks; not those in th' Ocean, All these can't fright, not rocks or raging wind Can 'ere make wreck of a true noble mind. Canons more terrible than Thunder. WHo Guns and Thunder will compare may see How Heaven's out done by Earth's artillery To be avenged of some an angry Jove Calls for a Cloud, and when it is above, Contracting its own nitrous parts, doth crowd Them in the bosom of a dismal Cloud, Thus charged, it sails about the spacious Air Striking some guilty Cowards in despair, And makes an Emperor put's laurel on Fearing the Worlds, and's own destruction: And when great Jove prepared stands shoot, Through the Clouds bowels the enraged fire bursts out, The fluid sides its force doth rend in sunder, And then's the crack which Mortals do call thunder, To make a noise like that once Art did try, That Earth might be the Echo of the Sky, One envying the pompous State above Did give a challenge to the thundering Jove, A Chariotier with's Bridge thought he could vie Noise with Heaven's arch though his was not so high. But none Guns thunder counterfeited, that Transcends all skill and power to imitate, If Art and Nature joined for a loud noise, The Cannon's roaring mouth would be their choice, Things so unlike who ever dared compare, Guns brazen sides, and thunders cloudy air? The hollow Irons more dreadful and more loud Than th' hollow heavens are with the thundering clouds, For a bolt sent from thence, may with its stroke, Touch an unmoved hill or shake an Oak, Split by unknown force, but when the Gun. Sends shot, that can rend ships, more oaks than one. Thunder affrights with noise but hurts us not, Like a gun charged with powder not with shot, Lightnings like fireships with false wooden guns Only can scorch the sides by which it runs, But when the prisoned shot breaks lose the gun Itself doth start and carriage backward run No sooner is the fire put to the train But by one blow almost an army's slain; The thundering clouds can't at all times appear Heavens guns are charging at least, half the year, From Spring to Autumn then the angry sky Doth scorch the Earth which Summers heat made dry,) But Canon's force, quickas the sudden eye, One spark makes shot, swift as the lightnings fly Such fatal thunder he did fear no more Than noise proclaiming triumphs on the shore. More brave than Caesar he scorns Laureal wreaths Though midst sea lightning, and the smoke, he breathes; Cause when it thundered he no laureal wore Its but just to crown him with't on shore. Some Ships on Fire. THese are home-dangers, when he looks abroad. He sees more terrors in the watery Road, There fire and water in confusion, The world did seem to end as it begun, Forth ' Elements contending on the main, Seemed a new Chaos, and canfused again, Sulphurous lightning all about he sees, Whose flashes threaten to lick up the Seas, More dreadful 'twas than fire at Phaeton's fall That frighted Earth, but this does Sea and all Its powerful Gods, such flames do fly about, Which Neptune in's full sea cannot put out Nothing but flames, which way so he turn The grappling Keels like funeral Pills do burn, Which board's some Ships, and none its rage can stop, Displaying its flaming Flag on the Main top, (That Lemnian Cripple propped with one sound leg) With greatest Monarches will dispute his Flag. No buckets then can serve, no Engine can Quench such wild fire though't squirt the Ocean Seamen like spiders up the Ropes do climb, And there they hang long as their wearied limb Can hold, but, when the raging fire doth play, To quench themselves fall down into the Sea. Wild beasts at sight of fire do start, and fly, And some with noise of Guns, not shot, do die, But the brave Spirits dare themselves involve In fire which can't destroy, though't can dissolve, They are first principles, who fear no flame, Which may scorch bodies, but calcines their name. More danger in a Sea-Fight, than in a Land-Battle. FOrtune disown's the name of Wheel, for she Makes seas the Emblem of unconstancy; She on a watery globe empowered to drown More rash than spokes does turn waves up and down: The hardened Seamen who their days have spent; With patience, on th'unconstant Element Say that their lives still border on despair Their flying Fish scarce live 'twixt floods and air, Who can proynosticate where winds will blow Or calculate how high the seas will flow, By lunar aspects, when art that hath done 'Tis like a picture of a changing moon A Protean face who ever could pourtrey Or gogling eye which never looks, one way Sea fights not ruled by science, no sure skill To protect lives, or certain rule to kill Who incamp's secure within his line, And nought does fear but earth quakes or a mine Which may be sprung, from which point winds do blow; He cares not seeing his footing's sure below; But who on seas doth ' venture out to war Must wait the leisure of some slow-paced star And fickle winds? The Roman with his spade Hath levelled hills, and ways through mountains made But watery mounts not strength or art makes plain A planet queen in rambling seas doth reign; Only the moon can make seas rise or fall, And as she runs her course obeys her call. Some excuse cowardice with Pretence that no Valour can be showed at Sea. TO stay on shore Cowards more pleas will feign And cry down all the actions on the main, They curse the gods and do blind Fortune blame And her fit Engines, guns which have no aim; The ship doth stagger, and the moving gun Unconstant as the wheel it runs upon: Canons surprise and do in ambush lay, Peep out of wood, and unexpected slay, And as a Lion Seized of's prey doth roar Come out of thickets not perceived before; Wh'in duels falls, or the sword's victim lies, He sees the point which threatens 'fore he dies But Bullets are not seen whilst they do fly, Clandestine murder gives them Victory, And when that is obtained, the treacherous Gun Makes Proclamation of what shot hath done, Who on the land with steel do miss their pass Retract and stand on the same gorund and place, And some land soldiers save themselves by flight, With as much honour as they could by fight, But ships are prisons, and the Naval Wall, Does shut men up, till Fate says who shall fall, These thoughts keeps some at home, who ne'er intent To go beyond their Thule, the Lands end, For fear the briny floods their feet should wet, Their door posts are Herculean Pillars set, These are like trees which on the Earth do stand Tied fast by roots and nourished by the Land, They are like shell fish, and their souls nome bred. Who starve without a house spread o'er their head; This Crabfish Crew, when they are forced to sea, Though seeming forward, backward creep away, They when the Fleets are smartly joined i fight Like Isles enchanted vanish out of sight, And when there's thunder for their ears too loud, Aeneas like, pass off in smoke and clouds, But Maidstone sought aloft in sight of all, And made the World Spectators of his fall. Some with these dangers terrified did weep, Cowards like Reptiles in the Ark did did creep Into the hole as Snakes with out warm blood, Or treacherous Greeks shut in a Horse Wood Loss of Men in the Ships TO see the number of the men there slain Would make some blood congealed in every vein, To see an arm broke here, and there a thigh And legs designed to walk, in th'air to fly, Some would expire by kind sympathy There are dissections where the small shot fly, That fleas the man, and shows his Arteries, And veins and sinews with the naked bone, Without a help of a Chirurgeon, But th' great Shot as terrible as great Opens the breast and shows how the heart does beat, With ruins compassed he undaunted stood, Aloft 'mongst splinters of the bones and Wood, How many Cowards in a fearful fit, Fancied themselves next blot that should be hit: How many victims slain fell by his side, How many deaths saw he before he died, The numerous Corpse hurled over board that day, Like men at Chesboard he saw born away, True courage faints not though bare bones it see, Neither doth start at Wars Anatomy. Though thousands bleed on decks, and thousands slain Like Monsters floating on the bloody Main Relics of carcases buoy by the flood, Like Nile's Productions out of its warm Mud, Yet all these sights his valour could not check, Which Scorns all storms He's like a Mast on Deck If all were slain He'd call the ship his own, Nought can disturb brave souls possession. The Fleet Be calmed. The Sullen Calm & the more thwarting tide Stood in the way when victory should ride, Yet the stout English valour want obey Commands of fickle air or flowing sea, If Aeolus hold his, they'll breathe a wind Into their sails, rather than lurk behind; Sandwich and Harman both will cross the sea If Neptune frown they'll frown as much as he If he do side with the Dutch enemy If Aeolus be sullen, and the waves Like a dead Jea, they'll row like galley Slaves With Canonns' iron oars, for every gun When 'twas discharged did serve to tug them on The winds were like the cautious Swede and Dane Who interposed in actions on the Main And seemed like friends but merely out of spite They stopped their breath for to prevent the fight Only part of the Fleet engaged. HAve you not seen the Snake that dunghilwonder, When some stout arm cuts its sleek back in sunder, Though't so disabled that it cannot fight, With spiral turn would its part unite, So the far severed ships, and disjoined Fleet Did make Meanders on the Waves to meet; Yet 'twas in vain, for Seamen with their skill Tacking about, their sails could never fill. Have you not seen a Champion, when he's held By others strength from rushing in the field, Doubles his rage, as Sampson when he's bound Did snap his cords, and all about him wound, Such was the English valour, they on board Did Burst a cable as he snapped a cord For though the Calm opposing ships dotye Like anchors to their bay the bullets fly Nobility doth not degrade itself by encounters with the most best vassals. THe want of courage some would thus excuse, With a loud oath they swear they do not use To fight 'gainst galley slaves, and when they died Would for their lives as Peers by Peers, be tried Such weak pretences this brave Hero scorned, By the base foe the conquest is dorned Champions designed the greatest acts to do, Fought not with stars but base things below. Giants were fools, who did the heaven's assault 'tis more true valour t' enter in a vault Where Snakes or Dragon's are, such foes as these Become St. George, or the great Hercules, Who ugly Polyphemus hills in's den Doth more than if he slew ten thousand men, He who resolved to get the name of man Fights not th'Athenians, But the African, Some Hero's travelled to the banks of Nile Cause famous for its monstrous Crocodile The Champions so renowned for Courage, when They went to fight sought not for gentlemen, Great Theseus dueled Robbers and did slay The plundering crew, which on the road did pray One Hero'o virtue by a dung hill tried, By which the Augean groom was deifted. Who wanting foes above to try his might Did open earth, and went to Hell to fight, My Lord killed by a shot, when the Dutch Fleet was at a great distance from the English, about six a clock in the Evening. ALL mischief seems far off when it is near, It ceases to be such caused doth appear; It is Fate's method to conceal decrees, What's most pernicious that man seldom sees, When Nature fights, and doth resolve to kill, She fools Physicians with pretended skill, By what man falls these men of Art scarce know: Till death strips man, and shows the mortal blow. Dark Destinies with him did seem to play, But a sad Vesper closed an auspicious day, They seemed unwilling, yet resolved his fall, And then like Jugglers played a Fatal Ball. When stars fight against men, and Heavens wage War, Saturn hurts most, though the most distant star, As a land Captain he to death did yield, The first who enters, but last leaves the field, He fell, and as he fell, the Seamen cry, Here is true valour, true Nobility, They looked on him, and the declining Sun, And when both sat, 'twas time the fight was done. An Irenicum or Reflections on the Conditions of Peace by the Trumpeter. Come Triton with thy Trumpet calm the Seas, Proclaim no Triumph, only sound like peace, Away my Martial numbers it is meet, You are laid by like a neglected Fleet, My comic Muse Halcyon like will rest, On the shore side, no Seas will wrack her nest, Now Guns are gagged, and speak not as in War, There is no sound but of the Trumpeter: Who on the English shores, in's brass did blow With such success as once 'gainst Jericho, For by's breath the Ships our wooden Wall Gave way, though force could never make them fall, Dutch bottoms like the Trojan bulky Horse, Which ne'er could find away by Arms or force, But when a treasure in their keels do bring, The Fleet makes way as Convoy to a King. FINIS.