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The Whore of Babylon (Quarto, 1607)
52
THE WHORE
53
of Babylon.
54
Empre
s
s
e of Babylon: her Canopie supported by 4. Cardinals: 2. persons in
55
Pontificall roabes on either hand, the one bearing a sword, the other the
56
keies: before her 3. Kings crowned, behinde her Friers, &c.
58With adoration of all dazeled eies,
59Should breath thus long, and grow so full of daies,
60Be fruitfull as the Vine, in sonnes and daughters,
61(All Emperors, Kings, and Queenes) that (like to Cedars
64Heightened our glories, whil
st we held vp them:
66And almo
st three parts ours, and that the nations,
69Should vs acknowledge to be head supreame
70To this great body (for a world of yeares:)
71Yet now, when we had made our Crowne compleat,
72And clos'd it
strongly with a triple arch,
73And had inrich'd it with those pretious jewels
74Few Princes euer see (white haires) euen now
76Of our true Soueraignty, clipt, and abas'd.
80Our chaire is counted, all our titles
stolne.
82
Empr.
All our roabes,
85To let in sweet obedience) All, but borrowed.
88With which, we, (in a mothers holy loue)
91And lies; our Babylonian Sinagogues
92Are counted Stewes, where Fornications
93And all vncleanne
s
s
e Sodomiticall,
96In gold, through the whole earth did currant pa
s
s
e;
97Is now blanch'd copper, or but guilded bra
s
s
e.
99Couer a head so impious, and not cracke?
101May drop in whizing flakes (with skalding vēgeāce)
107
Emp.
A woman.
108
Omn.
Woman! who?
109
Emp.
The Fairie Queene:
110Fiue Summers haue scarce drawn their glimmering (nights
112Of that adored bea
st, on which we ride,
114The very scarres were hid. But now, a mortall,
115An vnrecouerable blovv is taken,
116And it must bleed to death.
121White as is innocence, and with an eye
122Able to tempt
stearne murther to her bed)
124Her crowne, her sweet songs, counterfets her voyce,
128Whom we but late bani
sht, to liue in caues,
129In rockes and desart mountaines.
131
Empr.
O t'is a cunning Spider,
132And in her nets so wraps the Fairie Queene,
134Which
shee calles holy Spels.
137For from the Fairie
shores this Witch hath driuen
140Sing wonders, and diuine of things to come:
141Through whose bewitching tongues runne golden chaines,
144Of harmony, that Babylon can sound,
145Are charmes to Adders, and no more regarded,
146Than are by him that's deafe, the
sicke mans groanes
147Shee, they, Titania, and her Fairie Lords,
149Defame me, call me Whore of Babylon.
150
Omn.
O vnheard of prophanation!
152I pro
stitute this body: that to Kings
154To make them dote on me.
155
Omn.
Lets heare no more.
156
Emp.
And that all Potentates that tread on earth,
157With our abhominations
should be drunke,
158And be by vs vndone.
159
Omn.
Weele heare no more.
161
1. King.
Say but the word, and weele turne home your wrōgs,
162In torne and bloody collours.
163
2. King.
All her bowers,
165Her lands pollution.
166
Omn.
Let's to armes.
167
Empr.
Stay: heare me:
168Her kingdome weares a girdle wrought of waues,
170No rockes are of more force: her Fairies hearts,
171Lie in inchanted towers (impregnable)
172No engine scales them. Therefore goe you three,
173Draw all your faces sweetly, let your browes
176Sweare you haue hils of pearle:
shew her the world,
178And doe vs reuerence: but if
shee grow nice,
180Shee goes vpon, and (like to serpents) creepe
181Vpon your bellies, in humilitie;
182And beg
shee would but with vs ioyne a league,
183To wed her land to ours: our ble
s
sing, goe.
184
3. King.
When mines are to be blowne vp, men dig low.
188
Manent 4. Cardinals, and certaine Priests.
190
2. Card.
Nor me.
191
3. Card.
Nor vs.
193Thats bak't within: my gall is ouerflowne,
194My blood growne ranke and fowle: An inflamation
195Of rage, and madnes so burnes vp my liuer,
196That euen my heart-
strings cracke (as in a furnace)
197And all my nerues into my eye-balles
shrinke,
200Fetcht hie, and neare to heauen, light on no ground,
202
2. Card.
Such are our falles: we once had mountaine-growth,
203With Pines and Cedars.
204
3. Card.
Now with none of both.
206Of my creation, to be turn'd into
207A dogge, so I might licke vp but her blood,
208That thru
sts vs from our vineyards.
209
Tres.
So could all.
210
4. Card.
Reuenge were milke to vs.
211
2. Card.
Manna.
213But how? wee will not (as the head supreame
215The Faierie treads on, nor (like serpents) creepe
216Vpon our bellies in humilitie:
217This were (with Fencers) basely to giue ground,
220No, weele at one blow
strike the heart through.
221
Tres.
How?
222
2. Card.
By ponyards.
223
1. Card.
No.
225
1. Card.
No.
227
1. Card.
Neither.
228
2. Card.
How (reuerend Como) then?
230You know that all the springs in Fairie land
231Ran once to one head: from that head, to vs:
232The mountaine and the valley paid vs fruit;
233The field her corne, the countrey felt no heat
235And Charitie tooke away. We
stept not forth
236But with a god like adoration
237All knees bowed low vnto vs: why was this?
238Why were our gardens Eden? why our bowers
241Was not made common: therefore was not vile;
242It was because in the great Prophets Phanes
243And hallowed Temples, we were Chori
sters:
249But now our very graues
251The monumentall marble Vrnes of bodies
252(Laid to re
st long agoe) vnreuerently
253Are turned to troughes of water now for jades:
255Slept on the cold hard pillowes of the earth,
256Are emptied now, and chang'd to drinking roomes,
258
2. Card.
What's therefore to be done?
260This
shall be done: They hunted vs like wolues,
261Out of their Fairie forre
sts, whipt vs away
262(As vagabonds) mockt vs, and said our fall
263Could not be dangerous, because we bore
264Our gods vpon our backes: now mu
st we whip them,
265But wiselier.
266
Tres.
How?
268Hold Beacons in their eies (blazing with fire
269Of a hot-seeming zeale) to watch our entrance,
272They are the kingdoms mu
sicke, they the Organs,
274Set them but out of tune, alls out of square,
275Pull downe the Church, and none can it repaire,
276But he that builds it: this is the faggot band
277That binds all fa
st: vndoo't, vndoe the land---
281That hold the roofe of yon Starre-chamber vp,
282From dropping downe to grinde the world to du
st,
283You
shall to Fairie land.
284
Card. omnes.
A joyfull voyage.
286Haue not their voyces cleere, the
streame of ceremony
290To draw vnto our
shores the Fairie whales.
292And all we are, is not cleane driuen from thence,
295During her moneth of mourning: here we write you
297That doe: your hire's aboue.
298
Card. omnes.
We know it well.
300Rowe in your
streames, when they grow cold in working,
301And weary of their owne waters, that the sayles
303And that (like reedes, playing with a paire of winds.)
305The trees by the root, then'le make the branches blow,
306And drop their mellowed fruits, euen at your feet,
307Gather them they are our owne, then is the houre,
309From her. (their
stepdame) and to make them take,
310A ble
s
sing from our reuerend mothers hands,
311Be happie goe.
313In all our kneelings.
316Take Periapts, Pentacles, and potent Charmes
317To coniure downe fowle feinds, that will be rayzed
318To vex you, tempt you, and betray your bloud,
319About your necks hang hallowed Amulets,
320That may Conserue you from the plagues of Error
321Which will
strike at you.
323
1. Car.
And heare you,
324If clymbing vp to this haught enterprize
325The foot
slip, and (ith' fal) with death you meet---
326
Sacr. Omn.
O glorious ladder!
328Farewell: Mount all the engines of your wit
Exeunt
Sacr.
330There is a fellow to whome, because he dare
331Not be a
slaue to greatnes, nor is molded
334Hath giuen this name. (Plaine Dealing): this plaine dealing
337Intelligence of all Occurrences,
339Into that Harlots Company (whom the fairyes
341That
strumpet by inticement heele bring ouer,
343That this plaine dealing serues the fairy Queene,
344And will no more be seene in Babilon.