FEARE not poore muse, cause first to sing her fame, | |
Thats yet scarce known, unless by map or name; | |
A grand-childe to earths paradize is borne, | |
Well limd, well nervd, faire, rich, sweete, yet forlorne. | |
Thou blest director, so direct my verse, | 5 |
That it may winne her people, friends, commerce; | |
Whilst her sweet ayre, rich soile, blest seas, my penne | |
Shall blaze and tell the natures of her men. | |
New-England, happie in her new true stile, | |
Wearie of her cause shes to sad exile | 10 |
Exposd by hers unworthy of her land, | |
Intreates with teares Great Brittaine to command | |
Her empire, and to make her know the time, | |
Whose act and knowledge onely makes divine. | |
A royall worke well worthy Englands king, | 15 |
These natives to true truth and grace to bring. | |
A noble worke for all these noble peares | |
Which guide this state in their superiour spheres. | |
You holy Aarons let your sensors nere | |
Cease burning, till these men Jehovah feare. | 20 |
Westward a thousand leagues a spatious land | |
Is made unknown to them that it command. | |
Of fruitfull mould, and no lesse fruitlesse maine | |
Inrich with springs and prey high-land and plaine. | |
The light well tempred, humid ayre, whose breath | 25 |
Fils full all concaves betwixt heaven and earth, | |
So that the region of the ayre is blest | |
With what earths mortals wish to be possest. | |
Great Titan darts on her his heavenly rays | |
Whereby extreames he quells, and overswayes. | 30 |
Blest is this ayre with what the ayre can blesse, | |
Yet frequent ghusts doe much this place distresse; | |
Here unseene ghusts doe instant on-set give, | |
As heaven and earth they would together drive. | |
An instant power doth surprize their rage, | 35 |
In their vast prison, and their force asswage. | |
Thus in exchange a day or two is spent, | |
In smiles and frownes: in great yet no content. | |
The earth grand parent to all things on earth, | |
Cold, dry, and heavie, and the next beneath | 40 |
The ayre, by natures arme with low discents, | |
Is as it were intrencht; againe ascents | |
Mount up to heaven by Joves omnipotence, | |
Whose looming greenesse joyes the sea-mans sence. | |
Invites him to a land if he can see, | 45 |
Worthy the thrones of stately soveraigntie. | |
The fruitfull and well watered earth doth glad | |
All hearts, when Floras with her spangles clad, | |
And yeelds an hundred fold for one, | |
To feede the bee and to invite the drone. | 50 |
O happie planter, if you knew the height | |
Of planters honours where thers such delight; | |
There natures bounties, though not planted are, | |
Great store and sorts of berries great and faire: | |
The filberd, cherry, and the fruitful vine, | 55 |
Which cheares the heart and makes it more divine. | |
Earths spangled beauties pleasing smell and sight | |
Objects for gallant choyce and chiefe delight. | |
A ground-nut there runnes on a grassie threed, | |
Along the shallow earth as in a bed, | 60 |
Yealow without, thin filmd, sweete, lilly white, | |
Of strength to feede and cheare the appetite. | |
From these our natures may have great content, | |
And good subsistance when our meanes is spent. * * * * * | |
The fowles that in those bays and harbours feede, | 65 |
Though in their seasons they doe else-where breede, | |
Are swans and geese, herne, phesants, duck and crane, | |
Culvers and divers all along the maine: | |
The turtle, eagle, partridge, and the quaile, | |
Knot, plover, pigeons, which doe never faile, | 70 |
Till sommers heate commands them to retire, | |
And winters cold begets their old desire. | |
With these sweete dainties man is sweetly fed, | |
With these rich feathers ladies plume their head; | |
Heres flesh and feathers both for use and ease | 75 |
To feede, adorne, and rest thee, if thou please. * * * * * | |
The costly codd doth march with his rich traine: | |
With which the sea-man fraughts his merry ship: | |
With which the merchant doth much riches get: | |
With which plantations richly may subsist, | 80 |
And pay their merchants debt and interest. | |
Thus ayre and earth, both land and sea yeelds store | |
Of natures dainties both to rich and poore; | |
To whom if heavens a holy vice-roy give, | |
The state and people may most richly live: | 85 |
And there erect a pyramy of estate, | |
Which onely sinne and heaven can ruinate. | |
Let deepe discretion this great work attend, | |
Whats well begun for th most part well doth end. | |
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