Page:Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (1623).djvu/14

 Of all,that inolent Greece, or haughtie Rome ent forth, or fine did from their ahes come. Triumph, my Britaine, thou hat one to howe, To whom all Scenes of Europe homage owe He was not oftn age,.but for all time And all the Mues till were in their prime, when like Apollo he tame forth to warme Our eares, or like a Mercury to charme Nature her elfe was proud of his deignes, And ioy'd to weare the deesing of his lines! which were o richly pun, and woven o fit, As, ince, he will vouchafe no other Wit. The merry Greeke, tart Aritophanes, Neat Terence, witty Plautus, now not pleae; But antiquated, and deerted lye As they were not of Natures family, Yet mut I not giue Nature all: Thy Art, My gentle Shakepeare, mut enjoy apart. For though the Poets matter, Nature be, His Art doth giue the fahion. And, that he Who cats to write a liuing line, mut weat, (uch as thine are) and trike the econd heat Vpon the Mues anuile; turne the ame, {And himelfe with it) that he thinkes to frame; Or for the lawrell, he may game a corne, For a good Poet's made, as well as borne. And uch wert thou. Looks how the fathers face Lines in his iue, turn o, the race Of Shakepeares minde, and manners brightly hines In his well torned, and true filed lines: In each of which, he emes to hake a Lance, As brandihe at the eyes of Ignorance. Sweet Swan of Auon! what a fight it were To ee thee in our waters yet appeare. And make thoe flights vpon the bankes of Thames, That o did take Eliza, and our Iames! But ay, l ee thee in the Hemiphere Aduanc'd, and made a Conternation there! Shine forth,thou Starreof Poets, and with rage, Or influence, chide, or cheere the drooping Stage; which, ince thy flight fro hence, hath mourn'd like night, And depaires day, but for thy Volumes light.

Ben Ionon