"No truth of justice in Beira lond.
No sincere faith void of slie subtilty,
That always seeks it self, is to be found
But law delusion and false polity,
False polity that into tyrannie

Would quickly wend, did not stern fear restrain
And keep in aw. Th' Onites democracy
Is nought but a large hungry tyrant-train ;
Oppression from the poore is an all-sweeping rain.

"A sweeping torrent that beats down the corn,
And wastes the oxens labour, head-long throws
The tallest trees up by the root ytorn,

Its ranging force in all the land it shows;
Woods, rent from hence, its rowling rage bestows
In other places that were bare before;

With muddied arms of trees the earth it strows;
The list'ning shepherd is amazed sore,

While it with swift descent so hideously doth rore.

"Such is the out-rage of Democracie,

When fearlesse it doth rule in Beirah :
And little better is false monarchy,

When it in this same countrey bears the sway.

There's no society in Behirah,

But beastlike grazing in one pasture ground.
No love but of the animated clay

With beaties fading flowers trimly crowned,

Mnemon parts from Psittaco and pursues the middle way alone

When I came near the end, there was in view

No passage for the wail was very high,
But there no doore to me it self did shew:
Looking about at length I did espy
A lively youth, to whom I presently 'gan cry.
When I 'gan call, forthwith in seemly sort
He me approach'd in decent russet clad,
More fit for labour then the flaunting court.
When he came near, in chearfull wise he bad
Tell what I would; then I unto the lad
'Gan thus reply; alas! too long astray
Here have I trampled foul Behirons pad :†
Out of this land I thought this the next way,

But I no gate can find, so vain is mine assay.

Then the wise youth, good Sir, you look too high ;
The wall aloft is raised; but that same doore
Where you must passe in deep descent doth lie:
But he bad follow, he would go before.

Hard by there was a place, all covered o're

With stinging nettles and such weedery,

The pricking thistles the hard'st legs would gore,
Under the wall a straight doore we descry;
The wall hight self-conceit; the doore humility.
When we came at the doore fast lockt it was,
And Simon had the key, but he would grant
That I into that other land should passe,
Without I made him my Concomitant.
It pleased me well, I mused not much upon't,
But straight accord: for why? a jolly swain
Me thought he was; meek, chearfull, and pleasant.
When he saw this, he thus to me again,

Sir, see you that sad couple? Then I; I see those twain.

sage,

"Here seemly sitting down, thus gan that
Last time we were together here ymet,
Beirah wall, that was the utmost stage
Of our discourse, if I do not forget.
When we departed thence the sun was set,
Yet nathelesse we past that lofty wall

That very evening. The night's nimble net

That doth encompasse every opake ball,

That swims in liquid aire, did Simon nought appall.

"When we that stately wall had undercrept,
We straightway found ourselves in Dizoie :

The melting clouds chill drizzeling tears then weep;
The mistie aire swet for deep agony,

Swet a cold sweat, and loose frigiditie
Fill'd all with a white smoke; pale Cynthia

Did foul her silver limbs with tilthy die,

Whiles wading on she measured out her way,

And cut the muddy heavens defil'd with whitish clay.

"No light to guide but the moon's pallid ray,
And that even lost in mistie troubled aire:
No tract to take, there was no beaten way;
No chearing strength, but that which might appear
From Dian's face; her face then shin'd not clear,
And when it shineth clearest, little might

She yieldeth, yet the goddesse is severe.

Hence wrathfull dogs do bark at her dead light:

Christ help the man thus clos'd and prison'd in dread night

"O'rewhelmed with irksome toyl of strange annoyes
In stony stound like senselesse stake I stood,
Till the vast thumps of massie hammers noise,
That on the groning steel laid on such lode,
Empierc'd mine ears in that sad stupid mood.
I weening then some harbour to be nigh,
In sory pace thitherward slowly yode,
By ear directed more then by mine eye,
But here, alas! I found small hospitality.
"Foure grisly black-smiths stoutly did their task
Upon an anvile form'd in conick wise.
They neither minded who, nor what I ask,
But with stern grimy look do still avise
Upon their works; but I my first emprise
Would not forsake, and therefore venture in.
Or none hath list to speak, or none espies,
Or hears; the heavy hammers never lin;

And bot a blue faint light in this black shop did shine.

There I into a darksome corner creep,

And lay my weary limbs on dusty fioor,

Expecting still when soft down-sliding sleep

Should seize mine eyes, and strength to me restore:
But when with hovering wings she 'proach'd, e'remore
The mighty souses those foul knaves laid on,*
And those huge bellows that aloud did rore,
Chac'd her away that she was ever gone.
Before she came, on pitchy plumes, for fear yflone.
"The first of these rude rascals Lypont hight,
A foul great stooping slouch with heavie eyes,
And hanging lip: the second ugly sight
Pale Phobon, with his hedghog-hairs disguise.
Aelpons is the third, he the false skies

No longer trusts. The fourth of furious fashion
Phrenition hight, fraught with impatiencies,
The bellows be ycleep'd deep suspiration:

Each knave these bellows blow in mutuali circulation.

"There is a number of these lonesome forges

In Bacha¶ vale (this was in Bacha vale,)

There be no innes but these, and these but scourges;
Instead of ease they work much deadly dale
To those that in this lowly trench do trale
Their feeble loins. Ah me! who here would fare?
Sad ghosts oft crosse the way with visage pale,
Sharp thorns and thistles wound their feeten bare:
Yet happy is the man that here doth bear a share.

"When I in this sad vale no little time

Had measured, and oft had taken Inne,
And by long penance paid for mine ill crime
Methought the sunne itself began to shine,
And that I'd past Diana's discipline.

But day was not yet come, 'twas perfect night:
I Phoebus head from Ida hill had seen :
For Ida hill doth give to men the sight,
Of Phœbus form, before Aurora's silver light.

“But Phœbus form from that high hill's not clear
Nor figure perfect. It's inveloped

In purple cloudy veil; and if't appear
In rounder shape with skouling, drery head
A glowing face it shows, ne rayes doth shed

• This powerful fiction will remind many readers of Carleton's Pilgrimage to

Lough Dearg.

† Sorrow.

Fear.

Despair. ||Frenzy.

The valley of tears.

Of light's serenity, yet duller eyes

With gazing on this irefull sight be fed

Best to their pleasing; small things they will prise,
That never better saw, nor better can devise."

On the top of Ida hill, is a strong fortress, with a number of inhabitants,

whose names might have excited the
envy of a Cromwellite regiment.

"That rabble rout that in this castle won,
Is Irefull-ignorance, unseemly-zeal,
Strong self-conceit, rotten-religion,
Contentious-reproach-'gainst-Michael-
If-he-of-Moses'-body-ought-reveal-
Which-their-dull-skonses-cannot-eas❜ly-reach,
Love-of-the-carkas, an inept appeal-
T'uncertain-papyrs, a-false-formall-fetch-
Of-feigned-sighs, contempt-of-poore-and-sinfull-wretch.

"A deep self-love, want of true sympathy-
With all mankind, th' admiring their own herd,
Fond pride a sanctimonious cruelty

'Gainst those by whom their wrathfull minds be stird
By strangling reason, and are so afeard

To lose their credit with the vulgar sort;
Opinion and long speech 'fore life preferred,
Lesse reverence of God then of the court,
Fear, and despair, evil surmises, false report.

"Oppression-of-the-poore, fell-righteousnesse,
Contempt-of-Government, fierceness, fleshly-lust,
The-measuring-of-all-true-righteousness

By-their-own-modell, cleaving-unto-dust,
Rash-censure, and despising-of-the-just-
That-are-not-of-their-sect, False-reasoning-
Concerning-God, vain-hope, needlesse-mistrust,
Strutting-in-knowledge, egre slavering-
After hid-skill, with every inward uncouth thing.

"No such inchantment in all Dizoie

As on this hill: nor sadder sight was seen
Then you may in this rufull place espy.
'Twixt two huge walls on solitary green,
Of funerall cypresse many groves there been,
And eke of ewe, eben, and poppy trees:
And in their gloomy shade foul grisly fiend
Use to resort, and busily to seize

The darker phansied souls that live in ill disease.

"Hence you may see, if that you dare to mind,
Upon the side of this accursed hill,

Many a dreadfull corse ytost in wind,

Which with hard halter their loath'd life did spill.

There lies another which himself did kill

With rusty knife, all roll'd in his own blood,

And ever and anon a dolefull knell

Comes from the fatall owl, that in sad mood

With drery sound doth pierce through the death-shadow'd wood.

Who can expresse with pen the irksome state

Of those that be in this strong castle thrall?

Yet hard it is this fort to ruinate,

It is so strongly fenc'd with double wall.

The fiercest but of ram no'te make them fall:

The first Inevitable Destiny

Of God's decree; the other they do call
Invincible fleshie Infirmitie:

But keeper of the tower's Unfelt Hypocrisie.

"Aye me! who shall this fort so strongly fenced win!

"I hear the clattering of an armed troup,

My ears do ring with the strong prancers' heels.
(My soul get up out of thy drowsie droop,
And look unto the everlasting bills)

The hollow ground, ah! how my sense it fills
With sound of solid horses hoofs.

A wonder

It is, to think how cold my spirit thrills,

With strange amaze. Who can this strength, dissunder?
Hark how the warlike steeds do neigh, their necks do thunder.

"All milkwhite steeds in trappings goodly gay,

On which in golden letters be ywrit

These words (even he that runs it readen may)
True righteousness unto the Lord of might
O comely spectacle! O glorious sight!
'Twould easily ravish the beholder's eye
To see such beasts, so fair, so full of spright,
All in due ranks, to prance so gallantly,
Bearing their riders arm'd with perfect panoply.

"In perfect silver glistring panoply

They ride, the army of the highest God.
Ten thousands of his saints approachen nie,
To judge the world, and rule it with his rod.
They leave all plain whereever they have trod.
Each rider on his shield doth bear the Sun
With golden shining beams dispread abroad,
The Sun of Righteousness at high day noon,
By this same strength, I ween, this fort is easily wonne.