Campion: De Pulverea Coniuratione II

Faucus ut opportune opera fatoque prehensus
Cneveti scelus expandit, cameramque secundus
persequitur liber. excusso nova gaudia somno
rex placide admittit, toto quae, luce renata,
urbe calent. studio capiendae fingit Elizae

Fawkes, as opportunely seized by Knyvet’s effort and by fate,
unfolds the crime, and the second book pursues the chamber.
with sleep shaken off, the king placidly admits new joys,
which, with the light reborn, glow through the whole city.
with zeal for capturing Eliza he devises

5
venatum multis Digbaeus cinctus amicis.
vindictam statuit populo acclamante senatus,
Ignati umbra animos impellit ad arma rebelles.
coniuratorum foedantur pulvere vultus,
pugna mox caesi qui sunt, captive sub umbra.

5
to hunt, Digbaeus girded with many friends.
the senate establishes vengeance, the people acclaiming,
the shade of Ignatius impels rebel spirits to arms.
the faces of the conspirators are befouled with dust,
soon those who are cut down in battle, captive under the shade.

his vix digestis premit oras Oceani sol
mane. cui ignaro spectacula quanta parantur,
quam taciti sceleris plena, et maeroris acerbi?
sed neque prodigiosi ignes nec turbinis atri
insolitus fragor ardentes terrebat equorum

with these things scarcely digested, at morning the sun presses the shores of Ocean.
for him, unknowing, what spectacles are being prepared,
how full of silent crime, and of bitter grief?
but neither prodigious fires nor the unaccustomed crash of the black whirlwind
was frightening the fiery horses.

5
praecipitantum animos, non fluxum aut pensile monstrum
nox tenebris contenta suis, et luna vetustis
sideribus, nec spectra solo dant, nec nova coelo
signa, sed innocue per amica silentia vadunt.
eduntur clausis suspiria nulla sepulchris

5
the minds of those rushing headlong, not a fleeting or suspended portent—
the night, content with its own darkness, and the moon with the age-old
stars, neither give specters to the soil, nor new signs to the heaven,
but go harmlessly through friendly silences.
no sighs are given forth from closed sepulchres

10
non audita strigum vox, non ignoti ululatus,
tympana nulla tremunt, nec murmura maesta tubarum.
numinis offensi nondum praenunciat iram,
occultive metum portenti inamabile quidquam.
tempus erat penitus victis mortalia curi

10
no voice of screech-owls heard, no ululation of the unknown,
no drums tremble, nor the mournful murmurs of trumpets.
not yet does the wrath of an offended numen pre-announce itself,
nor, covertly, anything unlovely of portent, a fear.
it was the time for mortal cares for those utterly vanquished.

15
alta inspiratos traherent cum pectora somnos.
ante fores Faucus (vacua cui Percius aede
omnia permisit) stat solus, et ultimus ausi
tanti, parque actor. sed enim quid mentis habere
impius, aut animi potuit? fastigia templi

15
when deep chests were drawing inspired slumbers.
before the doors Faucus (to whom Percius, the shrine being empty, permitted everything) stands alone, and the last of so great a daring, and an equal actor. but indeed what of mind could the impious man have, or of spirit could he?
the pediments of the temple

20
si dubia forsan licuit pertingere luce,
perdita seu tantum versus loca lumina sacra
tenderet, antiquis regum veneranda sepulchris,
omnia momento quae fundere sperat et audet?
sacra prophana unum est, scelus imperterritus ardet,

20
if perhaps it was permitted to reach in doubtful light,
or if only his lost lights, turned toward the sacred places,
would stretch to the venerable sepulchres of ancient kings,
all things in a moment, which he hopes and dares to lay low?
sacred and profane are one; unterrified, the crime burns,

25
quicquid et ingentem poterit celebrare ruinam.
hinc ibi Cnevetus cunctantem ut cernit (adesse
quem vigilum stipante globo iam fata monebant)
prendi suspectum iubet, et numquid tegat arcte
quaeri. funiculos ad sola incendia natos

25
and whatever also might be able to proclaim the enormous ruin.
Then there Cnevetus, when he sees him hesitating (the Fates were already warning that a thronging globe of watchmen was at hand),
orders the suspect to be seized, and that it be asked whether he closely hides anything.
little cords born for fires alone

30
et quae conducunt his instrumenta scelesti
vestibus expromunt rimantes. nec mora: captus
denudatusque intrepido coeptum ore fatetur,
ac veluti iusto turget, coelemque merenti,
nec nisi non facto dolet. horribilisque recluso

30
and, rummaging, they bring out from his garments the instruments which conduce to these criminal deeds;
no delay: captured and stripped, with an intrepid mouth he confesses what he had begun,
and swells as if just, and as though heaven were owed to the deserving,
and he grieves only that it was not done. And horrible, with the thing laid open

35
fornice letiferum cumulum mirantibus addit,
Faucum istic, dudum quo festinabat, adortum
tota cum turba succensa mole seipsum
flammis devovisse prius quam vincula ferret.
tam miro ambiguos nectit Deus ordine casus.

35
with the archway thrown open he adds, to the onlookers’ amazement, a death-bringing heap,
that there he had assaulted Faucus, to whom he had been hastening a moment ago,
and that, with the whole throng, the structure set ablaze, he himself
had devoted to the flames before he would carry chains.
In so wondrous an order God knits together ambiguous chances.

40
praepositis camerae custodibus, illico vinctum
monstrum execrantes ad sacra palatia ducunt,
ut fit ubi fidis canibus latrantibus ursum
concurrente trahunt multa per compita plebe.
insomnes aula proceres quid pulveris affert

40
with the chamber’s custodians set in charge, immediately the bound
monster, execrating, they lead to the sacred palaces,
as happens when, with faithful dogs barking, a bear
they drag, the plebs running together through many crossroads.
the sleepless grandees of the hall what dust it brings

45
nuncius expectant, nova qui pandente stupescunt
Cneveto, nec se retinent, quin protinus omnes
nocte intempesta licet haec sua gaudia vati
sceptigero asportent, ceu visa insomnia somno.
praecedit reliquos thalamorum munere custos

45
they await the messenger, and are stupefied at the novelties being unfolded
by Cneveto; nor do they restrain themselves, but forthwith all
albeit it is the dead of night, carry off these their joys to the sceptre-bearing seer,
as dreams seen in sleep.
the custodian of the bedchambers, by his office, goes before the rest

50
excelso duce prognatus, Suffolcius heros,
quo patriae nec erat, nec regis amantior alter,
impatiensque morae vix dum satis experrectum
inclamat dominum. "patet omnis fraus, patet ingens
infandumque scelus, loca sunt suspecta senatus

50
born from an exalted leader, the Suffolkian hero,
than whom there was no other more loving of his fatherland nor of the king,
and impatient of delay, scarcely when sufficiently awakened,
calls out to his lord. "every fraud is laid bare, a vast
and unspeakable crime; the places of the senate are suspect

55
pulvere onusta. tenet tanti custodia furti
artificem. regum o decus, o ter maxime vates,
te populo, populumque tibi, tria regnaque solus
servasti, tua nos nunquam praesagia fallunt.
per te diva uxor, per te tua regia proles,

55
laden with dust. custody holds the artificer of so great a theft.
O glory of kings, O thrice most mighty prophet,
you alone have preserved yourself for the people, and the people for you, and the three kingdoms;
your presages never deceive us.
through you the divine wife, through you your royal progeny,

60
per te iam numenque tuum nos vivimus omnes
spiramusque. tibi debetur civica laurus,
et capiti veris diademata lucida stellis."
laetus, et ut sanctum decuit, mox lumina coelo
attollens sacrasque manus rex fervidus infert:

60
through you and your numen we all now live
and breathe. to you the civic laurel is owed,
and to your head diadems bright with true stars."
joyful, and as befitted a holy man, soon lifting his eyes to heaven
and his sacred hands, the king fervidly brings forth:

65
"haec tua sunt, patrone Deus, tua sola fatemur
sunt immensa opera, at multo clementia maior."
liberiore dein sermone sopore fugato
laetitiam celebrant hanc festam, quamque quotannis
natos natorum semper renovare iuvabit.

65
"these are yours, patron God; we confess they are yours alone;
the works are immense, but much greater is the clemency."
then with freer speech, sleep put to flight,
they celebrate this festal joy, and that which each year
it will ever delight to renew for the sons of sons.

70
sic tandem tenebris exhaustis quinta Novembris
candida lux coelo surgit, qua faustior aevo
non ulla exposuit radios, nec postera promet.
iamque exurgenti factis operisque diurnis
urbanae plebi simul horum fama notescit,

70
thus at last, the shadows drained away, on the fifth of November
a gleaming light rises in the sky, than which to the age
none has exposed its rays more auspiciously, nor will the following promise it.
and now, as people rise for deeds and the works of the day,
to the urban plebs at once the report of these things becomes known,

75
heu quantus stupor accessit! quam vivida fervent
gaudia! nec capiunt eventus saepe volutos
exiguae mentes, nec se satiare loquendo
possunt, nec satis illa sibi fecisse putando.
venatum simulat Digbaeus rure frequentem

75
ah, how great a stupor has come on! how vivid they seethe
the joys! nor do scant minds grasp events often revolved,
nor can they sate themselves by speaking,
nor by thinking that they have done enough for themselves.
Digby simulates a crowded hunt in the countryside

80
oblectamentum, quo nil prius, et minus ipsa
natura nocuum, lepori detexere gressus
sive lubet, celeres seu cursu evincere cervos.
longe aliud Digbaeus agit, nec vultibus aegrum
dissimulare animum potuit, nec voce sagaces

80
an entertainment, than which nothing is more prime, and less by nature itself
nocuous, to detect the steps of the hare
if it pleases, or to overcome the swift stags by running, evincere cervos.
far otherwise does Digbaeus act, nor could he with his looks
dissemble his sick spirit, nor with his voice deceive the sagacious

85
pro more exhilarare canes. stupet anxius, et se
neglecto suspendit equo, sibi pondus, et illi.
accelerans fatum, capienda regia virgo
sollicitant hominem sua quem fortuna beavit.
horum sed nil te metuentum, o dulcis Eliza,

85
to exhilarate the hounds according to custom. He stands amazed, anxious, and,
the horse neglected, he suspends himself upon it, a burden to himself and to it.
Accelerating his fate, the royal maiden-to-be-seized
and his own fortune—which has blessed him—solicit the man.
but of these, nothing for you to fear, O sweet Eliza,

90
exercet pietatis amore, virtutis et artes
augustae et quales debentur mollibus annis.
vultu candor inest, mens candida, sideris instar
luce micas plena semper, sine labe vel umbra.
per te aditum sperare audet scelus? horrida per te

90
she exercises, out of love of piety, the august arts of virtue,
and such as are owed to tender years.
in her countenance there is candor, a candid mind; in the likeness of a star
you sparkle with light ever full, without blemish or shadow.
through you does crime dare to hope for access? horrid through you

95
bella ciere tubis quas dira inflabit Erinnys?
post fratres caesos, commactatosque parentes
solane tu regnare potes, vel praeda coacta
sanguineum patrio capes ex hoste maritum?
te dea, te leviora manent, melioraque fata,

95
to incite wars with trumpets, which the dire Erinys will blow?
after brothers cut down, and parents immolated,
can you alone reign, or, with spoil extorted,
do you seize from a paternal foe a blood-stained husband?
for you, goddess, lighter and better fates await you,

100
grata Palatini quondam connubia nectes,
atque triumphali duce Rhenum ardebis amore
visere, natorum mox foelicissima mater.
perpetuusque viae comes hinc cum coniuge fida
ibit Haringtonus, cuius nunc sub lare tuto

100
one day you will weave welcome connubial bonds of the Palatine,
and with a triumphal leader you will burn with love to visit the Rhine,
soon the most felicitous mother of children.
and Harington, a perpetual companion of the journey, will go hence with his faithful spouse,
under whose safe roof now

105
flos sacer invitis praedonibus ipsa virescis,
amborum pia cura, et delectabile pignus.
sed reducem sua tecta senem (sic astra minantur)
haud unquam excipient, nec cernet patria tellus,
mors iter obsidio premet, affectusque seniles.

105
sacred flower, with the robbers unwilling, you yourself grow strong,
the pious care of both, and a delectable pledge.
but his own roofs will not ever receive the old man returning (so the stars menace),
nor will the fatherland’s earth behold him,
death—a siege upon the journey—will press, and aged affections.

110
Musa reflecte gradum, vocat urbs, ardensque senatus
vindicta, atque odio iuste execrabilis ausi.
sanctis ergo Deo votis templo ante solutis
assueta ingreditur pompa rex aureus aedes
e flamma ereptas, solioque insedit avito.

110
Muse, reflect your step; the city calls, and the senate burning with vindictive vengeance,
and with a hatred justly execrable of the daring deed.
therefore, with sacred vows to God first paid in the temple,
in accustomed pomp the golden king enters the halls rescued from the flame,
and sat upon the ancestral throne.

115
principibusque viris in morem utrinque locatis,
surgit Elismerus, sua nude iura crepantis
qui legis moderator erat, custosque sigilli,
utque erat insigni gravitate verendus et ore,
sic prior excelsi est pro ritu muneris orsus.

115
and with the chief men arranged on both sides in the customary manner,
Elismerus rises, plainly proclaiming his own rights,
who was the moderator of the law and the keeper of the seal,
and as he was to be revered for distinguished gravity and countenance,
thus he, as the first, began according to the rite of the lofty office.

120
"quae mihi sunt huic apta loco meditata, reique
propositae, tibi soli, o rex, praevisa repressit
res nova, res maior quam possit vocibus ullis
aequari, mente extensa vel tota subiri.
nil aevo tale, o patres proceresque, priori

120
"the things which I have meditated as apt to this place, and to the
proposed matter—foreseen for you alone, O king— a new thing has suppressed;
a matter greater than can be equated by any voices,
or be comprehended by an extended mind, or even by the whole.
nothing such in a former age, O fathers and grandees,

125
auditum, haec quoque vix credent fortasse minores.
vixque sui fecere fidem licet eruta vulgi
eminuere oculis sceleris documenta nefandi:
quamlibet et clare monstri caput omnia profert
veris insanus fari maiora videtur.

125
heard; these things too perhaps the later generations will scarcely believe.
and scarcely have they made belief in themselves, although, dug up from the common crowd, the documents of the nefarious crime have stood out to the eyes:
and however clearly the head of the monster proffers all things with truths,
he seems insane to speak greater things.

130
certa nimis tamen his latuere pericula tectis,
pernicies aderat prope, sed propior Deus, atris
fulminibus foetam qui nubem luce retexit
uni praemissa regi vatique Iacobo.
illi laus igitur sit, in omneque gloria seclum,

130
yet perils all too certain lay hidden beneath these roofs,
ruin was near at hand, but God was nearer, who with light unveiled
the cloud pregnant with black thunderbolts, sent beforehand
to King James alone, the seer.
to him, therefore, be praise, and glory into every age,

135
huic vero ut patriae sit gratia summa parenti.
unde autem scelus hoc manat si quaeritis, alma
fit rea relligio, pietas caedem atque rapinam
nempe sitit: 'clemens Deus haec incendia poscit .'
authores Romae servos habet, ultimus actor

135
for this man indeed let there be the highest gratitude, as for the parent of the fatherland.
but if you ask whence this crime flows, the nurturing religion
becomes the defendant; piety, to wit, thirsts for slaughter and rapine:
'a clement God demands these conflagrations.'
as authors it has at Rome slaves; the last actor

140
molem cuius erat funestam accendere munus.
solus turre nimis digna custode tenetur,
urbe latent reliqui, obscuri vel rure vagantur.
insidiis olim hinc satis urgebamur et armis,
substrato nunc igne: quid expectabimus ultra?

140
to ignite whose baleful mass was the task.
alone he is kept in a tower too worthy of its custodian,
the rest lie hidden in the city, or, obscure, they wander in the countryside.
for a long time from this quarter we were pressed enough by plots and by arms,
now, with fire laid beneath: what shall we expect further?

145
spem regni et decus omne uno sufflamine (totus
horresco referens) rutilas sparsisse per auras
sperabant occulti hostes, nec parcere regi
tam placido, abstinuisse suis nec denique norunt.
pulveris his ergo ruituri in fulgura tectis

145
the hope of kingship and all honor with a single brake (all
I shudder recounting it) to have dispersed into the rutilant airs
the occult enemies were hoping, nor to spare the king
so placid, nor, finally, did they know to abstain from their own.
of powder, therefore, about to rush into lightnings upon these roofs

150
pondera supposuere cadis ingentia plenis
nostram in pernitiem, mista et ferrugine multa
Aetnaeas implent latebras quo certior ictu
undique securos maiori strage feriret,
cum capite et sacro simul omnes perderet artus.

150
they placed enormous weights beneath the full casks
for our perdition, and, mingled also with much ferruginous rust,
they fill Aetnaean hiding-places, so that with a surer blow
it might smite on every side the unwary with greater slaughter,
when it would destroy all at once, together with the sacred head and the limbs.

155
heu quibus orba suo miseranda Britannia sole
plangeret in tenebris, luna, atque minoribus astris,
principe sublato duce, syderiisque puellis?
quis templis lumen praeberet? rura quis arte
aspera corrigerent, pacemque imponeret armis?

155
alas, by what moon and lesser stars would Britain, pitiable and bereft of her own sun,
lament in the darkness, with the prince, the leader, removed, and the sidereal maidens?
who would provide light to the temples? who would by art set right the rough fields,
and would impose peace upon arms?

160
per fora quis lites sedaret iure paterno?
quae demum insultus externos cura caveret?
vincentis quae vis sceleris fraenare furorem
grassantem interne poterat? matrumve levare
uxorum aut luctus quae tum solatia possent,

160
through the fora, who would settle lawsuits by paternal law?
what care, at length, would ward off external assaults?
what power could bridle the fury of conquering crime
rampaging within? or lighten the griefs of mothers,
or what consolations then could those of wives offer,

165
momento clades si tantaque, tamque inopina
contigerat media positis in pace Britannis,
cunctis ordinibus velut uno fulmine fusis?
sic tua, Roma, furit rabies, horrendaque proles
Ignati, ambiguus commisto daemone partus.

165
in a moment, if such and so unforeseen a calamity
had befallen the Britons set in the midst of peace,
with all orders routed as if by a single thunderbolt?
thus, Rome, your fury rages, and the horrendous progeny
of Ignatus, an ambiguous birth with a demon commixed.

170
quo, rex, usque feres mala tot mitissime multa?
infoelix sibi quem statuet patientia finem?
iam placabilitas nocet, impunitaque crescet
nequitia in seram tandem nutrita ruinam.
non est quod metuas labem meruisse tyranni

170
how long, O king, most mild, will you bear so many and so manifold evils?
unhappy one, what end will patience set for itself?
already placability harms, and unpunished wickedness will grow,
nourished, at last, into a belated ruin.
there is no reason for you to fear that you have deserved the stain of a tyrant

175
cunctos si perimit sontes nunc poena repertos.
crudelis, si mitis, eris. par opprimat aestus
vitio pestiferos, tua quos prudentia mire
avertit, superaque sinus cor luce refertum."
his graviter dictis, sic regius incipit ardor.

175
if now punishment destroys all the guilty who are found.
you will be cruel, if you are gentle. Let equal fervor
oppress the pestiferous by vice, whom your prudence wondrously
averts, and bear the heart, crammed with light, to the bosom above."
with these things gravely said, thus the royal ardor begins.

180
"soli nostra salus summo aeternoque parenti
debita sit, tantis eius clementia nullum
laudibus admittit socium, atque immensa potestas.
effugisse sat est hostilia fulmina nobis,
istos ingrati nequid meditemur honores."

180
"let our salvation be owed to the highest and eternal parent alone;
his clemency, so great, admits no associate in praises, and his immense power.
it is enough for us to have escaped the hostile thunderbolts,
let us not, ungrateful, devise those honors."

185
exorsus tali pius est sermone monarcha.
verborum sed enim cur haud superabile flumen
ingredior? cymbaque levi feror altus in aequor
immensum, celsis mox exorbendus ab undis?
sic Phoebi puer egit equos, ita parva cicada

185
the pious monarch began with such a sermon.
but indeed why do I enter an insuperable flood of words?
and in a light skiff am I borne out upon the immense deep,
soon to be swallowed up by towering waves?
thus did the boy of Phoebus drive the horses, so the little cicada

190
exili tonitru Iovis assimulabit hiatu.
pascua nam veluti cum ver infantibus ornat
floribus, egelidae solvuntur in aethere nubes,
et placide dulces succedunt imbribus imbres,
nil saevi si non cogente Aquilone minantes,

190
with a slender gape it will mimic the thunder of Jove.
for just as when spring adorns the pastures with infant
flowers, the tepid clouds are dissolved in the aether,
and placidly sweet showers succeed to showers,
threatening nothing savage, unless Aquilo compels.

195
vocibus haud aliter iucundis ora liquescunt
sceptiferi dicentis, et aurea flumina fundunt,
quae modo si fervent facere hoc invita videntur,
flatibus et tanquam adversis animata feruntur.
ingratos prout et facili castigat abusos

195
not otherwise do the lips of the sceptre-bearer speaking melt with jocund voices,
and they pour forth golden streams,
which just now, if they boil, seem unwilling to do this,
and, as if animated by adverse blasts, are borne along,
insofar as he chastises the ingrates and those who have abused his easy lenity.

200
Papicolas bonitate sua rex concitus aestu
fulmineo, nolensque ardet, dum saeva recenset
prodigia, et tribus intentata pericula regnis
per scelus, atque dolum, et quo nil violentius, ignem.
irae non igitur reprimendae laxat habenas,

200
At the Papists, the king, by his own goodness stirred with a fulmineous surge,
and, unwilling, he burns, while he recounts the savage prodigies,
and the perils attempted against the three realms
through crime and deceit, and fire—than which nothing is more violent.
therefore he loosens the reins of anger not to be repressed,

205
sopitumque diu vagina diripit ensem,
elata magnum dimittens voce senatum.
"tempus," ait, "veteres nunc est defendere leges,
non reperire novas. vindictam sumite, nostra
iam nihil impediet clementia, victa recessit.

205
and he tears from the sheath the long-sleeping sword,
and, with raised voice, dismisses the great senate.
"it is time," he says, "now to defend the ancient laws,
not to discover new ones. take vengeance; our
clemency will now impede nothing; conquered, it has withdrawn.

210
quilibet ergo suas sedes petat, undique sparsos
suppliciis multate hostes, dignoque cruore
eluite hance labem, ac terram purgate Britannam."
dixit: prosequiturque abeuntem murmure laeto
tota cohors, lenemque vocat iustumque Iacobum.

210
therefore let each, then, seek his own seat; from every side the enemies scattered
mulct with punishments, and with worthy blood
wash out this stain, and purge the British land."
he said: and the whole cohort follows the departing one with joyful murmur,
and calls James gentle and just.

215
sed conspirati scelerum discussa suorum
nubila cernentes, et nuda fronte patere
coepta horrenda tremunt, turpes ceu Gorgones unda
cum se tranquilla aspiciunt, pudor et metus urgent.
ac veluti tragico cum turget scena cothurno,

215
but the conspirators, perceiving the clouds of their own crimes dispersed,
and that their horrendous undertakings lie open with naked brow,
tremble, foul like Gorgons when in a tranquil wave
they behold themselves; shame and fear press them hard.
and just as when the stage swells with the tragic cothurnus,

220
Alcidesque furens agitur, fataleque Nessi
induitur donum, fumat vel coena Thyestei,
spectante Althea vel stipes luridus ardet,
instruitur tristi crudelis fabula pompa,
emergunt Cocyto umbrae miseranda malorum

220
and raging Alcides is driven, and he puts on the fated gift of Nessus,
or Thyestes' dinner smokes,
or, with Althea looking on, the lurid log burns,
the cruel play is set up with a sad pomp,
emerge from Cocytus the pitiable shades of evils

225
omnia ructantes, proceditque unus et alter
belle actus. lachrimis turgessere lumina tandem
spectantum incipiunt extremus ut advenit horror,
dum latera actores rumpunt, tanguntque coronam.
sed mox deficiunt scena sive voce silenti,

225
eructating all things, and one and then another
act proceeds well-played. at last the eyes
of the spectators begin to swell with tears as the utmost horror arrives,
while the actors burst their sides, and touch the corona (the ring of onlookers).
but soon they fail—the scene, or else the voice, falls silent,

230
explosique moram metuunt, latebrasque petiscunt.
sic ubi summa operis, messisque, et palma vocaret
ad praedam coniuratos, et saeva trophaea,
fornice detecto mutescunt. obvia passim
sanguineae Nemesis disclusos terret imago,

230
and, exploded from the stage, they dread delay, and they seek hiding-places.
thus, when the culmination of the work, and the harvests, and the palm would call
the confederates to prey, and savage trophies,
with the archway laid bare they fall mute. on every side
the image of sanguinary Nemesis terrifies the scattered,

235
credunt iam tenebris potius quam viribus ullis
vitas incertas et spes. mediaeque sub umbra
noctis Lambethi coeunt, eventaque volvunt.
conqueritur primo Vritus.

235
they now entrust their uncertain lives and hopes to the shadows rather than to any forces;
and beneath the mid-shadow of night at Lambeth they convene, and revolve the outcomes.
Vritus is the first to lodge complaint.

"quid doemonis atri
protulit occultum facinus? namque haud Deus," inquit,

"what occult crime has the black demon brought forth?
for indeed not God," he says,

240
"sanctorumve aliquis tam pulchros proderet ausus.
occidimus: spes, o socii, iam corruit ingens,
et meriti decus in lacrimas vanescit et umbras.
quem portum petimus? votis contrarius Auster
propositum turbavit iter, coelumque procellis

240
"or would any of the saints betray such fair bold undertakings?
we are undone: hope, O comrades, the great, has now collapsed,
and the glory of our merit vanishes into tears and shadows.
what haven do we seek? the South Wind, contrary to our vows,
has disturbed the purposed journey, and the sky with storms

245
undique crudescit, Syrtes atque aspera saxa
obiectans oculis, Scillasque et mille Charibdes.
armis nulla salus, nec si fuga forte deceret
tam sublime ausos quicquam prodesset. ubique
ignotus speculator adest, quotque ora tot hostes

245
on every side it grows cruel, throwing before our eyes the Syrtes and the rough rocks,
and Scyllas and a thousand Charybdises.
there is no safety in arms, nor, if flight perchance were fitting,
would it profit at all men who have dared so lofty a venture. everywhere
an unknown watcher is present; and as many shores, so many enemies

250
aspicimus. certam promittunt omnia cladem."
"tardius aut citius genitum quidcunque peribit."
Percius exclamat, "liceat mortalibus esse,
nec coepti nos poeniteat, nec sortis iniquae:
quod nequeas mutare feras. non omnibus unum

250
we behold. all things promise certain ruin."
"sooner or later whatever has been begotten will perish."
Percius exclaims, "let it be permitted to mortals to exist,
nor let us regret the undertaking, nor an iniquitous lot:
what you cannot change, bear. not to all one

255
impendet fatum, impendet tamen omnibus unum.
sic iter ingressus coelo fortasse sereno
perpetuam per planitiem sterilemque viator,
non illic hominum apparent, non tecta ferarum,
non virgultum humilem nec dumus proiicit umbram,

255
fate impends; yet it impends over all one and the same.
thus, a traveler having entered upon a journey with perhaps a serene sky
through a perpetual and sterile plain,
there no men appear, nor roofs of wild beasts,
no humble shrub, nor does a thorn-bush cast a shadow,

260
terra Iovi patet omnis et irascentibus Euris.
ille via laetatur adhuc radiisque benignis,
aetheris at si sit facies mutata repente,
si fulmen tonitrusque fremant, premat imbribus Auster,
quid faciat miser? incoeptum num deserat ergo

260
the whole earth lies open to Jove and to the wrathful East winds.
he rejoices still on the way and in the benign rays,
but if the face of the aether should be changed suddenly,
if lightning and thunder roar, if Auster press with rains,
what is the wretch to do? should he therefore abandon the undertaking begun

265
exanimatus iter? reliquum imperterritus omni
conatu an peraget, feret et quae ferre necessse est?
deficiente dolo, quid in considimus armis?

265
will he, panic-stricken, abandon the journey? or, unterrified,
will he carry through the remainder with every effort, and also bear what it is necessary to bear?
with artifice failing, why do we resort to arms?

virtutem exacuant nunc ipsa pericula nostram.
bellum finis erat, quo nondum utamur adempto."

let the very perils now whet our virtue.
war was the end, which, not yet taken away, let us make use of."

270
Percius arma, fugam laudat Vinterus, et aptam
pollicitus navem dubio praeponit honesto
utile, quod certam possit spondere salutem.
"quo tandem, aut ad quos fugientia tendimus," inquit,
"vela?" Catesbeius. "quos imploremus amicos?

270
Percy praises arms, Winter praises flight, and, promising a suitable ship,
he prefers the useful to the doubtful honorable,
because it can guarantee certain safety.
"To where, then, or to whom do we aim, in flight," says,
"our sails?" Catesby. "Whom shall I implore as friends?

275
anne illos quorum vano molimine causam
perdidimus? temere quorum violavimus aras?
coepta peracta licet grata et speciosa fuissent
nostra, infecta odium parient, spretisque pudorem.
quin aliquod demum factum edimus, imus ad arma,

275
or those, by whose vain exertion we lost the cause?
those whose altars we rashly violated?
although our undertakings, had they been brought to completion, might have been welcome and specious,
left undone they will beget hatred, and, once spurned, shame.
why not at last put forth some deed; let us go to arms,

280
sic non indecores, sic non moriemur inulti."
haec fato furiali omnes "arma, arma" tumultu
ingeminant, tollunt animos virtute coacta,
ceu cum nulla fugae reliqua est via, nulla saluti,
obvertunt cervi canibus se, in cornua surgunt,

280
thus not without honor, thus we shall not die unavenged."
At this, with furial fate, all ingeminate in tumult "arms, arms,"
they raise their spirits, virtue compelled,
as when no road of flight remains, none for safety,
the stags turn themselves toward the hounds, they rise upon their horns,

285
et sine spe tremulo contra luctamine tendunt.
maxima consilii vis ad nova bella cienda
est data Iesuitis, eadem quos culpa prophanis
miscet, et eiusdem stimulat mens conscia causae.
nocte igitur praemissus eques luctum explicat omnem

285
and without hope they strain with a tremulous counter-struggle.
the greatest force of counsel for setting new wars in motion
has been given to the Jesuits; the same guilt mixes them with the profane,
and a mind conscious of the same cause goads them.
by night, therefore, a horseman sent ahead explicates all the lamentation

290
Garneto, extremo in casu decretaque bella.
ille metu trepidans socios arcessit, acerba
praescripti degustata novitate pericli
exacuens prius, obtusis mora ne quid obesset.
convenere patres, venerabile nomine solo

290
To Garnet, with war decreed in the last extremity.
He, trembling with fear, summons his allies, the bitter
novelty of the prescribed peril having been tasted,
sharpening them first, lest, things being dulled, delay should do any harm.
The fathers assembled, venerable in name alone

295

concilium, nam voce metum vultuque fatentur
pertimidi, primis nec adhaerent proxima verba.
tandem Garneti effundit se viribus auctis,
copia solliciti sed et haec quoque plena timoris.
"heu quantis nos foeta malis sors obsidet," inquit,

council, for by voice and by countenance the over-timid confess fear,
nor do the words next adhere to the first words.
at length the copiousness of Garnet, with forces augmented, pours itself out,
yet this too, of an anxious man, is full of fear.
"alas, with how great evils big does Fortune besiege us," he says,

300
"o socii, ah metuo hinc noster iam funditus ordo
ne cadat, abruptique gemat sub pondere coepti.
usque adeo indignam sapit, et quam quilibet horret
barbariem, licet hoc aliam fortasse peractum
indueret speciem, commutaretque colorem,

300
"o comrades, ah I fear lest from here our order now fall utterly,
and, broken off, groan beneath the weight of the undertaking.
to such a degree it savors of an unworthy barbarism, which anyone shudders at,
although this perhaps, once carried through, would assume another appearance
and would change its color,

305
quodque atrum nunc conspicitur remearet in album.
quis fidei pactae oblitus nostrique suique,
indicium dedit extrema emolitus in hora
infoelix animaque suae, nostraeque saluti?
sed tam dira Deo credo molimina nunquam

305
and that which now is seen as black would return into white.
who, forgetful of the pledged faith and of us and of himself,
gave the disclosure, having contrived it at the final hour,
ill-fated, to the harm of his own soul and of our safety?
but I believe such dire attempts are never permitted by God.

310
sat placuisse, aliud prorsum clementia patris
aetherei exposcit, miserorum animusque misertus.
quid memorem extinctae plusquam miranda misellae
reginae effugia? exemplo mihi sufficit unus
interpres verax nimium, nimiumque benigno

310
enough to have pleased; the clemency of the ethereal Father
demands something quite different, and his spirit, having pitied the wretched.
why should I recount the escapes of the poor little queen, more-than-wonderful though dead?
as an example one interpreter suffices me,
too truthful, and with the example too kind.

315
afflatu adiutus, scriptum qui debile vertit
nostram in pernitiem, frustra quam tendimus illi.
insidias nondum natus contempsit, et ipsis
in cunis magno potuit plus Hercule, binos
quem manibus colubros extinguere Graecia fingit.

315
aided by an afflatus, he who turned the feeble script
into our perdition, which we stretch out to him in vain.
not yet born he contemned ambushes, and in the very
cradle he was able more than great Hercules, whom
Greece feigns to extinguish with his hands two serpents.

320
Iupiter huic fertur pater et patronus, at illi est
verus, et omnipotens, et ad omnia numine praesens."
"res magis eventis cur censes," increpat Hallus,
"quam recta ratione, pater? divina voluntas
quas acies olim instruxit bis fuderat hostis,

320
Jupiter is said to be to this man father and patron, but to that one he is true, and omnipotent, and present to all things by his numen."
"why do you suppose affairs more by outcomes," Hallus rebukes, "than by right reason, father? the divine will once drew up the battle-lines which the enemy had twice routed,

325
peiores igitur tibi, contemptaeque videntur?
pulsus et a Turcis rex Gallicus, an minor ergo
causa, ut sorte fuit? num classica digna triumpho
quae capta cecinere Rhode, aut meliora putemus,
obsessos quod iniqua pios victoria sprevit?

325
do they therefore seem to you worse, and despised?
and the Gallic king driven back by the Turks—was the cause therefore lesser,
since such was the lot? were the war-trumpets, which, with Rhodes captured, rang out,
not worthy of a triumph, or should we think it better that an unjust victory scorned the pious besieged?

330
nobis fas, nostrae non est diffidere causae."
haec disceptari Gerrardus tempore tali
Tesmundusque vetant, sibi nunc opus esse suisque
mox ut succurrant re, consilio, auxilioque.
arma movenda premunt, nec in his mora tuta movendis.

330
for us it is right; it is not for us to distrust our cause."
Gerard and Tesmund forbid these matters to be disputed at such a time,
saying that there is need for themselves now, and that their own should soon run to the rescue
in deed, in counsel, and with assistance.
they urge that arms must be set in motion, nor in setting these in motion is delay safe.

335
Garnetus nondum quassato robore regni,
rege vigente, in vindictam populoque furente,
difficile esse armis contra contendere suadet.
Hallus huic haeret parti, nec convenit illis
inter se, variat dubias sententia mentes.

335
Garnet, with the strength of the realm not yet shaken,
the king vigorous, and vengeance and the populace raging,
advises that it is difficult to contend against them with arms.
Hall clings to this party, nor do they agree among themselves;
opinion varies their wavering minds.

340
ex improviso attonitis sese obiicit umbra
Ignati, tristi aspectu, saevumque minanti;
olim qualis erat, cum publica castra sequendo
fessus militiae valedixit, et ordinis author
esse novi voluit, metuit nec nomen abuti

340
unexpectedly the shade of Ignatius presents itself to the thunder‑struck,
with a sad aspect, and menacing something savage;
such as once he was, when by following the public camps
weary of soldiery he bade farewell, and wished to be the author
of a new order, nor did he fear to abuse the name

345
audito quo terra tremit, quo sternitur Orcus.
hisque ferus pavidos incessit vocibus ultro.
"unde animis tantus labor?

345
at the sound of which the earth trembles, by which Orcus is laid low.
and with these words the fierce one advanced upon the fearful unprovoked.
"whence in your spirits such great distress?

eccum Ignatius adsum
Loyola, patronumque ducemque agnoscite vestrum.
ah pudet, o socii, vel vos Phlegetonte vomenti

behold, I, Ignatius, am here
Loyola; and recognize your patron and your leader.
ah, I am ashamed, O allies, even you, from Phlegethon vomiting

350
terrores flecti, nostrum pallere nefas sit.
vos pedibus regum par est capita aurea vestris
calcare, atque omnes rerum contemnere casus,
adversis etiam pandentes vela procellis.
magno equidem incaepto laudem meruisse fatebor

350
let terrors be bent aside; let it be nefas for us to grow pale.
it is for you to trample with your feet the golden heads of kings,
and to contemn all the vicissitudes of affairs,
even spreading sails to adverse gales.
I for my part will confess that by a great undertaking I have merited praise

355
ingentem utcumque est voto fraudata voluntas:
quod lepide modo cessisset, fataleque pulvis
fecerat officium, sparsusque senatus in auras
fulmine Romano totus cum rege perisset,
o quantum decus hinc? qualis mihi fama meisque

355
a mighty desire, however it stands, having been cheated of its vow:
what would just now have come off neatly,
and the fateful powder had fulfilled its office,
and the senate, scattered into the air,
had altogether perished, along with the king, by a Roman thunderbolt,
o what honor from this? what sort of fame for me and for mine?

360
iure affulsisset? magnum ut terroribus orbem
noster adimplesset cunctis mirabilis ordo!
Gloria sed nobis se invidit tanta, suosque
nectare quos aluit Spes felle fefellit alumnos.
utraque nunc igitur valeat dea, spes nova vestris

360
would rightly have shone forth? that our marvelous order would have filled the great orb with terrors for all!
But so great a Glory begrudged herself to us, and Hope deceived her own alumni—whom she had nourished with nectar—with gall.
therefore now let each goddess fare well; a new Hope for your

365
mentibus accedat, nova gloria laeta sequetur.
arma animis versate, nec his dolus exulet armis:
principio passim rumores spargite vanos,
Papicolasque metu caedis terrete futurae;
impendere illis communem fingite cladem,

365
let it approach your minds; a joyful new glory will follow.
turn arms in your minds, and let guile not be exiled from these arms:
first, everywhere scatter empty rumors,
and terrify the Papists with fear of future slaughter;
feign that a common disaster is impending for them,

370
occulte peragi rem, maturamque minari
vim subitam, nisi vi contra maturius itur.
vocibus interea vosmet spaciosius ipsis
currite circumquaque, recurrite, et undique notos
sollicitate viros, miserisque implete querelis

370
let the matter be carried through covertly, and threaten
sudden, ripe force, unless one goes against it by force more promptly.
with your voices meanwhile, yourselves more spaciously,
run everywhere around, run back again, and on every side the known
men solicit, and fill the wretched with complaints

375
foemineum genus, immensi loca cuncta onerate
suspicione mali, nihil ut sit tutius armis.
ipse ego Tartareosque Metus Furiasque ciebo
diras, atque imis quicquid saevi abditur umbris."
vix ea fatus erat, subtus cum terra dehiscens

375
burden the feminine race, load all the places of the immense world
with suspicion of evil, so that nothing may be safer than arms.
I myself will rouse Tartarean Terrors and dire Furies,
and whatever of savage is hidden in the deepest shades."
scarcely had he spoken these things, when beneath, the earth yawning open

380
pandit Avernales flammis crepitantibus undas,
misceturque suis Ignatius, omnia turbans
adventu primo. Dirarum nomina rauca
voce tonat, trepidosque Metus vocat, excitat omnes
impiger e caveis Furias, ignobilis addens

380
he opens the Avernian waves with crackling flames,
and Ignatius is mingled with his own, upsetting everything
at his first arrival. He thunders the names of the Dire Ones
with a hoarse voice, and Fear calls the trembling, he rouses all
the Furies, untiring, from their cages, adding the ignoble

385
horribilem vulgi numero sine et ordine turbam.
sic aciem instructam superas agit acer in auras,
ignitum quatiens dextra intentansque flagellum,
Tartareo spectante, suo nec poenitet ipsum
cedere iam de iure pari, unum pectus utrisque est.

385
a horrible mob of the common herd, without number and without order.
thus the keen one drives the marshaled battle-line aloft into the upper airs,
shaking in his right hand and brandishing a fiery scourge,
with the Tartarean one looking on; nor does his own lord regret
to yield now on equal right: one heart is to both.

390
visa sed haec oculis spectantum excussa repente
restituere solum, divulsaque Tartara claudunt.
terruit, ac merito, patres mirabile spectrum,
et consternatis si non Ignatius illas
firmasset, rigido mentes horrore fugasset.

390
but these sights, suddenly shaken from the eyes of the spectators,
restored the ground, and they close Tartarus, torn open.
it terrified, and deservedly, the fathers, the wondrous specter,
and if Ignatius had not steadied them, though consternated,
a rigid horror would have put their minds to flight.

395
omnia sed tumidis animis despecta minori
iam facie apparent: Alcides maximus illis
Antaeum attollens Pigmaeus cum grue certans
vix foret, aut gestans lactentem simia pupum.
flumine sic atro turgent, ita sceptra sacrata

395
but all things, by the swollen spirits despised, with a lesser
now face appear: to them the greatest Alcides
lifting Antaeus would scarcely be as a Pygmy contending with a crane,
or a monkey bearing a suckling infant.
thus they swell with a black flood; so the consecrated scepters

400
et regum elati prae se diademata temnunt,
heroes nunc orbe novi, ac domini dominantum.
iamque exclusa Erebo furiarum maxima bellum
quae serit, et cui regnorum discordia cordi est,
flammam Iesuitis Stygiam ceu fulmen in ora

400
and, exalted above kings, they openly scorn the diadems of kings,
now heroes of the new world, and lords of rulers.
and now, the greatest of the Furies, shut out from Erebus, who sows war,
and to whom the discord of kingdoms is dear at heart,
hurls Stygian flame like a thunderbolt into the mouths of the Jesuits

405
coniicit, ima petit vesanus viscera fervor.
praecipitesque agitat diversos, arma frementes,
implentesque sacris sua classica dira susurris.
verum accendenti maiori lampade Martem
Garneto, occurrit peracuta armata securi

405
he hurls it; the maniacal fervor seeks the lowest inward vitals.
and he drives them headlong, scattered, roaring for arms,
and filling their war-trumpets with dire sacred whispers.
but as Garnet was kindling Mars with a greater lamp,
there meets him, armed with a very sharp axe,

410
immensaque ferox Nemesis, taboque madenti,
intentamque aciem vibrans haec intonat ore:
"cur bellum concire opera contendis inani,
vecors, aut fatis ultra te opponere tentas?
plus satis admisti sceleris, tua perdita facta

410
and immense and ferocious Nemesis, reeking with gore,
and brandishing a drawn edge, thunders thus from her mouth:
"why do you strive to incite war by an inane effort,
witless one, or do you attempt to oppose yourself further to the fates?
you have committed more than enough of crime, your ruinous deeds

415
prodita iam poenam exposcunt quam sanguine solves,
nec tua multorum marcescens vita dierum est.
externam malefidus opem, ne credulus erres,
distrahit Oceanus, procul hinc tibi Roma vocanti.
quid coelum, magnis coelum si sontibus ullum est?"

415
your betrayals already demand the punishment which you will pay with blood,
nor is your withering life one of many days.
as for external aid—treacherous man, lest, being credulous, you go astray—tears it away the Ocean; Rome is far from here to answer your call.
what is heaven, if there is any heaven for great criminals?"

420
talia vaticanata fugit velut umbra, relinquens
exanimem, mortisque metu prope iam morientem
at scelera his tandem lucem didicere magistris
ferre, palam coeunt turbae, atque hostilia tentant.
aedes invadunt alienas, limina clausa

420
such things vaticinated, she fled like a shadow, leaving
him lifeless, and through fear of death now almost dying;
but crimes with these teachers at last learned to bear the light—
openly crowds assemble, and they attempt hostile acts.
they invade others’ houses, the closed thresholds

425
vi penetrant, rapiunt in fortia praelia doctos
sicubi equos, vetitisque trahunt de postibus arma.
illis urbani, maior quos concitat ardor,
assiduo socii miscentur, et undique crescunt,
aequore tranquillo ceu quando inopina virescit

425
by force they penetrate, they seize wherever horses trained for stout battles,
and they drag down from the doorposts the forbidden arms.
with them the urbanites, whom a greater ardor incites,
as assiduous allies are mingled, and from every side they grow,
as on a tranquil sea when something inopinate grows strong

430
tempestas, ruit hinc Notus, hinc ferus involat Eurus,
tolluntur fluctus paulatim, nubila coelo
se produnt, magis atque magis iam iamque timere
incipiunt nautae sibi divitibusque carinis.
sic etiam subitis cum rura tumultibus ardent

430
a storm: from here the South Wind rushes, from there the wild East Wind swoops in,
the waves are lifted little by little, the clouds in the sky
reveal themselves, and more and more, even now, to fear
the sailors begin for themselves and for their rich ships.
thus also when the fields glow with sudden tumults

435
(alta quibus facilisque quies assueverat olim)
quasque magis metuit plebs quam sua numina
legescontemni, nihilique videt nunc esse. furori
cedere ius, ferroque geri rem. quisque minatur
naufragium sibi, se vix tectis aut sua credit.

435
(to whom lofty and effortless rest had once been accustomed)
and the laws—which the plebs fears to be contemned more than its own divinities—
and now sees to be nothing: that right yields to fury, and that the matter is carried by iron.
each one forebodes shipwreck for himself; he scarcely trusts to his roofs or to his own possessions.

440
gens ita nunc natis horret Cornavia turbis
perpetuos quorum placide praeterfluit agros
dulcis Avona, ortu decursuque aemula solis.
ante alios annis gravis, ingenioque Grevillus
turbida cui ceu custodi provincia cessit,

440
thus now the Cornavian people shudder at the newborn tumults
whose perpetual fields it placidly flows past
the sweet Avona, emulous of the sun in its rising and in its course.
Grevillus, before others weighty in years and in genius,
turbulent, to whom as to a guardian, the province yielded,

445
rumores varios spargi, admittique rapinas
audit, nil magni, nil tanto at nomine dignum.
vultu sed Stygiam dum vim fugat aethere ab alto
sidereus iuvenis, subtus tremit imaque turma,
ceu sternuntur aves aquila volitante minores.

445
he hears that various rumors are being scattered, and that rapine is being allowed
he hears nothing great, nothing worthy of so great a name.
but while, with his countenance, the starry youth puts to flight the Stygian force from the high aether,
below the low-lying troop trembles, as lesser birds are laid low when an eagle is flying.

450
aspicit ecce senem cunctantem, animoque futura
delibantem, igitur densa nube undique tectus
advolat, et roseis digitis simul eximit unum
ex illis radiis circum aurea tempora qui stant
perpetuum in sertum glomerantes, sideris instar.

450
behold, he sees an old man hesitating, and in his mind fore-tasting the things to come;
therefore, veiled on every side in a dense cloud, he flies to him,
and with rosy fingers at once he draws forth one from those rays
which stand around his golden temples, massing into an everlasting garland,
in the likeness of a star.

455
ille, viri dextrum, iubar hoc iaculatus, ocellum
percutit, auratisque petit summa aethera pennis.
protinus horrescit coelesti percitus ictu
mortalis, sentit maiori lumine totum
perfundi caput et pectus. videt omnia multo

455
he, having hurled this beam, strikes the man's right eye,
and with aurate wings seeks the highest aether.
immediately the mortal shudders, stricken by the celestial blow,
he feels his whole head and chest to be suffused with a greater light,
he sees all things much

460
acrius, atque sapit praesentia sive futura.
quos modo contempsit rumores nunc timet, ante
dicta audita simul trutinata lance coercens.
principia haud ita magna graves portendere motus
aestimat interea, quos vel componere miti

460
more keenly, and he discerns things present or future.
the rumors which just now he despised, now he fears, whereas before
curbing both things said and things heard, weighed together in the scale.
meanwhile he estimates that not‑so‑great beginnings portend weighty movements,
which either to compose with mild measures

465
arte parat, vel vi stimulata extinguere saltem.
cogitat ingentes quandoque existere flammas
parva ex scintilla quia sit neglecta furenti:
caute vel in minimis prodest vigilantia rebus.
non bene custodita suae primum ergo redegit

465
by skill he prepares, or, impelled, at least to extinguish by force.
he considers that sometimes vast flames come into being
from a small scintilla, because, neglected, it grows to a raging blaze:
vigilance, cautiously, profits even in the very minimal things.
therefore first he brought under control what of his own had not been well kept

470
arma potestati, fortes sermone bonosque
prudenti exacuans, quosque aut fortuna genusve
extulit hortatur memorans sortemque genusque.
at patriae cunctos communi incendit amore,
aspergens odio turbas probrisque rebelles:

470
arms to authority, sharpening the brave and the good
with prudent speech; and those whom either fortune or birth
has raised up he exhorts, reminding them of their fortune and their lineage.
but he inflames all with a common love of the fatherland,
aspersing the rebel crowds with hatred and opprobrium:

475
excultaeque adeo valuit facundia linguae
ut contempti hostes desertique ocius ultro
diffugiant, quam vis neque deses cogere posset.
praetereunt celeres faecundae pascua Avonae,
adversisque alte nemora assurgentia ripis,

475
and the eloquence of his cultivated tongue prevailed to such a degree
that the despised and forsaken enemies more swiftly of their own accord
scatter, than even a force not slothful could compel.
they swiftly pass by the fecund pastures of Avon,
and the groves soaring high on the opposing banks,

480
inque tuis fessi tandem Sabrina residunt
vicinis campis. ast omnem hance excipit una
colluviem privata domus, quam debilis ardor
nequicquam munire parat pugnaque tueri.
Holbechi retinet nomen locus, haud malus, huius

480
and in your neighboring fields, Sabrina, the weary at last come to rest
but a single private house takes in this whole conflux,
which a feeble ardor strives in vain to fortify and to defend in battle.
the place retains the name Holbech, not bad, of this

485
conscius hospitii quod erat, si fama taceret.
ecce autem nunquam fidus, nulloque ligandus
pacto Tartareus, quos sustulit ante beatos,
nunc odio miseros necat, atque ut inutile pondus
abiicit, impendentem amat accelerare ruinam.

485
conscious of the hospitality that there was, if Fame were silent.
behold, however, the Tartarean, never faithful, and by no pact to be bound,
those whom earlier he had raised up blessed,
now in hatred he slays miserable, and, as a useless weight,
he casts away; he loves to accelerate the impending ruin.

490
funereas igitur Dirarum immitit in aedes
unam, sed maestis aptam, summeque nocivam.
deiectis datur illa comes, noctesque diesque
assidet horrorem incutiens, et tristia visa
praetendens, animisque aegris fastidia vitae

490
therefore he sends into the house a funereal one of the Dirae—
one, yet apt to the mournful, and most noxious.
to the cast-down she is given as a companion, and nights and days
she sits by, striking in horror, and presenting gloomy visions,
and into sick souls a disgust of life

495
suadet, et immaturo obiectat corpora letho.
occultae rerum naturae gnara, trementes
(o sacrum artificem) venas succo imbuit atro
involvens tenebris mentem, peioraque spectris
somnia sopitis, noctem vigilantibus infert.

495
she urges, and hurls bodies to untimely death.
versed in the occult nature of things, the trembling
(O sacred artificer) she imbues the veins with black juice,
enveloping the mind in darkness, and, worse than specters,
she brings dreams to the sleeping, and night to the wakeful.

500
huic pesti infoelix est Desperatio nomen,
illa remollitos curis quae perdit amantes,
dedecore afflictos, vel paupertate gravatos,
sive fruendarum quos cepit nausea rerum;
lubrica pernicies, tabe exitiosior omni,

500
to this pest the unlucky name is Desperation,
she who destroys lovers softened by cares,
those afflicted by disgrace, or weighed down by poverty,
or those whom a nausea for things to be enjoyed has seized;
a slippery perdition, more destructive than every corruption.

505
non aliena tamen nunc, aptaque talibus hospes.
Vinterum fratri quem sors mutata minori
exequat, cultu spoliatum reque paterna,
in somnis dira aggreditur praesagaque veris.
territat omnibus iucundae inimica quieti.

505
not alien, however, now, and an apt guest for such as these.
Vinterus, whom a changed lot makes equal to his younger brother,
despoiled of attire and of paternal property,
in dreams she assails, dire and presaging truths.
she terrifies him with everything, an enemy to pleasant quiet.

510
templorum erectos obeliscos aere tonantes
intervalla cavo obliquos, velutique ruentes
ostendit, sacrisque aditis (quae visus adire est)
horribiles vultus praefert, quos nec bene novit
nec prorsum ignorat. dubie miser omnia cernens

510
the temples’ erect obelisks, thundering with bronze,
the intervals oblique with hollow sound, as if rushing down,
it shows; and the sacred adyta (so far as sight may approach),
puts forth horrible visages, which he neither well knows
nor altogether is ignorant of. Doubtfully, the wretch discerning all things

515
conceptoque metu perfundit tempora ardor.
sed nova sollicitos lux, et cita tympana somnos
excutiunt, subito tenues nam milite muros
Valseus obsedit, pulsa qui pelle sonora
verba interclusos ad mutua provocat hostes.

515
and, fear conceived, ardor suffuses his temples.
but new light, and the swift drums, shake off his anxious slumbers;
for suddenly Valseus besieged the thin walls with soldiery,
and, the resounding hide being beaten, he summons the enemies shut in to an exchange of words.

520
tum pacem ac veniae spem desertoribus offert,
ignarus scelerum tantorum. at conscia turba
oblata irridens vim contra se ocius armat.
aptant horrisona in pugnam tormenta, propinquam
pulvis et humescens nimium nitrosus ad ignem

520
then he offers peace and a hope of pardon to the deserters,
ignorant of crimes so great. But the conscious crowd,
mocking what was proffered, more swiftly arms force against him.
they fit dread-sounding engines for battle, for the approaching
fight, and the powder, becoming damp, too nitrous, for the fire

525
siccatur, sed lenta foco dum ligna minister
suscitat, ecce manum (nulli conspecta) trementis
Dira rapit, prunasque nigra commiscet arena.
concipit haec cito flammae, et tecti (fulminis instar)
culmine pertuso erumpit, semustaque turpat

525
it is dried, but while the attendant slowly rouses the wood on the hearth,
lo, the Dira, unseen by anyone, seizes the hand of the trembling man,
and mixes the embers with black sand. This quickly conceives flames,
and, like lightning, bursts forth through the roof’s pierced summit,
and, half-burnt, it defiles

530
ora virum, tetra confundens omnia nocte.
sed simul exclusis nidoribus alma diei
lux redit, horrificosque datur distinguere vultus.
"en hos," Vinterus clamat, "nempe hos ego vidi
in somnis vultus, irae heu nimis omnia vera

530
the faces of the men, confounding all things with a grim night.
but as soon as, the reeks having been driven out, the kindly light
of day returns, it is given to distinguish the horrific faces.
"behold these," Vinterus cries, "indeed these very faces I saw
in dreams—faces of wrath; alas, all too true in everything

535
divinae! heu nostris quam digna incendia coeptis."
ad coelum palmas atque ora immania tendunt,
horrendo veniam incoepto pacemque precantes.
dira sed hanc propere pietatem avertit, ad aures
tympana mille sonans placidas simulata per auras.

535
of the divine! alas, how worthy conflagrations for our undertakings."
to heaven they stretch their palms and their immense faces,
praying for pardon and peace for the horrendous undertaking.
but a dire [power] quickly averts this piety, to their ears
sounding a thousand drums, simulated through the placid airs.

540
surgit ad arma cohors, portisque patentibus exit,
haud vincendi spe, studio sed mortis honestae.
contra contendit crudo cum milite Valseus.
Percius occursu primo, et cadit ictus eadem
glande Catisbaeus, iuxtaque Vritus uterque

540
the cohort rises to arms, and goes out with the gates standing open,
not with hope of conquering, but with zeal for an honorable death.
Valseus strives against them with savage soldiery.
Percius at the first encounter, and Catisbaeus falls, struck by the same
bullet, and close by Vritus—each of the two

545
purpureas fundit animas. sed Granta, Rocodes,
Vinterique ambo capti ducuntur ab hoste,
et Batus et Caius. multum nec dispare fato
poenas mox omnes merito cum sanguine solvunt.

545
he pours forth crimson souls. But Granta, Rocodes,
and the two Vinteri, captured, are led away by the enemy,
and Batus and Caius. By a fate not much different
soon they all pay penalties deserved with their blood.