1When that fierce monster
had usurped the place 2Which once (ah me!) our royal king
did grace, 3One of her heads
, on top of Fortune’s wheel 4Which ever turns, grown giddy, ’gan
to reel
, 5Just like Bellerophon
mounting to the sky, 6And, looking down, like him did brainsick die;
7Or like that boy
, who through his fond desire 8Had almost set heaven’s axle-tree
on fire; 9Or like the Cretan youth
who flew too high, 10His borrowed plumes
began to singe and fry: 11So this bold earl blown up with pop’lar breath,
12Unenvied and unpitied fell to Earth.
13This was the man, or rather the half beast–
14Not like Alcides’s tutor
who expressed 15Both natures, and from both the best did cull–
16This, like Lybian Hammon
, had a hornéd skull. 17This was the first who had the bold commission
18From cannon’s mouth to thunder out petition;
19The copy
came from Hell, thence such thoughts spring 20With sulf’rous breath to parley with their king
. 21Yet he that ne’er gained honor here on Earth,
22By order they
made triumph after death, 23And in derision of our ancient kings,
24His hornéd image they to the temple bring.
25Because he was a member of the dragon
, 26They set him up just like the idol Dagon
27By Israel’s sacred ark. O bold assumption!
28And certainly unparalleled presumption!
29But down he fell, losing his hands and head;
30His father served so
, living; he so, dead. 31Such end, such honor, let all traitors have;
32But our Augustus
, Heav’n protect and save.