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1This stately ship, courted by winds and tide,
2Upon the curling billows swiftly rides,
3Proud of her carriage; nothing she did fear,
4For
Caesar and his fortunes she did bear1
.5Great Neptune, for his lovely niece’s sake,
6Did charge old Aeolus a peace to make
7Between
those blust’ring tetrarchs2
, all jars3
8
Which4
fills his trembling kingdoms with such wars.9The
halcyon5
, too, her young had new disclosed,10And all but one
trade wind6
were now reposed7
.11I verily think some
elfin Lapland hags8
12Had put the one-and-thirty winds in bags,
13As when
the learned’st of great Fergus’s seed9
14Did fetch the elf to marry with his Tweed.
15
They gave the king old Borus in a purse10
;16I wish no witches ever may do worse.
17And thus this
gallant11
ship did make her way18When, to their strange amazement, she did
stay12
.19Some furled the sails, and others tried the oar;
20A thousand other tricks they did explore.
21No
shelf13
, nor sand, nor dangerous rock was near,22Which made them some infernal malice fear.
23At last, great
Julius14
made one dive and feel,24
Who15
found a remora16
stick on the keel.25
These stayed the ship, if Pliny tells the truth17
,26When
Periander sent to geld the youth18
27Of
Knidos19
. I wish some fiend may stay28Those ships which such proud tyrants do obey;
29But
if a star should shoot whilst I wish so20
,30Few ships from British harbors then would go.
31By this we see how poor a thing will stop
32Man’s proud designs. ’Twas
Mordecai’s stiff knee21
33That trussed up Haman on the fatal tree;
34
A worm abrupted great Agrippa’s glory22
;35
A fly did end Pope Alexander’s story23
;36So fair
Creusa24
, in her height of pride,37By an inflammable rich mantle died.
38Then let us all move humble in our sphere,
39And then no remora we need to fear.