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 way

18When, 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 stay

28Those 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.