O brutish beasts! nay worse then those, For they are still content With that they haue, what euer them Hath God or Nature sent. But we do gape, and gaze for glore: We prowle, and powle, and pill, And sweare, and stare, and striue, and fight, And one another kill. And all for pompe, and glorie great, For name, renowne, estate: Not caring of the commons crye, Or God’s eternall hate. If I had had the giftes of grace, I neuer would haue sought By any meanes such worldly trashe, With brother’s bloud to bought. But as I ment euen so I sped, So bloudy butchers thye: When moste I deemde my purpose sure, He was to good for me. For as I thought his bloud to shed, I compast was about, So that for thousand kingdomes, I Could not with life scape out. He pearst my hart, what skilles it sith, My minde was euen as bad: For why what measure I him mente, My selfe like measure had. And so all such, as murder meane, Intende, or treason vse, Shall at the length, like ends attayne, Or worse they cannot chuse. [521] To tell my storie on the tragicke stage. N. [522] I may complaine that felt god Mars his rage, Alas, that fate to state should be so fell; Had I been meaner borne I know right well. N. [523] While that my kingly sire, _Gorbodug_, raign’d. N. [524] Not sticke oft times in field to fight. N. [525] Into her bowels by the force of hand, With steele and iron we do dig profound, Working her woe to make our ioyes abound. N. [526] If we behold the substance. N. [527] How he is made of elements. N. [528] Armie strong for field. N. [529] Heard the counsell. N. [530] Hope will slip. N. [531] Bred. N. [532] The concluding Alexandrine omitted by Niccolls. THE AUTHOUR. When as king Forrex thus had tolde his tale, Me thought he stayde no whit but went his way. Then came a mangled corps as full of bale, And or he nerer came made half a stay. (Quoth Morpheus) come, for shame thou nedste not stay, As bad as thou haue tolde their tales before, And so must thou and diuers other more. [533] The life of Porrex was also re-written. It is thus in the first edition. _Porrex recites howe for the slaughter of his brother, he was slaine by his owne mother and hir maydens, as he laye sleeping. About the yeare before Christ, 491._ [Sidenote: Genes. 4.] From darkesome dennes, where cruel Cayne, And other like do lye: Whose bloudie blades were bathde in bloud, Poore caytiue thence come I. [Sidenote: Annius.] Where Typhon is, his brother slewe, Osiris in despite: And where their sister Isis is, Did him againe requite. [Sidenote: Virgil. in culi.] Where Dardanus to rule alone His brother made away: Etheocles, Polinices, At once did others sley.