The burden'd axes[584] with thy force will bend: The midst is best; that place is pure and bright; There, CÊsar, mayst thou shine, and no cloud dim thee. Then men from war shall bide in league and ease, 60 Peace through the world from Janus' face shall fly, And bolt the brazen gates with bars of iron. Thou, CÊsar, at this instant art my god; Thee if I invocate, I shall not need To crave Apollo's aid or Bacchus' help; Thy power inspires the Muse that sings this war. The causes first I purpose to unfold Of these garboils,[585] whence springs a long discourse; And what made madding people shake off peace. The Fates are envious, high seats[586] quickly perish, 70 Under great burdens falls are ever grievous; Rome was so great it could not bear itself. So when this world's compounded union breaks, Time ends, and to old Chaos all things turn, Confused stars shall meet, celestial fire Fleet on the floods, the earth shoulder the sea, Affording it no shore, and Phoebe's wain Chase Phoebus, and enrag'd affect his place, And strive to shine by day and full of strife Dissolve the engines of the broken world. 80 All great things crush themselves; such end the gods Allot the height of honour; men so strong By land and sea, no foreign force could ruin. O Rome, thyself art cause of all these evils, Thyself thus shiver'd out to three men's shares! Dire league of partners in a kingdom last not. O faintly-join'd friends, with ambition blind, Why join you force to share the world betwixt you? While th' earth the sea, and air the earth sustains, While Titan strives against the world's swift course, 90 Or Cynthia, night's queen, waits upon the day, Shall never faith be found in fellow kings: Dominion cannot suffer partnership. This need[s] no foreign proof nor far-fet[587] story: Rome's infant walls were steep'd in brother's blood; Nor then was land or sea, to breed such hate; A town with one poor church set them at odds.[588] CÊsar's and Pompey's jarring love soon ended, 'Twas peace against their wills; betwixt them both Stepp'd Crassus in. Even as the slender isthmos, 100 Betwixt the ∆gÊan,[589] and the Ionian sea, Keeps each from other, but being worn away, They both burst out, and each encounter other; So whenas Crassus' wretched death, who stay'd them, Had fill'd Assyrian Carra's[590] walls with blood, His loss made way for Roman outrages. Parthians, y'afflict us more than ye suppose; Being conquer'd, we are plagu'd with civil war. Swords share our empire: Fortune, that made Rome Govern the earth, the sea, the world itself, 110 Would not admit two lords; for Julia, Snatch'd hence by cruel Fates, with ominous howls