Sure signs of anguish, dangers, and distress, With something more, not lawful to express: By which he slily seemed to intimate Some secret revelation of their fate. For he concluded, once upon a time, He found a leaf inscribed with sacred rhyme, Whose antique characters did well denote The Sibyl's hand of the Cumæan grot; The mad divineress had plainly writ, A time should come, but many ages yet, In which, sinister destinies ordain, } A dame should drown with all her feathered train, } And seas from thence be called the Chelidonian main.[210] } At this, some shook for fear; the more devout Arose, and blessed themselves from head to foot. 'Tis true, some stagers of the wiser sort Made all these idle wonderments their sport; They said, their only danger was delay, } And he, who heard what every fool could say, } Would never fix his thought, but trim his time away. } The passage yet was good; the wind, 'tis true, } Was somewhat high, but that was nothing new, } No more than usual equinoxes blew. } The sun, already from the Scales declined, } Gave little hopes of better days behind, } But change from bad to worse, of weather and of wind. } Nor need they fear the dampness of the sky } Should flag their wings, and hinder them to fly, } 'Twas only water thrown on sails too dry. } But, least of all, philosophy presumes Of truth in dreams, from melancholy fumes; Perhaps the Martin, housed in holy ground, Might think of ghosts, that walk their midnight round, Till grosser atoms, tumbling in the stream Of fancy, madly met, and clubbed into a dream: As little weight his vain presages bear, Of ill effect to such alone who fear; Most prophecies are of a piece with these, Each Nostradamus can foretel with ease: Not naming persons, and confounding times, One casual truth supports a thousand lying rhymes. The advice was true; but fear had seized the most, And all good counsel is on cowards lost. The question crudely put to shun delay, 'Twas carried by the major part to stay. His point thus gained, Sir Martin dated thence His power, and from a priest became a prince. He ordered all things with a busy care, } And cells and refectories did prepare, } And large provisions laid of winter fare;} But, now and then, let fall a word or two, } Of hope, that heaven some miracle might show, } And for their sakes, the sun should backward go;} Against the laws of nature upward climb, And, mounted on the Ram, renew the prime; For which two proofs in sacred story lay, Of Ahaz' dial, and of Joshua's day. In expectation of such times as these, A chapel housed them, truly called of ease; For Martin much devotion did not ask;