40
“Those high illustr’ious Fathers who gave birth
to generations on their grace depending,
fought for fair Honour, sternly strove on Earth
to found a fam’ily that could bear descending:
Blind! if paternal toils of priceless worth,
won name, fame, claim so far and wide extending,
they leave their lesser sons but more obscure,
when left in crap’ulous vice to live impure.
41
“Als there be others, sons of wealth and might,
who to no lordly tree by birth belong:
Fault of the Kings, who oft some favourite
prefer to thousands, wise and true and strong:
For these the painted Past hath poor delight,
feeling vain colours work them present wrong;
and aye as nat’ural foe in hate they bear
the speaking pictures which their semblance wear.
42
“Gainsay I not, that some of high descent
from wealthy houses, men of gen’erous strain,
still with their noble lives and excellent
’herited titles worthily sustain:
And if the light which ancestry hath lent
no novel glory by their doings gain,
at least it faileth not, nor dim it groweth:—
But ah! few men like these the Painter knoweth.”
43
Thus Gama’s el’oquence told the mighty deeds,
disclosed by various tints to stranger view,
where Art to sing’ular Artist-hand concedes
depainting Nature with her nat’ural hue.
The Cat’ual’s ready glance distinctly reads
the surd-mute story and the tale so true:
A thousand times he askt, a thousand heard
each tasteful battle which his eyne prefer’d.
44
And now the light a doubtful lustre showèd,
when veiled the mighty Lamp its lucent ray
beneath the sky’s round rim, and lum’inous glowèd
on our Antipodes the smile of Day:
The gen’erous crowd of Nayrs and Géntoos rowèd
off from the stalwart ship on homeward way,
seeking repose and sleep’s delicious swoon,
to weary beings Night-tide’s gentle boon.
45
Meanwhile those Augurs who most fame affy
in false opinion, that by sacrifice
forecast of future things which dubious lie,
thro’ diabolick sign and show they wis;
by royal mandate hied Black Arts to ply,
and various offices ’gan exercise,
to find what projects brought across the Main
unheard of foreigners from unknown Spain.
46
By Demon-aidance truthful sign they learn,
how doth this novel visitor portend
a yoke perpet’ual, servitude eterne,
the Race’s ruin and its valour’s end.
Th’ amazèd Augur, whom the proofs constern,
wends to the King and tells (e’en as he ken’d)
the fearful symptoms that had met his sight
by victim’d bowels brought anon to light.
47
These signs confirming, to a Priest devout,
a man of mark in Mafamedé’s creed,
from preconceivèd hatred not remote
’gainst Holy Faith, that doth all faiths exceed,
in the False Prophet’s form of evil note,
who drew his being from slave Hagar’s seed,
Bacchus the hateful in a dream appears,
whose hate is doubled by redoubled fears.
48
“Guard ye, my children, guard ye,”—thus he spoke,
“from snares and perils laid by deadly foes
who o’er the tumid waters hither flock,
before the danger more immediate grows.”
The Moorman, startled by these words, awoke
in visionary fear: But soon arose
the thought that vulgar dream his brain opprest,
and thus returned he tranquil to his rest.
49
When Bacchus thus returneth:—“Know’est thou not
the mighty Maker, who the Law devisèd
for thy forefathers, he whose will ye wot
and lacking whom had many been baptizèd?
I wake for thee, for me dost sleep, thou sot?
Then by the Future soon shalt be advisèd
how these new-comers come with bane and ban
to break the laws I taught to seely man.
50
“Until this feeble folk full force hath won,
contrive resistance in all manner o’ ways;
for, easy ’tis upon the rising Sun
firm eyne to fix sans fear of blinding rays:
But, when to zenith hath his race been run
the strongest eye-sight that would dare to gaze
remaineth dazed, and so shall ye remain
unless ye let them ere the root be tane.”
51
Then with the Dreamer’s sleep away he speedeth:
Trembling remains th’ astonisht Hagarene;
springing from couch his slaves bring light he biddeth,
the fervid venom fest’ering in his spleen.
As the pale dawn-light, which the sun precedeth,
display’d her angel-cheek and brow serene,
convoked the Doctors of the turpid sect,
he of his vision renders ’count direct.
52
Divers opinions couchèd contrary
are told and heard as each best understood:
Astute waylayings, argute treachery,
were workt and woven in their vengeful mood:
But shirking treason which may danger dree,
they sought the spilling of the Strangers’ blood
with plots and projects of the subtlest school,
by bribes the Rulers of the Land to rule.
53
With golden bribe, rich fee, and secret gift,
they strive the country-principals to please;
showing with proofs discreet of not’able drift,
how shall perdition all the people seize;
“These be,” they say, “a folk of scanty thrift,
rovers who run from occidental seas,
pyratick rapine is their sole design,
sans Roy, sans Loy, or human or divine.”
54
Ah! how behooves the King, who rules aright,
to choose his counc’illors or his friends belovèd,
by rule of conscience, Virtue’s inner light,
whose sprites sincere affection long have provèd!
The man exalted to that dizzy height,
the kingly throne, of things from note removèd
can gain no notice sure, no knowledge clear,
save what th’ adviser’s tongue will teach his ear.
55
Much less I counsel Kings to rest secure
in the clear conscience of the men who show
of humble pauper cloak the form of lure;
Ambition haply lurketh rags below:
And men in all things pious, just, and pure,
often of worldly knowledge little know;
for ill shall trustful Innocence take part
in mundane matters, when God holds the heart.
56
But each and ev’ery Cat’ual gross in greed,
the puissant rulers of the Gentile herd,
gained by the glozings of the hellish breed,
unto the Portingalls dispatch defer’d.
Whereon the Gama—whose one only heed
despite the mischief by the Moormen stir’d,
was at the kingly feet sure sign to lay
of the discover’d World left far away:—
57
Worketh for this alone, as well he knew
that, when sure tidings and clear proofs appear,
arms, armour, ships, and men would send anew
Mano’el, the King who rules the Realm
