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The Crowne of All Homers Workes/To Castor and Pollux

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4438266The Crowne of All Homers Workes — To Castor and PollvxGeorge ChapmanHomer

To

Castor

and

Pollvx.

Ioues faire Sonnes, Father'd by Th'Oebalian King,Muses-well-worth-All Mens beholdings, sing:The Deare Birth, that Bright-Anckl'd Læda bore;Horse-taming Castor; and the ConquerorOf Tooth-tongu'd Momus (Pollux:) whom beneathSteepe-Browd Taygetus, she gaue half-God breath;In Loue mixt with the black-cloudes King of heauen:Who, both of Men and ships, (being Tempest driuen,When Winters wrathfull Empire, is in forceUpon th'Implacable Seas) preserue the course.For when the Gusts beginn; (if nere the shore) The Sea-Men leaue their ship; and (euermoreBearing two milke-white Lambs aboard;) they nowKill them ashore, and to Ioues Issue vow,When, though their ship (in height of all the roreThe windes and waues confound) can liue no more,In all their hopes; then sodainely appeareIoues sauing Sonnes; who both their Bodies beareTwixt yellow wings, downe from the sparkling Pole.Who strait, the rage of those rude Winds controle,And all the high-waues couch into the BrestOf T'hoarie Seas. All which sweete signes of restTo Sea-Mens labors, their glad soules conceiue,And End to all their yrckesome grieuance giue.So (once more) to the swift-horse-riding RaceOf Royall Tyndarus, eternall Grace.