To my Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, upon his famous erection, the theater in Oxford.

To my Lord Arch-Bishops of CANTERBURY , Upon His Famous Erection , The THEATER in OXFORD . MY LORD , OUR English Stories blush not to present A generous Wast , a Brave Demolishment , And Fame her self commends it to our hands , Twenty six Towns stood , where New Forrest stands , But this Renown You ever will enjoy , You Build more , than the Conquerour did Destroy . While the wide World endures , We must confess Sinai , a Venerable Wilderness . Let then no vile Detraction dare to 'bate , Where Kings Magnificently Depopulate . Whether those Towns were large , or th' Tenements poor , With their Walls Loam , Tile , Thatch , & Earth the Floor , What Orchards , Gardens , Pasture-grounds lay to 't , What Arable , let Chronologers compute ; Expired Ages their own Downfals grieve , You build the Envie of the Age You live . Egypt , in elder times the World did fill , With Trophies of her Structures , and her Skill ; But most admired Prelate ! You impart Piles 'bove her Pyramides , Scienc's 'bove her Art . Though thy deep-Learned self , decry the powers Of meaner Foiles , and Set-offs from thy Towers , Yet do thy Fabricks so exceed belief , Thou art Great , though those mean-Glories were thy chief . What bold Erection starts not to appear , In competition with Thy Theater ? Pompey's great Structure much admired stood , Yet mingled was 'twixt Excellent , and Good ; Though its perfection some in vain Protect , Compared with Thine , 't was Ruins when Erect . This Model would renew fierce Nero's frown , That Murderer of his Mother , and his Town : Striving to sample this , he soon would find His artless Platform , fall so far behind , The Furies would award Him equal Doom , For building up , as for his burning ROME . The Adverse French and Spaniards here accord , Agreeing Praises , to this Work afford , And pity those , whose commendations fall Or on their LOOVRE , or ESCURIAL . But waving Them , send Artists here to see Not what those Great Courts are , but ought to be . ( Gay pompous Cottages ! and sit alone To slumber out a Life in , and be gone . ) Near Earth's deep Centre the Foundation lies , While the Roose bids Good Morning to the Skies . Whose unsupported Arch floats in the Air , As if no Building but a Bird hung there . As Mahomets Tombe contends the ground to press , But seems restrain'd below , by emptiness : Bid no attractive Agent buoy up all , Without His Epilepsie He must fall , And his blind Votaries who under kneel , The Fatal pressure of their Prophet feel ; The Tomb had chrusht , and cover'd 'em ere this , And been Their Monument , as well as His. These Arches swim aloft , secure from harm , Without the fraud of his Magnetick charm , Where once arriv'd , themselves Protect , Instructed by mysterious Architect : Angles to Angles , Squares to Squares apply , Each stone is Loadstone to his next Allie . As in the Orbs no groaning Pillar bears The pressure of the self-susteined Sphears , But all the Axis ( Grave Astronomers Theam ) Is firm Imagination , but not Beam ; Whose each extream fixt to some phansy'd Pole , Means but due Contiguation of the Whole . So here , while parts to equal parts resort , They their own Beauty are and own Support . Yet as by chance contriv'd and not by wit , They seem , but dropt down aptly , and fall'n fit . Here no created weight or more or less Can the strong sinews of the Arch depress , But fearless , all attempts she disappoints , By the secure contexture of her Joints . Her Burdens numberless , breed no mishaps , But close the spaces , and endear the Gaps . Huge rockey-Mountains up small Pullies call , And strongly rivet by their Gradual fall : Vast Trunks of Oak they 〈◊〉 , and by the proof Of slender Cords entice them to the Roof . So the ponderous Eagle rises by degrees , When with undaunted eyes the Sun she sees , And by like Stratagems she does advance , Him , and his Rayes stares out of countenance . Against the Clouds her mounting Crests she flings , Born by the frail Foundation of her wings . Unless screw'd up , wedg'd in , and mortis'd thus ; The slightest Lark , would die a Daedalus , Dasht gainst rude Rocks , would tumbling fall down right , Bemoaning the Ambition of her flight . But Air crowds close to Air , to skreen off Fate From her aspiring and Harmonious weight . This Managery doth not on Toyl relie , But Dissonant materials Harmony : Mens Brawney Arms , and Shoulders suffer less ; On Mathematicks Consort lies the stress . Amphion when to raise His Thebes He falls , His Lute feels all the labour of the Walls . Dress'd in their Leaves , and bark they once did bow , Trees folllow'd Orpheus then , but Timber now , Squar'd , and cut out , proportion'd , smooth'd , and fil'd , This Art the Wood obeys , His , but the wild . Bold Archimedes , if these Arts he knew , He might displace the World , and place it new : Fixing his powerful Engine , sure to bear , Upon some solid Nothing , in no where . No cunning is so nice , no Art so Rare , Except those Arts alone that are taught there . To some less wary in Distinguishing , The bare Name Theater depraves the Thing ; Thither they come entangled in their fears , Of meeting Savage Objects ! Panthers , Bears , Wolves , Lions , Tygers ! These thus prepossest Expect some Splendid Desert at the best , Africk immur'd ! for such they have been told , Were all the Ancient Theatres , of Old . But all the sights in this Majestick Frame Are like the Spectators , Tractable and Tame . No mangled Gladiators here intrude ; No Tragick , nor no Mimick interlude : But all the hours they solemnly beguile , And ne'r excite our sorrow , nor our smile . The Doctors of all Faculties , and Arts , Out-shine their Scarlet with their Radiant Parts . Few hours in gravest State of questions spent , Opponents brandish Dint of Argument : Till in subjection to Victorious brains , The captive Adversary sighs in chains . Of all the Statelies in this Orbs dispose , The Divinity Act. The choicest Canton is reserv'd for those , Who prove all Praise ev'n to this Theatre lent , Most due to that above the Firmament . And such the sacred Sons of Aaron be , Who would fain confute us into Eternity . If some in heat of Disputation stray , From Saint Ignatius to Loyala , Then the profound Professor soon recalls , By Fathers , Schools , Councils , Originals . Such was the Grave , the Primitive Decree ; But some Divines are now o' th Livery ; Religion's Artifice ; and Shop-men ply 't , Not to gain Proselites , but Custom by 't ; Their Sermons sell their Wares : who can invade With stoutest Lungs , O! He 's the Man of Trade . Yet , 'mongst the Wise , or worthy , these Tricks fall , Produce three Gentry-Juglers and take All. Next these , the Learned AEsculapian . Train The Physick Act. Seek to retrieve their lost Rights , ( Oh! in vain ) Gainst Bills , and posting Empricks they inveigh , And prove , no Pestilence devours like they In pension with the Graves ; their surest Trust ( The Serpents curse ) is , Thou shalt eat the Dust . Next , civil Sanctions guarding Man from Man , The Civil Law Act. Rich Treasures ? left us by Justinian , Codes , Pandects , Digests , set a shore to Pride , And wrong through all the World . Who can decide Which of the Two have more Extensive Claws , The Roman Eagles , or the Roman Laws ? Throngs of Learn'd Youth fill up the lower space , The Regent Masters Act. Hoods , whose Reverse are Silks their shoulders Grace , Shoulders , which three Years since did only claim Less-graduate Furrs , the Ermins of the Lamb. These seven long Years the Liberal Arts obey , At seven Years end , as Liberal as they . And ( what 's in other Lands a wondrous thing , ) Subjects without the Non-age of their KING . Created Regents all : and such They be , Want but a Scepter for Prince-Regency . For when their Great , or lesser Meetings call , ( Like General Councils , or Provincial ) They ratifie all Rejections , and all Choice , By the uncontrolled Empire of their Voice . But , least Learn'd Intricates too long perplex , The Attention of the Lady-gentle Sex . The Musick Act. Some select Orators brisk , and witty fire With their ingenious Reach bends to conspire ; And Native-Languag'd gains this Preference , Musick , less Musick is than Eloquence . While Rowling Organs , Viol , warbling Lute So swift , so sweet through th' ravisht Audience shoot , Intelligences lend astonisht Ears , And shame their Musick-more-pretending Sphears . What Structure else but Prides it to reveal Treasures ? which Bashful this would fain conceal : As Pearls were modest grown , Coy to be found , Shading their choicest Glories under ground . The Printing Office under the Theater . Thus Indian KINGS Exchequers heap up Store : But in their Mines lies Infinitely more . The Sacred Oracles inspired Lungs Above , all Truths ; Below they speak all Tongues . Spain , Gascoin , Florence , Smyrna , and the Rhine May taste their Language there , though not the Wine . The Jew , Mede , Elomite , Arabian , Crete , In these deep Vault their wandring Ideoms meet , And to compute , are in Amazement hurl'd How long since OXFORD has been all the World ! T is Generous to Assist ; They merit Praise , Who contribute such Mighty works to raise . All that confer , to set Lost Pauls to Right , Heaven that Rewadrs their Pounds , regards their Mite , Now Natures self seems stinted ; now when stuff To cut out Souls is scarce allowed enough , To Your free Make are such Ingredients gone , As may suffice to Insoul the Nation . This numberless Expence You disimburse , Without Associate , or Confederate Purse . So , have I seen one spacious Beech contain A vast Dimension o're a Verdant Plain . She warn'd the Trees , their vain approach forbear , My self am streightned , ( Trees than Vocal were ) My Root , and Trunk is large , Head broad , and High ; Seven hundred Ewes to my Protection flie : And when beneath my leaves those flocks retire , A more commodious Lare none can desire ; I lend them Lodging , Grazing , and Defence , To all their wants a full Convenience . If part of these under your branches browze , Who shall address to my Remaining Boughs : This Plain is my Demesnes , while I survive , In yonder Vacant Copse , ye all may Thrive . Where grateful Lambs , who your fair shades repleat , Will Dance , and Sing their Tributary Bleat . Some Frames are Fairly rais'd but to Abuse ; As Popes Themselves establish decent stews . O , then what Verse ought to Eternize You , Who build to Beauty , and to Vertue too ? May thrice three hundred Prosperous years be spread , And thrice three Hundred Blisses on Thy head , Thy Head ! who with Thy Bounty dost surprize , Greater than most have Bounty to Advise . May Thy Stiles swell , Thy numerous Sees disperse , Be sole Diocesan o' th' Universe ! Till Thou hast space obtain'd , and Treasure won , To do , all Thou wouldst do , and see it don . Then having finisht Deeds so Good so high , Thy next Arch-Bishoprick must be the skie . FINIS .