Grampius gratulatius to his high and mightie monarch, King Charles. By William Douglas

GRAMPIVS GRATVLATION . TWO hundreth lusters twise are all out-driven Turn'd in the ever-rolling wheeles of Heaven , Since to my never conqu'red diademe , First sprang the roote of one continuate steme . Though long before that tyme Gathelus race Possest myne Islands , and did court my face . Both Romans , Britons , Saxons , Picts and Danes , Gothes , Vandals , Normans forc'd their anxious braines By martiall meanes to undermine my state , And train'd their troupes for to oppose my fate : Yet maugre all , my trophees ever stood , I dyed my streaming ensigns in their blood : With Picts faire lands my limits I augmented , And made Romes Monarchs with their owne contented : Whose all down-trampling strength repeld by none , From frozen Thule to the torride Zon , I did ranverse , and only I the spate Of their victorious standards did rebeate . Vnstein'd as yet a Maiden crowne I carrie , Such is my lote in matters militarie . But now behold some change , some enterprise : Goe to , goe to brave martiall Scots arise , Mee think incroching nigh I doe espie Like glit'ring meteors reilling through the skie , A gorgious people , marching in my sight , Whose eyes , with wonder ravish'd , doe delight To gaze upon some golden man , whom Iove Hath sent like Mercure to declare his love . So came that valiant Prince , when hee did bring From Poiteirs bloodie field the captive King . So that brave King from Agincourts great fight , And so that royall Sheepeherd when in sight Hee brought the Gyants head . The people sound , With loude applauses deaving Heaven and ground : Hither they tend , amidst my Courts they throng , And crowne great Caesar , Caesar , is their song . What may this meane ? Shall strangers so molest My state , and in my Throne themselves invest ? Did ever I with purpure robe adorn A man , who was not in my bowels born ? Or did I ever yet install a King , Who from the line of Fergus did not spring ? Shall my unconquered Caledonian crown Lose now her ancient glorie and renown ? No , no , where bee these mynds , that strength , that store Of stout Herculean hearts wee heare of yore ? Sound trumpets shrill , beate boysteous drums alarms , Set fires on high , and call for armes , armes , armes . But stay , perhaps my dim and aged eye Not rightly prying puts my wits awry : Is this not great Apollo comming North , To view his Delos on the Douns of Forth ? Is this not CHARLES , the son of sacred IAMES , To whom not Tyber , Rhean , nor Seyn , nor Thames , But Forth first homage made when hee was born , As Gange doth to the babie sun at morn ? Sing joyfull paeans while yee Skies doe ring , For this is CHARLES , great CHARLES our native King . See how this vawlted universall frame Congratulats with all within the same : Heavens , earth , and aire applaude in bright array , And Neptune seames to solemnize this day . Great Phoebus northward doth his Chariote role , To bring brave CHARLES unto the artactick pole . Ioves wife and sister doth her hall prepaire , And him invites with pure and temperate aire . Fierce Boreas doth his boystrous blasts sequester , And drownes in deepes his blustring tents tapester . Flora in garments white , rid , greene and blew , Doth scorn the parti-colord Iris hew . The crocean flower spreads with more ample grace , Because shee finds two suns imbeame her face : And faire Narcissus doth his head advance , To see this Isles first CHARLES , tenth Charles of France ; And gazeth on his shade in English shield , If it may contrare metamorphose yeelde . Amidst our meads goe tripping on the ground The Nymphs , and milk-white Naids in a round : With light-foote Dryads , Faunes a measure keeping , And Phaethons sisters leave their amber weeping : The Thracian Minstrell strains his warbling strings , And in deepe descant Philomela sings . Peneian Daphne ryseth by the roote At the sweete quiv'ring crotchets of the Lute : Immured Niobe new senses takes , hear this melodious song , and motion makes . The Hunties goddesse sports her in the woods , And leaves Gargaphia for the Scotish floodes , Shee comes all graithed in her gameing geare , With brave King CHARLES to rouse the fallow deare . Amidst which traine cloth'd in vermilion die Set on a charriot of the azure skie Ioves brain-bred daughter holds a graver trace : Because shee mindes first to salute his grace : Who comes for to admire his judgements Throne , As Shebas Queene came to King Salomon : All those with one applauding voice do sing , Haile CHARLES the great , haile Britaines bravest King . But O behold ! an other sight I see , Which with amazing joy inchants mine eye : There is a mount , Parnassus hill by name , On whose two tops of universall fame Did harboure once the sacred sisters nine , And to harmonious layes their quils combine : But now behind Arthurus choiser mountaine They have found foorth a more delicious fountaine , They 'l taste no more weake Heliconian water , But try if Spaine or Hungarie bee better : From high Edina do they beate the skyes , With winged praises , and applauding cryes ; Framing a triple roll of rare renowne , To grace the guerdon of a triple crowne . To whose sweete layes resounding Echoes ring , Haile CHARLES the great , haile Britaines bravest King . Now since the Heavens , the Earth , the Aire , and Sea , And Gods , and Nymphs , and Muses doe agree , O peerelesse Prince ! thy praises to proclame , And parallell thee with the arch of fame , Shall not thy Grampian ground , thy brasen wall , My native sons , thy valiant people all , Shall they not sing ? Shall they not shoute for joy , When they doe Caesar to his Courts convoy ? Shall not the clamour of their clang'ring cry Hatch thousand echoes in the emptie skie ? Shall they not triumph in receaving thee , And blesse the day of thy nativitie ? Scarce was thou swadled , and did touch the tate , When Fortune caveld with the threefold Fate : For shee supposde that Prince should have the crowne , Who now inthrond is 'bove both Sun and Moone . If you had eyes ( said Clotho ) you should know Our fatall distaffe doth not presage so ; On Rome two Caesars can not well conteene , And never Phoenix hath a Phoenix seene . The elder shall the greater world inherite , The younger doth this lesser all demerite . To whom said Fortune . If your fatall power Will force that budding rose fall in his flower ; Your horride edicts shall not CHARLES appall , Till I those radiant crownes on him let fall . When lusters five from hence the Sphears shall turn , And IAMES as Iulius in the Heavens shall burn ; The Lyon red , and Lybbards three shall bee , Bold badges of his Britaine Monarchie , Narcissus beautie shall allure his eyes , And the sweete sounding harp his eares shall please , And by rare vertue CHARLES shall surely gaine A greater fame than ever Charle le maine . With which the fates incensed , did reply . By no blind chance , but by our just decree , To crownes and scepters men can bee advanced , Although some ancient Stoicks halfe intranced , Preferment , riches , empires , hight of blood , To bee fortunae bona did conclude : For by the sequell of this short narration , Wee prove these kingdomes are of our donation . There is a Marble stone , which beares our name , Of ancient note , and never dying fame : In tyme of Moses in proude Pharoes land , From worlds first framing hid till then did stand : This stone great Gathell through the deepes did carie , So soone as King-bred Scota hee did marie ; And on that shore hee first did strike his saile , Which yet from him intitled port Gathel . Now with this destinie that stone wee grac'd , That Scots should ring where ev'r it should bee plac'd : So Hyber Scota ' er elder son did reigne , And was enstald of Lusitania King . But heere the Scots did so increase in Spaine , Gallicia could them all not well containe . A fruitfull Island in the Ocean sea , Twixt Albion and Iberia doth ly : Heere did Hymecus with a mightie band Of best appointed Scottish Souldiers land : Where to immortalize great Hybers fame , Hee calde the land Hybernia from his name . But while successours to Hymaecus faile And furious foes their fronteirs doe assaile , Brave Symon Brecus from Iberia brings This fatall chaire to destinate their reignes : Yet did their number so their bounds exceede , To reinlarge their limits they have neede . They hoise their sailes , and first no further strive , But on North Albions AEbuds did arrive : Till from Ierna came that man divine , Of hundreth nyne Kings who began the line : At whose approach the Britones set on fire , Doe gainst him and his twofold Scots conspire : ( For his Ierni Scoti thousands ten Ioyn'd with their brethren the Scot-albin men ) So to repell them from the continent ; King Coilus hath his Briton forces bent : And at that riyer ( called Dune ) arrayes His men in battell order , and displayes His colours ; yet those Britons gote the foile , And Coilus death did name the countrie Kyle . Then valiant Fergus plac'd the fatall chire In Argathile , first seate of Scots impire ; Where hee did reigne as royall Scots commander , In tyme of Macedonian Alexander : Three hundreth thirtie yeares which computation Makes Scotlands crown preceede CHRISTS incarnation . In Berigon their Kings were first invested , And syne in Scone when Berigon detasted , The Picts were foild , and banishd from those lands , By second Kenneth , and his martiall bands . And then to Scone this Marble charie they bring , Wherein they us'd for to install their King : On which in old charecters now unkend , By our immortall finger this was pen'd , Ni fallat fatum , Scoti quocunque locatum Invenient lapidem regnare tenentur ibidem . But loe first Edward mynding to delude The fates , did Scotland of this stone denude : Thinking that spoile which hence hee did convoy , Had beene Palladium , Scotland had beene Troy : But where men cute the passage fates to stay , Wee make that same the course , that same the way . Englands first Edward did transport this stone , Scotlands first CHARLES shall sit on Englands Throne : Those crownes our edicts voide of all mutation Doe cause , not your inconstant dispensation . This said , the fatall sisters made an end , And chargd'e blind Fortune never to attend With her State-turning wheele upon that Crowne , Which must hold equall date with Sun and Moone . O mightie Monarch ! now the day shall bee , Which aged Grampius often wisht to see , That such a Prince sprung from my loynes were knowne , Who last of seventeene Crownes should take his owne ; Even thou the last of many Kings renown'd , Yet first King ever heere was to bee crown'd . Even thou the soveraigne whom my sons obey , Love , serve , and feare , and fellow will alway : Even thou the only King that lives in peace , The only Iason of this golden fleece ; Thou sits and smyles to see the world in steere , And when thou lists thou puts them all in feare : Thy Sea-gods swimme , and make old Proteus wonder , To see such winged wooden forts furth thunder . To thy two worlds west Ocean is a wall , And Mars doth marshell the indwellers all : Uncomprehended great triunall Iove Combines thy bounds in grace , faith , peace , and love : Hee makes my sons sound foorth such caroling , Haile CHARLES the great , haile Britaines bravest King . Let painted Sean vaunt of her flowrie Throne , And of her raine-bow coloured feeldes , whereon Soft breathing musked Zephyrs slide amaine , And curle the amorous verdure of each plaine : Yet to thy Lyon shee did often mone , When thy three Libards trampled on her Throne : So though her Tempe shads like Eden shine , Dethron'd shee hath beene , and inthron'd by thine . Let China of innumerable townes , Constantinoples orientall crownes Brag of their golden mountaines , spatious fields , And of a shore , which pearles and rubies yeelds ; Yet none of those great Monarchs Heavens doe tender , To beare the glorious name of Faiths defender . Let Spaine boast of her earth-imbracing crowne , On whose dominions Sun goeth never downe : Yet blood and rapine her empire did reare , Which stands by rapine , blood , constraint , and feare . But thou 'mongst Kings , most like the King of Kings , Ov'r an unconquered virgine Kingdome rings ; And thy right hand doth greatest scepters move , Not gote by bloodie treacherie , but by love . Thy selfe a Prince not of tyrannick mynd , But to thy subjects loving myld and kynd : Who never yet with blood hast staind thy Throne ; But mercie sits with open wings thereon . : Love all-imbracing , mercie sparing rods , In which two chiefly men bee like the gods . O then great Prince come harboure in myne heart , And never hence from thine old Grampius part . Mine head Edina shall thine head adorn , With diademe thy fathers wore beforn , An hundreth Kings , and eight that crowne defended , Which unto thee unconquer'd hath descended . In this thine ancient citie thou shalt see The truest gemme of pure divinitie . The ornate senate orderly conveen'd , With Tullies moe than ever Rome contein'd . The fasces furnisht with civilitie , With Minos justice , Catoes gravitie : The gallants , whose brave musters may declare , They bee the children of the God of warre . Within the circuit of an houre they 'l show Ten thousand warlick citicens and moe , All reir'd in shyning helmes , and glancing shields , Far pushing picks the bulwark of the fields , Skie-threatning shot , the child of death last borne , Which angrie Ioves fire thund'ring claps doth scorn , All of their stout ancestors martiall stamp , Might quench the pride of the emperiall campe : Who to thy Throne those salutations bring , Haile CHARLES the great , haile Britaines bravest King . Though Isis glorie may thine heart entise , Her greatnesse charme thy will , enchant thine eyes , That thine owne citie thou no more adorn , Nor view those ancient bownes where thou was born : Yet what so-ev'r allure thee , think upon Thine old Edina , and thy native Throne , Who though thy chaire of State to Inde remove , Should plaine thine absence , but not change her love . Wouldst thou heere stay , and spend the pleasant houres Beside thy predecessours bones and boures ; Then should I sing , then should I often pray , Such golden tyme may never turn away . May never AEthon from the Orient Inde Repast or ' pose in Western Thetis find . May nev'r the jeate-black courteins of the night Bee drawne from Antipods to cloude our light ? May never Phoebus to the Buck declyne , But ay twixt Cancer and Astraea shine ? May never after loving CHARLES disdaine To leave Corona for the Charle-la-waine . Pitie I pray our Hyperborean frost , Our long long shadow fra thou leave our cost . Pitie those Orphans who begin to grone , And doe alreadie thy departure mone . In sable night Apolloes love may lowre , Yet lookes to morrow like a fragrant flowre . But ah ! old Grampius never more will spread , If once againe hee 'gin to droupe his head : My hoarie haires shall bee intomb'd with woe , If Iacobs Benjamin away will goe . But if the furious fates will force such paine , And Phoebus must in Thetis dive againe , Yet leave some prime-star of thy love for light , While thine Aurore againe expell my night , Till when , and now , and in all comming ages , So long as Nereus on thy limits rages , So long as Vesper doth the day divide , Or round about the Pole Bootes slide , With thee and thine my constancie and faith Shall bide , as blood is ever joyn'd with breath . And with my vow this lasting wish coheres , Thine age may parallell old Grampius yeares .