Excerpt from The Works of Michael Drayton, Esq., Vol. 3: Containing, the Remaining Twenty-Two Songs of the Poly-Olbion

But from the threatning ftorm to fave itfelf may creep 'into that darkfome cave where once his foe did keep That now the clamb'ring goat all day which having fed, And climbing up to fee the fun go down to bed, 'ls not at all in doubt her little kid to lofe, Which grazing in the vale, fecure and fafe fhe knows. Where, from thefe lofty hills which fpacious heaven do threat, Yet of as equal height, as thick by nature fer, We talk how we are fior'd, or what we greatly need, Or how our flocks do fare, and how our herds do feed, When elfe the hanging rocks, and valleys dark and deep, The fummer's longel't day would us from meeting keep. Ye, cambrian {hepherds then, whom thefe our moun tains pleafe, And ye our fellow nymphs, ye light Oreades, Saint Hellen's wondrous way, and Herbert's let us go, And our divided rocks with admiration lhow.' Not meaning there to end, but fpeaking as they were, A fuddain fearful noife furprifed every car. The water-nymphs (not far) Lin toged that frequent, With brows bcfmear'd with ooze, their locks with dew be fprenr, Inhabiting the lake, in fedor gy bow' rs below, Their inward grounded grief that only fought to fhow Againft the mountain kind, which much on them did take, Above their watry brood, thus proudly them befpake; Tell us, ye haughty hills, why vainly thus you threat Efteeming us fo mean, compar'd to you (0 great To make you know your felves, you this mul't underltand, That our great maker laid the furface of the land As level as the lake until the general flood, When over all fo long the troubled wate1s flood 'which, hurried with the blafts from angry heaven that blew, Up on huge maffy heaps the loofened gravel threw From hence we would ye know, your firft beginning came.

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