Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, LONDONS STATELY NEW BUILDINGS, by ANONYMOUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

LONDONS STATELY NEW BUILDINGS, by                    
First Line: O thrice illustrious famous city london
Last Line: "rich london cryes, vail bonnet unto me"
Subject(s): London Fire (1666); Great Fire Of 1666


The First Part,

Admiring it as a WONDER.

1.

O Thrice Illustrious Famous City LONDON,
What tongue can say that ere thou yet wert undon!
Or who can think thou ever so shalt be,
Since Fire, which All Consumes, Increaseth Thee.

2.

Inferiour unto None, before thou wert,
But now the Glory of the World thou art:
Thou far transcends that Phoenix which of old
In Antient Stories to us have been told.

3.

Who when the Revolution of her time
Is come, She Burns to Ashes: But in Prime
Again to Admiration she Revives,
And in her wonted State again she Lives.

4.

Which seems a Miracle unto the Eyes
Of all the Studious, Learned, and the Wise:
And unto those who oft have heard 'tis so,
Yet know not whether it be True or No.

5.

But this strange wonder which thou shew'st is such
As cannot well be wondred at too much:
I for my part, so often as I view
Thy vast incomparable Buildings New,

6.

Do stand agast to think thereon, and say,
To work thy Ruin, sure Fire's not the way:
Fire only as with Gold it works with Thee,
In purging forth thy Dross doth Clarifie.

The Second Part,

Supposing it might be Fir'd by TREACHERY.

1.

Behold ye impious Fiery Brands of Hell,
Who with your Grand-sire Lucifer do dwell,
And put in practice his Foul Hellish Trade
By Fier-Plots! With Fire you'll All be paid.

2.

Though little you do dream of such a thing,
Your Sin's a Crying Sin, and will it bring,
In th' end assuredly, to your Dire Cost:
Behold, I say, how all your Labour's lost!

3.

What you intended for our woe to be,
Is turned otherwise, (our Joy) you see:
Our Glory, and our great Renown is seen,
Which otherwise perhaps had not yet been.

4.

Go, go ye Envious Dolts; go learn more Wit,
Improve your Folly; make some use of it:
(VVho of necessity a Virtue makes,
Deserves due Praise, for that good course he takes.)

5.

I'le put you in a way what you shall do,
Go set a Fire on ROME and PARIS too;
And all your old Built Towns; go Burn them down,
That they may be Rebuilt like LONDON Town.

6.

If all your Wit, and Skill, and Art can do it,
(And I believe you'l stretch your Brains unto 't:)
O then brave Boyes, perchance you'll seem to be!
Yet still
Rich LONDON cryes, Vail Bonnet unto Me.





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