do flow out And faiths which never knew to make a doubt Thus offer'd all with gratefull Hearts in rankes Whereon was sprinckled the essence of thankes Brought was the fire of Love which burnt all 〈◊〉 Holy-water the penitentiall Tear The Priests which were the Cardinall Vertues foure Those Ceremonies executed o're In grave procession honour high 〈◊〉 raise And with their Anthems sweet did sing her praise Fame THen on her wings doth Fame those Actions bear Which flye about and carry'hem every where Sometime she overloaded is with all And then some downe into Oblivion fall But those that would to Fames high Temple go Must first great Honours Temple quite passe through The Temple of Fame THis Temple is divided in two parts Some open lye others obscure as hearts Some light as day others as darke as night By times obscurity worn out of sight The outward rooms all glorious to the eye In which Fames image placed is on high Where all the windows are Triangulars cut VVhere from one face a million of faces put And builded is in squares just like a Cube VVhich way to double hard is in dispute VVherein the Ecchoes do like balls rebound From every corner making a great sound The walls are hung with chapiters all of gold In Letters great all actions there are told The Temple doore is of prospective Glasse Through which a small beame of our eye can passe That makes truth there so difficult to know As for the bright Moone a new world to show The Steeple or Pillars of Goose-quils built And plastered over with white paper guilt The painting thereof with Inke black as jet In severall workes and figures like a Net This Steeple high is and not very light As a faire Evening is 'twixt day and night Five Tongues the five Bells through the world do ring And to each severall eare much newes doe bring The Philosophers Tongue doth give a deep sound But the Historians is no better found The Oratours Tongue doth make a great noyse Grammarians sound harsh as if it had flawes The small Bell a Poets tongue changes oft Whose motion is quick smooth even and soft The ropes they hung by we could not well see For they were long small threads of Vain-glory. But yet when they did ring made a sweet chime Especially when the Poet he did rhime The Belfrey man a Printer by his skill That if he pleases may ring when he will When Priest to Mattens or to Vespers goe To the High Altar they bow downe low This Altar whereon they offer unto Fame Is made of braines armes and hearts without blame On which lyes Wisdome Wit Strength Courage Love Offer'd as sacrifices to Fame above Vertues Arts Sciences as Priest here stands But Fortune Prioresse all these commands Incense of noble deeds to Fame she sends Nothing is offer'd but what she recommends For Fortune brings more into Fames high Court Then all their vertues with their great 〈◊〉 Fames Library within the Temples FAmes Library where old Records are plac'd What acts not here unto oblivion cast There stands the skelves of Time where books do lye Which books are tyed by chaines Of destiny The Master of this place they Favour call Where Care the door-keeper doth lock up all Yet not so fast but Bribery in steals Partialities cousenage truths not reveals But Bribery through all the world takes place And offerings as a bribe in heaven findes grace Then let not men disdaine a bribe to take Since gods doe blessing give for a bribes sake The Fairy Queen THe Fairy Queens large Kingdome got by birth Is in the circled center of the Earth Where there are many springs and running streams Whose waves do glister by the Queens bright beams Which makes them murmure as they passe away Because by running round they cannot stay For they do evermore just like the Sun As constantly in their long race they run And as the Sun gives heat to make things spring So water moyslure gives to every thing Thus these two Elements give life to all Creating every thing on Earths round ball And all along this liquid source that flows Stand Mirtle trees and banks where flowers grows 'T is true there are no Birds to sing sweet notes But there are winds that whistle like birds throats Whose sounds and notes by variation oft Make better Musicke then the Spheares aloft Nor any beasts are there of cruell nature But a slow sost worm a gentle creature Who fears no hungry birds to pick them out Safely they graspe the tender twigs about There Mountains are of pure resined gold And Rocks of Diamonds perfect to behold Whose brightnesse is a Sun to all about Which glory makes Apollo's beams keep out Quarries of Rubles Saphirs there are store Christals and 〈◊〉 many more There polisht pillars naturally appeare VVhere twining vines are clustred all the yeare The Axle-tree whereon the Earth turnes round Is one great 〈◊〉 by opinion found And the two ends which called are the Poles Are pointed Diamonds the Antartick holds And Artick which about the world is rowl'd Are rings of pure refined perfect gold Which makes the Sun so seldome there appear For fear those rings should melt if he came near And as a wheele the Elements are found In even Layes and often turnings round For first the sire in circle as the spoake And then the water for aire is the smoak Begot of both for fire doth water boyle That causes clouds or smoak which is the oyle This smoaky childe sometimes is good then bad According to the nourishment it had The outward 〈◊〉 as the Earth suppose Which is the surface where all plenty flows Yet the Earth is not the cause of turning But the siery spoak not fear of burning The Axle-tree for that grows hard with heat And by its quicknesse turns the wheel though great Unlesse by outward weight it selfe presse down Raising the bottome bowing down the Crown Yet why this while am I so long of proving But to shew how this Earth still is moving And the heavens as wheels do turn likewise As we do daily see before our eyes To make the Proverb good in its due turn That all the world on wheels doth yeerly run And by the turn such blasts of wind doe blow As we may think like Windmils they do go But winds are made by Vulcans bellows sure Which makes the Earth such Collicks to endure For he a Smith set at the sorge below Ordained is the Center-fire to blow But Venus laughs to thinke what horns he wears Though on his shoulders halfe the Earth he bears Nature her mettal makes him hammer out All that she sends through Mines the world about For he 's th' old-man that doth i' th Center dwell She Proserpine that 's thought the Queen of hell Yet Venus is a Tinkers wife we see Not a goddesse as she was thought to be When all the world to her did offerings bring And her high praise
turne Pale when I were published But I hope I shall neither greive nor shame them or give them cause to wish I were not a Branch thereof For though my Ambition's great my designes are harmelesse and my wayes are plaine Honesty and if I stumble at Folly yet will I never fall on Vice T is true the World may wonder at my Confidence how I dare put out a Book especially in these censorious times but why should I be ashamed or affraid where no 〈◊〉 is and not please my selfe in the satisfaction of innocent desires For a smile of neglect cannot dishearten me no more can a Frowne of dislike affright me not but I should be well pleased and delight to have my Booke commended But the Worlds dispraises cannot make me a mourning garment my mind 's too big and I had rather venture an indiscretion then loose the hopes of a Fame Neither am I ashamed of my 〈◊〉 for Nature tempers not every Braine alike but t is a shame to deny the Principles of their Religion to break the 〈◊〉 of a well-governed Kingdome to disturbe Peace to be unnaturall to break the Vnion and Amity of honest Freinds for a Man to be a Coward for a Woman to be a Whore and by these Actions they are not onely to be cast out of all Civill society but to be blotted out of the Roll of Mankinde And the reason why I summon up these Vices is to let my Friends know or rather to remember them that my Book is none of them yet in this Action of setting out of a Booke I am not clear without 〈◊〉 because I have not asked leave of any Freind thereto for the feare of being denied made me silent and there is an Old saying That it is casier to aske Pardon then Leave for a fault will sooner be forgiven then a suite granted and as I have taken the One so I am very confident they will give me the Other For their Affection is such as it doth as easily obscure all infirmity and blemishes as it is fearfull and quick-sighted in spying the Vices of those they love and they doe with as much kindnesse pardon the One as with griefe reprove the Other But I thought it an Honour to aime at Excellencies and though I cannot attaine thereto yet an Endeavour shews a good will and a good will ought not to be turned out of Noble mindes nor be whipt with dispraises but to be cherished with Commendations Besides I Print this Book to give an Account to my Freinds how I spend the idle Time of my life and how I busie my Thoughts when I thinke upon the Obiects of the World For the truth is our Sex hath so much waste Time having but little imployments which makes our Thoughts run wildly about having nothing to fix them upon which wilde thoughts do not onely produce unprofitable but indiscreet Actions winding up the Thread of our lives in snarles on unsound bottoms And since all times must be spent either ill or well or indifferent I thought this was the harmelessest Pastime for lure this Worke is better then to sit still and censure my Neighbours actions which nothing concernes 〈◊〉 or to condemne their Humours because they do 〈◊〉 sympathize with mine or their lawfull Recreations because they are not agreeable to my delight or ridiculously to laugh at my Neighbours Cloaths if they are not of the Mode Colour or Cut or the Ribbon tyed with a Mode Knot or to busie my selfe out 〈◊〉 the Sphear of our Sex as in Politicks of State or to Preach false Doctrine in a Tub or to entertaine my selfe in 〈◊〉 to vaine Flatteries or to the incitements of evill perswasions where all these Follies and many more may be cut off by such innocent worke as this I write not this onely to satisfie you which my Love makes me desire so to doe but to defend my Book from spightfull Invaders knowing Truth and Innocence are two good Champions against Malice and 〈◊〉 and which is my defence I am very confident is a great satisfaction to you For being bred with me your Love is twisted to my Good which shall never be undone by any unkinde Action of Mine but will alwayes remaine Your loving Freind M. N. Madam YOu are not onely the first English 〈◊〉 of your Sex but the first that ever wrote this way therefore whosoever that writes afterwards must own you for their Pattern from whence they take their Sample and a Line by which they measure their Conceits and Fancies For whatsoever is written asterwards it will be bur a Copy of your Originall which can be no more Honour to them then to Labouring Men that draw Water from another mans Spring for their owne use neither can there be anything writ that your Honour have not imployed your Pen in As there is Poeticall Fictions Morall instructions Philosophicall Opinions Dialogues Discourses Poeticall Romances But truely Madam this Book is not the onely occasion to Admire you for having been brought up from my Childhood in your Honourable Family and alwayes in your Ladyships company seeing the course of your life and honouring your Ladyships disposition I have admired Nature more in your Ladiship then in any other Works besides First in the course of your Life you were alwayes Circumspect by Nature not by Art for naturally your Honour did hate to do any thing that was mean and unworthy or anything that your Honour might not owne to all the World with confidence yet your Ladiship is naturally bashful apt to be out of Countenance that your Ladiship could not oblige all the World But truly Madam Fortune 〈◊〉 not so much in her power to give as your Honour 〈◊〉 to bestow which apparently shineth in all Places especially where your Ladyship 〈◊〉 been as France Flanders Holland c. to your everlasting Honour and Fame which will manifest this Relation to be the Truth as well as I who am Madam Your Honours most humble and obedient Servant E. Toppe To Naturall Philosophers IF any Philosophers have written of these Subjects ' as I make no question or doubt but they have of all that Nature hath discover'd either in meere Thought and Speculation or other waies in Observation yet it is more then I know of for I never read nor heard of any English Booke to Instruct me and truly I understand no other Language not French although I was in France five yeares Neither do I understand my owne Native Language very well for there are many words I know not what they signifie so as I have onely the Vulgar part I meane that which is most usually spoke I do not meane that which is us'd to be spoke by Clownes in every Shire where in some Parts their Language is knowne to none but those that are bred there And not onely every Shire hath a severall Language but every Family giving Marks for things according to their Fancy But my Ignorance of the Mother
would not 〈◊〉 when there are many in the World which are accounted Wise that will venture Life and Honour for a petty Interest or out of Envie or for Revenge sake And why should not I venture when nothing lies at Stake but Wit let it go I shall nor cannot be much Poorer If Fortune be my Friend then Fame will be my Gaine which may build me a Pyramid a Praise to my Memory I shall have no cause to seare it will be so high as Babels Tower to fall in the mid-way yet I am sorry it doth not touch at Heaven but my Incapacity Feare Awe and Reverence kept me from that Work For it were too great a Presumption to venture to Discourse that in my Fancy which is not describeable For God and his Heavenly Mansions are to be admired wondred and astonished at and not disputed on But at all other things let Fancy fiye And like a Towring Eagle mount the Skie Or lik the Sun swiftly the World to round Or like pure Gold which in the Earth is found But if a drossie Wit let 't buried be Under the Ruines of all Memory The Poetresses hasty Resolution REading my Verses I like't them so well Selfe-love did make my Iudgement to rebell Thinking them so good I thought more to write Considering not how others would them like I writ so fast I thought if I liv'd long A Pyramid of Fame to build thereon Reason observing which way I was bent Did stay my hand and ask't me what I meant Will you said shee thus waste your time in vaine On that which in the World small praise shall gaine For shame leave off sayd shee the Printer spare Hee 'le loose by your ill Poetry I feare Besides the Worldhath already such a weight Of uselesse Bookes as it is over fraught Then pitty take doe the World a good turne And all you write cast in the fire and burne Angry I was and Reason strook away When I did he are what shee to me did say Then all in haste I to the Presle it sent Fearing Perswasion might my Book prevent But now 't is done with greife repent doe I Hang down my head 〈◊〉 shame blush sigh and cry Take pitty and my drooping Spirits raise Wipe off my teares with Handkerchiefes of Praise The Poetresses Petition LIke to a Feavers pulse my heart doth beat For fear my Book some great repulse should meet If it be naught let her in silence lye Disturbe her not let her in quiet dye Let not the Bells of your dispraise ring loud But wrap her up in silence as a Shrowd Cause black oblivion on her Hearse to hang Instead of Tapers let darke night there stand In stead of Flowers to the grave her strow Before her Hearse sleepy dull Poppy throw In stead of Scutcheons let my Teares be 〈◊〉 Which greife and sorrow from my eyes out wrung Let those that beare her Corps no lesters be But sad and sober grave Mortality No Satyr Poets to her Funerall come No Altars rays'd to write Inscriptions on Let dust of all forgetfulnesse be cast Upon her Corps there let them lye and waste Nor let her rise againe unlesse some know At Iudgements some good Merits shee can shew Then shee shall live in Heavens of high praise And for her glory Garlands of fresh Bayes An excuse for so much writ upon my Verses COndemne me not for making such a coyle About my Book alas it is my Childe Just like a Bird when her Young are in Nest Goes in and out and hops and takes no Rest But when their Young are fledg'd their heads out peep Lord what a chirping does the Old one keep So I for feare my Strengthlesse Childe should fall Against a doore or stoole aloud I call Bid have a care of such a dangerous place Thus write I much to hinder all disgrace POEMS Nature calls a Councell which was Motion Figure matter and Life to advise about making the World WHen Nature first this World she did create She cal'd a Counsell how the same might make Motion was first who had a subtle wit And then came Life and Forme and Matter fit First Nature spake my Friends if we agree We can and may do a sine worke said she Make some things to adore us worship give Which now we only to our selves do live Besides it is my nature things to make To give out worke and you directions take And by this worke a pleasure take therein And breed the Fates in huswifery to spin And make strong Destiny to take some paines Least she growe idle let her Linke some Chaines Inconstancy and Fortune turne a Wheele Both ' are so wanton cannot stand but reele And Moisture let her poure out Water forth And Heat let her suck out and raise up growth And let sharp Cold stay things that run about And Drought stop holes to keepe the water out 〈◊〉 and Darknesse they will domineere If Motions power make not Light appeare Produce a Light that all the World may see My only Childe from all Eternitie Beauty my Love my Joy and deare delight Else Darknesse rude will cover her with spight Alas said Motion all paines I can take Will do no good Matter a Braine must make Figure must draw a Circle round and small Where in the midst must stand a Glassy Ball Without Convexe the inside a Concave And in the midst a round small hole must have That Species may passe and repasse through Life the Prospective every thing to view Alas said Life what ever we do make Death my great Enemy will from us take And who can hinder his strong mighty power He with his cruelty doth all devoure And Time his Agent brings all to decay Thus neither Death nor Time will you obey He cares for none of your commands nor will Obey your Lawes but doth what likes him still He knowes his power far exceedeth ours For whatso'ere we make he soone devours Let me advise you never take such paines A World to make since Death hath all the gaines Figures opinion did agree with Life For Death said she will fill the World with strife What Forme soever I do turne into Death findes me out that Forme he doth undoe Then Motion spake none hath such cause as I For to complaine for Death makes Motion dye 'T is best to let alone this worke I thinke Saies Matter Death corrupts and makes me stinke Saies Nature I am of another minde If we let Death alone we soone shall finde He wars will make and raise a mighty power If we divert him not may us devoure He is ambitious will in triumph sit Envies my workes and seekes my State to get And Fates though they upon great Life attend Yet feare they Death and dare not him offend Though Two be true and spin as Life them bids The Third is false and cuts short the long threads Let us agree for feare we should do worse And make some worke for to
not 〈◊〉 But that we cannot in our Reason finde As being against Natures Course and Kinde For many things our Senses dull may scape For Sense is grosse not every thing can Shape So in this World another World may bee That we do neither touch tast smell heare see What Eye so cleere is yet did ever see Those little Hookes that in the Load-stone bee Which draw hard Iron or give Reasons why The Needles point still in the North will lye As for Example Atomes in the Aire We nere perceive although the Light be faire And whatsoever can a Body claime Though nere so small Life may be in the same And what has Life may Vnderstanding have Yet be to us as buried in the Grave Then probably may Men and 〈◊〉 small Live in the World which wee know not at all May build them Houses severall things may make Have Orchards Gardens where they pleasure take And Birds which sing and Cattell in the Feild May plow and sow and there small Corne may yeild And Common-wealths may have and Kings to 〈◊〉 Wars Battells have and one another slaine And all without our hearing or our sight Nor yet in any of our Senses light And other Stars and Moones and Suns may be Which our dull Eyes shall never come to see But we are apt to laugh at Tales so told Thus Senses grosse do back our Reason hold Things against Nature we do thinke are true That Spirits change and can take Bodies new That Life may be yet in no Body live For which no Sense 〈◊〉 Reason we can give As Incorporeall Spirits this Fancy faines Yet Fancy cannot be without some Braines If Fancy without Substance cannot bee Then Soules are more then Reason well can see Of many VVorlds in this VVorld JUST like unto a 〈◊〉 of Boxes round Degrees of sizes within each Boxe are found So in this World may many Worlds more be Thinner and lesse and lesse still by degree Although they are not subject to our Sense A World may be no bigger then two-pence Nature is curious and such works may make That our dull Sense can never finde but seape For Creatures small as Atomes may be there If every Atome a Creatures Figure beare If foure Atomes a World can make then see What severall Worlds might in an Eare-ring bee For Millions of these Atomes may bee in The Head of one small little single Pin. And if thus small then Ladies well may weare A World of Worlds as Pendents in each Eare. A VVorld in an Eare-Ring AN Eare-ring round may well a Zodiacke bee Where in a Sun goeth round and we not see And Planets seven about that Stin may move And Hee stand still as some wise men would prove And sixed Stars like twinkling Diamonds plac'd About this Eare-ring which a World is vast That same which doth the Eare-ring hold the hole Is that which we do call the Pole There nipping Frosts may be and VVinter cold Yet never on the Ladies Eare take hold And Lightnings Thunder and great VVinds may blow Within this Eare-ring yet the Eare not know There Seas may ebb and 〈◊〉 where Fishes swim And Islands be where Spices grow therein There Christall Rocks hang dangling at each Eare And Golden Mines as Jewels may they weare There Earth-quakes be which Mountaines vast downe sling And yet nere stir the Ladies Eare nor Ring There Meadowes bee and 〈◊〉 fresh and greene And Cattell feed and yet be never seene And Gardens fresh and Birds which sweetly sing Although we heare them not in an Eare-ring There Night and Day and Heat and Cold and so May Life and Death and Toung and Old still grow Thus Touth may spring and severall Ages dye Great Plagues may be and no Infections nigh There Cityes bee and stately Houses built Their inside gaye and finely may be gilt There Churches bee and Priests to teach therein And Steeple too yet heare the Bells not ring From thence may Pious Teares to Heaven run And yet the Eare not know which way they 're gone There Markets bee and things both bought and sold Know not the price nor how the Markets hold There 〈◊〉 do ruie and Kings do Reigne And Battels fought where many may be slaine And all within the Compasse of this Ring And yet not tidings to the Wearer bring Within the Ring wise Counsellors may sit And yet the Eare not one wise word may get There may be dancing all Night at a Ball And yet the Eare be not disturb'd at all There Rivals Duels sight where some are slaine There Lovers mourne yet heare them not complaine And Death may dig a Lovers Grave thus were A Lover dead in a faire Ladies Eare. But when the Ring is broke the World is done Then Lovers they in to 〈◊〉 run Severall VVorlds in severall Circles THere may be many Worlds like Circles round In after Ages more Worlds may be found If we into each Circle can but slip By Art of Navigatiou in a Ship This World compar'd to some may be but small No doubt but Nature made degrees of all If so then Drake had never gone so quick About the Largest Circle in one Ship For some may be so big as none can swim Had they the life of old 〈◊〉 Or had they lives to number with each day They would want time to compasse halfe the way But if that Drake had liv'd in Venus Star His Journey shorter might have been by farre THE CLASPE WHEN I did write this Booke I took great paines For I did walke and thinke and breake my Braines My 〈◊〉 run out of Breath then downe would lye And panting with short wind like those that dye When Time had given Ease and lent them strength Then up would get and run another length Sometimes I kept my Thoughts with a strict dyet And made them 〈◊〉 with Fase and Rest and Quiet That they might run agen with swifter speed And by this course now Fancies they could breed But I doe feare they 're not so Good to please But now they 're out 〈◊〉 Braine is more at case The Circle of the Brain cannot be Squar'd A Circle Round divìded in foure Parts Hath been a Study amongst Men of Arts Ere since 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 time Hath every Brain been stretch'd upon a Line And every Thought hath been a Figure set Doubts Cyphers are Hopes as Triangulars meet There is Division and 〈◊〉 made And Lines drawne out and Points exactly layd But yet None can demonstrate it plaine Of Circles round a just 〈◊〉 square remaine Thus while the Braine is round no Squares will be While Thoughts are in Divisions no Figures will agree Another to the same Purpose AND thus upon the same account Doubling the Cube must mount And the Triangular must be cut so small Till into Equall Atomes it must fall For such is Mans Curiosity and mind To seek for that which hardest is to find The Squaring of the Circle WIthin the Head of Man 's a