as it were thorow christall gates for then be dreames and visions cléerest and best distinguished whereas before our meate be fully digested our braine ouerloden with vapors receiueth but troublesome impressions waued so to and fro and so enterlaced one with another that in the twinkling of an eie it frameth a thousand shapes that presently vanisheth away and are no more remembred Now the Poet saith he was guided as he thought into a place most delightfull which he describeth in few verses and it is verie fit for the matter following 22. Iust in the middle point First he describeth the dwelling of Eloquence to wit on a great Rocke wrought and fashioned in manner of a footestall or base for an Image to stande on to shew how stedfast and certaine a thing this excellent gift of God is Secondly the resemblance or Image of Eloquence he calleth a Colosse that is of stature surpassing all others which betokeneth thus much that eloquent and faire spoken men go many degrées beyonde others whom they vse at their pleasure and draw whither they list as the examples of Pericles and Cicero declare and many proofes thereof are founde in the holie Scripture He maketh this Image of Brasse which implieth the faire glosse the swéete sounde and strong force of Eloquence he placeth in the left hand a fire-brand to signifie that learned true and faire vttrance maketh men sée touch as it were the right nature of things in the right hand an Ewer bicause the spéech of the wise dampeth and putteth out the flame of passions I might note hereof many examples but I leaue them for the diligent Reader to search meaning here to offer him but Annotations which I feare already are growen too long The little chaines that come foorth from the Images golden toong draw such a number of hearers by the eares hart signifie the great power of a wel framed spéech the truth wherof appéereth chiefely in preaching the word in counsels of graue common wealths-men and orations of good Magistrates and valiant Captaines In this maner did the ancient Frenchmen paint set out their Hercules surnamed Ognius whereupon Alciat hath made a pretie Embleme it is the 180. expounded at large by Cl. Minos The summe of al is that Eloquence is to be preferred before force Our Poet aimeth at that description Further concerning the Bore the Tygre and the Beare lying tame at the féete of this Image it signifieth that a pleasant and learned spéech appeaseth all angrie cruell and sauage men and euen the maddest and most brutish people in the worlde it maketh the woods and hils to daunce and leape that is to saie it mooueth bendeth instructeth very block-heads and such as are most hard of vnderstanding this may be the meaning of those fained tales of Amphion Orpheus Arion and other like Lastly this Image is enuironed with a double ranke of pillers well and strongly grounded and vnder-pinned that beare vp in due proportion the nine languages following each by hir owne chiefe authors maintainers For euery pillar was wrought in fashion of a man framed to the countenance of one of their best writers in a long gowne or stole And that is the meaning of the French a la Cariatide After the Carian right as Vitruuius writeth at large in this first Chapter of his first booke of Architecture This I note bicause the French Commentar lets it passe and it troubled my selfe to vnderstand it at the first 23. Among the blessed wits For chiefe props of the Hebrue toong which he placeth in the fore front of Eloquence as in euery regard it was méete whether we consider the swéete grauitie the naturall impliance the shortnes hautines liuelyhood of it or the sinceritie holines light and heauenly maiestie he nameth first Moses bicause he is the most ancient of those whose writings in this toong are extant As for the booke of the Prophesie of Henoch it was lost a long time ago He describeth this holy Law-writer after an excellent manner as was requisite in a discourse of Eloquence His face shineth like a blasing Starre alluding to that in the Scripture that Moses comming downe from the mount where he had talked with God his face so shined that none was able to behold his countenance insomuch as he was faine to weare a vaile ouer it the rest is verie easie to be vnderstood especially of such as haue neuer so lightlie turned ouer the Historie Now for the bookes of Moses they were written many hundred yéeres before the Gréekes were knowne who were not heard of in the world but a little before the raigne of Saul and had but few works in writing or none at all till after the time of Salomon as their owne Histories witnes whosoeuer will take paines to turne them ouer Naie further all their knowledge came from the Egyptians Phenicians and others who had learned somewhat by conuersing with the Hebrues And to come againe to Moses he hath béene in maruellous account with infinite Heathen writers If any haue lightly regarded or found fault with him it was either bicause they vnderstood him not at all or maliced him excéedingly which a man may easily finde in their writings The second author of the Hebrue he counteth Dauid whose Psalmes he speaketh much of in few lines but little it is in comparison of their excellencie wherof many ancient and late writers haue spoken notable things I will not heape them vp here assuring my selfe that all true Christians will grant me that the Booke of Dauids Psalmes is as Saint Basill saith the Storehouse and treasurie of all good learning for all men to come at and will confesse with Saint Ierome and S. Chrysostome that nothing better becommeth a man be he Peasant or Craftes-man great or small than to sing vnto the Lord the praises and thankesgiuing in these excellent songs contained the very liuely and true Anatomies of a beléeuing soule O how cursed and abominable before God and his Church are those wicked ones that haue forbidden Christians the vnderstanding and vse of them and banished them out of Christendom that haue suffred allowed maintained commanded and commended vnto the people these shamefull and wanton Poesies these bookes of vanitie error leasings which with their authors deserue the fire and not the quiet and peaceable persons that call vpon Iesus Christ and beléeue stedfastly the life euerlasting The soule that feareth God will not take this my digression ill nor thinke it néedlesse As for the vngodly let them spit at it if they will I regarde them not The thirde authour and ornament of the Hebrue is reckoned Salomon in his Prouerbes the booke of the Preacher and the Song of Songs bookes more besprinckled with golden words and notable sentences than his crowne was with pretious stones and pearles embossed Happie is the man that taketh delight to marke and daily thinke vpon so profitable and necessarie instructions The fourth
the Hebrue Latine and Gréeke had all these maintaining meanes whereby they haue continued so long and spred so far abroad So beginneth he cunningly to make his passage from words and phrases vnto entire languages the better to come at length to that excellent discourse that followeth in the next Section vpon all the principall toongs now spoken or knowen in the world As for the Hebrue besides the perfections aboue mentioned he saith in it God hath reuealed his will and that it is the originall of the diuine Law both of great force to make the toong farre knowne and continue long it had further the Art and knowledge of high Priests and Prophets the wisedome and state of Salomon was a long time vsed and accustomed to be spoke in the famous cōmonwelth of the Iewes But these bicause they belong not vnto that toong onely but as well to the other two the Poet here leaueth out The Gréeke he saith in hir bookes containeth at large all the liberall Sciences a great cause and most proper to the Gréeke the rest as common to the others are let passe The Latine more graue forcible than the Gréeke that was a more neat and wanton toong was aduanced and continued in request by the Romanes force of armes whose Empire was the greatest and most warlike of all the rest and therfore is this cause héere onely mentioned as most proper to the Latine toong and the rest omitted These thrée toongs do at this day farre surpasse all others but vngodlinesse and contempt of the true Diuinitie is cause why the Hebrue is not estéemed as it deserueth the more is it regarded of thē that know it As for the Gréeke that which is now commonly spoken is very grosse The pure and good Gréeke is contained within the bookes of Plato Aristotle Zenophon Demosthenes Isocrates Homer Euripides Sophocles Plutarch Basil Nasianzen Chrysostome and many others The Latine after some ignorant and vnlearned men had greatly embased it was restned and set on foote againe within these foure-score yéeres at what time there flourished many great and learned personages in Europe as Melancthon Erasmus Picus Myrand and others but they come short of that grace and liuelihood that the ancient Latine writers haue Cicero Caesar Liuie Virgill Horace and a number of others wel enough knowne of whom as also of the most excellent authors in other toongs the Poet here goes about to entreat The Poets takes breath to enter afresh into the next discourse where by way of a Vision he cunningly describeth the principall toongs with their best authors 20 Tracing these latter lines halfe tyred as I were With this entising paine of heau'nly Pallas Lere Still now and then I strike my chin vpon my brest And softly both mine eies begin to close to rest Moist with Ambrosian dew knit is my senses band And fairely slides my pen foorth of my fainting hand Vpon my flattring couch I spread my selfe againe And plunge in Lethe-streame all troubles of my braine There drowne I all my cares saue one that with no traunce Is discontinued to please and profit Fraunce The sacred Forge of Loue that me enflamed keepes Will not let sleepe my soule although my body sleepes 21 And golden-winged Dreame rising in th'Easterne shore Foorth at his Christ all gate a little while before The Day-gate opened into a Valley faire Me led fantasticall where day and nights fresh aire The north windes the south the drought th'Ises mother The faire daies and the foule came not one after other There May did alway raigne and Zephirus bedight With Rosie coronets blew nicely day and night A woods soft-rustling boughes that blossoms sweet did yeeld A description of the seat image of eloquence And Oualwise bewall'd the flowr-embroidred field 22 Iust in the midst of all this Ammel-blooming glade Raisd was a mightie Rocke in footstall maner made Vpon the top thereof a brasfe Colosse did stand That in the left hand held a flaming fierbrand An Ewer in the right out from hir golden toong A thousand little chaines all ore the medow sprong That worlds of hearers drew fine wrought by subtill art Some linked by the eares and some fast by the Hart. The Boare lay at hir feete nor foming nor enraged There slept the Tigre charm'd Beares their fume asswaged The neighbour Hillocks leapt the Woods reioiced round Eu'n daunsing as it were at hir sweete voices sound A double circled row of pillers high and dight By cunning workmans hand after the Carian right With bases vnderpinn'd for their more sure foundation Beset this rauishing Image of sweete Oration And foure by foure bore vp amid them one language Of those that flourish most in this our learned age 23 Among the blessed wits 6. The Hebrue to whom heau'n gaue the grace That they should vnderprop the Hebrue in this place The man whose face did shine like to a blasing starre Heau'n-decking fraying-men that for a Scepter barre A scare yet budding rod and in his fingers hent The ten-fold register of Gods Commandement He guideth Israel he left authoritie First both of prose and verse to his posteritie Such holy writings as not onely long fore-run The writings of the Greekes but all that they haue done The second Dauid is whose touch right cunningly Combined with his voice drawes downe sweete harmony From th'organized heau'ns on Harpe that still shall sound As long as daies great star shall ore our heads go round Nay farther who can tell after these heau'nly Lights Their Measures ended haue but that the blessed Sprights Christs holy champions at sound of his accords Shall daunce in honor of th' Almightie Lord of Lords When many legions of Angels winged ghosts Shall sing holy holy holy Lord God of hosts The third is Salomon whose goodly monuments Are wisely powdred with more store of documents And golden sentences than doth his diademe With Diamondes and Pearles and firy Rubies beame The fourth is Amos sonne that hath the Graces all Deuout and full of threats graue and Rhetoricall 2. The Greeke 24 The Greeke Homer vpholds that sweetely versifies Whose learned Schoole brought foorth a many companies Of old Philosophers that made his cunning plea The world to ouerflow like some great Ocean sea And Plato all Diuine who like the Bird we call The Bird of Paradise soyles not himselfe at all With earth or waters touch but more than Hels descent Surmounted is by Heau'n surmounts the firmament And smooth Herodotus and he of pleaders Arts The Law Demosthenes gold-mouthed king of harts 3. The Latine 25 Then he of Anthony and Catiline great foe That lightneth and thundreth from whose brest doth flow A thousand streaming floods wherin the rarest wits Daily torment themselues surpris'd with maruaile-fits And Caesar that can do aswell as he can plead And Salust full of force and he that Troy doth lead Againe to Tybers banks a writer sent from heau'n That
so luckie hand begun he determineth by the grace of God to follow foorth so excellent a worke and in a second wéeke to set out the state of the world from Adam to the latter day adioyning thereunto euen a liuely descriptiō of th' euerlasting Saboth so now he giueth vs the two first daies to each of them allotting foure bookes The first day may be called Adam and representeth the state of the first man before and after the fall euen to his death and of his posteritie to the flood The second day may be called Noe and containeth the state of the world after the flood to the time of Abraham so that here we haue a learned and holy paraphrase vpon a part of the first booke of Moses to wit from the middle of the second chapter of Genesis vnto th' end of th' eleuenth his stile is enriched with all maner of beauties and graces méete for a poeme perfect and worthie to be honored of all men of good iudgement so much of the worke in generall Foure books of the first day Now let vs sée what the bookes of these two first daies containe in particular After his méete prefaces and entrance proper to his matter he placeth the first man in the garden of Eden painteth out the garden 1. Eden answereth diuers questions commonly thereabout arising as of the trée of life and th'excellencie therof likewise of the trée of knowledge of good and euill and here he sheweth what was the knowledge of man before sinne wherefore he was placed in Paradise what was his exercise there what was his happines before the fall as namely that he had familiar communication with God whereunto is properly adioyned the discourse of Visions traunces and Reuelations this done he toucheth the commandement of GOD to Adam concerning the forbidden fruit the promise of our first father the great pleasures he enioied so long as he continued obedient vpon this occasion he describeth poynt deuise the beauties of this garden yet with such a stay of himselfe that he cutteth off many curious demaunds and hauing answered certaine obiections endeth his first booke In the beginning of the second he setteth downe th' enuie and drift of the diuel against man 2. L'imposture why he tempted outwardly what moued him to take a body rather than present himselfe the bodie of a serpent rather than to change himselfe into an Angell of light Hereout are handled opinions diuers the conclusion of all is this that the serpent was the diuels instrument to misleade our first mother This draweth the Poet to speake of the power of Satan So he returning to his former intent discouereth all the wiles and assaults of th' enimie how he brought Eue to destruction and Adam by meanes of hir whence haue ensued effects most gréeuous to behold These miserable sinners examined charged with sinne and condemned therefore as well by remorse of their owne conscience as by the fearful voice of their creator who pronounceth doome against the serpent and them Wherunto is added a sound and full answere to all such wicked and profane spirits as murmur against the fall of Man as it is set downe in holy scripture to shut vp the booke Adam and Eue are chased out of Paradise and an Angell with a firie sword there placed to kéepe them out Now the better to set forth the miserie of man 3. Furies and the confusions which sinne hath brought in among vs the Poet hauing in the beginning of his third booke mentioned againe and set before our eies the blessed estate of the whole world and the perfect vnion that was among all creatures before the backsliding of Adam the cause as he sheweth by diuers examples of all their disunion he mustereth and leadeth forth an armie of all other creatures to war against man then comming to the euils that afflict this poore guiltie creature both within and without he bringeth in the furies called out of hell to come and torment mankind These then are the plagues wherewith they chastise the bodie to wit famine war infinite sort of diseases whereof the chiefe are named and ranged into foure squadrons The first laieth siege to the head the second encountreth the chiefe instruments of life the third assaulteth the naturall powers the fourth setteth on the outward parts of Man They are distinguished againe into maladies particularly belonging vnto certaine peoples and climats proper to the seuerall ages of man speciall to diuers seasons of the yéere contagious hereditarie new obstinate and vncurable To increase the more this heape of miserie he proueth that beasts are in this regard in better case than man Then entreth into consideration of the most dangerous diseases of all which are those of the mind and namely foure principall kindes which vnder them containe all other sadnes ioy feare and fond desire these with their traine and effects are without comparison more to be feared than all the most cruell diseases of the body as by fit examples is proued and so the Poet concludeth with an holy wish and profitable exhortation to the Frenchmen 4. Artifices Hereupon hauing in the entrie of the fourth booke saluted peace and shewed the commodities thereof he falleth fitly to his purpose and decifereth vnto vs the miserable estate of Adam and Eue being now foorth of the garden what hard shift they made to liue whereon they fed how they were clothed and what paines Eue tooke to weaue a garment for hir husband their furniture against the cold their place of abode and first buildings the inuention of fire the beginning of housholds and how the land was peopled the exercise of Caine and Abel their sacrifices the wicked mind of Caine who slue his brother and after thinking somewhat to ease his soule of the gnawing torments of conscience built a towne and began to ride horses which the Poet handleth in kinde and from thence falleth into discourse of th' inuention and vse of Iron and instruments of Musick But as Caine and his followers busie themselues with affaires of the worlde meane-while Adam and his true children take after godlines and iustice and search out the sacrets of nature Among other Seth is supposed to aske his father concerning th' estate of the worlde from the beginning vnto th' end which Adam excusing himself at first refuseth to do but suddenly mooued with the holie spirit héere distinguished from the furies of men possessed of the diuell he speaketh of all the worlds ages and sheweth what shall befall euen to the flood the discourse and consideration whereof ouercommeth his hart with griefe depriueth him of spéech and endeth the fourth booke and so by consequent the first daies historie Foure bookes of the second day 1. L' Arche Beginning the first booke of the second day with a new inuocation he entreth into th' Arch recounteth the holie exercises of Noe which Cham gainsaieth and diuers waies striueth against the prouidence of
in vaine Each one the more he striues the lesse appeeres his paine Another excellent comparison declaring how neither counsell art force diligence nor multitude is able to resist God And shortly as the men that altogither stood To build in channell deepe of some great rau'ning flood High arches of a bridge marking from hils descend A hundred sudden streames and now far to extend The mountaine-hating waues leaue off without aduise Scudding some here some there their goodly enterprise Right so these Architects feeling the stormie smart Of Gods displeasure rise had neither strength nor hart But there they left their worke and with hands malcontent Rules mallets plummets lines all down the Towre they sent 4. Now he enthroned is This is the exposition of the words mighty hunter before the Lord to wit that Nimrod Chams nephew did proudly lift himselfe vp against God and man His buildings and the beginning of his raigne could not haue béene such without offring violence to the peace and libertie of diuers families ouer whom he bare rule and there is no shew to the contrarie but that by diuers practises from time to time he got the soueraigntie The holy Scripture oftentimes by the names of hunters and chasers meaneth Gods enimies and the persecutors of his church Psalme 91. 124. Ezech. 32. Lamentations 3. The seauentie Interpreters translate th' Hebrue text after this maner This Nimrod began to be a Gyant on the earth and a huntesman or leader of houndes before the Lorde God By the hounds of Nimrod may be vnderstood his guardes and the fauorers of his tyrannie Moses calleth him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gibor tsaid that is lusty strong or great and mightie chaser Which noteth not onely the stature and height of bodie but also might and authoritie ioyned with violence in all those that want the feare of God Now although Moses in the 11. Chapter of Genesis where he speaketh of the citie towre of Babel make no mention of Nimrod yet hath the Poet aptly gathered out of the chapter aforegoing that Nimrod was the author and promoter of those buildings in as much as Babel is called the beginning of his raigne who could not any waies raigne without some habitations for himselfe and his subiects and considering that Moses in the selfe same place affirmeth that the cities founded by Nimrod were in the countrey of Sennaar and that in the 12. verse of the 11. chapter he saith that these builders of Babel dwelt on a plaine in the countrey of Sennaar by good reason the inuention and beginning thereof is héere ascribed to Nimrod who by this meanes sought to set his state on foote Also this Monarchie of Babylon was one of the first and with it that of Niniuie as may be gathered out of the wordes of Moses But the more particular discourse of these matters and diuerse other questions concerning Nimrod and his outrages require a larger commentarie 5. Like as the Vulcan weake The Poet saith that as a small deale of fire let fall by some shepheards among the drie leaues of a great forest setting it selfe and hatching as it were the heate awhile at length with helpe of the winde groweth to so great a flame that it taketh the whole forest and leaueth not a Driad that is not a trée in his proper or naturall barke So the words first vttered by Nimrod the blowne with the bellowes of his mynions fauorites set so the harts of the people on fire that he soon obtained his purpose This is it that Moses noteth in the 11. chap. of Gen. the 3. and 4. vers They saide one to another the chiefe men hauing put it in their heads Come let vs make bricke and burne it well in the fire so had they bricke instéed of stone and slime had they in steade of morter Then said they go let vs build vs a citie and a tower whose top may reach vnto the heauens that we may get vs a name least we be scattered vpon the whole earth The Poet in his verse discourseth vpon this deuise It is thought that this proud building was begun about a hundred and fiftie yéeres after the flood The good patriarch Noe that liued yet long time after saw his posteritie confounded and scattered for so it was the Lords will to exercise the patient faith of his seruant to whom in recompence he shewed the effect of his blessings in the familie of Sem where still remained the Hebrue toong togither with the doctrine and discipline of the true church Now out of this historie of Moses touching the building of the towne and the confusion of the builders is sprong as it séemeth the fabulous discourse of the Poets set downe by Quid in his first booke of Metamorphosis touching the Gyants that heaped hils one vpon another to scale heauen and dispossesse Iupiter of his throne Thus hath Satan endeuoured to falsifie the truth of sacred histories Well this arrogant building sheweth vs how vaine are the imaginations of worldly men namely to set at naught the true renowme of heauenly life and séeke after the false on earth Carnall men haue no care at all to worship and reuerence the name of the true God they regarde onely to be accounted of themselues and so to write their names in the dust Against th' attempts of the men of Babel and all their successors let vs oppose these sentences the 18. and 21. of Prouerbs The name of the Lord is a strong towre thither shall the iust repaire and be exalted There is no wisedome nor vnderstanding nor force can preuaile against the Lord and that which is written Psal the 127. Except the Lord do buylde the house the builders labour but in vaine 6. God seeing this Moses in the 5. and 6. verses of the 11. chapter saith Then the Lord came downe to sée the citie and Towre which the sonnes of men had built And the Lorde saide Behold the people is one and they all haue one language and this they begin to do neither can they now be stopped from whatsoeuer they haue imagined to do come on let vs go downe and there confound their language that they vnderstand not one another Then he addeth the execution of the sentence saying So the Lorde scattered them from thence vpon all the earth and they left off to build the citie Therefore the name of it was called Babel bicause the Lord did there confounde the language of all the earth and scattered them from thence ouer all the world God that is all in all neuer changeth his place he goeth neither vpwarde nor downwarde but the Scripture saith he goeth downe then whē he worketh any thing on earth which falling out beyond and against the ordinarie course of nature witnesseth his particular presence Vnder these few words of Moses a many things are to be considered chiefly he noteth the great sinnes of the builders in that he bringeth in the Lord iudge of the
of in the Reuelation hath made so many confusions that it is vnpossible to name them all There remaineth the third point touching Birds foure-footed beasts and fishes whereof and euery of them I will name two onely for a patterne least I séeme too long in the annotations The Storke so commended for hir loue towarde those by whom she receiued life is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chasida that is to say dutifull louing and religious The Eagle is called Nescher that commeth néere to Shor and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iashar the one signifieth to looke the other to be rightfull and this bird of all other hath the sharpest sight and looketh against the sunne There is further a liuely description of this bird in the 39. chapter of Iob as also of the Austrich and many other in diuers places of Scripture The horse called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sus is thought to come of the Verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nasas if rather this Verbe be not thence deriued which signifieth to aduaunce himselfe for it is the brauest and fiercest of all other foure-footed beasts as Iob finely describeth him in the 39. chapter The Hebrues haue thrée names for a Lion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arieh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Labi and Laijsch the first commeth of a Verbe that signifieth to snatch and teare in sunder the second of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leb that signifieth the Hart and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Laab to be in solitarie and desert places the third is commonly interpreted a great and roring Lion not vnlike the Verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Losh that signifieth to surprise or deuoure for thaâ—â—his beast rampeth-vpon and swalloweth vp his pray The â—…hales and great fishes are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thannim Snakes Serâ—…nts or Dragons bicause they are of a great length and turne and fould themselues euery way and are no lesse dangerous in the sea than serpents and dragons on the land In the 40. chapter of Iob that great fish is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leuiathan which some deâ—… of the Verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lauah which signifieth to borrow or take 〈◊〉 â—or his recreation bicause the Whale séemeth to play vp 〈◊〉 downe the sea as in a place borrowed for recreation The Câ—â—codile that liueth both on land and water is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hatsaâ— and séemeth to come of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tsab which signifieth the couering of a Chariot bicause this mightie creature hath so long and so thicke a skin Moreouer th'Hebrues of the whole kinde of fishes speake commonly as if they were of another world bicause they are so farre parted and seuered from the sight and conuersation of men they make thrée sorts of them which they expresse by the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dagh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thannim and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leuiathan This haue I added the more to shew the liuelihood and naturall importance of this toong and héerewith I will content my selfe at this time desiring that some other stirred vp by my example would take this matter in hand and discourse of it better and more at large 14 For when Adam Moses saith plainly in the 19. and 20. verses of the second Chapter of Genesis That God made all the beasts of the fielde and foules of the heauen come before Adam to sée how he would name them and that howsoeuer he named euery thing liuing so was the name thereof The Man therefore gaue names vnto all Cattaile and to the Foules of heauen and to euery Beast of the field The wisedome wherewith our first father was endued before his fall importeth thus much that he should giue méete and couenable names vnto all creatures vnder his dominion although the knowledge and search of birds and beasts names be hard bicause of the weaknes of mans iudgement now since his fall yet is it not vnpossible as men wel séene in the Hebrue toong haue alreadie shewed 15 15 And for each Bodie Adam a man parfitly wise before he sinned gaue not onely méete names to all creatures that were in a maner the moouables and instruments of his house and of this great shop of the world whereof the Lord had made him master but further enriched his language with all maner of ornaments that might be required to make it parfit So that before his fall he spake more eloquently than any mortall man since After he had sinned entred ignorance into his vnderstanding and frowardnes into his affections which haue made the spéech of him and his posteritie vnfitting vnparfit deceiuable and often false euen in humane and indifferent things yea such sometime as we most curiouslie studie vpon But the grace of God the long life of this Patriarch and his fresh remembrance of the woondrous things that he had séene in the Garden of Eden haue brought to passe doubtlesse that the conuersation instruction reports and authoritie of so great a personage had a maruellous force to perswade and teach all those that were in his schoole For from him had we first our Arts Sciences deriued especially the knowledge of the true God And although since his time the things haue béene more and more illightened and parfited yet must we néedes confesse that Adam was the first teacher of them Who so desireth to know the depth of his wisedome let him at his leysure meditate vpon the foure first Chapters of Genesis and he will confesse there is contained the summe of all that all men haue knowne or shall vnto the worlds end Now out of all doubt it is that Adam taught his children and their posteritie all these things exactly But Moses by the direction of the spirit of God thought it sufficient to represent onely the grounde of things otherwise the world neither had nor would euer be able to containe the bookes that might be made vpon these foure first Chapters 16 This toong that Adam spoke The first world continued 1656. yéeres Adam liued 930. yéeres his posteritie kept his language and although they possessed with their tents and dwellings a large péece of ground yet is there no place of Scripture to be found whereout may be gathered any proofe of the diuersitie of toongs before the flood There being then but one it must néedes be the same that Adam taught his children as may also appéere by this that all proper names vntill the flood are Hebrue Noe the true sonne of Adam retained and spoke this toong and taught it his children And although thrée or foure score yéeres before the flood they began to spread abroade themselues and corruption grew more and more among them as by that may be gathered that is written of Nimrod and Asshur and the children of Cham Genesis the 10. yet in the beginning of the eleuenth Chapter Moses witnesseth that at what time they that came to dwell in the plaine of Sennaar spake of building the
is the Prophet Esay the sonne of Amos right such a one as the Poet hath described These foure he thought sufficient to name bicause they haue most writings extant and are withall excéeding eloquent as might easilie be prooued by particulars if I were to write a Commentarie or a whole discourse thereof 24. The Greeke Homer his Illias and Odyssea containing 48. bookes is the most ancient Gréeke Auctor we haue his inuentions are wonderfull his vaine naturall his verses smoothe and full of Art and the more they are considered the greater grace they haue There is also in them a hidden sense and the very welspring of all humane knowledge as may appéere by that infinite péeces of his poesies are cited in the bookes of ancient late Philosophers Geographers Historiographers and Orators as Plutarch and others witnes The next to Homer is Plato not in time but in worthines he is called the diuine Philosopher bicause he is so maruellous pure so high loftie in al his discourses the true scholler of him that professing himselfe to know but one thing namely that he knew nothing declared that he knew all things that might be learned in the worlde as touching the worlde For concerning the knowledge of saluation Plato and his maister both were ignorant and sith all other knowledge is nothing in comparison of that the more are we bound to God that haue it he said most truly that he knew nothing The third is Herodotus who writeth in th' Ionick Dialect that is a kinde of Gréeke differing a little in phrases and pronuntiation from the common-spoken as some farre scituate shires do from the Court or mother Citie of their Countrie in diuers points it agréeth with the French Plutarch dealeth somewhat too roughly with this woorthy Historiographer in whose defence I will oppose the authoritie of a learned man of our time who in a certaine Preface of his saith of Herodotus Narrationes eius sunt disertae indicationes expressae speciosae explicationes accuratae euidentes collectiones certa atque plenae in his rerum gestarum hominum temporum fides accurata compertorum relatio dubiorum coniectura sagax fabulosorum verecunda commemoratio mira vbique simplicitas eximius quidam candor Sée the great praises and perfections of a graue Historiographer The fourth is Demosthenes the prince of Gréeke Orators the very rule and square of all that endeuour to speake eloquently a man that leadeth other mens mindes as he list excellent in all his discourses which are extant the most of them and read to the great vse and profit of those that know how to applie them 25. Then he of Anthonie and Catiline great foe That is Cicero surnamed the father of Eloquence he is the first and chiefe of those that grace and maintaine the Latine toong He was extremely hated of Marke Anthonie and Catiline both whom he hath also bitterly pursued and touched to the quicke as his Catilinarie and Philippick Orations declare the often printing of his works and learned mens continuall reading of them and borrowing thence the best graces of their writings do prooue his learning eloquence and plentie of spéech to be such as the Poet héere describeth The second is Caesar the most valiant of eloquent men and most eloquent of valiant men as may well appéere by his life in Plutarch and his Commentaries de bello Gallico by which worke he hath wrung the pen out of learned mens hands and in a maner discouraged them al from writing Histories bicause they sée such perfection therein as they are not able to come néere The third is the Historiographer Salust we haue of his works besides diuers Orations two Histories remaining Coniuratio Catilinae bellum Iugurthinum short they are but full of sentence and sinewes witnessing the ancient force and vigor of the Roman toong The Reader may hereto adde the commendations of these thrée authors as they are in many learned bookes of late writers here and there scattered As for those that thinke Cicero bableth without learning and that Caesar the Dictatour and first Emperour wrote not these Commentaries that beare his name and that Salust writeth a hard and forced stile bicause their accusations are false and they so farre out of the way I thinke them woorthie none other answere than our Poets few verses here Of the fourth which is the Poet Virgil too much cannot be spoken his bookes of Georgickes and Aeneidos being such maruellous works and so farre excéeding all other bookes of humanitie I speake not onely for the excellence of his verse but sure in the depth of his inuentions his iudgement his decence his modestie his grauitie and his state how much he doth outstrip and go beyond al others may be séene not onely in euery booke of his but euen in euery verse wherein is contained a thousand thousand secrets and as it were the abridgement of all kind of Arts and knowledge besides his proper tearmes his Epythites alway fit his metaphors and figures sow'n and sprinkled in their right places and his spéech quite throughout eloquent and pure without any bodging or dawberie whatsoeuer The learned Caesar Scaliger among many others hath plainly and at large declared in his Art of Poetrie the excellencie of this Authour 26. Th' Italian For ornament of the Italian a language risen of the Roman or Latine he nameth thrée Poets and one Orator slipping diuers writers of historie Secretaries that haue left diuers excellent works Orations and Epistles among vs. The reason is I thinke bicause these foure containe in them all the graces of the others He nameth also the Tuscan toong bicause of all the diuers Dialects of Italie the Luquish Milanish Geneuish and Venetian none are so pure and fine as the Florentine or Tuscan Iohn Boccace hath written long time agoe but a very fine and pure stile as his Decameron his Fiametta the Philocope The Laberinth and his other bookes witnes that with the world are in so great request Frauncis Petrarch hath written since and inuented goodly words and partly by his owne pregnant wit partly by imitation of all the best Auctors hath enriched the toong with many graces he hath ventured also far and made Sonets Chapters and Cantoes wonderfull curious Then Ludouico Ariosto of Ferara hath set foorth a legend of Loue entituled Orlando furioso in verses swéete and méete famous throughout all Italie he is full of affections in his discourse and as delightfull as is possible by reason of the varietie of that fabulous matter he writeth of which he shadoweth so cunningly that the reader is therewith often affected and mooued as if it were a true storie or at least not altogither false Torquato Tasso is last of the foure in time of writing but in account as the Poet saith the first and chiefe he was the sonne of Bernardo Tasso that eloquent man whose excellent Epistles are in print This his sonne hath written in twenty
books or Cantoes of stately verse a poeme the best of all Italians entituled Gierusalemme liberata all the graces and riches of the Gréekes and Latines are there gathered togither and wrought into it after the best maner so graue so short so learned so comely so liuely so stately as if it were the worke of another Virgil. There are also Printed at Ferrara thrée volumes of his works containing other kindes of verse and all sorts of fine inuentions a Comedie a Tragedie diuers Dialogues and discourses in prose all are woorth reading and all make good the iudgement that our Poet hath giuen of the Authour 27. The language Arabike This language is comen of the Hebrue among other learned mens bookes that haue made this toong of account we haue the works of Aben Roïs that is the sonne of kings for Ben signifieth a sonne in Hebrue and the Arabians adde to the beginning this preposition A and somtime Al. This Aben Roïs is the same that we commonly call Auerroës the Commentar a very excellent Philosopher He hath commented vpon most of Aristotle and is translated into Latine printed at Venice the worke doth shew the déepe reach and subtill braine of the man Auicen was a great Philosopher and Physition as his writings also declare Gesner saith Auerroës was of Cordway and Auicen of Seuill and so I thinke but it appéereth by their works that they were both Arabians and professed the superstition of Mahomet As for Eldebag Iohannes Leo writeth of him in the fift booke of his description of Affrike This poet borne at Malaga in Grenade of great name thorough all the parts of Buggie and Thunes was very eloquent in the Arabian toong and wonderfull sharpe in railing on those that did him hurt he made the men of Tebesse féele it in a Satyre he wrote against them the effect whereof is this that Nature knowing the Tebessians should be men of little worth and very swine woulde make no good thing growe about their citie but nuts The last to wit Ibnu-farid the French Commentar knoweth not what he was and I can not learne 28. The Dutch For the Dutch or Almaine toong he setteth vs downe Mychaell Beuther who very well hath translated the Latine Commentaries of Sleidan the next is Luther borne at Islebe as learned and eloquent a man as any was among the Diuines and Preachers of Germanie as all will confesse that haue read his works in Dutch he Preached and read Diuinitie the space of many yéeres at Wytteberg in Saxony Then Gasper Peucer sonne in law to Phillip Melancthon an excellent Philosopher Mathematician and Phisition as his works declare And lastly Peter Beutrick Counseller to Duke Iohn Casimer and chiefe dealer for him with diuers Princes lately deceased I could name you many more but I content my selfe as the Poet hath done with these foure 29. Then Gueuare The bookes of Anthony de Gueuare du Boscan de Grenade de Gracylace haue béene for the most part translated into Latine Italian and French but they are far better in their Castilian which is the most pure Dialect of the Spanish toong and wherein the men of learning and good nourriture are woont ordinarily to write and speake And these foure the Poet hath chosen for the most eloquent writers in this toong yet nothing foredéeming diuers others that haue written well both in verse and prose as namely Osias whom but for his old Dialect he iudgeth as good an author as the other 30. The speech of English For ornament of the English toong he nameth sir Thomas Moore and sir Nicholas Bacon both Lord Chauncellors the first of them was very learned in the Arts and toongs the second excéeding well séene in the common lawes of England and both very eloquent in their mother language As for sir Philip Sidney he deserueth no lesse commendation than the Poet hath giuen him Chaucer deserueth the like commendation here that Osias did among the Spanish Auctors 31. But what new Sunne is this He maketh a digression in praise of the Quéene of England who the space of seuen and thirtie yéeres hath gouerned hir Realme in great prosperitie so as during the troubles and ouerthrowes of other kingdomes about hir hir selfe and hir people haue béene preserued from infinite dangers This famous Quéene hath also the toongs héere mentioned by the Poet very parfit and at this day by the singular grace of God she is accounted the pretious pearle of the North and very fortunate in all the wars she taketh in hand hir happie successe and victories are euery way so memorable that they deserue to be written in a large historie and reuerenced of all posteritie 32. But what are these of Fraunce Clement Marot worthie to be admired for his time in regard of the ignorance and barbarisme that raigned in Europe many yéeres before him hath led the Muses ouer the Alpes and araied them after the French fashion as witnesseth among other his works the translation of nine and fortie Psalmes of Dauid a worke that will continue in account as long as Yea and Nay are spoken euen to the worlds end Indéede he wanteth that Art and those fine deuises that some later writers haue but euen in this want these imperfections he hath done woonderous well sheweth in his naturall vaine that if he had sist he could haue béene excellent yea in some points and places he hath so done alreadie as the best of them all could haue done no better For translations we haue Iacques Amiot who hath turned into French the Ethiopian Historie of Heliodorus seuen bookes of Diodorus Siculus and all Plutarch wherein he hath laboured to very good purpose and with happie successe I would to God he had set his hand also to Thucidides Xenophon and Seneca his stile is pure and naturall not affected not forced right good and true French Blase Viginere hath also translated manie bookes as the Polonian historie a part of Liuie Caesar Chalcondylas Philostratus thrée Dialogs of Friendship and the Psalmes in frée verse all which I haue read ouer and againe yet doe I prefer Amiot before him Indéede I finde in Viginere a very ready stile and matter well chosen but the other I know not how me thinks hath a better carriage of himselfe The Seiour de Vaupriuas in his French Librarie saith of all the foster-children of the Muses that were bred in Fraunce Viginere hath so written that as well for learning as for eloquence of spéech he hath preuented all that shall come after him and as it were shut the gate against them Sée what a commendation héere is I leaue the Reader to iudge of our opinions Our Poet staieth in doubt but I haue béene bould to go further I trust without any great offence in this consisteth not the good or bad state of Fraunce Concerning Poets he nameth Peter Ronsard who hath made himselfe rich with Gréeke and Latine spoiles as his Treatises of Loue his diuers Poemes his Odes Elegies and Hymnes doe witnes wherein a man may reade all sort of verses and all kinde of matter sometimes in a lowe stile sometimes in a meane sometimes in a loftie stile For which cause the Poet calleth him Great Ronsard I will note héere a notable spéech of his after our Poets first Wéeke was come foorth in print being asked his opinion of the worke he answered alluding to the title Mounseiur du Bartas hath done more in one wéeke than I haue done in all my life time As for Philip de Mornay Lord of Plessie Marly his learned worke of the truth of Christian religion honoured thus by the true title and written in good French with liuely reasons there gathered togither mooueth and draweth to his purpose that is to acknowledge the truth all that read it with a hart desirous of peace and good The like may be said of his Discourse of life and death of his Treatise of the Church his Meditations and some Epistles and Demonstrations of his For all his writings are strengthened with arguments inductions and proofes inuincible and all in a stile with grauitie swéetnes mixed well knit and well sounding and easie enough to those that are neuer so little acquainted with it The Poet hauing so liuely represented his Vision endeth his discourse of Eloquence and hir most renowmed fauourers in euery language and so shutteth vp his sixt Booke Which is the second of the second day of his second Wéeke FINIS