Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A34821
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The foure ages of England, or, The iron age with other select poems / written by Mr. A. Cowley.
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Cowley, Abraham, 1618-1667.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing C6671; ESTC R18757
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34,076
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77
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Cedars and their drops from high Made th' poor like under-woods to starve and die That in what place we saw so many poor Some great man liv'd not farr we might be sure Now these that so imperiously did awe When they perceiv'd men did not care a straw For their commands but that the shrub began To be as stately as the Gentleman Then they though not for conscience sake oppose Them that t' infringe the Kingly pow'r arose The truly noble Heroes for there be Two contrarieties in each degree Are by the blindfold people made to beare In suffering though not in sin a share For when the vulgar to be Judges come Then all must suffer for the fault of some They quickly saw when the bold Subject dares Usurp Kings Rights 't is time to look to theirs The vulgar knowing little but b'ing led By th' Priests or Gentry joyn to make a head Each as his phansie leads him Some ambidextrous villaines took one part And yet held with the other in their heart Such men desire our Warrs may still increase And feare of nothing but a needy peace Mean while the Newters Jacks of both sides stand Poysing themselves on both yet neither hand Like Goddesses of victory attend To take the Conquerors part i' th' latter end Those that are wisest were they Argos-ey'd And Bythian-like had every eye supply'd With double sight yet they could hardly see Which side to take and save their Bacon free So betwixt both these civill warres ore-whelm Th' whole superficies of this wretched Realm This land that was a Canaan while 't was good Is now the sad Aceldama of blood CHAP. VII ANd now the great State-gamesters plainly find All either stir'd in body or in mind The instruments prepar'd to work they fall Ambiguous oaths Treasons Originall They now invent impose First men are made To sweare amisse and then they do perswade Those oaths bind them to do what these intend Stretching poor soules to bring about their end Now jealousies and feares which first arose From the polluted Consciences of those That were the first contrivers these divide The limbs from th' Head nay from themselves beside One won't confide in t'other this although It rose from nothing to a world did grow Nor did it lose by th' way like Balls of snow It bigger still as it did go did grow Both separate themselves and each intends Distance a great advantage to their ends Those that had active bin on either side Are mutually accus'd sent for denyed This makes both stick to what they had begun And each his course more eagerly did run First they fall to 't by pen which did incense Both parties with a greater vehemence From hence names of disgrace at first arose And each to other made more odious And the amazed people did invite To lay aside their tedious peace and fight They plainly saw the warr before they could Discern the Cause on 't and they might behold Th' effects though not the quarrell they well knew That they must feel the warr and end it too Warr like a Serpent at the first appear'd Without a sting that it might not be fear'd But having got in 's head begins to be The sole Monopolist of Monarchie Thus by degrees we ran from peace to go Downward was easie but b'ing once below To re-ascend that glorious hill where blisse Sits thron'd with Peace oh what a labour tis Our floating eyes in seas of teares may see The heav'n we 're faln from but our miserie Does more increase to Tantalize to th' brink In happinesse when yet we cannot drink Now we must fight for peace whose worth by most Was not discern'd till utterly 't was lost None know the good of peace but such as are Broil'd in the furnace of intestine warre CHAP. VIII NOw having us'd the effeminate warr of words Which did enlarge the jarrs at length the swords Apparelling themselves in robes of blood Sate Doctors of the Chaire which never stood To heare the Cause but quickly does decide All that comes near and without skill divide All individuums 'T is a fearfull Case When undiscerning swords have Umpires place That have two-edg'd to wound but have no eye To sever Justice from iniquity When rage and Ignorance shall moderate That understand no Syllogisms but straight Turning all method into curst confusion Majors to Minors bring both to Conclusion And now the great Reformists only care Is how to help those miseries which were Of their own rearing Faction like a Snake Stings those from whom it did a quick'ning take First all the Kingdome to a need they draw Then make that need they 've brought their only Law This Mint of Lawes stands not on observation Of Statutes fixt the Birth-right of our Nation It 's turn'd a warlike Councell and no more A legall Senate as it was before Now Sâ—lus Populi begins to be The generall Warrant to all villanie Of which themselves are Judges lawlesse need The conqu'ring Rebell to all Lawes does plead A priviledge what e're they say or do New need still make them act contrary too When any injur'd Subjects did complain These two Lawes paramount could all maintain Religion too and fundamentall Lawes Are both o're-ruled by a Law call'd Cause CHAP. IX OUr quarrell is a working jealousie Fixt in a sever'd Kingdome both sides be So diffident of each they 'l rather die Then trust each other such Antipathie Springs from this ground Subjects dare spill the blood Of their anointed Soveraign for his good Th' ungratefull Son forgetting natures Lawes Dares kill his Father for the good of 's Cause Fathers their sonnes and Brothers Kinsmen Friends Do seek their Brothers Friends and Kinsmens ends Armes that long uselesse lay for want of warr Are now call'd forth more summoned from farr English to English are become a terrour One wicked action is a seconds mirrour Each strives in mischief to transcend another And every Christian is a Turk to 's Brother Blowes seldome fall upon a barren ground But beare centuple crops they still rebound Rage begets rage men do in vice climb higher And all bring fuell to increase the fire Conscience rejected men their forces bend Which shall the rest in height of sin transcend Now faith and loyalty grow out of date And Treason is the Gole that 's aimed at The sacred league 'twixt body and the soule Which Lawes preserv'd inviolate and whole Is daily broke and that sweet Bridegroom forc'd From his beloved Spouse to be divorc'd Each man is drunk with Gallus and growes mad Nor can there Hellebore enough be had To re-instate our reason in its throne Nor have we sense enough to feel we 've none Th' Age was so vile the Iron Age of old Compar'd with ours may be an Age of Gold We in the times of peace like th' Ocean were Impenetrable till Divisions tare Us from our selves and did divide us quite As the Red Sea was by the Israelite And we like walls
The foure Ages OF ENGLAND OR The Iron Age With other select POEMS VVritten by Mr. A. Cowley Cantabit vacuus c. LECTORI Qui legis ista tuam reprehendo si mea laudas Omnia stultitiam si nibil invidiam Owen Ep. pag. 1. Printed in the Yeere 1648. To the truly worthy and VVorshipfull Mr. I. S. of P. Esquire Honoured Sir IT is not the worthinesse of the Worke nor Workeman can whisper any confidence of your acceptance of this trifle but only the seasonablenesse and truth of the subject of which you are more then an eye-witnesse gives it boldnesse to kisse your hand This Poem was calculated only for the Meridian of some private friends not daring to gaze in the face of the World because it 's neer kin to truth and therefore to danger Nor did the Author desire so to strumpet his Muse as to prostitute her to the imbraces of every one being not ambitious of the airy title of a Poet Neither let it present it selfe to your eye the lesse worthy because now martyr'd by the Presse though it be become now so adulterated with false and scandalous Pamphlets that it is a dishonour for a legitimate phantasie to derive a title from thence My humble request to your Worship is that you will vouchsafe to inrich these lines with your view and pardon the forward ambition of him whose glory is to be known of you at the becoming distance of Your Worships most humble Honourer {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} To the Reader Reader WHether courteous or not 't is all one to me Thou hast here the moderate observations of one that neither is nor desires to be ingaged in either party of these Warrs till he sees both honester Thou hast here the verdict of a Spectator who hath beheld this Military Game plaid by both Gamesters and hath seene pelting on both sides Thou hast here Truth painted in her own Colours that is in none and justling Vice wheresoere in whomsoere she meets it Thou hast here the Causes Effects and conjecturall consequences of these unnaturall Divisions the times Looking-Glasse wherein be what thou wilt thou shalt see thy face and find something that concerns thee And if thou wilt lay aside aside thy {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} here thou shalt read thy own selfe a main cause of this War Thou hast here other things which I will not Mountebank-like set out beforehand because I would have thee take some paines to read what I have took paines to write perhaps some pleasure Olim haec meminisse juvabit Only take this lesson in thy hand before thou read thou must resolve to un-conceit thy selfe and to be moderate and yeeld to truth on that condition I am Thine Farewell The Proem HOw idle is th' idolatry of those That on their fancy can no Theme impose Till they Apollo and his Traine invite To be propitious unto what they write 'T is but our folly folly may b'in wit To make a god and then to worship it I 've often writ and never yet found odds Whether I writ with or without those gods I care not for the Poets Hill nor Spring Losers may speake and empty men may sing Sorrow's my Helicon if povertie Makes Poets Troupers Pegasusses be Inspire me griefe let Phoebus and the Nine Help am'rous Verse they are too soft for mine I meane to weep the murthers rapine rage That are synaeris'd in this Iron Age For who can sing An airy mirth belongs To mirthfull Theames these dayes are not for songs Reader prepare thy faith for I shall tell A story that transcends a miracle Of vices that so great so many be That they 're beyond the reach of Poetrie Behold a populous Nation pow'rfull too And her own self does her own self undo The Phoenix of the world which is become Who was the pride the scorn of Christendome That stood like Atlas while it stood together But now divided 's wrested any whither The Golden Age CHAP. I. GOne are those golden Halcion daies wherein Men uncompell'd for love of good fled sin When men hug'd right truth whose souls being clear Baffled the threats of punishment or fear No Lawes no penalties but there did rest A Court of equity in each mans brest No trembling pris'ner to the Bar did come From his severer Judge t' xpect his doome No need of judge or Executioners To keep by Law that which by right was theirs The Pyne not then his mother-mountaines leaves To dance Lavalto's on th' unconstant waves Walls cloath'd not Towns nor did mens safety stand In moving Forts by Sea on fixt by Land They understood not Guns nor Speares nor Swords Nor Cause nor Plunder and such Martiall words No armed Souldier stood for their defence Their chiefest Armor was their innocence Mans quiet nature did not feel that fire Which since inflames the world too great desire Kings did not load their heads with Crowns nor try By force or fraud t' invade the liberty Of their obedient Subjects nor did they Strive with Annoynted Soveraigns for sway But Prince and people mutually agree In an indissoluble Sympathie Religion flourish'd and the Lawes increase Both twin'd in one the Gemini of peace An universall concord tuned then Th' unjarring thoughts of many-minded men In an unblemisht harmony Then right Spurn'd the proud thoughts of domineering might And lawrell'd Equity in triumph sate Upheld by vertue which stood candidate And curb'd the power and craft of vice maintain'd By the instinct which in mens nature raign'd Th' unspotted soul could not attainted be With Treason 'gainst the highest Majestie Vice was a stranger to 't nor could it ' bide To club with Av'rice or converse with Pride Nor was it plun'gd i' th whirlpool of those crimes That have inthral'd now these degenerate times Th' imprison'd will then durst not whisper Treason But cring'd to th' Dictates of its Rectresse Reason Friend was the soul of friend and ev'ry man Fed like a stream the whole its Ocean CHAP. II. THe pregnant Earth untill'd did yeeld increase And men injoy'd what they possess'd in peace The Winter plunder'd not the leaves from trees Nor skurf'd the ground with hoary Leprosies No scorching Summer with Canicular heat Parboild their bodies in immoderate-sweat What ever Autumne pluck'd the Spring did bring An endlesse harvest wed an endlesse Spring The quarter'd Year mixt in a bunch did come And clung it self t'an individuum Then flouds of Milk then flouds of Nectar flow'd And on the fertile Earth all plenty grow'd Th' enamell'd fields with Tapestry were crown'd And floating Honey surfeited the ground Of purest blessings men enjoy'd their fill And had all good 'cause they did nothing ill The Silver Age CHAP. I. MAns nature not content with this did range To further things fancy is prone to change Then domineering Will began to stir And scorn'd that Reason should rule over her Active ambition would not be content To keep its