Prudence by the most profound Exercise of Wisedome in the Conquest of All Perturbations Lastly Prosperity enticeth men and drawes them away from the True Good Adversity drawes them back to it as it were with an Hooke And dost thou think this but a small thing that this Sharpe this Horrible Fortune makes thee Know who are thy Faithful Friends she hath Distinguisht the Certain and Doubtful Countenances of thy Companions At her Departure she carryed Her own Friends away with her Thine she hath left with Thee At how high a rate wouldest thou have purchac'd this when thou seemedst to thy selfe to be a Fortunate Man Cease now to looke any longer after the Riches thou hast Lost thou hast found the most Pretious Kind of Wealth viz. True Friends THE EIGHTH VERSE Philosophy praiseth true love and friendship THat the World so Constant is In Alternate Variety That so many Contraries Observe their League so Faithfully That the Sweet Day Queen of Light Sol in his Golden Chariot Drawes And that Hesperus brings Night That Night is Rul'd by Phaebes Lawes That the greedy Sea's restrain'd Least it 's proud Waves should seiz the Land Things thus to each other Chain'd Are held by LOVES Almighty Hand Who Rules the Heav'ns Earth and Seas If He let goe the Reins they run Straight from the safe way of Peace And Perish by Dissention He keeps Men in Vnity He Joyns in League far Distant Lands He confirms by Chastity The Sacred Force of Nuptial Bands He shewes True Friends how to prove That To Love is the Greatest Gain Happy Men if that same LOVE Which Raigns in Heav'n did in You Raign THE THIRD BOOK OF THE Consolation of Philosophy The FIRST PROSE Philosophy promiseth to explicate true felicity SHE had now ended her Song when the Sweetness of the Verse had fixed me in the deepest Attention Therefore after a short pause thus I spake O Soveraign Consolation of wearied Minds how much hast thou refreshed me both with the weight and importance of the Sense of this Excellent Song and the pleasantness of it's Aire so that for the future I shall not looke on my selfe as one that wanteth strength to grapple with any kind of Fortune Therefore I am not only not afraid of those Remedies which thou saidst were somewhat more Sharpe and piercing but I vehemently desire that thou wouldest impart them unto me Then quoth she I Thought so when thou didst so greedily receive my words in such profound Silence and with such earnest Attention and I expected that thou shouldest have this Temper and Disposition of Mind or which indeed is rather the very truth I wrought it in thee Such are the things that remain to be spoken of that when first we do but touch them with our Tongue they are very Tart and Biting but being receiv'd and swallow'd down they become exceeding Sweet and Delightsome But since thou sayst thou art so desirous to hear what I have to say how wouldest thou be Enflam'd if thou didst understand whither I design to Conduct thee Whither quoth I To True Felicity said she which thy Mind apprehends as it were in a Dream but it 's Sight being employ'd about Images and Phantasms it cannot have any clear Prospect therof Then quoth I Do I pray thee as thou hast said and shew without delay what is that True Felicity I will do it quoth she most willingly but first I will lay down in plain words that State and Condition with which thou art most acquainted that casting thine Eye the other way thou mayst clearly Discern the Nature of True Happiness THE FIRST VERSE False felicity must be forsaken that true happiness may be embraced WHoso will sow his ground first he free That ground from Stons and Thorns must That Ceres may Find a plain way Most sweet's the Hony that comes next When Tasts unpleasant have us vext We Joy to see the Stars Appear When Wind and Rain have left the Aire How Lovely is the Youthful Day When Lucifer hath chac'd away The dismal Shades Thou whose dull Eye Could never yet True Good descry Lift up thine Head thine Eye-sight shall be clear And thou shalt see That Instantly To him that Seeks for Truth Truth shall Appear The SECOND PROSE How all men desire happiness but many mistake it THEN with a stedfast Looke recollecting all her Thoughts into the depth of her Mind thus she began All the Care of Mortals which is exercis'd in the labour of various Studies and Designs Proceeds in Divers wayes but yet it Tends to One and the same End viz. to True Happiness And that is such a GOOD which when any man hath Attein'd unto his Desires can go no further Which indeed is the Chiefe and Soveraign of All Good things and conteineth in itselfe All the Good that is or ever can be To which if any thing were wanting It could not be the Soveraign Good because some thing would be left our of it which migh be Wisht or Desir'd 'T is manifest therefore that Bliss or True Happiness is a Perfect State consisting in the Collection of All Good things into One. This State as we have said All men desire to Attein unto by Divers wayes or Means For there is Naturally in the Minds of Men a Desire of the True Good but Error draws them aside to things that have but the meer Shew or Appearance of Good Some there are who believing that it is the Soveraign Good to want nothing endeavour with all their strength to Heap up Riches but others judging that to be the Soveraign Good which is most worthy of Veneration endeavour by the getting of Honors or Illustrious Titles to render themselves Venerable to their own Country-men Others there are that hold the Soveraign Good to consist in the Greatest Power or Dominion These men would either Raign themselves or they endeavour to be Next to Him that holdeth the Scepter And it seemeth to others that Glory or Renown is the Soveraign Good These make all possible speed to get a Glorious Name by the Arts of War or Peace But the greatest Number of men measure the Fruit of Good by Joy and Mirth These think it the most Happy State to overflow with Pleasure And some there are that exchange the Ends and Causes of these Goods viz. why they Desire them one for another as they who desire Riches that they may attein to Power and Dignities and have all the Means of enjoying such Carnal Pleasures to which they are most inclin'd or they who would fain be in Power that they may get Money or a Great Name To these and such like things is the Bent or Intention of Humane Actions and Desires Nobility and the Favour of the People seem to procure an Illustrious Name A Wife and Children are desir'd for the Pleasure and Delight men hope to receive from them But as for Friends which are the most Sacred kind of Goods we do not judge of them as apperteining
mischiefe For she that hath brought thee into so great Sorrowes should have been the cause of thy Tranquillity For she hath left Thee of whom no man can be Secure but that she will leave him also But dost thou think in good earnest that that Felicity which thus passeth away is any thing worth and can any Present Fortune be Dear unto thee which gives thee no Assurance of her Stay and when she shall Depart will certainly involve thee in great Anguish and Vexation If we cannot keep Her with us as long as we please and if when she flyes from us she makes us miserable what is she else being so ready to take her flight but a Sign of future Calamity For it is not sufficient to Consider that which is lay'd before our Eyes Prudence measureth the End of things whos 's Mutability in either State should make us neither to Fear the Threat'nings of Fortune nor Regard her Pretences of Friendship Finally thou oughtest to bear with a patient mind whatsoever is done within the Jurisdiction of Fortune now thou hast submitted thy Neck to her Yoke If thou wouldest impose a Law on her whom thou hast freely chosen to be thy Mistress to stay or be gone at thy pleasure wouldest thou not be Injurious and by thine Impatience encrease the Bitterness of that Condition which thou art not able to Change If thou shouldst commit thy Sailes to the Winds thou shouldst not be carried whither thou Wouldest Arrive but whither they will Drive thee If thou wilt sow thy ground thou must make account that some years are barren and some fruitful Thou hast submitted thy selfe to the Government of Fortune 't is but requisite thou shouldst comply with the Humours of thy Mistress But dost thou endeavour to put a stop to the Turning of her Wheele but O Foolish man if she begins to be Constant she ceaseth to be Fortune THE FIRST VERSE Philosophy discribeth the conditions of fortune WHen mighty things she turns about Euripus Like she swiftly flowes She doth most dreadful Armies rout And Potent Monarchs overthrowes And Heads cast down she lifts on high She hearkens not to sighs and groans Of men plung'd deep in Misery She tortures them and scorns their Moans These are Her sports thus doth she try Her strength and 't is a wondrous feat If in that Houre a man shall lye i th' Dust in which his Power was Great The SECOND PROSE Fortune sheweth that she hath taken nothing from Boetius that was his BUT I would discourse with thee a little in the words of Fortune Observe if she speaks not right O man why dost thou thus complain of my carriage towards thee In what have I Injur'd thee what Goods that thou mightest justly call Thine own have we taken from thee Let any man be Judge betwixt us whilst thou contendest with me touching the Possession of Riches and Dignities And if thou shalt prove that any of them do properly belong to any Mortal whatsoever I will readily grant that those things which thou desirest should be restor'd unto thee were Thine indeed When Nature brought thee out of thy Mothers wombe I tooke thee being Naked and destitute of all things I cherisht thee with my Riches and which makes thee now so Impatient against me I gave thee the most tender and delicate Education and encompast thee with the Abundance and splendour of all things which are in my power Now I think fit to withdraw my hand be Thankful as one that has had the use of things that are not Thy proper Goods Thou hast no just cause to complain as if thou hadst lost that which was Thine own Why then dost thou sigh and groan Riches Honors and all such like things are in my power they acknowledge that I am their Mistress they come and go with me I boldly affirm that if those things had been Thine which thou complainest that thou hast lost thou hadst not lost them Shall I only be hind'red from the exercise of my power 't is lawful for the Heavens to bring forth clear Dayes and to shut up those Daies in Dark Nights 'T is lawful for the Year now to adorn the Face of the Earth with Flowers and Fruit now to cover it with Frost and Snow 'T is the right of the Sea now to looke mild and calm now to grow rough with waves and storms And shall the unsatiable Desires of men oblige Me to constancy which is so contrary to my Manners This is the Part I am to Act this is the play I play continually I turn round a Wheele and make the lowest and uppermost things to change their places Go up if thou thinkst fit but on that condition that thou do not take it for an Injury if thou be made to go down again when the Play requires it Hast thou never been made acquainted with my Manners hast thou not heard how Craesus King of the Lydians but a little before very formidable to Cyrus being brought to the Fire a most doleful Spectacle was sav'd by Water pour'd down from Heaven from the devouring Flames dost thou not remember that Paulus wept at the Calamity of King Perseus whom he had taken Captive what is the loud complaint of Tragedies but that Fortune disregards and overturns the happiest Kingdomes didst thou not learn when thou wast a Boy that in Jupiters Entry there are Two large Vessels one holding Evil things and the other Good things what if I have not wholly withdrawn my selfe from thee what if this very Inconstancy of mine be a just cause why thou shouldest hope for Better things However do not repine at thy condition and being seated in a Kingdome which is govern'd by Lawes Common to all do not entertain any vain desires of living by a Right Peculiar to thy selfe The SECOND VERSE Fortune complaineth of the unsatiable desire of men IF so much Wealth as th' Ocean casts up Sand Men could at length obtain Or had so many Gemms at their command As Heav'n doth Stars contain All this would not suffice but they would still Complain and Covet more And if it were Our Great Creators Will To adde unto their Store And make their Names with Glorious Titles shine Yet they would seem to Want Through their voracious Lusts they would Repine Their Thirsty Soules would Pant And Gape for more and more What Curbe can now Their Appetite restrain Sith whilst they in so great abundance flow Of Want they still complain He is not Rich who doth himselfe Deplore And thinks that He is Poore The THIRD PROSE Philosophy proveth that fortune had been more favourable than contrary to Boetius IF Fortune should speak to thee after this manner certainly thou wouldst hardly find a word to say for thy selfe Or if there be any thing whereby thou mayst defend the complaint thou makst against her thou oughtest to produce it thou hast liberty to declare thy mind Then said I Truly the things that
doth guide By This do Contraries abide In their Alternate Force Drought yields to Moisture Cold to Heat Fire strives the highest Place to get Earth downwards bends it's Course And by those Causes doth the Spring New Leaves and Flowres most fragrant bring Hot Summer brings Ripe Corn Autumn's the Time for Apples then Black Winter brings the Cold agen And makes large Showres return Both Nourishment this Temper gives And Birth to ev'ry thing that Lives i th' Waters or the Earth And 't is the Same that Takes away What was Brought forth All things Decay That ever had their Birth Whilst the Creator Sits on High And Orders things both in the Skye And in this World below Almighty Lord Eternal King The LAW and JVDGE the Boundless Spring From whence All Beings flow He stops those Motions which He gave And settles things that fleet and wave For if Right Motions He Did not to Circlings turn again Their Being things would not retain But Vanish Instantly All things Partake of this Great Love That they may Rest in Good they Move For nothing could them save From Perishing but Love that drawes Them back again to the First Cause Which Being to them gave The SEVENTH PROSE All fortune is good DOST thou not see now what is the Consequence of all that I have said What quoth I That Every Fortune or Outward Condition as it comes from GOD is Good How is that said I observe what I say quoth she sith Every Condition being either Pleasing or Grievous comes for the Rewarding or Exercising of Good men or else for the Punishing or Reforming of the Wicked whatsoever it is it must needs be Good which 't is manifest is the Instrument either of the Divine Justice or Mercy The Reason thou givest said I is most true And if I consider Providence and Fate which thou didst shew me a little while since this Conclusion is most Firm and Irrefragable But if thou wilt let us put it into the number of those Positions which as thou saydst a little before are contrary to the Common Opinion How so quoth she Because quoth I this speech is often in the Mouthes of men that some have Ill Fortune Wilt thou therefore said she that we yeild a little to the speeches of the Vulgar least we seem to go too far from the Use and Custome of Mankind As thou thinkest fit said I. Dost thou not then judge that to be Good which is Profitable yea surely said I. But that Fortune which either Exerciseth or Correcteth is Profitable True said I. Therefore it is Good Who can deny that But this belongs to them who being either Establisht in Virtue make War with Affliction or being Convinc'd of the Misery that comes on them by their Vices Break forth into the way of Virtue I cannot but Acknowledge this said I. But what a Pleasing Condition which is given as a Reward to Good men do the Vulgar esteem it to be Evill In no wise but as it is they judge it to be Exceeding Good What of the other Condition which sith it is Sharpe and Grievous is for the Restraining of the Wicked by Just Punishment do they suppose it to be Good Nay quoth she they judge it to be most Miserable See then if following even the Opinion of the Vulgar we have not Prov'd somewhat very contrary to the Common Opinion what said I For from those things said she which have been granted it must of necessity be infer'd that to Those who have Attein'd to the Full Possession of Virtue or have made some Progress towards it or are Really Inclin'd therunto Every Condition is Good but to Those who remain in their Wickedness Every Condition is Exceeding Evill This is true said I though ther 's hardly any one that dares Acknowledge it Wherefore said she A Wise man ought not to be Troubled when he is to Fight with Fortune as it becomes not a Stout Souldier to be any way disturb'd when the Trumpet sounds an Alarm For Hardship and Difficulty is to the one an Occasion of enlarging his Renown to the other of improving his Wisedome And hence it is that True Goodness in the Hearts of Men is called VIRTUE because it 's Virtue Power and Efficacy is such that it can never be Overcome by any Adversity For being Plac'd on the Borders of Virtue you are not come hither to indulge to your vain Desires and to lose your strength in the Enjoyment of Sensual Pleasures but here you must prepare your selves for a Fierce Encounter with Both Fortunes that you may not be Cast down by Adversity nor Corrupted by Prosperity Stick to the Mean with all your Force Whatsoever is beneath it or goes beyond it implies a Contempt of True Happiness gives you not any Recompence for all your Labours 'T is put to your Choice what kind of Fortune you would rather have For whatsoever seemeth to be Grievous if it do not Exercise or Reform it Punisheth The SEVENTH VERSE Philosophy exhorteth to labours HArd Labours made Alcides Great He did the Boasting Centaurs Beat He Skin'd the Lion strong and Feirce With his own Clawes His Arrowes pierce The Harpyes He those Apples tooke And scorn'd the Furious Dragons Looke He Chain'd Black Cerbe'rus and 't is said That He Curs'd Diomedes made Food for 's own Horses which he fed With Men whose guiltless Bloud he shed He made Achelous loath to shew His Head His strong Arm Hydra Slew Antaeus on the Sands He cast And made stout Cacus breath his last He Kill'd the Wild Bore and at length High Atlas crav'd his Helpfull Strength To bear up Heav'n He labour'd hard And Heav'n it selfe was His Reward Go Valiant Men where you are Led By Great Examples let no Dread Or Sloth oppress your noble Brest Endure these Pains you 'll come to Rest O're th' Earth extend your Victorys And Heav'n above shall be your Prize FINIS ΗΣΥΧΙΑ THer 's no disturbance in the Heav'ns Above And Heav'nly Soules Do nothing else but Love No Anger no Remorse no Discontent Can seize a Soule that 's Truly Innocent And Aims at nought but that she may Combine With All she finds Like to Herselfe Divine And Seeing things in such Confusion hurl'd Does not Contend with but Despise the World DIVINE SOLITUDE 1. BLest Solitude In Thee I found The only Way to Cure the Wound Of My Perplexed Heart Here I Escap'd the Worlds loud Noise That Drowns Our Blessed SAVIOVRS Voice And makes Him to Depart 2. Whilst thus Retir'd I do Attend To th' Words of MY Eternal FRIEND How My Heart Leaps for Joy Love and Rejoyce sayes He but Know Ther 's no such thing as Joy Below The Pleasures There Destroy 3. If Thou wilt Creatures Love Be Sure Thou Keep Thy Heart In Me Secure Know that I 'm ALL IN ALL. Then Whatsoe're those Creatures prove Thou never shalt Repent Thy Love Thy Hopes shall never Fall 4.
indeed made it an Offence by their Decrees against Me. But Ignorance that is allwayes False to it selfe cannot change the Merit of things neither do I think it Lawful being of Socrates's Judgement to conceale the Truth or give way to a Lye But be it how it will I leave it to the Judgement of Wise Men. The Truth of this Affair that Posterity may not be Ignorant thereof I have endeavour'd by Writing to keep in Remembrance For as touching those Forged Letters whereby I am Accus'd to have hoped the Romane Freedome to what purpose should I speak Their Fraud should have been lay'd open to all men if it had been granted me but to use the Confession of mine Accusers which of all matters of this nature is of the greatest Importance In which Affair Sorrow has not so dulled my Senses as that I should complain that Wicked men Attempt such horrid things against Virtue but I am quite Astonisht to see that they bring their Designs to such Effect For to Will unrighteous things were perhaps but a part of Humane Frailty but that every Villain should be Able to accomplish the Mischief he has conceiv'd against a Person never so Innocent GOD Looking on seemeth Monstrous unto me Whence one of thy Family thought he had just cause to raise these Questions If there be a GOD whence come Evil things but whence come the Good if there be none But be it so that those Ungodly fellowes who thirst for the Bloud of all good men and of the whole Senate should have the Will to Destroy Me whom they saw so earnestly endeavouring to Defend Good men and all the Senate But what did I deserve the same hard measure even from the Senatours also Thou dost Remember I believe that when ever I was about to Say or Do any thing thou wast allwayes present to Direct Me. This I say thou dost well Remember At Verona when the King intending a Common Destruction would fain have transfer'd the Accusation of Treason brought against Albinus upon the whole Order of the Senate with how great a Disregard of mine own particular Safety I Defended their Innocence Thou knowest that what I say is True and that I was never wont to Praise mine own Actions For it doth in a manner lessen the Secret Approbation that Conscience gives unto itselfe when any man by declaring what good he hath done receives Fame for his Reward But thou seest to what my Innocency hath brought Me. Instead of the Rewards of True Virtue I undergoe the Punishment of such Wickedness of which I am Falsely Accus'd And what horrid Villany so evident that it could not but be Confest did ever ingage the Judges in such Unanimous Severity that neither the sense of Humane nature so inclin'd to Error nor of the Condition of Fortune so Uncertain to all Mortals should soften the Hearts of any of them If I had been Accus'd to have design'd the Burning of Temples the Murthering of the Priests to have Plotted the Destruction of all Good men yet Sentence should have been given against me being Present either upon mine own Confession or the Conviction of mine Accusers Now being remov'd frome Rome allmost five hundred Miles and having no Liberty granted me to make my Defence I am Condemn'd to Death and Proscription for Studying the Safety of the Senate O Excellent Men that well Deserve that none should ever be Convicted of the like Crime The Dignity of which Offence even they who Impeach me of it knew full well that they might darken the lustre of it with the mixture of some real wickedness they faign'd that I had defiled my Conscience with the guilt of Sacriledge whilst did Aspire to Places of Honor. But Thou who Dwellest in Me didst drive out of my Mind all Desires of perishing things and Sacriledge could never have leave to be in thy Presence For thou didst dayly Instill into mine Ears and into my Thoughts that saying of Pythagoras 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FOLLOW GOD Neither did it become Me to seek the Assistance of the Vilest Spirits whom thou didst make capable of such an Excellency that I should be Like GOD And besides by the unstained Reputation of mine House the Company of my worthy Friends and also my Father-in-law a Person of the greatest Integrity imaginable and Venerable like thy self I am defended from all suspition of any such Crime But oh Malice and Ignorance they take occasion from Thee to make men believe that I am guilty of so great Wickedness and for this very cause shall I seem to be skill'd in the most prodigious Impiety that I have been Instructed in thy Discipline that I have been endued with thy Manners Thus it is not enough that the Reverence due unto Thee has profited me nothing but thou also dost suffer Reproach through the Hatred they have conceiv'd against Me But this is a great Addition to my Calamities that the Judgement of most men does not respect the Honor and Virtue of our Vndertaking but the Success of our Actions and they conceive that Fore-sight and True Wisedome are only in those things which are commended by a Prosperous Event Thus it comes to pass that a Good Esteem in the first place leaves the Unfortunate 'T is irksome to me to think of the various Reports of the People how many Absurd and disagreeing opinions men declare concerning Me. I shall only say this that 't is the heaviest Load that Fortune layes on the Oppressed that when Calamitous Persons are charg'd with any Crime they are thought to Deserve what they Suffer And I being remov'd from the Conversation of all Good men being depriv'd of my Dignities wronged in my Reputation have suffer'd most grievous Punishment for Well-doing And now methinks I see the Companies of the Wicked flowing in Mirth and Jollity every leud fellow thinking how he may frame the most pernicious False-Accusations Good men cast down by the Terror that falls on them at the sight of My Ruine every flagitious fellow being excited to Attempt the most horrid Injuries by Impunity to Finish them by Rewards Innocent men being not only depriv'd of Security from Accusation but also of all capacity of making their Defence Therefore I cannot but Cry out THE FIFTH VERSE Boetius complaineth that all things are governed by Gods providence beside the actions and affayres of men O Thou through All the World Renown'd Father of Lights who Sitting Still On thy Throne Turn'st the Hea'vns around And makst the Stars Obey thy Will Now Thou Command'st the Moon to Shine Meeting with all her Brothers Beams Makeing the lesser Stars repine That she doth so obstruct their Streams Now she 's depriv'd of that great Light Lookes Pale as through such Loss Forlorn And that same Star that brings the Night Attends bright Phaebus in the Morn In that Cold Time when Trees are bare Thou dost cut short th' unpleasant Day When Daies
are Warm and fields looke Fair Thou makst the Nights to fly away The Course of Times thy Power doth guide So that the leaves which were all torn And thrown away by Boreas's Pride Mild Zephyrus makes to return The Dod-star burns the Corn full grown Which coole Arcturus would have sown Ther 's nothing free from th' Antient Law Thee All things in their Stations serve Thou keepst them in such constant Awe That from thy Rule they never swerve Why dost Thou men alone Neglect As if they were not worth thy Care Why dost Thou not their Works respect So that Just men no Harms may Fear Why should we thus see Justice rent And Broken on wild Fortunes Wheele So that such grievous Punishment As Felons Merit Good men Feele But Wicked Manners sit on High And splendid Thrones they Tread on those Who hold fast their Integrity And all Base wayes will still Oppose Black Fates obscure Bright Virtues Face The Vpright man bears that Disgrace Which his Vile Foes deserve No Perjury or base Deceit Brings them to Ruine when they please To use their strength with Armies Great They Conquer Kingdomes Lands and Seas Whoe're Thou art who Rul'st the Wind Dost All things in their Stations hold Looke down at length and see Mankind In Troubles and Confusion rowl'd Of thy Great Worke a Part are we That may not be Neglected Lo How we are Tost in Fortunes Sea Vpon the Waves of Various Woe O MASTER let this Tempest cease And as Thou makst the Heav'ns Above To follow thy Commands in Peace so bind the Earth with th' Bonds of Love The FIFTH PROSE Philosophy sheweth that Boetius is the cause of his owne misery WHen I had breath'd forth these Complaints in the Anguish of my Soule She with an undisturbed Looke not at all mov'd with those expressions of my Sorrow delivers these words When I saw thee Sad and pouring forth Tears presently I understood that thou wast Miserable and Remov'd from Thine own Country but at what Distance I could not judge till I found it out by thine own Discourse But the truth is thou art not Remov'd from thine own Country but hast Wandred from it But if thou wouldst rather have it said that thou art Violently Removed or Expell'd Thou thy selfe art the Author of Thy Expulsion For truly no other man could ever have had that Power over Thee For if thou dost Remember the Country from whence thou Camest It is not Govern'd as the Athenians sometime were by a Multitude but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There One Commands Alone there is One King who Rejoyceth in the Great Company and not in the Exile of His Citizens To be Restrain'd by Him and Kept in Subjection to His Righteous Will is the Greatest Freedome Art thou Ignorant that it is a Law of Thy Country that none shall be Banisht who Would rather Abide in It For he that loves to Dwell There can have no fear least he should Deserve to be an Exile But he that ceaseth to be Willing to have an Habitation There ceaseth also to be Worthy of it Therefore I am not so much Mov'd at the Lookes of this Place as I am at Thine neither do I find the want of a Library adorn'd with Ivory and with Glass but of the Seat of thy Mind In which sometime I put not Books but that which makes Books to be of any Value to wit the Sense of my Books And indeed the things that thou hast spoken touching the Merit of thine Endeavours to Advance the Common Good are very True yet 't is but little that thou hast said in respect of those many Actions thou hast perform'd upon this Account As concerning the Truth or Falsehood of the Objections that have been made against thee thou hast spoken things known to all men Thou hast done well in that thou hast but lightly toucht the many-fold Frauds and Wickedness of thine Accusers sith the same things are better and more copiously discourst of by the mouths of the common People who well remember all these things Thou hast also Reflected with great Severity on that Fact of the Unjust Senate And thou hast exprest thy Sorrow for the Blame that has been lay'd upon Me and thou hast with Tears lamented the loss of the good Opinion that men had of Thee At length thy Griefe brake forth into Indignation against Fortune and thou didst complain that she does not Deal with men according to their Deserts In the Conclusion thy Raging Muse exprest her Desires that the same Peace which Governs Heaven would Govern the Earth also But because so great a Tumult of disorderly Affections hath seiz'd on thee and Grief and Anger so Vex and Distract thee whilst thy Mind is so distemper'd thou art not fit to receive the stronger sort of Remedies Therefore let us use Lenitives a little while that what has been hardn'd into a Tumour by a Flux of Sharp Humours may be fitted by the softer kind of Applications for the most quick and searching Medicines The SIXTH VERSE Philosophy proveth that order is necessary in all things WHen Cancer with Sols Rayes doth burn Then whoso trusts his Ground with Seed Of which it makes him no return Deceiv'd He may on Akorns feed If Purple Violets thou wilt find Goe not to th' Wood when Snow and Frost Are thither brought by th' North-East Wind And th' Fields have all their Beauty lost Press not the Branches of the Vine In Spring-time with a greedy Hand If thou desire to have good Wine Or pleasant Grapes at thy command Till Autumn Bacchus never brings His Gifts to Peasants or to Kings To sev'ral Times our God Above Their sev'ral Duties hath Assign'd Courses Distinct hee 'l not approve Should ever be together Joyn'd Ev'n so what is done in such hast That Order due we cann't forecast It will not come to good at last The SIXTH PROSE Philosophy discovereth the inward causes of Boetius his griefe WILT thou permit me to try the state of thy Mind by proposing a few Questions that I may understand what course to take for the Cure of thy Distemper I shall Answer quoth I to whatsoever thou shalt be pleas'd to Aske of me Then she spake thus Dost thou think that this World is hurried on in it's course by the Agitations of Chance or meer Casualty Or that it is Govern'd by REASON But quoth I never could I entertain such a thought as this that such Certain and Orderly Motions can proceed from Chance and Uncertainty I know that GOD the Maker of the Universe Sits on High and Overlooks his own Worke neither shall that Day ever come that may enforce me to forsake this Truth Thou sayst well quoth she for what thou didst Sing a little while since suits well with thy present speech and thou didst deplore Mankind as Neglected by GOD whilst All things else are under his Providence Thou didst not seem in the least to doubt of those things but that
thou hast spoken have a fair shew and carry with them the Hony of Sweet Rhetorick and Musick they delight us only so long as we Attend to their Sound But men in Misery have a deeper sense of the Evils that oppress them Therefore when such things cease to Affect the Ear that Anguish which is settled in the Mind becomes more grievous And saith she 'T is so indeed For we do not as yet administer the Remedies of thy Distemper but these things are to asswage the violence of the Pain which will not admit our chiefest Medicines For we shall apply such things which will pierce into the roote of thy Disease as soon as it shall be seasonable But that thou mayst not reckon thy selfe in the number of Wretched men what hast thou forgotten the measure of thy Felicity To say nothing of this that Persons of the Highest Quality tooke care for thee in thy Fatherless condition and that thou being chosen into the Affinity of the Principal men of the City didst first begin to be Dear and then to be Near of Kin unto them which is the most excellent kind of Alliance Who has not Applauded thee as a most Happy man upon account of the Splendor and Nobleness of thy Father-in-law the Chastity of thy Wife and the Towardly Disposition of thy Sons I pass by this for I like not to speak of common things that thou didst receive in thy Youth those Dignities which few Old men can attein unto it delighteth me to come to the singular hight of thy Felicity If there be any true and solid Happiness in the most pleasant Fruit of Humane Affairs can the Memory of that Day be blotted out with never so great an inundation of over-flowing Evils when thou sawest thy sons being made Consuls to be brought from thy House with so great a company of Senators the People discoveing so much joy and gladness when those thy Sons sitting in the Senate-House on their Ivory-Chairs thou didst make an Oration in Prayse of the King and deservedst the Glory of Wit and Eloquence when thou sitting between thy Two Sons being Consuls in the Place call'd Circus didst satisfy the expectation of the Multitude crowding about thee with a Triumphal Largess Thou didst flatter and deceive Fortune I beleive whilst she fawned on thee and cherisht thee as her Darling Thou didst gett from her such a Gift as she never bestowed on any Private man Wilt thou therefore come to a reckoning with Fortune This is the first time that she ever cast a froward Looke on thee If thou considerest the number and the measure of things Sad and things Joyful thou canst not deny but that thou art Happy still If therefore thou judgest that thou art not Fortunate because those things which seemed to be Joyful are past and gone ther 's no cause why thou shouldst think thy selfe Miserable sith those things also which thou apprehendest to be so Sad and grievous are passing away What didst thou come forth but lately upon the Stage of this Life dost thou think ther 's any constancy in Humane Affairs whereas 't is often seen that an Houres time makes an Healthy man return to the Durst For though the Goods of Fortune should remain with us which seldome comes to pass yet the Last Day of our Life would be as it were the Death of such constant Prosperity What matter is it therefore whether thou goest from it or it from thee THE THIRD VERSE Philosophy declareth how all worldly things decay and fade away WHen Phaebus vanquishing the Night Or'e th' Skies his Lustre spreads The Stars Abasht at such great Light Grow Pale and hide their Heads Now Zephyrus with his soft Breath The Roses hath full blown The cloudy South Wind blustereth And straight their Beauty 's gon Sometimes the Sea 's Still like the Shore And Radiant like the Skies Sometimes the stormy Winds do roar And Boystrous Waves arise Sith all this World is like the Dust That 's Driven with the Wind Why wilt thou to Mans Fortunes trust Which none shall Constant find This is a Constant Law can't Alter'd be That nothing here shall have True Constancy The FOURTH PROSE Philosophy proveth that Boetius is still fortunate and that no man hath complete happiness in this life THEN said I thou speakst the truth O Nurce of all Vertues neither can I â—…y the swift course of my Happy Daies But this doth most vehemently torment my soule when I reflect on it For in all Adversity whatsoever 't is the most Unhappy kind of Misfortune To have been Happy But quoth she what thou sufferest by thy False Opinion thou mayst not impute to the Nature of things And if thou art mov'd with the empty name of that Felicity which is in the Power of Fortune thou mayst account with me how much thou dost still retein of it Therefore if that which thou didst ever esteem as most pretious in the whole Treasury of thy Fortune be still by the Divine Providence kept safe and free from all harme can'st thou have any cause to say that Fortune deals hardly with thee whilst thou reteinest the more valuable Enjoyments But that most pretious Ornament of Mankind thy Father-in-law Symmachus is still Alive and in good health and which thou wouldest readily purchase with the price of thine own Life He being a Man wholly made up of Wisedome and Vertue regardless of the wrongs that are done unto himselfe bestowes his complaints on those he sees thee to suffer Thy Wife is still Living a Woman Modestly Ingenious Excelling in all the Perfections of Chastity and that I may briefly comprehend all her Endowments she 's Like her Father She Lives I say and keeps her Breath only for thee being weary of this Life and which I confess is a lessening of thy Felicity she pines away with Tears and sorrow for want of thy Company What should I say of thy Sons that have been Consuls in whom as in Youths of their Age there shines the Resemblance of the Wit of their Father and of their Grand-Father Sith therefore it is our chiefest care to preserve our Lives O Happy man that thou art if thou didst but know how to value thy Condition who to this very day hast so great abundance of those things which no man doubts but that they are more Pretious than Life it selfe wherefore wipe off these Tears from thine Eyes Fortune has not as yet shown her utmost spight against thee neither has an over-violent Tempest falled on thee whilst thine Anchors hold fast which do not permit thee to want Consolation for the present nor Hopes to see Better Times And I pray quoth I they may hold fast for whilst they are Fixed however the matter goes I shall have hopes to overcome the Storme But thou seest how my Honors and Dignities are diminisht And saith she we have Advanc'd somewhat in our design if there be any thing in thy Condition with which thou art not
to Fortune but to Virtue But now 't is easy to apprehend how the Goods of the Body are refer'd to the things above mention'd For Strength and Greatness of Body seem to make us capable of the most Manlike Exercise Beauty and Activity bring large Prayses Health fits a man for the Pleasures of the Body By All these things 't is manifest that True Happiness is that which men Chiefly and Principally Aim at For that which every man desireth before all other things he judgeth to be the Soveraign Good But we have concluded the Soveraign Good to be Bliss or True Happiness Wherefore that State or Condition which every man desireth before all other things he judgeth to be his Bliss Therefore thou hast now lay'd before thine Eyes allmost the whole Form or Model of Humane Felicity Riches Honors Power Glory Pleasure Which things Epicurus considering severally and apart one from another he judged the Soveraign Good to be Pleasure because all those other things seem to bring Pleasure and Delight to the Mind But I return to the Studies and Endeavours of men whose Mind notwithstanding though their Memory be so weake and dull strives to regain the Possession of the Soveraign Good but it is like a Drunken man who Mistakes the Path that leadeth to his House For what do they seem to be in an Error who would fain Arrive to such a State that they may no longer stand in need of any thing But there is nothing that so much perfects True Happiness as the Abundance of All Good things which wants not any thing foraign and Extrinsecal to it's own Nature and is in itselfe All-Sufficient Are they mistaken who judge that the Chiefe Good is that which is most Worthy of Veneration In no wise For that is not vile or contemptible to obtein which is the Aim and Intention of All Mankind Is not Power to be reckon'd in the number of Good things what is that feeble and without strength which is unquestionably to be prefer'd before All things whatsoever Is Glory or Renown nothing-worth But it cannot be but that whatsoever is most Excellent should be also most Glorious To what purpose should I say that True Happiness cannot be Anxious or Sad or Subject to any kind of Sorrowes and Perplexities sith in the least things That is Desir'd the Having and Enjoying whereof is Delightsome For this reason do men Desire Riches Dignities Kingdomes Glory and Pleasures because they believe that by them they shall Attein a State Sufficient Venerable Powerful Illustrious and full of Pleasure and Delight 'T is GOOD therefore which men Aim at in their various Studies and Designs the Force of Nature we may perceive in this that although the Opinions of men are so various and Disagreeing yet they all Consent in Choosing GOOD as the End of their Actions THE SECOND VERSE How nature cannot be wholly changed HOw the strict Reins of all things guided are By powerful Nature as the chiefest cause And how she keeps with a foreseeing care The spacious World in order by her lawes And to sure knots which nothing can unty By her strong hand all Earthly motions draws To shew all this we purpose now to try Our pleasing Verses and our Musick 's sound Although the Lybian Lions often lie Gentle and tame in willing fetters bound And fearing their incensed masters wrath With patient lookes endure each blow and wound Yet if their jawes they once in bloud do bathe They gaining courage with fierce noyse awake The force which Nature in them seated hath And from their necks the broken chains do shake Then he who once thought he had made them tame Falls the first prey unto their raging flame The Bird shut up in an unpleasing cage Which on the lofty Trees did lately sing Though men her want of freedome to asswage Should unto her with careful labour bring The sweetest meats which they can best devise Yet when on tops of houses fluttering The pleasing shadowes of the groves she spies Her hated food she scatters with her feet And discontented to the woods she flies And there delights to tune her accents sweet When some strong hand doth tender plant constrain With his debased top the ground to meete If it let goe the crooked twigg again Vp toward Heav'n ti selfe it streight doth raise Phaebus doth fall into the Western main Yet doth he back return by secret wayes And to the East doth guide his Chariots race Each thing a certain course and Lawes obeyes Striving to turn back to his proper place Nor any settled order can be found But that which doth within itselfe embrace The birthes and ends of all things in around The THIRD PROSE That true happiness consisteth not in riches O Earthly Creatures ye have some kind of Perceivance of THAT from which you deriv'd your Being and of the END for which you were Made though it be very dull and confus'd as it were in a Dream and therefore the Aim or Intention of your Nature leadeth you to the True Good and many Errors carry you out of the way to It. For consider whether those things by which men think they shall Attein to True Happiness will ever bring them to the End they design and propose to themselves For if Mony or Honors and those other things afore mentioned could put us into a Condition to which no Good thing could seem to be Wanting we would grant that a man might be Happy by the obteining of those things If they cannot Performe that which they promise Wanting many Good things is it not manifest that they have but the False Shew of Felicity In the first place therefore I aske Thee who not long since didst abound with Riches In the midst of that Abundance didst thou never feele any Anguish or Disturbance of mind arising from a sense of the Injuries thou didst suffer I cannot remember quoth I that I was ever in so comfortable a Condition but that I had allwayes some Trouble or other And was it not either because somewhat was Wanting which thou wouldest not should be Wanting or that somewhat was Present which thou wouldest not should be Present This is the case quoth I. Therefore thou didst Desire to Have the one and to be Free'd from the other 'T is confest quoth I. But every man Lacketh that which he Desireth He doth so quoth I. But whoso Lacketh any thing has he Attein'd to a State of Sufficiency In no wise quoth I. Therefore whilst thou didst most Abound with Riches didst thou sustein this Insufficiency what else quoth I Riches therefore cannot bring a man to such a State that he shall not stand in Need of any thing and it was this which they seem'd to Promise But I think that this is most worthy of Consideration That Mony hath nothing in it's Nature of such Power and Efficacy that it may not be taken away from those that Possess it I confess it quoth I. How shouldst thou
Good of which he is said to be Full from without or that he has It by Nature in such a manner that thou mayst think that the Substance or Essence of GOD Having and of the Soveraign Good Had is not the Same For if thou dost conceit that It is Receiv'd from without thou mayst judge That which hath given to be more Excellent than He which hath Receiv'd It. But we most worthily Confess Him to be the Most Excellent of All things And if this Soveraign Good be in Him by Nature but may be conceiv'd to be not altogether the Same with Him sith we speak of Him who is Acknowledg'd to have the Governance of All things let any man Imagine who it was that Join'd together these Divers things Lastly that which Differs from any thing Is not That thing from which it Differs Wherefore That which Differs in Substance or Essence from Soveraign Good Is not Soveraign Good And 't is the greatest Impiety to have such a Thought of GOD than Whom there can be nothing more Excellent For it is impossible that the Nature of any thing should be Better than That from which it Receiv'd its Being Wherefore That from which All things Receiv'd their Being I may firmly Conclude to be in its own Nature the Soveraign Good 'T is most certainly so quoth I as thou sayst But it has been Granted that the Soveraign Good is True Happiness Very right quoth I. Therefore quoth she it must needs follow that GOD is True Happiness There can be no Reason quoth I to Deny the Premises and I clearly perceive that this is their true and proper Consequence See quoth she if the same thing may not be more firmly prov'd by this Argument that there cannot be Two Soveraign Goods Differing one from the other For 't is manifest that One of those Goods which are Different from each other cannot be That which the Other is for which cause Neither of them can be Perfect sith One is Wanting to the Other But that which is not Perfect cannot be Highest or Soveraign The things then that are Soveraignly Good cannot be Different from each other But we have prov'd that both True Happiness and GOD are the Soveraign Good wherefore it must needs follow that Soveraign Happiness and Soveraign Divinity is One and the same Thing Nothing said I could ever be concluded more True as to the Matter more Firm as to the way of Proving it or more becomming the Divine Majesty Upon these things then quoth she as Geometricians having Demonstrated their Propositions are wont to inferr certain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Corollaries as they call them so shall I give thee a Corollarie For sith Men become Happy by the acquiring of True Happiness and True Happiness is Divinity it selfe 't is manifest that they become Happy by the acquiring of Divinity But as Men become Just by the acquiring of Justice Wise by the acquiring Wisedome so it must needs be that having gotten or acquir'd Divinity they become Gods Every one then that is Truly Happy is a God but indeed by Nature there is but One God yet nothing hinders but that there may be very Many by the Participation of Divinity And this quoth I is a Fair and Pretious Corollarie indeed But there is nothing more Fair than That which Reason perswades should be Annext to the things that have been spoken What is that quoth I Sith True Happiness said she conteins Many things whether All these things make up One Body with a certain variety of Parts or whether there be any one of them which compleats the Substance or Nature of True Happiness the rest being refer'd Therunto I would thou stouldst explain what thou sayst by rehearsing those several things Do we not judge True Happiness quoth she to be Good yea said I the Soverain Good Add this said she to All the rest of the things aforemention'd For the same Bliss or True Happiness is judg'd to be Soveraign Sufficiency Soveraign Power and also Veneration Renown and Pleasure or Delight Soveraign What then Are All these things as so many Limbs or Parts of True Happiness or are they refer'd to Good as That wherein the Nature of them All is contein'd I understand now quoth I what thou dost propose as the subject of our Inquiry but I would fain know how thou dost Determine the Question Thus. If All these things were as so many Parts of True Happiness they would Differ one from the other For this is the Nature of Parts that being Divers they make up One and the Same Body But it hath been already prov'd that they are All but One thing Ther 's no doubt of that quoth I But I expect what thou wilt say next This is manifest quoth she that All those other things are refer'd to Good For therefore is Sufficiency Desir'd because it is judg'd to be Good for the same Cause is Power Desir'd and so Veneration Renown Delight 'T is Good then which is the Cause For which any thing is Desir'd sith that which retains not any thing in it selfe either Really or Apparently Good can in no wise be Desir'd And on the contrary those things which are not Good in their own Nature yet if they Seem to be so are Desir'd as if they were Truly Good Whence it comes to pass that Goodness is rightly judg'd to be the Cause why any thing should be Desir'd But that For which any thing is Desir'd is the Chief Object of the Desire As if a man have a Will to Ride For his Health 't is not so much the Riding as Health that he Desires Sith therefore that All things are Desir'd For the obteining of Good Good is the Chief or Principal Object of all Desires whatsoever But it has been granted that True Happiness is That For which any thing is Wisht or Desir'd wherefore it is evident that True Happiness is the Only thing Requir'd or Sought after And thus it cannot be Deny'd that the Substance or Nature of Good and of True Happiness is One and the Same I see not how it is possible for any man to Dissent from this But we have prov'd that GOD and True Happiness is One and the Same thing Right quoth I. Therefore we may Safely Conclude that the Nature of GOD consists in GOODNESS and in Nothing else THE TENTH VERSE Philosophy exhorteth men to embrace true happiness COme hither All yee wearied Soules Whose high Aspires base Lust controules And holds you fast in her dire Chains Here is a Cure for All your Pains Here doth the Safest Harbour lye A Refuge from All Misery Not Tagus which abounds with Gold Nor All that Hermus's Banks do hold Of that Bright Metall nor Rich Inde Where men such Pretious Stones may find Can Clear our Sight yea they add more Darkness to Soules made Blind before That wherewith Men are Ravished Earth in her lowest Caverns bred The Brightness that 's Above the Skye From Darksome
contrary to this For they endeavour to move the Pity or Commiseration of the Judges towards those who have Suffer'd some Great Injury wheras indeed they should be rather Pityed who have contracted the Guilt of being so Injurious whom their Accusers should not be mov'd to bring before the Judge by Wrath and Indignation but by a Generous Pity and Desire of their Welfare as Sick folk are brought to the Physitian that by the Infliction of External Punishment they may be Cur'd of their Inward Distempers And thus the Employment of those that Plead for Offenders would either totally cease or if it should be continued for the Good of Mankind it would be turn'd into the Form of an Accusation The Wicked themselves if they could have but a Glimpse of Virtue which they have Forsaken and could perceive that they should be in some capacity of cleansing themselves from the Filth of their Vices by receiving their due Punishment their Pains being recompenc'd with the obteining of True Goodness and Piety they would not esteem them to be the Object of their Horror and Aversation and they would refuse the Assistance of those men that make Apologies for such who Deserve Punishment and yeild themseles to be Dispos'd of according to the Pleasure of their Accusers and of the Judges Whence it comes to pass that among Wise men there is no Place left for Hatred For who but an egregious Foole will Hate Good men And it is also against all Reason to Hate Wicked men For if a Vitious and Depraved Temper be the Sickness of the Soule sith we judge those that are Sick in Body in no wise to deserve our Hatred but rather our Pity much rather are they not to be Hated but Pityed whose Minds are opprest with Vice and Impurity a more Cruel Distemper than any that can afflict the Body The FOURTH VERSE No man is to be hated the good are to be loved and the evil to be pityed WHy do you Mortals labour so To Get your Deaths with your own Hands Although you would you cannot go From Fate It 's Course no Power withstands Those whom the Wild Beasts would Annoy And Tear both with their Teeth and Clawes Each other would with Swords Destroy Is 't that they Differ in their Lawes And Manners that they so Pursue Each other This we can't Approve If thou wilt yeild to All their Due The Wicked Pity Good men Love The FIFTH PROSE Boetius complaineth that prosperity and adversity are common both to good and badd THEN said I. I see what Felicity is implyed in the Nature of Good and what Misery in the Nature of Evil Actions But in this Outward Estate about which the Generality of men are so much concern'd it seemeth to me that there is somewhat of Good and somewhat of Evill For no Wise man would choose rather to be Banisht Poore Disgrac'd than to remain Safe in his own Country Rich Honor'd Powerful For by such means Wisedome Acts her Part with greater Renown and with more Advantage to the World the Happiness of those that are in Authority being in a manner transfus'd into the People that are under them especially sith Prisons Lawes and all Legall Penalties are Ordain'd for those that are Injurious Therefore I am Astonisht to see things thus turned upside down Good men lying under such Punishments as are due to the Wicked the Rewards of Virtue being snatcht away by those that have immerst themselves in the deepest Vices But I should less wonder if I did believe All things to be huddled in Confusion by Chance or Casualty Now it encreaseth my Astonishment that GOD is the Governor of All things sith He often distributes Ease and Contentment to Good men and Trouble and Vexation to Wicked men and on the contrary much Hardship and Affliction to Good men and the greatest Prosperity to the Wicked unless there may be a Reason given for these things how doth his Government differ any whit from Chance or meer Casualtie 'T is no wonder said she if any thing seem to be Disorder'd and Confus'd the Order therof being not discover'd But although thou dost not understand the Cause of this Management of the Vniverse yet sith it is Govern'd By Almighty GOODNESS thou mayst not doubt but that All things are Done for the Best The FIFTH VERSE Admiration ceaseth when the causes of things are known WHo knowes not how Stars neer the Poles do slide And how Bootes his slow waine does guide Why he sets late and does so early rise May wonder at the courses of the skies If the full Moon bereaved is of light Infested with a darkness like to night An errour straight through Vulgar minds doth pass To ease her labou'ring light they beat on Braess But no one wonders why the Winds do blow Nor why hot Phaebus beams dissolve the snow These are well known the other hidden lye And therefore more our hearts they terrifie Those strange Events which Time but seldome brings And the vaine people count as suddain things If we our mind from ignorance could free No longer would by us admired be The SIXTH PROSE Of providence and Fate and why prosperitie and adversitie are common both to good and bad 'T IS right said I. But sith it is thy Taske to unfold the hidden Causes of things and to Clear the Obscurest Truthes I pray thee Determine this matter and because this Strange thing is that by which I am most disturb'd and perplext Discourse therof at large Then Smiling a little she spake thus This Inquiry is the most difficult of all which will hardly be satisfyed with any thing that can be said in Answear therunto For the Matter is such that one doubt being Cutt of many others Grow up like the Heads of the Snake Hydra neither will there be any end of these Doubts and Scruples unless they are Burnt up with the most Lively Fire of an Ardent Mind For here Questions are wont to be made of the Simplicity of Providence of the Series of Fate of sudden and unexpected Accidents of the Divine Knowledge and Predestination of the Liberty of the Will And of how great Weight such Questions are Thou thy selfe art not unsensible But because the Knowing of these things is a part of the Medicine which thy Distemper requires although I am much streightned with the shortness of Time yet I shall endeavour to say somewhat in Answear to the Deep Question thou hast propos'd But though thou art much taken with the sweet Harmony of our Verses thou must defer this Pleasure a little while 'till I shall have made a due and orderly Contexture of such Reasons as tend to the Solution of thy Doubts Do as thou thinkst fit said I. Then as if she past to another Subject thus she Discourst The Generation of All things and All the Progress of Changeable Natures and whatsoever has any kind of Motion receiveth it's Causes Order Formes from the Stability of the Divine Mind Which
that Knoweth All things And My Lucan saith that The Cause of the Conquerour was Pleasing to the GODS but of the Conquer'd to Cato Whatsoever then thou mayst see at any time to be Done here upon Earth there is certainly a Right Order in the Things themselves but thine Opinion concerning them is Perverse and Confus'd But suppose there be any one so syncerely Virtuous that he is both Acceptable to GOD and Approv'd of Men yet it may be he wants a Courageous and undanted Spirit to whom if any Adversity should happen perhaps he will no longer take care to preserve his Innocency by which he could not retein his Fortune Therefore the Wisedome of the Divine Dispensation deals Gently with him whom Adversity might incline to Wickedness that he may not be Affiicted who is not Qualifyed to Endure Affiiction Another hath Attein'd to the Perfection of All Virtue an Holy Person Fully Partaking of the Divine Nature the All-wise GOD Judges that it would be contrary to the Rules of Justice that this man should be toucht with any Adversity so that He does not suffer such a man to be Affiicted even with any Bodily Distempers For as one more Excellent than I Sayes ' 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But many times it comes to pass that the chiefe Management of things is by Providence put into the Hands of Good men that Abounding Wickedness may be represt To others the Supream Wisedome and Goodness distributeth a Medley of Pleasing and Bitter things According to the Temper and Disposition of their Soules some He Curbs and Restrains least they grow Wanton by long Prosperity others He makes to suffer Hardship that by the Use and Exercise of Patience they may be confirm'd in All Virtue and strength of Mind Others are too Fearful of that which they are Able to Endure others are too apt to make light of that which they are not Able to Endure These men that they may Know themselves He brings into Adversity Some have purchac'd a Venerable Name in this World at the Price of a Glorious Death Some being Undanted in the greatest Torments have given to others an Example of this Truth that Virtue is Invincible in any Calamity whatsoever which how rightly and Orderly it comes and how it tends to the Good of those whom we see to labour under it may not be doubted This also that sometimes Sad things befall the Wicked sometimes they have the things that they Wish for doth proceed from the same Causes No man wonders at this that Sad things should befall them whom every one Judges to deserve so Ill. Whose Punishments are a Terror to others that they may not be guilty of the like Offences and they conduce to the Amendment of those upon whom they are Inflicted But the Prosperity of the Wicked is a clear Demonstration to those that Delight in Virtue what they are to Judge of that kind of Happiness which they see to Attend upon the Worst of men And here I conceive this also to be the Tendency of the Divine Dispensation that some men are Naturally so Head-strong and Violent in their wayes that the want of Mony would excite them to commit the greatest Wickedness Providence by distributing Riches to such kind of Persons applies a Remedy to their Distemper This man observing his Conscience Defil'd with all manner of Impurities and comparing Himselfe with His Fortune is perhaps struck with a Fear least the Loss of that should be extream Grievous the Enjoyment whereof is so Delightsome unto him therefore he will betake himselfe to a New Course of Life and whilst he Fears that his Fortune shall be Taken from him he makes speed to Depart from his Iniquity Others are suddenly brought to their Deserved Ruine by the Prosperity they have Abus'd Some are permitted to have the Power of Inflicting Punishment for the Exercise of Good men and the Vexation of the Wicked For as there is no League between the Lovers of Virtue and the Slaves of Vice so these Slaves of Vice can never Agree amongst themselves How should it be otherwise their Consciences being torn in peeces by the Fury of their vile Affections they Dissent from Their own Minds and often Do those things which when they have Done they Determine that they ought not in any Case to have Done such things Whence it is that the Divine Providence hath often produc'd this great Miracle that even Wicked men make other Wicked men to become Virtuous For whilst some Unrighteous Persons seem to themselves to suffer most Unjustly by those that are as Bad as themselves or Worse Burning with Indignation against those who have dealt so Injuriouslly with them they return to the wayes of Virtue whilst they endeavour to render themselves Unlike to those against whom they have conceiv'd such Hatred For 't is only the Power of the ALMIGHTY to which Evils become Good whilst by the use He makes of them He draweth forth some Good Effect For a certain Order Embraceth All things so that whatsoever hath swerv'd from that Course which by Providence was Primarily or Antecedently Assign'd unto it it falls still within the Compass of Order least any Chance or Temerity should have any thing to do in the Kingdome of Providence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Wit of Man can never comprehend nor his Eloquence Express all the Contrivances of the Divine Worke. Let it suffice that so much hath been made Known unto thee that GOD the Author of All Natures so Ordereth and Disposeth All things as to Direct them to the True Good whilst He makes those things which He hath Produc'd to retein some Resemblance of Himselfe by the Series of Fatal Necessity He Banisheth All Evill out of His Dominions Whence it comes to pass that though Evill seems to Abound here upon Earth if thou dost consider how All Events are Order'd and Dispos'd by Providence thou wilt not find any thing that deserves the name of Evill But I see thou art over-burthen'd with the Weight of the Question and wearied with the Prolixity of the Reasons I have produc'd for the Solution of it and that thou dost expect to be Refresht with the Sweetness of Verse Take a Draught then to strengthen thine Attention to that Part of my Discourse which is yet behind THE SIXTH VERSE Philosophy praiseth Gods providence IF with Pure Thought thou wilt Descry Jehovah's Power and Equity Looke up to Heav'n Above There Natures League is kept no Wars Were ever heard of there the Stars Ne're broke the Bonds of Love Sols Fiery Chariot keeps it's Course Nor doth it with ungovern'd Force Phaebes Coole Wain o'rethrow The Bear on High doth ne're Desire In the Deep Sea to plunge his Fire Though other Stars do so Vesper ne're failes to come at Night And Lucifer still brings Day-Light In which All things Rejoyce Thus Love keeps them in their Right Way Thus they all Discord drive away And all Tumultuous Noise This Peace the Elements
Thou shalt still have Thy Hearts Desire And Sit down by th' AETHEREAL FIRE When e're Thy Heart growes Cold. But when I see a Friends Deep Griefe I 'm Griev'd methinks Beyond Relief This Griefe no words unfold 5. If Thy Griev'd Friend will Love sayes He In Darke Affliction He shall See The Neerest Way to Bliss But If He Mind the Worlds fond Toyes And take the Sport of Apes for Joyes He 's not Thine Thou 'rt not His. 6. And thus we Talk My LORD and I So do I Live Above the Skye Though Here I Move and Breath And when this Vapor's gone I shall Enjoy to th' Full My ALL IN ALL Not Dye but Conquer Death HALLELUIA (a) Because she maketh her possessors reverend (b) Piercing and speculating the hidden nature of things (c) Nalural and Moral Philosophy are not above mans common capacity Astronomy toucheth the heavens Metaphysicks or the knowledg of God and Angels c. Cannot be exactly comprehended (d) Her aisputations or discourses (e) Subtle Propositions (f) Everlasting truth (g) Because none without Philosophy can weave these discourses (h) Learning neglected in the time of Boetius and written obscurely by ancient Philosophers (i) All sciences are to be obteined with Method (k) Some sentences ill applyed to the defence of false opinions (l) She chiefly delighted in study and contemplation (m) Next she was occupied in governing the Common wealth (n) Logick from Elea the City where Zeno was born cald therefore Eleates and Aristotle studied whose books of Logick Boëtius translated (o) Such as Plato taught whose school was cald Academia (a) The intellectual and moral vertues (b) Forgetfulness (c) Some sentences which he could not altogether forget (a) Philosophy the gift of God (b) He was put to death at Athens for acknowledging one God and the immortality of the Soule (c) False opinions alledge some sentences of Philosophy in a wrong sense (d) He was wract by the Tyrant Nearchus into whose face he spit out his tongue (e) A Poet put to death by Caius the Emperour (f) Neroes Schoole-master who caused him to bleed to death (g) A famous Poet acknowledging God was crucified by some wicked men (h) Because they follow not reason (i) Right reason (k) The powers of the Soule (l) Of Vertue and contemplation (m) Temporal things (a) Proverbially spoken of those who are dull of apprehension and no more mov'd with a discourse than an Ass with Musick (b) The first cause of Boetius his griefe was his banishment and misery (c) The second cause because he had not deserved them having a good intention in admitting promotion (d) Thirdly he deserved the contrary (e) One of king Theodoricus his chiefest favorites (f) The Gothes (g) The fourth cause of his griefe the baseness of his accusers and the open injustice of his accusation (h) Fiftly His chiefe offence was vertue (i) Sixtly He was falsely accused and not permitted to use the testimony of his very accusers (k) 7. He grieveth that wicked men are able to prevaile against the good (l) 8. The Senators themselves of whom hee had deserved so well were his enemies (m) Ninthly all conspired against him no man had Compassion of him (n) 10. He was condemned being abseat (o) 11. He was falsly accused of Sacriledge (p) 12. Philosophy and Learning dishonoured for his sake (q) 13. The loss of estimation with the greatest part (r) 14. The wicked encouraged and the good dismayed by his fall (a) The same Star is the Morning and Evening Star too at several times of the year (b) The name of a Star a The Possession of thy selfe and Right reason (a) Profound wisdome and knowledge (a) An arme of the Sea betwixt Phocides in Baeotia and the I le Eubaea which â—bs and flowes so swiftly 7 times in a day that it carieth ships against the wind yea the very wind it selfe Plin. lib. 2. (a) King of Persia (b) Paulus Aemilius Consul of Rome (c) Or Perses King of Macedonia (d) This is taken out of Homer Iliad Vlt. (a) A burning hill in Sicily (b) Nearchus or Diomedon (c) Zeno Eleata Sâ—e Euseb lib. 10 de praepar Evang. Suidas (c) King of Egypt (d) Marcus Attilius Regulus a Consul of Rome (a) Nero caused Rome to burne for a weeke that he might conceive the overthrow of Troy (b) Britannicus to reign alone (c) Agrippina (a) In somnio Scipiâ—…nis (b) A mountaine betwixt Scythia and India (c) People of Asia maior (a) A Consal of Rome who made warre with Pirrhus King of the Epirotes by whom hee could not be corrupted by bribes and io whom he sent one that offered to kill him (b) A noble Romane whom nothing could corrupt (c) The first consul of Rome who revenged Lucretias rape (a) The Evening star (b) The Moon (a) A river whose sands are sayd to be gold (a) A famous Poet of Verona (b) A wicked Romane his fir name was Struma which the Poet wittyly playd upon Plin. lib. 37. nat Hist Vide * Aristotelis Eth. c. L. 8. C. 6. (1) The beast Lynx hath the quickest sight of any beast Plin. lib. 32. Hist nat cap. â— (b) A noble Captaine of Athens (a) A river in Lydia (a) Ovid Lib. 2. Metamor Macrob. Lib. I. Saturnal (a) A Thracian Poet. (b) A three-headed Dog Porter of Hell (c) With which he is tormented in hell for attempting to commit adultery with June (d) Who killed his own son to entertaine the Gods and therefore is tormented with hunger and thirst (e) Who would have committed adultery with Latona (f) Orpheus's Wife * Saturn * His meaning is not this that men are Fatally and Irresistibly Inclin'd to their Actions but that those Fortunes or Outward Events that befall them as we use to speake are Inevitably Assign'd to them by the Divine Providence In the wayes of Justice and Mercy Answerable to the Moral Goodness or Pravity of their several Actions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hierocles de Providentia Fato * Jura (a) Hercules (b) Halfe men and halfe horses * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theocrit Idyll 25. (c) Huge birds in the fen called Stymphalas in Arcadia (d) The Dog Cerberus who had 3. heads (e) Diomedes King of Thracia who fedd his horses with mans flesh (f) Who had turned himselfe into the forme of a Bull. (g) A Serpent with 50. heads which as fast as one was cut off had two grew up in the place (h) The sone of Neâ—tune who by touching the earth recovered strength and therefore Hercules held him up and so slew him (i) Vulcans son who did cast out of his mouth fire and smoke