me though most unworthy the master of her desires that vvas and still am a servant to her will He vvhose smallest sails of hope the least winds did blow After he had stretcht and tentred his wit and set all possibilities on the rack of his invention And longer may not I enjoy what I now possess then you shal find my promises full laden with rich performances And as I only breath by your favour and live through your love so will I ever owe you sealty for the one and still do you homage for the other He read her discontentment in the deep Characters of her face The angry Ocean swelled not as he seemed to storm The Imperious Mistres of my enthralled heart To imprison in silence How great soever my businesse be it shall wilingly yeeld to so noble a cause At that time when he thought the ship of his good fortune sailed vvith a prosperous wind towards the desired Port a contrary chance raised up in this calm Sea such a tempestuous storm that he feared a thousand times to see it sunk She vvho till then seemed to be a miracle of beauty did now appear to be a monster of uglinesse If you will raise me to that height of happinesse They gave him the Parabien of his safe arrivall Vouchsafe me your pardon for presuming and your patience in accepting at my hands this This partly if the great arrerage of duty and thankfulness which I ow you do not challenge priority hath moved me to present I dare not give sail into the Ocean of your vast soul vvhich is capable of all things from the highest to the lowest in perfection Like a man whose heart disdained all desires but one Which authority too great a sail for so small a Boat did He made his eyes quick Messengers to his mind Betwixt her breasts vvhich sweetly rose up like two fair mountainers in the pleasant vale of Tempe â—ere hung At vvhich the Clouds of my thoughts quite vanished Blushing like a fair morning in May. Do you not see that this is a sallet of wormwood vvhile mine eyes feed upon the Ambrosia of your beauty Here I make a full point of a hearty sigh This promise bound him Prentice He thought so much of that all other matters were but digressions unto him Not spoken by Ceremony but by truth I am too unfit a vessel in whom so high thoughts should be engraven Thus was the riches of the time spent Despair is the bellows of my affection As if his motions vvere chain'd to her look Whose name vvas sweetned by your breath Most blessed paper vvhich shall kisse that hand vvhereto all blessednesse is in nature a servant do not Beautifying her face vvith a sweet smile Humbly besought her to keep her speech for a vvhile vvithin the paradice of her mind If in my desire I wish or in my hopes aspire or in my imagination feign to my self any thing With all the conjuring vvords vvhiâ—h desire could endite and authority utter A new swarm of thoughts stinging her mind Vouchsafe onely height of my hope to I desire that my desire may be weighed in the ballances of Honor and let Vertue hold them More or lesse according as the Ague of her passion vvas either in the fit or intermission His sports vvere such as carried riches of knowledge upon the stream of delight Then she began to display the storehouse of her desires Perceiving the flood of her fury began to ebb he thought it policy to take the first of the tide Making vehement countenances the Ushers of his speech began Hide my fault in your mercy I 'le centinell your safety Your words to me are Acts your promises are Deeds You wrap me up with wonder Can your belief lay hold on such a miracle Her mind being an apt matter to receive what form his amplifying speeches would lay upon it danced so pretty a measure to his false musick that Clouded with passion Never did pen more quakingly perform his Office never was paper more doubly moistned with ink and tears never words mâ—re slowly married together Fearing how to end before he had reâ—olâ—ed how to begin Having the cold ashes of care cast upon the coals of his desire House The seat Nature bestowed but Art gave the building It was hard to say whether pitie of the one or râ—venge against the other held as then the soveraignty in his passions 'T was a Magnes stone to his courage His arm no oftner gave blows then the blows gave wounds then the wounds gave death Her hand one of the chiefest of Cupids firebrands By the foolish Idolatry of affection When the morning had won the field of darkness I 'le sooner trust a Sinon 'T is now about the noon of night Too mean a Shrine for such a Relique Carried by the tide of his imaginations But when her breath broke the prison of her fair lips and brought memory with his servant senses to his naturall office then I pray God make my memory able to contain the treasure of this wise speech Her arms and her tongue Rivals in kindness embracing Whilst the Roses of his lips made a Flower of affection with the Lilies of her hands Your will directress of my destiny is to me a Law yea an Oracle She incorporated her hand with his Then as after a great tempest the sky of her countenance cleared As in a clear mirror of sincere good will he saw a livâ—ly picture of his own gladness In my mind as yet a Prentice in the painfull mystery of passions brought me into a nâ—w traverse of my thoughts I have not language enough to fadom the dâ—pth of your vertues I 'le reare a Pyramis to your memory My want of power to satisfie so great a debt makes me accuse my fortunes Such endearments wil too much impoverish my gratitude How can I commit a sacriledge against the sweet Saint that lives in my inmost Temple I am too weake a band to tye so heavenly a knot The greatnesse of the benefit goes beyond all measure of thanks While she spake the quintescence of each word distilled down into his affected soul Departing he bequeathed by a will of words sealed with many kisses a full gift of all his love and life to Having with a pretty palenesse which left milky lines upon her Rosie cheeks paid a little duty to humane fear You whom I have cause to hate before I have means to know I will not die in debt to mine own duty She in whom nature hath accomplish'd so much that Imagine vouchsafe to imagine His fault found an easie pardon at the Tribunall he appealed to O my Dear said she and then kist him as loath to leave so perfect a sentence without a Comma Dearly purchasing the little ease of my body with the afflictions of my mind I am not Oedipus enough to understand you All things lye levell to your wishes They began to imp the wings of time with the Feathers of
broiles they may beat the out side but cannot enter batter the walls of flesh and bloud but the Citadell of reason is safe and if reason sway wee fly up to mansions indisturbd We are all Citizens of the lower World I grant must wish 't is good may deplore it's evills Yet our own private welfare ought to be to us most precious This were a Paradox with Polititians if not well glossed and so I allow it each part was made for the whole But our Placite still stands and stands in this each mortall is nearest to himself My own preservation lessens not my contribution to the Publicke must I bee or I cannot be able I must be able or I cannot aid it Of Aides there is more then one sort All were not fram'd for the same function or influence The Martiall blade and bullet has it's office so policy military these we leave to the sons of Mars Yet we have our duty too and this is piety Piety first calmes it's own lares then becomes instrumentall to others reconcilement When heaven sees mee at peace within I am approved fit to pacify To complain of exterior commotions and my self to be torn by the disorder of my own Passions is an improper address a mediation ineffectuall It was well dream't by Scipio when he said as the intelligences guided by a regular Order the upper Spheres so ought our intellectuall powers govern our own little World Where the superiour portion of the soul obeys the divine Lawes and the part irrationall acquiesces to the mind in the mind and all man resounds a harmony far surpassing Pithagorean accents Ah! my friend were mentall and private tumults appeas'd the civill would cease and whilst these with you and I are setled the civill cannot annoy us A compos'd soul miseries may try cannot disorder Whilst others then fight for earth and purple it with native bloud let us aspire higher enterprises pray for their peace secure our own Let us fix our thoughts where ambition reaches not where War embroiles not where tranquillity eternally triumphes Thus shall we offer our selves a piacular sacrifice before the high Altar of God in our own condition acceptable in alien behoof not despised The incessant vowes of Sir Your most devoted servant W.D. XXVI ANSWER SIR YOu have given us who are indeed Terrestriall Cosmopolites most excellent prescriptions for the composure and regiment of the inward man in these times of fluctuation whereby those that are at War within themselves may know how to seek and where to find a lasting peace a peace with truth and endles repose and those that are at peace may learne how to settle the soules Militia in an unconquerable posture of defence against the Common enemy In a word there 's a volume of rich Apothegmes abridg'd into the compendium of your letter heavens make my breast a fit repository for such treasure But in conclusion you evidence the vertue of self-abnegation to be one part of the Cargazon of your ship For you still work with the old Perspectives by serving your self of a diminishing Glasse when you mention your own perfections and of one that multiplies when you make the mole hills of your friends qualities if any were to seem mountains Alas what is my plain song if compared with your heavenly descant Majores majora canunt It must content mee to contemplate you in a higher Orbe whilst I ly mudling here below even Sir The humblest of your servants T. B. XXVII To a Lady upon her leaving the City Madam EVer since you left London all joyes and good fortune have left us the heavens have not ceased to shed continual teares for your absence and Mars has frownd upon all our undertakings nor can we hope to receive good news or enjoy fair weather till the rayes and vertue of your presence returne hither to uncloud the watry element and uncharm the fortune of War Whilst in this sadnes I was studying what might render my lines worthy your acceptance the enclosed arrives with the much wish'd for news of And if this prove in any measure an Antidote to prevent the contagion of sadder thoughts which these times are apt to administer I shall enjoy the height of my ambition which holds no title in competition with that of Madam Your humble servant T. B. XXVIII To excuse the not taking leave and to acknowledge received favours SIR BEfore I left London I did endeavour to have given my personall attendance upon your noble self with an address of thankfulnes for your generous favours and free entertainments But this devoir by your absenting occasions being frustrate I am forced upon pen-supply Wherein yet the most I can express to the purpose is ingeniously to avow I owe more to your bounties than I can expresse more expressions to your high Worths then I can make legible Which defect of Language I humbly yet conceive you of all Sir have most reason to indulge since your great merits of mee and your own self-nobleness has most put it to silence Be then above my feeble Oratory as your endearments transcend my deserts 't is praise enough as you aim not at empty Epithets so your reall perfections are abundant and natively clear to be their own encomiums I with admiring gratitude will remember what I cannot utter Yet Sir take this unfeigned image of my thoughts that from the first houre I received the honour of your acquaintance I have singularly honour'd your self and since you have bin pleased to rank mee in the albe of your servants and priviledge mee not onely with your friendly familiarities but also signall favours I confesse my self bound for requitall of all as to yeeld to none in my respect so to be ever as I professe I am obliged Sir Your servant and votary D.W. XXIX A Ladies Answer to her servants first letter SIR THat upon so small acquaintance you should make mee such friendly and passionate expressions I cannot but take as a civility being apt to make the best construction of every ones actions yet Sir that so many moneths should passe in silence since I saw you is enough to make me believe your letter meerly complementall For these times afford many of your sex whose pens or tongues can speak one language and their hearts another When I shall find cause to believe your professions real I shall set a greater value upon your respect Mean time civility invites mee to subscribe my self Sir Your humble servant V.T. XXX A Complementall Addresse from one Lady to another Madam I Have not so much vanity to think to make a return worthy the honour I have recieved nor do I bear so little justice to my own gratitude as not to witnes my resentment though great yet in huge disproportion to your merit whose vertues and goodnes I hold in equall value with those of demi-Gods I receive the new assurances of your Ladyships favour as a blessing sent mee from heaven which bids me
cherish it and live since I can relish no felicity without it Indeed Madam I know not what Sacrifice to offer you for such a bounty All hearts are made tributary to your Commands yet none with so much obligation as that of August Madam Your servant E.D. XXXI The Answer Madam YOu may say of mee as a Cavalier once said of the late Synod that they had sate long and at length hatch'd a Monster meaning the Directory So have I bin long in answering yours at length my dull Genius produces this ill-shapd letter Madam if the faculty of my pen were correspondent to the devotion of my heart I could say much when as now I must be silent Yet not silent neither For every cast of my eye upon your lines begets a wonder wonder makes mee break silence I have alwayes had your sweet person and vertues in a reverentiall esteem and now the charmes of your pen have hurld mee into new admirations yet not so as to forget the old nor at any time to be lesset heâ— October Madam The most humble of your Devotes A.T. XXXII A letter from the Author of a book to the approver Sir N. B. SIR THis hand which hath stood so long before your Barr comes now to accuse it self of a fault by which the Judge must needs have suffered much from the offender since the soulnesse of the Copy is like to have tryed your patience more then the worth of the cause can hope to have recompencd your paines Wherefore these lines come before you to offer satisfaction at least to your civility if they fail of giving it to your judgment and the course of my life qualifies me better for civill discharges then for litterate satisfactions You shall then Sir receive by this a return of much sense of your fair and obliging carriage towards mee in the examination of my papers wherein I must desire you to consider the whole designe which aimes solely at morall regulations and does rather decline then accept any inducements to controversiall doctrines if there bee any point so incident to the subjects as my opinion must needs appeare in some dark light this may well bee connived at by so ingenious a Judge as your self who cannot expect I should dissemble my Principles though in discretion I was forbid to declaime upon them So that I conceive your abilities will make a due difference between what may critically be sifted out and what does litterally professe it self and of this last sort I presume you will find nothing in the whole work that has an open face of contention or offence Wherefore upon your animad versions I have changed the looks of such places as had any apparant features of enmity and have offered you such satisfaction upon the other points I have not altered as I hope your candor and dispassionate temper may admit Upon the opinion whereof I shall conclude that if you have found in these my meditations more matter promising good influencies upon the affections of our Country then projecting any dangerous infusions you will allow them your contribution to that effect I have singly proposed in them In order whereunto my prayers shall intend the suppliment of my pens deficiency which the lesse worthy it is of this exposure to the World the more must it owe your patience and civility for your favour to Your most affectionate servant W.M. XXXIII Vpon the New-year SIR MY present Theme is to give you the cerimonies in real wishes of a happy New-year Nor shall I doubt the effect since I cannot your Piety or Prudence No revolution of time can be inauspicious where these fair pair of twin-virtues are fixt and in action Time tells our hours produces change but our happines or infortunes onely from our selves 'T is vain then to accuse deaf fate when we are our own destiny or at least it in our arbitrement Prudence the eye of our life foresees disposes our affaires Piety our selves That discharges our devoirs This guides all events prosperous or adverse to our eternal if it cannot temporall felicity Hence we have a method either to prevent misery or of turning it into better luck by being unhappy Cross chances I grant are but sower friends rather to be entertained then invited yet 't is too visible none are more wretched then those that most court fortune Give mee Indifferency and I 'le bee fortunes fate and fortunate maugre her despight As to time it self the best description of it is to employ it well 'T is a thing of so swift an Essence that 't is gone before we can think what it is 'T is the measure of sublunary beings and proclaimes to us by its height how fast wee our selves fade and dwindle away The past is no more ours then frugall usage has made it so The future is not and so uncertain whether 't will ever be in our power What of it we can own is only the present and this so coy that if not taken by the sore-top 't is vanisht like a Ghost and leaves us nothing but cause to repent and gaze Ah! my friend how pretious our moments on these short Instances depends our whole Eternity Temporall existence is as fickle as temporall happinesse both participate of the nature of time are fleetingâ— In this casualty then let us fix on what is truely durable above floating incertainties beyond temporall lastingnesse Whilst our minutes fly from us our selves speed faster towards unchangeable permanency so we doe in naturall tendency but let us by virtue's vigours Each hour posts away with it's length of our life The old year is gone if ouâ— imperfections with it 't was well spent if not there 's the more neâ—d we spend the New better And lest we live not to the end let 's take advantage of the begining make that our own that is so Thrift of our dayes is th' only end to make our selves in time eternally happy But I fear by this rude Rhapsody of the initiate yeare I have wasted your hourglass too much rendring my prayer of your prosperous future your present Domage But pardon because my subject time as wel as my distracted capacity fail'd me Suffice it I wish you more then I can utter or need perscribe you the way to and whilst you are blest I patrake 31 Decemb. Sir Your happy friend and joy'd servant W.D. XXXIV To a Lady residing in a Town that had lately bin besiegd Madam AFter the disquiet of your late Alarms I am bold to congratulate the re-enjoyment of your wonted repose which had I bin Generall no cause nor quarrel should have made me hazard since in all things I value your content above my own My regard to your safety had bin in such case motive enough with mee to have suspended the chastisment of that mutinous City Madam If as I hope and pray you are now both free from disâ—uietude and from fear I have my hearts wish desiring as you know nothing more