Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A10262
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Hadassa: or The history of Queene Ester with meditations thereupon, diuine and morall. By Fra. Quarles.
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Quarles, Francis, 1592-1644.
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1621
(1621)
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STC 20546; ESTC S115479
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30,717
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72
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Shee made a Feast and put on iolly mirth To bid sweet welcome with her Princely cheere To all her Ghests Her Ghests all women were By this the Royall bounty of the King Hath well-nigh spent the seuen dayes banqueting Six Iouiall dayes haue run their howers out And now the seuenth doth wheele the weeke about Vpon which day the Queenes vnlucky Day The King with iollity intic'd away And gently hauing slipt the stricter reynes Of Temperance that ouer-mirth restraines Rose vp commanded that without delay How-e're the Persian custome doe gain-say How hast thou thus defil'd thy Yu'ry feet Thy sweetnesse that was once how farre from sweet Where are thy maiden smiles thy blushing cheeke Thy Lamb-like countenance so faire so meeke Where is that spotlesse flower that while-ere Within thy lilly-bosome thou did'st weare Ha's wanton Cupid snatcht it Hath his Dart Sent courtly tokens to thy simple heart Where dost thou bide The Countrey halfe disclaimes thee The City wonders when a body names thee Or haue the sounding Woods ingrost thee there And thus fore-stal'd our empty Markets here Sure th' art not or hid where no man shewes thee Or chang'd so much scarce man or woman knowes thee ¶ Our Grandame Eue before it was forbid Desired not that Fruit she after did Had not the Custome of those times ordain'd That women from mens Feasts should be restrain'd Perhaps Assuerus Vasti might haue stayd Vnsent for and thy selfe been vndenayd Such are the fruits of myrths and Wines abuse Customes must crack and Loue must break his Truce Anger contentious Wrath and wrathfull Hate Attend the Feast where Wine 's immoderate ¶ More difficult it is and greater skill To beare a mischiefe than preuent an ill Passion is naturall but to bridle Passion Is more Diuine and vertues operation To doe amisse is Natures Act to erre Is but a wretched mortalls Character But to preuent the danger of the Ill Is more than Man surpassing humane skill Who playes a happy game with crafty sleyte Confirmes himselfe but Fortunes Fauourite But he that husbands well an ill-dealt Game Deserues the credit of a Gamesters name ¶ Lord if my Cards be bad yet lend me skill To play them wisely ' and make the best of ill THE ARGVMENT The learned Councell plead the case The Queene degraded from her place Decrees are sent throughout the Land That wiues obey and men command Sect. 3. THe righteous Councell hauing heard the Cause Aduiz'd awhile with respit of a pause Till Memucan the first that silence brake Vnseal'd his serious lips and thus bespake The Great Assuerus sou'raigne Lord and King To grace the period of his Banqueting Hath sent for Vashti Vashti would not come And now it rests in vs to giue the doome But lest that too much rashnesse violate The sacred Iustice of our happy state We first propound the height of her offence Next the succeeding Inconuenience Thus broke in two he did anew ordaine That these same two should be made One againe Till singling Death this sacred knot vndoe And part this new-made One once more in two ¶ Since of a Rib first framed was a Wife Let Ribs be Hi'rogliphicks of their life Ribs coast the heart and guard it round about And like a trusty Watch keepe danger out So tender Wiues should loyally impart Their watchfull care to fence their Spouses heart All members else from out their places roue But Ribs are firmely fixt and seldome moue Women like Ribs must keepe their wonted home And not like Dinah that was rauish't rome If Ribs be ouer-bent or handled rough They breake If let alone they bend enough Women must vnconstrain'd be plyent still And gently bending to their Husbands will The sacred Academy of mans life Is holy wedlocke in a happy Wife It was a wise mans speech Could neuer they now to command that knew not first t' obey Wher 's then that high Command that ample Glory Which for a patterne left in endlesse story Your noble Sexe in former dayes atchiu'd Whose sounding Fame no after-Times outliu'd What braue Command How well-succeeding broyles What stately Triumphs What victorious spoyles Their hands achiu'd They sway'd their Scepters thē As well in Kingdomes as in hearts of men And sweet obedience was the lowly stayre Mounted their steps to that Commanding chaire A womans Rule should be in such a fashion Onely to guide her houshold and her Passion And her obedience neuer's out of season So long as either Husband lasts or Reason Ill thriues the haplesse Family that showes A Cocke that 's silent and a Hen that crowes I know not which liue more vngodly liues ¶ Obeying Husbands or commanding Wiues THE ARGVMENT Assuerus pleas'd His seruants motion Propounded gaine his approbation Esters descent her Iewish race Her beautyes and her perfit Grace Sect. 4. VVHen Time that endeth all things did asswage The burning Feuer of Assüerus rage And quiet satisfaction had assign'd Delightfull Iu'lyps to his troubled mind He cal'd his old remembrance to account Of Vashti and her Crimes that did amount To th'summe of their diuorcement In his thought He weigh'd the censure of her heedlesse fault His fawning seruants willing to preuent him If too much thought should make his loue repent him Said thus If it shall please our gracious Lord To crowne with Audience his seruants word Let strict Inquest and carefull Inquisition In all the Realme be made and quicke prouision Throughout the Medes and Persians all among For comely Virgins beautifull and yong Which curiously selected let them bring Into the Royall Palace of the King And let the Eunuchs of the King take care For Princely Robes and Vestures and prepare Sweet Odours choyse Perfumes and all things meet To adde a greater sweetnesse to their sweet And she whose perfect beames shall best delight And seeme most gracious in his Kingly sight To her be giuen the Conquest of her face And be inthron'd in scornfull Vashties place The proiect pleas'd the King who made an Act To second what was said with soone effect Within the walls of Shusa dwelt there one By breeding and by birth a Iew and knowne By th' name of Mordecai of mighty kin Descended from the Tribe of Beniamin Whose necke was subiect to the slauish yoke When Ieconiah was surpris'd and tooke And carried captiue into Babels Land With strength of mighty Neb'chadnezzars hand Within his house abode a Virgin bright Whose name was Ester or Hadassa hight His brothers Daughter whom her parents dead This Iew did foster in her fathers stead She wanted none though father she had none Her vncles loue assum'd her for his owne Bright beames of beauty streamed from her eye And in her cheekes sate maiden modesty Which peerelesse beauty lent so kinde a rellish To modest vertue that they did imbellish Each others ex'lence with a full assent In her to boast their perfect complement Meditatio quarta
Haman fill'd with ioy his fortunes blest With faire succeeding of his foule request Laid care aside to sleepe and with the King Consum'd the time in iolly banqueting Meane while the Iewes the poore afflicted Iewes Perplext and startl'd with the newbred newes With drooping heads and selfe-imbracing armes Wept forth the Dirge of their ensuing harmes Meditatio octaua OF all diseases in a publike weale No one more dangerous and hard to heale Except a tyrant King then when great might Is trusted to the hands that take delight To bathe and paddle in the blood of those Whom iealousies and not iust cause oppose For when as haughty power is conioynd Vnto the will of a distemper'd mind What e'r it can it will and what it will It in it selfe hath power to fulfill What mischiefe then can linger vnattempted What base attempts can happen vnpreuented Statutes must breake good Lawes must go to wracke And like a Bowe that 's ouerbent must cracke Iustice the life of Law becomes so furious That ouer-doing right it prooues iniurious Mercy the Steare of Iustice flyes the Citty And falsly must be tearm'd a foolish Pitty Meane while the gracious Princes tender brest Gently possest with nothing but the best Of the disguis'd dissembler is abus'd And made the cloke wherewith his fault 's excus'd The radient beames that warme and shine so bright Comfort this lower world with heate and light But drawne and recollected in a glasse They burne and their appoynted limits passe Euen so the power from the Princes hand Directs the subiect with a sweet command But to peruerse fantasticks if confer'd Whom wealth or blinded Fortune hath prefer'd It spurres on wrong and makes the right retire And sets the grumbling Common-wealth on fire Their foule intent the Common good pretends And with that good they maske their priuate ends Their glorie 's dimme and cannot b'vnderstood Vnlesse it shine in pride or swimme in blood Their will 's a Law their mischiefe Policy Their frownes are Death their power Tyranny Ill thriues the State that harbours such a man That can what e'r he wills wills what he can May my vngarnisht Quill presume so much To glorifie it selfe and giue a touch Vpon the Iland of my Sou'raigne Lord What language shall I vse what new-found word T' abridge the mighty volume of his worth And keepe me blamelesse from th'vntimely birth Of false reputed flattery He lends No cursed Haman pow'r to worke his Ends Vpon our ruine but transferres his grace On iust desert which in the vgly face Of foule Detraction vntoucht can dare And smile till black-mouth'd Enuy blush and tare Her Snaky fleece Thus thus in happy peace He rules to make our happinesse increase Directs with loue commands with Princely awe And in his brest he beares a liuing Law Defend vs thou and heauens thee defend And let proud Hamans haue proud Hamans end THE ARGVMENT The Iewes and Mordecai lament And wayle the height of their distresses But Mordecai the Queene possesses With cruell Hamans soule intent Sect. 9. NOw when as Fame the daughter of the earth Newly dis-burthen'd of her plumed birth From off her Turrets did her wings display And pearcht in the sad eares of Mordecai He rent his garments wearing in their stead Distressed sackcloth on his fainting head He strowed Dust and from his showring eyes Ran flouds of sorrow and with bitter cryes His griefe saluted heauen his groanes did borrow No Art to draw the true pourtraict of sorrow Nor yet within his troubled brest alone Too small a stage for griefe to trample on Did Tyrant sorrow act her liuely Sceane But did inlarge such griefe admits no meane The lawlesse limits of her Theater i th' hearts of all the Iewish Nation where With no dissembled Action she exprest The liuely Passion of a pensiue brest Aboue or here below And he that doth Inioy the one may neuer taste of both Sweating and constant labour wins the Goale Of Rest Afflictions clarifie the soule And like hard Masters giue more hard directions Tut'ring the nonage of vncurb'd affections Wisedome the Antidote of sad despaire Makes sharpe Afflictions seeme not as they are Through patient suffrance and doth apprehend Not as they seeming are but as they end To beare Affliction with a bended brow Or stubborne heart is but to disallow The speedy meanes to health salue heales no sore If misapply'd but makes the griefe the more Who sends Affliction sends an end and He Best knowes what 's best for him what 's best for me ' T is not for me to carue me where I like Him pleases when he list to stroake or strike I 'le neither wish nor yet auoyd Tentation But still expect it and make Preparation If he thinke best my Faith shall not be tride Lord keepe me spotlesse from presumptuous pride If otherwise with triall giue me care By thankfull patience to preuent Despaire Fit me to beare what e'r thou shalt assigne I kisse the Rod because the Rod is thine How-e'r let me not boast nor yet repine With triall or without Lord make me thine THE ARGVMENT Her aydimplor'd the Queene refuses To helpe them and her selfe excuses But vrg'd by Mordecai consents To die or crosse their foes intents Sect. 10. NOw when the seruant had return'd the words Of wretched Mordecai like poynted swords They neere impierc't Queen Esters tender hart That well could pitty but no helpe impart Ballast with griefe and with the burthen foyld Like Ordnance ouer-charg'd she thus recoyld Goe Hatach tell my wretched kinsman thus The case concernes not him alone but vs We are the subiect of proud Hamans hate As well as you our life is poynted at As well as yours or as the meanest Iew Nor can I helpe my selfe nor them nor you You know the Custome of the Persian State No King may breake no subiect violate How may I then presume to make accesse Before th' offended King or rudely presse Vncall'd into his presence How can I Expect my suit and haue deseru'd to dye Must suit his deare indeuour to his might Each one must lift to make the burthen light Prouing the power that his gifts afford To raise the best aduantage for his Lord Whose substitute he is and for whose sake We liue and breathe each his account must make Or more or lesse and he whose power lacks The meanes to gather honey must bring waxe Fiue Talents double fiue two render foure Wher 's little little 's crau'd where much ther 's more Kings by their Royall priuiledge may doe What vnbefits a mind to search into But by the force of their Prerogatiues They cannot free the custome of their liues The silly Widdow from whose wrinkled browes Faint drops distill through labour that she owes Her needy life must make her Audite too As well as Kings and mighty Monarkes doe The world 's a Stage each mortall acts thereon As well the King that glitters on