Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A19889
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Davids troubles remembred in 1. Absolons sheep-shearing. 2. Ioab projecting. 3. Bathsheba bathing. 4. Israel rebelling. 5. Ahitophel hanging. 6. David returning.
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Aylett, Robert, 1583-1655?, attributed name.
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1638
(1638)
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STC 6316; ESTC S109315
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54,594
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126
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to invite Her to the Court sometimes to take delight Till her belov'd Vriah did return And not to sit all day at home and mourn Glad was the woman that her Lord and King Did so much for her Husbands honouring And sayes though for Vriahs safe retire To pray and mourn I onely do desire I will my self and him this thing denay Ere I my gracious King will disobey Soon as the King her in the Court doth see Amongst the Ladies like faire Cypresse Tree Amongst the Shrubs or Cynthia shining bright Amid the twinkling Starres in frosty night He first begins her beauty to commend And blushing kist her cheek and calls her friend And said that if he might a servant be To such a beautious Mistris his degree Of State should bow her humbly to observe And do his best her favour to deserve Thus though her Husbands Honour first did bring This Dame to Court yet proud now that a King Should there confesse he did such service owe For few faire Ladies but their beauty know As ready was to take as he to offer All Complements of Court the King would proffer Not once suspecting such a godly King Would offer her the least dishonouring Nor could all Satans cunning him have brought At first to entertaine so foule a thought But as a simple Lambe on flowrie banks Of Iordan bounds and leaps and plaâ—es his pranks Till his faire shadow in the watry glasse He spies which seemes the substance to surpasse Whereon he nigher comes and comes to look Till unawares he falls into the brook Whence he may strive to get out but in vain The streames by force him carry to the Main Even so the King at first begins to play With her pure hand as on his Couch he lay Then gazing on her eyes and modest face Reflecting beauties like a Looking-glasse He unawares in Beauties snare is took Ev'n as the Lamb was drowned in the Brook Oh lothsomnesse deceitfulnesse of sinne The sweetnesse bitternesse we finde therein Beginnings fawnings growing terrour smart Our weaknesse Satans envie mans false heart Thus Mortals which to Heaven should seek the way As Fishes which in fresher water play Swim in delights and lustfull pleasures all Till unawares they in the dead-sea fall But as you evermore shall see one sinne Beget another to lye hidden in So David his Adultery to hide Commits first drunkennesse then homicide For she perceiving that she had conceiv'd And fearing lest for being so deceiv'd The Lords and all the people would her blame Because her Lord could not beget the same Who had been three full months to battail gone Before her bathing and the act was done She hereof closely certifies the King Who seeks thus to provide a covering He sends to me a Letter which requir'd Vriah home as if he had desir'd To know by him how all things did succeed But 't was to father what his wife did breed In brief Vriah comes and doth relate To David mine and all the peoples state And how the warres went on and prospered Then David wisht him get him home to bed Refresh thy self thy journey hath been great And after him he sends a messe of meat But brave Vriah hating all delight Or pleasure which disabled him to fight Among the Guard did all that night attend Nor would to his own house and wife descend Which when the King next morrow understands He of Vriah thus the cause demands Brave Hittite may thy King the reason know Why this last night when thou didst from me go You went not home but tarryed with my Gard As of thy journey thou hadst no regard Who said the Arke with Iudah Israel And my Lord Ioab in their Tents do dwell Abroad i' th' field What then shall I alone Lye with my wife and eat and drink at home As thy soule lives and as thou liv'st O King I am resolved not to do this thing The King yet caus'd him in the City stay All that and afterwards another day In hope at last he to his wife would go But when he found that this way would not do He makes him in his presence sup that night And drink down healths untill his head was light Yet he his wife regarded nere the more But with the Gard all night lay as before Oh such brave Spirits saith Abishai would raise Unto themselves and us immortall praise Were they but as they due deserve regarded But see saith Ioab how this was rewarded He brings a Letter sign'd with Davids hand To me which did to this effect command Of thee and of thy host I did inquire By this and finde all things as I desire This onely now to thee I do not find This Hittite answerable to my mind And therefore set him formost in the fight Where thou discern'st the men of greatest might And when he is in danger soon retire And let him dye No other cause inquire Of thy King David Having this command My part was to obey and not to stand In disputation were it wrong or right And therefore where I saw most men of might Defend the walls I brave Vriah sent Where all succeeded just to mine intent Of Davids servants many likewise fell Both of Iudea and of Israel Whereof when first I certifi'd the King He seemed much displeased with the thing But when he heard Vriah also di'd His wrath appeas'd he thus again repli'd Salute thou Ioab tell him after-care Or grief avails not 'gainst the chance of Warre For thus the sword doth usually devoure All that do come within his reach or power Be not discourag'd make thine Armie strong To be reveng'd of this and all our wrong What said his wife saith Abishai hereto Ev'n mourn'd for fashion as â—ich widdowes do Saith Ioab but as soon as that was done The King her makes his wife and takes her home The joy to be a Queen soon dryes her eyes And with her husbands murtherer she lyes Wondrous iniquity saith Abishai I never heard the like untill this day A head distemper'd thus cannot but ake And make the heart and all the members shake He were a man of wondrous wisdome sure That could to this disease apply a cure Is not one Prophet left in Israel That dares the King of these offences tell Yes sure saith Ioab there 's a skilfull one Hath searcht this sore unto the very bone Good Nathan yet with such a gentle hand He made the King his faults to understand By telling others so the sore did presse With prudent gentle pious tendernesse For Prophets that reprove such faults in Kings Must strike at one to sound out other strings And not reproach their errours to their faces Nor publish to the people their disgraces Since Bathsheb as conception did begin The King slept in this Lethargy of sinne They both had like beginning life and growth And have like bringing forth and birth of both As skilfull Leech to cure his Patients ills With gold oft covers biâ—ter wholsome
Like savage beasts their fellowes each assaile Where strength and fury 'gainst all right prevaile Like Pikes in pond the most of might and power Do all the other underlings devoure Here heapes of bodies lye unburied Here Infants slain and Virgins ravished Nor is the perill of the enemy More dangerous than privie treachery Where great ones seem to take their Soveraigns parts Yet cleave unto the Rebels with their hearts And therefore him unfaithfully advise Disclosing's secrets to his Enemies Amongst such Traytors good and loyall held More perill is at home than in the field These and a thousand more calamities Of civill warres now th' Hebrewes miseries And bred at first on this side Iordanes floud Are forded over now to Ephraims wood Which though ambition them at first begins God sends for scourges of the peoples sins But Absolon that might no longer raign Than he the peoples madnesse could maintain Besides he many of their hearts did find From him unto the better part inclin'd March'd on till both the Armies were in sight On purpose to provoke the King to fight And David who was stronger now become By many friends that to his aid were come It thinking foule dishonour for a Crown To be besieged in a walled Town Caus'd Ioab draw his men out of the gate That he might view them all there as he sate Where he appoints some Captaines over ten Someover hundreds some a thousand men For all or most part of his old Commanders To follow Absolon had left his standards When Ittai Davids prudent faithfull friend Begins my Lord stay here thy servants send Against these Rebels for our King to fight Why should we hazard putting out our light What though ten thousand of thy people fall Thy life is of more value than us all True-hearted Subjects more will every day Turn after thee and fall from him away With which we 'l battail after battail try Till God and our good cause give victory When thus the King Ioab and Abishai And Ittai you are men on whom this day My life my Kingdom and my State relies And therefore I will do as you advise The Army order as you shall think fit To each of you a third part I commit Let Ioabs might for our main â—attail stand Iâ—tai and Abishai the wings command But good my friends remember Absolon Forget not that he is your Soveraigns son Intreat the young-man gently for my sake On 's youth and my gray haires some pitty take This charge he in the gate with many teares Gave all the Captaines in the peoples eares But Absolon who found the people totter And waver like the Seas unstable water And that the Tribeson this side Iordans floud Who for the King more than the Rebels stood Resolv'd to dye all in the Kings defence Against his sons rebellious insolence Rais'd on his Mule and arm'd in war-like fashion To all his Army utters this Oration My friends and fellow-souldiers not mine own Content or private coveting the Crown Me caus'd these Armes and Weapons up to take But for the publike profit and your sake Alas you know how braâ—e and plenteously I might have liv'd in all prosperity Grace honour credit glory and renown Nought wanting but the dangers of a Crown Of which succession made me not so sure As all your votes and wishes did secure But this your favour to the rising Sun Which by my love and care of you I won Was made high treason by these to the King Who of the State have all the managing Whose tirannous oppressions should I name I should laâ— ope mine own and Fathers shame For such do rule the King that are not able To rule themselves a thing intollerable This must be righted I you hither bring To fight against these Tyrants not the King 'T is yours and not my cause for which we fight I only lend my counsell strength and might My friends and kinsmen I you all leave free Go on which side you most desire to be Some tyranny account a benefit So they at home in peace may quiet sit And rather had the heaviest burthens beare Than noise of Drums and Trumpets sounding heare Such wish I to their Cities soon return But you brave friends whose hearts do inly burn With zeal and hate 'gainst publike tyrannies And seek to vindicate these injuries Whom by your faces brave alacrity I easely from base Cowards can descry As with brave courage you with me remain With me as victors you shall ever raign Whilst they whose harts them fail for cowardise Shall lye and groan still under tyrannies As Moses led you by a mighty hand From bondage of a cruell Lord and Land So come I up resolv'd to set you free From all oppressions wrongs and tyranny The justnesse of our cause shall us acquite But you that are so miserably light Again for Aegypts flesh-pots to return Though you their Brick and Lime for ever burn Return I say and live in your own City Your lightnesse merits not such blame as pitty Since I return'd from Geshur to this Câ—urt I view'd your grievances of every sort Tell me to which of all your causes here I have not lent an understanding eare Your suits were good but either none there were Deputed of the King your plaints to heare Or else the Iudges wanted time and leasure All must attend from Term to Term their pleasure Oh! there is no more gainfull occupation Than Law in practise with the Iewish Nation Clerks Patrons Proctors Lictors more abound Than Merchants Farmours Souldiers can be found And whence live these but on the injuries Of you my people and your miseries As Winds by Conjurers are oft up blown That Conjurers again may get them down So do these Lawyers suits and questions raise Not for their Clyents profit but their praise Nor will they them dismisse with little gain For many suits eternally remain With so great costs as they that overcome Had better been condemn'd when they begun And ev'n as Souldiers by continuall jarres Grow senselesse of the cruelty of warres So Lawyers us'd to wrongs and injuries Compassionate no Clyents miseries I cannot finde that all the civill broiles So much oppresse the subject as the toiles Men take when they for justice sue and right More safe in field than at the bar to fight Have not some Courts yet in your memories Doubled against all equitie their fees As if they had no table law nor taske But you were bound to pay what they will aske Which th' unlearn'd deskmen to such states doth raise And leaves Professors onely place and praise These and more grievances I will redresse And make the number of your Lawyers lesse Which when they have no place to act their parts Will study other profitable Arts I will appoint for pleadings certain dayes And Iudges to do right without delayes Yea many other wrongs I will reform The Levites which your consciences inform Shall take the tenths of all the soules they