Ierusalem Amen February 10. 1637. TO give in some sort a taste and glimps what kind of Spirit possessed me in my first youth and melancholy take these few fragments which with many other then I coyned but have now lost and forgot for inscriptions never imployed Fond passion is Opinion but a foole God Nature Reason are the Wisemans Schoole Delights good servants but bad Masters are Minds cordiall medicines us'd without fond passion Fitting age calling means degree and fashion Uselesse but for our recreation Doted on turn diseases our soules snare You 'l say they are toyes the fitter are they then For such vain bubbles Fantomes as are men They profit nought and wisemen you will say Pleasures foundation on profit lay To them that want not to give Nature right Profit it self in truth is but delight It is not affectation makes me write But honest hearts ever affect the light Thus did Melancholy and retirednesse work upon me my Melancholy wrought my retirednesse and that by removing me from the common delights and course of young men my farther Melancholy removens prohibens goes for a cause I affected the Tree of knowledge tasted of the unnaturall fruit and lost my earthly paradise though labour toyle and affliction have been my portion in such losse yet Christ hath proved unto me infinite advantage He is the Christians eternall Paradise in him we finde a new Earth new Heavens Peace and joy incomparably more compleat without him all is vanity and vexation of spirit Happy the fall which meetes with him to raise us happy the losse which finds him to guide us Since the first fall man discerning his nakednesse of himself hath sought Figge-leaves for cover and advantage a partiall cloathing in humane policies Arts and inventions which all but make us feel the more the weather and our wants Nature is lost in artificiall affectations and our false-acquired knowledge proves our true and reall misery Thus plunged in vain deceiving delights and wretched perplexity no exemption no redemption remaines but in and through Christ and the true knowledge of him By him we turn our first nakednesse and ragges into a full and glorious garment by him our darknesse and confusion becomes a perfect illumination and in him our vain pleasures and fraile troubles become a solid continuall feast of joy peace and contentment That Sun of Righteousnesse is the only true Sunne that lighteth every man to true happinesse the Sunne is the life of flowers and many of them open themselves and turne towards it let us learn from them to open our hearts and turn to God He alone can disperse in us the clouds of ignorance and light vanities in him alone is that tranquillity and true joy to be found which by our disobedience and foolish affectation we have lost all our other curiosities all our sensualities do but more wilder us and set us further to seek The wiser sort of men in a humane way have sought for immortality to peece out their frailty but in Christ alone it is to be found and without him it were better to want it Poore creatures that we are poore happinesse that we seek without him who said Seek and ye shall finde But do not such appeare to doubt too much of the soules immortality who will rather deny it to become infected with originall sin by way of propagation in a probable analogie to Faith and Gods Justice then acknowledge a naturall way of one eternall Soule to beget another eternity being the only gift of God and as easily and more reasonably flowing from him the one way then the other Is not this leaving a faire naturall rationall and religious way a kinde of teaching to doubt and mis-beliefe Why stick they at that which is most reasonable teaching neverthelesse Faith beyond reason such as deny the earth to move and turn towards the Sun for its own advantage upon pretence of Text of Scripture for the earths stability which as a thousand others they might as well and with farre lesse straining interpret in a way of common appearing if now upon reall demonstration and reason the earth be proved to move doe they not wrong both the Scripture and our Religion Miserable lamenesse miserable blindnesse of humane Divinity Help Oh God or we are confounded we are lost true knowledge thrift or joy are annexed to no person place or condition but thy grace and blessing gives them Assist us all assist me therein and I have found more then ever I lost February 10. 1637. HOwsoever these writings may in some respect be as unfit as troublesome in my condition yet herein they have proved my great advantage and satisfaction that they have taken me off from other importunate discontents and impressions and have tyed me faster and faster to God they have turned the sight and sense of my misery into joy and comfort upon the discerning and participation of his mercies unto me They have entered and entertained me in to sweet a contemplation of his glory and goodnesse as I hope shall never languish and dye in me and I have I thank God gathered such strength upon them that I conceive much better of my self and the vigour of my Spirit to the discharge of any ordinary performance This my good God hath done for me and it is wonderfull even in my own eyes may it please him to indue me with all humble thankfulnesse Amen Amen February 12. 1637. MY good Friend you have obliged me in the reading and perusing of these my confused crudities and you have in your indulgence to them and me and their innocent spirit of ingenuity commended some things in them farre beyond their worth and wished some more labour of mine to be imployed in their more orderly and perfect digestion and a farther communication but I am over-weak and lazy and they too incorrigible they are mishapen lumps of an imperfect conception which howsoever it might be fit for me to be delivered of yet are they most unfit for other then a friendly view and judgement I put them into your hands but am farre from wishing any your farther patience or labour upon them They are such Beares whelpes that if they were capable of any good shape yet were it most unfit that any but their naturall Parent should lick them into it notwithstanding if out of your good affection to any part of them and the propagation of goodnesse you conceive a tolerable Mercury may be framed of them for the view of a more remote well-affected friend I submit them to you Hew off and fashion them at your pleasure if you should prove so idle as to make such an undertaking I feare you will finde so shaken a piece of Timber as is nothing but chips before-hand I thank God I have ever superlatively loved goodnesse and nothing better then to be an instrument of doing good but my fortune and opportunity have not answered my affection Nor can I now either so flatter my self
to sing Then the high Trophees of the Swedish King The reason of a Gentlewomans wearing small blacke patches Of another Author I Know your heart cannot so guilty bee That you should weare those â—pots for vanitie Or as your beauties Trophies put one on For every murther which your eyes have done No they are your mourning weeds for hearts forlorne Which though you must not love you could not scorne To whom since cruell honour doth deny Those joyes could onely their misery Yet you this noble way to grace them found When thus your griefe their martyrdome hath crown'd Of which take heed you prove not prodigall For if to every common funerall Of your eyes Martyrs such grace bee allow'd Your face will weare no patches but a clowd Occasioned partly by the Verses above partly by a faire Ladies keeping on her Mask in the house on a hot day I Ne're till now thought patches ornaments Gentile and happy was your Authors muse As gently cruell are her faire intents Who kills and mournes but why doe you refuse Their names who so much wit and fairenesse owne I met that very day you shew'd those lines A beautie such as if it would have shone Would have out pierc'd the parching'st Sun that shines But chamber maskt shee was close mourner to The funerall solemnitie shee wore Innocent guilty sweetly sad as who Resolv'd to intombe her selfe to kill no more It may be also shee did apprehend Another scorching Summer would undoe us And so her selfe o'reclouded to befriend Mortalitie 't was double favour to us But Sun-like beautie know great mischiefes flow From great Eclipses well as blazing Stars Wee die as well except your selfe you show As by your beames or our intestine wars Shine then and triumph still better some die Then this Sphere want its second quickning eye Epigram VVEE cannot scape by masking of your face Wee finde our selves still taken by your grace By your I know not what meere carelesnesse Charmes more in you then others curious dresse Each step and motion of your frame or mind Consists of a composure most refin'd Cheape vertue is confin'd to face yours lies As well in your high spirit as your eyes A Dunghill Cock untry'd will looke as brave So will a Curre a Buzzard Jade or knave As the most vertuous in their severall kind Value consists in temper of the mind In judgement right and resolution strong Ends brave and good thinking nor doing wrong Consulting truth and goodnesse more then will Knowing and daring all but base and ill Diamonds in show are little more then glasse Triviall appearances make men to passe But thorough tryall proves an Asse an Asse Difference in women is no lesse Their goodnesse makes their pretiousnesse True Love and Honour THough you are gracefull brave and faire Beyond your Sexes rate though wit Enoble you as well as blood This nor your fine exalted ayre And prospect knowing all that 's fit Nor that you are rich great but good Subdues mee these to cement well Is that wherein you all excell And if to these you take in love The India's cannot equall prove For me I must not so aspire My part is onely to admire Your vertue vertue to the world supplyes The Sun none ought thinke to monopolize Onely I 'le strive to bee as good as you And so part of your love will prove my due And mine you being good and good to mee Must or be yours or vertuous cease to bee An Elegie upon the Death of the most faire and vertuous Lady Rich which most unhappily happened upon the 24. of August 1638. HAd I least hope complaints could reach our losse Could I the Stars or Sea sand number I would embarque her vertues sea to crosse And to my griefes heighth raise your wonder Could or the world or words such truth receive As to her story doth belong Could any but her self her vertues weave Or sorrow find an equall Tongue Such Ship so fraught such wrack I 'de represent As would the Soveraigne neere surpasse And make you in a Sea of teares lament Shee is not now that Nymph shee was Within without so glorious was her trym Such awe of Odinance shee carried Had shee not by dysaster taken been Neptune alone shee must have married But though her vertues circles just content And her squares just diagonall Numbers can ne're exactly represent Yet by our course Mechanicall Somewhat wee 'l say in lame and short account Our due oblations to discharge Which shall alone all other worth surmount Faithfully drawne though not at large Free from all pride though none but shee had cause Neglecting beautie huswiâ—'ry to minde Wholly resign'd to Gods and marriage Lawes Judicious farre beyond her yeares and kinde Outside and vanitie though most in fashion Wrought not on her strong fram'd and solid soul Shee liv'd by reason as others by their passion And by her goodnesse did all wrongs controul Her presence was a chastisement to sinne Ill time could not corrupt her spotlesse mind Had her pure body of like resistance beene Against the Ayre and season too unkind Wee her sad losse had not so deadly griev'd And shee to our soules joy might still have liv'd Epitaph IN title Rich in vertue all excelling Rare Daughter Mother Sister Friend and Wife Piety seldome had so faire a dwelling Unparallel'd as well in death as life Here now she lies glory of woman kinde Physitians shame the wonder of her time In body faire but fairer in her minde Fitted for heaven and taken in her prime Few rightly knew to value such a Jewell Had death had eyes he had not been so cruell On the same FOule Grief and Death this yeere have play'd their parts And Syrian-like conspire against the best Ayming at one stroke to break all our hearts Their cruell spite ne're met with such a feast They threw and bore the fairest Phoenix born As singular as unique to her friends They never twin'd so strong a Cord to mourn Nor strook so home at ours and their own ends My wound smarts double on the by what where She suff'red how exceeding all repaire How heavy to her friends and mine to beare This multiplies my grief with much despaire My treasure rest well-being all my joy Except what duty and piety require Perisht in her fate can no more destroy Henceforth but love of good and good desire The good is gone which if I cease to grieve Beyond my own death let me cease to live Such life such death so constant Christian brave Never became the triumph of the Grave I erre Triumph was only hers may I Contemplate her both whilst I live and die Her birth-day was her death-day and her death The birth to my discomfort and sad breath A Requiem at the Enterment WHo e're you are Patron subordinate Unto this house of prayer and doe extend Your eare and care to what we pray and lend May this place stand for ever consecrate And may this
respected by mindes truely worthy and noble There are amongst us a barbarous kind of gallants who conceive it great bravery to looke big and contemptuously especially upon strangers towards whom in truth a formalitie and curtesie of fashion is most requisite and many women are not free from taxe who commonly have neither freedome nor civilitie in store but for their servants they thinke to endeare and set themselves off by such carriage though often voyd of other worth wee become accessary to their rudenesse by terming it rather pride then rusticitie which it truely is They are proud to be thought proud but should be taught better manners by a just and out doing scorne and censure we nourish it in them by sinking under it and blame what wee breed as wee doe Children whom we first teach to be liquorish by giving them what they otherwise had not affected It is also no small fault in great ones not to be courteous to their inferiours or not to countenance worth in place of their advantage they expose themselves often rather to suffer a presumptuous obtruding familiaritie then fairely to invite it whereby they open the doore to sawcy boldnesse and shut it upon the better and more modest dispositions Though it bee true that there is nothing whereon worthily to fix our affections in this world nor valuable to the fleeting and uncertaine life of man yet hee will above all earthly things esteeme of true honour and goodnesse as of that which will make him the most respected by the wisest and best of men most advantagious to perpetuate unto him a faire and happy reputation which the most worthy and magnanimous spirits have ever laboured for and most acceptable to God who cannot be pleased in anything incompatible and unlike to himselfe If therefore hee either value to bee well regarded by vertuous men to leave a good reputation and name to descend upon his posteritie to bee secure from the ruines scornes and punishments that evill men daily undergoe or to bee well accepted with God whereby to provide to himselfe a welbeing as well after as in this present life let him labour for the true understanding of vertue as the onely rich habit of a faire soule the knowledge whereof cannot faile to render him like unto it selfe nor is it any thing but a wilfull and stupid blindnesse to the discerning thereof that causeth the defect and contempt of it in those many weake and uncultivated spirits that these and all times produce A Favorite NAming a Favorite I intend not a Minion the creature of Fancy that holds by the face suddenly exhaled to such an height as is against nature for an unprepared braine to containe it selfe from giddinesse whose proper Spheare is that of pleasure and not of businesse especially of State him I leave to his Prince like his garden to please his eye and terme him a Favorite whose tenure is in Capite and whose good fortune hath made his worth and abilities knowne to his Master fit to have the secrets of his bosome and his most important affaires communicated unto him for his Counsell and guidance therein This is the man whom neither birth nor industry wherein he hath many equalls hath called to the relish of a Kingly power yet fortunately finding himselfe in that most happy height and condition of meanes to doe-good and glad the hearts of good men is as well in gratitude to his Master as thankfulnesse to God bound to exercise the uttermost of his endeavours by making himselfe a blessed instrument of all welfare to the State wherein he is potent which will ever be most easie to him who is armed with place and authority and if he accompany them with vertue modesty and goodnesse he shall be an Armour of proofe against such spight and envy as is incident to his greatnesse from the tongues of malignant persons Circumstance of place favour and fortune shall not transport his constant and well prepared heart nor will hee discover in himselfe any such uncomely vanitie and lightnesse as to seeme to set his mind upon magnificence of buildings furniture apparell feasts and titles but will rather affect the high glory which growes to good minds out of their disposition to moderation and solid goodnesse from the tongue and pens of good and vertuous men And howsoever wealth greatnesse of title and the chiefe honours of the Kingdome where hee moves are not more due to any then to himselfe yet hee will observe such a slow and graduall accesse unto them that his investing himselfe therewith shall rather appeare an unaffected or unlooked for favour of his Master or a seisin and livery after a due purchase made by his vertue and merit then a sudden affected and unproportionable elevation which will so bee his advantage as it is seene in nature that high objects bee they never so loftie doe not yet appeare so much to the eye as such as are much inferiour and of a suddain ascent Hee will recommend to the favour of his Master and cherish such as are vertuous or excell in any commendable perfections and such onely himselfe will bee noted to have about him For wee ordinarily conster great men by such as enjoy their company and good affection and according as they shall entertaine the good advise at least the persons of such neere unto them their ends may be calculated Evill men and flatterers like Sirens will presse upon them and it hath ever beene hard for men in great place to discover them nay such will obtrude upon them as will gladly worke advantage to themselves or their cause through their destruction No small caution will bee required therein but hee is an able man and my abilities may bee remembrancers but not Informers unto him Wherefore I will leave with this Character upon him that he is either the happiest or most unfortunate man in the Kingdome If hee order himselfe well and put not on pride presumption precipitation and passion with his greatnesse but runne a course of meeknesse moderation and goodnesse his reputation and memory are like to bee blessed and applauded but if otherwise hee misguide himselfe and contemne the good opinion and affection of the better part of the world it is to bee feared lest himselfe in his end prove odious and contemptible and bee condemned as unworthy of that faire fortune and favour which have shined upon him A Divine A Divine is Gods ordinary Ambassadour residing with us not to exercise the pompe and state of one nor to represent Gods Majesty and glory but to use the order care vigilance and diligence of an Ambassador by being a faithfull Minister in his function and charge Though he be termed Theologus he will be Theophilus a zealous lover as well as a verball Preacher of God and he may be defined with a good Oratour Vir bonus dicendi peritus for if he preach not first to himself and that his life be not answerable to his exhortations