to flye sin run into sin And thinke to end when they do new begin God made the earth the earth denies their sute Nor can they harbor in the centres womb God knowes their thoughts although their tongs be mute And heares the sounds from forth their bodies tomb Sounds ah no sounds but man himselfe hee heares Too true a voice of mans most falsest feares verse 10 Oh see destruction houering ore thy head Mantling her selfe in wickednes array Hoping to make thy body as her bed Thy vice her nutriment thy soule her pray Thou hast forsaken him that was thy guide And see what followes to asswage thy pride Thy roaring vices noyse hath cloyd his eares Like foaming waues they haue orewhelmde thy ioy Thy murmurings which thy whole body beares Hath bred thy waile thy waile thy lifes annoy Vnhappy thoughts to make a soules decay Vnhappie soule in suffering thoughts to sway verse 11 Then sith the height of mans felicitie Is plung'd within the pudle of misdeedes And wades amongst discredits infamie Blasting the merit of his vertues seedes Beware of murmuring the chiefest ill From whence all sin all vice all paines distill O heauie doome proceeding from a tong Heauie light tong tong to thy owne decay In vertue weake in wickednesse too strong To mischiefe prone from goodnesse gone astray Hammer to forge misdeedes to temper lies Selling thy life to death thy soule to cries verse 12 Must death needs pay the ransome of thy sin With the dead carcasse of descending spirit Wilt thou of force be snared in his gin And place thy errour in destructions merit Life seeke not for thy death death comes vnsought Buying the life which not long since was bought Death and destruction neuer needs a call They are attendants on liues pilgrimage And life to them is as their playing ball Grounded vppon destructions anchorage Seeke not for that which vnsought will betide Nere wants destruction a prouoking guide verse 13 Will you needs act your owne destruction Will you needs harbour your owne ouerthrowe Or will you cause your owne euersion Beginning with dispaire ending with woe Then die your hartes in tyrannies arraie To make acquittance of destructions pay What do you meditate but on your death What doe you practise but your liuing fall Who of you all haue any vertues breath But ready armed at a mischiefes call God is not pleased at your vices sauour But you best pleased when you lose his fauour verse 14 He made not death to be your conqueror But you to conquer ouer death and hell Nor you to bee destructions seruitor Enhoused there where Maiestie should dwell God made man to obay at his beheast And man to be obayde of euery beast He made not death to be our labours hire But we our selues made death through our desart Here neuer was the kingdome of hell fire Before the brand was kindled in mans hart Now man defieth God all creatures man Vice flourisheth and vertue lieth wan verse 15 O fruitefull tree whose roote is alwaies greene Whose blossomes euer bud whose fruites encrease Whose toppe celestiall vertues seat hath been Defended by the soueraintie of peace This tree is righteousnes ô happy tree Immortalized by thine owne decree O hatefull plant whose roote is alwaies drie Whose blossomes neuer bud whose fruites decrease On whom sits the infernall deitie To take possession of so foule a lease This plant is vice O too vnhappy plant Euer to die and neuer fill deaths want verse 16 Accursed in thy growth dead in thy roote Cancred with sin shaken with euery winde Whose top dooth nothing differ from the foote Mischiefe the sappe and wickednesse the rhinde So the vngodly like this withered tree Is slacke in doing good in ill too free Like this their wicked growth too fast too slowe Too fast in slouth too slow in vertues hast They thinke their vice a friend when t is a foe In good in wickednes too slow too fast And as this tree decayes so do they all Each one copartner of the others fall Chapter II. verse 1 INdeede they doe presage what wil betide With the misgiuing verdict of misdeeds They knowe a fall will follow after pride And in so foule a hart growes manie weeds Our life is short quoth they no t is too long Lengthned with euill thoughts and euill tong A life must needs be short to them that dies For life once dead in sin doth weakely liue These die in sin and maske in deaths disguise And neuer thinke that death new life can giue They say life dead can neuer liue againe O thoughts ô wordes ô deeds fond foolish vaine verse 2 Vilde life to harbor where such death abodes Abodes worse then are thoughts thoughts worse then words Wordes halfe as ill as deeds deeds sorrowes odes Odes ill inchaunters of too ill records Thoghts words and deeds conoyined in one song May cause an Eccho from destructions tong Quoth they t is chaunce whether we liue or die Borne or abortiue be or neuer bee Wee worship fortune shee 's our deitie If she denies no vitall breath haue wee Here are wee placed in this orbe of death This breath once gone we neuer looke for breath verse 3 Betweene both life and death both hope and feare Betweene our ioy and griefe blisse and dispaire We here possesse the fruite of what is here Borne euer for to die and die deaths heire Our heritage is death annexde to life Our portion death our death an endlesse strife What is our life but our liues tragedy Extinguishde in a momentary time And life to murder life is cruelty Vnripely withering in a flowrie prime And vrne of ashes pleasing but the showes Once dry the toiling spirit wandring goes verse 4 Like as the traces of appearing clouds Giues way when Tytan resalutes the sea With new-changd flames guilding the Oceans flouds Kissing the cabinet where I hetis lay So fares our life when death doth giue the wound Our life is led by death a captiue bound When Sol bestrides his golden mountaines toppe Lightning heauens tapors with his liuing fire All gloomye powers haue their diurnall stoppe And neuer gaines the darknes they desire So perisheth our name when wee are dead Our selues nere cald to mind our deeds nere read verse 5 What is the time wee haue what be our daies No time but shadowe of what time should be Daies in the place of houres which neuer staies Beguiling sight of that which sight should see As soone as the begin they haue their fine Nere waxe still waine nere stay but still decline Life may be cald the shadowe of effect Because the cloude of death doth shadow it Nor can our life approaching death reiect They both in one for our election sit Death followes life in euery degree But life to followe death you neuer see verse 6 Come we whose olde decrepit age doth hault Like limping winter in our winter sin Faultie wee know we are tush what 's a fault A
makes When heau'n it selfe cannot such honour gaine Nor Angells know the counsell which God takes Yet if thy heart be wisedomes mansion Thy soule shall gaine thy hearts made mention verse 18 Who can in one dayes space make two dayes toile Or who in two dayes space will spend but one The one doth keepe his meane in ouerbroyle The other vnder meane because alone Say what is man without his spirit swayes him Say what 's the spirit if the man decayes him An ill reformed breath a life a hell A going out worse than a comming in For wisedome is the bodies centinell Set to guard life which else would-fall in sin Shee doth correct and loue swayes and preserues Teaches and fauours rules and yet obserues Chapter X. verse 1 COrrection followes loue loue followes hate For loue in hate is hate in too much loue So chastisment is preseruations mate Instructing and preseruing those we prooue So wisedome first corrects then fauoureth But fortune fauours first then wauereth First the first father of this earthly world First man first father cal'd for after time Vnfashioned and like a heape was hurl'd Form'd and reform'd by wisedome out of slime By nature ill reform'd by wisedome purer Shee mortall life she better lifes procurer verse 2 3 Alas what was he but a clod of clay What euer was he but an ashâ—e caske By wisedome clothed in his best array If better may bee best to choose a taske One gaue him time to liue she power to raigne Making two powers one one power twaine But ó maligne ill boading wickednes Like bursting gulfes orewhelming veâ—tues seed Too furious wrath forsaking happines Loosing ten thousand ioyes with one dire deede Cain could see but follie strucke him blinde To kill his brother in a raging minde verse 4 Oh too vnhappy stroke to end two liues Vnhappy actor in deaths tragedy Murdring a brother whose name murder giues Whose staying action slaughters butcherie A weeping part had earth in that same play For she did weepe herselfe to death that day Water distill'd from millions of her eyes Vpon the long dride carcasse of her time Her watrie conduites were the weeping skies Which made her wombe an ouerflowing clime Wisedome preseru'd it which preserues all good And taught it how to make an arke of wood verse 5 Oh that one borde should saue so many liues Vpon the worlds huge billow-tossing sea T was not the borde t was wisedome which suruiues Wisedome that arke that boord that fence that bay The world was made a water-rowling waue But wisedome better hopes assurance gaue And when pale malice did aduance her flagge Vpon the raging standard of despight Fiends soueraigne sins mistrâ—s and hells hagge Dunne Plutoes Lady empresse of the night Wisedome from whom immortall ioy begun Preseru'd the righteous as her faultlesse sonne verse 6 The wicked perished but they suruiu'd The wicked were ensnar'd they were preseru'd One kept in ioy the one of ioy depriu'd One feeding fed the other feeding steru'd The foode which wisedome giues is nourishment The foode which malice giues is languishment One feeds the other feeds but choking feedes Two contraries in meat two differing meats This brings forth hate and this repentance seeds This war this peace this battails this retreats And that example may be truely tride These liu'd in Sodomes fire the other dide verse 7 The land will beare me witnes they are dead Which for their sakes beare nothing else but death The witnes of it selfe with vices fed A smoaky testimony of sins breath This is my witnes my certificate And this is my sinne weeping sociate My pen will scarce holde inke to write these woes These woes the blotted inkie lines of sin My paper wrincles at my sorrowes showes And like that land will bring no haruest in Had Lots vnfaithfull wife beene without fault My fresh-inkt pen had neuer calld her salt verse 8 But now my quill the tel-tale of all moanes Is sauory bent to aggrauate salt teares And wets my paper with salt-water groanes Making me stick in agonising feares My paper now is growne to billowes might Sometimes I stay my pen sometimes I write O foolish pilate I blind-harted guide Can I not see the clifts but rent my barke Must I needs hoist vp sailes gainst winde and tide And leaue my soule behinde my wisedomes arke Well may I be the glasse of my disgrace And set my sin in other sinners place verse 9 10 But why despaire I heere comes wisedomes grace Whose hope doth lead me vnto better hap Whose presence doth direct my fore-run race Because I serue her as my beauties map Lâ—ke Cain I shall be restored to heau'n From shipwracks perill to a quiet hau'n When that by Cains hand Abel was slaine His brother Abel brother to his ire Then Cain fled to fly destructions paine Gods heauie wrath against his blouds desire But being fetcht againe by wisedomes power Had pardon for his deed loue for his lower verse 11 By his repentance he remission had And relaxation from the clogge of sin His painefull labour labours riches made His labouring paine did plesures profit win T was wisedome wisedome made him to repent And newly plac'd him in his olde content His body which was once destructions caue Blacke murders teritorie mischiefes house By her these wicked fins were made his slaue And she become his bride his wife his spouse Enriching him which was too rich before Too rich in vice in happynes too poore Maegera which did rule within his breast verse 12 And kept foule Lernas fen within his minde Both now displease him which once pleasde him best Now murdring murder with his being kinde These which were once his frends are now his foes Whose practise he retorts with wisedomes blowes Yee still lie they in ambush for his soule But he more wiser keepes a wiser way They see him and they barke snarle grin and houle But wisedome guides his steps he cannot stray By whom he coÌ„quers and throgh whom he knows The feare of God is stronger then his foes verse 13 14 When man was clad in vices liuery And solde as bondman vnto sins commaund Shee shee forsooke him not for infamie But free'd him from his harts imprisoned band And when he lay in dungeon of despight Shee interlinde his griefe with her delight Though seruile shee with him shee was content The prison was her lodge as wel as his Till she the scepter of the world had lent To glad his fortune to augment his blisse To punish false accusers of true deeds And raise in him immortall glories seeds verse 15 Say shall wee call her wisedome by her name Or new inuent a nominating stile Reciting ancient worth to make new fame Or new-old hierarchie from honours file Say shall file out fame for vertues store And giue a name not thought nor heard before Then should wee make her two where now but one Then should we make her common to each tongue Wisedome shall be her name
forst to lie One here one there in prison yet vnbound Heart-striuing life and death to liue and die Nor were they ignorant of fates decree In being tolde before what they should bee verse 20 There falsest visions shewde the truest cause False because fantasies true because haps For dreames though kindled by sleep-idle pause Sometime true indices of dangers claps As well doth proue in these sin-sleeping lines That dreames are falsest shewes and truest signes By this time death had longer pilgrimage And was encaged in more liuing breasts Now euery ship had fleeting anchorage Both good and bad were punisht with vnrests But yet Gods heauie plague indur'd not long For anger quencht her selfe with her selfe wrong verse 21 Not so for heat can neuer coole with heat Nor colde can warme a colde nor ice thaw ice Anger is fire and fire is angers meat Then how can anger coole her hot deuice The sunne doth thaw the ice with melting harme Ice cannot coole the sunne which makes it warme It was celestiall fire terrestriall cold It was celestiall colde terrestriall fire A true and holy praier which is bolde To coole the heat of angers hot desire Pronounced by a seruant of thy word To ease the miseries which wraths afford verse 22 Weapons and wit are double linkes of force If one vnknit they both haue weaker strength The longer be the chaine the longer corse If measurde by duplicitie of length If weapons faile wit is the better part Wit failing weapons haue the weaker hart Praier is weake in strength yet strong in wit And can do more then strength in being wise Thy word ô Lord is wisdome and in it Doth lie more force then forces can surprize Man did not ouercome his foes with armes But with thy word which conquers greater harms verse 23 That word it was with which the world was framde The heauens made mortalitie ordain'd That word it was with which all men were namde In which one word there are all words containde The breath of God the life of mortall state The enimie to vice the foe to hate When death prest downe the sin-dead-liuing soules And draw'd the curtaine of their seeing day This word was vertues shield and deaths controules Which shielded those which neuer went astray For when the dead did die and end in sin The liuing had assurance to begin verse 24 Are all these deeds accomplisht in one word O soueraigne word cheefe of all words and deeds O salue of safrie wisdomes strongest sword Both food and hunger which both starues and feeds Food vnto life because of liuing power Hunger to those whome death and sins deuoure For they which liu'd were those which vertue lou'd And those which vertue lou'd did loue to liue Thrice happy these whom no destruction mou'd Shee present there which loue and life did giue They bore the mottoes of eternall fame On diapasans of their fathers name verse 25 Here death did change his pale to purple hue Blushing against the nature of his face To see such bright aspects such splendent view Such heau'nly paradice of earthly grace And hid with lifes quick force his ebon dart Within the crannies of his meagre hart Descending to the place from whence he came With rich-stor'd chariot of fresh bleeding wounds Sore-greeued bodies from a soules-sick name Sore-greeued soules in bodies-sin-sick sounds Death was afraide to stay where life should be For they are foes and cannot well agree Chapter XIX verse 1 2 AVant destroier with thy hungry iawes Thy thirsty heart thy longing ashie bones The righteous liue they be not in thy lawes Nor subiects to thy deepe oppressing mones Let it suffice that we haue seene thy show And tasted but the shadow of thy woe Yet stay and bring thy empty car againe More ashie vessells do attend thy pace More passengers expect thy comming waine More groaning pilgrimes long to see thy face Wrath now attends the passage of misdeeds And thou shalt still be stor'd with soules that bleeds verse 3 Some lie halfe dead while others dig their graues With weake-forst teares to moyst a long-drie ground But teares on teares in time will make whole waues To bury sin with ouerwhelming sound Their eies for mattocks serue their teares for spades And they them selues are sextons by their trades What is their fee lament their paiment woe Their labour waile their practise miserie And can their conscience serue to labour so Yes yes because it helpeth villanie Though eies did stand in teares and teares in eyes They did another folishnes deuise verse 4 5 So that what praier did sin did vndoe And what the eies did win the heart did loose Whom vertue reconcilde vice did forgoe Whom vertue did forgoe that vice did choose Oh had their hearts beene iust eyes had bin winners Their eyes were iust but hearts new sins beginners They digd true graues with eyes but not with hearts Repentance in their face vice in their thought Their deluing eies did take the Sextons partes The heart vndid the labour which eies wrought A new strange death was portion for their toyle While vertue sate as iudge to end the broyle verse 6 Had tongue bin ioynde with eies tong had not strai'd Had eyes bin ioyn'd to heart heart then had seene But oh in wanting eye-sight it betrai'd The dungeon of misdeeds where it had beene So many liuing in this orbe of woe Haue heau'd-vp eyes but yet their hearts are low This chaunge of sin did make a chaunge of feature A new strange death a misery vntoulde A new reforme of every olde-new creature New seruing offices which time made olde New liuing vertue from an olde dead sin Which ends in ill what doth in good begin verse 7 When death did reape the haruest of despight The wicked eares of sin and mischiefes seed Filling the mansion of eternall night With heauy-leaden clods of sinfull breed Life sowde the plants of immortalitie To welcome olde-made new felicity The clouds the gloomy curtaines of the aire Drawne and redrawne with the foure-winged winds Made all of borrowed vapours darkesome faire Did ouershade their tents which vertue findes The red seas deepe was made a drie trod way Without impediment or stop or stay verse 8 9 The thirsty windes with ouertoyling puffes Did drinke the ruddy-oceans water drie Tearing the Zones hot-cold whole-ragged ruffes With ruffling conflicts in the field of skie So that drie earth did take wet waters place With sandy mantle and hard grounded face That way which neuer was a way before Is now a troden path which was vntrod Through which the people went as on a shoare Defended by the stretcht-out arme of God Praising his wondrous workes his mighty hand Making the land of sea the sea of land verse 10 That breast where anger slept is mercies bed That breast where mercy wakes is angers caue When mercie liues then Nemesis is dead And one for eithers coarse makes others graue Hate furrowes vp a graue to bury loue
but scornes to yeeld vnto decay She hath no withered fruit no shew of store But perfect essence of a compleate power Say that she dies to world she liues the more As who so righteous but doth waite deaths hower Who knowes not death to be the way to rest And he that neuer dies is neuer blest verse 8 Happy is he that liues twice he that dies Thrice happy he which neither liu'd nor died Which neuer saw the earth with mortall eies Which neuer knew what miseries are tried Happy is life twice happy is our death But three times thrise he which had neuer breath Some thinkes that pleasure is atchieude by yeares Or by maintaining of a wretched life When out alas it heapeth teares on teares Griefe vpon griefe strife on beginning strife Pleasure is weake if measured by length The oldest ages hath the weaker strength verse 9 Three turnings are containde in mortal course Old meane and yong meane and old brings age The youth hath strength the meane decaying force The old are weake yet strong in angers rage Three turnings in one age strong weak weaker Yet age nor youth is youths or ages breaker Some sayes that youth is quicke in iudging causes Some sayes that age is witty graue and wise I holde of ages side with their applauses Which iudges with their hearts not with their eyes I say graue wisedome lies in grayest heads And vndefiled liues in ages beds verse 10 God is both graue and old yet yong and new Graue because aged aged because yong Long youth may wel be called ages hew And hath no differing sound vpon the tongue God old because eternities are old Yong for eternities one motion hold Some in their birth some dies when they are borne Some borne and some abortiue yet all die Some in their youth some in old age forlorne Some neyther yong nor old but equally The righteous when he liueth with the sinner Doth hope for death his better lifes beginner verse 11 The swine delights to wallow in the mire The giddy drunkard in excesse of wine He may corrupt the purest reasons gire And shee turne vertue into vices signe Mischiefe is mire and may infect that spring Which euery flowe and ebbe of vice doth bring Fishes are oft deceiued by the baite The baite-deceiuing fish doth fish deceiue So righteous are allurde by sins deceit And oft inticed into sinners weaue The righteous be as fishes to their gin Beguilde deceiude allured into sin The fisher hath a baite deceiuing fish verse 12 The fowler hath a net deceiuing fowles Both wisheth to obtaine their snaring wish Obseruing time like night-obseruing owles The fisher layes his baite fowler his net He hopes for fish the other birds to get This fisher is the wicked vice his baite This fowler is the sinner sinne his net The simple-righteous-falles in their deceit And like a prey a fish a fowle beset A baite a net obscuring what is good Like fish and fowle tooke vp for vices food verse 13 14 But baites nor nets gins nor beguiling snares Vice nor the vicious sinner not the sin Can shut the righteous into prisons cares Or set deceiuing baites to mew them in They know their liues deliuerer heauens God Can breake their baites and snares with iustice rod. When vice abounds on earth and earth in vice Then vertue keepes her chamber in the skie To shun the mischiefe which her baites intice Her snares her nets her guiles her companie Assoone as mischeife raignes vpon the earth Heauen calls the righteous to a better birth verse 15 The blinded eies can neuer see the way The blinded heart can neuer see to see The blinded soule doth alwayes go astray All three want sight in being blinde all three Blinde and yet see they see and yet are blinde The face hath eies but eyelesse is the minde They see with outward sight Gods heauenly grace His grace his loue his mercy on his Saints With outward faced eie and eied face Their outward body inwarde soule depaintes Of hearts chiefe eye they chiefely are berest And yet the shadowe of two eyes are left verse 16 Some blinded be in face and some in soule The faces eyes are not incurable The other wanteth healing to be whole Or seemes to some to be indurable Looke in a blinded eie bright is the glasse Though brightnes banished from what it was So quoth the righteous are these blinded hearts The outward glasse is cleare the substance darke Both seeme as if one tooke the others parts Yet both in one haue not one brightnes sparke The outwarde eye is but destructions reader Wanting the inwarde eye to be the leader Our body may be calde a common-weale verse 17 Our head the chiefe for reason harbours there From thence comes hearts and soules vnited zeale All else inferiours be which stande in feare This common-weale rul'd by discretions eye Liues likewise if shee liue dies if shee die Then how can weale or wealth common or proper Long stand long flowe long flourish long remaine When wail is weales stelth is welths chiefe stopper When sight is gone which neuer comes againe The wicked sees the righteous loose their breath But knowe not what rewarde they gaine by death verse 18 19 Though blinde in sight yet can they see to harme See to despise see to deride and mocke But their reuenge lies in Gods mighty arme Scorning to chuse them for his chosen flocke He is the shepheard godly are his sheepe They wake in ioy these in destruction sleepe The godly sleepe in eies but wake in hearts The wicked sleepe in hearts but wake in eies These euer-wake eyes are no sleepie partes These euer sleepe for sleepe is hearts disguise Their waking eies do see their hearts lament While heart securely sleepes in eyes content verse 20 If they awake sleepes image doth molest them And beates into their waking memories If they doe sleepe ioy-waking doth detest them Yet beates into their sleeping arteries Sleeping or waking they haue feare on feare Waking or sleeping they are ne're the neare If waking they remember what they are What sins they haue commmitted in their waking If sleeping they forget tormentings fare How ready they haue beene in mischiefes making When they awake their wickednes betrayes them When they do sleepe destruction dismayes them Chapter V. verse 1 AS these two slumbers haue two contraries One slumber in the face one in the minde So their two casements two varieties One vnto heauen and one to hell combinde The face is flattery and her mansion hell The minde is iust this doth in heauen dwell The face heauing her heauie eie-lids vp From foorth the chamber of eternall night Sees vertue holde plenties replenisht cup And boldly stands in Gods and heauens sight Shee opening the windowes of her brest Sees how the wicked rest in their vnrest verse 2 3 Quoth shee those whom the curtaine of decay Hath tragically summoned to paine Were once the cloudes and clouders of
she wise alone If alter olde for new we do olde wrong Call her still wisedome mistris of our soules Our liues deliuerer from our foes controules verse 16 To make that better which is best of all Were to disarme the title of the power And thinke to make a raise and make a fall Turne best to worst a day vnto an houre To giue two sundry names vnto one thing Makes it more commoner in Ecchoes sling She guides mans soule let her be calld a Queene Shee enters into man call hir a sprite Shee makes them godly which haue neuer beene Call her her selfe the image of her might Those which for vertue plead she prompts their tong Whose sute no tyrant nor no King can wrong verse 17 Shee stands as barre betweene their mouth and them She prompts their thoghts their thoghts prompts speeches sound Their tongues reward is honours diadem Their labours hire with duest merit crown'd Shee is as iudge and witnes of each heart Condemning falshood taking vertues part A shadow in the day star in the night A shadow for to shade them from the sunne A star in darkenes for to giue them light A shade in day a star when day is done Keeping both courses true in being true A shade a starre to shade and lighten you verse 18 19 And had she not the sunnes hot burning fire Had scorcht the inward pallace of your powers Your hot affection coolde your hot desire Two heats once met make coole distilling showers So likewise had not wisedome beene your star You had beene prisoner vnto Phoebes car Shee made the red-sea subiect to your craues The surges calmes the billowes smoothest wayes Shee made rough winds sleepe silent in their caues And Aeole watch whom all the winds obayes Their foes pursuing them with death and doome Did make the sea their church the waues their tome verse 20 21 They furrowed vp a graue to lie therin Burying themselues with their owne handie deed Sin dig'd a pit it selfe to bury sin Seed plowed vp the ground to scatter seed The righteous seeing this same sodaine fall Did praise the Lord and ceas'd vpon them all A glorious prise though from inglorious hands A worthy spoile though from vnworthy hearts Tosst with the Oceans rage vppon the sands Victorious gaine gained by wisedomes arts Which makes the dumbe to speak the blind to see The deafe to heare the babes haue grauitie Chapter XI verse 1 2 3 WHat he could haue a hart what hart a thought what thoght a tong what tong a shew of fear Hauing his ship balanste with such a fraught Which calms the euer-weeping oceans tears Which prospers euery enterprise of warre And leades their fortune by good fortunes starre A Pilate on the seas guide on the land Through vncouth desolate vntroden way Through wildernes of woe which in woes stand Pitching their tents where desolation lay In iust reuenge incountring with their foes Annexing wrath to wrath and blowes to blowes verse 4 But when the heate of ouermuch alarmes Had made their bodies subiect vnto thurst And broyld their hearts in wraths-allaying harmes With fiery surges which from body burst That time had made the totall summe of life Had not affection stroue to end the strife Wisedome affectionating power of zeale Did coole the passion of tormenting heate With water from a rocke which did reueale Her deare deare loue placde in affections seate She was their mother twice she nurst them twice Mingling their heat with cold their fire with ice verse 5 From whence receiude they life from a dead stone From whence receiude they speach from a mute rock As if all pleasure did proceed from mone Or all discretion from a senslesse blocke For what was each but silent dead and mute As if a thorny thistle should beare fruit T is strange how that should cure which erst did kill Giue life in whome destruction is enshrinde Alas the stone is dead and hath no skil Wisedome gaue life and loue t was wisedomes minde Shee made the store which poysoned her foes Giue life giue cure giue remedy to those verse 6 7 Blood-quaffing Mars which washt himselfe in gore Raignde in her foes thirst-slaughter-drinking hearts Their heads the bloody store-house of bloods store Their minds made bloody streames disburst in parts What was it else but butchery and hate To przie yong infants bloud at murders rate But let them surffet on their bloody cup Carowsing to their owne destructions health We drinke the siluer-streamed water vp Which vnexpected flow'd from wisedomes wealth Declaring by the thirst of our dry soules How all our foes did swimme in murders boules verse 8 What greater ill than famine or what ill Can be compared to the fire of thirst One be as both for both the body kill And first brings torments in tormenting first Famine is death it selfe and thirst no lesse If bread and water doe not yeelde redresse Yet this affliction is but vertues triall Proceeding from the mercy of Gods ire To see if it can finde his truths deniall His iudgements breach attempts contempts desire But oh the wicked sleeping in misdeede Had death on whom they fed on whom they feede verse 9 Adiudgde condemnd and punisht in one breath Arraignde tormented torturde in one lawe Adiudgde like captiues with destructions wreathe Arraignde like theeues before the barre of awe Condemnd tormented torturde punished Like captiues bold theeues vnastonished Say God did suffer famine for to raigne And thirst to rule amongst the choisest hart Yet father-like he easde them of their paine And proou'd them how they could endure a smart But as a righteous King condemnd the others As wicked sonnes vnto as wicked mothers verse 10 For where the diuel raignes there sure is hell Because the tabernacle of his name His mansion-house the place where he doth dwell The cole-blacke visage of his nigrum fame So if the wicked liue vpon the earth Earth is their hell from good to worser birth If present they are present to their teares If absent they are present to their woes Like as the snaile which shewes all that she beares Making her backe the mountaine of her shoes Present to their death not absent to their care Their punishment alike where ere they are verse 11 Why say they mournd lamented greeude and wailde And fed lament with care care with lament Say how can sorrow be with sorrow bailde When teares consumeth that which smiles hath lent This makes a double prison double chaine A double mourning and a double paine Captiuitie hoping for freedomes hap At length doth pay the ransome of her hope Yet frees her thought from any clogging clap Though backe be almost burst with yrons cope So they indurde the more because they knew That neuer till the spring the flowers grew verse 12 And that by patience commeth hearts delight Long-sought for blisse Long far fet happines Content they were to die for vertues right Sith ioy should be the pledge of heauines
you parde your oregrowne faults Your sin-like Eagles clawes past growth of time All vndermined with destructions vaults Full of olde filth proceeding from new slime Else had you beene deformed like to those Which were your frinds but now becom your foes Those which are worthy of eternall paine Foes which are worthy of immortall hate Dimming the glory of thy childrens gaine With cloudy vapours set at darknesse rate Making new lawes which are too olde in crime Making old-wicked lawes serue a new time verse 5 Wicked no bloudy lawes bloudy yea worse If any worse may haue a worser name Men oh no murdrers not of mens remorce For they are shamefull these exempt from shame What shall I call them slaughter-drinking hearts To good a word for their too ill desarts Murder was in their thoughts they thought to slay And who poore infants harmelesse innocents But murder cannot sleepe it will betray Her murdrous selfe with selfe disparagements One child poore remnant did reprooue their deeds And God destroyd the bloudy murdrers seedes verse 6 Was God destroyer then no he was iust A iudge seuere yet of a kinde remorce Seuere to those in whome there was no trust Kind to the babes which were of little force Poor babes half murdred in whole murders thoght Had not one infant their escaping wrought T was God which breathde his spirit in the childe The liuely image of his selfe-like face T was God which drownd their childrē which defilde Their thoughts with bloud their hearts with murders place For that nights tidings our old fathers ioyd Because their foes by water were destroyd verse 7 Was God a murdrer in this tragedy No but a iudge how bloud should be repaid Wast he which gaue them vnto misery No t was themselues which miseries obaid Their thoughts did kill and slay within their hearts Murdring themselues woūding their inward parts When shines the sun but when the moone doth rest When rests the sun but when the moone doth shine When ioyes the righteous when their foes are least And when doth vertue liue when vice doth pine Vertue doth liue when villany doth die Wisedome doth smile when misery doth crie verse 8 The summer dayes are longer than the nights The winter nights are longer than the dayes They shew both vertues loues and vices spites Sins lowest fall and wisedomes highest raise The night is foe to day as naught to good The day is foe to night as feare to food A king may weare a crowne but full of strife The outward shew of a small-lasting space Mischiefe may liue but yet a deadly life Sorrow may greeue in heart and ioy in face Vertue may liue disturbd with vices paine God sends this vertue a more better raigne verse 9 She doth possesse a crowne and not a care Yet cares in hauing none but selfe-like awe She hath a scepter without care or feare Yet feares the Lord and careth for the lawe Asmuch as she doth rise so much sin falles Subiect vnto her law slaue to her calles Now righteousnesse beares sway and vice put downe Vertue is Queene treading on miscchiefes head The lawe of God sancited with renowne Religion placde in wisedomes quiet bed Now ioyfull hymnes are tuned by delight And now we liue in loue and not in spite verse 10 Strong-hearted vices sobs haue pierst the ground In the deepe cesterne of the centers breast Wayling their liuing fortunes with dead sound Accents of griefe and actions of vnrest It is not sin her selfe it is her seede Which drownd in sea lies there for seas foule weed It is the fruit of murders bloudy wombe The lost fruition of a murdrous race A little stone which would haue made a tombe To bury vertue with a sin-bolde face Me thinkes I heare the ecchoes of the vaults Sound and resound their old-new-weeping faults verse 11 View the dead carcasses of humaine state The outsides of the soule case of the harts Beholde the king beholde the subiects fate Beholde each lim and bone of earthen arts Tell me the difference then of euery thing And who a subiect was and who a king The selfe same knowledge lies in this dead scene Valde to the tragike cipresse of lament Beholde that man which hath a maister beene That king which would haue climde aboue content Beholde their slaues by them vpon the earth Haue now as high a seat as great a birth verse 12 The ground hath made all euen which were odde Those equall which had inequalitie Yet all alike were fashioned by God In bodies forme but not in harts degree One difference had in scepter crowne and throne Yet crown'd rul'd plac'd in care in griefe in mone For it was care to weare a crowne of griefe And it was griefe to weare a crowne of care The king deaths subiect death his empires theefe Which makes vnequall state and equall fare More dead then were aliue and more to die Then would be buried with a mortall eie verse 13 O well-fed earth with ill digesting food O well-ill food because both flesh and sin Sin made it sick which neuer did it good Sin made it well her well doth worse begin The earth more hungry then was Tantall's iawes Had flesh and blood held in her earthen pawes Now could beleefe some quiet harbour finde When all her foes were mantled in the ground Before their sin-enchauntments made it blind Their magick arts their negromantick sound Now truth hath got some place to speake and heare And what so ere shee speaks she doth not feare verse 14 15 16 When Phoebes axletree was limnd with pale Pale which becommeth night night which is blacke Hem'd round about with gloomy shining vale Borne vp by cloudes mounted on silence backe And when nights horses in the running waine Oretook the middest of their iournies paine Thy worde ô Lord descended from thy throne The royall mansion of thy powers command As a fierce man of war in time of mone Standing in midst of the destroyed land And brought thy precept as a burning steauen Reaching from heauē to earth from earth to heauen verse 17 Now was the night far spent and mornings wings Flew through sleepie thoughts and made them dream Hying apace to welcome sunny springs And giue her time of day to Phoebus beame No sooner had she flowne vnto the east But dreamy passage did disturb their rest And then like sleepie-waking harts and eyes Turn'd vp the fainting closures of their faces Which betweene day and night in slumber lies Keeping their wakie and their sleepie places And loe a fearing dreame and dreaming feare Made euery eye let fall a sleepie teare verse 18 19 A teare halfe wet from they themselues halfe liude Poore drie-wet teare too moyst a wet-drie face A white-red face whose red-white colour striude To make anotamy of either place Two champions both resolu'd in faces field And both had halfe yet either scornde to yeeld They which were wont to mount aboue the ground Hath leaden-quick-glude sinewes
shadowed vision of destructions gin Our life begun with vice so let it ende It is a seruile labour to amend Wee ioyde in sin and let our ioyes renewe We ioyed in vice and let our ioyes remaine To present pleasures future hopes ensue And ioy once lost let vs fetch backe againe Although our age can lend no youthfull pace Yet let our mindes follow our youthfull race verse 7 What though olde age lies heauie on our backe Anotomie of an age crooked clime Let minde performe that which our bodies lacke And change olde age into a youthfull time Two heauie things are more then one can beare Blacke may the garments be the body cleare Decaying thinges be needfull of repaire Trees eaten out with years must needs decline Nature in time with foule doth cloude her faire Begitting youthfull daies with ages twine We liue and while we liue come let vs ioy To thinke of after life t is but a toy verse 8 Wee know God made vs in a liuing forme But wee le vnmake and make our selues againe Vnmake that which is made like winters storme Make vnmade things to aggrauate our paine God was our maker and he made vs good But our descent springs from another blood He made vs for to liue â—ee meane to die He made the heauen our seate we make the earth Each fashion makes a contrarietie God truest God man falsest from his birth Quoth they this earth shal be our chiefest heauen Our sin the anchor and our vice the hauen verse 9 Let heauen in earth and earth in heauen consist This earth is heauen this heauen is earthly heauen Repugnant earth repugnant heauen resist We ioy in earth of other ioyes bereauen This is the Paradice of our delight Here let vs liue and die in heauens spght Here let the monuments of wanton sports Be seated in a wantonnes disguise Closde in the circuit of veneriall forts To feed the long staru'd sight of Amours eyes Bee this the Chronicle of our content How wee did sport on earth till sport was spenâ—… verse 10 But in the glory of the brightest day Heauens smoothest browe sometime is furrowed And cloudes vsurp the clime in dim array Darkning the light which heauen had borrowed So in this earthly heauen wee dayly see That greife is placed where delight should bee Here liues the righteous bane vnto their liues O sound from forth the hollow caue of woe Here liues age-crooked fathers widowed wiues Poore and yet rich in fortunes ouerthrowe Let them not liue let vs increase their want Make barren their desire augment their scant verse 11 Our lawe is correspondent to our doome Our lawe to doome is dooming lawes offence Each one agreeth in the others roome To punish that which striues and wants defence This Cedar-like doth make the shrub to bend When shrubs doth wast their force but to contend The weakest power is subiect to obay The mushroms humbly kisse the cedars foote The cedar florishes when they decay Because her strength is grounded on a roote Wee are the cedars they the mushromes bee Vnabled shrubs vnto an abled tree verse 12 Then sith the weaker giues the stronger place The yong the elder and the foote the top The low the high the hidden powers the face All beastes the Lion euery spring his stop Let those which practise contrariety Be ioynd to vs with inequallity They say that we offend we say they doe Their blame is laid on vs our blame on them They stricke and we retort the strucken blowe So in each garment there 's a differing hem Wee end with contraries as they begun Vnequall sharing of what either wun verse 13 14 In this long conflict betweene tongue and tong Tongue new begining what one tonque did end Made this cold battell hot in eithers wrong And kept no pawsing limites to contend One tongue was eccho to the others sound Which breathed accents between mouth ground Hee which hath vertues armes vppon his shield Drawes his descent from an eternall King Hee knowes discretion can make follie yeild Life conquere death and vice a captiue bring The other tutred by his mother sin Respects nor deedes nor words but hopes to win verse 15 The first first essence of immortall life Reprooues the hart of thought the eie of sight The eare of hearing ill the minde of strife The mouth of speach the body of despight â—…art thinks eies sees eares heares mindes meditate Mouth vtters both the soule and bodies hate But Nature differing in each natures kinde Makes differing hartes each hart a differing thought Some hath shee made to see some follie blinde Some famous some obscure some good some nought So these which differeth in each natures reason Had natures time when tâ—me was out of season verse 16 Quoth they he doth reprooue our hart of thinking Our eies of sight our eares of hearing ill Our minds our hearts in meditation linking Our mouthes in speaking of our bodies will Because hart sight and minde do disagree Hee 'ld make heart sight and mind of their decree Hee saies our hart is blinded with our eies Our eies are blinded with our blinded hart Our bodies on both parts defiled lies Our mouthes the trumpets of our vices smart Quoth hee God is my Father I his sonne His waies I take your wicked waies I shun verse 17 As meditated wrongs are deeper plaste Within the deepe crue of a wronged minde So meditated wordes is neuer past Before their sounds a setled harbour finde The wicked answering to the latter words Begins to speake as much as speach affords One tong must answer other tongues replie Beginning boasts requires an ending fall Wordes liuely spoke do somtimes wordles dye If not liue Ecchoes vnto speeches call Let not the shadow smother vp the deed The outward leafe differs from in ward seed verse 18 The shape and shewe of substance and effect Doth shape the substance in the shadowes hue And shadowe put in substance will neglect The wonted shadowe of not being true Let substance followe substance showe a showe And let not substance for the shadowe goe Hee that could giue such admonition Such vaunting wordes such words confirming vaunts As if his tongue had mounted to ambition Or clim'd the turrets which vaine-glory haunts Now let his father if he be his sonne Vndoe the knot which his prowd boasts haue spun Wee are his enimies his chaine our hands verse 19 Our wordes his fetters and our hart his caue Our sterne embracements are his seruile bands Where is the helper nowe which he should haue In prison like himselfe not to be found Hee wanteth helpe himselfe to be vnbound Then sith thy father beares it patiently To suffer torments griefe rebuke and blame T is needfull thou shouldst beare equallity To see if meekenesse harbour in thy name Help father for thy sonne in prison lies Helpe sonne or else thy helples father dies verse 20 Thus is the righteous God and righteous man Drownde in obliuion with this
may come to highest honours pitch And haue heauens crowne for mortall lifes respect Gods hands shall couer them from al their foes Gods arme defend them from misfortunes blowes verse 17 18 19 20 His hand eterniti 〈◊〉 his arme his force His armour zelousie his breast-plate heauen His helmet iudgement iustice and remorce His shield is victories immortall steauen The world his challenge and his wrath his sword Mischiefe his foe his ayde his gospels word His arme doth ouerthrowe his enimie His breast-plate sinne his helmet death and hell His shield preparde against mortallitie His sword gainst them which in the world do dwell So shall vice sinne and death world and the deuill Be slaine by him which slayeth euery euill verse 21 All heauen shall be in armes against earths world The sunne shall dart foorth fire commixt with bloud The blazing starres from heauen shall be hurlde The pale-facde moone against the Ocean floud Then shall the thundring chambers of the skie Be lightned with the blaze of Titans eie The cloudes shall then be bent like bended bowes To shoote the thundring arrowes of the ayre Thicke haile and stones shall fall on heauens foes And Tethis ouerflowe in her despayre The moone shall ouer-fill her horny hood With Neptunes Oceans ouer-flowing flood verse 22 The winde shall be no longer kept in caues But burst the iron cages of the clouds And Aeole shall resigne his office staues Suffering the windes to combate with the flouds So shall the earth with seas be paled in As erst it hath beene ouerflowde with sin Thus shall the earth weepe for her wicked sonnes And curse the concaue of her tyred wombe Into whose hollowe mouth the water runnes Making wet wildernes her driest tombe Thus thus iniquitie hath raignd so long That earth on earth is punisht for her wrong Chapter VI. verse 1 2 AFter this conflict betweene God and man Remorce tooke harbour in Gods angry breast Astraea to be pitifull began All heauenly powers to lie in mercies rest Forthwith the voice of God did redescend And his Astraea warnde all to amend To you I speake quoth shee heare learne and marke You that be Kings Iudges and Potentates Giue ere I say wisedome your strongest arke Sends me as messenger to end debates Giue care I say you Iudges of the earth Wisedome is borne seeke out for wisedomes birth verse 3 This heauenly ambassage from wisedomes tong Worthy the volume of all heauens skie I bring as messenger to right your wrong If so her sacred name might neuer die I bring you happy tidings she is borne Like golden sunne-beames from a siluer morne The Lord hath seated you in iudgements seat Let wisedome place you in discretions places Two vertues one will make one vertue great And drawe more vertues with attractiue faces Be iust and wise for God is iust and wise He thoughts he words he words and actions tries verse 4 5 If you neglect your offices decrees Heape new lament on long-tosst miseries Doe and vndoe by reason of degrees And drowne your sentences in briberies Fauour and punish spare and keepe in awe Set and vnset plant and supplant the lawe Oh bee assur'd there is a Iudge aboue Which will not let iniustice flourish long If tempt him you your owne temptation moue Proceeding from the iudgement of hid tong Hard iudgement shal he haue which iudgeth hard And he that barreth others shall be bar'd verse 6 For God hath no respect of rich from poore For he hath made the poore and made the rich Their bodies be alike though their mindes soare Their difference nought but in presumptions pitch The carcasse of a King is kept from soule The Begger yet may haue the cleaner soule The highest men do beare the highest mindes The cedars skorne to bowe the mushromes bend The hiest often superstition blindes But yet their fall is greatest in the end The windes haue not such power of the grasse Because it lowly stoopeth when as they passe verse 7 8 The olde should teach the yong obseruance way But now the yong doth teach the elder grace The shrubs doe teach the Cedars to obay These yeelde to winds but these the winds out-face Yet he that made the windes to cease and blowe Can make the highest fall the lowest growe He made the great to stoop as well as small The lions to obay as other beasts He cares for all alike yet cares for all And lookes that all should answere his beheasts But yet the greater hath the sorer triall If once he findes them with his lawes deniall verse 9 Be warnde you tyrants at the fall of pride You see how surges chaunge to quiet calme You see both flowe and ebbe in follies tide How fingers are infected by their palme This may your caueat be you being kinges Infect your subiects which are lesser things Ill sents of vice once crept into the head Doth pearce into the chamber of the braine Making the outward skin diseases bed The inward powers as nourishers of paine So if that mischeife raignes in wisedomes place The inward thought lies figured in the face verse 10 Wisdome should clothe her selfe in Kings attire Being the portrature of heauens Queene But tyrantes are no Kings but mischiefes mire Not sage but shewes of what they should haue beene They seeke for vice and how to go amis But doe not once regard what wisdome is They which are Kings by name are Kings by deed Both rulers of them selues and of their land They know that heau'n is vertues duest meed And holines is knit in holy band These may be rightly called by their name whose words and works are blaz'd in wisedomes flame To nurse vp crueltie with milde aspect verse 11 Were to begin but neuer for to end Kindenes with tygers neuer takes effect Nor proffered frendship with a foe-like friend Tyrants and tygers haue all natural mothers Tyrants her sonnes tygers the tyrants brothers No words delight can moue delight in them But rather plow the traces of their ire Like swine that take the durt defore the gem And skorns that pearle which they should most desire But Kings whose names proceed frō kindnes sound Do plant their harts thoghts on wisdōs ground verse 12 13 A grounding euer moist and neuer dry An euer fruitfull earth not fruitlesse way In whose deare wombe the tender springs do lye which euer flowes and neuer ebbes away The sunne but shines by day she day and night Doth keepe one stayed essence of her light Her beams are conducts to her substance view Here eye is adamants attractiue force A shadowe hath shee none but substance true Substance out liuing life of mortall corse Her sight is easie vnto them which loue her Her finding easie vnto them which proue her verse 14 The far fet chastitie of female sex Is nothing but allurement into lust Which will forsweare and take scorne and annex Denie and practise it mistrust and trust Wisedome is chast and of another kinde
man Beginning life to make an end of woe Ending in him what in himselfe began His earths dominion through thy wisedomes flow Made for to rule according to desart And execute reuenge with vpright heart verse 4 Behold a crowne but yet a crowne of care Behold a scepter yet a sorrowes guise More than the ballance of my head can beare More than my hands can hold wherein it lies My crowne doth want supportance for to beare My scepter wanteth empire for to weare A leglesse body is my kingdomes mappe Limping in follie halting in distresse Giue me thy wisedome Lord my better happe Which may my follie cure my griefe redresse O let me not fall in obliuions caue Let wisedome be my baile for her I craue verse 5 Behold thy seruant pleading for his hire As an apprentice to thy gospels word Behold his poore estate his hot-cold fire His weake-strong limmes his mery woes record Borne of a woman woman-like in woe They weake they feeble are and I am so My time of life is as an houre of day T is as a day of months a month of yeeres It neuer comes againe but fades away As one mornes sunne about the hemispheres Little my memory lesser my time But least of all my vnderstandings prime verse 6 Say that my memory should neuer die Say that my time should neuer loose a glide Say that my selfe had earthly Maiestie Seated in all the glory of my pride Yet if discretion did not rule my minde My raigne would be like fortunes follie-blinde My memory a pathway to my shame My time the looking-glasse of my disgrace My selfe resemblance of my scorned name My pride the puffed shadow of my face Thus should I be remembred not regarded Thus should my labours end but not rewarded verse 7 What were it to be shadow of a king A vanitie to weare a shadow'd crowne A vanitie to loue an outward thing A vanitie vaine shadowes of renowne This King is king of shades because a shade A king in shew though not in action made His shape haue I his cognisance I weare A smoaky vapour hemd with vanitie Himselfe I am his kingdomes crowne I beare Vnlesse that wisedome change my liuerie A king I am God hath inflamed me And lesser than I am I can not be verse 8 When I commaund the people do obay Submissiue subiects to my votiue wil A prince I am and do what princes may Decreâ— commaund rule iudge performe fulfill Yet I my selfe am subiect vnto God As are all others to my iudgements rod. As doe my subiect honour my command So I at his commaund a subiect am I build a temple on mount Sions sand Erect an altar in thy citties name Resemblances these are where thou doost dwell Made when thou framedst heau'n earth and hell verse 9 Al these three casements were containd in wit T was wisedome for to frame the heauens skie T was wisedome for to make the earth so fit And hell within the lowest orbe to lie To make a heau'nly clime an earthly course And hell although the name of it be worse Before the world was made wisedome was borne Borne of heau'ns God conceiued in his breast Which knew what works would be what ages worn What labours life should haue what quiet rest What shuld displease and please in vice in good What should be clearest spring what fowlest mud verse 10 Oh make my sinfull bodies world anew Erect new elements new aires new skies The time I haue is fraile the course vntrue The globe vnconstant like ill fortunes eies First make the world which doth my soule contain And next my wisdome in whose power I raigne Illumine earth with wisedomes heau'nly sight Make her embassador to grace the earth Oh let her rest by day and lodge by night Within the closure of my bodies hearth That in her sacred selfe I may perceiue What things are good to take what ill to leaue verse 11 The bodies heate will flow into the face The outward index of an outward deede The inward sins do keepe an inward place Eies face mouth tongue euery function feede She is my face if I do any ill I see my shame in her repugnant will She is my glasse my tipe my forme my mappe The figure of my deede shape of my thought My lifes character fortune to my happe Which vnderstandeth all that heart hath wrought What workes I take in hand she finisheth And all my vitious thoughts diminisheth My facts are written in her foreheads booke verse 12 The volume of my thoughts lines of my words The sins I haue she murders with a looke And what one cheeke denies th' other affords As white and red like battels and retreates One doth defend the blowes the other beates So is her furious moode commixt with smile Her rod is profit her correction mirth She makes me keepe an acceptable stile And gouerne euery limit of the earth Through her the state of monarchie is knowne Through her I rule and guide my fathers throne verse 13 Mortalitie it selfe without repaire Is euer falling feebly on the ground Submissiue body hart aboue the aire Which faine would knowe when knowledge is not found Faine would it soare aboue the Eagles eie Though it be made of lead and cannot flie The soule and body are the wings of man The soule should mount but that lies drownd in sin With leaden spirit but doth what it can Yet scarcely can it rise when it is in Then how can man so weake know God so strong What hart from thought what thought from heart hath sprung verse 14 15 We thinke that euery iudgement is alike That euery purpose hath one finall end Our thoughts alas are feares feares horrors strike Horrors our lifes vncertaine course do spend Feare followes negligence both death and hel Vnconstant are the paths wherein we dwell The hollow concaue of our bodies vaultes Once laden vp with sins eternal graues Strait bursts into the soule the slime of faults And ouerfloweth like a sea of waues The earth as neighbour to our priuy thought keeps fast the mansion which our cares haue bought verse 16 Say can wee see our selues are we so wise Or can we iudge our owne with our owne hearts Alas we cannot folly blindes our eies Mischiefe our mindes with her mischieuous arts Folly raigns there where wisdom shuld beare sway And follies mischiefe barres discretions way O weake capacitie of strongest wit O strong capacitie of weaker sence To guide to meditate vnapt vnfit Blinde in perceiuing earths circumfluence If labour doth consist in mortall skill T is gâ—eater labour to know heauens will verse 17 The toyling spirit of a labouring man Is tosst in casualties of fortunes seas He thinkes it greater labour than he can To runne his mortall course without an ease Then who can gaine or finde celestiall things Vnlesse their hopes a greater labour brings What volume of thy mind can then containe thoghts words works which god thinks speaks
laboring ant VVee hope for mercy at our bodies doome Wee hope for heau'n the baile of earthly tombe verse 23 What hope they for what hope haue they of heau'n They hope for vice and they haue hope of hell From whence their soules eternity is giu'n But such eternity which paines can tell They liue but better were it for to die Immortall in their paine and misery Hath hell such freedome to deuoure soules Are soules so bolde to rush in such a place God giues hell power of vice which hell controules Vice makes her followers bolde with armed face God tortures both the mistris and the man And ends in paine that which in vice began verse 24 A bad beginning makes a worser end Without repentance meet the middle way Making a mediocrity their friend Which else would be their foe because they stray But if repentance misse the middle line The sunne of vertue endes in wests decline So did it fare with these which strai'd too far Beyond the measure of the middayes eye In errors waies lead without vertues star Esteeming beast-like powers for deitie Whose heart no thought of vnderstanding ment Whose tongue no word of vnderstanding sent verse 25 Like infant babes bearing their natures shell Vpon the tender heads of tendrer wit which tongue-tide are hauing no tale to tell To driue away the childhood of their fit Vnfit to tune their tongue with wisedomes string Too fit to quench their thirst in follies spring But they were trees to babes babes sprigs to them They not so good as these in being nought In being nought the more from vices stem Whose essence cannot come without a thought To punish them is punishment in season They children like without or wit or reason verse 26 To bee derided is to be halfe dead Derision beares a part tweene life and death Shame followes her with misery halfe fed Halfe-breathing life to make halfe life and breath Yet here was mercy showne their deeds were more Then could bee wipte off by derisions score This mercy is the warning of misdeedes A trumpet summoning to vertues walls To notifie their hearts which mischiefe feeds Whom vice instructs whom wickednes exhal's But if derision can not murder sin Then shame shall end and punishment begin verse 27 For many shamelesse are bolde stout in ill Then how can shame take roote in shamlesse plants When they their browes with shamelesse furrows fill And plows ech place which one plow-furrow wants Then being arm'd gainst shame with shamlesse face How can derision take a shameful place But punishment may smoth their wrinckled brow And set shame on the forehead of their rage Guiding the forefront of that shamelesse row Making it smooth in shame though not in age Then will they say that God is iust and true But t is too late damnation will ensue Chapter XIII verse 1 THe branch must needs be weake if roote be so The roote must needs be weake it branches fall Nature is vaine man cannot be her foe Because from nature and at natures call Nature is vaine and wee proceede from nature Vaine therefore is our birth and vaine our feature One body may haue two diseases sore Not being two it may be ioynde to two Nature is one it selfe yet two and more Vaine ignorant of God of good of show Which not regards the things which god hath don And what things are to doe what new begun verse 2 Why doe I blame the tree when t is the leaues Why blame I nature for her mortall men Why blame I men t is she t is she that weaues That weaues that wafts vnto destructions pen Then being blamefull both because both vaine I leaue to both their vanities due paine To prize the shadow at the substance rate Is a vaine substance of a shadowes hue To thinke the sonne to be the fathers mate Earth to rule earth because of earthly view To thinke fire winde ayre stars water and heau'n To be as Gods from whom their selues are giu'n verse 3 Fire as a God oh irreligious sound Winde as a God oh vaine oh vainest voice Aire as a God when t is but duskie ground Star as a God when t is but Phoebes choice Water a God which first by God was made Heauen a God which first by God was laide Say all hath beautie excellence array Yet beautifide they are they were they bee By Gods bright excellence of brightest day Which first implanted our first beuties tree If then the painted outside of the show Bee radiant what is the inward row verse 4 If that the shadowe of the bodies skin Bee so illumin'd with the sun-shin'd soule What is the thing it selfe which is within More wrencht more cleansde more purifi'd from foul If elementall powers haue Gods thought Say what is God which made them all of nought It is a wonder for to see the skie And operation of each ayrye power A meruaile that the heau'n should be so hie And let fall such a low distilling shower Then needs must hee bee high higher then all Which made both hie and lowe with one tongues call verse 5 The workeman mightier is then his hand-worke In making that which else would be vnmade The nere-thought thing doth alwaies hidden lurke Without the maker in a making trade For had not God made man man had not beene But nature had decayde and nere beene seene The workman neuer shewing of his skill Doth liue vnknowne to man though knowne to wit Had mortall birth beene neuer in Gods will God had beene God but yet vnknowne in it Then hauing made the glory of earths beautie T is reason earth should reuerence him in dutie verse 6 The sauadge people haue a supreame head A king though sauadge as his subiects are Yet they with his obseruances are lead Obaying his beheasts what ere they were The Turkes the infidels all haue a Lord Whom they obserue in thought in deed in word And shall we differing from their sauage kinde Hauing a soule to liue and to beleeue Be rude in thought in deed in word in minde Not seeking him which should our woes releeue Oh no deere brethren seeke our God our fame Then if wee erre we shall haue lesser blame verse 7 How can wee erre wee seeke for ready way Oh that my tongue could fetch that word againe Whose very accent makes me go astray Breathing that erring wind into my braine My word is past and cannot be recalde It is like aged time now waxen balde For they which goe astray in seeking God Doe misse the ioyefull narrow-footed path Ioyfull thrice ioyfull way to his abode Nought seeing but their shadowes in a bath Narcissus-like pining to see a show Hindring the passage which their feete should goe verse 8 9 Narcissus fantasie did die to kisse O sugred kisse dide with a poisoned lip The fantasies of these do die to misse Oh tossed fantasies in follies ship He dide to kisse the shadow of his face These liue and die to
lifes and deaths disgrace A fault without amends crime without ease A sin without excuse death without aide To loue the world and what the world did please To know the earth wherein their sinnes are laide They knew the world but not the L. that framde it They knew the earth but not the L. that namde iâ— verse 10 Narcissus drownde himselfe for his selfes shew Striuing to heale himselfe did himselfe harme These drownde them selues on earth with their selues woe Hee in a water-brooke by furies charme They made dry earth wet with their follys weepiÌ„g Hee made wet earth dry with his furies sleeping Then leaue him to his sleepe returne to those Which euer wake in miseries constraints Whose eyes are hollow caues and made sleeps foes Two dungeons darke with sin blind with complaints They called images which man first found Immortall Gods for which their tongs are bound verse 11 12 Golde was a God with them a golden God Like children in a pageant of gay toyes Adoring images for saints abode Oh vaine vaine spectacles of vainer ioyes Putting their hope in blocks their trust in stones Hoping to trust trusting to hope in mones As when a carpenter cuts downe a tree Meet for to make a vessell for mans vse He pareth all the barke most cunningly With the sharp shauer of his kniues abuse Ripping the seely wombe with no entreate Making her woundy chips to dresse his meat verse 13 14 Her bodies bones are often rough and hard Crooked with ages growth growing with crookes And full of wether-chinkes which seasons marrde Knobbie and rugged bending in like hookes Yet knowing age can neuer want a fault Encounters it with a sharpe knifes assault And carues it well though it be selfe-like ill Obseruing leasure keeping time and place According to the cunning of his skill Making the figure of a mortall face Or like some vgly beast in ruddy mould Hiding each crannie with a painters fould verse 15 16 It is a world to see to marke to view How age can botch vp age with crooked thread How his olde hands can make an olde tree new And dead-like hee can make another dead Yet makes a substantiue able to beare it And she an adiectiue nor see nor heare it A wall it is it selfe yet wall with wall Hath great supportance bearing either part The image like an adiectiue would fall Were it not closed with an yron hart The workman being olde himselfe doth know What great infirmities olde age can show verse 17 Therefore to stop the riuer of extreames Hee burst into the flowing of his wit Tossing his braines with more then thousand theams To haue a wooden stratagem so fit Woodden because it doth belong to wood His purpose may be wise his reason good His purpose wise no foolish fond and vaine His reason good no wicked vild and ill To be the authour of his owne liues paine To be the tragick actor of his will Praying to that which he before had fram'd For welcome faculties and not asham'd verse 18 19 Calling to follie for discretions sence Calling to sicknes for sick bodies health Calling to weakenes for a stronger fence Calling to pouertie for better wealth Praying to death for life for this hee praide Requiring helpe of that which wanteth aide Desiring that of it which he not had And for his iourney that which cannot goe And for his gaine her furdrance to make glad The worke which he doth take in hand to doe These windie words do rush against the wall Shee cannot speake t will sooner make her fâ—â—â— Chapter XIIII verse 1 AS doth one little sparke make a great flame Kindled from forth the bosome of the flint As doth one plague infect with it selfe name With watrie humours making bodies dint So euen so this idoll worshipper Doth make another idoll practiser The shipman cannot teeme dame Tethis waues Within a winde-taught-capring anchorage Before hee prostrate lies and suffrage craues And haue a block to be his fortunes gage More crooked then his sterne yet he implores her More rotten then his ship yet he adores her verse 2 3 4 Who made this forme he that was form'd and made T was auarice t was shee that found it out Shee made her crafts-man crafty in his trade Hee cunning was in bringing it about Oh had he made the painted shew to speake It would haue calde him vaine herselfe to wreake It would haue made him blush aliue though hee Did die her colour with a deadly blush Thy pouidence ó father doth decree A sure sure way amongst the waues to rush Thereby declaring that thy power is such That thogh a man were weake thou canst do much verse 5 What is one single barre to double death One death in death the other death in feare This single barre a borde a poore bords breath Yet stops the passage of each Neptunes teare To see how many liues one borde can haue To see how many liues one borde can saue How was this borde first made by wisedomes art Which is not vaine but firme not weake but sure Therfore do men commit their liuing hart To plancks which either life or death procure Cutting the stormes in two parting the winde Plowing the sea till they their harbour finde verse 6 The sea whose mountaine billowes passing bounds Rusheth vpon the hollow-sided barke With rough-sent kisses from the water grounds Raising a foaming heat with rages sparke Yet sea nor waues can make the shipman feare Hee knowes that die he must hee cares not where For had his timorous heart beene dide in white And sent an eccho of resembling woe Wisedome had beene vnknowne in follies night The sea had beene a desolations showe But one world hope lay houering on the sea When one worlds hap did end with one decay verse 7 8 Yet Phoebus drowned in the oceans world Phoebe disgrast with Tethis billow-roules And Phoebus firie-golden-wreath vncurl'd was seated at the length in brightnes soules Man tosst in wettest wildernes of seas Had seed on seed encrease vpon encrease Their mansion-house a tree vpon a waue O happy tree vppon vnhappy ground But euery tree is not ordain'd to haue Such blessednes such vertue such abound Some trees are carued images of nought Yet God-like reuerenc'd ador'd besought verse 9 Are the trees nought alas they sencelesse are The hands which fashion them condemne their groth Cuts downe their branches vailes their forehead bare Both made in sin though not sins equall both First God made man and vice did make him new And man made vice from vice and so it grew Now is her haruest greater then her good Her wonted winter turn'd to summers ayre Her ice to heat her sprig to cedars wood Her hate to loue her lothsome filth to faire Man loues her well by mischiefe new created God hates her ill because of vertue hated verse 10 O foolish man mounted vppon decay More vgly then Alastors pitchie backe Nights dismall summoner and end of day Carrying all
duskie vapours hemde in blacke Behold thy downfall ready at thy hand Behold thy hopes wherein thy hazards stand Oh spurne away that blocke out of thy way With vertues appetite and wisedomes force That stumbling blocke of follie and decay That snare which doth ensnare thy treading corse Beholde thy body falls let vertue beare it Beholde thy soule doth fall let wisedome reare it verse 11 Say art thou yong or olde tree or a bud Thy face is so disfigured with sin Yong I doe thinke thou art in what in good But olde I am assur'd by wrinckled skin Thy lips thy tongue thy heart is yong in praying But lips and tongue and heart is olde in straying Olde in adoring idolls but too yong In the obseruance of diuinest lawe Yong in adoring God though olde in tong Olde and too olde yong and too yong in awe Beginning that which doth begin misdeeds Inuenting vice which all thy body feeds verse 12 13 But this corrupting and infecting foode This caterpiller of eternitie The foe to blisse the canker vnto good The new accustom'd way of vanitie It hath not euer beene nor shall it be But perish in the branch of follies tree As her descent was vanities aline So her descending like to her descent Here shall shee haue an end in hell no fine Vaine glory brought her vainely to be spent You know all vanity drawes to an end Then needs must shee decay because her frend verse 14 Is there more follie then to weepe at ioy To make eyes watrie when they should be drie To greeue at that which murders griefes annoy To keepe a shower where the sunne should lie But yet this folly-cloude doth oft appeare When face should smile and watry eie bee cleere The father mournes to see his sonne life-dead But seldome mournes to see his sonne dead-liu'd Hee cares for earthly lodge not heau'ns bed For death in life not life in death suruiu'd Keeping the outward shadow of his face To worke the inward substance of disgrace verse 15 Keeping a shew to counterpoize the deed Keeping a shadow to be substance heire To raise the thing it selfe from shadowes seed And make an element of liuelesse aire Adoring that which his owne hands did frame Whose hart inuention gaue whose tong the name But could infection keepe one setled place The poyson would not lodge in euery brest Nor feede the hart the minde the soule the face Lodging but in the carcasse of her rest But this Idolatry once in mans vse Was made a custome then without excuse verse 16 Nay more it was at tyrannies commaund And tyrants cannot speake without a doome Whose iudgement doth proceed from heart and hand From heart in rage from hand in bloudy tombe That if through absence any did neglect it Presence should pay the ransome which reiect it Then to auoide the doome of present hate Their absence did performe their presence want Making the image of a kingly state As if they had new seed from sins olde plant Flattring the absence of olde mischiefes mother With the like forme and presence of another verse 17 Making an absence with a present sight Or rather presence with an absent view Deceiuing vulgars with a day of night Which know not good from bad nor false from true A crafts-man cunning in his crafty trade Beguiling them with that which he had made Like as a vane is turn'd with euery blast Vntill it point vnto the windie clime So stand the people at his worde agast Hee making olde new forme in new-olde time Defies and deifies all with one breath Making them liue and die and all in death verse 18 They like to Tantalus are fed with shoes Shewes which exasperat and cannot cure They see the painted shadow of suppose They see her sight yet what doth sight procure Like Tantalus they feed and yet they starue Their foode is caru'd to them yet hard to carue The crafts-man feeds them with a staruing meat Which doth not fill but empty hungers gape Hee makes the idoll comely faire and great With well limnd visage and best fashioned shape Meaning to giue it to some noble view And faine his beautie with that flattring hue verse 19 Enamour'd with the sight the people grew To diuers apparitions of delight Some did admire the portraiture so new Hew'd from the standard of an olde trees hight Some were allur'd through beutie of the face With outward eye to worke the soules disgrace Adored like a God though made by man To make a God of man a man of God T is more then humaine life or could or can Though multitudes applause in error trode I neuer knew since mortall lifes abod That man could make a man much lesse a God verse 20 Yes man can make his shame without a maker Borrowing the essence from restored sin Man can be vertues foe and vices taker Welcome himselfe without a welcome in Can he doe this yea more oh shamlesse ill Shamefull in shame shamelesse in wisedomes will The riuer of his vice can haue no bound But breakes into the ocean of deceit Deceiuing life with measures of dead ground With carued idols disputations baite Making captiuitie cloth'd all in mone Bee subiect to a God made of a stone verse 21 Too stony hearts had they which made this lawe Oh had they beene as stony as the name They neuer had brought vulgars in such awe To be destructions pray and mischiefes game Had they beene stone-dead both in looke fauour They neuer had made life of such a sauour Yet was not this a too sufficient doome Sent from the roote of their sin-oregrowne tong To cloud gods knowledge with hel mischiefs gloome To ouerthrowe truths right with falshoods wrong But dayly practised a perfect way Still to begin and neuer end to stray verse 22 23 For either murders pawe did gripe their harts With whispring horrors drumming in each eare Or other villanies did play their parts Augmenting horror to newe strucken feare Making their hands more then a shambles stall To slay their children ceremoniall No place was free from staine of blood or vice Their life was markt for death their soule for sin Marriage for fornications thawed ice Thought for despaire body for eithers gin Slaughter did either end what life begunne Or lust did end what both had left vndone verse 24 25 The one was sure although the other faile For vice hath more competitors then one A greater troupe doth euermore auaile And villanie is neuer found alone The bloud-hound folows that which slaughter kild And theft doth folow what deceit hath spild Corruption mate to infidelitie For that which is vnfaithfull is corrupt Tumults are schoole fellowes to periury For both are full when either one hath supt Vnthankfullnes defiling and disorders Are fornications and vncleannes borders See what a sort of rebells are in armes verse 26 To root out vertue to supplant her raigne Opposing of them selues against all harmes To the deposing of her empires
betrayed Mischiefe beguilde a night surpassing night Vice fought with vice and feare was then dismayde Horror it selfe appal'd at such a sight Sinâ—s snare was then ensnarde the fisher cought Sinnes net was then entrapt the fouler fought Yet all this conflict was but in a dreame A show of substance and a shade of truth Illusions for to mocke in flattring theame Beguiling mischiefe with a glasse of ruth For boasts require a fall and vaunts a shame Which two vice had in thinking but to game verse 8 Sinne tolde her creditours she was a Queene And now become reuenge to right their wrong With hony-mermaids speech alluring seene Making new-pleasing words with her olde tongue If you be sick quoth she I 'le make you whole Shee cures the body but makes sicke the soule Safe is the body when the soule is wounded The soule is ioyfull in the bodies griefe Ones ioy vpon the others sorrow grounded Ones sorrow placed in the ones releefe Quoth siâ— feare nothing know that I am heere When shee alas her selfe was sick for feare verse 9 A promise worthy of derisions place That feare shoulde helpe a feare when both are one Shee was as sick in hart though not in face With inward griefe though not with outward mone But shee claspt vp the closure of the tongue For feate that words should do her body wrong Cannot the body weepe without the eies Yes and frame deepest canzons of lament Cannot the body feare without it lies Vpon the outward shew of discontent Yes yes the deeper feare sits in the heart And keeps the parliament of inward smart verse 10 So sin did snare in minde and not in face The dragons iaw the hissing serpents sting Some liu'd some dide some ran a fearefull race Some did preuent that which ill fortunes bring All were officious seruitours to feare And her pale connizance in heart did weare Malice condemnd her selfe guiltie of hate With a malicious mouth of enuious spight For Nemesis is her owne cruell fate Turning her wrath vpon her owne delight Wee need no witnes for a guiltie thought Which to condemne it selfe a thousand brought verse 11 12 For feare deceiues it selfe in being feare It feares it selfe in being still afraid It feares to weepe and yet it sheds a teare It feares it selfe and yet it is obaid The vsher vnto death a death to doome A doome to die in horrors fearefull toome His owne betrayer yet feares to betray He feares his life by reason of his name He feares lament because it brings decay And blames himselfe in that he merites blame He is tormented yet denies the paine He is the king of feare yet loath to raigne verse 13 His sons were they which slept and dreamt of feare A waking sleepe and yet a sleepy waking Which passt that night more longer than a yeare Being griefes prisners and of sorrowes taking Slept in nights dungeon insupportable Lodgde in nights-horror too indurable Oh sleepe the image of long-lasting woe Oh waking image of long-lasting sleepe The hollow caue where visions come and goe Where serpents hisse where mandrakes grone creep Oh fearefull shew betrayer of a soule Dieng each heart in white each white in foule verse 14 15 A guilefull hole a prison of deceit Yet nor deceit nor guile in being dead Snare without snarer net without a bait A common lodge and yet without a bed A holow-sounding vault knowne and vnknowne Yet not for mirth but too too well for mone T is a free prison a chainde libertie A freedomes caue a sergeant and a baile It keepes close prisoners yet doth set them free Their clogges not yron but a clog of waile It stayes them not and yet they cannot goe Their chaine is discontent their prison woe verse 16 Still it did gape for more and still more had Like greedy auarice without content Like to Auernus which is neuer glad Before the dead-liude wicked soules be sent Pull in thy head thou sorrowes tragedy And leaue to practise thy olde cruelty The merry shepheard can not walke alone Tuning sweete Madrigals of haruests ioy Caruing loues Roundelayes on euery stone Hanging on euery tree some amorous toy But thou with sorrow enterlines his song Opening thy iawes of death to do him wrong verse 17 18 Oh now I know thy chaine thy clog thy fetter Thy freechainde prison and thy clogged walke T is gloomy darknesse sins eternall detter T is poysoned buds from Acharonticke stalke Sometime t is hissing winds which are their bands Somtime inchanting birds which binds their hands Sometime the foaming rage of waters streame Or clattring downe of stones vpon a stone Or skipping beasts at Titans gladsome beame Or roaring lions noyse at one alone Or babbling Eccho tell-tale of each sound From mouth to skie from skie vnto the ground verse 19 20 Can such like feares folow mans mortall pace Within drie wildernes of wettest woe It was Gods prouidence his will his grace To make midnoone midnight in being so Midnight with sin midnoone where vertue lay That place was night all other places day The sun not past the middle line of course Did cleerely shine vpon each labours gaine Not hindring daily toyle of mortall force Nor clouding earth with any gloomy staine Onely nights image was apparant there With heauy-leaden appetite of feare Chapter XVIII verse 1 YOu know the Eagle by her soaring wings And how the Swallow takes a lower pich Ye kno the day is clear clearenes brings And how the night is pore thogh gloomy rich This Eagle vertue is which mounts on hie The other sin which hates the heauens eie This day is wisedome being bright and cleare This night is mischiefe being blacke and fowle The brightest day doth wisedomes glory weare The pitchie night puts on a blacker rowle Thy saints O Lord were at their labors hire At whose heard voyce the wicked did admire verse 2 They thought that vertue had beene clothde in night Captiue to darknesse prisoner vnto hell But it was sin it selfe vice and despight Whose wished harbours do in darknesse dwell Vertues immortall soule had middaies light Mischiefes eternall foule had middayes night For vertue is not subiect vnto vice But vice is subiect vnto vertues seate One mischiefe is not thawed with others ice But more adioynde to one makes one more great Sin vertues captiue is and kneeles for grace Requesting pardon for her rude-run race The tongue of vertues life cannot pronounce verse 3 The doome of death or death of dying doome T is mercifull and will not once renounce Repentant teares to wash a sinfull roome Your sin-shine was not sun-shine of delight But shining sin in mischiefes sunny night Now by repentance you are bathde in blisse Blest in your bath eternall by your deedes Behold you haue true light and can not misse The heau'nly foode which your saluation feedes True loue true life true light your portions true What hate what strife what night can danger you verse 4 Oh happy when