Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A34821
|
The foure ages of England, or, The iron age with other select poems / written by Mr. A. Cowley.
|
Cowley, Abraham, 1618-1667.
|
1648
(1648)
|
Wing C6671; ESTC R18757
|
34,076
|
77
|
does Eutrapelize And give them wealth to plague them good men hold They 're fetter'd slaves although those fetters gold CHAP. XIX HOw many slow-wormes had we in our Land 'Twixt whom beasts no difference could stand That having wealth liv'd here and spent their own And having suckt out that Leech-like are gone Whose life if 't were a life cannot be found Guilty of one good Act that might redound Unto their kindreds friends or Countries good But ev'n like Belly-slaves provide for food Whose minds were not emblazon'd with those gifts That man above a bruitish Creature lifts They weare no soules within or if they do They count them burthens nay and troubles too Their bodies do like Sodomes Apples stand And they but Pleonasmes of our Land Luxurious wantonnesse did still prevent Their naturall desire of nourishment They us'd Provocatives to eat drink sleep From hunger thirst and cold themselves to keep The Cankers and the Bellies of the State Whose limbs stand uselesse as if out of date And when they die this only may be said Here lies one that was borne that liv'd and 's dead By whom death lost his labour he 's no more But a dead lump and so he was before CHAP. XX OUr giddy phansy surfeited with pride In various habit ev'n the French out-vy'd So great was our luxurious wantonnesse 'T was sin the Sun should twice behold one dresse Fashions had still a Clymax clothing went From warme to comely thence magnificent Our naturall haire not shed by Venerie Was shav'd by Pride and we our heads belie With womens excrements which might be known Only because we bought it 't was our own Lech'ry first taught this evill to our Nation Now what it wore for need we weare for fashion Women transform'd to men men women grew We by the shape scarce one from t'other knew Such boldnesse those these such effeminatenes Possessâ—d that both seem'd one Androgenes Faces bely'd with paint and York put there Where nature did at first write Lancaster When angry teeth fell out and brake their sums By the pollution of their stinking gums Be got by sweet-meats or that trait'rous sawce The rebell to good stomacks wholsome Lawes Women had Regiments of teeth in pay And drew out severall Cent'ries every day To stop the Breaches that should Poets write Their teeth were Ivory it may be right Their heads with massy-ruffs were bulwark'd round And yoak'd in bands which scarce a measure found With such impostures and a thousand more As if we were not proud but pride all o're This brings new sins new sins new plagues draw on So Pride's preamble to destruction A Kingdomes blisse is but conditionall When they from Grace they straight from Glory fall For whatsoever unto vice doth tend Begins in sin and must in sorrow end The Iron Age CHAP. I. THe cup of trembling which so oft has bin Quaft round about us is at last stept in And we must drink the dregs on 't we that be Sever'd from other Nations by the Sea And from our selves divided by our sin Need now no forraign foes wee 've foes within What need an enemy the walls to beat When the defendents sins doe ope the gate God who at first did man to man unite Sets man 'gainst man in a Cadmean fight Limb jarrs with limb and every member tries To be above 's superiour Arteries The Elements and humours that before Made up a compound body now no more Kisse in an even tempr'ature but try T' un-make themselves by their Antipathy And 'cause divided Kingdomes cannot stand Our Land will be the ruine of our Land The State 's now quite unhing'd the Ingineers That have been ham'ring it these many yeers Now ply it home striking while th' iron's hot And make our jarrs th' ingredients of their plot Which b'ing contriv'd by some whom Schism and pride Had long ago inflam'd now when they spi'd The peoples minds inclining to their will Set on their work and more and more instill Sedition by themselves and instruments To fill the peoples minds with discontents But privately at first untill at length They had increas'd their number pow'r and strength CHAP. II. THen first a Meteor with a Sword breaks forth Into this Island from the boist'rous North Darting ill influences on our State And though we knew not what they aimed at They went to make us Denizons o' th' Tombs While they religiously possesse our roomes These from the entrailes of a barren soile On an imagin'd wrong invade our Isle Upon pretence of Liberty to bring Slav'ry to us and ruine to our King Whose yelling throats b'ing choakt at last with that Which cures all Gold they aimed at A private project to ingage the rout Of English Scots to bring their ends about And spoile the Crown so what they could not do By force by fraud they slily work us to They came to help us that themselves might get And are deare Brethren but we pay for it Hence hence our tears hence all our sorrow springs The curse of Kingdomes and the Bane of Kings CHAP. III. THen they in publique meet and 'cause they knew All their successe upon the people grew They feel their pulses and their cures applie Be 't good or bad still to their phantasie What e're they love to praise and what they hate In every act to give a jerk at that What e're they would have done must not b'impos'd By humane Law but with Religion gloz'd And when Lawes penall are too weak to do it Then their Lay-Levites presse the Conscience to it Who are maintained to preach and pray and pray As if they had Commissions of Array From Heav'n to make men fight they cry Armes armes What e're 's the Text the Uses are alarmes Though they seem pale like Envy to our view Their very pray'rs are of a sanguine hue And though they 've Iacobs Voice yet we do find T hey've Esaus hands nay more they 've Esaus mind Their empty heads are Drums their noses are In sound and fashion Trumpets to the warre These dangerous fire-brands of curst sedition Are Emissaries to increase division These make Gods Word their pander to attain The fond devices of their factious Brain Like Beacons being set themselves on fire In peoples minds they uproares straight inspire Or like the Devill who since from heav'n he fell Labors to pull mankind with him to hell In this beyond the Devill himself they go He sow'd by night they in the day-time sow He while the Servants slept did sow his tares They boldly in Gods Pastors sight sow theirs They 've tongue-ti'd Truth Scripture they 've made a glasse Where each new Heresie may see his face CHAP. IX THey make long speeches and large promises And giving hopes of plenty and increase Cherish all discontented men at hand To help all grievances they crouch and stand Congying to all and granting every Suit Approve all Causes Factions and impute All scandalls to the Court that they