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
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
my day Deprauers and depriuers of my gaine The wicked hearing this descending sound Feare strucke their lims to the pale-clothed ground Amazed at the freedome of her words Their tongue-tide accents droue them to dispaire And made them change their mindes to woes records And say within themselues lo what wee are We haue had vertue in derisions place And made a parable of her disgrace verse 4 See where she sits enthronizde in the skie See see her labours crowne vpon her head See how the righteous liue which erst did die From death to life with vertues loadstaâ—re led See those whome we derided they are blest They heauens not hels we hells not heauens guest We thought the righteous had beene furies sonne With inconsiderate speech vnstayed way We thought that death had his dishonour wonne And would haue made his life destructions pray But we were mad they iust we fooles they wise We shame they praise we losse they haue the prise verse 5 We thoght theÌ„ fools when we our selues were fooles We thoght them mad when we our selues were mad The heate which sprang from them our follie cooles We find in vs which we but thought they had We thought their end had beene dishonors pledge They but surueyd the place we made the hedge We see how they are blest how we are curst How they accepted are and we refusde And how our bands are tied their bands are burst Our faults are hourely blamde their faults excusde See how heauens gratulate their welcomd sight Which comes to take possession of their right verse 6 But oh too late we see our wickednesse Too late we lie in a repentant tombe Too late we smoothe olde haires with happinesse Too late we seeke to ease our bodies doome Now falshoode hath aduauncde her forged banner Too late wee seeme to verefie truths manner The sunne of righteousnes which should haue shinde And made our hearts the cabines of his East Is now made cloudy night through vices winde And lodgeth with his downefall in the west That summers day which shuld haue bin nights bar Is now made winter in her icie carre verse 7 Too much our feet haue gone but neuer right Much labour we haue tooke but none in good We wearied our selues with our delight Endangering our selues to please our moode Our feete did labour much t was for our pleasure We wearied our selues t was for our leasure In sinnes perfection was our labour spent In wickednes preferment we did haste To suffer perills wee were al content For the aduancement of our vices past Throgh many dangerous waies our feet haue gone But yet the way of God we haue not knowne verse 8 9 Wee which haue made our harts a sea of pride With huge risse billowes of a swelling minde With tossing tumults of a flowing tide Leauing our laden bodyes plungde behinde What trafficke haue we got our selues are drownd Our soules in hell our bodies in the ground Where are our riches now like vs consumde Where is our pompe decaide wher 's glory dead Where is the wealth of which wee all presumde where is our profit gone our selues misled All these are like to shadowes what they were There is nor wealth nor pompe nor glory here verse 10 The diall giues a caueat of the houre Thou canst not see it go yet it is gone Like this the diall of thy fortunes power Which fades by stealth till thou art left alone Thy eies may well perceiue thy goods are spent Yet can they not perceiue which way they went Lo eu'ne as ships sailing on Tethis lap Plowes vp the furrowes of hard grounded waues Enforced for to go by Eoles clap Making with sharpest teeme the water graues The ship once past the trace cannot be found Although shee digged in the waters ground verse 11 Or as an Eagle with her soaring wings Scorning the dusty carpet of the earth Exempt from all her clogging gesses flings Vp to the ayre to shew her mounting birth And euery flight doth take a higher pitch To haue the golden sunne her wings enrich Yet none can see the passage of her flight But onely heare her houering in the skie Beating the light winde with her being light Or parting through the ayre where she might flie The eare may heare the eye can neuer see What course she takes or where she meanes to bee verse 12 Or as an arrowe which is made to goe Through the transparent and coole-blowing ayre Feeding vpon the forces of the bowe Else forcelesse lies in wanting her repaire Like as the branches when the tree is lopt Wanteth the forces which they forcelesse cropt The arrow being fed with strongest shot Doth part the lowest elementall breath Yet neuer separates the soft ayres knot Nor neuer woundes the still-foote windes to death It doth seioyne and ioyne the ayre together Yet none there is can tell or where or whither verse 13 So are our liues now they beginne now end Now liue now die now borne now fit for graue As soone as we haue breath so soone we spend Not hauing that which our content would haue As ships as birds as arrowes all as one Euen so the traces of our liues are gone A thing not seene to go yet going seene And yet not shewing any signe to go Euen thus the shadowes of our liues haue beene Which shewes to fade and yet no vertues shew How can a thing consumde with vice be good Or how can falshoode beare true vertues foode verse 14 Vaine hope to thinke that wickednes hath bearing When she is drowned in obliuions sea Yet can she not forget presumptions wearing Nor yet the badge of vanities decay Her fruites are cares her cares are vanities Two both in one destructions liueries Vaine hope is like a vane turnde with each winde T is like a smoake scattred with euery storme Like dust sometime before sometime behinde Like a thin some made in the vainest forme This hope is like to them which neuer stay But comes and goes againe all in one day verse 15 View Natures gifts some gifts are rich some poore Some barren grounds there are som clothd with fruit Nor hath all nothing nor hath all her store Nor can all creatures speake nor are all mute All die by nature being borne by nature So all change feature being borne with feature This life is hers this dead dead is her power Her bounds begins and ends in mortall state Whom she on earth accounteth as her flower May be in heauen condemnde of mortall hate But he whom vertue iudges for to liue The Lord his life and due reward will giue verse 16 The seruant of a king may be a king And he that was a king a seruile slaue Swans before death a funerall dirge do sing And waues their wings agen ill fortunes waue He that is lowest in this lowly earth May be the highest in celestiall birth The rich may be vniust in being rich For riches do corrupt and not correct The poore
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
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
helpe helpe and oppresse The sinfull incolants of his made earth He can redresse and paine paine and redresse The mountaine-miseries of mortall birth Now tyrants you are next this but a show And merry index of your after woe verse 5 6 Your hot-colde misery is now at hand Hot because furies heat and mercies colde Cold because limping knit in frosty band And cold and hot in being shamefast-bolde They cruell were take crueltie their part For misery is but too meane a smart But when the Tygers iawes the Serpents stings Did summon them vnto this lifes decay A pardon for their faults thy mercy brings Cooling thy wrath with pitties sunnie day O tyrants tere your sin-bemired weeds Beholde your pardon sealde by mercies deeds verse 7 8 That sting which pained could not ease the paine Those iaws that wounded could not cure the wounds To turne to stings for helpe it were but vaine To iawes for mercie which wants mercies bounds The stings ô Sauiour were puld out by thee Their iawes claspt vp in midst of crueltie O soueraigne salue stop to a bloody streame O heauenly care and cure for dust and earth Celestiall watch to wake terrestriall dreame Dreaming in punishment mourning in mirth Now knowes our enimies that it is thee Which helpes and cures our griefe and misery verse 9 Our punishment doth end theirs new begins Our day appeares their night is not oreblowne Wee pardon haue they punishment for sins Now we are raisde now they are ouerthrowne Wee with huge beasts opprest they with a flie Wee liue in God and they against God die A flie poore flie to follow such a flight Yet art thou fed as thou wast fed before With dust and earth feeding thy wonted bite With selfe-like food from mortall earthly store A mischiefe-stinging food and sting with sting Do ready passage to destruction bring verse 10 Man beeing grasse is hopt and graz'd vpon With sucking grasse-hoppers of weeping dew Man being earth is wormes vermilion Which eats the dust and yet of bloudy hue In being grasse he is her grazing food In being dust he doth the wormes some good These smallest actors were of greatest paine Of follies ouerthrow of mischiefes fall But yet the furious dragons coulde not gaine The life of those whom verities exhale These follie ouercame they foolish were These mercie cur'd and cures these godly are verse 11 When poysoned iawes and veninated stings Were both as opposite against content Because content with that which fortune brings They eased were when thou thy mercies sent The iawes of dragons had not hungers fill Nor stings of serpents a desire to kill Appal'd they were and struck with timerous feares For where is feare but where destruction raignes Agast they were with wet eye-standing teares Outward commencers of their inward paines They soone were hurt but sooner healde and cured Lest black obliuion had their minds inured verse 12 The lion wounded with a fatall blow Is as impatient as a king in rage Seeing himselfe in his owne bloody show Doth rent the harbour of his bodies cage Scorning the base-housde earth mounts to the skie To see if heauen can yeeld him remedy Oh sinfull man let him example be A patterne to thine eye glasse to thy face That Gods diuinest word is cure to thee Not earth but heauen not man but heauenly grace Nor hearb nor plaister could help teeth or sting But t was thy word which healeth euery thing verse 13 We fooles lay salues vpon our bodies skin But neuer drawe corruption from our minde We lay a plaister for to keepe in sin We drawe foorth filth but leaue the cause behinde With hearbs and plaisters we do guard misdeedes And pare away the tops but leaue the seedes Away with salues and take our Sauiours word In this word Sauiour lies immortall ease What can thy cures plaisters and hearbs afford When God hath power to please and to displease God hath the power of life death help and paine He leadeth downe and bringeth vp againe verse 14 15 Trust to thy downefall not vnto thy raise So shalt thou liue in death not die in life Thou dost presume if giue thy selfe the praise For vertues time is scarce but mischiefes rife Thou mayst offend mans nature is so vaine Thou now in ioy beware of after paine First commeth fury after fury thirst After thirst blood and after blood a death Thou mayst in fury kill whome thou louedst first And so in quassing blood stop thine owne breath And murther done can neuer be vndone Nor can that soule once liue whose life is gone verse 16 What is the body but an earthen case That subiect is to death because earth dies But when the liuing soule doth want Gods grace It dies in ioy and liues in miseries This soule is led by God as others were But not brought vp againe as others are This stirs no prouocation to amend For earth hath many partners in one fall Although the Lord doth many tokens send As warnings for to heare when he doth call The earth was burnt drownd with fire raine And one could neuer quench the others paine verse 17 Althogh both foes God made them then both frends And onely foes to them which were their foes That hate begun in earth what in them ends Sins enimies they which made friends of those Both bent both forces vnto single earth From whose descent they had their double birth T is strange that water should not quench a fire For they were heating-cold and cooling hot T is strange that wailes could not allay desire Wailes waters kinde and fire desires knot In such a cause though enimies before They would ioyne friendship to destroy the more The often weeping eies of drie lament verse 18 Doth powre forth burning water of despaire Which warms the caues frō whence the tears are sent And like hot fumes do foule their natures faire This contrary to icie-waters vale Doth scorch the cheekes makes them red pale Here fire and water are conioynde in one Within a red-white glasse of hote and cold Their fire like this double and yet alone Raging and tame and tame and yet was bold Tame when the beasts did kill and felt no fire Raging vpon the causers of their ire verse 19 Two things may well put on two seuerall natures Because they differ in each natures kind They differing colours haue and differing features If so how comes it that they haue one minde God made them friends let this the answer be They get no other argument of me What is impossible to Gods command Nay what is possible to mans vaine eare T is much he thinkes that fire should burne a land When mischiefe is the brand which fiers beare He thinkes it more that water should beare fire Then know it was Gods will now leaue t' enquire verse 20 Yet mightst thou aske because importunate How God preserude the good why because good Ill fortune made not them infortunate They Angells were
and fed with Angells food Yet maist thou say for trueth is alwayes had That raine falles on the good aswell as bad And say it doth farre be the letter P. From R. because of a more reuerent stile It cannot doe without suppression be These are two barres against destructions wile Paine without changing P cannot be raine Raine without changing R can not be paine verse 21 Both sunne and raine are portions to the ground And ground is dust and what is dust but nought And what is nought is naught with Alphaes sound Yet euery earth the sunne and raine hath bought The sunne doth shine on weeds as well as flowers The raine on both distills her weeping showers Yet far be death from breath annoy from ioy Destruction from all happines allines God will not suffer famine to destroy The hungry appetite of vertues signes These were in mid'st of fire yet not harmed In mid'st of water yet but coolde and warmed verse 22 And water-wet they were not water-drowned And fire-hot they were not fire-burned Their foes were both whose hopes destruction crowned But yet with such a crowne which ne'er returned Heere fire and water brought both ioy and paine To one disprofit to the other gaine The sunne doth thaw what colde hath freezde before Vndoing what congealed ice had done Yet heete the haile and snow did freeze the more In hauing heat more piercing then the sunne A mournfull spectacle vnto their eyes That as they die so their fruition dyes verse 23 24 Fury once kindled with the coles of rage Doth houer vnrecall'd slaughters vntam'd This wrath on fire no pitty coulde asswage Because they pittilesse which should be blam'd As one in rage which cares not who he haue Forgetting who to kil and who to saue One deadly foe is fierce against the other As vice with vertue vertue against vice Vice hartned by death his hartlesse mother Vertue by God the life of her deuice T is hard to hurt or harme a villany T is easy to do good to verity verse 25 26 Is grasse mans meat no it is cattells food But man doth eat the cattell which eats grasse And feeds his carcasse with their nurst vp blood Lengthning the liues which in a moment passe Grasse is good food if it be ioynde with grace Else sweeter foode may take a sowrer place Is there such life in water and in bread In fish in flesh in hearbs in growing flowers Wee eat them not aliue wee eat them dead What fruit then hath the word of liuing powers How can wee liue with that which is still dead Thy grace it is by which we all are fed verse 27 28 This is a liuing food a blessed meat Made to digest the burthen at our harts That leaden-weighted food which we first eat To fill the functions of our bodies parts An indigested heape without a meane Wanting thy grace o Lord to make it cleane That ice which sulphure vapours could not thaw That haile which piercing fier could not bore The coole-hot sunne did melt their frosty iaw Which neither heat nor fire could pierce before Then let vs take the spring-time of the day Before the haruest of our ioyes decay verse 29 A day may be deuided as a yeare Into foure climes though of it selfe but one The morne the spring the noone the summers sphere The haruest next euening the winters moone Then sowe new seeds in euery new dayes spring And reape new fruite in dayes olds euening Else if too late they will bee blasted seeds If planted at the noonetide of their growing Commencers of vnthankfull too late deeds Set in the haruest of the reapers going Melting like winter-ice against the sunne Flowing like follies tide and neuer done Chapter XVII verse 1 Oflie the bed of vice the lodge of sin Sleep not too long in your destructions plesures Amend your wicked liues and new begin A more new perfect way to heauens tresures Oh rather wake and weep then sleep and ioy Waking is truth sleep is a flattring toy O take the morning of your instant good Be not benighted with obliuious eye Behold the sunne which kisseth Neptunes floud And resalutes the world with open skie Else sleep and euer sleep Gods wrath is great And will not alter with too late intreat verse 2 Why wake I them which haue a sleeping minde Oh words sad sargiants to arrest my thoughts If wakt they cannot see their eyes are blinde Shut vp like windolets which sleep hath bought Their face is broad awake but not their hart They dreame of rising yet are loth to start These were the practisers how to betray The simple-righteous with beguiling words And bring them in subiection to obay Their irreligious lawes and sins accords But nights black coloured vale did cloud their will And made their wish rest in performance skill verse 3 The darkesome clouds are summoners of raine In being somthing blacke and somthing darke But cole-blacke clouds makes it poure downe amaine Darting forth thunderbolts and lightnings sparke Sin of it selfe is black but black with black Augments the heauie burthen of the back They thought that sins could hide their sinfull shames In being demi-clouds and semi-nights But they had clouds enough to make their games Lodg'd in black couerings of obliuious nights Then was their vice afraid to lie so darke Troubled with visions from Alastors parke verse 4 The greater poyson beares the greater sway The greatest force hath still the greatest face Should night misse course it would infect the day With foule risle vapours from a humorous place Vice hath some clouds but yet the night hath more Because the night was fram'd and made before That sin which makes afraid was then afraid Although enchambred in a dens content That would not driue back feare which comes repai'd Nor yet the ecchoes which the visions sent Both sounds and showes both words and action Made apparitions satisfaction verse 5 A night in pitchie mantle of distresse Made thick with mists and oppsite to light As if Cocytus mansion did possesse The gloomy vapours of suppressing sight A night more vgly then Alastors pack Mounting all nights vpon his night-made back The moone did mourne in sable-suted vale The stars her hand maids were in black attire All nightly visions tolde a hideous tale The scrich-owles made the earth their dismall quire The moone and stars diuide their twinckling eies To lighten vice which in obliuion lyes verse 6 Onely appear'd a fire in dolefull blaze Kindled by furies raisde by enuious winds Dreadfull in sight which put them to amaze Hauing before furie-despairing minds What haire in reading would not stand vpright What pen in writing would not ceasse to write Fire is Gods Angell because bright and cleare But this an euill Angell because dread Euill to them which did already feare A second death to them which were once dead Annexing horror to dead strucken life Connexing dolor to liue natures strife verse 7 Deceit was then deceau'd treason
is The lesson which she giues thee for thy learning Is euery vertues loue and sins deseruing verse 7 Dost thou desire experience for to know Why how can she be lesse than what she is The growth of knowlege doth from wisdome grow The growth of wisedome is in knowing this Wisedome can tell all things what things are past What done what vndone what are doing last Nay more what things are come what are to come Or words or works or shews or actions In her braines table-booke she hath the summe And knowes darke sentences solutions She knowes what signes and wonders will ensue And when successe of seasons will be new verse 8 Who would not be a bridegroome who not wed Who would not haue a bride so wise so faire Who would not lie in such a peacefull bed Whose canopy is heau'n whose shade the aire How can it be that any of the skies Can there be missing where heau'ns kingdom lies If care-sicke I am comforted with ioy If surfeting on ioy she bids me care Shee sayes that ouermuch will soone annoy Too much of ioy too much of sorrowes fare She alwayes counsels me to keepe a meane And not with ioy too fat with griefe too leane verse 9 Faine would the shrub growe by the highest tree Faine would the mushrome kisse the cedars barke Faine would the seely worme a sporting be Faine would the sparrow imitate the larke Though I a tender shrub a mushrome be Yet couet I the honour of a tree And may I not may not the blossoms bud Doth not the little seed make eares of corne Doth not a sprig in time beare greatest wood Doth not yong eu'nings make an elder morne For wisedomes sake I know though be yong I shall haue praises from my elders tongue verse 10 And as my growth doth rise so shall my wit And as my wit doth rise so shall my growth In wit I growe both growths grow to be fit Both fitting in one growth be fittest both Experience followes age and nature youth Some aged be in wit though yong in ruth The wisedome which I haue springs from aboue The wisedome from aboue is that I haue Her I adore I reuerence I loue Shee 's my pure soule lockt in my bodies graue The iudgement which I vse from her proceedes Which makes me maruelld at in all my deedes verse 11 Although mute silence tie my iudgements tongue Sad secretarie of dumbe action Yet shall they giue me place though I be yong And stay my leisures satisfaction Euen as a iudge which keeps his iudgements mute When clients haue no answer of their sute But if the closure of my mouth vnmeetes And diues within the freedome of my words They like petitioners tongues welcome greetes And with attentiue eare heares my accords But if my words into no limites goe Their speech shall ebbe mine in their ebbing flow verse 12 And what of this vaine world vaine hope vaine show Vaine glory seated in a shade of praise Mortalities descent and follies flow The badge of vanity the houre of daies What glory is it for to be a King When care is crowne and crown is fortunes sling Wisedome is immortalities alline And immortalitie is wisedomes gaine By her the heauens lineage is mine By her I immortalitie obtaine The earth is made immortall in my name The heau'ns are made immortall in my fame verse 13 14 Two spatious orbes of two as spatious climes Shall be the heritage which I possesse My rule in heau'n directing earthly times My raigne in earth commencing earths redresse One king made two one crowne a double crowne One rule two rules one fame a twice renowne What heauen is this which euery thought containes Wisedome my heau'n my heau'n is wisedoms heau'n What earth is this wherein my bodie raines Wisedome my earth all rule from wisedome giu'n Through her I rule through her I do subdue Through hir I raigne through hir my empire grew verse 15 A rule not tyrannie a raigne not blood An empire not a slaughter house of liues A crowne not crueltie in furies moode A Scepter which restores and not depriues All made to make a peace and not a warre By wisedome concords Queene and discords barre The coldest worde oft cooles the hottest threat The tyrants menaces the calmes of peace Two coldes augmenteth one two heates one heat And makes both too extreame when both encrease My peacefull raigne shall conquer tyrants force Not armes but wordes not battaile but remorce verse 16 Yet mightie shall I be though warre in peace Strong though abilitie hath left his clime And good because my warres and battails cease Or at the least lie smothered in their prime The sence once digged vp with feares amaze Doth rage vntam'd with follies senceles gaze If wisedome doth not harbour in delight It breakes the outward passage of the minde Therfore I place my war in wisedomes might Whose heauie labours easie harbours finde Her company is pleasure mirth and ioy Not bitternes not mourning not annoy When euery thought was ballanced by weight verse 17 18 Within the concaue of my bodies scale My heart and soule did holde the ballance streight To see what thoght was ioy what thoght was waile But when I saw that griefe did weigh down plesure I put in wisedome to augment her treasure Wisedome the weight of immortallitie Wisedome the ballance of all happinesse Wisedome the weigher of felicitie Wisedome the Paragon of blessednesse When in her hands there lies such plenties store Needs must her heart haue twice asmuch and more Her hart haue I conioyned with hir hand verse 19 20 Her hand hath she conioyned with my hart Two soules one soule two hearts one bodyes band And two hands made of foure by amours art Was I not wise in chusing earthly life Nay wise thrice wise in chusing such a wife Was I not good good then the sooner bad Bad because earth is full of wickednes Because my body is with vices clad Anotomy of my sins heauines As doth vnseemely clothes make the skin foule So the sin-inked body blots the soule verse 21 Thus lay my hart plung'd in destructions mire Thus lay my soule bespotted with my sin Thus lay my selfe consum'd in my desire Thus lay all parts ensnared in one gin At last my hart mounting aboue the mud Lay betweene hope and death mischiefe and good Thus panting ignorant to liue or die To rise or fall to stand or else to sinke I cast a fainting looke vnto the skie And sâ—we the thought which my poore hart did think Wisdome my thought at whose seene sight I prai'd And with my hart my minde my soule I said Chapter IX verse 1 2 3 O God of Fathers Lord of heau'n and earth Mercies true soueraigne pitties portraiture King of all kings a birth surpassing birth A life immortall essence euer pure Which with a breath ascending from thy thought Hast made the heau'ns of earth the earth of nought Thou which hast made mortalitie for
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
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
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
mountaines tops My honour shall bee placed in deceit And counterfait new shewes of little weight verse 10 My pen doth almost blush at this replie And faine would call him wicked to his face But then his breath would answeâ—… with a lie And staine my inck with an vntruths disgrace Thy maister bids thee write the pen sayes no But when thy maister bids it must be so Call his hart ashes oh too mild a name Call his hope vile more viler then the earth Call his life weaker then a clayeie frame Call his bespotted heart an ashye hearth Ashes earth clay conioyn'd to heart hope life Are features loue in being natures strife verse 11 Thou mightst haue chose more stinging wordes then these For this he knowes he is and more then lesse In saying what he is thou dost appease The foming anger which his thoughts suppresse Who knowes not if the best be made of clay The worst must needs be clad in foule array Thou in performing of thy maisters will Dost teach him to obay his lords commaunds But he repugnant is and cannot skill Of true adoring with heart-heau'd vp hand Hee hath a soule a life a breath a name Yet is he ignorant from whence they came verse 12 My soule saith he is but a mappe of shoes No substance but a shadow for to please My life doth passe euen as a pastime goes A momentary time to liue at ease My breath a vapour and my name of earth Each one decaying of the others birth Our conuersation best for there is gaines And gaine is best in conuersations prime A mart of lucre in our conscience raignes Our thoughts as busie agents for the time So we get gaine ensnaring simple men It is no matter how nor where nor when verse 13 We care not how for all misdeedes are ours We care not where if before God or man We care not when but when our crafts haue powres In measuring deceit with mischiefes fanne For wherefore haue we life forme and ordaining But that we should deceiue and still be gaining I made of earth haue made al earthen shops And what I sell is al of earthy sale My pots haue earthen feete and earthen tops In like resemblance of my bodies vale But knowing to offend the heauens more I made fraile images of earthy store verse 14 O bold accuser of his owne misdeedes O heauy clod more than the earth can beare Was neuer creature clothde in sauage weedes Which would not blush when they this mischief hear Thou toldst a tale which might haue bin vntolde Making the hearers blush the readers olde Let them blush still that heares be olde that reades Then boldnes shal not raigne nor youth in vice Thrice miserable they which rashly speeds With expedition to this bold deuice More foolish than are fooles whose misery Cannot be changde with new felicitie verse 15 Are not they fooles which liue without a sence Haue not they misery which neuer ioy Which takes an idoll for a Gods defence And with their self-willd thoghts themselues destroy What folly is more greater than is here Or what more miserie can wel appeere Call you them gods which haue no seeing eyes No noses for to smell no eares to heare No life but that which in deaths shadow lies Which haue no hands to feele no feete to beare If gods can neither heare liue feele nor see A foole may make such gods of euery tree verse 16 And what was he that made them but a foole Conceiuing follie in a foolish braine Taught and instructed in a wodden schoole Which made his head run of a wodden vaine T was man which made them he his making had Man full of wood was wood and so ran mad He borrowed his life and would restore His borrowed essence to another death He faine would be a maker though before Was made himselfe and God did lend him breath No man can make a god like to a man He sayes he scornes that worke he furder can verse 17 He is deceiude and in his great deceit He doth deceiue the folly-guided harts Sin lies in ambush he for sin doth waite Here is deceit deceiude in either parts His sin deceiueth him and he his sin So craft with craft is mewed in either gin The crafts-man mortall is craft mortall is Each function nursing vp the others want His hands are mortall deadly what is his Onely his sins buds in destructions plant Yet better he than what he doth deuise For he himselfe doth liue that euer dies verse 18 Say call you this a God where is his head Yet headlesse is he not yet hath he none Where is his godhead fled his power dead His raigne decayed and his essence gone Now tell me is this God the God of good Or else Siluanus monarch of the wood There haue I pierst his barke for he is so A wooden god fainde as Siluanus was But leauing him to others let vs go To senslesse beasts their new adoring glasse Beasts which did liue in life yet died in reason Beasts which did seasons eate yet knew no season verse 19 Can mortall bodies and immortall soules Keepe one knit vnion of a liuing loue Can sea with land can fish agree with foules Tygers with lambes a serpent with a doue Oh no they cannot then say why doe wee Adore a beast which is our enimy What greater foe than folly vnto wit What more deformitie than vgly face This disagrees for follie is vnfit The other contrary to beauties place Then how can senslesse heads deformed shoes Agree with you when they are both your foes Chapter XVI verse 1 OH call that word againe they are your friends Your liues associats and your loues content That which begins in them your follie ends Then how can vice with vice be discontent Beholde deformitie sits on your heads Not hornes but scornes not visage but whole beds Beholde a heap of sins your bodies pale A mountaine-ouerwhelming villany Then tell me are you clad in beauties vale Or in destructions pale-dead liuerie Their life demonstrates now aliue now dead Tormented with the beasts which they haue fed verse 2 3 You like to Pelicans haue fed your death With follies-vaine let bloud from follies veyne And almost sterude your selues stopt vp your breath Had not Gods mercie helpt and easde your paine Beholde a new-found meat the Lord did send Which taught you to be new and to amend A strange disgested nutriment euen quailes Which taught them to be strange vnto misdeeds When you implore his aide he neuer failes To fill their hunger whom repentance feeds You see when life was halfe at deaths arrest Hee new created life at hungers feast verse 4 Say is your God like this whom you ador'd Or is this God like to your handie frame If so his power could not then afford Such influence which floweth from his name Hee is not painted made of wood and stone But he substantiall is and rules alone He can oppresse and