Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A15623
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Abuses stript, and whipt. Or Satirical essayes. By George Wyther. Diuided into two bookes
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Wither, George, 1588-1667.
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1613
(1613)
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STC 25892; ESTC S120210
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147,978
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333
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for euery sex for each degree And in all causes as if they had beene In euery thing or at least all things seene If need be they can like a Lawyer prate Or talke more grauely like a man of State They 'l haue a Tradesmans tongue to praise their ware And counterfet him right but they 'le not sweare The curioust Phisicians if they please Shall not quoine words to giue their patients ease So well as they And if occasion vrge They 'l Choller yea and Melancholly purge Onely with charmes and words and yet it shall Be honest meanes and meerely naturall Are they dispos'd to gossip't like a woman They 'l shew their tricks so right that almost noman But would so thinke them Virgins that are purest And Marrons that make shew to be demurest Speake not so like chast Cynthia as they can Nor Newbery so like a Curtezan They 'l giue words either fitting for a Clowne Or such as shall not vnbeseeme a Crowne In show they will be chollerick Ambitious Dâ—sperate Iealous Mad or Enuious In sorrow or in any Passion be But yet remaine still from all passions free For they onely to this end exprest them That men may see them plainer and detest them But some will say that these haue on the stage So painted out the vices of this age That it not onely tels that they haue bin Experienc't in euery kind of sinne But that it also doth corrupt and show How men should act those sins they did not know Oh hatefull saying not pronounc't by chance Bnt spew'd out of malicious Ignorance VVeigh it and you will either thinke these weak Or say that they doe out of enuy speake Can none declare th' effect of Drunkennes Vnlesse they vsed such-like bestlinesse Are all men ignorant what comes by lust Excepting those tht were themselues vniust Or thinke they no man can describe a sin But that which he himselfe hath wallawed in If they suppose so I no cause can tell But they may also boldly say as well They are apprentices to euery trade Of which they find they haue descriptions made Or for because they see them write those things That do belong to rule best say th' are Kings As though that sacred Poesie inspir'd No other knowledge then might be acquir'd By the dull outward sence yes this is Shee That showes vs noâ— alone all things that be But by her power laies before out view Such wondrous things as Nature neuer knewe And then whereas they say that men are worse By reading what these write 't is their owne curse For is the flower faulty cause we see The loathsome spider and the painefull Bee Make diuers vse on 't No it is the same Vnto the spider though she cannot frame Like sweetnes as the Bee thence But indeed I must confesse that this bad age doth breed Too many that without respect presume This worthy title on them to assume And vndeseru'd base fellowes whom meere time Hath made sufficient to bring forth a Rime A Curtaine ligge a libell or a ballet For Fidlers or some Roagues with staffe and wallet To sing at doores men only wise enough Out of some rotten old worme-eaten stuffe To patch vp a bald witlesse Comedy And trim it heere and there with Ribaldry Learn'd at a baudy house I say there 's such And they can neuer be disgrac't too much For though the name of Poet such abuses Yet they are enemies to all the Muses And dare not sort with them for feare they will Tumble them headlong downe Parnassus hill Why then should their vsurping of it wrong That Title which doth not to them belong And wherefore should the shame of this lewd crew Betide them vnto whom true honors due It shal not for how ere they vse the name Their works wil show how they do merit fame And though it be disgrac't through ignorance The generous will Poesie aduance As the most Antique Science that is found And that which hath been the first root ground Of euery Art yea that which only brings Content and hath beene the delight of kings Great IAMES our King both loues liues a Poet His bookes now extant do directly show it And That shall adde vnto his worthy name A better glory and a greater fame Then Britaines Monarchy for few but he I thinke will both a King and Poet be And for the last although some fooles debase it I 'me in the mind that Angels do imbrace it And though God giu 't heere but in part to some All shall hau 't perfect in the world to come This in defence of Poesie to say I am compel'd because that at this day Weaknesse and Ignorance hath wrong'd it sore But what need any man therein speake more Then Diuine Sidney hath already done For whom though he deceas'd ere I beguâ— I haue oft sighed and bewaild my Fate That brought me forth so many yeeres too late To view that worthy And now thinke not you Oh Daniell Draiton Iohnson Chapman how I long to see you with your fellow Peeres Matchlesse Siluester glory of these yeeres I hither to haue onely heard your fames And know you yet but by your workes and names The little time I on the earth haue spent Would not allow me any more content I long to know you better that is the truth I am in hope you 'l not disdaine my Youth For know you Muses Darlings I le note raue A fellowship amongst you for to haue Oh no for though my euer willing heart Haue vow'd to loue and praise You and your Art And though that I your stile doe now assume I doe not nor I will not so presume I claime not that too-worthy name of Poet It is not yet deseru'd by me I know it Grant me I may but on your Muses tend And be enrould their Seruant or their Friend And if desert hereafter worthy make me Then for a Pellow if it please you take me But yet I must not here giue off to speake To tell men wherein I haue found them weake And chiefely those that cannot brooke to heare Mention of Death but with much griefe and Fearâ— For many are not able for to take That thought into them but their soules will quake Poore feeble spirits would you nere away But dwell for euer in a peece of Clay What find you heere wherein you doe delight Or what 's to seeing that 's worth the sight What doth the heauens thy endeauors blesse And wouldst thou therefore liue for to possesse The Ioy thou hast seek't not perhaps to morroâ— Thou l't wish to haue di'd to day to scape the sorroâ— Thou then shall see for shame take stronger Hearts And adde moâ—e courage to your betteer Parts For Death 's not to be feard since t is a Friend That of your sorrowes makes a gentle end But here a qualitie I call to minde That I amongst the Common-people finde This 't is a weake one to when they perceiue A
friend neare death and ready for to leaue This wretched life and if they heare him say Some parâ—ing words as if he might not stay Nay say not so these comforters reply Take heart your time 's not come ye shall not die What man and grace of God you shal be stronger And liue no doubt yet many a faire day longer Thinke not on Death with many such like words Such as their vnderstanding best affoords But where is now become this peoples wit VVhat doth their knowledges esteeme more fit Then death to thinke on chiefly when men be About to put off their Mortalâ—tie Me thinkes they rather should perswade them then Fearelesse to be resolu'd to die like Men. For want of such a resolution stings At point of Death and dreadfull horror brings â—e'ne to the soule cause wanting preparation She lies despairing of her owne saluation Yea and moreouer this full well know I He that 's at any time afraide to die â—s in weake case and whatso'ere he saith Hath but a wauering and a feeble Faith But what need I goe farther to relate The frailty I haue seene in Mans estate Since this I haue already said makes cleere That of all Creatures God hath placed here Prouided we respect them in their kind VVe cannot any more vnable finde For of our selues we haue not power to speake No nor to frame a thought we are so weake Against our bodies eue'ry thing preuailes And oft our knowledge and our iudgement failes Yea if that one mans strength were now no lesse Then all men doe in generall possesse Or if he had attaind to ten-times more Then all Gods creatures ioyn'd in one before Yet would his power be eauen then so small When he stands surest he 's but sure to fall 'T is onely weakenesse that doth make vs droupe And vnto Crosses and diseases stoupe That makes vs Vaine Inconstant and Vnsure Vnable any good things to endure It brings vs to the seruile base subiection Of all loose Passion and vntam'd affection It leads vs and compels vs oft to stray Both beside Truth and out of Reasons way And lastly we and that because of this Either doe Nothing or do all amisse Which being so we may with Dauid then Confesse that we are rather Wormes then men OF PRESVMPTION SATYR 4. SOft heedlesse Muse thou no aduisement tak'st Wast not of Men that last of al thou spak'st It was and of the weaknessâ— too of men Come then with shame now and denie 't agen Recaâ—t for so the matter rhou didst handle Thou maist be curst for t with Bell Booke Candle Is mankind weake who then can by their powers Into the Aire hurle Palaces and Towers And with one blaste'ne in a moment make Whole Kingdomes and braue Monarchies to shake Or what are they that dare for toaspire Into Gods seat and if it might be higher That forgiue sinnes as fast as men can do them And make Iehouah be beholding to them I 'ue heard of such what are they would I wist They can make Saints they say of whom they list And being made aboue the Stars caÌ„seat them Yea with their own hands make their Gods eat theÌ„ Ha are they men How dar'st thou then to speake Such Bâ—asphemy to say mankinde is weake I tell thee this Muse either Man is strong And through thy babling thou hast done him wrong Or else beyond his limits he doth erre And for presumption puts downe Lucifer I st so Nay then I prethee Muse goe on And let vs heare of his presumption For I doe know cause I haue heard him vaunt That he 's a Creature proud and Arrogant And it may be he is not of such might As he makes show for but vsurps some's right There't goe's indeed for though he be so base So weake and in such miserable case That I want words of a sufficient worth To paint his most abhorred vilenesse forth Yet such is also his detested Pride That I suppose the Diuell is belide By euery man that shall affirme or say He is more proud for doe but marke I pray This Creature man did Natures powerfull King God that of nothing framed eu'ry thing Mâ—uld out of Clay a peece which he had rent E'ne from the Earth the basest Element And whereas he might haue beene made a Thrall Yea and the very Vuderling of all That God with title of Chief Ruler grac't him And as a Steward ouer all things plac't him Gaue him a pleasant garden for to till And Leaue to eate of eu'ry tree at will Onely of one indeed he did deny him And peraduenture of that one to try him But see his insolence though God did threat Death if he eate and though that God was great And so exceeding Iust that he well knew All that he threatned doubtles would ensue Thogh God were stroÌ„g could had maÌ„ bin prouder Pore clay-bred worm haue stampt him into pouderâ— Yet not withstanding all this same did he Presume to tast of that forbidden tree A rash beginning but he sped so ill D' yee thinke he held on this presumption still To heare he had left that offence 't were newes But Cain and Nimrod Pharaoh and the lewes Shew'd it continued and grew much more Rather then lesser then it was before Caine in his murther and his proud replie Nimrod in that he dar'd to build so high Pharaoh by boldly tempting God to shew His sundry plagues to Egypts ouerthrow And many waies the last but what need I Recite examples of Antiquitie Or for to taxe old ages for that crime Since there was nere a more presumptuous time Then this that 's now what dare not men to doe If they haue any list or minde thereto Their fellow creatures they doe much contemne Vaunting that all things were ordain'd for them Yea both the gladsome daies and quiet nights Sun Moone Heauen with those glorious lights Which so be spangle that faire azure roofe They thinke were onely made for their behoofe When as alas their poore and weake command Cannot extend so farre for to withstand The least Starres force and them and their estate Sunne Moone and starres too do predominate Before our fall indded we did excell All other creatures that on earth did dwell But now I thinke the very worst that be Haue iust asmuch to boast vpon as we Our soule 's defil d And therefore if in Sence We place our worth and cheefe prehemmence T is knowne that there be diuers Creatures then VVill haue the vpper hand for they passe men And though we still presume vpon 't t is vaine To challenge our old Soueraingty againe For when that we from our obedience fell All things against vs also did rebell Lyons and Beares and Tigers sought our blood The barren earth deny'd to yeeld vs food The clouds raignd plagues and yet dare we go on We find such pleasure in Presumption But for because there 's some do scarcely know How we do in that