is bow'd About the Waues and well content to suffer Milde Zephyrs blasts and Boreas bellowing rougher Water to quench thy thirst about thy Mountains Wraps her moist arms Seas riuers lakes and fountains O how I grieue deer Earth that given to gays Commendations of the Country-life Most of best wits contemn thee now-a-days And noblest hearts proudly abandon quight Study of Hearbs and Country-lifes delight To brutest men to men of no regard Whose wits are Lead whose bodies Iron-hard Such were not yerst the reuerend Patriarks Whose prayse is penned by the sacred Clarks Noah the iust meek Moses Abraham Who Father of the Faithfull Race becam Were Shepheards all or Husbandmen at least And in the Fields passed their Dayes the best Such were not yerst Attalus Philemetor Archelaus Hiero and many a Pretor Great Kings Consuls who haue oft for blades And glistering Scepters handled hooks and spades Such were not yerst Cincinnatus Fabricius Serranus Curius who vn-self-delicious With Crowned Coultars with Imperiall hands With Ploughs triumphant plough'd the Roman lands Great Scipio sated with fain'd curtsie-capping With Court Eclipses and the tedious gaping Of golden beggers and that Emperour Of Slave turn'd King of King turnd Labourer In Country Granges did their age confine And ordered there with as good Discipline The Fields of Corn as Fields of Combat first And Ranks of Trees as Ranks of Souldiers yerst O thrice thrice happy He who shunns the cares Of City-troubles and of State-affairs And seruing Ceres Tills with his own Teem His own Free-land left by his Friends to him Never pale Enuie's poysonie heads doo hiss To gnaw his heart nor Vultur Auarice Free from enuy ambition auarice and consequently from the diuelish practises of MachiauiliaÌ„ Politikes His Field's bounds bound his thoughts he never supps For Nectar poyson mixtin silver Cups Neither in golden Platters doth he lick For sweet Ambrosia deadly Arsenick His hand 's his boaul better then Plate or Glass The siluer Brook his sweetest Hypocrasse Milk Cheese and Fruit fruits of his own endeuour Drest without dressing hath he ready ever False Counsailours Concealers of the Law Not vâ—xed with counterfait wrestings of wrangling Laywers Turn-coat Attourneys that with both hands draw Sly Peti-Foggers Wranglers at the Bar Proud Purse-Leaches Harpies of Westminster With fained chiding and foul iarring noyse Break not his brain nor interrupt his ioyes But cheerfull Birds chirping him sweet Good-morrows With Natures Musick doo beguile his sorrows Teaching the fragrant Forrests day by day The Diapason of their Heav'nly Lay. His wandring Vessell reeling to and fro Not dreading shipwracke nor in danger of Pirates On th' irefull Ocean as the Windes doo blowe With sodain Tempest is not ouer-whurld To seek his sad death in another World But leading all his life at home in Peace Alwaies in sight of his own smoak no Seas No other Seas he knowes nor other Torrent Then that which waters with his siluer Corrent His Natiue Medowes and that very Earth Shall giue him Buriall which first gaue him Birth To summon timely sleep he doth not need Not diseased in body through delicious Idlenes Aethyop's cold Rush nor drowsy Poppy-seed Nor keep in consort as Mecaenas did Luxurious Villains Viols I should haue sayd But on green Carpets thrumd with mossy Beuer Frendging the round skirts of his winding Riuer The streams milde murmur as it gently gushes His healthy limbs in quiet slumber hushes Drum Fife and Trumpet with their loud A-larms Not drawen by factions to an vntimely Death Make him not start out of his sleep to Arms Nor deer respect of som great Generall Him from his bed vnto the block doth call The crested Cock sings Hunt is vp to him Limits his rest and makes him stir betime To walk the Mountains or the flowry Meads Impearld with tears that sweet Aurora sheads Never gross Aire poysond in stinking Streets Not choaked with contagion of a corrupted Aire To choak his spirit his tender nostrill meets But th' open Sky where at full breath he liues Still keeps him sound and still new stomack giues And Death drad Seriant of th' eternall Iudge Coms very late to his sole seated Lodge His wretched yeers in Princes Courts he spends not Nor Chamelâ—â—like changing with euery obiect the colour of his conscience His thralled will on Great mens wils depends not He changing Master doth not change at once His Faith Religion and his God renounce With mercenary lies hee doth not chaunt Praysing an Emmet for an Elephant Nor soothing Sin nor licking the Tayl of Greatnesse Sardanapalus drown'd in soft excess For a triumphant vertuous Hercules Thersites foul for Venus louely Loue And every Changeling for a Turtle-Doue Nor lavishes in his lascivious layes On wanton Flora chaste Alcestes prayse But all self-priuate serving God he writes Fear-less and sings but what his heart in dites No sallow Fear doth day or night afflict-him Vnto no fraud doth night or day addict-him Neither prest with Fear nor plotting Fraud Or if he muse on guile 't is but to get Beast Bird or Fish in toil or snare or net What though his Wardrobe be not stately stuft With sumptuous silks pinked and powne't and puft With gold-ground Velvets and with siluer Tissue And all the glory of old Eues proud Issue What though his feeble Cofers be not cramd With Misers Idols golden Ingotsramd He is warm-wrapped in his own-growen Wooll Of vn-bought Wines his Cellar 's everfull His Garner's stor'd with grain his Ground with flocks His Barns with Fodder with sweet streams his Rocks For heer I sing the happy Rustiks weal Whose handsom house seems as a Common-weal And not the needy hard rack-rented Hinde Or Copy-holder whom hard Lords doo grinde The pined Fisher or poor-Daiery-Renter That liues of whay for forfeiting Indenture Who scarce haue bread within their homely Cotes Except by fits to feed their hungry throats Let me good Lord among the Great vn-kend My rest of daies in the calm Countrey end Let me deserue of my deer AEGLE-Brood For Windsor Forrest walks in Almes-wood Bee Hadley Pond my Sea Lambs-bourn my Thames Lambourn my London Kennet's siluer streams My fruitfull Nile my Singers and Musicians The pleasant Birds with warbling repetitions My company pure thoughts to work thy will My Court a Cottage on a lowely Hill Where without let I may so sing thy Name That times to-com may wonder at the same Or if the new North-star my Souerain IAMES The secret vertue of whose sacred beams Attracts th' attentiue seruice of all such Whose mindes did euer Vertue 's Load-stone touch Shall euer daign t' inuite mine humble Fate T'approoch the Presence of his Royall State Or if my Duty or the Grace of Nobles Shall driue or draw me neer their pleasing-Troubles Let not their Fauours make me drunk with folly In their Commands still keep my Conscience holy Let me true Honour not the false delight And play the
inferiour to the rest Of the Vine and the excellent vse of Wine temperately taken In beauty as in bounty past the best Whose sacred liquor temperately taen Reviues the spirits and purifies the brain Cheers the sad heart increaseth kindly heat Purgeth gross blood and doth the pure beget Strengthens the stomack and the colour mends Sharpens the wit and doth the bladder cleanse Opens obstructions excrements expels And easeth vs of many Languors els He preuenteth an obiection and sheweth that notwithstanding mans fall the Earth yeeldeth vs matter inough to praise and magnifie her Maker And though through Sin wherby from Heav'nly state Our Parents barr'd vs th' Earth degenerate From her first beauty bearing still vpon her Eternall Scars of her fond Lords dishonour Though with the Worlds age her weak age decay Though she becom less fruitfull every day Much like a Woman with oft teeming worn Who with the Babes of her owne body born Having almost stor'd a whole Town with people Simile At length becomes barren and faint and feeble Yet doth she yeeld matter enough to sing And praise the Maker of so rich a Thing Neuer mine eies in pleasant Spring behold Of Flowers The azure Flax the gilden Marigold The Violet's purple the sweet Rose's stammell The Lillie's snowe and Pansey's various ammell But that in them the Painter I admire Who in more Colours doth the Fields attire Then fresh Aurora's rosie cheeks display When in the East she Vshers a fair Day Or Iris Bowe which bended in the Sky Boades fruitfull deaws when as the Fields be dry Heer deer S. BARTAS giue thy Seruant leaue An addition by the Translator of the rare Sun-louing LOTOS In thy rich Garland one rare Flowr to weaue VVhose wondrons nature had more worthy been Of thy diuine immortalizing Pen But from thy sight when SEIN did swell with Bloud It sunk perhaps vnder the Crimsin Flood VVhen Beldam Medices Valois and Guise Stain'd Hymens Roab with Heathen cruelties Because the Sun to shun so vile a view His Chamber kept and wept with Bartholmew For so so soon as in the Western Seas Apollo sinks in siluer Euphrates The Lotos diues deeper and deeper ay Till mid-night then remounteth toward Day But not aboue the Water till the Sun Doo râ—-ascend aboue the Horizon Semper â—adem So euer-true to Titans radiant Flame That Rise he Fall he it is Still the same A Real Emblem of her Royal Honour That worthily did take that Word vpon-her Sacred ELIZA that ensu'd no less Th' etenall Sun of Peace and Righteousnes VVhose liuely lamp what euer did betide-her In either Fortune was her onely Guider For in her Fathers and her Brothers Daies Fair rose this Rose with Truth 's new-springing raies And when again the Gospels glorious Light Set in her Sisters superstitious Night She sunk withall vnder afflictions streams As sinks my Lotos with Sols setting beams But after Night when Light again appear'd Ther-with again her Royal Crown she rear'd And in an I le amid the Ocean set Maugre the Deluge that Romes Dragon spet VVith spight full storms striuing to ouer-flowe her And Spain conspyring iointly t' ouer-throwe-her Her Maiden Flowr flourisht aboue the VVater ELIZABETA REGINA Anagram Ei ben t' alza e gira For still Heav'ns Sun cherisht his louing Daughter Bel fior d'Honor ch'in Mare'l Mondo ammira Al Sole sacro ch'Eâ— BEN T' ALZA E GIRA So my deer Wiat honouring Stil the same In-soul'd an Imprese with her Anagramm And last for guerdon of her constant Loue Rapt her intirely to himself aboue So set our Sun and yet no Night ensu'd So happily the Heav'ns our Light renu'd For in her stead of the same Stock of Kings Another Flowr or rather Phoenix springs Another like or rather Still the same No lesse in Loue with that Supernall Flame So to God's glory and his Churches good Th' honour of England and the Royall blood Long happy Monark may king IAMES persist And after him His Still the same in Christ. God not content t' haue giuen these Plants of ours Of diuers hearbs and Plants and of their excellent vertues Precious Perfumes Fruits plenty pleasant Flowrs Infused Physick in their leaues and Mores To cure our sicknes and to salve our sores Else doubt-less Death assaults so many waies Scarce could we liue a quarter of our Daies But like the Flax which flowrs at once and falls Simile One Feast would serue our Births and Burials Our Birth our Death our Cradle then our Toomb Our tender Spring our Winter would becom Good Lord how many gasping Soules haue scap't By th' ayd of Hearbs for whom the Graue hath gap't Who euen about to touch the Stygian strand Haue yet beguil'd grim Pluto's greedy hand Beard-less Apollo's beardy * Esculapius Sonn did once With iuice of Hearbs râ—ioin the scattered bones Of the chaste * Hyppolitus Prince that in th' Athenian Court Preferred Death before incestuous â—port So did Medea for her Iason's sake The frozen limbs of Aeson youthfull make O sacred Simples that our life sustain And when it flies vs call it back again 'T is not alone your liquor inly taen That oft defends vs from so many a baen But euen your sauour yea your neighbourhood For som Diseases is exceeding good Working so rare effects that only such As feel or see them can beleeueso much Blew Succorie hangd on the naked neck The vertue of Succorie Of Swines-bread Dispels the dimness that our sight doth check Swines-Bread sovsed doth not onely speed A tardy Labour but without great heed If ouer it a Child-great Woman stride Instant abortion often doth betide The burning Sun the banefull Aconite The poysonie Serpents that vnpeople quite Cyrenian Desarts neuer Danger them That wear about them th' * Mugwâ—rt Peoniâ— Artemisian Stem About an Infants neck hang Peoniâ— It cures Alâ—ydes cruell maladie If fuming boawls of Bacchus in excess Trouble thy brains with storms of gyddiness Put but a garland of green Saffron on Saffron And that mad humour will be quickly gon Th' inchanting Charms of Syrens blandishments Contagious A're ingendring Pestilence Infect not those that in their mouthes haue taen Angelica Angelica that happy counter-baen Sent down from Heav'n by some Celestiall scout As well the name and nature both avow't So Pimpernel held in the Patients hand The bloody-Flix doth presently with-stand Pimpernell or Burnet Madder And ruddy Madder's root long handeled Dies th' handlers vrine into perfect red O Wondrous Woad which touching but the skin Imparts his colour to the parts within Nor powerfull Hearbs do we alonely finde Your vertues working in frail humane kinde But you can force the fiercest Animals The fellest Fiends the firmest Mineralls Yea fairest Planets if Antiquitie Have not bely'd the Haggs of Thessalie Onely the touch of Choak-Pard * Libbards bane Aconite Bereaves the Scorpion both of sense and might As opposite
ears to hear his wondrous Art The Dolphin then discrying Land at last Storms with himself for hauing made such haste And wisht Laconia thousand Leagues from thence T' haue ioy'd the while his Musiks excellence But 'fore his own delight preferring far Th' vnhoped safety of the Minstrell rare Sets him a shoar and which most strange may seem Where life he took there life restoreth him But now deer Muse with Ionas lets vs hie From the Whales belly and from ieopardy Of stormfull Seas of wreakfull Rocks and Sand Com com my Darling let vs haste to Land While busie poaring downward in the Deep The second part of this book treating of Fowles I sing of Fishes that there Quarter keep See how the Fowls are from my fancy fled And their high prayses quight out of my head Their flight out-flies me and my Muse almost The better half of this bright Day hath lost But cheer ye Birds your shadows as ye pass Seeming to flutter on the Waters face Make me remember by their nimble turns Both what my duty and your due concerns But first I pray for meed of all my toyl In bringing you into this HAPPIE I LE Vouch safe to waken with your various Notes The sense-less senses of those drowsie Sots Whose eye-lids laden with a waight of Lead Shall fall a-sleep the while these Rymes are read But if they could not close their wakefull eyes Among the Water's silent Colonies How can they sleep among the Birds whose sound Through Heav'n and Earth and Ocean doth redound The Heav'nly Phoenix first began to frame Of the admirable and Onely Phoenix The Earthly Phoenix and adorn'd the same With such a plume that Pboebus circuiting Prom Fez to Cairo sees no fairer thing Such form such fethers and such Fate he gaue-her That fruitfull Nature breedeth nothing braver Two sparkling eyes vpon her crown a crest Of starry Sprigs more splendent then the rest A golden doun about her dainty neck Her brest deep purple and a scarlet back Her description Her wings and train of fethers mixed fine Of orient azure and incarnadine He did appoint her Fate to be her Pheer And Deaths cold kisses to restore her heer Her life again which neuer shall expire Her life Vntill as shee the World consume in fire For hauing passed vnder diuers Climes A thousand Winters and a thousand Primes Worn-out with yeers wishing her end-less end To shining flames she doth her life commend Dies to reviue and goes into her Graue To rise again more beautifull and braue Perched therfore vpon a branch of Palm With Incense Cassia Spiknard Myrrh and Balm By break of Day shee builds in narrow room Her Vrn her nest her Cradle and her Toomb Where while she sits all gladly-sad expecting Som flame against her fragrant heap reflecting To burn her sacred bones to seed-full cinders Wherein her age but not her life she renders Her death The Phrygian Skinker with his lauish Ewer Drowns not the Fields with shower after showr The shivering Coach-man with his Icy Snowe Dares not the Forrests of Phoenicia strowe Auster presumes not Libyan shoars to pass With his moist wings and gray-beard Boreas As the most boistrous and rebellious slaue Is prisoned close in th' Hyper-Borean Caue For Nature now propitious to her End To her living Death a helping hand doth lend And stopping all those Mouths doth mildely sted Her funeralls her fruitfull birth and bed And Sol himself glauncing his golden eyes On th' odoriferous Couch wherein she lies Kindles the spice and by degrees consumes Th' immortall Phoenix both her flesh and plumes But instantly out of her ashes springs A Worm an Egg then then a bird with wings Her re-generation Iust like the first rather the same indeed Which re-ingendred of it'sselfly seed By noblely dying a new Date begins And where she loseth there her life she wins End-less by'r End eternall by her Toomb While by a prosperous Death she doth becom Among the cinders of her sacred Fire Her own selfs Heir Nurse Nurseling Dam and Sire Teaching vs all in Adam heer to dy The best application That we in Christ may liue eternally The Phoenix cutting th' vnfrequented Air Birds that follow the Phoenix and their natures Forth-with is followed by a thousand pair Of wings in th' instant by th' Almighty wrought With divers Size Colour and Motion fraught The sent-strong Swallow sweepeth to and fro The Swallow As swift as shafts fly from a Turkish Bowe When vse and Art and strength confedered The skilfull Archer draws them to the head Flying she sings and singing seeketh where She more with cunning then with cost may rear Her round-front Palace in a place secure Whose Plot may serue in rarest Arch'tecture Her little beak she loads with brittle straws Her wings with Water and with Earth her claws Whereof she Morter makes and there-with-all Aptly she builds her semi-circle Wall The pretty Lark climbing the Welkin cleer The Lark Chaunts with a cheer Heer peer-I neer my Deer Then stooping thence seeming her fall to rew Adieu she sayth adieu deer Deer adieu The Spink the Linot and the Gold-Finch fill The Linot The Finch All the fresh Aire with their sweet warbles shrill But all This 's nothing to the Nightingale The Nightingale Breathing so sweetly from a brest so small So many Tunes whose Harmony excells Our Voice our Violls and all Musick els Good Lord how oft in a green Oken Grove In the cool shadow haue I stood and strove To marry mine immortall Layes to theirs Rapt with delight of their delicious Aâ—ers And yet methinks in a thick thorn I hear A Nightingale to warble sweetly-cleer One while she bears the Base anon the Tenor Anon the Trebble then the Counter-Tenor Then all at once as it were chalenging The rarest voyces with her self to sing Thence thirty steps amid the leafie Sprayes Another Nightingale repeats her Layes Iust Note for Note and adds som Strain atlast That she had conned all the Winter past The first replyes and descants there-vpon With divine warbles of Division Redoubling Quavers And so turn by turn Alternatly they sing away the Morn So that the Conquest in this curious strife â—oth often cost the one her voice and life Then the glad Victor all the rest admire And after count her Mistress of the Quire At break of Day in a Delicious song She sets the Gam-vt to a hundred young And when as fit for higher Tunes she sees-them Then learnedly she harder Lessons gives-them Which strain by strain they studiously recite And follow all their Mistress Rules aright The Colchian Pheasant and the Partridge rare Diuers other delicate and gentle Birds The lustfull Sparrow and the fruitfull Stare The chattering Pye the chastest Turtle-Doue The grizel Quoist the Thrush that Grapes doth love The little Gnat-snap worthy Princes Boords And the green Parrat fainer of our words Wait on the Phoenix and
their auncient hate Which suffers not O date-less discord th' one Live in that ground where th' other first hath growen O strange instinct O deep immortall rage Whose fiery fewd no Laethé floud can swage So at the sound of Wolf-Drums rattling thunder Th' affrighted Sheep-skin-Drum doth rent in sunder So that fell Monsters twisted entrails cuts By secret powr the poor Lambs twined guts Which after death in steed of bleating mute Are taught to speak vpon an Yvory Lute And so the Princely Eagles ravening plumes The feathers of all other Fowls consumes The First-mov'd Heav'n in ' tself it self still stirring The estate of Man before Sin Rapts with his course quicker then windes swift whirring All th' other Sphears and to Alcides Spyres From Alexanders Altars driues their Fires But mortall Adam Monarch heer beneath Erring draws all into the paths of death And on rough Seas as a blinde Pylot rash Against the rock of Heav'ns iust wrath doth dash The Worlds great Vessell sayling yerst at ease With gentle gales good guide on quiet Seas For yer his fall which way so e'r he rowl'd His estate after Sinne. His wondering eys God every-where behold In Heav'n in Earth in Ocean and in Ayr He sees and feels and findes him every-where The World was like a large and sumptuous Shop Where God his goodly treasures did vnwrap Or Crystall glass most liuely representing His sacred Goodnes every-where frequenting But since his sin the wofull wretch findes none Herb garden groue field fountain stream or stone Beast mountain valley sea-gate shoar or haven But bears his Deaths doom openly ingraven In brief the whole scope this round Centre hath Is a true store-house of Heav'ns righteous wrath Al creatures froÌ„ the highest to the lowest enemies to Man Rebellious Adam from his God revolting Findes his yerst-subiects 'gainst himself insulting The tumbling Sea the Ayr with tempests driven Thorn-bristled Earth the sad and lowring Heav'n As from the oath of their allegeance free Revenge on him th' Almighties iniury The Starrs coniur'd through enuious Influence The Heauens with all ther in By secret Hang-men punish his offence The Sun with heat the Moon with cold doth vex-him Th' Air with vnlookt-for suddain changes checks-him With fogs and frosts hails snowes and sulph'ry thunders Blasting and storms and more prodigious wonders Fire fall'n from Heav'n or else by Art incited Al the ElemeÌ„ts Fire Aire Or by mischance in som rich building lighted Or from som Mountains burning bowels throw'n Repleat with Sulphur Pitch and Pumie stone With sparkling fury spreads and in fewe hours The labour of a thousand years devours The greedy Ocean breaking wonted bounds Sea Vsurps his heards his wealthy Iles and Towns The grieved Earth to ease her as it seems Earth Of such profane accursed weight somtimes Swallows whole Countries and the airie tops Of Prince-proud towrs in her black womb she wraps And in despight of him abhord and hatefull Earth brings forth weeds She many wayes proues barren and ingratefull Mocking our hopes turning our seed-Wheat-kernel To burn-grain Thistle and to vapourie Darnel Cockle wilde Oats rough Burs Corn-cumbring Tares Short recompence for all our costly cares Yet this were little if she more malicious Venemous plants Fell stepdame brought vs not Plants more pernicious As sable Henbane Morell making mad Cold poysoning Poppy itching drowsie sad The stifning Carpesâ— th' eyes-foe Hemlock stinking Limb-numming belching and the sinew-shrinking Dead-laughing Apâ—um weeping Aconite Which in our vulgar deadly Wolfs-bane hight The dropsie breeding sorrow-bringing Psylly Heer called Flea-Wurt Colchis banefull Lilly With vs Wild-Saffron blistring byting fell Not Napell making lips and tongue to swell Blood-boyling Yew and costiue Mâ—sseltoe With yce-cold Mandrake and a many mo Such fatall plants whose fruit seed sap or root T'vntimely Graue doe bring our heed-less foot Besides she knowes we brutish value more Poyson hidden among the Metals Then Liues or Honours her rich glittering Ore That Auarice our bound-less thought still vexes Therfore among her wreakfull baits she mixes Quick-siluer Lithargie and Orpiment Wherwith our entrails are oft gâ—awn and rent So that somtimes for Body and for Minde Torture and torment in one Mine we finde What resteth more the Masters skilfull most The excellency of Mans Dominion ouer the Creatures before his Fall With gentle gales driv'n to their wished Coast Not with less labour guide their winged waynâ— On th' azure fore-head of the liquid plains Nor crafty Iugglers can more easily make Their self-liv'd Puppets for their lucres sake To skip and scud and play and prate and praunce And fight and fall and trip and turn and daunce Then happy we did rule the sealy Legions That dumbly dwell in stormy water-Regions Then fethered singers and the stubborn droues That haunt the Desarts and the shady Groues At every word they trembled then for aw And every wink then serv'd them as a law And always bent all duty to obserue-vs Without command stood ready still to serue-vs But now alas through our fond Parents fall The Creatures now becomn Tyrants and â—raytors to Him whose slaues and seruants they were before Sin They of our slaues are growen our tyrants all Wend we by Sea the dread Leuiathan Turns vpside-down the boyling Ocean And on the suddain sadly doth in toomb Our floting Castle in deep Thetis womb Yerst in the wel kin like an Eagle towring And on the water like a Dolphin scowring Walk we by Land how many loathsom swarms Of speckled poysons with pestiferous arms In every corner in close Ambush lurk With secret bands our sodain banes to work Besides the Lion and the Leopard Boar Bear and Wolf to death pursue vs hard And ielous vengers of the wrongs divine In peeces pull their Soverains sinfull line The huge thick Forrests haue nor bush nor brake But hides som Hang-man our loath'd life to take In every hedge and ditch both day and night We fear our death of every leaf affright Rest we at home the Masty fierce in force Th' vntamed Bull the hot courageous Horse With teeth with horns and hooues besiege vs round As griev'd to see such tyrants tread the ground And ther 's no Fly so small but now dares bring Her little wrath against her quondam King What hideous sights what horror-boading showes An admirable description of Mans miserable Punishments tortured by himselfe Alas what yels what howls what thund'ring throws O! am I not neer roaring Phlegoton Alecto sad Moger ' and Thesiphon What spels haue charm'd ye from your dreadfull den Of darkest Hell Monsters abhord of men O Nights black daughters grim-faç't Furies sad Stern Plutos Posts what make ye heer so mad O! feels not man a world of wofull terrors Besides your goaring wounds and ghastly horrors So soon as God from Eden Adam draue To liue in this Earth rather in this Graue Where raign a thousand deaths he summon'd-vp With thundering call the damned Crew
huge That in our Age three men could hardly bouge Vnder whose waight his flying Foes he dashes And in their flesh bones stones and steel he pashes Somtimes he shoots somtimes he shakes a Pike Which death to many dread to all doth strike Som in the breast he wounds som in the backs Som on the hanch som on the head he hacks He heaws down all and maketh where he stood A Mount of bodies in a Moat of blood The Pagans wholly put to flight At length the Pagans wholly left the place Then both sides ran these chased those do chase These onely vse their heels those heels and hands Those wish but a fair way these that the sands Would quickly gape and swallow quick to Hell Themselues that fled and them that chaç't so fell These render nought but blowes those nought but blood Both sides haue broak their Ranks pel-mel they scud Choakt-vp with dust disordered dis-aray'd Neither Command Threat nor Intreat obay'd Thou that late bragdst that thy White Wormly braue Could dry-foot run vpon the liquid Waue And on the sand leaving no print behinde Out-swifted Arrows and out-went the Winde With a steel Dart by ABRAH'M stifly sent Art'twixt thy Cuirace and thy Saddle slent And thou that thrice neer Tygris silver source Hadst won the Bell as best in every Course Art caught by LOT and thrild from side to side Loosest thy speed-praise and thy life beside It seems no Fight but rather as befalls An execution of sad criminals Whoso escapes the sword escapes notso His sad destruction or if any tho Escap't at all they were but few at least To rue the fatall ruine of the rest For th' Vnkle and the Nephew never lin Till out of Canaan they haue chaç't them clean Like to a Cast of Falcons that pursue Simile A flight of Pigeons through the welk in blew Stooping at this and that that to their Louver To saue their lyues they hardly can recouer At his return from Fight the Kings and Lords The Kings of Caâ—â—â—n receiued Abraham and his company with great ioy and the gratefull offer of their homage vnto him Of Palestine with glad and humble words Do welcom Abram and refresh his Troop To 's knees their heads to 's feet their knees they stoop Ovaliant Victor for thy high deserts Accept the homage of our humble hearts Accept our grateful zeal or if ought more As well thou maist thou doest expect therfore Accept said they our Lands our goods our golde Our wiues our lyues and what we deerest holde Take all we haue for all we haue is thine No wrong to vs to take thy Valours fine Melthisedec Gods sacred Minister Melchisedech blesseth Abraham And King of Salem coms to greet him there Blessing his bliss and thus with zealous cry Devoutly pearç't Heav'ns starfull Canopey Blest be the Lord that with his hand doth roule The radiant Orbs that turn about the Pole And Rules the Actions of all Humane-kinde With full command and with one blast of winde Razes the Rocks and Rends the proudest Hills Dries-vp the Ocean and the Empty fils Blest be the great God of grear Abraham From Age to Age extolled be his Name Let every Place vnto him Altars build And euery Altar with his Praise be fill'd And every Praise above the Welkin ring As loud or louder then the Angels sing Blessed be He that by an Arm-less crew Of Art-less Shepheards did so quick subdue And tame the Tamers of Great Syria so And to the servants of an exil'd Foe Hath given the Riches and the royall store Both of their Booty and their Owne before Of such an Hoast of Nations that first see Sol's early rising from Aurora's knee But Abraham to prove that not for Prey Abraham distributes the booty reseruing only a portion for the Amorites that were his confederates He put-on arms divides the Spoils away The Tythe's the Priests the Rest of all the things Yerst lost in field he renders to the Kings Save but the Portion He participates To th' Amorites his stout Confederates Shewing himself a Prince as politicke Prudent and iust as stout and Souldier-like That with his Prowess Policy can mel And Conquering can vse his Conquest wel Magnanimous in deeds in words as meek That scorning Riches true Renown doth seek So from the Sea even to th' Euphratean-source And even from Dan to Nilus crystall course Rings his renown Of him is all the speech He is famous far and neere At home abroad among the poor and rich In war and peace the Fame of his high deeds Confirms the Faithfull in their fainting Creeds And terrifies the Tyrant Infidels Shaking the sides of their proud Citadels That with their fronts the seat of IOVE do scorn And with their feet at I'luto's crown do spurn Voice Harp and Timbrel sound his praise together He 's held a Prophet or an Angel rather They say that God talks with him face to face Hoasts at his house and to his happy Race Givs in Fee-simple all that goodly Land Even from the Sea as far as Tygris strand And it is certain the Thrice-sacred-One God appeares vnto him and maketh covenant with him The King of Kings by Dream or Vision Speaks with him oft and calls him thus by name Faint not my servant fear not ABRAHAM I an no fiend that with a fained lip Seek guilefully thy simpleness to trip Nor to intice thee with a baen-full breath To bite like ADAM a new fruit of death 'T is I that brought thee from thy Native V R From night to day from death to life thus far I brought thee hither I have blest thee heer I with thy flocks have covered far and neer Canaan's fat Hills I have preserv'd thy Wife From Strangers lust and thee from Tyrants knife When thy faint heart and thy false tongue affrai'd To tel the Truth her and thy self betray'd 'T is I that have so oft from Heathens powr Preserv'd thy person and as Conquerour Now made thee Trivmph over th' Eastern Kings Whereof so far thy famous Valour rings I am in brief I am the Lord thy God Thy help at home thy Guide and Gard abroad Keep thou my Covenant and to signifie That to the World thou di'st to live to Me Circumcision instituted Go Circumcise forth-with thy Self and Thine Lead holy Life walk in my Wayes divine With vpright-foot so shall my favour haunt Thy House and thee and thou shalt nothing want No I will make thee Lord of all the Land Which Canaans Children haue with mighty hand Canaan promised to Abraham So long possest a happy Land that flowes With milk and hony a rich Land where growes Even of itself all kinde of Fruit and Corn Where smiling Heav'ns pour-down their Plenties-Horn I 'le heap thee there with Honor Wealth and Powr I will be thy Reward thy Shield and Towr O Lord said ABRAM though into my lap In shours of Gold ev'n all the Heav'ns
alas Is choakt already that it cannot pass They murmure for want of water with grievous imputation to their good Guide Through the rough Sraight◠of their dry throats they wo◠Roar-out their grief that all men hear them should O Duke no Hebrew but an Ethnick rather Is this alas the guerdon that we gather For all the service thou hast had of vs What haue we don that thou betray'st vs thus For our obedience shall we ever-more With Fear and Want be hanted at our dore O windy words O periur'd promises O gloze to gull our honest simpleness Escap't from Hunger Thirst doth cut our throat Past the Red Sea heer vp and down we float On firm-less sands of this vast Desart heer Where to and fro we wander many a year Looking for Libertie we finde not Life No neither Death the welcom end of strife Envy not vs deer Babes we envy you You happy ones whom Egypt's Tyrant slew Your Birth and Death cam hand in hand together Your end was quick nay'twas an Entry rather To end-less Life We wretches with our age Increase our Woes in this long Pilgrimage We hope no Harbour where we may take breath And Life to vs is a continuall Death You blessed liue and see th' Almighties face Our Days begin in tears in toyls they pass And end in dolours this is all we do But Death concludes tears toyls and dolours too Stif-necked People stubborn generation Moses reproues them smiteth the Rock from whence issues plenty of water Egypt doth witness in a wondrous fashion God's goodnes to thee all the Elements Expound vnto thee his Omnipotence And do'st thou murmure still and dar'st thou yet Blaspheme his promise and discredit it Said MOSES then and gaue a sodain knock With his deere Scepter on a mighty Rock From top to toe it shakes and splits with-all And wel-nigh half vnto the ground doth fall As smit with Lightning then with rapid rush Out of the stone a plentious stream doth gush Which murmurs through the Plain proud that his glass Gliding so swift so soon re-youngs the grass And to be gaz'd-on by the wanton Sun And through new paths so braue a course to run Who hath not seen far vp within the Land Simile A shoal of Geese on the dry-Sommersand In their hoarce language som-times lowely-lowd Suing for succour to som moyst-ful clowd How when the Rain descends their wings they beat With the fresh drops to cool their swelting heat Bib with their Bill bouz with their throats and suck And twenty times vnto the bottom duck Such th' Hebrews glee one stooping down doth sup The cleer quick stream another takes it vp In his bare hand another in his hat This in his busk in in a bucket that Wel fresht him-self bears som vnto his Flock This fils his pitcherful and that his Crock And other-som whose Thirst is more extream They march toward Mount Sina where God deliuereth them his LAW Like Frogs lie paddling in the crystall stream From Rephidim alongst the Desart Coast Now to Mount Sina marcheth all the Hoast Where th' everlasting GOD in glorious wonder With dreadful voyce his fearfull LAVV doth thunder To showe that His reverent Divine Decrees Wher-to all hearts should bow and bend all knees Proceed not from a Politick Pretence A wretched Kingling or a petty Prince Nymph-prompted NVMA or the Spartans Lord Or him that did Cecropian Strifes accord Nor from the mouth of any mortall man But from that King who at his pleasure can Shake Heav'n and Earth and Ayr and all ther-in That ISRAEL shall finde him if they sin As terrible with Vengeance in his hand As dreadfull now in giving the COMMAND And that the Text of that drad Testament Grav'n in two Tables for vs impotent Hath in the same a sadder load compris'd And heavier yoak then is the yoak of Christ. That that doth showe vs Sin threats wounds and kils This offers Grace Balm in our sores distils Redoubled Lightnings dazleth ' Hebrews eyes With what dredful Maiesty it was deliuered Clowd-sund'ring Thunder roars through Earth and skies Lowder and lowder it careers and cracks And stately SINA'S massie center shakes And turneth round and on his sacred top A whirling flame round like a Ball doth wrap Vnder his rocky ribs in Coombs belowe Rough-blustering BOREAS nurst with Riphean snowe And blub-checkt AVSTER puft with fumes before Met in the midst iustling for room do roar A cloak of clowds all thorough-lin'd with Thunder Muffles the Mountain both aloft and vnder On PHARAN now no shining PHARVS showes A Heav'nly Trump a shrill Tantara blowes The winged Windes the Lightning's nimble-flash The smoaking storms the whirl-fire's crackling clash And deafning Thunders with the same do sing O wondrous consort th' everlasting King His glorious Wisdom who doth giue the Law To th' Heavenly Troops and keeps them all in aw But as in Battail we can hear no more Simile Small Pistol-shot when once the Canons roar And as a Cornet soundeth cleer and rife Simile Aboue the warbling of an Alman Fife A dradder voyce yet a distincter voice Whose sound doth drown all th' other former noyse Roars in the Vale and on the sacred Hill Which thrills the ears but more the heart doth thrill Of trembling Iacob who all pale for fear From God's owne mouth these sacred words doth hear Hark Israell O Iacob hear my Law Hear it to keep it and thy self in aw I am IEHOVA I with mighty hand Brought thee from bondage out of Egypt Land ADORE ME ONLY for thy God and Lord With all thy heart in every Deed and Word MAKE THEE NONE IMAGE not of any sort The Decalogue To thy owne Works My Glory to transport VSE NOT MY NAME without respect and fear Never Blaspheme neither thy self for-swear SIX DAYS VVORK for thy food but then as I REST ON THE SEAVENTH and to my Temple hye TO THOSE that gaue thee life due REVERENCE giue If thou desire long in the Land to liue IMBRVE thou NOT THY HAND IN HVMAN BLOOD STAIN NOT anothers BED STEALE NO MAN'S GOOD BEAR NO FALSE VVITNES COVET NOT to haue Thy Neighbours Wife his Oxe his Ass his Slaue His House his Land his Cattle or his Coyn His Place or Grace or ought that is not Thine The excellency of the Law of God Eternall Tutor O Rule truely-right Of our frail life our foot-steps Lanthorn bright O Soule 's sweet Rest O byting curb of Sin Which Bad despise the Good take pleasure in Reverent EDICTS vpon Mount SINA giuen How-much-fold sense is in few words contriven How wonderfull and how exceeding-far How plain how sacred how profound you are All Nations else a thousand times for cause Haue Writ and Raç't and chopt and chang'd their Laws Except the Iews but they although their State With every Moon almost did innovate As somtimes having Kings and somtimes none In all their changes kept their Law still one
for their Deities Gods made with hands Gods without life or breath Gods which the Rust Fier Hammer conquereth But thou art Lord th' invincible alone Th' All-seeing GOD the Everlasting ONE And who so dares him gainst thy Powr oppose Seems as a Puff which roaring Boreas blowes Weening to tear the Alps off at the Foot Or Clowds-prop Athos from his massie Root Who but mis-speaks of thee he spets at Heav'n And his owne spettle in his face is driven Lord shew thee such take on thee the Defence Of thine owne glory and our innocence Cleer thine owne name of blame let him not thus Tryumph of Thee in tryumphing of vs But let ther Lord vnto thy Church appear Iust Cause of Ioy and to thy Foes of fear God hears his Cry and from th' Empyreal Round Miraculous slaughter of the Assirians He wrathfull sends a winged Champion down Who richly arm'd in more than humane Arms Mowes in one night of Heathen men at Arms Thrice-three-score thousand and five thousand more Feld round about beside behinde before Heer his two eyes which Sun-like brightly turn Simile Two armed Squadrons in a moment burn Not much vnlike vnto a fier in stubble Which sodain spreading still the flame doth double And with quick succour of som Southren blasts Crick-crackling quickly all the Country wastes Heer the stiff Storm that from his mouth he blowes Thousands of Souldiers each on other throwes Simile Even as a Winde a Rock a sodain Flood Bears down the Trees in a side-hanging Wood Th' Yew overturns the Pine the Pine the Elm The Elm the Oak th' Oak doth the Ash ore-whelm And from the top down to the Vale belowe The Mount's dis-mantled and even shamed so Heer with a Sword such as that sacred blade For the bright Guard of Eden's entry made He hacks he hews and somtimes with one blowe A Regiment hee all at once doth mowe And as a Cannon's thundrie roaring Ball Simile Battering one Turret shakes the next withall And oft in Armies as by proof they finde Kils oldest Souldiers with his very winde The whiffing Flashes of this Sword so quick Strikes dead a many which it did not strike Heer with his hands he strangles all at-once Legions of Foes O Arm that Kings dis-throans O Army-shaving Sword Rock-razing Hands World-tossing Tempest All-consuming Brands O let som other with more sacred fier Than I inflam'd into my Muse inspire The wondrous manner of this Overthrowe The which alas God knowes I little knowe I but admire it in confused sort Conceiue I cannot and much less report Com-on Zenacherib where 's now thine Hoast Where are thy Champions Thou didst lately boast Th' hadst in thy Camp as many Soldiers As Sea hath Fishes or the Heav'ns haue Stars Now th' art alone and yet not all alone Fear and Despair and Fury wait vpon Thy shame-full Flight but bloody Butcher stay Stay noysom Plague fly not so fast away Fear not Heav'ns Fauchin that foul brest of thine Shall not be honor'd with such wounds divine Nor shalt thou yet in timely bed decease No Tyrants vse not to Depart in Peace As bloud they thirsted they are drown'd in blood Their cruell Life a cruell Death makes good For O iust Iudgement lo thy Sons yer-long Zenacherib slain by his owne sonnes At Nisroch's Shrine revenge the Hebrews wrong Yea thine owne Sons foul eggs of fouler Bird Kill their owne Father sheath their either sword In thine owne throat and heirs of all thy vices Mix thine owne bloud among thy Sacrifices This Miracle is shortly seconded By one as famous and as strange indeed It pleas'd the Lord with heavy hand to smight King Ezechiah who in dolefull plight Ezekiah's sicknesse Vpon his bed lies vexed grieuously Sick of an Vlcer past all remedy Art fails the Leach and issue faileth Art Each of the Courtiers sadly wayles a-part His losse and Lord Death in a mourn-ful sort Through every Chamber daunteth all the Court And in the City seems in every Hall T' haue light a Taper for his Funerall Then Amos * The Prophet Isaiah Son his bed approaching pours From plentious lips these sweet and golden showrs But that I knowe you knowe the Lawes Divine But that your Faith so every-where doth shine But that your Courage so confirm'd I see I should my Liege I should not speak so free A comfortable Visitation of the sicke I would not tell you that in continent You must prepare to make your Testament That your Disease shall haue the vpper hand And Death already at your Door doth stand What fears my Lord Knowe you not heer beneath We alwayes say I towards the Port of Death Where who first anch'reth first is glorified That 't is Decreed confirm'd and ratified That of necessity the fatall Cup. Once all of vs must in our turn drink vp That Death 's no pain but of all pains the end The Gate of Heav'n and Ladder to ascend That Death 's the death of all our storms and strife And sweet beginning of immortall Life For by one death a thousands death's we slay Thear-by we rise from Body-Toomb of Clay Thear-by our Soules feast with celestiall food Thear-by we com to th' heav'nly Brother-hood Thear-by w' are chang'd to Angels of the Light And face to face behold Gods beuties bright The Prophet ceast and soon th' Isaacian Prince Deep apprehending Death's drad form and sense Vnto the Wall-ward turns his weeping eyes And sorrow-torn thus to himself he cries Lord I appeal Lord as thine humble childe A Prayer for a sick person mutatis mutandis From thy iust Iustice to thy Mercy milde Why will thy strength destroy a silly-one Weakned and wasted even to skin and bone One that adores thee with sincere affection The wrack of Idols and the Saints protection O! shall the Good thy servant had begun For Sion rest now by his death vndon O! shall a Pagan After-king restore The Groues and Idols I haue raz'd before Shall I dye Childe-les Shall thine Heritage In vain exspect that glorious golden Age Vnder thy CHRIST O! mercy mercy Lord O Father milde to thy dear Childe accord Som space of life O! let not Lord the voice Of Infidels at my poor death reioyce Then said the Seer Be of good cheer my Liege The Kings praier heard and his life prolonged 15 yeares Thy sighes and tears and prayers so be siege The throne of Pitty that as pierçt with-all Thy smyling Health God yieldeth to re-call Wills to his Temple three dayes hence thou mount Retracts his Sentence and corrects his count Makes Death go back for fifteen yeers as lo This Dial's shadow shal heer back-ward go His Word 's confirm'd with wonderfull Effect The Sunne goes backe For lo the Dial which doth houres direct Life's-guider Daye's-divider Sun's-Consorter Shadow's dull shifter and Time's dumb Reporter Puts-vp-again his passed Houres perforce And back-ward goes against his wonted course 'T is Noon at Mid-night and
seed should wheat and barly bring Pure Mayden-wombs desired Babes should bear All things at all times should grow euery where The Hart in Water should it self in gender The Whale on Land in Aire the Lambling tender Th' Ocean should yeeld the Pine and Cornell Tree On Hazels Acorns Nuts on Oaks should bee And breaking Natures set and sacred vse The Doues would Eagles Eagels Doues produce If of themselues things took their thriuing then Slowe-growing Babes should instantly be men Then in the Forests should huge boughs be seen Born with the bodies of vnplanted Treen Then should the sucking Elephant support Vpon his shoulders a well-manned Fort And the new-foaled Colt couragious Should neigh for Battail like Bucephalus Contrariwise if ought to nought did fall All that is felt or seen within this All Still loosing somwhat of it self at length Would com to Nothing If Death's fatall strength Could altogether Substances destroy Things then should vanish even as soon as dy In time the mighty Mountains tops be bated But with their fall the neighbour Vales are fatted And what when Trent or Auon ouer-flowe They reaue one field they on the next bestowe Loue-burning Heav'n many sweet Deaws doth drop In his deer Spouses fair and fruitfull lap Which after she restores straining those showrs Through th' hidden pores of pleasant plants and flowrs Whoso hath seen how one warm lump of wax Without increasing or decreasing takes By an apt similitude he sheweth the continuall Change of the World in the matter and form therof according to Gods pleasure in such sort yet that the matter remaines though it receiue infinite Formes A hundred figures well may iudge of all Th' incessant Changes of this nether Ball. The World 's own Matter is the waxen Lump Which vn-self-changing takes all kinde of stamp The Form's the Seal Heav'ns gratious Emperour The Liuing God 's the great Lord Chancellour Who at his pleasure setting day and night His great Broad Seales and Priuy Signets right Vpon the Mass so vast and variable Makes the same Lump now base now honourable Heer 's nothing constant nothing still doth stay For Birth and Death haue still successiues way Heer one thing springs not till another dy Onely the Matter liues immortally Th' Almighties Table body of this All Of change-full Chances common Arçenall All like itself all in itself contained Which by Times Flight hath neither lost nor gayned Change-less in Essence changeable in face Much more then Proteus or the subtile race Of rouing Polypes who to rob the more Transform them howrly on the wauing shore Sundry Similes to that purpose Much like the French or like our selues their Apes Who with strange habit do disguise their shapes Who louing nouels full of affectation Receiue the Manners of each other Nation And scarcely shift they shirts so oft as change Fantastik Fashions of their garments strange Or like a Laïs whose inconstant Loue Doth euery day a thousand times remooue Who 's scarce vnfolded from one Youths embraces Yer in her thought another she embraces And the new pleasure of her wanton Fire Stirs in her still another new desire Because the Matter wounded deep in heart With various Loue yet on the self same part Incapable in the same time at once To take all figures by successions Form after Form receiues so that one face Another faces features doth deface The chief motiue of this change of Formet in the matter Now the chief Motiue of these Accidents Is the dire discord of our Elements Truce-hating Twins where Brother eateth Brother By turns and turn them one into another Like Ice and Water that beget each other Enigma And still the Daughter bringeth-forth the Mother But each of these hauing two qualities One bearing Rule another that obayes Those whose effects do wholly contradict Longer and stronger striue in their Conflict The hot-dry Fire to cold-moist Water turns not The cold-dry Earth to hot-moist Aire returns not Returns not eas'ly for still opposite With tooth and nail as deadly foes they fight But Aire turn Water Earth may Fierize Because in one part they do symbolize And so in combate they haue less to doo For 't's easier far to conquer one then two Sith then the knot of sacred Mariage Of the Situation of the Elements of the effects therof compared to the Notes of Musick to the letters of the Alphabet Which ioynes the Elements from age to age Brings forth the Worlds Babes sith their Enmities With fell diuorce kill whatsoeuer dyes And sith but changing their degree and place They frame the various Forms wherewith the face Of this fair World is so imbellished As six sweet Notes curiously varied In skilfull Musike make a hundred kindes Of Heauenly sounds that rauish hardest mindes And with Division of a choise deuise The Hearers soules out at their ears intice Or as of twice-twelue Letters thus transpos'd This World of Words is variously compos'd And of these Words in divers order sowen This sacred Uolume that you read is growen Through gracious succour of th' Eternall Deïtie Rich in discourse with infinite Variety It was not cause-less that so carefully God did diuide their common Signory Assigning each a fit-confined Sitting Their quantity and quality befitting Whoso somtime hath seen rich Ingotstri'd A simile liuely representing the separation of the Elements When forç't by Fier their treasures they diuide How fair and softly Gold to Gold doth pass Siluer seeks Siluer Brass consorts with Brass And the whole Lump of parts vnequall seuers It self apart in white red yellow Rivers May vnderstand how when the Mouth Diuine Op'ned to each his proper Place t'assigne Fire flew to Fire Water to Water slid Aire clung to Aire and Earth with Earth abid Earth as the Lees and heauy dross of All After his kinde did to the bottom fall Situation of the earth and fire Contrariwise the light and nimble Fire Did through the crannies of th' old Heap aspire Vnto the top and by his nature light No less then hot mounted in sparks vpright As when we see Aurora passing gay With Opals paint the Seeling of Cathay Sad Floods doefume and the celestiall Tapers Through Earths thin pores in th' Aire exhale the vapours But least the Fire which all the rest embraces Being too neer should burn the Earth to ashes As chosen Vmpires the great All-Creator Of aire water plac't between the earth fire Between these Foes placed the Aire and Water For one suffiz'd not their stern strife to end Water as Cozen did the Earth befriend Aire for his Kinsman Fire as firmly deals But both vniting their divided zeals Took vp the matter and appeas'd the brall Which doubt-less else had discreated All. Th' Aire lodg'd aloft the Water vnder it Not casually but so disposed fit By him who Nature in her kind to keep Kept due proportion in his Workmanship Why the aire was lodged next the Element of Fire
Then sodainly turnd studious Platonist I hold the Heav'ns of Elements consist What vse of Elements in the Heauens 'T is Earth whose firm parts make their Lamps apparant Their bodies fast Aire makes them all transparant Fire makes their rest-les circles pure and cleer Hot lighsom light and quick in their career And Water ' nointing with cold-moist the brims Of th' enter-kissing turning Globes extreams Tempers the heat caus'd by their rapid turning Which els would set all th' elements a-burning Not that I doo compare or match the Matter Difference between the Elements whereof the Heauens are composed and these inferiour Elements Whence I compose th' All-compassing Theater To those gross Elements which heer belowe Our hand and ey doth touch and see and knowe 'T's all fair all pure a sacred harmony Those bodies bindes in end-less Vnity That Aier's not flitting nor that Water floating Nor Fire inflaming nor Earth dully doating Nor one to other aught offensiue neither But to conclude Celestiall altogether See see the rage of humane Arrogance Detesting the presumption of those curious wits searching these secrets He limits himselfe within the bounds of Christian Sobriety See how far dares man's erring ignorance That with vnbridled tongue as if it oft Had try'd the mettle of that vpper Loft Dares without proof or without reason yeelded Tell of what timber God his Palace builded But in these doubts much rather rest had I Then with mine errour draw my Readerwry Till a Saint Paule doore-descend from Heav'n Or till my self this sinfull roab be reav'n This rebell Flesh whose counterpoize oppresses My pilgrim Soule and euer it depresses Shall see the beauties of that Blessed Place If then I ought shall see saue Gods bright Face But ev'n as many or more quarrels cumber Diuers opinions of the number of the Heauens Th' old Heathen Schools about the Heav'ns number One holds but one making the Worlds Eys shine Through the thin-thicknes of that Crystal line As through the Oceans cleer and liquid Flood The slippery Fishes vp and down doosâ—ud Another iudging certain by his ey And seeing Seav'n bright Lamps moov'd diversly ' Turn this and that way and on th' other side That all the rest of the Heav'ns twinkling pride Keep all one course ingeniously he varies The Heav'ns rich building into eight round Stories Others amid the Starriest Orb perceiuing A triple cadence and withall conceiuing That but one naturall course one body goes Count nine som ten not numbring yet with those Th' empyreall Palace where th' eternall Treasures Of Nectar flowe where ever-lasting Pleasures Are heaped-vp where an immortall May In bliss-full beauties flourisheth for ay Where Life still liues where God his * Assises Sises holds Environ'd round with Seraphins and Soules Bought with his precious blood whose glorious Flight Yerst mounted Earth above the Heav'ns bright Nor shall my faint and humble Muse presume So high a Song and Subiect to assume O fair fiue-double Round sloath's Foe apparant He stoppeth at the contemplation and praise of the Heauens Which he considereth as distinguished into ten stages or Heauens Life of the World Dayes Months and yeers own Parent Thine own selfs model never shifting place And yet thy pure wings with so swift a pase Fly over vs that but our Thought alone Can as thy babe pursue thy motion Infinite finite free from growth and grief Discord and death dance-louer to be brief Still like thy self all thine own in thee all Transparent cleer light law of this lowe Ball Which in thy wide bout bound-les all doost bound And claspâ—st all vnder or in thy Round Throne of th' Almighty I would fain rehearse Thy various Dauies in this very Verse If it were time and but my bounded Song Doubteth to make this Second Day too-long For notwithstanding yet another day I fear som Critick will not stick to say My babbling Muse did sail with every gale And mingled yarn to length her web withall But knowe what e'r thou be that heer I gather The summe of what hath been handled in this booke what is to be vnderstood by the firmament which Moyses describeth in the first of Gen. â— 6 Iustly so many of Gods works together Because by th' Orbe of th' ample Firmament Which round This-Day th' Eternall Fingers pent Between the lower Waters and the higher I mean the Heav'ns the Aire and th' vpper Fire Which separate the Oceans waters salt From those which God pour'd o'r th' Ethereal Vault Yet haue I not so little seen and sought Against those that think there are no waters aboue the firmament Whom he confuteth by diuers Reasons Simile The Volums which our Age hath chiefest thought But that I knowe how suttly greatest Clarks Presume to argue in their learned Works T'o ' r-whelm these Floods this Crystal to deface And dry this Ocean which doth all imbrace But as the beauty of a modest Dame Who well-content with Natures comly Frame And native Fair as it is freely giv'n In fit proportion by the hand of Heav'n Doth not with painting prank nor set-it-out With helps of Art sufficient Fair without Is more prayse-worthy then the wanton glance Th' affected gait th' alluring countenance The Mart of Pride the Periwigs and painting Whence Courtisans refresh their beauties fainting 1. The word of God to be preser red before the voice of man So doe I more the sacred Tongue esteem Though plain and rurall it doe rather seem Then school'd Athenian and Diuinity For onely varnish have but Verity Then all the golden Wit-pride of Humanity Wherewith men burnish their erroneous vanity I 'l rather give a thousand times the ly 2. Gods word meÌ„tioneth waters aboue the firmament To mine own Reason then but once defy The sacred voice of th' ever-lasting Spirit Which doth so often and so loud averr-it That God above the shining Firmament Gen. 1 7 Psal. 104 3 Psal. 148 4 I wot not I what kinde of Waters pent Whether that pure super-celestiall Water With our inferiour haue no likely nature Whether turnd Vapour it haue round embow'd Heav'ns highest stage in a transparent Cloud Or whether as they say a Crystall case Do round about the Heav'nly Orb embrace But with coniectures wherefore strive I thus Can doubtfull proofs the certainty discuss I see not why Mans reason should withstand 3. The power of God ought to be of greater authority then Mans Reason Or not beleeve that Hee whose powrfull hand Bay'd-vp the Red-Sea with a double Wall That Israels Hoast might scape Egyptian thrall Could prop as sure so many waves on high Above the Heav'n Star-spangled Canapy See we not hanging in the Clouds each howr So many Seas still threatning down to pour 4. The consideration of the waters which hang in the Aire and of the Sea which compasseth the Earth Supported only by th' Aier's agitation Selfly too weak for the least waight's foundation See wee not also that
the Angle Faster and faster on the hooke doo tangle But wily clasping close the Fishing Line Sodainly spews into the Silver Brine Her secret-spreading sodain-speeding bane Which vp the Line and all along the Cane Creeps to the hand of th' Angler who with-all Benumm'd and sens-less sodainly le ts fall His hurtfull pole and his more hatefull prize Simile Becomn like one that as in bed he lies Seems in his sleep to see som gastly Ghost In a cold sweat shaking and swelt almost He cals his wife for ayd his friends his folks But his stuft stomack his weak clamour â—hoaks Then would he strike at that he doth behold But sleep and fear his feeble hands doo hold Then would he run away but as he strives Hee feels his feet fetterd with heauy Gyues But if the Scolopendra haue suckt-in The Scolopendra The sowr-sweet morsell with the barbed Pin She hath as rare a trick to rid her from-it For instantly she all her guts doth vomit And having clear'd them from the danger then She fair and softly sups them in again So that not one of them within her womb Changeth his Office or his wonted room The thriuing Amia neer Abydos breeding The Amia And suttle Sea-Fox in Steeds-loue exceeding The Sea-Fox Without so vent ring their dear life and lyning Can from the Worm-clasp compass their vntwining For sucking-in more of the twisted hair Aboue the hook they it in sunder shear So that their foe who for a Fish did look Lifts vp a bareline robd of bait and hooke But timerous Barbels will not taste the bit The Barbel Till with their tails they haue vnhooked it And all the baits the Fisher can deuise Cannot beguile their wary iealousies Euen so almost the many spotted Cuttle The Cuttle Wel-neer insnared yet escapeth suttle For when she sees her self within the Net And no way left but one from thence to get She sodainly a certain Ink dothspew Which dies the Waters of a sable hew That dazling so the Fishers greedy sight She through the Clouds of the black Waters night Might scape with honour the black streams of Styx Wherof already almost lost she licks And as a Prisoner of som great transgression Conuict by Witness and his owne Confession Simile Kept in dark Durance full of noysom breath Expecting nothing but the Day of Death Spies euery corner and pries round about To finde som weake place where he may get out The delicate cud-chewing Golden-Eye The Golden-eye or Guilt-head Kept in a Weyre the widest space doth spy And thrusting-in his tail makes th' Osiars gape With his oft flapping and doth so escape But if his fellow finde him thus bâ—â—â—ed He lends his tail to the Imprisoned That thereby holding fast with gentle law Him from his Durance he may friendly draw Or if before that he were captiuate He see him hooked on the biting bait Hasting to help he leapeth at the line And with his teeth snaps-off the hairy twine You stony hearts within whose stubborn Centre Sundry in structions that Fishes giue to men Could neuer touch of sacred friendship enter Look on these Seas my Songs haue calmed thus Heer 's many a Damon many a Thâ—seâ—s The gilden Sparlings when cold Winters blast The Sparlings Begins to threat themselues together cast In heaps like balls and heating mutually Liue that alone of the keen Cold would die Those small white Fish to Venus consecrated Though without Venus ayd they be created Of th' Ocean scum seeing themselues a pray Expos'd in euery Water-Rouers way Swarming by thousands with so many a fold Combine themselues that their ioint strength doth hold Against the greediest of the Sea-thieues sallies Yea and to stay the course of swiftest Gallies As a great Carrak cumbred and opprest Simile With her selfs-burthen wends not East and West Star-bood and Lar-boord with so quick Careers As a small Fregat or swift Pinnass steers And as a large and mighty limbed Steed Another Either of Friseland or of German breed Can neuer manage half so readily As Spanish Iennet or light Barbarie So the huge VVhale hath not so nimble motion Of the the Whale and his friend Musculus As smaller Fishes that frequent the Ocean But somtimes rudely ' gainst a Rock he brushes Or in som roaring Straight he blindly rushes And scarce could liue a Twelue-month to an end But for the little Musculus his friend A little Fish that swimming still before Directs him safe from Rock from shelf and shoar Much like a Childe that louing leads about Simile His aged Father when his eyes be out Still wasting him through euery way so right That rest of eyes he seems not rest of sight Waues-Mother Thetis though thine arms embrace Strange League betweene the Pearl-Fish and the Prawne The World about within thine ample space A firmer League of friendship is not seen Then is the Pearl-fish and the Prawn betweene Both haue but one repast both but one Palace But one delight one death one sorrow and one solace That lodgeth this and this remunerates His Land-lords kindnes with all needfull Cates. For while the Pearl-Fish gaping wide doth glister Much Fry allur'd with the bright siluerlustre Of her rich Casket flocks into the Nacre Then with a prick the Prawn a sign doth mak-her That instantly her shining shell she close Because the Prey worthy the pain he knowes Which gladly done she ev'nly shareth-out The Prey betwixt her and her faithfull scout And so the Sponge-Spye warily awakes Also betweene the Sponge and his Spye The Galley Fish The Sayle-Fish Boat-Crab Sea-Vrchin The Sponges dull sense when repast it takes But O! what stile can worthily declare O! Galley-Fish and thou Fish-Mariner Thou Boat-Crab and Sea-Vrchin your dexteritie In Saylers Art for safeness and celeritie If Iaffa Marchants now Comburgers seem With Portingalls and Portingalls with them If Worlds of Wealth born vnder other Sky Seem born in Ours if without wings we fly From North to South and from the East to West Through hundred sundry way-less waies addrest If to be brief this World's rich compass round Seem as a Common without hedge or mound Where at his choice each may him freely store With rarest fruits You may we thank therefore For whether Typhis or that Pride of Greece That sayl'd to Colchos for the Golden-Fleece Or Belus Son first builded floating bowrâ— To mate the Windes Storms and the Waters Stowrs What e'r he were he surely learn'd of you The Art of Rowing and of Sayling too Heer would I cease saue that this humorous song The Hermite-Fish compels me to prolong The sea Hermit A man of might that builds him a Defence 'Gainst Weathers rigour and Warr's insolence First dearly buies for What good is good-cheap Both the rich Matter and rare Workmanship But without buying Timber Lime and stone Or hiring men to build his Mansion Or borrowing House or paying Rent
therfore He lodgeth safe for finding on the shoar Som handsom shell whose Natiue Lord of late Was dispossessed by the Doom of Fate Therein he enters and he takes possession Of th' empty Harbour by the free concession Of Natures Law who Goods that Owner want Alwaies allots to the first Occupant In this new Cace or in this Cradle rather He spends his Youth then growing both together In age and Wit he gets a wider Cell Wherin at Sea his later Daies to dwell But Clio wherefore art thou teadious In numbering Neptunes busie Burgers thus If in his Works thou wilt admire the worth Of the Seas Soverain bring but only forth One little Fish whose admirable Story The strange and secret property of the Remora or Stop-ship Sufficeth sole to shewe his might and glory Let all the Windes in one Winde gather them And seconded with Neptunes strongest stream Let all at once blowe all their stiffest gales A-stern a Galley vnder all her sails Let her be holpen with a hundred Owers Each lively handled by fiue lusty Rowers The Remora fixing her feeble horn Into the tempest-beaten Vessels stern Stayes her stone-still while all her stout Consorts Sail thence at pleasure to their wished Ports Then loose they all the sheats but to no boot For the charm'd Vessell bougeth not a foot No more then if then if three fadom vnder ground A score of Anchors held her fastly bound No more then doth an Oak that in the Wood Hath thousand Tempests thousand times with stood Spreading as many massy roots belowe As mighty arms aboue the ground do growe O Stop-ship say say how thou canst oppose Thy self alone against so many foes O! tell vs where thou doo'st thine Anchors hide Whence thou resistest Sayls Owers Wind and Tide How on the so dain canst thou curb so short A Ship whom all the Elements transport Whence is thine Engin and thy secret force That frustrates Engins and all force doth force I had in Harbour heav'd mine Anchor o're And ev'n already set one foot a-shoar Dolphin When lo the Dolphin beating gainst the bank 'Gan mine obliuion moodily mis-thank Peace Princely Swimmer sacred Fish content-thee For for thy praise th' end of this Song I meant-thee Braue Admirall of the broad briny Regions Triumphant Tamer of the scaly Legions Who liuing ever liv'st for neuer sleep Deaths liuely Image in thy eyes doth creep Louer of Ships of Men of Melody Thou vp and down through the moyst World doest ply Swift as a shaft whose Salt thou louest so That lacking that thy life thou doest forgo Thou gentle Fish wert th' happy Boat of yore Which safely brought th' Amiclean Harp a-shoar Arion match-less for his Musiks skill Among the Latines hauing gain'd his fill The strange aduenture of Ariō saued by a Dolphin Of gold and glory and exceeding fain To re-salute his learned Greece again Vnwares imbarks him in a Pyrates ship Who loath to let so good a Booty slip Soon waighes his Anchors packs on all his fail And Windes conspiring with a prosperous gale His winged Fregat made so speedy-sight Tarentum Towers were quickly out of fight And all saue Skies and Seas on euery side Where th' onely Compass is the Pylots guide The Saylours then whom many times we finde Falser then Seas and fiercer then the Winde Fall straight to strip him ryfling at their pleasure In euery corner to finde out his treasure And hauing found it all with one accord Hoist th' Owner vp to heaue him ouer-boord Who weeping said O Nereus noble issue Not to restore my little gold I wish you For my chief Treasure in my Musick lyes And all Apollo's sacred Pupils prize The holy Virgins of Parnassus so That vnder-foot all worldly wealth they throwe No braue Triumphers ouer Winde and Waue Who in both Worlds your habitation haue Who both Heav'ns Hooks in your aduentures view 'T is not for That with broken sighes I sue I but beseech you offer no impieties Vnto a person deer vnto the Deities So may Messenian Sirens for your sake Be euer mute when you your voyage make And Tritons Trumpet th' angry Surges swage When iustly Neptune shall against you rage But if alas cannot this obtain As my faint eye reads in your frowns too plain Suffer at least to my sad dying voice My dolefull fingers to consort their noise That so the Sea-Nimphs rapt in admiration Of my diuine sweet sacred lamentation Dragging my corps to shoar with weeping showrs May deaw the same and it entoomb in flowrs Then play said they and giue vs both together Treasure and pleasure by thy comming hither His sweetest strokes then sad Arion lent Th' inchanting sinnews of his Instrument Wherewith he charm'd the raging Ocean so That crook tooth'd Lampreys and the Congers rowe Friendly together and their natiue hate The Pike and Mullet for the time forgate And Lobstars floated fear-less all the while Among the Polyps prone to theft and guile But among all the Fishes that did throng To daunce the Measures of his Mournfull song There was a Dolphin did the best accord His nimble Motions to the trembling Chord Who gently sliding neer the Pinnass side Seem'd to inuite him on his back to ride By this time twice the Saylours had essayd To heaue him o're yet twice himself he staied And now the third time stroue they him to cast Yet by the shrowds the third time held he fast But lastly seeing Pyrats past remorse And him too-feeble to withstand their force The trembling Dolphins shoulders he bestrid Who on the Oceans azure surges slid So that far-off his charge so cheered him One would haue thought him rather fly then swim Yet fears he euery shelf and euery Surge Not for himself but for his tender charge And sloaping swiftly ouerthwart those Seas Not for his owne but for his Riders ease Makes double haste to finde som happy strand Where his sweet Phoebus he may safely land Mean-while Arion with his Musick rare Paies his deer Pylot his delighfull fare And heauing eyes to Hea'vn the Hav'n of Pity To his sweet Harp he tunes this sacred Ditty O thou Almightie who Mankinde to wrack Of thousand Seas didst whilom one Sea make And yet didst saue from th' vniuersall Doom One sacred Houshold that in time to com From Age to Age should sing thy glorious praise Look down O Lord from thy supernall rayes Look look alas vpon a wretched man Half Toomb'd already in the Ocean O! bee my Steers-man and vouch safe to guide The stern-les Boat and bit-less Horse I ride So that escaping Windes and Waters wrath I once again may tread my natiue path And hence-forth heer with solemn vowes I sacre Vnto thy glory O my God and Maker For this great fauour 's high Memoriall My heart and Art my voyce hand Harp and all Here-with the Seas their roaring rage refrain The Clowdy Welkin waxed cleer again And all the Windes did so dainly conuert Their mouths to
admire her tunes And gaze themselues in her blew-golden plumes The ravening Kite whose train doth well supply A Rudders place the Falcon mounting high Rauenous Birds The Marlin Lanar and the gentle Tercell Th' Ospray and Saker with a nimble sarcell Follow the Phoenix from the Clouds almost At once discovering many an vnknow'n Coast. In the swift Rank of these fell Rovers flies The Indian Griffin with the glistring eyes Beak Eagle-like back sable sanguin brest White Swan-like wings fiercetalons alwaies prest For bloody battails for with these he tears Boars Lions Horses Tigres Bulls and Bears With thâ—se our Grandams fruitfull panch he pulls Whence many an Ingot of pure Gold he culls To floor his proud nest builded strong and steep On a high Rock better his thefts to keep With these he guards against an Army bold The hollow Mines where first he findeth Gold As wroth that men vpon his right should rove Or theevish hands vsurp his Tresor-troue O! ever may'st thou fight so valiant Foul For this dire bane of our seduced soule Detestation of Auarice for her execrable daÌ„gerous effects And with thee may the Dardan Ants so ward The Gold committed to their carefull Guard That hence-forth hope-less mans frail mind may rest-her From seeking that which doth it's Masters master O odious poyson for the which we dive To Pluto's dark Den for the which we rive Our Motheâ— Earth and not contented with Th' abundant gifts she outward offereth With sacrilegious Tools we rudely rend-her And ransak deeply in her bosom tender While vnder ground wee live in hourly fear When the frail Mines shall over-whelm vs there For which beyond rich Taproban we roule Through thousand Seas to seek another Pole And maugre Windes and Waters enmity We every Day new vnknow'n Worlds descry For which alas the brother sels his brother The Sire his Son the Son his Sire and Mother The Man his Wife the Wife her wedded Pheer The Friend his Friend O! what not sell wee heer Sithence to satiat our Gold-thirsty gall We sell our selues our very soules and all Neer these the Crowe his greedy wings displayes Night-Fowles and solitary Birds The long-liv'd Rauen th' infamous Bird that layes His bastard Egges within the nests of other To have them hatcht by an vnkindely Mother The Skritch-Owl vs'd in falling Towrs to lodge Th' vnlucky Night-Raven and thou lasie Madge That fearing light still seekest where to hide The hate and scorn of all the Birds beside But gentle Muse tell me what Fowls are those That but even-now from flaggy Fenns arose Water fowles 'T is th' hungry Hearn the greedy Cormorant The Coot and Curlew which the Moors doo haunt The nimble Teal the Mallard strong in flight The Di-dapper the Plover and the Snight The silver Swan that dying singeth best And the Kings-Fisher which so builds her nest By the Sea-side in midst of Winter Season That man in whom shines the bright Lamp of Reason Cannot devise with all the withe ha's Her little building how to raise or raze So long as there her quiet Couch she keeps Sicilian Sea exceeding calmly sleeps For Aeolus fearing to drown her brood Keeps home the while and troubles not the Flood The Pirat dwelling alwayes in his Bark In 's Calender her building Dayes doth mark And the rich Marchant resolutely venters So soon as th' Halcyon in her brood-bed enters Mean-while the Langa skimming as it were The Oceans surface seeketh every where The hugy Whale where slipping-in by Art In his vast mouth shee feeds vpon his hart NEVV-SPAIN's Cucuio in his forhead brings Strange admirable Birds Two burning Lamps two vnderneath his wings Whose shining Rayes serue oft in darkest night Th' Imbroderer's hand in royall Works to light Th' ingenious Turner with a wakefull eye To polish fair his purest Ivory Th' Vsurer to count his glistring treasures The learned Scribe to limn his golden measures But note we now towards the rich Moluques Those passing strange and wondrous birds * With vs cald Birds of Paradise Mamuques Wond'rous indeed if Sea or Earth or Sky Saw ever wonder swim or goe or fly None knowes their nest none knowes the dam that breeds them Food-less they liue for th' Airealonely feeds them Wing-less they fly and yet their flight extends Till with their flight their vnknow'n lives-date ends The Stork still eying her deer Thessalie Charitable Birds The Pelican consorteth cheerfully Prayse-worthy Payer which pure examples yield Of faithfull Father and officious Childe Th' one quites in time her Parents love exceeding From whom she had her birth and tender breeding Not onely brooding vnder her warm brest Their age-chill'd bodies bed-rid in the nest Nor only bearing them vpon her back Through th' empty Aire when their own wings they lack But also sparing This let Children note Her daintiest food from her own hungry throat To feed at home her feeble Parents held From forraging with heavy Gyves of Eld. The other kindly for her tender Brood Tears her own bowells trilleth-out her blood To heal her young and in a wondroussort Vnto her Children doth her life transport For finding them by som fell Serpent slain She rents her brest and doth vpon them rain Her vitall humour whence recouering heat They by her death another life do get A Type of Christ who sin-thrall'd man to free Became a Captive and on shamefull Tree Self-guiltless shed his blood by 's wounds to save-vs And salue the wounds th' old Serpent firstly gave-vs And so became of meer immortall mortall Therby to make frail mortall Man immortall Thus doo'st thou print O Parent of this All Lessons for mankinde out of the Consideration of the natures of diuers creatures In every brest of brutest Animall A kinde Instinct which makes them dread no less Their Childrens danger then their own decease That so each Kinde may last immortally Though th' Indiuiduum pass successively So fights a Lion not for glory then But for his Deer Whelps taken from his Den By Hunters fell He fiercely roareth out He wounds he kills amid the thickest rout He rushes-in dread-less of Spears and Darts Swords shafts staves though hurt in thousand parts And brave-resolved till his last breath lack Never gives-over nor an inch gives-back Wrath salves his wounds and lastly to conclude When over-layd with might and Multitude He needs must dy dying he more bemoanes Then his own death his Captiue little-Ones So for their young our Masty Currs will fight Eagerly bark bristle their backs and bite So in the Deep the Dog-Fish for her Fry Lucma's throes a thousand times doth try For seeing when the suttle Fisher follows-them Again alive into her womb shee swallows-them And when the perill's past she brings them thence As from the Cabins of asafe defence And thousandlyues to their deer Parent owing As sound as ever in the Seas are rowing So doth a Hen make of her wings a Targe To shield her Chickens that she hath
cherish and reioyce And prety-fondling she doth prize it higher Then her own beauties which all else admire But as fell Fates mingle our single ioyes With bitter gall of infinit annoyes An extream Fever vext the Virgins bones By one disease to cause two deaths at once Consum'd her flesh and wanly did displace The Rose-mixt-Lillies in her lovely face Then far'd the Foul and Fairest both a-like Both like tormented both like shivering sick So that to note their passions one would gather That Lachesis spun both their lives together But oft the Aeagle striving with her Fitt Would fly abroad to seek som dainty bitt For her deer Mistress and with nimble wing Som Rail or Quail or Partridge would she bring Paying with food the food receiv'd so oft From those fair Ivory Virgin-fingers soft During her nonage yer she durst essay To cleave the sky and for herself to prey The Fever now with spitefull fitts had spent The blood and marrow of this Innocent And Life resign'd to cruell Death her Right Who three dayes after doth the Eagle cite The fearfull Hare durst now frequent the Down And round about the Walles of Hero's Town The Tercel-gentle and swift Falcon flew Dread-less of th' Aegle that so well they knew For shee alas lies on her Ladies bed Still-sadly mourning though a-live yet dead For O! how should she live sith Fatall knife Hath cut the threed of her lives deerest life O're the deer Corps somtimes her wings she hovers Somtimes the dead brest with her brest she covers Somtimes her neck doth the pale neck embrace Somtimes she kisses the cold lips and face And with sad murmurs she lamenteth so That her strange moan augments the Parents wo. Thrice had bright Phoebus daily Chariot run Past the proud Pillars of Aicmaenas son Since the fair Virgin past the fatall Ferry Whear lastly Mortals leaue their burthens weary And yet this doleful Bird drown'd in her tears All comfort-les Rest and Repast forbears So much alas shee seemeth to contend Her life and sorrows both at once to end But lastly finding all these means too-weak The quick dispatch that she did wish to wreak With ire and anguish both at once enraged Vnnaturally her proper brest she gaged And tears her bowells storming bitterly That all these deaths could yet not make her dy But lo the while about the lightsom door Of th' hap-les house a mournfull troop that bore Black on their back and Tapers in their fists Tears on their cheeks and sorrow in their brests Who taking vp the sacred Load at last Whose happy soule already Heav'n embra'çt With shrill sad cries march toward the fatall Pile With solemn pase The silly Bird the while Following far-off her bloody entrails trails Honoring with conuoy two sad Funerals No sooner had the Ceremonious Flame Embraç't the Body of her tender Dame But sodainly distilling all with blood Down soust the Eagle on the blazing wood Nor boots the Flamine with his sacred wand A hundred times to beat her from her stand For to the midst still of the Pyle she plies And singing sweet her Ladies Obsequies There burns herself and blendeth happily Her bones with hers she lov'd so tenderly O happy Payr vpon your sable Toomb May Mel and Manna euer showring come May sweetest Myrtles ever shade your Herse And evermore live you within my Verse So Morn and Euening the Fift Day conclude And God perceiv'd that All his Works were good THE SIXT DAIE OF THE FIRST WEEK THE ARGVMENT Inuiting all which through this world aspire Vnto the next Gods glorious Works t' admire Heer on the Stage our noble Poet brings Beasts of the Earth Cattell and Creeping things Their hurt and help to vs The strange euents Between Androdus and the Forrest Prince The little-World Commander of the greater Why formed last his admirable Feature His Heav'n-born Soule her wondrous operation His deerest Rib. All Creatures generation YOu Pilgrims which through this worlds City wend Toward th' happy City whear withouten end An exhortatiōto al which through the Pilgrimage of this life tend toward the euerlasting City to consider well the excellent workes of God heer represented by our Poet. True ioyes abound to anchor in the Port Whear Deaths pale horrors never do resort If you would see the fair Amphitheatres Th' Arks Arcenalls Towrs Temples and Theatres Colosses Cirques Pyles Ports and Palaces Proudly dispersed in your Passages Com com with me For ther 's not any part In this great Frame where shineth any Art But I will show 't you Are you weary since What! tyr'd so soon Why will you not my friends Having already ventur'd forth so far On Neptnn's back through Windes and Waters war Rowe yet a stroak the Harbour to recover Whose shoars already my glad eyes discover Almighty Father guide their Guide along Inuocation And pour vpon my faint vnfluent tongue The sweetest hony of th' Hyantian Fount Which freshly purleth from the Muses Mount With the sweet charm of my Victorious Verse Tame furious Lions Bears and Tigers fierce Make all the wilde Beasts laying fury by To com with Homage to my Harmony OF ALL THE Beasts which thou This-Day didst build The Elephant To haunt the Hills the Forest and the Field I see as vice-Roy of their brutish Band The Elephant the Vant-gard doth command Worthy that Office whether we regard His Towred back whear many Souldiers ward Or else his Prudence whearwithall he seems T' obscure the wits of human-kind somtimes As studious Scholer heeself-rumineth His lessons giv'n his King he honoreth Adores the Moon mooved with strange desire He feels the sweet flames of th' Idalian fire And pierçtwith glance of a kinde-cruell ey For humane beauty seems to sigh and dy Yea if the Graecians doo not miss-recite His combat with the Rhinocerot With 's crooked trumpet he doth somtimes write But his huge strength nor subtle wit can not Defend him from the sly Rhinocerot Who never with blinde fury led doth venter Vpon his Fo but yer the Lists he enter Against a Rock he whetteth round about The dangerous pike vpon his armed snout Then buckling close doth not at randon hack On the hard Cuirass on his Enemies back But vnder 's belly cunning findes a skin Whear and but thear his sharpned blade will in The scaly Dragon being else too lowe For th' Elephant vp a thick Tree doth goe So closely ambusht almost every Day To watch the Carry-Castle in his way Who once approaching straight his stand he leaues And round about him he so closely cleaues With 's wrything body that his Enemy His combat with the Dragon His stinging knots vnable to vn-ty Hastes to som Tree or to som Rock whearon To rush and rub-off his detested zone The fell embraces of whose dismall clasp Haue almost brought him to his latest gasp Then sodainly the Dragon slips his hold From th' Elephant and sliding down doth fold About his fore-legs fetter'd in such order
The stubborn'st heads of all the savage troop Of all the Creatures through the Welkin gliding Walking on Earth or in the Waters sliding Th' hast armed som with Poyson som with Paws Som with sharp Antlers som with griping Claws Som with keen Tushes som with crooked Beaks Som with thick Cuirets som with skaly necks But mad'st Man naked and for Weapons fit Thou gav'st him nothing but a pregnant Wit Which rusts and duls except it subiect finde Worthy it 's worth wheron it self to grinde And as it were with enuious armies great Be round about besieged and beset For what boot Milo's brawny shoulders broad And sinnewie arms if but a common load He alwayes bear what Bayes or Oliue boughs Parsly or Pine shall crown his warlik brows Except som other Milo entring Lists Courageously his boasted strength resists In deepest perils shineth Wisdoms prime Through thousand deaths true Valour seeks to clime Well knowing Conquest yeelds but little Honour If bloody Danger doo not wait vpon her O gracious Father th' hast not only lent God hath set them at enmity among themselues Prudence to Man the Perils to prevent Wherwith these foes threaten his feeble life But for his sake hast set at mutuall strife Serpents with Serpents and hast rais'd them foes Which vnprovoked felly them oppose The Viper and Scorpion with their young Thou mak'st th' ingratefull Viper at his birth His dying Mothers belly to gnaw forth Thou mak'st the Scorpion greedy after food Vnnaturally devour his proper brood Wherof one scaping from the Parents hunger With 's death doth vengeance on his brethrens wronger Thou mak'st the Weazell by a secret might The Weazell against the Basiliske Murder the Serpent with the murdering sight Who so surpris'd striving in wrathfull manner Dying himself kils with his baen his Baener Thou mak'st th' Ichneumon whom the Memphs adore The Ichneumon against the Aspick To rid of Poysons Nile's manured shoar Although indeed he doth not conquer them So much by strength as subtile stratagem As he that vrg'd with deep indignity By a proud Chalenge doth his foe defie Premeditates his posture and his play And arms himself so complet every way With wary hand guided with watchfull eye And ready foot to traverse skilfully That the Defendant in the heat of fight Findes no part open for his blade to light So Pharaohs Rat yer he begin the fray 'Gainst the blinde Aspick with a cleauing Clay Vpon his coat he wraps an Earthen Cake Which afterward the Suns hot beams doo bake Arm'd with this Plaister th' Aspick he approcheth And in his throat his crooked tooth he broacheth Whileth ' other boot-les striues to pearce and prick Through the hard temper of his armour thick Yet knowing himself too-weak for all his wile Alone to match the skaly Crocodile Hee with the Wren his Ruin doth conspire The Wren who seeing prest with sleeps desire The Ichneumon and the Wren against the Crocodile Nile's poysony Pirate press the slimy shoar Sodainly coms and hopping him before Into his mouth he skips his teeth he pickles Clenseth his palate and his throat so tickles That charm'd with pleasure the dull Serpent gapes Wider and wider with his vgly chaps Then like a shaft th' Ichneumon instantly Into the Tyrants greedy gorge doth sly And feeds vpon that Glutton for whose Riot All Niles fat Margents could scarce furnish diet Nay more good Lorst th' hast taught Mankinde a Reason God hath taught vs to make great vse of them To draw Life out of Death and Health from Poyson So that in equall Ballance ballancing The Good and Evill which these Creatures bring Vnto Mans life we shall perceiue the first By many grains to over-waigh the worst From Serpents scap't yet am I scarce in safety Fierce and vntameable beasts Alas I see a Legion fierce and lofty Of Sauvages whose fleet and furious pase Whose horrid roaring and whose hideous face Make my sense sense-less and my speech restrain And cast me in my former fears again Already howls the waste-Fold Wolf the Boar The Wolfe Boare Beare Ounce Tigre Leopard Vnicorne Hyaena Mantichora a kind of Hyaenae Cephus a kind of Ape or Munkey Chiurcae Whetts foamy Fangs the hungry Bear doth roar The Cat-faç't Ounce that doth me much dismay With grumbling horror threatens my decay The light-foot Tigre spotted Leopard Foaming with fury do besiege me hard Then th' Unicorn th' Hyëna tearing-tombs Swift Mantichor ' and Nubian Cephus coms Of which last three each hath as heer they stand Man 's voice Man's visage and Mans's foot and hand I fear the Beast bred in the bloody Coast Of Cannibals which thousand times almost Re-whelps her whelps and in her tender womb She doth as oft her living brood re-tomb But O! what Monster 's this that bids me battail On whose rough back an Hoast of Pikes doth rattle The Porcupine Who string-less shoots so many arrows out Whose thorny sides are hedged round about With stiff steel-pointed quils and all his parts Bristled with bodkins arm'd with Auls and Darts Which ay fierce darting seem still fresh to spring And to his ayd still new supplies to bring O fortunate Shaft-neuer-wanting Bowe-man Who as thou fly'st canst hit thy following foe-man And never missest or but very narrow Th' intended mark of thyselfs kindred Arrow Who still self-furnisht needest borrow never Diana's shafts nor yet Apollos quiver Nor bowe-strings fetch from Carian Aleband Brazell from Perù but hast all at hand Of thine owne growth for in thy Hide do growe Thy String thy Shafts thy Quiver and thy Bowe But Courage now heer 's coms the valiant Beast The Lion King of Beasts The noble Lion King of all the rest Who brauely-minded is as milde to those That yeeld to him as fierce vnto his foes To humble suiters neither stern nor statefull To benefactors never found ingratefull A memorable Historie of a Lion acknowledging the kindnes he had receiued of Androdus a Romane Salue I call to record that same Roman Thrall Who to escape from his mechanicall And cruell Master that for lucre vs'd-him Not as a Man but as a Beast abus'd-him Fled through the desart and with trauail'd tir'd At length into a mossie caue retir'd But thear no sooner gan the drowzy wretch On the soft grass his weary limbs to stretch But coming swift into the caue he seeth A ramping Lion gnashing of his teeth A thief to shamefull execution sent By Iustice for his faults iust punishment Feeling his ey 's clout and his elbows cord Waiting for nothing but the fatall Sword Dies ye◠his death he looks so certainly Without delay in that drad place to Die Even so the Slaue seeing no means to shun By flight or fight his fear'd destruction Having no way to fly nor arms to fight But sighs and tears prayers and wofull plight Embraceth Death abiding for a stown Pale cold and sense-les in a deadly swown At last again
Which her small fingers draw so ev'n and fine Still at the Centre she her warp begins Then round at length her little threds she pins And equall distance to their compass leaues Then neat and nimbly her new web she weaues With her fine shuttle circularly drawn Through all the circuit of her open lawn Open least else th' vngentle Windes should tear Her cipres Tent weaker then any hair And that the foolish Fly migh easter get Within the meshes of her curious Net Which he no sooner doth begin to shake But streight the Male doth to the Centre make That he may conquer more securely there The humming Creature hampred in his snare You Kings that beare the sword of iust Hostilitie The Lion to Kings Pursue the Proud and pardon true Humilitie Like noble Lions that do neuer showe Their strength and stomach on a yeelding Foe But rather through the stoutest throngs doo forrage ' Mid thousands Deaths to shew their daunt-les courage Thou sluggard if thou list to learn thy part The Emmet and Hedge-hog to the sloathfull Goe learn the Emmets and the Vrchins Art In Summer th' one in Autumn th' other takes The Seasons fruits and thence prouision makes Each in his Lodging laying vp a hoord Against cold Winter which doth nought affoord But Reader We resemble one that windes Man may finde in himself excellent instruction From Saba Bandan and the wealthy Indes Through threatning Seas and dangers manifold To seek far-off for Incense Spice and Gold Sith we not loosing from our proper Strand Finde all wherein a happy life doth stand And our owne Bodies self-contained motions Giue the most gross a hundred goodly Notions You Princes Pastors and ye Chiefs of War The head teacheth all persons in authoritie Do not your Laws Sermons and Orders mar Least your examples banefull leaprosies Infect your Subiects Flocks and Companies Beware your euill make not others like For no part 's sound if once the Head be sick You Peers O doo not through self-partiall zeal The Eys instruct Princes and Noble-men With light-brain'd Counsails vex your Common-weal But as both Eys doo but One thing behold Let each his Countries common good vp-hold You that for Others trauail day and night With much-much labour and small benefite The teeth such as trauaile for others Behold the Teeth which Toule-free grinde the food From whence themselues doo reap more greef then good Euen as the Hart hath not a Moments rest The Hart the Ministers of the Word But night and day moues in our panting brest That by his beating it may still impart The liuely spirits about to euery part So those to whome God doth his Flock betake Ought alwaies study alwaies work and wake To breathe by Doctrin and good Conuersation The quickning spirit into their Congregation And as the Stomach from the holesom food The stomacke the same Diuides the grosser part which is not good They ought from false the truth to separate Error from Faith and Cockle from the Wheat To make the best receiv'd for nourishment The bad cast forth as filthy excrement The Hands all Christians to Charitie If Bat or Blade doo threaten sodain harm To belly brest or leg or head or arm With dread-less dread the hand doth ward the blowe Taking her self her brethrens bleeding woe Then mid the shock of sacrilegious Arms That fill the world with blood and boistrous storms Shall we not lendour helping hands to others Whom Faith hath made more neer and deer then Brothers Nor can I see where vnderneath the Sky The whole body the whole society of mankind that euery one ought to stand in his owne vocation A man may finde a iuster Policy Or truer Image of a calme Estate Exempt from Faction Discord and Debate Then in th' harmonious Order that maintains Our Bodies life through Members mutual pains Where one no sooner feels the least offence But all the rest haue of the same a sense The Foot striues not to smell the Nose to walk The Tongue to combat nor the Hand to talk But without troubling of their Common-weal With mutinies they voluntary deal Each in his Office and Heav'n-pointed place Bee 't vile or honest honoured or base But soft my Muse what wilt thou re-repeat The Little-Worlds admired Modulet If twice or thrice one and the same we bring 'T is teadious how euer swect we sing Ther-fore a-shoar Mates let our Anchor fall Heer blowes no Winde heer are we Welcom all Besides consider and conceiue I pray W'haue row'd sufficient for a Sabbath Day THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK Du BARTAS His SECOND VVEEKE Disposed After the proportion of his First Into SEAVEN DAYES viz. THE 1. ADAM THE 2. NOAH THE 3. ABRAHAM THE 4. DAVID THE 5. ZEDECHIAS THE 6. MESSIAS THE 7. Th' ETERNAL SABBATH But of the three last Death preuenting Our Noble Poet hath depriued vs. Acceptam refero TO THE MOST ROYAL PATTERN AND PATRON OF LEARNING AND RELIGION THE HIGH AND MIGHTIE PRINCE IAMES BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF GREAT BRITAINE FRANCE IRELAND TR VE DEFENDER OF THE TR VE ANTIENT CHRISTIAN CATHOLIKE AND APOSTOLIKE FAITH c. 1. SONNET From ZEAL Land sayling with the Winde of Loue In the Bark LABOVR stirr'd by Theorems Laden with â—ope and with DESIRE t' approve Bound for Cape Comfort in the I le of IHMMES In such a Mist wee fell vpon the Coast That sodainly vpon the Rock Neglect Vnhappily our Ship and Goods we lost Even in a Place that we did least suspect So Cast away my LIEGE and quight vn-don We Orphan-remnants of a wofefull Wrack Heer cast a-shore to Thee for succour run O Pittie vs for our deer Parent 's sake Who Honour'd Thee both in his Life and Death And to thy guard his POSTHVMES did bequeath 2. SONNET These glorious WORKS and gratefull Monuments Built by Du BARTAS on the â—yrenaeis Your Royall Vertues to immortalize And magnifie your rich Munificence Haue prov'd so Charge-full to Trans-port from thence That our smal Art's-stâ—ck hardly could suffize To vnder go so great an Enterprize But is even beggerd with th' vn-cast Expense So that except our Muses SOVERAIN With gracious Eye regard her spent Estate And with a hand of Princely Fauour daign To stay her fall before it be too-late She needs must fail as lending Light about Self-spending Lamps for lack of Oyl go-out Voy Sire Saluste To the Right Excellent and most hopefull young Prince HENRY Prince of WALES ANAGR Henricus Stuartus Hic strenuus ratus THE TROPHEIS MAGNIFICENCE THe gratious Welcome You vouchsaf't yer-while To my grave PIBRAC though but meanly clad Makes BARTAS now no Stranger in this Isle More bold to come though suted even as clad To kiss Your HIGHNES Hand and with Your Smile To Crown His Haps and Our faint Hopes to glad Whose weary longings languish in our Stile For in our Wants our very Songs be sad Hee brings for
Not for th' effect it had but should haue kept If Man from duty never had mis-stept For as the ayr of those fresh dales and hills Preserved him from Epidemik ills This fruit had ever-calm'd all insurrections All civill quarrels of the cross complexions Had barr'd the passage of twice childish age And ever-more excluded all the rage Of painfull griefs whose swift-slowe posting-pase At first or last our dying life doth chase Strong counter-bane O sacred Plant divine The excellencie of that Tree What metall stone stalk fruit flowr root or ryne Shall I presume in these rude rymes to sute I Vnto thy wondrous World-adorning Fruit The rarest Simples that our fields present-vs Heal but one hurt and healing too torments vs And with the torment lingring our relief Our bags of gold void yer our bulks of grief But thy rare fruits hid powr admired most Salveth all sores sans pain delay or cost Or rather man from yawning Death to stay Thou didst not cure but keep all ills away O holy peer-less rich preseruatiue We cannot say what Tree it was Whether wert thou the strange restoratiue That suddainly did age with youth repair And made old Aeson yonger then his heir Or holy Nectar that in heav'nly bowrs Eternally self-pouring Hebé pours Or blest Ambrosia Gods immortall fare Or els the rich fruit of the Garden rare Where for three Ladies as assured guard A fire-arm'd Dragon day and night did ward Or pretious Moly which Ioues Pursuiuan Wing-footed Hermes brought to th' Ithacan Or else Nepenthé enemy to sadnes Repelling sorrows and repealing gladnes Or Mummie or Elixir that excels Save men and Angels every creature els No none of these these are but forgeries But toyes but tales but dreams deceipts and lies But thou art true although our shallow sense May honour more then sound thine Excellence The Tree of Knowledge th' other Tree behight Of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Euill Not that itselfly had such speciall might As mens dull wits could whet and sharpen so That in a moment they might all things knowe 'T was a sure pledge a sacred sâ—gne and seal Which being ta'n should to light man reveal What ods there is between still peace and strife Gods wrath and loue drad death and deerest life Solace and sorrow guile and innocence Rebellious pride and humble obedience For God had not depriv'd that primer season Of the excellence of mans knowledge before Sin The sacred lamp and light of learned Reason Mankinde was then a thousand fold more wise Then now blinde Error â—ad not bleard his eys With mists which make th' Athenian Sage suppose That nought hee knowes saue this that nought hee knowes That euen light Pirâ—â—oâ—s wavering fantasies Reave him the skill his vn skill to agnize And th' Abderite within a Well obscure As deep as dark the Truth of things immure Hee happy knew the Good by th' vse of it How he knew good and euill before Sinne. He knew the Bad but not by proof as yet But as they say of great Hyppocrates Who though his limbs were numm'd with no excess Nor stop this throat nor vext his fantasie Knew the cold Cramp th' Angine and Lunacy And hundred els-pains whence in lusty flowr He liv'd exempt a hundred yeers and foure Or like the pure Heav'n-prompted Prophets rather Whose sight so cleerly future things did gather Because the World's Soule in their soule enseal'd The holy stamp of secrets most conceal'd But our now knowledge hath for tedious train Oâ— mans knowledge sincâ— his Fall A drooping life and over-racked brain A face forlorn a sad and sullen fashion A rest-less toyl and Cares self-pining passion Knowledge was then even the soules soule for light The spirits calme Port and Lanthorn shining bright To straight steptfeet cleer knowledge not confus'd Not sowr but sweet not gotten but infus'd Now Heav'ns eternall all-fore-seeing King Why the Lord put man in the Garden of Eden Who never rashly ordereth anything Thought good that man having yet spirits sound-stated Should dwell els-where then where he was created That he might knowe he did not hold this place By Natures right but by meer gift and Grace That he should never taste fruits vn-permitted But keep the sacred Pledge to him committed And dress that Park which God without all tearm On these conditions gaue him as in farm God would that void of painfull labour he Of his exercise there Should liue in Eden but not idlely For Idlenes pure Innocence subuerts Defiles our body and our soule peruerts Yea soberest men it makes delicious To vertue dull to vice in genious But that first travell had no sympathy With our since-travails wretched cruelty Distilling sweat and panting wanting winde Which was a scourge for Adams sin assign'd For Edens earth was then so fertile fat 4. Comparisons That he made onely sweet Essayes in that Of skilfull industry and naked wrought More for delight then for the gain he sought In brief it was a pleasant exercise A labour lik't a pain much like the guise Of cunning dauncers who although they skip â— Run caper vault traverse and turn and trip From Morn till Even at night again full merry Renue their daunce of dauncing never weary Or else of Hunters that with happy luck 2. Rousing betimes som often breathed Buck Or goodly Stagge their yelping Hounds vncouple Winde lowd their horns their whoops hallows double Spur-on and spare not following their desire Themselues vn-weary though their Hackneis tyre But for in th' end of all their iolity Ther 's found much stifness sweat and vanity I rather match it to the pleasing pain Of Angels pure who ever sloath disdain 3. Or to the Suns calm course who pain-less ay 4. About the welkin posteth night and day Doubtless when Adam saw our common ayr Adam admireth the beauties of the World in generall He did admire the mansion rich and fair Of his Successors For frosts keenly cold The shady locks of Forrests had not powl'd Heav'n had not thundred on our heads as yet Nor given the earth her sad Diuorces Writ But when he once had entred Paradise But most especially of the Garden of Eden The remnant world he iustly did despise Much like a Boor far in the Country born Who never having seen but Kine and Corn Oxen and Sheep and homely Hamlets thatcht Which fond he counts as Kingdoms hardly matcht When afterward he happens to behold Our welthy London's wonders manifold In this comparison my Author setteth down the famous City of Paris but I haue presumed to apply it to our own City of London that it might be more familiar to my meere English and vn-trauaild Readers The silly peasant thinks himself to bâ— In a new World and gazing greedily One while he Art-less all the Arts admires Then the faire Temples and their top-less spires Their firm foundations and the massie pride Of all
How long they had that Garden in possession Before their proud and insolent Transgression What Children there they earned and how many Of whether sex or whether none or any Or how at least they should haue propagated If the sly malice of the serpent hated Causing their fall had not defil'd their kin And vnborn seed with leprosie of Sin If void of Venus sith vnlike it is Such blessed state the noble flowr should miss Of Virgin-head or folk so perfect chaste Should furious feel when they their loues imbraç't Such tickling flames as our fond soule surprise That dead a-while in Epilepsâ—e lies And slack our sinews all by little and little Drowning our reason in foule pleasure brittle Or whether else as men in gender now Sith spouse-bedspot-less laws of God allow If no excess command sith else again The Lord had made the double sex in vain Whether their Infants should haue had the Powr We now perceiue in fresh youths Iusty flowr As nimble feet lims strong and vigorous Industrious hands and hearts couragious Sith before sin Man ought not less appear In Natures gifts then his then-seruants were And loe the Partridge which new-hatched bears On her weak back her parent-house and wears In stead of wings a bever-supple down Follows her dam through furrows vp and down Or else as now sith in the womb of Eue A man of thirtie yeares could neuer liue Nor may we iudge ' gainst Natures course apparant Without the sacred Scriptures speciall warrant Which for our good as Heav'ns deer babe hath right To countermaund our reason and our sight Whether their seed should with their birth haue brought Deep Knowledge Reason Vnderstanding-thought Sith now wee see the new-fall'n feeble Lamb Yet stayn'd with bloud of his distressed Dam Knowes wel the Wolf at whose fell sight he shakes And right the tear of th' vnknow'n Eaw he takes And sith a dull Dunce which no knowledge can Is a dead image and no liuing man Or the thick vail of Ignorance's night Had hooded-vp their issues inward sight Sith the much moisture of an Infant brain Receiues so many shapes that ouer-lam New dash the old and the trim commixation Of confus'd fancies full of alteration Makes th' Vnderstanding hull which settle would But findes no firm ground for his Anchors hold Whether old ADAM should haue left the place Vnto his Sonnes they to their after-race Or whether all together at the last Should gloriously from thence to Heav'n haue past Search whoso list who list let vaâ—â—t in pride The decision of such Questions is a busie idlenes T' haue hit the white and let him sage decide The many other doubts that vainly rise For mine owne part I will not seem so wise I will not waste my trauail and my seed To reap an empty straw or fruitless reed Alas we know what Orion of grief Rain'd on the curst head of the creatures Chief Sin makes vs perceiue more then sufficiently what happines our Grand-sire lost and what misery he got by his shamefull Fall After that God against him war proclaim'd And Satan princedom of the earth had claim'd But none can know precisely how at all Our Elders liv'd before their odious fall An vnknow'n Cifer and deep Pit it is Where Dircean Oedipus his marks would miss Sith Adam's self if now he liv'd anew Could scant vnwinde the knotty snarled clew Of double doubts and questions intricate That Schools dispute about this pristin state But this sole point I rest resolved in But for sinne man had not been subiect vnto Death That seeing Death 's the meer effect of sin Man had not dreaded Death's all-slaying might Had hee still stood in Innocence vpright For as two Bellows blowing turn by turn Simile By little and little make cold coals to burn And then their fire inflames with glowing heat An yron bar which on the Anuil beat Seems no more yron but flyes almost all In hissing sparks and quick bright cinders small So the Worlds Soule should in our soule inspire Th' eternall force of an eternall fire And then our soule as form breathe in our corse Her count-less numbers and Heav'n-tuned force Wherewith our bodies beauty beautified Should like our death-less soule haue neuer died Heer wot I well som wranglers will presume Obiections against the estate of man who had not beene subiect vnto death but for Sinne. To say Small fire will by degrees consume Our humor radicall and how-be-it The differing vertues of those fruits as yet Had no agreement with the harmfull spight Of the fell Persian dangerous Acomte And notwithstanding that then ADAMS taste Could well haue vsed all without all waste Yet could they not restore him euery day Vnto his body that which did decay Because the food cannot as being strange So perfectly in humane substance change For it resembleth wine wherein too rife Simile Water is brewd whereby the pleasant life Is ouer-cool'd and so there rests in fine Nought of the strength sauour or taste of wine Besides in time the naturall faculties Are tyr'd with toyl and th' Humour-enemies Our death conspiring vndermine at last Of our Soules prisons the foundations fast I but the Tree of life the strife did stay Answer to those obiections Which th' Humours caused in this house of clay And stopping th' euill changed perfect good In body fed the body of the food Only the soules contagious malady Had force to frustrate this high remedy Immortall then and mortall man was made Conclusion Mortall he liv'd and did immortall vade For 'fore th' effects of his rebellious ill To die or liue was in his power and will But since his Sin and proud Apostasie Ah! die he may but not alas not-dy As after his new-birth he shall attain Onely a powr to neuer-dy again FINIS THE IMPOSTVRE THE II. PART OF THE I. DAY OF THE II. WEEK THE ARGVMENT Iustice and Mercy modul'd in their kinde Satans proud Hate and Enuie to Mankinde His many Engins and malitious Wiles Whereby the best he many-times beguiles Why he assum'd a Body and began With Eue by Her to vndermine her Man Their dreadfull Fall Their drousie Conscience Gods righteous Sentence for their foul Offence On them and Theirs Their Exile Eden barr'd With flaming Sword and Scraphin for guard O Who shall lend me light and nimble wings That passing Swallows and the swiftest things Euen in a moment boldly-daring I From Heav'n to Hell from Hell to Heav'n may fly O! who shall showe the countenance and gestures Of Mercy and Iustice which fair sacred sisters With equall poiz doe euer ballance ev'n Th' vnchanging Proiects of the King of Heav'n Th' one stern of look the other milde-aspecting Th' one pleas'd with tears the other bloud affecting Th' one bears the Sword of vengeance vnrelenting Th' other brings Pardon for the true-repenting Th' one from Earths Eden Adam did dismiss Th' other hath rais'd him to a higher Bliss Who
fumeth and the sacred Song Of Leuits soundeth in his House again Corona australis Piscis australis And that rich Crown th' Asmonean Race doth gain To rule the Iewes Lo there the happy Fish Which payes Christs Tribute who our Ransom is And heer the Whale within whose noysom breast Balaena The Prophet Ionas for three dayes doth rest A notable correction of the Poet vpon these last Discourses But while my spoaks-man or I rather his Thus Heber comments on Heav'ns Images Through path-less paths his wandring steps doth bring And boldly quavers on a Maiden string Suppose not Christians that I take for grounds Or points of Faith all that he heer propounds Or that old Zeno's Portall I sustain Or Stöâ—k Fate th' Almighties hands to chain Or in Heav'ns Volume reading things to-com Erroneously a Chaldee-Wise becom No no such thing but to refresh again Your tyred Spirits I sung this novell strain That hither-to having with patience past Such dreadfull Oceans and such Desarts vast Such gloomy Forrests craggy Rocks and steep Wide-yawning Gulfs and hideous Dungeons deep You might at last meet with a place of pleasure Wher-on the Heav'ns lavish their plentious treasure Where Zephyre puffs perfumes and silver Brooks Embrace the Meads smiling with wanton Looks Yet curteous Readers who is it can say Whether our Nephews yet another-day More zealous than our selues in things Divine This curious Art shall Christianly refine And giue to all these glistring Figures then Not Heathen names but names of Holy men He â—rocâ—edes to discouer the secrets of Astronomie But seek we now for Heber whose Discourse Informs his Phalec in the Planets course What Epicicle meaneth and Con-centrik With Apogé Perigé and Eccentrik And how fell Mars the Seedster of debate Dayes glorious Torch the wanton Uulcans Mate Saturn and Ioue three Sphears in one retain Smooth Hermes five fair Cynthia two-times-twain For the Divine Wits whence this Art doth flowe Finding their Fires to wander to and fro Now neer now far from Natures Nave above Confusion voyd and rupture to remove Which would be caused through their wanderment In th' Heav'ns inclos'd within the Firmament Have more then men presum'd to make within Th' Eternall Wheels where th' erring Tapers been Sundry small Wheels each within other closed Such equi-distance each-where inter-posed That though they kiss they crush not but the base Are vnder th' high the high the lowe imbrace Simile Like as the Chest-nut next the meat within Is cover'd last with a soft slender skin That skin inclos'd in a tough tawny shel That shel in-cas't in a thick thistly fell Then taks he th' Astrolabe wher-in the Sphear The vse of the Astrolabe Is flat reduced he discovers there The Card of Heights the Almycantharats With th' Azimynths and the Almadarats Pardon me Muse if ruder phrase defile This fairest Table and deface my stile With Barbarism For in this Argument To speak Barbarian is most eloquent On th' other side vnder a veering Sight A Tablevcers which of each wandring Light Showes the swift course and certain Rules includes Dayes names of Months and scale of Altitudes Removing th' Alhidade he spends som leasure To shewe the manner how a Wall to measure A Fountains depth the distance of a place A Countries compass by Heav'ns ample face In what bright starry Signe th' Almighty dread Dayes Princely Planet daily billeted In which his Nadir is and how with-all To finde his Eleuation and his Fall How long a time an entire Signe must wear While it ascendeth on our Hemi-sphear Poles eleuation The Meridian line And divers Hours of Day and night to finde These learned wonders witty Phalec marks And heedfully to every Rule he harks Wise Alchymist he multiplies this Gold This Talent turns encreasing many-fold And then prsents it to his Noble seed Who soon their Doctor in his Art exceed But even as Mars Hermes and Uenus bright Simile Go visit now the naked Troglodite Then Iaue then Guynney and inclin'd to change Oft shifting House through both the Worlds do range Astronomy by whom and how maintained Both Worlds ev'n-halv'd by th' Equinoctiall Line So the perfection of this Art divine First vnder th' Hebrews bred and born anon Coms to the Chaldes by adoption Scorning anon th' olde Babylonian Spires It leaves swift Tigris and to Nile retires And waxen rich in Egypt it erects A famous School yet firm-less in affects It falls in loue with subtil Grecian wits And to their hands awhile it self commits But in renowmed Ptolomeus Raign It doth re-visit the deer Memphian Plain Yet Thence re-fled it doth th' Arabians try From thence to Rome From Rome to Germany O true Endymions that imbrace above Vpon mount Latmos your Imperiall Love Great Queen of Heav'n about whose Bed for Guard The prayse of learned Astronomers and the profit of their Doctrine Millions of Archers with gold Shields do ward True Atlasses You Pillars of the Poles Empyreall Palace you fair learned soules But for your Wrightings the Starrs-Doctrine soon Would sink in Laethe of Oblivion 'T is you that Marshall months and yeers and dayes 'T is you that quoat for such as haunt the Seas Their prosperous Dayes and Dayes when Death ingraven On th' angry Welkin warns them keep their Haven 'T is you that teach the Plough-man when to sowe When the brave Captain to the Field shall goe When to retire to Garrison again When to assault a batter'd Peece and when To conuoy Victuals to his valiant Hoast 'T is you that shewe what season fitteth most For every purpose when to Purge is good When to be Bathed when to be Let-blood And how Physicians skilfully to mix Their Drugs on Heav'n their curious eys must fix 'T is you that in the twinkling of an ey Through all the Heav'nly Provinces do fly 'T is you that greater then our greatest Kings Possess the whole World in your Governings And to conclude you Demi-Gods can make Between your hands the Heav'ns to turn and shake O divine Spirits for you my smoothest quill His sweetest hony on this Book should still Srill should you be my Theam but that the Beauty Of the last Sister drawes my Love and Duty For now I hear my Phalec humbly crave The fourth Mayds name his Father mildely-grave Replyes him thus Obserue my deerest Son Those cloud-less brows those cheeks vermilion Those pleasing looks those eyes so smiling-sweet The description of Musike That grace-full posture and those prety feet Which seem still Dancing all those Harps and Lutes Shawms Sag-buts Citrons Viols Cornets Flutes Plaç't round about her prove in every part This is the noble sweet Voice-ord'ring Art Breath's Measurer the Guide of supplest fingers On living-dumb dead-speaking Sinnew-singers Th' Accord of Discords sacred Harmony And Numb'rie Law which did accompany Th' Almighty-most when first his Ordinance Appointed Earth to Rest and Heav'n to Dance The Heauens Harmony For as they say
hundred times his colour coms and goes From all his body a cold deaw doth drop His speech doth fail and every sense doth stop But self-return'd two sounding sobs he cast Then two deep sighes then these sad words at last Cruell command quoth He that I should kill A tender Infant innocent of ill That in cold blood I barbarously should murder My fear-less fault-less faithfull Friend nay further Mine owne deer Son and what deer Son Alas Mine only Isaac whose sweet vertues pass The louely sweetnes of his angel-face Isaac sole Pattern of now-Vertue knowen Isaac in years yong but in wisedom growen Isaac whom good-men loue the rest enuy Isaac my hearts heart my lifes life must dy That I should stain an execrable Shrine With Isaac's warm blood issued out of mine O might mine serue 't were tolerable loss 'T were little hurt nay 't were a welcom cross I bear no longer fruit the best of Mee Is like a fruit-less branch-less sap-less Tree Or hollow Trunk which only serues for stais To crawling Iuie's weak and winding sprais But losing Isaac I not only leese My life withall which Heav'ns haue linkt to his But O! more millions of Babes yet vn-bore Than there be sands vpon the Lâ—hian shoar Canst thou mine Arm O canst thou cruell arm In Isaac's breast thy bloody weapon warm Alas I could not but even die for grief Should I but but yield mine Ages sweet relief My bliss my comfort and mine ey 's delight Into the hands of Hang-mens spare-less spight But that mine own self O extreamest Rigour What my self formed should my self dis-figure That I alas with bloody hand and knife Should rip his bosom rend his heart and life That odious Author of a Precedent So rarely ruth-less I should once present Vpon a sacred Altar an Oblation So barbarous O brute abhomination That I should broyl his Flesh and in the flame Behold his bowels crackling in the same 'T is horrible to think and hellish too Cruel to wish impossible to doo Doo 't he that list and that delights in blood I neither will nor can becom so wood T' obey in this God whom we take to be Th' eternall Pillar of all verity And constant faith will he be faith-les now Will he be false and from his promise bow Will he alas vndo what he hath don Mar what he makes and loose what he hath won Sail with each winde and shall his promise then Serue but for snares t' intrap sincerest men Somtimes by his eternall self he swears That my Son Isaac's number-passing Heirs Shall fill the Land and that his fruitfull Race Shall be the blessed levain of his Grace Now he commands me his deer life to spill And in the Cradle my health's Hope to kill To drown the whole World in the blood of him And at one stroak vpon his fruitfull stem To strike-off all the heads of all the flock That should heer-after his drad name inuoak His sacred nostrils with sweetsmels delight His ears with praises with good deeds his sight Will God impugn himself and will he so By his command his couenant ouer throwe And shall my faith my faith's confounder be Then faith or doubting are both one to me Alas what saist thou Abram pawse thou must He that revives the Phoenix from her dust And from dead Silk-worm's Toombs their shining Clews A living bird with painted wings renews Will he forget Isaac the only stock Of his chaste Spouse his Church and chosen flock Will he forget Isaac the onely Light Of all the World for Vertues lustre bright Or can he not if 't please him even in death Restore him life and re-inspire him breath But mark the while thou bringest for defence The All-proof Towr of his Omnipotence Thou shak'st his Iustice. This is certain too God can do all saue that he will not doo He loues none ill for when the wreakfull Waues Were all return'd into their wonted Caues When all the Meads and every fruitfull Plain Began with ioy to see the Sun again So soon as Noah with a gladsom heart Forth of his floating Prison did depart God did forbid Murder and nothing more Then Murder doth his Maiesty abhor But shallow man sound not the vast Abiss Of God's deep Iudgements where no ground there is Be sober-wise so bound thy frail desire And what thou canst not comprehend admire God our Law-maker iust and righteous Maketh his Laws not for himself but vs He frees himself and flies with his Powrs wing No where but where his holy will doth bring All that he doth is good but not therefore Must he needs do it 'cause 't was good before But good is good because it doth indeed From him the Root of perfect good proceed From him the Fountain of pure Righteousness From him whose goodness nothing can express Ah profane thoughts O wretch and think'st thou then That God delights to drink the blood of men That he intends by such a strange impietie To plant his seruice You you forged deitie Of Molech Milcom Camosh Astaroth Your damned Shrines with such dire Orgies blot You Tyrants you delight in Sacrifice Of slaughtered Children 't is your bloody guise You cruell Idols with such Hecatombs To glut the rage of your outrageous dooms You holde no sent so sweet no gift so good As streaming Riuers of our luke-warm blood Not Abram's God ay gratious holy kinde Who made the World but onely for Man-kinde Who hates the bloody hands his Creatures loues And contrite hearts for sacrifice approues You you disguiz'd as angels of the light Would make my God Author of this despight Supplant my Faith on his sure promise built And stain his Altars with this bloody guilt No no my ioy my Boy thrice-happy born Yea more then so if furious I forlorn Hurt not thy Hap a Father shalt thou be Of happy People that shall spring from thee Fear not deer Child that I vnnaturall Should in thy blood imbrue my hand at all Or by th' exployt of such detested deed Commend my name to them that shall succeed I will the Fame that of my name shall ring In time to com shall fly with fairer wing The lofty Pine that 's shaken to and fro 〈◊〉 With Counter-pufs of sundry windes that blowe Now swaying South-ward tears som root in twain Then bending North-ward doth another strain Reels vp and down tost by two Tyrants fell Would fall but cannot neither yet can tell Inconstant Neuâ—er that to both doth yield Which of the two is like to win the Fiâ—ld So Abraham on each side set-vpon Betwixt his Faith and his Affection One while his Faith anon Affection sways Now wins Religion anon Reason waighs Hee 's now a fond and then a faithfull Father Now resolute anon relenting rather One while the Flesh hath got the vpper hand Anon the Spirit the same doth countermand Hee 's loth alas his tender Son to kill But much more loth to break His Fathers will For thus at
last He saith now sure I knowe 'T is God 't is God the God that loues me so Loues keeps sustains whom I so oft haue seen Whose voice so often hath my comfort been Illuding Satan cannot shine so bright Though Angelliz'd No 'T is my God of Might Now feel I in my Soule to strength and stir-it The sacred Motions of his sacred Spirit God this sad Sacrifice requires of me Hap what hap may I must obedient be The sable Night dis-log'd and now began Aurora's Vsher with his windy Fan Gently to shake the Woods on every side While his fair Mistress like a stately Bride With flowrs and Gems and Indian gold doth spangle Her louely locks her Louers looks to tangle When gliding through the Ayr in Mantle blew With siluer fring'd shee drops the Pearly deaw With her goes Abram out and the third day Arriues on Cedrons Margents greenly-gay Beholds the sacred Hil and with his Son Loaden with sacred wood he mounts anon Anon said Isaac Father heer I see Knife fire and faggot ready instantly But wher 's your Hoste Oh! let vs mount my Son Said Abram God will soon prouide vs one But scant had Isaac turn'd his face from him A little faster the steep Mount to climbe Yer Abram changed cheere and as new Winâ— Simile Working a-new in the new Cask in fine For beeing stopt too-soon and wanting vent Blowes-vp the Bung or doth the vessell rent Spews out a purple stream the ground doth stain With Bacchus colour where the cask hath layn So now the Tears which manly fortitude Did yerst as captiue in the Brain include At the deer names of Father and of Son On his pale Cheeks in pearly drops did run His eye 's ful vessels now began to leak And thus th' old Hebrew muttering gan to speak In submiss voyce that Isaac might not hear His bitter grief that he vnfoldeth heer Sad spectacle O now my hap-les hand Thou whetst a sword and thou do'st teend a brand The brand shal burn my heart the sword 's keen blade Shall my bloods blood and my lifes life inuade And thou poor Isaac bearest on thy back Wood that shall make thy tender flesh to crack And yield'st thee more for mine than thine amiss Both Priest and Beast of one same Sacrifice O hapless Son O more then hap-less Sire Most wicked wretch O what mis-fortune dire In-gulfs vs heer where miserable I To be true godly must Gods law deny To be true faithful must my faith transgress To be God's Son I must be nothing less Than Isaacs Sire and Isaac for my sake Must Soyl and Sire and life and all forsake Yet on he goes and soon surmounts the Mount And steel'd by Faith he cheers his mournful Front Much like the Delian Princess when her Grace Simile In Thetis Waues hath lately washt her face He builds his Altar lays his wood ther-on And tenderly bindes his deer Son anon Father said Isaac Father Father deer What do you turn away as loth to hear O Father tel me tel me what you mean O cruelty vn-knowen Is this the mean Wherby my loyns as promised long-since is Shal make you Grand-sire of so many Princes And shal I glorious if I heer do dy Fil Earth with Kings with shining Stars the Sky Back Phoebus blush go hide thy golden head Retire thy Coach to Thetis watery Bed See not this savage sight Shal Abram's minde Be milde to all and to his Son vn-kinde And shal great Abram do the damned deed That Lions Tygres Boars and Bears would dread See how incenst he stops his ear to me As dreaming stil on 's bloody mystery Lord how precise see how the Paricide Seems to make conscience in less sins to slide And he that means to murder me his Son Is scrupulous in smaller faults to run Yet Father hear me not that I desire With sugred words to quench your Anger 's fire In Gods's name reap the Grain yourself haue sowen Com take my life extracted from your own Glut with my blood your blade if you it please That I must die welcom my death mine ease But tell me yet my fault before I die That hath deserv'd a punishment so high Say Father haue I not conspir'd your death Or with strong poyson sought to stop your breath Haue I deuis'd to short my Mother's life Or with your Foestaen part in any strife O thou Ethereal Palace Crystalline God's highest Court If in this heart of mine So damned thoughts had ever any place Shut-vp for ever all thy Gates of Grace Against my Soule and neuer let that I Among thy winged Messengers do flie If none of these Abram for I no more Dare call thee Father tell me further-more What rests besides that damned I haue don To make a Father Butcher of his Son In memorie that fault I fain would haue That after God's I might your pardon craue For such offence and so th' Attonement driven You liue content and I may die forgiuen My Son said Hee thou art not hither brought By my fell furie nor thine own foul fault God our God calls thee and He will not let A Pagan sword in thy deer blood be wet Nor burning Plague nor any pining pain With Languor turn thy flesh to dust againe But Sacrifiç'd to him for sweet perfume Will haue thee heer within this fire consume What Fears my Loue my Life my Gem my Ioy What God commands his seruants must obey Without consulting with frail Flesh and Blood How he his promise will in time make good How he wil make so many Scepters spring From thy dead dust How He All-wise wil bring In his due season from thy sense-less Thighes The glorious Son of righteousnes to rise Who shal the Mountains bruise with yron Mace Rule Heav'n and Earth and the Infernal place For he that past the course of Natures kinde First gaue thee birth can with his sacred Winde Raise thee again out of the lowest iust Ten-thousand means he hath to saue the iust His glorious wisdom guides the worlds society With equall Reans of Power and of Piety Mine own sweet Isaac deerest of my seed Too sweet alas the more my grief doth bleed The more my loss the more with cease-less anguish My vexed Bowels for thy lack shall anguish Adue deer Son no longer mine but his Who call's thee hence let this vn-happy kiss Be the sad seal of a more sad Fare-wel Than wit can paint or words haue powr to tell Sith God commands and father you require To haue it so com Death no longer dire But glorious now com gentle death dispatch The Heav'ns are open God his arms doâ—h reach T' imbrace my Soule O! let me brauely fly To meet my Lord and Death's prowd darts defie What Father weep you now Ah! cease those showrs Weep not for me for I no more am yours I was the Lords yer I was born you knowe And he but lent me for a while to you Will you recoyl and
Adorn'd self-gazing with a lofty ey His faction present AARON also by Lord shield thy Cause approve thee veritable Let not thy Name be to the Lewd a Fable Oint thine Anointed publikely by Miracle Showe whom thou hast selected for thine Oracle Said MOSES then and even as yet he spake The groaning Earth began to reel and shake A horrid Thunder in her bowels rumbles Their dreadfull punishment And in her bosom vp and down it tumbles Tearing her Rocks Vntil she Yawn a way To let it out and to let in the Day Heav'n sees to Hell and Hell beholdeth Heav'n And Divels dazled with the glistring leav'n Of th' ancient Sun yet lower fain would dive But chain'd to th' Centre all in vain they strive CORE round compast with his Rebel friends Offers to BELZEBVE and to the Fiends His bodie 's batter'd with Rocks falling down And arms of Trees there planted vp-side-down He goes with Noise down to the Silent Coast Intoombd alive without all Art or cost And all the rest that his proud side assum'd Scaping the Gulf with Lightning are consum'd And AARON'S Office is confirm'd by God Aarons charge is confirmed by miracle With wondrous Signes of his oft-quickned Rod Which dead re-buda re-blooms and Almonds bears When all his Fellows haue no life in theirs Now shall I sing through MOSES prudent Sway Sundry victories of the Israelites vnder the coÌ„duct and direction of Moses How ISRAEL doth AMALEC dismay ARAD and OG that of huge Giants springs Proud HESEBON and the five Madian Kings With the false Prelat who profanely made Of Prophets-gifts a sacrilegious trade Who false sayes true who striving past all shame To force the Spirit is forced by the same Who snaring th' Hebrews with frail Beauties graces Defiles their bodies more their soules defaces Doubt-les his Deeds are such as would I sing But half of them I vnder-take a thing As hard almost as in the Gangik Seas To count the Waves or Sands in Euphrates And of so much should I a little say It were to wrong him and his Praise betray His Noble Acts we therefore heer suspend Reseruing the Warres for another Discourse our Poet hasteth to the death of Moses And skip vnto his sweet and happy End Sith th' End is it whereby we iudge the best For either Life how Man is Curst or Blest Feeling his vigour by degrees to waste And one Fire quencht another kindling fast Which doth his Spirit re-found his soule refine And raise to Heaven whence it was sent divine He doth not Now study to make his Will By his example Men are warned not to deferre to make their Will till it be too late to bee troubled with the busines of this world T' Entail his Land to his Male-Issue still Wisely and iustly to divide his Good To Sons and Daughters and his neerest Blood T' assigne his Wife a Dowry fair and fit A hundred times to add and alter it To quittance Friendships with frank Legacies To guerdon Service with Annuities To make Executors to Cancel som T' appoint himself a Palace for a Tomb. I praise a Care to settle our Estate But when Death threats vs then it is too-late A seemly Buriall is a sacree Rite But let the living take that charge of right He lifting higher his last thoughts besides The Common-Weale's care for the Church prouides And graving his discourse with voice devout Bids thus far-well to all that stand about O IACOB's seed I might say my deer sons He pronounceth the blessings and the curses writteÌ„ in Leviticus 26 Deutro 28. where vnto the people say Amen Y' are sense-les more then metalls stocks or stones If y' have forgot the many-many Miracles Wher-with the Lord hath seal'd my sacred Oracles And all the Favours in this savage Place In forty yeers received of his grace Therefore O ISRAEL walk thou in his fear And in thy hearts-heart not in Marble bear His ever-lasting LAVV before him stand And to his Service consecrate thy hand If this thou do thy Heav'n-blesâ— fleecy Flocks Blessings on those that obey Shall bound about thy Pastures Downs and Rocks As thick as skip in Sommer in a Mead The Grass-hoppers that all with Deaw are fed Thy fruitfull Eaws fat Twins shall bring thee ever And of their Milk shall make a plentious River Th' olde Tyrant loads not with so-many loans Toules Taxes Succours Impositions The panting Vassalls to him Tributary As thy rich Fields shall pay thee voluntary Thy children and thy children's children set About thy Table side by side at meat Shall flourish like a long and goodly rowe Of pale-green Olives that vprightly growe About a ground and full of Fruit presage Plenty of Oyl vnto their Master sage Sons of thy sons shall serue thy reverend Eld Thou shalt die quiet thou shalt live vnqueld Blessed at home and blessed in the Plain The blessed God shall send thee timely Rain And holsom windes and with his keyes of grace Open Heav'ns store-house to thy happy Race Thy proud fell Foes with Troops of armed men Shall charge thee one way but shall flie thee ten The Peace-Plant Olive or Triumphant Bay Shall shade thy gates Thy valour shall dismay And daunt the Earth and with his sacred aw Thy Saviour-King shall giue the World the law If other-wise the Megrim Gowt and Stone Curses on the Disobedient Shall plague thee fel with thousand pangs in one Thy numbry Flocks in part shall barren â—e In part shall bring abortives vnto thee Accurst at home accursed in the Plain Thy labour boot-les and thy care in vain Thy Field shall be of steel thy Heav'n of brass Thy Fountains dry and God displeas'd alas In steed of holsom showrs shall send down flashes Of Lightning Fire Hail Sulphur Salt and Ashes Thou shalt reap little where thou much hast shed And with that little shall thy Foe be fed He shall the fattest of thy Heard devour Before thy face and yet thou must not lowr Thou shalt build fair another haue thy Place Thou wed a wife another 'fore thy face Shal loose her Bride-belt God with rage shall smight Thy stubborn heart with blindnesse and affright So that a wagging leaf a puff a crack Yea the least creak shall make thee turn thy back Thou never shalt thine adverse Hoast survay But to be beaten or to run away A People stout for strength and number ample Which th' Aegle hath for Ensigne and Example With a new Wall thine ancient Wall shall dam And make thee Famisht thy void bowels cram With thine owne bowels and for want of meat Thine owne deer Children's trembling flesh to eat And then thy Remnant far disperst from home O're all the Corners of the earth shall roam To shew their Curse they shall no Country ow'ne And which is worse they shall not be their Owne AMEN said all the Hoast Then like the Swan This dying Song the Man of GOD began SIth ISRAEL O
want only with th' vnder-Fishes striues For in the bottom of this liquid Ice Made of Musaïck work with quaint device The cunning workman had contrived trim Carpes Pikes and Dolphins seeming even to swim Dauid gazing Ishai's great son too-idlely walking hie Vpon a Tarras this bright star doth spy And sudden dazled with the splendor bright Fares like a Prisoner who new brought to light Simile From a Cimmerian dark deep dungeon Feels his sight smitten with a radiant Sun But too-too-soon re-cleer'd he sees alas Th' admired Tracts of a bewitching Face Her sparkling Eye is like the Morning Star Her lips two snips of crimsin Sattin are Her Teeth as white as burnisht Silver seem Or Orient Pearls the rarest in esteem Her Cheeks and Chin and all her flesh like Snowes Sweet intermixed with Vermillion Rose And all her sundry Treasures selfly swel Prowd so to see their naked selues excel What living Rance what rapting Iuory Swims in these streams O what new Victory Triumphs of all my TROPHEIS O cleer Therms If so your Waues be cold what is it warms Nay burns my hart If hot I pray whence comes This shivering winter that my soule benums Freezes my Senses and dis-selfs me so With drousie Poppy not my self to knowe O peer-les Bewty meerly Bewtifull Vnknow'n to me th' art most vn-mercifull Alas I dy I dy O dismall lot Both for I see thee and I see thee not But a-far-off and vnder water too O feeble Power and O what shall I doo Weak Kingly-State sith that a silly Woman Stooping my Crown can my soul's Homage summon But ô Imperiall power Imperiall State Could happy I giue Bewties Check the Mate Thus spake the King and like as parkle small Simile That by mischance doth into powder fall Hee 's alla-fire and pensiue studies nought But how t' accomplish his lasciuious thought Which soon he compast sinks himself therin Forgetteth Dauid addeth Sin to Sin Simile And lustfull playes like a yong lusty Rider A wilfull Gallant not a skilfull guider Who proud of his Horse pride still puts him to 't With wand and spur layes on with hand and foot The too-free Beast which but too-fast before Ran to his Ruine stumbling evermore At every stone till at the last he break Against som Rock his and his Riders neck For fearing not Adulteries fact but fame A iealous Husbands Fury for the same And lessening of a Pleasure shar'd to twain He treach'rous makes her valiant Spouse be slain The Lord is moov'd and iust begins to stretch His Wraths keen dart at this disloyal wretch When Nathan then bright Brand of Zeal and Faith Comes to the King and modest-boldly sayth Vouchsafe my Liege that our Chief Iustice art The Prophet Nothan's Parable reprouing Dauid To list a-while to a most hainous part First to the fault giue ear then giue Consent To giue the Faulty his due Punishment Of late a Subiect of thine owne whose flocks Powl'd all Mount Liban's pleasant plentious locks And to whose Heards could hardly full suffice The flowry Verge that longst all Iordan lies Making a Feast vnto a stranger-Guest None of his owne abundant Fatlings drest But privy Thief from a poor Neighbour by His Faithfull Friend Hee takes feloniously A goodly Lamb although he had no more But even that one wherby he set such store That every day of his owne hand it fed And every night it coucht vpon his Bed Supt of his Cup his pleasant morsels pickt And even the moisture from his lips it lickt Nay more my Lord. No more replies the King Deeply incenst 'T is more than time this thing Were seen into and so outrageous Crimes So insolent had need be curbd be times What-ever Wretch hath done this Villany Shall Die the Death and not alonely Die But let the horror of so foul a Fact A more then common punishment exact O painted Toomb then answerd sacred Nathan That hast God in thy Mouth in thy Minde Sathan Thou blam'st in other thine owne Fault denounç't And vn-awares hast gainst thy self pronounç't Sentence of Death O King no King as than Of thy desires Thou art the very man Yea Thou art hee that with a wanton Theft Hast iust Vriah's only Lamb bereft And him ô horror Sin with Sin is further'd Him with the sword of Ammon hast Thou murther'd Bright Beauties Eye like to a glorious Sun Hurts the sore eye that looks too-much ther-on Thy want on Eye gazing vpon that Eye Hath given an Entrance too-too-foolishly Vnto that Dwarf that Divel is it not Which out of Sloath within vs is begot Who entring first but Guest-wise in a room Doth shortly Master of the house become And makes a Saint a sweet myld-minded Man That 'gainst his Life's Fo would not lift his hand To plot the death of his deer faith-full Friend That for his Loue a thousand liues would spend Ah! shak'st thou not is not thy Soule in trouble O brittle dust vain shadow empty bubble At Gods drad wrath which quick doth calcinize The marble Mountains and the Ocean dries No thou shalt knowe the waight of Gods right hand Thou for example t'other Kings shalt stand Death speedy Death of that adulterous Fruit Which even al-ready makes his Mother rue't Shall vex thy soule and make thee feel in deed Forbidden Pleasure doth Repenrance breed Ah shame-les beast Sith thy brute Lust forlorn Hath not the Wife of thy best Friend forborn Thy Sons dis-natur'd shall defile thy bed Incestuously thy fair Wiues rauished Shall doublely thy lust-full seed receaue Thy Concubines which thou behinde shalt leaue The wanton Rapes of thine owne Race shal be It shall befall that in thy Family With an vn-kins-mans kisse vn-louing Lover The Brother shal his Sisters shame discouer Thou shalt be both Father and Father-in-law To thine owne Blood Thy Children past all aw Of God or Man shall by their insolence Eyen iustifie thy bloody foul offence Thou sinn'dst in secret but Sol's blushing Eye Shall be eye-witnesse of their villany All Izrael shall see the same and then The Heav'n-sunk Cities in Asphaltis Fen Out of the stinking Lake their heads shall showe Glad by thy Sons to be out-sinned so Thou thou inhumane didst the Death conspire Of good Uriah worthy better Hire Thou cruell didst it therfore Homicide Cowardly treason cursed Paricide Vn-kinde Rebellion ever shall remain Thy house-hold Guests thy House with blood to stain Thine owne against thine owne shal thril their darts Thy Son from thee shal steal thy peoples harts Against thy Self he shal thy Subiects arm And giue thine age many a fierce Alarm Till hanged by the hair 'twixt Earth and sky His Gallow's pride shame of the Worlds bright Eye Thine owne Lieutenant at a crimsin spout His guilty Soule shall with his Lance let-out And if I fail not O what Tempest fel Beats on the Head of harm-les Izrael Alas how many a guilt-les Abramide Diesin Three dayes through thy too-curious Pride The Plague of
long Pike a space Perfume thy head with dust and sweat appeer Captain and Soldier Soldiers are on fire Hauing their King before them Marching forth Fellow in Fortune witnes of their Worth I should inflame thy hart with Learnings loue In Peace not to be over-studious yet to vnderstand the Principals of all Prince-fit Sciences Saue that I know what diuine habits moue Thy profound Spirit only let th' ornament Of Letters wayt on th' Art of Regiment And take good heed least as excesse of humor In Plants becomes their Flowring Lifes consumer So too-much Study and delight in Arts Quench the quick vigour of thy Spiritual parts Make thee too-pensiue ouer-dull thy Senses And draw thy Minde from Publike cares of Princes With a swift-winged soule the Course suruay Of Nights dim Taper and the Torch of Day Sound round the Cels of th' Ocean dreadly-deep Measure the Mountains snowie tops and steep Ferret all Corners of this nether Ball But to admire the Makers Art in all His Power and Prudence and resemble not Simile Some simple Courtier or the silly Sot That in the base-Court all his time hath spent In gazing on the goodly Battlement The chamfred Pillers Plinths and antique Bosses Medals Ascents Statues and strange Colosses Amaz'd and musing vpon euery piece Of th' vniforme fair stately Frontispice Too-too-self-rapt through too-self-humoring Losing him-self while others finde the King Hold euen the Balance with clean hands clos'd eyes The principal peculiar office of a King Reuenge seuerely Publike Iniuries Remit thine Owne Heare the Cries see the Tears Of all distressed poor Petitioners Sit oft thy Self in Open Audience Who would not be a Iudge should be no Prince For Iustice Scepter and the Martiall Sword Ought neuer seuer by the Sacred Word Spare not the Great neither despise the Small Let not thy Lawes be like the Spiders Caul Simile Where little Flyes are caught and kild but great Passe at their pleasure and pull-down the Net Away with Shepheards that their Flocks deface Chuse Magistrates that may adorn their Place Such as fear God such as will iudge vprightly Men by the seruants iudge the Master lightly Giue to the Vertuous but thy Crown-Demain Diminish not giue still to giue again For there too-deep to dip is Prodigality And to dry-vp the Springs of Liberality But aboue all for Gods sake Son beware Hic labor hoc Opus Be not intrapt in Womens wylie snare I fear alas good Lord supreamly sage Auert from Mine th' effect of this Praesage Alas I fear that this sweet Poyson wil My House here-after with all Idols fil But if that neither Vertu 's sacred loue Nor Feare of Shame thy wanton Minde can moue To watch in Arms against the Charms of Those At least be warned by thy Fathers Woes Fare-wel my Son th' Almightie cals me hence I passe by Death to Lifes most excellence And to go Raign in Heav'n from World-cares free The Crown of Izrael I resigne to thee O thou that often for a Princes Sin Transport'st the Scepter euen from Kin to Kin From Land to Land Let it remaine with Mine And of my Sons Sons in successiue Ligne Let that Al-Power full deer-drad Prince descend Whose glorious Kingdom neuer shal haue end Whose iron Rod shall Satans Rule vn-doo Whom Iacob trusts in Whom I thirst for too ' DAVID deceast His Son him tracking right Initium Regni SALOMON With heart and voice worships the God of Might Enters his Kingdom by the Gate of Pietie Makes Hymâ—s and Psalms in Laud of the true Deïtie Offers in Gabeon where in Spirit he sees While his Sense sleepes the God of Maiesties His Vision The Lord of Hoasts who Crownd with radiant flames Offers him choise of these foure louely Dames First Glory shaking in her hand a Pike Not Maid-like Marching but braue Souldier-like Description of Glory Among the Stars her stately head she beares A siluer Trumpet shril a slope she wears Whose Winde is Praise and whose Stentorian sound Doth far and wide o'r all the world redound Her wide-side Robes of Tissue passing price All Story-wrought with bloody Victories Tryumphs and Tropheis Arches Crowns and Rings And at her feet there sigh a thousand Kings Not far from her coms Wealth all rich-bedight Of Riches In Rhéa's Thetis Pluto's Treasures bright The glittering stuff which doth about her fold Is rough with Rubies stiff with beaten Gold With either hand from hollow steans she powrs Pactolian surges and Argolian showrs Fortune and Thrift and Wakefulnes and Care And Diligence her dayly Seruants are Then cheerfull Health whose brow no wrinkle bears Of Health Whose cheek no palenesse in whose eye no tears But like a Childe shee 's pleasant quick and plump Shee seems to fly to skip to daunce and iump And Life 's bright Brand in her white hand doth shine Th' Arabian Birds â—are plumage platted â—ine Serues her for Suâ—-coat and her seemly â—â—ain Mirth Exercise and Temperance sustain Last Wisedom comes with sober countenance Of Wisedom To th' euer-Bowrs her oft a-loft t' aduance The light Mamuques wing-les wings she has Her gesture cool as comly-graue her pase Where e'r she go she neuer goes with-out Compasse and Rule Measure and Waights about And by her side at a rich Belt of hers The Glasse of Nature and her-Self she wears Hauing beheld their Bewties bright the Prince Seems rapt all-ready euen to Heauen from hence Sees a whole Eden round about him shine And ' mid so many Benefits Diuine Doubts which to chuse At length he thus begun O Lord sayth he what hath thy Seruant don That so great Blessings I should take or touch Or thou shouldst daign to honour me so much Thou doost preuent my Merit or deer Father Delight'st to Conquer euen my Malice rather Fair Victorie's a noble Gift and nought Is more desired or is sweeter thought Than euen to quench our Furie's thirst with blood In iust Reuenge on those that wrong our Good But oft alas foul Insolence comes after And the long Custome of in humane Slaughter Transforms in time the myldest Conquerors To Tigers Panthers Lions Bears and Boars Happy seems He whose count-les Herds for Pasture Dis-robe alone Mount Carmels moatly Vesture For whom alone a whole rich Countrey torn With timely Tools brings forth both Wine and Corn That hath soft Sereans yellow Spoils the Gems And precious stones of the Arabian streams The Mines of Ophir th' Entidorian Fruits The Saban Odours and the Tyrian Sutes But yet we see where Plenty chiefly sways There Pride increases Industry decays Rich-men adore their Gold whoso aspires To lift to Heav'n his sight and Soules Desires He must be Poor at least-wise like the Poor Riches and Fear are fellows euer-more I would liue long and I would gladly see My Nephews Nephews and their Progeny But the long Cares I fear and Cumbers rife Which commonly accompany Long-Life Who well liues long liues for this age of
Contract indeed cruell yet could not be Infring'd or broken without Crueltie Tell it O Tongue why stay'st thou so vpon-it Dar'st thou not say-it hauing dar'd and don-it Not having fear'd Heav'ns King how canst thou fear An earthly King Then thus my Liege while-yer I and my Neighbour desperately agreed Iointly to eate successiuely our seed Our owne deer Children and O luck-les Lot Mine first of all is destin'd to the Pot Forth-with I catch-him and I snatch him to-me Vp in mine armes he straight begins to woo-me Stroaks colls and huggs me with his arms and thighes And smiling sweet Mam-mam mam-mam he cryes Then kisses me and with a thousand toyes Thinks to delight me with his wonted ioyes I looke away and with my hand addrest Bury my knife within his tender brest And as a Tigresse or the Dam of Bears A Fawn or Kid in hundred gobbets tears I tear him quick dress him and on our Table I set him oh 't is now no time to fable I taste him first I first the feast begin His blood my blood runs round about my Chin My Childe returns re-breeding in my Womb And of my Flesh my Flesh is shamefull Tomb Soon cloyd alas but little could I eat And vp again that little striues to get But she she layes it in she greedy plyes-it And all night long she sits to gourmandize-it Not for her fill so much of such think I As to prolong the more my misery O God sayd she and smiles in eating it What a sweet morsell what a dainty bit Blest be the brest that nuâ—c't such meat for me But more the Womb that bare it so to be So to be brief my Son is eat But hers Alive and lustie in her arms she bears Why should her Pittie rather her despight Doo both her Faith Me and my Son vn-right Ah! for her belly rather then her Boy She playd this prank and robd me of my Ioy She did it not of tender hart to save him But greedy-gut that she alone might haue him Therfore O King doo Iustice in this case Nor craue I pardon of thy princely grace For mine Offence such an Offence I knowe As yet grim Minos never iudg'd belowe For if I should how should I doo for meat Not having now another Childe to eat No this is all I crave before I die That I may taste but of Her sonns sweet thigh Or that at least mine eye more iust then cruell May see him slain by her my Horrors Fuell But if you waigh not mine vnfained â—ears Indeed vn-worthy yet vouchsafe your ears To the loud Plaints of my lamenting Son Who with strange murmurs rumbling vp and down Seems in my bowels as reviv'd to groan And to your Highnes thus to make his moan Sir will you suffer without all revenge Mens cursed malice boldly to infringe Law Faith and Iustice Vows and Oaths and all As buzzing Flies tear Cob-webs on a wall Ah! shall I then descend alone belowe Dy vn-reveng'd foster my cruel Foe And then-cast-forth in foulest Excrement Infect the Aier offend the Element The while her Darling on his Hobby-horse About the Hall shall ride and prance and course And imitate Mens actions as an Ape Build paper-Towrs make Puppets sit in Lap No let him die let him as I be cut Let him as I be in two Bellies put Full-fill the Pact that so our wretched Mothers Their Guilt and Grief may either's match with others The King less mov'd with pitty than with horror Thunders these words raging in threat-full terror Vengeance and mischief on mine owne head light If curst Elisha keep his head this night And as he spake forth in a rage he flings To execute his bloody Threatenings Sir said the Prophet you have seen the skathe Deuouring Famin heer performed hath But by to-morrow this time God hath said Samaria's Gates shall even abound with Bread Tush sayd a Minion of the Court hard by Of surly speech proud gait and lofty ey Though God should open all Heav'ns windows wide It cannot be Yes Infidell reply'd The zealous Prophet Thouthy Self in sum Shalt see it then but slialt not taste a Crum Thus said Elisha and th' Almightie Powr Perform'd his Sayings in the very howr Her scarlet Robe Aurora had not donn'd Nor had she yet limn'd the Euphratean strond With trembling shine neither was Phoebus yet Willing to wake out of a drouzie Fit When pallid FEAR flyes to the Pagan Hoast Description and effects of Fear Wilde-staring Hag shiv'ring and wavering most She that her voice and visage shifts so oft She that in Counsails strives to lift aloft Irresolution to be President Canker of Honor curse of Government She that even trembles in her surest Arms Starts at a leaf swouns at report of harms Beleeves all sees all and so swayeth all That if she say the Firmament doth fall There be three Suns This or that Mountain sinks Paul's Church doth reel or the foundation shrinks It is beleev'd 't is seen and seis'd by Her The other Senses are as apt to err Clashing of Arms Rattling of iron Cars Murmur of Men a World of Soldiars Neighing of Horse noise of a thousand Drums With dreadfull sound from the next Vale ther coms The Syrian Camp conceiuing that the Troups Of Nabathits Hethits and Ethyops Hyr'd by th' Isaacians came from every side To raise their Siege and to repell their pride Fly for their lives disordered and disperst Amid the Mountains so well-ordered yerst One in his Cap-case leaves-behinde his Treasure To bridle 's horse another hath not leasure Another hungry on the grass hath set His Break-fast out but dares not stay to eat One thinks him far that yet hath little gon Another weens him in plain ground anon He breaks his neck into a Pit another Hearing the Boughs that brush against each other And doubting it to be the Conquerer He wretched dies of th' only wound of FEAR As after tedious and continuall rain Simile The honey-Flies haste from their Hiues again Suck heer and there and bear into their bowr The sweetest sap of euery fragrant flowr So from besieg'd Samaria each man hies Vnto the Tents of fear-fled Enemies Wherein such store of corn and wine they pill That in one day their hungry Town they fill And in the Gate the Croud that issueth Treads th' vnbeleeuing Courtier down to death So that at once even both effects agree Iust with Elisha's holy prophecie From this School comes the Prophet Amethite The twice-born Preacher to the Niniuite Ionas be gon hie hie thee said th' Almightie The ship-Wrack of IONAS To Niniuè that great and wanton Citie Cry day and night cry out vnto them all Yet forty daies and Niniue shall fall But 'gainst th' Eternall Ionas shuts his eare And ships himself to sail another-where Wherfore the Lord incensed stretcht his arm To wrack the wretch in suddain fearfull Storm Now Nereus foams and now the furious waues A liuely Description of
dark Hel to quake 56 This subiect is a deep broad bound-les Ocean Th' aboundant Horn of Plentifull discourse The Magazin of wealth for Wits quick motion Of diuine Eloquence th' immortall source 57 Base Argument a base stile euer yields But of it self a lofty subiect raises Graue-stately words and of it self it gilds It self and crowns the Author's Pen with praises 58 If then you would suruiue yourselues so gladly Follow not him who burnt to purchase fame DIANA's Temple neither him that madly To get renoun a Brasen Bull did frame 59 Imploy no more th' Elixir of your spirit On Cytheréa and her winged Son How better neuer to be named were-it Then named blamed for a mischief donn 60 We Thrice-three Sisters of Parnassus Hill Be Virgins all your Pallas self is so So is that sacred Tree-turn'd Ladie still From whose pure Locks your stil-green Laurels growe 61 Then consecrate-me rather your Wits miracles To sacred Stories spend your Eloquence In singing loud those holy heav'nly Oracles Pour there your Soules pure pretious quint-essence 62 Let CHRIST as Man-God be your double Mount Whereonto Muse and for the winged hoove Of Pegasus to dig th' Immortall Fount Take th' Holy-Ghost typ't in a Siluer Doue 63 Excelling Works preserue the Memorie Of those that make them The Mausolean Toomb Makes Artemisia Scopas Timothy Live to this day and still in time to com 64 Name-les had Hiram been but for his ayd Towards God's Temple built in Israel And but for God's Ark in dark silence layd Long since had been th' Hebrew Bezaleel 65 Then sith these great and goodly Monuments Can make their makers after death abide Although themselues have Vanished long since By Age and Rage Fier Arms and Storms destroy'd 66 O think I pray how-much-much greater glorie Shall you attain when your Diviner quality In sacred strains shall singth ' Almightie's Storie Sith from immortall things springs Immortalitie 67 I knowe you 'l answer that the Ancient Fictions Are even your Song 's soule and that every Fable Aye breeding other makes by their commixtions To Vulgar ears your Uerse more admirable 68 But what may be more admirable found Then Faith's Effects or what doth more controule Witt 's curious pride or with more force confound The reach and reason of a humane soule 69 I 'ld rather sing the Towr of Babylon Than those three Mountains that in frantik mood The Giants pyl'd to pull love from his Throne And Noah's rather than Deucalion's Flood 70 I 'ld rather sing the sodain shape-depriving Of Assur's Monarch than th' Arcadian King And the Bethanian Lazarus reviving Than valiant Theseus Sonn's re-sodering 71 Th' one only doth delight their ears that hear it The other tends to profit in som measure But only He the Laurel Crown doth merit Who wisely mingles profit with his Pleasure 72 As sweetest walks are by the waters side And safest swimming neer the flowry shoar So prudent writers never do diuide Knowledge from Mirth Mirth from instruction's lore 73 Such shall you be if such a taske you take For teaching others you your selues shall learn-all Rules of good life and happy so shall make As is your subiect your owne Songs eternall 74 Abandon then those Olde-wiues-Tales and Toyes Leave the Blinde Lad who but the blinde abuses And only addle idle hearts annoyes Hence-forth no more profane the Sacred Muses 75 But O! in vain in vain alas I plain-me Som subtle Aspiks to eschew my Charming Stop their dull ears som Epicures disdain-me And my aduice and scoff my zealous warning 76 Som for a season listen to my Laws But soon Relapse through the Worlds sorceries And this discourse which but the Vertuous draws Enters at one ear and at th' other flies 77 Alas I see scarce one nay none at all That courts not Venus or corrupts not more His golden Honie with profaner Gall Although this Age of happy Wits have store 78 But thou my Darling whom before thy birth The Sacred Nine that lip th' immortall spring Of Pegasus predestin'd to set forth Th' Almightie's glory and his prayse to sing 79 Although their Subiect seem a barren soyl Which finest Wits have left for fallow fields Yet do thou never from this task recoil For what is rarest greatest glory yields 80 Faint not my Salust though fell Enuy bark At the bright Rising of thy fair Renown Fear not her malice for thy living Work In spight of spight shall not be troden down 81 That Fames-foe Monster is much like a Curr That fiercely barks at every new-com Guest But once-acquainted after doth not sturr Saving at strangers fawning on the rest 82 Or like a thick dark pitchie Clowd of smoak That round-about a kindling Fier suppresses With waving smother the new Flame to choak But as the Flame augments the Fume decreases 83 Wherefore my deer that sacred Path pursue Where none but Heav'n blest happy spirits can pase And heer I swear that shortly for thy due Among best Wits thou shalt have worthy place 84 With these sweet accents grac't in vtterance VRANIA holding in her Maiden-hand A glorious Crown rapt-vp in sacred Trance My prostrate soule prest to her high Command 85 Since when alone that Love my hearthath fired Since when alone that Winde my sayls hath spread O happy might I touch that Crown desired But with my hand not put it on my head 86 Now out of zeal to your deer Name and You Deer noble Name that I must aye affect And whose Disasters I must euer rue This MONVMENT of Honour I erect To you sweet ESSEX as your Vertues due For an eternall token of Respect Where your great worth and my good-will shall stand Inrowld for ever with VRANIA's hand FINIS THE TRIVMPH of FAITH formerly DEDICATED and now again for euer Consecrated to the grate-ful Memorie of the first kinde Fosterer of our tender Muses my neuersufficiently-Honored deer Vncle W. PLVMB Esq. For whose deer Bones we would a Toomb aduance Of Golde and Silver and CORINTHIAN Brasse VVith Ivorie Pillars mixt with Iette and Rance Rarer and richer than th' olde CARIAN's was And stately deck the same With Stories of his Fame And round-about it wright His Vertues shining bright But sith the most of our poore Meanes alas Not the least part of that Rich Pride affoords For want of Wealth we build a Toomb of Words Which though it cost less shall out-last The proud cloud threatning Battlements Th' aspiring Spires by NILVS plaç't And Hell-deep-founded Monuments For greedy waste of Houres that al things els deuours Spares the sweet Maydes of sacred HELICON And those fayre Ladyes to their Friendes alone This pretious Gift doo give Still after Death to Live THE TRIVMPH OF FAITH To Guy de Faur Lord of Pibrac W. Salustius du BARTAS I Hate those Satyres that the best still bite I hate the shamelesse Penns that sooth the vitious For these be flatterers and those malitious But wise is he can hit the Mean aright I pinch
Mardochey and the five Maccabees All the right heirs of heart and zeal paternall Receiue their guerdon from the great Eternall And vp again their stooping standards raise 13 Before these Warriours and the Royall band March holy Fathers that with vertue rare And holy Doctrine did the Diuell dare Foyling the force of his infernall hand 14 Enos by whom this World 's great Archi-tect Was call'd vpon leadeth religious That holy Father God took vp from vs Henoch Noah And him whose ship did saue the world Elect. 15 Then Sem and Iapheth and great Abraham Isaak The Faithfull's Father and his faithfull Son And then his Nephew that saw Angels run Iacob Both vp down froÌ„ Heav'n to th' earthly frame 16 Aron Eleazar Phinees full of zeal Good Ioyada and hundred Priests select That were by Heav'n by zeal and Church elect To keep the law the Lord did once reveal 17 His Father who was sent to sweep the way Zacharias Ioseph Of sweet Messias then the man suppos'd To be His Sire then He that Him inclos'd In 's ioyfull arms and sung a Swan-like Lay. Simeon 18 Then Barnabas Titus and Timothy Paul's famous Friends Sins fierce and deadly Foes And he that did by Sol's Eclipse suppose Som greater Sun to be Eclips't than he 19 Then this brave Triumph to adorn the more All on a rowe a hundred Prophets com Which haue so sure fore-told the things to-com As if indeed they had been don before 20 There first coms he that in the Coach of fire Elias By Gods strong Spirit was rapt above the Air Elizeus And then his Seruant that was made his heir Of cloak and knowledge as he did desire 21 He that reproov'd old Ishay's Sceptred Son Nathan For double fault Amos Ezechiel Ioel Semyah Abdiah Daniel And he that three dayes in the Sea did won Ionas 22 With these I see the Sonn of Barachie Zachariah Both Michais Baruc Iehu Ieremias Agg ' Abacuc Nahum and Sophonias Ahias Hosè Esdras Malachie 23 The glorious troop that march before this troop Are Martyrs all who full of constant zeal Their faith infract with their owne blouds did seal And never did to any Tyrant stoop 24 Their blessed bloud is like the morning dewe To make more fertil all the Churches field These are the weapons that inforce to yield The furious foe examples not a fewe 25 For as a fruit-Treelopped in December For one old Trunk many new twigs returns Which Nature kindely with sweet fruit adorns So one sole Martyr many doth ingender 26 First Abel goes then Ioyad's zealous Son That neer the Altar constant yielded breath Esay Iohn Baptist. The next goes he Manasses put to death Then he whose head th' incestuous Dancer won 27 Next Salone and her Sons who rather chose To cross the King than God strengthning each other Even in their death Sons worthy such a Mother And Mother worthy of such Sons as those 28 That Proto-Martyr the yong faithfull Steven Whom th' hatefull Iews with hellish rage did stone Who dying saw Christ Iesus on his Throne Leads those that for like cause their lives have given 29 Som smear'd with honey for the Flies were feasts Som men did eat som were on Gridirons broyl'd Som nayl'd on Crosses som in Caldrons boyl'd And som were throwen to most devouring beasts 30 After the Champions of this humble Troop I see fair Sara Rebecca Rachel Then Debora stout Iudeth and Iahel Who Faiths Viragoes their proud Foes did stoop 31 Then she that rais'd to Royall state and stile â—ester Preserv'd her people in a rank she goes With Naomi Ruth and the Dame that chose Rather to die than Nuptiall bed defile Susanna 32 From these mineeie no sooner trauerseth But I discern three Ladies zealous-led That sought their living Lord among the dead Then Anna Martha and Elizabeth 33 But my weak eyes cannot indure to gaze The Virgin Mary On beaming beauties of that Mother-Maid Who Sier-less bore her Sire yet ever-maid Of Faith and Loue th' inimitable maze 34 This this my Muse this is th' Aurora cleer Which brought the Sun to light the world vnkinde A Virgin pure in body and in minde Christ's Mother Sister Spouse and Daughter deer 35 God's holy Temple and the happy stair Wher-by the Heav'ns came down to dwell with Earth Rich-fraighted Ship Vessell of rarest worth Where Phoebus hid his beams most bright and fair Canto IIII. 1 I Thought to haue been now at my Races end T' haue though vnworthy born away the prise But I fall short my task doth longer rise For half the Trophè is yet hardly penn'd 2 Before Faith's Coach born in convenient height Are curious Tables draw'n by cunning hand Where after guise of warlik Romans stand The Victories of never-conquer'd Faith 3 Heer Iericho's cloud-kissing Towrs doo fall Iosua 6. 20. Batter'd alone by Faith's great Ordinance A coumpt-less hoast of craking Idolants 2. King 18 13 2. Chron. 32 20 Esa. 37 21 By Esaâ—e's Faith is heer confounded all 4 By Faith meek Moses with a zeal-full ire Arms smallest Worms th' Egyptian King to vex Exod. 7 8 9 Daniel by Faith fierce Lyons fury checks Dan. 6. 12 And quenches Dragons hot impoysoning fire 5 Heer Paul by Faith fears not in Mitylene Act. 28 5 The deadly sting of th' vgly Viper-worm Heer myching Ionas sunk in suddain Storm Ionas 22 Of his Deliverance finds a fish the mean 6 Then in another Table that was fram'd By Art exceeding Art I did espie Pale Death blithe Health and frail Infirmity That had by Faith a thousand times been tam'd 7 Moses by Faith doth Myriam leperize Num. 12 10 By Faith Elisha curing Naaman 2. King 6 14 17 The Syrian Prince strikes instantly his man With his Disease for Bribing Covetize 8 A man of God by Faith first strangely dri'd 1. King 13 4 6 Then heal'd again that King 's vnholy hand Who made ten Tribes of God's then chosen Land From God and from their lawfull Prince to slide 9 By Faith Saint Paul stark-blinded Elymas Act. 13 11 By Faith Saint Peter full of iust disdaign With suddain death did smite those periur'd twain That durst dissemble with the Spirit of Grace Act. 5 5 16 10 By Faith young Toby kindely doth restore Tob. 11 11 Act. â— 6 14 10. His Father's sight by sacred Faith likewise Two crooked Cripples are made straight to rise In Listra th' one th' other at Templedore 11 By Faith Saint Paul did a rich Maltois cure Of grievous Flix that him afflicted sore Act. 21 8 By Faith Saint Peter likewise did restore A Palsie-sick that eight yeers did indure Act. 9. 34 12 By Faith Saint Paul did Eutichus re-lyue Act. 20 10 1. King 17 21 2. King 4 33 By Faith Elias rais'd the Sareptite Elisha raysed the young Sunamite At Ioppa Peter Dorcas did
in the Re-prise 3 Hernand was happy by this Enterprise To take so soon our Amiens without blow More happy yet to die yer the Re-prise Els had he dy'de for shame to leave it so Vpon the Reduction of Nantes Nantes would not yeeld so soon they sayd Nor be recovered so good cheap And yet for all defence it made 'T was made to make the Britton Leap Vpon PEACE ◠Souldiers late prest are now supprest Crost and cassierd from further pay Yet will they in this time of rest Take vp their lendings by the Way 2 This PEACE it seemeth doth not sound To all the world for every-where More Sergeants now doo goe the Round Then Souldiers yerst accustom'd were Vpon Captain Coblar A merry Coblar left the warrs To turn vnto his Occupation And asked by his Customers The reason of his alteration 'T hath pleas'd quoth he the King t'ordain That each his Office take again Upon Warre Here vnder this huge heap of stones Lately enterr'd lyes cruell WARRE Pray God long rest her soule and bones Yet there is nothing worse for her Upon Rowland Rob-Church Heer lyeth Rowland that was lately slain In robbing of a wealthy Chappell spyde Yet I beleeue he doth in Heav'n remain Sith onely for the Churches Good he dyde Upon Captaine Catch Heer vnder Captain CATCH is layd Who sixe times chang'd from side to side Of neither side it seem'd afraid He wore a white Scarfe when he di'de Yet som suspect and so doo I For his inconstance showne before That to the Black-band he did fly But now he can revolt no more Upon Sir Nequam Neuter Heer lyeth he who the more safe to pray On both sides Neuter between both abode Whether his Soule is gone I can not say Sith he was nor for Diuell nor for God Pax omnibus vna FINIS A l'honeur de la Paix chantée par Monsieur du NESMF rechantée en Anglois par Monsieur SYLVESTRE SAns Paix rien ne sub siste en Paix tout croist dure Dieu maintient par sa Paix le beau Grand Vniuers Et le Petit bastis de membres si diuers Touts s'entr ' aydans l'vnl ' autre en commune facture Elle vnit a son Dieu l'humaine creature Elle emplit de Citez les Royaumes deserts Elle bride les fols rend les champs couverts De biens donans plaisirs vesture nouriture Enuoy-la donc O Dieu a nos Princes Roys En nos maisons en nous fay que d'vne voix Nous suyvions les accords de ton Nesme admirable Lors a iamais ser as louè de nos Gaulois Par ses chants tout-divins Syluestre en Anglois Redoublerace loz d'vn stile immitable P. CATELLE I'attens le temps THE PROFIT of Imprisonment A PARADOX Written in French by Odet de la Noue Lord of Teligni being Prisoner in the Castle of Tournay Translated by IOSVAH SYLVESTER Acceptam refero To his long-approoued friend M. R. Nicolson I. S. wisheth euer all true content TO thee the same to me as first I meant Friend to the Muses and the well-inclinde Louing and lov'd of euery vertuous minde To thee the same I the same Song present Our mutuall loue 's eternall Monument Wherein our Nephewes shall heer-after finde Our constant Friendship how it was combinde With linkes of kindnes and acknowledgement Accept again this Present in good part This simple pledge of my sincere affection To Tangley Thee and thy Soon-calm-in-hart Perfect good-will supplies all imperfection Chameleons change their colour Guile her game But in both Fortunes Vertue 's still the same A Sonnet of the Author to his Booke THe body ouer prone to Pleasures and delights Of soft fraile dainty flesh and to selfe-ease addicted Abhors Imprisonment as a base paine inflicted To punish the defaults of most vnhappy wights The soule as much surpriz'd with loue of heauenly sights And longing to behold the place that appertaines-her Doth loath the body as a Prison that detaines-her From her high happines among the blessed sprights Then sith both body and soule their bondage neuer brooke But soule and body both doo loue their libertie Tell tell me O my Muse who will beleeue our Booke He that hath learn'd a-right both these to mortifie And serue our Sauiour Christ in body and in spirite Who both from thrall hath freed by his owne only merit A Paradox That Aduersity is more necessary then Prosperitie and that of all afflictions close Prison is most pleasant and most profitable HOw-euer fondly-false a vain Opinion seeme If but the Vulgar once the same for right esteeme Most men account it so so in absurdest things Consent of multitude exceeding credit brings Nor any meane remaines when it is once receiued To wrest it from the most of erring minds deceiued Nay whose shall but say they ought to alter it He headlong casts himselfe in dangers deepest Pit For neuer nimble Barke that on aduenture runnes Through those blew bounding Hills where hoarie Neptune wunnes Was set-vpon so sore with neuer-ceast assault Maintain'd on euery side by winds and waters salt When raging most they raise their roughest tempest dreaded As th' idiot multitude that Monster many-headed Bestirres it selfe with wrath spight furie full of terror Gainst whatsoeuer man that dares reproue her error Who vndertakes that taske must make account at first To take hot warres in hand and beare away the worst Therefore a many Workes worthy the light haue died Before their birth in brests of Fathers terrified Not by rough deeds alone but euen by foolish threats Yet onely noise of words base cowards onely beats Then feare who list for me the common peoples crie And who so list be mute if other-minded I Scorning the feeble force of such a vaine indeuour Will freely spight of feare say what I censure euer And though my present State permit me not such scope Mine vn-forbidden pen with Errors pride shall cope Close Prison now a-daies th' extreamest miserie The world doth deeme I deeme direct the contrarie And there-with-all will proue that euen Aduersities Are to be wished more then most Prosperities And for Imprisonment though that be most lamented Of all the griefes wherewith men feare to be tormented Yet that 's the Sate most stor'd with pleasure and delight And the most gain-full too to any Christian wight A Paradox no doubt more true then creditable The which my selfe sometimes haue also thought a fable While guile-full vanities fed not but fill'd my minde For strengthening sustenance with vn-substantiall winde I hated Death to death I also did detest All sicknes and disease that might a man molest But most I did abhorre that base esteemed State Which to subiections Law our selues doth subiugate And our sweet life enthralls vnto anothers will For as my fancie wisht I would haue walked still Death thought I soone hath done and euery griefe besides The more extreame it is the lesser time abides But now besides that I esteemd the
doth so assaile-them And if their feare fall true that their Good-fortune faile-them Then swell their sullen hearts with sorrow till they burst And then poor desperate soules they deem theÌ„selues accurst And so indeed they are but yet they erre in this In blaming other things for their owne selfe-amisse Other indifferent things that neither make nor marre But to the good be good to th' euill euill are Is' t not great foolishnes for any to complaine That somthing is not don which doth him nought coÌ„strain Sith if he vse the same soule-health it hurteth not Or if he doo not vse t it helpeth not a iot But needs must we complain say some for we haue cause Then at your perill be 't for that which chiefly drawes You thereto 't is in truth your brutenesse in mis-deeming Things euill that are good for sense-contrary seeming And while that in the darke of this foule errors mist Your drowsie spirits doo droope alas what maruell is' t If euill follow you and if iniurious still To others you impute your selfe-ingendred ill Happy are they to whom the Lord vouch safeth sight To see the louely beames and life-infusing Light Of his sweet sacred Truth whereby we may perceiue And iudge a-rightly what to loue and what to leaue Such men within their soules their goods haue wholly plac't Such goods as neuer fire can either burne or waste Nor any Theefe can steale nor Pyrate make his praie Nor vsurie consume nor Tyrant take away Nor times all-gnawing tooth can fret away nor finish Nor any accident of sad mischance diminish For it is built on God a Rock that euer stands Not on the vanities of these inconstant sands Which are more mutable then wind and more vnstable And day by day doo make so many miserable O to what sweet content to what high ioyes aspires He that in God alone can limit his desires He that in him alone his hopes can wholly rest He that for onely end waites for the wages blest Wherewith he promiseth for euer sans respect Of their selfe-meriting to guerdon his Elect What is it can bereaue the wealth of such a man What is it that disturbe his perfect pleasures can What is it can supplant his honours and degrees Sith all his treasures his delights his dignities Are all laid vp in Heauen where it were all in vaine For all the sonnes of earth to warre with might and maine No doubt will some man say each Christian doth aspire After their bodies death to those deere treasures higher That are reserv'd in Heauen whereof the sweet possession Feares not the violence of all the worlds oppression But while that heere below this fraile flesh-burthen ties-him But the bare hope he hath which how can it suffice-him Against the sharpe assaults of passions infinite Whose glad-sad crosse conflicts afflict him day and night Needs must I graunt indeed that that same perfit ioy We cannot perfitly vpon this earth enioy But that that Hope alone doth not sufficiently Blesse his life where it liues for my part I denie Some doo not feare we see to spend their stock and store To vnder-take the taske of many trauailes sore To hazard limmes and liues in seruice of some Lord Depending oft vpon his foole-fat-feeding word Or waiting els perhaps without all other hold Vntill it please himselfe his franknes to vnfold Not reaking all their paine they are so inly pleas'd With hoped benefit whereof they are not seaz'd And shall th' assured hope of euer-blisses then For which we haue the word not of vaine mortall men That teach their tongues to lie but of the highest God The God of truth truth's selfe where truth hath still abode Shall that I say not serue to settle our faint hearts Against I will not say like dangers and like smarts But 'gainst these petty griefes that now and then do pain-vs No more like those then heauen neer earth that doth sustain-vs Ah shall we then despise all trouble and vexation Supported by a prop of doubtfull expectation And while for earthly things we can indure all this Shall we not do asmuch for an immortall blisse Indeed not of our selues for selfly nought we can But God when pleaseth him doth giue this strength to man Whereby he standeth stout euen like a mightie rocke Amid the mounting waues when Eole doth vnlocke Sterne Austers stormie gate making the waters wrastle And rush with wrathfull rage against the sturdie castle While it for all the force of their fell furie showne Is not so much as moou'd and much lesse ouerthrowne So fareth such a man for if from high degree He sodainly do slide to liue contemnedly With the vile vulgar sort that cannot make him wauer For well he is assur'd that Gods high holy fauour Depends not on the pomp nor vaine-proud state and port That for the grace of Kâ—ngs adornes the courtly sort If he be kept in bands thrâ—l to the tyrannies And extreame-cruell lawes of ruthless enimies Both voide of helpe and hope and of all likelihood Of being euer freed from their hands thirsting-blood Inspight of them he knowes that one day he shall die And then he shall inioy an endles Libertie If he be forc't to flie from his deere country-clime In exile to expire the remnant of his time He doth suppose the World to be a Country common From whence no tyranny till death can banish no-man If that he must forsake his Parents and his Kin And those whose amitie he most delighteth in He knowes that where he finds a man he findes a Kins-man For all mankind is come from oneselfe Father sinnes-man If being spoil'd of wealth wanton-pampering plentie He find vpon his boord two dishes scant of twenty And to his back one coate to keepe the cold away Whereas he had before a new for euery day He learneth of Saint Paul who bids vs be content With food and furniture to this life competent Sith nothing as saith Iob into this world we brought Nor with vs when we die can we hence carrie ought If he be passing poore and in exceeding glack Of euery needfull thing for belly and for back He learneth of the Sonne that God the Father heedeth To giue to euery one in time the thing he needeth And that the Fowles of Heauen and Cattel small and great Doo neither sowe nor reape yet find they what to eate Yea that the Lillies faire which growe among the grasse Doo neither spin nor worke and yet their garments passe For colour and for cost for Art and ornament The glorious Salmon's rich robes of Parlament If so that he be sicke or wounded in the arme In body back or brest or such like kind of harme If in extremitie of angry paine and anguish Enfeebled still by fits he bed-rid lye and languish If all the miseries that euer martyr'd man At once on euery side afflict him all they can The more that he endures the more his comforts growe Sith so
and partly to sound the opinion of others that also the lofty Phrase the graue inditement the facound termes of the French Salust for the like resemblance could not be followed nor sufficiently expressed in our rude and impolished English language Wherein I more boldly then aduisedly with your Maiesties licence declared my simple opinion not calling to mind that I was to giue my verdit in presence of so sharp and clear-eied a Censor as your Highnesse is But rashly I alleadged that it was nothing impossible euen to follow the footesteps of the same great Poet Salust and to translate his verse which neuerthelesse is of it selfe exquisite succinctly and sensibly in our owne vulgar speech Wherevpon it pleased your Maiestie among the rest of his works to assigne me The Historie of Iudith as an agreeable Subiect to your Highnesse to be turned by me into English verse Not for any speciall gift or Science that was in me who am inferiour in knowledge and erudition to the least of your Maiesties Court but by reason paraduenture of my bold assertion your Maiestie who will not haue the meanest of your house vnoccupied would haue mee to beare the yoke and driue forth the penance that I had rashly procured Indeede the burden appeared heauie and the charge almost insupportable to me neuerthelesse the feruent desire which I had to obtemper vnto your Maiesties commandement the earnest intention to verifie my rash speaking and the assured confidence which I ankred on your Highnesse helpe and correction encouraged mee so lightned on such wise my heauy burthen that I haue with lesse paine brought my half despaired worke to finall end In the which I haue so behaued my selfe that through your Maiesties concurrence I haue not exceeded the number of the lynes written by my Author In euerie one of the which he also hath two syllables mo then any English beares And this notwithstanding I suppose your Maiestie shall finde little of my Authors meaning pretermitted Wherfore if thus much be done by me who am of another profession and of so simple literature I leaue it to bee considered by your Maiestie what such as are consummate in letters and knowes the waightie words the pithie sentences the polished tearms and full efficacie of the English tongue would haue done Receiue them Sir of your owne seruant this little worke at your owne commandement enterprised corrected by your Maiesties owne hand and dedicated to your owne Highnesse If I haue done well let the praise redound to your Maiestie whose censure I haue vnderlyen If otherwise let my default of skill bee imputed to my selfe or at the least my good entention allowed whereby others may haue occasion to doe better To your Highnesse consideration referring Sir both my diligence done in this smal translation and the inueterate affection which I haue and ought alwaies to beare vnto your Maiestie I commit with all humilitie your Highnes your Realme and estate to the gouernment of God who gouerneth all the World IR SONNET SInce ye immortall sisters nine hes left All other countries lying farre or neere To follow him who from them all you reft And now hes causde your residence be heere Who though a stranger yet he lov'd so deere This Realme and me so as he spoild his awne And all the brookes and banks and fountains cleere That be therein of you as he hath shawne In this his work then let your breath be blawne In recompence of this his willing minde On me that sine may with my pen be drawne His praise For though himselfe be not inclyn'd Nor preaceth but to touch the Laurer tree Yet well he merits crownd therwith to be FINIS SONNET THe Muses nyne haue not reueald to mee What sacred seeds are in their garden sowen Nor how their Salust gaines the Laurer tree Which throw thy toyle in Brittain ground is growen But sith they see thy trauell truely showen In Vertues schoole th' expiring time to spend So haue they to his Highness made it knowen Whose Princely power may dewly thee defend Then you that on the Holy Mount depend In crystallayr and drinks the cleared spring Of Poetrie I doe you recommend To the protection of this godly King Who for his vertues and his gifts diuine Is only Monark of the Muses nyne FINIS M. V. F. The Authors admonition to the Reader BEloued Reader it is about fourteene yeares past since I was commanded by the late Illustrate and most vertuous Princesse Iean Queene of Nauarre to reduce the Historie of Iudith in forme of a Poeme Epique Wherein I haue not so much aimed to followe the phrase or text of the Bible as I haue preased without wandring from the verity of the History to imitate Homer in his Iliades Virgill in his Aenel dos and others who hath left to vs works of such like matter therby to render my work so much the more delectable And if the effect hath not answered to my desire I beseech thee to lay the fault vpon her who proposed to me so meane a Theame or subiect and not on me who could not honestly disobey Yet in so much as I am the first in Fraunce who in a iust Poeme hath treated in our tongue of sacred things I hope of thy fauour to receiue some excuse seeing that things of so great weight cannot be both perfectly begunne and ended together If thou neither allow my stile nor workmanship at least thou shalt be driuen to allowe the honest pretence and holy desire which I haue to see the youth of Fraunce so holily by mine example exercised I may not forget that they doe greatly wrong me who thinks that in discriuing the Catastrophe of this History truely tragicall I am becomne a voluntary Aduocate to these troublesome and sedicious spirits who for to serue their temerarious passioÌ„s and priuate inspiratioÌ„s conspires against the liues of placed princes For so much doe I disassent that this example and the like ought to be drawen in consequence that I am verily perswaded that the act of Ahud of Iaell and of Iudith who vnder colour of obeysance pretext of amiâ—y layd their reuenging hands vpon Aeglon Sisara and Holophernes had been worthy of a hundreth gallowes a hundreth fires and a hundreth wheeles if they had not been peculiarly chosen of God for to vnloose the chains and break the bands which retain'd the Hebrew people in more then Aegyptian seruitude and expresly called to kill those Tyrants with a death as shamefull as their liues were wicked and abhominable But seeing this question is so diffuse that it cannot be absolued in fewe words and that my braine is too weak for so high an enterprise I send you to those who haue spent more oyle and time in turning the leaues of the sacred scriptures then I haue done for the present It me sufficeth for the time to admonish the Reader to attempt nothing without a clear and indubitable vocation of God against those
whom he hath erected aboue vs and aboue all things not to abuse the law of humane hospitality and other holy bands for to giue place to these frenetike opinions so to abolish a pretended tyranny I haue also to warne thee of two different sorts of men of the which one sort is so depraued that they can heare nothing but that which is altogether prophane and the other is so supersticious that they make conscience not onely to write but also to read of holy things in verse as though that the measure and iointure of syllabes were so constrained as it were vnpossible to keepe the sense vnperuerted or at least not excessiuely obscured Now if I perceiue that this my first assay may bee to thee agreeable I shall continue more gladly my newe commenced race in such sort that thou shalt not repent thine indulgence nor I my passed pains But if contrarie fall in time to come I wil be ware to là y out my smalpack in this ample Theatre of France where there is almost as many Iudgements as beholders A Dieu GSSDB The Argument of the whole Historie of Iudith AFter that the Children of Israel were deliuered from captiuitie and returned to their land the Citty of Ierusalem reedified the Temple builded and prepared to the seruice of the Lord the multitude of the people being scattered in sundry towns and places of the Land where they liued in peaceable rest the Lord knowing man to be negligent of GOD and his saluation chiefly when he liues at ease and all things frames vnto his fraile desire to th' end that his people should not fal in such an inconuenience would exercise them with a feareful affliction and temptation sending vpon their Countrey an army so great in number and puissance that made the whole earth to tremble This expedition was vnder the Persian Monark named in the historie Nebuchadnezar which neuerthelesse is not his right name His chiefe Lieutenant generall and Conducter of the whole Armie was Holophernes who wheresoeuer hee came ouerthrewe all religion permitting none to inuocate or acknowledge any other God but Nebuchadnezar his Maister whome hee enforced to constitute and establish for the onely God So entred hee Iudea with intent to destroy it all which the people perceiuing and that his power was so great that no nation could resist him and also knowing his cruell hatred were sore affraied and almost driuen to extreame desperation seeing none other thing present before them but ruine and destruction And this the Lord suffered to showe in time his worke to bee more wonderfull For the people being humbled and hauing called to the Lord for mercie and succour at his hand hee both heard and succoured them at neede The meane was not through strength or stoutnesse of some worthy Captaine but by the hand of Iudith a tender feeble woman to the shame of this most proud and cruell tyrant and all his heathen hoste For shee cut off his head put all his campe to slight destroyed his men of Armes in such wise that they fled here and there and seeking to saue their liues left all their tentes and baggage Thus the Lorde by the weake and those that are not regarded makes his workes admirable By one selfe meane hee saued his owne and executed his iustice against his enemies In which wee haue to consider his singular ptouidence and goodnesse and the care which he hath in especiall for his faithfull and all his whole Church This Historie is intituled by the name of Iudith because it containes the narration of her great vertues and for that the Lorde vsed her as an instrument for the deliuerance of his people It is not certaine who was the first Author hereof neuerthelesse the reading of it hath beene receiued in the Church for the doctrine and vtility of the same THE SVMMARIE OF The I. BOOKE HOLOPHERNâ—â— Lieutenant generall and chief of the army of Nebuchâ—dnezzaâ— K oâ— the Assyrians was in the fielde for to subdue diuers people and amongst others the Iewes All the Nation is seazed with great feare for the cruelties committed by the enemy Then as it fals out â—n bruits of war al the whole people were troubled som sauing themselues in corners for feare others attending in great perplexity some sad and Tragicall ende the last sort calls vpon God This while IOACHIM the chiefe Priest gouerned the people hâ— by his letters and expresse commandement recalls those that were fled and scattered and made them returne to Ierusalem where in presence of the Leâ—its hee made sacrifice earnest prayer vnto God to withdrawe his ire and to bee mercifull to his people which done he enters in counsell and requires his Princes to consult vpon the cause and consider what iâ— most 〈◊〉 and to preferre the loue of Gods law and the countâ— iâ— before all priuate things the first that gainstands this exhortation is an hypocrite and fauourer of the enemy who giues couÌ„sell to render them to HOLOPHERNEâ— calling him a Prince gratious to those that applauds to him and inuincible in battell to those that dare resist him But the second Lord replying â—â—alously againe detecteth his false hypocriâ—ie and carelesse securitie exposing the people to the mercy of a barbarous godless enemy before the duty they ought to their God and their countrey and to establish in place of the true God a wicked Nâ—MROD conâ—ummat in all impiety and wickednes to abolish all vertue and godlinesse For he proues that if the nations should be rooted out for the right religioÌ„ God should be more honored in the death of the Iewes then in their liues and that it is more worthy to die Hebrewes then to liue infidels and free men then slaues Shortly that they ought to prefer honor and duty before feare and a vaine hope to prolong their dolefull dayes This reply encouraged all the aâ—â—istâ—ts wherof IOACHIM gaue thankes to God and resoluing himselfe vpon a iust defence for the onseruation of the seruice of God and the freedome of his nation and the liues of the innocent against this villanous inuatision wise by deâ—aâ—â—ed the regiments of towns to persons conuenient who past to their â—â—â—igned places each one preparing according to their power vnto the warre with courage paine and diligence The first Booke of Iudith I Sing the vertues of a valiant Dame PropositioÌ„ summe of this worke Who in defence of Iacob ouercame Th' Assyriaâ— Prince and slew that Pagan stout Who had beset Bethulia walles about O thou who kept thine Izak from the thrall Inuocation of the true God Of infidels and steeld the courage small Of feeble Iudith with a manly strength With sacred furie fill my heart at length And with thy Holy spirit my spirit enspire For matter so diuine Lord I require No humain stile but that the Reader may Great profit reape I ioy thou praise alway And since in vulgar verse I prease to sing DedicatioÌ„ of the Author altred by the
bands of Chus on Gerar greene Shall I forget him who preparing fight Iosaphat 'Gainst Ammon Seir and Moabs Idoll might Saw ech of their three hoasts on others fall And with them selfs their selfs disconfit all Yet for their sinnes God gaue them in the hands Of Calde Kings who conquered all their Lands And took King Zedekee and made an end Of that Impire till God did Cyrus send Who set them free and gaue them of his grace Two rulers of their owne And now this place Is kept by sacred Ioachim whose powers Consists not onely within Sions towers But Edom Sidon Moab and we all Do knowe his strength and knowes him principall Now Sir you hear the progresse first and last Of Isâ—acs race in order as it past One while the Lord enhaunst them to the skie One while he drew them downe in deepe to lie ' But were he Iudge or Prince or King of might ' Who reul'd the Hebrews policie aright ' While they observ'd th' alliance made before ' By their forefathers who to God them swore ' In happy state all others they surpast ' And vnderfoote their proudest foes were cast ' And all the world that their destruction sought ' Against their state and name preuailed nought ' But contrary as oft as they astraide ' From God their guide he on their shoulders laid ' The Barbare yock of Moâ—b and oft-times ' Of Palestine and Ammon for their crimes ' The heauie hand of God was seen to be ' On their ingratefull infidelity Now if so be that any odious sinne Prouoke their Lord his Iustice to begin Then mine not you their towers and tourets tall Nor bring the wrack som engine to their wall Nor place thy battries braue nor yet aduenter With thy courageous camp the breach to enter For if Libanus mount or Carmell faire Or Niphathaei should parke them from repaire If Ynde and Nilus with the Rhene and Rhone To close them round about should run in one For their defence yet shall they notwithstand With all their force thy flurious fighting â—and But if they haue not broke the â—and indeed That God with Abraham made and with his seede Beware my Lord beware to touch or moue These people that the Lord so much doth loue For though south Aùtan would dispeople his Lands And bring the blackest Moores to swarme in bands If Northren Boreas vnder his banners colde Would bring to field his hideous Souldiers bold If Zephyrus from sweet Hesperia coste Would send his chosen armed men to Hoste If Eurus for to aide thine enterprise Would bring his men from whence the sun doth rise Yet all their numbers hudge and forces strong Can neuer do to Israell any wrong Nor hurt one hair if their great God say nay That God will them defend because he may With one small blast confound all Kings that darre As thou doest now prouoke him vnto warre Then like as ye behold the quiet see Not raging when the windes ingendring be But blauncheth first then growes in little space In wallowing waves to flowe with fomy face And lastly beates the banks and ships vnshrouds With wrackfull waues vphoist to highest clouds So almost all the princes of that hoste With inward anger gan to be emboste As oft as they the prayse of God did heare So to his speech encreast their spitefull chear Which in the end to blasphemy them brought Th' immortall God of Gods to set at nought Kill and cut off quoth they this traytour fine Whose subtill talke with all his whole engine Pretends to saue these Hebrews from our hands And threats vs with vaine Gods of forraine Lands For if it please you noble prince to send But twenty men of value that are â—end Within your camp these recklesse rebels then Shall be a pray to all your warlike men O wicked wight but then the Uizroy stout With power appeasde the murmur of the route And to him said O shameles Prophet thou What Sibyll or what charmer tell me now What Diuell or Daemon so doth thee inspire That Izrell shall of vs haue his desire Such men as with no God can be content But such as pleased Moses to inuent Of his owne head a God that hath no power â—lasphemic For to deliuer them nor thee this hower Haue we an other God or king of kings Then our great Persian Monark now that rigns Whose barded horse ore runns the Nations all Whose armed men out of these mountaines tall Shall rake these Rebels that from Egypt came To this where they vniustly keep the same Dye dye thou shalt O wretch thy toung vntrue And double heart shall haue their wages due But foole what speake I thus no haste a while Thy blood O villaine shall not me defile So iust a paine so soone thou shalt not haue For thy deceipt so soone to go to graue ' For in a wretches sodaine death at ones ' Their long some ill is buried with their bones But to that end I may prolong thy strife In Bethull town I will prolong thy life Where euerie howre thou shalt haue such affraye To dye vndead a thousand times a day Till time with them who thou so strong hast thought To shamefull end with them thou shalt be brought What wherefore temblest thou and art so pale What sorrow makes thy heart so soone to faile If God be God as thou right now hast said Then of thy faith giue witnesse vndismaid A marshall of the campe then being prest Who was not yet so cruell as the rest There tooke this demy Pagan Ammons Lord And sent him bound to Bethull with a cord Then euen as in his clawes the kite doth beare The chirping chicken throu the weather cleare While that the cackling hen belowe on ground Bewayles her bird with vaine lamenting sound So in like woe his worthy men were left For that so worthy a chief was them bereft The Townsmen then beholding neere their wall These Miscreants to armour straight they fall Yâ—lad in plate and mail and runnes in bands And fearcely fronts their foes with steele in hands As fast as done the riuers doun the hils That with their murmur hudge the deepes vpfils The Heathen seeing this retirde away And left the Lord of Ammon for a pray To th' Hebrew soldiers who did him constraine Though he was willing with them to remaine When all the folke with prease about him past His eyes and hands vp to the pole he cast ' And thus he spake O God that great abides ' Vpon th' Immortall seat and iustly guides ' The ruled course of heav'n whose liuing spreete ' Reuiuing spreds and through all things doth fleete ' I render thee O God immortall prayse ' For that before I end my wofull dayes ' Now from th' vnfruitfull stock thou doest me race 'To graft me in thy fruitfull tree of grace ' Where in despite of all contrary strife ' I shall bring forth the fruits of lasting life And ye O Iacobs sonnes
withstand The Heathen host with ech of them in hand An yron mace in stead of launces long And brazen bucklers beating back the throng Their habergions like stiddies stithe they baire With helmets high and pennons pight in aire Of equall age they were and equall length Of equall courage and of equall strength Like Poplers twain that recheth vp their tops And holds their heads so high that none them crops But on the Riuers side do sweetly sway Like germain brether hailsing oft a day The Heathen seeing thus the Iews descend With edge of sword their Citie to defend They left th' assault and thence retyring went As they commanded were vnto their tent But when I think how xxx dayes that towne Tormented was with mischief vp and down Too sad a song I cannot hear inuent So great a sadnesse right to represent My hand for horrour shakes and now no more Can lead my sacred pen as erst before For now mine eyes that watred are with tears Declares my matter all of mischief bears Oh Sprite from whence all sprit and life doth come Thou loosde the tongue of Zacharie that was dōme And sent thy Heralds through the world to preach Thy name and in a hundreth tongues to teach Guide thou my pen and courage to me lend That to thy honour I this worke may end Although that Izak sawe on euery hand A world of folke against his towne to stand Yet tracting time he thought he would prouide No lesse to keep then coole th' Assiegers pride But when they fand the conduits cut and rent By which their water to their towne was sent Their courage bolde and all their craks alas As licour faild so did their stoutnesse pas Their Lords preferring death to bondage vile Made them beleeue the thing did them beguile To wit they gaue men hope that they might keep Sufficient wat'r in wels and cesterns deep Through all the towne the people to relieue That thirst should not the souldiers greatly grieue The magistrates in deed had great regard To see this water wisely spent and spar'd That Bottell sweet which serued at the first To keep the life but not to slocken thirst A viue description of Thirst. When wels grew dry the Commons ran in rage And sought out euery sink their thirst t' asswage And drank with long som draught the pools in haste To quench their thirst with ill contented taste Which poysoned ayre enfect their purest breath Whereby the drinker drank his present death O wretched folke who felt so hard a strife Drink or not drink both wayes must lose their life For he that drank and he that did refrain Had of their enmies both an equall pain For why the water vile slew them throughout No lesse then did their enmies them about That wretched towne had neuer a street nor rewe But Parcas there had found som facion newe To murder men or martyr them with fears As mov'd the most indurate hart to tears If so much water in their brains had been As might forbear a drop to wete their een There plaind the old man that the souldier strong Had reft his Bottell from his head with wrong But while he spake his hart for thirst did faint And life him left which frustrate his complaint The souldier braue Oh hart brek for to tell His proper vryne drank thirst to expell The wofull mother with her spettle fed Her little childe half dead in cradle bed The Lady with her Lord at point of death Embracing fals and yeelds their latest breath For cruell thirst came out of Cyren Land Where she was fostred on that burning sand With hote intracted tongue and sonken een With stomack worn and wrinkled visage keen With light and meigre corse and pailed vains In stead of blood that brimstone hote retains Her poysond mouth blew throw that holy town Such hellish ayr that stifled vp and down The Arters of the Iewes in such a way That nought was seen but burials night and day So that the heauen to see their dolours deep Could scarsly keep his course but preasd to weep And would haue ioind his tears to their complaint If God of hosts had made them no restraint Yea I my self must weep who cannot speak The woes that makes my heavy hart to break And so will silent rest and not rehearse But counterfait the painter in my verse Who thought his colours paile could not declare The speciall woe king Looke the Table Agamemnon bare When sacrificed was his onely race With bend of black he bound the fathers face Now while the people were in this estate And with their princes wrangling in debate They thus besought the Lord for to decide Between their simplesse and their princes pride The Lord be iudge of that which ye haue wrought And what your wicked counsells hath vs brought If you had offred peace to this great Lord At first we might haue wonne him to accord Then happy happy dayes we might haue seen And not so many souldiers murdred been Alas what hope haue we within this holde Our enmies are more meek a thousand folde Then are our owne They haps would vs preserue Our wilfull owne pretends to see vs sterue Our children do our childrens weal denay And headlong hastes vnto their owne decay We knowe O Lord the breaking of thy law Hath caused thee this sword on vs to draw And iustly thou thine yrefull bowe doest bend On our vnloyall heads the shot to send But thou who doth not long retain thine yre Against thine owne thy mercy we require Change thou the purpose of our foolish guides And of these Heathen armed at our sides Or els let vs vpon their weapons fall And of their hands to be destroyed all Er we this drougth and deadly venim haue With languishing to send vs to the graue My brethren dear the Ruler then gan say Our whole desire hath been both night and day Not for to see the seed of Abrahm lost For which we striue against this furious hoste What haue ye pain so likewise pain haue we For in one boat we both imbarked be Vpon one tide one tempest doth vs tosse Your common ill it is our common losse Th' Assyrian plague shall not vs Hebrews grieue When pleaseth God our mischief to relieue Which he will doe if ye can be content And not with grudge his clemency prevent Then striue not you against that puissant king Who create all and gouerns euery thing For comfort of his Church and children dear And succours them though time do long appear Somtime an Archer leaues his bowe vnbent And hong vpon a naile to that intent It may the stronger be to bend again And shoot the shot with greater might and main Right so th' eternall doth withholde his ill A longer time perchance for that he will More egerly reuenge him of their crime Who do abuse his long for bearing time When men applauds to sinne they count it light And but a matter
Ecbatan and now growes weed and herbe Where sometime stood his palaces superbe So that where erst the lute and lowde Haubois Were wont to sound with sweete concordant nois Now shriking owles and other monsters moe In funerall sound fulfils the place with woe My potent Prince when all this warre was ceast Consumed moneths foure in Royall feast In Niniue the great which banket done He me commanded to assemble sone His Royall hoste to punish all and some That to his former ayd disdaind to come And that I shortly should with sword and flame Reuenge his honour but alas Madame Full farre am I from that I would pursew For comming here thy nation to subdew I vanquisht am by thee so that deaths might Shall shortly close mine eyes with endles night If you not with a louing kisse to me Restore my life O worthy Prince quoth she Continue your discours and to me tell What great aduentures to your Hoste befell Then he retooke his tale he left alate And made a long discours of all his state Part true part false as do some warriours braue Who speaking of their Acts will lye and raue My Camp assembled then gan I t'enflame Oration My soldiers harts thus for to win them fame Companions now if euer ye pretend To winne renoume that neuer shall haue end Go forwards now plague these inhumain Lands That on our sacred Legats layd their hands Reuenge reuenge ye men your most hie Prince That ever Scepter bare in rich prouince That euer came adowne with mighty arme From circled starres Alarm ' soldats alarme Take blades in hand and brands of burning yre To waste the western world with sword and fyre With bloody seas bedewe ech mount and vvood And make your horses fearce to swimme in blood Receiue the Scepter great and crowne of might Of all this world vvhich is to you behight Receiue this laude that for your conquest braue Shall draw your fames from the forgetfull graue Receiue yee valiant men the noble spoyle Of many-a land that ye shall put to foyle Let men behold that sees you day by day How ye are cloyde with honour spoile and pray Thus ended I. And as my words were spent They bet their bucklers showing them content With courage bolde to fight with me and byde Then sixscore thousand men I had to guide Or moe and so from Niniuè we past And marched vnto Bectilè at last I through Edessi Amidi and Carran came Where sometime dwelt your father Abraham I wan the mount vvhose thwarting hornes diuyds All Asie and serues for bounds on sundrie syds To manie great Empyrs I â—lew I brent All in my way My fellon soldiers vvent Like moawers with their sithes in sowple hands Who leaues not after them a straw that stands But ample swathes of grasse on ground doth cast And showes what way their sharped sithes haue past All Lydia knowes that nought now growes in it But weeds And Phuli-and Tharsis feeles it yit I was welâ—eare the straits that closeth all Phoenice and th' Ishique Rouers like a wall When Rosea Solea Mops Anchiali ' and Iscia And sweete Egei and short the whole Cilicia This passage took before and lay in wait To stay my Armie for to passe this straight If I the harmes and hasâ—ards all should tell Of all th' affairs and bloody frayes that fell And succours sent the day should slide away Before my tale For that Cilicia I say Through great aduantage of their ground so narrow Defended them from both the speare and arrow So that my Hoste that gaue before the chace To puissant kings now fled with great disgrace Craking Then foming in despite despaire and yre I cast my selfe where shot flew like the fyre And though they hurt me in a hundred parts And though my buckler bare a wood of darts Yet left not I but with audacious face I brauely fought and made them all giue place My army followde where my arme made way With trenching blade on bodies dead that lay The greatest coward that my captains led Pursewd and â—lew the most of them that fled The Cidnus streame vvho for his siluer flood Esteemd a king ran now with humaine blood The Pyram fearce in seas discharged than Full many-a helm and sword and worthy man In short as your owne riuer seems to rest With swelling tyds and frothy foods represt Within his bank yet furiously him wreaks With weightie force and banks and bridges breaks And stroies the Plaines and makes for many-a day More wrak then if his channels open lay In semble sort their bands I did enchace That kept the entrance of that craggie place I brunt I â—lew cast down all that I fand And Asia spoild I entred th' easter Land I wan Celeâ— and raged pitti-les Vpon the fruitfull shore of Euphrates I bet the desart Rapse and Eagria Land Who knowes the vertue of my conquering hand From thence to seaward sewing mine entent I wasted Madian Northward then I went To Lâ—ban-ward Damascus ouerrinning With other towns Abilâ—a and Hippas winning From thence vvith curious mind my standerds styes The hill where sunne is seen to set and ryes And so from thence I forward led mine hoste To th' Occident on the Phoenicâ—an coste Then Sidon Bible Beryte Tyre and Gaze With Ascalon and Assot in a maze For feare sent humbly to my sacred seat Wise messengers my fauour to intreat We come not here my Lord said they with armes For to resist the chok of thy Gens â—'armes But Prince we come of thee for to resaue Both life and death and what law vve shall haue Our townes are thine our citties and our hills Our fields our flocks our wealth is at your wills Our seruice and our treasures great and small Our selfs our wyues and our faire children all Now only rests to thee if so thee please To take vs thus O God what greater ease O God vvhat greater good may vs befall Then vnto such a Chiefe for to be thrall Who weilds the valiant lance and ballance right With vertue like the Gods of greatest might So were to me as gratious to beholde Their townes and Citties both for young and old With crownes and presents of the Flora sweet And costly odours humbly did me greete At sounds of hornes and pypes they dauncing vvent With goods and bodies me for to present Then I abusing not the law of armes Entreated them and did to them no harmes Nor to their Lands But first their forts I mand With men of mine and theirs tooke in my Band. For where that I my people farthest drew My camp in bands from bands to armies grew As doth the Danow which begins to flow By Raurak fields with snakish crangling slow Then swels his floods with sixty riuers large That in the Golfe Euxinus doth discharge I vvende Madame that Izrell like the rest Would yeeld to me that I should not be strest Against their brest to moue my murdring speare But as I
flood irrepassable Yet Bagos hearing Izaks cry encrease He with his foot the dore began to prease And entred where the bed he did beholde All bled with Holophernes carcasse colde He tore his hair and all his garments rent And to the heauen his howling cries he sent But when he mist the Hebrew-Dame away Then raging he began a gastly fray And from the bloody tent as he ran out Among the Heathen thus began to shout Woe woe to vs a slaue they Iudith call In sleaing Holopherne hath slain vs all That daunted all the world These nouels last Ioynd to the former fear that lately past Affrighted so the souldiers one and all That pike and dart and target they let fall And fled through mountains valleis and throw heaths Where ev'rie chaunce procurde them worser deaths Then all th' assieged folk in flocks descended And on their enmies backs their howe 's they bended Both parties ran but th' one that other chased The weary flyers flight themselfs defaced The Hebrews there in fight not one they lost But they bet down and slew the Heathen hoste As doth a Lion of Getulia wood Bespred the land with woried beasts and blood So long as he may finde a beast abide That dare oppone him to his cruell pride Som head long throwes themselfs from craggie Rocks And breaks their bones and all their brains out knocks Som hath forgot that Parcas every whear Waits on their end that drowne in water clear But if that any scapte by som great hap He scapte the first but not the after clap Fore all the straits and passages were set That none should scape aliue where thy were met Yea scarsly one was left to tell the king At Niniue of all this wondrous thing This battell done all those whose Sex and age With held at home their dolours to asswage Came forth out of their fort to see and hear What God had done for them his people dear They found som men dismembred hauing breath That cried in vain a hundreth times for death Another gnashes with his teeth in pains Som dead in face their former rage retains And som is shot directly throw the hart Ech soule departs to his appointed part According to the valew or the chaunce That fortun'd them to dye on sword or launce In short to see this sight so dreadful was That even the Hebrews would haue sayd Alas If they had vanquisht any enmie els This while amongst the corses infidels Among a hundred thousand their was found The cheftains carcas rent with many-a wound Of spear and sword by th' Hebrews in their yre Ther was no sinew Arter vain nor lyre That was not mangled with their vulgar rage No time nor moment might their yre asswage If Holopherne had been like Atlas long Or like in limmes vnto Briarius strong Yet should his body been too small a pray To sati fie their furie ev'ry way For in that Camp was not so small a knaue But of his flesh som collup he would haue O tyrant now quoth they giue thy right hand To the Cilicians and to Media Land Leaue thou thy left And to Celea sweet To Ismaell and Aegypt leaue thy feet To th' end that al the world by thee offenced With such a present may be recompenced But heer I faile thy corps thus to deuise In Attomy for it will not suffise This thankfull widow then who neuer thought To smore this wondrous work that God had wrought Entun'd her vearse and sung to sweet consort Of instruments and past with gracious port Before the chosen Dames and virgins thair That were esteem de for honest chaste and fair Sing sing with hart and voyce and sounding strings And prayse the Lord of Lords and King of Kings Who doth disthrone the great and in their place Erects the poore that leans vpon his grace Who would haue thought that in a day one towne Could ouercome a camp of such renowne Who daunted all the world whose pride was felt From Indian shore to where the Calpees dwelt Great God who will beleeue that Holopherne Who did a hundred famous princes derne Should be disceptred slain left in a midow By no great Gyant but a feeble widow Great God who will beleeue that he who raind From north to south and in his hands retaind Both East and West now gets not grace to haue An ynch of Gazon ground to be his graue This Conqu'rour that came with no army small Now lyes on ground abandond of them all Not sole for those companions him in death That followde him while he had life and breath Not now the ground but Ravens hunger-sterv'd Are now his tombe as he hath well deserv'd No vaults of Marble rich nor Porphyr pure That he had built could be his sepulture Euen so good Lord from hence forth let vs finde Thee not our Iudge but for our father kinde But let all tyrants that against thee gather Finde thee their Iudge but not their louing father Here Iudith ends And also heare I stay The Translator With thankes to God So for his state I pray At whose command I vndertooke this deed To please his Grace and those that will it reed FINIS A TABLE OF SIGnification of some wordes as they are vsed before * ⎠* Words Significations ABderois Prophane and delicate Epicures Abile A hill in Affrica one of the Pillers of Hercules Abraham Father of the Iewes or the faithfull Achelois Ympes Sirenes or Mermaids Amram The father of Moses Assur Assurs head The Countrey of Assyria or their king Assyrian Prince Holophernes Vizroy or Generall Agamemnon The Generall of the Greekes being present at the sacrificing of his onely Daughter was painted with a bende about his eyes either for the vnskilfulnes of the painter who could not sufficieÌ„tly expresse the fathers speciall teares or els for that he thought it not decent to paint so mighty a Prince weeping or vnnaturall not to weepe Aconite A poysonable herbe Autan The South or south winde Aurora The morning Arphaxat Supposed to be Arbactus King of Medes Atlas A great Giant Argus Had a hundreth eyes Alexander The great Apelles An excellent painter Bethull or Bethulia The City where Iudith dwelt Babell Babylon or the whole countrey Bellona Goddesse of Battell Briccoll An engine of warre Briarius A Giant with a hundreth haÌ„ds Bacchus Wine or drunkennes Boreas The North or north wind Chameleon A beast that chaungeth his colours Ctesiphon A cunning Architector or builder Chaos A confusion before the worlds creation Capharois Two perilous Rocks Cyanes straits Calpe A hill in Spaine one of the pillars of Hercules Cyprian Dame Venus loue or lust Cupido Loue or lust Coruies Crooked yrons to drawe down buildings Castors sister Helen the dishonest wife of Monelaus Canaces Incestuous women Circes Witches abusers of louers Cyrene A dry sandy countrey or drouth Carmell A mountaine in Iudea or the whole countrey Danow Danubius a riuer in Germany Denis twice born Bacchus Diana or Cynthia The Moone Dina. The daughter of Iacob Aegyptian Queen Cleopatra the Concubine of M. Antonius who swallowed a rich pearle Elimia Land The Elamits Eurus The East or East winde Aegeans stable Where horses deuoured men Encelade A Giant buried vnder mount Aetna Generall Holophernes Gibraltar A City in Spaine neere to Calpe-hill one of the Pillers of Hercules Holopherne Vizroy chiefe of the Army Hermon A Hill in Iudea or the couÌ„try of Iudea Hesperian coste The west Hyade A water nymph or watrie star Heraults Apostles or preachers Iacobs sonnes The people of Izrell Izrell or Iacob The Land of Iudea Izaak The people of the Iewes Ismaell Idumeans or Edom. Ixion One tormented in Hell Iebus place Ierusalem or Sion Iudith of Bethulia of the tribe of Ruben Iessies race Dauid and his seed Iethro Father in law to Moses Latmies sonne Endymion the long sleeper supposed to lye with the Moone Lysippus A cunning caruer Monarke One sole gouernour Memphits Men of that Citie in Aegypt Misraim The Land of Egypt Mocmur The riuer neare Bethulia Momus A scornfull detractour of all things Mars God of strife or battell Myrrhaes Syllaes Women betrayers of their couÌ„rey Minotaurs Vnnaturall monsters Medusaes Furies of hell Neptunes back The Sea Nâ—phathai A mighty strong Rocke or mouÌ„taine in Syria Palestine The Land of the Philistins Pharia A famous tower in Egypt Phlegoâ— One of the foure horses that was supposed to draw the sunne Phoebus The sunne Phoebâ— His sister the moone Proteus A man changing himself in sun dry formes there is a fish of like nature Priams wife Hecuba the honourable Pestmell All mixt confusedly together Ramme An ingine of warre for battry Sina-hill Sinai-hill Salem Ierusalem Solymâ— Ierusalem Sichem The rauisher of Dina. Sabean Queene Sauours of Saba land Simeon Dinaes brother Scythique Rampier The tombe of Semele mother of Bacchus Styx A Riuer in hell Sympathie Concordance of natures and things Sentinelles Watchmen Semirames Women Viragoes Syrtes Dangerous sands Satrap Prince Stymphalides Rauenous foules with female faces Harpyes Syrian camp The Hoste of Holophernes Semels sonne Bacchus or wine Transparent That which may be seen throgh and whole like glasse Tortuse An engine of warre Trepan An engine of warre The forraine tyde Supposed to haue been the flood of Noah or the deluge of Deucalion that diuided Affrica from Europe and Sycilia from Italia Thetis The Sea Thurimâ— Deceitfull Aduocats Theban knight Captaine of the Greeks army Theefe that stole the fire Prometheus who stole fire from Iupiter Zedechias Last king of the Iewes Zephyrus West or west winde Zeuxis A painter of Italie who being required to paint the picture of Helen desired to haue all the fairest women of Creton to be present for his paterne FINIS 1611. OS · HOMINI · SVBLIME · DEDIT ✚ AT LONDON Imprinted by H. L. and are to be sould by Arthur Iohnson at the signe of the white horse neere the great North doore of Paules Church