'gins his life when he 's of life bereaven Ah blessed soul that here begins his heaven Upon the Contemplations of the B. of Excester given to the Ladie E. W. at New-yeares-tide THis little worlds two little starres are eyes And he that all eyes framed fram'd all others Downward to fall but these to climbe the skies There to acquaint them with their starrie brothers Planets fixt in the head their spheare of sense Yet wandring still through heav'ns circumference The Intellect being their Intelligence Dull then that heavie soul which ever bent On earth and earthly toyes his heav'n neglects Content with that which cannot give content What thy foot scorning kicks thy soul respects Fond soul thy eye will up to heav'n erect thee Thou it direct'st and must it now direct thee Dull heavie soul thy scholar must correct thee Thrice happie soul that guided by thine eyes Art mounted up unto that starrie nation And leaving there thy sense entrest the skies Enshrin'd and sainted there by contemplation Heav'n thou enjoy'st on earth and now bereaven Of life a new life to thy soul is given Thrice happie soul that hast a double heaven That sacred hand which to this yeare hath brought you Perfect your yeares and with your yeares his graces And when his will unto his will hath wrought you Conduct your soul unto those happie places Where thousand joyes and pleasures ever new And blessings thicker then the morning dew With endlesse sweets rain on that heav'nly crue These Asclepiads of Mr. H. S. translated and enlarged Nè Verbum mihi sit mortua Litera Nec Christi Meritum Gratia vanida Sed Verbum fatuo sola Scientia Et Christus misero sola Redemptio UNletter'd Word which never eare could heare Unwritten Word which never eye could see Yet syllabled in flesh-spell'd character That so to senses thou might'st subject be Since thou in bread art stampt in print art read Let not thy print-stampt Word to me be dead Thou all-contriving all-deserving Spirit Made flesh to die that so thou might'st be mine That thou in us and we in thee might merit We thine thou ours thou humane we divine Let not my dead lifes merit my dead heart Forfeit so deare a purchas'd deaths desert Thou Sunne of wisdome knowledge infinite Made folly to the wise night to prophane Be I thy Moon oh let thy sacred light Increase to th' full and never never wane Wise folly set in me fond wisdome rise Make me renounce my wisdome to be wise Thou Life eternall purest blessednesse Made mortal wretched sinne it self for me Shew me my death my sin my wretchednesse That I may flourish shine and live in thee So I with praise shall sing thy life deaths storie O thou my Merit Life my Wisdome Glorie Certain of the royal Prophets Psalmes metaphrased Psalm 42. which agrees with the tune of Like the Hermite poore LOok as an hart with sweat and bloud embrued Chas'd and embost thirsts in the soil to be So my poore soul with eager foes pursued Looks longs O Lord pines pants and faints for thee When O my God when shall I come in place To see thy light and view thy glorious face I dine and sup with sighs with grones and teares While all thy foes mine eares with taunting load Who now thy cries who now thy prayer heares Where is say they where is thy boasted God My molten heart deep plung'd in sad despairs Runnes forth to thee in streams of teares and prayers With grief I think on those sweet now past dayes When to thy house my troops with joy I led We sang we danc'd we chanted sacred layes No men so haste to wine no bride to bed Why droop'st my soul why faint'st thou in my breast Wait still with praise his presence is thy rest My famisht soul driv'n from thy sweetest word From Hermon hill and Jordans swelling brook To thee laments sighs deep to thee O Lord To thee sends back her hungrie longing look Flouds of thy wrath breed flouds of grief and fears And flouds of griefbreed flouds of plaints and teares His early light with morn these clouds shall clear These drearie clouds and storms of sad despairs Sure am I in the night his songs to heare Sweet songs of joy as well as he my prayers I 'le say My God why slight'st thou my distresse While all my foes my wearie soul oppresse My cruel foes both thee and me upbraid They cut my heart they vant that bitter word Where is thy trust where is thy hope they said Where is thy God where is thy boasted Lord Why droop'st my soul why faint'st thou in my breast Wait still with praise his presence is thy rest Psal. 63. which may be sung as The widow or mock-widow O Lord before the morning Gives heav'n warning To let out the day My wakefull eyes Look for thy rise And wait to let in thy joyfull ray Lank hunger here peoples the desert cells Here thirst fills up the emptie wells How longs my flesh for that bread without leaven How thirsts my soul for that wine of heaven Such oh to taste thy ravishing grace Such in thy house to view thy glorious face Thy love thy light thy faces Bright-shining graces Whose unchanged ray Knows nor morns dawn Nor evenings wane How farre surmount they lifes winter day My heart to thy glorie tunes all his strings My tongue thy praises cheerly sings And till I slumber and death shall undresse me Thus will I sing thus will I blesse thee Fill me with love oh fill me with praise So shall I vent due thanks in joyfull layes When night all eyes hath quenched And thoughts lie drenched In silence and rest Then will I all Thy waies recall And look on thy light in darknesse best When my poore soul wounded had lost the field Thou wast my fort thou wast my shield Safe in thy trenches I boldly will vant me There will I sing there will I chant thee There I 'le triumph in thy banner of grace My conqu'ring arms shall be thy arms embrace My foes from deeps ascending In rage transcending Assaulting me sore Into their hell Are headlong fell There shall they lie there howl and roare There let deserv'd torments their spirits tear Feel they worst ills and worse yet fear But with his spouse thine anointed in pleasure Shall reigne and joy past time or measure There new delights new pleasures still spring Haste there oh haste my soul to dance and sing PSAL. 127. To the tune of that Psalme IF God build not the house and lay The ground-work sure who ever build It cannot stand one stormie day If God be not the cities shield If he be not their barres and wall In vain is watch-tower men and all Though then thou wak'st when others rest Though rising thou prevent'st the Sunne Though with lean care thou daily feast Thy labour 's lost and thou undone But God his childe will feed and keep And draw the curtains to
his sleep Though th' hast a wife fir young and fair An heritage heirs to advance Yet canst thou not command an heir For heirs are Gods inheritance He gives the seed the bud the bloom He gives the harvest to the wombe And look as arrows by strong arm In a strong bow drawn to the head Where they are meant will surely harm And if they hit wound deep and dead Children of youth are even so As harmfull deadly to a foe That man shall live in blisse and peace Who fills his quiver with such shot Whose garners swell with such increase Terrour and shame assail him not And though his foes deep hatred bear Thus arm'd he shall not need to fear PSAL. 137. To be sung as See the building WHere Perah's flowers Perfume proud Babels bowers And paint her wall There we laid asteeping Our eyes in endlesse weeping For Sions fall Our feasts and songs we laid aside On forlorn willows By Perah's billows We hung our harps and mirth and joy defi'd That Sions ruines should build foul Babels pride Our conqu'rours vaunting With bitter scoffes and taunting Thus proudly jest Take down your harps and string them Recall your songs sing them For Sions feast Were our harps well tun'd in every string Our heart-strings broken Throats drown'd and soken With tears and sighs how can we praise and sing The King of heav'n under an heathen king In all my mourning Ierusalem thy burning If I forget Forget thy running My hand and all thy cunning To th' harp to set Let thy mouth my tongue be still thy grave Lie there asleeping For Sion weeping Oh let mine eyes in tears thy office have Nor rise nor set but in their brinie wave Proud Edoms raging Their hate with bloud asswaging And vengefull sword Their cursed joying In Sions walls destroying Remember Lord Forget not Lord their spightfull cry Fire and deface it Destroy and raze it Oh let the name of Sion ever die Thus did they roare and us and thee defie So shall thy towers And all thy princely bowers Proud Babel fall Him ever blessed Who th' oppressour hath oppressed Shall all men call Thrice blest that turns thy mirth to grones That burns to ashes Thy towers and dashes Thy brats 'gainst rocks to wash thy bloudie stones With thine own bloud and pave thee with thy bones PSAL. I. BLessed who walk'st not in the worldlings way Blessed who with foul sinners wilt not stand Blessed who with proud mockers dar'st not stay Nor sit thee down amongst that scornfull band Thrice blessed man who in that heav'nly light Walk'st stand'st and sitt'st rejoycing day and night Look as a thirstie Palm full Iordan drinks Whose leaf and fruit still live when winter dies With conqu'ring branches crowns the rivers brinks And summers fires and winters frosts defies All so the soul whom that clear light revives Still springs buds grows and dying time survives But as the dust of chaffe cast in the aire Sinks in the dirt and turns to dung and mire So sinners driv'n to hell by fierce despair Shall frie in ice and freez in hellish fire For he whose flaming eyes all actions turn Sees both to light the one the other burn PSAL. 130. FRom the deeps of grief and fear O Lord to thee my soul repairs From thy heav'n bow down thine eare Let thy mercie meet my prayers Oh if thou mark'st what 's done amisse What soul so pure can see thy blisse But with thee sweet mercie stands Sealing pardons working fear Wait my soul wait on his hands Wait mine eye oh wait mine eare If he his eye or tongue affords Watch all his looks catch all his words As a watchman waits for day And looks for light and looks again When the night grows old and gray To be reliev'd he calls amain So look so wait so long mine eyes To see my Lord my Sunne arise Wait ye saints wait on our Lord For from his tongue sweet mercie flows Wait on his crosse wait on his word Upon that tree redemption grows He will redeem his Israel From sinne and wrath from death and hell AN HYMNE WAke O my soul awake and raise Up every part to sing his praise Who from his spheare of glorie fell To raise thee up from death and hell See how his soul vext for thy sinne Weeps bloud without feels hell within See where he hangs heark how he cries Oh bitter pangs Now now he dies Wake O mine eyes awake and view Those two twin-lights whence heavens drew Their glorious beams whose gracious sight Fills you with joy with life and light See how with clouds of sorrow drown'd They wash with tears thy sinfull wound See how with streams of spit th' are drencht See how their beams with death are quencht Wake O mine eare awake and heare That powerfull voice which stills thy fear And brings from heav'n those joyfull news Which heav'n commands which hell subdues Heark how his eares heav'ns mercie-seat Foul slanders with reproaches beat Heark how the knocks our ears resound Heark how their mocks his hearing wound Wake O my heart tune every string Wake O my tongue awake and sing Think not a thought in all thy layes Speak not a word but of his praise Tell how his sweetest tongue they drownd With gall think how his heart they wound That bloudie spout gagg'd for thy sinne His life lets out thy death lets in AN HYMNE DRop drop slow tears and bathe those beauteous feet Which brought from heav'n the news and Prince of peace Cease not wet eyes his mercies to intreat To crie for vengeance sinne doth never cease In your deep flouds drown all my faults and fears Nor let his eye see sinne but through my tears On my friends picture who died in travel THough now to heav'n thy travels are confin'd Thy wealth friends life and countrey all are lost Yet in this picture we thee living finde And thou with lesser travel lesser cost Hast found new life friends wealth and better coast So by thy death thou liv'st by losse thou gain'st And in thy absence present still remain'st Upon Doctor Playser WHo lives with death by death in death is lying But he who living dies best lives by dying Who life to truth who death to errour gives In life may die by death more surely lives My soul in heaven breathes in schools my fame Then on my tombe write nothing but my name Upon my brothers book called The grounds labour and reward of faith THis lamp fill'd up and fir'd by that blest Spirit Spent his last oyl in this pure heav'nly flame Laying the grounds walls roof of faith this frame With life he ends and now doth there inherit What here he built crown'd with his laurel merit Whose palms and triumphs once he loudly rang There now enjoyes what here he sweetly sang This is his monument on which he drew His spirits image that can never die But breathes in these ' live words and speaks to th' eye In these
doth spew Black smothering flames roll'd in loud thunder-claps The pitchie vapours choke the shining ray And bring dull night upon the smiling day The wavering Aetna shakes and fain would runne away 23 Yet could his bat-ey'd legions eas'ly see In this dark Chaos they the seed of night But these not so who night and darknesse flee For they the sonnes of day and joy in light But Knowledge soon began a way devise To bring again the day and cleare their eyes So open'd Fido's shield and golden veil unties 24 Of one pure diamond celestiall fair That heav'nly shield by cunning hand was made Whose light divine spred through the mistie aire To brightest morn would turn the Western shade And lightsome day beget before his time Framed in heav'n without all earthly crime Dipt in the firy Sunne which burnt the baser slime 25 As when from fennie moor 's the lumpish clouds With rising steams damp the bright mornings face At length the piercing Sunne his team unshrouds And with his arrows th' idle fogge doth chase The broken mist lies melted all in tears So this bright shield the stinking darknesse teares And giving back the day dissolves their former fears 26 Which when afarre the firie Dragon spies His slights deluded with so little pain To his last refuge now at length he flies Long time his pois'nous gorge he seem'd to strain At length with loathly sight he up doth spue From stinking panch a most deformed crue That heav'n it self did flie from their most ugly view 27 The first that crept from his detested maw Was Hamartia foul deformed wight More foul deform'd the Sunne yet never saw Therefore she hates the all-betraying light A woman seem'd she in her upper part To which she could such lying glosse impart That thousands she had slain with her deceiving art 28 The rest though hid in serpents form arayd With iron scales like to a plaited mail Over her back her knotty tail displaid Along the empty aire did lofty sail The end was pointed with a double sting Which with such dreaded might she wont to fling That nought could help the wound but bloud of heav'nly King 29 Of that first woman her the Dragon got The foulest bastard of so fair a mother Whom when she saw so fil'd with monstrous spot She cast her hidden shame and birth to smother But she welnigh her mothers self had slain And all that dare her kindely entertain So some parts of her damme more of her sire remain 30 Her viperous locks hung loose about her eares Yet with a monstrous snake she them restrains Which like a border on her head she wears About her neck hang down long adder chains In thousand knots and wreaths infolded round Which in her anger lightly she unbound And darting farre away would sure and deadly wound 31 Yet fair and lovely seems to fools dimme eyes But hell more lovely Pluto's self more fair Appears when her true form true light descries Her loathsome face blancht skinne and snakie hair Her shapelesse shape dead life her carrion smell The devils dung the childe and damme of hell Is chaffer fit for fools their precious souls to sell. 32 The second in this rank was black Despair Bred in the dark wombe of eternall Night His looks fast nail'd to Sinne long sootie hair Fill'd up his lank cheeks with wide-staring fright His leaden eyes retir'd into his head Light heav'n and earth himself and all things fled A breathing coarse he seem'd wrapt up in living lead 33 His bodie all was fram'd of earthly paste And heavie mold yet earth could not content him Heav'n fast he flies and heav'n fled him as fast Though ' kin to hell yet hell did much torment him His very soul was nought but ghastly fright With him went many a fiend and ugly sprite Armed with ropes and knives all instruments of spite 34 In stead of feathers on his dangling crest A lucklesse Raven spred her blackest wings And to her croaking throat gave never rest But deathfull verses and sad dirges sings His hellish arms were all with fiends embost Who damned souls with endlesse torments roast And thousand wayes devise to vex the tortur'd ghost 35 Two weapons sharp as death he ever bore Strict Iudgement which from farre he deadly darts Sinne at his side a two edg'd sword he wore With which he soon appalls the stoutest hearts Upon his shield Alecto with a wreath Of snakie whips the dam'd souls tortureth And round about was wrote Reward of sinne is death 36 The last two brethren were farre different Onely in common name of death agreeing The first arm'd with a sithe still mowing went Yet whom and when he murder'd never seeing Born deaf and blinde nothing might stop his way No prayers no vows his keenest sithe could stay Nor Beauties self his spite nor Vertues self allay 37 No state no age no sex may hope to move him Down falls the young and old the boy and maid Nor begger can intreat nor King reprove him All are his slaves in 's cloth of flesh araid The bride he snatches from the bridegrooms arms And horrour brings in midst of loves alarms Too well we know his power by long experienc't harms 38 A dead mans skull suppli'd his helmets place A bone his club his armour sheets of lead Some more some lesse fear his all-frighting face But most who sleep in downie pleasures bed But who in life have daily learnt to die And dead to this live to a life more high Sweetly in death they sleep and slumbring quiet lie 39 The second farre more foul in every part Burnt with blue fire and bubbling sulphure streams Which creeping round about him fill'd with smart His cursed limbes that direly he blasphemes Most strange it seems that burning thus for ever No rest no time no place these flames may sever Yet death in thousand deaths without death dieth never 40 Soon as these hellish monsters came in sight The Sunne his eye in jettie vapours drown'd Scar'd at such hell-hounds view heav'ns ' mazed light Sets in an early evening earth astound Bids dogs with houls give warning at which sound The fearfull ayer starts seas break their bound And frighted fled away no sands might them impound 41 The palsied troop first like asps shaken fare Till now their heart congeal'd in icie bloud Candied the ghastly face locks stand and stare Thus charm'd in ranks of stone they marshall'd stood Their uselesse swords fell idlely on the plain And now the triumph sounds in loftie strain So conqu'ring Dragon bindes the Knights with slavish chain 42 As when proud Phineus in his brothers feast Fill'd all with tumult and intestine broil Wise Perseus with such multitudes opprest Before him bore the snakie Gorgons spoil The vulgar rude stood all in marble chang'd And in vain ranks and rockie order rang'd Were now more quiet guests from former rage estrang'd 43 The fair Eclecta who with grief had stood Viewing th' oft changes
his winding-sheets he dead doth shew To buried souls the way to live anew And in his grave more powerfully now preacheth Who will not learn when that a dead man teacheth Upon Mr. Perkins his printed sermons PErkins our wonder living though long dead In this white paper as a winding-sheet And in this velome lies enveloped Yet still he lives guiding the erring feet Speaking now to our eyes though buried If once so well much better now he teacheth Who will not heare when a live-dead man preacheth FINIS ELISA OR AN ELEGIE UPON THE UNRIPE DECEASE OF Sr. ANTONIE IRBY Composed at the request and for a monument of his surviving Ladie Anagramma Antonius Irbeus An virtus obiens Esto mei mortisque memor Funus virtuti foenus Printed by the printers to the Vniversitie of Cambridge 1633. To the right worthy Knight Sr. ANTONIE IRBY SIR I am altogether I think unknown to you as having never seen you since your infancie neither do I now desire to be known by this trifle But I cannot rule these few lines composed presently after your fathers decease They are broken from me and will see more light then they deserve I wish there were any thing in them worthy of your vacant houres Such as they are yours they are by inheritance As an Vrn therefore of your fathers ashes I beseech you receive them for his sake and from him who desires in some better employment to be Your servant P. F. ELISA LOok as a stagge pierc'd with a fatal bow As by a wood he walks securely feeding In coverts thick conceales his deadly blow And feeling death swim in his endles bleeding His heavy head his fainting strength exceeding Bids woods adieu so sinks into his grave Green brakes and primrose sweet his seemly herse embrave 2 So lay a gentle Knight now full of death With clowdie eyes his latest houre expecting And by his side sucking his fleeting breath His weeping Spouse Elisa life neglecting And all her beauteous faires with grief infecting Her cheek as pale as his 't were hard to scanne If death or sorrows face did look more pale or wanne 3 Close by her sister fair Alicia sits Fairest Alicia to whose sweetest graces His teares and sighs a fellow passion fits Upon her eye his throne Love sorrow places There Comfort Sadnesse Beautie Grief embraces Pitie might seem a while that face to borrow And thither now was come to comfort death sorrow 4 At length lowd Grief thus with a fearfull shriek His trumpet sounds a battell joy defying Spreading his colours in Elisa's cheek And from her eyes his watch-tower farre espying With Hope Delight and Joy and Comfort flying Thus with her tongue their coward flight pursues While sighs shrieks tears give chace with never fainting crues 5 Thou traitour Joy that in prosperitie So lowdly vaunt'st whither ah whither fliest And thou that bragg'st never from life to flie False Hope ah whither now so speedy hiest In vain thy winged feet so fast thou pliest Hope thou art dead and Joy in Hope relying Bleeds in his hopelesse wounds and in his death lies dying 6 But then Alicia in whose cheerfull eye Comfort with Grief Hope with Compassion lived Renews the fight If Joy and Comfort die The fault is yours so much too much you grieved That Hope could never hope to be relieved If all your hopes to one poore hope you binde No marvel if one fled not one remains behinde 7 Fond hopes on life so weak a threed depending Weak as the threed such knots so weakly tying But heav'nly joyes are circular ne're ending Sure as the rock on which they grow and lying In heav'n increase by losse live best by dying Then let your hope on those sure joyes depend Which live grow by death waste not when they spend 8 Then she Great Lord thy judgements righteous be To make good ill when to our ill we use it Good leads us to the greatest good to Thee But we to other ends most fond abuse it A common fault yet cannot that excuse it We love thy gifts and take them gladly ever We love them ah too much more then we love the giver 9 So falling low upon her humbled knees And all her heart within her eye expressing 'T is true great Mercy onely miseries Teach us our selves and thee oh if confessing Our faults to thee be all our faults releasing But in thine eare I never sought to hide them Ah! thou hast heard them oft as oft as thou hast ey'd them 10 I know the heart knows more then tongue can tell But thou perceiv'st the heart his foulnesse telling Yet knows the heart not half so wide an hell Such seas of sinne in such scant banks are swelling Who sees all faults within his bosome dwelling Many my tenants are and I not know them Most dangerous the wounds thou feel'st and canst not show them 11 Some hidden fault my Father and my God Some fault I know not yet nor yet amended Hath forc't thee frown and use thy smarting rod Some grievous fault thee grievously offended But let thy wrath ah let it now be ended Father this childish plea if once I know it Let stay thy threatning hand I never more will do it 12 If to my heart thou shew this hidden sore Spare me no more no more I will offend thee I dare not say I will I would no more Say thou I shall and soon I will amend me Then smooth thy brow and now some comfort lend me Oh let thy softest mercies rest contented Though late I most repent that I so late repented 13 Lay down thy rod and stay thy smarting hand These raining eyes into thy bottle gather Oh see thy bleeding Sonne betwixt us stand Remember me a childe thy self a father Or if thou mayst not stay oh punish rather The part offending this rebellious heart Why pardon'st thou the worse and plagu'st my better part 14 Was 't not thy hand that ty'd the sacred knot Was 't not thy hand that to my hand did give him Hast thou not made us one command'st thou not None loose what thou hast bound if then thou reave him How without me by halves dost thou receive him Tak'st thou the head and leav'st the heart behinde Ay me in me alone canst thou such monster finde 15 Oh why dost thou so strong me weak assail Woman of all thy creatures is the weakest And in her greatest strength did weakly fail Thou who the weak and bruised never breakest Who never triumph in the yeelding seekest Pitie my weak estate and leave me never I ever yet was weak and now more weak then ever 16 With that her fainting spouse lifts up his head And with some joy his inward griefs refraining Thus with a feeble voice yet cheerfull s'ed Spend not in tears this little time remaining Thy grief doth adde to mine not ease my paining My death is life such is the scourge of God Ah if his rods be such who would not
crosses By with'ring springing fresh and rich by often losses 36 Vain men too fondly wise who plough the seas With dangerous pains another earth to finde Adding new worlds to th' old and scorning ease The earths vast limits dayly more unbinde The aged world though now it falling shows And hastes to set yet still in dying grows Whole lives are spent to win what one deaths houre must lose 37 How like 's the world unto a tragick stage Where every changing scene the actours change Some subject crouch and fawn some reigne and rage And new strange plots brings scenes as new strange Till most are slain the rest their parts have done So here some laugh and play some weep and grone Till all put of their robes and stage and actours gone 38 Yet this fair Isle sited so nearely neare That from our sides nor place nor time may sever Though to your selves your selves are not more deare Yet with strange carelesnesse you travell never Thus while your selves and native home forgetting You search farre distant worlds with needlesse sweating You never finde your selves so lose ye more by getting 39 When that great Power that All farre more then all When now his fore-set time was fully come Brought into act this undigested Ball Which in himself till then had onely room He labour'd not nor suffer'd pain or ill But bid each kinde their severall places fill He bid and they obey'd their action was his will 40 First stept the Light and spread his chearfull rayes Through all the Chaos darknesse headlong fell Frighted with suddain beams and new-born dayes And plung'd her ougly head in deepest hell Not that he meant to help his feeble sight To frame the rest he made the day of night All els but darknesse he the true the onely Light 41 Fire Water Earth and Aire that fiercely strove His soveraigne hand in strong alliance ti'd Binding their deadly hate in constant love So that great Wisdome temper'd all their pride Commanding strife and love should never cease That by their peacefull fight and fighting peace The world might die to live and lessen to increase 42 Thus Earths cold arm cold Water friendly holds But with his drie the others wet defies Warm Aire with mutuall love hot Fire infolds As moist his dryth abhorres drie Earth allies With Fire but heats with cold new warres prepare Yet Earth drencht Water proves which boil'd turns Aire Hot Aire makes Fire condenst all change and home repair 43 Now when the first weeks life was almost spent And this world built and richly furnished To store heav'ns courts and steer earths regiment He cast to frame an Isle the heart and head Of all his works compos'd with curious art Which like an Index briefly should impart The summe of all the whole yet of the whole a part 44 That Trine-one with himself in councell sits And purple dust takes from the new-born earth Part circular and part triang'lar fits Endows it largely at the unborn birth Deputes his Favorite Vice-roy doth invest With aptnesse thereunto as seem'd him best And lov'd it more then all and more then all it blest 45 Then plac't it in the calm pacifick seas And bid nor waves nor troublous windes offend it Then peopled it with subjects apt to please So wise a Prince made able to defend it Against all outward force or inward spite Him framing like himself all shining bright A little living Sunne Sonne of the living Light 46 Nor made he this like other Isles but gave it Vigour sense reason and a perfect motion To move it self whither it self would have it And know what falls within the verge of notion No time might change it but as ages went So still return'd still spending never spent More rising in their fall more rich in detriment 47 So once the Cradle of that double light Whereof one rules the night the other day Till sad Latona flying Iuno's spite Her double burthen there did safely lay Not rooted yet in every sea was roving With every wave and every winde removing But since to those fair Twins hath left her ever moving 48 Look as a scholar who doth closely gather Many large volumes in a narrow place So that great Wisdome all this All together Confin'd into this Islands little space And being one soon into two he fram'd it And now made two to one again reclaim'd it The little Isle of Man or Purple Island nam'd it 49 Thrice happy was the worlds first infancie Nor knowing yet nor curious ill to know Joy without grief love without jealousie None felt hard labour or the sweating plough The willing earth brought tribute to her King Bacchus unborn lay hidden in the cling Of big-swoln grapes their drink was every silver spring 50 Of all the windes there was no difference None knew mild Zephyres from cold Eurus mouth Nor Orithyia's lovers violence Distinguisht from the ever-dropping South But either gentle West-winds reign'd alone Or else no winde or harmfull winde was none But one winde was in all and all the windes in one 51 None knew the sea oh blessed ignorance None nam'd the stars the North carres constant race Taurus bright horns or Fishes happy chance Astraea yet chang'd not her name or place Her ev'n-pois'd ballance heav'n yet never tri'd None sought new coasts nor forrain lands descri'd But in their own they liv'd and in their own they di'd 52 But ah what liveth long in happinesse Grief of an heavy nature steddy lies And cannot be remov'd for weightinesse But joy of lighter presence eas'ly flies And seldome comes and soon away will goe Some secret power here all things orders so That for a sun-shine day follows an age of woe 53 Witnesse this glorious Isle which not content To be confin'd in bounds of happinesse Would trie what e're is in the continent And seek out ill and search for wretchednesse Ah fond to seek what then was in thy will That needs no curious search 't is next us still 'T is grief to know of grief and ill to know of ill 54 That old slie Serpent slie but spitefull more Vext with the glory of this happy Isle Allures it subt'ly from the peacefull shore And with fair painted lies colour'd guile Drencht in dead seas whose dark streams full of fright Emptie their sulphur waves in endlesse night Where thousand deaths and hells torment the damned sprite 55 So when a fisher-swain by chance hath spi'd A big-grown Pike pursue the lesser frie He sets a withy Labyrinth beside And with fair baits allures his nimble eye Which he invading with our-streched finne All suddainly is compast with the ginne Where there is no way out but easie passage in 56 That deathfull lake hath these three properties No turning path or issue thence is found The captive never dead yet ever dies It endlesse sinks yet never comes to ground Hells self is pictur'd in that brimstone wave For what retiring from that hellish grave Or
who can end in death where deaths no ending have 57 For ever had this Isle in that foul ditch With curelesse grief and endlesse errour strai'd Boyling in sulphur and hot-bubbling pitch Had not the King whose laws he fool betrai'd Unsnarl'd that chain then from that lake secur'd For which ten thousand tortures he endur'd So hard was this lost Isle so hard to be recur'd 58 O thou deep well of life wide stream of love More deep more wide then widest deepest seas Who dying Death to endlesse death didst prove To work this wilfull-rebell Islands ease Thy love no time began no time decaies But still increaseth with decreasing daies Where then may we begin where may we end thy praise 59 My callow wing that newly left the nest How can it make so high a towring flight O depth without a depth in humble breast With praises I admire so wondrous height But thou my sister Muse mayst well go higher And end thy flight ne're may thy pineons tire Thereto may he his grace and gentle heat aspire 60 Then let me end my easier taken storie And sing this Islands new recover'd sear But see the eye of noon in brightest glorie Teaching great men is ne're so little great Our panting flocks retire into the glade They crouch and close to th' earth their horns have laid Vail we our scorched heads in that thick beeches shade CANT II. DEclining Phoebus as he larger grows Taxing proud folly gentler waxeth still Never lesse fierce then when he greatest shows When Thirsil on a gentle rising hill Where all his flock he round might feeding view Sits down and circled with a lovely crue Of Nymphs shepherd-boyes thus 'gan his song renew 2 Now was this Isle pull'd from that horrid main Which bears the fearfull looks and name of death And setled new with bloud and dreadfull pain By him who twice had giv'n once forfeit breath A baser state then what was first assign'd Wherein to curb the too aspiring minde The better things were lost the worst were left behinde 3 That glorious image of himself was raz'd Ah! scarce the place of that best part we finde And that bright Sun-like knowledge much defac'd Onely some twinkling starres remain behinde Then mortall made yet as one fainting dies Two other in its place succeeding rise And drooping stock with branches fresh immortalize 4 So that'lone bird in fruitfull Arabie When now her strength and waning life decaies Upon some airie rock or mountain high In spiced bed fir'd by neare Phoebus rayes Her self and all her crooked age consumes Straight from the ashes and those rich perfumes A new-born Phoenix flies widow'd place resumes 5 It grounded lies upon a sure foundation Compact and hard whose matter cold and drie To marble turns in strongest congelation Fram'd of fat earth which fires together tie Through all the Isle and every part extent To give just form to every regiment Imparting to each part due strength and stablishment 6 Whose looser ends are glu'd with brother earth Of nature like and of a neare relation Of self-same parents both at self-same birth That oft it self stands for a good foundation Both these a third doth soulder fast and binde Softer then both yet of the self-same kinde All instruments of motion in one league combin'd 7 Upon this base a curious work is rais'd Like undivided brick entire and one Though soft yet lasting with just balance pais'd Distributed with due proportion And that the rougher frame might lurk unseen All fair is hung with coverings slight and thinne Which partly hide it all yet all is partly seen 8 As when a virgin her snow-circled breast Displaying hides and hiding sweet displaies The greater segments cover'd and the rest The vail transparent willingly betraies Thus takes and gives thus lends and borrows light Lest eyes should surfet with too greedy sight Transparent lawns withhold more to increase delight 9 Nor is there any part in all this land But is a little Isle for thousand brooks In azure chanels glide on silver sand Their serpent windings and deceiving crooks Circling about and wat'ring all the plain Emptie themselves into th' all-drinking main And creeping forward slide but never turn again 10 Three diff'ring streams from fountains different Neither in nature nor in shape agreeing Yet each with other friendly ever went Give to this Isle his fruitfulnesse and being The first in single chanels skie-like blue With luke-warm waters di'd in porphyr hue Sprinkle this crimson Isle with purple-colour'd dew 11 The next though from the same springs first it rise Yet passing through another greater fountain Doth lose his former name and qualities Through many a dale it flows and many a mountain More firie light and needfull more then all And therefore fenced with a double wall All froths his yellow streams with many a sudding fall 12 The last in all things diff'ring from the other Fall from an hill and close together go Embracing as they runne each with his brother Guarded with double trenches sure they flow The coldest spring yet nature best they have And like the lacteall stones which heaven pave Slide down to every part with their thick milky wave 13 These with a thousand streams through th' Island roving Bring tribute in the first gives nourishment Next life last sense and arbitrarie moving For when the Prince hath now his mandate sent The nimble poasts quick down the river runne And end their journey though but now begunne But now the mandate came now the mandate's done 14 The whole Isle parted in three regiments By three Metropolies is joyntly sway'd Ord'ring in peace and warre their governments With loving concord and with mutuall aid The lowest hath the worst but largest See The middle lesse of greater dignitie The highest least but holds the greatest soveraigntie 15 Deep in a vale doth that first province lie With many a citie grac't and fairly town'd And for a fence from forrain enmitie With five strong-builded walls encompast round Which my rude pencil will in limming stain A work more curious then which poets feigne Neptune and Phoebus built and pulled down again 16 The first of these is that round spreading fence Which like a sea girts th' Isle in every part Of fairest building quick and nimble sense Of common matter fram'd with speciall art Of middle temper outwardest of all To warn of every chance that may befall The same a fence and spie a watchman and a wall 17 His native beautie is a lilie white Which still some other colour'd stream infecteth Least like it self with divers stainings dight The inward disposition detecteth If white it argues wet if purple fire If black a heavie cheer and fixt desire Youthfull and blithe if suited in a rosie tire 18 It cover'd stands with silken flourishing Which as it oft decaies renews again The others sense and beautie perfecting Which
didst spread On those dark waters thy all-opening light Thou who of late of thy great bounty head This nest of hellish fogges and Stygian night With thy bright orient Sunne hast fair renew'd And with unwonted day hast it endu'd Which late both day thee and most it self eschew'd 27 Dread Spirit do thou those severall bands unfold Both which thou sent'st a needfull supplement To this lost Isle and which with courage bold Hourely assail thy rightfull regiment And with strong hand oppresse keep them under Raise now my humble vein to lofty thunder That heav'n and earth may sound resound thy praises wonder 28 The Islands Prince of frame more then celestiall Is rightly call'd th' all-seeing Intellect All glorious bright such nothing is terrestriall Whose Sun-like face and most divine aspect No humane sight may ever hope descrie For when himself on 's self reflects his eye Dull and amaz'd he stands at so bright majestie 29 Look as the Sunne whose ray and searching light Here there and every where it self displayes No nook or corner flies his piercing sight Yet on himself when he reflects his rayes Soon back he flings the too bold vent'ring gleam Down to the earth the flames all broken stream Such is this famous Prince such his unpierced beam 30 His strangest body is not bodily But matter without matter never fill'd Nor filling though within his compasse high All heav'n and earth and all in both are held Yet thousand thousand heav'ns he could contain And still as empty as at first remain And when he takes in most readi'st to take again 31 Though travelling all places changing none Bid him soar up to heav'n and thence down throwing The centre search and Dis dark realm he 's gone Returns arrives before thou saw'st him going And while his weary kingdome safely sleeps All restlesse night he watch and warding keeps Never his carefull head on resting pillow steeps 32 In every quarter of this blessed Isle Himself both present is and President Nor once retires ah happy realm the while That by no Officers lewd lavishment With greedie lust and wrong consumed art He all in all and all in every part Does share to each his due and equall dole impart 33 He knows nor death nor yeares nor feeble age But as his time his strength and vigour grows And when his kingdome by intestine rage Lies broke and wasted open to his foes And batter'd sconce now flat and even lies Sooner then thought to that great Judge he flies Who weighs him just reward of good or injuries 34 For he the Judges Viceroy here is plac't Where if he live as knowing he may die He never dies but with fresh pleasures grac't Bathes his crown'd head in soft eternitie Where thousand joyes and pleasures ever new And blessings thicker then the morning dew With endlesse sweets rain down on that immortall crue 35 There golden starres set in the crystall snow There daintie joyes laugh at white-headed caring There day no night delight no end shall know Sweets without surfet fulnesse without sparing And by its spending growing happinesse There God himself in glories lavishnesse Diffus'd in all to all is all full blessednesse 36 But if he here neglect his Masters law And with those traitours 'gainst his Lord rebells Down to the deeps ten thousand fiends him draw Deeps where night death despair and horrour dwells And in worst ills still worse expecting fears Where fell despite for spite his bowels tears And still increasing grief and torment never wears 37 Prayers there are idle death is woo'd in vain In midst of death poore wretches long to die Night without day or rest still doubling pain Woes spending still yet still their end lesse nigh The soul there restlesse helplesse hopelesse lies The body frying roars and roaring fries There 's life that never lives there 's death that never dies 38 Hence while unsetled here he fighting reignes Shut in a Tower where thousand enemies Assault the fort with wary care and pains He guards all entrance and by divers spies Searches into his foes and friends designes For most he fears his subjects wavering mindes This Tower then onely falls when treason undermines 39 Therefore while yet he lurks in earthly tent Disguis'd in worthlesse robes and poore attire Trie we to view his glories wonderment And get a sight of what we so admire For when away from this sad place he flies And in the skies abides more bright then skies Too glorious is his sight for our dimme mortall eyes 40 So curl'd-head Thetis waters feared Queen But bound in cauls of sand yeelds not to sight And planets glorious King may best be seen When some thinne cloud dimmes his too piercing light And neither none nor all his face discloses For when his bright eye full our eye opposes None gains his glorious sight but his own sight he loses 41 Within the Castle sit eight Counsellers That help him in this tent to govern well Each in his room a severall office bears Three of his inmost private counsell deal In great affairs five of lesse dignitie Have outward Courts and in all actions prie But still referre the doom to Courts more fit and high 42 Those five fair brethren which I sung of late For their just number call'd the Pemptarchie The other three three pillars of the state The first in midst of that high Tower doth lie The chiefest mansion of this glorious King The Judge and Arbiter of every thing Which those five brethrens poasts in to his office bring 43 Of middle yeares and seemly personage Father of laws the rule of wrong and right Fountain of judgement therefore wondrous sage Discreet and wise of quick and nimble sight Not those seven Sages might him parallell Nor he whom Pythian Maid did whilome tell To be the wisest man that then on earth did dwell 44 As Neptunes cestern sucks in tribute tides Yet never full which every chanel brings And thirstie drinks and drinking thirstie bides For by some hidden way back to the springs It sends the streams in erring conduits spread Which with a circling dutie still are led So ever feeding them is by them ever fed 45 Ev'n so the first of these three Counsellers Gives to the five the power of all-descrying Which back to him with mutuall dutie bears All their informings and the causes trying For through strait waies the nimble Poast ascends Unto his hall there up his message sends Which to the next well scann'd he straightway recommends 46 The next that in the Castles front is plac't Phantastes hight his yeares are fresh and green His visage old his face too much defac't With ashes pale his eyes deep sunken been With often thoughts and never slackt intention Yet he the fount of speedy apprehension Father of wit the well of arts and quick invention 47 But in his private thoughts and busy brain Thousand thinne forms and idle fancies flit The three-shap't Sphinx and direfull
around Their heads much lighter then their nimble heels Silenus old in wine as ever drown'd Clos'd with the ring in midst though sitting reels Under his arm a bag-pipe swoln he held Yet wine-swoln cheeks the windie bag out-swell'd So loudly pipes his word But full no mirth I yeeld 77 Insatiate sink how with so generall stain Thy spu'd-out puddles court town fields entice Ay me the shepherds selves thee entertain And to thy Curtian gulph do sacrifice All drink to spue and spue again to drink Sowre swil-tub sinne of all the rest the sink How canst thou thus bewitch with thy abhorred stink 78 The eye thou wrong'st with vomits reeking streams The eare with belching touch thou drown'st in wine The taste thou surfet'st smell with spuing steams Thou woundest foh thou loathsome putrid swine Still thou increasest thirst when thirst thou slakest The minde and will thou wits bane captive takest Senseles thy hoggish filth sense thou senseles makest 79 Thy fellow sinnes and all the rest of vices With seeming good are fairly cloath'd to sight Their feigned sweet the bleare-ey'd will entices Coz'ning the daz'led sense with borrow'd light Thee neither true nor yet false good commends Profit nor pleasure on thy steps attends Folly begins thy sinne which still with madnesse ends 80 With Methos Gluttonie his gutling brother Twinne parallels drawn from the self-same line So foully like was either to the other And both most like a monstrous-panched swine His life was either a continu'd feast Whose surfets upon surfets him opprest Or heavie sleep that helps so great a load digest 81 Mean time his soul weigh'd down with muddie chains Can neither work nor move in captive bands But dull'd in vaprous fogges all carelesse reignes Or rather serves strong appetites commands That when he now was gorg'd with cramm'd-down store And porter wanting room had shut the doore The glutton sigh'd that he could gurmandize no more 82 His crane-like neck was long unlac'd his breast His gowtie limbes like to a circle round As broad as long and for his spear in rest Oft with his staffe he beats the yeelding ground Wherewith his hands did help his feet to bear Els would they ill so huge a burthen stear His clothes were all of leaves no armour could he wear 83 Onely a target light upon his arm He carelesse bore on which old Gryll was drawn Transform'd into a hog with cunning charm In head and paunch and soul it self a brawn Half drown'd within without yet still did hunt In his deep trough for swill as he was wont Cas'd all in loathsome mire no word Gryll could but grunt 84 Him serv'd sweet-seeming lusts self-pleasing lies But bitter death flow'd from those sweets of sinne And at the Rear of these in secret guise Crept Theeverie and Detraction neare akinne No twinnes more like they seem'd almost the same One stole the goods the other the good name The latter lives in scorn the former dies in shame 85 Their boon companions in their joviall feasting Were new-shapt oaths and damning perjuries Their cates fit for their taste profanest jesting Sauc'd with the salt of hell dire blasphemies But till th' ambitious Sunne yet still aspiring Allayes his flaming gold with gentler firing We 'l rest our wearie song in that thick groves retiring CANT VIII THe Sunne began to slack his bended bow And more obliquely dart his milder ray When cooler ayers gently 'gan to blow And fanne the fields parcht with the scorching day The shepherds to their wonted seats repair Thirsil refresht with this soft-breathing aire Thus 'gan renew his task and broken song repair 2 What watchfull care must fence that weary state Which deadly foes begirt with cruell siege And frailest wall of glasse and trait'rous gate Strive which should first yeeld up their wofull leige By enemies assail'd by friends betray'd When others hurt himself refuses aid By weaknesse self his strength is foil'd and overlay'd 3 How comes it then that in so neare decay We deadly sleep in deep securitie When every houre is ready to betray Our lives to that still-watching enemie Wake then thy soul that deadly slumbereth For when thy foe hath seiz'd thy captive breath Too late to wish past life too late to wish for death 4 Caro the Vantguard with the Dragon led Cosmos the battell guides with loud alarms Cosmos the first sonne to the Dragon red Shining in seeming gold and glitt'ring arms Well might he seem a strong and gentle Knight As e're was clad in steel and armour bright But was a recreant base a foul false cheating sprite 5 And as himself such were his arms appearing Bright burnisht gold indeed base alchymie Dimme beetle eyes and greedy worldlings blearing His shield was drest in nights sad liverie Where man-like Apes a Gloworm compasse round Glad that in wintrie night they fire had found Busie they puffe blow the word Mistake the ground 6 Mistake points all his darts his sunshines bright Mistaken light appeare sad lightning prove His clouds mistook seem lightnings turn to light His love true hatred is his hatred love His shop a Pedlers pack of apish fashion His honours pleasures joyes are all vexation His wages glorious care sweet surfets woo'd damnation 7 His lib'rall favours complementall arts His high advancements Alpine slipp'ry straits His smiling glances deaths most pleasing darts And what he vaunts his gifts are gilded baits Indeed he nothing is yet all appeares Haplesse earths happy fools that know no tears Who bathes in worldly joyes swimmes in a world of fears 8 Pure Essence who hast made a stone descrie 'Twixt natures hid and check that metals pride That dares aspire to golds high soveraigntie Ah leave some touch-stone erring eyes to guide And judge dissemblance see by what devices Sinne with fair glosse our mole-ey'd sight entises That vices vertues seem to most and vertues vices 9 Strip thou their meretricious seemlinesse And tinfold glitt'ring bare to every sight That we may loath their inward uglinesse Or else uncloud the soul whose shadie light Addes a fair lustre to false earthly blisse Thine and their beauty differs but in this Theirs what it is not seems thine seems not what it is 10 Next to the Captain coward Deilos far'd Him right before he as his shield projected And following troops to back him as his guard Yet both his shield and guard faint heart suspected And sending often back his doubtfull eye By fearing taught unthought of treacherie So made him enemies by fearing enmitie 11 Still did he look for some ensuing crosse Fearing such hap as never man befell No mean he knows but dreads each little losse With tyrannie of fear distraught as hell His sense he dare not trust nor eyes nor eares And when no other cause of fright appeares Himself he much suspects and fears his causelesse fears 12 Harnest with massie steel for fence not fight His sword unseemly long he ready drew At sudden shine of his own armour
as much as desperate rage The worlds loud thund'rings he unshaken heares Nor will he death or life or seek or flie Readie for both He is as cowardly That longer fears to live as he that fears to die 9 Worst was his civil warre where deadly fought He with himself till Passion yeelds or dies All heart and hand no tongue not grimme but stout His flame had counsell in 't his furie eyes His rage well temper'd is no fear can dant His reason but cold bloud is valiant Well may he strength in death but never courage want 10 But like a mighty rock whose unmov'd sides The hostile sea assaults with furious wave And 'gainst his head the boist'rous North-winde rides Both fight and storm and swell and roar and rave Hoarse surges drum loud blasts their trumpets strain Th' heroick cliffe laughs at their frustrate pain Waves scatter'd drop in tears windes broken whining plain 11 Such was this Knights undanted constancie No mischief weakens his resolved minde None fiercer to a stubborn enemie But to the yeelding none more sweetly kinde His shield an even-ballast ship embraves Which dances light while Neptune wildely raves His word was this I fear but heav'n nor windes nor waves 12 And next Macrothumus whose quiet face No cloud of passion ever shadowed Nor could hot anger Reasons rule displace Purpling the scarlet cheek with firie red Nor could revenge clad in a deadly white With hidden malice eat his vexed sprite For ill he good repay'd and love exchang'd for spite 13 Was never yet a more undanted spirit Yet most him deem'd a base and tim'rous swain But he well weighing his own strength and merit The greatest wrong could wisely entertain Nothing resisted his commanding spear Yeelding it self to him a winning were And though he di'd yet dead he rose a conquerer 14 His naturall force beyond all nature stretched Most strong he is because he will be weak And happie most because he can be wretched Then whole and sound when he himself doth break Rejoycing most when most he is tormented In greatest discontents he rests contented By conquering himself all conquests he prevented 15 His rockie arms of massie adamant Safely could back rebutt the hardest blade His skinne it self could any weapon dant Of such strange mold and temper was he made Upon his shield a Palm-tree still increased Though many weights his rising arms depressed His word was Rising most by being most oppressed 16 Next him Androphilus whose sweetest minde 'Twixt mildenesse temper'd and low courtesie Could leave as soon to be as not be kinde Churlish despite ne're lookt from his calm eye Much lesse commanded in his gentle heart To baser men fair looks he would impart Nor could he cloak ill thoughts in complementall art 17 His enemies knew not how to discommend him All others dearely lov'd fell ranc'rous Spite And vile Detraction fain would reprehend him And oft in vain his name they closely bite As popular and flatterer accusing But he such slavish office much refusing Can eas'ly quit his name from their false tongues abusing 18 His arms were fram'd into a glitt'ring night Whose sable gown with starres all spangled wide Affords the weary traveller cheerfull light And to his home his erring footsteps guide Upon his ancient shield the workman fine Had drawn the Sunne whose eye did ne're repine To look on good and ill his word To all I shine 19 Fair Vertue where stay'st thou in poore exile Leaving the Court from whence thou took'st thy name While in thy place is stept Disdaining vile And Flatterie base sonne of Need and Shame And with them surly Scorn and hatefull Pride Whose artificiall face false colours di'd Which more display her shame then loathsome foulnesse hide 20 Late there thou livedst with a gentle Swain As gentle Swain as ever lived there Who lodg'd thee in his heart and all thy train Where hundred other Graces quarter'd were But he alas untimely dead and gone Leaves us to rue his death and thee to mone That few were ever such now those few are none 21 By him the stout Encrates boldly went Assailed oft by mightie enemies Which all on him alone their spite misspent For he whole armies single bold defies With him nor might nor cunning slights prevail All force on him they trie all forces fail Yet still assail him fresh yet vainly still assail 22 His body full of vigour full of health His table feeds not lust but strength and need Full stor'd with plenty not by heaping wealth But topping rank desires which vain exceed On 's shield an hand from heav'n an orchyard dressing Pruning superfluous boughs the trees oppressing So adding fruit his word By lessening increasing 23 His setled minde was written in his face For on his forehead cheerfull gravitie False joyes and apish vanities doth chase And watchfull care did wake in either eye His heritance he would not lavish sell Nor yet his treasure hide by neighbouring hell But well he ever spent what he had gotten well 24 A lovely pair of twins clos'd either side Not those in heav'n the flowrie Geminies Are half so lovely bright the one his Bride Agnia chaste was joyn'd in Hymens ties And love as pure as heav'ns conjunction Thus she was his and he her flesh and bone So were they two in sight in truth entirely one 25 Upon her arched brow unarmed Love Triumphing sat in peacefull victorie And in her eyes thousand chaste Graces move Checking vain thoughts with awfull majestie Ten thousand moe her fairer breast contains Where quiet meeknesse every ill restrains And humbly subject spirit by willing service reignes 26 Her skie-like arms glitter'd in golden beams And brightly seem'd to flame with burning hearts The scalding ray with his reflected streams Fire to their flames but heav'nly fire imparts Upon her shield a pair of Turtles shone A loving pair still coupled ne're alone Her word Though one when two yet either two or none 27 With her her sister went a warlike Maid Parthenia all in steel and gilded arms In needles stead a mighty spear she swayd With which in bloudy fields and fierce alarms The boldest champion she down would bear And like a thunderbolt wide passage tear Flinging all to the earth with her enchanted spear 28 Her goodly armour seem'd a garden green Where thousand spotlesse lilies freshly blew And on her shield the ' lone bird might be seen Th' Arabian bird shining in colours new It self unto it self was onely mate Ever the same but new in newer date And underneath was writ Such is chaste single state 29 Thus hid in arms she seem'd a goodly Knight And fit for any warlike exercise But when she list lay down her armour bright And back resume her peacefull Maidens guise The fairest Maid she was that ever yet Prison'd her locks within a golden net Or let them waving hang with roses fair beset 30 Choice Nymph the crown of chaste Diana's train
While smiling heav'ns spread round a canopie Now tost with blasts and civil enmitie While whistling windes blow trumpets to their fight And roaring waves as drummes whet on their spite 8 Such cruel storms my restles heart command Late thousand joyes securely lodged there Ne fear'd I then to care ne car'd to fear But pull'd the prison'd fishes to the land Or spite of windes pip't on the golden sand But since love sway'd my breast these seas alarms Are but dead pictures of my raging harms 9 Love stirres desire desire like stormy winde Blows up high swelling waves of hope and fear Hope on his top my trembling heart doth bear Up to my heav'n but straight my lofty minde By fear sunk in despair deep drown'd I finde But ah your tempests cannot last for ever But ah my storms I fear will leave me never 10 Haples and fond too fond more haples swain Who lovest where th' art scorn'd scorn'st where th' art loved Or learn to hate where thou hast hatred proved Or learn to love where thou art lov'd again Ah cease to love or cease to woo thy pain Thy love thus scorn'd is hell do not so earn it At least learn by forgetting to unlearn it 11 Ah fond and haples swain but much more fond How canst unlearn by learning to forget it When thought of what thou should'st unlearn does whet it And surer ties thy minde in captive bond Canst thou unlearn a ditty thou hast con'd Canst thou forget a song by oft repeating Thus much more wilt thou learn by thy forgetting 12 Haplesse and fond most fond more haplesse swain Seeing thy rooted love will leave thee never She hates thy love love thou her hate for ever In vain thou hop'st hope yet though still in vain Joy in thy grief and triumph in thy pain And though reward exceedeth thy aspiring Live in her love and die in her admiring 13 Fair-cruel maid most cruel fairer ever How hath foul rigour stol'n into thy heart And on a comick stage hath learnt thee art To play a Tyrant-tragical deceiver To promise mercy but perform it never To look more sweet maskt in thy looks disguise Then Mercy self can look with Pities eyes 14 Who taught thy honied tongue the cunning slight To melt the ravisht eare with musicks strains And charm the sense with thousand pleasing pains And yet like thunder roll'd in flames and night To break the rived heart with fear and fright How rules therein thy breast so quiet state Spite leagu'd with mercy love with lovelesse hate 15 Ah no fair Coelia in thy sunne-like eye Heav'n sweetly smiles those starres soft loving fire And living heat not burning flames inspire Love's self enthron'd in thy brows ivorie And every grace in heavens liverie My wants not thine me in despairing drown When hell presumes no mar'l if heavens frown 16 Those gracefull tunes issuing from glorious spheares Ravish the eare and soul with strange delight And with sweet Nectar fill the thirsty sprite Thy honied tongue charming the melted eares Stills stormy hearts and quiets frights and fears My daring heart provokes thee and no wonder When earth so high aspires if heavens thunder 17 See see fair Coelia seas are calmly laid And end their boisterous threats in quiet peace The waves their drummes the windes their trumpets cease But my sick love ah love full ill apayd Never can hope his storms may be allayd But giving to his rage no end or leisure Still restles rests Love knows no mean or measure 18 Fond boy she justly scorns thy proud desire While thou with singing would'st forget thy pain Go strive to empty the still-flowing main Go fuell seek to quench thy growing fire Ah foolish boy scorn is thy musicks hire Drown then these flames in seas but ah I fear To fire the main and to want water there 19 There first thy heav'n I saw there felt my hell There smooth-calm seas rais'd storms of fierce desires There cooling waters kindled burning fires Nor can the Ocean quench them in thy cell Full stor'd with pleasures all my pleasures fell Die then fond lad ah well my death may please thee But love thy love not life not death must ease me 20 So down he swowning sinks nor can remove Till fisher-boyes fond fisher-boyes revive him And back again his life and loving give him But he such wofull gift doth much reprove Hopelesse his life for hopelesse is his love Go then most loving but most dolefull swain Well may I pitie she must cure thy pain FINIS ECLOG IIII. CHROMIS Thelgon Chromis Thel CHromis my joy why drop thy rainie eyes And sullen clouds hang on thy heavie brow Seems that thy net is rent and idle lies Thy merry pipe hangs broken on a bough But late thy time in hundred joyes thou spent'st Now time spends thee while thou in vain lament'st Chrom 2 Thelgon my pipe is whole and nets are new But nets and pipe contemn'd and idle lie My little reed that late so merry blew Tunes sad notes to his masters miserie Time is my foe and hates my rugged rimes And I as much hate both that hate and times Thel 3 What is it then that causeth thy unrest Or wicked charms or loves new-kindled fire Ah! much I fear love eats thy tender breast Too well I know his never quenched ire Since I Amyntas lov'd who me disdains And loves in me nought but my grief and pains Chrom 4 No lack of love did ever breed my smart I onely learn'd to pity others pain And ward my breast from his deceiving art But one I love and he loves me again In love this onely is my greatest sore He loves so much and I can love no more 5 But when the fishers trade once highly priz'd And justly honour'd in those better times By every lozel-groom I see despis'd No marvel if I hate my jocond rimes And hang my pipe upon a willow bough Might I grieve ever if I grieve not now Thel 6 Ah foolish boy why should'st thou so lament To be like him whom thou dost like so well The Prince of fishers thousand tortures rent To heav'n lad thou art bound the way by hell Would'st thou ador'd and great and merry be When he was mockt debas'd and dead for thee 7 Mens scorns should rather joy then sorrow move For then thou highest art when thou art down Their storms of hate should more blow up my love Their laughters my applause their mocks my crown Sorrow for him and shame let me betide Who for me wretch in shame and sorrow died Chrom 8 Thelgon 't is not my self for whom I plain My private losse full easie could I bear If private losse might help the publick gain But who can blame my grief or chide my fear Since now the fishers trade and honour'd name Is made the common badge of scorn and shame 9 Little know they the fishers toilsome pain Whose labour with his age still growing spends not His care and watchings
drown'd The yeare with winter storms all rent and wasted Hath now fresh youth and gentler seasons tasted The warmer sunne his bride hath newly gown'd With firie arms clipping the wanton ground And gets an heav'n on earth that primrose there Which 'mongst those violets sheds his golden hair Seems the sunnes little sonne fixt in his azure spheare 3 Seest how the dancing lambes on flowrie banks Forget their food to minde their sweeter play Seest how they skip and in their wanton pranks Bound o're the hillocks set in sportfull ranks They skip they vault full little caren they To make their milkie mothers bleating stay Seest how the salmons waters colder nation Lately arriv'd from their sea-navigation How joy leaps in their heart shew by their leaping fashion 4 What witch enchants thy minde with fullen madnes When all things smile thou onely fitt'st complaining Algon Damon I onely I have cause of sadnesse The more my wo to weep in common gladnesse When all eyes shine mine onely must be raining No winter now but in my breast remaining Yet feels this breast a summers burning fever And yet alas my winter thaweth never And yet alas this fire eats and consumes me ever Damon 5 Within our Darwin in her rockie cell A Nymph there lives which thousand boys hath harm'd All as she gliding rides in boats of shell Darting her eye where spite and beauty dwell Ay me that spite with beautie should be arm'd Her witching eye the boy and boat hath charm'd No sooner drinks he down that poisonous eye But mourns and pines ah piteous crueltie With her he longs to live for her he longs to die Algon 6 Damon what Tryphon taught thine eye the art By these few signes to search so soon so well A wound deep hid deep in my fester'd heart Pierc't by her eye Loves and deaths pleasing dart Ah she it is an earthly heav'n and hell Who thus hath charm'd my heart with sugred spell Ease thou my wound but ah what hand can ease Or give a medicine that such wound may please When she my sole Physician is my souls disease Damon 7 Poore boy the wounds which spite and Love impart There is no ward to fence no herb to ease Heav'ns circling folds lie open to his dart Hells Lethe's self cools not his burning smart The fishes cold flame with this strong disease And want their water in the midst of seas All are his slaves hell earth and heav'n above Strive not i' th' net in vain thy force to prove Give woo sigh weep pray Love's only cur'd by love Algon 8 If for thy love no other cure there be Love thou art cureles gifts prayers vows and art She scorns both you and me nay Love ev'n thee Thou sigh'st her prisoner while she laughs as free What ever charms might move a gentle heart I oft have try'd and shew'd the earnfull smart Which eats my breast she laughs at all my pain Art prayers vows gifts love grief she does disdain Grief love gifts vows prayers art ye all are spent in vain Damon 9 Algon oft hast thou fisht but sped not straight With hook and net thou beat'st the water round Oft-times the place thou changest oft the bait And catching nothing still and still dost wait Learn by thy trade to cure thee time hath found In desp'rate cures a salve for every wound The fish long playing with the baited hook At last is caught Thus many a Nymph is took Mocking the strokes of Love is with her striking strook Algon 10 The marbles self is pierc't with drops of rain Fires soften steel and hardest metals try But she more hard then both such her disdain That seas of tears Aetna's of love are vain In her strange heart weep I burn pine or die Still reignes a cold coy carelesse apathie The rock that bears her name breeds that hard stone With goats bloud onely softned she with none More precious she and ah more hard then diamond 11 That rock I think her mother thence she took Her name and nature Damon Damon see See where she comes arm'd with a line and hook Tell me perhaps thou think'st in that sweet look The white is beauties native tapestrie 'T is crystall friend yc'd in the frozen sea The red is rubies these two joyn'd in one Make up that beauteous frame the difference none But this she is a precious living speaking stone Damon 12 No gemme so costly but with cost is bought The hardest stone is cut and fram'd by art A diamond hid in rocks is found if sought Be she a diamond a diamond's wrought Thy fear congeales thy fainting steels her heart I 'le be thy Captain boy and take thy part Alcides self would never combat two Take courage Algon I will teach thee woo Cold beggars freez our gifts thy faint suit breeds her no. 13 Speak to her boy Al. Love is more deaf then blinde Damon She must be woo'd Al. Love's tongue is in the eyes Damon Speech is Love's dart Al. Silence best speaks the minde Damon Her eye invites Al. Thence love and death I finde Damon Her smiles speak peace Al. Storms breed in smiling skies Damon Who silent loves Al. Whom speech all hope denies Damon Why should'st thou fear Al. To Love Fear 's neare akinne Damon Well if my cunning fail not by a gin Spite of her scorn thy fear I 'le make thee woo and winne 14 What ho thou fairest maid turn back thine oare And gently deigne to help a fishers smart Nicaea Are thy lines broke or are thy trammels tore If thou desir'st my help unhide the sore Ah gentlest Nymph oft have I heard thy art Can soveraigne herbs to every grief impart So mayst thou live the fishers song and joy As thou wilt deigne to cure this sickly boy Unworthy they of art who of their art are coy 15 His inward grief in outward change appeares His cheeks with sudden fires bright-flaming glow Which quencht end all in ashes storms of teares Becloud his eyes which soon forc't smiling cleares Thick tides of passions ever ebbe and flow And as his flesh still wastes his griefs still grow Nicaea Damon the wounds deep rankling in the minde What herb could ever cure what art could finde Blinde are mine eyes to see wounds in the soul most blinde Algon 16 Hard maid t' is worse to mock then make a wound Why should'st thou then fair-cruel scorn to see What thou by seeing mad'st my sorrows ground Was in thy eye may by thy eye be found How can thy eye most sharp in wounding be In seeing dull these two are one in thee To see and wound by sight thy eye the dart Fair-cruel maid thou well hast learn'd the art With the same eye to see to wound to cure my heart Nicaea 17 What cures thy wounded heart Algon Thy heart so wounded Nicaea Is 't love to wound thy love Algon Loves wounds are pleasing Nicaea Why plain'st thou then Al. Because thou art unwounded Thy wound my
thou none Or if thou art or wert how art thou saved And livest still when he to death is slaved But ah when well I think I plainly see That death to him was life and life is death to me 28 Vile trunk if yet he live ah then again Why seek'st thou not with him to be combined But oh since he in heav'n doth living reigne Death wer't to him in such knots to be twined And life to me with him to be confined So while I better think I eas'ly see My life to him were death his death were life to me 29 Then die with him vile trunk and dying live Or rather with him live his life applying Where thou shalt never die nor ever grieve But ah though death thou feel'st within thee lying Thou ne're art dead though still in sorrow dying Most wretched soul which hast thy seat and being Where life with death is one death with life agreeing 30 He lives and joyes death life to him hath bred Why is he living then in earth enwombed But I a walking coarse in life am dead 'T is I my friends 't is I must be entombed Whose joy with grief whose life with death's benummed Thou coffin art not his nor he is thine Mine art thou thou the dead not the livings shrine 31 You few thinne boards how in so scanted room So quiet such great enemies contain ye All joy all grief lies in this narrow tombe You contraries how thus in peace remain ye That one small cabin so should entertain ye But joy is dead and here entomb'd doth lie While grief is come to moan his dead-lov'd enemie 32 How many vertues in this little space This little little space lie buried ever In him they liv'd and with them every grace In him they liv'd and di'd and rise will never Fond men go now in vertues steps persever Go sweat and toil thus you inglorious lie In this old frozen age vertue it self can die 33 Those petty Northern starres do never fall The unwasht Beare the Ocean wave despises Ever unmov'd it moves and ever shall The Sun which oft his head in night disguises So often as he falls so often rises And stealing backward by some hidden way With self same light begins and ends the yeare day 34 The flowers which in the absence of the Sunne Sleep in their winter-houses all disarm'd And backward to their mothers wombe do runne Soon as the earth by Taurus horns is warm'd Muster their colour'd troups and freshly arm'd Spreading their braving colours to the skie Winter and winters spight bold little elves defie 35 But Vertues heav'nly and more glorious light Though seeming ever sure yet oft dismounteth And sinking low sleeps in eternall night Nor ever more his broken spheare remounteth Her sweetest flower which other flowers surmounteth As farre as roses nettles soonest fadeth Down falls her glorious leaf never more it bladeth 36 And as that dainty flower the maiden rofe Her swelling bosome to the Sunne discloses Soon as her lover hot and fiery grows Straight all her sweets unto his heat exposes Then soon disrob'd her sweet and beautie loses While hurtfull weeds hemlocks nettles stinking Soon from the earth ascend late to their graves are sinking 37 All so the vertuous bud in blooming falls While vice long flourishing late sees her ending Vertue once dead no gentle spring recalls But vice springs of it self and soon ascending Long views the day late to his night descending Vain men that in this life set up your rest Which to the ill is long and short unto the best 38 And as a dream where th' idle fancie playes One thinks that fortune high his head advances Another spends in woe his weary dayes A third seems sport in love and courtly dances A fourth to finde some glitt'ring treasure chances Soon as they wake they see their thoughts were vain And either quite forget or laugh their idle brain 39 Such is the world and such lifes quick-spent play This base and scorn'd that great in high esteeming This poore and patched seems that rich and gay This sick that sound yet all is but a seeming So like that waking oft we fear w' are dreaming And think we wake oft when we dreaming play Dreams are as living nights life as a dreaming day 40 Go then vain life for I will trust no more Thy flattering dreams death to thy resting take me Thou sleep without all dreams lifes quiet shore When wilt thou come when wilt thou overtake me Enough I now have liv'd loath'd life forsake me Thou good mens endlesse fight thou ill mens feast That at the best art bad and worst art to the best 41 Thus as in teares she drowns her swollen eyes A suddain noise recalls them backward bending Her weary head there all in black she spies Six mournfull bearers the sad hearse attending Their feet and hands to that last dutie lending All silent stood she trembling pale and wan The first grief left his stage a new his part began 42 And now the coffin in their arms they take While she with weight of grief sat still amazed As do sear leaves in March so did she quake And with intended eyes upon them gazed But when from ground the doleful hearse they raised Down on the beer half dead she carelesse fell While teares did talk apace and sighs her sorrows tell 43 At last Fond men said she you are deceiv'd It is not he 't is I must be interred Not he but I of life and soul bereav'd He lives in heav'n among the saints referred This trunk this headlesse body must be buried But while by force some hold her up they reare him And weeping at her tears away they softly beare him 44 But then impatient grief all passion proves She prayes weeps with teares she doth intreat them But when this onely fellow passion moves She storms and raves and now as fast doth threat them And as she onely could with words doth beat them Ah cruell men ah men most cruell stay It is my heart my life my soul you beare away 45 And now no sooner was he out of sight As if she would make good what she had spoken First from her hearts deep centre deep she sigh'd Then as if heart and life and soul were broken Down dead she fell and once again awoken Fell once again so to her bed they bore her While friends no friends hard love to life and grief restore her 46 Unfriendly friends saith she why do ye strive To barre wisht death from his so just ingression Your pitie kills me 't is my death to live And life to die it is as great oppression To force out death as life from due possession 'T is much more great better that quickly spills A loathed life then he that with long torture kills 47 And then as if her guiltlesse bed offended Thou trait'rous bed when first thou didst receive me Not single to thy rest I then ascended