Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A29659
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The remains of Sir Fulk Grevill Lord Brooke being poems of monarchy and religion : never before printed.
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Greville, Fulke, Baron Brooke, 1554-1628.
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1670
(1670)
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Wing B4900; ESTC R350
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71,163
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212
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farme Engaging Crowns making pow'rs name a stile To ruine worth which it cannot beguile 99. Yet mark how Vice that it self only friends In her own web still wears her own disease By disproportion compassing her ends And disproportion ruining her ways For those that rose by Providence Care Pain And over pow'r which wanted these did raign 100. Grow fondly scornful idle imperious Despising form and turning Law to Will Abridge our freedom to Lord over us Loosing the fruit of humors with the skill Till by degrees insensibly they fall By leaving those Arts which they rose withal 101. When instantly those undertaking pow'rs Care hazard Wit misplaced Industry Which helpt to build their oligarchal Tow'rs Fly from these downfals of prosperity As Spirits that to govern were created And cannot lower properly be rated 102. The pride of such inferiors did constrain The Swiss against the Austrians Cantonise So were the Belgians likewise forc't again A new Republick finely to devise In which that Monarch was compel'd to Treat As with States equal Free not equal Great 103. For Vices soon to heights and periods rise Have both their Childhood state and declination Are sometimes currant but at no time wise Like blazing Stars that burn their own foundation Or shadows which the shew of bodies have And in self-darkness both a Life and Grave 104. Whence it proceeds that all the works of Error Live not in state of health but sick and cured Change carrying out Excess to bring in Terror Never securing nor to be secured But Physick-like in new diseases bred Either substracts or adds till all be dead 105. Thus rose all States thus grew they thus they fall From good to ill and so from ill to worse Time for her due vicissitudes doth call Error still carrying in it self her curse Yet let this Light out of these Clouds break forth That Pow'r hath no long Being but in Worth Cautions against these weak Extremities SECT IV 106. NOw to prevent or stay these Declinations And desperate diseases of Estate As hard is as to change the Inclinations Of humane Nature in her Love or Hate Which whosoever can make straight or true As wel is able to create her new 107. Hence falls it out that as the wise Physitian When he discovers death in the disease Reveals his Patients dangerous condition And straight abandons what he cannot ease Unto the Ghostly Physick of a Might Above all second causes Infinite 108. So many grave and great men of Estate In such despaired times retire away And yield the stern of Government to Fate Foreseeing her remediless decay Loath in confused torrents of oppression To perish as if guilty of transgression 109. Who then can wary Seneca reprove After he had observ'd his Pupils rage The Brother poison'd strange bewitching Love The Mother slain of vice his patronage If he from bloody Nero did remove And as the Pilots do in Tempests groan To Fate give over Art and all their own 110. But grant such spirits were to be excus'd As by oppression or necessity Disgraced live restrained or not us'd As part themselves of publick misery Yet who are free must labor and desire To carry water to this common fire 111. Have not some by equality of mind Even in the crossest course of evil times With passive goodness won against the wind So Priscus pass'd Domitian's torrid Climes And scapt't from danger to the full of days Helping frail Rome with un-offending ways 112. Was it true Valour or Timidity That made stern Cato so impatient Of his own life and Caesar's victory Vanity it was like smoak not permanent That wrought this weak work of strong destiny Where while he lost his life and Rome a friend He lost that Glory which he made his end 113. For since the most Estates at first were founded Upon the waving Basis of confusion On what but fear can his discourse be grounded That in distress despairs of good conclusion With mysteries of which vicissitude Fate oftentimes doth humane wit delude 114. Again who mark times revolutions find The constant health of Crowns doth not remain In pow'r of Man but of the pow'rs Divine Who fixe change ruine or build up again According to the period wain or State Of good or evils seldom changing fate 115. First then let Tyrants as they do encline By nature either way unto excess Conceive though true perfection be Divine And no where ever brought to pass with less Yet in the world which they would govern well Cures and Diseases both together dwell 116. And though to live by rule proud man be loath Yet rules to Kings and Subjects are such stays As Crutches be to feeble Ages sloth Or as the main turmoiled Mother seas Do find those banks which then confine her course When rage blown up would els make all things worse 117. Let no man then expect a constant Air Between the sence of Men and senseless Might Where one man makes skies foul another fair In Passive orbs who looks for other right Child like must break all toys for loss of one And by their fall add honour to a Throne 118. Rather let People as in Airs infected Not seek to master but avoid disease By absence now by homage now protected Not looking high for stumbling in their ways Lest as of old curst with confused speech They now find no word currant but Beseech 119. Again let weak Kings keep their homour chaste Not daring violence lest over-built They help to lay their own foundation wafte And failing themselves multiply their guilt Since hearts as strong as their Estates must be That can enlarge themselves by Tyranny 120. For as in weak Estates so in weak Minds To injure or oppress humanity Stirs up Right Wit and Heart in divers kinds To shew how easily hazard makes men free Where prospect must appear to these weak kings A sign that ruine flies with nimble wings 121. This weakness which I mean hath divers kinds Some water-like easie to take impression And like it leave not any print behind Which I omit as fit for no profession The other wax like take and keep a mind And may in strengths they have not of their own Be helpt by common Duties to a Throne 122. For as when Birds and Beasts would have a King To furnish this fair creature for a guide Out of their own they gave him every thing And by their gifts themselves more surely tyed Eyes Voices Wings and of their natures skill To govern raise and ruine them at will 123. So may these frail unactive kind of spirits Be with the Milk of many Nurses fed All striving to hold up the Scepters rights With Subjects strengths by Crowns authorised Whereby the feeble may again be wombed And there get life even where it was intombed 124. Which outward help of others providence Watcheth occasion poizeth each intent Nor is Crown-wisdom any Quintescence Of abstract Truth or art of Government More then sweet Sympathy or