shal I bee more vnkind than the earth to the king of the heauens who as the beam in the glasse hath inriched my wombe and annointed me with the oyle of gladnesse aboue my felows shall I requite his kindnesse great mercies with a few faint teares No my charitie shall not let me my loue shall suffer my griefe to exceed her and reason shall surrender his Lordship to passion sufficeth it my son that in spirit I assure mee of thy life yet in flesh whilest thou art absent dwellest with death let mee bewaile thee for humane weaknesse requireth a little more weeping Of one spark saith the wise man is made a great fire of one kernell a large tree of one grain of mustard seed a great and grosse number why then shuld not one care beget another one tear produce multitudes one sighe inforce stormes wherethorough my griefe might bee endlesse in lamenting my teares ceaselesse in weeping and my sighs incessant in their doubling Hanna was troubled in her minde and wept sore to get a sonne and shuld not Marie be tormented in soule and weep instantly that hath left a sonne Achsah married to Othouiel humbled her selfe before her father and sayd Giue me a blessing thou hast giuen mee a South lande giue mee also springes of water As Achsah to Caleb her father so I to shee my God thou hast giuen mee a South land of desolation wherin the fruits of hope are barre the blossoms of ioyes are blasted Oh giue mee therefore a well spring of teares to water this wast that my hopes maye ripe by my ruth and my ioyes maye bloome after their blasting Iosiah considering the long absence concealment of the bookes of the lawe rent his garments for griefe wept bitterly Wonder not therefore ô ye men of Israel though Marie rent hir heart rent her hairs rent hir clothes for the hath lost long wanted the Lord of the lawe the maker of Moses the father of the people the passeouer and pledge of mans redemption As the hand which is filled with oue thing can receiue and containe no other thing so my heart being filled with the loue of this absent Christ the griefe in wanting him the woundes that wounde him can loue nothing better than to lament him can grieue at nothing else but his want finally my eyes presenting his woundes to the consideration of the same my thoughts are wounded by dwelling in my heart my heart is wounded by containing my thoughts and both are wounded in imagining his wounds yea they are so filled with compassion that they yeeld no place to consolation Why then begette not these griefefull thoughtes more griefefull thoughts these teares more teares these sighes more sighes which hauing onelye emperie in my heart maye giue place to no ioye but breake the circumference that incloseth them in in the centre of care and getting better freedome to produce more they maye in theyr eternitie make mee more miserable and my moane more fruitful ' my sorrowe more plentifull thorough the foisons of my misfortune Ah Marie thou canst not make thine abilitie aunswerable to thy will thy life hath limites and must limite thy teares Hee that bindeth the flouds that they ouerflow not boundeth thy teares Thou hast wept to the vtterance thou hast no more to vtter the darknes must once come to an end the cloudes must at last bee dissolued and euerie thing must end at his appointed time and as there is a time to bemoane so lykewyse there is a time to bee merrie If thou weepe tyll thou weepe awaie lyfe and crie till thy dayes bee consumed and quite wasted a daie shal come to determine both What shall I become a comforter or giue a lawe to my remorse who cannot comprehend my losse No mine eies weepe on whilest I haue a time to liue giue no tearme to your teares as fast as you weep them my braines shall distill them the fire of my loue shall helpe to distill them they cannot cease till I die and beeing dead what need I seeke to bewaile his absence being assured of his presence Th̄e til I die I wil not cease to weep that being dead I may behold him whilest I liue I will count all food vaine till I feede on his presence If mine eies growe wearie my sighes shall assist them and when both of them are infeebled my cries shall be inforced in the hollow of his sepulchre I wil execute these drirements and I will exclaime so long on death till I make him deafe with hearing me Make him deafe poore Marie Ahlas he is alwaies deafe and insensible it were a second death to assault him hee is not tamed by intreaties tempted by perswasions bribed by benefits or allured by lamentations tearmes please him not tears pearce him not it were an endlesse labour a fruitlesse worke Oh my sonne how am I discruciate for thee I woulde worke I know not what to win thee I know not how I wold end my sorrow and desire to begin it I woulde beare thee to thy graue could I cease to imbrace thee I would complaine of my desires so I might appease them and conquer my affections so I might command them but flames that are ' quickly kindled are hardly quenched and where oyle seeds the lampe of sorrowe it will hardly bee extinguished My sighs preuent my teares and inforce them to issue my teares preuent my thoughts make them impatient my thoughtes preuent my reason and admit no moderation my reason would preuent all this but loue preuenteth it my loue beeing of it selfe firie will not cease burning till it imbrace thee flaming till it find thee out my charitie is soueraigne of all my delights she wils mee die to liue with thee And as in Salomons temple there there was nothing that was not couered with golde so is there not anie parte sense motion or action in me or the liuing temple of my soul which is not inuested with loue clothed with charity which hauing the nature of fire which is the most actiue of all elementes is neuer idle but reuiueth teares when they are extinct quickneth sighs when they cease armeth thoughtes when they are dismaide and forceth reason when shee fainteth As the roote is to the tree the soule to the bodie the sunne to the worlde such are thou to mee O my sonne the boughs are not clothed with green except they bee vnited to the root the members inioye no lyfe except they be imformed by the soule the worlde partaketh no light excepte the Sunne illuminateth and lightneth the same so my bodie inioyeth no lyfe except thou liue in mee mine eyes no delight excepte thou loooke vppon them my thoughtes no cleere and perfect vnderstanding vnlesse thou beautifie and beholde them Briefely I cannot bee mine owne without thee I cannot liue thou beeing dead I cannot leaue weeping teares vntill thou come and wipe awaie my teares Hee that truely loueth saith the
barrennesse the daies of my desolation are come The blessedst amongest women is now the miserablest amongst mothers Grief hath brought mee to deaths doore my sonne but death will not let me enter oh then shewe thy deitie to helpe thy mother and let me die in this desolate flesh to liue in thy diuine bodie the ioy in possessing the one shall temper the losse of the other and dying in my selfe to giue thee life I shall liue in death by reason of thy lyfe O Lorde Lord of my life how hath zeal made mee presume no soule meriteth to dwel in this body but thine own thus impatience in loue makes mee too much presume for loue Fruites long time shut in their buds by rain deawe and sunne are made to blossome riuers closde in then bounds by huge windes are forced to ouerlope the bankes The Ostridge by helpe of the Sun and sand breaketh the shell ripen then thou roote of mine for the raine of remorse hath watered thee the deaw of compassion hath wet thee the sunne of my zeale and charitie hath looked on thee and inflamed thee rise rouse thy selfe thou riuer of God for the windes of my sighs haue summoned thee ouerbeare death holye spring of happines and let the waters of life issue from thee Breake the shell of death thou that fastedst in the desart and let the sunne of my desire quicken the sun of vnderstanding be not to long in conquering death least I loose life in wailing thy death How long ô Lorde howe long wilt thou delay Shall death neuer haue end because my life may be deuoured in death Wilt thou not awake like a strong warriour to conquere these passions with combat with thy mothers heart Set thine axe to the tree of my sorrowe let mine eyes which bewaile thee dead beholde thee liuing let mine eares which are scard with mine owne clamors bee consolated by thy counsels let mee smell thee the rose and see thee the lilly richly clothed let me tast howe sweet the Lord is let me touch him whose absence toucheth mee at the hart let my imagination be the vsher to present thee my memorie the painter to describe thee my consideration the fire to kindle loue Let hell hunger thirst weepe and waile come thou and ioy with Israel thou hast not to doo with Aegypt Come thou corner stone and let me builde on thee wed me to death so thou returne to life I cannot want thee I will not misse thee my loue is so feruent as it neither measures iudgement or regardeth counsel or is brideled by shame or subiect to reason come yeeld me peace with a kisse of thy mouth and let my importunacy work more with thee than all expectation can require Lēd me the cloak of thy presence to diuide the waters of my woes let thy mother bee as strong as thy prophet that by praying to our Lorde with teares by putting my mouth on thy mouth by fastning mine eies to thine eies by closing my handes in thy handes I may make the flesh of my sonne wax warme as he warmed the flesh of the Sunamites child then gasping seuen times I wold kisse thee seuētie times seuen seeme more thy louer than thy mother I wold expostulate with thee of thine absence and if thy wounds fell new a bleeding I would wash them with my teares my hairs should dry them my lips should suck them thou shouldest make me more than a mother in recouering mee an absent sonne Well Lorde if thou denyest that I want I will reioyce in that I haue I wil symbolise thy body with mine and quicken thy passion by my sufferance There shal no sorrow be hid from mine eies till I see thy eyes open and till the eies of our Lord quicken mee the eie of poore Marie shall see no comfort mine eie shal onely see by supposing thine eie seeth all pleasures shal be smoake to mine eies till thy eies doo beholde them till thy eies bee waking mine eies shall be weeping and vnles they grow open I will shut mine eies with sorrow I will set a sure seale vppon my lips till thy lips salute me my lips shall become white as the lilly til thy lips grow crimson like a rose coloured riband My vnsained lips shal bee tired with praier till such time I may inioy thy desired presence my handes shall neuer vnfolde till the hands of my Lord be extended I wil neuer deliuer thy bodie out of my hands till thou deliuer my soule out of her sorrow I will lay my hand vppon my mouth till thou speakest neuer wil I cease to lift vp my hands to heauen till thy hands haue imbraced me on earth till thou put foorth thy hand I will leane my head vpon my hande and till thy fingers touch me my heart shall bee touched with sorrow the wings of the cherubines touched one another ô let the wings of my charity touch the wings of my life both are allied both loue They that touched the hem of thy vesture recouered from their sicknesse shall not I touch thy bodie to recouer me of my sorrow The bodie which liueles touched the bones of Elisa were restored to life and shall my hands touch thee my lippes kisse thee my loue importune thee and thou not liue All heauie thinges by nature search the center I am in the abundance of my heauinesse and cannot descend into the graue I will glorie in tribulation so thou grace me in thy life My soule is in bitternesse and heauie captiuitie oh make my burden light by once looking on mee The Iewes by smiting haue wounded thee thou by absence hast wounded mee sorrow and wounds are euer in my sight touch I thy browe thornes haue wounded it kisse I thy cheekes crimson hath forsaken them thy sides are wounded thy hands are wounded thy feet are wounded my wounds cannot bee hid till thy wounds be healed and til thou liue to recure mee I shall die thorough wanting thee Thou hast promised that whatsoeuer wee shall faithfully aske in thy name thou wilt grant it vs. Then ô Iesu my sonne my cōforter I coniure thee by thine owne name Iesus to blunt and abate the sting of death to breake vp and dispearse the cloudes of darknes and appearing like a fair morning starre quicken the dead comfort of thy mother and giue a light to this desolate and dismaide worlde Shew the light of thy countenance and I shall be whole O Lord my redeemer tarrie not my soule thirsteth after thee my sonne as the hart desireth the hart desireth the water brookes euen so my soule longeth after thee my God Appeare then thou chief shepheard thy flocks saint without thee Apparell thy selfe with life to apparell our hearts with ioy my eies long fore for thy sight oh when wilt thou comfort me O who will giue my head water inough and a spring of teares for mine eies that I
holye Ghost the flower sprong A branch shall springe out of the roote of lesse and a flower shall ascende from the roote as faith Esaie And what other is this braunch O thou blessedst amongest women but thy selfe the virgine of God what this flower but thy sonne O crimson rose Iesus how in all thy bodie shine the perfect signes of thy loue Ahlasse there is no little space lefte without impression of loue or griefe Hearke what Ambrose faith further of this virgin She fixed not her happines in vncertaine substaunce but fastned her hope to her son Christ intentiue in her workes modest in her sayinges whose purpose was not to satisfie man but to seeke after God to hurt none but to succour all to salute euerie one to reuerence her elders not to hate her equalls to slie boasting to followe reason to loue vertue When dyd this virgin hurt her parents with disobedient lookes When dissented she from hir friends When despised she the humble When decided she the weake When shunned she the needie Accustoming her selfe to conuerse onely with that companie of men whose conuersation shee might not be ashamed of Whome past shee by without modestie hauing nothing crabbed in her looks nothing crooked in her sayiugs nothing immodest in her actions not wanton in gesture not insolent in gate not foolish in voice but such she was that the verie beautie portraiture and forme of her body was the image of her mind and figure of her honestie The beautie of this tēple of the Deity was expressed in the Canticles where it is sayd O howe faire art thou my loue Howe faire art thou Thine eies are like doues eies yet is there farre more hidden within This is the paradyce which God prepared to put the second Adam in This is that virgin of whom Hierome speaketh which passed the night in contemplation watching the thiefe in loue of God the most learned in humilitie the most humble in the psalms of Dauid the most elegant in charitie most feruent in puritie the most pure and in all vertue the most perfect All her words were alwaies full of grace because she had God alwaies in her mouth shee continually praide and as the Prophet sayd meditated in the lawe of God daie and night This is the virgin of virgins the humble of hūblest in whome humilitie greatned virginitie virginitie adorned humilitie This is shee whose humilitie adorned her fecunditie and whose fecunditie consecrated her virginitie This is that Marie into whose armes the faire vnicorne Iesus retyred himselfe after a long pursuit by the praiers teares and sighs of the fathers This is the exalted according to the Hebrew or the starre of the sea as Hierome translateth it or the mistres of mankinde according to the Siriake This is she of whom the Sibils prophesied This is she whom Euodius Peters successour calleth immaculate without spot glorious in humilitie This is shee appointed before all ages to beare the great fruit This is the animated arke of the liuing God which brought many blessinges to Zacharie and Elizabeth as the Arke of the couenant did to Obed Edom. This is shee of whom Albumazar prophesied who speaking of the signe of the Virgine sayde that there shoulde an immaculate virgine be borne sayre elegant and modest that should norish an infant in Iudea who shoulde be called Christ. Of this virgin there was found a testimony on the tomb of a pagan where in a plot of ground these wordes were written found in Constantine and his mother Irenes time An infant named Christ shall bee borne of a virgine and I beleeue in him O sonne thou shalt see mee againe in the time of Constantine and his mother Irene The like Zonoras reporteth of a certaine Iew who in a certaine ancient book written in three languages vsed these wordes This is shee in whome Nestorius denying the vniting of the humanitie with the diuinitie our Lorde in iustice caused wormes to deuour and eate out his tongue This is she in whom all vertues did concurre all learning abound all deuotions flowe all comforts depend This is she as Gregorie testifieth which foretolde the Iewes of their destruction and the desolation of their citie This is the true celestiall Pandora decked and inriched with the whole gifts of God the father the sonne and the holie Ghost This is shee whome the Moores reported to surpasse in excellence this is the perfectest of all perfections as the Turkes and Arabians testifie This is shee whome all the fathers in deuotion the Mahumetists in theyr Alcoran set foorth with praises and inrich with titles Oh sweete mother of God who so speaketh of thee as Hierome sayth speaketh insufficiently humane abilitie cannot attain it humane industrie is too weake for it Whether art thou transported my soule O my heart bee no more rauished with ioye intentiue to praise looke back to the foot of the crosse there is more cause of meditation more cause of moane Ahlasse what seest thou Nay what seest thou not to bewaile If thou seest the virgines lappe it is bloudied with the streames that fall from her Sonnes wounded head If thou seest her modest eies they are almost swolne and sunke into hir head with teares If thou looke for her pure colour it is decaied with extreame sorrowe her breasts are defaced with often beating of her handes her handes are wearyed by often beating of her breasts If shee looke on the one side shee sees Marie the sinner washing her sons feet with her tears if on the other she beholdeth Ioseph wofully preparing his funeralls if on the other she seeth virgins mourning if on the other she beholdeth soldiers mocking if anie waies she sees sorrowes plentifull knowing therfore in her selfe that true griefe correcteth the minde salueth the offence and maintaineth innocence shee gan renue her teares and thus tenderly bewailed her If it bee a custome in nature that fountains return from whence they first issued bodies bee resolued to that wherof they were first created ahlasse why should not the same law be in my tears which first springing from loue must be buried in loue no sooner buried but renued nothing before his fulnesse hath his fairenesse his ripenesse his strength his perfection his praise Why then delaie I my teares which can neuer receiue their excellence till they bee wepte to their vtteraunce Ahlasse ahlas teares are sweet weapons to wound and to winne harts I will vse them I will inuite them I will maintaine them I will triumph in them Come my son what now shall I weep in thee Not thy death for it is thy triumph not thy contēpts for they were thy cōtents but thy martyrdom which wrought my miserie O sinfull soules behold two altars raised by one massacre one in the bodie of Christ the other in the heart of the virgin on the one is sacrificed the flesh of the sonne on the other the soule of the mother such a death