Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A17461
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Saint Marie Magdalens conuersion
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I. C., fl. 1603.
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1603
(1603)
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STC 4282; ESTC S118867
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10,918
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28
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SAINT MARIE MAGDALENS CONVERSION ✚ IHS Printed with Licence THE AVTHOR TO THE READER This smale poeme Gentle Reader was composed for the pleasure of some priuate freinds and intended to haue bin presented for a Newe-yeres gift the first of this mounth But interuention of other affaires delaied the finishing therof vntill the last I made choyce of this subiect as most fitting this time of death the stile being correspondant plaine and passionate much like a morning garment fitting both the time and the matter Graue enough for sobrest wittes and not se harshe but may content the nicest eares The reading whereof I doubt not will proue both pleasant and profitable which is as much as I can wish or thou desire Farewell this last of Ianuarie 1603. Thyne I. C. TO THE DEVOVT AND VERTVOVS MISTRIS F. B. I. C. PRESENTES THIS HIS WORTHELES LABOVR for a Newe-yeares gifte THis day the eight'h from his Natiuitie The glorious Sonne of the Omnipotent Was Circumcis'de bearinge mans frailetie T' appease the wrath of the Magnificent This day the Sonne of blessed MARY shed His first deare bloud to make vs liue b'inge dead In memorie whereof this custome takes That on the first day of the newe-borne yeare Eache freind vnto his freind some present makes Louer to Louer husband to his pheare But I poore I that haue no gifte to bringe Out of my home-bred Muse these verses singe SAINT MARY MAGDALENS CONVERSION OF Romes great conquest in the elder age When she the worlde made subiect to her thrall Of louers giddy fancies and the rage Wherwith that passion is possest withall When ielousie with loue doth share apart And breedes a ciuill warre within the harte Of Helens rape and Troyes beseiged Towne Of Troylus faith and Cressids falsitie Of Rychards stratagems for the english crowne Of Tarquins lust and lucrece chastitie Of these of none of these my muse nowe treates Of greater conquests warres and loues she speakes A womans conquest of her one affects A womans warre with her selfe-appetite A womans loue breeding such effects As th'age before nor since nere brought to light Of these and such as these my muse is prest To spend the idle houres of her rest Thou blessed Saint whose life doth teach to liue Intreate that louing and best loued Lord of thine That he vouchsafe such liuely grace to giue Vnto these dull and liueles rimes of mine That such as read this good though ill told story May be like thee for their offences sorry When first the worlds Creator our dread Lord Did with his presence blesse Iudeae land And to all sortes of people did afforde His gratious fauour and all helping hand Restoring by his power Omnipotent The lazar deafe blind lame and impotent Amongst the daughters of the sonnes of men Shee that did most his gratious mercy proue Was Mary Marthas sister Magdalen Who loued most and had most cause to loue Her wounded soule he cur'de with sinnes opprest Natures deffects in others he redrest Shee needed not the ritch mans golden ring That all desires seldome well gott good Shee needed not the Herauldes deif'ing To make her gentle of vngentle bloud Shee needed not the painters white and red Nature those colors in her face had shed Her eyes vnto their Mistres yeelded light All though her selfe within herselfe were blind Shee was nor lame nor deafe nor lazar-like Perfecc'ous store to each lime was asin'de With natures gifts she plent'iously was graced But sinne those ornamentes had all defaced Sinne made her want in middest of her store Sinne made her seruile in her libertye Of all good graces sinne did make her poore And ritch in nothing but in misery Her soule was subiect to a thousand euilles Her body combred with as many Diuilles But her dear Lord through his life-giuing grace This many-headed Monster draue away And those foule fendes who did his workes deface His blessed presence from her did affray He thought not meete that such vnseemely gest Should in so faire an Arbour build their nest After her foes were thus disperst and gone Her captiue soule b'inge franchis'de from their thrall And shee transformed by that mighty one From her life best ' all to celestiall Her Lord affirmed that her loue was such That shee deserued to bee pardoned much Her Lawles lustes shee chaing'de to lawfull loue Her many pleasures to one chiefe delighte All other ioyes shee did from her remoue And only ioyed in his blessed sighte Who best deserued to bee loued most Sauinge her soule from death by sinne b'inge lost Shee hateth nowe what shee had lou'de before Shee loueth him to whome all loue was due Her former mispent life shee doth deplore And nowe endeauors for to lyue anewe Herselfe vnto herselfe did hatefull growe When thus enlight'ned shee her-selfe did knowe This Holy hatred did true loue encrease Shee lou'de the more in that shee hated soe This Holy hatred did her false loues cease And howe to loue arighte to her did showe O Hatred thow are only good in this In all thinges else thow doest worke amisse Like to a monster to her selfe shee seem'ed And of her selfe her selfe was now afraide Shee sawe 't was otherwyse then shee had deem'ed And loth'de to see how fondly shee had straied Shee now perceaues the errors of her life Which makes her with her selfe to be in strife O how haue I deceaued beene quoth shee With the false shew of counterfeyt delight Were these the pleasures this the vanities Which now so much my gilty soule affright Haue I incurr'd the losse of life and fame To purchase sorrow and repentant shame Did I for this my fathers house forsake Leauing my carefull sister sisterles Did I for this of frendes me frendles make Shaming my kindred through my sinnefullnes Did I for this leaue sister frends and all And from the seruice of my maker fall O sinne thou art a serpent full of fleyght Thy face seem'de not so fowle as now I see Thou dost bewitch vs with a strong deceipte Of seeming good though full of miserye Our soules thou woundest with thy poysonus dart And we as senceles neuer feele the smart Thou art the losse of heauen and hels best frend How many like a Syren here thee sing How many by in chantment dost thou send To Plutoes Kingdome ere they feele thy sting But why doe I exclaime against thee so When I was partner in my ouer throw I gaue consent that thou shoul'dst worke my fall I pleased was with what thou did'st suggest I was attendant to ech seruill call And basely subiect to thy foule be-hest I grew a cunning Artist in thy trade And with thy Charmes haue many soules insnar'de O sinne of sinnes and the worst of euills To poyson others with thy stinking breath No meruaile though I was a lodge for Deuilles And worthely became a hell on earth Wast not enoughe that thou thy selfe did'st sinne But that thou others to the same must winne O my lost
And they as ready for to giue content Vnto their Lady lend awilling eare Within themselues they seriously debate How to redresse their mistres troubled state First memorie the mindes best Register Telles her of many Like her selfe distrest Who were reliued by this comforter And had their former euilles all redrest How that the proude he vseth to reiect But mercies-beggars allwayes doth erect Here Hope conceaueth from examples past A good conceipt that like may now ensue She doth suggest how that his mercies last And are bestow'de on them that humbly sue Hope doth perswade her sad Contrition Will for offences begge Remission Now strong opinion doth posses her brest And her ensureth of a good successe And free-borne will as handmaide to the rest Is now behinde to entertaine such gesse Only distrust and euer-douting feare Her springing hapes doe crosse with dead dispayre They bid her looke aright on her misdeedes And shee should finde 't was not as shee suppo'de Which chookes in her the growth of hopefulll seede And makes her doubt what earst had beene propos'de As oft as Hope her fainting soule imbouldes Distrust and feare the same as oft controwles Like to a Trau'ler in an vnknowne way Who hauing sundrye pathes to passe along Is carefull which to take fearing to stray And still he doubts that which he takes is wrong So her sad soule with doudtfull feares opprest Knowes not which course to take but wills the best Now Hope his wonted pirtie dote relate And then Distrust bids her his Iustice eye Yet fearefull Hope at length doth animate Her Consious soule his mercies doome to trye Shee now resolues all feare b'eing lade aside Vnder his mercies winges her selfe to hide And least the vice hatefull to God and man Ingratitude that ill repaying sinne Should in her brest erect his mansion From forth her store sweet oyntment shee doth bring Which shee intends vpon him to bestow That out-ward acte her inward loue might showe Shee was not like those ill-deseruinge Iewes In clensed bodies haching leprous soules Their healthes-restorer nine of them refuse But shee his loue within her brest infoldes And gratefully her precious oyle doth shed On his deuine and far more precious hed This acte of hers her Lord doth so regard That he comaundes it should for aye be knowne And where his lifs true storie should be hearde This deede of hers should like-wise there be showne This acte of hers her Lorde somuch regarded That he the same with double pay rewarded O what are we o Lord that thou should'st way Our dutious seruice at so high a rate All that we borrow Iustice bindes to pay We owe thee all from the we all did take How comes it then that thou so well accep'sts If we discharge the tent'he of our due debtes What did shee giue thee but a cruse of oyle Which now shee had no further cause to vse Shee will no more her well form'de visage soile And Natures workmanship by arte abuse But thou did'st weigh the loue where-with shee gaue it Which made thee graciously vouchsafe to haue it Now shee proceedes and from his head descendes Vnto his feete where prostrate shee doth lye For former Pride shee faine would make amendes With this deuout vnfain'de Humilitie Shee loulie setts her at his blessed feete Meane while her eyes riuers of teares doe weepe Teares of true sorrowe for offences done Her watrie eyes like prodigalles doe spend Wherewith the feete of great Iehouans Sonne For to imbalme shee humblie doth intend Those feete of his these teares of hers make faire And being wett shee dries them with her haire O well spent teares you did but clense the spottes Which wery iornies and foule waies had maide But you did wash of many thousand blottes Wherewith foule sinne her gilty soule had smear'de O happy teares and happely bestowed You did defray what ere your mistres owed After this worke of Charity was past Her loue was such shee would not from him part No earthly stormes her heauenly loue could blast It was so deeply rooted in her hart With modest silence tempering her loues heate Her silent loue by silence growing greate O silence Companion of the wise Thou surest note of spotles Chastitie All our fraile passions thou dost temporise And kindlest Holy thoughtes in secresie Thou art a vertue rarely found on earth Of vertues store there is so great a dearth In Princes Coortes thou canst no harbor finde Thy seruice there is but of sleighte regarde Thou canst not flatter thou art not the winde Wherewith ambitious toylinge gestes are rear'de Thou canst not fill the sailes of Enuies boate Nor sett the ship of longe-tong'de Fame a floate Thou art no tradseman for the Citties vse Thou canst not harbor manie tounges in one The Countriemen with thee haue broken truce And entred league with fell dissention The woodes the babling Ecco entertaine Which eache worde iterates and makes one twaine Both Coort and Cittie Countrie and the woodes Are vnto Sylence straingers now vnknowne And shee hath left them to their brain-sicke moodes And to the heauens from whence shee came is flowne Shee seldome now doth visite this our coaste Far if shee comes shee knowes not where to hoaste This vertue first possessed Maries brest And did dispose her vnto higher grace For where garrulitie doth buylde her nest There modest vertues haue no biding place By this her new-reformed life was knowne By this hereafter constancie was showne For when the Lord of life our Ransome pai'de And by his death gaue life vnto the dead When his Disciples fearefully dismai'de From persecutions angrie presence fled Shee constantlie attendes him to his passion And feares no threates of her life-killing Nation Euen at the foote of that fruit-baring tree Which cur'de the wounde by former tree receaued Shee humblie settes her downe greiuing to see His blessed presence from her thus bereaued In steade of feete shee powres her liberall teares On that dead truncke which now his body beares This shee imbraceth in her twisted armes Mixing her salt teares with his luke-warme bloude Which from his woundes distil'de to salue our harmes Like forced streames proceading from some flude Which when shee sees it makes her sad soule bleede In strong compassion of so foule a deede O thou my Lord my Loue my Soules delighte Thy sighte was earst quoth shee my chiefest ioye To see thee thus it doth my soule affrighte And turnes all former pleasure to annoye To see thee thus how can I chose but weepe When for my teares thy bloud doth wash thy feete How can I chose but weepe to see thy head Inuiron'de with a crowne of sharpest thorne To see thy louely count'nance palle and dead Which once with beautie did the heauens adorne To see the brightest lampes which light the skies Obscur'de by bloud and death thy blessed eyes To see those euer-working handes of thine So sauadglie affixed to this woode Which with a touch gaue lighte to blindest eyne