Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A55636
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The life of the blessed St. Agnes virgin and martyr in prose and verse / by L. Sherling.
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Sherling, L.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing P3179; ESTC R25817
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41,432
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135
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her and their very opposition furnish'd her with matter for a Triumph St. Agnes was Born at Rome of a Noble Family though the Names of her Parents I cannot possibly acquaint you with nor precisely in what year of our Lord it was St. Ambrose and all that have oblig'd the world with the History of our blessed Martyr being herein unanimously silent nor ought our curiosity to engage us in an unnecessary search of things of such indifference and that when kown cannot yeild us any considerable advantages The Nile enrich'd the Egyptians never the less because his head was undiscovered And the Life of the holy Agnes may stir us to as great a piety as if we knew her Patents most exactly How she spent her Youth her Pious Life and most Christian Death may give us reason to conjecture though all the Authours I could meet with have not spoke a word of it in particular and since I dare not assume the liberty of foisting any in thing that the authority of St. Ambrose c. would nor justifie I shall pass it over and advance to the more important parts of her Life where we shall make a full discovery of all those Beauties Charms and Graces that a Crucified Saviour can present us with in comparison of which all our worldly pleasures must loose their relish and a Heavenly Spouse be preferr'd to all out earthly enjoyments But 't is very certain that our holy Martyr when she was very Young had dedicated her Virginity to her sweet Redeemer and made a formal Vow of perpetual Chastitie which may clearly be discovered by the sequal of this discourse and therefore it would be very impertinent to insist long upon it Pious Lady Thou at those years hadst fix'd thy thoughts on Heaven and wast engag'd in the contemplation of the Holy Jesus which we commonly spend in gratifying our corrupt Affections thou did'st anticipate thy years and without an absurdity I may justlie say thou wast old even in thy childhood and had'st the prudence and all that was to be esteem'd of that age without any of it's inconveniencies Who dare say she was Young and Childish that was allready ripe for Heaven and had finish'd her glorious course of Christianity She was now about Thirteen years of age when all the temptations imaginable conspired to Divorce her from her Saviour Love that potent Passion that hath occasion'd so dismal effects in the world that by a sweet insinuation betrays us to our ruine and pleases into our destruction was the first obstacle that was opposed to her flight to Heaven and that endeavoured to retard her pursuit of a blessed Eternity which was thus As she was returning home from School a Young Gentleman the Son of one Symphronius at that time Goverour of the Citie young and handsome and Master of all those excellencies that render one of his years accomplish'd and that might have enslaved any Soul but St. Agnes's unfortunately chanc'd to see her He saw her he admir'd her he lov'd her all in an instant That crowd of Beauties that Heaven had endow'd her with to render her fair body a worthy habitation of it's fairer inhabitant were not long in producing their effect Ladies less considerable could not have done that in an Age that her fair eies effected in a moment The Sun illustrates all the Horizon at once and that Affection our Gallant had for Saint Agnes at it's first Creation I can justly term it no other that was a motion so instantaneous was not any longer capable of degrees In fine he loved her he doted on her be preferr'd her to half his Heathen Deities and in her fruition he placed his only felicity He had not now opportunity either to spake to her or enquire of what Familie she was And indeed had all the opportunities in Nature courted him at that time he could scarce have made any benefit of them being surprised with the greatest astonishment that can be imagined However after some time having made enquirie who she was a Star of so great magnitude could not possiblie long be hid he understood she was of a Noble Familie and born in that Citie and what ever else he learned of her from his intelligence gave him all the satisfaction that his Soul was capable of receiving She 's Noblie Born said he clapping his hand on his breast after a profound Réverie and now I may justlie Court her Affections I may own my Love without dishonour and my Father my indulgent Father will never oppose himself to my Intentions But Villain continued he with a great deal of vehemence how was it possible she should be otherwise or how could one imagine that the bountiful Gods would throw away so many perfections on an ignoble Person No what ever her Familie was or could be she would sufficiently ennoble it and transfund an excellence into all about her she must necessarily either find her Kindred Noble or make them so The most pittiful Rock in the Ocean can borrow lustre from it's bright Native the Pearl that grows upon it and the most craggy Shelves can gain worth and esteem from their Diamonds their Illustrious Inhabitants Well 't is so and I have nothing to conquer but the heart of that Fair one to compleat my happiness Whereupon our young Inamorato spur'd on by his Passion and arm'd with Confidence that his Fathers power in the Cittie at that time might extreamly advance his design he is resolv'd to address himself to the fair Agnes and having signified the desire he had to wait upon her with all the respects in the world and humbly begged her permission at last he acquainted her with his Passion in the most moving words that could be used in that conjuncture and when he had said what he would and expected her Answer what hopes and fears was he then engaged in But his eies with their dumb Rhethorick still pursu'd his Petition The poor Lady surprised at this so displeasing a proposal stood in the greatest amazement that ever soul was troubled with and if I should tell you it was not unlike that astonishment which a poor Traveller resents when at midnight he sees his fellow thunder-strook just by his side I should make you but a faint resemblance of it But after some few minutes recollecting her scattered Spirits and looking upon him with an eye that at once pitied and condemned his passion she thus answer'd him Remove noble Sir that Afffection that will be equally troublesome to both of us I cannot imagine how this Miserable Face should gain me that esteem you are pleas'd to obleige me with and I think more Charitably of all Men then to think any one can be so much mistaken and have forfeited their Reason and Judgment as to Love her who may justly be contem'd of all the World and there to place an Obligation where it would be counted an injurie In a word for that very Love's sake you say you have for me forgo
How his hard fate oppos'd his sweet intent For a warm Mistress a cold Monument Hot Devils must caress our Paramour Hot as his lust nor then his flames more pure His lust could ne're with the Chast Saint agree As Heaven and Hell have their Antipathy How safely may the Saint her foes despise The Devil himself destroys her Enemies Lust and Devil do the Saint surround Enclos'd her goodness does the more abound Incompas'd with a Stew she Chaster is Christians have their Antiperistasis THe Lady continued in her Devotion and the People out of respect to the Young Symphronius ceased their Incivilities and seeing him stay somthing long within imagined he was about his pleasures and therefore entered not in for a considerable time But at last seeing he came not out suspecting by the success of the former Intruders that the fair Witch for they could not allow any better Title might have kil'd him they rush'd in and found the poor Lover cold and pale upon the Ground and immediately cried out the Sorceress hath kil'd the Son of the Governour they all pursued to the Stake with her to revenge the Gods and the Governour This lamentable news presently arrived at the Governours ears who half Distracted at it run furiously to the Stew and approaching the Holy Agnes Dam'd Sorceress cried he out why shouldst thou destroy a Person whose only fault was his too well loving thee Is this your Christian Conscience And could his Affection render him so great a Criminel Ah! cruel ungrateful Woman He was going on when the good Lady extreamly afflicted too hear her Innocence abus'd so No Sir she cried out and interrupted him I did not kill your Son but that Master he serv'd the Devil Blast not my Innocence but impute the Death of your Symphronius to him that was the cause of it No cruel one said he impatiently thy Sorceries have produc'd it and rob'd me of the greatest comfort I had in the world But why for Heavens sake did'st thou spare the rest that came into the Chamber to thee and only destine my poor Boy to so severe a Punishment The rest said the Lady came not upon so bad a Design as thy Son did and the just God would seperate the guitly from the Innocent Thou lyest said the enrag'd Father He was not guilty he was Good and Innocent and thou art the only Criminel or if thou wilt clear thy Innnocence and shew what thy God can do of whose power you talke of so much give me my Son alive again and I will pronounce thee guiltless Christians talk much of Mercy and Compassion shew us now a Proof of it and succour the most miserable Father that ever breath'd Though your Infidelity deserve it not answer'd the Holy Saint yet to shew the power and mercy of my dear Saviour I will beg his Life and doubt not but my Praiers shall restore him But think not Governour of Rome that I do this to oblige thee to rescue me No my Piety shall not be so mercinary It troubles me that that fatal Love which your Son conceived for me should render him guilty of such a Vilanie and then deliver him up to be strangled by the hands of the Devil and though I did not willingy produce that guilty Flame and though I caused it was the Innocent cause of it yet I would have procured him his Libertie by any other means then leaving my blessed Saviour and violating my most sacred Vow of a perpetual Virginitie I will therefore humblie intreat my bountiful and Almightie Lord to restore him to his Life again and that antient tranquilitie he enjoyed before my unhappie eies had destroyed it The Governour hereupon immediately retir'd and left the Saint to her Praiers It would be impossible for me to express her Pious Oraisons her Almightie Tears and Sighs that could extort what she desir'd from her blessed Jesus The Primitive method of Christian Devotion was then Vigorous and Regular and not capable to be desir'd by us that live in so prophane a Generation Her Praiers were not long they were contracted and therefore the more strong and valid A Period was included in a Word and a whole Discourse inclos'd in a Period Such powerful Petitions could not be long in producing their effects as really they were not for the Young Gentleman presently arose and to prove that the Heathen only had died and the Old Man been Buried in him he Rose up to a Christian and running out into the Street where his Father expected what the Ladies Praiers could effect he cried out with a loud voice there is only one God and that God is the God of the Christians SO rais'd And by his Mistriss too alone This is a double Resurrection She from whose hand he could receive his death Without a Sigh and Smile away bis breath Does bountifully life and health conferre Now doubly wellcome ' cause they came from her From her sweet lips life doth new charms derive And makes our happy Lover more then live He lives and does a Christian become Born in the Grave regenerate in the Tomb. Say Christians what a sweet divorce was this How Lovly such a Separation is He dy'd but only dy'd to live again As he 's regenerate that 's a Christian So after a debauch I 've often seen When sence and reason both were put out clean A gentle slumber lock the heavy eies And steal upon the Soul by soft surprise But when these pleasing slumbers go again Then from the Beast there rises up a man Ah! happy Soul 't was worth the dying so By Death to banish Death and wo by wo. While from Eternal pains short pains retrive And dying once thou dost for ever live Baptis'd in Death turn'd Christian in the Grave What need he fear that Death it self can save PIous Martyr thou for all his outrages and violence which his extravagant Love made him commit dost graciously pardon him and by thy holy Praiers freest him from that Death he had endured and deserved to give him the hopes of Eternal Life and Glory in making him commence a Christian How Divine is this Act of thine gracious Lady how well dost thou Imitate thy God in this That oftentimes denies us what we desire when we beg those things that may hurt us and gives us what his infinite Wisedom knows most convenient Thou would'st not grant him what his immoderate affection made him desire thou woul'st not cease to be what thou wast but mad'st thy Lover like thy self a Christian and mad'st him approve of thy blessed choice and Love thy dearest Lord almost as ardently as thy self The People were distracted at so strange an incounter The Priests being the most concern'd Persons were the first that demanded St. Agnes and cried out that her Sorceries and Blasphemies could no other way be expiated but by Flames and then threatned them with the fury of the Gods if such offences were left unpunish'd The giddy Rabble