neere her heart it left her tongue And silent the gaue time to note whence sprung Mens want of Peace which was from want of loue And I observ'd now what that peace did proue That men made shift with did so much please For now the Sunne declining to the Seas Made long misshapen shadowes and true Peace Here waâ—king in his Beames cast such encrease Of shaddowe from her that I saw it glide Through Citties Courts and Countryes and descride How in her shadowe only men there liv'd While shee walkt here i th Sunne and all that thriv'd Hid in that shade their thrift nought but her shade Was Bullwarke gainst all warre that might inuade Their Countries or their Consciences since Loue That should giue Peace her substance now they droue Into the Deserts where hee sufferd Fate And whose sad Funerals Beasts must celebrate With whom I freely wisht I had beene nurst Because they follow Nature at their wurst And at their best did teach her As wee went I felt a scruple which I durst not vent No not to Peace her selfe whom it concernd For feare to wrong her So well I haue learnd To shun iniustice euen to doues or flies But to the Diuell or the Destinies Where I am iust and knowe I honour Truth I le speake my thoughts in scorne of what ensu'th Yet not resolv'd in th' other there did shine A Beame of Homers fre'er soule in mine That made me see I might propose my doubt Which was If this were true Peace I found out That felt such passion I prov'd her sad part And prayd her call her voice out of her hart There kept a wrongfull prisoner to her woe To answere why shee was afflicted so Or how in her such contraries could fall That taught all ioy and was the life of all Shee aunswered Homer tould me that there are Passions in which corruption hath no share There is a ioy of soule and why not then A griefe of soule that is no skathe to men For both are Passions though not such as raigne In blood and humor that engender paine Free sufferance for the truth makes sorrow sing And mourning farre more sweet then banqueting Good that deserueth ioy receiuing ill Doth merit iustly as much sorrow still And is it a corruption to do right Griefe that dischargeth Conscience is delight One sets the other off To stand at gaze In one position is a stupide maze Fit for a Statue This resolv'd me well That Griefe in Peace and Peace in Griefe might dwell And now fell all things from their naturall Birth Passion in Heauen Stupiditie in Earth Inuerted all the Muses Vertues Graces Now sufferâ— rude and miserable chaces From mens societies to that desert heath And after them Religion chac't by death Came weeping bleeding to the Funerall Sought her deare Mother Peace and downe did fall Before her fainting on her horned knees Turnd horne with praying for the miseries She left the world in desperate in their sinne Marble her knees pearc't but heauen could not winne To stay the weightie ruine of his Glorie In her sad Exile all the memorie Of heauen and heauenly things rac't of all hands Heauen moues so farre off that men say it stands And Earth is turnd the true and mouing Heauen And so t is left and so is all Truth driuen From her false bosome all is left alone Till all bee orderd with confusion Thus the poore broode of Peace driuen distrest Lay brooded all beneath their mothers breast Who fell vpon them weeping as they fell All were so pinde that she containde them well And in this Chaos the digestion And beautie of the world lay thrust and throwne In this deiection Peace pourd out her Teares Worded with some pause in my wounded Eares INVOCATIO O ye three-times-thrice sacred Quiristers Of Gods great Temple the small Vniuerse Of ruinous man thus prostrate as ye lye Brooded and Loded with Calamitie Contempt and shame in your true mother Peace As you make sad my soule with your misease So make her able fitly to disperse Your sadnesse and her owne in sadder verse Now olde and freely banisht with your selues From mens societies as from rockes and shelues Helpe me to sing and die on our Thames shore And let her lend me her waues to deplore In yours and your most holy Sisters falls Heauens fall and humane Loues last funeralls And thou great Prince of men let thy sweete graces Shine on these teares and drie at length the faces Of Peace and all her heauen-allyed brood From whose Doues eyes is shed the precious blood Of Heauens deare Lamb that freshly bleeds in them Make these no toyes then gird the Diadem Of thrice great Britaine with their Palm and Bayes And with thy Eagles feathers daigne to raise The heauie body of my humble Muse That thy great Homers spirit in her may vse Her topless flight and beare thy Fame aboue The reach of Mortalls and their earthy loue To that high honour his Achilles wonne And make thy glory farre out-shine the Sunne While this small time gaue Peace in her kinde Throes Vent for the violence of her sodaine woes She turnd on her right side and leaning on Her tragique daughters bosome lookt vpon My heauy lookes drownd in imploring teares For her and that so wrongd deare Race of hers At which euen Peace exprest a kinde of Spleene And as a carefull Mother I haue seene Chide her lov'd Childe snatcht with som feare from danger So Peace chid me and first shed teares of anger The Teares of Peace Peace THou wretched man whome I discouer borne To want and sorrowe and the Vulgars scorne Why haunt'st thou freely these vnhaunted places Emptie of pleasures empty of all Graces Fashions and Riches by the best pursude With broken Sleepe Toyle Loue Zeale Seruitude With feare and trembling with whole liues and Soules While thou break'st sleepes digst vnder Earth like moules To liue to seeke me out whome all men fly And think'st to finde light in obscuritie Eternitie in this deepe vale of death Look'st euer vpwards and liu'st still beneath Fill'st all thy actions with strife what to thinke Thy Braine with Ayre and skatterst it in inke Of which thou mak'st weeds for thy soule to weare As out of fashion as the bodies are Interlo I grant their strangenesse and their too ill grace And too much wretchednesse to beare the face Or any likenesse of my soule in them Whose Instruments I rue with many a Streame Of secret Teares for their extream defects In vttering her true forms but their respects Need not be less'ned for their being strange Or not so vulgar as the rest that range With headlong Raptures through the multitude Of whom they get grace for their being rude Nought is so shund by Virtue throwne from Truth As that which drawes the vulgar Dames and Youth Pea. Truth must confesse it for where lâ—ues there one That Truth or Vertue for themselues alone Or seekes or not contemns
men they study hard Not to get knowledge but for meere rewarde And therefore that true knowledge that should be Their studies end and is in Nature free Will not be made their Broker hauing powre With her sole selfe to bring both Bride and dowre They haue some shadowes of her as of me Adulterate outward Peace but neuer see Her true and heauenly face Yet those shades serue Like errant Knights that by enchantments swerue From their true Ladyes being and embrace An ougly Witch with her phantastique face To make them thinke Truths substance in their arms Which that they haue not but her shadowes charmes See if my proofes be like their Arguments That leaue Opinion still her free dissents They haue not me with them that all men knowe The highest fruite that doth of knowledge grow The Bound of all true formes and onely Act If they be true they rest nor can be rackt Out of their posture by Times vtmost strength But last the more of force the more of length For they become one substance with the Soule Which Time with all his adiuncts shall controule But since men wilfull may beleeue perchance In part of Errors two-folde Ignorance Ill disposition their skills looke as hie And rest in that diuine Securitie See if their liues make proofe of such a Peace For Learnings Truth makes all lifes vain war cease It making peace with God and ioines to God Whose information driues her Period Through all the Bodies passiue Instruments And by reflection giues them Soule-contents Besides from perfect Learning you can neuer Wisedome with her faire Reigne of Passions seuer For Wisdome is nought else then Learning fin'd And with the vnderstanding Powre combin'd That is a habite of both habits standing The Bloods vaine humours euer countermaunding But if these showe more humour then th'vnlearn'd If in them more vaine passion be discern'd More mad Ambition more lust more deceipt More showe of golde then gold then drosse less weight If Flattery Auarice haue their soules so giuen Headlong and with such diuelish furies driuen That fooles may laugh at their imprudencie And Villanes blush at their dishonestie Where is true Learning proov'd to separate these And seate all forms in her Soules height in peace Raging Euripus that in all their Pride Driues Shippes gainst roughest windes with his fierce Tide And ebbes and flowes seuen times in euerie daie Toyles not on Earth with more irregulare swaye Nor is more turbulent and mad then they And shine like gould-worms whom you hardly finde By their owne light not seene but heard like winde But this is Learning To haue skill to throwe Reignes on your bodies powres that nothing knowe And fill the soules powers so with act and art That she can curbe the bodies angrie part All preturbations all affects that stray From their one obiect which is to obay Her Soueraigne Empire as her selfe should force Their functions onely to serue her discourse And that to beat the streight path of one ende Which is to make her substance still contend To be Gods Image in informing it With knowledge holy thoughts and all formes fit For that eternitie ye seeke in way Of his sole imitation and to sway Your lifes loue so that hee may still be Center To all your pleasures and you here may enter The next lifes peace in gouerning so well Your sensuall parts that you as free may dwell Of vulgare Raptures here as when calme death Dissolues that learned Empire with your Breath To teach and liue thus is the onely vse And end of Learning Skill that doth produce But tearmes and tongues and Parrating of Arte Without that powre to rule the errant part Is that which some call learned ignorance A serious trifle error in a trance And let a Scholler all earths volumes carrie He will be but a walking dictionarie A meere articulate Clocke that doth but speake By others arts when wheeles weare or springs breake Or any fault is in him hee can mend No more then clockes but at set howres must spend His mouth as clocks do If too fast speech goe Hee cannot stay it nor haste if too slowe So that as Trauaylers seeke their peace through storms In passing many Seas for many forms Of forreigne gouernment indure the paine Of many faces seeing and the gaine That Strangers make of their strange-louing humors Learn tongues keep note books all to feed the tumors Of vaine discourse at home or serue the course Of State employment neuer hauing force T' employ themselues but idle complements Must pay their paines costs slaueries all their Rents And though they many men knowe get few friends So couetous Readers setting many endes To their much skill to talke studiers of Phrase Shifters in Art to flutter in the Blaze Of ignorant count'nance to obtaine degrees And lye in Learnings bottome like the Lees To be accounted deepe by shallow men And carue all Language in one glorious Pen May haue much fame for learning but th' effect Proper to perfect Learning to direct Reason in such an Art as that it can Turne blood to soule and make both one calme man So making peace with God doth differ farre From Clearkes that goe with God man to warre Int. But may this Peace and mans true Empire then By learning be obtainde and taught to men Pea. Let all men iudge who is it can denie That the rich crowne of ould Humanitie Is still your birth-right and was ne're let downe From heauen for rule of Beasts liues but your owne You learne the depth of Arts and curious dare By them in Natures counterfaits compare Almost with God to make perpetually Motion like heauens to hang sad Riuers by The ayre in ayre and earth twixt earth and heauen By his owne paise And are these vertues giuen To powrefull Art and Vertue 's selfe denied This proues the other vaine and falsified Wealth Honour and the Rule of Realmes doth fall In lesse then Reasons compasse yet what all Those things are giuen for which is liuing well Wants discipline and reason to compell O foolish men how many waies ye vex Your liues with pleasing them and still perplex Your liberties with licence euery way Casting your eyes and faculties astray From their sole obiect If some few bring forth In Nature freely something of some worth Much rude and worthlesse humour runs betwixt Like fruit in deserts with vile matter mixt Nor since they flatter flesh so they are bould As a most noble spectacle to behould Their owne liues and like sacred light to beare There Reason inward for the Soule in feare Of euerie sort of vice shee there containes Flies out and wanders about other mens Feeding and fatting her infirmities And as in auntient Citties t' was the guise To haue some Ports of sad and haplesse vent Through which all executed men they sent All filth all off all cast from what purg'd sinne Nought chaste or sacred there going out or in So through mens refuse
that contraction by the God of men Of all the lawe and Prophets layd vpon The tempting Lawyer were a lode that None Had powre to stand beneath If Gods deare loue Thy Conscience do not at first sight approue Deare aboue all things And so passe this shelfe To loue withall thy Neighbour as thy selfe Not loue as much but as thy selfe in this To let it be as free as thine owne is Without respect of profit or reward Deceipt or flatterie politique regard Or anie thing but naked Charitie Interlo I call euen God himselfe to testifie For men I know but fewe that farre aboue All to be here desir'd I rate his loue Thanks to his still-kist-hand that so hath fram'd My poore and abiect life and so inflam'd My soule with his sweete all-want-seasoning loue In studying to supply though not remoue My desert fortunes and vnworthinesse With some wisht grace from him that might expresse His presence with me and so dignifie My life to creepe on earth behold the skie And giue it meanes enough for this lowe plight Though hitherto with no one houres delight Heartie or worthie but in him alone Who like a carefull guide hath hal'd me on And euery minute sinking made we swimme To this calme Shore hid with his Sonne in him And here ay me as trembling I looke back I fall againe and in my hauen wracke Still being perswaded by the shamelesse light That these are dreames of my retired Night That all my Reading Writing all my paines Are serious trifles and the idle vaines Of an vnthriftie Angell that deludes My simple fancie and by Fate extendes My Birth-accurst life from the blisse of men And then my hands I wring my bosome then Beate and could breake ope fill th' inraged Ayre And knock at heauen with sighs inuoke Despaire At once to free the tyr'd Earth of my lode That these recoiles that Reason doth explode Religion damns and my arm'd Soule defies Wrastles with Angels telling Heauen it lies If it denie the truth his Spirit hath writ Grauen in my soule and there eternisde it Should beat me from that rest and that is this That these prodigious Securities That all men snore-in drowning in vise liues The Soules of men because the bodie thriues Are Witch-crafts damnable That all learnings are Foolish and false that with those vile liues square That these sowre wizzards that so grauely scorne Learning with good life kinde gainst kinde suborne And are no more wise then their shades are men Which as my finger can goe to my Penne I can demonstrate that our knowledges Which we must learne if euer we professe Knowledge of God or haue one Notion true Are those which first and most we should pursue That in their searches all mens actiue liues Are so farre short of their contemplatiues As Bodies are of Soules This life of Next And so much doth the Forme and whole Context Of matter seruing one exceede the other That Heauen our Father is as Earth our Mother And therefore in resemblance to approue Who are the true bredde fatherd by his loue As Heauen it selfe doth only virtually Mix with the Earth his Course still keeping hie And Substance vndisparag'd though his Beames Are dround in many dung-hils and their Steames To vs obscure him yet he euer shines So though our soules beames digge in bodies Mines To finde them rich discourses through their Senses And meet with many myddins of offences Whose Vapours choke their Organes yet should they Disperse them by degrees because their swaie In Powre is absolute And in that Powre shine As firme as heauen heauen nothing so diuine All this I holde and since that all truth else That all else knowe or can holde staies and dwelles On these grounds vses and should all contend Knowing our birth here serues but for this end To make true meanes and waies t' our second life To plie those studies and holde euery strife To other ends more then to amplifie Adorne and sweeten these deseruedly As balls cast in our Race and but grasse knitt From both sides of our Path t' ensnare our wit And thus because the gaudie vulgar light Burns vp my good thoughts form'd in temperate Night Rising to see the good Moone oftentimes Like the poore virtues of these vicious times Labour as much to lose her light as when She fills her waning horns And how like men Raisd to high Places Exhalations fall That would be thought Starres I le retire from all The hot glades of Ambition Companie That with their vainenesse make this vanitie And coole to death in shaddowes of this vale To which end I will cast this Serpents skale This loade of life in life this fleshie stone This bond and bundle of corruption This breathing Sepulcher this spundge of griefe This smiling Enemie this household-thiefe This glasse of ayre broken with lesse then breath This Slaue bound face to face to death till death And consecrate my life to you and yours In which obiection if that Powre of Powers That hath reliev'd me thus farre with a hand Direct and most immediate still will stand Betwixt me and the Rapines of the Earth And giue my poore paines but such gratious birth As may sustaine me in my desert Age With some powre to my will I still will wage Warre with that false Peace that exileth you And in my prayd for freedome euer vow Teares in these shades for your teares till mine eyes Poure out my soule in better sacrifise Peace Nor doubt good friend but God to whom I see Your friendlesse life conuerted still will be A rich supply for friends And still be you Sure Conuertite to him This this way rowe All to their Countrie Thinke how hee hath shew'd You wayes and by wayes what to bee pursew'd And what auoyded Still in his hands be If you desire to liue or safe or free No longer dayes take Nature doth exact This resolution of thee and this fact The Foe hayles on thy head and in thy Face Insults and trenches leaues thee no worlds grace The walles in which thou art besieged shake Haue done Resist no more but if you take Firme notice of our speech and what you see And will adde paines to write all let it be Divulged too Perhappes of all some one May finde some good But might it touch vpon Your gratious Princes liking hee might doe Good to himselfe and all his kingdomes too So virtuous a great Example is And that hath thankt as small a thing as this Here being stuffe and forme for all true Peace And so of all mens perfect Happinesse To which if hee shall lend his Princely eare And giue commandement from your selfe to heare My state tell him you know me and that I That am the Crowne of Principalitie Though thus cast off by Princes euer vow Attendance at his foote till I may growe Vp to his bosome which being deaw'd in time With these my Teares may to my comforts clyme Which when all