To see from whence and for what wondrous cause This radiant Torch so rich a splendor showes But all 's in vain nor Art nor Nature may I'ts scite light motion to the world display For all of those are in this subject rare Divine miraculous extraordinare But he from whom Nature first beg'd her light And hidden Science by his artlesse might Inspires those Sages and doth make them see This Star's the Prodrome of that Majestie By whom the Sonnes of Japhet now are led Within the Tents of Shem to hide their head Fie on thee Juda Salem fie on thee Why didst not thou as well as they foresee The glorious sun-shine of thy Visitation And greet the worker of this great Salvation But ah thy snorting dreams did thee deceive For thou didst still imagine thou shouldst have A Prince of such a temporall arm and power As to a honny-sweet should change thy sowre But loe whilst thou in darknesse lov'st to sleep A Nation com'th from farre and stately keep Their festivals of Joy thy Tents about Whilst thou and eke thy children are thrust out O God whence com'th't that those above the rest Have known thy Starre and so themselves addrest In paths of toyl and tedious pilgrimage To searrh thy birth as they did see thy badge Could Nature or her handmaid Art discover Thy Star or it distinguish from another No surrely no Combine them both in one And both shall teach us but confusion For without grace the naturall Man 's a foole And Arts chief Doctor when he sits at Schoole And doth investigate Heav'ns Earth and Aire And all those hoasts which Capriolls here or there In Natures precincts still the more he sees Arts hidden secrets Natures mysteries And sees not God the more his wit shall serve To glut his fancy but his soule to starve Thus they being led by the Celestiall light Through rocky Deserts and the toyls of night Doe come at last to Bethlehems walls and there This Torch stands fluttering o're them in the aire Till by thy guiding grace they doe espie The place wherein this Monarch-Prince doth lie No sooner doe they this sweet Babe behold Then by heav'ns inspiration they are bold T' unload their asses and their Camels backs T'untrusse their fardles and ungird their sacks And lay these sumptuous presents richly sweet Gold Mirhe and Incense at the Sucklings feet Whether they by Prophetick spirit did see His Kingdome Priesthood and his Prophecie Or if that by affections naturall Vain They thus doe greet him as their Soveraign I struggle not too much Let this suffice That in Religious awe they bow their knees And with a sacred sweet consorting voyce Thus doe they greet him and thus they rejoyce Thrice great thrice blessed and thrice holy Lord By whose Majestick uncontrolled Word What e're was fram'd within the point of Time Or hath a being in the aâ—â—r'd Clime Whose right hand doth from all Etern'ty bear Our clasped Issues unshun'd Kalendar Whose wisdome pow'r and deep providence guides The Delian Princesse in her sev'rall tides How boldly may we now rejoice and sing And call the carroling beav'ns thy praise to ring Who mak'st thy wondrous light to shine even there Where death made darknesse his Cubiculare Of old whilst Jacob was desir'd to blesse Josephs two sonnes with a Prophetick kisse He wisely cross'd his armes and his right hand He puts on Ephraims head where he did stand And on Manasseh made his left hand stay And so by practice he did prophecy That Japhets seed should dwell i' th' tents of Shem. And eke Manasseh bow to Ephraim This day we see that Vaticiny true Whilst we wilde prodigals our necks subdue To thee our God making Manasses share Rich as the vintage of Abiezer Since Israel therefore will not heare heare then You Heav'ns and Earth and shame the sonnes of Shem For we will praise th' Eternall and record The never failing goodnesse of the Lord. O blessed Babe how great art thou what store Of blessings girds thy Loyns for evermore For thou art he who dost exalt the horn Of Judah and his Pallaces adorn With bowls of Nectar and Ambrosian dyet And mak'st her graze in pastures of true quiet The Scepter of true Government 's on thy shoulder And thou shalt crush thy foes to dust and powder On Davids throne thou as his Sonne shalt sit In Judgment and in Truth t' establish it Yea Peace and Plenty shall thy steps attend And of thy Kingdom there shall be no end O loving Childe how lovely-faire art thou How sparkling are thy eyes how sweet thy brow How fragrant are the odours that distill On thee from Gilead and Hermonims hill Amongst the flowr's thou' rt chief the Rose the Lilly The Pink the Turn-sol and the Daffadilly Have no such odorif'rous smell or taste As thou reverb'rat'st from the West to th' East Live ' then sweet Babe the miracle of Time Earths mighty Champion Balm of humane crime Let thy great voyce in Peace resound throughout Earths flowry kirtle and Seas glassie spout That so thy favour in each part may be Immortall Nectar to Posteritie O what are we great God what 's our deserving That to confirme our faith so prone to swerving Thou dost thus shake heav'ns solid Orb and make Thy selfe a Vassall for a Vassals sake O that we could discern aright and know What duty service feare and love we owe Thee for that endlesse love wherewith thou hast Reclaim'd us from our wandrings to thy rest Teach us ô teach us so to run our race In patience and in patience to possesse Our Soules that thou at thy great day may'st clear Our Aegypt to a Goshen's hemisphear And change the tenour of our tragick story To the Catastroph ' of an endlesse glory The Massacre CANTO 7o. DIstraction tumult teares oppression jarre VVrath causlesse envy cruell murther warre Yea all those woes which Fury can forth bring Are now the Discant which my Muse must sing For whilst of late th' Eternall did invite By secret motions of his sacred Sp'rit Three Eastern Sages wisely to imbrace Th' occasion of their long long-look'd-for peace Like to Apollo's Priests intranc'd they rove From Herod's Palace to the Courts of Jove And with a thundring voyce they roare and cry Where 's Juryes King where where 's that Royall boy In whom the heav'ns have daign'd t' exalt the Throne Of Sions hopelesse Desolation His Star hath brought us from our home-bred joyes From ease from rest and from our quirks and toyes And made us tread those paths of sad exile T' imbrace the comforts of our widow-while Scarce had they breath'd those accents of unrest When vulture-feare layes hold on Herod's brest In such a sort that curs'd Erynnis crew Doe both his senses and his soule subdue What 's this I heare quoth he what threats be those Those wandring Pilgrims to the heav'ns up-throwes What brainsick tidings of a new-born King Are those which now through Jewryes Coasts do ring
I know not what you think him worthy sure I think him guilty shamefull death t' indure To this they all applaud with acclamation O let him die and perish from this Nation Yet once more proudly doth the Priest enquire Him of his Doctrine and Disciples Ire And rapid rage doth to his soule possesse That Truth and Conscience with him have no place Christ answers In your Synagogues have I Still taught and by me nothing secretly Is done or said enquire of them therefore Who heard me let them witnesse lesse or more By this one of those slaves who stood neer by Doth smite him on the face most vil'nously And ads this motto to his cruell blow What Villaine dost thou answer th' High-Priest so Christ meekly replyes If I have spoke wrong Beare witnesse of it but if thus my tongue Hath spoke the truth why smit'st thou me 't may be Some higher hand repay thy villanie Ah me my God how hath this High Priest still Spoke prophecy although against his will Of late he said it was expedient that One for the nation should be immolat And now he sayes he 's guilty to the death And so both truth and lye pronounced hath O what a vaticiny what a word Is this that Caiaphas doth now afford Guilty he was to die the death he come And yet not guilty to the death as some Man born in sinne to die the death is born Because by sinne he 's guilty and forelorne But he did neither sinne nor know trespasse For Gods 〈◊〉 ' â—â— Lambe and Sonne he was And therefore since he knew not sinne no death Ov'r him or power or jurisdiction hath Yet guilty was he for 〈◊〉 guilt he tooke And by the way for 〈…〉 of the brooke And so was guilty made to death for loe His bodies death must our soules death ov'rthrow Thus was he guilty to the death and yet Nor guilt nor death his innocence did fit His was the death the guilt was ours and so Both from the guilt and death w' are free to goe Next to this censure all those catyss still With excrements his glorious face doe spill And though the glorious hoast of heav'n are bold In him to gaze Gods wisdome manifold Yet muffling up his face they hood-wink's eyes Then crave in scorn to heare his Prophecies This not enough they be not yet content T' afflict his body and his soule torment But what is more to Pilat's civill power They lead him there to have his death made sure From out the High Priests house and hall he 's led And unto Pilat's hall is carried Tumultuous crowds of people run along To make their malice and their griefe more strong And in Iudibrious manner thus doe cry Here 's Naz'reths Propher pray you make him way Pilat affrighted with the Convocation Comes forth and cals the head o' th' Combination And asks the cause of this their concourse for Such stirre Jerus'lem had not seen before Yet ere the Roman Depute will approve Their combination he doth gravely move This question to them What hath this man done Or gainst the State or gainst Religion If he had nor a malefactour been Say they to Pilate sure thou hadst not seen Us stand as supplicants before thy doore Nor had we ever judg'd him by thy pow'r O cruell catiffes irreligious you Who act such murther under pieties show To Pilat's house you come but will not enter As if his house were hells condemning center Woe woe to you Scribes Pharisees and Priests You rav'ning Wolves dissembling Hypocrites Why doe you think by ' xternall rites and showes To purge that poyson in your hearts ov'rflowes Why doe you make your platter clean without While as the fountain's poyson'd round about Why doe you guild your graves with pretious stones Whose richest linings are but rotten bones Why doe you wash your hands so oft with water While as your hearts be lust and prides Theater It is not Pilat's roof nor Pilat's wall Nor the corruption of his Judgements hall Can make you so unclean or so impure As doth your sinfull soules distemp'rature For what is from without cannot so much Defile the Man as doth the hearts hid touch But thus th' Almighty hath decreed and thus You have determin'd by a secret push To catch the innocent unto your snare While as your words be soft and smoothly faire But he who in the highest heav'ns doth dwell Can both your fraud detect and pride repell And will in his own time your plots repay Upon your pates with woe and weal-away Jesus now stands before the Pagan Judge And from his fury findeth no refuge Pilat enquires him Art thou Juries King I am saith he without dissembling But in this world my Kingdome hath no place Nor hath this world a portion of my grace Pilat then on his Judgements feat fits down And once more asks him of Judaeas Crown And tels him that if he that Crown should claim Then should he wrong Augustus Diadem Not I saith he let Caesar have what 's his And God what 's God's no other thing I wish But while this Roman on his bench doth sit His wife did by her letter him intreat Yea she adjures him that he should not touch That just man for saith she I 've suffer'd much Concerning him this last night in my sleep The gods preserve thee and thy conscience keep That unto him thou doe no wrong nor harm For feare hath giv'n my soule a sad alarme This Pilat reads but 's deafe to such a tale Where will doth govern words will not prevaile He therefore calls the multitude aloud Heare mut'nous you and hark you envious croud Whom will you that at this your solemne feast I should let loose to you what think you best Here have we Barrabas a murth'ring thiefe Will you that he goe loose and have reliefe Or shall we let this Jesus goe pray tell For your desire shall be my Centinell O Barrabas say they let him goe free But for this Jesus him let 's Crucifie VVell then saith Pilat since it must be so Him shall you have and Barrabas shall goe Yet bring me here some water water 's brought And for dissimulation lacketh nought His hands he washeth his dissembling heart Stands still corrupt and foul in every part Yet doth he call Come malecontented you To this just man take heed what you shall doe For in him I doe finde no fault at all Why one haire of his head to ground should fall I therefore to your conscience doe appeale To Church to Councell and to Common-weale That from his blood I stand this day as free As be my hands from their impurity Alas vain Pilot hadst thou cleans'd thy heart As thou hast wash'd thy hands then sure no part Of this mans blood should have against thee cry'd Then should both heart and hand been purifi'd But since one thing thou sayst and dost another Thy words shall not thy foule transgression smother In short time thou
Serve gainst the Philistims for sword and rod When Jabin's yoak the wearied necks did gall Of Jacob's seed and gloried in their fall How did brave Deborah by the conqu'ring hand Of Barak Jabin's boasting troops withstand And made their Generall Siserah in the tent Of Jael try Ambitions just event How did brave Gideon's barly-cake and lamp Couch'd in an earthen-pitcher daunt the Camp Of Midian that so their night-bred dreame Prov'd but a presage to their mornings Scaene How did bold Sampson peerless-pearle of Arms Burst Gazae's gate-bars and unlock the charmes Of Dalilah and make an Asse jaw-bone Drunke with the blood of Gath and Askelon In end what Nymrod or what Anak stern Could ev'r their fame or honor so etern As hath the Son of Jesse who at first Did kill a Lyon and a wilde Boare burst Then by a peeble which hee lately took From the sweet verge of a pure glyding brook Did so subdue th'heathen Goliah's rage Who did blaspheme th'Eternal's-heritage That now wee see nor bragging breaths nor boasts Can save or kill as doth the Lord of hosts All those like stars in dark Cymerian night Adorn'd their Orb with some small gleams of light But being obfuscat by a cleerer ray Have been the Prodroms of this better day Our never setting Sun is now arisen And by his rayes irradiats our Horizon In such a sort that those glow wormes may goe And spend their luster and their per'shing show Amongst the purblind wofull ignorants Of Mexica or Magallanae's Tents Our way 's made known why walk we not therein Our Truth 's declar'd why live we then to sin Our life 's proclam'd why are we then dismai'd Of death or hell why should we bee afraid Hath not our Goell our great kinsman come To pay our morgage and redeem our sum And that upon our blood-shedder he may The stroke of Justice awfully repay Loe to the desert now he hies him there In all our suff'rings as copartiner That David like he may that Gyant foyl Who in th'Eternalls hoast hath wrought such spoyl And ever blessed be his glorious Name Who comming up from Jordans chrystall stream No sooner from his foot doth wipe the water When to th' Arabians desert wilde Theater He 's led by that same spirit which like a Dove Did from the heav'ns proclaim him our soules Love That in our flesh as he our seale did take So in it he might tryumph for our sake For no such mediator we must have As scornes our griefes infirmities or grave But such a one as being exempt from sin In all things else must run the race we run Thrice three ten yeers hath my Redeemer now Liv'd in the world and yet for ought I know Sathan untill this time durst ne'er be bold ' Gainst him to set a snare his foot t' enfold His privat life 't may be procur'd his ease His publike charge must taste of trecheries Like Jacob who with Laban whil'st he stayes Had Peace and rest and amorous quirks and playes But being call'd by God to get him home False hearted Laban after him can come And search his stuffe prepar'd to doe him wrong Unlesse the mighty God of strongs the strong Had curb'd him in his night bred Visions so That maugre envy he must let him goe Whil'st Moses stayes in Aegypt Pharo's daughter Preserves him safe from Pharoh's threatned slaughter But when he comes for Israels reliefe He ' mongst the sonnes of persecution's chiefe Whil'st David kept his fathers Ewes in peace To God he warbled Hymns and Odes of grace But call'd to Court and to the stage of fame Wrath rancour envy plyes his Diadem So whil'st my Saviour both by Incarnation And by the highest heav'ns Inauguration Stands as the very sonne of God and Man Anoynted our Redeeming Soveraign Loe neither can the seale nor gift of grace Exempt him from hels envy'n any case For grace cannot prevent it may repell The stratagems of Perdue Centiuell But still the more the Lord with grace decores us The stronger fetters Sathan sett's before us O God therefore since thy Sonne is not free But grace it self must taste of enmitie What carefull watchings should we wormlings take ' Gainst this perfidious spirituall Amaleck Who daring to assail the head shall sure The heels destruction if he can procure Since then I see it is that glorious Spirit Which he from all etern'ty did inherit Ev'n that great spirit of th' Almighty God Whose word comforts us under whose sharpe rod The very hell doth tremble whose high hand None of thy creatures could e're yet withstand Who rideth on the blustring windes swift wings Who makes the Clouds his messengers who brings Or penury or plenty by his rain Who walketh dry-foot on the Ocean Why should we in tentations deepest jarre Feare Chance or Fortunes lying Kalendar For all the pow'rs of darknesse and of hell Cannot make one haire of our head to fall Till he whose pow'r and pleasure plac'd them there Bids either Justice smite or Mercy spare For he it is who leads us to our fight And sends us blowes according to our might And wheresoe're we fight he goes along Both to encourage us and make us strong And when w'have fought our fight gives us reward As his deep wisedome hath for us prepar'd I magnifie my Saviour then who here Doth boldly in Tentations lists appeare And by his rare example tells us how To keep our posture and our foes subdue The Philistims by Sampson smarting sore And often did his Dalilah implore She would by all meanes possible but try Wherein his strength and sinewy force did lye That knowing that they might him so dis-arm As never after they might feare his harm Then O how carefull should we be to learn And in our halcyon dayes and times discern The traps the snares and the bewitching tricks That 's put before us by the Prince of Styx That so foreseeing his Engines we may Or burst his snares or safely flie away Loe how Colossus like in Horebs plain He stands thence skips to Neboes top again From thence to Sions pinacle he flies Like lightnings flashes darting through the skies Never did Proteus with more change of shape Beguile the world than doth this trickling Ape With change of colours feature form and all My Masters fixed sense sense seek to enthrall Three deeply poyson'd darts are in his hand Which flesh and blood alone could ne're withstand The lust of heart is one Lifes pride another The lust of th' eye is third their first-born brother And he who from all those can keep him free Hath more than flesh and bloods excellency For he who in the Van doth play his part May in the Main battalion shrink and smart And who hath fought them both may in the Reer Prove worthy nothing but a sod Cashiere The first daâ—t then about his head he shakes And'gainst our Master this assault he makes If it be true that heav'n hath spoke saith he If thou be