the promulgation Of this great Law issued a Proclamation Commanding as it went to each degree This lowd proclaiming Summons Let there be Let is a word of Power There shewes the place Be is all Being Order and due Grace And altogether with one Let there be Giues vs faire Light for eu'ry one to see And with that Light doth summon conuent In Heau'n Aire Earth a Royall Parliament Of pow'rfull wise and gracefull Senators True Lamps of Light and Christall-shining Mirrors Who with that Word of Power no sooner had Their due creating summons but all glad Of such a Birth-right to that word of might Light threefold Intellectuall Celestiall Elementall Humbly did Eccho forth Let there be Light Light Intellectuall in th' Angellick Mansion Celestiall Light within the faire Expansion And in these Elementall Orbes downe lower A Light of Fire to cherish not deuoure And so as Light by Light created was From those true Lights an Act of Light did passe Approu'd in all three Courts and by the King Establisht as an euerlasting thing Not to be darkned for this Light was ment vs To be a Law to which Le Roy assentus And therefore is enacted vnto All Not to be broke but held perpetuall Thus was there Light which in the first Creation Commanded was vvith Royall approbation Light had not onely Being but Command Was laid vpon that Light that it should stand Still in the wayes of Light Light must be Light Not stooping downe to the Errors of the Night But hold dependance on the Word of Truth That made this Light and still this Light renu'th This Light thus made this cōmmandment giuen Behold vpon the glorious Thrones of Heau'n Great Elohim the Ancient of Dayes Dan. 7. And Father of Lights did himselfe vp-raise To sit and view the bright resplendent beauty Of this first worke and with what awfull dutie Each seu'rall Lampe shone in his proper Sphere About his Palace either dimme or cleere And what their Station was Gen. 1. Then Elohim saw The Lights he made and this commanding Law Were good And so from out the euening Chaos That he no longer might in darknesse stay vs He brought the Spring-light of a cheereful morne With Light were Angels created And with that Spring-light was the first day born Then in the Vpper House incontinent Of this so great and Royall Parliament Assembled was before the dreadfull Throne Of Heau'ns Maiestick State a beautious Zone Of many Lampes round-shining in a Ring Taking their Light from their creating King And shooting forth that Light in cheerfull beames To glad this lower world like dewy streames That from the dropping clouds sweetly abound Seraphim Cherubim Thrones And fruitfull make the dry and barren ground There shone Seraphick Loue and there againe Cherubick Wisedome and that ne'r doth wayne Stayd Iudgemēt sat on Thrones of heau'nly Light With Loue Wisdome iudging what was Right And these in Number numberlesse did shine In seu'rall Orders but with such Diuine And sacred Beauty farre aboue the rest As that in place both highest and the best These did before the sacred Trinitie Stand forth the prime-elected Hierarchy Dominations Next in the middle Order Rule and Power Without all seruile Feare and then the Flower Of all faire Vertues euer preualent Vertues Potestates Vndaunted Fortitude with whom forth went True Potent Magistracie ord'ring both That neither Tyran Cruelty nor Sloth Had any place this middle distribution Receiu'd all power and gouern'd by infusion The last and lowest if in Heau'n there be Place high and low as there is of degree Are three Diuine executory Graces Principalities Archangels Angels Of warlike power in their seu'rall places Leading forth Armies Legions Regiments To guard faire Truth and front all darke Euents Whereof some held prime Principalitie As Generall Leaders in Authoritie Some intermediat Officers aduising And through the royall campe Archangelizing By Order from aboue Whilst all the rest Of this so glorious Armie stand addrest Ready to doe and fairely execute Great Elohims will not making slowe dispute Thus was Heau'ns Palace hung with shining Lamps And thus about great Elohim incampes This Royall Hoast of Lights whom could wee see And well distinguish each in their degree What glory were it But what glory more Were it to see the euerlasting dore Of Heau'n set open and behold within Vpon his Thrones the mighty Elohim Shining in Maiestie like a flame of Fire Brighter then is the Sunne His whole attire Collucent like himselfe And from his voice Issuing a floud of Fire And then the choice Nine precious Stones alluding to the nine orders of Angels Ezech. 28. Of those Eternall Lights like beautyous Stones Set in fine gold shining about those Thrones The fiery Carbuncle and Topas greene The Diamond the Berill and Sardine The many-colour'd Iasper and the Saphin That casteth forth a bright resplendent Azur And amongst others not to ouerpasse Smaragdus and the golden Chrysopras These to behold with an inabled sight And how each Lampe giues to another Light And all doe from that heauenly Fiat take That first did light them and their beauties make Light set in Iudgement Were glory beyond greatnesse But to see The King of Lights sit in his Maiestie Commanding Light Truth and with what awe Those Lights receiue that first cōmanding Law Of Light and Truth and what melodious order In casting forth their beames they keep to further Each one anothers Light as in a Quire Of many Tones some low some meane some higher Each Voice doth grace another and all sing A rauishing Antheme to the heauenly King Of Wisedome Power Loue Iod Iah Iohoue The Law of Light and Truth that raignes aboue This were a sweet melodious Rhapsodie T'inchant the Soule in Diuine Extasie But yet againe what meanes you rising Cloud The fall of Lucifer from Light And smoakie Vapour what 's that noise so lowd As if some mayne Battallion were to ioyne And Souldiers striue to rapine and purloyne What horror doe I see Is darknesse yet Brought once againe out of the vasty Deepe And Light in mourning clad Or topsey-Turuy Is all reduc'd to the first Hurly-burly Of Chaos and Confusion O my Muse Recline that soaring compasse thou didst vse And stoope thy flight New stormes begin to rise And humble wings best then do fit the wise O see Ben-schachar that Luciferous Beauty Esay 14. Sonne of the Morning and bright Lampe of duty No sooner plac'd in Glory but anon Elated in himselfe he stands vpon His owne proud worth and with indignitie Shootes at the face of Heau'ns great Maiestie His swift-aspiring Beames Nor onely so But straight he doth a daring Trumpet blowe To all the Hoast of Heau'n proclaiming Warres And that he meanes to mount aboue the Starres Of mighty Elohim and there alone Exalt and raise himselfe vpon his Throne Vpon the holy Mount and place his worth Within the skirts and confines
to Obedience in Loue And not constraint as being set aboue In the Seraphick Spheres of holy Angels Penning the songs of Peace sweet Euangels I meane that Law that was beyond all Time And yet euen now rings forth so sweet a chyme Into our cares and vnderstanding parts As tunes the World and glads all vpright hearts What this Law is It is the Law of Wisedome whose right hand Is that eternall Power that did command Of nothing All-things in their seuerall numbers And all in One brought forth a world of wonders His left hand Goodnes or eternall Loue That on the Chaos like the siluer Doue On Noahs watry Deluge sweetly gliding Of new Discoueries brought the happy tiding And form'd all formes one for anothers sake And for himselfe them all as one did make Whilst in the mid'st Wisedome did fit inthron'd Spangled with Starres and with a crowne adornd Of awfull Maiestie writing a Lecture To all his creatures with that sacred Scepter Of his iust will whereby he sets a border To euery forme and giues all formes their order This Law is threefold Power Wisedome Loue Of this Law must I sing the Law of Power Wisedome and Loue that from the heau'ny Tower On the wide-spredding sixe-wing'd Cherubins Descended downe into this frame of things And in six dayes shed his trine-working Spirit Through All of this Round-All to dis-inherit Confusion from his worke and make faire Light The true succeeding issue of blacke Night A Poeticall Inuocation O therefore thou most sacred Archy-Muse With dulced and harmonious Tones transfuse All my best Powers Beare my frailety vp The great Olympian height and reach the cup Of heau'nly Nectar to my fainting hand That I may taste and with that taste command Darke Chaos to descend and spritely fire From out dead Embers lightly to aspire That as the Snake by casting off her Slough The Eagle of his Bill aged and tough Renue their youthfull temper or more fit As did Elias let his garment slip Casting off humane fraileties when his Spirit Kindling with zeale mounted the burning Charrie To Ioues bright-shining Temple So my powers Forsaking earths darke Elementall Bowers May nimbly soare into th'Angellick Tribe And be with them diuinely stellifide Luciferous Beauties faire Of Angels and first of creatures Light of the prime Light intellectuall features Of the first Forme Heau'ns glorious Architype The sonnes of Elohim and the dayes delight With you I first begin to shew Lawes power And calculate the Birth and natiue hower Of your great greatnesse in whom first the Law As in the first of Subiects vnder awe Of heau'ns eternall Scepter had his Being In golden Thrones but knew no golden feeing T is you bright Mirrors of Maiesticke beauty Collecting in your Orbes with sacred duty Th' Ideall Rayes of Him whose all-discerning Doth make you shine with intellectuall Learning T is you in whom I see as in a glasse What is to come what 's now and long since was Before there was Beginning So the Bell Tolles to the Graue So the cleere Fountaine Well Is by the eddying streames at last found out And the celestiall eye that wheeles about This elementall Square by his bright Rayes That on the Christall-streaming Riuer playes Is stedfastly therein discern'd and seene That else by none but Ioues own Birds hath beene Homers golden Chaine God Angels Starres Elements And so by your tralucent beames of Light Shot from the great Maiestick Throne of Right Into your dutyous Orbes and then againe From you into the great celestiall Maine And Sea of many Beauties which descending Into these lower parts that haue depending Onely from things aboue we reade and see In Charecters of State and Maiestie The Law of Power Wisedome and of Loue That doth in all inferiour Subiects moue Creating Ruling and withall preseruing Things in their Being Order and true seruing Essence Power Essence and Being in this Round of things Shewes the great Power of the King of Kings That could of Nothing such a Something make As doth amaze and cause all Powers to shake In comprehending but the least Creation His Power hath fram'd in this Conglomoration Order and Wisedome Order shewes Wisedome setting eu'ry part With such a sweet facilitie and Art Each in subordinate Order to another As that to this and this to that is Brother In sympathy and correspondent frame And all together dutyously proclaime The God of Order to be onely Wise Deseruing Hecatomben sacrifice But when we looke how eu'ry thing created Beauty Loue. Is from aboue vs inwardly innated With fruitfull Vertues thriuing qualities That out of their pure Natures doe arise All beautious in themselues and fit for th' vse One of another who can other choose But see and fairely reade Goodnes and Loue In this great Volume written from aboue With Gods owne finger in such sweet inditing As if Eternall Loue for his delighting Had pen'd a Poem all of Loue and sweetnesse To shew himselfe and teach vs Loue meekenesse All these and these are all no more but three Vnited in one sacred Vnitie As Essence Order Beauty in this Frame And Power Wisedome Loue aboue the same These three I say are the true Rules of Law Before all time and in all time doe awe The creature in his bounds For what 's command That wanteth Power Or who can vnderstand What Power is without a Being Subiect O're which it hath Dominion to iudge it â—ower without â—…sedome is Tyâ—…nny â—isdome without â—oue is subtilty â—oue without Wisedome and â—ower is folly Yet Power without foreseeing Wisedome erreth Not knowing but with cruelty deterreth Where it commands when Sapience ioynd with Power Ordreth extremes and maketh mildnesse lower It truely Gouernes Wisedome is the Law Knowes to instruct and how to keepe in awe But what is all th'essentiall frame of things And what is Order Neither of them brings Perfection to the worke without true vse Which Loue and Goodnes sweetly doth infuse So in a Clocke we see the solid forme On many nimble-mouing wheeles is borne All order'd with such Order and such Art As one to All and All to euery part Is symmetrall shewing the Makers skill And Power to make But should the Makers will Haue gone no further and not motion lent To shew the vse and his owne faire intent Who could haue call'd that well-fram'd forme a Clocke Or knowne it other wise then as a mocke Of pow'rfull Art that wants his proper end Feeding the eye but doth to nothing tend Will in the maker tending to direction Of Power and Wisedome is the full perfection Which is true Loue. The Court Haâ—… of Law And so in this round Sphere Finding sweet Beauty Order and Essence there We therewithall from the Floriferous Centre 1. Floriferous 2. Stelliferous 3. Luciferous Through you Stelliferous Stations soone do enter Into your bright Luciferous Orbes of Beauty Faire sonnes of Elohim and there reade
of the North. Nay more then so he venters vp so nigh As he will rise eu'n vp to the most High And there be like to him Then at the sound There was a murmure heard which passed roūd Through thousand Legions of Light-bearing Powers Who should first ioyn with him so proudly towers And many of those Lucifers tooke part To leaue dependance and to climbe by Art O how on earth can euer things be eu'n When there 's so soone Rebellion rais'd in Heau'n But that All-seeing Law-giuer that made him So great a Light found darknesse to inuade him And compasse in those Centaures of the Night That were before the beautious dayes delight And he that would not stand within the wayes Of Light and Truth nor spend eternall dayes Iob 24. Ezech. 28. Amidst those precious shining Stones of Fire That Gods delightfull Eden doth attire Like Lightning downe from his aspiring fell Reu. 12. And with his Angels was shut vp in Hell In Hell that but till then was not created Hell created in Darknesse But was a place of Darknesse situated Farre off from Light in which a Moorish water Like slimy Pitch a blacke sulph'rous matter Left in the Chaos when Heau'ns Spagirist Extracted Light and form'd it as him list Were moulded vp together And till then Was nothing else within that darksome Fen. But then eu'n with the fall of daring pride The breath of Maiestie did swiftly glide Into the Deepe and in his anger kindle Combustious matter which himselfe did mingle Of purpose to bring forth eternall Fire To punish sinne that proudly durst aspire To breake the Law of Light Then smoky fume Choakt vp Snuf-lights because they durst presume With a few flashes and vnsauoury vapors To take the place of euer-shining Tapers Law executed Pride that would mount and had not to aspire Was tumbled down and punisht in this Fire So he that was Ben-schachar sonne of Light Was now Ben-schechor sonne of eternall Night Thus was Sinne punisht and sinnes great accuser Esay 36. Did Tophet then prepare for the Seducer Smoking with Aetna breath Law kept his power And strooke him downe that ment aloft to tower And chain'd him in for falling from the Light In chaines of darknesse deepely out of sight An allusion So haue we seene Ambition in great Peeres Corruption in false Scribes and Chantocleers That sing before the Daylight songs of peace Not for the Truthes sake but for rich increase Haue often climb'd to high and great estate And in a twinkling been precipitate They left the wayes of Light not being wise And tooke their pathes vpon the slippery Ice So let them fall For 't is not mine intent Starre-Chamber To summon any to the Parliament Nor to discouer in the great Starre-Chamber What are Eclipses and what signes of danger The dogged humour of dull Saturnes motion Ioues banquetting and feminine Deuotion The swearing Art of Warre nor Venus lust Mercurian fraud that findes but little trust Nor Moone-shine Flattery neuer cōstant prouing But as the wind and weather cock still mouing ' Gainst none of these will I preferre a Bill Lest they demurre vpon 't for want of skill In drawing vp the Booke and so get cost With an Attachment for my labour lost But thou great Prince of Stars the faire delight The King is the Life of the Law Of Heau'n and Earth in whom the Lord of might Hath plac'd his Tent built his Tabernacle That Euiternally shall stand a miracle To all the gazers eyes and glad the eares Of Musicall inquirie front my feares With thy most cheerefull Beames and make me bold With Eaglet eyes thy beauty to behold In thee the Fountaine is of worth and Power To giue true beauty both to high and lower Of Wisedome for to guide in all thy Station Th' aspects of Starres in eu'ry Constellation And of true Loue and Goodnes Musicks Lore Wherewith thou dost great Elohim adore And cherish others Strike the golden wire Of thy most sweet and learned-sounding Lire Iob 38. And all the Morning Starres shall daunce and sing At their vprising vnto thee their King Magistrates Saturne shall cast his melancholly off And daunce iudiciall Reuels Ioue shall doff His proud attire and leaue light heel'd Lauoltos To cloath himselfe in bounty and tread Saltos Worthy his Noble worth Mars shall no more Weakenesse depopulate nor oppresse the poore But hand in hand shall willingly aduance The Fatherlesse and Widdow in this daunce Venus shall change her Lust for fruitfull Loue And tread a constant measure Mercury proue No serpentine Deceiuer but abound In wise and witty footings at this Round Trencher Flies As for Lunarian Changelings that depend Onely vpon the Light thy Lampe doth lend And wax and waine as to and fro thy Light Doth come or goe not shining but by Night In darknesse for their owne aduantage sake And not in publike what else can we make Of them but Antikes or strange Mimick Apes That in our daunce can put on any shapes And yet be nothing These doe liue by Giue giue These I feare me much Will take but what is giuen to others grutch And neuer shall the Musicke of thy Harpe Make them keepe Scene but they'll or beg or carp Beware of these For were these set in tune The Flowers of May each one might crop in Iune And eu'ry one haue some When one hath all How can our daunce in perfect measure fall The Country Swaine leaues gleanings on his land A Country content To helpe the needy And with foote and hand It is a daunce worth looking on to see How busily each one doth keepe degree To gather what is left Heere one doth borrow A little from the Sheafe this in the furrow Takes what is scatter'd that the Cart attends Another binds vp at the headlands ends And all at Night goe cheerefully away And daunce together a Haruest Roundelay Trust not dissembling Fire-drakes that caper Some things seem and are not As if they knew to daunce yet are but vapor Seeming of fiery temper but are cold And a poore Nut-shell will their substance hold Play not to them Pans Musicke is most fit When Midas hath more auarice then wit The Sunne of Maiestie in his Starre-Chamber But leaue we these And from the Suns diurnall That wheeles a foure twenty houres iournall Let vs obserue how on th' Eclipticke Line He progresse makes along from Signe to Signe Casting his Beames of Maiestie so farre As from the lowest to the highest Starre Guiding their wandring Eccentricities And crowning them with faire felicities He is the Monarch there His Law is Light And where he goes he banisheth the Night Darknesse must not controll stelliferous Powers Nor come within the high celestiall Bowers To All he giues himselfe Light is his name And through his Court faire Light hee doth proclaime The only Law that neuer breedeth warres Twixt Peeres