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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11406	Babilon, a part of the Seconde vveeke of Guillaume de Saluste seigneur du Bartas, with the commentarie, and marginall notes of S.G.S. Englished by William L'Isle; Seconde sepmaine. Day 2. Part 2. English	Du Bartas, Guillaume de Salluste, seigneur, 1544-1590.; Lisle, William, 1579?-1637.; Goulart, Simon, 1543-1628.	1595 (1595)	STC 21662; ESTC S110840	52,878	76

BABILON A PART OF THE SECONDE WEEKE OF GVILLAVME DE SALVSTE SEIGNEVR DV BARTAS With the Commentarie and marginall Notes of S. G. S. Englished by WILLIAM L'ISLE Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit vtile dulci. Imprinted at London by Ed. Bollifant for Richard Watkins 1595 TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE CHARLES LORD HOWARD BARON OF Effingham Knight of the most renowmed order of the Garter one of hir Maiesties priuie Councell and Lord high Admirall of England c. WAying how neere it concernes your Honourable Charge what straungers passe the Seas into England I was thereby and otherwise in humble duty moued to giue your Lordship first intelligence of this Gentilman whom I haue newly transported out of Fraunce and also thought it necessarie to craue your fauorable protection of him in this his trauell A woorthie man is he my Lord in his owne country howsoeuer here disguised and one of the sonnes of that noble and diuine Poet LE SIEVR DV BARTAS in my simple iudgment the properest and best learned of them all I am sure the best affected to England and the gracious Emperesse thereof for which cause I made speciall choise of him and doe therefore the rather hope to finde fauour on his behalfe with your honorable Lordship whose loyaltie to the Crowne the Prince by trust of so high an office whose loue to the land the people by ioint-consent of daily-felt vertues haue so fully witnessed that the fame thereof hath spred it selfe far beyond that your admirable Regiment In so much as this gentle stranger though he were at the first vnwilling Vlisses-like to leaue his natiue soile especially now in this dangerous sea-faring time while all the world is in a maner troubled with Spanish Fleetes yet after he called to minde what he had heard and written of the mightie Goddesse of the English Ocean and who there swaied the Trident vnder hir trusting vpon such a Neptune he went aboord with a good courage doubting not at al but that the proud Spanish Caracks if they be not yet sufficiently dismaid by the wracke they suffered in their former aduenture but dare againe attempt the like be they neuer so many more or greater than they were if more and greater they can be shall againe by the grace of God directing as before the courage and wisedome of Englands renoumed Admirall be dispersed ouer the frowning face of our disdainfull Seas dronken with salt waues regorge the bodies of their presumptuous Pilots And so my Lord with a fauorable winde breathing directly from the French Helicon by the safe conduit of your Honourable name and helpe of the Muses at length I landed my stranger in England Where since his arriuall he hath gladly encountred diuers of his elder brethren that were come ouer before some in a princely Scottish attire others in faire English habits and to th' entent he might the better enioy their companie who by this time had almost forgotten their French he was desirous to learne English of me therefore I kept him a while about me was his teacher at home and enterpreter abroad and now that he hath gotten such a smattering of the toong as he can so as he can speake for himselfe may it please your good L. to talke with him at your leisure though I know you vnderstand very well his naturall speech I am of opinion it wil much delight you to heare him vtter such counterfait English as in so little time I was able to teach him He can say somwhat of the godly gouernment of good princes the wicked practises of Tyrants as well in compassing as maintaining a Scepter both woorthy your L. hearing for the manner sake though the matter be not vnknowne to your wisdome But som other things he doth report verie strange as of NIMROD that was the first Tyrant of the world after the time of Noah the first Admiral of the worlde his aspiring minde practises in seeking the peoples fauour his proud and subtle attempt in building the Tower of Babel Gods iust punishment thereof in confounding the language of the builders Verie truly reckoneth he that which few do consider the great and manifold inconueniences that are befallen mankinde by the diuersitie o● tongs Further he can tel of speech in general whether man speake by nature or haue but onelie an aptnes to speake by vse whether any other creature haue the like as for seuerall speeches he can prooue with many goodly reasons which is the best most ancient of them all what altereth each toong what continueth each in account what languages are in greatest regard now-adaies what Authors haue most excelled in them And vpon occasion of the English toong my Lord he setteth out in such maner the Queenes princely maiestie hir learning wisdome eloquence and other excellent vertues that I know your noble loyall hart wil greatly reioice to heare it at the mouth of such a stranger The rest if it be more curious then for the states waightie affaires your L. may intend to hear I wish referred vnto those goodly yong gentlemē your noble fatherlike-minded Sons whō after your L. I do most of all honor there shal they find profit so blended with pleasure learning with delight as it may easilie winne their harts alreadie vertuously aspiring from the wanton and faining Cantoes of other Syren-Poets wherewith manie yoong gentlemen and chiefely those of greatest hope are long and dangerously mis-led vnto a further acquaintance with this heauenly-poeticall writer of the truth who is now growne into such a liking of this countrey chiefely for the peaceable gouernment thereof blessed be that Gouernour and free course of the Gospell God continue it and sende the like into Fraunce that he is desirous to become a Freedenizen and hoping further to to be an eie-witnes of Gods woonderfull mercies towards this Land whereof in Fraunce he spake but by heare-saie to behold that pretious Northren Pearle and kisse hir Scepter-bearing hand whose woorthy praise he hath soong so sweetely he humblie beseech your gratious fauour to be enfranchised which if it may please you to graunt my Lorde vouchsafing also the patronage of him that vnder seale of your honourable name he may escape the carping censures of curious fault-finders and enioy all honours priuiledges liberties and lawes that belong eu'n to the naturall inhabitants of this noble Isle my selfe will vndertake to Fine for him at least harty praiers for your daily encrease of honour and all such obedience as it shall please your L. to impose Whose I rest euer at commaund VVilliam L'isle Th' Argument of the two first dayes of the second weeke of Guil. de SALVSTE Seigneur Du Bartas MOses saith that in sixe daies God created the heauen and the earth the sea and all in them contained then rested the seuenth day c. Which the Poet hath at large expounded in his first wéeke * The whole second weeke And hauing with

any good counsell for the commonwealth they care not which end thereof go forward but all their care and counsell is for their priuate gaine which serues to no better vse than to intice and draw them on daily to carelesse and wicked liuing Further yet so far is he from regarding or placing néere about him men of worth and good qualities that on the contrary to the imitation of Tarquinius surnamed the proud whose storie Liuie writeth in the first booke of his second Decade concerning the Poppie heads that he broke downe with his staffe to teach his sonne by a domb shew that he should rid out of the way al the péeres of the citie and forsake as another saith fifty frogs to catch one Sammon he breaketh downe the highest eares of corne that is he causeth al those to be put to death that might any wayes hinder his wicked intents What should I say more Such a cursed creature without God without conscience woorse than any wilde beast spareth neither kiffe nor kin but either by sword or poison maketh away the very néerest of all his blood that he may raigne alone if it were possible But notwithstanding the many bands of his guard he standeth in feare of euery man and is despised mocked and detested of all For why Besides that is aforesaid he glorieth and taketh delight to deuise new subsidies imposts and tributes whereby the comminaltie may be impouerished and held in bondage and so in stéede of Homers people-féeder he becommeth a people-eater Of this image of a Tyrant there are examples aboue number found both in ancient late writers of Church histories and others So I returne to the Poet. Nimrods first studie and exercise to get the soueraigntie of the people furthered by nature 3. Nimrod scarce yet in age to twelue yeeres did arise But ouer all his peeres he sets to tyrannise He ouergrowes them all and of his might future The ground-worke planteth he vpon so good Augure And bearing in his hand in steed of scepters reedes Among the shepheard-swaines begins his prentise-deedes Then knowing that the man whose courage doth aspire Vnto the deemed blisse of an awfull empire Must passe in braue exploits the doltish vulgar sort Or else by seeming good obtaine a good report He passed not the night drown'd in a feather bed Nor yet the day in shade but yoong accustomed Himselfe to good and ill making ambitiously His boulster of a rocke his curtaines of the skie Sweate is his sweet delight his games are bow and arrowes His Ganimeads the lists his haukes the little sparrowes His most delicious meat the flesh of tender kid Which trembleth yet and scarce is from the skin vnhid Somtime he sports himselfe to conquer with one breth The continuance of his labours to obtaine the peoples fauour Some craggie rocks asscent that ouer-peeres the heath Or else some raging flood against the streame diuide That swolne with raine hath drou'n a hundred brigs aside And with a bounding course vnbrid'led gallops fast All ouerthwart the stones in some strait vallie cast Or else after his cast to catch againe his dart Or in plaine field on foote to take the Hinde or Hart. But now once ouerpast twenty fiue yeeres of age And feeling with high minde his sinewes and courage Worthie a fiercer Mars if he know any where A Lion a Leopard a Tigre or a Beare He fearlesse sets thereon kils conquereth and foiles And plants in highest place of those the bloodie spoiles The people then that see by his hands martiall frayes From those boot-hailers wilde each-where set free the wayes The fearfull cattels heardes and all the waste forests Rid of their hideous cries loues this tamer of beasts This chase-ill Hercules and shewes him speciall fauour And cals him euermore their father and their sauiour Nimrod now by the haire hand-fasting this good fortune He leaueth his former chase for a better pray And striking th' iron hot doth flatter presse importune Somtime some somtime others and hasting to his blisse Before that hunted beasts now of men hunter is For as he did imploy in his hunting before The grins hare-pipes and traps and all the limie store And further at his need against the most haggarts The heauie clubs the shafts the sharpe swords and the darts So some mens harts he gaines by faire hopes closely stealing Others he wins by gifts and others by hard dealing And breaking furiously the bonds of equitie Of that respringing world vsurpes the Royaltie Whereas in time before the chiefe of each houshold The same did rule apart nor did the yoong-man bold Boyst'rous ambitious vpon a wanton braue His sickle thrust as now in haruest of the graue 3. Nimrod scarce yet The posteritie of Noe being much increased as Moses reckoneth in the 10. chapter of Genesis they began to spread abroad and take seuerall habitations but not farre one from another so soone after the flood Among other the sonnes of Cham is numbred Cus the father of Nimrod of whom the historie maketh mention that he began to be great on the earth and was a mightie hunter before the almightie and that the beginning of his raigne was Babel Erech Archad and Calneh in the land of Sennaar Vpon this place are giuen two diuers expositions The first is of some that hold that Nimrod was the first after the flood that gaue any méete fourme of publike gouernment and by the consent of many families considering his wisedome and valour was accepted for maister and gouernour to rule and order many housholds togither by reason whereof say they he is called a strong hunter before the Lord and namely for that he repressed by maine force the wicked and vnruly who like sauage beasts praied vpon the life of man But the greater part of Expositors take this otherwise and hold that Nimrod by force and diuers subtilties here finely set downe by the Poet got the supremacie and that this power ascribed vnto him was not truely Royall and lawfull but a power vsurped by force a hunters power wherewith he surprised men and raigning ouer them cruelly handled them as if they were beasts yea and that before the Lord which is as much to say as in despite of God who had established a gentle rule and gouernment among the families This second exposition is the more certaine whether we consider the race of Nimrod or the proper meaning and sequele of the words of the text or the buildings of Nimrod or what successe his proud attempt had The Poet relying on this opinion hath further followed in the description of the youth and exercises of this first Tyrant that was in the second world such things as were likely to be and that with such a grace as in a discourse is requisite that out of the holie Scripture hath so narrow foundation and in other bookes is with many fables and names vncertaine darkened 4 Now he enthroned is The tyrannous gouerment of

in vaine Each one the more he striues the lesse appeeres his paine Another excellent comparison declaring how neither counsell art force diligence nor multitude is able to resist God And shortly as the men that altogither stood To build in channell deepe of some great rau'ning flood High arches of a bridge marking from hils descend A hundred sudden streames and now far to extend The mountaine-hating waues leaue off without aduise Scudding some here some there their goodly enterprise Right so these Architects feeling the stormie smart Of Gods displeasure rise had neither strength nor hart But there they left their worke and with hands malcontent Rules mallets plummets lines all down the Towre they sent 4. Now he enthroned is This is the exposition of the words mighty hunter before the Lord to wit that Nimrod Chams nephew did proudly lift himselfe vp against God and man His buildings and the beginning of his raigne could not haue béene such without offring violence to the peace and libertie of diuers families ouer whom he bare rule and there is no shew to the contrarie but that by diuers practises from time to time he got the soueraigntie The holy Scripture oftentimes by the names of hunters and chasers meaneth Gods enimies and the persecutors of his church Psalme 91. 124. Ezech. 32. Lamentations 3. The seauentie Interpreters translate th' Hebrue text after this maner This Nimrod began to be a Gyant on the earth and a huntesman or leader of houndes before the Lorde God By the hounds of Nimrod may be vnderstood his guardes and the fauorers of his tyrannie Moses calleth him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gibor tsaid that is lusty strong or great and mightie chaser Which noteth not onely the stature and height of bodie but also might and authoritie ioyned with violence in all those that want the feare of God Now although Moses in the 11. Chapter of Genesis where he speaketh of the citie towre of Babel make no mention of Nimrod yet hath the Poet aptly gathered out of the chapter aforegoing that Nimrod was the author and promoter of those buildings in as much as Babel is called the beginning of his raigne who could not any waies raigne without some habitations for himselfe and his subiects and considering that Moses in the selfe same place affirmeth that the cities founded by Nimrod were in the countrey of Sennaar and that in the 12. verse of the 11. chapter he saith that these builders of Babel dwelt on a plaine in the countrey of Sennaar by good reason the inuention and beginning thereof is héere ascribed to Nimrod who by this meanes sought to set his state on foote Also this Monarchie of Babylon was one of the first and with it that of Niniuie as may be gathered out of the wordes of Moses But the more particular discourse of these matters and diuerse other questions concerning Nimrod and his outrages require a larger commentarie 5. Like as the Vulcan weake The Poet saith that as a small deale of fire let fall by some shepheards among the drie leaues of a great forest setting it selfe and hatching as it were the heate awhile at length with helpe of the winde groweth to so great a flame that it taketh the whole forest and leaueth not a Driad that is not a trée in his proper or naturall barke So the words first vttered by Nimrod the blowne with the bellowes of his mynions fauorites set so the harts of the people on fire that he soon obtained his purpose This is it that Moses noteth in the 11. chap. of Gen. the 3. and 4. vers They saide one to another the chiefe men hauing put it in their heads Come let vs make bricke and burne it well in the fire so had they bricke instéed of stone and slime had they in steade of morter Then said they go let vs build vs a citie and a tower whose top may reach vnto the heauens that we may get vs a name least we be scattered vpon the whole earth The Poet in his verse discourseth vpon this deuise It is thought that this proud building was begun about a hundred and fiftie yéeres after the flood The good patriarch Noe that liued yet long time after saw his posteritie confounded and scattered for so it was the Lords will to exercise the patient faith of his seruant to whom in recompence he shewed the effect of his blessings in the familie of Sem where still remained the Hebrue toong togither with the doctrine and discipline of the true church Now out of this historie of Moses touching the building of the towne and the confusion of the builders is sprong as it séemeth the fabulous discourse of the Poets set downe by Quid in his first booke of Metamorphosis touching the Gyants that heaped hils one vpon another to scale heauen and dispossesse Iupiter of his throne Thus hath Satan endeuoured to falsifie the truth of sacred histories Well this arrogant building sheweth vs how vaine are the imaginations of worldly men namely to set at naught the true renowme of heauenly life and séeke after the false on earth Carnall men haue no care at all to worship and reuerence the name of the true God they regarde onely to be accounted of themselues and so to write their names in the dust Against th' attempts of the men of Babel and all their successors let vs oppose these sentences the 18. and 21. of Prouerbs The name of the Lord is a strong towre thither shall the iust repaire and be exalted There is no wisedome nor vnderstanding nor force can preuaile against the Lord and that which is written Psal the 127. Except the Lord do buylde the house the builders labour but in vaine 6. God seeing this Moses in the 5. and 6. verses of the 11. chapter saith Then the Lord came downe to sée the citie and Towre which the sonnes of men had built And the Lorde saide Behold the people is one and they all haue one language and this they begin to do neither can they now be stopped from whatsoeuer they haue imagined to do come on let vs go downe and there confound their language that they vnderstand not one another Then he addeth the execution of the sentence saying So the Lorde scattered them from thence vpon all the earth and they left off to build the citie Therefore the name of it was called Babel bicause the Lord did there confounde the language of all the earth and scattered them from thence ouer all the world God that is all in all neuer changeth his place he goeth neither vpwarde nor downwarde but the Scripture saith he goeth downe then whē he worketh any thing on earth which falling out beyond and against the ordinarie course of nature witnesseth his particular presence Vnder these few words of Moses a many things are to be considered chiefly he noteth the great sinnes of the builders in that he bringeth in the Lord iudge of the

whole world vouchsaufing to bow downe his eies particularly vpon that foolish people For it is not without cause that the great God of heauen and earth shoulde arise from his throne and if I durst so say leaue the palace of his glorie to come and view the durt-dawbers or morter-makers By this manner of spéech Moses sheweth and giueth vs to vnderstand that long time before these Babylonians had built in their harts most woonderfull high and stately towers and that long ago they had bak'd in the fire of their concupiscence some maruellous brickes to wit they had much counsailed one with an other and discoursed of meanes to get renowme and found no better way to attaine their purpose than to raise a tower vp to the heauens to rauish with astonishment all those that shoulde beholde it So Moses saith that this pride and frowarde selfe-trust deserued a gréeuous punishment but as God is parfaitly iust so layeth he vpon the builders a chastisement proportionable vnto their offence 7. Thus had he said and straight In God it is all one to will and to do And further he sendeth not lightning winde nor tempest against the tower but contenteth himself to strike the proud and puffed vp braines of the builders and so the building founded vpon their follie was ouerthrowne by their foolish iangling that God mingled with their language and the vain-glorious masons in stéed of their imagined renowme haue gottē themselues euerlasting shame Who would haue thought that God had had so readie such kinde of rods to punish mankinde withall But let the Reader consider whether the world at this day be not full of Babel-towers Marke what a number of men do in euery kind of vocation Sith I do not take vpon me but to write bare Annotations I leaue it to the Readers consideration who may sée now more then euer that the world continueth the building of Babel that is men madly gainset their owne wisedome and power against the wisedome and power of God who treading as it were with woollen féete and stealing on softly is able with an arme of Iron to surprise and seize vpon these builders and turne by diuers means their vaine purposes and weake endeuours to naught The Poet hath vsed many verie fit comparisons to represent the confusion of these workmen The first is taken from that which we sée fall out in a great rabblement of Pesants ouerruled by the Launce or Mace of Bacchus that is such as haue the Wine in their heads and are dronken for among such people is commonly heard a strange confused noise iangling as the Churhales and Wakes and other such passe-times do now and then declare The second is taken from the chirping of Birdes in voice and song diuers The third from Masons constrained by the sodaine rage of a land-flood to leaue off the begun worke of a Bridge And héere is a liuely description of Gods iudgements togither with their degrées and consequences namely in the confusion of vnderstandings first then of spéech and lastly of the whole company which being vnable longer to continue was quickly so scattered that as Moses saith they ceassed to builde the Citie The harmes that men suffer by the confusion of speech O proud rebellion O traiterous impietie Marke in what maner sort by thy speeches varietie God hath thee punished alas that pleasant toong That holy bond of townes of anger bridle strong Strong glue of amitie once one now doth wayfare In hundred riuers drie this gould so richly rare Wroth-taming charming-care men-drawing hart-intāgling Both colour waight and sound hath lost by mingle-mangling This gift corrupted is and from the North to South Babels confused fall sounds yet in eu'ry mouth The cold Finlanders once might visit Africans The Spanish Indians th' English Americans Without interpreters but now the compas small That doth our cities bound our language bounds withall And if we from our home but ne're so little went Dombe should we be and rest of reasons instrument Or if we speake at least vnto our neybour nations T is by a borrow'd toong or by strange animations Without schoole without paines sucking our mothers brest We might haue learn'd the tong that all mens minds exprest And after seu'n yeeres old vpon small glistring sand Begun to draw with skill the shape of sea and land To part and multiplie and so from skill to skill We might haue climbed soone the ridge of that high hill Where Arts perfection in signe of their victorie Crowneth hir Fauorites with euerlasting glorie Now infants we alwaies soone as we learne to sound The Latine Hebrue Greeke are going to the ground We learne but prittle-prattle and for the deepe inseeing Of natures secresies and of that onely Being That makes all things to be we labour neuer staying Well to decline a Verbe or find some prety saying Of letters and syllabs to way the quantitie Old knowing naught without masters auctoritie Who teach vs how to read and put into our pawes Some little Chriscrosrow in stead of ciuill lawes And for Hippocrates and for that holy wrighting Where God himselfe reueales to Readers there delighting 8. O proud rebellion A fine description of euils ensuing this confusion of spéech First the acquaintance of all mankinde togither the knot and loue-bond of nations is so loosened and broke that scarre is there founde any remedie for it some of them not thinking on or not at all caring for others Secondly that onely one language which decked and embellished the acquaintance and fellowship of men that kept them in peace and temper such as it was that made them all well appaide that mooued each one to his dutie was much regarded of all hath lost all this by this change and in a word hath neither shew nor grace of a language insomuch as euen at this day the fall of the Tower of Babel is heard from North to South from East to West That is to say in the diuerse languages of so many nations we may obserue almost nothing else but a kinde of chattering and confused sounde neither fit nor comely nor expressing at all the nature of things At least one people so iudgeth of anothers toong For I pray you what pleasure taketh a Frenchman to heare a Moscouite or a Mexican speake And euen the toongs that we vnderstand and speake as we thinke reasonable well what are they vnto vs in respect of our mother toong or the principall toongs Thirdly whereas the nations dwelling farthest asunder might easily haue come togither béen acquainted and traffiked one with another Now a man is no sooner gone out of his owne doores but he hath much adoo to vnderstand those that he méeteth withall and if he set foote in any far country he néedeth interpretours or must haue spent a long time before to learne the toong or else must speake by signes or alwaies hold his peace and liue like a domb creature Fourthly to amplifie further this