giueth vs a good We sought not for or rather we with-stood So that to hear and see these consequences Of wonders strange we scarce beleeue our senses O! let the King let Mounsieur and the Sover'n That doth Nauarras Spayn-wrongd Scepter govern Gratefull remēbrance of the means therof Be all by all their Countries Fathers cleapt O! let the honour of their names be kept And on brass leaves ingrav'n eternally In the bright Temple of fair Memory For hauing quencht so soon so many fires Disarm'd our arms appeas'd the heav'nly ires Calm'd the pale horror of intestin hates And damned-vp the bi-front Fathers gates Much more let vs deer World-diuided Land Extoll the mercies of Heav'ns mighty hand An imitation thereof by the Translatour in honour of our late gracious Soverain Elizabeth in whose happy Raigne God hath giuen this Kingdom so long peace and rich prosperity That while the World Wars bloody rage hath rent To vs so long so happy Peace hath lent Maugre the malice of th' Italian Priest And Indian Pluto prop of Anti-christ VVhose Hoast like Pharao's threatning Israel Our gaping Seas haue swallowed quick to hell Making our Ile a holy Safe-Retreat For Saints exil'd in persecutions heat Much more let vs with true-heart-tuned breath Recorde the Praises of ELIZABETH Our martiall Pallas and our milde Astraea Of grace and wisdom the divine Idea Whose prudent Rule with rich religious Rest VVel-neer nine Lustres hath this Kingdom blest O! pray we him that from home-plotted dangers And bloody threats of proud ambitious Strangers So many years hath so securely kept her In iust possession of this flowring Scepter That to his glory and his deer Sonns honour All happy length of life may wait vppon her That we her Subiects whom he blesseth by-her Psalming his praise may sound the same the higher But waiting Lord in som more learned Laies To sing thy glory and my Soueraigns praise I sing the young Worlds Cradle as a Proëm Vnto so rare and so Divine a Poëm WHO FVL OF wealth and honours blandishment Among great Lords his younger years hath spent An Elegant cōparison representing the lamentable Condition of Adam and Eue driuen out of Paradise And quaffing deeply of the Court-delights Vs'd nought but Tilts Turneis and Masks and Sights If in his age his Princes angry doom With deep disgrace driue him to liue at home In homely Cottage where continually The bitter smoak exhales abundantly From his before-vn-sorrow-drained brain The brackish vapours of a siluer rain Where Vsher-less both day and night the North South East and West windes enter and goe forth Where round-about the lowe-rooft broken walls In stead of Arras hang with Spiders cauls Where all at once he reacheth as he stands With brows the roof both walls with both his hands He weeps and sighs and shunning comforts ay Wisheth pale Death a thousand times a day And yet at length falling to work is glad To bite a brown crust that the Mouse hath had And in a Dish instead of Plate or Glass Sups Oaten drink in stead of Hypocras So or much like our rebell Elders driuen For ay from Eden Earthly type of Heav'n Ly languishing neer Tigris grassie side With nummed limbs and spirits stupefied But powrfull NEED Arts antient Dame and Keeper The first Maner of life The early watch-clock of the sloathfull sleeper Among the Mountains makes them seek their liuing And foaming Riuers through the champain driuing For yet the Trees with thousand fruits y-fraught In formall Checkers were not fairly brought The Pear and Apple liued Dwarf-like there With Oakes and Ashes shadowed euery-where And yet al as their meanest simple cheer Our wretched Parents bought full hard and deer To get a Plum somtimes poor Adam rushes With thousand wounds among a thousand bushes If they desire a Medlar for their food They must goe seek it through a fearefull wood Or a brown Mulbery then the ragged Bramble With thousand scratches doth their skin be-scramble Wherefore as yet more led by th' appetite Great simplicity in their kinde of life Of th' hungry belly then the tastes delight Liuing from hand to mouth soon satisfi'd To earn their supper th' after noon they ply'd Vn-stor'd of dinner till the morrow-day Pleas'd with an Apple or som lesser pray Then taught by Ver richer in flowrs then fruit And hoary Winter of both destitute Nuts Filberds Almonds wisely vp they hoord The best prouisions that the woods affoord Touching their garments for the shining wooll Their Cloathing Whence the roab-spinning precious Worms are full For gold and siluer wov'n in drapery For Cloth dipt double in the scarlet Dy For Gemms brightlustre with excessiue cost On rich embroideries by rare Art embost Somtimes they do the far-spred Gourd vnleave Sometime the Fig-tree of his branch bereave Somtimes the Plane somtimes the Vine they shear Choosing their fairest tresses heer and there And with their sundry locks thorn'd each to other Their tender limbs they hide from Cynthias Brother Somtimes the Iuie's climing stems they strip Which lovingly his lively prop doth clip And with green lace in artificiall order The wrinkled bark of th' Acorn-Tree doth border And with his arms th' Oaks slender twigs entwining A many branches in one tissue ioyning Frames a loose Iacquet whose light nimble quaking Wagg'd by the windes is like the wanton shaking Of golden spangles that in stately pride Daunce on the tresses of a noble Bride But while that Adam waxen diligent Their Winter Sutes Wearies his limbs for mutuall nourishment While craggy Mountains Rocks and thorny Plains And bristly Woods be witness of his pains Eue walking forth about the Forrests gathers Speights Parrots Peacocks Estrich scattered feathers And then with wax the smaller plumes she sears And sowes the greater with a white horse hairs For they as yet did serue her in the steed Of Hemp and Towe and Flax and Silk and Threed And thereof makes a medly coatso rare That it resembles Nature's Mantle fair When in the Sunne in pomp all glistering She seems with smiles to woo the gawdie Spring When by stoln moments this she had contriv'd Leaping for ioy her cheerfull looks reviv'd Sh' admires her cunning and incontinent ' Sayes on herself her manly ornament And then through path-less paths she runs apace To meet her husband comming from the Chase. Sweet-heart quoth shee and then she kisseth him My Loue my Life my Blisse my Ioy my Gemm My souls deer Soule take in good part I pree-thee This pretty Present that I gladly giue-thee Thanks my deer All quoth Adam then for this And with three kisses he requites her kiss Then on he puts his painted garment new And Peacock-like himself doth often view Looks on his shadow and in proud amaze Admires the hand that had the Art to cause Eues industry in making a Gar ment for her Husband So many seuerall parts to meet in one To fashion thus the quaint Mandilion But when
Preacher not the Parasite So Morn and Euening the Third Day conclude And God perceiv'd that All his Works were good THE FOVRTH DAIE OF THE FIRST WEEK THE ARGVMENT The twinkling Spangles of the Firmament The wandring Seav'n Each in a seuerall Tent Their Course their Force their Essence is disputed That they as Beasts doe eat and drink refuted Heav'ns not the Earth with rapid motion roule The famous Stars observ'd in either Pole Heav'ns sloaping Belt the Twelue celestiall Signes Whear Sol the Seasons of the Year confines Dayes glorious Prince Nights gloomy Patroness His Light and Might Her constant Change-fulnes PVre Spirit that rapt'st aboue the Firmest Sphear In the beginning of the fourth booke calling vpon the God of Heauen our Poet prayeth to be lift vp in the Heauens that he may discoursâ— as he ought of the starrs fixed and wandring In fiery Coach thy faithfull Messenger Who smiting Iordan with his pleighted Cloak Did yerst diuide the Waters with the stroak O take me vp that far from Earth I may From Sphear to Sphear see th' azure Heav'ns To-Day Be thou my Coach-man and now Check by Ioule With Phoebus Chariot let my Chariotroule Driue on my Coach by Mars his flaming Coach Saturn and Luna let my wheels approach That having learn'd of their Fire-breathing Horses Their course their light their labour and their forces My Muse may sing in sacred Eloquence To Vertues Friends their vertuous Excellence And with the Load-stone of my conquering Verse Aboue the Poles attract the most perverse And you fair learned soules you spirits diuine To whom the Heav'ns so nimble quils assigne As well to mount as skilfully to limn The various motion of their Taperstrim Lend me your hand lift mee aboue Parnassus With your loud Trebbles help my lowly Bassus For sure besides that your wit-gracing Skill Bears in itself itself's rich guerdon still Our Nephews free from sacrilegious brauls Where Horror swims in bloud about our wals Shall one day sing that your deer Song did merit Better Heav'n better hap and better time to hear-it And though alas my now new-rising Name Can hope heer-after none or little Fame The time that most part of our betterwits Mis-spend in Flattery or in Fancy-Fits In courting Ladies or in clawing Lords Without affection in affected words I mean to spend in publishing the Story Of Gods great works to his immortall glory My rymes begot in pain and born in pleasure Thirst not for Fame the Heathen hope 's chief treasure 'T shall me suffice that our deer France doo breed In happy season som more learned sced That may record with more diuine dexterity Then I haue don these wonders to Posterity Much less may these abortiue Brats of Mine Expect Respect but in respect of Thine Yet sith the Heav'ns haue thus entaskt my layes As darkly Cynthia darts her borrow'd rayes To shadow Thine and to my Countrey render Som small reflection of thy radiant splendor It is inough if heer-by I incite Som happier spirit to do thy Muse more right And with more life giue thee thy proper grace And better follow great du BARTAS trace GOD'S NONE of these faint idle Artizens Heere resuming his course he presecutes the worke of the Creation Who at the best abandon their designes Working by halfs as rather a great deal To do much quickly then to do it well But rather as a workman neuer weary And all-sufficient he his works doth carry To happy end and to perfection With sober speed brings what he hath begun Hauing therfore the Worlds wide Curten spread About the circuit of the fruitfull Bed In the fourth day God created the fixed Stars the two great Lights vid. the Sunne and the Moone together with the other fiue Planets Where to fill all with her vnnumbred Kin Kinde Natures self each moment lyeth in To make the same for euer admirable More stately-pleasant and more profitable He th' Azure Tester trimm'd with golden marks And richly spangled with bright glistring sparks I knowe those Tapers twinkling in the sky Doo turn so swiftly from our hand and eye That man can neuer rightly reach to seeing Their Course and Force and much-much less their Being Of their Course Force Essence and Substance But if coniecture may extend aboue To that great Orb whose mouing All doth moue Th' imperfect Light of the first Day was it Which for Heavn's Eyes did shining matter fit For God selecting lightest of that Light Garnisht Heav'ns seeling with those Torches bright Or else diuided it and pressing close The parts did make the Sun and Stars of those But if thy wits thirst rather seek these things Opinion of the Greek touching the matter of the Stars In Greekish Cisterns then in Hebrew Springs Then I conclude that as of moistfull matter God made the people that frequent the Water And of an Earthy stuff the stubborn droues That haunt the Hills and Dales and Downs and Groues So did he make by his Almighty might The Heav'ns and Stars of one same substance bright To th' end these Lamps dispersed in the Skies Might with their Orb it with them sympathize And as with vs vnder the Oaken bark The knurry knot with branching vains we mark Simile To bee of substance all one with the Tree Although far thicker and more rough it bee So those gilt studs in th' vpper story driven Are nothing but the thickest part of Heav'n When I obserue their Light and Heat yblent Their substance is of Fire Meer accidents of th' vpper Element I thinke them Fire but not such Fire as lasts No longer then the fuel that it wastes For then I think all th' Elements too-little To furnish them only with one days victual And therefore smile I at those Fable-Forges Resutation of such as haue thought that the Stars were liuing creatures that did eat and drinke Whose busy-idle stile so stifly vrges The Heavn's bright Cressets to be living creatures Ranging for food and hungry fodder-eaters Still sucking-vp in their eternall motion The Earth for meat and for their drink the Ocean Sure I perceive no motion in a Star But natural certain and regular Wher-as Beasts motions infinitely vary Confus'd vncertain diuers voluntary I see not how so many golden Postes Should scud so swift about Heav'ns azure coasts But that the Heav'ns must ope and shut som-times Subiect to passions which our earthly climes Alter and toss the Sea and th' Aire estrange From it selfs temper with exceeding change I see not how in those round blazing beams One should imagine any food-fit limbs Nor can I see how th' Earth and Sea should feed So many Stars whose greatnes doth exceed So many times if Star-Diuines say troth The greatnes of the Earth and Ocean both Sith heer our Cattle in a month will eat Seav'n-times the bulk of their owne bulk in meat These Torches then range not at random o're The lightsom thicknes of an vn-firm Floor As heer
his furious Prince Seem Samuel rais'd Saul routed Selfely-slain King Dauids TROPHEIS and triumphant Raign His heauenly Harp skill in King IAMES renewd His humane frailty heauily pursewd Bersabé batheing Nathan bold-reprouing Dauid repenting Our REPENTANCE moouing HEröike force and Prince-fit forme withall Saul king of Israell fortunate at the first is afterward reiected and Dauid elected in his fleed Honor the Scepter of courageous Saul Successe confirmes it for the power Diuine Tames by his hand th' outrageous Philistine Edom and Moab and the Ammonite And th' euer-wicked curst Amalekite O too-too-happy if his arrogance Had not transgrest Heauens sacred Ordinance But therefore God in 's secret Counsell iust Him euen alreadie from his Throne hath thrust Degraded of his gifts and in his steed Though priuily anointed Iesse's Seed Th' honour of Iacob yea of th' Vniuerse Heav'ns darling DAVID Subiect of my Verse Lord sith I cannot nor I may not once Invocation Aspire to DAVIDS Diadems and Thrones Nor lead behind my bright Tryumphal-Car So many Nations Conquered in War Nor DAVID-like my trembling Asps adorn With bloody TROPHEIS of my Foes forlorn Vouch safe mee yet his Verse and Lord I craue Let me his Harp-strings not his Bowe-strings haue His Lute and not his Launce to worthy-sing Thy glorie and the honour of thy King For none but DAVID can sing DAVID's worth Angels in Heav'n thy glory sound in Earth DAVID alone whom with Heav'ns loue surpriz'd To praise thee there thou now hast Angeliz'd Giue mee the Laurel not of War but Peace Or rather giue mee if thy grace so please The Ciuik Garland of green Oaken boughes Thrice-three times wreath'd about my glorious browes To euer-witnes to our after-frends How I haue reskew'd my con-Citizens Whom profane Fames-Thirst day and night did moue To be be-slav'd to th' yoake of wanton Loue For not to mee but to thee Lord be prayse Now by th' example of my Sacred Layes To Sacred Loues our noblest spirits are bent And thy rich Name 's their only Argument HEE WHOM in priuat wals with priuie signe The great King-maker did for King assigne Begins to showe himself a fier so great Could not liue flame-les long nor would God let So noble a spirits nimble edge to rust In Sheapheards idle and ignoble dust My Son how certain we that Saying proue Iessè or Ishai sendeth Dauid to see his brethreÌ„ in the Campe. That doubtfull Fear still wayts on tender Loue DAVID saith Iesse I am full of fears For thy deer Brethren Each Assault salt tears Draws from mine eyes mee thinks each point doth stab Mine Eliab Samna and Aminadab Therefore goe visite them and with this Food Beare them my Blessing say I wish them good Beseeching God to shield and them sustain And send them soon victorious home again Gladly goes DAVID and anon doth spie Two steep high Hils where the two Armies lie Description of Goliah A Vale diuides them where in raging mood Colossus-like an armed Giant stood His long black locks hung shagged slouen-like A down his sides his bush-beard floated thick His hands and arms and bosom bristled were Most Hedge-hog-like with wyer insteed of haire His foul blasphemous mouth a Caues mouth is His eyes two Brands his belly an Abysse His legs two Pillers and to see him go Hee seemd some steeple reeling to and fro A Cypresse-Tree of fifteen Summers old Pyramid-wise waues on his Helm of gold Whose glistring brightnes doth with rayes direct Against the Sun the Sun it self reflect Much like a Comet blazing bloodie-bright Simile Ouer some City with new threatfull light Presaging down-fall or some dismal fate Too-neer approaching to some ancient State His Launce a Loom-beam or a Mast as big Which yet he shaketh as an Osier twig Whose harmful point is headed stifly-straight With burnisht Brasse aboue an Anuils waight Vpon whose top in stead of Bannaret A hissing Serpent seems his foes to threat His brazen Cuirasse not a Squire can carrie For 't is the burthen of a Dromedarie His Shield where Cain his brother Abel slaies Where Chus his son Heav'n-climbing Towrs doth raise Where th' Ark of God to th' Heathen captiuate To Dagon's House is led with scorne and hate Is like a Curtain made of double planks To saue from shot some hard-besieged Ranks His threatfull voice is like the stormefull Thunder When hot-cold Fumes teare sulphury clowds asunder O Fugitiues this is the fortieth day His brauing Defiance to the Hoast of Israell Thus barkes the Dog that I haue stalked aye About your fearefull Hoast that I alone Against your best and choisest Champion In single Combat might our Cause conclude To shun the slaughter of the multitude Come then who dares and to be slaine by mee It shall thine honour and high Fortune bee Why am I not lesse strong my common strength Might find some Braue to cope with at the length But fie for shame when shall we cease this geare I to defie and you to flie for feare If your hearts serue not to defend your Lot Why are you arm'd why rather yeeld you not Why rather doe you sith you dare not fight Not proue my mildnesse than prouoke my might What needed Coats of brasse and Caps of steele For such as Hare-like trust but to their heele But sith I see not one of you alas Alone dares meete nor looke me in the face Come tenne come twenty nay come all of you And in your ayde let your great God come too Let him rake Hell and shake the Earth in sunder Let him be arm'd with Lightning and with Thunder Come let him come and buckle with me heer Your goodly God lesse then your selues I feare Thus hauing spewd the dreadfull Cyclop stirr'd His monstrous Limbes beneath his feet he reard A Clowd of dust and wheresoe're he wend Flight Feare and Death his ghastly steps attend Euen as a payr of busie chattering Pies Simile Seeing some hardie Tercell from the skies To stoop with rav'nous seres feele a chill feare From bush to bush wag-tayling here and there So that no noyse nor stone nor stâ—â—ke can make The timorous Birds their Couert to forsake So th' Hebrew Troopes this brauing Monster shun And from his sight some here some there doo run In vain the King commands intreats and threats And hardly three or foure together gets What shame saith he that our victorious Hoast Saul stirreth vp his Souldiers proposeth ample Reward to him that shall vndertake the Philistine Should all be daunted with one Pagans boast Braue Ionathan how is thy courage quaild Which yerst at Boses all alone aslaild Th' whole Heathen Hoast O Worthy Abner too What chance hath cut thy Nerues of Valour now And thou thy self O Saul whose Conquering hand Had yerst with Tropheis filled all the Land As far as Tigris from the Iapâ—ean Sea Where is thy heart how is it fall'n away Saul is not Saul O â— then what Izraelice Shall
saue vs at thy throne of mercy great Forgiue vs Lord and holde farre from vs all These plagues that on our heads are like to fall Alas what helpeth vs thy heavy stroke To binde our necks to such a servile yoke Wherewith th' Assyrian tyrants long haue grieved Thine Izak till their bondage thou relieved If so this natiue ground that new is tild If so these Hostries new with folke refild If so alas our chaste and modest Dames Our infants young our Virgins good of fames Should be a pray to Ammon and to Perse To Calde and the mutine Parthian fierse If that we see this Altar made prophane And witches it abuse with Idols vain Yet Lord if thou no pittie on vs take At least great God do for thy glories sake Haue pitie on this holy building now Where not a God hath sacrifice but thou Where not a God but thou hast residence To feel the sauour sweet of frankensence Hold back O Lord the Caldean cressets bright From these rich Cedar vaults of stately hight Preserue these vessels ornaments of gold From sacrilegious hands of neighbours bolde And let the blood of beasts before thy face Thy Iustice stay and grant thy seruants grace This prayer done the people went their way Then Ioachim conuen'd that present day The princes all of Iuda and them praid Gainst this mischief for counsell and thus sayd Companions if your former zeal remain If ardent loue to God ye still retain If wife or childe may cause your care or loue Which should the Centers of your senses moue If in your brests a noble hart doth bide Let deed bear witnes at this wofull tide For sauing God and your foresight in deed T is done t is done with vs and all our seed And after this th' Immortall shall not see This altar fume before his maiestee When th' Air is calme and still as dead and deaf Comparison And vnder Heav'n quakes not an aspin leaf When Seas are calme and thousand vessels fleet Vpon the sleeping seas with passage sweet And when the variant winde is still and lowne The cunning Pylot never can be knowne But when the cruell storme doth threat the Bark To drowne in deeps of pits infernall dark While tossing tears both father mast and sail While mounting seems the Azur sky to skail While driues perforce vpon som deadly shore There is the Pylot knowen and not before Alas I pray you then what care and strifes Haue we to keep our honours goods and lifes Forget not then the care of this same place Your countreyes weale Gods glory and his grace But humbly giue your selues into the hand Of God most high and with a holy brand Repurge your spirits from euerie hatefull sinne Which causeth God his Iustice to begin And see what may to God be agreeable For Iacobs weal and for you profitable This said an ancient traytour from his youth Who fostred gall in hart with hony in mouth Enforcing from his eyes som fained tear To cloke his malice spacke as ye shall hear My tongue me fails my hair for dread vp-starts My heavy spirit from pensiue corps departs The oration of a subtill worldling When I be think me of yone tyrant stout Who hath bed round the world with bloud about Approching threats our townes with fiery flames Our selfs with death dishonour to our Dames Yet when I call to minde the curtsie great That this great Lord doth vse who doth intreat Not onely those that beastiall are become And haue their hope in brutall Idols 〈…〉 But euen to zealous folke who do embrace The faith and law like vs of Abrams race Who being well aduisde did humbly sue His pardon and escap't his vengeance due Then thanke I God who sends vs such a foe As plagues the proude and lets the humble goe For we assoone shall vanquish him with teares As will be long to wrack him with our weares Then whil'st we may haue choise of eitherstate Of peace or warres his fauour or his hate Let vs not follow seeing skath at hand The follie of our fathers to gainstand But rather let vs beare another saile And serue his king as best for our availe But think not yet that I this counsell giue For craft or warrant forthy selfe to liue For I haue els my daies so neerely spent That for to dye I could be well content Th' Assyrian neede not in my brest to strike His fethred Dart nor yet his trembling pike Yea if my youth to me should eft returne And make my youthly bloode within me burne So honour I my God and country deare That for to dye for them I would not feare As Sampson did if so my death might yield The victory of the Uizroy and the field But most I feare least we with curious zeale Fight for the lawe yet fight against her weale Against our selfs to bring so great a wrack That proud and cruell tyrants shall vs sack And grow in pride suppressing Iudas strength For to contemne the glory of God at length For Israell being lost who shall ensue To render here to God deuotions due What people sparsâ—d on this earthly ball From Indian shoare to where the Sunne doth fall Or from the Climate of the northren blast Vnto that place where sommer ay doth last Hath God elect save Israell for his owne Vpon this Hill to have his glory showne At this the valiant Cambris of renowne With righteous rage grew pale and gan to frowne And brake the silence with a vehement stile His courage mov'd the Princes all the while Nay rather where I stand let ope the ground Quoth he to swallow me in pit profound Yea rather righteous Heav'n let firy blast Light on my head that thou on Sodom cast Ere I my malice cloke or oversile In giving Izac such a counsell vile For if the Leader of this folk profane Vpon our bodies onely sought to raigne Although that we haue dearely bought alway Our freedom from our first maternall day Which dearer is then gold for to be kept I would assent the holy Church except But since more pride this tyrants heart enroules To lay a greater burden on our soules Who are the vassels of that onely King That Thunder sends and scepters down doth thring ' Should we forget him who made vs of nought ' More then all wondrous things that he hath wrought Who treats and loues vs like our Father King Still vnder shadowes of his wondrous wing Will he that we receiue a Prince ambitious For God a gods contemner Nemrode vitious Whose beastly life is of so vile a fame That of a man he merits not the name Goe to goe to let men for men assaye With sword and shot to deale it as we may The victory lies not in mortall hands Nor barded horse nor force of armed bands These are but second instruments of God Who as him list may send them euen or od But if our soueraigne God willes such annoy That
seed should wheat and barly bring Pure Mayden-wombs desired Babes should bear All things at all times should grow euery where The Hart in Water should it self in gender The Whale on Land in Aire the Lambling tender Th' Ocean should yeeld the Pine and Cornell Tree On Hazels Acorns Nuts on Oaks should bee And breaking Natures set and sacred vse The Doues would Eagles Eagels Doues produce If of themselues things took their thriuing then Slowe-growing Babes should instantly be men Then in the Forests should huge boughs be seen Born with the bodies of vnplanted Treen Then should the sucking Elephant support Vpon his shoulders a well-manned Fort And the new-foaled Colt couragious Should neigh for Battail like Bucephalus Contrariwise if ought to nought did fall All that is felt or seen within this All Still loosing somwhat of it self at length Would com to Nothing If Death's fatall strength Could altogether Substances destroy Things then should vanish even as soon as dy In time the mighty Mountains tops be bated But with their fall the neighbour Vales are fatted And what when Trent or Auon ouer-flowe They reaue one field they on the next bestowe Loue-burning Heav'n many sweet Deaws doth drop In his deer Spouses fair and fruitfull lap Which after she restores straining those showrs Through th' hidden pores of pleasant plants and flowrs Whoso hath seen how one warm lump of wax Without increasing or decreasing takes By an apt similitude he sheweth the continuall Change of the World in the matter and form therof according to Gods pleasure in such sort yet that the matter remaines though it receiue infinite Formes A hundred figures well may iudge of all Th' incessant Changes of this nether Ball. The World 's own Matter is the waxen Lump Which vn-self-changing takes all kinde of stamp The Form's the Seal Heav'ns gratious Emperour The Liuing God 's the great Lord Chancellour Who at his pleasure setting day and night His great Broad Seales and Priuy Signets right Vpon the Mass so vast and variable Makes the same Lump now base now honourable Heer 's nothing constant nothing still doth stay For Birth and Death haue still successiues way Heer one thing springs not till another dy Onely the Matter liues immortally Th' Almighties Table body of this All Of change-full Chances common Arçenall All like itself all in itself contained Which by Times Flight hath neither lost nor gayned Change-less in Essence changeable in face Much more then Proteus or the subtile race Of rouing Polypes who to rob the more Transform them howrly on the wauing shore Sundry Similes to that purpose Much like the French or like our selues their Apes Who with strange habit do disguise their shapes Who louing nouels full of affectation Receiue the Manners of each other Nation And scarcely shift they shirts so oft as change Fantastik Fashions of their garments strange Or like a Laïs whose inconstant Loue Doth euery day a thousand times remooue Who 's scarce vnfolded from one Youths embraces Yer in her thought another she embraces And the new pleasure of her wanton Fire Stirs in her still another new desire Because the Matter wounded deep in heart With various Loue yet on the self same part Incapable in the same time at once To take all figures by successions Form after Form receiues so that one face Another faces features doth deface The chief motiue of this change of Formet in the matter Now the chief Motiue of these Accidents Is the dire discord of our Elements Truce-hating Twins where Brother eateth Brother By turns and turn them one into another Like Ice and Water that beget each other Enigma And still the Daughter bringeth-forth the Mother But each of these hauing two qualities One bearing Rule another that obayes Those whose effects do wholly contradict Longer and stronger striue in their Conflict The hot-dry Fire to cold-moist Water turns not The cold-dry Earth to hot-moist Aire returns not Returns not eas'ly for still opposite With tooth and nail as deadly foes they fight But Aire turn Water Earth may Fierize Because in one part they do symbolize And so in combate they haue less to doo For 't's easier far to conquer one then two Sith then the knot of sacred Mariage Of the Situation of the Elements of the effects therof compared to the Notes of Musick to the letters of the Alphabet Which ioynes the Elements from age to age Brings forth the Worlds Babes sith their Enmities With fell diuorce kill whatsoeuer dyes And sith but changing their degree and place They frame the various Forms wherewith the face Of this fair World is so imbellished As six sweet Notes curiously varied In skilfull Musike make a hundred kindes Of Heauenly sounds that rauish hardest mindes And with Division of a choise deuise The Hearers soules out at their ears intice Or as of twice-twelue Letters thus transpos'd This World of Words is variously compos'd And of these Words in divers order sowen This sacred Uolume that you read is growen Through gracious succour of th' Eternall Deïtie Rich in discourse with infinite Variety It was not cause-less that so carefully God did diuide their common Signory Assigning each a fit-confined Sitting Their quantity and quality befitting Whoso somtime hath seen rich Ingotstri'd A simile liuely representing the separation of the Elements When forç't by Fier their treasures they diuide How fair and softly Gold to Gold doth pass Siluer seeks Siluer Brass consorts with Brass And the whole Lump of parts vnequall seuers It self apart in white red yellow Rivers May vnderstand how when the Mouth Diuine Op'ned to each his proper Place t'assigne Fire flew to Fire Water to Water slid Aire clung to Aire and Earth with Earth abid Earth as the Lees and heauy dross of All After his kinde did to the bottom fall Situation of the earth and fire Contrariwise the light and nimble Fire Did through the crannies of th' old Heap aspire Vnto the top and by his nature light No less then hot mounted in sparks vpright As when we see Aurora passing gay With Opals paint the Seeling of Cathay Sad Floods doefume and the celestiall Tapers Through Earths thin pores in th' Aire exhale the vapours But least the Fire which all the rest embraces Being too neer should burn the Earth to ashes As chosen Vmpires the great All-Creator Of aire water plac't between the earth fire Between these Foes placed the Aire and Water For one suffiz'd not their stern strife to end Water as Cozen did the Earth befriend Aire for his Kinsman Fire as firmly deals But both vniting their divided zeals Took vp the matter and appeas'd the brall Which doubt-less else had discreated All. Th' Aire lodg'd aloft the Water vnder it Not casually but so disposed fit By him who Nature in her kind to keep Kept due proportion in his Workmanship Why the aire was lodged next the Element of Fire
this Sea belowe Which round about our Earthly Globe doth flowe Remains still round and maugre all the surly Aeolian Slaves and Water's hurly burly Dares not to levell her proud liquid Heap Neuer so little past her limits leap Why then beleeue we not that vpper Sphear May without falling such an Ocean bear Vncircumcised O hard hearts at least Lett 's think that God those Waters doth digest In that steep place for if that Nature heer 5. Diuers effects continual admirable in Nature Can form firm Pearl and Crystall shining cleer Of liquid substance let 's beleeue it rather Much more in God the Heav'ns and Natur 's Father Let vs much more much more lett 's peiz and ponder Th' Almighties Works and at his Wisedom wonder Let vs obserue and double-waigh it well That this proud Palace whear we rule and dwell Though built with match-less Art had fall'n long since Had 't not ben seel'd-round with moist Elements For like as in Man's Little-World the Brain Doth highest place of all our Frame retain And tempers with it's moistfull coldnes so Th' excessive heat of th' other parts belowe Th' eternall Builder of this beautious Frame To enter-mingle meetly Frost with Flame And cool the great heat of the Great-Worlds Torches This-Day spred Water over Heav'ns bright Arches These Seas they say leagu'd with the Seas belowe Hiding the highest of the Mountains tho Had drown'd the whole World had not Noah builded A holy Vessell where his house was shielded Taking occasioÌ„ by his former discourse he treateth of the incouÌ„ ter of the vpper waters with the lower whence followed the general stood in the daies of Noah Which hâ—re he liuely representeth Where by direction of the King of Kings He sav'd a seed-payr of all liuing things No sooner shipâ— but instantly the Lord Down to th' Aeolian dungeon him bestirr'd There muzled close Cloud-chasing Boreas And let loose Auster and his lowring race Who soon set forward with a dropping wing Vpon their beard for every hair a spring A night of Clouds muffled their brows about Their wattled locks gusht all in Rivers out And both their hands wringing thick Clouds asunder Send forth fierce lightning tempest rain and thunder Brooks Lakes and Floods Rivers and foaming Torrents Sodainly swell and their confused Currents Losing their old bounds break a neerer way To run at randon with their spoyls to Sea Th' Earth shakes for fear and sweating doth consume her And in her veins leaues not a drop of humour And thou thy self O Heav'n didst set wideope Through all the Marshes in thy spacious cope All thy large sluces thy vast Seas to shed In sodain spouts on thy proud sisters head Whose aw-less law-less shame-les life abhord Onely delighted to despight the Lord. Th' Earth shrinks sinks now th' Ocean hath no shore Now Rivers run to serue the Sea no more Themselues are Sea the many sundry Streams Of sundry names deriv'd from sundry Realms Make now but one great Sea the World it self Is nothing now but a great standing Gulf Whose swelling surges strive to mix their Water With th' other Waves above this round Theater The Sturgeon coasting over Castles muses Vnder the Sea to see so many houses The Indian Manat and the Mullet float O'r Mountain tops where yerst the bearded Goat Did bound and brouz the crooked Dolphin seuds O'r th' highest branches of the hugest Woods Nought boots the Tigre or the Hart or Hors Or Hare or Grey-hound their swift speedy cours For seeking Land the more they strain breath them The more alas it shrinks and sinks beneath them The Otter Tortois and fell Crocodile Which did enioy a double house yer-while Must be content with only water now The Wolf and Lamb Lions and Buçks do rowe Vpon the Waters side by side suspect-less The Glead and Swallow laboring long effect-less 'Gainst certain death with wearied wings fall down For want of Perch and with the rest do drown And for mankinde imagine som get vp To som high Mountains over-hanging top Som to a Towr som to a Cedar tree Whence round about a World of deaths they see But wheresoeuer their pale fears aspire For hope of safety th' Ocean surgeth higher And still-still mounting as they still do mount When they cease mounting doth them soon surmount One therefore ventures on a Plank to rowe One in a Chest another in a Trough Another yet half-sleeping scarce perceives How 's bed and breath the Flood at once bereaves Another labouring with his feet and hands A while the fury of the Flood withstands Which by his side hath newly droun'd his Mother His Wife his Son his Sister Sire and Brother But tyr'd and spent weary and wanting strength He needs must yeeld too to the Seas at length All all must die then but * Parcae à non parcendo Thenone-sparing Fates that is to say Death th' impartiall Maids Who wont to vse so sundry tools for ayds In execution of their fatall slaughters Had only now the furious foaming Waters Safely the while the sacred Ship did float On the proud shoulders of that boundless-Moat Though mast-les oar-les and from Harbour far For God was both her Steers-man and her Star Thrice fifty dayes that Vniuersall Flood Wasted the World which then the Lord thought good To re-erect in his Compassion great No sooner sounds he to the Seas retreat But instantly wave into wave did sink With sodain speed all Rivers gan to shrink Th' Ocean retires him to his wonted prison The Woods are seen the Mountain tops are risen Out of their slimy Bed the Fields increase And spread apace so fast the waters cease And briefly th' onely thundring hand of God Now Earth to Heav'n Heav'n vnto Earth re-show'd That he again Panchaian Fumes might see Sacred on Altars to his Maiesty He concludeth with a most godly prayer accommodated to the state of the Church in our time Lord sith't hath pleas'd thee likewise in our Age To saue thy Ship from Tyrants stormy rage Increase in Number Lord thy little Flock But more in Faith to build on thee the Rock So Morn and Euen the second Day conclude And God perceiu'd that All his Works were good THE THIRD DAIE OF THE FIRST WEEK THE ARGVMENT The Sea and Earth their various Equipage Seuer'd a-part Bounds of the Oceansrage ' Timbraceth Earth it doth all Watersowe Why it is salt How it doth Ebb and Flowe Rare streams and Fountains of strange operation Earth's firmnes greatnes goodnes sharp taxation Of Bribes Ambition Treason Auarice Trees Shrubs Plants Mines Metals Gemms of price Right vse of Gold the Load-stones rare effects The Countrey-life preferr'd in all respects MY sacred Muse that lately soared high Among the glist'ring Circles of the Sky FroÌ„ the Heauen Regions of the Aire the Poet descendeth to the Earth and Sea Whose various dance which the first Moover driues Harmoniously this Vniverse revives Commanding all the Windes and sulphry
Or may 't not be because the surly Banks Keep Waters captiue in their hollow flanks Or that our Seas be buttrest as it were With thousand Rocks dispersed heere and there Or rather Lord is' t not Thine onely Powr That Bows it round about Earths branchy Bowr Doubt-less great God 't is doubt-less thine owne hand The second part of this 3. Book intreating of the Element of earth and first of the firmnes thereof Whereon this Mansion of Mankinde doth stand For thogh it hang in th' Aire swim in the water Though every way it be a round Theater Though All turn round about it though for ay Itselfs Fundations with swist Motions play It rests vn-mooueable that th' Holy Race Of Adam there may finde fit dwelling place The Earth receiues man when he first is born Earth is the Mo ther Nurse and Hostessâ— of mankinde Th' Earth nurses him and when he is forlorn Of th' other Elements and Nature loaths-him Th' Earth in her bosom with kinde burial cloaths-him Oft hath the Aire with Tempests set-vpon-vs Oft hath the Water with her Floods vndon-vs Oft hath the Fire th' vpper as well as ours With wofull flames consum'd our Towns and Towrs Onely the Earth of all the Elements Vnto Mankinde is kinde without offence Onely the Earth did neuer iot displace From the first seat assign'd it by thy grace Yet true it is good Lord that mov'd somtimes Of Earth quakes and of the opening of the earth With wicked Peoples execrablecrimes The wrathfull power of thy right hand doth make Not all the Earth but part of it to quake With ayd of Windes which as imprisoned deep In her vast entrails furious murmurs keep Fear chils our hearts what hart can fear dissemble When Steeples stagger and huge Mountains tremble With wind-less winde and yawning Hell devours Somtimes whole Cities with their shining Towrs Sith then the Earth's and Waters blended Ball The Globe of the Earth Sea is but as a little point in comparison of the great circumference of Heauen Is center heart and nauel of this All And sith in reason that which is included Must needs beless then that which doth include it 'T is question-less the Orb of Earth and Water Is the least Orb in all the All-Theater Let any iudge whether this lower Ball Whose endless greatnes we admire so all Seem not a point compar'd with th' vpper Sphear Whose turning turns the rest in their Career Sith by the Doctrine of Astronomers the least Starre in the â—â—rmnment is â—8 times bigger then al the earth Sith the least Star that we perceiue to shine Aboue disperst in th' Arches crystalline If at the least Star-Clarkes be credit worth Is eighteen times bigger then all the Earth Whence if we but substract what is possest From North to South from the East to West Vnder the Empire of the Ocean Atlantike Indian and American And thousand huge Arms issuing out of these With infinites of other Lakes and Seas And also what the Two intemperate Zones Doo make vnfit for habitations What will remaine Ah! nothing in respect Lo heer O men Lo wherefore you neglect By consideration wherof the Poet taketh occasion to censure sharply the Ambition Bribery Vsury Extortion Deceipt and generall Couetousnes of Mankinde Heav'ns glorious Kingdom Lo the largest scope Glory can giue to your ambitious hope O Princes subiects vnto pride and pleasure Who to enlarge but a hair's breadth the measure Of your Dominions breaking Oaths of Peace Couer the Fields with bloudy Carcases O Magistrates who to content the Great Make sale of Iustice on your sacred Seat And broaking Laws for Bribes profane your Place To leaue a Leek to your vnthankfull Race You strict Extorters that the Poor oppress And wrong the Widdow and the Father-less To leaue your Off-spring rich of others good In Houses built of Rapine and of Blood You City-Vipers that incestuous ioyn Vse vpon vse begetting Coyn of Coyn You Marchant Mercers and Monopolites Gain-greedy Chap-men periur'd Hypocrites Dissembling Broakers made of all deceipts Who falsifie your Measures and your Weights T' inrich your selues and your vnthrifty Sons To Gentillize with proud possessions You that for gain betray your gracious Prince Your natiue Country or your deerest Friends You that to get you but an inch of ground With cursed hands remoue your Neigbours bound The ancient bounds your Ancestors haue set What gain you all alas what do you get Yea though a King by wile or war had won All the round Earth to his subiection Lo heer the Guerdon of his glorious pains A needles point a Mote a Mite he gains A Nit a Nothing did he All possess Or if then nothing anything beless When God whose words more in a moment can God hauing discouered the earth commands it to bring forth euery green thing hearbs trees flowers and fruits Then in an Age the proudest strength of Man Had seuered the Floods leuell'd the Fields Embas't the Valleys and embost the Hils Change change quoth he O fair and firmest Globe Thy moutning weed to a green gallant Robe Cheer thy sad brows and stately garnish them With a rich fragrant flowry Diadem Lay forth thy locks and paint thee Lady-like With freshest colours on thy sallow cheek And let from hence-forth thy aboundant brests Not only Nursethine own Wombs natiue guests But frankly furnish with fit nourishments The future folk of th' other Elements That Aire and Water and the Angels Court May all seem iealous of thy praise and port Of Trees growing in Mountains and in Valleys No sooner spoken but the lofty Pine Distilling-pitch the Larch yeeld-Turpentine Th' euer-green Box and gummy Cedar sprout And th' Airy Mountaines mantle round about The Mast-full Oke the vse-full Ash the Holm Coat changing Cork white Maple shady Elm Through Hill and Plain ranged their plumed Ranks The winding Riuers bordered all their banks With slice-Sea Alders and green Osiars smal With trembling Poplars and with VVillows pase And many Trees beside fit to be made Fewell or Timber or to serue for Shade The dainty Apricock of Plums the Prince Of fruit-trees The veluet Peach gilt Orenge downy Quince All-ready bear grav'n in their tender barks Gods powerfull prouidence in open marks The sent-sweet Apple and a stringent Pear The Cherry Filberd VVal-nut Meddeler The milky Fig the Damson black and white The Date and Olyue ayding appetite Spread euery-where a most delightfull Spring And euery-where a very Eden bring Heer the fine Pepper as in clusters hung Of shrubs There Cinamon and other Spices sprung Heer dangled Nutmegs that for thrifty pains Yearly repay the Bandans wondrous gains There growes th' Hesperian Plant the precious Reed Whence Sugar sirrops in aboundance bleed There weeps the Balm and famous Trees from whence Th' Arabians fetch perfuming Frankincense There th' amorous Uine coll's in a thousand sorts With winding arms her Spouse that her supports The Vine as far
Helleborus doth make Helleborus His vitall powers from deadly slumber wake With Betonie fell Serpents round beset Betonie Lift vp their heads and fall to hiss and spet With spightfull fury in their sparkling eyes Breaking all truce with infinite defies Puft vp with rage to 't by the eares they goe Baen against baen plague against plague they throwe Charging each other with so fierce a force For friends turn'd foes have lightly least remorse That wounded all or rather all a wound With poysoned gore they cover all the ground And nought can stint their strange intestine strife But onely th' end of their detested life As Betonie breaks friendships ancient bands So Willo-wort makes wonted hate shake hands Willow-worte For being fastned to proud Coursers collers That fight and fling it will abate their cholers The Swine that feed in Troughes of Tamarice Tamarice Consume their spleen The like effect ther is In Finger-Fern which being given to Swine Finger-Ferne It makes their Milts to Melt away in fine With ragged tooth choosing the same so right Of all their Tripes to serue it's appetite And Horse that feeding on the grassy Hills Tread vpon * Lunaria Moon-woort with their hollow heeles Though lately shod at night goe bare-foot home Their Maister musing where their shooes become O Moon-wort tell vs where thou hidst the Smith Hammer and Pincers thou vnshoo'st them with Alas what Locke or Iron Engine is' t That can thy subtile secret strength resist Sith the best Farrier cannot set a shoo So sure but thou so shortly canst vndoo But I suppose not that the earth doth yeeld In Hill or Dale in Forrest or in Field A rarer Plant then Candian * Dictaminum Candiae Dittanie Which wounded Dear eating immediatly Not onely cures their wounds exceeding well But 'gainst the Shooter doth the shaft repell Moreover Lord is' t not a Work of thine Great varieâ—ie in colour and form of Plants and strange coÌ„trariâ—ty of effects according to the bodies that they work vpon That every where in every Turf we finde Such multitude of other Plants to spring In form effect and colour differing And each of them in their due Seasons taen To one is Physick to another baen Now gentle sharp anon now good then ill What cureth now the same anon doth kill Th' hearb * Fenâ—l gyant Sâ—gapen serues the slowe Asse for meat But kils the Ox if of the same he eat So branched * Hemlock Hemlock for the Stares is fit But death to man if he but taste of it And * Rose-bay Oleander vnto beasts is poyson But vnto man a speciall counter-poyson What ranker poyson what more deadly baen Then * Wolfes banâ— Aconite can there be toucht or taen And yet his iuice best cures the burning bit Of stinging Serpents if apply'd to it O valiant Venome O courageous Plant Disdainfull Poyson noble combatant That scorneth aid and loves alone to fight That none partake the glory of his might For if he finde our bodies fore-possest With other Poyson then he lets vs rest And with his Rivall enters secret Duel One to one strong to strong cruel to cruel Still fighting fierce and never over-giue Till they both dying give Man leave to live And to conclude whether I walke the Fields Rush through the Woods or clamber vp the Hills I finde God every-where Thence all depend He giueth frankly what we thankly spend Heer for our food Millions of flow'rie grains With long Mustachoes waue vpon the Plains Heer thousand fleeces fit for Princes Robes Of grain siâ—ke Cotton-Wool or Bombace Plax Hemp which the Earth produceth In Sérean Forrests hang in silken Globes Heer shrubs of Malta for my meaner vse The fine white balls of Bombace do produce Heer th' azure-flowred Flax is finely spun For finest Linnen by the Belgian Nun Heer fatall Hemp which Denmark doth afford Doth furnish vs with Canuass and with Cord Cables and Sayles that Windes assisting either We may acquaint the East and West together And dry-foot daunce on Neptunes Watry Front And in aduenture lead whole Towns vpon 't Heer of one grain of * Indian-wheat Maiz a Reed doth spring That thrice a year fiue hundred grains doth bring Which after th' Indians parch and punn and knead And thereof make them a most holesom bread Th' Almighty Voyce which built this mighty Ball Still still rebounds and ecchoes ouer all That that alone yeerly the World revives Through that alone all springs all lives all thrives And that alone makes that our mealy grain Our skilfull Seed-man scatters not in vain But being covered by the tooth-full Harrow Or hid a while vnder the folded furrow Rots to revive and warmly-wet puts-forth His root beneath his bud above the Earth Enriching shortly with his springing Crop The Ground with green the Husband-man with hope The bud becoms a blade the blade a reed An exact description of the growing of wheat and other like kindes of graine The reed an ear the ear another seed The seed to shut the wastefull Sparrows out In Harvest hath a stand of Pikes about And Chaffie Husks in hollow Cods inclose-it Least heat wet winde should roste or rot or lose-it And least the Straw should not sustein the ear With knotty ioints 't is sheathed heer and there Pardon me Reader if thy ravisht Eyes Have seen To-Day too great varieties Of Trees of Flowrs of Fruites of Hearbs of Grains In these my Groves Meads Orchards Gardens Plains Sith th' I le of Zebut's admirable Tree Of the Indian Cocos a most admirable fruit Beareth a fruit call'd Cocos commonly The which alone far richer Wonders yields Then all our Groves Meads Orchards Gardens Fields What wouldst thou drink the wounded leaues drop wine Lackst thou fine linnen dress the tender rine Dress it like Flax spin it and weave it wel It shall thy Cambrik and thy Lawn excel Longst thou for Butter bite the poulpy part And never better came to any Mart. Needest thou Oyl then boult it to and fro And passing oyle it soon becommeth so Or Vineger to whet thine appetite Then sun it wel and it will sharply bite Or wantst thou Sugar steep the same a stound And sweeter Sugar is not to be found 'T is what you will or will be what you would Should Mydas touch't I think it would be Gold And God I think to crown our life with ioyes The Earth with plenty and his Name with praise Had don enough if he had made no more But this one Plant so full of wondrous store Save that the World where one thing breeds satiety Could not be fair without so great variety But th' Earth not onely on her back doth bear Abundant treasures glistering everywhere As glorious vnthrifts crost with Parents Curse Wear golden Garments but an empty Purse Or Venus Darlings fair without within Full of Disease full of Deceipt and Sinne Or
is bow'd About the Waues and well content to suffer Milde Zephyrs blasts and Boreas bellowing rougher Water to quench thy thirst about thy Mountains Wraps her moist arms Seas riuers lakes and fountains O how I grieue deer Earth that given to gays Commendations of the Country-life Most of best wits contemn thee now-a-days And noblest hearts proudly abandon quight Study of Hearbs and Country-lifes delight To brutest men to men of no regard Whose wits are Lead whose bodies Iron-hard Such were not yerst the reuerend Patriarks Whose prayse is penned by the sacred Clarks Noah the iust meek Moses Abraham Who Father of the Faithfull Race becam Were Shepheards all or Husbandmen at least And in the Fields passed their Dayes the best Such were not yerst Attalus Philemetor Archelaus Hiero and many a Pretor Great Kings Consuls who haue oft for blades And glistering Scepters handled hooks and spades Such were not yerst Cincinnatus Fabricius Serranus Curius who vn-self-delicious With Crowned Coultars with Imperiall hands With Ploughs triumphant plough'd the Roman lands Great Scipio sated with fain'd curtsie-capping With Court Eclipses and the tedious gaping Of golden beggers and that Emperour Of Slave turn'd King of King turnd Labourer In Country Granges did their age confine And ordered there with as good Discipline The Fields of Corn as Fields of Combat first And Ranks of Trees as Ranks of Souldiers yerst O thrice thrice happy He who shunns the cares Of City-troubles and of State-affairs And seruing Ceres Tills with his own Teem His own Free-land left by his Friends to him Never pale Enuie's poysonie heads doo hiss To gnaw his heart nor Vultur Auarice Free from enuy ambition auarice and consequently from the diuelish practises of MachiauiliaÌ„ Politikes His Field's bounds bound his thoughts he never supps For Nectar poyson mixtin silver Cups Neither in golden Platters doth he lick For sweet Ambrosia deadly Arsenick His hand 's his boaul better then Plate or Glass The siluer Brook his sweetest Hypocrasse Milk Cheese and Fruit fruits of his own endeuour Drest without dressing hath he ready ever False Counsailours Concealers of the Law Not vâ—xed with counterfait wrestings of wrangling Laywers Turn-coat Attourneys that with both hands draw Sly Peti-Foggers Wranglers at the Bar Proud Purse-Leaches Harpies of Westminster With fained chiding and foul iarring noyse Break not his brain nor interrupt his ioyes But cheerfull Birds chirping him sweet Good-morrows With Natures Musick doo beguile his sorrows Teaching the fragrant Forrests day by day The Diapason of their Heav'nly Lay. His wandring Vessell reeling to and fro Not dreading shipwracke nor in danger of Pirates On th' irefull Ocean as the Windes doo blowe With sodain Tempest is not ouer-whurld To seek his sad death in another World But leading all his life at home in Peace Alwaies in sight of his own smoak no Seas No other Seas he knowes nor other Torrent Then that which waters with his siluer Corrent His Natiue Medowes and that very Earth Shall giue him Buriall which first gaue him Birth To summon timely sleep he doth not need Not diseased in body through delicious Idlenes Aethyop's cold Rush nor drowsy Poppy-seed Nor keep in consort as Mecaenas did Luxurious Villains Viols I should haue sayd But on green Carpets thrumd with mossy Beuer Frendging the round skirts of his winding Riuer The streams milde murmur as it gently gushes His healthy limbs in quiet slumber hushes Drum Fife and Trumpet with their loud A-larms Not drawen by factions to an vntimely Death Make him not start out of his sleep to Arms Nor deer respect of som great Generall Him from his bed vnto the block doth call The crested Cock sings Hunt is vp to him Limits his rest and makes him stir betime To walk the Mountains or the flowry Meads Impearld with tears that sweet Aurora sheads Never gross Aire poysond in stinking Streets Not choaked with contagion of a corrupted Aire To choak his spirit his tender nostrill meets But th' open Sky where at full breath he liues Still keeps him sound and still new stomack giues And Death drad Seriant of th' eternall Iudge Coms very late to his sole seated Lodge His wretched yeers in Princes Courts he spends not Nor Chamelâ—â—like changing with euery obiect the colour of his conscience His thralled will on Great mens wils depends not He changing Master doth not change at once His Faith Religion and his God renounce With mercenary lies hee doth not chaunt Praysing an Emmet for an Elephant Nor soothing Sin nor licking the Tayl of Greatnesse Sardanapalus drown'd in soft excess For a triumphant vertuous Hercules Thersites foul for Venus louely Loue And every Changeling for a Turtle-Doue Nor lavishes in his lascivious layes On wanton Flora chaste Alcestes prayse But all self-priuate serving God he writes Fear-less and sings but what his heart in dites No sallow Fear doth day or night afflict-him Vnto no fraud doth night or day addict-him Neither prest with Fear nor plotting Fraud Or if he muse on guile 't is but to get Beast Bird or Fish in toil or snare or net What though his Wardrobe be not stately stuft With sumptuous silks pinked and powne't and puft With gold-ground Velvets and with siluer Tissue And all the glory of old Eues proud Issue What though his feeble Cofers be not cramd With Misers Idols golden Ingotsramd He is warm-wrapped in his own-growen Wooll Of vn-bought Wines his Cellar 's everfull His Garner's stor'd with grain his Ground with flocks His Barns with Fodder with sweet streams his Rocks For heer I sing the happy Rustiks weal Whose handsom house seems as a Common-weal And not the needy hard rack-rented Hinde Or Copy-holder whom hard Lords doo grinde The pined Fisher or poor-Daiery-Renter That liues of whay for forfeiting Indenture Who scarce haue bread within their homely Cotes Except by fits to feed their hungry throats Let me good Lord among the Great vn-kend My rest of daies in the calm Countrey end Let me deserue of my deer AEGLE-Brood For Windsor Forrest walks in Almes-wood Bee Hadley Pond my Sea Lambs-bourn my Thames Lambourn my London Kennet's siluer streams My fruitfull Nile my Singers and Musicians The pleasant Birds with warbling repetitions My company pure thoughts to work thy will My Court a Cottage on a lowely Hill Where without let I may so sing thy Name That times to-com may wonder at the same Or if the new North-star my Souerain IAMES The secret vertue of whose sacred beams Attracts th' attentiue seruice of all such Whose mindes did euer Vertue 's Load-stone touch Shall euer daign t' inuite mine humble Fate T'approoch the Presence of his Royall State Or if my Duty or the Grace of Nobles Shall driue or draw me neer their pleasing-Troubles Let not their Fauours make me drunk with folly In their Commands still keep my Conscience holy Let me true Honour not the false delight And play the
By his example giving vs behest On the Seaventh Day for evermore to Rest. For God remembred that he made not Man Of Stone or Steel or Brass Corinthian But lodg'd our soule in a frail earthen Mass Thinner then Water britteler then Glass He knowes our life is by nought sooner spent Then having still our mindes and bodies bent A Field left lay for som fewe Years will yield The richer Crop when it again is till'd A River stopped by a sluce a space Runs after rougher and a swifter pase A Bowe a while vnbent will after cast His shafts the farther and them fix more fast A Souldier that a season still hath layn Coms with more fury to the Field again Even so this Body when to gather breath One Day in Seav'n at Rest it soiourneth It re-collects his Powrs and with more cheer Falls the next morrow to his first Career But the chief End this Precept aims at is To quench in vs the coals of Covetize That while we rest from all profaner Arts Gods Spirit may work in our retired hearts That wee down-treading earthly cogitations May mount our thoughts to heav'nly meditations Following good Archers guise who shut one ey Simile That they the better may their mark espy For by th' Almighty this great Holy-day Was not ordain'd to daunce and mask and play Against profaners of the Sabaoth To slugg in sloath and languish in delights And loose the Reans to raging appetites To turn Gods Feasts to filthy Lupercals To frantike Orgies and fond Saturnals To dazle eys with Prides vain-glorious splendor To serue strange Gods or our Ambition tender As th' irreligion of loose Times hath since Chang'd the Prime-Churches chaster innocence We ought on the Lords Day atteÌ„d his seruice me ditate on the euerlasting Rest on the workes of God God would that men should in a certain place This Day assemble as before his face Lending an humble and attentiue ear To learn his great Name 's deer-drad Loving-Fear He would that there the faithfull Pastor should The Scriptures marrow from the bones vnfold That we might touch with fingers as it were The sacred secrets that are hidden there For though the reading of those holy lines In private Houses som-what move our mindes Doubtlesse the Doctrine preacht doth deeper pearce Proves more effectuall and more waight it bears The practise of the faithfull in all reformed Churches on the Sabaoth Day He would that there in holy Psalmes we sing Shrill prayse and thanks to our immortall King For all the liberall bounties he bestow'th On vs and ours in soule and body both He would that there we should confess his Christ Our onely Saviour Prophet Prince and Priest Solemnizing with sober preparation His blessed Seals of Reconciliation And in his Name beg boldly what we need After his will and be assur'd to speed Sith in th' Exchequer of his Clemency All goods of Fortune Soule and Body lie He would this Sabbaoth should a figure be The Corporall Rest a figure of the spirituall Of the blest Sabbaoth of Eternity But th' one as Legall heeds but outward things Th' other to Rest both Soule and body brings Th' one but a Day endures the others Date Eternity shall not exterminate Shadows the one th' other doth Truth include This stands in freedom that in seruitude With cloudy cares th' one 's muffled vp som-whiles The others face is full of pleasing smiles For never grief nor fear of any Fit Of the least care shall dare come neer to it 'T is the grand Iubilé the Feast of Feasts Sabbaoth of Sabbaoths end-less Rest of Rests Which with the Prophets and Apostles zealous The constant Martyrs and our Christian fellows Gods faithfull Seruants and his chosen Sheep In Heav'n we hope within short time to keep He would this Day our soule sequestered Meditation of the workes of God especially on the day of Rest. From busie thoughts of worldly cares should read In Heav'ns bow'd Arches and the Elements His bound-less Bounty Powr and Providence That every part may as a Master teach Th' illiterat Rules past a vulgar reach Com Reader sit com sit thee down by mee Exhortation to this Meditatiâ— with the vse and profit thereof Think with my thoughts and see what I doo see Hear this dumb Doctor study in this Book Where day and night thou mai'st at pleasure look And therby learn vprightly how to liue For every part doth speciall Lessons giue Even from the gilt studs of the Firmament To the base Centre of our Element Seest thou those Stars we wrongly Wandring call The Planets teach vs to follow the will of God Though diuers wayes they daunce about this Ball Yet ever more their manifold Career Follows the Course of the First Mouing Sphear This teacheth thee that though thine own Desires Be opposit to what Heav'ns will requires Thou must still striue to follow all thy dayes God the first Mover in his holy wayes The Moon teacheth that we haue not any thing that we haue not receiued Vain puff of winde whom vaunting pride bewitches For Bodies beauties or Mindes richer Riches The Moon whose splendor from her Brother springs May by Example make thee vail thy wings For thou no less then the pale Queen of Nights Borrow'st all goodnes from the Prince of Lights Wilt thou from Orb to Orb to th' Earth descend The Elementary fire and ours where our happinesse and where our misery consists Behold the Fire which God did round extend As neer to Heav'n the same is cleer and pure Ours heer belowe sad smoaky and obscure So while thy Soule doth with the Heav'ns converse It 's sure and safe from every thought perverse And though thou won heer in this world of sinn Thou art as happy as Heav'ns Angells been But if thy minde be alwayes fixed all On the foul dunghill of this darksom vale It will partake in the contagious smells Of th' vnclean house wherin it droops and dwells If enuious Fortune be thy bitter foe The Aire that afflictions are profitable for vs. And day and night do toss thee to and fro Remember th' Aire coâ—â—â—reth soon except With sundry Windes it be oâ—t swing'd and swept The Sea which somtimes down to Hell is driv'n The Sea that we ought for no respect to transgresse the Law of God And somtimes heaues afroathy Mount to Heav'n Yet never breaks the bounds of her precinct Wherin the Lord her boisterous arms hath linkt Instructeth thee that neither Tyrants rage Ambition's windes nor golden vassallage Of Auarice nor any love nor fear From Gods Command should make thee shrink a hair The Earth which never all at once doth moue The Earth that we should be constant Though her rich Orb received from aboue No firmer base her burthen to sustent Then slippery props of softest Element By her example doth propose to thee A needfull Lesson of true Constancy The Eares of Corne
Present to so great a PRINCE A Princely GLASSE made first for SALOMON The fitter therfore for your EXCELLENCE As oft to look-in as You look vpon Som Glasses flatter other-som deform This ay presents You a true PRINCE'S Form Voy Sire Saluste To the right Honorable the Lord High Chancellor of England ANAGR Thomas Egerton 1. Gestat Honorem 2. Age mett Honors 3. Honors mett Age. THE LAWE MOst humbly Shewes to thy Great Worthiness Graue MODERATOR of our Britain LAWES The Muses Abiect subiect of Distress How long Wrong-vext in a not Need less Cause Not at the Kings-Bench but the Pennie-less By one I Want the son of Simpleness Vnable more to greaze the scraping paws Of his Attorney Shift or oyl the iaw Of his dear Counsell Serieant Pensiueness He is compell'd in forma pauperis To Plead himself and shew his little LAW In the free Court of thy milde Courtesies Please it thee therefore an Iniunction grant To stay the Suit between himself and Want I. S. For Thee and Thine for ay So He and His shall pray To the Right Honourable the Earle of Salisburie Lord high Threasurer of England ANAGRAMMATA Robertus Cecilius Robertus Cecillius Cui ortus celebris vel Cerebro sic Tullius Robertus Comes Sari Carus est Orbisermo THE CAPTAINES ARms yield to Arts the Trumpet to the Tongue Stout Aiax Prize the wise Vlysses wann It will not seem then that we haue mis-sung To sing of CAPTAINS to a Counsail man Sith without Counsail Courage is but rage Rude in Resolving rash in Acting it In which respect those of the Antique Age Fain PALLAS Goddess both of Warr and Wit Therfore to Thee whose Wit so much hath sted In Warr and Peace our Princes and our STATE To Thee whose Vertue hath now Triumphed Of cause-les Enuy and misgrounded Hate To Thee Witt 's WORTHIE had it not bin wrong Not to haue sounded my War WORTHIE's Song I. S. To the right Honorable the Earl of Dorset late Lord High Threasurer of England ANAGR Sacvilus Comes Dorsetius Vas lucis Esto decor Musis Sacris Musis celo deuotus THE SCHISME NOt with-out Error and apparant Wrong To Thee the Muses and my Self the most Could I omit amid this Noble Hoast Of learned Friends to Learning and our Song To muster Thee Thee that hast lov'd so long The sacred Sisters and sad-sweetly most Thy Self hast sung vnder a fayned Ghost The tragik Falls of our Ambitious Throng Thearfore in honour of Thy younger Art And of the Muses honour'd by the same And to express my Thankfull thoughts in part This Tract I sacre vnto SACKVIL's Name No less renown'd for Numbers of Thine Owne Than for thy love to Other 's Labours show'n I. S. To the Right Honourable the Earle of Pembroke ANAGR William Harbert With liberall arm THE DECAY FAr bee The Title of this tragik page From Thee rare Module of Heröik mindes Whose noble Bounty all the Muses bindes To honour Thee but mine doth most engage And yet to Thee and to Thy Patronage For present lack of other gratefull signes Needs must I Offer these DECAY ed lines Lyned with Horrors of ISAACIAN rage Whear-in to keep decorum with my Theam And with my Fortunes ruin'd euery-way My Care-clogd Muse still caried down the stream In singing Other 's sighes her Own DECAY In stile in state in hap in hope in all For Vines vnpropped on the ground do craul I. S. To the Right Honorable the Earle of Essex Earle Marshall of England c. * ⎠* EDEN GReat Strong-bowe's heir no self-coÌ„ceipt doth cause Mine humble wings aspire to you vnknowne But knowing this that your renown alone As th' Adamant and as the Amber drawes That hardest steel this easie-yeelding strawes Atterrs the stubborn and attracts the prone I haue presum'd O Honors Paragon To graue your name which all Iberia awes Heer on the fore-front of this little Pile T' inuite the vertuous to a sacred feast And chase-away the vicious and the vile Or stop their lothsom enuious tongues at least If I haue err'd let my submission scuse And daign to grace my yet vngraced Muse. I. S. To the same Right Honorable Earle of Essex c. * ⎠* THE ARK FRom th' ARK of Hope still tossed in distresse on th' angry Deluge of disastrous plight My silly Doue heer takès her Second slight To view great Lord thy World of worthiness Vouchsafe rare Plant of perfect Noblenes Som branch of safety whereon she may light Som Oliue leaf that may presage me right A safe escape from this wet wildernes So when the Floud of my deep Cares shall fall And I be landed on sweet Comfort 's Hill First my pure thoughts to Heav'n present I shall Then on thy fauours meditating still My Zealous Muse shall daily striue to frame Som fairer Tropheis to thy glorious Name I. S. To the Right Honourable Charles Lord Mount-ioy Earl of Devonshire * ⎠* THE IMPOSTTVRE Though in thy Brook great Charles ther swim a Swâ— Whose happy sweet immortall tunes can raise The vertuous Greatnes of thy Noble praise To higher notes than my faint numbers can Yet while thy Lucan doth in silence scan Vnto himself new-meditated laies To finish vp his sad Pharsalian fraies Lend ear to BARTAS now our Country-man For though his English be not yet so good As French-men hardly do our tongue attain He hâ—peth yet to be well vnderstood The rather if you worthy Lord shall daign His bashfulnes a little to aduance With the milde fauours of your countenance I. S. To the same Right Honorable Earle of Deuonshire c. * ⎠* THE HANDY-CRAFTS THe Mome free Passage that my Muse hath found Vnder Safe-Conduct of thy Patronage Through carping Censures of this curious Age Where high conceited happy wits abound Makes her presume O Mountioy most renownd To bear again in her re-Pilgrimage The noble Pasport of thy Tutelage To salue her still from sullen Enuies wound Let thy true-Eagle Sun-beholding Eyes Glance on our Glowe-worm's scarce discerned spark And while Witt 's towring Falcons touch the skies Obserue a while our tender-imped Lark Such sparks may flame such light Larks may flie A higher pitch than drosse-full Vanity I. S. To the same Right Honorable Earle of Deuonshire c. * ⎠* THE COLONIES REnowned Scipio though thine Ennius Still merit best the best of thy regard Though worthily his Trumpet be pre-ferr'd To sound the Triumphs thou hast wonn for vs Yet sith one Penn how-euer plentious Were it the Mantuan or Meonian Bard Suffizeth not to giue Fame's full Reward To thy great Deeds admir'd and glorious Though Hee thy Homer be Thou his Achilles Both by each other Happy Thou heer-in T' haue such a Trump as his immortall Quill-is Hee such a Theam as thy High Vertues been It shall Great Worthie no Dis-Honour be That English Bartas hath Sung thrice to thee I. S. To the Honorable learned and religious Gentleman Sir Peter Young of Sâ—ton
Knight Almoner of Scotland and one of his Maiesties Privy Councell there THE COLVMNS YOVNG Ancient Seruant of our Soueraign Lord Graue Maister of thy Maister 's minor-years Whose Prudence and whose Piety appears In his Perfection which doth Thine record Whose loyall Truth His royall Trusts approue By oft Embassage to the greatest Peers Whose Duty and Deuotion He endeers With present Fauours of his Princely Loue In Honour of these Honours many-fold And for memoriall of Thy kinde regard Of these poore Orfanes pyn'd in Hope-les cold Accept these Thanks for thy firm Loues reward Wher-in so Heav'ns prosper what we haue sung Through euery Age thou shalt liue euer YOVNG I. S. To the right vertuous fauorer of Vertue furtherer of Learning Sir Thomas Smith of Lonaon Knight late Lord Embassadour for his Maiesty to the Emperour of Russia IONAS TO thee long tost in a fell Storm of State Cast out and swallowed in a Gulf of Death On false-suspect of thine vn-spotted Faith And flying frō thy Heav'n-giuen Charge of late For much resemblance of thy troublous Fate Much like in Case to that he suffereth Though in effect thy Cause far differeth I send my IONAS to congratulate Thy happy Rescue and thy holy Triall Wher by as Fire doth purifie the Gold Thy Loyalty is more notorious Loyal And worthy th' Honours which thou now doo'st hold Thus Vertue 's Palms oppressed mount the more And Spices bruz'd smell sweeter than before I. S. To the most Honourable learned and religious Gent. M r. Anthony Bacone * ⎠* THE FVRIES BOund by thy Bounty and mine own Desire To tender still new Tribute of my zeal To Thee whose fauour did the first repeal My proto-BARTAS from Self-doomed Fire Hauing new-tuned to du BARTAS Lyre These tragik murmurs of His FVRIES fell Which with the Horrors of an Earthly Hell The Sinn curst life of wretched Mortals tire To whom but Thee should I present the same Sith by the breath of Thine incouragement My sacred fury thou didst first inflame To prosecute This sacred Argument Such as it is accept it as a signe Of Thankfull Loue from Him whose all is Thine I. S. To the same most Honourarable Gentleman Maister Anthony Bacone * ⎠* BABYLON THy friendly censure of my first ESSAIE Du Bartas FVRIES and his BABYLON My faint Endeuours hath so cheared on That Both His WEEKS are also Ours to-day Thy gracious hand repriuing from decay My fame-les Name doom'd to Obliuion Hath so stirr'd-vp my Soule 's deuotion That in my Songs thy Name shall liue for ay Thy milde acceptance of my simple myte Pattern and Patron of all vertuous drifts Doth heer again my gratefull Muse inuite To re-salute thee with mine humble gifts Indeed no Gifts but Debts to Thy desart To whom I owe my hand my head my hart I. S. ADAM The FIRST DAIE Of The SECOND WEEK Containing 1. EDEN 2. The IMPOSTVRE 3. The FVRIES 4. The HANDY-CRAFTS Acceptam refero יהוה EDEN THE I. PART OF THE I. DAY OF THE II. WEEK THE ARGVMENT Our Poet first doth Gods assistance seek The Scope and Subiect of his Second Week Adam in Eden Edens beauties rare A reall Place not now discerned where The Tree of Life and Knowledge-Tree with-all Knowledge of Man before and since his Fall His exercise and excellent Delights In 's Innocence of Dreams and Ghostly Sights Nice Questions curb'd Death Sins effect whereby Man else Immortall mortall now must Dy. GReat God which hast this World's Birth made me see Inuocation of the true God for assistance in Description of the Infancie first estate of the World Vnfold his Cradle shew his Infancy Walk thou my Spirit through all the flowring alleis Of that sweet Garden where through winding valleys Foure liuely flouds crauld tell mee what mis-deed Banisht both Edens Adam and his seed Tell who immortall mortalizing brought-vs The Balm frō Heav'n which hoped health hath wrought-vs Grant me the story of thy Church to sing And gests of Kings Let me this Totall bring From thy first Sabbaoth to his fatall toomb My stile extending to the Day of Doom Lord I acknowledge and confess before This Ocean hath no bottom nor no shoar But sacred Pilot thou canst safely steer My vent'rous Pinnasse to her wished Peer Where once arriv'd all dropping wet I will Extoll thy favors and my vows fulfill And gratious Guide which doost all grace infuse The Translator cōsidering his own weaknesse and insufficiency for a Worke so rare excellent as all the World hath worthily admired craueth also the assistance of the Highest that at least his endeuour may both stir-vp some abler Spirit to vndertake this Taske and also prouoke all other good Wits to take in hand some holy Argumēt and with-all that Him-self may be for euer sincerely affected and as it were throughly seasoned with the sweet relish of these sacred and religious discourses Simile Since it hath pleas'd thee task my tardy Muse With these high Theams that through mine Art-les Pen This holy Lamp may light my Country-men Ah teach my hand touch mine vnlearned lips Least as the Earths grosse body doth Eclipse Bright Cynthia's beams when it is interpos'd Twixt her and Phoebus so mine ill-dispos'd Dark gloomy Ignorance obscure the rayes Of this diuine Sun of these learned dayes O! furnish me with an vn-vulgar stile That I by this may we an our wanton I LE From Ouids heirs and their vn-hallowed spell Heer charming senses chayning soules in Hell Let this prouoke our modern Wits to sacre Their wondrous gifts to honour thee their Maker That our mysterious ELFINE Oracle Deep morall graue Inuentions miracle My deer sweet DANIEL sharp-conceipted brief Ciuill sententious for pure accents chief And our new NASO that so passionates Th' heroike sighes of loue-sick Potentates May change their subiect and aduance their wings Vp to these higher and more holy things And if sufficient rich in self-inuention They scorn as I to liue of Strangers Pension Let them deuise new Weeks new works new wayes To celebrate the supreme Prince of praise And let not me good Lord be like the Lead Which to som City from som Conduit-head Brings holsom water yet self-wanting sense It self receiues no drop of comfort thence But rather as the thorough-seasoned But Wherein the tears of death-prest Grapes are put Simile Retains long after all the wine is spent Within it self the liquors liuely sent Let me still sauour of these sacred sweets Till Death fold-vp mine earth in earthen sheets Least my young layes now prone to preach thy glory To BRVTVS heyres blush at mine elder Story GOD Supreme Lord committed not alone Narration Tour Father Adam this inferiour Throne God hauing Created and established Man Lord of the Crea tures lodgeth him in the faire Gardē of Eden Ranging beneath his rule the scaly Nation That in the Ocean haue their habitation Those that in horror of the Desarts lurk And those that capering in the Welk
Among this people euery where did iangle Bring me quoth one atrowell quickly quick One brings him vp a hammer heaw this brick Another bids and then they cleaue a Tree Make fast this rope and then they let it flee One cals for planks another mortarlacks They bear the first a stone the last an ax One would haue spikes and him a spade they giue Another asks a saw and gets a siue Thus crosly-crost they prate and point in vain What one hath made another mars again Nigh breath-less all with their confused yawling In boot-less labour now begins appawling In brief as those that in som channell deep An other elegaÌ„t comparison showing that there is no Counsail no Endeuour no diligence no might nor multitude that can resist God Begin to build a Bridge with Arches steep Perceiuing once in thousand streams extending The course-chang'd Riuer from the hils descending With watry mountains bearing down their Bay As if it scorn'd such bondage to obay Abandon quickly all their work begun And heer and there for swifter safety run These Masons so seeing the storm arriu'd Of Gods iust Wrath all weak and hart-depriu'd Forsake their purpose and like frantick fools Scatter their stuffe and tumble down their tools O proud revolt O trayterous felony Discommodities proceeding froÌ„ the confusion of Tongues See in what sort the Lord hath punisht thee By this Confusion ah that language sweet Sure bond of Cities friendships mastik meet Strong curb of anger yerst vnited now In thousand drie Brooks strays I wot not how That rare-rich gold that charm-grief fancy-mouer That calm-rage harts-theef quel-pride coniure-louer That purest coyn then currant in each coast Now mingled hath sound waight and colour lost 'T is counterfeit and ouer euery shoar The confus'd fall of Babel yet doth roar Then Finland-folk might visit Affrica The Spaniard Inde and ours America Without a truch-man now the banks that bound Our Towns about our tongues do also mound For who from home but half a furlong goes As dumb alas his Reason's tool doth lose Of if we talk but with our neer confines We borrow mouthes or else we work by signes Vn-toild vn-Tutord sucking tender food We learn'd a language all men vnderstood And seav'n-yeers-old in glass-dust did commence To draw the round Earths fair circumference To cipher well and climbing Art by Art We reacht betimes that Castles highest part Where th' Encyclopedie her darlings Crowns In signe of conquest with etern renowns Now euer-boys we wax old while we seek The Hebrew tongue the Latin and the Greek We can but babble and for knowledge whole Of Natures secrets and of th' Essence sole Which Essence giues to all we tire our minde To vary verbs and finest words to finde Our letters and our syllables to waigh At Tutors lips we hang with heads all gray Who teach vs yet to read and giue vs raw An A. B. C. for great Iustinians law Hippocrates or that Diuiner lore Where God appears to whome him right adore What shall I more say then all spake the speech The Hebrew Tongue in all Mens mouthes before the confusion of Languages Of God himselfe th' old sacred Idiom rich Rich perfect language where 's no point nor signe But hides some rare deep mysterie diuine But since that pride each people hath a-part A bastard gibberish harsh and ouerthwart Which daily chang'd and losing light wel-neer Nothing retains of that first language cleer The Phrygians once and that renowned Nation A conclusion tried whereb appeareth that chil dren are naturally apt to learn to speak not able of themselues to speake without example Fed with fair Nilus fruitfull inundation Longing to know their Languages prioritie Fondly impos'd the censuring authoritie To silly Iudges voyd of iudging sense Dumb stammerers to treat of eloquence To wit two Infants nurst by Mothers dumb In silent Cels where neuer noyse should com Of charming humane voice to eccho there Till triple-twelue months full expired were Then brought before the Memphians and the men That dwell at Zant the faint-breath'd children Crie often Bek Bek Bek is all the words That their tongue forms or their dumb mouth affords Then Phrygians knowing that in Phrygian Bek meaneth bread much to reioyce began Glad that kinde Nature had now graçt them so To grant this Sentence on their side to go Fools which perceiv'd not that the bleating flocks Which powl'd the neighbour Mountains motly locks Had taught this tearm and that no tearms of Rome Greece Egypt England France Troy Iewry com Com born with vs but euery Countries tongue Is learnt by much vse and frequenting long Only we haue peculiar to our race Aptnes to speak as that same other grace Which richly-diuers makes vs differ more From dull dumb wretches that in Desarts roar Now that Buls bellow if that any say Answeres to the obiection taken from the consufused voice of Beasts That Lions roar and slothfull Asses bray Now lowe now lowd and by such languages Distinctly seeme to shew their courages Those are not words but bare expressions Of violent fits of certain passions Confused signes of sorrow or annoy Of hunger thirst of anger loue or ioy To another Obiection of the chirping of Birds And so I say that all the winged quiers Which mornly warble on green trembling briers Ear-tickling tunes for though they seem to prattle A-part by payrs and three to three to rattle To winde their voice a hundred thousand waies In curious descant of a thousand layes T' haue taught Apollo in their School his skill Their sounds want sense their notes are word-less still Their song repeated thousand times a day As dumb discourse flies in the Woods away But only Man can talke of his Creator Aduantage of Man endued with Reason aboue the rest of the Creatures Of heav'n and earth and fire and ayr and water Of Iustice Temperance Wisdom Fortitude In choise sweet tearms that various sense include And not in one sole tongue his thoughts disâ—under But like to Scaliger our ages wonder Iosephus Scaliger skilfull in 13. languages The Learned's Sun who eloquently can Speak Spanish French Italian Nubian Dutch Chaldee Syriak English Arabik Besides the Persian Hebrew Latin Greek O rich quick spirit O wits Chameleon Which any Authors colour can put on Great Iulius Son and Syluius worthy brother Th' immortall grace of Gascony their mother And as for Iayes that in their wyery gail Answer to a third obiection touching Tarotresembling Eccho and speaking without speech Can ask for victuals and vnvictuail'd rail Who daring vs for eloquences meed Can plain pronounce the holy Christian Creed Say the Lords prayer and oft repeat it all And name by name a good great houshold call Th' are like that voice which by our voice begot From hollow vale babbles it wots not what In vain the ayr they beat it vainly cleauing And dumbly speak their own speech not conceiuing Deaf to themselues for speech
huge That in our Age three men could hardly bouge Vnder whose waight his flying Foes he dashes And in their flesh bones stones and steel he pashes Somtimes he shoots somtimes he shakes a Pike Which death to many dread to all doth strike Som in the breast he wounds som in the backs Som on the hanch som on the head he hacks He heaws down all and maketh where he stood A Mount of bodies in a Moat of blood The Pagans wholly put to flight At length the Pagans wholly left the place Then both sides ran these chased those do chase These onely vse their heels those heels and hands Those wish but a fair way these that the sands Would quickly gape and swallow quick to Hell Themselues that fled and them that chaç't so fell These render nought but blowes those nought but blood Both sides haue broak their Ranks pel-mel they scud Choakt-vp with dust disordered dis-aray'd Neither Command Threat nor Intreat obay'd Thou that late bragdst that thy White Wormly braue Could dry-foot run vpon the liquid Waue And on the sand leaving no print behinde Out-swifted Arrows and out-went the Winde With a steel Dart by ABRAH'M stifly sent Art'twixt thy Cuirace and thy Saddle slent And thou that thrice neer Tygris silver source Hadst won the Bell as best in every Course Art caught by LOT and thrild from side to side Loosest thy speed-praise and thy life beside It seems no Fight but rather as befalls An execution of sad criminals Whoso escapes the sword escapes notso His sad destruction or if any tho Escap't at all they were but few at least To rue the fatall ruine of the rest For th' Vnkle and the Nephew never lin Till out of Canaan they haue chaç't them clean Like to a Cast of Falcons that pursue Simile A flight of Pigeons through the welk in blew Stooping at this and that that to their Louver To saue their lyues they hardly can recouer At his return from Fight the Kings and Lords The Kings of Caâ—â—â—n receiued Abraham and his company with great ioy and the gratefull offer of their homage vnto him Of Palestine with glad and humble words Do welcom Abram and refresh his Troop To 's knees their heads to 's feet their knees they stoop Ovaliant Victor for thy high deserts Accept the homage of our humble hearts Accept our grateful zeal or if ought more As well thou maist thou doest expect therfore Accept said they our Lands our goods our golde Our wiues our lyues and what we deerest holde Take all we haue for all we haue is thine No wrong to vs to take thy Valours fine Melthisedec Gods sacred Minister Melchisedech blesseth Abraham And King of Salem coms to greet him there Blessing his bliss and thus with zealous cry Devoutly pearç't Heav'ns starfull Canopey Blest be the Lord that with his hand doth roule The radiant Orbs that turn about the Pole And Rules the Actions of all Humane-kinde With full command and with one blast of winde Razes the Rocks and Rends the proudest Hills Dries-vp the Ocean and the Empty fils Blest be the great God of grear Abraham From Age to Age extolled be his Name Let every Place vnto him Altars build And euery Altar with his Praise be fill'd And every Praise above the Welkin ring As loud or louder then the Angels sing Blessed be He that by an Arm-less crew Of Art-less Shepheards did so quick subdue And tame the Tamers of Great Syria so And to the servants of an exil'd Foe Hath given the Riches and the royall store Both of their Booty and their Owne before Of such an Hoast of Nations that first see Sol's early rising from Aurora's knee But Abraham to prove that not for Prey Abraham distributes the booty reseruing only a portion for the Amorites that were his confederates He put-on arms divides the Spoils away The Tythe's the Priests the Rest of all the things Yerst lost in field he renders to the Kings Save but the Portion He participates To th' Amorites his stout Confederates Shewing himself a Prince as politicke Prudent and iust as stout and Souldier-like That with his Prowess Policy can mel And Conquering can vse his Conquest wel Magnanimous in deeds in words as meek That scorning Riches true Renown doth seek So from the Sea even to th' Euphratean-source And even from Dan to Nilus crystall course Rings his renown Of him is all the speech He is famous far and neere At home abroad among the poor and rich In war and peace the Fame of his high deeds Confirms the Faithfull in their fainting Creeds And terrifies the Tyrant Infidels Shaking the sides of their proud Citadels That with their fronts the seat of IOVE do scorn And with their feet at I'luto's crown do spurn Voice Harp and Timbrel sound his praise together He 's held a Prophet or an Angel rather They say that God talks with him face to face Hoasts at his house and to his happy Race Givs in Fee-simple all that goodly Land Even from the Sea as far as Tygris strand And it is certain the Thrice-sacred-One God appeares vnto him and maketh covenant with him The King of Kings by Dream or Vision Speaks with him oft and calls him thus by name Faint not my servant fear not ABRAHAM I an no fiend that with a fained lip Seek guilefully thy simpleness to trip Nor to intice thee with a baen-full breath To bite like ADAM a new fruit of death 'T is I that brought thee from thy Native V R From night to day from death to life thus far I brought thee hither I have blest thee heer I with thy flocks have covered far and neer Canaan's fat Hills I have preserv'd thy Wife From Strangers lust and thee from Tyrants knife When thy faint heart and thy false tongue affrai'd To tel the Truth her and thy self betray'd 'T is I that have so oft from Heathens powr Preserv'd thy person and as Conquerour Now made thee Trivmph over th' Eastern Kings Whereof so far thy famous Valour rings I am in brief I am the Lord thy God Thy help at home thy Guide and Gard abroad Keep thou my Covenant and to signifie That to the World thou di'st to live to Me Circumcision instituted Go Circumcise forth-with thy Self and Thine Lead holy Life walk in my Wayes divine With vpright-foot so shall my favour haunt Thy House and thee and thou shalt nothing want No I will make thee Lord of all the Land Which Canaans Children haue with mighty hand Canaan promised to Abraham So long possest a happy Land that flowes With milk and hony a rich Land where growes Even of itself all kinde of Fruit and Corn Where smiling Heav'ns pour-down their Plenties-Horn I 'le heap thee there with Honor Wealth and Powr I will be thy Reward thy Shield and Towr O Lord said ABRAM though into my lap In shours of Gold ev'n all the Heav'ns
last He saith now sure I knowe 'T is God 't is God the God that loues me so Loues keeps sustains whom I so oft haue seen Whose voice so often hath my comfort been Illuding Satan cannot shine so bright Though Angelliz'd No 'T is my God of Might Now feel I in my Soule to strength and stir-it The sacred Motions of his sacred Spirit God this sad Sacrifice requires of me Hap what hap may I must obedient be The sable Night dis-log'd and now began Aurora's Vsher with his windy Fan Gently to shake the Woods on every side While his fair Mistress like a stately Bride With flowrs and Gems and Indian gold doth spangle Her louely locks her Louers looks to tangle When gliding through the Ayr in Mantle blew With siluer fring'd shee drops the Pearly deaw With her goes Abram out and the third day Arriues on Cedrons Margents greenly-gay Beholds the sacred Hil and with his Son Loaden with sacred wood he mounts anon Anon said Isaac Father heer I see Knife fire and faggot ready instantly But wher 's your Hoste Oh! let vs mount my Son Said Abram God will soon prouide vs one But scant had Isaac turn'd his face from him A little faster the steep Mount to climbe Yer Abram changed cheere and as new Winâ— Simile Working a-new in the new Cask in fine For beeing stopt too-soon and wanting vent Blowes-vp the Bung or doth the vessell rent Spews out a purple stream the ground doth stain With Bacchus colour where the cask hath layn So now the Tears which manly fortitude Did yerst as captiue in the Brain include At the deer names of Father and of Son On his pale Cheeks in pearly drops did run His eye 's ful vessels now began to leak And thus th' old Hebrew muttering gan to speak In submiss voyce that Isaac might not hear His bitter grief that he vnfoldeth heer Sad spectacle O now my hap-les hand Thou whetst a sword and thou do'st teend a brand The brand shal burn my heart the sword 's keen blade Shall my bloods blood and my lifes life inuade And thou poor Isaac bearest on thy back Wood that shall make thy tender flesh to crack And yield'st thee more for mine than thine amiss Both Priest and Beast of one same Sacrifice O hapless Son O more then hap-less Sire Most wicked wretch O what mis-fortune dire In-gulfs vs heer where miserable I To be true godly must Gods law deny To be true faithful must my faith transgress To be God's Son I must be nothing less Than Isaacs Sire and Isaac for my sake Must Soyl and Sire and life and all forsake Yet on he goes and soon surmounts the Mount And steel'd by Faith he cheers his mournful Front Much like the Delian Princess when her Grace Simile In Thetis Waues hath lately washt her face He builds his Altar lays his wood ther-on And tenderly bindes his deer Son anon Father said Isaac Father Father deer What do you turn away as loth to hear O Father tel me tel me what you mean O cruelty vn-knowen Is this the mean Wherby my loyns as promised long-since is Shal make you Grand-sire of so many Princes And shal I glorious if I heer do dy Fil Earth with Kings with shining Stars the Sky Back Phoebus blush go hide thy golden head Retire thy Coach to Thetis watery Bed See not this savage sight Shal Abram's minde Be milde to all and to his Son vn-kinde And shal great Abram do the damned deed That Lions Tygres Boars and Bears would dread See how incenst he stops his ear to me As dreaming stil on 's bloody mystery Lord how precise see how the Paricide Seems to make conscience in less sins to slide And he that means to murder me his Son Is scrupulous in smaller faults to run Yet Father hear me not that I desire With sugred words to quench your Anger 's fire In Gods's name reap the Grain yourself haue sowen Com take my life extracted from your own Glut with my blood your blade if you it please That I must die welcom my death mine ease But tell me yet my fault before I die That hath deserv'd a punishment so high Say Father haue I not conspir'd your death Or with strong poyson sought to stop your breath Haue I deuis'd to short my Mother's life Or with your Foestaen part in any strife O thou Ethereal Palace Crystalline God's highest Court If in this heart of mine So damned thoughts had ever any place Shut-vp for ever all thy Gates of Grace Against my Soule and neuer let that I Among thy winged Messengers do flie If none of these Abram for I no more Dare call thee Father tell me further-more What rests besides that damned I haue don To make a Father Butcher of his Son In memorie that fault I fain would haue That after God's I might your pardon craue For such offence and so th' Attonement driven You liue content and I may die forgiuen My Son said Hee thou art not hither brought By my fell furie nor thine own foul fault God our God calls thee and He will not let A Pagan sword in thy deer blood be wet Nor burning Plague nor any pining pain With Languor turn thy flesh to dust againe But Sacrifiç'd to him for sweet perfume Will haue thee heer within this fire consume What Fears my Loue my Life my Gem my Ioy What God commands his seruants must obey Without consulting with frail Flesh and Blood How he his promise will in time make good How he wil make so many Scepters spring From thy dead dust How He All-wise wil bring In his due season from thy sense-less Thighes The glorious Son of righteousnes to rise Who shal the Mountains bruise with yron Mace Rule Heav'n and Earth and the Infernal place For he that past the course of Natures kinde First gaue thee birth can with his sacred Winde Raise thee again out of the lowest iust Ten-thousand means he hath to saue the iust His glorious wisdom guides the worlds society With equall Reans of Power and of Piety Mine own sweet Isaac deerest of my seed Too sweet alas the more my grief doth bleed The more my loss the more with cease-less anguish My vexed Bowels for thy lack shall anguish Adue deer Son no longer mine but his Who call's thee hence let this vn-happy kiss Be the sad seal of a more sad Fare-wel Than wit can paint or words haue powr to tell Sith God commands and father you require To haue it so com Death no longer dire But glorious now com gentle death dispatch The Heav'ns are open God his arms doâ—h reach T' imbrace my Soule O! let me brauely fly To meet my Lord and Death's prowd darts defie What Father weep you now Ah! cease those showrs Weep not for me for I no more am yours I was the Lords yer I was born you knowe And he but lent me for a while to you Will you recoyl and
such is the peoples prayer Thus while o're-whelmed with the rapid course Gods prouidence in his preseruation Of Mischief's Torrent and still fearing worse ISRAEL seems help-les and even hope-les too Of any help that Mortall hand can doo And while the then-Time's hideous face and form Boads them alas nothing but wrack and storm Their Castor shines their Saviour's sav'd and Hee That with high hand shall them from bondage free Scourging with Plagues scarring with end-les shame Th' Egyptian Court is raised by the same For though him there they as a God adore Moses affection and duty toward his Parents and care of his Brethren He scorns not yet his friends and kindred poor He feels their Yoak their mournings he laments His word and sword are prest in their defence And as ordain'd for their Deliverance And sent express by Heav'ns pre-ordinance Seeing a Pagan a proud Infidell A Patagon that tasted nought so well As ISRAEL's blood to ill-intreat a Iew Him bold incounters and him brauely slew But fearing then least his inhumane Prince He flies out of Egypt Should hear of it young MOSES flyes from thence And hard by Horeb keeping IETHRO'S sheep He Fasts and Prayes with Meditations deep His vertuous zeal he kindles more and more And prudently he lays-vp long-before Within his Soule his spirituall Armory All sacred Weapons of Sobriety Where-with t' incounter conquer and suppress All Insurrections of Voluptuousness Also not seldom som deep Dream or Trance God talketh to him in the Wildernes Him suddainly doth even to Heav'n advance And He that whilom could not finde the Lord On plentious shoars of the Pelusian Foord In walled Cities with their Towred Ports In learned Colledges nor sumptuous Courts In Desart meets him greets him face to face And on his brows bears tokens of his Grace For while he past his sacred Pentiship In Wildernes of th' Hebrews Shepheardship Moses vision of the flaming Bush In driving forth to kiss-cloud SINA'S foot His fleecy Flock and there attending too 't' He suddain sees a Bush to flame and fume And all a-fire yet not at all consume It flames and burns not cracks and breaks not in Kisses but bites not no not even the skin True figure of the Church and speaking Signe Which seemeth thus to of it self define What AMRAM'S son Doth IACOB'S bitter Teen Dismay thee so Behold this Haw-thorn green Is even an Image of thine ISRAEL Who in the Fire of his Afflictions fell Still flourishes on each side hedged round With prickly Thorns his hatefull Foes to wound This Fire doth seem the Spirit Omnipotent Which burns the Wicked tries the Innocent Who also addeth to the sacred Signe The more to move him his owne Word Divine The voyce of the Lord speaking out of the Bush. I AM I that I am in me for me by me All Beings els Be not or else vn-selfly be But from my Beeing all their Beeing gather Prince of the World and of my Church the Father Onely Beginning Midst and End of all Yet sans Beginning Midst and End at all All in my self compris'd and all comprising That in the World was is or shall be rising Base of this Vniverse th' vniting Chain Of th' Elements the Wisedom Soveraign Each-where in Essence Powr and Providence But in the Heav'ns in my Magnificence Fountain of Goodness ever-shining Light Perfectly Blest the One the Good the Bright Self-simple Act working in frailest matter Framer of Forms of Substances Creator And to speak plainer even that GOD I AM Whom so long since religious ABRAHAM ISAAC and IACOB and their Progenies Haue worshipped and prays'd in humble wise My sacred ears are tyred with the noyse God hath pity on his people afflicted in Egypt Of thy poor Brethren's iust-complayning voyce I haue beheld my Peoples burdens there MOSES no more I will nor can forbear Th' haue groan'd alas and panted all too-long Vnder that Tyrants vn-relenting wrong Now their Deliuerer I authorize thee He ordaineth Moses for their Deliverer giues him commission to goe to Pharao And make thee Captain of their Colony A sacred Colony to whom as mine I haue so oft bequeath'd rich Palestine Therfore from me command thou PHARAO That presently he let my People go Into the Dry-Arabian Wilderness Where far from sight of all profane excess On a new Altar they may sacrifice To ME the LORD in whom their succourlies Haste haste I say and make me no excuse On thy Tongue 's rudenes for the want of vse Nor on thy weaknes nor vnworthyness To vnder-go so great a Business What cannot He that made the lips and tongue Prompt Eloquence and Art as doth belong Vnto his Legat And who every thing Of Nothing made and All to nought shall bring Th' Omnipotent who doth confound for His By weak the strong by what is not what is That in his wondrous Iudgements men may more The Work-man then the Instruments adore Will he forsake or leaue him vn-assisted That in his service duly hath insisted Sith faithfull Servant to do-well affected Can by his Master never be reiected Moses accompanied with his brother Aaron sets forward in his high Embassage No sooner this the Divine Uoice had ended And vp to Heav'n the Bushy Flame ascended But MOSES with his fellow in Commission His Brother AARON wends with expedition First to his People and to PHARAO then The King of Egypt cruellest of Men And inly filled with a zealous flame Thus thus he greets him in th' Almighties name Great NILVS Lord thus sayth the Lord of Hoasts Let go my People out of all thy Coasts Mine ISRAEL PHARAO forth-with release Let them depart to HOREB'S Wildernes That vnto me without offence or fear Their Hearts and Heifers they may offer there Base Fugitiue proud slaue that art return'd Pharaos proud answere Not to be whipt but rather hangd or burn'd What Lord sayd PHARAO ha what Soveraign O seaven-horn'd Nile O hundred-pointed Plain O City of the Sun O Thebes and Thou Renowned Pharos do yee all not bow To vs alone Are yee not onely Ours Ours at a beck Then to what other Powrs Owes your great PHARAO homage or respect Or by what Lord to be controul'd and checkt I see the Drift These off-scums all at once Too idlely pampred plot Rebellions Sloth marrs the slave◠and vnder fair pretence Of new Religion Trayrours to their Prince They would Revolt O Kings how fond are we To think by Favours and by Clemency To keep men in their duty To be milde Makes them be mad proud insolent and wilde Too-much of Grace our Scepters doth dis-grace And smooths the path to Treason's plots a pace The dull Ass numbers with his stripes his steps Th' Ox over-fat too-strong and resty leaps About the Lands casteth his yoak and strikes And waxen wilde even at his Keeper kicks The true Anatomie of a tyrant Well to enioy a People through their skin With scourges slyç't must
Sea-drying Lord I knowe no Gods aboue my glittering Sword This sayd he sallies and assaults the Foe With furious skirmish and doth charge them so As stormy billows rush against a Rock 3. Similes As boystrous windes that haue their prison broak Roar on a Forrest as Heav'ns sulph'ry Flash Against proud Mountains surly brows doth dash The sacred Troops to conquer alwayes wont Could not sustain his first Tempestuous brunt But turn their backs and as they fly amain Four less than fourty of their band were slain The son of NVN then with th' Isacian Peers Iosuah and the Princes of Israel humbled before the Lord in Prayer Before the Ark in postrate wise appears Sack on his back dust on his head his eyes Even great with tears thus to the Lord he cries O! what alas what haue we don O Lord The People destin'd to thy Peoples sword Conquers thy people and the Cananites Against thy Promise chase the Israelites O Lord why did not Iordans rapid Tyde Still stay our Hoast vpon the other side Sith heer in hope to get the Promis'd more We hazzard all that we had won before Regard and guard vs nay regard thy Name O! suffer not the seed of Abraham Almighty Father O thou God most high To be expos'd to Heathen's Tyranny Much less thy sacred Ark for them to burn And least of all thy glorious Self to scorn IOSVAH sayd God let th' Hoast be sanctifi'd And let the Church-thief die that dar'd to hide Th' vn-lawfull Pillage of that cursed Town Thy Mayden Conquest prime of thy Renown Then shalt thou vanquish and the lofty Towrs Of HAI shal fall vnder thy war-like powrs The morrow next after the great Assise ACHAN convicted not by bare surmize AchaÌ„ executed But by God's Spirit which vndermines our mindes And cleerly sees our secretest designes To whom Chance is no Chance and Lot no Lot To whom the Die vncertain rouleth not Is brought without the Hoast with all hee hath And sacrifiç'd vnto th' Almighties wrath Now between Bethel and HAI's western wall There lies a valley close inviron'd all Between the forking of a Hill so high That it is hidden from all passers-by Whose horned clifts belowe are hollowed And with two Forrests arbour'd over-head 'T is long and narrow and a rapid Torrent Bounding from Rock to Rock with roaring Current Deaffens the Shepheards so that it should seem Nature fore-cast it for som stratagem Thither the Duke soon after mid-night guides Aâ— ambush His choycest Bands and them there war'ly hides Ech keeps his place none speaks none spits none coughs But all as still as if they marchton moss So fallow Wolues when they intend to set Simile On fearfull flocks that in their Folds do bleat Through silent darkness secret ways do groap Their feet are feathered with the wings of hope They hold their breath and so still vn-descri'd They pass hard by the watchfull Mastie's side Mean-while the howrs opened the doors of Day To let out Titan that must needs away Whose radiant tresses but with trayling on Began to gild the top of Libanon When with the rest of all his Hoast the * Signifieth but an Earle but here â—â—â—â— vsurâ—ed for the chiefe Captain Ioâ—uah GRAVE Marcheth amain to giue the Town a braue They straight re-charge him as in season warm The hony-makers busie-buzzing swarm With humming threats throngs from the little gates Simile Of their round Towr and with their little hates Fiercely assail and wound the naked skins Of such as come to rob their curious Inns. Why Cowards dare you com again for blowes Or do you long your wretched liues to lose Com we are for you wee 'll dispatch you soon And for the many wrongs that you haue don Vnto ourselues our Neighbours and our Friends This day our swords shall make vs full amends Cry th' Amorites and th' Hebrew Captain then â—â—â—ratagem Flies as affraid and with him all his men Disorderly retire still faining so Till politik he hath in-trayn'd the Foe Right to his Ambush then the Souldiers there Hid in the Vale hearing their noyse so neer Would fain be at them were they not with-held By threatning gestures of Commanding Eld So haue I seen on LAMBORN's pleasant Douns Simile When yelping Begles or sons deeper Hounds Haue start a Hare how milk-white Minks and Lun Gray-bitches both the best that ever run Held in one leash haue leapt and strain'd and whin'd To be restrain'd till to their masters minde They might be slipt to purpose that for sport Watt might haue law neither too-long nor short But when the Heathen had the ambush past The Duke thus cheers his sacred Troops as fast Sa sa my Hearts turn turn again vpon-them They are your owne now charge and cheerly on-them His ready Souldiers at a beck obay And on their Foes courageous load they lay Hâ—i conquered They shoot they shock they strike they stab they kill Th' vnhallowed Currs that yet resisted still Vntill behinde them a new storm arose With horrid noyse which daunts not only those But with the fury of it's force doth make The Hills and Forrests and even Hell to quake Pagans what will you do if heer you fly You fall on Caleb where y' are sure to dy If there on Iosuah O vnfortunate Your help-less Gods in vain you invocate Y' are O forlorn like Rabbets round be-set With wily Hunters Dogs and deadly Net Simile With shrill Sa-haw heer-heer-ho heer-again The Warren rings th' amazed Game amain Runs heer and there but if they scape away From Hounds staues kill them if from staues the Hay Yield yield and die then striue not to retire For even in death behold your Town a-fire Then Gabaon a mighty City neer That these Exploits of Heav'ns drad hand did hear Sent subtilly to League with Israel No y' are deceiv'd sayd then th' Arch-Colonel The Cananites are destin'd long ago To Fire and Sword and vtter Over-throwe From Heav'ns high Iudge the sentence doth proceed Man may not alter what God hath decreed Alas my Lord reply'd th' Embassadors The Gabaonites cunning policie to make League with Israel You may perceiue we are no Borderers Vpon these countries For our sutes our slops Our hose and shoos were new out of the shops When we set forth from home and even that day This Bread was baked when we came away But the long Iourney we haue gon hath wore Our cloaths to rags and turn'd our Victuals hoar W' adiure you therefore in the sacred name Of that drad GOD to whom your vows you frame By the sweet ayr of this delightfull Coast By the good Angell that conducts your Hoast By deer Embraces of your deerer Wiues And by your Babes even deerer then your liues By each of these and all of these together And by your Arms whose Fame hath drawen vs hither T' haue pitty on vs and to swear vnto-vs To saue our liues and not so
to vndo-vs As these neer Nations Israel accords And with an Oath confirms the solemn words So I good Lord perceiving all the Seed A sacred application of their profane example Of Sin-full Adam vnto Death decreed Doom'd to the Vengeance of thy Fury fell And damn'd for ever to the deepest Hell Would fain be free but if I should alas Com as I am before thy glorious face Thou righteous God wilt turn thine eyes away For Flesh and Blood possess not Heav'n for ay And the strict Rigour of thy Iustice pure Cannot O Lord the least of sins endure Oh then what shall I do I 'll similize These Gabaonites I will myself disguize To gull thee Lord for even a holy Guile Findes with thee grace and fauour often-while I'll put-on crafty not the cloak of Pride For that was it whereby our Grandsires di'd And Lucifer with his associates fell From Ioys of Heav'n into the Pains of hel But th' humble Fleece of that sweet sacred Lamb Which for our sakes vpon the Cross became So torn and tatter'd which the most refuse Scorn of the Gentiles Scandal of the Iewes And as a piece of Silver Tyn or Lead Simile By cunning hands with Gold is covered I that am all but Lead or dross more base In fervent Crusible of thy free Grace I 'll gild me all with his pure Beautie 's Gold Born a new man by Faith I 'll kill mine old In Spirit and Life Christ shall be mine example His Spirit shall be my spirit and I his Temple I beeing thus in Christ and Christ in me O! wilt thou canst thou driue vs farre from thee Deprive from promis'd new Ierusalem Christ thine owne Likenes and me like to him Bannish from Heav'n whose Blisâ— shal never vade Thy Christ by whom and me for whom 't was made But O presumption O too rash Designe Alas to Will it only is not mine And though I Would my flesh too-Winter-chill My Spirit 's small sparkles doth extinguish still O! therfore thou thou that canst all alone All-sacred Father's like all-sacred Son Through thy deep Mercy daign thou to transform Into thy Self me sin-full silly worm That so I may be welcom to my God And liue in Peace not where the Iewes abode But in Heav'n Sion and that thou maist be Th' vniting glew between my God and me Now Eglon's Hebron's Iarmuth's Salem's Lords And Lachis Kingling after these Accords Wroth that their Neighbours had betrayed so Their common Country to their common Foe Had made so great a breach and by the hand Led as it were th' Hebrews into their Land Set-vpon Gabaon but th' Isacian Prince As iust as valiant hastes to hunt them thence And resolute to rescue his Allies He straight bids Battail to their Enemies The Fight growes fierce and winged Victory The Battaile of the fiue Kings Shaking her Laurels rusht confusedly Into the midst she goes and coms and goes And now she leans to these and now to those Auster the while from neighbour Mountains arms A hundred Winters and a hundred storms With huge great Hail-shot driving fiercely-fell In the stearn visage of the Infidel The roaring Tempest violently retorts Extraordinary Volleys of Hail-shot froÌ„ Heauen vpoÌ„ the Infidels Vpon themselues the Pagans whirling darts And in their owne breasts their owne Launces bore Wher-with they threatned th' Hoast of God before And even as if it enuied the Renown Of valiant Iosuah now by Ganges knowen With furious shock the formost Ranks it whirr'd Vpon the next the second on the third Even as a Bridge of Cards which Play-full Childe Simile Doth in an evening on a Carpet build When som Wag by vpon his Work doth blowe If one Arch fail the rest fall all arowe Each vpon other and the Childe he Cries For his lost labour and again he tries If any resting on his knotty Spear Gainst Arms and storms yet stand out stifly there Th' Hail which the Winde full in his face doth yerk Smaâ—ter than Racquets in a Courtre-ierk Balls 'gainst the Walls of the black-boorded house Beats out his eyes battters his nose and brows Then turn the Pagans but without a vail For instantly the stony storm of Hail Which flew direct a-front direct now falls Plumb on their heads and cleaues their sculs and cauls And ever as they waver to and fro Over their Hoast the Haily Clowd doth go And never hits one Hebrue though between But a sword's length or not so much be seen A bluckler one another a bright helm Over his threatened or sick head doth whelm But the shield broken and helm beaten in Th' Hail makes the hurt bite on the bloody green Those that escape be take them to their heels Iosuah pursues and though his sweat distills From every part he wounds he kills he cleaues Neither the Fight imperfect so he leaues But full of faithfull zeal and zealous faith Thus O strange language thus alowd he saith Beam of th' Eternall daies bright Champion At the command of Iosuah the Sun staÌ„dâ—th stil. Spiall of Nature O all-seeing Sun Stay stand thou still stand still in Gabaon And thou O Moon i' th' vale of Aialon That th' Ammorites now by their hare-like flight Scape noâ— my hands vnder all-hiding Night As a Caroche draw'n by foure lusty steeds Simile In a smooth way whirling with all their speeds Stops suddainly if 't slip into a slough Or if it cross som Log or massie bough The Day-reducing Chariot of the Sun Which now began towards his West to run Stops instantly and giues the Hebrews space To rid the Pagans that they haue in chase Nature amaz'd for very anger shakes DescriptioÌ„ of Na ture who offended therat makes her complaint to GOD. And to th' Almighty her complaint she makes Seemly she marches with a measur'd pase Choler puts colour in her lovely face From either nipple of her bosom-Twins A liuely spring of pleasant milk their spins Vpon her shoulders Atlas-like she bears The frame of All down by her side shee wears A golden Key wher-with shee letteâ—h-forth And locketh-vp the Treasures of the Earth A sumptuous Mantle to her heels hangs down Wher-in the Heavens the Earth and Sea is showen The Sea in Silver woven the Earth in Green The Heav'ns in azure with gold threds between All-quickning Loue fresh Beauty smiling Youth And Fruitfulness each for her fauour su'th Grace still attends ready to do her honour Riches and Plenty alwayes wait vpon her Accoutred thus and thus accompani'd With thousand sighs thus to the Lord she cri'd Prosopopoeia Shall it be sayd a Man doth Heav'n command Wilt thou permit a braving Souldiers hand To wrong thine eldest Daughter ah shall I Haue the bare Name and He th' authority To Govern all and all controul O Lord With the bare winde of his ambitious word Shall I the World's Law then receiue the Law At others hands of others stand in aw If 't be thy pleasure or
layes him then with fury born Forward he leapâ— and in a Martial scorn Vpon his panch sets his victorious foot And treads and tramples and so stamps into 't That bloud and bowels mingled with the bruse Half at his mouth half at his sides he spews Simile As on Wine-hurdles those that dance for meed Make with sweet Nectar every wound to bleed Each Grape to weep and crimsin streams to spin Into the Vate set to receiue them in Thence thirty steps a chief Commander prest And prowdly wags his feather-clouded Crest And cries Com hither Cow-heard com thou hither Com let vs cope but thou and I together I 'll teach thee peasant and that quickly too Thou hast not with thy fellow swains to doe That on Mount Carmel's stormy top do feed No heer poorsot thou other fence shalt need SANGAR runs at him and he runs so fierce That on his staf him six steps back he bears Bears down another with him and another That but with gesture stood directing other As when 't is dark when 't rains and blusters rough Simile A thund'ring tempest with a sulphury puff Breaks down a mighty Gate and that another And that a third each opposite to other Smoak dust and door-falls with storms roaring din Dismay the stoutest that command within The common sort beside their little wits Scarr'd from their beds dare not abide the streets But in their shirts over the walls they run And so their Town yeâ— it be ta'en is wun The suddain Storm so inly-deep dismaies-them That fear of Taking to despair betrays them Amid their Hoast then brauely rushes SANGAR His sinnewy arm answers his sacred Anger Who flies or follows he alike besteads On scattered heaps of slaughtered Foes he treads This with his elbow heer he over-turns That with his brow this with his foot he spurns Heer with his Staff he makes in shivers fly Both cask and scull and there he breaks a thigh An arm a leg a rib a chin a cheek And th' hungry Shepheard hardly beats so thick Comparison Nuts from a Tree as SANGAR Foes beats down With swords and shields and shafts the Field is sowen Alone he foils a Camp and on the Plain Therely six hundred of the Heathen slain Almighty God how thou to Thine art good Thy peoples Foes are not alone subdu'd By a rude Clown whose hard-wrought hands before Nothing but spades coulters and bills had bore But by a silly Woman to whose hand Thou for a time committest the Command Of ISRAEL for of no other Head Nor Law nor Lord they for a time are sped DEBORA But prudent DEBORA vnto whose Throne Fly those whose heads with age are hoary growen And those great Rabbies that do grauely sit Revolving volumes of the highest Writ And He that in the Tabernacle serues Her sacred voyce as Oracles obserues None from her presence ever coms confus'd And got on skill giues place to skill infus'd O IACOB'S Lanthorn Load-star pure which lights On these rough Seas the rest of Abramites Said then the People what shall vs befall IABIN'S fell yoak our weary necks doth gall We are the Butts vnto all Pagan darts And colde Despair knocks at our doors our hearts ISRAEL saith shee be of good cheer for now God wars vpon your Foes and leagues with you Therfore to Field now let your youth advance And in their rests couch the revenging Launce This sayd on BARAC she a Shield bestowes Barac Indented on the brims which plain fore-showes His shield given by Debora Incurious Boss-work that doth neatly swell The won and lost Battails of Israel As an abbridgement where to life appear The noblest Acts of eight or nine score year Lo heer an army stooping by the side Gedeon Of a deep River with their Thirst half dri'd Sups licks and laps the stream of all which rout The Captain chuses but three hundred out And arming each but with a Trump and Torch About a mighty Pagan Hoast doth march Making the same through their drad sodain sound With their owne Arms themselues to inter-wound A hellish rage of mutuall fury swels The bloudy hearts of barbarous Infidels So that the friends that in one Couch did sleep Each others blade in eithers brest do steep And all the Camp with head-les dead is sowen Cut-off by Cozen-swords kill'd by their owne Lo there another valiant Champion â— Iâ—phthe Who having late triumphant Laurels won His heed-les Vow in-humane to ful-fill His onely Daughter doth vnkindly kill The frantik Mother all vnbraç't alas With silver locks vnkemb'd about her face Arming her rage with nails with teeth and tongue Runs-in and rushes through the thickest throng And she will saue and she will haue she sayes Her Deer her Daughter and then hold she layes Vpon the Maid and tearing-off her Coat Away she runs thinking she her had got The Priest dissolues in tears th' Offring is cheerfull The Murdred's valiant and the Murderer fearfull The Father leads with slowe and feeble pase The Daughter seems to run to death a-pace As if the Chaplet that her temples ties Were Hymen's Flowrs not Flowrs for Sacrifice Her grace and beauties still augment in â—ine Who so beholds her sweet loue-darting Eyn Her Cheeks Lips Brow 's fresh Lillies Coral Iet He sees or seems to see a Sun to set And to conclude the Graver Maul and Mould Haue given such life to th' Iron Brass and Gold That heer wants nothing but the Mothers screech The Father's sigh and the sweet Daughter's speech Lo heer another shakes his vnshav'n tresses Samson Triumphing on a Lion torn in peeces O match-les Champion Pearl of men-at-arms That emptiest not an Arcenal of Arms Nor needest shops of Lemnian Armourers To furnish weapons for thy glorious Wars An Asse's Iaw-bone is the Club wher-with Thy mighty arm brains beats and battereth Th' vncircumcised â—amp all quickly scud And th' Hoast that â—lew in dust now flowes in bloud Heer th' Iron Gates whose hugeness wooâ—t to shake The massie Towrs of Gaza thou doost take On thy broad shoulders there in seeming iest Crushing their Palace-pillars at a feast Thou over-whelm'st the House and with the fall The Philistins blaspheming Princes all Heer from ones head which two huge coins do crush As whay from Cheese the battred brains do gush Heer lies another in a deadly sound Nail'd with a broken rafter to the ground Another heer pasht with a pane of wall Hath lost his soule and bodies shape withall Another heer o're-taken as he fled Lies Tortois-like all hidden but the head Another covered with a heap of lome Seems with his mooving to re-moue his Toomb Even as the soft blinde Mine-inventing Moule Simile In velvet Robes vnder the Earth doth roule Refusing light and little air receives And hunting worms her mooving hillocks heaves Lo lower heer a beastly Multitude The Leuites wise On one poor Woman all their lusts intrude Whose Spouse displeas'd with th' execrable Fact
venge God's honor and Our shame acquight Who spurrd with anger but more stirrd with Zeale Shall foile this Pagan and free Izrael O! who shall being me this Wolf 's howling head That Heav'n and Earth hath so vn-hallowed What e're he be that lauish of his soule Shall with his blood wash-out this blot so foule I will innoble him and all his House He shall inioy my Daughter for his Spouse And euer shall a Deed so memorable Be with the Saints sacred and honorable â—â— Yet for the Duel no man dares appeer All wish the Prize but none will win 't so deer Big-looking Minions braue in vaunts and vows Lions in Court now in the Camp be Cows But euen the blast that cools their courage so That makes my DAVID's valiant rage to glowe My Lord saith He behold this hand shall bring Dauids offer Th' heav'n-scorning head vnto my Lord the King Alas my Lad sweet Shepheard answers Saul Thy heart is great although thy limbs be small High flie thy thoughts but wee haue need of more More stronger Toyles to take so wilde a Boare To tame Goliah needs som Demi-god Some Nimrod rather then a Shepheard-Lad Of slender growth vpon whose tender Chin The budding doun doth scarcely yet begin Keep therefore thine owne Rank and draw not thus Death on thy self dis-honor vpon vs With shame and sorrow on all Izrael Through end-les Thral dom to a Fo so fel. The faintest Harts God turns to Lions fierce His assurance To Eagles Doues Vanquisht to Vanquishers God by a Womans feeble hand sub dews Iabins Lieutenant and a Iudge of Iews God is my strength therfore O King forbear For Izrael for Thee or Mee to fear No self-presumption makes me rashly braue Assured pledge of his prowd head I haue Seest thou these arms my Lord these very arms Steeld with the strength of the great God of Arms Haue bath'd Mount Bethlem with a Lions blood These very arms beside a shady Wood Haue slain a Bear which greedy after prey Had torn and born my fattest sheep away My God is still the same this sauage Beast Which in his Fold would make a Slaughter-feast All-ready feels his furie and my force My foot al-ready tramples on his Corps With his owne sword his cursed length I lop His head al-ready on the geound doth hop The Prince beholds him as amaz'd and mute To see a mind so yong foresolute Then son saith he sith so confirmd thou art Go and Gods blessing on thy valiant hart God guide thy hand and speed thy weapon so That thou return triumphant of thy Fo. Hold take my Corslet and my Helm and Launce And to the Heav'ns thy happy Prowes aduance The faithfull Champion being furnisht thus Is like the Knight which twixt Eridanus And th' heav'nly Star-Ship marching brauely-bright Hauing his Club his Casque and Belt bedight With flaming studs of many a twinkling Ray Turns Winters night into a Summers day But yer that hee had half a furlong gon The massie Launce and Armour hee had on Did load him so he could not freely mooue His legs and arms as might him best behooue Euen so an Irish Hobby light and quick Simile Which on the spur ouer the bogs they prick In highest speed If on his back he feel Too-sad a Saddle plated all with steel Too-hard a Bit with in his mouth behind Crooper and Trappings him too-close to binde He seems as lame he flings and will not go Or if he stir it is but stiff and slowe DAVID therefore lays-by his heauie load And on the grace of the great glorious GOD Who by the weakest can the strongest stoop Hee firmly founding his victorious hope No Arrows seeks nor other Arcenall But by the Brooke that runnes amid the Vale Hee takes fiue Pebbles and his Sling and so Courageously incounters with his Foe What Combat's this On the one side I see A moouing Rocke whose looks do terrifie Euen his owne Hoast wbose march doth seem to make The Mountaine tops of Sucoth euen to shake On th' other side a slender tender Boy Where grace and beautie for the prize doo play Shaue but the doun that on his Chin doth peer And one would take him for Anchises Pheer Or change but weapons with that wanton Eâ—â— And one would think that it were Cupids self Gold on his head skarâ—er in either Cheek Grace in each part and in each gest alike In all so louely both to Foe and Friend That very Enuy cannot but commend His match-les beauties and though ardent zeale Flush in his face against the Infidel Although his Fury fume though vp and down He nimblie trauerse though he fiercely frown Though in his breast boyling with manly heat His swelling heart do strongly pant and beat His Storme is Calm and from his modest eyes Euen gratious seems the grimmest flash that flies Am I a Dog thou Dwarf thou Dandiprat To be with stones repell'd and palted at Or art thou weary of thy life so soon O foolish boy fantasticall Baboone That never saw'st but sheep in all thy life Poore sotte 't is heer another kind of strife We wrastle not after your Shepheards guise For painted Sheep-hooks or such pettie Prize Or for a Cage a Lamb or bread and cheese The Vanquisht Head must be the Victors Fees Where is thy sweatie dust thy sun-burnt scars The glorious marks of Soldier strain'd in Warres That make thee dare so much O Lady-Cow Thou shalt no more be-star thy wanton brow With thine eyes rayes Thy Mistress shall no more Curl the quaint Tresses of thy Golden ore I 'll trample on that Gold and Crowes and Pyes Shall peck the pride of those sweet-smiling eyes Yet no my guirle-boy no I will not file My feared hands with blood so faintly-vile Go seek thy match thou shalt not dy by me Thine honor shall not my dishonor be No silly Lad no wert thou of the Gods I would not fight at so vn-knightly ods Come barking Curre the Hebrew taunts him thus That hast blasphem'd the God of Gods and vs The ods is mine villain I scorne thy Boasts I haue for Aide th' almighty Lord of Hoasts Th' Ethnik's a-fier and from his goggle eyes All drunk with rage and blood the Lightning flies Out of his beuer like a Boare he foames A hellish Fury in his bosom roames As mad he marcheth with a dreadfull pase Death and destruction muster in his face He would a-fresh blaspheam the Lord of Lords With new despights but in the steed of words Simile He can but gnash his teeth Then as an Oxe Straid twixt the hollow of steep Hils and Rocks Through craggie Coombs through dark ragged turnings Lowes hideously his solitary Moornings The Tyrant so from his close helmet blunders With horrid noise and this harsh voice he thunders Thy God raignes in his Ark and I on Earth I Chalenge Him Him if he dare come forth Not Thee base Pigme Villain saies the Iew That blasphemy thou
long Pike a space Perfume thy head with dust and sweat appeer Captain and Soldier Soldiers are on fire Hauing their King before them Marching forth Fellow in Fortune witnes of their Worth I should inflame thy hart with Learnings loue In Peace not to be over-studious yet to vnderstand the Principals of all Prince-fit Sciences Saue that I know what diuine habits moue Thy profound Spirit only let th' ornament Of Letters wayt on th' Art of Regiment And take good heed least as excesse of humor In Plants becomes their Flowring Lifes consumer So too-much Study and delight in Arts Quench the quick vigour of thy Spiritual parts Make thee too-pensiue ouer-dull thy Senses And draw thy Minde from Publike cares of Princes With a swift-winged soule the Course suruay Of Nights dim Taper and the Torch of Day Sound round the Cels of th' Ocean dreadly-deep Measure the Mountains snowie tops and steep Ferret all Corners of this nether Ball But to admire the Makers Art in all His Power and Prudence and resemble not Simile Some simple Courtier or the silly Sot That in the base-Court all his time hath spent In gazing on the goodly Battlement The chamfred Pillers Plinths and antique Bosses Medals Ascents Statues and strange Colosses Amaz'd and musing vpon euery piece Of th' vniforme fair stately Frontispice Too-too-self-rapt through too-self-humoring Losing him-self while others finde the King Hold euen the Balance with clean hands clos'd eyes The principal peculiar office of a King Reuenge seuerely Publike Iniuries Remit thine Owne Heare the Cries see the Tears Of all distressed poor Petitioners Sit oft thy Self in Open Audience Who would not be a Iudge should be no Prince For Iustice Scepter and the Martiall Sword Ought neuer seuer by the Sacred Word Spare not the Great neither despise the Small Let not thy Lawes be like the Spiders Caul Simile Where little Flyes are caught and kild but great Passe at their pleasure and pull-down the Net Away with Shepheards that their Flocks deface Chuse Magistrates that may adorn their Place Such as fear God such as will iudge vprightly Men by the seruants iudge the Master lightly Giue to the Vertuous but thy Crown-Demain Diminish not giue still to giue again For there too-deep to dip is Prodigality And to dry-vp the Springs of Liberality But aboue all for Gods sake Son beware Hic labor hoc Opus Be not intrapt in Womens wylie snare I fear alas good Lord supreamly sage Auert from Mine th' effect of this Praesage Alas I fear that this sweet Poyson wil My House here-after with all Idols fil But if that neither Vertu 's sacred loue Nor Feare of Shame thy wanton Minde can moue To watch in Arms against the Charms of Those At least be warned by thy Fathers Woes Fare-wel my Son th' Almightie cals me hence I passe by Death to Lifes most excellence And to go Raign in Heav'n from World-cares free The Crown of Izrael I resigne to thee O thou that often for a Princes Sin Transport'st the Scepter euen from Kin to Kin From Land to Land Let it remaine with Mine And of my Sons Sons in successiue Ligne Let that Al-Power full deer-drad Prince descend Whose glorious Kingdom neuer shal haue end Whose iron Rod shall Satans Rule vn-doo Whom Iacob trusts in Whom I thirst for too ' DAVID deceast His Son him tracking right Initium Regni SALOMON With heart and voice worships the God of Might Enters his Kingdom by the Gate of Pietie Makes Hymâ—s and Psalms in Laud of the true Deïtie Offers in Gabeon where in Spirit he sees While his Sense sleepes the God of Maiesties His Vision The Lord of Hoasts who Crownd with radiant flames Offers him choise of these foure louely Dames First Glory shaking in her hand a Pike Not Maid-like Marching but braue Souldier-like Description of Glory Among the Stars her stately head she beares A siluer Trumpet shril a slope she wears Whose Winde is Praise and whose Stentorian sound Doth far and wide o'r all the world redound Her wide-side Robes of Tissue passing price All Story-wrought with bloody Victories Tryumphs and Tropheis Arches Crowns and Rings And at her feet there sigh a thousand Kings Not far from her coms Wealth all rich-bedight Of Riches In Rhéa's Thetis Pluto's Treasures bright The glittering stuff which doth about her fold Is rough with Rubies stiff with beaten Gold With either hand from hollow steans she powrs Pactolian surges and Argolian showrs Fortune and Thrift and Wakefulnes and Care And Diligence her dayly Seruants are Then cheerfull Health whose brow no wrinkle bears Of Health Whose cheek no palenesse in whose eye no tears But like a Childe shee 's pleasant quick and plump Shee seems to fly to skip to daunce and iump And Life 's bright Brand in her white hand doth shine Th' Arabian Birds â—are plumage platted â—ine Serues her for Suâ—-coat and her seemly â—â—ain Mirth Exercise and Temperance sustain Last Wisedom comes with sober countenance Of Wisedom To th' euer-Bowrs her oft a-loft t' aduance The light Mamuques wing-les wings she has Her gesture cool as comly-graue her pase Where e'r she go she neuer goes with-out Compasse and Rule Measure and Waights about And by her side at a rich Belt of hers The Glasse of Nature and her-Self she wears Hauing beheld their Bewties bright the Prince Seems rapt all-ready euen to Heauen from hence Sees a whole Eden round about him shine And ' mid so many Benefits Diuine Doubts which to chuse At length he thus begun O Lord sayth he what hath thy Seruant don That so great Blessings I should take or touch Or thou shouldst daign to honour me so much Thou doost preuent my Merit or deer Father Delight'st to Conquer euen my Malice rather Fair Victorie's a noble Gift and nought Is more desired or is sweeter thought Than euen to quench our Furie's thirst with blood In iust Reuenge on those that wrong our Good But oft alas foul Insolence comes after And the long Custome of in humane Slaughter Transforms in time the myldest Conquerors To Tigers Panthers Lions Bears and Boars Happy seems He whose count-les Herds for Pasture Dis-robe alone Mount Carmels moatly Vesture For whom alone a whole rich Countrey torn With timely Tools brings forth both Wine and Corn That hath soft Sereans yellow Spoils the Gems And precious stones of the Arabian streams The Mines of Ophir th' Entidorian Fruits The Saban Odours and the Tyrian Sutes But yet we see where Plenty chiefly sways There Pride increases Industry decays Rich-men adore their Gold whoso aspires To lift to Heav'n his sight and Soules Desires He must be Poor at least-wise like the Poor Riches and Fear are fellows euer-more I would liue long and I would gladly see My Nephews Nephews and their Progeny But the long Cares I fear and Cumbers rife Which commonly accompany Long-Life Who well liues long liues for this age of
ours Should not be numbred by yeers dayes and howrs But by our braue Exploits and this Mortality Is not a moment to that Immortality But in respect of Lady Wisedomes grace Euen at their best the rest are all but base Honour is but a puffe Life but a vapour Salomons choise Wealth but a wish Health but a sconce of paper A glistering Scepter but a Maple twig Gold Drosse Pearls Dust how-euer bright and big Shee 's Gods owne Mirror shee 's a Light whose glance Springs from the Lightning of his Countenance Shee 's mildest Heav'ns most sacred influence Neuer decays her Bewties excellence Aye like her-Self and shee doth alwayes trace Not only the same path but the same pase Without her Honour Health and Wealth would proue Three Poisons to me Wisedom from aboue Is th' only Moderatrix spring and guide Organ and honour of all Gifts beside Her her I like her only Lord I craue Her Company for-euer let me haue Let me for-euer from her sacred lip Th' Ambrosial Nard and rosial Nectar sip In euery Cause let me consult with her And when I Iudge be Shee my Counsailer Let with her Staffe my yet-Youth gouern wel In Pastures fair the Flock of Izrael A compt-les Flock a Flock so great indeed As of a Shepherd sent from Heav'n had need Lord giue her me alas I pine I die Or if I liue I liue her * Pyrausta Flame-bred-Flie And new Farfalla in her radiant shine Too-bold I burne these tender wings of mine Hold take her to thee said the Lord and sith No Bewty else thy soule enamoreth For ready hand-maids to attend vpon her I 'll giue thee also Health and Wealth and Honor For'tis not meet so High-descended Queen So great a Lady should alone be seen The rather that my Bounty may inuite Thee seruing Her to serue Me day and night King SALOMON awaked plainly knew That this Diuine strange Uision neuer grew From the sweet Temper of his sound Complexion But that it was some Peece of more Perfection Some sacred Picture admirably draw'n With Heav'nly pencil by an Angels hand For happy He had without Art the Arts And learning without learning in all parts A more then humane Knowledge bewtifies His princely actions vp to Heav'n he flies He dyues to Hell he sounds the Deeps he enters To th' in most Cels of the Worlds lowest Centers The secret Riddles of the sacred Writ His excellent Uisedome and vnderstanding in all things Are plain to him and his deep-pearcing Wit Vpon few Words of the Heav'n-prompted stile In a few Dayes large Volumes can compile He learned sees the Sun's Eclipse sans terror He knowes the Planets neuer erring Error And whether Nature or some Angel moue Their Sphears at once with triple Dance aboue Whether the Sun self-shine his Sister not Whether Spring Winter Autumn Summer hot Be the Suns Sons what kinde of mounting Vapor Kindles the Comet and the long-taild Taper What boy strous Lungs the roaring Whirlers blow'n What burning Wings the Lightning rides vpon What Curb the Ocean in his bounds doth keep What power Night's-Princesse powrs vpon the Deep Whether the Heav'ns sweet-sweating Kisse appear To be Pearls parent and the Oyster's pheer And whether dusk it makes them dim withall Cleer breeds the cleer and stormy brings the pale Whether from Sea the Amber-greece be sent Or be some Fishes pleasant excrement He knowes why th' Earth's immoueable and round The lees of Nature Center of the Mound He knowes her measure And he knowes beside How Coloquintida duely apply'd With-in the darknes of the Conduit-Pipes Amid the windings of our in-ward Tripes Can so discreetly the White humor take Rheubarb the Yellow Hellebore the Black And whether That in our weak Bulks be wrought By drawing 't to them or by driuing't out In brief from th' Hysop to the Cedar-Tree He knowes the Vertues of all Plants that be He knowes the Reason why the Woolfs fell tooth Giues a Horse swiftnes and his footing sloath Why thy Sex-changing fierce Hyena's eye Puts curstest Curres to silence suddenly Why th' irefull Elephant becommeth tame At the approaching of the fleecie Lamb Why th' eye-bold Eagle neuer fears the flash Or force of Lightning nor the Thunder-clash Why the wilde Fen-Goose which keeps warm her egs With her broad feet vnder her heatfull legs And tongue-les cries as wing-lym'd cannot flie Except she glad Seas brynie glasse descrie He knoweth also whether that our Stone Be baked Earth or Exhalation Whether the Metals that we dayly see Be made of Sulphur and of Mercurie Or of some Liquor by long Cold condens't And by the Heat well purified and cleans'd Or of a certain sharp and cindrous humor Or whether He that made the Wauing Tumor The motly Earth and th' Heav'nly Sphears refin'd All-mighty made them such as now we finde He comprehends from whence it is proceeding That spotted Iasper-stones can staunch our bleeding Saphires cure eyes the Topaz to resist The rage of Lust of drink the Amethist And also why the clearest Diamant Ielous impugns the thefts of th' Adamant Tunes Measures Numbers and Proportions Of Bodies with their Shadowes al 's ' he kons And fild with Nectar-Deaws which Heav'n drips The Bees haue made Honie within his lips But he imbraceth much more earnestly The gain-full Practice than cold Theorie Nor reaks he so of a Sophistick pride Of prattling Knowledge too-self-magnifi'd As of that goodly Art to gouern well The sacred Helms of Church and Common-weal And happily to entertain in either A harmony of Great and Small together Especially Hee 's a good Iusticer And to the Lawes dooth Life and strength confer Simile And as the highest of Bigaurian Hils Ay bears his head vp-right and neuer yeelds To either side scorns Winde and Rain and Snowe Abides all weathers with a cheerfull brow Laughs at a Storme and brauely tramples vnder His steddy Knees the prowd lowd rowling Thunder So Hee 's a Iudge inflexibly-vpright No Loue nor Hatred of the Guilty wight What e'r he wear for Calling small or great His Venging blade can either blunt or whet He spurneth Fauors and he scorneth Fears And vnder foot he treadeth priuate Tears Gold 's radiant Lustre neuer blears his Eye Nor is he led through Ignorance a-wry His Voice is held an Oracle of all The soule of Lawes he wisely can exhale In doubtfull Cases he can subtilize And wyliest pleaders harts anatomize Scarce fifteen times had Ceres since his Birth With her gilt Tresses glorifi'd the Earth When he decides by happy Wisedoms means The famous Quarrel of Two crafty Queans Is' t possible O Earth thus cries the first But that alas thou should'st for anger burst The Controuersie between the 2. Harlots for the liue Child And swallow quick this execreable Quean Is' t possible O gracious Soueraign That comming new from dooing such a deed So horrible she shame-les dares proceed T' approach thy sight thy sacred Throne t' abuse Not begging Pardon
are rough-cast with the richest Stones Cast in Deuises Emblems Scutchions Yet leaving all this Greatnesse of her owne She comes to view the State of SALOMON To hear his Wisedom and to see his Citty Refuge of Vertues School of Faith and Pitty A iust Reproose of all obstinate Recusants You that doo shut your eyes against the rayes Of glorious Light which shineth in our dayes Whose spirits self-obstin'd in old musty Error Repulse the Truth Th' Almighties sacred Mirror Which day and night at your deaf Doors doth knock Whose stubbornnesse will not at all vn-lock The sacred Bible nor so much as look To talke with God into his holy Book O fear you not that this great Princesse shall Of thank-les Sloath one-day condemn you all Who both a Woman Queen and Pagan born Ease Pleasures Treasures doth despise and scorn To passe with great pains and with great expence Long weary Iourneys full of diffidence And nobly trauels to another Land To hear the words but of a mortall Man Her Time 's not lost there rapt she doth contemple The sumptuous bewties of a stately TEMPLE The lofty Towers of hundred Towns in one A pompous Palace and a peer-les Throne Wals rich with-out furnisht in richer sort Number of Servants doth adorn the Court But more their Order there no noise is heard Each his owne Office only doth reguard And in one instant as the quaverings Of a quick Thumb moues all the divers strings Of a sweet Guittern and its skill to grace Causeth a Trebble sound a Mean a Base So SALOMON discreetly with a beck A wink a word doth all the Troop direct Each of his Servants hath his proper Lesson And after his Degree each hath his fashion This Queen yer parting from her fragrant Iles Arm'd her with Riddles and with witty Wyles T' appose the King and she resolues she wil With curious Questions sift and sound his Skill But lo what Oedipus The Law-learn'd Sage Which at the Bar hath almost spent his age Cannot so soon a common Doubt decide Where Statutes Customs and Book-Cases guide As he dissolues her Gordian-knots and sees Through all her nights and even at pleasure frees Such Doubts as doubt-les might haue taskt t'vntwist The Brachman Druïde and Gymnosophist And knowing Good becomes more Good the more It is en-common'd he applies there-fore T' instruct her in the Faith and enuious-idle His brains rich Talent buries not in Idle Alas I pity you alas quoth He Poore Soules besotted in Idolatry Who worship Gold and Silver Stocks and Stones Mens workmanship and Fiends Illusions And who by your sage Mages Lore miss-led So-many Godlings haue imagined Madame there is but one sole God most-High Th' Eternall King nay self-Eternity Infinite All in all yet out of all Of Ends the End of Firsts Originall Of Lights the Light Essencesur-passing Essence Of Powers pure Act of Acts the very Puissance Cause of all Causes Ocean of all Good The Life of Life and of all Bewty Flood None-seen All-Seer Starr's-guide Sight of Seeing The Vni-forme which giues all Formes their Beeing God and One is all One whoso the Vnitie Denies he Atheist disannuls Diuinity Th' Vnity dwels in God i th' Fiend the Twine The greater World hath but one Sun to shine The lesser but one Soule both but one God In Essence One in Person Trinely-odde Of this great Frame the Parts so due-devis'd This Body tun'd so measur'd sympathiz'd This TEMPLE wheresuch Wealth and Order meet This Art in every part cannot proceed But from one Pattern and that but from one Author of all who all preserues alone Else should we see in set Batalions A hundred thousand furious Partizans The World would nource civill intestine Wars And wrack itself in itselfs factious Iars Besides God is an Infinite Divinity And who can think of more than one Infinity Seeing the one restrains the others might Or rather reaues its name and being quight Therfore O Pagans why doo you confine The Infinite in narrow Walls of lime Why shut you Him in a base Trunk or Tree Why paint you Whom no mortall eye can see Why offer you your carnall seruices Vnto the Lord who a meer Spirit is Why then doo you sayd she by our example Incloseth ' Immortall in this Earthly TEMPLE Lock him within an Arke and worse than we Feed him with Fumes and bloody Butcherie This Sacred House so fair reply'd he then Is not to contain God but godly men Which worship him and we doo not suppose That He whose Arms doo Heav'n and Earth inclose Is closed in a Chest but th' ancient Pact The solemne Couenant and the sure Contract Which leagues vs with our God and each with other And holy Bond holds Heav'n and Earth together As for our Incense Washings Sacrifices They are not as is thought Our vain Devices But God 's their Aurthor and himself Ordains These Elements wherby he entertains And feeds our vnderstanding in the hope Of his deer Son of all these Things the Scope Setting before vs th' Only Sacrifice Which in CHRIST'S Blood shall wash-out all our vice Come then O Lord Come thou Lawes finisher Great King great Prophet great Selfs-Offerer Come come thou thrice-Great Refuge of our State Come thou out Ran çome Iudge and Advocate Milde Lambe Salue-Serpent Lion generous Vn-challeng'd Vmpire betwixt Heav'n and Vs Come thou the Trueth the Substance and the End Of all our Offrings whither all doo tend Come ô MESSIAS and doo now begin To Raign in Sion to triumph of Sinne And worshipped in Spirit and Truth restore Vpon the Earth the Golden Age of yore Accept this Queen as of all Heathen Princes The deer First-Fruits take on thee our Offences That stript of Adam's Sinfull sute in fine With sacred Angels we in Heav'n may shine The Queen nigh sunk in an Amaze-full Swoun Bespake him thus My Lord prattling Renown Is wont in flying to increase so far That she proclaims things greater than they are Simile And rarest Spirits resemble Pictures right Wherof the rarest seem more exquisite Far-off then neer but so far as thy Fame Ezcels all Kings thy Vertues passe the same Thy peer-les Prayse stoops to thy Learned tongue And envious bruit hath done thy Wisedom wrong So may I say even so ô SCOTISH King Application to the Kings Maiestie Thy winged Fame which far and wide doth ring From th' edge of Spain hath made me venturously To crosse the Seas thy Britain's end to see Where Lord what saw I nay what saw I not O King Heav'n-chosen for som special Plot Worlds Miracle ô Oracle of Princes I saw so much my Soule mistrusts my Senses A gray-beards Wisedom in an amber-bush A Mars-like Courage in a Maid-like blush A settled Iudgement with a supple Wit A quick Discourse profound and pleasing yet Virgil and Tully in one spirit infus'd And all Heav'ns Gifts into one Head diffus'd Persist O King glory on glory mount And as thy Vertues thine owne Fame surmount So
let thy future passe thy former more And go-before those that haue gone-before Excell thy Self and braue graue godly Prince Confirme my Songs eternall Euidence FINIS THE SCHISME THE III. BOOK OF THE IIII. DAY OF THE II. WEEK THE ARGVMENT Reiecting Olde Yong-Counsail'd rash ROBOAM Loseth Ten Tribes which fall to IEROBOAM He Godding Calves makes Izrael to Sin His Scepter therefore shortly fails his Kin. BAAZ ZIMRI OMRI ACHAB worst of all With IEZABEL Elias conquers Baal Commands the Clouds rapt-vp to Heav'n aliue Elisha's Works his bones the dead reuiue SAMARIA'S tragik Siege A Storm at Sea For Ionas sake repentant NINIVE HEer sing I ISAAC'S ciuill Brauls and Broils The miserie of a State distracted by factions into Ciuil Wars Iacobs Revolt their Cities sack their Spoils Their cursed Wrack their Godded Calues the rent Of th' Hebrew Tribes from th' Isheans Regiment Ah! see we not som seek the like in France With rage-full swords of civill Variance To share the sacred Gaulian Diadem To strip the Lillies from their natiue stem Application And as it were to Cantonize the State Whose Law did aw Imperial Rhine of late Tiber and Iber too and vnder whom Even silver Iordan's captiue floods did foam But let not vs good Lord O let not vs Apprecation Serue servilely a hundred Kinglings thus In stead of one great Monarch never let The lawfull Heir from his owne Throne be beat This Scepter yearly to be new possest Nor every Town to be a Tyrants nest Keep all intire re-stablish prudent Raign Restore the Sword to Iustice hand again That blest with Peace thy blessed Prayse O Lord My thankfull Layes may more and more record THE GENERAL States of Israel gathered all A Parliament or Assembly of the Estates of Israel By thousands now within strong Sichem's Wall All iointly name ROBOAM for their King But strictly-stout his Powr thus limiting Command say they and Rule in Abram's Fold Not as a Wolf but as a Shepheard should Slacken the reans of our late Servitude The People capitulate with their new King Lighten our gall'd backs of those Burthens rude Those heavy Imposts of thy Father fierce Repress the rapin of thine Officers So we will serue thee life and goods at-once If other-wise thy Service we renounce Heer-with amaz'd the moody Prince in post Sends for those Ancients which had swayed most His Fathers Counsails and he seems to crave Their sage Advises in a case so graue God hath not made say they iumping together Subiects for Kings but Kings for Subiects rather Then let not thine already in distress The Counsaile of the ancient Nobles â—e gnaw'n by others by thy Self much less What boots a Head with-out the hand and foot What is a Scepter and no Subiects to 't The greater Milt the Body pines the more The Checker's fatting makes the People poor A Princes Wealth in Subiects Wealth is set The Bank of Thrift where gold doth gold beget Where the good Prince coms never but at need For he is prais'd for a good Heard indeed Whose Flock is fat and fair with frolik bounds Frisking and skipping vp and down the Douns Among the Beasts fullest of furious gall The Vulgar's fiercest wildest worst of all Hydra with thousand heads and thousand stings Yet soon agreed to war against their Kings If then you wish their barking rage to cease Cast them a bone by an Abatement ease Their wringing Yoak thy Pity let them proue And ground thy Greatness on thy Peoples loue Or if thou fell wilt needs feed on their ice Yet vse no threats nor giue them flat Denies But to establish thy yet-new Estate Give them som hope and let them feed on that And wisely minde thy Fathers Saying sage That A soft answer soon appeaseth rage ROBOAM scorning these olde Senators Roboam leaving their sound aduice leaneth rather to the young fury of his Minions Flatteries Leans to his Yonglings Minions Flatterers Birds of a feather that with one accord Cry-out importune and perswade their Lord Not sillily to be by such disturb'd Nor let him-self so simply to be curb'd But to repress press and oppress the more These Mal-contents but too-well vs'd before With iron teeth to bruise their idle bones To suck their Marrow out and for the nonce Their rebell Pride to fetter as it were And lock their Furie in the stocks of Fear And to shake-off on th' other side and shun Those Gray-beards olde and colde direction Their sawcie censures snibbing his Minority Where-by too-proud they trip at his Authority Vsurp his place and too-too-malapert Would teach a wiser then them-selues his part To knowe that he 's a King and that he took Even in the womb as th' outward limbs and look So th' inward graces the Discretion And deep Fore-fight of prudent SALOMON And in the Shop of Nature learn'd long since The Art of State the Office of a Prince Wisedom fond King her sacred Seaterects In hoarie brains and Day the Day directs Th' old-man-fore-sees a-far by past events He prudent ponders future accidents The Young-man knowes not new-com as it were This wily World but as a passenger And more with courage then with Counsail's guide Barely beholds things on the outer side Yet to the last thou lean'st and frowning fel Checkst thus the Son 's of noble Israel Ah! rebel Slaues you you will Rule your King The Kings rashnes threatning rigour You 'll be his Carvers you will clip his wing You 'll hold the sacred helm controule the Crown You 'll rate his State and turn all vp-side-down But know you varlets whom you dally-with My little finger over-balanceth My Father's loigns he did but rub you light I 'll flay your backs he bow'd I 'll break yee quight He threatned Rods or gentle Whips of cord But I will haue your carrion shoulders goar'd With scourges tangd with rowels and my Name Shall make you quake if you but hear the same As rapid streams incountring in their way Simile With close-driv'n piles of som new bank or bay Or steady pillers of a Bridge built new Which last-past Sommer never saw nor knew Swell roar and rage far fiercer then they wont And with their foam defile the Welkins front So yerst griev'd Isaac now growen desperate With loud proud tearms doth thus expostulate Why what haue we to do what part what place With Böozian Ishay's avaricious race The Reuolt of the 10. Tribes Go Raign proud Iuda where thou wilt for we Nill bear the burthen of thy Tyranny Go vse els-where thy cruell threats and braues We are thy Brethren we and not thy Slaues Thus cry the People and th' ill-counsal'd King Vn-kingly yeelds to their rude Mutining And flies eft-soons with som few Beniamites The zealous Leuites and the â—â—daïtes The rest revolt and chuse for Soveraign A shame-les faith-les bold and busie-brain An Ephraimite who double-false doth fall Ieroboam Both from his King and from his God
steams Stopt with dead bodies so that never-more It should haue seen the Ocean as before Nor payd the Tribute that his Duty craues Saue that the crimsin holp the crystall waues Praysed be God sayd Iuda praysed be The Lord of Hoasts the King of Maiesty That moawes his Foes that doth his owne protect That holds so deer the blood of his elect That fights for vs and teacheth vs to fight Conquer and triumph of the Pagan's might And finally doth punish Tyrants fel With their owne swords to saue his Israel But notwithstanding Ieroboam's Plot Wicked generatioÌ„ of the wicked His third Successor yet succeeds him not A barbarous Fury raigneth in his Race His bloudy Scepter shifteth hands apace Nadab his son and all his seed beside Feels cursed Baasha's cruell Paricide And Baasha's issue is by Zimri slain Zimri by Zimri then doth Omri raign Omri accursed for his owne transgression But more accursed for the foule succession Of such a Son as Achab sold to Sin That boldly brings Sidonian Idols in Builds vnto Baal and of all Kings the worst Weds Iezabel adds Drunkenness to Thirst. Blinde Superstition's like a drop of Oyl 2. Similes Still spreading till it all a Garment spoyl Or like a spark fall'n in a floor of Mat Which soon inflameth all the Chamber that Fiers the whole House the House the Town about Consuming all and never going-out Till Goods and Bodies Towrs and Temples high All in a Toomb of their owne ashes lye When one begins how little be 't to stray From the diuine Law 's little-beaten way We cursed fall into the black Abysse Of all foul Errrors every Sin that is Donns sacred Mask and monsters most ahhord Killing the Saints we think to please the Lord As Achab did who vanquisht with the spel Speach grace and face of painted Iezabel Presumes to lay his sacrilegious hand On th' oyled Priests that in Gods presence stand Of honest Men his Towns depopulates Lessens the Number of his Noble States T' augment his Lands and with the bloud of His Wrights th' Instruments of his new Purchases But slain at last by th' Hoast of Benhadad His Son * Ahaziah succeeds him and almost as bad He breaks his neck and leaues his fatall place To 's brother Ioram last of Achab's race An odious race th' alliance of whose blood Corrupts the Heirs of Iosaphat the good Causing his Son charm'd with Athalia's wile In 's Brother's bloud his armed arms to file And Ahaziah's giddy brain t' infect With the damn'd Error of Samarian Sect. But though these Kings did openly oppugn And stubbornly the King of Heav'n impugn Though Abrah'ms issue now degenerate Did but too-neer their Princes imitate Though over all a Chaos of confusion A Hell of Horror Murder and Delusion A Sea of Sins contempt of God and Good Cover'd these Kingdoms as another Flood God left not yet that Age without his Oracles A hundred Prophets strong in word and miracles Resist their rage and from sad drowning keep The wracked planks on th' Idol-Ocean deep Cleer Sommer Noons need not a candle-light Simile Nor sound Physician but clean opposite So in our Soules the more Sin 's Floods do flowe The more God makes his Mercie 's Gulf to growe For his Embassage in sad Achab's dayes Elijah the Prophet Thes bite Elijah did th' Almighty rayse Who burning-bold in spirit and speach cries-out In Achab's ears and all his Court about O impious Achab fear'st thou not quoth he The sulphury flames and Thunder-bolts that be Already roaring in the dreadfull fist Of God the Lord that doth the proud resist Revengeth wrongs th' outrageous Heathen's Hammer Terror of Terrors and all Tyrants Tamer Doost thou not knowe He threats to Israel A Heav'n of Brass if they his grace repel Reiect his loue and get them other Loues Whoring about with forrain Gods in Groves God cannot lie His dreadfull Threatnings ever Draw dreadfull Iudgements if our Sin persever As the Lord lives this thirsty yawning Plain In seav'n six Month's drinks not a drop of Rain No sooner spoken but in present view Description of the extreame Drought in Israel for three years and a half The Heav'ns begin to change their wonted hew Th' Aire deadly thick doth quickly vanish quight To a sad Day succeeds a sadder Night A bloudy vapour and a burning cloud By day begirt the Sun all coaly-browd By night the Moon denies to fading Flowrs Her silver sweat and pearly-purled showrs The Welkin 's studded with new Blazing-Stars Flame-darting Lances fiery crowns and Cars Kids Lions Bears wrapt in prodigious Beams Dreadfull to see and Phoebus as it seems Weary of travail in so hote a time Rests all the while in boyling Cancer's clime Hills lately hid with snowe now burn a main May hath no Deaw nor February Rain Sad Atlas Nieces and the Hunter's Star Have like effect as the Canicular Zephyre is mute and not a breath is felt But hectik Auster's which doth all things swelt And panting-short puffs every-where vpon The withered Plains of wicked Shomeron Th' vnsavorie breath of Serpents crawling o're The Lybians pest-full and vn-blest-full shoar Now Herbs to fail and Flowrs to fall began The miserable effects therof Mirtles and Bayes for want of moist grew wan With open mouth the Earth the aid doth crave Of black-blew Clouds cleer Kishon's rapid wave Wars now no more with Bridges arched round Sorek for shame now hides him vnder ground Mokmur whose murmur troubled with the noise The sleeping Shepheards hath nor stream nor voice Cedron's not Cedron but late Cedron's bed And Iordan's Current is as dry as dead The beam-brow'd Stag and strong-neckt Bull do ly On palc-faç't banks of Arnon also dry But neither sup nor see the Crystal Wave Ouer the which so often swom they have The lusty Courser that late scorn'd the ground Now lank and lean with crest and courage downd With rugged tongue out of his chained mouth With hollow-flanks panting for inward drouth Rouling his Bit but with a feeble rumor Would sweat for faintnes but he wanteth humour The Towr-backt Camel that best brooketh Thirst And on his bunch could have transported yerst Neer a whole Houshold now is able scant To bear him self he is so feebly-faint Both yong and olde both of the base and best Feel a fel Aetna in their thirstie brest To temper which they breath but to their wo For for pure air they sup into them so A putride thick and pestilentiall fume Which stuffs their Lights and doth their lives consume Ther 's not a Puddle though it strangely stink But dry they draw't Sea-Water's dainty Drink And fusty-Bottles from beyond-Sea South Bring Nile to Somer for the Kings owne mouth For though the Lord th' whole Land of Syria smights Th' heat of his Anger on Samaria lights With greatest force whose furious Prince implies The Prophet Cause of all these miseries Therefore he fearing Achab's ragefull hate Down to Brook Châ—rith's hollow
banks he gate Where for his Cooks Caters and Wayters tho From the foure windes the winged people go Thence to Sareptha where he craves the aid The Widow of Sarepta Of a poor Widow who thus mildely said Alas fain would I but God wot my store Is but of bread for one meal and no more Yet give me saith he giue me som I pray Who soweth sparing sparing reapeth ay Sure a good turn shall never guerdon want A Gift to Needlings is not given but lent T 's a Well of Wealth which doth perpetuall run A fruitfull Field which thousand yeelds for one While thus he said and staid the Widow glad The fruits of Charity Gives to him frankly all the bread she had She lost not by 't for all the Famin-while That rag'd in Tyre her little Flowr and Oyl Decreased not yet had she plenty still For her and hers to feed in time their fill At length befell fel Death to take-away Her onely Son and with her Son her Ioy She prayes her Guest and he implores his God And stretching him vpon the breath-les Lad Thus cries aloud Vouch safe me Lord this boon Restore this child's soule which it seems to-soon Thou hast bereft O! let it not be said That heer for nought I haue so ought been fed Let not my presence be each-where abhorr'd Nor Charity with thee to want Reward As a small seedling of that fruitfull Worm Simile Which of it self fine shining Sleaves doth form By the warm comfort of a Virgin brest Begins to quicken creepeth as the rest Re-spins a-fresh and in her witty loom Makes of her corps her corps a pretious Toomb This Childe no Man but Man's pale Module now With death i th bosom horror on the brow The bait of Worms the Booty of the Beer At sacred words begins his ey to rear Swimming in Death his powrs do re-assemble His spirits rewarm'd with-in his artirs tremble He fetcht a sigh then lively rysing too Talks walks and eats as he was woont to doo Fain would the Mother haue besought the Seer T' have past the rest of his colde Olde-age heer But th' holy spirit him sodain hence doth bring Vnto Samaria to th' incensed King Who rates him thus O Basilisk O Bane Art not thou He that sow'st th' Isaacian Plain With Trouble-Tares Seditious hast not thou The like Imputations in our dayes the blind Popelings and profane â—â— orldlings haue layd vpon the Gospell and the Preachers thereof Profan'd the Laws of our Fore-fathers now Broken all Orders and the Altars bann'd Of th' holy Gods Protectors of our Land Since thy fond Preaching did heer first begin More and more heavie hath Heav'ns anger bin Vpon vs all and Baal blasphem'd by thee Hath since that season never left vs free From grievous Plagues it is a Hellwe feel Our Heav'n is Brass our Earth is all of Steel No no O King if I the Truth shall tell Thou thou art he that troublest Israell Thou give me leave thou and thy Grand-sires mad After strange Gods in every Grove to gad Have left the true wise wondrous all-abroad Omnipotent victorious glorious God Such shall you proue him if you dare oppone All your Baal-Prophets against me but one Content quoth Achab then to Carmel's top The Schismik Priests were quickly called vp Vnto their Baal an Altar build they there To God the Prophet doth another rear Both have their Beasts and by their prayer must prove Whose God is GOD by Fier from Heav'n above The People's eyes and eares and mindes are bent Vpon these Maruails to observe th' euent Maruails which might well cleer the difference That had so long depended in suspence 'Twixt Israel and Iuda and direct Th' Earth how to serue Heav'ns sacred Architect As when two Buls inflamed fiercely-fell Simile Met front to front their forked arms do mell The feeble Heards of Heifers in a maze Twixt hope and fear vnfeeding stand at gaze To see the Fight and censure which do prove The valiantest that he may be their Loue. Baal's baalling Priests call and cry out for life They gash their flesh with Launcet and with knife Baals Priests They cruell make their blood to spin about As Claret wine from a pearç't Peece doth spout And madly shaking heads leggs sides and arms They howling chant these Dithyrambik charms Help help O Baal O Baal attend our cryes Baal hear vs Baal O Baal bow down thine eyes O Stratian Clarian Eleutherian Powrs Panomphaean God approve vs thine thee ours O Epicarpian O Epistatirian Phyxian Feretrian O Exacestirian Xenian Messapian O Lebradean BAAL O Assabine BAAL-SAMEN hear our Call Elijah that their bloody Rites abhord And knowes aright the seruice of the Lord T' appease his wrath he doth not scarre his skin Nor with self-wounds presume his grace to win Nor makes himself vnfitting for his function By selfly stripes as causing more compunction Nor thrild with bodkins raves in frantik-wise And in a furie seems to prophetize But offers God his heart in steed of blood His speech is sober and as milde his mood Cry loud quoth he your God is yet perchance Irâ—nia In a deep sleep or doth in Arms advance Against his Foes th' Egyptian Deïties Or is consulting how to keep the Flies From off his Altar But O Izrael Alas why yoakst thou God with Baal or Bel Alas how long thus wilt thou halt twixt either And fondly mix Darnel and Wheat together In thy Faith's Field If Baal be God indeed Then boldly serue him seek him sole at need But if blew Sea and winged Firmament Th' all-bearing Earth and Storm-breed Element Be but the least Works of th' Almighty hand Of Iacob's God If Heav'n Aire Sea and Land And all in all and all in euery one By his owne finger be sustain'd alone If he have cast those cursed Nations out Which yerst defil'd this fair fat Land about To give it thee to plant thee in their place Why him alone doost thou not ay imbrace And serue him onely in thy Soule and Heart Who in his Love brooks none to share a part The cord vn-twisted weakens and who serves Two Lords at-once to lose them both deserves Baal dead thouseest hears not his Servants call Much less can grant them their Desires at all But Iaacob's God IEHOVA ELOHIM Never deceives their hope that trust in him Hear me therefore O Lord and from above With Sacred Fire thy Soverain powr to prove Consume this Bullock and shewe by the same That thou art GOD and I thy Servant am And to thy Fold thy Churches Lap repeal Thy wandring Flock thy chosen Izrael As falls a Meteor in a Sommer Even Simile A sodain Flash coms flaming down from Heav'n Licks dry the Dikes and instantly at-once Burns all to Ashes both the Altar-stones And th' Offered Bullock and the People fall In zealous fury on the Priests of Baal And by Elijah's prayer soon obtain Rain which so often they had
a storm at Sea All topsie-turned by th' Aeolian slaues Do mount and roule Heav'ns war against the Waters And angrie Thetis Earth's green bulwarks batters A sable ayrso muffles-vp the Sky That the sad Saylers can no light descry Or if som beam break through their pitchy night 'T is but drad flashing of the Lightning's light Strike strike our saile the Master cries amain Vail misne and sprit-sail but he cries in vain For in his face the blasts so bluster ay That his Sea-gibberish is straight born away Confused Cries of men dismay'd in minde Seas angry noise lowd bellowing of the winde Heav'ns Thunder-claps the tackles whisteling As strange Musicians dreadfull descant sing The Eastern winde driues on the roaring train Of white-blew billows and the clouds again With fresh Seas crosse the Sea and she doth send In counter-change a rain with salt y-blend Heav'ns headlong seem in Thetis lap to fall Seas scale the skies and God to arm this All Against one ship that skips from stars to ground From waue to waue like Balloons windie bound While the sad Pilot on a foamy Mount Thinks from the Pole to see Hells pit profound And then cast down vnto the sandie shole Seems from lowe Hell to see the lofty Pole And feeling foes within and eek without As many waues so many deaths doth doubt The Billows beating round about the ship Vncauk her keel and all her seams vnrip Whereby the waters entring vncontroul'd Ebbing abroad yet flowe apace in hold For euery Tun the plied Pump doth rid A floud breaks in the Master mastered With dread and danger threatning euery-way Doubts where to turn him what to doo or say Which waue to meet or which salt surge to flie So yeelds his charge in Sea to liue or die As many Cannons 'gainst a Castle bent Simile Make many holes and much the rampire rent And shake the wall but yet the latest shock Of fire-wingd bullets batters down the Rock So many mounts that muster 'gainst this Sail With roaring rage doo this poor ship assail But yet the last with foaming fury swoln With boistrous blasts of angry tempests boln Springs the main-mast the mast with boystrous fall Breaks down the deck and sore affrights them all Pale Idol-like one stands with arms a-cross One moans himself one mourns his childrens loss One more than Death this form of Death affrights Another calls on Heav'ns vn-viewed Lights One 'fore his eys his Ladies looks beholds Another thus his deadly fear vnfolds Curst thirst of gold O how thou causest care My bed of Doun I change for hatches bare Rather than rest this stormie war I chose T' enlarge my fields both land and life I lose Like piezless plume born-vp by Boreas breath With all these wings I soar to seek my death To Heav'n and Hell by angry Neptune led Where least I scape it all these sails I spread Then thus another Sure no winde quoth he Could raise this Storm som rarer Prodigy Hath caus'd this Chaos cause of all our grief Some Atheist dog som Altar-spoyling theef Lurks in this ship com Mates by lot let 's trie To saue the rest the man that ought to die 'T is I quoth Ionas I indeed am cause Of this black night and all the fearfull flaws Of this rough Winter I must sole appease By my iust death these wrath-full wrackfull Seas Then vp they heave him straight and from the waste Him suddainly into the Sea they cast The King of Windes calls home his churlish train And Amphitritè smooths her front again Th' Air 's cloudy Robe returns to crystal cleer And smiling Heav'ns bright Torches re-appeer So soon as Ionas to them all appease O're head and eares was soused in the Seas Thrice coms he vp and thrice again goes down Vnder the waves yer he do wholly drown But then he sinks and wretched roul'd along The sands and Oase and rocks and mud among Thus thus he cries with lips of zealous faith Mercy my God shew mercy Lord he saith Then God who ever heares his childrens wish Provided straight a great and mighty Fish That swilling swallow'd Ionas in her womb A living Corps laid in a living Toomb Like as a Roach or Ruff or Gudgeon born Simile By som swift stream into a weer forlorn â—risks to and fro aloft and vnder dyves Fed with false hope to free their captive lyves The Prophet so amazed walks about This wondrous Fish to finde an issue out This mighty Fish oâ— Whale-like huginess Or bigger-bellied though in body less Where am I Lord alas within what vaults In what new Hell doost thou correct my faults Strange punishment my body thou bereav'st Of mother earth which to the dead thou leav'st Whither thy wrath drives me I do not knowe I am depriv'd of air yet breathe and blowe My sight is good yet can I see no skie Wretch nor in Sea nor yet a-shore am I Resting I run for moving is my Cave And quick I couch within a living Grave While thus he plain'd the third day on the sand The friendly Fish did cast him safe a-land And then as if his weary limbs had been So long refresht and rested at an Inn He seems to flie and com'n to Niniue Your sins have reached vp to Heav'n quoth he Wo and alas wo wo vnto you all Yet forty dayes and Ninive shall fall Thus Ionas preacht But soon the Citizens Sincerely toucht with sense of their foul sins Dispatch in haste to Heaven Repentance sad Sweet-charming Prayer Fasting hairy-clad Repentance makes two Torrents of her eyes Her humble brow dares scant behold the skies Her sobbing brest is beaten blew and black Her tender flesh is rent with rugged sack Her head all hoar'd with harty sorrows past With dust and ashes is all over-cast Prayer's head and sides and feet are set about With gawdy wings like Ioves Arcadian Scout Her body flaming from her lips there fumes Nard Incense Mummy and all rich Perfumes Fasting though faint her face with ioie she cheers Strong in her weakness young in aged yeers Quick health's preserver curbing Cupid's fits Watchfull purge-humors and refining-wits Then Faith Grand Vsher of th' Empyreal Court Vshers these Legats by a golden Port Into the Presence and them face to face Before th' All-Monarch's glorious Throne doth place Where zealous prostrate on her humble knee Thus Prayer speaks in name of all the Three God slowe to wrath O Father prone to grace Lord sheath again thy vengeance sword a space If at thy beam of Iustice thou wilt waigh The works of men that wander every day If thou their metall by that touch-stone try Which fearfull-sounding from thy mouth doth flie If thou shalt summ their Sins which pass the sand Before thee Lord who shall indure to stand Not Ninive alone shall perish then But all this All be burnt to ashes clean And even this day shall thy iust wrath prevent The dreadfull Day of thy last Dooms event This world to
of Christ. On our Horizon brought the dayes broad light Haue led men's soules in dark eternall night Feel torments worthy of their wickedness 23 Next Symmachus Porphirius marches first Lucian and Celsus then whose hardned heart The Gospell knowen did labour to subvert And Iulian also of all Caesars worst 24 Who knowing well that tortures were but vain To force the Saints from the right Faith to straie By sugred stile studies another way Turns truth to lies and lies to truth again 25 Next I perceive the Circumcised Crew 4. Cabalists and Talmudists Rabbies Of Cabalists and butly Talmudists Troubling the Church with their mysterious Mists Who wel-nigh dead'gainst CHRIST do spet and spew 26 Much like to Snakes that wagg their sting-les sting When as their heads and bodies being slain They threat their Foes with force-less fury vain And to their Graues their Thirst of vengeance bring 27 Now com the Doctors of the Alcaron 5. Turkish Doctors Who mingling poyson by their subtill glose The World 's blinde eyes with darker Clouds inclose They shew their sorrow by their saddest mone 28 But who are these that wear Faith's Livery 6. Heretiks old and new And bear the badge of Faith's best Souldiars And yet are laden with such bolts and bars And so despised of Faith's company 29 These if I err not are the Heretiks Who pusht by proud and curious spirits do blend Both Heav'n and Earth and busily contend To lead the World in crooked paths and Creeks 30 Now as soft windes with straight constrayned breath Through chinks and crannies stealing privily Hurt more our health than boistrous blasts that fly And roule abroad the stones vpon a heath 31 And as the Foe that shakes the Citie 's wallâ— With thundring shot is not so dangerous As a lewd Burgess false and mutinous That in the Town stirs-vp domestik brauls 32 So Pagans Turks Iews doo not damnifie The Faith like these their open violence May be avoyded but false fair-pretence Is hardly scaped with much ieopardie 33 They make like vs a fair religious showe They haue like vs one Church one FAITH one Lord They read like vs one Bible and one Word So sly they are Gods Church to over-throwe 34 In foremost rank heer go the Sadduces That to deny Angels and Resurrection Both Spirits of grace and of reiection Then th' Esseans foul and Formal Pharises 35 Next that deceiver that devised first Simon Magus Nicolaus Author of the Sect of the Nicolaites Church-chaffering and after him insues That mariage-Foe who brutishly renews Pluto's not Plato's Common-law accurst 36 Cerinthus next all bruis'd and bleeding fresh Of Beam-pasht wounds that brain'd him suddainly When in the Baths profane he did denie Christs holy God-head hidden in our flesh 37 For having likewise warr'd against the same God-head of th' onely Man-God Ebion Paul Samyan Photin Carp'crate Artemon Shewe by their looks their sorrow and their shame 38 There mourns that Manés who did fondly fain Two divers Gods Authors of Good and Ill There Valentin the air with cries doth fill Who did deny that bodies Rise again 39 Cerdon great Patron of the Stoïcall Marcion Menander pitious Moan do make There sighes Apelles saying Christ did take Not simply flesh but flesh fantasticall 40 There goes Basilides who canoniz'd Cyrenean Simon in our SAVIOVRS steed Montanus there afrantik head indeed Who guiltless Children kill'd and sacrifiz'd 41 There Tatians Encratiâ—s Severioâ—s Sabellians too which seeking th' vnity In Gods great Essence lost the Trinity Abhor too-late their fond conclusions 42 There th' Alexandrian Priest that yerst did voyd Arrius His entrails at the stool whose Heresie Witching wel-neer th' Earths Vniversity With Sword and Schism the World so much annoy'd 43 Sadly beholds sad-marching Macedonius And Eunomus who at the first had sowen His poysonie seeds but after of their owne They gathered two other Sects erronious 44 Bizantian Nestor and our owne â—â—lagius Libian Donatus Luciferians Euticheans fond and fond Priscillians All frown and fret for inward grief outrageous 45 Shall I conceal Seruetus and the train Of those Dëists that in Sarmatia swarms And Kingling Muncer that with frantik arms Founds hundred sorts of Anabaptists vain 46 Both Syrtes sands I might as eas'ly number As number those whose sweet in chanting Writs With Error 's dregs have drenched wanton Wits Chiefly'n this Age which all corruptions cumber 47 For Satan now him so insinuates In faithless hearts that ween themselues be wise That so foul Error can he not devise But shall be backt by strong associates 48 I see the Beast that bears the purple Whore Great Anti-christ vsurping powr divine 7. Antichrist the Schismatiks Set on Seaven Hills who with her whordom's wine Makes drunk the Princes that her Seat adore 49 And last of all I see the Schismatiks Which renting Christ's vnseamed coat in twain Trouble the Church-peace with contentions vain Following too neer the steps of Heretiks Canto III. 1 GReat Sire's great Son Oliue God's liuely face Wisedom conceiued of the onely Wise To vs given Giver First and Last born twise Once in full Time once out of all Times space 2 Beam of that Sun which fills the world with Light Life of our life our death's death Stinger's sting Our perfect wise iust holy valiant King Word that no word can full express aright 3 O Lord draw draw me draw me from this throng Whose feet and hands are bold to war with thee For with dry eyes I can them never see Nor without grief recite them in my Song 4 Ah! I am out now my deer God I goe From Babel to Iernsalem the Land Of Life Saints house and holy Ark to stand Against all Seas and all rough storms that blowe 5 Lo heer these Champions that haue brauely-bold Withstood proud Tyrants stoutly consacring Their liues and soules to God in suffering Whose names are all in Life's fair Book in-roll'd 6 All-hail Saint-Souldiers let vs once imbrace O valiant Knights let me your hands and brows Adorn with Palms and with Apollo's boughs Let present honours former shames deface 7 Com sacred Kings O holy Princes com Com to this Triumph Lords whose valiant hands Haue Satan's kingdom sought to bring in bands And in your Crowns giv'n Faith the chiefest room 8 He that the first Isaac infranchized Moses Iosua Leads by the hand that Duke whose faithfull word Stopt Phoebus Coursers and whose conquering Sword Subdu'd the Land the Lord had Promised 9 He that but armed with an Asses bone Samson Slew thousand Foes Sangar Othoniel Ahod and Ieptha Barac Samuel And th' Heathen's scourge triumphant Gedeon 10 That great King-Prophet Poet Conqueror Dauid Sweet Psalmograph Asa that Idols brake He that made all the Idol-altars quake Iosias And after did the Paschal Lamb restore 11 Iehosaphat Ioathan Azarias And he whose life the Lord did dis-abbridge Whom Heav'nly arms from Assur did vnsiedge The most religious match-less Ezechias 12 Wise
soile Yee steeled Tooles of slaughter wounds and warres Be you condemn'd to hang and rust a while Or not to languish in so fruit-lesrest Be you transform'd to husband-furniture To plow those fields you haue so oft deprest Of if you cannot leaue your wonted vre Leaue at the least all mutinous alarmes And befrom hence-forth Iustice lawfull Armes SONNET 26. O Paris know thy selfe and know thy Master As well thy heav'nly as thine earthly guider And be not like a Horse who proud of pasture Breakes Bit and Reanes and casts his cunning Rider Who nill be Subiects shall be slaues in â—ine Who Kings refuse shall haue a Tyrant Lord Who are not moou'd with the milde rods diuine Shall feele the furie of Heav'ns venging Sword Thy greatnes stands on theirs that weare the Crowne Whereof th' hast had now seuentie sauing seuen Thinke one sufficient soone to pull thee downe Kings greatnes stands on the great King of Heav'n Knowing these two then Paris know thy selfe By Warres afflictions and by PEACES wealth SONNET 27. Swell not in pride O Paris Princely Dame To be chiefe Citie and thy Soueraignes Throne Citie nay modell of this totall Frame A mighty Kingdome of thy selfe alone The scourge that lately with paternall hand For thine amendment did so mildely beat-thee If any more against thy Kings thou stand Shall proue that then God did but only threat-thee Wert thou a hundred-thousand-fold more mighty Who in th' Olympike Court commands the thunders In his least wrath can wrack thee most Almighty Thebes Babel Rome those proud heav'n-daring wonders Lowe vnder ground in dust and ashes lie For earthly Kingdomes euen as men doe die SONNET 28. But O my sorrowes â— whither am I tosâ— What shall I bloodie sweet ASTREAS Songs Re-open wounds that are now heal'd almost And new-remember nigh-forgotten wrongs Sith stormes are calmed by a gentle Starre Forget we Muse all former furie-moods And all the tempests of our viper-Warre Drown we those thoughts in deep-deep Lethe floods O but alas I cannot not-retaine So great notorious common miseries Nor hide my plaint nor hold my weeping raine But ' mid these hidious hellish out-rages I 'le showe and prooue by this strange spectacle Our ciuill PEACE asacred Miracle SONNET 29. As he that scap't from Ship-wrack on a planke Doubts of his health and hardly yet beleeues Still faintly shiuering on the feare-les banke That through that fraile helpe certainly he liues As he that new freed from strange seruitude Returnes againe to tread his natiue allies Seemes still to feare his Patrons rigour rude And seemes still tugging chayned in the Gallies So alwaies ruth ruine and rage and horror Of troubles past doo haunt me euery-where And still I meete Furies and gastly Terror Then to my selfe thus raue I rapt with feare From pleasures past if present sorrow spring Why should not past cares present comfort bring SONNET 30. We must not now vp braid each others crimes Committed wrongly in the time of Warre For we haue all alas too often-times Prouok't the vengeance of the Lord too farre Some robbing Iustice vnder maske of Reason Some blowing coles to kindle-vp Sedition Some 'gainst their King attempting open Treason Some Godding Fortune Idol of Ambition Alas we know our cause of maladie All apt t' accuse but none to cleanse th' impure Each doth rebuke but none doth remedie To know a griefe it is but halfe a cure Is it our sinnes let 's purge away that bane For what helps Physicke if it be not tane SONNET 31. Who cloake their crimes in hoods of holines Are double villaines and the Hypocrite Is most-most odious in Gods glorious sight That takes his Name to couer wickednes Prophane Ambition blinde and irreligious In quest of Kingdomes holding nothing holy Think'st thou th' Eternall blinde as thou in folly Or weake to punish Monsters so prodigious O execrablevizard canst thou hide thee From th' All-pierce Eye are treason rape and murder Effects of Faith or of the Furies-order Thy vaile is rent the rudest haue descride thee 'T is now apparant to each plaine Opinion Thy hot Deuotion hunted but Dominion SONNET 32. 'T is strange to see the heat of Ciuill brands For when we arme vs brother against brother O then how ready are our hearts and hands And Wits awake to ruine one another But come to counter-mine 'gainst secret treason Or force the forces of a stranger foe Alas how shallow are we then in reason How cold in courage and in camping slowe Fraunce onely striues to triumph ouer Fraunce With selfe-kill Swords to cut each others throat What swarmes of Souldiers euery where doo float To spend and spoile a Kingdomes maintenance But said I Souldiers ah I blush for shame To giue base Theeues the noble Souldiers name SONNET 33. Is' t not an endles scandall to our daies If possible our heires can credit it That th' holy name of PEACE so worthy praise Hath been our Watch-word for a fault vnfit That the pure Lilly our owne natiue flower Hath been an odious obiect in our eyes That kingly Name and Kings heav'n-stablisht power Hath been with vs a marke of trecheries T' haue banisht hence the godly and the wise Whose sound direction kept the State from danger Yea made their bodies bloody Sacrifice And to conclude seeking to serue a Stranger T' haue stab'd our owne but O Muse keepe that in The fault 's so foul to speake it were a sinne SONNET 34. I waile not I so much warres wastefull rigours Nor all thy ruines make me halfe so sorie As thy lost honour Fraunce which most disfigures Losing thy loyaltie thy Natiue glory From Moores to Moscouites O cursed change The French are called Faith-les Parricides Th' yerst-most-prince-â—oyall people O most strange Are now Prince-treachers more than all besides With vs Massacres passe for Pietie Theft rape and wrong for iust-attaind possessions Reuolt for Merit Rage for Equitie Alas must we needs borrow the transgressions And imperfections of all other Nations Yerst onely blamed for inconstant fashions SONNET 35. Not without reason hath it oft been spoken That through faire Concord little things augment And opposite that mightiest things are broken Through th' vgly Discord of the discontent When many tunes doe gently symphonize It conquers hearts and kindly them compounds When many hearts doe gentle sympathize In sacred frendship there all blisse abounds Alas if longer we diuide this Real me Loosing to euerie Partizan apart Farewell our Lillies and our Diadem For though it seeme to breath now somewhat peart Our sinnes I feare will worke worse after-claps And ther 's most danger in a re-relaps SONNET 36. O how I hate these partializing words Which showe how we are in the Faith deuised Is' t possible to whet so many Swords And light such flames 'mong th' In-one-Christ-baptized Christians to Christians to be brute and bloody Altars to Altars to be opposite Parting the limmes of such a perfect Body While Turkes with Turkes doo better faâ—revnite We
contemning all worlds pompous vanities But the two last haue odds in their extremities In that without impeach they may apply their minde To many goodly things wherein great ioy they finde I mean when each distresse offends a man alone Not when he is assail'd at once of euery one Yet perill's quickly past danger endureth not Exile so easie growes that it is soon forgot The greatest losse that is we minde not many houres For thousand accidents distract this soule of ours Which cannot in such sort the senses still restrain But that they will goe feed on many obiects vain Whereby at vn-awares she oftentimes surpris'd Is ouer-reacht by those whose rigour she despis'd And so the pleasant taste she doth vntimely misse Wherewith affliction sweet doth season heer her blisse So that som other State wherein our soule lesse fed With sundry obiects vain shall be more setled May rightly be preferd to these which make her stay And stumble often-times vnto her owne decay And therefore I maintain close Prison to be best Of all afflictions that may a man molest Considering all defects to other crosses common In this are seldom found and almost felt of no man For Prison is a place where God sequesters men Farre from the vile prospect of vanities terrene To make them thence with-drawe their harts and to confesse That in his grace alone consists their happiness It is a learned School where God himself reads cleerly True wisedoms perfect rules to those he loueth deerly There th' vnderstanding free amid the many chains That binde the body fast findes out a thousand means To learn another day to be more apt and able According to our place for vses seruiceable To profit publike-weal for euermore we ought In seeking self-gain see that common good be sought Knowledge is onely learn'd by long exercitation For which whà t fitter mean then such a sequestration Where each-man vndisturb'd through diligence may growe According to the gifts that gracious Heav'ns bestowe One in ability to rule a lawfull State The vertuous to aduance and vicious to abate Another from the Tombe to fetch Antiquity Another to discern true Truth from Sophistrie Another by the feats of elder men at Armes To frame wise Stratagems for wofull wars alarmes For Souldiers oftentimes may more experience get By reading then they can where Camp and Camp is met And briefly to conclude som grauely to aduise Som bold to execute as each mans calling lies But most of all to search within the sacred Writ The secret mysteries to mans saluation fit A world of vanities that doo distract vs heer During our Libertie in Durance com not neer The wall that lets our leggs from walking out of door Bounding vs round about within a narrow floor Doth gard vs from the gall which Sathan spring of spight Mingles among the sweet of this vain worlds delight If he be happier man that liueth free from foes Then he whom angry troops of enemies in close Much more the Prisoner then of his high blisse may boast For being so farre off from such a hugie hoast Of hatefull foes so fierce in malice and in might Himself so faint and weak and so vnfit to fight For he and we God wot in steed of standing to-it How-euer in a vein we vaunt that we will do-it When 't commeth to the brunt we cannot brook the field But either flie like Hares or els like cowards yeeld The sundry obiects fond which make vs soon forget Each other chastisement in this doo neuer let For turn we where we list and look which way we will At all times to our sight one thing is offred still Whether on pauement roof or wall we cast our eye Alwaies of our estate an Image we descry And so it also fares with our newes-greedy ear One very sound resounds about vs euery where Where-euer harken we we hear of nought but foes Our Keepers commonly are not too-kinde God knowes By the least noise that is continually they tell In what estate we stand and in what house we dwell So that incessantly our harts are lift on high Som-times to prayse the Lord for his benignity Who doth not punish vs after our foule offence Though by a thousand sinnes we dayly him incense Som-times to magnifie his admirable might Which hath our feeble harts with such great force be light That we in steed of grief or grudging at the pains Of sharpest chastisements whereof the world complains Leauing this loathed Earth we mount the bighest place Where through true faith we taste his honey-sweeter grace Som-times to giue him thanks for all the wealth exceeding Which from his liberall hand we haue to help our needing And to be short sans cease to meditate on all The countles benefits that from his goodnes fall Not suffering any houre to passe away for nought Without exalting him in deed or word or thought Yet doth the world esteem this a most hard estate And him that feels the same it counts vn fortunate But I would gladly see som other state wherein With such commodity so much content is seen Wherein lesse hinderance and lesse incomberance lies To make men misse the path vnto perfections prise Sure sir will som man say you set a good face on-it One might at length conuert commenting so vpon-it The cruell'st Prison-house into a Mansion fair Where 't were not hard to liue content and void of care You take your Prisoner for a practiue man of Art But such as those God knowes you finde the fewest part You fain him to be friend to solitude and quiet But the most part are prone to reuell and to riot One must be free from noyse that means to study well Whereof who can be sure in such a servile Hell Besides he must haue Books and Paper Pen and Inke All which in Prisoners hands are seldom left I think So that you do not fain your gail so good and gainfull As to finde out the same is difficult and painfull I answere in a word if any so shall wrangle I doo not bound all blisse within so straight an Angle I say great happines and hart-reviuing ioy Followes th' afflicted sort in euery sharp annoy But that there is no crosse that doth so much â—uail To make vs fit to help our neighbour as the gail Wherein the God of grace at his good pleasure giues Means to effect the same vnto the least that liues But be it so in bands that nothing learn we can 'T is to be learn'd inough to be an honestman And this is th' only School wherin th' Arch-maisterteacheth Himself by secret means rules that the rudest reacheth Th' aduise of such a one more profit doth impart Then of the wicked sort with all their curious Art Concerning solitude although that commonly Our nature be inclin'd vnto the contrary There the assistant grace of God we chiefly finde Who changing of our place doth also change our minde For being free from noyse and for obtaining
whom he hath erected aboue vs and aboue all things not to abuse the law of humane hospitality and other holy bands for to giue place to these frenetike opinions so to abolish a pretended tyranny I haue also to warne thee of two different sorts of men of the which one sort is so depraued that they can heare nothing but that which is altogether prophane and the other is so supersticious that they make conscience not onely to write but also to read of holy things in verse as though that the measure and iointure of syllabes were so constrained as it were vnpossible to keepe the sense vnperuerted or at least not excessiuely obscured Now if I perceiue that this my first assay may bee to thee agreeable I shall continue more gladly my newe commenced race in such sort that thou shalt not repent thine indulgence nor I my passed pains But if contrarie fall in time to come I wil be ware to là y out my smalpack in this ample Theatre of France where there is almost as many Iudgements as beholders A Dieu GSSDB The Argument of the whole Historie of Iudith AFter that the Children of Israel were deliuered from captiuitie and returned to their land the Citty of Ierusalem reedified the Temple builded and prepared to the seruice of the Lord the multitude of the people being scattered in sundry towns and places of the Land where they liued in peaceable rest the Lord knowing man to be negligent of GOD and his saluation chiefly when he liues at ease and all things frames vnto his fraile desire to th' end that his people should not fal in such an inconuenience would exercise them with a feareful affliction and temptation sending vpon their Countrey an army so great in number and puissance that made the whole earth to tremble This expedition was vnder the Persian Monark named in the historie Nebuchadnezar which neuerthelesse is not his right name His chiefe Lieutenant generall and Conducter of the whole Armie was Holophernes who wheresoeuer hee came ouerthrewe all religion permitting none to inuocate or acknowledge any other God but Nebuchadnezar his Maister whome hee enforced to constitute and establish for the onely God So entred hee Iudea with intent to destroy it all which the people perceiuing and that his power was so great that no nation could resist him and also knowing his cruell hatred were sore affraied and almost driuen to extreame desperation seeing none other thing present before them but ruine and destruction And this the Lord suffered to showe in time his worke to bee more wonderfull For the people being humbled and hauing called to the Lord for mercie and succour at his hand hee both heard and succoured them at neede The meane was not through strength or stoutnesse of some worthy Captaine but by the hand of Iudith a tender feeble woman to the shame of this most proud and cruell tyrant and all his heathen hoste For shee cut off his head put all his campe to slight destroyed his men of Armes in such wise that they fled here and there and seeking to saue their liues left all their tentes and baggage Thus the Lorde by the weake and those that are not regarded makes his workes admirable By one selfe meane hee saued his owne and executed his iustice against his enemies In which wee haue to consider his singular ptouidence and goodnesse and the care which he hath in especiall for his faithfull and all his whole Church This Historie is intituled by the name of Iudith because it containes the narration of her great vertues and for that the Lorde vsed her as an instrument for the deliuerance of his people It is not certaine who was the first Author hereof neuerthelesse the reading of it hath beene receiued in the Church for the doctrine and vtility of the same THE SVMMARIE OF The I. BOOKE HOLOPHERNâ—â— Lieutenant generall and chief of the army of Nebuchâ—dnezzaâ— K oâ— the Assyrians was in the fielde for to subdue diuers people and amongst others the Iewes All the Nation is seazed with great feare for the cruelties committed by the enemy Then as it fals out â—n bruits of war al the whole people were troubled som sauing themselues in corners for feare others attending in great perplexity some sad and Tragicall ende the last sort calls vpon God This while IOACHIM the chiefe Priest gouerned the people hâ— by his letters and expresse commandement recalls those that were fled and scattered and made them returne to Ierusalem where in presence of the Leâ—its hee made sacrifice earnest prayer vnto God to withdrawe his ire and to bee mercifull to his people which done he enters in counsell and requires his Princes to consult vpon the cause and consider what iâ— most 〈◊〉 and to preferre the loue of Gods law and the countâ— iâ— before all priuate things the first that gainstands this exhortation is an hypocrite and fauourer of the enemy who giues couÌ„sell to render them to HOLOPHERNEâ— calling him a Prince gratious to those that applauds to him and inuincible in battell to those that dare resist him But the second Lord replying â—â—alously againe detecteth his false hypocriâ—ie and carelesse securitie exposing the people to the mercy of a barbarous godless enemy before the duty they ought to their God and their countrey and to establish in place of the true God a wicked Nâ—MROD conâ—ummat in all impiety and wickednes to abolish all vertue and godlinesse For he proues that if the nations should be rooted out for the right religioÌ„ God should be more honored in the death of the Iewes then in their liues and that it is more worthy to die Hebrewes then to liue infidels and free men then slaues Shortly that they ought to prefer honor and duty before feare and a vaine hope to prolong their dolefull dayes This reply encouraged all the aâ—â—istâ—ts wherof IOACHIM gaue thankes to God and resoluing himselfe vpon a iust defence for the onseruation of the seruice of God and the freedome of his nation and the liues of the innocent against this villanous inuatision wise by deâ—aâ—â—ed the regiments of towns to persons conuenient who past to their â—â—â—igned places each one preparing according to their power vnto the warre with courage paine and diligence The first Booke of Iudith I Sing the vertues of a valiant Dame PropositioÌ„ summe of this worke Who in defence of Iacob ouercame Th' Assyriaâ— Prince and slew that Pagan stout Who had beset Bethulia walles about O thou who kept thine Izak from the thrall Inuocation of the true God Of infidels and steeld the courage small Of feeble Iudith with a manly strength With sacred furie fill my heart at length And with thy Holy spirit my spirit enspire For matter so diuine Lord I require No humain stile but that the Reader may Great profit reape I ioy thou praise alway And since in vulgar verse I prease to sing DedicatioÌ„ of the Author altred by the
translatour This godly Pooeme to a Christian King To him who God in goodnesse hath erect For princely Piller to his owne elect For lawfull Lord to raign with trueth and right For louesom Laurer to the vertuous wight Him I beseech this trauell to defend That to his pleasure I the same may end VVHen Izrell was in quiet rest and peace And fruitfully the ground gaue her encreise Which seauenty yeer vntilled lay beforne And nothing bare but thistle weed and thorne It pleased God vpon his iust correction T' awake his owne that were of his election Least that the longsom peace should them withholde And dull their spirits as doth the warriour bolde Who spoyls his horse with pampring in the stable That makes him for the manaige more vnable He spred their land with bands of enemies stout Whose cloudes of shot bedimd their land about Their Hoaste with arrowes pikes and standards stood The Army of Holopherne As bristle-pointed as a thorniâ— wood Their multitude of men the riuers dri'd Which throw the wealthy Iuda sweet did slide So that flood Iordane finding dry his banke For shame he blusht and down his head he shrankâ— For woe that he his credit could not keep To send one waue for tribute to the deep Scarse had the Haruest-man with hook in hand Dispoylde the fruit and let the stubble stand Scarse had the hungry Gleaner put in bindc The scattered grain the Shearer left behinde And scarse the flapping flaile began to thresh When vnto Iacob newes was brought afresh That Holophern his frontiers did inuade And past all Rivers straits and murders made So vile that none he left that drew the breath But olde and young he put to sodain death The sucking babes vpon their mothers knee His cruell cut-throates made them all to dee Then like a flock of sheep that doth beholde A wolfe come from the wood vpon their fold Shapes no defence but runnes athwart the lands And shortly makes of one a hundreth bands So Isaaks sonnes indreading for to feel This tyrant who pursued them at the heel The Hebrews Dissundring fled and sought their liues to saue In hils and dales and euery desert caue The sheep heard of his flocke had now no care Fear of the enemy But fearing death fled to som mountain bare The Crafts man now his lumes away hath layde The Marchant lest his traffike and his trade To hide himself more safely in a vault Then in a Rampier to sustain th' assault The Lords esteemde them selfes in surer holde In Dennes of beasts then castles gilt with golde Fear lent the wings for aged folke to flie And made them mount to places that were hie Fear made the wofull women for to bear Their cradles sweet to hilles that highest were Fear made the wofull childe to waile and weep For want of speed on foot and hand to creep All where was nothing heard but hideous cries And pitious plaints that did the harts agrise O Lord sayd they wilt thou still day by day The arrowes of thine anger neuer stay Affliction causeth prayer Wilt thou that Calde conquere vs again Shall Iuda yet the Heathen yoke sustain Wilt thou again that they make every towne But stony heaps of houses casten down Again shall sacrilegious fire deuoure Thy holy house where we do thee adore Then Ioachim the priest of God most hie Who ouer Iuda then had chief degrie Stood like a Pylot stout in tempest great Who seeing winde and weather for to threat Yet to his mates his fear no terrour drawes Nor leaues his ship vnto the wrackfull wawes But with disguising fear his face vp casts And stoutly doth gain-stand the balefull blasts Right so this prudent prelate sent in haste Two hundreth men to passe where men were plac't In places strong and thence commanded them For to repair vnto Ierusalem Now since th' Erernall did reueale his will Vpon the sacred top of Syna Hill The Arke of God which wisedom more did holde In Tables two then all the Greeks haue tolde And more then euer Rome could comprehend In huge of learned books that they pend Sam. 1. 4. Long wandred it throw trybes throw kin and kin Sam. 2. 6. And found no certain place of resting in Yea somtime it the shamefull spoyl hath been To sacrilegious hands of Palestine Vntill that time that Iessies holy race For euer lodged it in Iebus place But for that Dauids hands with blood were fiâ—d Ierusalem Throu infinits of humains he had kild The king of peace would haue a king of rest To build his Temple farre aboue the best Sam. 2. 7. His house whose front vpreard so high and eaven That lightlied earth and seem'd to threat the heaven Vntill that wicked time a tyrant vile Of name and deed that bare the semble stile Nabuchadnezar That did this king that building braue he wrackt And to the sacred ground all whole it sackt Yet when long after Abrahms holy race Of Tyger banks had left the captiue place Esd. 6. With combers great they redified with pain That most renowmed house of God again Which though vnto the first it seemd as small As to a Princes house a shepheards hall And though the hugenes were not as it was Yet sure the height and beauty did surpas And overseilde the famous work of Pharie Ephesus Temple and the tombe of Carie The Rhodian Collos and the Caldean wall That Semirame set vp with tourrets tall Also the wondrous work of this same Temple Might serue a Câ—esiphon for his exemple Lysippus eke to carue by square and line Or guide Apelles pensile most divine Heer in this place all Izrel most deuoute Withdrew themselues to Salem round about As when the Heav'n his sluces opens wide And makes the floods vpon the ground to glide The brooks that breaks adoun from diuers hils With course impetuous till one deep distils Amongst the Dames that there deuoutest were The holy Iudith fairest did appear Like Phoebus that aboue the starre doth shine It seem'd that she was made on moulde diuine This primate then assisted with the kinne Of great Eleazar priests whose head and chinne Was neuer shav'n deuoutly on he preast A pearled Myter on his balmed creast And with a holy Alb with garnettes spred And golden Belles his sacred bodie cled And slew and burnt the bulks as was the guise Of many a kid and kalfe for sacrifise And with their blood the Altars hornes he dyed And praying thus to God immortall cryed O Lord of Hoastes we com not vnto thee Prayer To wey our merits with thy maiestie Nor to protest before thy heauenly might That sacklesly thy scourge doth on vs light But rather we confesse as true it is Our sinnes haue iustly merite more then this But Lord if thou thy couenant would forget Which thou with Abrahm made and so wilt set For mercy great thy iustice most seuear Thou should a greater plague vpon vs rear Change then our proces from thy iustice seat And
folke vncircumcis'd our land destroy Because we him offend while we haue breath Alas yet honour honour him in death And if we lose and all be ouercome Let patience winne the glory of martyrdome Forsooth though Assurs soldiers braue and bold Extinguish quite the race of Izak old Yet shall they not deface the liuing Lorde As these Apostats falsly do afforde For he who peopled first this world so round But with one man from whom the rest abound And who long after in an arke of wood Repaird the waste made by the genrall flood May he not eke transforme the hardned stone To people who will honour him alone And may not he do now as he hath donne Who gaue to Abrams barren wife a sonne Them giuing Children moe then in the heauen Are starrie Circles light as firie leauen And mo then Northren windes that driues the Rack Of Cyrene sands in number can compack Who will obserue his lawe an hundreth folde More zealously then wee who should it holde ' Then fathers chose you warres for better tels 'To lose like Iewes then winne like infidels ' Let not the greede of gaine your hearts attame 'To leaue the right preferre not feare to shame Scarce enden was th' Oration of this Lord When all the Princes with a sound accord By word and deed confirmde his good aduise The chiefe Priest gladdest of this enterprise Vnto the heauen held vp his hands and face And sayd I thanke the Lord who of his grace ' Conioynes no lesse our wils then bolds our harts 'A sure presage that God is on our parts This done vnto his princes he diuides The tribes and townes and ordaines them for guides For feare least some of them led with ambition In Izrell might stirre-vp some sedition So they withdrew and stoutly did prouide This furious storme of Mars for to abide Then as ye see sometime the honie Bees Comparison Exerce themselfs on buddes of sweetest trees Where they sometime assault the buzzing waspe That comes too neere their flowrs away to claspe Or when they hony draw from smelling Time Or from the palme or Roses of the prime And how they draw their wax with wondrous art Obseruing iointure iust in euerie part Both vp and downe they build ten thousand shops With equal spaceful fild vpto the tops Or where the master Bee of thousand bands Conducts the rest in legions throw the lands Who daily keeps within their Cities wall Their house their work their lawes and maners all So thus the sonnes of Iacob ply'd their paine VVith hote desire their quarrell to sustaine Some built the breaches of their broken town Preparations of defence That Heaven and Panim yre had casten down Some other found a cautell gainst the Ramme To saue the wall vnbroken where it camme Thus Iacobs towns on all sides had their flanks VVith Gabions strong with bulwarks and with banks Some others busie went and came in routs To terrace towers some vnder baskets louts Some others also wanting time and might To strength their towns yet vs'd all kinde of slight To dig vp ditches deepe for cisterns good To draw them to the best and neerest flood While th' Armorers with hammers hard and great On stiâ—hies strong the sturdy steelâ— doth â—eate And makes thereof a corpslet or a â—acke Sometime a helme sometime a mace doeth make While sheepherds they enarme vnus'd to danger While simple birds and whiles the wandring stranger Thetilling Culter then aspeare was made The crooked Sithe became an euened blade The people foode forgets no ease they take Some on a horse some on his proper backe Some on a Cart some on a Cammell beares Corne wine and flesh to serue for many yeares As done these Emets that in sommer tide Comparison Comes out in swarmes their houses to prouide In haruest time their toyle may best be seene In paths where they their cariage bring betweene Their youth they send to gather-in the store Their sick and old at home do keep the â—kore And ouer grainels great they take the charge Oft turning corne within a chamber large When it is dight least it do sproâ—te or seede Or come againe or weevels in it breede FINIS THE SVMMARIE OF The II. BOOKE VVE haue heard before how the people of God vsed all diligence to maintaine the libertie of Gods true religion their Countrey Now is set forth the extreame pride of Hoâ—ophernes who thought with one word to ouerthrow them all But to make himselfe some pastime he assembleth his Councell to vnderstand of them what people they were that inhabited the mountaines in the Frontieres of IVDEA that durst make him resistance Vpon this he is informed by the mouth of one of his chiefe captaines of that which he looked not for to wiâ—te a discourse of the History of the IEVVES from the time of ABRAHAMS comming out of Caldea to enter into the land of Promise vnto them deliuerance from the Captiuitie of Babylon following the order of the times quoted by the holy scriptures with the praises of the prouidence of the almightie God in defending of his Church and a sharpe threatning to those that dare presume to disquiet the same The chiefe Counsellers of the Heathen hearing this became more trueth incenâ—ing their Generall to murder this Captaine But HOLOPHERNE with vaine ambition deferâ—eth their bloody request and after that he had outraged him in words he further blasphemeth the liuing Lord. And lastly caused him to be bound hand and â—oote and so caried neere to the Citie of Bethulia where he is by the besâ—oged Souldiers brought into the Citie and there declareth his case exhorting them to continue constant to God and their Countrey and promiseth his assistance to his liues end THE SECOND BOOKE of IVDITH Now Holophern in Scythique Rampier stood With standards pight of youthly heathen blood Of nothing thinking lesse then warre and fight But in deuising pastime day and night Till he was war that Iacob would aduance Against his Panim force and arrogance A packe of what a packe of countrey clownes Quoth Holophern that them to battell bownes With beggers bolts and 〈…〉 to arrest My warriours strong with whom I haue supprest Both Tigris swift and faire Euphrates stream People of Asia With frosty Taurus and rocke Niphathoame Are they not wrackt ye Cheefs of Moabits And valiant Ephrem ye strong Ammoniâ—s Ye that as neighbours knowes this folke of olde That scattered thus doe all these mountaines hold Tell me what men are they of what off-spring What is their force their customes and their king ' For wise is he that wots with whom he playes ' And halfe is victor as the Prouerbe sayes The Lord of Ammon then with reverence due Right wisely spaâ—k the Duke and yet for true He was a Panim both of faith and kinde But so with fained tongue he spake his minde And all the Hebrews acts discourst so well That Esdr ' and Moses seemd in him to dwell As
did that sprite that made the Prophet blesse Num. 23. The Israelites whom Balec did addresse To curse them all and wage his couetous toung Which spake contrarie that he would haue soung So please it you my Lord I shall descrie The storie of Izrell yet so doing I Am like the modest Bee that takes but small Of every flowr though she haue choise of all For where she list the sweetest off she crops These people that ye see on mountain tops A briefe discourse of the estate of the Iewes Encamped in these craggs are of the line Of Abraham who seruing God diuine That mighty God of Gods who creat all And firmely knit and built this mighty ball Came to this Land that then was tild and sowen Gen. 12. And by the name of wealthy Canaan knowen Where onely God his wealth did multiplie In goods and siluer gold and familie And when of age he was an hundred year His wife eake barren neuer child did â—ear God gaue them Isaac swearing that his seed Should many Scepters rule and Land bespreed But when that holy Abraham was old And hoped well the promise made should hold O pitious case Th' immortall voice him spake And bad him sacrifice his sonne Isaac Then like a ship between two windes beset Gen. 22. Vpon the raging sea on both sides bet In doubtsom fear â—e wots what way to keep Least one of them confound her in the deep Makes close her ports and slides on Neptunes back At pleasure of the hoisteous windes to wrack So felt this Hebrew in his heart to fight Both loue and duety reason faith and right Nor wist he way to take his troubled soule From this to that continually did roule Vntill the time his heav'nly fear and loue His naturall earthly pitie did remoue Then hauing built the fire and all anone His sonne he layd vpon the sacred stone And with a trembling hand the curtlasse drewe With heavied arme the stroke for to ensewe When lo th' Eternall staid the balefull knife And down it fell and spaird the guiltless life Then God content to haue so great assaye Of Abrams faith defended him alway Of Isaac Iacob came and Iacob than Of valiant sonnes had twelue in Canaan Who forç't by famine fled to Aegypt Land Where for a while their dwelling good they fand Exod. 1 And grew so great in number that they were A fear to those that had them harbourd there And though th' Egyptians dayly them opprest And burthens on their sweating backs were drest Yet like the valiant Palme they did sustaine Their peisant weight redressing vp againe This mov'd King Pharo to command through all Great Nilus Land where raine doth neuer fall He bad his folke should slay whereso they came All children males the seede of Abraham Assoone as they from mothers wombs were free Their day of birth should be their day to d ee O cruell Tiger thinks thou that this deede Of Izak may cut-off th' immortal seede ExclamatioÌ„ Well may it stay the sucklings for to liue And kill th' accustomde frute that heaven doth giue But spite of this men Iacobs seede shall see In flouring state to rule all Cananee The first of every house shall feele the hand And wrath of God against this law to stand It fortun'd Pharo's daughter with her traine Of Ladies faire to play them on the Plaine Vpon the shoare where Gossan floode doth slide Where after many pastimes they had tride She hears an enfant weepe amongst the reedes Then iudging it for one of Izaks seeds As so it was yet with Paternall feare Against his pitious plaint she clos'd her eare But after vewing in that infants face I know not what of fauour and of grace Which did presage his greatnes to ensew Loue vanquisht lawe and pittie dread withdrew So from the floode not onely she him caught But curiously she causde him to be taught As her owne sonne O sonne elect of God Admiration That once shall rule the people with thy rod Thou haste not found a seruant for thy mother But euen a Queene to nurse thee and none other Now see how God alwaies for his elect Note Of wicked things can draw a good effect His prouidence hath made a wicked thing Vnto his owne great profit for to bring When Iosephs brether sold him like a slaue Gen. 41 He after came a kingly place to haue Of Haman proude the darke enuious hate Brought Mardoche the iust to great estate For where his enemie sought his shamefull end Est. The same vnto the worker he did send This Hebrew Moses once as he did keepe On Horeb mount his father Iethro his sheepe Father in Law He saw a fearefull sight a flaming fire Enclose a thorny bush whole and entire From whence a mighty voice vnto him spake Which made the ground betweene the Poles to shake I am that One is was and ay shall bee Exod. 3. Who create all of nought as pleaseth mee I can destroie I am the great and iust The faire the good the Holy one to trust Whose strong right hand this world hath set in frame I am th' Almighty God of Abraham I plague my foes and grant my seruants grace All those that knowledge me and all their race Then follow thou my will and quickly go From me to that prophane King Pharao Who holds the towrs of Memphis and the field Of Nilus shore that rich encrease doth yeeld And bid him let my people freely goe But if with hardned hart he will not so Stretch out thy staffe for to confirme thy charge And it shall turne into a Serpent large And this he shortly did the thing to proue It quickned lo and on the ground gan moue O Miracle he saw without all â—aile It grew a Serpent fell with head and taile Which crangling crept and ranne from trod to trod In many a knot till time th' Almighty God Commanded him the same for to retaine Which to the former shape returnd againe Thus siling humain sight it changed form One while a Rod one while a creeping worm Then armed with this staffe the Lord him sent The proud idolatrous princes to torment He in the name of God full oft did pray The King to let the Hebrews go their way Vnto the desert where he did deuise To offer God a pleasant sacrifise But Pharo clos'd his eare against the Lord And to his holy word would not accord Then God th' Eternall wrought by Moses hand Exod. 4 To approue his word great wonders in that Land For he not only Riuers turnd to blood Exod. 7 But also all the heads of Nilus flood Which watreth wealthy Egypt with his sources Was turnd to blood amid their siluer courses So that the king himselfe his life to feede Was faine to vse such water for his neede This Moses made the froggs in millions creep Exod. 8 From floods and ponds and scrall from ditches deep Who cled all Misraim with their filthy frie Euen on the king
bands of Chus on Gerar greene Shall I forget him who preparing fight Iosaphat 'Gainst Ammon Seir and Moabs Idoll might Saw ech of their three hoasts on others fall And with them selfs their selfs disconfit all Yet for their sinnes God gaue them in the hands Of Calde Kings who conquered all their Lands And took King Zedekee and made an end Of that Impire till God did Cyrus send Who set them free and gaue them of his grace Two rulers of their owne And now this place Is kept by sacred Ioachim whose powers Consists not onely within Sions towers But Edom Sidon Moab and we all Do knowe his strength and knowes him principall Now Sir you hear the progresse first and last Of Isâ—acs race in order as it past One while the Lord enhaunst them to the skie One while he drew them downe in deepe to lie ' But were he Iudge or Prince or King of might ' Who reul'd the Hebrews policie aright ' While they observ'd th' alliance made before ' By their forefathers who to God them swore ' In happy state all others they surpast ' And vnderfoote their proudest foes were cast ' And all the world that their destruction sought ' Against their state and name preuailed nought ' But contrary as oft as they astraide ' From God their guide he on their shoulders laid ' The Barbare yock of Moâ—b and oft-times ' Of Palestine and Ammon for their crimes ' The heauie hand of God was seen to be ' On their ingratefull infidelity Now if so be that any odious sinne Prouoke their Lord his Iustice to begin Then mine not you their towers and tourets tall Nor bring the wrack som engine to their wall Nor place thy battries braue nor yet aduenter With thy courageous camp the breach to enter For if Libanus mount or Carmell faire Or Niphathaei should parke them from repaire If Ynde and Nilus with the Rhene and Rhone To close them round about should run in one For their defence yet shall they notwithstand With all their force thy flurious fighting â—and But if they haue not broke the â—and indeed That God with Abraham made and with his seede Beware my Lord beware to touch or moue These people that the Lord so much doth loue For though south Aùtan would dispeople his Lands And bring the blackest Moores to swarme in bands If Northren Boreas vnder his banners colde Would bring to field his hideous Souldiers bold If Zephyrus from sweet Hesperia coste Would send his chosen armed men to Hoste If Eurus for to aide thine enterprise Would bring his men from whence the sun doth rise Yet all their numbers hudge and forces strong Can neuer do to Israell any wrong Nor hurt one hair if their great God say nay That God will them defend because he may With one small blast confound all Kings that darre As thou doest now prouoke him vnto warre Then like as ye behold the quiet see Not raging when the windes ingendring be But blauncheth first then growes in little space In wallowing waves to flowe with fomy face And lastly beates the banks and ships vnshrouds With wrackfull waues vphoist to highest clouds So almost all the princes of that hoste With inward anger gan to be emboste As oft as they the prayse of God did heare So to his speech encreast their spitefull chear Which in the end to blasphemy them brought Th' immortall God of Gods to set at nought Kill and cut off quoth they this traytour fine Whose subtill talke with all his whole engine Pretends to saue these Hebrews from our hands And threats vs with vaine Gods of forraine Lands For if it please you noble prince to send But twenty men of value that are â—end Within your camp these recklesse rebels then Shall be a pray to all your warlike men O wicked wight but then the Uizroy stout With power appeasde the murmur of the route And to him said O shameles Prophet thou What Sibyll or what charmer tell me now What Diuell or Daemon so doth thee inspire That Izrell shall of vs haue his desire Such men as with no God can be content But such as pleased Moses to inuent Of his owne head a God that hath no power â—lasphemic For to deliuer them nor thee this hower Haue we an other God or king of kings Then our great Persian Monark now that rigns Whose barded horse ore runns the Nations all Whose armed men out of these mountaines tall Shall rake these Rebels that from Egypt came To this where they vniustly keep the same Dye dye thou shalt O wretch thy toung vntrue And double heart shall haue their wages due But foole what speake I thus no haste a while Thy blood O villaine shall not me defile So iust a paine so soone thou shalt not haue For thy deceipt so soone to go to graue ' For in a wretches sodaine death at ones ' Their long some ill is buried with their bones But to that end I may prolong thy strife In Bethull town I will prolong thy life Where euerie howre thou shalt haue such affraye To dye vndead a thousand times a day Till time with them who thou so strong hast thought To shamefull end with them thou shalt be brought What wherefore temblest thou and art so pale What sorrow makes thy heart so soone to faile If God be God as thou right now hast said Then of thy faith giue witnesse vndismaid A marshall of the campe then being prest Who was not yet so cruell as the rest There tooke this demy Pagan Ammons Lord And sent him bound to Bethull with a cord Then euen as in his clawes the kite doth beare The chirping chicken throu the weather cleare While that the cackling hen belowe on ground Bewayles her bird with vaine lamenting sound So in like woe his worthy men were left For that so worthy a chief was them bereft The Townsmen then beholding neere their wall These Miscreants to armour straight they fall Yâ—lad in plate and mail and runnes in bands And fearcely fronts their foes with steele in hands As fast as done the riuers doun the hils That with their murmur hudge the deepes vpfils The Heathen seeing this retirde away And left the Lord of Ammon for a pray To th' Hebrew soldiers who did him constraine Though he was willing with them to remaine When all the folke with prease about him past His eyes and hands vp to the pole he cast ' And thus he spake O God that great abides ' Vpon th' Immortall seat and iustly guides ' The ruled course of heav'n whose liuing spreete ' Reuiuing spreds and through all things doth fleete ' I render thee O God immortall prayse ' For that before I end my wofull dayes ' Now from th' vnfruitfull stock thou doest me race 'To graft me in thy fruitfull tree of grace ' Where in despite of all contrary strife ' I shall bring forth the fruits of lasting life And ye O Iacobs sonnes
thinke not at all That I of purpose captiue am and thrall So that I meane hereby your wrack to bring For God he knowes I thinke not such a thing But I am captiue thus because I tolde What wondrous workes the Lord hath done of olde To you and your forefathers euer still Deliv'ring them that would obey his will Then doubt not you a thousand â—laâ—â—ing flags Nor horrible cries of â—â—leous heathen hags Coole not your hearts For if the world about Would compasse you with all their warriours stout Prouiding first ye seek your helpe at need At power diuine and not at mortall seede You surely shall see Mocmurs renning flood Made red with Assurs hoste and Ethnique blood Ye surely shall see men not vsde to fight Sub due their foes that seemes of greater might The hand of God assailes you not with hate But for your weale your pride he will abate To let you wit it is within his power To leaue or to relieue you euery houre As on th' vnsauorie stocke the lilly is borne And as the rose growes on the pricking thorne So modest life with sobs of grieuous smart And cryes deuout comes from an humbled hart For euen the faithfull flocke are like the ground That for good fruit with weedes will still abound If that the share and culter idlelye That riues the soyle and roots the brambles bye But in the end God will his yre relent Assoone as sinners truely will repent And saue you from these plagues that present be In shorter time then ye do think to see Take courage friends and vanquish God with teares And after we shall vanquish with our weares These enmies all Now if there rest in me The former force that once was wont to be If elde haue not decaid my courage bolde That I haue had with great experience olde I render me to serue you to my ende For Iacobs weale Gods law for to defend FINIS THE SVMMARIE OF The III. BOOKE IN this third book the Poet setteth forth the seege of Bethulia and the extremity that God permitted them to feele therby to giue an entry to his miraculous deliuerance who is accustomed to leade his people to the gates of death and from thence to retire them aboue all humane expectation to the ende they should confesse that the arme of flesh nor worldly wisedome maintaines not the Church but the only fauour of the Almightie to whome the whole glory of duty should be rendred Father three principall things are to be noted First the preparations of the beseegers and the defences of the beseeged and how after throw the counsell giuen to Holopberne for the restraint of the water from the towne ensâ—wes a furious assault which the Iewes repelled with great paine Secondly the extreame desolation through want of water whereof proceedeth sundry sorts of death with lamentations murmurations and danger of mutiâ—e within the Citie and how the Gouernour endeuours himselfe with wise and godly admonitions to appease the same But the Commons in this hard estate regarding no reason required to render the Citie rather then to perish in such apparant miserie The Gouernour being carried with a humane prudence promiseth to render the Towne within fiue dayes if God send them no succour Yet such is the estate of Gods Church in this world that when all things faileth God manifesteth his power And therefore in the third partis IVDITH introduced who being especially moued by the reading of Holy Scriptures is encouraged to deliuer her Country but when she vnderstood the resolution of the Magistrates Shee being in estimation honourable modestly reproues them After their excuse shee promiseth to attempt something for the publike weale not showing her deuise but onely desired to haue passage by night vnto the enemies campe and this is granted THE THIRD BOOKE of IVDITH THe Snoring snoute of restles Phlegon blewe Hote on the Ynds and did the day renewe With skarlet skie when Heathen men awooke At sound of drumme then pike and dart they tooke In order marching and to combat â—alles Th' vndaunted sonnes within their Cities walles The meeds in Maie with flowers are not so dect Of sundry sauours hews and seere effect As in this campe were people different farre In toungs and maners habits tents and warre Yea Chaos old whereof the world was founded Of members more confuse was not compounded Yet soundly they in vnion did accord To wage the warre against th' Almightie Lord Who shakes the Poles whose onely breath doth beat Libanus mount and makes Caucasus sweat There came the Kettrinks wilde of cold Hircania Ioynd with the men of great and lesse Armania With coppintanks and there the Parthian tall Assaid to shoot his shafts and flee withall The Persians proud th' Empyre was in their hands With plates of gold surbraued all their bands The Medes declar'd through fortunes ouerthwart They lost their Scepter not for lack of hart And that no costly cloath nor rich aray Nor painting fine that on their face they lay Nor borrowd hair of fair and comly length Might ought impair their ancient power and strength There were the happie Arabs those that buields In thatched waggons wandring throu the fields The subtill Tyrians they who first were clarks That staid the wandring words in leaues and barks The men of Moab Edom Ammon and The People sparst on large Elimia land The learned Memphians and the men that dwell Engins of Warre Neere to the Aethiopians black and fell In short the most of Asia as it wair Encamped was within that armie fair So that this Duke mo forraine souldierslad Then all the Hebrewes natiue people had But they who did the Hebrewes greatest wrong Were Apostâ—ts of Ephrem fierce and strong Who fought with hatefull harts them to deface Least they should be esteemd of Izaks race Then as in time of Spring the water is warme And crowping frogs like fishes there doth swarme But with the smallest stone that you can cast To stirre the streame their crouping stayes as fast So while Iudea was in ioyfull dayes The constancie of them was worthy prayes For that in euery purpose ye should heare The praise of God resounding euery wheare So that like burning candles they did shine Among their faithfull flocke like men diuine But looke how soon they heard of Holopherne Their courage quailde and they began to dern Their ardent zeale with closed mouth they choke Their zeale too hote returnd to fuming smoke The fear of losse of life and worldly good Brought Infidels to shed their brothers blood Alas how many Ephramits haue we In our vnhappy time all which we see Within the Church like hypocrits to dwell So long as by the same they prosper well Who feines a zeale th' Euangill to maintaine So long as serues their honour or their gaine But turne the chance with some contrary winde So that their browes but half a blast do finde Then faints their harts and they seek other way Like bankers
out their God they disobay Discyphring then their malice to be more To Gods contempt then was their zeale before And fights against the Lord with greater hate Then Celsus did or Iulian Apostate The Hebrewes now from heights of houses faire Who saw so many banners beat the aire And men to march against their forces small Who now might well decerne their feeble wall They swoune with fear and fand none other aid But of that God to whom their fathers praid O father quod they father holy king Who shields vs alwayes vnderneath thy wing Since now the world against vs doth conspire Defende vs mighty Lord we thee require Thus hauing humbly prayd the Lord of might The Gouernour renforc't his watches wight And fires at midnight built in euery way Which made the night appear as clear as day And wakerife through the corpsgard of the past And thought that Phoebe hyed her course too fast With horses paile to steale away the night To leaue the Hebrews to their enmies sight Again the Pagan thought she did but creep Or that with Latmies sonne she was on sleep But humain wishes neuer hath the powre To haste or hold the course of heaven one hower Then as Aurora rose with sanguine hew And our Horyzon did the day renew The Vizroy made a thousand trumpets sound To drawe his scattred Cornets to ◠Round Who from all parts with speed assembled weare About the Generals tent his will to hear As doth the hounds about their hunt at morne Com gladishing at hearing of his horne Now when the towne his sommonds did disdain Engins of Warre To conquer it perforce he plyde his pain And their th' Inginers haue the Trepan drest And reared vp the Ramme for batterie best Here bends the Briccoll while the cable cracks Their Crosbowes were vprent with yron Racks Here croked Coruies fleeing bridges tall Their scathfull Scorpions that ruynes the wall On euery side they raise with ioynture meet Thetymber towres for to command ech street The painfull Pioners wrought against their will With fleaks and fagots ditches vp to fill Or vnder ground they delue in dust with pain To raise a mount or make a mount a Plain Or Cauerns cut where they might soldiers hide T' assaile the towne at sodain vnespide Som ladders drest to seale the wall or els To steale vpon the sleeping Sentinels Som vndermines som other vndertook To fire the gates or smore the towne with smoke The greatest part did yet in trenches lurke To see what harme their engins first would wurke That if the wall were bet they would not faile With braue assault the Citie to assaile There Mars towre-myner there Bellona wood Enforced feeble Cowards to suck blood Their hidious horses braying loude and clear Their Pagans fell with clamor huge to hear Made such a dinne as made the heaven resound Retented hell and tore the sixed ground Yet God who keeps his watch aboue the skyes For his elect who neuer ydlelyes Took pity on his people in that tide Repressing part this cruell princes pride In causing all the chiefes of Moabites Of Edom strong and awfull Ammonites To speak him thus and thus him terrours drest O Prince that Scepter bears aboue the rest And giues them law and holds the world in thrall Set not thy soldiers to assault this wall For neither bowe nor sling nor weapons long Nor sword nor buckler will be found so strong And is this threatning rock whose mighty corse Sustains their wall of such eternall force That thou can make no skallade on no coste But on the corpses dead of half thine hoste ' The victor can no honour iustly clame 'To lose the men who should aduance the same ' O valiant Prince that fisher is not fine ' Who for a frog will lose a golden line ' The holy head band seems not to attyre ' The head of him who in his furious yre ' Preferrs the pain of those that haue him teend ' Before the health and safety of one freend You may my Lord you may in little fight Subdue these Roags and not to lose a knight Surprise me first their chiefest water spring From whence these rebels do their conduits bring Then drought shall driue them from their whole defence In cords to yeld them to thine excellence ' The noble Lyon neuer sleas the least ' But alway prayes vpon som worthy beast ' The thunder throwes his sulphred shafts adowne ' On Atlaeas high or colde Riphes crowne ' The tempest fell more feruently doth fall ' On houses high then on the homely hall So you my Lord need not to prease your powre Against such foes as will themselfs deuowre Sir this is not for fauour or for meede Nor that this Cities sack may causevs dread Nor that we mean thy high attempts to stay For ere we from thy standarts stirre away For thee th' immortall Gods we shall defie For thee we shall break down their altars hie For thee we frankly shall pursue and thole Th' eternall heat and colde of either Pole For thee our hardy hands shal help to tear From Ioue and Neptune both their Eagle and spear For thee the sonne for father shall not care Nor father sonne nor brother brother spare Now Holopherne to conquest whole enclynde And weighing well this counsell in his minde Dismissed from his camp a galliard rout Of men to guard the Riuers round about This stratageme the Hebrews wel might knowe To see their fountains run with passage slowe Then manfully their soldiers out they send Against their foes the water to defend There fought the Pagan for to winne him fame The Hebrew ment he would not dye with shame Together soon they shock with hatefull yre And first they forç't the heathen to retyre Who turning face again do them pursew And wins the victory from the victors new So doubtfull was the fight none could define Saue God to whom the victrie would encline Till Izrell was on all sides ouereled With clouds of short then to their town they fled As doth the Pilgrim passing through the Plain Who is beset with tempest haile or rain Who leaues his way and seeks himself to hide Within som caue or hollow mountain side The Panims them pursued without all pitty And Peslmell entred almost in the Citty At open gate Then rose the cry vnsweet Of fearfull folke who fled in euery street And rent their hair and their affrighted face As Panims els had wonne that holy place How flee you cowards now and leaues your Port The Captain sayes haue ye another Fort Thinke ye to finde for safety of your crowne In this Bethulia another Bethull towne Alas if ye make no defence at all While time this tyrant is without your wall How dare you him resist when he hath wunne This forte of yours from which ye feebly runne The commons with this check brought to their powers Where Cambris and Sir Carmis like two towers Stood at th' assaulted gate and did
withstand The Heathen host with ech of them in hand An yron mace in stead of launces long And brazen bucklers beating back the throng Their habergions like stiddies stithe they baire With helmets high and pennons pight in aire Of equall age they were and equall length Of equall courage and of equall strength Like Poplers twain that recheth vp their tops And holds their heads so high that none them crops But on the Riuers side do sweetly sway Like germain brether hailsing oft a day The Heathen seeing thus the Iews descend With edge of sword their Citie to defend They left th' assault and thence retyring went As they commanded were vnto their tent But when I think how xxx dayes that towne Tormented was with mischief vp and down Too sad a song I cannot hear inuent So great a sadnesse right to represent My hand for horrour shakes and now no more Can lead my sacred pen as erst before For now mine eyes that watred are with tears Declares my matter all of mischief bears Oh Sprite from whence all sprit and life doth come Thou loosde the tongue of Zacharie that was dōme And sent thy Heralds through the world to preach Thy name and in a hundreth tongues to teach Guide thou my pen and courage to me lend That to thy honour I this worke may end Although that Izak sawe on euery hand A world of folke against his towne to stand Yet tracting time he thought he would prouide No lesse to keep then coole th' Assiegers pride But when they fand the conduits cut and rent By which their water to their towne was sent Their courage bolde and all their craks alas As licour faild so did their stoutnesse pas Their Lords preferring death to bondage vile Made them beleeue the thing did them beguile To wit they gaue men hope that they might keep Sufficient wat'r in wels and cesterns deep Through all the towne the people to relieue That thirst should not the souldiers greatly grieue The magistrates in deed had great regard To see this water wisely spent and spar'd That Bottell sweet which serued at the first To keep the life but not to slocken thirst A viue description of Thirst. When wels grew dry the Commons ran in rage And sought out euery sink their thirst t' asswage And drank with long som draught the pools in haste To quench their thirst with ill contented taste Which poysoned ayre enfect their purest breath Whereby the drinker drank his present death O wretched folke who felt so hard a strife Drink or not drink both wayes must lose their life For he that drank and he that did refrain Had of their enmies both an equall pain For why the water vile slew them throughout No lesse then did their enmies them about That wretched towne had neuer a street nor rewe But Parcas there had found som facion newe To murder men or martyr them with fears As mov'd the most indurate hart to tears If so much water in their brains had been As might forbear a drop to wete their een There plaind the old man that the souldier strong Had reft his Bottell from his head with wrong But while he spake his hart for thirst did faint And life him left which frustrate his complaint The souldier braue Oh hart brek for to tell His proper vryne drank thirst to expell The wofull mother with her spettle fed Her little childe half dead in cradle bed The Lady with her Lord at point of death Embracing fals and yeelds their latest breath For cruell thirst came out of Cyren Land Where she was fostred on that burning sand With hote intracted tongue and sonken een With stomack worn and wrinkled visage keen With light and meigre corse and pailed vains In stead of blood that brimstone hote retains Her poysond mouth blew throw that holy town Such hellish ayr that stifled vp and down The Arters of the Iewes in such a way That nought was seen but burials night and day So that the heauen to see their dolours deep Could scarsly keep his course but preasd to weep And would haue ioind his tears to their complaint If God of hosts had made them no restraint Yea I my self must weep who cannot speak The woes that makes my heavy hart to break And so will silent rest and not rehearse But counterfait the painter in my verse Who thought his colours paile could not declare The speciall woe king Looke the Table Agamemnon bare When sacrificed was his onely race With bend of black he bound the fathers face Now while the people were in this estate And with their princes wrangling in debate They thus besought the Lord for to decide Between their simplesse and their princes pride The Lord be iudge of that which ye haue wrought And what your wicked counsells hath vs brought If you had offred peace to this great Lord At first we might haue wonne him to accord Then happy happy dayes we might haue seen And not so many souldiers murdred been Alas what hope haue we within this holde Our enmies are more meek a thousand folde Then are our owne They haps would vs preserue Our wilfull owne pretends to see vs sterue Our children do our childrens weal denay And headlong hastes vnto their owne decay We knowe O Lord the breaking of thy law Hath caused thee this sword on vs to draw And iustly thou thine yrefull bowe doest bend On our vnloyall heads the shot to send But thou who doth not long retain thine yre Against thine owne thy mercy we require Change thou the purpose of our foolish guides And of these Heathen armed at our sides Or els let vs vpon their weapons fall And of their hands to be destroyed all Er we this drougth and deadly venim haue With languishing to send vs to the graue My brethren dear the Ruler then gan say Our whole desire hath been both night and day Not for to see the seed of Abrahm lost For which we striue against this furious hoste What haue ye pain so likewise pain haue we For in one boat we both imbarked be Vpon one tide one tempest doth vs tosse Your common ill it is our common losse Th' Assyrian plague shall not vs Hebrews grieue When pleaseth God our mischief to relieue Which he will doe if ye can be content And not with grudge his clemency prevent Then striue not you against that puissant king Who create all and gouerns euery thing For comfort of his Church and children dear And succours them though time do long appear Somtime an Archer leaues his bowe vnbent And hong vpon a naile to that intent It may the stronger be to bend again And shoot the shot with greater might and main Right so th' eternall doth withholde his ill A longer time perchance for that he will More egerly reuenge him of their crime Who do abuse his long for bearing time When men applauds to sinne they count it light And but a matter
flood irrepassable Yet Bagos hearing Izaks cry encrease He with his foot the dore began to prease And entred where the bed he did beholde All bled with Holophernes carcasse colde He tore his hair and all his garments rent And to the heauen his howling cries he sent But when he mist the Hebrew-Dame away Then raging he began a gastly fray And from the bloody tent as he ran out Among the Heathen thus began to shout Woe woe to vs a slaue they Iudith call In sleaing Holopherne hath slain vs all That daunted all the world These nouels last Ioynd to the former fear that lately past Affrighted so the souldiers one and all That pike and dart and target they let fall And fled through mountains valleis and throw heaths Where ev'rie chaunce procurde them worser deaths Then all th' assieged folk in flocks descended And on their enmies backs their howe 's they bended Both parties ran but th' one that other chased The weary flyers flight themselfs defaced The Hebrews there in fight not one they lost But they bet down and slew the Heathen hoste As doth a Lion of Getulia wood Bespred the land with woried beasts and blood So long as he may finde a beast abide That dare oppone him to his cruell pride Som head long throwes themselfs from craggie Rocks And breaks their bones and all their brains out knocks Som hath forgot that Parcas every whear Waits on their end that drowne in water clear But if that any scapte by som great hap He scapte the first but not the after clap Fore all the straits and passages were set That none should scape aliue where thy were met Yea scarsly one was left to tell the king At Niniue of all this wondrous thing This battell done all those whose Sex and age With held at home their dolours to asswage Came forth out of their fort to see and hear What God had done for them his people dear They found som men dismembred hauing breath That cried in vain a hundreth times for death Another gnashes with his teeth in pains Som dead in face their former rage retains And som is shot directly throw the hart Ech soule departs to his appointed part According to the valew or the chaunce That fortun'd them to dye on sword or launce In short to see this sight so dreadful was That even the Hebrews would haue sayd Alas If they had vanquisht any enmie els This while amongst the corses infidels Among a hundred thousand their was found The cheftains carcas rent with many-a wound Of spear and sword by th' Hebrews in their yre Ther was no sinew Arter vain nor lyre That was not mangled with their vulgar rage No time nor moment might their yre asswage If Holopherne had been like Atlas long Or like in limmes vnto Briarius strong Yet should his body been too small a pray To sati fie their furie ev'ry way For in that Camp was not so small a knaue But of his flesh som collup he would haue O tyrant now quoth they giue thy right hand To the Cilicians and to Media Land Leaue thou thy left And to Celea sweet To Ismaell and Aegypt leaue thy feet To th' end that al the world by thee offenced With such a present may be recompenced But heer I faile thy corps thus to deuise In Attomy for it will not suffise This thankfull widow then who neuer thought To smore this wondrous work that God had wrought Entun'd her vearse and sung to sweet consort Of instruments and past with gracious port Before the chosen Dames and virgins thair That were esteem de for honest chaste and fair Sing sing with hart and voyce and sounding strings And prayse the Lord of Lords and King of Kings Who doth disthrone the great and in their place Erects the poore that leans vpon his grace Who would haue thought that in a day one towne Could ouercome a camp of such renowne Who daunted all the world whose pride was felt From Indian shore to where the Calpees dwelt Great God who will beleeue that Holopherne Who did a hundred famous princes derne Should be disceptred slain left in a midow By no great Gyant but a feeble widow Great God who will beleeue that he who raind From north to south and in his hands retaind Both East and West now gets not grace to haue An ynch of Gazon ground to be his graue This Conqu'rour that came with no army small Now lyes on ground abandond of them all Not sole for those companions him in death That followde him while he had life and breath Not now the ground but Ravens hunger-sterv'd Are now his tombe as he hath well deserv'd No vaults of Marble rich nor Porphyr pure That he had built could be his sepulture Euen so good Lord from hence forth let vs finde Thee not our Iudge but for our father kinde But let all tyrants that against thee gather Finde thee their Iudge but not their louing father Here Iudith ends And also heare I stay The Translator With thankes to God So for his state I pray At whose command I vndertooke this deed To please his Grace and those that will it reed FINIS A TABLE OF SIGnification of some wordes as they are vsed before * ⎠* Words Significations ABderois Prophane and delicate Epicures Abile A hill in Affrica one of the Pillers of Hercules Abraham Father of the Iewes or the faithfull Achelois Ympes Sirenes or Mermaids Amram The father of Moses Assur Assurs head The Countrey of Assyria or their king Assyrian Prince Holophernes Vizroy or Generall Agamemnon The Generall of the Greekes being present at the sacrificing of his onely Daughter was painted with a bende about his eyes either for the vnskilfulnes of the painter who could not sufficieÌ„tly expresse the fathers speciall teares or els for that he thought it not decent to paint so mighty a Prince weeping or vnnaturall not to weepe Aconite A poysonable herbe Autan The South or south winde Aurora The morning Arphaxat Supposed to be Arbactus King of Medes Atlas A great Giant Argus Had a hundreth eyes Alexander The great Apelles An excellent painter Bethull or Bethulia The City where Iudith dwelt Babell Babylon or the whole countrey Bellona Goddesse of Battell Briccoll An engine of warre Briarius A Giant with a hundreth haÌ„ds Bacchus Wine or drunkennes Boreas The North or north wind Chameleon A beast that chaungeth his colours Ctesiphon A cunning Architector or builder Chaos A confusion before the worlds creation Capharois Two perilous Rocks Cyanes straits Calpe A hill in Spaine one of the pillars of Hercules Cyprian Dame Venus loue or lust Cupido Loue or lust Coruies Crooked yrons to drawe down buildings Castors sister Helen the dishonest wife of Monelaus Canaces Incestuous women Circes Witches abusers of louers Cyrene A dry sandy countrey or drouth Carmell A mountaine in Iudea or the whole countrey Danow Danubius a riuer in Germany Denis twice born Bacchus Diana or Cynthia The Moone Dina. The daughter of Iacob Aegyptian Queen Cleopatra the Concubine of M. Antonius who swallowed a rich pearle Elimia Land The Elamits Eurus The East or East winde Aegeans stable Where horses deuoured men Encelade A Giant buried vnder mount Aetna Generall Holophernes Gibraltar A City in Spaine neere to Calpe-hill one of the Pillers of Hercules Holopherne Vizroy chiefe of the Army Hermon A Hill in Iudea or the couÌ„try of Iudea Hesperian coste The west Hyade A water nymph or watrie star Heraults Apostles or preachers Iacobs sonnes The people of Izrell Izrell or Iacob The Land of Iudea Izaak The people of the Iewes Ismaell Idumeans or Edom. Ixion One tormented in Hell Iebus place Ierusalem or Sion Iudith of Bethulia of the tribe of Ruben Iessies race Dauid and his seed Iethro Father in law to Moses Latmies sonne Endymion the long sleeper supposed to lye with the Moone Lysippus A cunning caruer Monarke One sole gouernour Memphits Men of that Citie in Aegypt Misraim The Land of Egypt Mocmur The riuer neare Bethulia Momus A scornfull detractour of all things Mars God of strife or battell Myrrhaes Syllaes Women betrayers of their couÌ„rey Minotaurs Vnnaturall monsters Medusaes Furies of hell Neptunes back The Sea Nâ—phathai A mighty strong Rocke or mouÌ„taine in Syria Palestine The Land of the Philistins Pharia A famous tower in Egypt Phlegoâ— One of the foure horses that was supposed to draw the sunne Phoebus The sunne Phoebâ— His sister the moone Proteus A man changing himself in sun dry formes there is a fish of like nature Priams wife Hecuba the honourable Pestmell All mixt confusedly together Ramme An ingine of warre for battry Sina-hill Sinai-hill Salem Ierusalem Solymâ— Ierusalem Sichem The rauisher of Dina. Sabean Queene Sauours of Saba land Simeon Dinaes brother Scythique Rampier The tombe of Semele mother of Bacchus Styx A Riuer in hell Sympathie Concordance of natures and things Sentinelles Watchmen Semirames Women Viragoes Syrtes Dangerous sands Satrap Prince Stymphalides Rauenous foules with female faces Harpyes Syrian camp The Hoste of Holophernes Semels sonne Bacchus or wine Transparent That which may be seen throgh and whole like glasse Tortuse An engine of warre Trepan An engine of warre The forraine tyde Supposed to haue been the flood of Noah or the deluge of Deucalion that diuided Affrica from Europe and Sycilia from Italia Thetis The Sea Thurimâ— Deceitfull Aduocats Theban knight Captaine of the Greeks army Theefe that stole the fire Prometheus who stole fire from Iupiter Zedechias Last king of the Iewes Zephyrus West or west winde Zeuxis A painter of Italie who being required to paint the picture of Helen desired to haue all the fairest women of Creton to be present for his paterne FINIS 1611. OS · HOMINI · SVBLIME · DEDIT ✚ AT LONDON Imprinted by H. L. and are to be sould by Arthur Iohnson at the signe of the white horse neere the great North doore of Paules Church
Mardochey and the five Maccabees All the right heirs of heart and zeal paternall Receiue their guerdon from the great Eternall And vp again their stooping standards raise 13 Before these Warriours and the Royall band March holy Fathers that with vertue rare And holy Doctrine did the Diuell dare Foyling the force of his infernall hand 14 Enos by whom this World 's great Archi-tect Was call'd vpon leadeth religious That holy Father God took vp from vs Henoch Noah And him whose ship did saue the world Elect. 15 Then Sem and Iapheth and great Abraham Isaak The Faithfull's Father and his faithfull Son And then his Nephew that saw Angels run Iacob Both vp down froÌ„ Heav'n to th' earthly frame 16 Aron Eleazar Phinees full of zeal Good Ioyada and hundred Priests select That were by Heav'n by zeal and Church elect To keep the law the Lord did once reveal 17 His Father who was sent to sweep the way Zacharias Ioseph Of sweet Messias then the man suppos'd To be His Sire then He that Him inclos'd In 's ioyfull arms and sung a Swan-like Lay. Simeon 18 Then Barnabas Titus and Timothy Paul's famous Friends Sins fierce and deadly Foes And he that did by Sol's Eclipse suppose Som greater Sun to be Eclips't than he 19 Then this brave Triumph to adorn the more All on a rowe a hundred Prophets com Which haue so sure fore-told the things to-com As if indeed they had been don before 20 There first coms he that in the Coach of fire Elias By Gods strong Spirit was rapt above the Air Elizeus And then his Seruant that was made his heir Of cloak and knowledge as he did desire 21 He that reproov'd old Ishay's Sceptred Son Nathan For double fault Amos Ezechiel Ioel Semyah Abdiah Daniel And he that three dayes in the Sea did won Ionas 22 With these I see the Sonn of Barachie Zachariah Both Michais Baruc Iehu Ieremias Agg ' Abacuc Nahum and Sophonias Ahias Hosè Esdras Malachie 23 The glorious troop that march before this troop Are Martyrs all who full of constant zeal Their faith infract with their owne blouds did seal And never did to any Tyrant stoop 24 Their blessed bloud is like the morning dewe To make more fertil all the Churches field These are the weapons that inforce to yield The furious foe examples not a fewe 25 For as a fruit-Treelopped in December For one old Trunk many new twigs returns Which Nature kindely with sweet fruit adorns So one sole Martyr many doth ingender 26 First Abel goes then Ioyad's zealous Son That neer the Altar constant yielded breath Esay Iohn Baptist. The next goes he Manasses put to death Then he whose head th' incestuous Dancer won 27 Next Salone and her Sons who rather chose To cross the King than God strengthning each other Even in their death Sons worthy such a Mother And Mother worthy of such Sons as those 28 That Proto-Martyr the yong faithfull Steven Whom th' hatefull Iews with hellish rage did stone Who dying saw Christ Iesus on his Throne Leads those that for like cause their lives have given 29 Som smear'd with honey for the Flies were feasts Som men did eat som were on Gridirons broyl'd Som nayl'd on Crosses som in Caldrons boyl'd And som were throwen to most devouring beasts 30 After the Champions of this humble Troop I see fair Sara Rebecca Rachel Then Debora stout Iudeth and Iahel Who Faiths Viragoes their proud Foes did stoop 31 Then she that rais'd to Royall state and stile â—ester Preserv'd her people in a rank she goes With Naomi Ruth and the Dame that chose Rather to die than Nuptiall bed defile Susanna 32 From these mineeie no sooner trauerseth But I discern three Ladies zealous-led That sought their living Lord among the dead Then Anna Martha and Elizabeth 33 But my weak eyes cannot indure to gaze The Virgin Mary On beaming beauties of that Mother-Maid Who Sier-less bore her Sire yet ever-maid Of Faith and Loue th' inimitable maze 34 This this my Muse this is th' Aurora cleer Which brought the Sun to light the world vnkinde A Virgin pure in body and in minde Christ's Mother Sister Spouse and Daughter deer 35 God's holy Temple and the happy stair Wher-by the Heav'ns came down to dwell with Earth Rich-fraighted Ship Vessell of rarest worth Where Phoebus hid his beams most bright and fair Canto IIII. 1 I Thought to haue been now at my Races end T' haue though vnworthy born away the prise But I fall short my task doth longer rise For half the Trophè is yet hardly penn'd 2 Before Faith's Coach born in convenient height Are curious Tables draw'n by cunning hand Where after guise of warlik Romans stand The Victories of never-conquer'd Faith 3 Heer Iericho's cloud-kissing Towrs doo fall Iosua 6. 20. Batter'd alone by Faith's great Ordinance A coumpt-less hoast of craking Idolants 2. King 18 13 2. Chron. 32 20 Esa. 37 21 By Esaâ—e's Faith is heer confounded all 4 By Faith meek Moses with a zeal-full ire Arms smallest Worms th' Egyptian King to vex Exod. 7 8 9 Daniel by Faith fierce Lyons fury checks Dan. 6. 12 And quenches Dragons hot impoysoning fire 5 Heer Paul by Faith fears not in Mitylene Act. 28 5 The deadly sting of th' vgly Viper-worm Heer myching Ionas sunk in suddain Storm Ionas 22 Of his Deliverance finds a fish the mean 6 Then in another Table that was fram'd By Art exceeding Art I did espie Pale Death blithe Health and frail Infirmity That had by Faith a thousand times been tam'd 7 Moses by Faith doth Myriam leperize Num. 12 10 By Faith Elisha curing Naaman 2. King 6 14 17 The Syrian Prince strikes instantly his man With his Disease for Bribing Covetize 8 A man of God by Faith first strangely dri'd 1. King 13 4 6 Then heal'd again that King 's vnholy hand Who made ten Tribes of God's then chosen Land From God and from their lawfull Prince to slide 9 By Faith Saint Paul stark-blinded Elymas Act. 13 11 By Faith Saint Peter full of iust disdaign With suddain death did smite those periur'd twain That durst dissemble with the Spirit of Grace Act. 5 5 16 10 By Faith young Toby kindely doth restore Tob. 11 11 Act. â— 6 14 10. His Father's sight by sacred Faith likewise Two crooked Cripples are made straight to rise In Listra th' one th' other at Templedore 11 By Faith Saint Paul did a rich Maltois cure Of grievous Flix that him afflicted sore Act. 21 8 By Faith Saint Peter likewise did restore A Palsie-sick that eight yeers did indure Act. 9. 34 12 By Faith Saint Paul did Eutichus re-lyue Act. 20 10 1. King 17 21 2. King 4 33 By Faith Elias rais'd the Sareptite Elisha raysed the young Sunamite At Ioppa Peter Dorcas did