B. S. Be ye perfect YOu bid us to be perfect Lord and we Continue still imperfect as you see What shud we say O Lord but onely this Give what you bid and bid us what you please On these words of the Apostle Nihil ex me possum facere And again Omnia possum in eo qui me Confortat HAppy are those who doubly armed are Against presumption and against dispair By these words of th' Apostle first that man Without Gods help of himself nothing can and next that he can all things do again By Grace of God who helps and comforts him On the saying of a certain holy man MY God and I can all things do said one And if it seems too great presumption To name himself with God 't is without doubt A greater yet to name one's self without On these words Deo service Regnare est HArk all who just like Tantalus's starve Whilst you in vain for worldly greatness serve And know that all this world is but a cheat And how there 's nothing in 't that 's truely gyeat But if indeed true greatness thou dost love 'T is onely to be sought i' th' world above And to serve God whilst in this World w' are here Is th' onely way to arrive unto it there Know then the onely true Ambition Is for to serve Almighty God alone For who serve others are but slavish things But 't is to Raign to serve the King of kings On the Picture of a weeping Magdalen ARt as well as Nature coud Have made a speaking if it woud As well as weeping Magdalen But that it is the nobler way In those who grieve for love they say to grieve and never to complain On the Magjis following the Star OTher Astrologers of opinion were That all the World was lesser than a Star But these it seems believed it alone Who woud leave all the world to follow on Of the rooting out vices VIce is in man as weeds in Gardens are And lest we daily take especial care To weed and root them out they grow so fast We shud be quit o'er grown with them at last More shame for us each silly Gardner then Shud take more care to keep his Garden clean Than we our selves and with a hand more nice purge it from weeds than we our selves from vice Of the pleasure of doing good c. DO good with pain this pleasure in 't you finde The pain 's soon past the good remains behinde Do ill with pleasure this y 'ave for your pains The pleasure passes soon the ill remains On a Ladies Beauty suddenly decay'd O Heavens is this that so admired face Where yesterday such world of Beauty was And now to day 't is all so wholly gon No shadow coud be vanish'd half so soon If this the end of mortal Beauty be O thou imortal rather unto thee Let me my vows and my devotions pay That ever lasts and never canst decay Then such frail Idols which whilst we adore To day are here to morrow are no more Of Sin WHo woud but think when th' are about to sin O' th' pains which sinners for 't in Hell are in They 'd sooner throw themselves i' th' fire here Than hazard â—eing thrown i' th' fire that 's there This if thou dost believe I see not how Thou canst a sinner be and if that thou Dost not believe it then I do not see How thou agen a Christian canst be O cursed sin nor heaven nor earth can bear Cast Angels out of heaven created there man out of Paradise who there did dwell And all the rest for sinning into Hell The Harmes of procrastination You say Repentance never comes too late But let not sinners be deceiv'd with that It may too late be to Repent if they Defer it yet untill an other day How many sinners have unto their sorrow Lost Heaven by putting't off until to morrow And Hell is full of those who sinning cry'd To morrow still till unawars they dy'd Then let 's not croaking Ravens imitate By crying cras cras still till 't be too late But leaving of this damned cry let 's say To morrow is too late begin to day Of hearing the Word of God IF those as Holy Scripture makes it clear Who have the Spirit of God God's Word will hear We well may fear what spirit makes abood In those who will not hear the Word of God On our B. S. curing the Leaper And our own infirmity O Lord thou knowst how most infirm I am Blinde unto Truth vertuous actions lame O therefore thou that makst the blinde to see And lame to walk help my infirmity I know O Lord thou needst but onely say Be cur'd as thou to th' Leaper didst to day And thou knowst Lord so great 's my misery That I am far more Leaporous than he For mine 's not onely in the outward skin But in the very heart and minde within And does not onely make the body soul But even infects and taints the very soul. O therefore thou that knowst my infirmitie Make haste O Lord to help and succour me Of Revenge GOd says Revenge onely to him belongs The Laws to them the righting others wrongs For us to seek Revenge then what is's else But to wrong them whilst we woud right our selves Of Heaven WHat God is he might undertake as well As what Heaven is shud go about to tell For God makes Heaven as Kings make Courts and he No more by man can comprehended be Then can the Ocean that is infinit Be comprehended in some narrow pit Just then as less the Oceans bottom's found More dieply those ingulpht in it are drown'd And as the more 's our ravishment the less We can the joyes which ravish us express We well may say it ne'er can be exprest What joys are there prepared for the blest And 't were not Heaven if we knew what it were But more a Heaven the whilst to those are there Of the thought of death I Can't conceive how any can be said Happy to live who are of death affraid Since daily we in every thing do see 't And every where w' are put in minde of it Happy was he then every night did go To bed as 't were unto his grave and so Got such a habit of 't at last he did Go to his grave but as he went to bed Since every where death waits for us 't is fit We likewise every where shut wait for it Of a Noble Ladies imbracing a Religious Life Eglouge A gentle Sheepherdess as ere did tread Upon the Plains whereon her Flock were fed Inspir'd by him who all good thoughts inspires Felt in her breast till then unfelt desires To taste Heavens pleasures seeing Earth had none A Soul in longing long coud feed upon But changing one a weary of the first She found the latter pleasure still the worst And so went still deluded in her minde Seeking for that which she coud never finde This Infant thought with pious care she fed And with Religious Education bred Giving it now an Aspiration Or vote of that blest life to feed upon And now a sigh and now a tear agen For never knowing that happiness till then Avoiding carefully those Rocks and Shelves On which so many souls had wrackt themselves Those two extreams on which so many fall To undertake too much or nought at all For 't is with new-born-children of desire As 't is with sparks you kindle unto fire Starv'd with too little fewel 't will not lighs Opprest with too much 't is extinguisht quite And now she 's all a fire happiness be Fair Virgin to thy best desires and thee So full so high so great a happiness As nothing can be more that is not less Nothing beyond but down the Hill again And all addition rather loss then gain By glad experience mayst thou finde all store Of hearts contentment thou expects and more And learn that Magick of Religion there Makes every thing quite contrary appear To you than unto us Rich poverty Triumphant sufferance brave humility Soft hardness greatest difficulties slight Sweet bitterness and heaviest burthens light Ease in your labour pleasure in your pain A Heaven on Earth and all things else but vain FINIS
much do know To care where ere you do no. Sh. Since y' are resolv'd farewell Look you lead not Apes in Hell Ni. Better lead Apes thither then Thither to be led by men Sh. They to Paradise would lead you Be but rul'd by what they bid ye Ni. To Fools Paradise 't is true Woud they but be rul'd by you Cho. Thus they parted as they met Hard to say who best did get Or of Love was least affraid When being parted either said Ambo Love what Fools thou makst of men When th' are in thy power but when From thy power they once are free Love what a Fool men make of thee Facetious and drolling EPIGRAMS The Exchange Maid MAid if Gallants you 'd invite By whole dossens to your sight Get you to th' Exchange and there Of all Trades tuâ—n Linniner For your Gallants most love Linnin Since 't is that they must do sin in And is ever next the skin Where does chiefly lye the sin Then still keep your Tongue a walking For they much delight in talking And with Reparties so quick Give them word for word so thick None that plays at Shuttlecock May sooner give them stroak for stroak Still provided that your main Designe be onely for your gain And 'twixt buying and bestowing Keep their purses still agoing But to their Chambers ne'er go home If to your Shop you 'd have them come Since if once they get you there Farewel to all your other ware Then put them off with pish and fie When they chance to come too nigh And tell them money buys 't is true Linnin but matrimony you And of these Rules you need take care But onely till you marryed are And then by priviledge of his Crest Your Husband cares for all the rest On the Fanaticks Or Cross-haters WHo will not be baptiz'd onely because In Baptism they make the sign o' th' Cross Shewing the whilst how well the Divel and he In loving of the signe o' th' Cross agree Seeing how every one in swiming does Streth forth their arms make the sign o' th' Cross Were he to swim rather then make I think The signe o' th' Cross he 'd sooner chuse to sink On an ill-favour'd malitious person In Burlesques Rhyme TO tell you what was For Beauty both of person and face Her face was good if with faces at least It goes as with Bucklers the broadest the best And person fair if for fairness it goes With women at least as * with Bullocks it does In plainer tearms without mincing the matter She had a face as broad as a platter And person such as to see her you 'd fancy 'T were some Dutch Iugg were come from beyond Sea As for the qualitys of her interior Which to her outside were nothing inferour She lov'd not the world and 't was less to be pittyed Since the world lov'd not her and so they were fitted And was so malicious in words and in action As she woud set at division and faction First day of their marâ—iage your husband wives And children and parents last day of their lives The biggest the fairest Wherefore I 'll end with this Littany on her Lord bless all those who love quietness from her To a Lady who reported he was in love with her Because he made Verses on her Made Anno 54. CLoris how you your ignorance discover Whilst you mistake a Poet for a Lover Who when he Verses writes makes love 't is true But 't is unto his Muse and not to you Know then there 's nothing can be more absur'd then for to take a Poet at his word Who when he praises with Hyperbolyes Nothing but Poetry can excuse from lyes 'T is the Idea of his Wit and Brain He praises and not you then bee'nt so vain To think that you the subject are of it When 't is th' Idea of his Brain and Wit To the same grown proud and disdainful for it CLoris ne'er think that I shud whine cry Since you 'll needs change for your inconstancy Or like the Amorous Knight in the Romance Sinks down for grief and fall into a Trance But if you needs will change I 'd have you know That I can change as easily as you When all the harm that 's like to come of it Is you leave me I you and so w' are quite I 'm like your Glass or Mirror that the same Face you shew it still shews to you again Smiles when you smile frowns when you frown and so Does every thing just as it sees you do Then be the same to me you were before Or I will be the same to you no more Who easily for't my pardon can obtain By finding my excuse in your disdain But how you 'll finde excuse and pardon now For your disdain the whilst I do not know On the Iustice of Peace's making of Marriages Anno 54. NOw just as 't was in Saturn's Raign The golden Age is returned again And again Astrea from heaven is come When every thing by Iustice is done Who now not onely in Temporal matters But also in Spiritual looks to our waters And Parson and Vicar have nothing to do When Iustice has making of Marriager too The name of Iustice was dreadful before But now 't will be a hundred times more When we must expect no manner of favour But all stand bound to our good behaviour Our Mittimus now by Iustice is made And we in sayl of Wedlock are laid When instead of bonds we are bound in a halter And sure to be hang'd if ever we falter So every thing does fall out right And that old proverb is verified by 't That Marriage and Hanging both go together When Iustice shall haue the ordering of either On the occasion Of his being left alone in the Mulbery-Garden To wait on all the Ladies of the times Anno 56. 1. NOw into what times Are we faln for our crimes Or whatever the matter of 't may be It does not afford So much as a Lord To wait upon a Lady But now all alone A walking they come With no man to wait upon them Your Gallants are grown Such Taryers at home A murren and shame light on them 2. Is' t boldness they lack They are grown so slack Or each turn'd Woman hater Or money they want That 's grown very scant Or what the Devil 's the matter But yet we behold Them daily more bold And their Lands to Coyn they distil ye And then with the money You see how they run ye To loose it at Piccardily 3. Your Country Squire I far more admire If 's want of breeding you 'll pardon He knows 't is the fashion To give them Collation Who go to the Park and the Garden Whilst he of the Town Is grown such a Clown To wait on them he 's unwilling But away he does run When the Ladies do come And all to save his ten shilling 4. But Ladies you 'll see Be ruled by me
This geer will soon be amended Upon them but frown VVhen you have them at home And all this quarrel is ended Sharp Hawks you are sure VVill come to the lure So for favours in private starve them And strait you 'll see In publick they 'll be More ready and glad to deserve them The Conclusion To his MAJESTY VOuchsafe great Sir on these to cast your sight Made chiefly for your Majesties delight By him has cast off all ambicion But onely the delighting you alone Counting it highest honour can befall To delight him who 's the delight of all EPIGRAMS DIVINE AND MORAL DEDICATED To Her Majesty Nunc cetera ludicra pono Hor. Printed in the Year 1670. TO Her MAJESTY CATHERINE of PORTVGAL Queen of Great Brittain c. MADAM AS never any Stranger was more oblig'd than I unto the King your Father of glorious Memory so never any had greater desire than I to make acknowledgement of it to your Majesty but living in obscurity retyr'd from the light of Court and making no Figure there I imagined it would have no Grace for such a shadow and Cypher as I to present my self unto your Majesty and other presents I had none but onely this which by its littleness shews the greatness of my desire to declare my self MADAM Your Majesties In all Humility and Devotion Richard Flecknoe Divine and Moral EPIGRAMS The Fourth BOOK To her MAJESTY Of the dignity and efficacy of prayer AS by the Sun we set our Dyals so Madam we set our Pietys by you Without whose light we shud in darkness be And nothing truely good nor vertuous see You in the Temple so assidual are Your whole Life seems but one continued Prayer And every place an Oratory you make When from the Temple y' are returned back Like vapours prayers ascend and heaven in rain Of blessings showers them down on us again And if Heaven suffers violence from whence But onely prayer proceeds this violence Fools were those Gyants then since if insteed Of heaping hills on hills as once they did They had but heapt up prayers on prayers as fast they might have easily conquer'd heaven at last O mighty prayer that canst such wonders do To force both Heaven and the Almighty too On these words of our B. S. O woman great is thy Faith O Lord when shall our Faith be praised thus And we deserve t' have thus much said of us Others count all things possible to thee We nothing possible but what we see They more to faith than sences credit give We more our sences than our faith believe They believe all we but believe by halfs Their Faiths are Gyants ours but onely dwarfs Why I write these pious Epigrams so short SInce long discources thou'lt not harken to I make these short to see what that will do On the Nativity of our B. S. AFter the Glory which to God on high Was given to day at his Nativity If piously curious you woud know What Peace it was was given to men below That peace of God infallibly it was All humane understanding does surpass Which whilst the high proud do seek in vainâ— The low and humble onely do obtain Seek then to know no farther but be wise This is the Mystery of Mysteries After which none that any Reason hath Can doubt of any mystery of Faith That God's a Man and 's Mother a Virgin is What can there be more wonderful than this Of the Circumcision of our B. S. HOw soon O Lord to day didst thou begin To shed thy blood for us when first was seen Spring forth the Fountain of thy pretious bloud Which at thy passion ended in a floud On the death and passion of our B. S. O Blessed God! and wouldst thou dye For such a wretched thing as I This of thy Love 's so great a proof Angels can ne'er admire enough And all the Love by far transcends Of Parents and of dearest friends T' have such a benefit bestow'd Woud undo any but a God And Love it self make Bankrout too By leaving't nothing more to do Had King or Prince done this for me What wondring at it woud there be And wondring at it now there 's none When by a God himself 't is done Strange blindness man shud more esteem Of any thing that 's given to him By earthly Kings than what is given Unto him by the King of heaven Of Iudgement DEath terriblest of terriblest they call But here behold the terriblest of all For none fear death but those who judgement fear For some offences th 'ave committed here Life 's but a prison we the prisoners are Death Iaylor or the Turnkey as it were Who but delivers us when Sessions come To the Tribunal to receive our doom When as we well or ill have lived here We shall be punisht or rewarded there And this now is the most that death can do The rest let each ones Conscience look unto Happy are those who in that dreadful day With good Hylarion confidently may say Go forth my soul this many and many a year Thou hast serv'd God now why shudst thou fear Leave that to those who whilst they made aboad In this world here did serve it more than God The good and vertuous wish for death the bad And vitious onely are of death affraid Death is the shadow of life and as in vain A beast shud look for th' shadow of a man So those who have not liv'd the life shud trust In vain at last to dye the death o'th'just Of Easter and Christmas OF Easter a great word was said This is the day the Lord hath made Of Christmas yet a greater word This is the day that made the Lord. On these words of our B. S. I am the Way the Truth and the Life Paraphrase THou art the Way the Truth and Life thou sayst As well thou mayst What Fool is he then woud forsake the way And go astray What Fool is he who woud the Truth refuse And falshood chuse But above all what fool and mad man's he Woud forsake thee Who art Eternal Life and chuse to dye Eternally On Gods beholding all we do THou fearst the sight of men when thou dost ill Why not the sight of God who sees thee still On our dependancy on the hands of Almighty God HAve you not markt how little puppets move By their dependanee from some hand above Just such is man i' th' hands of God if he But well consider'd his dependancy And who if this he well consider woud Shud ever dare to offend Almighty God Who gently leads those who his will obey And those who won't he hales and drags avvay Rebel and fool then struggle not in vain To flee the hand of God and break thy chain Which thou canst never do nor ever flee But from God pleas'd to God displeas'd with thee Struggle no longer with him then for woe Unto thee if he once but let thee go On these words of