The stint of Niniuey was forty dayes To cry for grace and turne from euill wayes To some the time is large To others small To some 't is many yeeres And not at all To others Some an hower haue and some Haue scarce a minute of their time to come Thy span of life Malfido is thy space To call for mercy and to cry for grace ¶ Lord what is man but like a worme that crawl's Open to danger euery foot that falls Death creeps vnheard and steales abroad vnseene Her darts are sudden and her arrowes keene Vncertaine when but certaine she will strike Respecting King and begger both alike The stroke is deadly come it earl ' or late And once being struck repenting's out of date Death is a minute full of sudden sorrow Then liue to day as thou maist dye to morrow THE ARGVMENT The Niniuites beleeue the Word Their hearts returne vnto the Lord In him they put their only trust They mourne in Sackcloth and in dust Sect. 9. SO said the Niniuites beleeu'd the Word Beleeued Ionas and beleeu'd the Lord They made no pause nor iested at the newes Nor slighted it because it was a Iew 's Denouncement No Nor did their gazing eyes As taken captiues with such nouelties Admire the strangers garb so quaint to theirs No idle chat possest their itching eares The whil'st he spake nor were their tongues on fier To raile vpon or interrupt the Cryer Nor did they question whether true the message Or false the Prophet were that brought th' embassage But they gaue faith to what he said relented And changing their mis-wandred wayes repented Before the searching Ayre could coole his word Their hearts returned and beleeu'd the Lord And they whose dainty palats cloy'd whileare With cates and vyands were and luscious cheare Doe now enioyne their lips not once to tast The offall bread for they proclaim'd a Fast And they whose wanton bodies once did lye Wrapt vp in Robes and Silkes of princely Dye Lo now in stead of Robes in Rags they mourne And all their Silkes doe into Sackcloth turne They reade themselues sad Lectures on the ground Learning to want as well as to abound The Prince was not exempted nor the Peere Nor yet the richest nor the poorest there The old man was not freed whose hoary age Had eu'n almost outworne his Pilgrimage Nor yet the young whose Glasse but new begun By course of nature had an age to run For when that fatall Word came to the King Conuay'd with speed vpon the nimble wing Of flitting Fame He strait dismounts his Throne Forsakes his Chaire of State he sate vpon Disrob'd his body and his head discrown'd In dust and ashes grou'ling on the ground And when he rear'd his trembling corpes againe His haire all filthy with the dust he lay in He clad in pensiue Sackcloth did depose Himselfe from state Imperiall and chose To liue a Vassall or a baser thing Then to vsurpe the Scepter of a King His golden cup of Honour and Authority Made him not drunke and so forget mortality Respectlesse of his pompe he quite forgate He was a King so mindlesse of his State That he forgate to rule or be obey'd Nor did he weild the Sword nor Scepter sway'd Meditatio nona ¶ IS fasting then the thing that God requires Can fasting expiate or slake those fires That Sinne hath blowne to such a mighty flame Can sackcloth clothe a fault or hide a shame Can ashes clense thy blot or purge thy ' offence Or doe thy hands make God a recompence By strowing dust vpon thy bryny face Are these the tricks to purchase heau'nly grace No though thou pine thy selfe with willing want Or face looke thinne or Carkas ne r so gaunt Although thou worser weeds then sackcloth weare Or naked goe or sleep in shirts of haire Or though thou chuse an ash-tub for thy bed Or make a daily dunghill on thy head Thy labour is not poysd with equall Gaines For thou hast nought but labour for thy paines Such idle madnesse God reiects and loaths That sinkes no deeper than the skinne or cloaths 'T is not thine eyes which taught to weep by art Looke red with teares not guilty of thy hart 'T is not the holding of thy hands so hye Nor yet the purer squinting of thine eye 'T is not your Mimmick mouthes nor Antick faces Nor Scripture phrases nor affected Graces Nor prodigall vp-banding of thine eyes Whose gashfull balls doe seeme to pelt the skyes 'T is no the strict reforming of your haire So close that all the neighbour skull is bare 'T is not the drooping of thy head so low Nor yet the lowring of thy sullen brow Nor howling wherewithall you fill the ayre Nor repetitions of your tedious pray'r No no 't is none of this that God regards Such sort of fooles their owne applause rewards Such Puppit-playes to heau'n are strange and quaint Their seruice is vnsweet and foully taint Their words fall fruitlesse from their idle braine But true Repentance runnes in other straine Where sad contrition harbours there thy hart Is first acquainted with an inly smart And restlesse grones within thy mournfull brest Where sorrow finds her selfe a welcome ghest It throbs it sighes it mournes in decent wise Dissolu's and fills the Cisternes of thine eyes It frights thy pensiue soule with strange aspects Of crying sinnes committed It detects Thy wounded conscience It cryes amaine For mercy mercy cryes and cryes againe It vowes it sadly grieues and sore laments It yernes for grace Reformes Returnes Repents I this is Incense whose accepted sauour Mounts vp the heauenly Throne and findeth fauour I this is it whose valour neuer failes With God it stoutly wrestles and preuailes I this is it that pierces heauen aboue Neuer returning home like Noah's Doue But brings an Oliffe leafe or some encrease That works Saluation and eternall Peace THE ARGVMENT The Prince and people fasts and prayes God heard accepted lik'd their wayes Vpon their timely true repentance God reuerst and chang'd his sentence Sect. 10. THen suddenly with holy zeale inflam'd He caus'd a Generall act to be proclam'd By good aduice and counsell of his Peeres Let neither Man nor child of youth or yeeres From greatest in the City to the least Nor Heard nor pining Flock nor hungry beast Nor any thing that draweth ayre or breath On forfeiture of life or present death Presume to taste of nourishment or food Or moue their hungry lips to chew the cud From out their eyes let Springs of water burst With teares or nothing let them slake their thurst Moreo're let euery man what e're he be Of high preferment or of low degree D' off all they weare excepting but the same That nature craues and that which couers shame Their nakednesse with sackcloth let them hide And mue the vest'ments of their silken pride And let the braue cariering Horse of warre Whose rich Caparisons and Trappings
Or shall we saue thee No for thou dost fly The face of God and so deseru'st to dye Thou Prophet speake what shal we doe to thee That angry seas may calme and quiet be Meditatio quarta GIue leaue a little to adiourne your story Run backe a step or twaine and looke afore ye Can he be said to feare the Lord that flies him Can Word confesse him when as Deed denies him My sacred Muse hath rounded in mine eare And read the myst'ry of a twofold feare The first a seruile feare for Iudgements sake And thus the damned Diuels feare and quake Thus Adam fear'd and fled behind a tree And thus did bloody Kain feare and flee Vnlike to this there is a second kind Of feare extracted from a zealous mind Full fraught with loue and with a conscience cleare From base respects It is a filiall feare A feare whose ground would iust remaine and leuell Were neither Heauen nor Hell nor God nor Diuell Such was the feare that Princely Dauid had And thus our wretched Ionah fear'd and fled He fled asham'd because his sinnes were such He fled asham'd because his feare was much He fear'd Iehouah other fear'd he none Him he acknowledg'd Him he fear'd alone Vnlike to those men that befoold with errour Frame many gods and multiply their terrour Th' Egyptians God Apis did implore God Assas the Chaldaeans did adore Babel to the Deuouring Dragon seekes Th' Arabians Astaroth Iuno the Greekes The name of Belus the Assyrians hallow The Troians Vesta Corinth wise Apollo Th' Arginians sacrifice vnto the Sunne To Light-foot Mercury bowes Macedon To god Volunus louers bend their knee To Pauor those that faint and fearfull bee Who pray for health and strength to Murcia those And to Victoria they that feare to lose To Muta they that feare a womans tongue To great Lucina women great with young To Esculapius they that liue opprest And they to Quies that desire rest O blinded Ignorance of antique times How blent with errour and how stuft with crimes Your Temples were And how adulterate How clog'd with needlesse gods How obstinate How void of order and how inconfuse How full of dangerous and foule abuse How sandy were thy grounds and how vnstable How many Deities yet how vnable Implore these gods that list to howle and barke They bow to Dagon Dagon to the Arke But he to whom the seale of mercy 's giuen Adores Iehouah mighty God of Heauen Vpon the mention of whose sacred Name Meeke Lambs grow fierce and the fierce Lyons tame Bright Sol shall stop and heauen shall turne his course Mountaines shall dance and Neptune slake his force The Seas shall part the fire want his flame Vpon the mention of Iehouah's Name A Name that makes the roofe of Heauen to shake The frame of Earth to quiuer Hell to quake A Name to which all Angels blow their trumps A Name puts frolicke man into his dumps Though ne're so blythe A Name of high renowne It mounts the meeke and beates the lofty downe A Name deuides the marrow in the bone A Name which out of hard and flinty stone Extracteth hearts of flesh and makes relent Those hearts that neuer knew what mercy ment O Lord how great 's thy Name in all the Land How mighty are the wonders of thy hand How is thy Glory plac't aboue the heau'n To tender mouthes of Sucklings thou hast giu'n Coerciue pow'r and boldnes to reprooue When elder men doe what them no'te behooue O Lord How great 's the power of thy hand O God! How great 's thy Name in all the Land THE ARGVMENT The Prophet doth his fault discouer Perswades the men to cast him ouer They rowe and toyle but doe no good They pray to be excus'd from blood Sect. 5. SO Ionah fram'd the speech to their demand Not that I seeke to trauerse the command Of my deare Lord and out of minde peruerse T' auoyd the Niniuites doe I amerce My selfe Nor that I euer heard you threat Vnlesse I went to Niniueh the great And doe the message sent her from the Lord That you would kill or cast me ouer boord Doe I doe this 'T is my deserued fine You all are guiltlesse and the fault is mine 'T is I 't is I alone 't is I am he The tempest comes from heau'n the cause from me You shall not lose a haire for this my sin Nor perish for the fault that mine hath bin Lo I the man am here Lo I am He The roote of all End your reuenge on me I fled from God of Heau'n O let me then Because I fled from God so flie from men O take me for I am resolu'd to die As you did cast your Wares so cast in Me I am the man for whom these billowes dance My death shall purchase your deliuerance Feare not to cease your feares but throw me in Alas my soule is burthen'd with my sin And God is iust and bent to his Decree Which certaine is and cannot altred bee I am proclaim'd a Traytor to the King Of heau'n and earth The windes with speedy wing Acquaint the Seas The Seas mount vp on hie And cannot rest vntill the Traytor die Oh cast me in and let my life be ended Let Death make Iustice mends which Life offended Oh let the swelling waters me embalme So shall the Waues be still and Sea be calme So said the Mariners grew inly sad Though rude and barbarous and much ydrad As moou'd to see a Stranger for their good Lay downe his life which offer they withstood Till they had sought with all their pow'r and skill To saue the man and not the Ship to spill They digg'd and deepely delu'd the surrow'd Seas With brawny armes they plough'd the watry Leas Hoping in vaine by toyle to win the shore And wrought more hard thē erst they wrought before Alas their strength now failes and weares away For bodies wanting rest doe soone decay The Seas are angry and the waues arise Appeas'd with nothing but a Sacrifice Gods vengeance stormeth like the raging Seas Which nought but Ionah dying can appease Bootlesse it is to thinke by any deed To alter that which God of heau'n decreed Ionah must die 't is folly to say No Ionah must die or else we all die too Ionah must die that from his Lord did flie The lot determines Ionah then must die His guilty word confirmes the sacred lot Ionah must die then if we perish not If Iustice then it be that he must die And we sad Actors of his Tragedie We begge not Lord a warrant to offend O pardon bloud-shed that we must intend Though not our hands yet shall our hearts be cleare Then let not stainelesse Consciences beare The pond'rous burthen of a Murthers guilt Or voyce of harmelesse bloud that must be spilt For lo deare Lord it is thine owne Decree And we sad ministers of Iustice bee Meditatio quinta BVt
that which most doe couet most is best Best are the goods mixt with contented rest Gasp not for Honour wish no blazing glory For these will perish in an ages story Nor yet for pow'r for that may be conferr'd On fooles as well as thee that hast deseru'd Thirst not for Lands nor Mony wish for none For Wealth is neither lasting nor our owne Riches are faire inticements to deceiue vs They flatter while we liue and dying leaue vs. THE ARGVMENT Ionah desires to dye The Lord Rebukes him He maintaines his word His anger he doth iustifie God pleads the Cause for Niniuie Sect. 13. WHen ruddy Phoebus had with morning light Subdu'd the East and put the stars to flight The Lord prepar'd a feruent Easterne wind Whose drought together with the Sunne combin'd Each adding fier to the others heat With strong vnited force amaine did beat And sore reflect vpon the helplesse head Of fainting Ionah that was well-nye dead Who turning oft and tossing to and fro As they that are in torments vse to doe And restlesse finding no successe of ease But rather that his tortures still encrease His secret passion to his soule betrai'd Wishing with all his heart to dye and said O kill me Lord or lo my heart will riue For better 't is for me to dye then liue So said the Lord did interrupt his passion Saying How now Is this a seemly fashion Doth it become my seruants heart to swell Can anger helpe thee Ionah do'st thou well Is this a fit speech or a well-plac'd word What art thou angry Ionah for a Gourd What if th' Arabians with their ruder traine Had kill'd thine Oxen and thy Cattell slaine What if consuming fier falne from heauen Had all thy seruants of their liues bereauen And burnt thy Sheep What if by strong oppression The Chaldees had vsurpt vniust possession Vpon thy Cammels Or had Boreas blowne His full-mouth'd blast and cast thy houses downe And slaine thy sonnes amid their iollities Or hadst thou lost thy Vineyard full of trees Or bin bereaued of thine only Sheep That in thy tender bosome vs'd to sleep How would thine hastie spirit then bin sturr'd If thou art angry Ionah for a Gourd So Ionah frames his answere thus and saith Lord I doe well to vex vnto the death I blush not to acknowledge and professe Deserued rage I 'm angry I confesse 'T would make a spirit that is thorow frozen To blaze like flaming Pitch and frie like Rozen Why dost thou aske that thing that thou canst tell Thou know'st I 'm angry and it beseemes me well So said the Lord to Ionah thus bespake Dost thou bemoane and such compassion take Vpon a Gourd whose seed thou didst not sow Nor mou'd thy skilfull hands to make it grow Whose beautie small and profit was but slight Which sprang and also perisht in a night Hadst thou O dust and ashes such a care And in-bred pittie a trifling plant to spare Hadst thou O hard and incompassionate To wish the razing of so braue a State Hadst thou I say compassion to bewaile The extirpation of a Gourd so fraile And shall not I that am the Lord of Lords Whose fountaine's neuer dry but still affords Sweet streames of mercie with a fresh supply To those that thirst for grace What shall not I That am the God of mercie and haue sworne To pardon sinners when soe're they turne I say shall I disclaime my wonted pitie And bring to ruine such a goodly Citie Whose hearts so truly penitent implore me Who day and night powre foorth their soules before me Shall I destroy the mightie Niniuie Whose people are like sands about the sea 'Mong which are sixe-score thousand soules at least That hang vpon their tender mothers brest Whose prettie smiles did neuer yet descry The deare affection of their mothers eye Shall I subuert and bring to desolation A Citie nay more aptly tearm'd a Nation Whose walls are wide and wondrous full of might Whose hearts are sorrowfull and soules contrite Whose infants are in number so amounting And beasts and cattell endlesse without counting What Ionah shall a Gourd so moue thy pitie And shall not I spare such a goodly Citie Meditatio vltima ¶ MY heart is full and knowes not how to vent My tongue proues traytor to my poore intent My mind 's in labour and find's no redresse My heart conceiues My tongue cannot expresse My organs suffer through a maine Defect Alas I want a proper Dialect To blazon forth the tythe of what I muse The more I meditate the more accrewes But lo my faultring tongue must say no more Vnlesse she step where she hath trod before What shall I then be silent No I 'le speake Till tongue be tyred and my lungs be weake Of dearest mercie in as sweet a straine As it shall please my Muse to lend a vaine And when my voyce shall stop within her sourse And speech shall faulter in this high discourse My tyred tongue vnsham'd shall thus extend Only to name Deare mercie and so end ¶ Oh high Imperiall King heauens Architect Is man a thing befitting thy Respect Lord thou art wisdome and thy wayes are holy But man's polluted full of filth and folly Yet is he Lord the fabrick of thy hand And in his soule he beares thy glorious brand How-e're defaced with the rust of sin Which hath abus'd thy stamp and eaten in 'T is not the frailtie of mans corrupted nature Makes thee asham'd t' acknowledge man thy creature But like a tender father here on earth Whose child by nature or abortiue birth Doth want that sweet and fauourable rellish Wherewith her creatures Nature doth imbellish Respects him ne'rthelesse so stands the case 'Twixt God and sinfull man Though sinne deface The glorious portraiture that man did beare Whereby he loath'd and vgly doth appeare Yet God within whose tender bowels are Deep gulfs of mercie sweet beyond compare Regards and loues with reu'rence be it said Nay seems to dote on man when he hath strayd Lord thou hast brought him to his fold againe When he was lost thou didst not then disdaine To think vpon a vagabond and giue Thine only Sonne to dye that he might liue How poore a mite art thou content withall That man may scape his downe-approching fall Though base we are yet didst not thou abhorre vs But as our story notes art pleading for vs To saue vs harmlesse from our foemans iawes Art thou turn'd Oratour to plead our cause ¶ How are thy mercies full of admiration How soueraigne How sweet's their application Fatning the soule with sweetnes and repayring The rotten ruines of a soule Despayring ¶ Loe here Malfido is the feast prepar'd Fall too with courage and let nought be spar'd Taste freely of it Here 's no Misers feast Eate what thou canst and pocket vp the rest These precious vyands are Restoritie Eate then and if the sweetnes
liue yet And yet liue in pleasure Alas could Sinners finde out ne'r a one More fit then Thee for them to spit vpon Did thy cheekes entertaine a Traytors lips Was thy deare body scourg'd and torne with whips So that the guiltlesse blood came trickling after And did thy fainting browes sweat blood and water Wert thou Lord hang'd vpon the Cursed Tree O world of Griefe And was all this for mee ¶ Burst foorth my teares into a world of sorrow And let my nights of griefe ne'r finde a morrow Since thou art dead Lord grant thy seruant roome Within his heart to build thy heart a Tombe Fraus Mundi 3 ¶ WHat is the World A great Exchange of ware Wherein all sorts and sexes cheapning are The Flesh the Diuell sit and cry What lack ye When most they fawne they most intend to rack ye The wares are Cups of Ioy and Beds of Pleasure There 's goodly choice downe weight and flowing measure A Soul 's the price but they giue time to pay Vpon the Death-bed on the dying Day ¶ Hard is the Bargaine and vniust the Measure When as the Price so much out-lasts the Pleasure The Ioyes that are on earth are Counterfeits If ought be true 't is this Th' are true Deceits They flatter fawne and like the Crocadile Kill where they laugh and murther where they smile They daily dip within thy Dish and Cry Who hath betray'd thee Mastre Is it I Gloria Coeli 4 ¶ WHen I behold and well aduise vpon The Wisemans speech There 's nought beneath the Sun But vanitie my Soule rebells within And loaths the Dunghill-prison she is in But when I looke to new Ierusalem Wherein 's reseru'd my Crowne my Diadem O what a Heauen of blisse my Soule enioyes On sudden rapt into that heauen of Ioyes Where rauisht in the depth of meditation She well discernes with Eye of Contemplation The Glory of God in his Imperiall Seat Full strong in Might in Maiestie compleat Where troups of Powers Vertues Cherubins Angels Archangels Saints and Seraphins Are chaunting praises to their heauenly King Where Halelujah they for euer sing Dolor Inferni 5 ¶ LEt Poets please to torture Tantalus Let gryping Vultures gnaw Prometheus And let Ixion turne his endlesse Wheele Let Nemesis torment with whips of Steele They far come short t' expresse the paines of those That rage in Hell enwrapt in endlesse woes Where time no end nor plagues finde no exemption Where cryes admit no helpe nor place redemption Where fier lacks no flame the flame no heate To make their torments sharp and plagues compleat Where wretched Soules to tortures bound shall bee Seruing a world of yeeres and not be Free Where nothing's heard but yells and sudden cryes Where fier neuer slakes nor Worme e'r dyes But where this Hell is plac'd my Muse stop there Lord shew me what it is but neuer where 1 Mors tua ¶ CAn he be Faire that withers at a Blast Or he be Strong that Ayery Breath can cast Can he be Wise that knowes not how to liue Or he be Rich that nothing hath to giue Can he be Yong that 's Feeble Weake and Wan So Faire so Strong so Wise so Rich so Yong is Man So Faire is Man that Death a parting Blast Crops his faire Flow'r and makes him Earth at last So Strong is Man that with a Gasping Breath He totters and bequeaths his Strength to Death So Wise is Man that if with Death he striue His Wisdome cannot teach him how to liue So Rich is Man that all his Debts b'ing pay'd His wealth 's the Winding-sheet wherein hee 's lay'd So Yong is Man that broke with Care and Sorrow Hee 's old enough to Day to Dye to Morrow Why bragg'st thou then Thou Worme of Fiue foot-long Th' art neither Faire nor Strong nor Wise nor Rich nor Yong. 2 Mors Christi I Thurst And who shall quench this Eager Thurst I Grieue And with my griefe my Heart will Burst I Grieue because I thurst without Reliefe I Thurst because my Soule is burnt with Griefe I thurst And dri'd with Griefe my Heart will Dye I Grieue and thurst the more For Sorrow's drie The more I grieue the more my thurst appeares Would God! I had not grieu'd out all my teares I Thurst And yet my Griefes haue made a Floud But Teares are salt I Grieue and Thurst for Bloud I Grieue for Bloud for Bloud must send Reliefe I Thurst for Bloud for Bloud must ease my Griefe I Thurst for sacred Bloud of a Deare Lambe I Grieue to thinke from whence that Deare Blood came 'T was shed for Mee O let me drinke my fill Although my Griefe remaine Entier still O soueraigne Pow'r of that Vermilion SPRING Whose Vertue neither Heart conceiues nor Tongue can sing 3 Fraus Mundi I Loue the World as Clients loue the Lawes To manage the vprightnes of my Cause The World loues me as Sheepheards doe their Flocks To Rob and spoyle them of their fleecy Locks I loue the World and vse it as mine Inne To bait and rest my tyred Carkasse in The World loues me For what To make her Game For filthy Sinne she sels me timely Shame Foorth from her Eyes doe Springs of Venome burst But like a Basiliske I 'le see her first And this my firme intended Course shall be To poyson her or she will poyson me We liue at Iarres as froward Gamesters doe Still guarding not Regarding others Foe I loue the World to serue my turne and leaue her 'T is no Deceit to Coozen a Deceiuer Shee 'l not misse me I lesse the World shall misse To lose a World of Griefe t' enioy a World of Blisse 4 Gloria Coeli EArth stands immou'd and Fixt Her Cituation Admits no locall Change no Alteration HEAVEN alway moues renuing still his place And euer sees vs with another Face EARTH standeth Fixt yet there I liue opprests HEAVEN alway moues yet there is all my Rest Enlarge thy selfe my SOVLE with Meditation Mount there and there bespeake thy Habitation Where Ioyes are full and pure not mixt with mourning All Endlesse and from which is no returning No Theft no Cruell Murther harbours there No Hoary-headed Care no sudden Feare No pinching Want no Griping fast Oppression Nor Death the stipend of our soule Transgression But dearest Friendship Loue and lasting Pleasure Aye there abides withouten stin◠or Measure Fulnesse of Riches Comfort sempeternall Excesse without a surfeiting And Life Eternall 5 Dolor Inferni THe Trump shall blow The Dead awak'd shall rise And to the Clouds shall turne their wondring Eyes The Heauen shall ope The Bridegroome foorth shall come To iudge the World and giue the World her Doome Ioy to the IVST to others Endlesse SMART To those the Voyce bids COME to these DEPART DEPART from LIFE yet dying liue for Euer For Euer dying be and yet Dye Neuer DEPART like Dogs with DIVELS take your lot DEPART like DIVELS for I know you not Like