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A10260
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A feast for vvormes Set forth in a poeme of the history of Ionah. By Fra. Quarles.
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Quarles, Francis, 1592-1644.
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1620
(1620)
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STC 20544; ESTC S115474
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43,861
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108
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A FEAST FOR WORMES SET FORTH IN A POEME OF THE HISTORY OF IONAH By FRA. QVARLES ad hoc ab hoc per hoc This Naked Pourtraiture before thine Eye Is Wretched helplesse MAN MAN borne to Die On either side an ANGELL doth protect him As well from EVILL as to GOOD direct him Th' one poynts to DEATH the t'other to a CROVVNE Who THIS attaines must tread the OTHER downe All which denotes the Briefe of MANS Estate That HEE 'S to goe from HENCE by THIS to THAT AT LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Richard Moore and are to be sold at his shop in Saint Dunstans Church-yard in Fleetstreet 1620. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE ROBERT LORD SYDNEY Baron of Penshurst Viscount Lisle Earle of Leicester Knight of the most Noble Order of the Garter SIR two things more especiall haue made me industrious to doe your Lordship seruice The one is the loue you did beare to my long since deceased Father whom dead your Lordship did please to honour with your Noble remembrance The other is your vndeserued Fauours and Honourable Countenance towards me in your passage thorow Germany where you haue left in the hearts of men a Pyramis of your Worth As for the first I am heire to that seruice which my Father alwayes obseruant to your Honour was ready to performe As for the second my selfe in more particular stand obliged In respect of both heere I dedicate my selfe and these few leaues to your truly-Noble Selfe hoping your Lordship will vaile my boldnesse in your good acceptance and crowne my labours with your approbation SIR Your Lordships truly obseruant FRA. QVARLES TO THE READER Reader J fairely salute thee I List not to tyre thy patient eares with vnnecessary language the abuse of complement My mouth 's no Dictionary it onely serues as a needfull Commentary vpon the obscure Text of my meaning J haue heere sent thee the first fruits of an obortiue Birth Jt is a dainty subiect not Fabulous but Truth it selfe VVonder not at the Title A FEAST FOR WORMES for it is a Song of Mercy VVhat greater FEAST than Mercy And what are Men but WORMES Moreouer J haue gleaned some few Meditations obuious to the History Let me aduise thee to keepe the Taste of the History whilest thou readest the Meditations and that will make thee Rellish both the better Vnderstanding Reader fauour me Gently expound what it is too late to correct He le va de Golpe Dios sea con ella Farewell THE PROPOSITION OF the whole Worke. 'T Is not the Record of Great HECTORS Glory Whose matchlesse Valour makes the World a Story Nor yet the swelling of that Romans Name That onely Came and Look'd and Ouercame Nor One nor All of those braue Worthies Nine Whose Might was Great and Acts almost Diuine That liu'd like Gods but di ' de like Men and gone Shall giue my Pen a Taske to treat vpon I sing the praises of the KING of Kings Out of whose mouth a two-edg'd Smiter springs Whose Words are Mystery whose Works are Wonder Whose Eyes are Lightning and whose Voyce is Thunder Who like a Curtaine spreads the Heauens out Spangl'd with Starres in Glory round about 'T is HEE that cleft the furious waues in twaine Making a High-way passage through the Maine 'T is He that turn'd the waters into Blood And smote the Rocky stone and caus'd a Flood 'T is HEE that 's iustly Armed in his Ire Behind with Plagues before with flaming Fire More bright then mid-day Phoebus are his Eyes And whosoeuer sees his Visage Dyes I sing the Praises of Great Iudah's Lion The fragrant Flowre of Iesse the Lambe of Sion Whose Head is whiter then the driuen Snow Whose Visage doth like flames of Fire Glow His Loynes begirt with Golden Belt His Eyne Like Titan riding in his Southerne Shine His Feet like burning Brasse and as the noyse Of surgie Neptunes roaring is his Voyce This is that Paschall Lambe whose dearest Blood Is soueraigne Drinke whose Flesh is sauing Food His precious Blood the Worthies of the Earth Did drinke which though but borne of Mortall birth Returnd them Deities For who drinkes THIS Shall be receiu'd into Eternall Blisse Himselfe the GIFT which HE himselfe did giue His Stripes heale vs and by HIS Death we liue HEE acting GOD and MAN in double Nature Did reconcile Mankind and Mans Creator I heer 's a TASKE indeed if Mortals could Not make a Verse yet Rocks and Mountaines would The Hils shall daunce the Sunne shall stop his Course Hearing the subiect of this high Discourse The Horse and Gryphin shall together sleepe The Woolfe shall fawne vpon the silly Sheepe The Crafty Serpent and the Fearfull Hart Shall ioyne in Consort and each beare a part And leape for Ioy when my VRANIA sings She sings the praises of the KING of Kings THE INTRODVCTION ¶ THat Ancient Kingdome that old Assur swai'd Shew'd two great Cities Ah! but both decai'd Both mighty Great but of vnequall growth Both Great in People and in Building both But Ah! What hold is there of Earthly Good Now Grasse growes there where these braue Cities stood The name of one Great Babylon was hight Through which the rich Euphrates takes her flight From High Armaenia to the ruddy Seas And stores the Land with rich Commodities ¶ The other Ninus Niniueh the Great So huge a Fabrick and well chosen Seat Dan Phoebus fiery Steeds with Maines becurld That circundates in twice twelue houres the World Ne'r saw the like By Great King Ninus hand 'T was raisd and builded in th' Assyrians Land Which he subdude 'T was plac'd twixt riuers twaine Licus and swift Tygris that runnes amaine Begirt she was with Walls of wondrous might Creeping twice fifty foot in measur'd height Vpon their bredth if ought we may relie On the report of Sage Antiquity Three Chariots fairly might themselues display And ranke together in a Battell-ray The Circuit that her mighty Bulke imbraces Containes the mete of sixty-thousand paces Within her well-fenc't walles you might discouer Fiue hundred stately Towers thrice told ouer Whereof the highest draweth vp the eye As well the low'st an hundred Cubits hie All rich in those things which to state belong For beauty Braue and for munition Strong Duly and daily this Great worke was tended With ten thousand Workmen Begun and ended In eight yeeres space How beautifull How faire Thy Buildings And how foule thy Vices are ¶ Thou Land of Assur double then thy pride And let thy Wells of Ioy be neuer dri'de Thou hast a Palace that 's renown'd so much The like was neuer is nor will be such ¶ Thou Land of Assur trebble then thy Woe And let thy Teares doe as thy Cups o'rflow For this thy Palace of so great renowne Shall be destroy'd and sackt and batterd downe But cheere vp Niniueh thine inbred might Hath meanes enough to quell thy Foemans spite Thy
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