despises and the world and all 65 Deepely alas empassioned she stood To see a flaming brand tost vp from hell Boyling her heart in her owne lustfull blood That oft for torment she would loudely yell Now she would sighing sit and nowe she fell Crouching vpon the ground in sackcloath trust Early and late she prayed and fast she must And all her haire hung full of ashes and of dust 66 Of all most hated yet hated most of all Of her owne selfe she was disconsolat As though her flesh did but infunerall Her buried ghost she in an arbour sat Of thornie brier weeping her cursed state And her before a hastie riuer fled Which her blind eyes with faithfull penance fed And all about the grasse with tears hung downe his head 67 Her eyes though blind abroad at home kept fast Inwards they turn'd and look't into her head At which shee often started as aghast To see so fearfull spectacles of dread And with one hand her breast shee martyred Wounding her heart the same to mortifie The other a faire damsell held her by Which if but once let goe shee sunke immediatly 68 But Faith was quicke and nimble as the heau'n As if of loue and life shee all had been And though of present sight her sense were reauen Yet shee could see the things could not be seen Beyond the starres as nothing wear between She fixt her sight disdeigning things belowe Into the sea she could a mountaine throwe And make the Sun to stande and waters backewards flowe 69 Such when as Mercie her beheld from high In a darke valley drownd with her owne tears One of her graces she sent hastily Smiling Eirene that a garland wears Of guilded oliue on her fairer hears To crowne the fainting soules true sacrifice Whom when as sad Repentance comming spies The holy Desperado wip't her swollen eyes 70 But Mercie felt a kinde remorse to runne Through her soft vaines and therefore hying fast To giue an end to silence thus begunne Aye-honour'd Father if no ioy thou hast But to reward desert reward at last The Deuils voice spoke with a serpents tongue Fit to hisse out the words so deadly stung And let him die deaths bitter charmes so sweetely sung 71 He was the father of that hopeles season That to serue other Gods forgot their owne The reason was thou wast aboue their reason They would haue any Gods rather then none Aâ—beasily serpent or a senselesse stone And these as Iustice bates so I deplore But the vp-plowed heart all rent and tore Though wounded by it selfe I gladly would restore 72 He was but dust Why fear'd he not to fall And beeing fall'n how can he hope to liue Cannot the hand destroy him that made all Could be not take away aswell as giue Should man depraue and should not God depriue Was it not all the worlds deceiuing spirit That bladder'd vp with pride of his owne merit Fell in his rise that him of heau'n did disinherit 73 He was but dust how could he stand before him And beeing fall'n why should he feare to die Cannot the hand that made him first restore him Deprau'd of sinne should he depriued lie Of grace can he not hide infirmitie That gaue him strength vnworthy the forsaking He is who euer weighs without mistaking Or Maker of the man or manner of his making 74 Who shall thy temple incense any more Or to thy altar crowne the sacrifice Or strewe with idle flow'rs the hallow'd flore Or what should Prayer deck with hearbs and spice Her vialls breathing orisons of price If all must paie that which all cannot paie O first begin with mee and Mercie slaie And thy thrice-honour'd Sonne that now beneath doth strey 75 But if or he or I may liue and speake And heau'n can ioye to see a sinner weepe Oh let not Iustice yron scepter breake A heart alreadie broke that lowe doth creep And with prone humblesse her feets dust doth sweep Must all goe by desert is nothing free Ah if but those that onely woorthy be None should thee euer see none should thee euer see 76 What hath man done that man shall not vndoe Since God to him is growne so neere a kin Did his foe slay him he shall slay his foe Hath he lost all he all againe shall win Is Sinne his Master he shall master sinne Too hardy soule with sinne the field to trie The onely way to conquer was to flie But thus long death hath liu'd and now deaths selfe shall die 77 He is a path if any be misled He is a robe if any naked bee If any chaunce to hunger he is bread If any be a bondman he is free If any be but weake howe strong is hee To dead men life he is to sicke men health To blinde men sight and to the needie wealth A pleasure without losse a treasure without stealth 78 Who can forget neuer to be forgot The time that all the world in slumber lies When like the starres the singing Angels shot To earth and heau'n awaked all his eyes To see another Sunne at midnight rise On earth was neuer sight of pareil fame For God before Man like himselfe did frame But God himselfe now like a mortall man became 79 〈◊〉 Child he was and had not learn't to speake That with his word the world before did make His Mothers armes him bore he was so weake That with one hand the vaults of heau'n could shake â—ee how small roome my infant Lord doth take Whom all the world is not enough to hold Who of his yeares or of his age hath told â—euer such age so young neuer a child so old 80 â—nd yet but newely he was insanted â—nd yet alreadie he was sought to die â—et scarcely borne alreadie banished â—ot able yet to goe and forc't to flie But scarcely fled away when by and by The Tyrans sword with blood is all defil'd And Rachel for her sonnes with furie wild Cries O thou cruell King and O my sweetest child 81 Egypt his Nource became whear Nilus springs Who streit to entertaine the rising sunne The hasty haruest in his bosome brings But now for drieth the fields wear all vndone And now with waters all is ouerrunne So fast the Cynthian mountaines powr'd their snowe When once they felt the sunne so neere them glowe That Nilus Egypt lost and to a sea did growe 82 The Angells caroll'd lowd their song of peace The cursed Oracles wear strucken dumb To see their Sheapheard the poore Sheapheards press To see their King the Kingly Sophies come And them to guide vnto his Masters home A Starre comes dauncing vp the orient That springs for ioye ouer the strawy tent Whear gold to make their Prince a crowne they all present 83 Young Iohn glad child before he could be borne Leapt in the woombe his ioy to prophecie Old Anna though with age all spent and worne Proclaimes her Sauiour
dwell vpon some mountaine high Whose hollowe root and baser parts ar spread On fleeting waters in his bowells bred That I their streames and they my teares may feed Or cloathed in some Hermits ragged weed Spend all my daies in weeping for this cursed deed 63 The life the which I onte did loue I leaue The loue in which I once did liue I loath I hate the light that did my light bereaue Both loue and life I doe despise you both O that one graue might both our ashes cloath A Loue a Life a Light I now obteine Able to make my Age growe young againe Able to saue the sick and to reuiue the slaine 64 Thus spend we teares that neuer can be spent On him that sorrow now no more shall see Thus send we sighs that neuer can be sent To him that died to liue and would not be To be thear whear he would here burie we This heau'nly earth here let it softly sleepe The fairest Sheapheard of the fairest sheepe So all the bodie kist and homewards went to weepe 65 So home their bodies went to seeke repose But at the graue they left their soules behinde O who the force of loue coelestiall knowes That can the cheynes of natures selfe vnbinde Sending the Bodie home without the minde Ah blessed Virgin what high Angels art Can euer coumpt thy teares or sing thy smart When euery naile that pierst his hand did pierce thy heart 66 So Philomel perch't on an aspin sprig Weeps all the night her lost virginitie And sings her sad tale to the merrie twig That daunces at such ioyfull miserie Ne euer lets sweet rest inuade her eye But leaning on a thorne her daintie chest For feare soft sleepe should steale into her brest Expresses in her song greefe not to be exprest 67 So when the Larke poore birde afarre espi'th Her yet vnfeather'd children whom to saue She striues in vaine slaine by the fatall sithe Which from the medowe her greene locks doeth shaue That their warme nest is now become their graue The woefull mother vp to heauen springs And all about her plaintiue notes she flings And their vntimely fate most pittifully sings CHRISTS TRIVMPH after Death 1 BVt now the second Morning from her bowre Began to glister in her beames and nowe The roses of the day began to flowre In th' easterne garden for heau'ns smiling browe Halfe insolent for ioy begunne to showe The early Sunne came liuely dauncing out And the bragge lambes ranne wantoning about That heau'n and earth might seeme in tryumph both to shour 2 Th' engladded Spring forgetfull now to weepe Began t' eblazon from her leauie bed The waking swallowe broke her halfe-yeares sleepe And euerie bush lay deepely purpured With violets the woods late-wintry head Wide flaming primroses set all on fire And his bald trees put on their greene attire Among whose insant leaues the ioyeous birds conspire 3 And now the taller Sonnes whom Titan warmes Of vnshorne mountaines blowne with easie windes Dandled the mornings childhood in their armes And if they chaunc't to slip the prouder pines The vnder Corylets did catch the shines To guild their leaues sawe neuer happie yeare Such ioyfull triumph and triumphant cheare As though the aged world anew created wear 4 Say Earth why hast thou got thee new attire And stick'st thy habit full of dazies red Seems that thou doest to some high thought aspire And some newe-found-out Bridegroome mean'st to wed Tell me ye Trees so fresh apparelled So neuer let the spitefull Canker wast you So neuer let the heau'ns with lightening blast you Why goe you now so trimly drest or whither hast you 5 Answer me Iordan why thy crooked tide So often wanders from his neerest way As though some other way thy streame would slide And faine salute the place where something lay And you sweete birds that shaded from the ray Sit carolling and piping griefe away The while the lambs to heare you daunce and play Tell me sweete birds what is it you so faine would say 6 And thou faire Spouse of Earth that euerie yeare Gett'st such a numerous issue of thy bride How chance thou hotter shin'st and draw'st more neere Sure thou somewhear some worthie sight hast spide That in one place for ioy thou canst not bide And you dead Swallowes that so liuely now Through the flit aire your winged passage rowe How could new life into your frozen ashes flowe 7 Ye Primroses and purple violets Tell me why blaze ye from your leauie bed And wooe mens hands to rent you from your sets As though you would somewhear be carried With fresh perfumes and velvets garnished But ah I neede not aske t' is surely so You all would to your Sauiours triumphs goe Thear would ye all awaite and humble homage doe 8 Thear should the Earth herselfe with garlands newe And louely flowr's embellished adore Such roses neuer in her garland grewe Such lillies neuer in her brest she wore Like beautie neuer yet did shine before Thear should the Sunne another Sunne behold From whence himselfe borrowes his locks of gold That kindle heau'n and earth with beauties manifold 9 Thear might the violet and primrose sweet Beames of more liuely and more louely grace Arising from their beds of incense meet Thear should the Swallowe see newe life embrace Dead ashes and the graue vnheale his face To let the liuing from his bowels creepe Vnable longer his owne dead to keepe Thear heau'n and earth should see their Lord awake from sleepe 10 Their Lord before by other iudg'd to die Nowe Iudge of all himselfe before forsaken Of all the world that from his aide did flie Now by the Saints into their armies taken Before for an vnworthie man mistaken Nowe worthy to be God confest before With blasphemies by all the basest tore Now worshipped by Angels that him lowe adore 11 Whose garment was before indipt in blood But now imbright'ned into heau'nly flame The Sun it selfe outglitters though he should Climbe to the toppe of the celestiall frame And force the starres go hide themselues for shame Before that vnder earth was buried But nowe about the heau'ns is carried And thear for euer by the Angels heried 12 So fairest Phosphor the bright Morning starre But neewely washt in the greene element Before the drouzie Night is halfe aware Shooting his flaming locks with deaw besprent Springs liuely vp into the orient And the bright droue fleec't all in gold he chaces To drinke that on the Olympique mountaine grazes The while the minor Planets forfeit all their faces 13 So long he wandred in our lower spheare That heau'n began his cloudy starres despise Halfe enuious to see on earth appeare A greater light then flam'd in his owne skies At length it burst for spight and out thear flies A globe of winged Angels swift as thought That on their spotted feathers liuely caught The sparkling Earth and to their azure fields it brought 14 The rest that
CHRISTS VICTORIE AND TRIumph in Heauen and Earth over and after death A te principium tibi desinet accipe iussis Carmina caepta tuis atque hanc sine tempora circum Inter victrices hederam tibi serpere lauros CONFIDO IN DOMINO CAMBRIDGE Printed by C. LEGGE 1610. To the Reader THear are but fewe of many that can rightly iudge of Poetry and yet thear at many of those few that carry so left-handed an opinion of it as some of them thinke it halfe sacrilege for prophane Poetrie to deale with divine and heauenly matters as though David wear to be sentenced by them for vtteâ—…ng his graue matter vpon the harpe others something more â—…olent in their censure but sure lesse reasonable as though â—…oetrie corrupted all good witts when indeed bad witts corâ—…pt Poetrie banish it with Plato out of all well-ordered Commonwealths Both theas I will strive rather to satisfie â—…en refute And of the first I would gladlie knowe whither they supâ—ose it fitter that the sacred songs in the Scripture of those heâ—oicall Saincts Moses Deborah Ieremie Mary Simeon Daâ—id Salomon the wisest Scholeman and wittiest Poet should â—ee eiected from the canon for wante of grauitie or rather this â—rroure eraced out of their mindes for wante of truth But it maye bee they will giue the Spirit of God leaue to breath â—hrough what pipe it please will confesse because they must â—eeds that all the songs dittied by him must needs bee as their Fountaine is most holy but their common clamour is who may compare with 〈◊〉 yet as none may compare without presumâ—… all may imitat and not without commendation which made Nazianzen on of the Starrs of 〈◊〉 Greeke Church that nowe shines as bright in heauen as 〈◊〉 did then on earth write so manie diuine Poems of the Geâ—… alogie Miracles Parables Passion of Christ called by him hâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which when Basil the Prince of the Fathenâ—… and his Chamberfellowe had seene his opinion of them was that he could haue deuised nothing either more fruitfull to others because it kindely woed them to Religion or more honourable to himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because by imitating the singing Angels in heau'n himselfe became though before his time an earthly Angel What should I speake of Iuvencus Prosper the wise Prudentius the last of which liuing in Hieroms time twelue hundred yeares agoe brought foorth in his declining age so many so religious poems straitly charging his soule not to let passe so much as one either night or daye without some diuine song Hymnis continuet dies Nec nox vlla vacet quin Dominum canat And as sedulous Prudentius so prudent Sedulius was famous in this poeticall diuinity the coetan of Bernard who sung the historie of Christ with as much deuotion in himself as admitation to others all which wear followed by the choicest witts of Christendome Nonnius translating all Sainct Iohns Ghosipel into Greek verse Sanazar the late-liuing Image and happy imitator of Uirgil bestowing ten-yeares vpon a song onely to celebrat that one day when Christ was borne vnto vs on earth we a happie change vnto God in heau'n thrice-honour'd Bartas our I know no other name more glorious then his own Mr. Edmund Spencer two blessed Soules not thinking ten years inough layeing out their whole liues vpon this one studie Nay I may iustly say that the Princely Father of our Countrey though in my conscience God hath made him of all the learned Princes that euer wear the most religious and of all the religious Princes the most learned that so by the one hee might oppose him against the Pope the peste of all Religion and by the other against Bellarmine the abuser of all good Learning is yet so far enamour'd with this celestiall Muse that it shall neuer repent mee calamo triuisse labellum whensoeuer I shall remember Hac eadem vt sciret quid non faciebat Amyntas To name no more in such plenty whear I may finde how to beginne sooner then to end Saincte Paule by the ExaÌ„ple of Christ that wente singing to mounte Oliuet with his Disciples after his last supper exciteth the Christians to solace themselues with â—ymnes and Psalmes and spirituall songs and thearefore by their leav's be it an error for Poets to be Divines I had rather â—…rr with the Scripture then be rectifi'd by them I had rather â—dore the stepps of Nazianzen Prudentius Sedulius then folâ—owe their steps to bee misguided I had rather be the deuoute Admirer of Nonnius Bartas my sacred Soueraign and others the miracles of our latter age then the false sectatie of these that haue nothing at all to follow but their own naked opinions To conclude I had rather with my Lord and his most divine Apostle sing though I sing sorilie the loue of heauen and earthe then praise God as they doe with the woorthie guift of silence and sitting still or think I dispraisd him with this poetical discourse It seems they haue either not read or clean â—orgot that it is the dutie of the Muses if wee maye beeleeue â—indare and Hesiod to set allwaies vnder the throne of Iupiter â—ius laudes beneficia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which made a very worthy German writer conclude it Certò statuimus proprium atque peâ—uliare poetarum munus esse Christi gloriam illustrare beeing good reason that the heavenly infusion of such Poetry should â—nde in his glorie that had beginning from his goodnes fit oâ—ator nascitur Poeta For the secound sorte thearfore that eliminat Poets out of â—heir citie gates as though they wear nowe grown so bad as â—hey could neither growe woorse nor better though it be â—omewhat hard for those to bee the onely men should want cities that wear the onely causers of the building of them and somewhat inhumane to thrust them into the woods to liue among the beasts who wear the first that call'd men out of the woods from their beastly and wilde life yet since they will needes shoulder them out for the onely firebrands to inflame lust the fault of earthly men not heauenly Poetrie I would gladly learne what kind of professions theas men would bee intreated to entertaine that so deride and disaffect Poesie would they admit of Philosophers that after they haue burnt out the whole candle of their life in the circular studie of Sciences crie out at length Se nihil prorsus seire or should Musitians be welcome to them that Dant sine mente sonum bring delight with them indeede could they aswell expresse with their instruments a voice as they can a sound or would they most approve of Soldiers that defend the life of their countrymen either by the death of themselues or their enemies If Philosophers please them who is it that knowes not that all the lights of Example to cleare their precepts are borowed by Philosophers from Poets that without Homers examples