incorporeitie From powers rationall We prove Discern true pietie From bitternesse and gall 1 LIke Carpenter entred into a wood To cut down timber for some edifice Of stately structure whiles he casts abroad His curious eye he much perplexed â—…s There stand in view so many goodly trees Where to make choice to enter his rugg'd saw My Muse is plung'd in like perplexities So many arguments themselves do show That where to pitch my wavering raind doth yet scarce know 2 One taller then the rest my circling eye Hath hit upon which if 't be sound at heart Will prove a goodly piece to raise on high The heavenly structure of that deemed part Of man his soul and by unerring art Set his foundation 'bove the bodies frame On its own wheels that it may thence depart Intire unhurt So doth the Scythian swain Drive his light moving house on the waste verdant plain 3 I 'll sing of pietie that now I mean That Trismegist thus wisely doth define Knowledge of God That 's pietie I ween The highest of virtues a bright beam divine Which to the purer soul doth sweetly shine But what 's this beam and how doth it enlight What doth it teach It teacheth to decline self-Self-love and frampard wayes the hypocrite Doth trample in accloy'd with dirt and dismall night 4 Not rage nor mischief nor love of a sect Nor eating irefulnesse harsh crueltie Contracting Gods good will nor conscience checkt Or chok'd continually with impietie Fauster'd and fed with hid hypocrisie Nor tyranny against perplexed minds Nor forc'd conceit nor man-idolatrie All which the eye of searching reason blinds And the souls heavenly flame in dungeon darknesse binds 5 Can warres and jarres and fierce contention Swoln hatred and consuming envy spring From pietie No. 'T is opinion That makes the riven heavens with trumpets ring And thundring engine murd'rous balls out-sling And send mens groning ghosts to lower shade Of horrid hell This the wide world doth bring To devastation makes mankind to fade Such direfull things doth false religion perswade 6 But true religion sprong from God above Is like its fountain full of charity Embracing all things with a tender love Full of good will and meek expectancy Full of true justice and sure verity In heart and voice free large even in finite Not wedg'd in straight particularity But grasping all in its vast active spright Bright lamp of God! that men would joy in thy pure light 7 Can souls that be thus universalis'd Begot into the life of God e're die His light is like the sunne that doth arise Upon the just and unjust can they sly Into a nothing and hath God an eye To see himself thus wasted and decay In his true members can mortality Seize upon that that doth it self display Above the laws of matter or the bodies sway 8 For both the bodie and the bodies spright Doth things unto particulars confine Teaching them partiall friendship and fell spight But those pure souls full of the life divine Look upon all things with mild friendly cyne Ready to do them good Thus is their will Sweetly spread out and ever doth incline The bent of the first Goodnesse to fulfill Ay me that dreary death such lovely life should spill 9 Besides this largenesse in the will of man And winged freenesse now let 's think upon His understanding and how it doth scan Gods being unto whom religion Is consecrate Imagination That takes its rise from sense so high ascent Can never reach yet intellection Or higher gets or at least hath some sent Of God vaticinates or is parturiâ—…nt 10 For ask it whether God be this or that A body infinite or some mighty spright Yet not almighty it condemnes such chat Whether all present or in some place pight Whether part here part there or every whit In every point it likes that latter well So that its plain that some kind of insight Of Gods own being in the soul doth dwell Though what God is we cannot yet so plainly tell 11 As when a name lodg'd in the memory But yet through time almost obliterate Confusely hovers near the phantasie The man that 's thus affected bids relate A catologue of names It is not that Saith he nor that that 's something like to it That nothing like that 's lik'st of all I wot This last you nam'd it 's not like that a whit O that 's the very name now we have rightly hit 12 Thus if 't be lawfull least things to compare With greatest so our selves affected be Concerning Gods high essence for we are Not ignorant quite of this mystery Nor clearly apprehend the Deity But in mid state I call 't parturient And should bring forth that live Divinity Within our selves if once God would consent To shew his specious form and nature eminent 13 For here it lies like colours in the night Unseen and unregarded but the sunne Displayes the beauty and the gladsome plight Of the adorned earth while he doth runne His upper stage But this high prize is wonne By curbing sense and the self-seeking life True Christian mortification Thus God will his own self in us revive If we to mortifie our straightned selves do strive 14 But can ought bodily Gods form receive Or have it in its self potentially Or can ought sprung of this base body heve It self so high as to the Deitie To clamber strive to reach infinitie Can ought born of this carcase be so free As to grasp all things in large sympathie Can lives corporeall quite loosened be From their own selves casheering their centreitie 15 These all ill suit with corporeitie But do we not amisse with stroke so strong All to dispatch at once needed we flie So high at first we might have chose among The many arguments that close do throng And tender their own selves this cause to prove Some of a meaner rank and then along Fairly and softly by degrees to move My Muse kens no such pomp she must with freedome rove 16 And now as chance her guides compendiously The heads of many proofs she will repeat Which she lists not pursue so curiously But leaves the reader his own brains â—…o beat To find their fuller strength As the souls meat Of which she feeds if that she feed at all She is immortall if she need not eat But if her food prove to be spiritall Then can we deem herself to be corporeall 17 The souls most proper food is veritie Got and digest by Contemplation Hence strength enlargement and activitie She finds as doth this bulk by infusion Of grosser meats and drinks concoction Well perfected the body is strong by these The soul by reasons right perswasion But that truth's spiritall we may with ease Find out For truth the soul from bodies doth release 18 Next argument let be abstraction When as the soul with notion precise Keeps off the corporall condition And a nak'd simple essence doth devise Against the law of Corporeities It doth
from his essence what followes is so plain that the Reader wants no direction Upon the third Book THere is no knot at all in this last Book if men do not seek one I plainly and positiveâ—…y declare no opinion but show the abuse of â—…ose opinions there touched crouding a number â—…f enormities together that safely shroud themselves there where all sinfulnesse surely may easiâ—…y get harbour if we be not well aware of the â—…evil that makes even true opinions oftentimes â—…rve for mischief Nothing else can be now expected for the easy â—…nd profitable understanding of this Poem but â—…e interpretation of the names that frequently â—…ccur in it Which I will interpret at the end of â—…ese Books as also the hard terms of the other â—…oems for their sakes whose reall worth and â—…nderstanding is many times equall with the â—…est onely they have not fed of husks and shels â—…s others have been forced to do the superficiary â—…nowledge of tongues But it would be well that â—…either the Linguist would contemne the illiterate â—…r his ignorance nor the ignorant condemne the â—…arned for his knowledge For it is not unlearndnesse that God is so pleased withall or sillines â—…f mind but singlenesse and simplicity of heart H. M. THE ARGUMENT OF PSYCHOZOIA Lib. 1. This song great Psyches parentage With her fourefold array And that mysterious marriage To th' Reader doth display 1 NOr Ladies loves nor Knights brave Martiall deeds Ywrapt in rolls of hid Antiquity But th' inward Fountain and the unseen Seeds From whence are these and what so under eye Doth fall or is record in memory Psyche I 'll sing Psyche from thee they spreng O life of time and all Alterity The life of lives instill his nectar strong And Psych ' inebriate while I sing Psyches song 2 But thou who e're thou art that hear'st this strain Or read'st these rimes which from Platonick rage Do powerfully flow forth dare not to blame My forward pen of foul miscarriage If all that 's spoke with thoughts more sadly sage Doth not agree My task is not to try What 's simply true I onely do engage My self to make a fit discovery Give some fair glimps of Plato's hid Philosophie 3 What man alive that hath but common wit When skilfull limmer ' suing his intent Shall fairly well pourtray and wisely hit The true proportion of each lineament And in right colours to the life depaint The fulvid Eagle with her sun-bright eye Would woxen wroth with inward cholar brent Cause 't is no Buzard or discolour'd Pye Why man I meant it not Cease thy fond obloquie 4 So if what 's consonant to Plato's school Which well agrees with learned Pythagore Aegyptian Trismegist and th' antique roll Of Chaldee wisedome all which time hath tore But Plato and deep Plotin do restore Which is my scope I sing out lustily If any twitten me for such strange lore And me all blamelesse brand with infamy God purge that man from fault of foul malignity 5 Th' Ancient of dayes sire of Aeternitie Sprung of himself or rather nowise sprong Father of lights and everlasting glee Who puts to silence every daring tongue And flies mans sight shrouding himself among His glorious rayes good Hattove from whom came All good that Penia spies in thickest throng Of most desired things all 's from that same That same that Hattove hight and sweet Abinoam 6 Now can I not with flowring phantasie To drowsie sensuall souls such words impart Which in their sprights may cause sweet agony And thrill their bodies through with pleasing dart And spread in flowing sire their close-twist heart All-chearing fire that nothing wont to burn That Hattove lists to save and his good Art Is all to save that will to him return That all to him return nought of him is sorlorn 7 For what can be forlorn when his good hands Hold all in life that of life do partake O surest confidence of Loves strong bands Love loveth all that 's made Love all did make And when false life doth fail it 's for the sake Of better being Riving tortures spight That life disjoints and makes the heart to quake To good the soul doth nearer reunite So ancient Hattove hence all-joyning Ahad hight 8 This Ahad of himself the Aeon fair Begot the brightnesse of his fathers grace No living wight in heaven to him compare Ne work his goodly honour such disgrace Nor lose thy time in telling of his race His beauty and his race no man can tell His glory darkeneth the Suns bright face Or if ought else the Suns bright face excell â—…is splendour would it dim and all that glory quell 9 This is that ancient Eidos omniform Fount of all beauty root of flowring glee Hyle old hag foul filthy and deform Can not come near Joyfull Eternity Admits no change or mutability No shade of change no imminution No nor increase for what increase can be To that that 's all and where Hyl ' hath no throne â—…n ought decay such is the state of great Aeon 10 Farre otherwise it fares in this same lond Of truth and beauty then in mortall brood Of earthly lovers who impassion'd With outward formes not rightly understood From whence proceeds this amorous sweet flood And choise delight which in their spright they feel Can outward idol yield so heavenly mood This inward beauty unto that they deel â—…at little beauteous is Thus into th' dirt they reel 11 Like to Narcissus on the grassie shore Viewing his outward face in watery glasse Still as he looks his looks adde evermore New fire new light new love new comely grace To 's inward form and it displayes apace It's hidden rayes and so new lustre sends To that vain shadow but the boy alas Unhappy boy the inward nought attends 〈◊〉 in foul filthy mire love life and form he blends 12 And this I wote is the Souls excellence That from the hint of every painted glance Of shadows sensible it doth from hence It s radiant life and lovely hue advance To higher pitch and by good governance May wained be from love of fading light In outward formes having true Cognisance That those vain shows are not the beauty bright That takes men so but that they cause in humane spright 13 Farre otherwise it fares in Aeons realm O happy close of sight and that there 's seen That there is seen is good Abinoam Who Hattove hight And Hattubus I ween Cannot be lesse then he that sets his eyen On that abysse of good eternally The youthfull Aeon whose faire face doth shine While he his Fathers glory doth espy Which waters his fine flowring forms with light from hiâ—… 14 Not that his forms increase or that they die For Aeon Land which men Idea call Is nought but life in full serenitie Vigour of life is root stock branch and all Nought here increaseth nought here hath its fall For Aeons kingdomes alwaies perfect stand Birds beasts fields springs plants men and
observeth not the same The lowest hem doth kisse of that we name The stole of Uranore these parts that won To drag in dirty earth nor do him blame These doth he kisse why should he be fordonne 〈◊〉 sweet it is to live what joy to see the Sunne 33 But O what joy it is to see the Sunne Of Aeons kingdomes and th' eternall day That never night o'retakes the radiant throne Of the great Queen the Queen Uranura Then she gan first the Sceptre for to sway And rule with wisdome when Hattubus old Hence Ahad we him call did tie them tway With nuptiall charm and wedding-ring of gold â—…n sagely he the case gan to them thus unfold 34 My first born Sonne and thou my ' daughter dear Look on your aged Sire the deep abysse 〈◊〉 which and out of which you first appear 〈◊〉 Ahad hight and Ahad onenesse is Therefore be one his words do never misse They one became I Hattove also hight â—…id he and Hattove goodnesse is and blisse â—…herefore in goodnesse be ye fast unite â—…nitie Love Good be measures of your might 35 â—…hey straight accord then he put on the ring â—…he ring of lasting gold on Uranure â—…en gan the youthfull Lads aloud to sing â—…men O Hymen O the Virgin pure â—…holy Bride long may this joy indure â—…er the song Hattove his speech again â—…news My Son I unto thee assure 〈◊〉 judgement and authoritie soveraign â—…ake as unto one for one became those twain 36 To thee each knee in Heaven and Earth shall bow And whatsoever wons in darker cell Under the Earth If thou thy awfull brow Contract those of the Aethiopian hell Shall lout and do thee homage they that dwell In Tharsis Tritons fry the Ocean-god Iam and Ziim all the Satyres fell That in empse Ilands maken their abode All those and all things else shall tremble at thy rod. 37 Thy rod thou shalt extend from sea to sea And thy Dominion to the worlds end All Kings shall vow thee faithfull fealtie Then peace and truth on all the earth I 'll send Nor moody Mars my metalls may mispend Of warlike instruments they plow-shares shall And pruning-hooks efform All things shall wend For th' best and thou the head shalt be o're all Have I not sworn thee King true King Catholicall 38 Thus farre he spake and then again respired And all this time he held their hands in one Then they with chearfull look one thing desired That he nould break this happy union I happy union break quoth he anon I Ahad Father of Community Then they That you nould let your hand be gone Off from our hands He grants with smiling glee So each stroke struck on earth is struck froÌ„ these same 〈◊〉 39 These three are Ahad Aeon Uranore Ahad these three in one doth counite What so is done on earth the self-same power Which is exert upon each mortall wight Is joyntly from all these But she that hight Fair Uranore men also Psyche call Great Psyche men and angels dear delight Invested in her stole ethereall Which though so high it be down to earth doth fall 40 The externall form of this large flowing stole My Muse so as she might above displaid But th' inward triple golden film to unroll Ah! he me teach that triple film hath made And brought out light out of the deadly shade Of darkest Chaos and things that are seen Made to appear out of the gloomy glade Of unseen beings Them we call unseen Not that they 're so indeed but so to mortall eyen 41 The first of these fair films we Physis name Nothing in nature did you ever spy But there 's pourtraid all beasts both wild and tame Each bird is here and every buzzing fly All forrest work is in this tapestry The Oke the Holm the Ash the Aspin tree The lonesome Buzzard th' Eagle and the Py The Buck the Bear the Boar the Hare the Bee The Brize the black-arm'd Clock the Gnat the Butterflie 42 Snakes Adders Hydraes Dragons Toads and Frogs Th' own-litter-loving Ape the Worm and Snail Th' undaunted Lion Horses Men and Dogs Their number 's infinite nought doth 't avail To reckon all the time would surely fail And all besprinkeled with centrall spots Dark little spots is this hid inward veil But when the hot bright dart doth pierce these knots Each one dispreads it self according to their lots 43 When they dispread themselves then gins to swell Dame Psyches outward vest as th' inward wind Softly gives forth full softly doth it well Forth from the centrall spot yet as confinâ—…d To certain shape according to the mind Of the first centre not perfect circlar wise It shoots it self for so the outward kind Of things were lost and Natures good devise Of different forms would hiddenly in one agguize 44 But it according to the imprest Art That Arts impression's from Idea Lond So drives it forth before it every part According to true symmetry the bond And just precinct unlesse it be withstond It alwayes keeps But that old hag that hight Foul Hyle mistresse of the miry strond Oft her withstands and taketh great delight To hinder Physis work and work her all despight 45 The self same envious witch with poyson'd dew From her foul eben-box all tinctures stains Which farely good be in hid Physis hew That film all tinctures fair in it contains But she their goodly glory much restrains She colours dims clogs tastes and damps the sounds Of sweetest musick touch to skorching pains She turns or baser tumults smels confounds O horrid womb of hell that with such ill abounds 46 From this first film all bulk in quantity Doth bougen out and figure thence obtain Here eke begins the life of Sympathy And hidden virtue of magnetick vein Where unknown spirits beat and Psyche's trane Drag as they list upon pursuit or flight One part into another they constrain Through strong desire and then again remit Each outward form 's a shrine of its magnetick spright 47 The ripen'd child breaks through his mothers womb The raving billows closely undermine The ragged rocks and then the seas intombe Their heavie corse and they their heads recline On working sand The Sun and Moon combine Then they 're at ods in site diametrall The former age to th' present place resigne And what 's all this but wafts of winds centrall That ruffle touze and tosse Dame Psyche's wrimpled veâ—… 48 So Physis Next is Arachnea thin The thinner of these two but thinn'st of all Is Semele that 's next to Psyches skin The second we thin Arachnea call Because the spider that in Princes hall Takes hold with her industrious hand and weaves Her daintie tender web far short doth fall Of this soft yielding vest this vest deceives The spiders curious touch and of her praise bereaves 49 In midst of this fine web doth Haphe sit She is the centre from whence all the light Dispreads and goodly glorious Forms do flit Hither
that I mote take alone The third way led unto Onepolis And thitherward Don Psittaco put on With both these towns Alopecopolis â—…in firm league and golden Myrmecopolis 58 For nothing they attempt without the aid Of these two Cities They 'll not wagen war Nor peace conclude nor permit any trade Nor make decâ—…ees nor slake the civil jar Nor take up private wrongs nor plead at bar Nor Temples consecrate nor Mattins say They nought begin divine or secular But they advisen with those cities tway 〈◊〉 potent citizens that bear so great a sway 59 No truth of justice in Beirah lond No sincere faith void of sly subtlety That alwayes seeks it self is to be found But law-delusion and false policy False policy that into tyranny Would quickly wend did not stern fear restrain And keep in aw Th' Onites democracie Is nought but a large hungry tyrant-train â—…ppression from the poore is an all-sweeping rain 60 A sweeping torrent that beats down the corn And wasts the oxens labour headlong throws The tallest trees up by the root ytorn Its ranging force in all the land it shows Wood rent from hence its rowling rage bestows In other places that were bare before With muddied arms of trees the earth it strows The list'ning shepherd is amazed sore While it with swift descent so hideously doth rore 61 Such is the outrage of Democracy When fearlesse it doth rule in Beirah And little better is false Monarchy When it in this same country bears the sway Is 't not a part of Autaesthesia So to an inward sucking whirlpools close They change this swelling torrents surquedry Much treasure it draws in and doth inclose In'ts winding mouth but whether then there 's no maÌ„ knoâ—… 62 O falsest Beironites what gars you plain One of another and vainly accuse Of foul offence when you all entertain Tyrannick thoughts You all alike do muse Of your own private good though with abuse Of those you can tread down with safety No way to wealth or honour you refuse Faise Onople doth grudge and grone and cry Because she is denied a greater tyranny 63 Two of that City whilom on the way With languid lugs and count'nance gravely sad Did deeply sigh and rudely rough did bray Gainst Leontopolis The equall pad Of justice now alas is seldome trad Said they The Lions might is law and right Where 's love or mercy now with that out strad A little dog his dames onely delight And ran near to their tails and bark'd with all his might 64 The sourly irefull Onopolitan Without all mercy kickt with iron heel The little bawling curre that at him ran It made his feeble corse to th' earth to reel That was so pierc'd with the imprinted steel That it might grieve an heart of flinty stone No herbs no salves the breach could ever heal The good old wife did then keep house alone â—…alse hearted carles is this your great compassion 65 There 's no society in Behirah But beastlike grazing in one pasture ground No love but of the animated clay With beauties fading flowers trimly crownd Or from strong sympathies heart-striking stound No order but what riches strength and wit Prescribe So bad the good eas'ly confound Is honesty in such unruly fit That it 's held in no rank they ' steem it not a whit 66 But I am weary of this uncouth place If any man their bad condition And brutish manners listeth for to trace We may them reade in the creation Of this wide sensible where every passion Of birds and beasts distinctly do display To but an ord'nary imagination The life and soul of them in Behirah This Beirah that hight the greater Adamah 67 The swelling hatefull Toad industrious Ant Lascivious Goat Parrot or prating Pye The kingly Lion docil Elephant All-imitating Ape gay Butterflie The crafty Fox famous for subtilty Majestick Horse the Beast that twixt two trees A fit resemblance of full gluttony When he hath fill'd his gorge himself doth squeeze To feed afresh Court Spaniels and politick Bees 68 With many more which I list not repeat Some foul some fair to th' fair the name they give Of holy virtues but 't is but deceit None in Beiron virtuously do live None in that land so much as ever strive For truth of virtue though sometimes they wont As swine do swine their own blood to relieve Beiron's all bruits the true manhood they want If outward form you pierce with phansie fulminant 69 So having got experience enough Of this ill land for nothing there was new My purpose I held on and rode quite through That middle way and did th' extremes eschew When I came near the end there was in view No passage for the wall was very high But there no doore to me it self did shew Looking about at length I did espy A lively youth to whom I presently gan cry 70 More willing he 's to come then I to call Simon he hight who also's call'd a Rock Simon is that obedientiall Nature who boysterous seas and winds doth mock No tempest can him move with fiercest shock The house that 's thereon built doth surely stand Nor blustring storm nor rapid torrents stroke Can make it fall it easily doth withstand The gates of death and hell and all the Stygian band 71 When I gan call forthwith in seemly sort He me approch'd in decent russet clad More fit for labour then the flaunting Court When he came near in chearfull wise he bad Tell what I would Then I unto the lad Gan thus reply alas too long astray Here have I trampled foul Behirons pad Out of this land I thought this the next way But I no gate can find so vain is mine assay 72 Then the wise youth Good S r you look too high The wall aloft is raised but that same dore Where you must passe in deep descent doth lie But he bad follow he would go before Hard by there was a place all covered o're With stinging nettles and such weedery The pricking thistle the hard'st legs would gore Under the wall a strait dore we descry The wall hight Self-conceit the doore Humility 73 When we came at the doore fast lockt it was And Simon had the key but he nould grant That I into that other land should passe Without I made him my concomitant It pleas'd me well I mus'd not much upon 't But straight accord for why a jolly Swain Methought he was meek cheerfull and pleasant When he saw this he thus to me again 〈◊〉 See you that sad couple Then I I see those twain 74 A sorry couple certainly they be The man a bloody knife holds at his heart With cheerlesse countenance as sad is she Or eld or else intolerable smart Which she cannot decline by any Art Doth thus distort and writhe her wrinkled face A leaden quadrate swayes hard on that part That 's fit for burdens foulnesse doth deface â—…er aged looks with a straight staff her steps she stayes
it As wise or wiser then himself may But this is a main piece of idolatry and injustice in the world that every man would make his private Genius an universall God and would devour all mens apprehensions by his own fire that glowes so hot in him and as he thinks shines so clear As for this present song of the immortality of the soul it is not unlikely but that it will prove sung Montibus Sylvis to the waste Woods and solitary Mountains For all men are so full of their own phansies and idiopathyes that they scarce have the civility to interchange any words with a stranger If they do chance to heare his exotick tone they entertain it with laughter a passion very incident upon that occasion to children and clowns But it were much better neither to embosome nor reject any thing though strange till we were well acquainted with it Exquisite disquisition begets diffidence diffidence in knowledge humility humility good manners and meek conversation For mine own part I desire no man to take any thing I write upon trust vvithout canvasing and vvould be thought rather to propound then to assert vvhat I have here or elsevvhere vvritten But continually to have exprest my diffidence in the very tractates themselves had been languid and ridiculous It vvere a piece of injustice to expect of others that vvhich I could never indure to stoup to my self That knovvledge vvhich is built upon humane authority is no better then a Castle in the Aire For vvhat man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or at least can be prov'd to us to be so Wherefore the foundation of that argument will but prove precarious that is so built And we have rather a sound of words signifiing the thing is so then any true understanding that the thing is so indeed What ever may seem strange in this Poem condemne it not till thou findest it dissonant to Plato's school or not deducible from it But there be many arguments that have no strangenesse at all to prove the soules immortality so that no man that is not utterly illiterate shall lose his labour in reading this short treatise I must confesse I intended to spin it out to a greater length but things of greater importance then curious theory take me off beside the hazard of speaking hard things to a multitude I make no question but those that are rightly acquainted with Platonisme will accept of that small pains and make a good construction of my poetry For I will assure thee Reader that it will be nothing but igorance of my scope that shall make any do othervvise I fly too high to take notice of lesser flaws If thou seest them I give thee free liberty to mend them But if thou regardest not lesser trifles we be well met Farewell H. M. THE ARGUMENT OF PSYCHATHANASIA Book 1. Cant. 1. Struck with strong sense of Gods good will The immortalitie Of souls I sing Praise with my quill Plato's Philosophie 1 VVHatever-man he be that dares to deem True Poets skill do spring of earthly race I must him tell that he doth misesteem Their strange estate and eke himself disgrace By his rude ignorance For there 's no place For forced labour or slow industry Of flagging wits in that high fiery chace So soon as of the Muse they quickned be At once they rise and lively sing like lark in skie 2 Like to a meteor whose materiall Is low unwieldy earth base unetuous slime Whose inward hidden parts ethereall Ly close upwrapt in that dull sluggish fime Ly fast asleep till at some fatall time Great Phoebus lamp has fir'd its inward spright And then even of it self on high doth climb That earst was dark becomes all eye all sight Bright starre that to the wise of future things gives light 3 Even so the weaker mind that languid lies Knit up in rags of dirt dark cold and blind So soon that purer flame of love unties Its clogging chains and doth its spright unbind It sores aloft for it it self doth find Well plum'd so rais'd upon its spreaden wing It softly playes and warbles in the wind And carols out its inward life and spring Of over-flowing joy and of pure love dothsing 4 It sings of purest love not that base passion That fouls the soul with filth of lawles lust And Circe-like its shape doth all misfashion But that bright slame that 's proper to the just And eats away all drosse and cankred rust With its refining heat unites the mind With Gods own spright who raiseth from the dust The slumb'ring soul and with his usage kind Makes't breath after that life that time hath not desin'd 5 So hath he rais'd my soul and so possest My inward spright with that unfeigned will He bears to Psyche's brood that I ne're rest But ruth or ragefull indignation fill My troubled veins that I my life near spill With sorrow and disdain for that foul lore That crept from dismall shades of night and quill Steep'd in sad Styx and fed with stinking gore Suckt from corrupted corse that God and men abhorrâ—… 6 Such is thy putid muse Lucretius That fain would teach that souls all mortall be The dusty Atoms of Democritus Certes have fall'n into thy feeble eye And thee bereft of perspicacity Others through the strong steem of their dull bloud Without the help of that philosophy Have with more ease the truth not understood And the same thing conclude in some sad drooping mood 7 But most of all my soul doth them refuse That have extinguish'd natures awfull light By evil custome and unkind abuse Of Gods young tender work that in their spright He first gins frame But they with heddy might Of over-whelming liquour that life drownd And reasons eye swell up or put out quite Hence horrid darknesse doth their souls confound And foul blasphemous belch from their furd mouth resounds 8 Thus while false way they take to large their spirit By vaster cups of Bacchus they get fire Without true light and ' cording to demerit Infernall blasts blind confidence inspire Bold heat to uncouth thoughts is their bad hire Which they then dearly hug and ween their feet Have clombe whither vulgar men dare not aspire But it s the fruit of their burnt sootie spright Thus dream they of drad death and an eternall night 9 Now in the covert of dame Natures cell They think they 'r shrowded and the mysterie Of her deep secrets they can wisely spell And ' pprove that art above true pretie Laugh at religion as a mockerie A thing found out to aw the simpler sort But they brave sparks have broke from this dark tie The light of nature yields more sure comfort Alas too many souls in this fond thought consort 10 Like men new made contriv'd into a cave That ner'e saw light but in that shadowing pit Some uncouth might them hoodwink hither drave Now with their backs to the dens mouth they sit Yet shoulder not all light
carthie dregs will not denie Sith we so well have prov'd the starres opacitie 65 About the great the lesser lamps do dance The Medicean foure reel about Jove Two round old Saturn without Nominance Luna about the earth doth nimbly move Then all as it doth seemly well behove About the bigg'st of all great Phoebus hight With joy and jollitie needs round must rove Tickled with pleasure of his heat and light What tumbling tricks they play in his farre piercing sight 66 But my next argument could I't well expresse With Poets pen it hath so mighty force That an ingenious man 't would stoutly presse To give assent unto the Annuall course Of this our earth But prejudice the nurse Of ignorance stoppeth all free confession Al 's keeps the way that souls have not recourse To purer reason chok'd with that oppression This argument is drawn from the stars retrocession 67 Planets go back stand still and forward flie With unexpected swiftnesse What 's the cause That they thus stagger in the plain-pav'd skie Or stupid stand as if some dull repose Did numb their spirits and their sinews lose Here'gins the wheel-work of the Epicycle Thus patch they heaven more botch'dly then old cloths This prettie sport doth make my heart to tickle With laughter and mine eyes with merry tears to trickle 68 O daring phansie that dost thus compile The heavens from hasty thoughts such as fall next Warie Philosophers cannot but smile At such feat gear at thy rude rash context An heap of orbs disorderly perplext Thrust in on every hint of motion Must be the wondrous art of Nature next Here working under God Thus thus vain man Intitles alwayes God to his opinion 69 Thinks every thing is done as he conceives Would bind all men to his religion All the world else of freedome he bereaves He and his God must have Dominion The truth must have her propagation That is his thought which he hath made a God That furious hot inust impression Doth so disturb his veins that all abroad With rage he roves and all gainsayers down hath trod 32 But to return from whence my Muse hath flown All this disordred superfluitie Of Epicycles or what else is shown To salve the strange absurd enormitie Of staggering motions in the azure skie Both Epicycles and those turns enorm Would all prove nought if you would but let slie The earth in the Ecliptick line yborn As I could well describe in Mathematick form 71 So could I that 's another argument From this same principle most clearly prove In regresse and in progresse different Of the free Planets Why Saturn should rove With shorter startings give back lesse then Jove Jove lesse then Mars why Venus flincheth out More then Mercurius why Saturn doth move Ofter in those back jets then Jove doth shoot But Mercury more oft then Venus and Mars stout 72 And why the Sunne escap'd an Epicycle When as th' old prodigall Astronomie On the other six bestowed that needlesse cycle Why Saturn Jove and Mars be very nigh Unto the earth show bigger in our eye At eventide when they rise Acronycall Why farre remov'd with so vast distancie When they go down with setting Kronycall All these will plain appear from th' earths course Annuall 73 Many other reasons from those heavenly motions Might well be drawn but with exilitie Of subtile Mathematicks obscure notions A Poets pen so fitly no'te agree And curious men will judge't a vagrancy To start thus from my scope My pitched end Was for to prove the immortalitie Of humane souls But if you well attend My ship to the right port by this bow'd course did bend 74 For I have clearly show'd that stout resistence Of the pure soul against the Mundane spright And bulk whereof's the lower mans consistence How it doth quell by force of reason right Those grosse impressions which our outward sight Seald in our lower life From whence we see That we have proper independent might In our own mind behold our own Idee Which needs must prove the souls sure immortality THE ARGUMENT OF PSYCHATHANASIA Book 3. Cant. 4. Iustice true faith in the first good Our best perswasion Of blest eternity unmov'd Th' earths conflagration 1 IT doth me good to think what things will follow That well prov'd thesis in my former song How we in liquid heavens more swift then swallow Do sail on Tellus lap That doth among The other starres of right not rudely throng We have vvhat highest thoughts of man desire But highest thoughts of man are vain and vvrong In outvvard heaven vve burn vvith hellish fire Hate envy covetise revenge lust pride and ire 2 In the eighth sphere Andromeda from chains Is not releast fearfull Orion flyes The dreaded Scorpion Alas vvhat gains Then is't to live in the bright starrie skyes It no man can exeem from miseries All you that seek for true felicity Rend your ovvn hearts There God himself descryes Himself there dvvells his beauteous majesty There shines the sunne of righteousnesse in goodly glee 3 And you who boldly all Gods providence Confine to this small ball that Tell us hight And dream not of a mutuall influence And how that she may shine with beamsbright At a farre distance clad with Sols lent light As Venus and the Moon O you that make This earth Gods onely darling dear delight All th' other orbs merely for this orbs sake So swiftly for to runne with labour never slack 4 To dance attendance on their Princesse Earth In their quick circuits and with anger keen Would bite him that or serious or in mirth Doubts the prerogative of your great Queen Best use of that your Theory I ween In this that as your selves monopolize All the whole world so your selves back again You wholy give to God Who can devise A better way Mans soul to God this closely tyes 5 But if the earth doth thankfully reflect Both light and influence to other starres As well as they to it where 's the defect That sweet subordination it mars Gods love to us then not so plain appears For then the starres be mutually made One for another Each all the good then bears Of the Universe for 'ts single labour paid With the joint pains of all that in the heavens wade 6 Rare reason why then God would be too good What judgeth so but envy and vain pride And base contract self-self-love which that free floud Of bounty hath so confidently tied Unto it self alone Large hearts deride This pent hypocrisie Is he good to me That grace I would not ere should be deny'd Unto my fellow My felicity Is multiply'd when others I like happy see 7 But if the rolling starres with mutuall rayes Serve one another sweet fraternity And humble love with such like lore we 'll raise While we do see Gods great benignity Thus mutually reflected in the skie And these round-moving worlds communicate One with another by spread sympathie This all things friendly will concatenate But
let more hardy wits that truth determinate 8 It me behoves t' hold forward on my way Leaving this uncouth strange Philosophy In which my lightsome pen too long did play As rigid men in sad severity May deem but we right carelesse leave that free Unto their censure Now more weighty thought Doth sway our mind thinking how all doth flee Whatever we have painfully ytaught So little fruit remains of all my skill hath wraught 9 o th' emptinesse of vain Philosophy When thin-spunne reason and exile discourse Make the soul creep through a strait Theory Whither the blunter mind can never force It self yet oft alas the case is worse Of this so subtile wight when dangers deep Approch his life then his who learnings sourse Did never drink of nere his lips did steep In Plato's springs nor with low gown the dust did sweep 10 Certes such knowledge is a vanity And hath no strength t' abide a stormy stoure Such thin slight clothing will not keep us dry When the grim heavens all black and sadly soure With rage and tempest plenteously dovvn shovver Great floods of rain Dispread exility Of slyer reasons fails Some greater povver Found in a lively vigorous Unity with God must free the soul from this perplexity 11 Say now the dagger touch'd thy trembling breast Couldst thou recall the reasons I have shown To prove th' immortall state of men deceast Evolved reason cannot stand at one Stoutly to guard thy soul from passion They passe successively like sand i' th' glasse While thou look'st upon this the other's gone But there 's a plight of soul such virtue has Which reasons weak assistance strangely doth surpasse 12 The just and constant man a multitude Set upon mischief cannot him constrain To do amisse by all their uprores rude Not for a tyrants threat will he ere stain His inward honour The rough Adrian Tost with unquiet winds doth nothing move His steddy heart Much pleasure he doth gain To see the glory of his Master Jove When his drad darts with hurrying light through all do rove 13 If heaven and earth should rush with a great noise He fearlesse stands he knows whom he doth trust Is confident of his souls after joyes Though this vain bulk were grinded into dust Strange strength resideth in the soul that 's just It feels the power how 't commands the spright Of the low man vigorously finds it must Be independent of such feeble might Whose motions dare not 'pear before its awfull sight 14 But yet my Muse still take an higher flight Sing of Platonick Faith in the first Good That Faith that doth our souls to God unite So strongly tightly that the rapid floud Of this swift flux of things nor with foul mud Can stain nor strike us off from th' unity Wherein we stedfast stand unshak'd unmov'd Engrafted by a deep vitality The prop and stay of things is Gods benignity 15 Al 's is the rule of his Oeconomie No other cause the creature brought to light But the first Goods pregnant fecundity He to himself is perfect full delight He wanteth nought with his own beams bedight He glory has enough O blasphemy That envy gives to God or soure despight Harsh hearts that feigne in God a tyranny Under pretense t' encrease his sovereigne Majesty 16 When nothing can to Gods own self accrew Who 's infinitely happy sure the end Of this creation simply was to shew His flowing goodnesse which he doth out send Not for himself for nought can him amend But to his creature doth his good impart This infinite Good through all the world doth wend To fill with heavenly blisse each willing heart So the free Sunne doth ' light and ' liven every part 17 This is the measure of Gods providence The key of knowledge the first fair Idee The eye of truth the spring of living sense Whence sprout Gods secrets the sweet mystery Of lasting life eternall charity But you O bitter men and soure of spright Which brand Gods name with such foul infamy As though poore humane race he did or slight Or curiously view to do them some despight 18 And all to shew his mighty excellency His uncontrolled strength fond men areed Is 't not as great an act from misery To keep the feeble as his life to speed With fatall stroke The weak shak'd whisling reed Shows Boreas wondrous strong but ignorance And false conceit is the foul spirits meed Gods lovely life hath there no enterance Hence their fond thoughts for truth they vainly do advance 19 If God do all things simply at his pleasure Because he will and not because its good So that his actions shall have no set measure Is 't possible it should be understood What he intends I feel that he is lov'd Of my dear soul and know that I have born Much for his sake yet is it not hence prov'd That I shall live though I do sigh and mourn To find his face his creatures wish he 'll slight and scorn 02 When I breath out my utmost vitall breath And my dear spirit to my God commend Yet some foul feigne close lurking underneath My serious humble soul from me may rend So to the lower shades down we shall wend Though I in hearts simplicity expected A better doom sith I my steps did bend Toward the will of God and had detected Strong hope of lasting life but now I am rejected 21 Nor of well being nor subsistency Of our poore souls when they do hence depart Can any be assur'd if liberty We give to such odde thoughts that thus pervert The laws of God and rashly do assert That will rules God but Good rules not Gods will What ere from right love equity doth start For ought we know then God may act that ill Onely to show his might and his free mind fulfill 22 O belch of hell O horrid blasphemy That Heavens unblemish'd beauty thus dost stain And brand Gods nature with such infamy Can Wise Iust Good do ought that 's harsh or vain All what he doth is for the creatures gain Not seeking ought from us for his content What is a drop unto the Ocean main All he intends is our accomplishment His being is self-full self-joy'd self-excellent 23 He his fair beams through all has freely sent Purge but thy soul that thou mayst take them in With froward hypocrite he never went That finds pretexts to keep his darling sinne Through all the earth this spright takes pains to winne Unto it self such as be simply true And with malignant pride resist not him But strive to do what he for right doth shew So still a greater light he brings into their view 24 All lives in severall circumference Look up unto him and expect their food He opes his hand showrs down their sustinence So all things be yfild with their wish'd good All drink are satisfi'd from this free flood But circling life that yet unsettled is Grows straight as it is further still remov'd