Selected quad for the lemma: mind_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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ID |
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Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
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A00034
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Susanna: or, the arraignment of the two vniust elders
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Aylett, Robert, 1583-1655?
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1622
(1622)
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STC 1003; ESTC S100330
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23,050
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50
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seeing this foule sinne doth shrowd Showres fall from heau'n as if the stars did mourne And all the birds their songs to murmurs turne The trees small drops like teares about do dasâ— And all the vnder shrubs with weeping wash The shrubs the hearbs and all make lamentation To see this Dame so neere her desolation And eu'n my Muse as I this story write Laments and mournes to see her piteous plight At last â—ore grieu'd that humane eye beholds Her naked body she her mind vnfolds My Lords for loue of God this sinne forbeare If not for loue nor honour yet for feare When you condemne another for this crime You iudge your selues T is now a fitter time To fast and pray in our captiuity Than thus to double our iniquity If I like Eue consent vnto your mind I sure with her a like reward shall find And if I doe your wickednes withstand Yet know I not how to escape your hand But I all mortall deaths will rather dy Than in Gods sight commit adultery Who doth with lust her laser lims enroule Defiles her body and doth damme her soule Haue I not promis'd before God and you To be vnto my husband iust and true And must not all by lawes iudiciall dye Without exception for adultery Oh Iudges graue but bridle yet your lust And once a womans Secrecy entrust That neuer will bewray this offerd shame For honour of our nation and your name But howsoeuer you my flesh torment My heart to wickednesse shall not consent A guilty conscience is a soarer wound Than tortures all that Tyrants out haue found Dame said the Iudge art thou yet so vnwise Thou knowst not Polititians did deuise Religion onely to represse the base And hold the Noble in the peoples grace Dost feare God should vs in this action see This Lawyers gowne shall couer thee and me Vnder which oft to Heau'n hath past vnseene Farre greater Trespasses then this I weene Lust is a Sport if closely carried And from all fleshly eyes close couered The Troth which to your husband you did plight Was but for ceremony in our Sight And as for our iudiciall Laws offence Iudges haue power therewith to dispence Your selfe and honour vnto vs entrust And you shall find vs faithfull true and iust Great is the honour of an Elders name Then who shall dare or thee or vs defame And for your conscience now so foolish tender Custome like ours will strong and valiant render Wee le not torment your flesh but it delight Come Madame you must try an Elders might Then like fowle Beare that greedy of his pray His filthy Paw on milke-white Lamb doth lay So he by force would bring her to his Lust. But she that in th' Almightie put her trust Needes no Stilletto now for to defend Her honour but loud cries to heau'n doth send Surest defence that women haue to cry To saue them from Lusts raging villany You females-masculine that doe pretend You weapons weare your honours to defend If in the Court or City villany Should be attempted 'gainst your chastity See here this naked woman all alone Defends her honour hauing two to one Her modest Lookes were late her sure defence 'Gainst base attempts now cries 'gainst violence Oh modell of a chaste and constant Dame The world all chaste ones hence Susannas name Eue tempted was and by temptation fell Faire Thamar forced was against her will Sarah was tane away but neuer tride Shames Feare made Lucrece yeild whereof she dide But Iuda's daughter naked all alone Here ouercomes her Tempters two to one But one of them ah â—uddainely doth run To the fore-gate which he hath sone vndone And comming backe both 'gainst the woman cry Stop stop the adulterour they both must dye The Seruants much affrighted with the noise And knowing well theâ— heard their Ladies voice Rushing in at the back-dore found their Dame Accused by the Elders to their shame Vile woman cride the one of them fie fie Is this thy modest holy Puritie Thy Prayer Fasting Almes and Meditation Sabboths and New-moones holy obseruation With which thou seekst thy wickednesse to couer God now will thy Hypocrisie discouer Thy piteous lookes and faind strict Conscience Shall be no Subterfuge for foule offence Was this the cause thou forth thy maids didst send More closely with a young man to offend We as true witnesses doe testifie That thou art taken in Adulterie Thy Minion we doe hope to catch ere long Who brake from vs because he was too strong For testimony open see the doore Through which he scap't that was close spard before And see her naked as with him she lay Lo here for heate her garments laid away The Seruants all were grieu'd and much asham'd To heare their Dame thus by the Elders blam'd For enuious Fame durst neuer till that day Least Spot or Blemish on Susanna lay The end of the second Booke THE THIRD BOOKE OF SVSANNA True Louers greeting willinger to dye Than suspect mutuall integritie An old-man into talke of Susan fals And her describes from birth to nuptials She is brought forth arraign'd condemn'd to dye God her deliuers soone as she doth cry NOw clouds black curtaines vnder Heau'n were spread And Morne was all in Scarlet manteled For chaste Aurora put on this array To shew the horrour of this bloudy day When Elders from their Beds of Downe arise Who nought but mischiefe all the night deuise And send their Serieants out to summon all The people to assemble at the Hall Their Loue was turned now to Indignation Their Lust to mischieuous Imagination And Hostile-like since they may not enioy Her Fort by parley seeke it to destroy But here chaste Susan doth my Muse inuite To tell how with her Lord she spent that night Who hearing in his study at his Booke A wondrous noise doth from his window looke But when he thence but little could discerne For shade of trees comes downe the Truth to learne As whâ—n great Ebers Sonne to saue his life Her sister call'd who was indeede his wife Which made the King of Gerar for her send And for his owne wife Sarah apprehend Was vext with Feare Doubts Loue and Iealousie For losse of Honour and the Chastitie Of mother of the faithfull who for cleaâ—e Both minde and body neuer yet had peere But when the King conuai'd her home againe And shee affirm'd her selfe without all staine Doth vnto Heau'n both Heart and hands aduance And praisd the Lord for her deliuerance And though foule Fame her for this shame reproue He her more sure and constantly doth loue Eu'n so Ioachim was at first afraid His wife was vsed as the Elders said But waying well her Faith and Constancie Soone blames his foolish Feare and Iealousie And turneth all his doubts and bitter passion To tender Loue teares pitty and compassion And her embracing thus began My Deare Forbeare to weepe And let mee from thee heare The depth of this profound iniquitie
blessing see There might they please smell touch eate taste and sight With flowers fruits and musiques sweete delight For through the same a pure streame murmured To which the Birds sweete trebles warbeled The winds amongst the trees a Base did sound And flowers all enamelled the ground But lo the winds birds streames and all were mute At nimble touch of Susans trembling Lute Brooke staid Birds ceast and Aire calme became To heare the heau'nly musique of this Dame But most it doth her husbands heart reioyce To heare her Lute outwarbled by her voice Which seem'd a quire of Angels which did praise The King of heau'n in Dauids holy laies So haue I often heard in forrest faire When Spring begins with calme and gentle aire Groaues citizens which thither doe resort Oft sing by turnes oft â—oyne in one consort Till Philomele to welcome Phoebes light Hauing their musique heard with due delight Sends from her brest such lute-like warbeling The other Birds are all asham'd to sing And listening in one straine most sweete and cleare Doe all their changes in one Dittic heare And so haue I often seene the shepheard swaines Wooing the shepheardesses on the plaines Challenge their mates by single pipe and voice And ioyne in consort with harmonious noise That all the shepheards dance to heare them sing And forrests all with ioy aloud doe ring Till Phillis with one stroake of warbâ—ing Lute The shepheards pipes and voices all makes mute Yea Collin Clout doth breake his pipe for shame To heare the heauenly ditties of his Dame Thus oft she solaced for recreation But most alone for holy meditation She in her orchyard walketh euery day To reade the Scriptures meditate and pray Where by sublime pure heauenly contemplation With God and Angels she hath conueâ—sation And by true Faith and her spirituall eye As present doth the day of Christ descry This Di'mond of invaluable prize Was soone discern'd by Elders lustfull eyes Lust thâ—t fierce Fire which first in eyes conceiues And raging enters in and neuer leaues Till all the body it hath set on fire And â—eard the soule with wicked strange desire Lâ—ke lightning sent from Heau'n for cursed sinne Which first on tops of Towers doth begin Then fires the roofe thence falls downe to the hall And is not quench't tiâ—l it consumeth all Sweet kindly heate when youth kept in loues bounds A wife not womankind for scope propounds But eu'n a sparke of hell when it doth rage Amongst the Ancient politique and Sage Gâ—â—y heads incontinent when they were young As they grow weake in limbs in lust grow strong This fire so fierce doth in the Elders burne It all their mirth to heauinesse doth turne Their cast downe eyes dare not behold the sight Of Heau'n nor thinke on God that iudgeth right Deepe was indeede Selfe-guilty conscience wound But they more violent Lusts fury found Each his owne fire but not his fellowes knew Not durst one it vnto another shew Asham'd their filthy lust to her to tell Yet both to quench their flames would burne in hel Both wickedly doe proâ—ect day and night That at the least they may enioy her sight To haue their will on her both were full faine But saw no meanes their longings to obtaine As Satan when he would vs worke despite Transformes him to an Angell of the Light Lest if we should behold his proper Shape Forearmd forewarnd we might his malice scape So these two Carles in Susans presence sate As if they all on Iustice meditate And when they chanc'd with Ioachim to dine Their table-talke was of all things diuine Of a sound conscience and equity Wiues Loyalty and virgins chastity Thus hoping by their queint Hypocrisie To make a way to foule Adultery One day from Iudgement seate when both did rise And either turned home as was their guise Both streight returned and together mette With hope the sight of her alone to gett Where either of the other doth enquire The cause of their so suddaine backe retire Brother said then the Senior in degree What is the cause I thee so heauy see Doth any Ahab hold from thee some ground That doth vpon thy house or viâ—eyard bound Which thou desir'st for profite or delight Tell me and he shall know a iudges might Or doth there any Mardochee deny To doe obeisance to thy Seignury Hast thou receiued wrong of any wight And wouldst againe with sweete reuenge requite Or tell mee some faire Dame doest thou not loue Whose Chastity thou art afraid to prooue What euer be thy griefe now tell it me And vse my power as I haue vsed thee What doe we both like Kings o're Iudah raigne And shall ought crosse our pleasure or our gaine No no wee 'le breake or make them all obay We rule not if our subiects vs gainesay My Lord replide the puny Iudge againe T is not Reuenge Ambition Pleasure Gaine That so afflict my body and my mind T is Loue of Faire but shame there stopt his wind The word Susanna raine he would haue said But was of man though not of God afraid As two old theeues that haue companions bin Oft times in Murther Theft and fowler Sinne Hâ—uing a Booty in one place espide But neither others mind thereto descride At diuers windowes slipping in by night Into one Hall which doth both much affâ—ight One for the owner first the other taking And each a true man for a Theefe mistaking Till by some secret markes each doth espy His fellow-theefe there met vnwillingly Wherewith both glad hope easelier to obtaine Their purpose and be Sharers in the gaine Eâ—'n so these Elders who by might and fraud Had often ioind in iudgement to defraud The fatherlesse and widowes of their right And to oppresse the weaker by their might First feard one by the other to be spide But after they had both their lusts descride Ioy in their hap and easelier hope to get And share the Booty for which there they met Thrice noble Mate the elder Iudge replide I see one fire in both our hearts doth bide Which smothered smoaking inwardly will buâ—ne But blowne and stird to purest flames will turne I by thy meeting here doe surely ghesse It is one Dame doth both our hearts possesse For I haue oft beheld thee sixe thine eye Vpon her beauty as she passed by And therewith heard thee â—nly sigh and groane As thou didst wish to be with her alone But since sweete Cupid smites both with one Dart Let vs not herein one another thwart If discord our desires shall divide Our powre and empire can not long abide Let name of Rivall which breedes mortall hate In youth in age our loues conglutinate Her beauty that than Sunne doth clearer shine Hath heate ynough to warme mine heart and thine And both our longings fully satisfie Let 's share in loues as in commodity As strongest castle which doth fortifie It selfe t' endure the Siege of enemy By force vnited's â—ooner ouercome Than if