affected if there were nothing to come whence she would not be able so sensibly to discover to her self her own Hypocrisie or sinceritie Lastly that loving adherence and affectionate cleaving to God by Faith and divine sense would be forestall'd by such undeniable evidence of Reason and Nature Which though it would very much gratifie the naturall man yet it would not prove so profitable to us as in things appertaining to God For seeing our most palpable evidence of the souls immortality is from an inward sense and this inward sense is kept alive the best by devotion and purity by freedome from worldly care and sorrow and the grosser pleasures of the body otherwise her ethereall vehicle will drink in so much of earthy and mortall dregs that the sense of the soul will be changed being outvoted as it were by the overswaying number of terrene particles which that ethereal nature hath so plentifully imbib'd and incorporated with she will become in a manner corporeall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Jamblichus speaks and in the extremity of this weaknesse and dotage will be easily drawn off to pronounce her self such as the body is dissolvable and mortall therefore it is better for us that we become doubtfull of our immortall condition when we stray from that virgin-purity and unspottednesse that we may withdraw our feet from these paths of death then that Demonstration and Infallibility should permit us to proceed so farre that our immortality would prove an heavy disadvantage But this is meant onely to them that are lovers of God and their own souls For they that are at enmity with him desire no such instructions but rather embrace all means of laying asleep that disquieting truth that they bear about with them so precious a charge as an immortall Spirit To the Reader REader sith it is the fashion To bestow some salutation I greet thee give free leave to look And nearly view my opened Book But see then that thine eyes be clear If ought thou wouldst discover there Expect from me no Teian strain No light wanton Lesbian vein Though well I wot the vulgar spright Such Harmony doth more strongly smite Silent Secesse wast Solitude Deep searching thoughts often renew'd Stiffe conflict 'gainst importunate vice That daily doth the Soul entice From her high throne of circuling light To plunge her in infernall Night Collection of the mind from stroke Of this worlds Magick that doth choke Her with foul smothering mists and stench And in Lethaean waves her drench A daily Death drad Agony Privation dry Sterility Who is well entred in those wayes Fitt'st man to read my lofty layes But whom lust wrath and fear controule Scarce know their body from their soul If any such chance hear my verse Dark numerous Nothings I rehearse To them measure out an idle sound In which no inward sense is found Thus sing I to cragg'd clifts and hils To sighing winds to murmuring rills To wastefull woods to empty groves Such things as my dear mind most loves But they heed not my heavenly passion Fast fixt on their own operation On chalky rocks hard by the Sea Safe guided by fair Cynthia I strike my silver-sounded lyre First struck my self by some strong fire And all the while her wavering ray Reflected from fluid glasse doth play On the white banks But all are deaf Vnto my Muse that is most lief To mine own self So they nor blame My pleasant notes nor praise the same Nor do thou Reader rashly brand My rhythmes 'fore thou them understand H. M. PSYCHOZOIA OR The first part of the Song of the SOUL Containing A Christiano-Platonicall display of LIFE By H. M. Master of Arts and Fellow of Christs Colledge in Cambridge Tot vitae gradus cognoscimus quot in nobismetipsis expedimus Mars Ficin CAMBRIDGE Printed by Roger Daniel Printer to the Universitie 1647. TO THE READER Upon the first Canto of PSYCHOZOIA THis first Canto as you may judge by the names therein was intended for a mere Platonicall description of Universall life or life that is omnipresent though not alike omnipresent As in Noahs Deluge the water that overflowed the earth was present in every part thereof but every part of the water was not in every part of the earth or all in every part so the low Spirit of the Universe though it go quite through the world yet it is not totally in every part of the world Else we should heare our Antipodes if they did but whisper Because our lower man is a part of the inferiour Spirit of the Universe Ahad Aeon and Psyche are all omnipresent in the World after the most perfect way that humane reason can conceive of For they are in the world all totally and at once every where This is the famous Platonicall Triad which though they that slight the Christian Trinity do take for a figment yet I think it is no contemptible argument that the Platonists the best and divinest of Philosophers and the Christians the best of all that do professe religion do both concur that there is a Trinity In what they differ I leave to be found out according to the safe direction of that infallible Rule of Faith the holy Word In the mean time I shall not be blamed by any thing but ignorance and malignity for being invited to sing of the second Unity of the Platonicall Triad in a Christian and Poeticall scheme that which the holy Scripture witnesseth of the second Person of the Christian Trinity As that his patrimony is the possession of the whole earth For if it be not all one with Christ according to his Divinity yet the Platonists placing him in the same order and giving him the like attributes with the Person of the Sonne in Christianity it is nothing harsh for me to take occasion from hence to sing a while the true Christian Autocalon whose beauty shall adorn the whole Earth in good time if we believe the Prophets For that hath not as yet happened For Christ is not where ever his Name is but as he is the Truth so will he be truely displayed upon the face of the whole Earth For God doth not fill the World with his Glory by words and sounds but by Spirit and Life and Reality Now this Eternall life I sing of even in the middest of Platonisme for I cannot conceal from whence I am viz. of Christ but yet acknowledging that God hath not left the Heathen Plato especially without witnesse of himself Whose doctrine might strike our adulterate Christian Professors with shame astonishment their lives falling so exceeding short of the better Heathen How far short are they then of that admirable and transcendent high mystery of true Christianisme To which Plato is a very good subservient Minister whose Philosophy I singing here in a full heat why may it not be free for me to break out into an higher strain and under it to touch upon some points of Christianity as well as
that one single Essence can perform many and various functions as doth the Soul that being one unfolds her self into varieties of operations Yet have the Platonists established their Triad upon no contemptible grounds which I will not be so tedious as here to relate but give the Reader leave to peruse Plotinus at his leisure And I must confesse that that mystery seems to me a thing of it self standing on its own Basis and to happen rather to agree with some Principles of Christianisme then to be drawn from the holy Scripture But the best is that the happinesse of man is not the Essence but the Influence of the Divinity and to be baptized in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost of more consequence then to read and understand all the curious and acute school-tracts of the Trinity For this may be permitted to the Divel that is the priviledge onely of the good and pious man Nor is it any wonder at all For be it so that the contemplation of these things is very sublime and subtile yet well I wot they are nothing satisfactory to the soul For the exile Theories of the Infinity of God and Trinity are but as it were the dry measuring and numbering of the Deity and profit as much to the soul devoid of charity as the Diametre of the Sunnes body or the remembrance of that trinall property in Lux Lumen and Calefaction can warm a man in a cold frosty night But if any man would be sufficiently initiated into these mysteries he must repair to the ever living Word of God that subtile and searching fire that will sift all the â—anities of dreaming Philosophers and burn up the vain â—maginations of false-Christians like stubble All this out of a tendernesse of mind being exceeding â—oth to give any man offence by my writings For though knowledge and theory be better then any thing but honesty and true piety yet it is not so good as that I should willingly offend my neighbour by it Thus much by way of preparation to the first Canto of this Poem I will now leave thee to thine own discresion and judgement Vpon the second Canto THis second Canto before we descend to particular lives exhibits to our apprehension by as fit a similitude as I could light upon the Universe as one simple uniform being from Ahad to Hyle no particular straitned being as yet being made no earth or any other Orb as yet kned together All homogeneall simple single pure pervious unknotted uncoacted nothing existing but those eight universall orders There God hath full command builds and destroyes what he lists That all our souls are free effluxes from his essence What follows is so plain that the Reader wants no direction Vpon the third Canto THere is no knot at all in this last Canto if men do not seek one I plainly and positively declare no opinion but shew the abuse of those opinions there touched crouding a number of enormities together that easily shroud themselves there where all sinfulnesse surely may easily get harbour if we be not yet well aware of the Devil that makes true opinions oftentimes serve for mischief Nothing else can be now expected for the easie and profitable understanding of this Poem but the interpretation of the names that frequently occurre in it Which I will interpret at the end of these Books as also the hard terms of the other Poems for their sakes whose real worth and understanding is many times equall with the best onely they have not fed of husks and shels as others have been forced to do the superficiary knowledge of tongues But it would be well that neither the Linguist would contemne the illiterate for his ignorance nor the ignorant condemn the learned for his knowledge For it is not unlearnednesse that God is so pleased withall or sillinesse and emptinesse of mind but singlenesse and simplicity of heart The Argument of PSYCHOZOIA Or The life of the Soul CANT I. This Song great Psyches parentage With her fourefold array And that mysterious marriage To thâ— Reader doth display 1 NO Ladies loves nor Knights brave martiall deeds Ywrapt in rolls of hid Antiquitie But th' inward Fountain and the unseen Seeds From whence are these and what so under eye Doth fall or is record in memorie Psyche I 'll sing Pfycheâ— from thee they sprong O life of Time and all Alterity The life of lives instill his nâ—ctar strong My soul t' inebriate while I sing Psyches song 2 But thou who e're thou art that hear'st this strain Or read'st these rythmes 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 glimpse of Plato's hid Philosophy 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 wexen wroth with inward choler brent Cause 't is no Buzard or discolour'd Pie 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 Egyptian Trismegist and th' antique roll Of Chaldee wisdome 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 Eternitie Sprung of himself or rather no wise sprong Father of lights and everlasting glee Who puts to silence every daring tongue And flies man's sight shrowding himself among His glorious rayes good Atove from whom came All good that Penia spies in thickest throng Of most desireables all 's from that same That same that Atove 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 fire their close-twist heart All chearing fire that nothing wont to burn That Atove lists to save and his good Art Is all to save that wiâ—l to him return That all to him return nought of him is forlorn 7 For what can be forlorn when his good hands Hold all in lise 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 disjoynts and makes the heart to quake To good the soul doth nearer reunite So ancient Atove hence all-joyning Ahad hight 8 This Ahad of himself the Aeon
was Don Pico took the preaching place A man of mighty power in his own See A man no bird as he did fondly seem to thee 68 Mn. Tell then Don Psittaco what Pico ment By his three bowings to the setting Sun And single obesance toward th' Orient What! were they postures of Religion If so why had those yellow flames but one The Eagle three That th' Eagle was his God It is said he a strong presumption Whom he first slightly in that holy sod After ador'd more fully with a triple nod 69 Certes quoth I such Majesty divine And seemly graces in the Eagle be That they the gentle heart may well incline To all respect and due civility But if that worship civill be said he Certes Don Pico can not well excuse Himself from fault of impious flattery His holy gestures streightway thus to use To mortall man redoubling thrice the bold abuse 70 But well observe said I the motion While he draws lowly back his demure bill Making it touch the mossie cushion His moving Karkas shrinketh nearer still Toward the sacred sod What then quoth he was it in Pico's mind That solemn service with four ducks to fill But one before the other three behind My duller wit said I the mystery cannot find 71 Ps But I can find it Superstition And flattery have made Don Pieo blind These interfare in fond confusion But both conspire to hold up his swoln mind In supercilious pride and wayes unkind For he doth dominere o're Psittacuse Dear Psittacuse when shalt thou once outwind Thy self from this sad yoke who brings the news Of Sions full release from scorn and foul abuse 72 O had we once the power in our hands How carefully the youth wee 'd catechise But bind Gods enemies in iron bands Such honour have his Sainrs and would devise Set forms of Truth on Discipline advise That unto both all men might needs conform Mn. But what if any tender heart denies Ps If he will his own fortunes overturn It cannot well be holp we must be uniform 73 Mn. Good reason too said I. Don Pico grave The self same doctrine preacheth as I hear But Reverend Psittaco let me freedome crave To ask one question Is' t because 't's so clear That who so shall dissent shall pay so dear Or will you in those things you do not know But be uncertain certain mischief bear To them that due assent cannot bestow It is in such said he that we for certain know 74 But how know you those things for certainty By Reason Scripture or the Spirit divine Or lastly by Churches Authority With that Don Psittaco cast up his eyen Brim ful of thoughts to solve this knot of mine But in the fall of his high-gazing sight He spide two on the rode he did divine To be of his acquaintance them we meet Forthwith Don Psittaco the strangers kindly greet 75 And he them both seemly salutes again The one on a lean fiery jade did fit And seem'd a wight of a right subtile brain Both cloth'd as black as jet But he was fit With a dry wall-nut shell to fence his wit Which like a quilted cap on 's head he wore Lin'd with whire taffity wherein were writ More trimly than the Iliads of yore The laws of Mood and Figureand many precepts more 76 All the nice questions of the School-men old And subtilties as thin as cobwebs bet Which he wore thinner in his thoughts yrold And his warm brains they say were closer set With sharp distinctions than a cushionet With pins and needles which he can shoot out Like angry Porcupine where e're they hit Certes a doughty Clerk and Champion stout He seem'd and well appointed against every doubt 77 The other rod on a fat resty jade That neighed loud His rider was not lean His black plump belly fairly outward swai'd And pressed somewhat hard on th' horses mane Most like methought to a Cathedrall Dean A man of prudence and great courtesie And wisely in the world he knew to glean His sweaty neck did shine right greasily Top heavy was his head with earthly policy 78 This wight Corvino Psittacus me told Was named and the other Graculo They both of his acquaintance were of old Though to near freindship now they did not owe. But yet in generalls agreed I trow For they all dearly hug dominion And love to hold mens consciences in awe Each standing stiff for his opinion In holy things against all contradiction 79 But most of all Corvin and Psittaco Prudentiall men and of a mighty reach Who through their wisdome sage th' events foreknow Of future things and confidently preach Unlesse there be a form which men must teach Of sound opinions each meaning his own But t' be left free to doubt and countâ—â—â—-speech Authority is lost our trade is gone Our Tyrian wares forsaken we alas shall mone 80 Or at the best our life will bitter be For we must toyle to make our doctrine good Which will empart the firsh and weak the knee Our mâ—nd cannot attend our trencher-food Nor be let loose 〈◊〉 sue the worldly good All 's our dear wives poore wenches they alone Mustly long part of night when we withstood By scrupulous wits must watch to nights high Noon Till all our members grow as cold as any stone 81 Heaps of such inconveniences arise From Conscience-freedome Christian liberty Beside our office all men will despise Unlesse our lives gain us Autority Which in good sooth a harder task will be Dear brethren sacred souls of Behiron Help help as you desire to liven free To ease to wealth to honour and renown And sway th' affrighted world with your disguized frown 82 This is the Genius of Corvino sage And Psittaco falls little short in wit Though short he fall of old Corvino's age His steppings with the other footsteps fit And heavens bright eye it will aware of it But now me lists few passages to show Amongst us foure when we together met Occasion'd first by hardy Psittaco Who Corvin did accost and nutshell Graculo 83 Brethren said he and held by holy belt Corvino grave ne did his hands abhor't When he the black filk rope soft fimbling felt And with his fingers milked evermore The hanging frienge one thing perplexeth sore My reason weak and puzled thoughts said he Tell then ye learnâ—â— Clerks which of these foure To weet from Scripture Church authority Gods Spirit or mans Reason is Faiths Certainty 84 For well I wot our selves must fully assent To points of Faith we rigidly obtrude On others else there is no punishment Due to gainsayers Corvin here indewd With singular gravity this point pursu'd Saying that all belief is solv'd at last Into the Church ne may the people rude Nor learned wit her honour dare to blast Nor scrupulous thoughts nor doubtfull queres out to cast 85 Strait Graculo with eyes as fierce as Ferrit Reply'd If all mens faith resolved be Into each Church all
nations shall inherit For ever their Ancestours Idolatry An Indian ever shall an Indian be A Turk a Turk To this Corvin anon I give not this infallibility To every Church but onely to our own Full witnesse to her self of all the truths she 'll own 86 Gr. That then is truth what she will say is true But not unlesse her the true Church thou hold How knowst thou then her such good Corvin shew Friend Graculo in talk we be too bold Let 's go I fear my self and horse take cold But t' answer to that question 'fore we go The Church is true as she her self me told A goodly answer said Don Graculo You dispute in a Circle as all Logicians know 87 Here Psittaco could not but inly smile To see how Graculo Corvin did orecrow And fair replying with demeanance mild The truth said he the Scriptures onely show Streight nimble Graculus But who can know The sense of Scripture without reason sound The Scripture is both key and treasure too It opes it self so said that Clerk profound This place with that compar'd This is the strongest ground 88 Gr But what with judgement doth them both compare Is' t reason or unreasonablenesse I pray To which grave Psittacus you so subtill are I list not with such cunning wits to play Here I stept in and thus began to say Right worthy Clerks for so you be I ween Your queint discourse your breedings doth bewray Long time you have at learned Athens been And all the dainty tricks of Art and Science seen 89 If me a stranger wight it may be beseem But homely bred as yet unripe in years Who conscious of his weaknesses doth deem Himself unfit to speak among his peers Much more unfit for your judicious ears Whom Age and Arts do equally adorn And solemne habit no small semblance bears Of highest knowledge might I be but born A word or two to speak now would I take my turn 90 Say on said Psittaco There 's a third said I Nor reason nor unreasonablenesse hight Here Graccus The disjunction you deny Then I There is a third ycleep'd Gods spright Nor reason nor unreasonablenesse hight Corvino straight foam'd like his champing jade And said I was a very silly wight And how through melancholy I was mad And unto private spirits all holy truth betray'd 91 But I nould with like fury him invade But mildly as I mought made this reply Gods Spirit is no private empty shade But that great Ghost that fills both earth and sky And through the boundlesse Universe dothly Shining through purged hearts and simple minds When doubling clouds of thick hypocrisie Be blown away with strongly brushing winds Who first this tempest feels the Sun he after finds 92 Thus wise and godly men I hear to teach And know no hurt this doctrine to believe Certes it much occasion doth reach To leave the world and holily to live All due observance to Gods laws to give With care and diligence to maken pure Those vessels that this heavenly dew receive But most in point of faith sleep too secure And want this bait their souls to goodnesse to allure 93 For they believen as the Church believes Never expecting any other light And hence it is each one so loosely lives Hopelesse of help from that internall spright Enough said Graculo Corvino's right Let 's hear dispute in figure and in mood And stifly with smart syllogismes fight That what thou wouldst may wel be understood But now thou rovest out and rav'st as thou wert wood 94 Reason I say all Scripture sense must judge Do thou one reason ' gainst this truth produce Reason said I in humane things may drudge But in divine thy soul it may seduce Gr. Prove that Mn. I prove it thus For reasons use Back'd with advantage of all sciences Of Arts of tongues cannot such light transfuse But that most learned men do think amisse In highest points divided as well you know I wisse 95 Here Graculo learing up with one eye View'd the broad Heavens long resting in a pause And all the while he held his neck awry Like listning daw turning his nimble nose At last these words his silent tongue did loose What is this spirit say what 's this spirit man Who has it answer'd I he onely knows 'T is the hid Manna and the graven stone He canteth said Corvine come Grac let 's be gone 96 But Grac stayd still this question to move Doth not said he reason to us descry What things soever reasonable prove Not so For the whole world that ope doth lie Unto our sight not reason but our eye Discovers first but upon that fair view Our reason takes occasion to trie Her proper skill and curiously pursue The Art and sweet contrivance Heaven and Earth do shew 97 There 's no man colour smels or sees a sound Nor sucks the labour of the hâ—â—y-bee With 's hungry lugs nor binds a gaping wound With 's slippery ey-balls Every feculty And object have their due Analogy Nor can reach further than it 's proper sphear Who divine sense by reason would descry Unto the Sun-shine listons with his ear So plain this truth to me Don Graco doth appear 98 How then said Graco is the spirit known If not by reason To this I replyde Onely the spirit can the spirit own But this said he is back again to slide And in an idle Circle round to ride Why so said I Is not light seen by light Streight Graculo did skilfully divide All knowledge into sense and reason right Be 't so said I Don Graco what 's this reasons might 99 If then said he the spirit may not be Right reason surely we must deem it sense Yes sense it is this was my short reply Sense upon which holy Intelligence And heavenly Reason and comely Prudence O beauteous branches of that root divine Do springen up through inly experience Of Gods hid wayes as he doth ope the ey'n Of our dark souls and in our hearts his light enshrine 100 Here Graculus did seem exceeding glad On any terms to hear but reason nam'd And with great joy and jollity he bad A dew to me as if that he had gain'd The victory Besides Corvino blam'd His too long stay Wherefore he forward goes Now more confirm'd his Nutshell-cap contain'd What ever any living mortall knows Ne longer would he stay this sweet conceit to loose 101 Thus Psittaco and I alone were left In sober silence holding on our way His musing skull poor man was well nigh cleft By strong distracting thoughts drove either way Whom pittying I thus began to say Dear Psittaco what anxious thoughts oppresse Thy carefull heart and musing mind dismay I am perplexed much I must confesse Said he and thou art authour of my heavinesse 102 My self Corvino's Church-Autority No certain ground of holy truth do deem And Scripture the next ground alledg'd by me By Graco was confuted well I ween But thou as