they kicke As Beasts they were and wondrous ill aduiz'd Band be these Bacchus feasts which oft they make Which makes Reason sleepe and Riot keepes awake Can Meate and Drinke which pleaseth but the Taste A Sence from th Understanding most remote Which pleasure for so small a while doth last As passing but two inches of the throte Make men their sames and Soules away to cast GOD shield that famous Men so much should dote Let neuer Men of Minde their Mindes defile With such a vice more vile then Vice most vile O what a hell of Minde good Mindes endures When they in minde behold such Men of Minde Whose Soules are deckt with intellectiue pow're Imploy the same repugnant to their kind To find out lothsome leakage which procures Them witts to loose where they such Leakage finde Can any griefe be greater then to see A man that men commands a beast to be Conuerting martiall sports that were in vse To winie vnaccustom'd Combates O That valiant men should dare men to carouse And count them cowards that will not doe so For now it is become a great abuse Healthes to refuse If legges can stand or goe But out vpon such Combatts and such game Whereas the victors glory is their shame The Spirit of Man whose temper is diuine And made to mount vnto the highest height Should not to such Soule-smillings base decline But with hir nimble wings should take her flight Where she might druncke be made with Angels wine To make her slumber in diuine delight But if his Sprite ascend when wine descends The Spirite of Wine and not his Sprite ascends Then how prodigious is it when the Mind That should be conuersant with heau'nly Sweetes To swash of Swine should Sow-like be inclind That swallowes vp what ere their rauine meetes And in strong drinke deuouring pleasure finde Till they lie durt-deuoured in the Streetes But let great men whose sp'rites are most diuine This most base beastlinesse to Beasts assigne For if the Head replenisht be with Wit No roome remaines for Wine there to reside For if the Wine thrusts in it out thrusts it Much Wine and Wit together cannot bide And when the Hart where the Affections sit With wine's inflam'd th' Affects soone shrinke aside And like enraged Furies doe confound Both Grace and Nature Wit and Iudgement sound For when the Braines are full of winie fumes The Soule with Aegypts darkenesse is inclosde And what the Braine receiues the Hart assumes For as the one the other is disposde The Powres of both Wine vtterly consumes If Wine against their Powers be opposde So the Soules Faculties and her Affects Are brought to nought by Wines too bad effects For if the Soule at best and best aduizd Be prompt Opinion still to chop and change What will shee doe when she with Wine 's baptizd How will she wander then where will she range Where nay where not she being so disguizd If from herselfe herselfe she may estrange Then eu'ry way shee le runne saue that is right Because her eie of Iudgement wanteth sight For Reas'n th' effect of the Intelligence Winde-driu'n from the Sterne that rules the Minde What shall direct the faculties of Sense In their right course but bolde affections blind Which headlong runnes into all foule offence As they are mooued by their corrupt kind For eu'ry Sensuall man in sensuall sort Of Sensualitie makes but a sport Then Reas'n must rule or Sense will runne awry Vnruely Sense by kinde is so o'rethwart Yet Reason hath a two-folde property And in her practise vseth double Art For now by Consequence she Truth doth try Then heere and there for Truth her trialls start And starting so she balkes Truths euidence Then right she doomes not but by Consequence Sharpe Wits wil pierce hard Propositions strait Quicke Wittes by sharp coniecture Truth attaines Great Wits at once conclude it in Conceit Slowe and yet sure wittes find it out with paines And all those wittes on Wisedome still doe waite To serue her in the Skonce that bounds the braines Whose Powre she still imployes t' augment her might And doomes of their indeuors most vpright For shee within the Soule is Queene of Queenes As God vnto the Soule is King of Kings Th'internall Senses are Queenes yet but meanes Wherewith her businesse to effect she brings On whome as on her Minions still she leaner With greater ease to doe vneasie things But for her selfe she is in Natures due Soules Mind Mindes Soule and Gods sole Image true Or rather Gods Soules sole Character right In whose breast it had haue and shall haue euer True restlesse rest whose word true Wisedome hight That past beginnings liu'd and dieth neuer Did on our flesh which dide in painefull plight That none might from our Soules that Wisedome seuer For wein that and that in vs doth bide By vnchang'd interchange on either side The Body in the Elements is cloz'd The Bloud within the Body is confind The Spirits within the Bloud the Soule 's dispoz'd Within the Spirites which Soule includes the Minde The Vnderstanding in the Minde 's repoz'd And God in th' Understanding rest doth find So this Worlde 's made for Man Man for the Soule Soule for the Mind the Minde for God her Gole How be 't it is too true she was betray'd When Sinne perswaded hir shee should be eu'n With Wisdome infinite and so assay'de To match that Pow're that all hir pow'r had giu'n Then for she was ingrate and so vnstay'd She was bereft much virtue though forgiu'n That now she see'th Truth but through a vaile So in discerning Truth she oft doth faile For as the Soule so is her faculties The Spring beeing choak'd the streame cannot be strong They see not wel that haue but sand-blind eyes Nor is that firme that frailty hath among So humane Wisdome be it ne're so wise Oft goeth right but ofter runneth wrong Whose restlesse trauells are but Truth to meete And yet though oft at hand shee cannot see t. For how can humane Wisdome chuse but erre When all hir science comes from th' outward Sences Which oft misse apprehend and misse referre And so betrayes our best intelligences Then Iudgement needs must fayle that doth conferre False Antecedents with false References For what those Sences constantly affirme The Iudgement doth as constantly confirme But yet in cases of our constant faith Wee Faith beleeue and giue our Sence the lie Nay whatsoe're our humane reason saith If it our faith gainesay we it deny On highest heights Faith hir foundation laith Which neuer can be seene of mortall eye For if Faith say a Maid may be a Mother Though Sence gainesay it wee beleeue the other If Faith affirme that God a man may bee A mortall man and liue and die with paine We it belieue though how we cannot see For heere strong Faith doth headstrong Reas'n restraine And with the truth compells hir to agree Lest she should ouer-runne hir selfe in vaine So
Feeding Growing and Ingendering Which subdiuided are by Natures Artes Into sixe Faculties with them working And common to them all in eu'ry thing The first and second with the third and fourth Attracts retaines concocts and distributes The fift and sixt encorp'rates and puts forth What is supersluous And thus executes Their pow'res as one though sextiplied in sutes The foode the Mouth prepareth for the Maw The Maw forthwith prepares it for the Liuer From whence a sanguine tincture it doth draw And then vnto the Hart doth it deliuer Who in the nerues and veines it soone doth seuer Then through those channels of the bloud it flowes Through all the limbes to giue them nourishment And by those condites to the Braine it goes Whereas the Soule doth hold her Parliment To giue Lawes for the Bodies gouernement Where if the foode be fine and delicate It turnes to bloud that in the Braine doth breede Those Spirites fine that doe refine the pate And crowne the same with glory for its meede For Glory Spirites refined dooth succeede The like is found betweene th'internall Senses And those same Powres and virtues Animall First must a Powre receiue the Images That form'd are in the Senses corporall Which Powre is calld the powre Fantasticall This is the Soules eye seeing all vnseene Which viewes those Senses obiects being absent And of th'internall Senses is the meane They to the Memorie the same present Who safely keepes that which to her is sent Thus then the Fantasie attracts we see The Memorie retaines and Reas'on digest Iudgement distributes all in their degree Experience then incorporates the best And Wisedome by hir powre expells the rest Now for these Senses Powres and Faculties Haue all their Organs seated in the Braine Order requires that we particularize What cauernes in the scull the same containe And in what manner they doe there remaine Which Caues or Cells distinguisht are with skinne Or subtill Membranes and so being diuided The Head is like a House that is within Too many rowmes or chambers subdiuided Vaulted with Bone and with Bone likewise sided The skinne that rafters or else lines the roofe Is hard for durance and thicke to enwall Which is the skinne of Skinnes a skinne of proofe That Dura mater loe the Latines call For it enwombes the rest from dangers all The vse whereof is to preserue the Braine When it doth moue from hardnesse of the Scull For discreete Nature maketh nought in vaine Whose tender prouidence of care is full With Meanes she doth Extreames together pull It likewise serues to giue a passage free For all the Veines the Braines to feede and guide Whereby the vitall spirites may gouern'd be And likewise into partes the Braine diuide Before behind on this and on that side Besides this Membrane there is yet another More fine and subtill wou'n of many vaines Hight Piamater or the godly Mother Which in her wombe doth subdiuide the Braines And them in seu'rall secret Celles containes Wherein the Soule doth vse hir chiefest Pow'res Namely the Animall and Rationall Therefore all braines of Beasts are lesse then ours Ours fill their Cells and well-neere Scull and all Which doe refine the Spirits Animall Those Spirits that thus the Braynes repurifie Procures the Bodyes vnconceiued blisse And serues as Organs to Reas'ns faculty Which in the Soule the highest virtue is That hir corrects if she directs amisse Foure Ventricles or concaues close conioyn'd In substance of the Braine Dame Nature seates With mutuall passages which are assign'd For all the Spirites egresse which Sense creates For Nature all to all communicates Those Cells wherein this witty work 's begun Are made by right more rowmsome then the rest Of those to which the Spirites well-wrought do runne For there they purge their bad and keepe their best For the last Uentricles which are the least Two of the foremost then like Cressents twaine Plac'd on each side the Head are most compleate The third's in middle Region of the Braine Where Reason rules and holdes hir royall Seate The Fourth's behinde where Memorie is greate The Brayn-presse into which the Bloud is prest That giues the Braines their vitall nutriment Is compast with those concaues with the rest By which the Soule effecteth hir intent As with hir worke-performing Instrument Likewise an Organ made most curiously Like little Wheeles together close connext Is plac'd as Portall of the Memory To let the Spirits swift passage lest perplext It might bee by their throng and shrowdly vext From the midde Uentricle vnto the last A pipe doth passe as Chariot of the Sp'rites There to and fro they come and go in hast In mutuall wise as Nature them incites To do their duties and performe their rites In this part of the Brayne the Brayn-wrights skill And wisdome infinite do most appeare And here to Man hee shewes his great good will For he imprints his owne Character there Wherein his diuine Nature shineth cleere Which wee the more perspicuously should see If we could see to which internall Sence Each of these parts pertayne or Vessells bee Wherein the Soule most shews hir excellence But this surmounts the Mindes intelligence For such a Mystrie is embozomed In Wisdoms Breast chest of such Secrets hie Which is with obscure clouds invironed That it 's concealed from the Eagles eye Much more from Man that seeth but here by Thus hauing slightly toucht this tender parte For I could not but touch it thus at least Because the Soule therewith performes hir Arte It now remaines to prosecute the rest Of what my Muse touching the Minde exprest Imagination Fancie Common-sence In nature brooketh oddes or vnion Some makes them one and some makes difference But wee will vse them with distinction With sence to shunne the Sence confusion The Common-sence whose locall scituation The Fore-head holdeth hath that name assign'd Because it first takes common information Of all the outward Sences in their kinde Of inward Sences this is first I finde Ordain'd to sort and seuer eu'ry thing According to its nature properly Which th' outward Sences to this Sence doe bring And then transmitteth it successiuely To each more inward Sences faculty The outward Sences then cannot discerne What they doe apprehend but by this Sence Of which those Sences all their science learne And vnto which their skill haue reference As it referres all to th' Intelligence Making a through-fare of the Fantacie Which doth so forme reforme and it deformes As pleaseth hir fantasticke faculty Not pleas'd with what the common Sence informes But in the Minde makes calmes or stirreth Stormes This Pow'r is pow'refull yet is most vnstaid Shee resteth not though Sleepe the Corpes arrest She doates and dreames and makes the Minde afraide With visions vaine wherewith she is opprest And from things likely things vnlikely wrest Shee is the Ape of Nature which can doe By imitation what she doth indeed And if shee haue hir Patterns adde thereto A thousand toyes which in hir
the Will proceedes And with that Good the Will it freely feeds Yet lest the Soule beholding hir faire forme Aboue hirselfe should of hirselfe aspire He giues vs proofe he can hir parts deforme That form'd hir parts if pride prouoke his ire Then lets hee Fiends the Fantacie enorme VVith strong delusions and with passions dire Herehence it is that some suppose they are Stone dead some all Nose some more brittle ware Some hauing this parte perfect are defected In the powre rationall the Soules sentinell That is with doting dulnesse so infected As what they say or do they wot not well Yet is their Memory right well affected And all their other Faculties excell So Sicknesse some Mens Memory vnframes That they forget their country friends and names Some others not in parte but wholy loose The vse of all the Sences of their soule Because they did their faculties abuse Those beeing franticke Reason with Rage controule And worse then beasts they liue and cannot chuse The Good from Bad ne yet the Faire from Fowle But like infernall Furies fare they than Iniurious to themselues to God and Man Thus may these Powers perish all or parte VVhen that almighty Powre his grace withdrawes Then let high Spirits retaine a lowly hart That may obedient be to Reasons Lawes For ill successe proceeds from worse desart And good effects proceeds from no ill cause If thy Mindes eyes see more then such eyes can Thanke God therefore yet thinke thy selfe a man For if thy thoughts flie higher then that pitch And Luciferian pride thy Minde inflate Thou mayst with him fall hedlong in the ditch And runne into Gods vnreuoked hate Then will the Fiend so much thy Mind bewitch That thoushalt be possesst in endlesse date VVith his strong Legions Then let Reason raine Thy head-strong Will and thy high thoughts restraine Now hauing seene how each internal Sence Contained is in cauernes of the Braine And how their works haue mutuall reference That so they may their common good maintaine Let vs with Eagles eyes without offence Transview the obscure things that do remaine For Mans aye-searching Sp'rite with toil 's opprest Til it haue found that Good that giues it rest Yet this breeds bate twixt Reas'n and Fantacie For Fantacie beeing neere the outward Sences Allures the Soule to loue things bodily But Reason mounts to higher Excellences And mooues the spirit her nimble wings to trie In pursuite of diuine Intelligences Who in the iawes of Fantasie doth set A Snaffle to o're-rule her wilde coruet And all this vigor to the Spirite is giu'n To flie with restlesse wings of Contemplation Vnto that Powre which in the highest Heau'n Makes his no powre-impeaching Habitation Of which Powre if this Powre be quite bereau'n Her dignitie incurreth degradation For as nought is more rare in Man then Spright So nought but rarest things should it delight For it beseemes not that high Maiestic To Man his creature lower to descend Then Man by force of his Mindes Ingeny Is able to him easly to ascend That makes him not appeare to Mans weake eie Because his Reason can him apprehend If Reason then by vse be cleere and bright She may see him vnseene by her owne light For by our Reason and Intelligence We know him from which knowledge Loue doth slowe For we may loue that we see not by Sense But cannot loue the thing we doe not know Our Soules we loue and loue the place from whence Our Soules first came though Sense them cannot show So that high Powre though our Sense cannot show him Yet may we loue because our Reasons know him For can it be Mans Soule should be endow'd With Understanding Reason Will and Wit To whose high powre the highest Powre hath bow'd His goodnesse to be conuersant with it But that the Soule is therewithall allow'd On sempiternall Thrones with him to sit If so what can be worth the Soules discourse But that same Minde that gaue the Soule such force Let Beasts whose soules are meerely Sensitiue Whose Beeing ceaseth with their Bodies beeing Let those with Tooth and Naile striue here to liue Because they die for euer with their dying To them no other Soules did Nature giue But such as to this life was most agreeing But sith Mens soules of God Characters bee With nothing but with God they should agree Which Soules without their corp'rall Instruments By vertue of their intellectiue powres Within themselues can act some good intents Though not expresse them to this sence of ours Who are sometimes rapt vp with rauishments As parted from the Body certaine howres Wherein they exercise their virtue so That more then erst they knew they doe and kno Wherein the Vnderstanding and the Will Wherewith the Soule are sumptuously set forth Are most imploi'd whose functions are to fill The Soules with Treasures of the rarest worth Which th' Intellect to Will presenteth still And to the loue thereof the will allur'th For Will will nothing entertaine in loue But what the Vnderstanding doth approue And what it doth approue as erst was said It sends to Memories safe custodie So then the powres that most the Soule do aide Is Understanding Will and Memorie Which if by Error they bee not betraid They will the Soules affects so fortifie That shee in spight of all the Pow'res belowe Shall giue hir foes a glorious ouerthrowe Yet as the Sunne to vs imparts his light Now more now lesse as it is cleare or clouded So fares it with our Vnderstandings sight That 's darke as hell if it with Sinne be shrowded Or if that Earthly things inclose it quight VVherewith the Soule may be so ouer-crowded That she may faint and finally may fall To vtter darkenesse hir foe Capitall Besides the Sodies state and constitution May much auaile or disaduantage it Then Riot is no good Phisition To heale or keepe in health mans feeble Wit For excesse tends to Dissolution And Dissolution doth in Darkenesse sit Then wouldst thou haue a cleere Intelligence Feare God fare well but feede without offence For though the Soule the Body should o're-rule By lawe of Nature and in Reasons right Yet oft we see the Body rule the Soule When meates excesse augments the Bodies might The Flesh exalted wil the Spirit controule And make the Bodies manners brutish quight But if thy Flesh be ill compos'd by kinde Mend it with holsome meate and mod'rate minde For what a monstrous vice is this in Man To quench his Spirit with wine and belly-cheare When Beasts will take no more then well they can Although by force they should aby it deare For neuer Man a Beast by rigor wan To eate or drinke more then hee well could beare Then if thou wouldst not haue a Beast excell thee Take thou no more then Nature doth compell thee O that these Healthes that makes so many sicke Were buried in the lake of Leachs quicke For since our English ah were Flusbeniz'd Against good manners and good men
if Faith say one's three and three is one Though Sence say nay we Faith belieue alone Faithes Sences are so firme they cannot faile For they deriue their science from Gods Sonne Through whom in what she seekes she doth preuaile And by the light thereof aright doth runne Faith hath no Fancies fell hir thoughts to quaile Nor by delusions is to wauer wonne For beeing guided by so true a light Hir Iudgement and discourse must needes be right No maruell then though men with Faith endow'd Become so firme that no plague pow'r or skill Can shake them once for they are wholy vow'd To him whose Rod and Staffe doe stay them stil. In few by no meanes can she be subdu'd But stands as vnremou'd as Sion hill Then Faithes foundacions must of force be sure That can all kinde of force so wel endure Yet Iudgements function is of great effect Which sortes Particulars from Generalls Then Generalls from Generalls elect And so from Speciall parteth speciall Then all conferres and as she can select The good from bad and Spirits from Corporals This by hir pow're she able is to doe Especially if God giues ayme thereto But when discourse sets out Fancy must rest Shee s like a whelpe that playes with eu'ry toy Nor must the Will the Memory molest Because it doth the Intellect annoy Which quietly must Sence reports disgest And al hir powre it must thereon imploy But if commotions of the Minde impugne She cannot worke and all must needs go wrong For as in well composed Common-weales The Members in their place their works apply And with reciprocall affection feales Each others want and it with speede supply So in well-mannag'd mindes the Sences deales Which hinders not ech others faculty But for the publike good of Souls and Minde Each Pow're applies the worke to it assign'd And Memory is true if she be trusted If otherwise shee 's more then most vnsure Shee 'l keepe Mindes riches else till they be rusted Yet riches of the Minde are passing pure But if the Minde with rust of Care be crusted Then Memory in force cannot endure For cares are moathes and cankers of the Minde That Memory consumes therein confin'd So while Reas'n worketh Iudgement rest doth take But when that worke is wrought the same she wayes And markes with Linxes Eyes what Reas'n did make If wel or ill or neutrall she bewrayes And if she finde hir eyes not wel awake VVith watchfull eyes againe she it suruayes And ceaseth not till she be fixed fast In that which of the truth hath greatest taste And when she doubts she is her selfe deciu'd It growes from Ill that is so like to Good That for that good its commonly receiu'd Yet is the Frier not made by the Hood But likelihoods of Truth by Sence conceiu'd May drowne her without heede in Errors flood Else hardly would she slide but firmly stand If Falshood like Truth bare hir not from land For as true Good agreeth with the Will So Truth hath with the Minde true simpathy And as the Will hath no such foe as Ill So Error is the Mindes most ennemy If Iudgement then approue of Reasons skill Shee ioynes hir selfe thereto insep'rably And so of Iudgments reas'n and Reas'ns iudgement Makes then but one by force of one consent Fow'r things there are that makes our knowledge strong Experience knowne to know each Principle Naturall iudgement hauing health among And reuelation from th' Inuisible That 's iust and right and cannot vtter wrong These makes vs know all comprehensible The first three tendeth to Philosophy The last belongeth to Diuinity These are the Elements whereof is form'd Our totall knowledge humane or diuine And had the first Man not bin sinne-deform'd More bright then Sol it in the Soule should shine For to that influence t 'had bin conform'd That make the Mindes eyes pure and chistaline For then Gods glorious Sonne all only wise Had lent the Spirite Sunne-bright all-seeing eyes Now twixt the Soule and Spirit great oddes there is Though vulgarly they taken are for one For by the Soule is meant those faculties That doe consorta humane Soule alone The Spirit doth not as they doe oft amisse For it to grace and virtue still is prone The Soule to Sinne consents but not the Sp'rit For that with Sinne and Flesh still maintaines fight Whereto in sort agrees what 〈◊〉 faine How Ioue did Reas'n ensconse within the 〈◊〉 And for th' Affections did the Corpes ordaine Which Reas'ns regiment doth disannull Taking two Tirants fell with them to raigne VVhich oft the whole man to their parte doe pull That 's Ire which in the Hart hath residences And in the Belly raignes Concupiscence VVhich Passion of it selfe is of such pow'r Vnlesse th' almighty Powre preuent the same As Nolens volens will the Soule deolow'r And make the flesh Gomorrah-like to flame Though God and Nature at that sight doelow'r And Hell wide-gaping laughes to see the same Nay though it should foorthwith destroy the Soule Yet Flesh being fraile wil make faire Flesh thus fowle But from this Passion to repasse from whence VVe past Oblique and so out-right proceede For hauing past the faculties of Sence It rests that now wee weigh what doth succeede But stay a while my Muse thou must from hence Mount higher then thou canst then hast thou neede To rest in contemplation of thy flight Sith Contemplation next ensues by right WHen from the outward Sences is conuai'd All their relations in the common Sence And so to Fantasie as erst was said And then to Reason or Intelligence From whence being sent to Iudgments confe It lastly comes to Contemplations sight rence Which is the viewe of Truthes true consequence For Reas'n and Iudgement findes out what is right Which Contemplation viewes with rare delight For to the Spirit nought more pleasing is Then naked Truth she is so passing faire For when they meete they do with comfort kisse And nought but Error can that ioy impaire Herehence it is that though we do dispaire Of some whose manners are most monstrous Yet they by Natures instinct Truth desire For knowledge to their Spirits is precious And deeme all dull-heads most inglorious Nay though the Sp'rit cannot come neere the truth It pleaseth hir t' approach the neer'st she may Which like an egre Beagle it pursu'th Whose paines are passing pleasure all the way Then as the Minde is more diuinely gay So wil it most most diuine Truth affect But beeing base it will the same bewray By most pursuing things of least effect Which Spirits of diuine temper do neglect The Contemplation then doth ruminate On Truth and none but Truth for onely it Vnto hir dainty tast is delicate And nothing doth the same so fully fit As this Soule-feeding single simple bit Then Contemplation must be most diuine That can with Truth diuine a humane wit And Zeale from Error doth aright refine And to the purest faith the same combine She diuine
Mirum in modum A Glimpse of Gods Glorie and The Soules Shape Eyes must be bright or else no eyes at all Can see this sight much more then mysticall LONDON Printed for William Aspley 1602. To the most noble iudicious and my best beloued Lorde William Earle of Pembrooke the most honorable Sir Robert Sidney Knight Lord Gouernor of Vlishing and the right right worshipful Edward Herbert of Mountgomery Esquire my most honored and respected Friendes TO subdiuide Soules indiuisible Being wholy in the whole and in each part For me were more then most impossible Though I were Arte it selfe or more then Arte. Yet must I make my Soule a Trinitie So to diuide the same betweene you three For Vnderstanding Will and Memorie Makes but one Soule yet they three Virtues be The Vnderstanding being first I giue Unto the first for Order so doth craue And Will Good-will the second shall receiue Then Memory the last shall euer haue And as I part my Soule my Booke I part Betwixt you three that shares my broken hart All yours wholy and to you most humbly deuoted Iohn Dauies Mirum in modum A glimpse of Gods Glorie and the Soules shape Wlt yeeld me words Wits words Wisedome bewray My Soule infuse thy selfe in 't Same 's diuine The froath of Wit O Wisedome skumme away Powder these lines with thy preseruing Brine Refresh their saltnesse salt their freshnesse fine That Wits sweete words of Wisedomes salt may taste Which can from crude Conceit corruption stay And make the same eternally to last Though in Obliuion be buryed ay The skumme of Wit the witty Skummes repast Which like light skum with those lewd Skums doth waste O Thou maine Ocean of celestiall light From whom all Lights deriue their influence The light of Truth infuse into my sprite And cleere the eyes of my Intelligence That they may see my Soules circumference Wherein the Minde as Centre placed is Wherein thou restest Center of true Rest Compass'd with glory and vncompass'd blisse Which do thy Lodge with glorious light inuest Then lighten thy darke Inne O glorious Ghest The Soule of Man immortall and diuine By Natures light beholds the light of Nature Like as the Bodies eyes when Sunne doth shine Doe by the Sunne behold the Sunnes faire feature So by that light shee sees shee is a Creature Created to her faire Creators forme In Wisdome Knowledge and such goodly graces Which doe the Vnderstanding right informe To guide the Will aright in sundry cases Whenas the Sence deluded Reason out-faces For as the Uaynes the body ouer-spreds And to its vtmost bounds themselues extend So Science in the Soule from certaine heads In great varietie her vaines doth send To whatsoe're the soule may comprehend This is her Birth-right with the body borne Kinde Natures larges giu'n with hand displai'd Which doth the Minde illustrate and adorne To and from whom all knowledge is conuai'd That tends vnto the soule or bodies aide Which is deduced from pow'r more supreame Then in th' externall Senses doth reside This light proceeds from that infused beame Which in the Soules supreamest part doth bide The Bodies motions and hir owne to guide For though th'incomprehensible hath stampt His wisdome in his workes to prooue his Beeing Yet all saue Man from this Light is exempt By which the Soules eyes sees past sense of Seeing Celestiall sweets with hir sweete selfe agreeing For th' outward Senses Beasts with vs enioy Nay they possesse the same in greater pow'r But yet those Senses they cannot imploy To Reasons vse and Understandings cure But these effects doe flowe from Sense more sure Which from an vnderstanding Soule proceeds Yet nought that Understanding doth digest But first on it the outward Senses feedes Both which inuites the Will vnto their feast Those Senses beeing tastèrs to the rest Then if the Senses bee affected ill Or apprehend their Obiects with offence They wrong the Vnderstanding and the Will With false reporte of their experience But first they misse-informe th' Intelligence It giuing credit to their information Misse-leads the Will that way ward is by kinde Which moues the Members wih all festination Beeing instrumentall agents of the Minde To doe what ere the Senses pleasant finde But when we say the Understanding seazeth On nought but what the Senses first surprizeth It s meant of things that pleaseth or displeaseth And to the Senses sensibly ariseth Then herevpon the common Sense deuiseth And then transferres it to the Intellect Which by hir pow'r inherent doth discourse By Reasons rules from Causes to th' effect And beeing there runnes forth with greater force Till Iudgement with strong hand doth stay her course Herehence it is the Soule her selfe doth know Hir owne effects shee to hir selfe discloseth So to herselfe herselfe herselfe doth shew By powres which shee within hirselfe encloseth Whereof hirselfe not of hirselfe disposeth But are directed by a higher Pow'r Yet hath shee eyes to see and sence to feele The way vnto hirselfe though most obscure Which hirselfe virtues to hirselfe reueale Through which she wots what works hir woe or weale This knowledge of the vnknowne parte of Man Namely the knowen Soules vnknowen parte From Man is hid since he to sinne began For Ignorance of Sinne is the iust smart Which now doth hold enthrall'd his vniust hart But sith the Soule is such a precious thing As cost the price of past-price deerest bloud Then can no knowledge more aduantage bring Then knowledge of the Soule as first she stood Or since she fell from her extreamest Good For she enwombes worldes of varietie Of Sunne-bright Beauties and celestiall Sweetes Vnited all in perfect sympathie Whereas the Minde with diuerse Pictures meetes Which Fancie formes and from the Fancie fleetes From whence proceedes all maruellous Inuentions Which doe produce all Artes and Sciences That Doubts resolue and doe dissolue Dissentions Touching the vniuersall Essenses Subiect t' our inward or our outward Senses Then what Soule on the Soule excogitates But it is rapt with ioy and wonderment Sith when the Minde but her adumberates In Fancies forge it feeles such rauishment As yeeldes therewith a heau'n of high content Then sith all Weale or Woe that vs befall Flowes from the Soule as from their speciall Spring We should not to her Weale be neuterall But study to preserue that precious thing As that conserues the Soule and Bodies Being Wherein three Faculties still working be Animall Vitall and the Naturall The Animall diuided is in three Motiue Sensitiue and Principall The Principall hath three parts speciall Imagination Reason Memory The power Sensitiue includes the powres Of the externall Senses seu'rally The Motiue powre the Corps to stirre procures As long as Vitall faculty indures Which Facultie is seated in the Hart Infusing Spirites of Life through eu'ry vaine The vertues Animall doe play their part In all the seu'rall cauerns of the Braine The virtues Naturall the wombe containe Which doe consist of three essentiall partes
Bowells breede Without which patterns she cannot proceede Now shee Chimeraes then shee Beauties frame That doe the Mynde beheau'n with matchlesse blisse The whole she cripples and makes whole the lame And makes and marrs as she disposed is Which is as life is led wel or amisse Shee with hir wings that can out-fly the wind Through Heau'n Earth Hell and what they hold doth fly And so imprintes them liuely in the Minde By force of hir impressing property Seeing all in all with her quicke sighted Eye She double dilligence is still in motion And well or ill shee euer is imploy'd Therefore good Spirits and badde with like deuotion Frequent hir still which she cannot avoyde Wherewith the Minde is cheered or annoy'de For as celestiall Spirits can obiect To the Minds Eye diuine soul-pleasing sights So can infernall Sprightes with like effect Present the Soule with what the Soule affrights Soe pow'rfull in their Pow'r are both these Sprights Which Pow'r fantasticke is of so great force As what she powrefully doth apprehend VVithin the Body she imprints perforce For to the Body she doth force extend A proofe whereof in women kinde is kend VVhen they in Coitu fix their Fancie fast On him they fancie if they then conceaue It will be like their Fancies obiect fac'd If then a wife doth but in thought deceaue The husband in that face may it perceaue This Powre is so preualent in the Mind As if some passe a Bridge or some such thing They lightly fall because their Fancies find Danger beneath which to the braine doth bring A giddinesse which causeth stumbling Thus then the Fancie oft the fact produceth That she with recollected virtue mindes And by the shade the substance oft traduceth So violent each Sense her virtue bindes And noyes or ioyes the Mind in diuerse kindes Halla my Muse heere rest a breathing while Sith thou art now arriu'd at Reasons seate To whom as to thy Sou'raigne reconcile Thy straying thoughts and humbly hir entreate VVith hir iust measure all thy lines to meate Lest that like many Rimers of our time Thoublotst much Paper without meane or measure In Verse whose reason runneth alto Rime Yet of the Lawrell wreathe they make a seazure And doth Minerua so a shrewde displeasure HAd my Soule pow'r the Souls pow'r to expresse And with strōg reasons Reasons strēgth bewray Men would admire hir virtue and confesse By Natures right she should their nature sway Monsters alone resists her mightinesse But Men though pow'rfull hir pow'r will obay For shee as Sou'raigne sitteth in the Soule All peruerse passions therein to controule Shee by the pow'r of hir discreete discourse In th'operations of the Fantasie Can iudge of good and bad and by hir force Swiftly surmount each Sences facultie And whatsoeuer interrupts hir course Shee it remooues with great facilitie For Natures bosome nothing doth embowre That is not subiect to his searching pow're In which respect shee hath hir Throne assign'd Betweene th' extreame partes of the parted Braine The place where Nature Vertue hath confin'd There doth shee sit and o're the Sences raigne And by hir might doth signlorize the Minde VVhose wild and waiward moods she doth restraine Their spight of Passion she doth keepe hir place Though Passion in hir spight hir oft disgrace For should shee shee transplac'd to Fantasie Or with Imagination be confounded A world of mists would clowde hir Sunne-bright eye VVherewith shee should be euermore surrounded So that she should not Truth from falshood spye But with strong Fancies should hir pow'r be bounded And like a Queene deposed from hir throne She should not able be to vse hir owne So fares it with hir when th' Affections force Like a swift streame that carries all away Doth carry hir by current of their course Farre from hirselfe as wanting strength to stay Vntill the whole man waxing worse and worse Be brought to vtter ruine and decay But if that shee be strong them to withstand Shee doomes aright and doth aright command Then rules Sans check then doomes without appeale No second sentence can hirs contradict She rules alone the whole Mindes common weale By holsome Heasts and Lawes and Iudgements strict Which to the Memory she doth reueale Else it Obliuion would interdict Wherein as in a booke of Decretalls She writeth hir decrees in Capitalls For which respect the seate of Memory Confineth hard vpon hir Continent That so she may soone empte the Fantasie Of what doth passe through hir arbitterment For else what bootes hir Good and Bad to try If to the Memory it were not sent For that is it that is sole receptacle Of humane Wisdome Natures miracle Therefore hir parte and portion of the braine Is much lesse humid and more firmly sixt Because it so the better may retaine Th'impressions by the Sences there infixt And for its Fount of marrow in the raine Whereof the strongest sinewes are commixt For both which reasons Nature had respect To binde the Braine behind to that effect And yet too hard the Braine may there be bound For so t will hardly open to conceiue And beeing ouer-moyst it will confound All the impressions which the Sences giue VVell temp'red therefore needs must be the ground That truly yeelds the seede it doth receiue Yet the moyst braine conceiues more readily But the drie braine retaines more steadily The iudgement which the outward Sences giue Is eu'n as if we saw the shade of things And what we from the Fantacie receiue Is as it were their liuely picturings The Intellect which seldome doth deceiue Doth shew the substance of those shadowings But that which Reas'n presenteth to the Minde Is their effects and virtues in their kinde Th' externall Sences serues the common Sence The common Sence informes the Fantacie The Fantacie the Minds Intelligence Th' Intelligence doth Knowledge certifie VVhich when it hath past Iudgements conference Committeth all vnto the Memory Then Memory doth mirror-like reflect To them againe what they to hir obiect Thus Reason in the Soule is as hir eye VVherewith shee see'th the well linckt chaine of Causes And vseth euery Sences facultie To find what is included in their clauses Yet cannot lift hir lowly looke so hie Without re'nforcing of hir sight by pauses For since darke Sinne eclipst hir natiue light Shee see'th but by degrees and not out-right But as she is she plainly can discerne The Sence-transcending Heau'ns plurality And in the booke of Nature she doth learne VVhat 's taught in this Worldes Vniuersitie She keepes the Compasse and doth stirre the Sterne That guides to Wisdoms singularity All whose collections when the Soule suruayes Shee sees hirselfe diuin'd a thousand wayes Thus Reasons reach is high and most profound VVhose deepe discourse is two-fold which depends On Speculation and on Practise sound The first hath Truth the last hath Good for ends For Speculation rests when Truth is found But Practise when that Good it apprehends It staies not there but to
Soule with perfect health is truly blist For she by demonstration it doth sho And blest are all those Soules that striueth so But in the Mindes excesse and traunce of Spirit When Reuelations rusheth on the Soule It her behoues to haue much ghostly might The spirit of Pride with courage to controule Lest with the Prince of Pride hir fall be foule For he being mounted neere Heau'ns Maiestie Sought with the same the UNIVERS to rule So fell he from his glorious dignity So may a Soule inflate with Sanctity But if the Soule through the Almighties pow'r Anteperistezing hir pow'res with grace Breake through those muddy walls which hir immure And would compell hir fowle affects t' embrace Shee then sans pride might looke God in the face Which to expresse ah who can it expresse Not God as Man can shew Gods glories grace Much lesse can Moses Paule and Iohn much lesse Then what can I do Sincke of Sottishnesse Moses sawe but his backe Paule not so much Iohn but his shade being shadowed with his wings Such as the Eyes their obiects stil are such Then mortall Eyes can see but mortall things No king can liue and see that King of kings No pow'r can giue that priuiledge to Man But onely Death and Grace to God him brings That Heau'n and Earth doth measure with his span Then to discribe his greatnesse ah who can Dare I vile froth of Frailty Follies scumme Presume t' exploit impossibilities In my base barren witt dare I inwombe The magnitude of all Immensities And proue so great improbabilities Vaile vaile thy thoughts th' imaginations vaile Vnto the depth of all profundities And ere thou enterst this Sea strike the Saile Or thou wilt be o'rewhelmed without faile But be it granted wee may safely swimme Neere to this boundlesse Oceans shorelesse-shore Yet if Presumption beare vs from the Brimme Then are we lost and can come out no more Nay if too much thereon we chaunce to pore Albe't we are within a ken of Land T' will turne our braines and make our Eyes so sore That we our Senses hardly shall command With vpright iudgement vprightly to stand To forme the Godhead in our Fancies forge With all the Beauties Heau'n and Earth containes We must be faine againe it to reforge For in his sight those Beauties are but staines In vaine therefore it is to beate our braines To frame that Forme that fram'd all Formes that are And yet himselfe a formelesse Forme remaines That in Formosity is past compare His glory is so great his grace so rare Obiects of Sence are printed in the Minde By that which from those Obiects Sence attracts But that which Sence still seekes yet cannot finde The Minde from thence no Images abstracts Then if the Minde GODS forme of Sence exacts Sence must enforme it with forme sensible Which from Gods creatures beauty it extracts Which cannot be incomprehensible As Gods forme is that 's most insensible He that but toucht his Arke at point to fall He strake stone-dead then needs must the offence To looke therein be more then Capitall Because himselfe had there true residence Then truly we may well collect from hence No creature should be so presumptuous To search for Gods true forme with erring sence Which at the best is most ambiguous Then so to do is deadly dangerous The Seraphins beeing Angells most supreame Exists but as a meane twixt God and Men Yet neere the lower then the high Extreame Then if those Spirites no mortall eve can ken For glittering glory with the which they bren How shall such eyes behold Iehouahs face Sith Seraphins themselues are blinded when They do but glaunce vpon his glories grace They must confounded be they are so base Men beeing most vnable to finde out The substance of the God-head by their sence Haue with the highest Titles gone about To explicate that Super excellence But that which argues most preheminence Of all high Titles they the GOOD him call But that name fits not his beneficence For Good is good of Goodnes but hee 's all Goodnesse it selfe supersubstantiall Nay Goodnes cannot possibly extend T' expresse his goodnesse that we Goodnesse call For Goodnesse on some substance doth depend Butin that God-head can be nought at all That is not more then super substantiall Then can no name his namelesse Name expresse But what in Sence precise vnnames them all For who so knowes it most doth know it lesse As they that knoweth most of all confesse He is vnmou'd vnchang'd pure bodilesse Most simple subtile endlesse infinite All wise all good all great beginninglesse All these are names by which we do recite Not what he is but what he is not right Hee 's vncontain'd yet in himselfe confin'd VVhose mightinesse is bounded in his might VVhich so extends that he himselfe can finde Without himselfe no Being in no kinde An actuall vnderstanding infinite Philosophy can reach no higher stile Which in respect of him is but finite Diuinitie it selfe cannot compile His name in words for words are too too vile I am quoth he what art Lord that I am Lo heer 's the highest state alas the while That Words can reach though hee deuis d the same That with words cannot tell his namelesse name Yet as a worme that only hath a will To trie hir force in that she cannot do So I though voide of grace and want of skill Bring with me more then much good will hereto And still to it my selfe my selfe doth woo Yet am I terrified when well I way How some great Doctors did their wits vndo VVhen they this mystery sought to bewray Then will I ere I enter humbly pray O great and dreadfull Siâ—e of Gods and Men O all-wise Word that no word can expresse O Vnction Spirituall that bright dost bren O three-fold yet all one Almightinesse Inspire my wit compris'd in mortall presse With that pure Influence thy Throne attending That notwithstanding my vnworthinesse I may in part vnfold without offending That which doth farre surmount all comprehending Mount Muse but rise with reuerence and feare With Icarus soare not too neere the Sunne Lest that thereby thy waxen wings do meare And in this Sea thou fall and be ore-runne Where thou shalt loose thy selfe and be vndone Couer'thy face with thy celestiall wings As Cherubins now do and still haue done Yet through thy plumes glaunce at this Thing of Things Beeing the cause intire of all Beeings For hee is Good without all Quallity Then O how good is hee that knowes the same And he is great beyond all Quantity Then O'how great is hee that can him name Eternall without time from whome Time came Being present euery where yet without place For euery place hee fram'd and keepes in frame Beholding all yet none beholds his face He giuing all none giuing to him grace But where art thou What shall I call thy name O GREAT O GOOD a good great name I want Thou art so great that
Eternity and Time are opposite For Time no more can bound Eternity Then Finite can inuirone Infinite Both of both which haue such repugnancy As nere can stand with Gods true Unity Eternity is then produc'd from hence By ioyning of his sole Infinitie With his essentiall intelligence And all the Attributes proceeds from thence If then Eternity doth bound this One Or rather he bounds all Eternity How could he Bee or beeing all alone How could he worke that worke vncessantly For hee 's all Act that acts continually Hauing no subiect whereupon to worke And beeing without his Creatures vtterly It seemes he must in Desolation lurke Which must of force an actiue nature irke Or how could he extend his goodnesse when None could receiue it if none Beeing were What honor could he haue there beeing then No one to honor him or him to feare Or what in loue if hee his children deere Had made t'exist from all eternity As to eternity th' are made t' appeere What inconuenience could ensue thereby Yes very great and marke the reason why He is an Essence free not bound to ought Who can and doth exist in boundlesse blisse Although besides himselfe that there were nought For he of greatest glory cannot misse Sith that eternally all gloris his But should the Creatures eternall be His glory would be much eclip'st by this For were th' eternall too aswell as he They would be gods as great in each degree Then nought he needes to giue him laude or loue Or subiect for his worke though nought there were For ere nought was he did not worke or moue Yet idle was not for his Spirit did steere In contemplation of his Essence cleere So himselfe to himselfe was Well of Weale And in himselfe did Glory it selfe appeare Which to himselfe himselfe did aye reueale So pleasd himselfe with what himselfe did feale Suppose no man but one were on the Earth And none but Vermine vile did him attend What honour could they yeeld What ioy or mirth Could they afforde that rather doe offend Such and no more doe men their Maker lend Who were made changeable by changelesse will So chang'd they are and to the worse they tend Who in respect of him continue still Worse then vile Uermine though they were more ill Who for his goodnesse is the God of grace And for his glory is the Lord of Light Whose glorious greatnesse filleth eu'ry place For no place is exempted from his Sp'rite And by it all that is compasst quite As the least Poynt is by the Heau'ns clire And nothing is so solid as hath might To keepe him out as it can Aire or Fire But he is all in all and parte intire Hee 's not in Temples made with mortall hands Nor those which his immortall hands haue made Nor in himselfe as Man for Fleshes bands Can hardly hold the least glimse of his Shade Much lesse his Substance which e're biding had No more in one then in an other place And though with Flesh it seemeth to be clad Yet dwells he in it but by pow'r and grace And so he dwells in all he doth embrace He dwells in Heau'n of Heau'ns by his Glory For there that matchlesse Glory glitters most He is in Hell and each place transitory By presence of his Spirit the holy Ghost He dwells in Christ but how O Christ thou knowst For as the Soule and Body makes one Man So God and Man one Christ do make thou showst Yet the coherence neither may or can The diffrence abrogate since Christ began Whose natures from confusion are as free As from distraction they are cleerely quit Which though connext confounded may not be Much lesse distracted both in one beeing knit But how conioyn'd surmounts the reach of Wit For in Christs body bodily doth dwell The fulnesse of the Godhead most vnfit To be contained in Heau'n Earth or Hell His greatnesse doth their greatnesse so excell Then Contemplation stay here make a pause Stirre not too fast about vncompasst things Though thou canst compasse Heau'n and Earth because Thou art the Image of this King of Kings Yet this flight is too farre for thy clipt wings The Trinity in Unitie's a wonder Surmounting wonders which amazment brings Yet lesse if more may be that God is vnder Fraile flesh and so contayn'd God cannot sunder Which two-fold natures oft co-operates And euermore assotiates each other But neuer mutually participates Each others properties as mixt together For what one hath the selfe same hath not either But in their kindes are diuerse yet but one That 's one of two or two in one much rather Which mystery to God is onely knowne But not as he is Man the same is showne To whom yet nerethelesse all pow'r is giu'n In whom as in its proper place it bides By which he ruleth in Earth Hell and Heau'n And were there some thing else the same besides Which powre beeing infinite with it he guides Each finite thing vnto its proper end In which omnipotence such force resides As were he willing he the Heau'ns could bend Belowe base Hell and make it Heau'n transcend Which peerelesse powre though nothing can oppugne Yet doth it selfe it selfe still so restraine As that it selfe cannot it selfe impugne For what it bindes it cannot loose againe At selfe same time for then that powre were vaine As beeing repugnant to it selfe and so No order should that rulelesse powre containe And then it selfe it selfe would ouerthro And with it selfe all things to wrack should go He cannot make Man free and bond at once Nor giue him Will and wrest it how he will He cannot hold in hate his Holy ones Nor in his loue much lesse imbrace the ill He cannot change himselfe beeing changelesse still Such things he cannot do not through defect Of powre what not if please him to fulfill But of his powre this is a strong effect That can do all but that it should reiect Who being euermore a compleate Acts In highest degree of diuine excellence He neede not chase Perfection by the tract For in himselfe It selfe hath residence Then motion hath he none by consequence For that must firmely stand wherein all moues Who is both Center and Circumference Of Motions motion for it him behoues To giue all rest which he moues or remoues He cannot moue but to himselfe alone Because alone at once hee 's eu'ry where And all that is is only in this ONE Then vnto what or whither should he steere Sith all 's in him that shal be is or were For mou'd he Motion should not tend to Rest But Motion should to Motion tend for ere So Time in bootelesse turnes should be at best When it should draw most neere to most vnrest He is that ONE in whom each one doth moue He moues each one that all in him should rest For whatsoe're from him doth most remoue It findes and feeles thereby the most vnrest Yet from himselfe nothing himselfe can wrest Who