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
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
in these points farre deeper seen Than either Corvin or Don Graculo Yea than my self assent doth almost win That Church nor Scripture cast in reason too Can to our searching minds truth's hidden treasures show 103 Wherefore a fourth sole ground of certainty Thou didst produce to weet the Spirit divine But now alas here is the misery That left to doubt we cannot well enjoyn Nor this nor that nor Faith-forms freely coyn And make the trembling conscience swear thereto For we our selves do but ghesse and divine What we force other men to swear is true Untill the day-star rise our eyes with light t' embew 104 Which gift though it be given to me and you Mn. Not unto me courteous Don Psittaco Ps Yet certainly there be but very few That so sublime a pitch ascend unto Mn. My self alas a silly Swain I know So far from solving these hard knots said I That more and harder my ranck brain o're grow And wonder that thy quick sagacity Doth not winde out a further inconveniency 105 If light divine we know by divine light Nor can by any other means it see This ties their hands from force that have the spirit How can said Psittaco these things agree For without force vain is Church-Polity Mn. But to use force ' gainst men that thing to do In which they 've not the least ability May seem unjust and violent I trow Gainst reason ' gainst Religion ' gainst all sence and law 106 For 't is as if the King of Arragon Who was well skilled in Astronomy Should by decree deprive each Countrey Clown Of life of lands or of sweet liberty That would not fully avow each star in sky Were bigger then the Earth Here Psittaco Though what I said did not well satisfie His grave judicious self yet he did know Of whom this talk much ' plause would gain and kindnesse too 107 And straight gan say Dear Glaucis hadst thou been At this discourse how would thy joyous spright Have danc'd along For thou art or well seen In these queint points or dost at least delight Exceeding much to hear them open'd right And well I wot on earth scarce can be found So witty girl so wily female wight As this my Glaucis over all renown'd I mean for quicker parts if not for judgment sound 108 How fit an Auditour would she then prov'd To thee young Mnemon how had she admired Thy sifting wit thy speech and person lov'd Clove to that mouth with melting zeal all fired And hung upon those lips so highly inspired Mn. Certes she 'd been a bold immodest wight To come so near when not at all desired Ps Alas good Mnemon you mistake me quite I meant no fond salutes bu what is just and right 109 Her due attention on thy wise discourse Though what thou deemst and more then thou didst deem May fit you too For why by Natures course Like joyn with like wherefore right well I ween Mought I but make the match 't would well beseem For your conspiring minds exactly agree In points which the wide world through wrath and teen Rudely divide I mean free Liberty Be 't so said I yet may our grounds farre different be 110 For might I but repeat without offence What I have heard ill symtomes men descry In this thy Glaucis though the nimble wench So dexterously can pray and prophecy And lectures read of drad mortality Clasping her palms with fatall noise and shreeks Inculcating approching misery To sad afflicted houses when she strikes With brushing strokes the glassie doors and entrance seeks 111 Nor doth her solemne looks much like her Sire Or native zeal which she did once derive From thee grave Psittaco exalt her higher Then Earth and Nature For men do conceive Black sanguine fumes my spouse do thus deceive Translating her into fools Paradise And so of sense and reason her bereave And that that melting love which doth so please Her gulled soul the thawing is of her own grease 112 The naturall spright it self doth sweetly hug In false conceit and ill-deceiving guile Sucking fond solace from it's own dear dug Like the mistaken Cat that lick'd the file And drawing bloud uncessantly did toyl To suck hat sweet as if there Moses rock Had swet new milk Thus Glaucis doth beguil Her likorish taste al 's ' doth delude her flock Teaching them suck themselves their empty souls to mock 113 Thus they intoxicate with their own bloud Mistaken Elves deem it no worse a thing Then pure Ambrosian Nectar fresh and good In golden streams that from great Jove did spring And count themselves His onely choice Ofspring Upon no count but that their count is so O sweet conceit full joy Soul-ravishing Delight Pure faith Self-love keep close thereto Allow but this to us we 'll any thing allow 114 Besides the fixednesse of th' eternall Fates And Adamantine laws of Gods decree Whereby immutably he loves and hates May prove new grounds of Glaucis liberty No danger then nor detriment can be To his own people whom of old he chose From the out goings of Eternity No infecting poyson may them ill dispose What worthlesse wit of man this puzling knot may loose 115 Did not I tell thee what a wily lasse Said Psittace my daughter Glaux would prove And well perceiving how averse I was From her strange manners left all suits of love And straight gan show me how she did improve Her principles to lewdnesse and excesse Secure no fault no filth can ever move Her Maker to dislike no unrighteousnesse Can hurt her soul ne sorrow needs she to expresse 116 Thus in the wicked wench rank fields do grow Of Rapine Riot Lust and Covetize Of Pride of Sacriledge and a thousand moe Disorders which no mortall can devise Said I from ought but that mistake t' arise Of naked Faith disjoyn'd from Purity So with full bitter words he did chastise His absent child but whether zeal it be Or deep conceived hatred I no'te well descry 117 Nor stopt he here but told me all her guise How law-lesse quite and out of shape she 's grown Affecting still wilde contrarieties Averse from what for good all others own Preposterous Girl how often hast thou thrown Thy self into dark corners at Mid-day And then at dead of Night away art flown To some old barn thereon to preach and pray Ending thy dark devotions just at Break of day 118 When others sleep or weep then dost thou sing In frosty night on neighbours chimney set When others fast ' ginst thou thy revelling Thy lustfull sparrows greedily dost eat Which thou by bloud and violence dost get When others eyes plainly can nothing see Then thy prodigious lamps by night unwet And unblown-out can read right readily Withouten spectacles the smallest prints that be 119 If chance or free election ever brings Thee to our Churches then with hooting wild Thou causest uproars and our holy things Font Table Pulpit they be all defil'd
spittle tumbling with their tongue On their raw lether lips these near will to her clung 44 And lovingly salute against her will Closely embrace and make her mad with wo She 'd lever thousand times they did her kill Then force her such vile basenesse undergo Anon some Giant his huge self will show Gaping with mouth as vast as any Cave With stony staring eyes and footing slow She surely deems him her live-walking grave From that dern hollow pit knows not her self to save 45 After a while tost on the Ocean main A boundlesse sea she finds of misery The fiery snorts of the Leviathan That makes the boyling waves before him flie She hears she sees his blazing morn-bright eye If here she scape deep gulfs and threatning rocks Her frighted self do straightway terrifie Steel-coloured clouds with rattling thunder knocks With these she is amaz'd and thousand such like mocks 46 All which afflict her even like perfect sense For waxen mad with her sore searching pain She cannot easly find the difference But toils and tears and tugs but all in vain Her self from her own self she cannot strain Nocturnall life hath now let ope th' Idee Of innate darknesse from this fulsome vein The soul is fill'd with all deformity But Night doth stirre her up to this dread energie 47 But here some man more curious then wise Perhaps will ask where Night or Hell may be For he by his own self cannot devise Sith chearfull light doth fill the open sky And what 's the earth to the souls subtilty Such men I 'd carry to some standing pool Down to the water bid them bend their eye They then shall see the earth possest and full Of heaven dight with the sunne or starrs that there do roll 48 Or to an hill where 's some deep hollow Cave Dreadfull for darknesse let them take a glasse When to the pitchy hole they turned have Their instrument that darknesse will find place Even in the open sunne-beams at a space Which measures twice the glasses distancy From the Caves mouth This well discovered has How Hell and Heaven may both together lie Sith darknesse safely raies even in the sunny skie 49 But further yet the mind to satisfie That various apprehensions bearen down And to hold up with like variety Of well fram'd phantasms lest she sink and drown Laden with heavie thoughts sprong from the ground And miry clods of this accursed earth Whose dull suffusions make her often sown Orecome with cold till nimble Reason bear'th Unto her timely aid and on her feet her rear'th 50 I will adjoyn to those three former wayes To weet of the Souls self-activity Of Union with Hell and Gods high rayes A fourth contrivement which all souls doth ty To their wing'd Chariots wherein swift they fly The fiery and airy Vehicles they hight In Plato's school known universally But so large matter can not well be writ In a few lines for a fresh Canticle more fit The Preface to the Reader ALthough the opinion of the Praeexistency of the Soul be made so probable and passable in the Canto it self that none can sleight and contemn it that do not ordinarily approve themselves men by Derision more then by Reason yet so heavie prejudice lying upon us both from Naturall diffidence in so high Points and from our common Education I thought it fit for seeuring my self from suspicion of overmuch lightnesse to premize thus much That that which I have taken the pains and boldnesse to present to the free judgement of others hath been already judged of old very sound and orthodox by the wisest and most learned of preceding Ages Which R. Menasseh Ben-Israel doth abundantly attest in his 15. Problem De Creatione Avouching that it is the common Opinion of all the Hebrews and that it was never called into controversie but approved of by the common consent and suffrage of all wise men And himself doth by severall places out of the Old Testament as pat for his purpose I think as any can be brought against it endeavour to make it good but might I confesse have been more fitly furnished could his Religion have reached into the New For Philip. 2. v. 6 7 8. John 9. v. 1 2 3. John 17. v. 45. Mark 8. v. 27 28. all those places do seem so naturally to favour this Probability that if it had pleas'd the Church to have concluded it for a standing Truth He that would not have been fully convinc'd upon the evidence of these passages of Scripture would undoubtedly have been held a man of a very timorous Scepticall constitution if not something worse Nor is the feeblenesse and miserable ineptnesse of Infancy any greater damp to the belief of this Preexistency then the dotage and debility of old Age to the hope of the Souls future subsistency after death Nor if we would fetch an argument from Theologie is Gods Justice and the divine Nemesis lesse set out by supposing that the Souls of men thorough their own revolting from God before they came into the body have thus in severall measures engaged themselves in the sad dangerous and almost fatall entanglements of this Corporeall World then it is by conceiving that they must needs survive the Body that the judgement of the Almighty may passe upon them for what they have committed in the flesh Nor lastly is it harder to phansie how these Praeexistent Souls insinuate into seed Embryos or Infants then how Created ones are insinuated nor yet so hard to determine of their condition if they depart in Infancy as of the condition of these But mistake me not Reader I do not contend in thus arguing that this opinion of the Praeexistency of the Soul is true but that it is not such a self-condemned Falsity but that I might without justly incurring the censure of any Vainnesse or Levity deem it worthy the canvase and discussion of sober and considerate men Yours H.M. The Praeexistency of the SOUL The Argument Of the Souls Praeexistency Her Orb of Fire and Aire Of Ghosts of Goblins of Sorcery This Canto doth declare 1 RIse then Aristo's son assist my Muse Let that hie spright which did inrich thy brains With choice cōceits some worthy thoughts infuse Worthy thy title and the Readers pains And thou O Lycian Sage whose pen contains Treasures of heavenly light with gentle fire Give leave a while to warm me at thy flames That I may also kindle sweet desire In holy minds that unto highest things aspire 2 For I would sing the Praeexistency Of humane souls and live once ore again By recollection and quick memory All what is past since first we all began But all too shallow be my wits to scan So deep a point and mind too dull to clear So dark a matter but Thou O more then man Aread thou sacred Soul of Plotin deare Tell what we mortalls are tell what of old we were 3 A spark or ray of the Divinity Clouded in earthy