for their Deities Gods made with hands Gods without life or breath Gods which the Rust Fier Hammer conquereth But thou art Lord th' invincible alone Th' All-seeing GOD the Everlasting ONE And who so dares him gainst thy Powr oppose Seems as a Puff which roaring Boreas blowes Weening to tear the Alps off at the Foot Or Clowds-prop Athos from his massie Root Who but mis-speaks of thee he spets at Heav'n And his owne spettle in his face is driven Lord shew thee such take on thee the Defence Of thine owne glory and our innocence Cleer thine owne name of blame let him not thus Tryumph of Thee in tryumphing of vs But let ther Lord vnto thy Church appear Iust Cause of Ioy and to thy Foes of fear God hears his Cry and from th' Empyreal Round Miraculous slaughter of the Assirians He wrathfull sends a winged Champion down Who richly arm'd in more than humane Arms Mowes in one night of Heathen men at Arms Thrice-three-score thousand and five thousand more Feld round about beside behinde before Heer his two eyes which Sun-like brightly turn Simile Two armed Squadrons in a moment burn Not much vnlike vnto a fier in stubble Which sodain spreading still the flame doth double And with quick succour of som Southren blasts Crick-crackling quickly all the Country wastes Heer the stiff Storm that from his mouth he blowes Thousands of Souldiers each on other throwes Simile Even as a Winde a Rock a sodain Flood Bears down the Trees in a side-hanging Wood Th' Yew overturns the Pine the Pine the Elm The Elm the Oak th' Oak doth the Ash ore-whelm And from the top down to the Vale belowe The Mount's dis-mantled and even shamed so Heer with a Sword such as that sacred blade For the bright Guard of Eden's entry made He hacks he hews and somtimes with one blowe A Regiment hee all at once doth mowe And as a Cannon's thundrie roaring Ball Simile Battering one Turret shakes the next withall And oft in Armies as by proof they finde Kils oldest Souldiers with his very winde The whiffing Flashes of this Sword so quick Strikes dead a many which it did not strike Heer with his hands he strangles all at-once Legions of Foes O Arm that Kings dis-throans O Army-shaving Sword Rock-razing Hands World-tossing Tempest All-consuming Brands O let som other with more sacred fier Than I inflam'd into my Muse inspire The wondrous manner of this Overthrowe The which alas God knowes I little knowe I but admire it in confused sort Conceiue I cannot and much less report Com-on Zenacherib where 's now thine Hoast Where are thy Champions Thou didst lately boast Th' hadst in thy Camp as many Soldiers As Sea hath Fishes or the Heav'ns haue Stars Now th' art alone and yet not all alone Fear and Despair and Fury wait vpon Thy shame-full Flight but bloody Butcher stay Stay noysom Plague fly not so fast away Fear not Heav'ns Fauchin that foul brest of thine Shall not be honor'd with such wounds divine Nor shalt thou yet in timely bed decease No Tyrants vse not to Depart in Peace As bloud they thirsted they are drown'd in blood Their cruell Life a cruell Death makes good For O iust Iudgement lo thy Sons yer-long Zenacherib slain by his owne sonnes At Nisroch's Shrine revenge the Hebrews wrong Yea thine owne Sons foul eggs of fouler Bird Kill their owne Father sheath their either sword In thine owne throat and heirs of all thy vices Mix thine owne bloud among thy Sacrifices This Miracle is shortly seconded By one as famous and as strange indeed It pleas'd the Lord with heavy hand to smight King Ezechiah who in dolefull plight Ezekiah's sicknesse Vpon his bed lies vexed grieuously Sick of an Vlcer past all remedy Art fails the Leach and issue faileth Art Each of the Courtiers sadly wayles a-part His losse and Lord Death in a mourn-ful sort Through every Chamber daunteth all the Court And in the City seems in every Hall T' haue light a Taper for his Funerall Then Amos * The Prophet Isaiah Son his bed approaching pours From plentious lips these sweet and golden showrs But that I knowe you knowe the Lawes Divine But that your Faith so every-where doth shine But that your Courage so confirm'd I see I should my Liege I should not speak so free A comfortable Visitation of the sicke I would not tell you that in continent You must prepare to make your Testament That your Disease shall haue the vpper hand And Death already at your Door doth stand What fears my Lord Knowe you not heer beneath We alwayes say I towards the Port of Death Where who first anch'reth first is glorified That 't is Decreed confirm'd and ratified That of necessity the fatall Cup. Once all of vs must in our turn drink vp That Death 's no pain but of all pains the end The Gate of Heav'n and Ladder to ascend That Death 's the death of all our storms and strife And sweet beginning of immortall Life For by one death a thousands death's we slay Thear-by we rise from Body-Toomb of Clay Thear-by our Soules feast with celestiall food Thear-by we com to th' heav'nly Brother-hood Thear-by w' are chang'd to Angels of the Light And face to face behold Gods beuties bright The Prophet ceast and soon th' Isaacian Prince Deep apprehending Death's drad form and sense Vnto the Wall-ward turns his weeping eyes And sorrow-torn thus to himself he cries Lord I appeal Lord as thine humble childe A Prayer for a sick person mutatis mutandis From thy iust Iustice to thy Mercy milde Why will thy strength destroy a silly-one Weakned and wasted even to skin and bone One that adores thee with sincere affection The wrack of Idols and the Saints protection O! shall the Good thy servant had begun For Sion rest now by his death vndon O! shall a Pagan after-After-king restore The Groues and Idols I haue raz'd before Shall I dye Childe-les Shall thine Heritage In vain exspect that glorious golden Age Vnder thy CHRIST O! mercy mercy Lord O Father milde to thy dear Childe accord Som space of life O! let not Lord the voice Of Infidels at my poor death reioyce Then said the Seer Be of good cheer my Liege The Kings praier heard and his life prolonged 15 yeares Thy sighes and tears and prayers so be siege The throne of Pitty that as pierçt with-all Thy smyling Health God yieldeth to re-call Wills to his Temple three dayes hence thou mount Retracts his Sentence and corrects his count Makes Death go back for fifteen yeers as lo This Dial's shadow shal heer back-ward go His Word 's confirm'd with wonderfull Effect The Sunne goes backe For lo the Dial which doth houres direct Life's-guider Daye's-divider Sun's-Consorter Shadow's dull shifter and Time's dumb Reporter Puts-vp-again his passed Houres perforce And back-ward goes against his wonted course 'T is Noon at Mid-night and
thus their filthy blasphemy New obiectioÌ„ of Atheists concerning the capacity of the Ark. Who will beleeve but shallow-brained Sheep That such a ship scarce thirty Cubits deep Thrice fifty long and but onâ—e fifty large So many months could bear so great a charge Sith the proud Horse the rough-skinn'd Elephant The lusty Bull the Camell water-want And the Rhmocerot would with their fodder Fill-vp a Hâ—lk faâ—r deeper longer broader O profane mockers if I but exclude Answere Out of this Vâ—ssell a vast multitude Of since-born mongrels that deriue their birth From monstrous medly of Venerian mirth Fantastik Mules and spotted Leopards Of incest-heat ingendred afterwards So many sorts of Dogs of Cocks and Doves Since dayly sprung from strange and mingled loues Wherein from time to time in various sort Dedalian Nature seems her to disport If playner yet I proue you space by space And foot by foot that all this ample place By subtill iudgement made and Symmetrie Miâ—ht lodge so many creatures handsomly Sith euery brace was Geometricall Nought resteth Momes for your reply at all If who dispute with God may be content To take for currant Reasons argument But heer t' admire th' Al-mighties powrfull hand An vn-answerable answer to all profane obiections I rather loue and silence to command To mans discourse what he hath said is don For euermore his word and deed are one By his sole arm the Gallions Masters saw Themselues safe rescu'd from Deaths yawning iaw And offer-vpto him in zealous wise The Peace full sent of sweet burnt-sacrifice And send with-all above the starry Pole These winged sighes from a religious soule World-shaking Father windes-Windes-King calming-Seas With milde aspect behold vs Lord appease Thine Anger 's tempest and to safety bring The planks escap't from this sad Perishing And bound for ever in their ancient Caues These stormy Seas deep World-deuouring waues Increase quoth God and quickly multiply Cömandements Prohibitions Promises of God to Noah and his Posterity And fill the World with fruitfull Progeny Resume your Scepter and with new beheasts Bridle again the late revolted Beasts Re-exercise your wonted rule again It is your office over them to raign Deer Children vse them all take kill and eat But yet abstain and doe not take for meat Their ruddy soule and leaue O sacred seed To rav'ning Fowls of strangled flesh to feed I I am holy be you holy then I deeply hate all cruell bloody men Therefore defile not in your brothers blood Your guilty hands refrain from cruell mood Fly homicide doe not in any case In man mine Image brutishly deface The cruell man a cruell death shall taste And blood with blood be venged first or last For evermore vpon the murderers head My roaring storms of fury shall be shed From hence-forth fear no second Flood that shall The Rain Bowe giueÌ„ for a Pledg of the Promise that there shall be no more generall Flood Cover the whole face of this earthly Ball I assure ye no no no I swear to you And who hath ever found mine Oath vntrue Again I swear by my thrice-sacred Name And to confirm it in the Clouds I frame This coloured Bowe When then som tempest black Shall threat again the fearfull World to wrack When water-loaden Heav'ns your Hils shal touch When th' ayr with Midnight shall your Noon be-pitch Your cheerfull looks vp to this Rain-bowe cast For though the same on moystful Clouds be plaç't Though hemm'd with showrs and though it seem to sup To drown the World all th' Oceans waters vp Yet shall it when you seem in danger sink Make you of me me of my promise think Noah looks-vp and in the Ayr he views Description of the Rayn-Bowe A semi-Circle of a hundred hews Which bright ascending toward th' aethereall thrones Hath a lyne drawn between two Orizons For iust Diameter an even-bent bowe Contriv'd of three whereof the one doth showe To be all painted of a golden hew The second green the third an orient blew Yet so that in this pure blew-golden-green Still Opal-like som changeable is seen A Bowe bright-shining in th' Arch-Archers hand Whose subtill string seems levell with the Land Half-parting Heav'n and over vs it bends Within two Seas wetting his horned ends A temporall beauty of the lampfull skies Where powrfull Nature showes her freshest dies What it signifieth And if you onely blew and red perceiue The same as signes of Sea and Fire conceiue Of both the flowing and the flaming Doom The Iudgement past and Iudgement yet to come Then having call'd on God our second Father Noah falls to Husbandry and tills the Earth as he had done before the Flood Suffers not sloth his arms together gather But fals to work and wisely now renew'th The Trade he learn'd to practice in his youth For the proud issue of that Tyrant rude That first his hand in brothers bloud imbrewd As scorning Ploughs and hating harm-less tillage And wantons prising less the homely village With fields and Woods then th' idle Citties-shades Imbraced Laws Scepters and Arts and Trades But Seths Sons knowing Nature soberly Content with little fell to Husbandry There to reducing with industrious care The Flocks and Droues cover'd with wooll and hair As prayse-full gain and profit void of strife Art nurse of Arts and very life of life So the bright honour of the Heav'nly Tapers Had scarcely boxed ali th' Earths dropsie vapours When hee that sav'd the store-seed-World from wrack Began to delve his fruitfull Mothers back And there soon-after planteth heedfully The brittle branches of the Nectar-tree For 'mong the pebbles of a pretty hill To the warm Suns ey lying open still He plants a vine He sets in furrows or in shallow trenches The crooked Vines choice scyons shoots and branches In March he delves them re-re-delves and dresses Cuts props and proins and God his work so blesses That in the third September for his meed The plentious Vintage doth his hopes exceed Then Noah willing to beguile the rage He is ouer-taken with Wine Of bitter griefs that vext his feeble age To see with mud so many Roofs o're-growen And him left almost in the World alone One-day a little from his strictness shrunk And making merry drinking over-drunk And silly thinking in that hony-gall To drown his woes he drowns his wits and all Description of a drunken-man His head growes giddy and his foot indents A mighty fume his troubled brain torments His idle prattle from the purpose quite Is abrupt stuttering all confus'd and light His wine-stuft stomack wrung with winde he feels His trembling Tent all topsi-turuie wheels At last not able on his legs to stand More like a foul Swine then a sober man Opprest with sleep he wallows on the ground His shame-lesse snorting trunk so deeply drownd In self oblivion that he did not hide Those parts that Caesar covered when he died Ev'n as the Ravens with windy
last He saith now sure I knowe 'T is God 't is God the God that loues me so Loues keeps sustains whom I so oft haue seen Whose voice so often hath my comfort been Illuding Satan cannot shine so bright Though Angelliz'd No 'T is my God of Might Now feel I in my Soule to strength and stir-it The sacred Motions of his sacred Spirit God this sad Sacrifice requires of me Hap what hap may I must obedient be The sable Night dis-log'd and now began Aurora's Vsher with his windy Fan Gently to shake the Woods on every side While his fair Mistress like a stately Bride With flowrs and Gems and Indian gold doth spangle Her louely locks her Louers looks to tangle When gliding through the Ayr in Mantle blew With siluer fring'd shee drops the Pearly deaw With her goes Abram out and the third day Arriues on Cedrons Margents greenly-gay Beholds the sacred Hil and with his Son Loaden with sacred wood he mounts anon Anon said Isaac Father heer I see Knife fire and faggot ready instantly But wher 's your Hoste Oh! let vs mount my Son Said Abram God will soon prouide vs one But scant had Isaac turn'd his face from him A little faster the steep Mount to climbe Yer Abram changed cheere and as new Winâ— Simile Working a-new in the new Cask in fine For beeing stopt too-soon and wanting vent Blowes-vp the Bung or doth the vessell rent Spews out a purple stream the ground doth stain With Bacchus colour where the cask hath layn So now the Tears which manly fortitude Did yerst as captiue in the Brain include At the deer names of Father and of Son On his pale Cheeks in pearly drops did run His eye 's ful vessels now began to leak And thus th' old Hebrew muttering gan to speak In submiss voyce that Isaac might not hear His bitter grief that he vnfoldeth heer Sad spectacle O now my hap-les hand Thou whetst a sword and thou do'st teend a brand The brand shal burn my heart the sword 's keen blade Shall my bloods blood and my lifes life inuade And thou poor Isaac bearest on thy back Wood that shall make thy tender flesh to crack And yield'st thee more for mine than thine amiss Both Priest and Beast of one same Sacrifice O hapless Son O more then hap-less Sire Most wicked wretch O what mis-fortune dire In-gulfs vs heer where miserable I To be true godly must Gods law deny To be true faithful must my faith transgress To be God's Son I must be nothing less Than Isaacs Sire and Isaac for my sake Must Soyl and Sire and life and all forsake Yet on he goes and soon surmounts the Mount And steel'd by Faith he cheers his mournful Front Much like the Delian Princess when her Grace Simile In Thetis Waues hath lately washt her face He builds his Altar lays his wood ther-on And tenderly bindes his deer Son anon Father said Isaac Father Father deer What do you turn away as loth to hear O Father tel me tel me what you mean O cruelty vn-knowen Is this the mean Wherby my loyns as promised long-since is Shal make you Grand-sire of so many Princes And shal I glorious if I heer do dy Fil Earth with Kings with shining Stars the Sky Back Phoebus blush go hide thy golden head Retire thy Coach to Thetis watery Bed See not this savage sight Shal Abram's minde Be milde to all and to his Son vn-kinde And shal great Abram do the damned deed That Lions Tygres Boars and Bears would dread See how incenst he stops his ear to me As dreaming stil on 's bloody mystery Lord how precise see how the Paricide Seems to make conscience in less sins to slide And he that means to murder me his Son Is scrupulous in smaller faults to run Yet Father hear me not that I desire With sugred words to quench your Anger 's fire In Gods's name reap the Grain yourself haue sowen Com take my life extracted from your own Glut with my blood your blade if you it please That I must die welcom my death mine ease But tell me yet my fault before I die That hath deserv'd a punishment so high Say Father haue I not conspir'd your death Or with strong poyson sought to stop your breath Haue I deuis'd to short my Mother's life Or with your Foestaen part in any strife O thou Ethereal Palace Crystalline God's highest Court If in this heart of mine So damned thoughts had ever any place Shut-vp for ever all thy Gates of Grace Against my Soule and neuer let that I Among thy winged Messengers do flie If none of these Abram for I no more Dare call thee Father tell me further-more What rests besides that damned I haue don To make a Father Butcher of his Son In memorie that fault I fain would haue That after God's I might your pardon craue For such offence and so th' Attonement driven You liue content and I may die forgiuen My Son said Hee thou art not hither brought By my fell furie nor thine own foul fault God our God calls thee and He will not let A Pagan sword in thy deer blood be wet Nor burning Plague nor any pining pain With Languor turn thy flesh to dust againe But Sacrifiç'd to him for sweet perfume Will haue thee heer within this fire consume What Fears my Loue my Life my Gem my Ioy What God commands his seruants must obey Without consulting with frail Flesh and Blood How he his promise will in time make good How he wil make so many Scepters spring From thy dead dust How He All-wise wil bring In his due season from thy sense-less Thighes The glorious Son of righteousnes to rise Who shal the Mountains bruise with yron Mace Rule Heav'n and Earth and the Infernal place For he that past the course of Natures kinde First gaue thee birth can with his sacred Winde Raise thee again out of the lowest iust Ten-thousand means he hath to saue the iust His glorious wisdom guides the worlds society With equall Reans of Power and of Piety Mine own sweet Isaac deerest of my seed Too sweet alas the more my grief doth bleed The more my loss the more with cease-less anguish My vexed Bowels for thy lack shall anguish Adue deer Son no longer mine but his Who call's thee hence let this vn-happy kiss Be the sad seal of a more sad Fare-wel Than wit can paint or words haue powr to tell Sith God commands and father you require To haue it so com Death no longer dire But glorious now com gentle death dispatch The Heav'ns are open God his arms doâ—h reach T' imbrace my Soule O! let me brauely fly To meet my Lord and Death's prowd darts defie What Father weep you now Ah! cease those showrs Weep not for me for I no more am yours I was the Lords yer I was born you knowe And he but lent me for a while to you Will you recoyl and
want only with th' vnder-Fishes striues For in the bottom of this liquid Ice Made of Musaïck work with quaint device The cunning workman had contrived trim Carpes Pikes and Dolphins seeming even to swim Dauid gazing Ishai's great son too-idlely walking hie Vpon a Tarras this bright star doth spy And sudden dazled with the splendor bright Fares like a Prisoner who new brought to light Simile From a Cimmerian dark deep dungeon Feels his sight smitten with a radiant Sun But too-too-soon re-cleer'd he sees alas Th' admired Tracts of a bewitching Face Her sparkling Eye is like the Morning Star Her lips two snips of crimsin Sattin are Her Teeth as white as burnisht Silver seem Or Orient Pearls the rarest in esteem Her Cheeks and Chin and all her flesh like Snowes Sweet intermixed with Vermillion Rose And all her sundry Treasures selfly swel Prowd so to see their naked selues excel What living Rance what rapting Iuory Swims in these streams O what new Victory Triumphs of all my TROPHEIS O cleer Therms If so your Waues be cold what is it warms Nay burns my hart If hot I pray whence comes This shivering winter that my soule benums Freezes my Senses and dis-selfs me so With drousie Poppy not my self to knowe O peer-les Bewty meerly Bewtifull Vnknow'n to me th' art most vn-mercifull Alas I dy I dy O dismall lot Both for I see thee and I see thee not But a-far-off and vnder water too O feeble Power and O what shall I doo Weak Kingly-State sith that a silly Woman Stooping my Crown can my soul's Homage summon But ô Imperiall power Imperiall State Could happy I giue Bewties Check the Mate Thus spake the King and like as parkle small Simile That by mischance doth into powder fall Hee 's alla-fire and pensiue studies nought But how t' accomplish his lasciuious thought Which soon he compast sinks himself therin Forgetteth Dauid addeth Sin to Sin Simile And lustfull playes like a yong lusty Rider A wilfull Gallant not a skilfull guider Who proud of his Horse pride still puts him to 't With wand and spur layes on with hand and foot The too-free Beast which but too-fast before Ran to his Ruine stumbling evermore At every stone till at the last he break Against som Rock his and his Riders neck For fearing not Adulteries fact but fame A iealous Husbands Fury for the same And lessening of a Pleasure shar'd to twain He treach'rous makes her valiant Spouse be slain The Lord is moov'd and iust begins to stretch His Wraths keen dart at this disloyal wretch When Nathan then bright Brand of Zeal and Faith Comes to the King and modest-boldly sayth Vouchsafe my Liege that our Chief Iustice art The Prophet Nothan's Parable reprouing Dauid To list a-while to a most hainous part First to the fault giue ear then giue Consent To giue the Faulty his due Punishment Of late a Subiect of thine owne whose flocks Powl'd all Mount Liban's pleasant plentious locks And to whose Heards could hardly full suffice The flowry Verge that longst all Iordan lies Making a Feast vnto a stranger-Guest None of his owne abundant Fatlings drest But privy Thief from a poor Neighbour by His Faithfull Friend Hee takes feloniously A goodly Lamb although he had no more But even that one wherby he set such store That every day of his owne hand it fed And every night it coucht vpon his Bed Supt of his Cup his pleasant morsels pickt And even the moisture from his lips it lickt Nay more my Lord. No more replies the King Deeply incenst 'T is more than time this thing Were seen into and so outrageous Crimes So insolent had need be curbd be times What-ever Wretch hath done this Villany Shall Die the Death and not alonely Die But let the horror of so foul a Fact A more then common punishment exact O painted Toomb then answerd sacred Nathan That hast God in thy Mouth in thy Minde Sathan Thou blam'st in other thine owne Fault denounç't And vn-awares hast gainst thy self pronounç't Sentence of Death O King no King as than Of thy desires Thou art the very man Yea Thou art hee that with a wanton Theft Hast iust Vriah's only Lamb bereft And him ô horror Sin with Sin is further'd Him with the sword of Ammon hast Thou murther'd Bright Beauties Eye like to a glorious Sun Hurts the sore eye that looks too-much ther-on Thy want on Eye gazing vpon that Eye Hath given an Entrance too-too-foolishly Vnto that Dwarf that Divel is it not Which out of Sloath within vs is begot Who entring first but Guest-wise in a room Doth shortly Master of the house become And makes a Saint a sweet myld-minded Man That 'gainst his Life's Fo would not lift his hand To plot the death of his deer faith-full Friend That for his Loue a thousand liues would spend Ah! shak'st thou not is not thy Soule in trouble O brittle dust vain shadow empty bubble At Gods drad wrath which quick doth calcinize The marble Mountains and the Ocean dries No thou shalt knowe the waight of Gods right hand Thou for example t'other Kings shalt stand Death speedy Death of that adulterous Fruit Which even al-ready makes his Mother rue't Shall vex thy soule and make thee feel in deed Forbidden Pleasure doth Repenrance breed Ah shame-les beast Sith thy brute Lust forlorn Hath not the Wife of thy best Friend forborn Thy Sons dis-natur'd shall defile thy bed Incestuously thy fair Wiues rauished Shall doublely thy lust-full seed receaue Thy Concubines which thou behinde shalt leaue The wanton Rapes of thine owne Race shal be It shall befall that in thy Family With an vn-kins-mans kisse vn-louing Lover The Brother shal his Sisters shame discouer Thou shalt be both Father and Father-in-law To thine owne Blood Thy Children past all aw Of God or Man shall by their insolence Eyen iustifie thy bloody foul offence Thou sinn'dst in secret but Sol's blushing Eye Shall be eye-witnesse of their villany All Izrael shall see the same and then The Heav'n-sunk Cities in Asphaltis Fen Out of the stinking Lake their heads shall showe Glad by thy Sons to be out-sinned so Thou thou inhumane didst the Death conspire Of good Uriah worthy better Hire Thou cruell didst it therfore Homicide Cowardly treason cursed Paricide Vn-kinde Rebellion ever shall remain Thy house-hold Guests thy House with blood to stain Thine owne against thine owne shal thril their darts Thy Son from thee shal steal thy peoples harts Against thy Self he shal thy Subiects arm And giue thine age many a fierce Alarm Till hanged by the hair 'twixt Earth and sky His Gallow's pride shame of the Worlds bright Eye Thine owne Lieutenant at a crimsin spout His guilty Soule shall with his Lance let-out And if I fail not O what Tempest fel Beats on the Head of harm-les Izrael Alas how many a guilt-les Abramide Diesin Three dayes through thy too-curious Pride The Plague of
a storm at Sea All topsie-turned by th' Aeolian slaues Do mount and roule Heav'ns war against the Waters And angrie Thetis Earth's green bulwarks batters A sable ayrso muffles-vp the Sky That the sad Saylers can no light descry Or if som beam break through their pitchy night 'T is but drad flashing of the Lightning's light Strike strike our saile the Master cries amain Vail misne and sprit-sail but he cries in vain For in his face the blasts so bluster ay That his Sea-gibberish is straight born away Confused Cries of men dismay'd in minde Seas angry noise lowd bellowing of the winde Heav'ns Thunder-claps the tackles whisteling As strange Musicians dreadfull descant sing The Eastern winde driues on the roaring train Of white-blew billows and the clouds again With fresh Seas crosse the Sea and she doth send In counter-change a rain with salt y-blend Heav'ns headlong seem in Thetis lap to fall Seas scale the skies and God to arm this All Against one ship that skips from stars to ground From waue to waue like Balloons windie bound While the sad Pilot on a foamy Mount Thinks from the Pole to see Hells pit profound And then cast down vnto the sandie shole Seems from lowe Hell to see the lofty Pole And feeling foes within and eek without As many waues so many deaths doth doubt The Billows beating round about the ship Vncauk her keel and all her seams vnrip Whereby the waters entring vncontroul'd Ebbing abroad yet flowe apace in hold For euery Tun the plied Pump doth rid A floud breaks in the Master mastered With dread and danger threatning euery-way Doubts where to turn him what to doo or say Which waue to meet or which salt surge to flie So yeelds his charge in Sea to liue or die As many Cannons 'gainst a Castle bent Simile Make many holes and much the rampire rent And shake the wall but yet the latest shock Of fire-wingd bullets batters down the Rock So many mounts that muster 'gainst this Sail With roaring rage doo this poor ship assail But yet the last with foaming fury swoln With boistrous blasts of angry tempests boln Springs the main-mast the mast with boystrous fall Breaks down the deck and sore affrights them all Pale Idol-like one stands with arms a-cross One moans himself one mourns his childrens loss One more than Death this form of Death affrights Another calls on Heav'ns vn-viewed Lights One 'fore his eys his Ladies looks beholds Another thus his deadly fear vnfolds Curst thirst of gold O how thou causest care My bed of Doun I change for hatches bare Rather than rest this stormie war I chose T' enlarge my fields both land and life I lose Like piezless plume born-vp by Boreas breath With all these wings I soar to seek my death To Heav'n and Hell by angry Neptune led Where least I scape it all these sails I spread Then thus another Sure no winde quoth he Could raise this Storm som rarer Prodigy Hath caus'd this Chaos cause of all our grief Some Atheist dog som Altar-spoyling theef Lurks in this ship com Mates by lot let 's trie To saue the rest the man that ought to die 'T is I quoth Ionas I indeed am cause Of this black night and all the fearfull flaws Of this rough Winter I must sole appease By my iust death these wrath-full wrackfull Seas Then vp they heave him straight and from the waste Him suddainly into the Sea they cast The King of Windes calls home his churlish train And Amphitritè smooths her front again Th' Air 's cloudy Robe returns to crystal cleer And smiling Heav'ns bright Torches re-appeer So soon as Ionas to them all appease O're head and eares was soused in the Seas Thrice coms he vp and thrice again goes down Vnder the waves yer he do wholly drown But then he sinks and wretched roul'd along The sands and Oase and rocks and mud among Thus thus he cries with lips of zealous faith Mercy my God shew mercy Lord he saith Then God who ever heares his childrens wish Provided straight a great and mighty Fish That swilling swallow'd Ionas in her womb A living Corps laid in a living Toomb Like as a Roach or Ruff or Gudgeon born Simile By som swift stream into a weer forlorn â—risks to and fro aloft and vnder dyves Fed with false hope to free their captive lyves The Prophet so amazed walks about This wondrous Fish to finde an issue out This mighty Fish oâ— Whale-like huginess Or bigger-bellied though in body less Where am I Lord alas within what vaults In what new Hell doost thou correct my faults Strange punishment my body thou bereav'st Of mother earth which to the dead thou leav'st Whither thy wrath drives me I do not knowe I am depriv'd of air yet breathe and blowe My sight is good yet can I see no skie Wretch nor in Sea nor yet a-shore am I Resting I run for moving is my Cave And quick I couch within a living Grave While thus he plain'd the third day on the sand The friendly Fish did cast him safe a-land And then as if his weary limbs had been So long refresht and rested at an Inn He seems to flie and com'n to Niniue Your sins have reached vp to Heav'n quoth he Wo and alas wo wo vnto you all Yet forty dayes and Ninive shall fall Thus Ionas preacht But soon the Citizens Sincerely toucht with sense of their foul sins Dispatch in haste to Heaven Repentance sad Sweet-charming Prayer Fasting hairy-clad Repentance makes two Torrents of her eyes Her humble brow dares scant behold the skies Her sobbing brest is beaten blew and black Her tender flesh is rent with rugged sack Her head all hoar'd with harty sorrows past With dust and ashes is all over-cast Prayer's head and sides and feet are set about With gawdy wings like Ioves Arcadian Scout Her body flaming from her lips there fumes Nard Incense Mummy and all rich Perfumes Fasting though faint her face with ioie she cheers Strong in her weakness young in aged yeers Quick health's preserver curbing Cupid's fits Watchfull purge-humors and refining-wits Then Faith Grand Vsher of th' Empyreal Court Vshers these Legats by a golden Port Into the Presence and them face to face Before th' All-Monarch's glorious Throne doth place Where zealous prostrate on her humble knee Thus Prayer speaks in name of all the Three God slowe to wrath O Father prone to grace Lord sheath again thy vengeance sword a space If at thy beam of Iustice thou wilt waigh The works of men that wander every day If thou their metall by that touch-stone try Which fearfull-sounding from thy mouth doth flie If thou shalt summ their Sins which pass the sand Before thee Lord who shall indure to stand Not Ninive alone shall perish then But all this All be burnt to ashes clean And even this day shall thy iust wrath prevent The dreadfull Day of thy last Dooms event This world to
יהוה HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DU BARTAS HIS Deuine Weekes and Workes Translated And Dedicated to the Kings most excellent Maiestie by Josuah Syluester Now thirdly corrected augm ANAGRAMMATA REGIA Regi IACOBVS STVART Iusta Scrutabo IAMES STVART A iust Master FOr A iust Master haue I labour'd long To A iust Master haue I vow'd my best By A iust Master should I take no wrong With A iust Master would my life be blest In A iust Master are all Vertues met From A iust Master flowes aboundant grace But A iust Master is so hard to get That A iust Master seems of Phoenix race Yet A iust Master haue I found in fine Of A iust Master if you question This Whom A iust Master I so iust define My Liege IAMES STVART A iust Master is And A iust Master could my Work deserue Such A iust Master would I iustly serue Voy Sire Saluste Au Tres-puissant tres-prudent tres-Auguste IAQVES par la grace de Dieu Roy de la Grande Britaigne de France d' Irlande Defenseur de lay Foy vnique Catholique Apostolique Christiene * ⎠* VOY SIRE ton SALVSTE habillé en Anglois Anglois encore plus de Coeur que de language Qui cognoistant loyal ton Royal Heritage En çes beaux Liz dorez au Sceptre des Gaulois CoÌ„me au vray Souverain des vrays Subiects François Cy a tes pieds sacrez te faict son sainct Hommage De ton Hoeur Grandeur eternal tesmoignage Miroir de touts Heros Miracle de touts Roys VOY SIRR toÌ„ SALVSTE ou pour le moins son ombre Ou l'ombre pour le moins de se Traicts plus divins Qui ores trop noyrçis par moÌ„ pinçeau trop sombre S'esclair çiront aux Raiz de tes Yieux plus benins Donques d'vn oeil benin d'vn accueil Auguste Reçoy ton cher Bartas VOY SIRE SALVSTE Anagrammatisme de IOSVA SYLVESTRE de vostre Maiestè Tres humble Subiect Seruiteur A l'istessa sua Mäestá serenisma NEptun ' gielozo de La Musa Ingléze L'immura si del Braccio crystallino Ch'il piu divin del Canto suo divino Poco s'intende fuòr del suo Paëze â—erò Signor Come già la Francèze T'à Celebrato di-quà l' Apenino Di-là l' ITALICA al Peregrino Anche farà l' alte tue Lodi intèse Siche la Sèna el Pà do prestaranno Lor Chori sacri per Cantà r l' immenza Alma Virtù Valòr Pietà Prudénza Di GIACOMO gran SALOMON Britanno Per di tua Gloria vdita qualâ—e quanta Rapir il Mondo in maraviglia santa L'istesso Osseruantissimo I. S. INSCRIPTIO To England's Scotland's France Ireland's KING Great Emperour of EVROPE'S greatest Iles Monarch of Hearts and Arts and euery thing Beneath BOOTES manie thousand myles Vpon whose Head Honour and Fortune smiles About whose brows clusters of Crowns do spring VVhose Faith Him Champion of the FAITH en-stiles VVhos 's VVisdome's Fame O're all the World dooth ring MNEMOSYNE Her faire Daughters bring The DAPHNEAN Crown To Crowne Him Laureat VVhole and sole Soueraigne Of the THE SPIAN Spring Prince of PARNASSVS Piërian State And with their Crown their kingdoms Arms they yeelde Thrice three Penns Sun-like in a Cynthian field Sign'd by TIMES-SELVES and their high Treasorer BARTAS the great Ingrosst by SYLVESTER Our SVNNE did Set and yet no NIGHT ensew'd Our WOE-full losse so IOY-full gaine did bring In teares wee smile amid our sighes we Sing So suddainely our dying LIGHT renew'd As when the ARABIAN only Bird doth burne Her aged body in sweete FLAMES to death Out of Her CINDERS A newe Birde hath breath In whom the BEAVTIES Of the FIRST returne From Spicie Ashes of the sacred VRNE Of our dead Phoenix dear ELIZABETH A new true PHOENIX liuely flourisheth Whom greater glories than the First adorne So much O KING thy sacred Worth presum-I-on IAMES thou iust Heire of England's ioyfull VNION IAMES Thou iust Heire of England's ioyfull VNION VNITING now too This long sever'd I LE Sever'd for Strangers from it Selfe the while Vnder one Scepter in One Faith's Communion That in our Loues may never bee dis-vnion Throughout-all Kingdomes in thy Regall Stile Make CHRIST thy Guide In whom was neuer guile CLIO To RVLE thy Subiectes In his GOSPEL'S Vnion So on thy Seate thy Seede shall euer Florish To SION's Comfort and th' eternall Terror Of GOG and MAGOG Athëisme Error So shal one TRVTH thy people train nourish In meeke Obedience of Th' Almightie's Pleasure And to give CEASAR what belongs to CAESAR And to give CEASAR what belongs to CAESAR To sacred Thee drad Soveraigne deerest IAMES While sad-glad ENGLAND yields Hir Diadems To be dispos'd at Thine Imperiall Pleasure While Peers States expose their pomp treasure To entertaine thee from thy Tweed to THAMES VVith Royall Presentes And rare-pretious Gemmes THALIA As Mindes and Meanes Concurre in happy measure Heer gracious Lord lowe prostrate I present you The richest Iewell my poore FATE affoords A Sacrifice that long long since I meant you Your Minion BARTAS masked in My words With Him my Selfe my Seruice Wit and Arte With all the SINNEVVES of a Loyall Heart With all the SINNEWES of a Loyall Heart Vnto Your Royall Handes I humblie Sacre These weeks the works of the worlds glorius Maker Diuinely warbled by LORD BARTAS Art Though through my rudenes heer mis-tun'd in part For to whom meeter should This Muse betake her Than to Your Highnesse Whom as chiefe Partaker MELPOMENE All MVSES Crowne For Principall Desarte To whom should sacred Arte and learned Pietie In Highest Notes of Heauenly Musike Sing The Royall Deedes of the redoubted Dëitie But to a learned and religious KING To whom but You should Holy FAITH coÌ„mend-her Great king of ENGLAND christiaÌ„ FAITH' 's defender Great king of ENGLAND ChristiaÌ„ FAITH'S defender No Selfe-presuming of my Witt 's perfection In what is mine of this Diuine Confection Boldens mee thus to You the Same to tender But with the Rest the Best I haue to render For loyall Witnesse of my glad affection My MITE I offer To Your High Protection CALLIOPE Which MORE it needs The more it selfe is slender But for mine AVTHOR in his Sacred-fury I know your Highnes knows him Prince of Singers And His rare Workes worthy Your Royall fingers Though heer His lustre too-too-much obscure-I For His sake therefore and Your Selfes Benignitie Accept my ZEALE and pardon mine indignitie Accept my ZEALE and pardon mine Indignitie Smoothing with smiles sterne Maiesties Seueritie Sith from this Errour of my bolde temeritie Great good may grow through heav'ns and your benignitie For farre more equall to your BARTAS Dignitie This may prouoke with more diuine dexteritie Some NOBLER Wit To SING to our Posteritie TERPSICHORE This NOBLEST Worke After it Self's Condignitie Or else the sweete Rayes of your Royall Fauour May shine so warme on these wilde Fruites of mine As much may
this Sea belowe Which round about our Earthly Globe doth flowe Remains still round and maugre all the surly Aeolian Slaves and Water's hurly burly Dares not to levell her proud liquid Heap Neuer so little past her limits leap Why then beleeue we not that vpper Sphear May without falling such an Ocean bear Vncircumcised O hard hearts at least Lett 's think that God those Waters doth digest In that steep place for if that Nature heer 5. Diuers effects continual admirable in Nature Can form firm Pearl and Crystall shining cleer Of liquid substance let 's beleeue it rather Much more in God the Heav'ns and Natur 's Father Let vs much more much more lett 's peiz and ponder Th' Almighties Works and at his Wisedom wonder Let vs obserue and double-waigh it well That this proud Palace whear we rule and dwell Though built with match-less Art had fall'n long since Had 't not ben seel'd-round with moist Elements For like as in Man's Little-World the Brain Doth highest place of all our Frame retain And tempers with it's moistfull coldnes so Th' excessive heat of th' other parts belowe Th' eternall Builder of this beautious Frame To enter-mingle meetly Frost with Flame And cool the great heat of the Great-Worlds Torches This-Day spred Water over Heav'ns bright Arches These Seas they say leagu'd with the Seas belowe Hiding the highest of the Mountains tho Had drown'd the whole World had not Noah builded A holy Vessell where his house was shielded Taking occasioÌ„ by his former discourse he treateth of the incouÌ„ ter of the vpper waters with the lower whence followed the general stood in the daies of Noah Which hâ—re he liuely representeth Where by direction of the King of Kings He sav'd a seed-payr of all liuing things No sooner shipâ— but instantly the Lord Down to th' Aeolian dungeon him bestirr'd There muzled close Cloud-chasing Boreas And let loose Auster and his lowring race Who soon set forward with a dropping wing Vpon their beard for every hair a spring A night of Clouds muffled their brows about Their wattled locks gusht all in Rivers out And both their hands wringing thick Clouds asunder Send forth fierce lightning tempest rain and thunder Brooks Lakes and Floods Rivers and foaming Torrents Sodainly swell and their confused Currents Losing their old bounds break a neerer way To run at randon with their spoyls to Sea Th' Earth shakes for fear and sweating doth consume her And in her veins leaues not a drop of humour And thou thy self O Heav'n didst set wideope Through all the Marshes in thy spacious cope All thy large sluces thy vast Seas to shed In sodain spouts on thy proud sisters head Whose aw-less law-less shame-les life abhord Onely delighted to despight the Lord. Th' Earth shrinks sinks now th' Ocean hath no shore Now Rivers run to serue the Sea no more Themselues are Sea the many sundry Streams Of sundry names deriv'd from sundry Realms Make now but one great Sea the World it self Is nothing now but a great standing Gulf Whose swelling surges strive to mix their Water With th' other Waves above this round Theater The Sturgeon coasting over Castles muses Vnder the Sea to see so many houses The Indian Manat and the Mullet float O'r Mountain tops where yerst the bearded Goat Did bound and brouz the crooked Dolphin seuds O'r th' highest branches of the hugest Woods Nought boots the Tigre or the Hart or Hors Or Hare or Grey-hound their swift speedy cours For seeking Land the more they strain breath them The more alas it shrinks and sinks beneath them The Otter Tortois and fell Crocodile Which did enioy a double house yer-while Must be content with only water now The Wolf and Lamb Lions and Buçks do rowe Vpon the Waters side by side suspect-less The Glead and Swallow laboring long effect-less 'Gainst certain death with wearied wings fall down For want of Perch and with the rest do drown And for mankinde imagine som get vp To som high Mountains over-hanging top Som to a Towr som to a Cedar tree Whence round about a World of deaths they see But wheresoeuer their pale fears aspire For hope of safety th' Ocean surgeth higher And still-still mounting as they still do mount When they cease mounting doth them soon surmount One therefore ventures on a Plank to rowe One in a Chest another in a Trough Another yet half-sleeping scarce perceives How 's bed and breath the Flood at once bereaves Another labouring with his feet and hands A while the fury of the Flood withstands Which by his side hath newly droun'd his Mother His Wife his Son his Sister Sire and Brother But tyr'd and spent weary and wanting strength He needs must yeeld too to the Seas at length All all must die then but * Parcae à non parcendo Thenone-sparing Fates that is to say Death th' impartiall Maids Who wont to vse so sundry tools for ayds In execution of their fatall slaughters Had only now the furious foaming Waters Safely the while the sacred Ship did float On the proud shoulders of that boundless-Moat Though mast-les oar-les and from Harbour far For God was both her Steers-man and her Star Thrice fifty dayes that Vniuersall Flood Wasted the World which then the Lord thought good To re-erect in his Compassion great No sooner sounds he to the Seas retreat But instantly wave into wave did sink With sodain speed all Rivers gan to shrink Th' Ocean retires him to his wonted prison The Woods are seen the Mountain tops are risen Out of their slimy Bed the Fields increase And spread apace so fast the waters cease And briefly th' onely thundring hand of God Now Earth to Heav'n Heav'n vnto Earth re-show'd That he again Panchaian Fumes might see Sacred on Altars to his Maiesty He concludeth with a most godly prayer accommodated to the state of the Church in our time Lord sith't hath pleas'd thee likewise in our Age To saue thy Ship from Tyrants stormy rage Increase in Number Lord thy little Flock But more in Faith to build on thee the Rock So Morn and Euen the second Day conclude And God perceiu'd that All his Works were good THE THIRD DAIE OF THE FIRST WEEK THE ARGVMENT The Sea and Earth their various Equipage Seuer'd a-part Bounds of the Oceansrage ' Timbraceth Earth it doth all Watersowe Why it is salt How it doth Ebb and Flowe Rare streams and Fountains of strange operation Earth's firmnes greatnes goodnes sharp taxation Of Bribes Ambition Treason Auarice Trees Shrubs Plants Mines Metals Gemms of price Right vse of Gold the Load-stones rare effects The Countrey-life preferr'd in all respects MY sacred Muse that lately soared high Among the glist'ring Circles of the Sky FroÌ„ the Heauen Regions of the Aire the Poet descendeth to the Earth and Sea Whose various dance which the first Moover driues Harmoniously this Vniverse revives Commanding all the Windes and sulphry
ears to hear his wondrous Art The Dolphin then discrying Land at last Storms with himself for hauing made such haste And wisht Laconia thousand Leagues from thence T' haue ioy'd the while his Musiks excellence But 'fore his own delight preferring far Th' vnhoped safety of the Minstrell rare Sets him a shoar and which most strange may seem Where life he took there life restoreth him But now deer Muse with Ionas lets vs hie From the Whales belly and from ieopardy Of stormfull Seas of wreakfull Rocks and Sand Com com my Darling let vs haste to Land While busie poaring downward in the Deep The second part of this book treating of Fowles I sing of Fishes that there Quarter keep See how the Fowls are from my fancy fled And their high prayses quight out of my head Their flight out-flies me and my Muse almost The better half of this bright Day hath lost But cheer ye Birds your shadows as ye pass Seeming to flutter on the Waters face Make me remember by their nimble turns Both what my duty and your due concerns But first I pray for meed of all my toyl In bringing you into this HAPPIE I LE Vouch safe to waken with your various Notes The sense-less senses of those drowsie Sots Whose eye-lids laden with a waight of Lead Shall fall a-sleep the while these Rymes are read But if they could not close their wakefull eyes Among the Water's silent Colonies How can they sleep among the Birds whose sound Through Heav'n and Earth and Ocean doth redound The Heav'nly Phoenix first began to frame Of the admirable and Onely Phoenix The Earthly Phoenix and adorn'd the same With such a plume that Pboebus circuiting Prom Fez to Cairo sees no fairer thing Such form such fethers and such Fate he gaue-her That fruitfull Nature breedeth nothing braver Two sparkling eyes vpon her crown a crest Of starry Sprigs more splendent then the rest A golden doun about her dainty neck Her brest deep purple and a scarlet back Her description Her wings and train of fethers mixed fine Of orient azure and incarnadine He did appoint her Fate to be her Pheer And Deaths cold kisses to restore her heer Her life again which neuer shall expire Her life Vntill as shee the World consume in fire For hauing passed vnder diuers Climes A thousand Winters and a thousand Primes Worn-out with yeers wishing her end-less end To shining flames she doth her life commend Dies to reviue and goes into her Graue To rise again more beautifull and braue Perched therfore vpon a branch of Palm With Incense Cassia Spiknard Myrrh and Balm By break of Day shee builds in narrow room Her Vrn her nest her Cradle and her Toomb Where while she sits all gladly-sad expecting Som flame against her fragrant heap reflecting To burn her sacred bones to seed-full cinders Wherein her age but not her life she renders Her death The Phrygian Skinker with his lauish Ewer Drowns not the Fields with shower after showr The shivering Coach-man with his Icy Snowe Dares not the Forrests of Phoenicia strowe Auster presumes not Libyan shoars to pass With his moist wings and gray-beard Boreas As the most boistrous and rebellious slaue Is prisoned close in th' Hyper-Borean Caue For Nature now propitious to her End To her living Death a helping hand doth lend And stopping all those Mouths doth mildely sted Her funeralls her fruitfull birth and bed And Sol himself glauncing his golden eyes On th' odoriferous Couch wherein she lies Kindles the spice and by degrees consumes Th' immortall Phoenix both her flesh and plumes But instantly out of her ashes springs A Worm an Egg then then a bird with wings Her re-generation Iust like the first rather the same indeed Which re-ingendred of it'sselfly seed By noblely dying a new Date begins And where she loseth there her life she wins End-less by'r End eternall by her Toomb While by a prosperous Death she doth becom Among the cinders of her sacred Fire Her own selfs Heir Nurse Nurseling Dam and Sire Teaching vs all in Adam heer to dy The best application That we in Christ may liue eternally The Phoenix cutting th' vnfrequented Air Birds that follow the Phoenix and their natures Forth-with is followed by a thousand pair Of wings in th' instant by th' Almighty wrought With divers Size Colour and Motion fraught The sent-strong Swallow sweepeth to and fro The Swallow As swift as shafts fly from a Turkish Bowe When vse and Art and strength confedered The skilfull Archer draws them to the head Flying she sings and singing seeketh where She more with cunning then with cost may rear Her round-front Palace in a place secure Whose Plot may serue in rarest Arch'tecture Her little beak she loads with brittle straws Her wings with Water and with Earth her claws Whereof she Morter makes and there-with-all Aptly she builds her semi-circle Wall The pretty Lark climbing the Welkin cleer The Lark Chaunts with a cheer Heer peer-I neer my Deer Then stooping thence seeming her fall to rew Adieu she sayth adieu deer Deer adieu The Spink the Linot and the Gold-Finch fill The Linot The Finch All the fresh Aire with their sweet warbles shrill But all This 's nothing to the Nightingale The Nightingale Breathing so sweetly from a brest so small So many Tunes whose Harmony excells Our Voice our Violls and all Musick els Good Lord how oft in a green Oken Grove In the cool shadow haue I stood and strove To marry mine immortall Layes to theirs Rapt with delight of their delicious Aâ—ers And yet methinks in a thick thorn I hear A Nightingale to warble sweetly-cleer One while she bears the Base anon the Tenor Anon the Trebble then the Counter-Tenor Then all at once as it were chalenging The rarest voyces with her self to sing Thence thirty steps amid the leafie Sprayes Another Nightingale repeats her Layes Iust Note for Note and adds som Strain atlast That she had conned all the Winter past The first replyes and descants there-vpon With divine warbles of Division Redoubling Quavers And so turn by turn Alternatly they sing away the Morn So that the Conquest in this curious strife â—oth often cost the one her voice and life Then the glad Victor all the rest admire And after count her Mistress of the Quire At break of Day in a Delicious song She sets the Gam-vt to a hundred young And when as fit for higher Tunes she sees-them Then learnedly she harder Lessons gives-them Which strain by strain they studiously recite And follow all their Mistress Rules aright The Colchian Pheasant and the Partridge rare Diuers other delicate and gentle Birds The lustfull Sparrow and the fruitfull Stare The chattering Pye the chastest Turtle-Doue The grizel Quoist the Thrush that Grapes doth love The little Gnat-snap worthy Princes Boords And the green Parrat fainer of our words Wait on the Phoenix and
admire her tunes And gaze themselues in her blew-golden plumes The ravening Kite whose train doth well supply A Rudders place the Falcon mounting high Rauenous Birds The Marlin Lanar and the gentle Tercell Th' Ospray and Saker with a nimble sarcell Follow the Phoenix from the Clouds almost At once discovering many an vnknow'n Coast. In the swift Rank of these fell Rovers flies The Indian Griffin with the glistring eyes Beak Eagle-like back sable sanguin brest White Swan-like wings fiercetalons alwaies prest For bloody battails for with these he tears Boars Lions Horses Tigres Bulls and Bears With thâ—se our Grandams fruitfull panch he pulls Whence many an Ingot of pure Gold he culls To floor his proud nest builded strong and steep On a high Rock better his thefts to keep With these he guards against an Army bold The hollow Mines where first he findeth Gold As wroth that men vpon his right should rove Or theevish hands vsurp his Tresor-troue O! ever may'st thou fight so valiant Foul For this dire bane of our seduced soule Detestation of Auarice for her execrable daÌ„gerous effects And with thee may the Dardan Ants so ward The Gold committed to their carefull Guard That hence-forth hope-less mans frail mind may rest-her From seeking that which doth it's Masters master O odious poyson for the which we dive To Pluto's dark Den for the which we rive Our Motheâ— Earth and not contented with Th' abundant gifts she outward offereth With sacrilegious Tools we rudely rend-her And ransak deeply in her bosom tender While vnder ground wee live in hourly fear When the frail Mines shall over-whelm vs there For which beyond rich Taproban we roule Through thousand Seas to seek another Pole And maugre Windes and Waters enmity We every Day new vnknow'n Worlds descry For which alas the brother sels his brother The Sire his Son the Son his Sire and Mother The Man his Wife the Wife her wedded Pheer The Friend his Friend O! what not sell wee heer Sithence to satiat our Gold-thirsty gall We sell our selues our very soules and all Neer these the Crowe his greedy wings displayes Night-Fowles and solitary Birds The long-liv'd Rauen th' infamous Bird that layes His bastard Egges within the nests of other To have them hatcht by an vnkindely Mother The Skritch-Owl vs'd in falling Towrs to lodge Th' vnlucky Night-Raven and thou lasie Madge That fearing light still seekest where to hide The hate and scorn of all the Birds beside But gentle Muse tell me what Fowls are those That but even-now from flaggy Fenns arose Water fowles 'T is th' hungry Hearn the greedy Cormorant The Coot and Curlew which the Moors doo haunt The nimble Teal the Mallard strong in flight The Di-dapper the Plover and the Snight The silver Swan that dying singeth best And the Kings-Fisher which so builds her nest By the Sea-side in midst of Winter Season That man in whom shines the bright Lamp of Reason Cannot devise with all the withe ha's Her little building how to raise or raze So long as there her quiet Couch she keeps Sicilian Sea exceeding calmly sleeps For Aeolus fearing to drown her brood Keeps home the while and troubles not the Flood The Pirat dwelling alwayes in his Bark In 's Calender her building Dayes doth mark And the rich Marchant resolutely venters So soon as th' Halcyon in her brood-bed enters Mean-while the Langa skimming as it were The Oceans surface seeketh every where The hugy Whale where slipping-in by Art In his vast mouth shee feeds vpon his hart NEVV-SPAIN's Cucuio in his forhead brings Strange admirable Birds Two burning Lamps two vnderneath his wings Whose shining Rayes serue oft in darkest night Th' Imbroderer's hand in royall Works to light Th' ingenious Turner with a wakefull eye To polish fair his purest Ivory Th' Vsurer to count his glistring treasures The learned Scribe to limn his golden measures But note we now towards the rich Moluques Those passing strange and wondrous birds * With vs cald Birds of Paradise Mamuques Wond'rous indeed if Sea or Earth or Sky Saw ever wonder swim or goe or fly None knowes their nest none knowes the dam that breeds them Food-less they liue for th' Airealonely feeds them Wing-less they fly and yet their flight extends Till with their flight their vnknow'n lives-date ends The Stork still eying her deer Thessalie Charitable Birds The Pelican consorteth cheerfully Prayse-worthy Payer which pure examples yield Of faithfull Father and officious Childe Th' one quites in time her Parents love exceeding From whom she had her birth and tender breeding Not onely brooding vnder her warm brest Their age-chill'd bodies bed-rid in the nest Nor only bearing them vpon her back Through th' empty Aire when their own wings they lack But also sparing This let Children note Her daintiest food from her own hungry throat To feed at home her feeble Parents held From forraging with heavy Gyves of Eld. The other kindly for her tender Brood Tears her own bowells trilleth-out her blood To heal her young and in a wondroussort Vnto her Children doth her life transport For finding them by som fell Serpent slain She rents her brest and doth vpon them rain Her vitall humour whence recouering heat They by her death another life do get A Type of Christ who sin-thrall'd man to free Became a Captive and on shamefull Tree Self-guiltless shed his blood by 's wounds to save-vs And salue the wounds th' old Serpent firstly gave-vs And so became of meer immortall mortall Therby to make frail mortall Man immortall Thus doo'st thou print O Parent of this All Lessons for mankinde out of the Consideration of the natures of diuers creatures In every brest of brutest Animall A kinde Instinct which makes them dread no less Their Childrens danger then their own decease That so each Kinde may last immortally Though th' Indiuiduum pass successively So fights a Lion not for glory then But for his Deer Whelps taken from his Den By Hunters fell He fiercely roareth out He wounds he kills amid the thickest rout He rushes-in dread-less of Spears and Darts Swords shafts staves though hurt in thousand parts And brave-resolved till his last breath lack Never gives-over nor an inch gives-back Wrath salves his wounds and lastly to conclude When over-layd with might and Multitude He needs must dy dying he more bemoanes Then his own death his Captiue little-Ones So for their young our Masty Currs will fight Eagerly bark bristle their backs and bite So in the Deep the Dog-Fish for her Fry Lucma's throes a thousand times doth try For seeing when the suttle Fisher follows-them Again alive into her womb shee swallows-them And when the perill's past she brings them thence As from the Cabins of asafe defence And thousandlyues to their deer Parent owing As sound as ever in the Seas are rowing So doth a Hen make of her wings a Targe To shield her Chickens that she hath
The stubborn'st heads of all the savage troop Of all the Creatures through the Welkin gliding Walking on Earth or in the Waters sliding Th' hast armed som with Poyson som with Paws Som with sharp Antlers som with griping Claws Som with keen Tushes som with crooked Beaks Som with thick Cuirets som with skaly necks But mad'st Man naked and for Weapons fit Thou gav'st him nothing but a pregnant Wit Which rusts and duls except it subiect finde Worthy it 's worth wheron it self to grinde And as it were with enuious armies great Be round about besieged and beset For what boot Milo's brawny shoulders broad And sinnewie arms if but a common load He alwayes bear what Bayes or Oliue boughs Parsly or Pine shall crown his warlik brows Except som other Milo entring Lists Courageously his boasted strength resists In deepest perils shineth Wisdoms prime Through thousand deaths true Valour seeks to clime Well knowing Conquest yeelds but little Honour If bloody Danger doo not wait vpon her O gracious Father th' hast not only lent God hath set them at enmity among themselues Prudence to Man the Perils to prevent Wherwith these foes threaten his feeble life But for his sake hast set at mutuall strife Serpents with Serpents and hast rais'd them foes Which vnprovoked felly them oppose The Viper and Scorpion with their young Thou mak'st th' ingratefull Viper at his birth His dying Mothers belly to gnaw forth Thou mak'st the Scorpion greedy after food Vnnaturally devour his proper brood Wherof one scaping from the Parents hunger With 's death doth vengeance on his brethrens wronger Thou mak'st the Weazell by a secret might The Weazell against the Basiliske Murder the Serpent with the murdering sight Who so surpris'd striving in wrathfull manner Dying himself kils with his baen his Baener Thou mak'st th' Ichneumon whom the Memphs adore The Ichneumon against the Aspick To rid of Poysons Nile's manured shoar Although indeed he doth not conquer them So much by strength as subtile stratagem As he that vrg'd with deep indignity By a proud Chalenge doth his foe defie Premeditates his posture and his play And arms himself so complet every way With wary hand guided with watchfull eye And ready foot to traverse skilfully That the Defendant in the heat of fight Findes no part open for his blade to light So Pharaohs Rat yer he begin the fray 'Gainst the blinde Aspick with a cleauing Clay Vpon his coat he wraps an Earthen Cake Which afterward the Suns hot beams doo bake Arm'd with this Plaister th' Aspick he approcheth And in his throat his crooked tooth he broacheth Whileth ' other boot-les striues to pearce and prick Through the hard temper of his armour thick Yet knowing himself too-weak for all his wile Alone to match the skaly Crocodile Hee with the Wren his Ruin doth conspire The Wren who seeing prest with sleeps desire The Ichneumon and the Wren against the Crocodile Nile's poysony Pirate press the slimy shoar Sodainly coms and hopping him before Into his mouth he skips his teeth he pickles Clenseth his palate and his throat so tickles That charm'd with pleasure the dull Serpent gapes Wider and wider with his vgly chaps Then like a shaft th' Ichneumon instantly Into the Tyrants greedy gorge doth sly And feeds vpon that Glutton for whose Riot All Niles fat Margents could scarce furnish diet Nay more good Lorst th' hast taught Mankinde a Reason God hath taught vs to make great vse of them To draw Life out of Death and Health from Poyson So that in equall Ballance ballancing The Good and Evill which these Creatures bring Vnto Mans life we shall perceiue the first By many grains to over-waigh the worst From Serpents scap't yet am I scarce in safety Fierce and vntameable beasts Alas I see a Legion fierce and lofty Of Sauvages whose fleet and furious pase Whose horrid roaring and whose hideous face Make my sense sense-less and my speech restrain And cast me in my former fears again Already howls the waste-Fold Wolf the Boar The Wolfe Boare Beare Ounce Tigre Leopard Vnicorne Hyaena Mantichora a kind of Hyaenae Cephus a kind of Ape or Munkey Chiurcae Whetts foamy Fangs the hungry Bear doth roar The Cat-faç't Ounce that doth me much dismay With grumbling horror threatens my decay The light-foot Tigre spotted Leopard Foaming with fury do besiege me hard Then th' Unicorn th' Hyëna tearing-tombs Swift Mantichor ' and Nubian Cephus coms Of which last three each hath as heer they stand Man 's voice Man's visage and Mans's foot and hand I fear the Beast bred in the bloody Coast Of Cannibals which thousand times almost Re-whelps her whelps and in her tender womb She doth as oft her living brood re-tomb But O! what Monster 's this that bids me battail On whose rough back an Hoast of Pikes doth rattle The Porcupine Who string-less shoots so many arrows out Whose thorny sides are hedged round about With stiff steel-pointed quils and all his parts Bristled with bodkins arm'd with Auls and Darts Which ay fierce darting seem still fresh to spring And to his ayd still new supplies to bring O fortunate Shaft-neuer-wanting Bowe-man Who as thou fly'st canst hit thy following foe-man And never missest or but very narrow Th' intended mark of thyselfs kindred Arrow Who still self-furnisht needest borrow never Diana's shafts nor yet Apollos quiver Nor bowe-strings fetch from Carian Aleband Brazell from Perù but hast all at hand Of thine owne growth for in thy Hide do growe Thy String thy Shafts thy Quiver and thy Bowe But Courage now heer 's coms the valiant Beast The Lion King of Beasts The noble Lion King of all the rest Who brauely-minded is as milde to those That yeeld to him as fierce vnto his foes To humble suiters neither stern nor statefull To benefactors never found ingratefull A memorable Historie of a Lion acknowledging the kindnes he had receiued of Androdus a Romane Salue I call to record that same Roman Thrall Who to escape from his mechanicall And cruell Master that for lucre vs'd-him Not as a Man but as a Beast abus'd-him Fled through the desart and with trauail'd tir'd At length into a mossie caue retir'd But thear no sooner gan the drowzy wretch On the soft grass his weary limbs to stretch But coming swift into the caue he seeth A ramping Lion gnashing of his teeth A thief to shamefull execution sent By Iustice for his faults iust punishment Feeling his ey 's clout and his elbows cord Waiting for nothing but the fatall Sword Dies ye◠his death he looks so certainly Without delay in that drad place to Die Even so the Slaue seeing no means to shun By flight or fight his fear'd destruction Having no way to fly nor arms to fight But sighs and tears prayers and wofull plight Embraceth Death abiding for a stown Pale cold and sense-les in a deadly swown At last again
Which her small fingers draw so ev'n and fine Still at the Centre she her warp begins Then round at length her little threds she pins And equall distance to their compass leaues Then neat and nimbly her new web she weaues With her fine shuttle circularly drawn Through all the circuit of her open lawn Open least else th' vngentle Windes should tear Her cipres Tent weaker then any hair And that the foolish Fly migh easter get Within the meshes of her curious Net Which he no sooner doth begin to shake But streight the Male doth to the Centre make That he may conquer more securely there The humming Creature hampred in his snare You Kings that beare the sword of iust Hostilitie The Lion to Kings Pursue the Proud and pardon true Humilitie Like noble Lions that do neuer showe Their strength and stomach on a yeelding Foe But rather through the stoutest throngs doo forrage ' Mid thousands Deaths to shew their daunt-les courage Thou sluggard if thou list to learn thy part The Emmet and Hedge-hog to the sloathfull Goe learn the Emmets and the Vrchins Art In Summer th' one in Autumn th' other takes The Seasons fruits and thence prouision makes Each in his Lodging laying vp a hoord Against cold Winter which doth nought affoord But Reader We resemble one that windes Man may finde in himself excellent instruction From Saba Bandan and the wealthy Indes Through threatning Seas and dangers manifold To seek far-off for Incense Spice and Gold Sith we not loosing from our proper Strand Finde all wherein a happy life doth stand And our owne Bodies self-contained motions Giue the most gross a hundred goodly Notions You Princes Pastors and ye Chiefs of War The head teacheth all persons in authoritie Do not your Laws Sermons and Orders mar Least your examples banefull leaprosies Infect your Subiects Flocks and Companies Beware your euill make not others like For no part 's sound if once the Head be sick You Peers O doo not through self-partiall zeal The Eys instruct Princes and Noble-men With light-brain'd Counsails vex your Common-weal But as both Eys doo but One thing behold Let each his Countries common good vp-hold You that for Others trauail day and night With much-much labour and small benefite The teeth such as trauaile for others Behold the Teeth which Toule-free grinde the food From whence themselues doo reap more greef then good Euen as the Hart hath not a Moments rest The Hart the Ministers of the Word But night and day moues in our panting brest That by his beating it may still impart The liuely spirits about to euery part So those to whome God doth his Flock betake Ought alwaies study alwaies work and wake To breathe by Doctrin and good Conuersation The quickning spirit into their Congregation And as the Stomach from the holesom food The stomacke the same Diuides the grosser part which is not good They ought from false the truth to separate Error from Faith and Cockle from the Wheat To make the best receiv'd for nourishment The bad cast forth as filthy excrement The Hands all Christians to Charitie If Bat or Blade doo threaten sodain harm To belly brest or leg or head or arm With dread-less dread the hand doth ward the blowe Taking her self her brethrens bleeding woe Then mid the shock of sacrilegious Arms That fill the world with blood and boistrous storms Shall we not lendour helping hands to others Whom Faith hath made more neer and deer then Brothers Nor can I see where vnderneath the Sky The whole body the whole society of mankind that euery one ought to stand in his owne vocation A man may finde a iuster Policy Or truer Image of a calme Estate Exempt from Faction Discord and Debate Then in th' harmonious Order that maintains Our Bodies life through Members mutual pains Where one no sooner feels the least offence But all the rest haue of the same a sense The Foot striues not to smell the Nose to walk The Tongue to combat nor the Hand to talk But without troubling of their Common-weal With mutinies they voluntary deal Each in his Office and Heav'n-pointed place Bee 't vile or honest honoured or base But soft my Muse what wilt thou re-repeat The Little-Worlds admired Modulet If twice or thrice one and the same we bring 'T is teadious how euer swect we sing Ther-fore a-shoar Mates let our Anchor fall Heer blowes no Winde heer are we Welcom all Besides consider and conceiue I pray W'haue row'd sufficient for a Sabbath Day THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK Du BARTAS His SECOND VVEEKE Disposed After the proportion of his First Into SEAVEN DAYES viz. THE 1. ADAM THE 2. NOAH THE 3. ABRAHAM THE 4. DAVID THE 5. ZEDECHIAS THE 6. MESSIAS THE 7. Th' ETERNAL SABBATH But of the three last Death preuenting Our Noble Poet hath depriued vs. Acceptam refero TO THE MOST ROYAL PATTERN AND PATRON OF LEARNING AND RELIGION THE HIGH AND MIGHTIE PRINCE IAMES BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF GREAT BRITAINE FRANCE IRELAND TR VE DEFENDER OF THE TR VE ANTIENT CHRISTIAN CATHOLIKE AND APOSTOLIKE FAITH c. 1. SONNET From ZEAL Land sayling with the Winde of Loue In the Bark LABOVR stirr'd by Theorems Laden with â—ope and with DESIRE t' approve Bound for Cape Comfort in the I le of IHMMES In such a Mist wee fell vpon the Coast That sodainly vpon the Rock Neglect Vnhappily our Ship and Goods we lost Even in a Place that we did least suspect So Cast away my LIEGE and quight vn-don We Orphan-remnants of a wofefull Wrack Heer cast a-shore to Thee for succour run O Pittie vs for our deer Parent 's sake Who Honour'd Thee both in his Life and Death And to thy guard his POSTHVMES did bequeath 2. SONNET These glorious WORKS and gratefull Monuments Built by Du BARTAS on the â—yrenaeis Your Royall Vertues to immortalize And magnifie your rich Munificence Haue prov'd so Charge-full to Trans-port from thence That our smal Art's-stâ—ck hardly could suffize To vnder go so great an Enterprize But is even beggerd with th' vn-cast Expense So that except our Muses SOVERAIN With gracious Eye regard her spent Estate And with a hand of Princely Fauour daign To stay her fall before it be too-late She needs must fail as lending Light about Self-spending Lamps for lack of Oyl go-out Voy Sire Saluste To the Right Excellent and most hopefull young Prince HENRY Prince of WALES ANAGR Henricus Stuartus Hic strenuus ratus THE TROPHEIS MAGNIFICENCE THe gratious Welcome You vouchsaf't yer-while To my grave PIBRAC though but meanly clad Makes BARTAS now no Stranger in this Isle More bold to come though suted even as clad To kiss Your HIGHNES Hand and with Your Smile To Crown His Haps and Our faint Hopes to glad Whose weary longings languish in our Stile For in our Wants our very Songs be sad Hee brings for
How long they had that Garden in possession Before their proud and insolent Transgression What Children there they earned and how many Of whether sex or whether none or any Or how at least they should haue propagated If the sly malice of the serpent hated Causing their fall had not defil'd their kin And vnborn seed with leprosie of Sin If void of Venus sith vnlike it is Such blessed state the noble flowr should miss Of Virgin-head or folk so perfect chaste Should furious feel when they their loues imbraç't Such tickling flames as our fond soule surprise That dead a-while in Epilepsâ—e lies And slack our sinews all by little and little Drowning our reason in foule pleasure brittle Or whether else as men in gender now Sith spouse-bedspot-less laws of God allow If no excess command sith else again The Lord had made the double sex in vain Whether their Infants should haue had the Powr We now perceiue in fresh youths Iusty flowr As nimble feet lims strong and vigorous Industrious hands and hearts couragious Sith before sin Man ought not less appear In Natures gifts then his then-seruants were And loe the Partridge which new-hatched bears On her weak back her parent-house and wears In stead of wings a bever-supple down Follows her dam through furrows vp and down Or else as now sith in the womb of Eue A man of thirtie yeares could neuer liue Nor may we iudge ' gainst Natures course apparant Without the sacred Scriptures speciall warrant Which for our good as Heav'ns deer babe hath right To countermaund our reason and our sight Whether their seed should with their birth haue brought Deep Knowledge Reason Vnderstanding-thought Sith now wee see the new-fall'n feeble Lamb Yet stayn'd with bloud of his distressed Dam Knowes wel the Wolf at whose fell sight he shakes And right the tear of th' vnknow'n Eaw he takes And sith a dull Dunce which no knowledge can Is a dead image and no liuing man Or the thick vail of Ignorance's night Had hooded-vp their issues inward sight Sith the much moisture of an Infant brain Receiues so many shapes that ouer-lam New dash the old and the trim commixation Of confus'd fancies full of alteration Makes th' Vnderstanding hull which settle would But findes no firm ground for his Anchors hold Whether old ADAM should haue left the place Vnto his Sonnes they to their after-race Or whether all together at the last Should gloriously from thence to Heav'n haue past Search whoso list who list let vaâ—â—t in pride The decision of such Questions is a busie idlenes T' haue hit the white and let him sage decide The many other doubts that vainly rise For mine owne part I will not seem so wise I will not waste my trauail and my seed To reap an empty straw or fruitless reed Alas we know what Orion of grief Rain'd on the curst head of the creatures Chief Sin makes vs perceiue more then sufficiently what happines our Grand-sire lost and what misery he got by his shamefull Fall After that God against him war proclaim'd And Satan princedom of the earth had claim'd But none can know precisely how at all Our Elders liv'd before their odious fall An vnknow'n Cifer and deep Pit it is Where Dircean Oedipus his marks would miss Sith Adam's self if now he liv'd anew Could scant vnwinde the knotty snarled clew Of double doubts and questions intricate That Schools dispute about this pristin state But this sole point I rest resolved in But for sinne man had not been subiect vnto Death That seeing Death 's the meer effect of sin Man had not dreaded Death's all-slaying might Had hee still stood in Innocence vpright For as two Bellows blowing turn by turn Simile By little and little make cold coals to burn And then their fire inflames with glowing heat An yron bar which on the Anuil beat Seems no more yron but flyes almost all In hissing sparks and quick bright cinders small So the Worlds Soule should in our soule inspire Th' eternall force of an eternall fire And then our soule as form breathe in our corse Her count-less numbers and Heav'n-tuned force Wherewith our bodies beauty beautified Should like our death-less soule haue neuer died Heer wot I well som wranglers will presume Obiections against the estate of man who had not beene subiect vnto death but for Sinne. To say Small fire will by degrees consume Our humor radicall and how-be-it The differing vertues of those fruits as yet Had no agreement with the harmfull spight Of the fell Persian dangerous Acomte And notwithstanding that then ADAMS taste Could well haue vsed all without all waste Yet could they not restore him euery day Vnto his body that which did decay Because the food cannot as being strange So perfectly in humane substance change For it resembleth wine wherein too rife Simile Water is brewd whereby the pleasant life Is ouer-cool'd and so there rests in fine Nought of the strength sauour or taste of wine Besides in time the naturall faculties Are tyr'd with toyl and th' Humour-enemies Our death conspiring vndermine at last Of our Soules prisons the foundations fast I but the Tree of life the strife did stay Answer to those obiections Which th' Humours caused in this house of clay And stopping th' euill changed perfect good In body fed the body of the food Only the soules contagious malady Had force to frustrate this high remedy Immortall then and mortall man was made Conclusion Mortall he liv'd and did immortall vade For 'fore th' effects of his rebellious ill To die or liue was in his power and will But since his Sin and proud Apostasie Ah! die he may but not alas not-dy As after his new-birth he shall attain Onely a powr to neuer-dy again FINIS THE IMPOSTVRE THE II. PART OF THE I. DAY OF THE II. WEEK THE ARGVMENT Iustice and Mercy modul'd in their kinde Satans proud Hate and Enuie to Mankinde His many Engins and malitious Wiles Whereby the best he many-times beguiles Why he assum'd a Body and began With Eue by Her to vndermine her Man Their dreadfull Fall Their drousie Conscience Gods righteous Sentence for their foul Offence On them and Theirs Their Exile Eden barr'd With flaming Sword and Scraphin for guard O Who shall lend me light and nimble wings That passing Swallows and the swiftest things Euen in a moment boldly-daring I From Heav'n to Hell from Hell to Heav'n may fly O! who shall showe the countenance and gestures Of Mercy and Iustice which fair sacred sisters With equall poiz doe euer ballance ev'n Th' vnchanging Proiects of the King of Heav'n Th' one stern of look the other milde-aspecting Th' one pleas'd with tears the other bloud affecting Th' one bears the Sword of vengeance vnrelenting Th' other brings Pardon for the true-repenting Th' one from Earths Eden Adam did dismiss Th' other hath rais'd him to a higher Bliss Who
swouns and many others Eternall fellows of all future mothers Vnder his yoak thy husband thee shall haue Tyrant by thee made the Arch-tyrants slaue Against Man And thou disloyall which hast harkned more To a wanton fondling then my sacred lore Hence forth the sweat shall bubble on thy brow Thy hands shall blister and thy back shall bow Ne'r shalt thousend into thy branchievains A bit but bought with price of thousand pains For the earth feeling euen in her th' effect Of the doom thundred 'gainst thy foul defect In stead of sweet fruits which she selfly yeelds Seed-less and Art-less ouer all thy fields With thorns and burrs shall bristle vp her brest In short thou shalt not taste the sweets of rest Till ruth-less Death by his extreamest pain Thy dust-born body turn to dust again Heer I conceiue that flesh and bloud will brangle Obiection to excuse the Sinne of Man And murmuring Reason with th' almighty wrangle Who did our parents with Free-will indue 1. Though he fore-saw that that would be the clew Should lead their steps into the wofull way Where life is death ten thousand times a day Now all that he fore-sees befalls and further Hee all euents by his free powr doth order Man taxeth God of too-vniust severity For plaguing Adams sin in his posterity So that th' old yeers renewed generations Cannot asswage his venging indignations Which haue no other ground to prosecute But the mis eating of a certain fruit O dusty wormling dar'st thou striue and stand Answeres to the first obiection With Heav'ns high Monarch wilt thou wretch demand Count of his deeds Ah! shall the Potter make 1. His clay such fashion as him list to take And shal not God Worlds Founder Natures Father Dispose of man his own meer creature rather The supream King who Iudge of greatest Kings By number weight and measure acts all things Vice-loathing Lord pure Iustice patron strong Law 's life Right 's rule will he doo any wrong Man holdest thou of God thy frank Free-will 2. But free t' obay his sacred goodnes still Freely to follow him and doe his hest Net Philtre-charm'd nor by Busiris prest God arms thee with discourse but thou O wretch By the keen edge the wound-soule sword doost catch Killing thy self and in thy loyns thy line O banefull Spider weaving wofull twine All Heav'ns pure flowrs thou turnest into poyson Thy sense reaues sense thy reason robs thy reason For thou complainest of Gods grace whose Still Extracts from dross of thine audacious ill 3. Three vnexpected goods prayse for his Name Bliss for thy self for Satan endless-shame Sith but for sin Iustice and Mercy were But idle names and but that thou didst erre CHRIST had not com to conquer and to quell Vpon the Cross Sin Satan Death and Hell Making thee blessed more since thine offence Then in thy primer happy innocence Thē might'st thou dy now death thou doost not doubt Now in the Heav'n then didst thou ride without In earth thou liv'dst then now in Heav'n thou beest Then thou didst hear Gods word it now thou seest Then pleasant fruits now Christ is thy repast Then might'st thou fall but now thou standest fast Now Adams fault was not in deed so light As seems to Reason's sin-bleard Owlie sight But 't was a chain where all the greatest sinns Were one in other linked fast as Twinns Ingratitude pride treason gluttony Too-curious skill-thrist enuy felony Too-light too-late beleef were the sweet baits That made him wander from Heav'ns holy straights What wouldst thou Father say vnto a Son Of perfect age to whom for portion Witting and willing while thy self yet livest All thy possessions in the earth thou givest And yet th' vngratefull grace-lesse insolent In thine own Land rebellion doth invent Map now an Adam in thy memory By Gods own hand made with great maiesty Not poor nor pined but at whose command The rich aboundance of the world doth stand Not slaue to sense but having freely might To bridle it and range it still aright No idiot fool nor drunk with vain opinion But Gods Disciple and his deerest Minion Who rashly growes for little nay for nought His deadly foe that all his good had wrought So mayst thou ghess what whip what rope what rack What fire were fit to punish Adams lack Answeres to the second obiection Then sith Mans sin by little and little runs End-less through every Age from Sires to Sons 1. And still the farther this foul sin-spring flowes It still more muddy and more filthy growes Thou ought'st not marvail if even yet his seed Feel the iust wages of this wicked deed For though the keen sting of concupiscence Cannot yer birth his fell effect commence The vnborn Babe hid in the Mothers womb Is Sorrow's seruant and Sin 's servile groom As a frail Mote from the first Mass extract Which Adam baen'd by his rebellious fact Sound off-spring coms not of a Kinde infected Parts are not fair if to tall be defected And a defiled stinking sink doth yeeld More durt then water to the neighbour field While nights black muffler hoodeth vp the skies 2. The silly blind-man misseth not his eys Simile But when the day summons to work again His night eternall then he doth complain That hee goes groping and his hand alas Is fain to guide his foot and guard his face So man that liveth in the wombs obscurity Knowes not nor maketh knowen his lusts impurity Which for't is sown in a too-plentious ground Takes root already in the Caues profound Of his infected Hart with 's birth it peers And growes in strength as he doth growe in years And waxt a Tree though proyn'd with thousand cares An execrable deadly fruit it bears Thou seest no wheat Helleborus can bring 3. Nor barly from the madding Morrell spring Simile Nor bleating Lambs braue Lyons doe not breed The leprous Parents raise a leprous seed Even so our Grand-sire living Innocent Had stockt the whole World with a Saint-descent But suffering sin in EDEN him inuade His sons the sons of Sin and Wrath he made For God did seem t'indow with glory and grace 4. Not the first Man so much as all mans race And after reaue again those gifts diuine Not him so much as in him all his line For if an odious Traytour that conspires Simile Against a Prince or to his state aspires Feel not alone the laws extremity But his sons sons although somtimes they be Honest and vertuous for their Fathers blame Are hap-less scarr'd with an eternall shame May not th' Eternall with a righteous terror In Adams issue punish Adams error May he not thrall them vnder Deaths command And sear their brows with everlasting brand Of infamy who in his stock accurst Haue graft worse slips then Adam set at first Mans seed then iustly by succession Conclusion of the former Disputations and execution of Gods Decree
they took And couer'd close with nights deceitfull cloak A liuely descrip tion of Sleep with his Cel Seruants furniture company In Groon-land fields is found a dungeon A thousand-fold more dark than Acheron It hath no door lest as it turns about On rusty hooks it creak too lowdly out But Silence serues for Port and Porter there A gagged Vsher that doth never wear Stif-rustling silks nor ratling chamlet sutes Nor gingling spurs nor creaking spanish boots But that he make no noyse when ere he sturs His high-day sutes are of the softest Furs At other times less-stately-service-ful Hee 's only clad in cotton shod in wool His left fore-finger ore his lips he locks With th' other beckens to the early Cocks The rushing streams and roaring Eölus Seeming though dumb to whisper softly thus Sleep silver Torrents cease sweet Chante-cleer To bid Good-morrow to the Morning heer Be still ye Windes keep in your natiue nest Let not your storms disturb this house of Rest. In midst of all this Caue so dark and deep On a still-rocking couch lies blear-ey'd Sleep Snorting alowd and with his panting breath Blowes a black fume that all envapoureth Obliuion lies hard-by her drowzy brother Who readily knowes not her self nor other Then solitary Morpheus gently rockt And nasty Sloath self-pyn'd and poorly-frockt Irresolute vnhandsom comfortless Rubbing her eyes with Poppy and doth press The yellow Night-shade and blew Gladiols iuice Wher-with her sleep-swoln heauy lids she glewes Confusedly about the silent Bed Fantastick swarms of Dreams there hovered Green red and yellow tawny black and blew Som sacred som profane som false som true Som short som long som diuelish som divine Som sad som glad but monstrous all in fine They make no noyse but right resemble may Simile Th' vnnumbred Moats which in the Sun do play When at som Cranny with his percing ey He peepeth-in som darker place to spy Thither th' Almighty with a iust intent To plague those tyrants pride his Angel sent No sooner entred but the radiant shine Of 's glistring wings and of his glorious eyn As light as Noon makes the dark House of Night The gawdy swarm of Dreams is put to flight And opening wide the sable Canapey The winged Herald summon'd Sleep away Silence dislodg'd at the first word he spake But deaf dead Sleep could not so soon awake Hee 's call'd a hundred times and tugg'd and touz'd And by the angel often rubb'd and rouz'd At length he stirs and stretching lazily His legs and arms and opening half an ey Foure or fiue times he yawns and leaning-on His Lob-like elbowe hears This Message don Great Spirits-restorer Cares-charm Chacing-grief Night-short'ning Sier Man's-Rest and Mind's Relief Vp vp sayd he dispatch thee hence in poste And with thy Poppy drench the conquering Hoste Of those prowd Kings that richly charg'd with Prey On Canaan Mountains lodge in dis-aray Th' angell in th' instant back to Heav'n-ward gon Sleep slowely harnest his dull Bears anon And in a noys-less Coach all darkly dight Takes with him Silence Drowsiness and Night Th' ayr thickning where he goes doth nod the head The Woolf in Woods lies down th' Oxe in the Mead Th' Orque vnder Water and on Beds of Down Men stretch their limbs and lay them softly down The Nightingale pearcht on the tender spring Of sweetest Haw-thorn hangs her drowsie wing The Swallow's silent and the lowdest Humber Leaning vpon the Earth now seems to slumber Th' Yew mooues no more the Aspe doth cease to shake Pines bow their heads seeming som rest to take So soon as Sleep's black wings had over-spread The Pagan Hoast the Souldiers haste to bed For instantly begin they all to wink To hang their heads and let their weapons sink Their words half-spoke are lost between their lips Through all their veins Sleep's charming humor slips Which to a deep and death like Letharge brings Both Heathen Souldiers and their Heathen Kings Abram perceiving now the Army neer Abrams oration to his little Troope By their owne Fires gan thus hir Troups to cheer Souldiers sayd he behold this happy Night Shall make amends for that dis-astrous Fight Was fought in Siddim and acquittance cry For Sodom's shame and Lot's captivity Me thinks already Uictory adorn'd With Bowes and Blades and Casks and Crowns return'd From th' Enemy on our triumphant spears Erecteth Tropheis far more rich than theirs Me thinks already on our glistering Crests The glorious Garland of the Conquest rests Our way to Vertue lyes so smooth and plain With pain-less Honour and vn-vent'red Gain This Hoast you see is not the valiant Troup That stript Gomorrha and made Segor stoop That Iordan Inde and Euphrates admire But a foul heard of Swine wallowing in myre Regard them as they are not as they were See but their sloath do not their number fear He that 's asleep is dead and he that 's dead Bites not they say what haue we then to dread Why stay we Lads already down they are Their throats be naked and their bosoms bare Their liues ly prostrat heer at our command And Fortune calls but for your helping hand Com follow me rather the Lord of Hoasts Terrour of Tyrants who through all the Coasts Of all the Earth confoundeth with a thought All worldly powr and brings mens plots to nought Com happy Troop follow with one accord Th' invincible braue Standard of the Lord. This sayd eft-soons I wot not what a grace What divine beam reflected on his face For as in March the Serpent having cast Simile His old foul skin crawls from his hole full fast Hisses and stings and stares vs in the face And gold-like glistering glides along the grass So Heav'n inspires fresh vigour in each part His blood renews his heart doth take new heart A martiall Fury in his breast there boyls His stature seems much taller then yer-whiles Youth paints his cheeks with Rose and Lilly Dies A louely Lightning sparkles in his eyes So that his gallant Port and gracefull Voice Confirms the faintest makes the sad reioyce Then on the Camp he sets where round about Abraham sets vpon the Campe of Chedorlaomer Lie mingled Carrs and Horse and Men that rout Rest seizeth all and wanting what it fed The Fire it self slept in his ashy bed Th' Hebrews the-while laid-on on back or breast Or arm or side according as their Rest To th' ground had bound them and those liues bereft The which Death's Image in an Image reft Heer one beheaded on a Trunk of Pine Pours-out at once his gore his ghost and Wine The full Helm hops and with a voyce confused Murmurs as if it his fell Fate accused Another taken by inchanting sleep Mid Pots and Cups and Flagons quaffing deep Doth at a wound given in his rattling gorge The Wine again in his owne Cup dis-gorge Another while ingeniously he plays Vpon his Lute som passing-pleasing Lays Sleep sieles his eyes vp with a gloomy
clowd And yet his hand still quauers light and lowd But at the last it sinks and offring fair To strike the Base strikes but the empty ayr His soule descending to th' Infernall Coasts Goes to conclude his Song vnto the Ghosts Dolefull it was nor for the Argument For 't was of Loue but for the sad event Another wak'ned with those lowd alarms Starts-vp and groapeth round about for arms Which ah too soon he findeth for his part For a keen poignard stabs him to the heart Simile Like as a Tigress having with the gore Of Bulls and Heifers made her spots the more And pav'd a Plain with Creatures mangled lims Views on each side her valiant stratagems Treads on the vanquisht and is prowdly-sad That no more Foes nor no more Maw she had So th' Hebrew stalking round-about the slain Braues but it boots not and would very fain That those dead bodies might their ghosts re-gather Or that those Mountains would produce him rather Som Foes more wakefull that more manfully In blood-drown'd Valleis might his valour try Amor's three sons did no less slaughter make Abram for zeal they but for Furies sake This nayls a Souldier with his sword to th' ground That at a blowe th' heads of two Heads dis-crown'd This vnderneath a Chariot kils the Driuer That lops off legs and arms and heads doth shiver The Tents already all in blood do swim Gushing from sundry Corps from severall lim In brief so many ravening Woolves they seem Within whose breast fierce Famine biteth keen Who softly stealing to som fold of sheep While both the Shepheard and his Curr doth sleep Furbush their hungry teeth tear kill and prey Vpon the best to eat and bear-away Yet at the length the vanquished awake And re-aray'd the Victors vnder-take Putting the three prowd Amorites to flight Who but for Abram had been routed quite Sleep sleep poor Pagans sith you needs must die Go sleep again and so die easily Die yer you think on death and in your Dreams Gasp-out your soules Let not your dazled beams Behold the havock and the horrour too Of th' Execution that our swords shall doo Hacking your bodies to heaw-out your breaths Yer Death to fright you with a thousand deaths Said Abraham and pointing every word With the keen point of his quick-whirled sword As swift in doing as in saying so More fiercely chargeth the insulting Foe Than ever Storm-full cloud which fed with Water's Thin moist-full fumes the snowy Mountains daughters Comparison Showr'd heaps of hail-shot or pour'd floods of rain On slender stems of the new tender Grain Through blood and blades through danger dust and death Through mangled Corps and carrs he traverseth And partly in the shock part with â—â—â— blowes He breaketh in through thickest of his Foes And by his trauail topsi-turneth then The liue and dead and half-dead horse and men His bright-keen Fauchin neuer threats but hits Nor hits but hurts nor hurts but that it splits Som priuy postern whence to Hel in post Som groaning Pagan may gasp out his ghost He all assayls and him so braue bestowes That in his Fight he deals more deaths than blowes As the North-winde re-cleering-vp the front Simile Of clowdy Heav'ns towards the South doth hunt The showrs that Austers spungy thirst exhales Out of those seas that circle Orans walls So wher-so-e're our Hebrew Champion wield His war-like weapon and his glistring Shield Whose glorious splendor darts a dreadfull light Elamites ouâ—rthrowen by Abraham All turn their backs and all be-take to flight Forgetting Fame Shame Vertue Hope and all Their hearts are don and down their weapons fall Or if that any be so strangely-stout As not to faint but brauely yet holde out Alas it boots not for it cannot stop The victory but haste his own mishap But in what Fence-schoole of what master say God giueth victory Braue pearl of Souldiers learnd thy hands to play So at so sundry weapons such passados Such thrusts such foyns stramazos and stoccados Even of that mighty God whose sacred might Made Heav'n and Earth and them so braue bedight Of meerly nothing of that God of Powr Who swore to be thy Target and thy Towr Of that high God who fortifies the weak Who teacheth His even steely bowes to break Who doth his Childrens zealous hearts inflame But daunts the prowd and doth their courage tame Abraham follows the execution Thy sword abates th' armed the strong the stout Thou cleav'st thou kill'st The faint dis-armed rout The lightning of thine eyes thy voyces thunder And thy prowd dreadfull port confounds with wonder Death and Despair Horror and Fury fight Vnder thine Ensignes in this Dismal Night Thou slayest this and that thou threat'st as much This thou pursu'st that thou disdaign'st to touch In brief thou blest Knight braue thou quelst at once Valiant and vile arm'd and vnarmed ones Heer thine even hand even in a twinkling trice In equall halves a Pagans head doth slyce Down on each shoulder looketh either half To gaze vpon his ghastly Epitaph In lines of blood writ round about him fair Vnder the curtain of his parted hair Heer through a Ierkin more then Musket-proof Made twelue fold double of East-country Buff Clean through and through thy deadly shaft doth thril A Gyants bulk the wounded hulk doth reel The head behinde appears before the feathers And th' Ethnick soule flies both-waies out togethers Heer thou do'st cleaue with thy keen Fauchins force The Bards and Breast-plate of a furious Horse No sooner hurt but he recoyleth back Writing his Fortune in a bloody track Thy barbed dart heer at a Chaldee flies And in an instant lardeth both his thighes While he blaspheming his hard starrs and state Hops like a Pie in stead of wonted gate Now LOT the while escap't from ELAMS hands Lot rescâ—ed revengeth brauely his captivity Free from the burthen of his yron bands With iust reuenge retorts his taken wrong His feet growe swift his sinnews waxen strong His heart reviues and his reviued heart Supplies new spirits to all and euery part And as a wilde and wanton Colt got out Simile Of som great Stable staring scuds about Shakes his prowd head and crest yerks out his heels Butts at the ayr beats on the humble fields His flying shadow now pursues amain Anon amaz'd flies it as fast again Again beholds it with self-prowd delight Looks on his legs sets his stiff tayl vpright And neighs so lowd to Mares beyond the Mound That with the noyse the neighbour Hils resound So one while LOT sets on a Troup of Horse A Band of Sling-men he anon doth force Anon he pusheth through a Stand of Pikes A Wing of archers off anon he strikes Anon he stalks about a steepfull Rock Where som to shun Death's never shunned stroak Had clambred-vp at length a path he spies Where vp he mounts and doth their Mount surprize Whence stones he heaues so heavy and so
should drop What booted all to me that am alone Alas my Lord I have enough for one That hath no issue after to inherit But my good seruant ELEAZAR'S merit Not so my Son replies th' Omnipotent Mistake not so my bountifull intent I 'll not disparage to a Servants Fee The rich estate and royall Dignitie That in my People shall heereafter shine No no mine ABRAM even a stock of thine Thine owne deer Nephews even thy proper Seed Shall be thine Heirs and in thy state succeed Yea thine owne Son 's immortal-mortall Race Shall hold in gage the treasures of my Grace The Patriarch then rapt with sodain Ioy Made answer thus Lives then my wandring Boy Lives IS MAEL is IS MAEL alive O happy news Lord let him everthrive And shall his Seed succeed so eminent Ah! let me die then then I die content IS MAEL indeed doth live the Lord replies And lives to father mighty Progenies For from the Day when first his Mother flying Thy ieloux SARA'S curst and threatfull crying To the dry Desarts sandy horror hi'd I have for both been carefull to provide Their extream Thirst due-timely to refresh Conducting them vnto a Fountain fresh In liquid Crystall of whose Mayden spowt Bird never dipt hir bill nor Beast his snowt And if I err not but I cannot err For what is hid from Hearts-Artificer What can the sight of the Sight-maker dim Another Exile yet attendeth him Where-in he shall in season feel and finde How much to him I will be good and kinde He shall growe Great yet shall his rest be small All shall make war on him and He on all Through Corslets Rivets Iacks and Shirts of Mail. Ismaels mightinesse His shaft shall thril the Foes that him assail A swift Hart's heart he shall even running hit A Sparrows head he shall even flying split And in the air shall make the Swallow cease His sweet-sweet note and slicing nimblenesse Yea O Saints-Firstling only for thy sake Twelue mighty Princes will I shortly make Spring from his Loigns whose fruitfull seed shall swaie Even vnto Sur from golden Havila Yet 't is not He with whom I mean to knit Mine inward Covenant th' outward seal of it ISMAEL may bear but not the efficace Thy Son but after flesh not after Grace But to declare that vnder Heavens Frame I hold nought deerer then mine ABRAHAM I 'll open SARA'S dry and barren womb Isaac promised From whence thine ISAAC Earths delight shall com To glad the World a Son that shall like thee Support the Faith and prop her Family Com from thy Tent com forth and heer contemple The golden Wonders of my Throne and Temple Number the Stars measure their bigness bright With fixed ey gaze on their twinkling Light Exactly mark their ordered Courses driven In radiant Coaches through the Lists of Heaven Then mai'st thou also number thine own Seed And comprehend their Faith and plainly read Their noble Acts and of their Publike-State Draw an Idea in thine owne conceit This This is He to and with whom I grant Th' eternall Charter of my Covenant In him the Covenant ratified Which if he truly keep vpon his Race I 'll pour an Ocean of my plentious Grace I 'll not alone giue him these Fields heer seen But even from India all that flowreth green To th' vtmost Ocean's vtmost sand and shelf I 'll give him Heav'n I 'll give him even my Self Hence hence the High and mighty Prince shall spring Of his ligne shall come Christ the Redeemer Sin 's Death's and Hell 's eternall taming King The sacred Founder of Man's soveraign Bliss World's peace world's ransom and world's righteousness Th' Eternal seem'd then towards Heav'n to hie Th' olde-man to followe him with a greedy eie The suddain dis-appearing of the Lord Seem'd like to Powder fired on a boord When smokingly it mounts in suddain flash With little flame giving a little clash Plenty and Pleasure had o're-whelm'd the while Prosperity plungeth the Sodomites in all manner of abhominations Sodom and Gomor in all Vices vile So that already the most ruth-less Rape Of tender Virgins of the rarest shape Th' Adulterous kiss which Wedlocks bands vnbindes Th' Incestuous Bed confounding Kindreds kindes Where Father wooes the Daughter Sister Brother Th' Vnkle the Niece and even the Son the Mother They did not hate nor as they ought abhor But rather scorn'd as sports they car'd not for Forbear deer Younglings pray a-while forbear Stand farther from me or else stop your ear At th' obscene sound of th' vnbeseeming words Which to my Muse this odious place affords Or if it's horror cannot drive you hence Hearing their Sin pray hear their Punishments These beastly Men rather these man-like Beasts Could not be fill'd with VENVS vulgar Feasts Fair Nature could not furnish their Desire Their most execrable sinne Som monstrous mess these Monsters did require An execrable flame inflam'd their hearts Prodigiously they play'd the Womens parts Male hunted Male and acted openly Their furious Lusts in fruitless Venery Therefore to purge Vlcers so pestilent Two heav'nly Scowts the Lord to Sodom sent 2. Angels sent down received and guested by Lot Whom deeming Mortals Lot importunates To take his Lodging and to taste his Cates. For Angels being meer Intelligences Have properly no Bodies nor no senses But sacred Legats of the Holy-One Of the nature and essence of Angels To treat with vs they put our Nature on And take a body fit to exercise The Charge they haue which runs and feeds and flies Dures during their Commission and that past Turns t'Elements whence it was first amasst A simple Spirit the glittering Childe of Light Vnto a bodie doth not so vnite As to the Matter Form incorporates But for a season it accommodates As to his Tool the quaint Artificer That at his pleasure makes the same to stir Yet in such sort that th' instrument we see Holds much of him that mooves it actively But alwaies in som place are Angels though Not as all filling God alone is so The spirit which all good spirits in spirit adore In all on all with-out all evermore Nor as environ'd that alone agrees To bodies bounded with extremities Of the next substance and whose superfice Vnto their place proportionable is But rather as sole selfly-limited And ioyn'd to place yet not as quantiti'd But by the touch of their liue efficace Containing Bodies which they seem t' embrace So visibly those bodies move and ost By word of Mouth bring arrands from aloft And eat with vs but not for sustentation Nor naturally but by meer dispensation Such were the sacred Guests of this good Prince Such courteous ABRAHAM feasted in his Tents When seeing three he did adore but one Which comming down from the celestiall Throne Fore-tolde the sad and sodain Tragedy Of these loose Cities for their Luxury You that your Purse do shut and doors do bar Exhortation to Hospitality
defence 'Gainst the tri-pointed wrathfull violence Of the drad dart that flaming in his hand Shall pash to powder all that him withstand And 'gainst the rage of flames eternal-frying Where damned soules ly ever-never-dying Sith the least Flies and Lice and Vermin too Out-braue your braves and Triumph over you Gallop to Anian sail to Iucatan Man caÌ„not hide him froÌ„ the hand of God nor auoid his vengeance Visit Botongas dive beyond the Dane Well may you fly but not escape him there Wretches your haltars still about you bear Th' Almighties hand is long and busie still Having escap't his Rod his Sword you feel He seems somtimes to sleep and suffer all But calls at last for Vse and Principall With hundred sorts of Shafts his Quiver's full Som passing keen som som-what sharp som dull Som killing dead som wounding deep som light But all of them do alwayes hit the White Each after other Now th' Omnipotence At Egypt shoots his Shafts of Pestilence Th' Ox falls-down in his yoak Lambs bleating dy 5. With the Plague of Pestilence The Bullocks as they feed Birds as they fly Anon he covers Man and Beast with cores Of angry Biles Botches and Scabs and Sores 6. With Vlcers grieuous Scabs or Murrain Whose vlcerous venoms all inflaming spread O're all the body from the foot to head Then Rain and Hail and flaming Fire among Spoyl all their fields their Cattel great with young 7. With hail Fire froÌ„ Heauen All brain'd with hail-stones Trees with tempest cleft Robd of their boughs their boughs of leaues bereft And from Heav'ns rage all to seek shelter glad The Face of Egypt is now dradly-sad The SoÌ„ in Virgins tear-their Beauties honour Egyptians amazed at this extraordinary scourge Not for the waste so much as for the manner For in that Country never see they Clowd With waight of Snowes their trees are never bow'd They knowe no Ice and though they haue as we The Year intire their Seasons are but three They neither Rain-bowe nor fat Deaws expect Which from else-where Sol's thirsty raies erect The naturall fruitfulnesse and prosperity of Egypt in it selfe maruailous Rain-les their soyl is wet and Clowd-les fat Itself 's moist bosom brings it this and that For while else-where the River's roaring pride Is dryed-vp and while that far and wide The Palaestine seeks for his thirsty Flock Iordan in Iordan Iaboc in Iaboc Their floud o'reflowes and parched Mâ—sraim A season seems in a rich Sea to swim Niles billows beat on the high-dangling Date And Boats do slice where Ploughs did slide of late Steep snowy Mounts bright Stars Etesian gales You cause it not no those are Dreams and Tales Th' Eternall-Trine who made all compassly Makes th' vnder waues the vpper's want supply And Egypts Womb to fill with fruits and Flowrs Gives swelling Nile th' office of heavenly Showrs Then the Thrice-Sacred with a sable Clowd Of horned Locusts doth the Sun be-clowd And swarmeth down on the rebellious Coast 8. They are vexed with Grashoppers The Grass-hoppers lean dam-devouring Hoast Which gleans what Hail had left and greedy crops Both Night and Day the Husband's whole-year's hopes Then gross thick Darkness over all he dight And three fair Dayes turns to one fearfull Night 9. With palpable darknesse With Ink-like Rheum the dull Mist's drouzy vapours Quench their home-Fires and Temple-sacred Tapers If hunger drive the Pagan from their dens One 'gainst a settle breaketh both his shins Another groping vp and down for bread Falls down the stayrs and there he lies for dead But though these works surmount all Natures might Though his owne Sages them of guile acquight Though th' are not casuall sith the holy-man The Israelites in all these plagues vntoucht yet Pharao still hardned Fore-tels prefixtly What and Where and Whan And though that living in the midst of His The Israelites be free from all of This Th' incensed Tyrant strangely-obstinate Retracts the Leave he granted them of late For th' Ever-One who with a mighty hand Would bring his People to the plentious Land Of Palestine Who providently-great Before the eyes of all the World would set A Tragedy where wicked Potentates Might see a Mirror of their owne estates And who most-iust must haue meet Arguments To showe the height of his Omnipotence Hardens the King and blinding him self-blinde Leaues him to Lusts of his owne vicious minde For God doth never ever purely bent Cause sin as sin but as Sin 's Punishment For the last Charge an Angell in one night 10. Therefore al the first borne of Egypt are slain in one night by the Angel All the first born through all the Land doth smite So that from Suës Port to Birdene Plain Ther 's not a House but hath som body slain Saue th' Israelites whose doors were markt before With sacred Pass-Lamb's sacramentall gore And therfore ever-since on that same day Yeerly the Iewes a Yearling Lamb must slay A token of that Passage and a Type Of th' Holy-Lamb which should in season ripe By powring-forth the pure and plentious Flood Of his most precious Water-mixed Blood Preserue his People from the drad Destroyer That fries the wicked in eternall fier Through all the Land all in one instant cry All for one cause though yet all knowe not why Night heaps their horrors and the Morning showes Their privat griefs and makes them publike woes Scarce did the glorious Governour of Day After so many grieuous plagues the Egyptianâ—ery out vpon their King to let the Israelites goe O're Memphis yet his golden tress display When from all parts the Maydens and the Mothers Wiues Husbands Sons and Siers Sisters and Brothers Flock to the Court where with one common voice They all cry-out and make this mournfull noyse O stubborn stomach cause of all our sadnes Dull Constancy or rather desperat Madnes A Flood of Mischiefs all the Land doth fill The Heav'ns still Thunder th' Ayr doth threaten stil Death ghastly death triumpheth every-where In every house and yet without all fear Without all feeling we despise the Rod And scorn the Iudgements of the mighty God Great King no more bay with thy wilfullings His Wrath 's dread Torrent He is King of Kings And in his sight the Greatest of you all Are but as Moats that in the Sun do fall Yield yield alas stoop to his powrfull threat He 's warn'd enough that hath been ten times beat Go get you gon hence hence vn-lucky race They hasten and importune them to be gone Your eyes bewitch our eyes your feet this Place Your breath this ayr Why haste you not away Hebrews what lets you wherfore do you stay Step to our houses if that ought you lack Choose what you like and what you like go take Gold Plate or Iewels Ear-rings Chains or Ouches Our Girdles Bracelets Carkanets or Brouches Bear them vnto your gods not in the sands Where the
Heav'n-kissing Clowd-browd Sina stands But much much farther and so far that here We never more your odious newes may hear Go Hebrews go in God's Name thriue amain By loosing you we shall sufficient gain With the Kings leaue then th' Hebrews Prince collects After their departure Pharao immediately pursues them His Legions all and to the Sea directs Scarce were they gon when Pharaoh doth retract And arms all Egypt to go fetch them back And camping neer them execrably-rude Threatens them death or end-less Seâ—uitude Even as a Duck that nigh som crystall brook Simile Hath twice or thrice by the same Hawk bin strook Hearing aloft her gingling siluer bels Quivers for fear and looks for nothing els But when the Falcon stooping thunder-like With suddain souse her to the soyl shal strike And with the stroak make on the sense-less ground The gut-less Quar once twice or thrice rebound So Israel fearing again to feel Pharao's fell hands who hunts him at the heel Quivers and shivers for despair and dread And spits his gall against his godly Head O base ambition This false Politick The Israelites feare and murmuring against Moses Plotting to Great himself our deaths doth seek He mocks vs all and makes vs fortune-less Change a rich Soyl for a dry Wilderness Allur'd with lustre of Religious showes Poor soules He sels vs to our hatefull Foes For O! what strength alas what stratagem Or how good God shall we encounter them Or who is it or what is it shall saue vs From their fell hands that seek to slay or slaue-vs Shall we dis-armed with an Army fight Can we like Birds with still-steep-rising flight Surmount these Mountains haue we Ships at hand To pass the Sea this half a Sea half sand Or had we Ships and Sails and Owers and Cable Who knowes these Waters to be navigable Alas som of vs shall with Scithes be slasht Som with their Horse-feet all to pieces pashâ— Som thrill'd with Swords or Shafts through hundred holes Shall ghastly gasp-out our vntimely soules Sith die we must then die we voluntary Let 's run our selues where others would vs carry Com Israelites com let vs die together Both men and women so we shall in either Prevent their rage content their avarice And yield perhaps to MOSES even his Wish Moses instruction to incourage them with assured confidence in God Why brethren knowe ye not their Ruler saith That in his hand God holdeth life and death That He turns Hils to Dales and Seas to Sands That He hath prest a thousand winged Bands T' assist his Children and his Foes t' assail And that He helps not but when all helps fail See you this mighty Hoast this dreadfull Camp Which dareth Heav'n and seems the Earth to damp And all inrag'd already chargeth ours As thick or thicker than the Welkin powrs Simile His candi'd drops vpon the ears of Corn Before that Ceres yellow locks be shorn It all shall vanish and of all this Crew Which thinks already to haue swallowed you Of all this army that in Armour bright Seems to out-shine the Sun or shame his light There shall to-morrow not a man remain Therfore be still God shall your side sustain Then zealous calling on th' immortall God Calling vpoÌ„ God he parts the Red Sea so that the people passe thorough as on dry land He smot the Sea with his dead-living Rod The Sea obay'd as bay'd the Waues controul'd Each vpon other vp to Heav'n do folde Between both sides abroad deep Trench is cast Dri'd to the bottom with an instant blast Or rather 't is a Valley paved els With golden sands with Pearl and Nacre-shels And on each side is flanked all along With walls of crystall beautifull and strong This flood-less Foord the Faithfull Legions pass And all the way their shoo scarce moisted was Dream we sayd they or is true we try The Sea start at a stick The Water dry The Deep a Path Th' Ocean in th' ayr suspending Bulwarks of Billows and no drop descending Two Walls of Glass built with a word alone Afrik and Asia to con-ioyn in one Th' all-seeing Sun new bottoms to beholde Children to run where Tunnies lately roll'd The Egyptians following them are swallowed in the Sea Th' Egyptian Troops pursue them by the track Yet wayts the patient Sea and still stands back Till all the Hoast be marching in their ranks Within the lane between his crystall banks But as a wall weak'ned with mining-vnder The Piles consum'd falls suddainly a-sunder O're-whelmeth all that stand too neer the breach Simile And with his Ruines fils-vp all the ditch Evenso Gods finger which these Waters bay'd Beeing with-drawen the Ocean swell'd and sway'd And re-conioyning his congealed Flood Swallows in th' instant all those Tyrantswood Heer one by swimming thinks himself to saue But with his scarf tangled about a Naue He 's strangled straight and to the bottom sinking Dies not of too-much drink but for not drinking While that in vain another with lowd lashes Scours his prowd Coursers through the scarlet Washes The streams wher-on more Deaths than waues do swim Bury his Chariot and his Chariot him Another swallowed in a Whirl-Whales womb Is layd a-liue within a living Tomb Another seeing his Twin-brother drowning Out of his Coach his hand to help him downing With both his hands grasping that hand his Twin Vnto the bottom hales him head-long in And instantly the Water covers either Right Twins indeed born bred and dead together Nile's stubborn Monarch stately drawen vpon Pharao profanely blaspheming prowdly brauing Moses and the Sea is notwithstanding drowned with the rest A curious Chariot chaç't with pearl and stone By two prowd Coursers passing Snowe for colour For strength the Elephants Lions for valour Curseth the Heav'ns the Ayr the Windes and Waues And marching vp-ward still blasphemes and braues Heer a huge Billow on his Targe doth split Then coms a bigger and a bigger yet To second those The Sea growes ghastly great Yet stoutly still He thus doth dare and threat Base roaguing Iuggler think'st thou with thy Charm Thou shalt preuaile against our puissant arms Think'st thou poor shifter with thy Hel-spels thus To cross our Counsels and discomfit vs And O proud Sea false trayterous Sea dar'st thou Dar'st thou conspire 'gainst thine owne Neptune now Dar'st thou presume 'gainst vs to rise and roar I charge thee cease be still I say no more Or I shall clap thine arms in Marble stocks And yoak thy shoulders with a Bridge of Rocks Or banish thee from Ethans far for ay Through som new Chanel to go seek thy way Heer-at the Ocean more than ever frets All topsi-turuy vp-side-down it sets And a black billow that aloft doth float With salt and sand stops his blasphemous throat What now betydes the Tyrant Waters now Haue reft his neck his chin cheeks eyes and brow His front his fore-top now there 's nothing seen But his prowd
Sea-drying Lord I knowe no Gods aboue my glittering Sword This sayd he sallies and assaults the Foe With furious skirmish and doth charge them so As stormy billows rush against a Rock 3. Similes As boystrous windes that haue their prison broak Roar on a Forrest as Heav'ns sulph'ry Flash Against proud Mountains surly brows doth dash The sacred Troops to conquer alwayes wont Could not sustain his first Tempestuous brunt But turn their backs and as they fly amain Four less than fourty of their band were slain The son of NVN then with th' Isacian Peers Iosuah and the Princes of Israel humbled before the Lord in Prayer Before the Ark in postrate wise appears Sack on his back dust on his head his eyes Even great with tears thus to the Lord he cries O! what alas what haue we don O Lord The People destin'd to thy Peoples sword Conquers thy people and the Cananites Against thy Promise chase the Israelites O Lord why did not Iordans rapid Tyde Still stay our Hoast vpon the other side Sith heer in hope to get the Promis'd more We hazzard all that we had won before Regard and guard vs nay regard thy Name O! suffer not the seed of Abraham Almighty Father O thou God most high To be expos'd to Heathen's Tyranny Much less thy sacred Ark for them to burn And least of all thy glorious Self to scorn IOSVAH sayd God let th' Hoast be sanctifi'd And let the Church-thief die that dar'd to hide Th' vn-lawfull Pillage of that cursed Town Thy Mayden Conquest prime of thy Renown Then shalt thou vanquish and the lofty Towrs Of HAI shal fall vnder thy war-like powrs The morrow next after the great Assise ACHAN convicted not by bare surmize AchaÌ„ executed But by God's Spirit which vndermines our mindes And cleerly sees our secretest designes To whom Chance is no Chance and Lot no Lot To whom the Die vncertain rouleth not Is brought without the Hoast with all hee hath And sacrifiç'd vnto th' Almighties wrath Now between Bethel and HAI's western wall There lies a valley close inviron'd all Between the forking of a Hill so high That it is hidden from all passers-by Whose horned clifts belowe are hollowed And with two Forrests arbour'd over-head 'T is long and narrow and a rapid Torrent Bounding from Rock to Rock with roaring Current Deaffens the Shepheards so that it should seem Nature fore-cast it for som stratagem Thither the Duke soon after mid-night guides Aâ— ambush His choycest Bands and them there war'ly hides Ech keeps his place none speaks none spits none coughs But all as still as if they marchton moss So fallow Wolues when they intend to set Simile On fearfull flocks that in their Folds do bleat Through silent darkness secret ways do groap Their feet are feathered with the wings of hope They hold their breath and so still vn-descri'd They pass hard by the watchfull Mastie's side Mean-while the howrs opened the doors of Day To let out Titan that must needs away Whose radiant tresses but with trayling on Began to gild the top of Libanon When with the rest of all his Hoast the * Signifieth but an Earle but here â—â—â—â— vsurâ—ed for the chiefe Captain Ioâ—uah GRAVE Marcheth amain to giue the Town a braue They straight re-charge him as in season warm The hony-makers busie-buzzing swarm With humming threats throngs from the little gates Simile Of their round Towr and with their little hates Fiercely assail and wound the naked skins Of such as come to rob their curious Inns. Why Cowards dare you com again for blowes Or do you long your wretched liues to lose Com we are for you wee 'll dispatch you soon And for the many wrongs that you haue don Vnto ourselues our Neighbours and our Friends This day our swords shall make vs full amends Cry th' Amorites and th' Hebrew Captain then â—â—â—ratagem Flies as affraid and with him all his men Disorderly retire still faining so Till politik he hath in-trayn'd the Foe Right to his Ambush then the Souldiers there Hid in the Vale hearing their noyse so neer Would fain be at them were they not with-held By threatning gestures of Commanding Eld So haue I seen on LAMBORN's pleasant Douns Simile When yelping Begles or sons deeper Hounds Haue start a Hare how milk-white Minks and Lun Gray-bitches both the best that ever run Held in one leash haue leapt and strain'd and whin'd To be restrain'd till to their masters minde They might be slipt to purpose that for sport Watt might haue law neither too-long nor short But when the Heathen had the ambush past The Duke thus cheers his sacred Troops as fast Sa sa my Hearts turn turn again vpon-them They are your owne now charge and cheerly on-them His ready Souldiers at a beck obay And on their Foes courageous load they lay Hâ—i conquered They shoot they shock they strike they stab they kill Th' vnhallowed Currs that yet resisted still Vntill behinde them a new storm arose With horrid noyse which daunts not only those But with the fury of it's force doth make The Hills and Forrests and even Hell to quake Pagans what will you do if heer you fly You fall on Caleb where y' are sure to dy If there on Iosuah O vnfortunate Your help-less Gods in vain you invocate Y' are O forlorn like Rabbets round be-set With wily Hunters Dogs and deadly Net Simile With shrill Sa-haw heer-heer-ho heer-again The Warren rings th' amazed Game amain Runs heer and there but if they scape away From Hounds staues kill them if from staues the Hay Yield yield and die then striue not to retire For even in death behold your Town a-fire Then Gabaon a mighty City neer That these Exploits of Heav'ns drad hand did hear Sent subtilly to League with Israel No y' are deceiv'd sayd then th' Arch-Colonel The Cananites are destin'd long ago To Fire and Sword and vtter Over-throwe From Heav'ns high Iudge the sentence doth proceed Man may not alter what God hath decreed Alas my Lord reply'd th' Embassadors The Gabaonites cunning policie to make League with Israel You may perceiue we are no Borderers Vpon these countries For our sutes our slops Our hose and shoos were new out of the shops When we set forth from home and even that day This Bread was baked when we came away But the long Iourney we haue gon hath wore Our cloaths to rags and turn'd our Victuals hoar W' adiure you therefore in the sacred name Of that drad GOD to whom your vows you frame By the sweet ayr of this delightfull Coast By the good Angell that conducts your Hoast By deer Embraces of your deerer Wiues And by your Babes even deerer then your liues By each of these and all of these together And by your Arms whose Fame hath drawen vs hither T' haue pitty on vs and to swear vnto-vs To saue our liues and not so
thou think it fit To haue it so or so to suffer it Pardon me Father that I am so free I heer surrender thy Lieutenancy Bestow 't on him put all into his hand Who Heav'ns commands He well may Earth command Why daughter know'st thou not God answers her That many times my Mercy doth transfer Into my Children mine owne power wher-by They work not seldom mine owne Wonders high That th' are my sacred Vice-Roys and that Hee The power of a stedfast Faith Who stript of Flesh by Faith is ioyn'd to me May remove Mountains may dry-vp the Seas May make an Ocean of a Wilderness Th' hast seen it Daughter therfore but thou pine In Ielousie of this drad arm of mine Grudge not at theirs for they can nothing do But what my Spirit inables them vnto O happy Prince I wonder not at all IOSVAH his victories If at thy feet the stout Anachian fall If th' Amorrhite Hevite and Canaanite The Pheresite Hethite and Iebusite And huge Basanian by thy daunt-les Hoast Were over-throwen and if as swift almost As my slowe Muse thy sacred Conquests sings Thou Cam'st Saw'st Conquer'dst more then thirty Kings Sub duing Syria and dividing it Vnto twelve Kindreds in twelve portions fit Sith O grand Vicar of th' Almighty Lord With onely summons of thy mighty Word Thou makest Rivers the most deafly-deep To lobstarize back to their source to creep Walls giue thee way after thy Trumpets charge Rock-rushing Tempests do retreat or charge Sol's at thy service and the starry Pole Is proud to pass vnder thy Muster-Roule As a blind man forsaken of his guide Simile In som thick Forest sad and self-beside Takes now a broad anon a narrow path His groaping hand his late eys office hath Heer at a stub he stumbles there the bushes Rake-off his Cloak heer on a Tree he rushes Strayes in and out turns this and that way tries And at the last falls in a Pit and dies Even so alas having their Captain lost After his death Israel having lost his guide fals from his God So blindely wanders IACOB's wilfull Hoast Contemns the Fountain of God's sacred Law From I doll-Puddles poysoning drink to draw Forsakes th' olde true God and new fals-gods fains And with the Heathen friendship entertains Th' Almighty saw it for what sees he not God therefore forsakes him And so dainly his fury waxed hot And on their neck for his sweet yoak he layd The Strangers yoak that hard and heavy waigh'd Simile But as an Infant which the Nurce le ts go To go alone waves weakly to and fro Feels his feet fail cries out and but alas For her quick hand would fall and break his face So IACOB iustly made afflictions thrall Is never ready in the Pit to fall Of pale Despair but if he cry and craue-him God still extends his gracious hand to save-him Vpon his Repentance God again receiues him to fauour Raysing som Worthy that may break insunder The Gyves and Fetters that he labours vnder So then assisted by th' immortall hand Brave ISRAEL brings vnder his Command IERVSALEM LVS BETHEL ACCARON SESAI and THOLMAI GAZA and ASCALON And BEZEC too whose bloudy Tyrant fled Is caught again and payd with Cake for Bread To self-taught Torture he himself is put The Tyrant Adoni-Bezec ta ken intreated as He had handled others His sacrilegeous Thumbs and Toes be cut Whereby more inly prickt then outly payn'd God's Vengeance iust he thus confess 't and playn'd O hand late Scepter-graç't O hand that late EGYPT did dread and EDOM tremble at His Complaint O hand that armed durst even MARS defie And could'st have pull'd proud IVPITER from high Now where-to serv'st thou but t' augment my moan Thou canst not now buckle mine Armour on Nor wield my mighty Launce with brazen head Ah! no alas thou canst not cut my bread O feet late winged to pursue the flight Of hundred Armies that I foyl'd in fight Now you haue lost your office now alas You cannot march but limp about this place But 't is the iust God the iust hand of Heav'n His confession In mine owne Coin hath me my payment given For seventy Kings thus maim'd of Toes and Thumbs I insolent haue made to lick the crums Vnder my boord like Dogs and drawen perforce To serue for blocks when I should mount my horse Therefore O Kings by mine example learn His caâ— eat to all Tyrants and cruell minded men To bound your rage limit your fury stearn O Conquerers be warned all by me Be to your Thralls as God to you shall be Men pitty Man wretched and over-throwen And think his case may one-day be your owne For Chance doth change and none aliue can say He happy is vntill his dying day The Foe that after Victorie survives Not for himself but for your glorie liues Th' Oliue's aboue the Palm and th' happiest King His greatest Triumph is Self-triumphing But Israel wallowing in his myre again Israel again and again relapseth Soon lost the glory former Arms did gain And goods and bodies easie booties bin To Aram Moab and the Philâ—stâ—m What help O Iacob th' hast nor arms nor head Again humbled Thy Fields with bones of thine owne bands be spread And th' only name of thy profaner Foe Congeals thy blood and chils thy heart for Woe Fly fly and hie thee quickly to recover The all-proof Target of thine ancient Lover Thy gracious God the glorious Tyrant-tamer Terror of terrors Heathen's dreadfull hammer Ah! see already how he rescues thee Again again releeued From th' odious yoak of Pagan Tyranny Breaking the Fetters of thy bondage fell By Ahod Baraâ— and Othoniel And Goad-man SANGAR whose industrious hand Sangar a Plow-Swainâ—a famous Champion of Israel With Ox-teem tills his tributary Land When Philistins with Sword and Fiery fury Slaughter the Iews and over-run all Iury Deflowr the Virgins and with lustfull-spight Ravish chaste Matrons in their Husbands sight He leaues his Plough he calls vpon his God And onely armed with his slender Goad Alone he sets on all the Heathen Camp A Pagan Captain weens him thus to damp What means this Fool saith he go silly Clown Get thee to Plough go home and till thy ground Go prick thy Bullocks leave the Works of MARS To my long-train'd still-conquering Souldiars First learn thou Dog replies the Israelite To knowe my strength rather th' Almightie's might And on his head he layes him on such load With two quick vennies of his knotty Goad And with the third thrusts him between the eyes That down he falls shaking his heels and dies Then steps another forth more stout and grim Shaking his Pike and fierce lets fly at him But SANGAR shuns the blowe and with his stroak The Pagan leg short-off in sunder broak On th' other yet a while he stands and fights But th' Hebrew Champion such a back-blowesmights That flat he
ground still woorm-like basely crawling Dare not attempt nor scarcely think precise Any great Act or glorious Enterprise Because Ambition Custom and the Law From high Estate hath bounded them with aw Where He that never rightly learn'd t obay Commandeth not with heavy Sword of Sway Where each i' th' Publik having equall part All to save all will hazard life and hart Where Liberty as deer as life and breath Born with vs first consorts vs to our Death Shall savage Beasts like-better Nuts and Mast Simile In a free Forrest than our choise Repast In iron Cages and shall we poor Sots Whom Nature Masters of our selues allots And Lords of All besides shall we go draw On our owne necks an ease-les Yoak of Aw Rather O IACOB chuse we all to die Than to betray our Native Libertie Than to becom the sporting Tennis-ball Of a proud Monarch or to yeeld vs thrall To seive or honor any other King Than that drad LAVV which did from SINA ring Another then whom Age made venerable 2. Another of a reverent Senator for Aristocracy or the rule of a chosen Synâ—de of the best men Knowledge admir'd and Office honorable Stands-vp and speaks maiestically-milde On other Piles the COMMON-WEAL to build Doubt-les said he with waste of Time and Soap Y'have labour'd long to wash an AETHIOPE Y'have drawn vs heer a goodly form of STATE And well we have had proof of it of late Shall we again the Sword of IVSTICE put In mad mens hands soon their owne throats to cut What Tiger is more fierce what Bear more fel Comparisons What Chaff more light What Sea more apt to swel Than is th' vnbridled Vulgar passion-toss't In calms elated in foul-weather lost What boot deep Proiects if to th' eyes of all They must be publisht in the common Hall Sith knowen Designs are dangerous to act And th' vn-close Chief did never noble fact DEMOCRACY is as a tossed Ship Void both of Pole and Pilot in the Deep Simile A Senate fram'd of thousand Kinglings slight Where voices pass by number not by waight Where wise men do propound and Fools dispose A Fair where all things they to sale expose Simile A Sink of Filth where ay th' infamousest Simile Most bold and busie are esteemed best A Park of savage Beasts that each-man dreads Simile A Head-les Monster with a thousand heads What shall we then do shall we by and by In Tyrants paws deiect vs servilely Nay rather shunning these extremities Let vs make choise of men vp right and wise Of such whose Vertue doth the Land adorn Of such whom Fortune hath made Noble-born Of such as Wealth hath rais'd above the pitch Of th' abiect Vulgar and to th' hands of such Such as for Wisedom Wealth and Birth excell Let vs commit the Reans of ISRAEL And ever from the sacred Helm exclude The turbulent base moody Multitude Take away Choise and where is Vertue 's grace What shall not Chance vnto Desert give place And Lots to Right Shall not the blinde be led Simile By those whose eyes are perfect in their head Chiefly amid ' such baulks and blocks and Pits As in best State-paths the best States-man meets Who may be better trusted with the key Comparison Of a great Chest of Gold and gems than they That got the same And who more firm and fit At carefull Stern of POLICIE to sit Than such as in the Ship most venture bear Such as their owne wrack with the State 's wrack fear Such as Content and having Much to lose Even Death it self rather than Change would chuse While he discourst thus on a Theam so grave 3. The Oration of a Noble yong Prince for Monarchy or the sole Soveraintiâ— of a KING Vp-rose a Gallant noble yong and brave Fo to the Vulgar one that hop't perchance One-day t' attain a Scepters governance And thus he speaks Your RVLE is yet too Free. Y'have proin'd the leaves not boughs of Publik-Tree Y'have qualified but not yet cur'd our Grief Y'have in our Field still left the tares of Strife Of Leagues and Factions For plurality Of Heads and Hands to sway an Emperie Is for the most part like vntamed Bulls One this way hales another that way pulls Simile All every-way hurried with Passion 's windes Whither their Lust-storms do transport their mindes At length the strongest bears the weakest down And to himself wholly vsurps the Crown And so in fine your Aristocracie He by degrees brings to a Monarchie In brief the Scepter Aristocratike And People-Sway have * A passion following any sicknesse symptomes both a-like And neither of them can be permanent For want of Vnion which of Gouernment Is both the Life-bloud and Preservative Wherby a STATE yong strong and long doth thrive But MONARCHY is as a goodly Station Built skilfully vpon a sure Foundation A quiet House wherin as principall One Father is obey'd and serv'd of all A well-rigd Ship where when the danger 's neer A many Masters strive not who shall steer The world hath but One God Heav'n but One Sun Quails but One Chief the Hony-Birds but One One Master-Bee and Nature natively Graves in our hearts the Rule of MONARCHY At sound of whose Edicts all ioynt-proceed Vnder whose Sway Seditions never breed Who while consulting with Colleagues he stands Le ts not the Victory escape his hands And that same Maiesty which as the Base And Pedestal supports the waight and grace Greatnes and glory of a well-Rul'd State It not extinguisht nor extenuate By being parcelliz'd to a plurality Of petty Kinglings of a mean Equality Like as a goodly River deep and large Simile Able to bear Ships of the greatest Charge If through new Dikes his trade-full Waters guided Be in a hundred little Brooks divided No Bridge more fears nor Sea more waighs the same But soon it loses both his trade and name And to conclude a wise and worthy Prince A KING compleat in Royall excellence Is even the Peoples prop their powrfull nerves And lively Law that all intire preserves His Countrie 's life and soule sight and fore-sight And even th' Almightie's sacred Picture right While yet he spake the People loudly cri'd A KING a KING wee 'll have a KING for Guide He shall command He shall conduct our Hoasts And make vs Lords of th' IDVMEAN Coasts Ingrate said SAMVEL will you then reiect Th' Almighties Scepter do you more affect New POLICY than his olde PROVIDENCE And change th' Immortall for a mortall Prince Well Rebels well you shall you shall have one A KINGs Prerogatiue But do ye knowe what followes ther-vpon He from your Ploughs shall take your Horses out To serve his Pomp and draw his Train about In gilden Coaches a wilde wanton sort Of Popiniayes and Peacocks of the Court He shal your choisest Sons and Daughters take To be his Servants nay his slaves to make You shall plant Vineyards
instantly shalt rue If e'r you saw at Sea in Summer weather Simile A Galley and a Caraque cope togither How th' one steers quick and th' other veers as slowe Lar-boord and star-boord from the poop to prowe This on the winde that on her Owres relies This daunteth most and that most damnifies You may conceaue this Fight th' huge Polypheme Stands stifly shaking his steel-pointed beam Dauid dooth trauerse round about him light Forward and back to th' left hand and the right Steps in and out now stoops anon he stretches Then he recoyls on either hand he reaches And stoutly-actiue watching th' aduerse blowes In euery posture dooth himself dispose As when at Cock-pit two old Cocks doo fight Simile Bristling their plumes and red with rage do smight With spurs and beak bounding at euery blowe With fresh assaults freshing their fury so That desperate in their vn yeelding wrath Nothing can end their deadly fewd but death The Lords about that on both sides do bet Look partially when th' one the Field shall get And trampling on his gaudie plumed pride His prostrate Fo with bloody spurs bestride With clanging Trumpet and with clapping wing Triumphantly his Victory to sing So th' Hebrew Hoast and so the Heathen stranger Not free from fear but from the present danger Behold with passion these two Knights on whom They both haue wagerd both their Fortunes sum And either side with voice and gesture too Hartens and cheers their Champion well to doo So earnest all that almost euery one Seems euen an Actor not a looker-on All feel the Skirmish twixt their Hope and Fear All cast their eyes on this sad Theater All on these two depend as very Founders Of their good Fortune or their Fates Confounders O Lord said DAVID as he whirld his Sling Be bowe and Bowe-man of this shaft I fling With sudden flerk the fatal hemp le ts go The humming Flint which with a deadly blowe Pearç't instantly the Pagans ghastly Front As deep as Pistol-shot in boord is wont The villain 's sped cries all the Hebrew band Goliah overthrowne The Dog the Atheist feels Gods heauy hand Th' Isacian Knight seeing the blowe stands still Fro th' Tyrants wound his ruddy soule doth trill As from a crack in any pipe of Lead That conuoyes Water from some Fountaines head Simile Hissing in th' Aire the captiue Stream doth spin In siluer threds her crystall humorthin The Giant wiping with his hand his wound Cries tush 't is nothing but eft soones the ground Sunk vnder him his face grew pale and wan And all his limbs to faint and fail began Thrice heaues he vp his head it hangs as fast And all a-long lies Isaac's dread at last Couering a rood of Land and in his Fall Simile Resembles right a lofty Tower or Wall Which to lay leuel with the humble soil A hundred Miners day and night doo toil Till at the length rushing with thundrous roar It ope a breach to th' hardy Conquerour Then two lowd cries a glad and sad were heard Wherwith reviv'd the vaunting Tyrant stird Re-summoning vnder his weak Controule The fainting Remnants of his flying Soule And to be once more buckling yer he dies With blowe for blowe he striues in vain to rise Such as in life such in his death he seems For euen in death he curses and blasphemes And as a Curre that cannot hurt the flinger Simile Flies at the stone and biteth that for anger Goliah bites the ground and his owne hands As Traytors false to his fel hearts commands Then the Hebrew Champion heads the Infidel With his own sword and sends his soule to Hell Pagans disperse and the Philistian swarms Haue armes for burthen and haue flight for armes Danger behinde and shame before their face Rowting themselues although none giue them chase Armi-potent Omnipotent my God Dauids Thanksgiving for the victory O let thy Praise fill all the Earth abroad Let Izrael through Thee victorious now Incessant songs vnto thy Glory vow And let me Lord said DAVID euer chuse Thee sole for subiect of my sacred Muse. O wondrous spectacle vnheard-of-Sight The Monster 's beaten-down before the Fight A Dwarf a Sheepheard conquers euen vn-armd A Giant fell a famous Captain armd From a fraile Sling this Battery neuer came But 't was the Breach of a Tower-razing Ram This was no cast of an vncertain Slinger 'T was Crosse-bow-shot rather it was the finger Of the All-mightie not this hand of mine That wrought this work so wondrous in our eyne This hath Hee done that by a woman weake Can likewise stone the stout Abimelech Therefore for euer singing sacred Layes I will record his glorious Power and Praise Then Iacob's Prince him ioyfully imbraces Prefers to honours and with fauours graces Imployes him farre and nigh and farre and neere From all sad cares he doth his Soueraigne cleere In Camp he curbs the Pagans arrogance In Court he cures the Melancholy Trance That toyls his soule and with his tunefull Lyre Effectâ— of Musick Expels th' ll Spirit which doth the body tyre For with her sheath the soule commerce frequents And acts her office by his instruments After his pipe she dances and againe The body shares her pleasure and her paine And by exchange reciprocally borrowes Some measure of her solace and her sorrowes Th' Eare doore of knowledge with sweete warbles pleas'd Sends them eft soones vnto the Soule diseas'd With darke black rage our spirits pacifies And calmly cools our inward flame that fries So O Tyrtéus changing Harmonie Examples of the same Thy Rowt thou changest into Victorie So O thrice-famous Princely Pellean Holding thy hart 's reâ—nes in his Tune-full hand Thy Timothie with his Melodious skill Armes and dis-armes thy Worlds-drad arme at will And with his Phrygian Musicke makes the same As Lion fierce with Dorik milde as Lambe So while in Argos the chaste Violon For 's absent Soueraigne doth graue-sweetly groan Queen Clytemnestra doth resist th' alarmes Of lewd Aegysthus and his lustfull Charmes So at the sound of the sweet-warbling brasse The Prophet rapting his soule 's soule a space Refines him selfe and in his fantasie Graues deep the seal of sacred Prophesie For if our Soule be Number some so thought It must with number be refreshed oft Or made by Number so I yeeld to sing We must the same with some sweet Numbers bring To some good Tune euen as a voice sometime Simile That in its Part sings out of tune and time Is by another voice whose measur'd straine Custome and Arte confirms brought in again It may be too that DAVIDS sacred Ditty Quickned with Holy-Writ and couched witty Exorcist-like chaç't Natures cruel Fo Who the Kings soule did tosse and torture so How e'r it were He is in euery thing A profitable seruant to the King Who enuious yet of his high Feats and Fame His Faith and Fortitude distrusts the same And the diuine Torch
of his Vertues bright Brings him but sooner to his latest Night Saue that the Lord still shields him from on hy And turnes to Triumph all his Tragedy O bitter sweet I burst thus raues the King To hear them all in Camp and Court to sing Sauls Envy to Dauid SAVL he hath slain a thousand DAVID ten Ten thousand DAVID O faint scorn of men Lo how with Lustre of his glorious parts Hee steals-away the giddy peoples harts Makes lying Prophets sooth him at a beck Thou art but King in name Hee in effect Yet thou endur'st it haste thee haste thee Sot Choak in the Cradle his aspiring Plot Preuent his hopes and wisely-valiant Off with his head that would thy foot supplant Nay but beware his death belov'd so wel Will draw thee hatred of all Izrael Sith then so high his heady valour flies Sith common glory cannot him suffice Sith Danger vpon Danger hee pursews And Victory on Victory renewes Let 's put him to 't Let 's make him Generall Feed him with winde and hazard him in all So shall his own Ambitious Courage bring For Crown a Coffin to our Iunior King Yea had hee Sangars strength and Sampsons too Hee should not scape the taske I 'll put him to But yet our DAVID more then all archieues And more and more his grace and glory thriues The more he doos the more he dares adventure His rest-les Valour seeks still new Aduenture For feeling him armd with th' Almighty's Spirit He recks no danger at the least to fear it Then what doos Saul When as he saw no speed By sword of Foes so great a Fo to rid Hee tries his owne and one-while throwes his dart At vn-awares to thrill him to the hart Or treacherously hee layes som subtill train At boord or bed to haue him harm-les slain On nothing else dreams the disloyall wretch But Dauids death how Dauid to dispatch Which had bin don but for his Son the Prince Who deerly tenders Dauids Innocence Ionathan's loue to Dauid And neerly marks and harks the Kings Designes And warns the Iessean by suspect-les signes But for the kinde Courageous Ionathan Who but attended onely with his man Neer Senean Rocks discomfited alone The Philistines victorious Garison About his eares a Shower of Shafts dooth fall His Shield's too-narrow to receiue them all His sword is duld with slaughter of his Foes Wherefore the dead he at the liuing throwes Head-lined helmes heawn from their trunks he takes And those his vollies of swift shot he makes The Heathen Hoast dares him no more affront Late number-les but easie now to count Dauid therefore flying his Princes Furie From end to end flies all the land of â—urie But now to Nob t' Adullam then anon To Desart Zif to Keâ—lah Mâ—aor Hauing for roof heav'ns arches starry-seeld And for repâ—st what wauing woods doe yeeld The Tyrant so frustrate of his intent Wreakes his fell rage vpon the innocent If any winke as willing t' haue not seen-him Or if vnweeting what 's the oddes between-him And th' angry king if any had but hid-him He dies for it if any haue but spid him Yea the High-Priest that in Gods presence stands Escapeth not his paricidiall hands Nor doth he spare in his vnbounded rage Cattle nor Curre nor state nor sexe nor age Contrariwise Dauid doth good for ill He hates the haters of his Soueraigne still And though he oft incounter Saul lesse strong Than his owne side forgetting all his wrong He shewes him aye loyall in deede and word Vnto his Liege th' Anointed of the Lord Respects and honors him and mindes no more The Kings vnkindnesse that had past before One day as Saul to ease him went aside Into a Caue where Dauid wont to hide Dauid vn-seen seeing his Foe so neer And all alone was strooke with suddaine feare As much amaz'd and musing there-vpon When whispering thus his Consorts egge him on Who sought thy life is fall'n into thy lap Doo'st thou not see the Tyrant in thy Trap Now therefore pull this Thorne out of thy foote Now is the Time if euer thou wilt doo 't Now by his death establish thine estate Now hugge thy Fortune yer it be too-late For he my Lord that will not when he may Perhaps he shall not when he would they say Why tarriest thou what doost thou trifle thus Wilt thou for Saul betray thy self and vs Wonne with their words to kill him he resolues But by the way thus with himself revolues He is a Tyrant true But now long since Anti-Bellâ—rmin His Disciples Authors or Fautors of our Powder-Mine And still he bears the mark of lawfull Prince And th' Ever-King to whom all Kings doe bow On no pretext did ever yet allow That any Subiest should his hand distain In sacred blood of his owne Soveraign He hunts me cause-les true but yet Gods word Bids me defend but not offend my Lord. I am anointed King but at Gods pleasure Not publikely therfore I waite thy leasure For thou O Lord regardest Thine and then Reward'st in fine Tyrants and wicked men Thus having sayd he stalkes with noise-les foot Behind the King and softly off doth cut A skirt or lap of his then-vpper clothing Then quick avoydes and Saul suspecting nothing Comes forth anon and Dauid afterward From a high Rock to be the better heard Cries to the King vpon his humble knee Come neer my Liege com neer and fear not me Fear not thy seruant Dauid Well I knowe Thy Flatterers that miss-inform thee so With thousand slanders dayly thee incense Against thy Seruants spot-les innocence Those smooth-sly Aspicks with their poysony sting Murder mine honour me in hatred bring With thee and with thy Court against all reason As if Convicted of the Highest-Treason But my notorious Loyalty I hope The venom of their viperous tongues shall stop And with the splendor of mine actions bright Disperse the Mists of Malice and Despight Behold my Lord Trueth needeth no excuse What better witnesse can my soule produce Of faithfull Loue and Loyall Vassalage To thee my Liege than this most certain gage When I cut-off this lappet from thy Coat Could I not then as well haue cut thy throat But rather Soveraign thorow all my veins Shall burning Gangrens spreading deadly pains Benum my hand then it shall lift a sword Against my Liege th' anointed of the Lord Or violate with any insolence Gods sacred Image in my Soveraign Prince And yet O King thy wrath pursews me still Like silly-Kid I hop from hill to hill Like hated Wolues I and my Souldiers starue But iudge thy self if I thy wrath deserue No my Sonne Dauid I haue don thee wrong Good God requight thy good there doth belong A great Reward vnto so gratious deed Ah well I see it is aboue decreed That thou shalt sit vpon my Seat supream And on thy head shalt wear my Diadem Then ô thou sacred and most noble Head Remember Mee and mine when I
Tissue with too-mean supplies You all the year long doo not spend your wing But during only your delightfull Spring Like Nightingales from bush to bush you play From Tuneto Tune from Myrtle spray to spray But I too-bold and like the Swallow right Not finding whereto rest me at one flight A bound-les ground-les Sea of Times I passe With Auster now anon with Boreas Your quick Career is pleasant short and eath At each Lands-end you sit you down and breathe On som green bank or to refresh you finde Som Rosie-arbour from the Sun and winde But end-les is my Course for now I glyde On Ice then dazled head-long down I slyde Now vp I climbe then through the Woods I craul I stray I stumble somtimes down I fall And as base Morter serveth to vnite Simile Red white gray Marble Iasper Galactite So to con-nex my queint Discourse somtimes Imix loose limping and ill-polisht Rimes Yet wil I not this Work of mine giue o're The Labour 's great my Courage yet is more My hart 's not yet all voyd of sacred heat Ther 's nothing Glorious but is hard to get Hils were not seen but for the Vales betwixt The deep indentings artificiall mixt Amid Musaïks for more ornament Haue prizes sizes and dyes different And O God grant the greatest spot you spie In all my Frame may be but as the Fly Which on her Ruff whiter than whitest snowes To whiten white the fairest Virgin fowes Or like the Veluet on her brow or like The dunker Mole on Venus dainty Cheek And that a few faults may but lustre bring To my high furies where I sweetest sing DAVID waxt old and cold and 's vitall Lamp Lacking it's oyl of Natiue moist grew damp But by degrees when with a dying voice But liuely vigor of Discretion choise He thus instructs his yong Son SALOMON And as Heav'n cals instals him in his Throne Whom with-out Force Vproar or Ryualing Dauids instructions to his Son Salomon Nature and Law and Fortune make a King Euen He my Son must be both Iust and Wise If long He look to Rule and Royalize But he whom onely Fortunes Fauours rears Vnto a Kingdom by some new-found stairs He must appear more than a man and cast By rarest Worth to make his Crown sit fast My SALOMON thou know'st thou art my Yongest Thou know'st besides out of what Bed thou sprungest Thou seest what loue all Izrael bears thy Brother To honour Thee what wrong I doo to other Yea euen to Nature and our Natiue Law 'T is thy part therefore in all points to draw To full Perfection and with rare effect Of Noblest Vertues hide thy Births defect Thou Izraels King serue the great King of All A king first of all ought to bee Religious And only on his Conducts pedestall Found thine Affaires vpon his Sacred Lore Thine eyes and minde be fixed euermore The barking rage of bold Blasphemers hate Thy Soueraign's Manners Vice-Roy imitate Nor think the thicknes of thy Palace Wals Thine iron Gates and high gold-seeled Halls Can let his Eye to spie in euery part The darkest Closets of thy Mazie Hart. If birth or Fate my Son had made thee Prince Of Idumeans or of Philistins Valorous If Pharaoh's Title had be-fall'n to thee If the Medes Myter bowed at thy knee Wert thou a Sophy yet with Vertues lustre Thou oughtst at least thy Greatnes to illustre But to Command the Seed of Abraham The Holy Nation to Controul and tame To bear a Iosuahs or a Samsons load To be Gods Vice-Roy needs a Demi-God Before old Seruants giue not new the start Impartial in bestowing Preferments Kings-Art consists in Action more then Art Old Wine excelleth new Nor giddily Will a good Husband grub a goodly Tree In his faire Orchards midst whose fruitfull store Hath graç't his Table twenty years and more Simile To plant a Graft yer e'r he taste the same Saue with the teeth of a perhaps false Fame These Parasites are euen the Pearls and Rings Pearls said I Perils in the eares of Kings For O what Mischief but their Wiles can work Impatient of Parasites Flatterers Sith euen within vs to their aid doth lurk A smoother Soother euen our owne Selfs-loue A malady that nothing can remoue Which with these strangers secretly Combin'd In League offensiue to the firmest Minde Perswades the Coward he is Wisely-meek The drunkard Stout the Periure Politick The cruel Tyrant a iust Prince they call Sober the Sot the Lauish Liberal And quick-nos'd Beagles senting right his lore Trans-form'd into him euen his Faults adore Fly then those Monsters and giue no accesse To banish Atheists and all notoriously wicked persons from his presence To men infamous for their wickednesse Endure no Atheist brook no Sorcerer Within thy Court nor Thief nor Murderer Least the contagion of their banefull breath Poyson the publike fountain and to death Infect Thy manners more of force then Law The spring whence Subiects good or bad will draw To over-Rule his owne Passiōs Affections Rule thine Affects thy fury and thy fear Hee 's no true King who no self's-sway doth bear Not what thou could'st but what thou shouldst effect And to thy Lawes first thine owne-self subiect For ay the Subiect will fear set a-side Through thick and thin hauing his King for guide To be milde and gratious Shew thy Self gracious affable and meek And be not proud to those gay godlings like But once a year from their gilt Boxes tane To impetrate the Heav'ns long wisht-for raine To fail his Word a King doth ill beseem To be faithful of his promise Who breaks his faith no faith is held with him Deceipt's deceiu'd Iniustice meets vniust Disloy all Prince armes subiects with distrust And neighbour States will in their Leagues commend A Lion rather then a Foxe for Friend Be prodigall of Vertues iust reward To be readier to Reward then Punish Of punishments be sparing with regard Arm thou thy brest with rarest Fortitude Things Eminent are euer most pursu'd On highest Places most disgraces threat The roughest windes on widest gates do beat Not to be Quarellous yet quick and couragious in a iust Cause Toil not the World with Wars ambitious spite But if thine Honour must maintain thy Right Then shew thee DAVID's Son and wisely-bold Follow't as hot as thou beginst it cold Watch Work Deuise and with vn-weary limb Wade thorough Foords and ouer Chanels swim Let tufted Planes for pleasant shades suffice His exercises in Warre In heat in Cold thy Fier be Exercise A Targe thy Table and a Turf thy Bed Let not thy Mouth be ouer-dainty fed Let Labour be thy sauce thy Cask thy Cup Whence for thy Nectar some ditch-water sup Let Drums and Trumpets and shril Fifes and Flutes Serue thee for Citterns Virginals and Lutes Trot vp a Hill Run a whole Feeld for Race Leap a large Dike Tosse a
withall For he fore-sees that if th' Isacians still As Law inioyn'd should mount on Sion Hill To sacrifice with beauty of that Temple Their Princes sight the Doctrine and Example Of sacred Leuites they would soon be taken And drawn aboord the Bark they had forsaken To rent the Church therfore he doth deuise And God's true Spouse doth Harlot like disguise Will haue them hence-forth Worship God the Lord Vnder the Form of Hay-fed Calues abhorr'd In Dan and Bethel brings-vp Service new Profane vsurping sacred Aron's Dew But how ingrate requit'st thou God in this He of a Servant made thee King of His Thou of a God mak'st him a horned Steer Sett'st Altar against Altar and the deer Cleer Star of Truth beclouding with the vail Of thine Ambition mak'st all Israel fail And fall with-all into the Gulf of Death So deep alas that from thence-forth vn-eath Could th' operation of so many Miracles In their hard hearts re-print the Sacred Oracles One-day the while this priest-Priest-King sacrifiz'd To 's clov'n-foot God in Bethel self-deviz'd A zealous Prophet from the Lord there came Who boldly thus his brutish rage doth blame O odious House O execrable Cell O Satans Forge O impious Shop of Hell Accursed Altar that so braves and hoasts Against the Altar of the Lord of Hoasts Behold from Dauid shall a King return That on thy stones thine owne Priests bones shall burn Thus sayth the Lord and this shall be the Sign Prodigiously to seal his Word in mine Thou now in th' instant shalt in sunder shatter And in the Air shall thy vile cinders scatter Take take the Sot sayd then th' vngodly Prince And as he spake in rage-full vehemence Reacht-out his arm but instantly the same So strangely withered and so num became And God so rustied euery ioynt that there But as the Body stird it could not stir Th' vnsacred Altarsodain slent in twain And th' ashes flying through th' vn hallowed Fane Blinde the blinde Priests as in the Sommer oft Simile The light white Dust driv'n by the Winde aloft Whirling about offends the tendrest eye And makes the Shepheards with-out cause to cry O holy Prophet prayes the Tyrant then Deer man of God restore my hand again His hand is heal'd But obstinate in ill In His Calf-service He persevers still Still runs his Race still every day impairs And of his Sins makes all his Sons his heirs The King of Iuda little better proves His Fathers by-paths so Abijam loves The People pliant to their Princes guise Forget their God and his drad Law despise God notwithstanding of his speciall grace Entails the Scepter to the sacred race Of his deer Dauid and he bindes with boughs Of glorious Laurels their victorious brows And evermore how-ever Tyrants rave Som form of Church in Sion will he haue Aza Abijam's Son Iehosaphat The son of Aza rightly zealous hate All Idol-gods and warring with success Dung Isaak's Fields with forrain carcases In Aza's ayd fights th' arm armi-potent Aza Which shakes the Heav'ns rakes Hils Rocks doth rent Against black Zerah's ouer-daring boast That with drad deluge of a Million Hoast O'r-flow'd all Iâ—dâ— and all sacking fell Transported Afrik into Israel He fights for His who seeing th' Ammonite The Idumaean and proud Moabite In Battail ray caus'd all his Hoast to sing This Song aloud them thus encouraging Sa sa my hearts let 's cheerly to the charge Having for Captain for Defence and Targe That glorious Prince to whom the raging Sea Hath heertofore in foming pride giv'n way Who with a sigh or with a whistle rather Can call the North South East and West together Who at a beck or with a wink commands Millions of millions of bright-winged Bands Who with a breath brings in an instant vnder The proudest Powrs whose arrows are the Thunder While yet they sang fell Discord reaching-far Description of Discord Hies to the Heathen that encamped are Clean through her mantle tatterd all in flakes Appears her brest all-over gnaw'n with Snakes Her skin is scarr'd her teeth for rage do gnash The Basilisk with-in her eyes doth flash And one by one she plucks-off in despight Her hairs no hairs but hissing Serpents right And one by one she severally bestowes-'em Through all the Camp in every Captains bosom Blowes every vein full of her furious mood Burns every Souldier with the thirst of bloud And with the same blade that she died once In valiant Gedeon's Brother-slaughtered Sons She sets the Brother to assail the Brother The Son the Sier and deerest Friends each-other The swords new draw'n against their Enemies Miraculous slaughter of the Heathen by their mutual swords diuided among themselues Now new revolted hack their owne Allies And Mars so mads them in their mutuall Iar That strange turns civill civill houshold War Proud Edom heaws Moab and th' Ammonite Amon hunts Edom and the Moabite Moab assaults Amon and Edom too And each of them wars first with th' other two Then with themselues then Amon Amon thrills Moab wounds Moab Edom Edom kills From Hoast to Hoast blinde-fold Despair in each Disports her self those that are one in speach Vnder one colours of one very coat Combat each other cut each others throat Rage-full confusion every-where commands The Confusion of such a Camp so together by the cares Against his Captain the Lieutenant stands The Corporal vpon his Seriant flies And basest Boyes against their Masters rise Nay drad Bellona passeth fiercely further Th' owne Vnkle doth his owne deer Nephew murther The Nephew th' Vnkle with the like repayes Cosen thrils Cosen Kins-man Kins-man slayes Yea even the Father kills his Son most cruell And from one Belly springs a bloudy Duell Twins fiercely fight and while each woundeth other And drawes the life-blood of his half-self Brother Feels not his owne to fail till in the place Both fall as like in fury as in face But strength at length not stomach fails in either And as together born they die together The faithfull Hoast drawes neer and gladly goes Viewing the bodies of their breath-les Foes Men Camels Horse som saddled som with-out Pikes Quivers Darts lie mingled all about The bloudy Field and from the Mountains nigh The Rav'ns begin with their pork-porking cry Heer seems an Arm a Giant late did owe As if it would to a Dwarf 's shoulder growe A Princes hand there knowen by pretious signes Vnto the arm of a base Porter ioyns An olde-Man's head heer to a Stripling 's neck And there lean buttocks to a brawny back Heer of a Body iustly cloven in two The bloudy tripes are trailing to and fro There fiue red fingers of a Hand cut-off Gripe still the truncheon of a steeled staff And there at-once all broached on one Lance Lie three braue Horse-men in a deadly Trance Chariots vnfurnisht and vnharnest stood Over the spoaks vp to the naves in blood Th' Engaddian Snowes melt in vermilion streams And now no marvell Iaruel warmly
Chaos shall again return And on thine Altars none shall incense burn O therfore spare Lord spare the Ninivites Forgiue their Sins and in their humbled sprights From this time forth thy sacred Laws ingrave Destroy them not but daign them Lord to save Look not alas what they have been before But vs regard or thine owne mercy more Then God reacht out his hand vnfolds his frowns Dis-arms his arm of Thunder brusing-Crowns Bows graciously his glorious flaming Crest And mildely grants in th' instant their request FINIS THE DECAY THE IIII. BOOK OF THE IIII. DAY OF THE II. WEEK THE ARGVMENT Ambition's bitter fruit fel Achab's Stock With his proud Queen a painted Beauty-mock Extirpt by IEHV IEHV's ligne likewise Shallum supplants King-killing Treacheries Succeed a-rowe with Wrack of ISRAEL Time-suiting Batts Athaliah Tigress fel. IOASH well-nurtur'd natur'd-ill doth run After his kinde he kills his Tutor's Son ZENACHERIB life-lengthned EZECHIAH NABVCHADNEZAR Captiue ZEDECHIAH HVff-pufft AMBITION Tinder-box of WAR Ambition pourtrayed to the life Down-fall of Angels Adam's murderer Patent of Treasons Reason's Contradiction Earth's Enemie and the Heav'ns Malediction O! how much Blood hath thy respect-lesrage Shed in the World showred on every Age O! Scepter 's Throne 's and Crown 's insatiat Thirst How-many Treasons hast thou hatched yerst For O! what is it that he dares not do Who th' helm of Empire doth aspire vnto He to beguile the simple makes no bone To swear by God for he beleeues ther 's none His Sword 's his Title and who scapes the same Shall haue a Pistol or a Poysonie dram Hee fear'd of all fears all he breaks at once The chains of Nature and of Nations Sick of the Father his kinde hart is woe The good Old-man travails to Heav'n so slowe His owne deer Babes yet Cradled yet in Clouts Haste but too-fast are at his heels hee doubts He passeth to his promis'd Happiness Vpon a Bridge of his Friends Carcases And Mounts in fine the golden Throne by stayrs Built of the Sculs of his owne Country's heirs Yet thou permit t'st it Lord nay with thy wings Coverest such Tyrants even the shame of Kings But not for nothing doo'st thou them for bear Their cruell scalps a cruell end shall tear And when the Measure of their Sin is full Thy Hands are iron though thy Feet be woll The Throne of Tyrants totters to and fro The blood-gained Scepter lasts not long we knowe Nail driveth Nail by tragik death device Ambitious harts doo play at * A kinde of Christmas play wherein each hunteth other from his Seat The name seemes deriued from the French leuez sus in English arise vp leuel sice Prov'd but too plain in both the Houses Royall Of Iacobs issue but too-too dis-loyall As if thou further with thy grace divine My Verse and Vows shall heer appear in time GOD NOVV no longer could support th' excess Of Achab's House whose cursed wickedness Was now top-full and Doggs already stood Fawning and yawning for their promis'd blood Heav'ns haste their Work Now in tumultuous wise 'Gainst Achab's Son doo his owne Soldiars rise Ichù Iehu's their Captain who fore-sees afar How-much dispatch advantageth in War And politik doubles his Armie's speed To get before yea before Fame indeed Ioram surpris'd in feeble Bull-warks then Vnfurnished of Victualls and of Men And chiefly wanting royall fortitude Vn-kingly yeelds vnto the Multitude Bold Nimshi's Son Sir Iehu what 's this Thing What mean these Troups what would you of the King Where shall the bolt of this black Thunder fall Say bring'st thou Peace or bring'st thou War withall Sayd Ioram lowd but Iehu lowder saith No wretch no Peace but bloody Wars and death Then fled the King and as a Ship at Sea Simile Hearing the Heav'ns to threaten every way And Winter Storms with absent Stars compact With th' angrie Waters to conspire her wrack Strives not to ride it out or shift abroad But plyes her Oares and flyes into the Road He ierks his Iades and makes them scour amain Through thick and thin both over Hill and Plain Which Iehu spying and well eying too As quick resolved what he hath to doo Cryes Boy my Bowe then nocks an Arrow right His left hand meets the head his brest the right As bends his Bowe he bends le ts go the string Through the thin air the winged shaft doth sing King Ioram's Dirgé and to speed the more Pearces behinde him and peeps-out before The Prince now hurt that had before no hart Fall's present dead and with his Courtly-Cart Bruis'd in the Fall as had the Thisbite sayd The Field of Naboth with his blood berayd And Salem's King had also there his dew For ioyning hands with so profane a Crew Then the proud Victor leads his loyall Troops Towards the Court that all in silence droops And more for Self's loue than for God's pure zeale Means to dispatch th' Earth's burthen Iezabel Iezabel The Queen had inkling instantly she sped To curl the Cockles of her new-bought head Th' Onyx the Saphyr Garnet Diamand In various forms cut by a curious hand Hang nimbly dancing in her hair as spangles Or as the fresh red-yellow Apple dangles In Autumn on the Tree when to and fro The Boughs are waved with the windes that blowe The vpper garment of the stately Queen Her Pride Is rich gold Tissu on a ground of green Where th' art-ful shuttle rarely did encheck The * Changeable cangeant colour of a Mallards neck T is figur'd o're with sundrie Flowrs and Fruits Birds Beasts and Insects creeping Worms and Nâ—uts Of Gold-Smith's Work a fringe of Gold about With Pearls and Rubies richly rare set-out Borders her Robe and euery part descries Cunning and Cost contending for the prize Her neat fit startups of green velvet bee Flourisht with silver and beneath the knee Moon-like indented but t'ned down the side With Orient Pearls as big as Filberd's pride But besides all her sumptuous equipage Her Painting Much fitter for her State then for her age Close in her Closet with her best Complexions She mends her Face's wrinkle-full defections Her Cheek she cherries and her Ey she cheers And fains her fond a Wench of fifteen yeers Whether she thought to snare the Dukes affection Or dazle with her pompous Prides reflection His daring eyes as Fowlers with a Glass Make mounting â—arks com down to death apace Or were it that in death she would beseen As 't were interi'd in Tyrian Pomp a Queen Chaste Lady-Mayds heer must I speak to you That with vile Paynting spoyl your natiue hue A iust Iâ—vectiue against those 2. Predominant Court-Qualities Not to inflame yonglings with wanton Thirst But to keep fashion with these Times accurst When one new taen in your seem-Beauties snare That day and night to Hymen makes his Prayer At length espies as who is it but spyes Your painted brests your painted cheeks and eyes His Cake is dough
God dild you he will none He lâ—aues his Suit and thus he saith anon What should I doo with such a wanton Wife Which night and day would â—ruciate my life With Ieloux pangs sith every-way she sets Her borrow'd snares not her owne hairs for Nets To catch her Cuckows with loose light Attires Opens the door vnto all lewd Desires And with vile Druggs adultering her Face Closely allures th' Adulterer's Imbrace But Iudge the best suppose saith he I â—â—nde My Lady Chaste in body and in minde As sure I think yet will she Me respect That dares disgrace th' eternall Architect That in her pride presumes his Work to tax Of imperfection to amend his tracts To help the Colours which his hand hath laid With her frail fingers with foul durt berayd Shall I take her that will spend all I have And all her time in pranking proudly-braue How did I doat The Gold vpon her head The Lillies of her brests the Rosie red In either Cheek and all her other Riches Where-with she bleareth sight and sense bewitches Is none of hers it is but borrow'd stuff Or stoln or bought plain Counterfeit in proof My glorious Idol I did so adore Is but a Visard newly varnisht ore With spauling Rheums hot â—umes and Ceruses Fo fy such Poysons one would loath to kiss Iwed at least I ween I wed a Lass Yong fresh and fair but in a year alas Or two at most my lovely lively Bride Iâ— turn'd a Hagg a Fury by my side With hollow yellow teeth or none perhaps With stinking breath swart-cheeks and hanging chaps With wrinkled neck and stooping as she goes With driveling mouth and with a sniveling nose The Queen thus pranked proudly gets her vp But sadly though to her gilt Palace top And spying Iehu from the window cry'd Art thou there Zimri cursed Paricide Fell Maister-killer canst thou chuse but fear For like Offence like punishment severe Bitch cryes the Duke art Thou there barking still Thou Strumpet Thou art Cause of all this Ill Thou brought'st Samaria to Thine Idol-Sin Painting and Poysning first thou broughtest in To Court and Country with a thousand mo Loose Syrian Vices which I shame to showe Thou brought'st-in Wrong with rapine and Oppression By Periurie supplanting Mens Possession And Life with-all yea Thou hast been the Baen Of Peers and Seers at thy proud pleasure slain Thou life of Strife thou Horse-leach sent from Hell Thou Drouth Thou Dearth Thou Plague of Israel Now shalt thou dye Groomes is their none for me Quick cast her down down with her instantly O tickle Faith O fickle Trust of Court The perfection of Court-ship These Palace-mice this busie-idle sort Of fawning Minions full of sooths and smiles These Carpet-Knights had vow'd and sworn yer-whiles Promis'd protested vnto Iezabel Rav'd Brav'd and band like Rodomont in Hell That in her cause they every Man would die And all the World and Hell and Heav'n defie Now Icy Fear shivering in all their bones Makes them with Fortune turn their backs at-once They take their Queen between their traytorous hands And hurl her headlong as the Duke Commands Whose Courser snorting stamps in stately skorn Vpon the Corps that whilom Kings had born And to fulfill from point to point the Word Elijah spake as Legat of the Lord The doggs about doo greedy feed vpon The rich-perfumed royall Carrion And Folk by thousands issuing at the Gate To see the sight cry thus as gladther-at Ses ses heer Doggs heer Bitches doo not spare This Bitch that gnaw'd her subiects bones so bare This cruell Cur that made you oft becom Saints Torturers and many a Prophets Tomb This Whore of Baal tear her so small that well No man may say Heer lyeth Iezabel Iehu's drad Vengeance doth yet farther flowe Curst Achab's issue he doth wholly mowe He slayes more-over two and forty men Of Ahaziah's hap-les Bretheren Baal's idoll Clergy he doth bring to nought And his proud Temple turns into a Draught Good proofs of Zeal But yet a Diadem Desire of Raign keeps from Ierusalem His service due content at home by halves To worship God vnder the form of Calves His Son and Nephews track too-neer his trace And therefore Shallum doth vn-horse his race The murderer Shallum after one Months Raign By Manahem as murdrously is slain The traytor Manahem's wicked-walking Son By trayterous Pekah vnto death is don And so on Pekah for Pekaiah's death Hosheah's treason treason quittanceth Aproud in grate perfidious troublous King That to Confusion did Samaria bring Their Towns trans-villag'd the Ten Tribes transported To a far Clime whence never they reverted Soiourn in forein soyl where Chobar's streams Serve them for Iordan Basan Chison seems While Assur's scorn and scum of Euphrates Dance vp and down th' Isaacian Palaces Drink their best Nectars anchor in their Ports And lodge profanely in their strongest Forts But changing air these change not minde in Iewry For though fierce Lions homicidial fury Make them retire vnder th' Almightie's wing Their Country Gods with the true God they ming They mix his Service plough with Ass and Ox Disguise his Church in suits of Flax and Flocks Cast in one wedge Iron and Gold together Iew-Gentiles both at-once but both is neither There is a Tale that once the Hoast of Birds Tale of the Batt And all the Legions of Groue-haunting Heards Before the Earth ambitiously did striue And counter-plead for the Prerogatiue Now while the Iudge was giving audience And either side in their seem-Rights defence Was hot and earnest at the noyse-full Bar The neuter Bat stood fluttering still afar But she no sooner hears the sentence past On the Beasts side but shuffling her in haste Into their Troop she them accompanieth Showes her large forhead her long ears and teeth The Cause was after by Appeal remov'd To Nature's Court who by her Doom approv'd The others Plea then flyes the shame-les Bat Among the Birds and with her Chit-chit-chat Shee seems to sing and proud of wings she playes With nimble turns and flyes a thousand wayes Hence beak-les Bird hence winged-Beast they cryed Hence plume-les wings thus scorn her either side Hence harlot hence this ever be thy Dole Be still Day 's Prisoner in thy shamefull hole May never Sun vile Monster shine on thee But th' hate of all for ever may'st thou be Such is this People for in plentious showrs When God his Blessings vpon Isaak powrs Application Then are they Isaak's Sons but if with thunder He wrath-full tear the Hebrue Tree in sunder These Traytors rake the boughs and take the Fruit And Pagans then the Iews they persecute And such are those whose wily waxen minde Takes euery Seal and sails with euery Winde Not out of Conscience but of Carnall motion Of Fear or Fauour Profit or Promotion Those that to ease their Purse or please their Prince Pern their Profession their Religion mince Prince Protestants Prince Catholiks Precise With Such a Prince with other
Simile Who seems to tread the air and fall he must Save his Self's waight him counter-poyseth iust And saue the Lead that in each hand he bears Doth make him light the gaping Vulgar fears Amaz'd to see him weening nothing stranger Than Art to master Nature lucre danger At last though loath full of despight and rage He slideth down into a horrid hedge Cursing and banning all the Gods more mad For the disgrace than for the hurt he had Els-where the while as imitating right The Kinde-blinde Beast in russet Velvet dight Mines CouÌ„termineâ— Covertly marching in the Dark by day Samgarnebo seeks vnder ground his way But Ebedmelech warn'd of his Designes With-in the Town against him counter-mines Courageously and still proceedeth on Till resolute he bring both Works to one Till one strict Berrie till one winding Cave Becom the Fight-Field of two Armies brave As the self-swelling Badgerd at the bay Simile With boldest Hounds inured to that Fray First at the entry of his Burrow fights Then in his Earth and either other bites The eager Dogs are cheer'd with claps and cryes The angry Beast to his best chamber flies And angled there sits grimly inter-gerning And all the Earth rings with the Terryers yearning So fare these Miners whom I pitty must That their bright Valour should so darkly ioust While hotly thus they skirmish in the Vault Quick Ebedmelech closely thither brought A Dry-Fat sheath'd in latton plates with-out With-in with Feathers fill'd and round about Bor'd full of holes with hollow pipes of brass Save at one end where nothing out should pass Which having first his Iewish Troops retir'd Iust in the mouth of th' enter-Mine he fir'd The smoak wherof with odious stink doth make The Pagans soon their hollow Fort forsake As from the Berries in the Winter's night Simile The Keeper draws his Ferret flesht to bite Now Rabshakeh as busie other-where A rowling Towr against the Town doth rear And on the top or highest stage of it A flying Bridge to reach the Courtin â—it With pullies poles and planked Battlements On every story for his Men's defence On th' other side the Towns-men arâ— not slowe With counter-plots to counter-push their Foe Now at the woodden side then at the front Then at the Engins of the Persian Mount With Brakes and Slings and * Instruments of Warr wherein wild fire is put Phalariks they play To fier their Fortress and their Men to slay But yet a Cord-Mat stifly stretcht about Defends the Towr and keeps their Tempests out While thus they deal Sephtiah desperat Him secretly out of the Citty gat And with a Pole of rozen-weeping Fir So furiously he doth himself bestir That with the same the walking Fort he fiers The cruel flame so to the top aspires That maugre Blood shed from aboue in slaughter And from belowe continuall spouting Water It parts the Fray stage after stage it catches And th' half-broyld Souldiers head long down it fetches The King still constant against all extreams To press them neerer yet with mightie beams Rears a new Plat-form neerer to the Wall And covers it with three-fold shelter all The Timber first with Mud the Mud with Hides The Hides with Woll-sacks which all Shot derides Simile As th' Aier exhaled by the fiery breath Of th' Heav'nly Lion on an open Heath Or on the tresses of a tufted Plain Pours-down at-once both Fier and Hail and Rain So all at-once th' Isaaciaâ— Souldiers threw Floods Flames and Mountains on these Engines new But th' hungry Flames the Muddy-damp repels The Mounts the Wooll the drowning Floods the Felâ— Thear-vnder safe the Ram with iron horn The brazen-headed clov'n-foot Capricorn The boistrous Trepane and steel Pick-ax play Their parts apace not idle night nor day Heer thorough-riv'n from top to toe the Wall On reeling props hangs ready ev'n to fall There a vast-Engine thundreth vp-side-down The feeble Courtin of the sacred Town If you haue been where you haue seen som-whiles Simile How with the Ram they driue-in mighty Piles In Dover Peer to bridle with a Bay The Sand-cast Current of the raging Sea Swift-ebbing streams bear to the Sea the sownd Eccho assisteth and with shrill rebound Fils all the Town and as at Heav'nly Thunder The Coast about trembles for fear and wonder Then haue you heard and seen the Engins beating On Sion's Walls and her foundations threating In fine the Chaldeis take Ierusalem And reave for ever Iuries Diadem The smoaky burning of her Turrets steep Seems even to make the Sunn's brightey to weep And wretched Salem buried as it were Vnder a heap of her owne Children dear For lack of Friends to keep her Obsequies Constraineth sighs even from her Enemies Her massie Ruins and her Cinders showe Her Wealth and Greatnes yer her overthrowe A sodain horror seizeth every eye That views the same and every Passer-by Yea were he Gete or Turk or Troglodite Must needs for pitty of so sad a Sight Bestowe som tears som swelling sighs or grones Vpon these batter'd sculs these scatter'd stones In Palaces where lately gilded rich Sweet Lutes were heard now luck-les Oules doo screech The sacred TEMPLE held of late alone Wonder of Wonders now a heap of stone The House of God the Holyest-Holy-Place Is now the House of Vermin vile and base The Vessels destin'd vnto sacred vse Are now profan'd in Riot and Abuse None scapeth wounds if any scape with life The Father 's reft of Son the Man of Wife Iacob's exil'd Iuda's no more in Iury But wretched sighes vnder the Chaldean fury Their King in chains with shame and sorrow thrill'd Hoshea Before his face sees all the fairest pill'd Yea his owne Daughters and his Wives alas Rich Vines and Oliues of his lawfull Race Whose loue and beauty did his age delight Shar'd to the Souldiers ravisht in his sight O Father Father thus the Daughters cry About his neck still hanging tenderly Whither alas O whither hale they vs O must we serue their base and beastly Lusts Shall they dissolue our Virgin-zones Shall they Ignoble Grooms gather our Mayden-May Our spot-les Flowr so carefully preserv'd For som great Prince that mought haue vs deserv'd O Hony-dropping Hills we yerst frequented O Milk-full Vales with hundred Brooks indented Delicious Gardens of deer Israel Hills Gardens Vales we bid you all fare-well We will-we-nill-we hurried hence as slaues Must now for Cedron sip of Tygris waues And weaned from our natiue Earth and Air For Hackney-Iades be sold in every Fayr And O hearts-horror see the shame-les Foe Forcing our Honors triumph in our woe All-sundring Sword and O! all-cindring Fire Which mercy-les do SION's Wrack conspire Why spare you vs more cruell cri'd the Wives In leaving ours then reaving other's lives Your Pitie's pity-les your Pardon Torture For quick dispatch had made our Sorrows shorter But your seem-Favour that prolongs our breaths Makes vs aliue to die a thousand Deaths For O deer
like God be honoured 33 Then saw I him that served Sapores For foot-stoole base I saw Aurelian Valeriâ—â— Decius Lycinus and Hostilian And fell Maxentius marching next to these 34 I saw great Traian learn'd Aurelius And learned Dioclesian all which three Among wise Caesars might well praysed be Had they not been 'gainst Christians barbarous 35 Iustin Theodorus Constantinus Sonne Anâ—stasius Heraclius Ualence Constance Manuel And that Bizantian Prince that did mis-tell A foure-fold Essence in the onely ONE Comnâ—â—â—â—s 36 Then Goaths and Uandals Gens'ric Trasimond Honorius Theodorus Totilas Alaricus and Rhotoris alas Who Rome and Afrik with S 〈…〉 blood haue drown'd 37 But who is this that laden so with chains By thousand hang-men racked with despight By thousand furies tortur'd day and night For God-les deeds receiues so righteous pains 38 'T is Mahomet who more by Mauors Art Sergius a Nestorian Monk holp Mahomet to make his Alcoran Than 's Alcaron Bird of a Friers nest Hath all subdu'd the wealthy golden East And won with-all the triple world's best part 39 I see Prince Saladine of match-les force But th' Alcaron too-deeply favouring Haly th' Caliphe and the wanton King That did our Maids on Edess Altars force 40 With wrath and woe old Ottoman opprest Too-late repentance in his face presents And Mahomet the second much laments That he the Greekish Emperie supprest 41 So the proud scorn of scourge-Turk Tamberlain Baiazeth That in an iron Cage was cooped straight And he that first presum'd to passe the Streight Which Europ's bounds divides from th' Asian 42 Then he that quittance did with Scythia cry And over Sea his Scepter rais'd again Mahomet 3 And Amurath that did repell amain Uincenslaus that first had made him fly 43 Orcan the Phrigian s fear and Calipine Who foil'd Sigismond's hoast his Father fear'd And Baiazeth that being haughty rear'd By Germain Tropheis did their peace repine 44 He that his Sire and Brother put to death Selim â— Is with a Cable kill'd his Son that quail'd Th' Hungarian King and Rhodes and Bud assail'd Solyman With trembling fear now quakes like Aspen leaf 45 And neer this Solyman ther doth remain An empty room for him that yet survives Selim. Who by our Kings strange iars so richly thrives That proud he threats both Germany and Spain 46 O wretched Christians while your civillrage Gainst your owne hearts doth arme your proper hands O see you not the Turks invade your Lands And safely spoyl the Lords choise heritage 47 The discord growen 'twixt the Bulgarian King And th' Eastern Caesar even the Bridge it was For hate-Christ Turks the Hellespont to pass And so in Greece a Pagan Scepter bring 48 The discord of two brethren Morea lost And O! I fear lest Christians home-bred frayes Dejecting quite Christs name and all his prayse Bring Turks to land in farthest Western coast 49 Forget then Christians your vn-christian iarrâ— Your civill strife for wagging of a straw Ioyn harts hands and all ioynt weapons draw In Faith's defence to fight Iehoua's warrs 50 In Asia and Egypt make your Forces knowen Recover Gaza Aâ—tioch Ascalon Tyre Sidon Ioppa and King Dauids Throne And Famagosta lost a yeer agon Canto II. 1 THough bloody Tyrants had in every age Busiris Altars Bulls of Phalaris Gemonid Ladders making Land and Seas And fire and air racks of their beastly rage 2 Yet could they neuer wound the Church so much As haue the Writings of the worldly Wise Which on mens soules doo felly tyrannize The tortures onely did the bodies touch 3 These Sages puft with self-conceited pride Dare to controule th' Almighties match-less work Where mystik Secrets from our senses lurk The search wherof the Lord hath vs deni'd 4 And though the spred of our too-feeble wings Scant rayse vs from the ground they mount aloft Even vp to Heav'n where they do measure oft By their Wits compass God's eternall things 5 Their knowledge is but meerly ignorance They lose the truth in seeking it too much For Truth doth still conceal her self from such And to the humble doth herself advance 6 Truth alwayes dwels within the holy Tables Of God's liue Word not in our wanton brain Which dayly coyning som strange Error vain For Gold takes Lead for Truth electeth Fables 7 Long time their reasons were with Reason riâ—e To wrack the Church and Faith to ruinate But now I see they doo detest too late Their former errors and their former life 8 In formost rank march all Gymno-sophists 1 The ancient Sages of the world Follow'd by all the cunning Persian Mages Th' old French Druids learned Calde-Sages And flower of all the Brachmane-sophists 9 Pathagoras Zeno Xenophanes 2 Philosophers Greeks Latins Parmenides merrie Democritus Empedocles and sad Heraclitus Archytas Naucides Nausiphanes 10 Brief all the Doctors of the Latin Sect Tearing their Tresses melting into tears Beating their breasts detest those Dreams of theirs And so the greatest of the Greeks Elect. 11 Anaximander Anaximenes Mylesian Thales Anaxagoras Gnawen with continuall care cry out alas On their owne Errors and so Socrates 12 Cleanthes and Chrysippus next to these With Zeno Stoâ—kâ— that haue often stray'd And next the Cynâ—ks all as ill-appay'd Diogenes Crates Antisthones 13 There the grand Patrons of each Aâ—adem Plato Speusippus and Zenocrates Clytomachus Crantor Carneades And he that labours to conciliate them 14 There mourns in vain Pirrhon Son of Plistarchus That fond beleeues not what his ears do hear Eyes see nose smells tongue tastes and hands do bear Then Timon Hecate and Anaxarchus 15 There the Stagirian that with learned vain Aristotle In 's Works includes the Encyclopedy Sorrie t' haue led so many soules awry With Strato and Theophrastus doth complain 16 There carnall Epicurns wayls with tears And Metodorus next to whom there came Both Aristippâ— Aretas and that same Vile wretch that coyn'd a worser sect than theirs 17 I mean that Monster Theodorus hight Who shame-less sayes Ther is no God at all And that the Wise may when occasionâ— fall Be Lyer Traytor Theef and Sodomite 18 Alas how true the Proverb proves too plain Saying Bad weeds grow euery-where a-pace But wholsom hearbs scant spring in any place Without great labour and continuall pain 19 O Graecians Baen thy mortifying mores To growe in Rome the swelling Seas haue crost From Rome too soon over the Alps have past As far as France and all her neighbour shoars 20 Thy deadly Plant now buds on Iustice Throne In Christian Camps and Courts of Christian Kings In Church and Chair and every-where so springs That with thy thistles all is over-growen 21 But now return we to our task again All these Wise-men of God have false defin'd Of Cheefest-good Soules or wrong place assign'd Where dead we feel or end-les peace or pain 22 Those that since Christ true Son of righteousness 3. Deceiptfull Sophists and Apostataes opeÌ„ Enemies
of Christ. On our Horizon brought the dayes broad light Haue led men's soules in dark eternall night Feel torments worthy of their wickedness 23 Next Symmachus Porphirius marches first Lucian and Celsus then whose hardned heart The Gospell knowen did labour to subvert And Iulian also of all Caesars worst 24 Who knowing well that tortures were but vain To force the Saints from the right Faith to straie By sugred stile studies another way Turns truth to lies and lies to truth again 25 Next I perceive the Circumcised Crew 4. Cabalists and Talmudists Rabbies Of Cabalists and butly Talmudists Troubling the Church with their mysterious Mists Who wel-nigh dead'gainst CHRIST do spet and spew 26 Much like to Snakes that wagg their sting-les sting When as their heads and bodies being slain They threat their Foes with force-less fury vain And to their Graues their Thirst of vengeance bring 27 Now com the Doctors of the Alcaron 5. Turkish Doctors Who mingling poyson by their subtill glose The World 's blinde eyes with darker Clouds inclose They shew their sorrow by their saddest mone 28 But who are these that wear Faith's Livery 6. Heretiks old and new And bear the badge of Faith's best Souldiars And yet are laden with such bolts and bars And so despised of Faith's company 29 These if I err not are the Heretiks Who pusht by proud and curious spirits do blend Both Heav'n and Earth and busily contend To lead the World in crooked paths and Creeks 30 Now as soft windes with straight constrayned breath Through chinks and crannies stealing privily Hurt more our health than boistrous blasts that fly And roule abroad the stones vpon a heath 31 And as the Foe that shakes the Citie 's wallâ— With thundring shot is not so dangerous As a lewd Burgess false and mutinous That in the Town stirs-vp domestik brauls 32 So Pagans Turks Iews doo not damnifie The Faith like these their open violence May be avoyded but false fair-pretence Is hardly scaped with much ieopardie 33 They make like vs a fair religious showe They haue like vs one Church one FAITH one Lord They read like vs one Bible and one Word So sly they are Gods Church to over-throwe 34 In foremost rank heer go the Sadduces That to deny Angels and Resurrection Both Spirits of grace and of reiection Then th' Esseans foul and Formal Pharises 35 Next that deceiver that devised first Simon Magus Nicolaus Author of the Sect of the Nicolaites Church-chaffering and after him insues That mariage-Foe who brutishly renews Pluto's not Plato's Common-law accurst 36 Cerinthus next all bruis'd and bleeding fresh Of Beam-pasht wounds that brain'd him suddainly When in the Baths profane he did denie Christs holy God-head hidden in our flesh 37 For having likewise warr'd against the same God-head of th' onely Man-God Ebion Paul Samyan Photin Carp'crate Artemon Shewe by their looks their sorrow and their shame 38 There mourns that Manés who did fondly fain Two divers Gods Authors of Good and Ill There Valentin the air with cries doth fill Who did deny that bodies Rise again 39 Cerdon great Patron of the Stoïcall Marcion Menander pitious Moan do make There sighes Apelles saying Christ did take Not simply flesh but flesh fantasticall 40 There goes Basilides who canoniz'd Cyrenean Simon in our SAVIOVRS steed Montanus there afrantik head indeed Who guiltless Children kill'd and sacrifiz'd 41 There Tatians Encratiâ—s Severioâ—s Sabellians too which seeking th' vnity In Gods great Essence lost the Trinity Abhor too-late their fond conclusions 42 There th' Alexandrian Priest that yerst did voyd Arrius His entrails at the stool whose Heresie Witching wel-neer th' Earths Vniversity With Sword and Schism the World so much annoy'd 43 Sadly beholds sad-marching Macedonius And Eunomus who at the first had sowen His poysonie seeds but after of their owne They gathered two other Sects erronious 44 Bizantian Nestor and our owne â—â—lagius Libian Donatus Luciferians Euticheans fond and fond Priscillians All frown and fret for inward grief outrageous 45 Shall I conceal Seruetus and the train Of those Dëists that in Sarmatia swarms And Kingling Muncer that with frantik arms Founds hundred sorts of Anabaptists vain 46 Both Syrtes sands I might as eas'ly number As number those whose sweet in chanting Writs With Error 's dregs have drenched wanton Wits Chiefly'n this Age which all corruptions cumber 47 For Satan now him so insinuates In faithless hearts that ween themselues be wise That so foul Error can he not devise But shall be backt by strong associates 48 I see the Beast that bears the purple Whore Great Anti-christ vsurping powr divine 7. Antichrist the Schismatiks Set on Seaven Hills who with her whordom's wine Makes drunk the Princes that her Seat adore 49 And last of all I see the Schismatiks Which renting Christ's vnseamed coat in twain Trouble the Church-peace with contentions vain Following too neer the steps of Heretiks Canto III. 1 GReat Sire's great Son Oliue God's liuely face Wisedom conceiued of the onely Wise To vs given Giver First and Last born twise Once in full Time once out of all Times space 2 Beam of that Sun which fills the world with Light Life of our life our death's death Stinger's sting Our perfect wise iust holy valiant King Word that no word can full express aright 3 O Lord draw draw me draw me from this throng Whose feet and hands are bold to war with thee For with dry eyes I can them never see Nor without grief recite them in my Song 4 Ah! I am out now my deer God I goe From Babel to Iernsalem the Land Of Life Saints house and holy Ark to stand Against all Seas and all rough storms that blowe 5 Lo heer these Champions that haue brauely-bold Withstood proud Tyrants stoutly consacring Their liues and soules to God in suffering Whose names are all in Life's fair Book in-roll'd 6 All-hail Saint-Souldiers let vs once imbrace O valiant Knights let me your hands and brows Adorn with Palms and with Apollo's boughs Let present honours former shames deface 7 Com sacred Kings O holy Princes com Com to this Triumph Lords whose valiant hands Haue Satan's kingdom sought to bring in bands And in your Crowns giv'n Faith the chiefest room 8 He that the first Isaac infranchized Moses Iosua Leads by the hand that Duke whose faithfull word Stopt Phoebus Coursers and whose conquering Sword Subdu'd the Land the Lord had Promised 9 He that but armed with an Asses bone Samson Slew thousand Foes Sangar Othoniel Ahod and Ieptha Barac Samuel And th' Heathen's scourge triumphant Gedeon 10 That great King-Prophet Poet Conqueror Dauid Sweet Psalmograph Asa that Idols brake He that made all the Idol-altars quake Iosias And after did the Paschal Lamb restore 11 Iehosaphat Ioathan Azarias And he whose life the Lord did dis-abbridge Whom Heav'nly arms from Assur did vnsiedge The most religious match-less Ezechias 12 Wise
Mardochey and the five Maccabees All the right heirs of heart and zeal paternall Receiue their guerdon from the great Eternall And vp again their stooping standards raise 13 Before these Warriours and the Royall band March holy Fathers that with vertue rare And holy Doctrine did the Diuell dare Foyling the force of his infernall hand 14 Enos by whom this World 's great Archi-tect Was call'd vpon leadeth religious That holy Father God took vp from vs Henoch Noah And him whose ship did saue the world Elect. 15 Then Sem and Iapheth and great Abraham Isaak The Faithfull's Father and his faithfull Son And then his Nephew that saw Angels run Iacob Both vp down froÌ„ Heav'n to th' earthly frame 16 Aron Eleazar Phinees full of zeal Good Ioyada and hundred Priests select That were by Heav'n by zeal and Church elect To keep the law the Lord did once reveal 17 His Father who was sent to sweep the way Zacharias Ioseph Of sweet Messias then the man suppos'd To be His Sire then He that Him inclos'd In 's ioyfull arms and sung a Swan-like Lay. Simeon 18 Then Barnabas Titus and Timothy Paul's famous Friends Sins fierce and deadly Foes And he that did by Sol's Eclipse suppose Som greater Sun to be Eclips't than he 19 Then this brave Triumph to adorn the more All on a rowe a hundred Prophets com Which haue so sure fore-told the things to-com As if indeed they had been don before 20 There first coms he that in the Coach of fire Elias By Gods strong Spirit was rapt above the Air Elizeus And then his Seruant that was made his heir Of cloak and knowledge as he did desire 21 He that reproov'd old Ishay's Sceptred Son Nathan For double fault Amos Ezechiel Ioel Semyah Abdiah Daniel And he that three dayes in the Sea did won Ionas 22 With these I see the Sonn of Barachie Zachariah Both Michais Baruc Iehu Ieremias Agg ' Abacuc Nahum and Sophonias Ahias Hosè Esdras Malachie 23 The glorious troop that march before this troop Are Martyrs all who full of constant zeal Their faith infract with their owne blouds did seal And never did to any Tyrant stoop 24 Their blessed bloud is like the morning dewe To make more fertil all the Churches field These are the weapons that inforce to yield The furious foe examples not a fewe 25 For as a fruit-Treelopped in December For one old Trunk many new twigs returns Which Nature kindely with sweet fruit adorns So one sole Martyr many doth ingender 26 First Abel goes then Ioyad's zealous Son That neer the Altar constant yielded breath Esay Iohn Baptist. The next goes he Manasses put to death Then he whose head th' incestuous Dancer won 27 Next Salone and her Sons who rather chose To cross the King than God strengthning each other Even in their death Sons worthy such a Mother And Mother worthy of such Sons as those 28 That Proto-Martyr the yong faithfull Steven Whom th' hatefull Iews with hellish rage did stone Who dying saw Christ Iesus on his Throne Leads those that for like cause their lives have given 29 Som smear'd with honey for the Flies were feasts Som men did eat som were on Gridirons broyl'd Som nayl'd on Crosses som in Caldrons boyl'd And som were throwen to most devouring beasts 30 After the Champions of this humble Troop I see fair Sara Rebecca Rachel Then Debora stout Iudeth and Iahel Who Faiths Viragoes their proud Foes did stoop 31 Then she that rais'd to Royall state and stile â—ester Preserv'd her people in a rank she goes With Naomi Ruth and the Dame that chose Rather to die than Nuptiall bed defile Susanna 32 From these mineeie no sooner trauerseth But I discern three Ladies zealous-led That sought their living Lord among the dead Then Anna Martha and Elizabeth 33 But my weak eyes cannot indure to gaze The Virgin Mary On beaming beauties of that Mother-Maid Who Sier-less bore her Sire yet ever-maid Of Faith and Loue th' inimitable maze 34 This this my Muse this is th' Aurora cleer Which brought the Sun to light the world vnkinde A Virgin pure in body and in minde Christ's Mother Sister Spouse and Daughter deer 35 God's holy Temple and the happy stair Wher-by the Heav'ns came down to dwell with Earth Rich-fraighted Ship Vessell of rarest worth Where Phoebus hid his beams most bright and fair Canto IIII. 1 I Thought to haue been now at my Races end T' haue though vnworthy born away the prise But I fall short my task doth longer rise For half the Trophè is yet hardly penn'd 2 Before Faith's Coach born in convenient height Are curious Tables draw'n by cunning hand Where after guise of warlik Romans stand The Victories of never-conquer'd Faith 3 Heer Iericho's cloud-kissing Towrs doo fall Iosua 6. 20. Batter'd alone by Faith's great Ordinance A coumpt-less hoast of craking Idolants 2. King 18 13 2. Chron. 32 20 Esa. 37 21 By Esaâ—e's Faith is heer confounded all 4 By Faith meek Moses with a zeal-full ire Arms smallest Worms th' Egyptian King to vex Exod. 7 8 9 Daniel by Faith fierce Lyons fury checks Dan. 6. 12 And quenches Dragons hot impoysoning fire 5 Heer Paul by Faith fears not in Mitylene Act. 28 5 The deadly sting of th' vgly Viper-worm Heer myching Ionas sunk in suddain Storm Ionas 22 Of his Deliverance finds a fish the mean 6 Then in another Table that was fram'd By Art exceeding Art I did espie Pale Death blithe Health and frail Infirmity That had by Faith a thousand times been tam'd 7 Moses by Faith doth Myriam leperize Num. 12 10 By Faith Elisha curing Naaman 2. King 6 14 17 The Syrian Prince strikes instantly his man With his Disease for Bribing Covetize 8 A man of God by Faith first strangely dri'd 1. King 13 4 6 Then heal'd again that King 's vnholy hand Who made ten Tribes of God's then chosen Land From God and from their lawfull Prince to slide 9 By Faith Saint Paul stark-blinded Elymas Act. 13 11 By Faith Saint Peter full of iust disdaign With suddain death did smite those periur'd twain That durst dissemble with the Spirit of Grace Act. 5 5 16 10 By Faith young Toby kindely doth restore Tob. 11 11 Act. â— 6 14 10. His Father's sight by sacred Faith likewise Two crooked Cripples are made straight to rise In Listra th' one th' other at Templedore 11 By Faith Saint Paul did a rich Maltois cure Of grievous Flix that him afflicted sore Act. 21 8 By Faith Saint Peter likewise did restore A Palsie-sick that eight yeers did indure Act. 9. 34 12 By Faith Saint Paul did Eutichus re-lyue Act. 20 10 1. King 17 21 2. King 4 33 By Faith Elias rais'd the Sareptite Elisha raysed the young Sunamite At Ioppa Peter Dorcas did
doth so assaile-them And if their feare fall true that their Good-fortune faile-them Then swell their sullen hearts with sorrow till they burst And then poor desperate soules they deem theÌ„selues accurst And so indeed they are but yet they erre in this In blaming other things for their owne selfe-amisse Other indifferent things that neither make nor marre But to the good be good to th' euill euill are Is' t not great foolishnes for any to complaine That somthing is not don which doth him nought coÌ„strain Sith if he vse the same soule-health it hurteth not Or if he doo not vse t it helpeth not a iot But needs must we complain say some for we haue cause Then at your perill be 't for that which chiefly drawes You thereto 't is in truth your brutenesse in mis-deeming Things euill that are good for sense-contrary seeming And while that in the darke of this foule errors mist Your drowsie spirits doo droope alas what maruell is' t If euill follow you and if iniurious still To others you impute your selfe-ingendred ill Happy are they to whom the Lord vouch safeth sight To see the louely beames and life-infusing Light Of his sweet sacred Truth whereby we may perceiue And iudge a-rightly what to loue and what to leaue Such men within their soules their goods haue wholly plac't Such goods as neuer fire can either burne or waste Nor any Theefe can steale nor Pyrate make his praie Nor vsurie consume nor Tyrant take away Nor times all-gnawing tooth can fret away nor finish Nor any accident of sad mischance diminish For it is built on God a Rock that euer stands Not on the vanities of these inconstant sands Which are more mutable then wind and more vnstable And day by day doo make so many miserable O to what sweet content to what high ioyes aspires He that in God alone can limit his desires He that in him alone his hopes can wholly rest He that for onely end waites for the wages blest Wherewith he promiseth for euer sans respect Of their selfe-meriting to guerdon his Elect What is it can bereaue the wealth of such a man What is it that disturbe his perfect pleasures can What is it can supplant his honours and degrees Sith all his treasures his delights his dignities Are all laid vp in Heauen where it were all in vaine For all the sonnes of earth to warre with might and maine No doubt will some man say each Christian doth aspire After their bodies death to those deere treasures higher That are reserv'd in Heauen whereof the sweet possession Feares not the violence of all the worlds oppression But while that heere below this fraile flesh-burthen ties-him But the bare hope he hath which how can it suffice-him Against the sharpe assaults of passions infinite Whose glad-sad crosse conflicts afflict him day and night Needs must I graunt indeed that that same perfit ioy We cannot perfitly vpon this earth enioy But that that Hope alone doth not sufficiently Blesse his life where it liues for my part I denie Some doo not feare we see to spend their stock and store To vnder-take the taske of many trauailes sore To hazard limmes and liues in seruice of some Lord Depending oft vpon his foole-fat-feeding word Or waiting els perhaps without all other hold Vntill it please himselfe his franknes to vnfold Not reaking all their paine they are so inly pleas'd With hoped benefit whereof they are not seaz'd And shall th' assured hope of euer-blisses then For which we haue the word not of vaine mortall men That teach their tongues to lie but of the highest God The God of truth truth's selfe where truth hath still abode Shall that I say not serue to settle our faint hearts Against I will not say like dangers and like smarts But 'gainst these petty griefes that now and then do pain-vs No more like those then heauen neer earth that doth sustain-vs Ah shall we then despise all trouble and vexation Supported by a prop of doubtfull expectation And while for earthly things we can indure all this Shall we not do asmuch for an immortall blisse Indeed not of our selues for selfly nought we can But God when pleaseth him doth giue this strength to man Whereby he standeth stout euen like a mightie rocke Amid the mounting waues when Eole doth vnlocke Sterne Austers stormie gate making the waters wrastle And rush with wrathfull rage against the sturdie castle While it for all the force of their fell furie showne Is not so much as moou'd and much lesse ouerthrowne So fareth such a man for if from high degree He sodainly do slide to liue contemnedly With the vile vulgar sort that cannot make him wauer For well he is assur'd that Gods high holy fauour Depends not on the pomp nor vaine-proud state and port That for the grace of Kâ—ngs adornes the courtly sort If he be kept in bands thrâ—l to the tyrannies And extreame-cruell lawes of ruthless enimies Both voide of helpe and hope and of all likelihood Of being euer freed from their hands thirsting-blood Inspight of them he knowes that one day he shall die And then he shall inioy an endles Libertie If he be forc't to flie from his deere country-clime In exile to expire the remnant of his time He doth suppose the World to be a Country common From whence no tyranny till death can banish no-man If that he must forsake his Parents and his Kin And those whose amitie he most delighteth in He knowes that where he finds a man he findes a Kins-man For all mankind is come from oneselfe Father sinnes-man If being spoil'd of wealth wanton-pampering plentie He find vpon his boord two dishes scant of twenty And to his back one coate to keepe the cold away Whereas he had before a new for euery day He learneth of Saint Paul who bids vs be content With food and furniture to this life competent Sith nothing as saith Iob into this world we brought Nor with vs when we die can we hence carrie ought If he be passing poore and in exceeding glack Of euery needfull thing for belly and for back He learneth of the Sonne that God the Father heedeth To giue to euery one in time the thing he needeth And that the Fowles of Heauen and Cattel small and great Doo neither sowe nor reape yet find they what to eate Yea that the Lillies faire which growe among the grasse Doo neither spin nor worke and yet their garments passe For colour and for cost for Art and ornament The glorious Salmon's rich robes of Parlament If so that he be sicke or wounded in the arme In body back or brest or such like kind of harme If in extremitie of angry paine and anguish Enfeebled still by fits he bed-rid lye and languish If all the miseries that euer martyr'd man At once on euery side afflict him all they can The more that he endures the more his comforts growe Sith so
saue vs at thy throne of mercy great Forgiue vs Lord and holde farre from vs all These plagues that on our heads are like to fall Alas what helpeth vs thy heavy stroke To binde our necks to such a servile yoke Wherewith th' Assyrian tyrants long haue grieved Thine Izak till their bondage thou relieved If so this natiue ground that new is tild If so these Hostries new with folke refild If so alas our chaste and modest Dames Our infants young our Virgins good of fames Should be a pray to Ammon and to Perse To Calde and the mutine Parthian fierse If that we see this Altar made prophane And witches it abuse with Idols vain Yet Lord if thou no pittie on vs take At least great God do for thy glories sake Haue pitie on this holy building now Where not a God hath sacrifice but thou Where not a God but thou hast residence To feel the sauour sweet of frankensence Hold back O Lord the Caldean cressets bright From these rich Cedar vaults of stately hight Preserue these vessels ornaments of gold From sacrilegious hands of neighbours bolde And let the blood of beasts before thy face Thy Iustice stay and grant thy seruants grace This prayer done the people went their way Then Ioachim conuen'd that present day The princes all of Iuda and them praid Gainst this mischief for counsell and thus sayd Companions if your former zeal remain If ardent loue to God ye still retain If wife or childe may cause your care or loue Which should the Centers of your senses moue If in your brests a noble hart doth bide Let deed bear witnes at this wofull tide For sauing God and your foresight in deed T is done t is done with vs and all our seed And after this th' Immortall shall not see This altar fume before his maiestee When th' Air is calme and still as dead and deaf Comparison And vnder Heav'n quakes not an aspin leaf When Seas are calme and thousand vessels fleet Vpon the sleeping seas with passage sweet And when the variant winde is still and lowne The cunning Pylot never can be knowne But when the cruell storme doth threat the Bark To drowne in deeps of pits infernall dark While tossing tears both father mast and sail While mounting seems the Azur sky to skail While driues perforce vpon som deadly shore There is the Pylot knowen and not before Alas I pray you then what care and strifes Haue we to keep our honours goods and lifes Forget not then the care of this same place Your countreyes weale Gods glory and his grace But humbly giue your selues into the hand Of God most high and with a holy brand Repurge your spirits from euerie hatefull sinne Which causeth God his Iustice to begin And see what may to God be agreeable For Iacobs weal and for you profitable This said an ancient traytour from his youth Who fostred gall in hart with hony in mouth Enforcing from his eyes som fained tear To cloke his malice spacke as ye shall hear My tongue me fails my hair for dread vp-starts My heavy spirit from pensiue corps departs The oration of a subtill worldling When I be think me of yone tyrant stout Who hath bed round the world with bloud about Approching threats our townes with fiery flames Our selfs with death dishonour to our Dames Yet when I call to minde the curtsie great That this great Lord doth vse who doth intreat Not onely those that beastiall are become And haue their hope in brutall Idols 〈…〉 But euen to zealous folke who do embrace The faith and law like vs of Abrams race Who being well aduisde did humbly sue His pardon and escap't his vengeance due Then thanke I God who sends vs such a foe As plagues the proude and lets the humble goe For we assoone shall vanquish him with teares As will be long to wrack him with our weares Then whil'st we may haue choise of eitherstate Of peace or warres his fauour or his hate Let vs not follow seeing skath at hand The follie of our fathers to gainstand But rather let vs beare another saile And serue his king as best for our availe But think not yet that I this counsell giue For craft or warrant forthy selfe to liue For I haue els my daies so neerely spent That for to dye I could be well content Th' Assyrian neede not in my brest to strike His fethred Dart nor yet his trembling pike Yea if my youth to me should eft returne And make my youthly bloode within me burne So honour I my God and country deare That for to dye for them I would not feare As Sampson did if so my death might yield The victory of the Uizroy and the field But most I feare least we with curious zeale Fight for the lawe yet fight against her weale Against our selfs to bring so great a wrack That proud and cruell tyrants shall vs sack And grow in pride suppressing Iudas strength For to contemne the glory of God at length For Israell being lost who shall ensue To render here to God deuotions due What people sparsâ—d on this earthly ball From Indian shoare to where the Sunne doth fall Or from the Climate of the northren blast Vnto that place where sommer ay doth last Hath God elect save Israell for his owne Vpon this Hill to have his glory showne At this the valiant Cambris of renowne With righteous rage grew pale and gan to frowne And brake the silence with a vehement stile His courage mov'd the Princes all the while Nay rather where I stand let ope the ground Quoth he to swallow me in pit profound Yea rather righteous Heav'n let firy blast Light on my head that thou on Sodom cast Ere I my malice cloke or oversile In giving Izac such a counsell vile For if the Leader of this folk profane Vpon our bodies onely sought to raigne Although that we haue dearely bought alway Our freedom from our first maternall day Which dearer is then gold for to be kept I would assent the holy Church except But since more pride this tyrants heart enroules To lay a greater burden on our soules Who are the vassels of that onely King That Thunder sends and scepters down doth thring ' Should we forget him who made vs of nought ' More then all wondrous things that he hath wrought Who treats and loues vs like our Father King Still vnder shadowes of his wondrous wing Will he that we receiue a Prince ambitious For God a gods contemner Nemrode vitious Whose beastly life is of so vile a fame That of a man he merits not the name Goe to goe to let men for men assaye With sword and shot to deale it as we may The victory lies not in mortall hands Nor barded horse nor force of armed bands These are but second instruments of God Who as him list may send them euen or od But if our soueraigne God willes such annoy That
th' Antartik Sky Harâ—â—st To be three months vp-rising and down-lying With Scorpio Libra and the Archer flying Th' Earth by degrees her louely beauty bates Pomona loads her lap with delicates Her Apron and her Osiar basket both With dainty fruits for her deer Autumns tooth Her health-less spouse who bare-foot hops about To tread the iuice of Bacchus clusters out And last of all when thy proud-trampling Teem For three Months more to soiourne stil doth seem With Capricorn Aquarius and the Fishes While we in vain revoke thee with our wishes Winter In stead of Flowrs chill shivering Winter dresses With Isicles her self-bald borrow'd tresses About her brows a Periwig of Snowe Her white Freez mantle freng'd with Ice belowe A payr of Lamb-lyn'd buskins on her feet So doth she march Orythias love to meet Who with his bristled hoarie bugle-beard Comming to kiss her makes her lips afeard Whear-at he sighs a breath so cold and keen That all the Waters Crystallized been While in a fury with his boystrous wings Against the Scythian snowie Rocks he flings All lusks in sloath and till these Months do end Bacchus and Vulcan must vs both befrend O second honour of the Lamps supernal Of the Moon her alterations Sure Kalender of Festiuals eternal Seas Soueraintess Sleep-bringer Pilgrims guide Peace-loving Queen what shall I say beside What shall I say of thine inconstant brow Which makes my brain wauer I woat not how But if by th' Ey a mans intelligence May ghess of things distance so far from hence I think thy body round as any Ball Of her roundnes and brightnesse borrowed of the Sunne Whose superfice nigh equall ouer all As a pure Glass now vp and down anon Reflects the bright beams of thy spouse the Sun For as a Husbands Nobless doth illustre Simile A mean-born wife so doth the glorious lustre Of radiant Titan with his beams embright Thy gloomy Front that selfly hath no light Yet 't is not alwaies after one self sort Of her waxing waning when she is in her last quarter wheÌ„ she renues and commeth to her full For for thy Car doth swifter thee transport Then doth thy Brothers diversly thou shin'st As more or less thou from his sight declin'st Therfore each month when Hymen blest above In both your bodies kindles ardent love And that the Starrs-king all inamoured on thee Full of desire shines down direct vpon thee Thy neather half-Globe toward th' Earthy Ball After it's Nature is obserued all But him aside thou hast no sooner got But on thy side a siluer file we noat A half-bent Bowe which swels the less thy Coach Doth the bright Chariot of thy spouse approach And fils his Circle When the Imperiall Star Beholds thee iust in one Diameter Then by degrees thy Full face falls away And by degrees Westward thy Horns display Till fal'n again betwixt thy Louers arms Thou wink'st again vanquisht with pleasures charms Thus dost thou Wax and VVane thee oft renuing Delighting change and mortall things ensuing As subiect to thee thy selfs transmutation Feel th' vnfelt force of secret alteration Not but that Phoebus alwaies with his shine Cleers half at least of thine aspect divine Of the cause of the diuers aspect of the Moone But 't sems not so because we see but heer Of thy round Globe the lower Hemisphear Though waxing vs-ward Heav'n-ward thou dost wane And waning vs-ward Heav'n-ward grow'st again Yet it befalls even when thy face is Full When at the highest thy pale Coursers pull When no thick mask of Clouds can hide away From liuing eys thy broad round glistering Ray Thy light is darkned and thine eys are seel'd Couered with shadow of a rusty shield For thy Full face in his oblique designe Confronting Phoebus in th' Ecliptick ligne And th' Earth between thou losest for a space Thy splendor borrowd of thy Brothers grace But to revenge thee on the Earth for this Of the cause of the Eclips of the Sunne Fore-stalling thee of thy kind Lovers kiss Somtimes thy thick Orb thou doo'st inter-blend Twixt Sol and vs toward the later end And then because his splendor cannot pass Or pearce the thicknes of thy gloomy Mass The Sun as subiect to Deaths pangs vs sees-not But seems all Light-less though indeed he is not Therfore far differing your Eclipses are For thine is often and thy Brothers rare Thine doth indeed deface thy beauty bright Difference between the Eclipses of the Sun of the Moone His doth not him but vs bereave of Light It is the Earth that thy defect procures It is thy shadow that the Sunne obscures East-ward thy front beginneth first to lack West-ward his brows begin their frowning black Thine at thy Full when thy most glory shines His in thy Wane when beautie most declines Thine's generall toward Heav'n and Earth together His but to Earth nor to all places neither For th' hideous Cloud that cov'red so long since Of the admirable extraordinary Eclipse of the Sun on the Day that our Sauiour suffered on the Crosse for our Redemption Mat. 27 ver 45 Mar. 15 ver 33 Luk 23. ver 44 With nights black vail th' eys of the Starry-Prince When as he saw for our foul Sinfull slips The Match-less Maker of the Light eclipse Was far far other For the swarty Moors That sweating toyl on Guinnés wealthy shoars Those whom the Niles continuall Cataract With roaring noise for euer deaf doth make Those that suruaying mighty * Quinzay Cassagale Within the Circuit of her spacious Wall Do dry-foot dance on th' Orientall Seas And pass in all her goodly crossing ways And stately streets fronted with sumptuous Bowrs Twelue thousand Bridges and twelue thousand Towers Those that in Norway and in Finland chase The soft-skind Martens for their pretious Cace Those that in Ivory Sleads on Ireland Seas Congeal'd to Crystall slide about at ease Were witness all of his strange grief and ghest That God or Nature was then deep distrest Moreover Cynthia in that fearfull stound Full-fild the compass of her Circle round And being so far off she could not make By Natures course the Sun to be so black Nor issuing from the Eastern part of Heav'n Darken that beauty which her own had given In brief mine ey confounded with such Spectacles In that one wonder sees a Sea of Miracles What could'st thou doo less then thy Self dishonour O chief of Planets thy great Lord to honor Then for thy Fathers death a-while to wear A moorning Roab on th' hatefull Hemi-spheare Then at high-noon shut thy fair eye to shun A Sight whose sight did Hell with horror stun And pearç't with sorrow for such iniuries To please thy Maker Nature to displease So from the South to North to make apparant Of the going back of the Sun in the time of Ezechias 1. King 26. Ver. 11. Esâ—y 38. Ver. 8 That God reuoak't his Seriâ—ant Death's sad Warrant
'Gainst Ezechias and that he would give The godly King fifteen years more to live Transgressing Heav'ns eternall Ordinance Thrice in one Day thou through one path didst prance And as desirous of another nap In thy ver million sweet Aurora's Lap Thy Coach turn'd back and thy swift sweating Horse Full ten degrees lengthned their wonted Course Dials went false and Forrests gloomy black Wondred to see their mighty shades go back So when th' incensed Heav'ns did fight so fell Of the Sunnes standing still in the time of Iosuah Ios. 12. 13 Vnder the Standard of deer Israel Against the Hoast of odious Ammorites Among a million of swift-Flashing Lights Rayning down Bullets from a stormy Cloud As thick as Hail vpon their Armies proud That such as scaped from Heav'ns wrathfull thunder Victorious swords might after heaw in-sunder Coâ—â—ur'd by Iosuah thy brave steeds stood still â—â—â—ull Career stopping thy whirling wheel And one whole Day in one degree they stayd In midst of Heav'n for sacred Armies ayd Least th' Infidels in their disordred Flight Should save themselues vnder the wings of Night Those that then liv'd vnder the other Pole Seeing the Lamp which doth enlight the Whole To hide so long his lovely face away Thought never more to haue re-seen the Day The wealthy Indians and the men of Spain Never to see Sun Rise or Set again In the same place Shadows stood still as stone And in twelue Houres the Dials shew'd but one THE FIFT DAIE OF THE FIRST WEEK THE ARGVMENT Fish in the Sea Fowls in the Aire abound The Forms of all things in the Waters found The various Manners of Sea-Citizens Whose constant Friendship far exceedeth Mens Arions strange escape The Fowls attend On th' only Phoenix to her end-less end Their kindes their customs and their plumes variety Som presidents of Prudence som of Piety The gratefull Aegle burning in the Fláme With her dead Mistress the fair Sestian Dáme LAtónian Lamps conducting divers ways After a Poeticall maner he craueth time opportunity to discourse in this Day of the creation of Fishes of Fowles About the World successiue Nights and Days Parents of winged Time haste haste your Carrs And passing swiftly both th' opposed Barrs Of East and West by your returning Ray Th' imperfect World make elder by a Day Yee Fish that brightly in Heav'ns Baldrik shine If you would see the Waters waving brine Abound with Fishes pray Hyperion T' abandon soon his liquid Mansion If he expect in his prefixt Career To hoast with you a Month in every Yeer And thou eternall Father at whose wink To which purpose â—specially he calleth on the true God The wrathfull Ocean's swelling pride doth sink And stubborn storms of bellowing Windes be dumb Their wide mouthes stopt and their wilde pinions num Great Soverain of the Seas whose books can draw A man aliue from the Whales monstrous maw Provide me Lord of Steers-man Star and Boat That through the vast Seas I may safely float Or rather teach me dyue that I may view Deep vnder water all the Scaly crew And dropping wet when I return to land Laden with spoils extoll thy mighty hand IN VAIN had God stor'd Heav'n with glistring studs The first part of this Book wherin he handleth how by the Commandement of the Lord thâ— Fishes began to moue in the Waters The Plain with grain the Mountain tops with woods Sever'd the Aire from Fire the Earth from Water Had he not soon peopled this large Theatre With living Creatures Therefore he began This-Day to quicken in the Ocean In standing Pools and in the straggling Riuers Whose folding Channell fertill Champain severs So many Fishes of so many features That in the Waters one may see all Creatures And all that in this All is to be found As if the World within the Deeps were drown'd Seas haue as wel as Skies Sun Moon and Stars The Seas no lesse stored with priui ledges and presidents of Gods glorious power then Heauen Earth and of the strange Fishes that liue therin As well as Aire Swallows and Rooks and Stares As well as Earth Vines Roses Nettles Millions Pinks Gilliflowrs Mushroms and many millions Of other Plants more rare and strange then these As very Fishes living in the Seas And also Rams Calfs Horses Hares and Hogs Wolves Lions Vrchins Elephants and Dogs Yea Men and Mayds and which I more admire The Mytred Bishop and the Cowled Fryer Wherof examples but a few yeers since Were showen the Norways and Polonian Prince You divine wits of elder Dayes from whom The deep Inuention of rare Works hath com Took you not pattern of your chiefest Tools Out of the Lap of Thetis Lakes and Pools Which partly in the Waues part on the edges Of craggy Rocks among the ragged sedges Bring-forth abundance of Pins Pincers Spoaks Pikes Percers Needles Mallets Pipes and Yoaks Owers sayls and swords saws wedges Razors Rammers Plumes Cornets Kniues Wheels Vices Horns Hammers And as if Neptune and fair Panâ—pé Palaeâ—on Triton and Leucothoé Kept publik Roules there is the Calamary Who ready Pen-knife Pen and Ink doth cary As a rare Painter draws for pleasure heer Why God created so many sorts of strange Fishes A sweet Adonis a foul Satyre there Heer a huge Cyclop there a Pigmè Elf Somtimes no less busying his skilfull self Vpon som vgly Monster seldom seen Then on the Picture of fair Beauties Queen Even so the Lord that in his Work 's variety We might the more admire his powerfull Dëity And that we might discern by differing features The various kindes of the vast Oceans creatures Forming this mighty Frame he every Kinde With diuers and peculiar Signet sign'd Som haue their heads groveling betwixt their feet Examples The Pour-Cuttle Cuttle Crab. Sea Harâ— Oyster As th' inky Cuttles and the Many-feet Som in their breast as Crabs som head-less are Foot-less and finn-les as the bane-full Hare And heat-full Oyster in a heap confus'd Their parts vnparted in themselues diffus'd The Tyrian Marchant or the Portuguez Can hardly build one Ship of many Trees The Tortoise But of one Tortoise when he list to float Th' Arabian Fisher-man can make a Boat And one such Shell him in the stead doth stand Of Hulk at Sea and of a House on land Shall I omit the monstrous Whirl-about Which in the Sea another Sea doth spout Where-with huge Vessels if they happen nigh Are over-whelm'd and funken sodainly Shall I omit the Tunnies that durst meet The Tunnyâ— Th' Eöan Monarchs neuer daunted Fleet And beard more brauely his victorious powrs Then the Defendants of the Tyrian Towrs Or Porus conquered on the Indian Coast Or great Darius that three Battails lost When on the Surges I perceiue from far Th' Ork Whirl-pool Whale or huffing Physeter Diuers kindes of Whales Me thinks I see the wandring Ile again Ortygian Delos floating on the Main And when in Combat these fell Monsters