plants the tree deserues the fruit 't is fit That he that bought the purchase hansell it Hang Haman there It is his proper good So let the Horseleach burst himselfe with blood They straight obey'd Lo here the end of Pride Now rests the King appeas'd and satisfi'de Meditatio decimaquarta CHeere vp and caroll forth your siluer ditty Heau'ns winged Quiristers and fill your Citty The new Ierusalem with iolly mirth The Church hath peace in heauen hath peace on earth Spread forth your golden pinions and cleaue The flitting skies dismount and quite bereaue Our stupid senses with your heauenly mirth For lo there 's peace in heauen there 's peace on earth Let Haleluiah fill your warbling tongues And let the ayre compos'd of Saintly songs Breathe such Celestiall Sonnets in our eares That whosoe'r this heauenly musicke heares May stand amaz'd and rauish't at the mirth Chaunt forth There 's peace in heauen there 's peace on earth Let Mountaines clap their ioyfull ioyfull hands And let the lesser Hills trace o'r the lands In equall measure and resounding Woods Bow downe your heads and kisse your neighb'ring floods Let peace and loue exalt your key of mirth For loe there 's peace in heauen there 's peace on earth You holy temples of the highest King Triumph with ioy Your sacred Anthemes sing Chaunt forth your Hymnes and heauenly Roundelayes And touch your Organs on their deeper keyes For Haman's dead that daunted all your mirth And now there 's peace in heau'n there 's peace on earth Proud Haman's dead who liuing thee opprest Seeking to cut and seare thy Lilly brest The rau'ning Fox that did annoyance bring Vnto thy Vineyard 's taken in a Spring ¶ Seem'd not thy Spouse vnkind to heare thee weepe And not redresse thee Seem'd he not asleepe No Sion no he heard thy bitter pray'r But let thee weepe for weeping makes thee faire The morning Sunne reflects and shines most bright When Pilgrims grope in darknesse all the night The Church must conquer e'r she gets the prize But there 's no conquest where 's no enemies The Day is thine In triumph make thy mirth For now there 's peace in heauen there 's peace on earth What man 's so dull or in his braines vndone To say because he sees not There 's no Sunne Weake is the faith vpon a sudden griefe That sayes because not now There 's no reliefe God's* bound to helpe but loues to see men sue Though datelesse yet the bond 's not present due ¶ Like to the sorrowes of our Child-bed wines Is the sad pilgrimage of humane liues But when by throes God sends a ioyfull birth Then find we Peace in heauen and Peace on earth Meditatio decimaquinta TO breathe 's a necessary gift of nature Whereby she may discerne a liuing Creature From plants or stones 'T is but a meere degree From Vegitation and this hath she Like equally shar'd out to brutish beasts With man who lesse obserues her due behests Sometimes than they and oft by accident Doe lesse improue the gift in the euent But man whose organs are more fairly drest To entertaine a farre more noble Ghest Hath through the excellence of his Creation A Soule Diuine Diuine by inspiration Diuine through likenesse to that pow'r Diuine That made and plac'd her in her mortall shrine From hence we challenge lifes prerogatiue Beasts onely breathe 'T is man alone doth liue The end of mans Creation was Society Mutuall Communion and friendly Piety The man that liues vnto himselfe alone Subsists and breathes but liues not Neuer one Deseru'd the moity of himselfe for he That 's borne may challenge but one part of three Triparted thus his Country claimes the best The next his Parents and Himselfe the least He husbands best his life that freely giues It for the publike good He rightly liues That nobly dies 't is greatest mastery Not to be fond to liue nor feare to dye On iust occasion He that in case despises Life earnes it best but he that ouer-prizes His dearest blood when Honour bids him dye Steales but a life and liues by Robbery ¶ O sweet Redeemer of the world whose death Deseru'd a world of liues Had Thy deare breath Been deare to Thee Oh had'st Thou but deny'd Thy precious Blood the world for e'r had dy'd O spoyle my life when I desire to saue it By keeping it from Thee that freely gaue it THE ARGVMENT Letters are sent by Mordecai That all the Iewes vpon the day Appointed for their death withstand The fury of their foe-mens hand Sect. 16. FOrthwith the Scribes were summon'd to appeare To eu'ry Prouince and to eu'ry Shiere Letters they wrote as Mordecai directed To all the Iewes the Iewes so much deiected To all Lieu-tenants Captaines of the Band To all the States and Princes of the Land According to the phrase and diuers fashion Of Dialect and speech of eu'ry Nation All which was stiled in the name of King And canonized with his Royall Ring Loe here the tenor of the Kings Commission Whereas of late through Hamans foule sedition Decrees were sent and spred throughout the Land To spoyle the Iewes and with impartiall hand Vpon a day prefixt to kill and slay We likewise grant vpon that very day Full power to the Iewes to make defence And quit their liues and for a Recompence To take the spoyles of those they shall suppresse Shewing like mercy to the mercilesse On posts as swift as Time was this Decree Commanded forth As fast as Day they flee Spurr'd on and hast'ned with the Kings Command Which straight was noys'd publisht through y e Land As warning to the Iewes to make prouision To entertaine so great an opposition So Mordecai disburthen'd of his griefe Which now found hopefull tokens of reliefe Departs the presence of the King addrest In Royall Robes and on his lofty Crest He bore a Crowne of gold his body spred With Lawne and Purple deeply coloured Fill'd are the Iewes with triumphs and with noyse The common Heralds to proclaime true ioyes Like as a prisner muffl'd at the tree Whose life 's remou'd from death scarce one degree His last pray'r said and hearts confession made His eyes possessing deaths eternall shade At last vnlook'd for comes a slow Reprieue And makes him euen as dead once more aliue Amaz'd he rends deaths Muffler from his eyes And ouer-ioy'd knowes not he liues or dyes So ioy'd the Iewes whose liues this new Decree Had quit from death and danger and set free Their gasping soules and like a blazing light Disperst the darknesse of th'approching night So ioy'd the Iewes and with their solemne Feasts They chas'd dull sorrow from their pensiue brests Meane while the people startl'd at the newes Some grieu'd some enui'd some for feare turn'd Iewes Meditatio decimasexta AMong the Noble Greekes it was no shame To lose a Sword It but deseru'd the name Of Warres disastrous fortune but to yeeld
Hadassa OR THE HISTORY OF QVEENE ESTER With Meditations thereupon Diuine and Morall Horat. Ode 6. Conamur tenues grandia nec pudor Imbellisque Lyrae Musa potens vetat By FRA. QVARLES AT LONDON Imprinted for Richard Moore and are to be sold at his shop in Saint Dunstans Church-yard in Fleetstreet 1621. TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCE RENOWNED FOR LEARNING PIETY AND ALL GRACIOVS GOVERNEMENT IAMES BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF GREAT BRITTAINE FRANCE AND IRELAND DEFENDER OF THE FAITH FRANCIS QVARLES HIS MOST HVMBLE SERVANT and faithfull Homager dedicates presents and consecrates these his labours to receiue honour from his gracious countenance and to be glorified by his approbation A PREFACE TO THE READER A Sober vaine best suits Theologie If therefore thou expectst such elegancy as takes the times affect some subiect as will beare it Had I laboured with ouer-abundance of * fictions or flourishes perhaps they had exposed me censurable and disprized this sacred subiect Therefore I rest more sparing in that kind Two things I would treat of First the matter secondly the manner of this History As for the matter so farre as I haue dealt it is Canonicall and indighted by the holy Spirit of God not lyable to errour and needs no blanching In it Theologie sits as Queene attended by her handmaid Philosophy both concurring to make the vnderstanding Reader a good Diuine and a wise Moralist As for the Diuinity it discouers the Almighty in his two great Attributes in his Mercy deliuering his Church in his Iustice confounding her enemies As for the Morality it offers to vs the wholy practicke part of Philosophy dealt out into Ethicks Politicks and Oeconomicks The Ethicall part the obiect whereof is the Manners of a priuate man ranges through the whole booke and empties it selfe into the Catalogue of Morall vertues either those that gouerne the body as Fortitude Chap. 9. 2. and Temperance Chap. 1. 8. or those which direct the soule either in outward things as Liberality Chap. 1. 3. Magnificence Chap. 1. 6. Magnanimity Chap. 2. 20. and Modesty Chap. 6. 12. or in conuersation as Iustice Chap. 7. 9. Mansuetude Chap. 5. 2 c. The Politicall part the obiect whereof is Publike Society instructs first in the behauiour of a Prince to his Subiect in punishing his vice Chap. 7. 10. in rewarding of vertues Chap. 8. 2 15. Secondly in the behauiour of the Subiect to his Prince in obseruing his Lawes and discouering his enemies Chap. 2. 22. Thirdly the behauiour of a Subiect to a Subiect in mutuality of loue Chap. 4. 7. in propagation of peace Chap. 10. 3. The Oeconomicall part the obiect whereof is Priuate Society teacheth first the carriage of the Wife to her Husband in obeying chap. 1. 22. of the Husband to his Wife in ruling chap. 1. 22. Secondly of a Father to his Child in aduising chap. 2. 7 10. of a Child to his Father in obseruing chap. 2. 20. Thirdly of a Master to his Seruant in commanding chap. 4. 5. of a Seruant to his Master in effecting his command chap. 4. 6. Furthermore in this History the two principall faculties of the soule are nor in vaine imployed First the Intellect whose proper obiect is Truth Secondly the Will whose proper obiect is * Good whether Philosophicall which that great Master of Philosophy cals * Wisdome or Theologicall which we poynt at now hoping to enioy hereafter Who the Pen-man of this sacred History was or why the name of God as in few other parts of the Bible is vnmentioned in this it is immateriall and doubtfull For the first it is enough for an vncurious questioner to know it was indited by the Spirit of God for the second let it suffice that that Spirit will'd not here to reueale his name As for the Manner of this History consisting in the Periphrase the adiournment of the Story and interposition of Meditations I hope it hath not iniured the Matter For in this I was not the least carefull to vse the light of the best Expositors Authoritatis quorum sum germanus not daring to goe vn-led for feare of stumbling Some say Diuinity in Verse is incongruous and vnpleasing such I referre to the Psalmes of Dauid or the Song of his sonne Salomon to be corrected But in these lewd times the salt and soule of a Verse is obscene scurrility without which it seemes dull and liuelesse And though the sacred History needs not as humane doe Poetry to perpetuate the remembrance being by Gods owne mouth blest with Eternity yet Verse working so neere vpon the soule and spirit will oft times draw those to haue a History in familiarity who perchance before scarce knew there was such a Booke Reader be more than my hasty pen stiles thee Reade me with aduice and thereafter iudge me and in that iudgement censure me If I iangle thinke my intent thereby is to toll better Ringers in Farewell THE INTRODVCTION WHen Zedechia He whose haplesse hand Once swaid the Scepter of Great Iudah's Land Went vp the Palace of proud Babylon The Prince Seraiah him attending on A dreadfull Prophet from whose blasting breath Came sudden death and nothing else but death Into Seraiah's peacefull hand betooke The sad Contents of a more dismall Booke Breake epe the leaues those leaues so full of dread Reade sonne of thunder said the Prophet reade Say thus say freely thus The Lord hath spoke it 'T is done the world 's vnable to reuoke it Woe woe and heauy woes ten thousand more Betide great Babylon that painted whore Thy buildings and thy fensiue Towers shall Flame on a sudden and to cinders fall None shall be left to waile thy griefe with Howles Thy streets shall peopl'd be with Bats and Owles None shall remaine to call thy places voyd None to possesse nor ought to be enioy'd Nought shall be left for thee to terme thine owne But helplesse ruines of a haplesse towne Said then the Prophet When performance hath Empty'd thy Cheekes of this thy borrow'd Breath Euen so the Persian Host it selfe bestur'd So fell great Babel by the Persian sword Which warme with slaughter and with blood imbru'd Ne'r sheath'd till wounded Babel fell subdu'd But see These braue Ioynt-tenants that suruiu'd To see a little world of men vnliu'd Must now be parted Great Darius dyes And Cyrus shares alone the new-got prize He fights for Heauen Heauens foemen he subdues He builds the Temple he restores the Iewes By him was Zedechias force disioynted Vnknown to God he was yet Gods Anoynted But marke the malice of a wayward Fate He whom successe crown'd alwaies fortunate He that was strong t' atchieue bold to attempt Wise to foresee and wary to preuent Valiant in Warre successefull to obtaine Mustnow be slaine and by a Woman slaine Accursed be thy sacrelegious hand That of her Patrone rob'd the holy Land Curs'd be thy dying life thy liuing death
And curs'd be all things that proud Tomyris hath O worst that Death can doe to take a life Which lost leaues kingdom's to a Tyrants knife For now alas degenerate Cambyses vices Whose hand was fill'd with blood whose heart with Sits crowned King to vexe the Persian state With heauy burthens and with sore regrate O Cyrus more vnhappy in thy Son Then in that stroke wherewith thy life was don Cambyses now sits King now Tyrant rather Vnlucky Sonne of a renowmed Father Blood cries for Blood Himselfe reuenged hath His bloody Tyranny with his owne death That cruell sword on his owne flesh doth feed Which made so many loyall Persians bleed Whose wofull choyce made an indiff'rent thing To leaue their liues or lose their Tyran ' King Cambyses dead with him the latest drop Of Cyrus blood was spilt his death did stop The infant source of his braue Syers worth Ere after-times could spend his riuers forth Tyrant Cambyses being dead and gone On the reuersion of his empty Throne Mounts vp a Magus which dissembled right Forging the name of him whose greedy night Too early did perpetuate her owne And silent Death did snatch away vnknowne But when the tidings of this Royall cheat Tymes loyall Trumpe had fam'd th' vsurped seat Grew too too hot and longer could not beare So proud a burthen on so proud a Chayre The Nobles sought their freedome to regaine Not resting till the Magi all-vvere slaine And so renovvned vvas that happy slaughter That it solemniz'd was for euer after So that what pen shall write the Persian story Shall treat that Triumph and write that dayes glory For to this time the Persians as they say Obserue a Feast and keepe it holy-day Now Persia lacks a King and now the State Labours as much in want as it of late Did in abundance Too great calms doe harme Sometimes as much the Sea-man as a storme One while they thinke t' erect a Monarchy But that corrupted breeds a Tyranny And dead Cambyses fresh before their eyes Afrights them with their new-scap'd miseries Some to the Nobles would commit the State In change of Rule expecting change of fate Others cri'd no more Kings then one incumber Better admit one Tyrant than a number The rule of many doth disquiet bring One Monarch is enough one Lord one King One saies Let 's rule our selues let 's all be kings No saies another that confusion brings Thus moderne danger bred a carefull trouble Double their care is as their feare is double And doubtfull to resolue of what conclusion To barre confusion thus they bred confusion At last and well aduis'd they put their choyce Vpon the verdit of a Iuries voyce Seuen is a perfect number then by seuen Be Persia's royall Crowne and Scepter giuen Now Persia doe thy plagues or ioyes commence God giue thy Iury sacred euidence Fearefull to chuse and faithlesse in their choyce Since weale or woe depended on their voyce A few from many they extracted forth Whose euen poys'd valour and like equall worth Had set a Non plus on their doubtfull tongues Vnweeting where the most reward belongs They this agreed and thus aduis'd bespake Since bleare-eyd mortals of themselues can make No difference 'twixt good and euill nor know A good from what is only good in show But with vnconstant frailty doth vary From what is good to what is cleane contrary And since it lies not in the braine of man To make his drooping state more happy than His vnprospitious stars allot much lesse To lend another or a state successe In vaine you therefore shall expect this thing That we should giue you fortune with a King Since you haue made vs meanes to propagate The ioyfull welfare of our headlesse State Bound by the tender seruice that we beare Our natiue soyle far then our liues more deare We sifted haue and boulted from the Rest Whose worst admits no badnes and whose best Cannot be bettered When Chaunticleere the Belman of the morne Shall summon twilight with his bugle horne Let these braue Hero's drest in warlike wise And richly mounted on their Palferies Attend our rising Sun-gods ruddy face Within the limits of our Royall place And he whose lusty Stallion first shall neigh To him be giuen the doubtfull Monarchy The choyce of Kings lies not in mortals brest This we the Gods and fortune doe the rest So said the people tickl'd with the motion Some tost their caps some fell to their deuotion Some clapt their ioyfull hands some shout some sing And all at once cri'd out A King A King When Phoebus Harbinger had chac'd the night And tedious Phospher brought the breaking light Complete in armes and glorious in their trayne Came these braue Heroes prauncing o're the playne With mighty streamers came these blazing starres Portending Warres and nothing else but Warres Into the royall Palace now they come There sounds the martiall Trump here beats the Drum There stands a Steede and champes his frothy steele This stroaks the ground that skorn's it with his heele One snorts another pufs out angry wind This mounts before and that curuets behind By this the fomy Steeds of Phaëton Puffe too and spurne the Easterne Horizon Whereat the Nobles prostrate to the ground Ador'd their God Their God was early found Forthwith from out the thickest of the crowd In depth of silence there was heard the loud And lustfull language of Darius Horse Who in the dialect of his discourse Proclaim'd his rider King whereat the rest Patient to beare what cannot be redrest Dismount their lofty Steeds and prostrate bring Their humbled bodies to their happy King God saue the King they ioyntly say God blesse Thy prosprous actions with a due successe The people clap their sweatty palmes and shout The bonfires smoke the bels ring round about The minstrels play the Parrats learne to sing Perchaunce as well as they God saue the King Assuerus now 's inuested in the throne And Persia's rul'd by him and him alone Prooue happy Persia's Great Assuerus prooue As equall happy in thy peoples loue Enough And let this broken breuiate Suffice to shadow forth the downefall state Of mighty Babel and the conquest made By the fierce Medes and Persians conqu'ring blade Whose iust succession we haue traced downe Till great Assuerus weare the Persian Crowne Him haue we sought and hauing found him rest To morrow goe we to his royall Feast FINIS THE ARGVMENT OF THE HISTORY KIng Assuerus makes two feasts to that he inuites his Courtly ghests to this the Citizens of Susa wherevnto he sends for Queene Vashti who denyes to come whereupon the King is angry and referres the censure of her offence to his Councell who giue sentence that shee should be degraded from her Princely estate Forthwith the King commands the fairest Virgins in the Land to bee brought before him for him to take his choyce