powder of Industrie in her when conceauing with fire through the match of Fiat she flew so â—imbly ouer hils and dales to her Cosen Elizabeth the subiect of Charitie wherin truly she shewed herself OPEROSA ET SEDVLA THE ESSAY The Bee is the greatest Politick in the world the gouerment of their litle commoÌ„-wealth is most admirable The King is he that hath the best preÌ„seÌ„ce with him a Royal looke al his subiects obey him with submission reuerence not doing anie thing against their oath of alleageance The King himself is armed with Maiestie and beautie if he haue a sting he neuer makes vse of it in the whole manage of his estate He carryes nothing but honie in his coÌ„mands one would not beleeue the great seueritie and courtesie there is amongst them liuing in communitie with good intelligences abroad al goes with them with weight and measure without errour or mistakings In the winter they keep wholy within not knowing otherwise how to defend themselues from the force of the weather and violence of the winds hold their little assemblies in some place deputed for that effect and keep correspondencies one with another but for the drones and idle bees they banish them quite from their common-wealth They commit not themselues to the discretion of the weather abroad vntil such time as the beanes begin to blowe and from that time they wil loose no day from labour They frame the wax from the iuice which they suck from flowers hearbs and trees and for honie they deriue it also from trees gommie reeds hauing a glue and viscous lickour on theÌ„ They wil make their wax likewise of euerie herb and flower saue only they neuer light on a dead or withered one Their sting is fastned in their bellie and when they stick it so as they cannot draw it forth againe without leauing the instrument behind they dy of it and if the sting remaine but half they liue as castrat and become as droans not being able to gather either honie or wax THE DISCOVRSE THE mellifluous Doctour S. Ambrose in his sweet booke of Virgins sayth the Bee feeds of the deaw engenders not at al and frames the honie Which three properties peculiarly and singularly appertaine to Virgins but most expresly and sublimely of al to the Sacred Virgin herself the Queen of Virgins For as al other creatures liue of the earth or water as birds beasts and fishes some few excepted to wit the Camaeleon of the ayre and the Salamander of the fire the Bee as a choicer creature more curious then the rest feeds no worse then of the deaw that falles from Heauen and wheras al other creatures not bred of putrefaction are subiect to libidinous heat in their kinds the Bee is free therof and multiplies by a way more chast and where other creatures are wholy maintained at their Maister 's charge and some wil eate you more then their bodies are worth or their labour comes to the Bee makes its owne prouision of itself and leaues his owner rich with the bootie and spoyle they make of the flowers of the field without anie cost or charge of the Maister so industrious they are to the great confusion of men Iust so our Ladie not taken with the bayts and allurements of this world for spiritual life liued not but of the heauenlie deaw of Diuine grace being capable of no other heat then of the chast and amourous fire of Diuine Loue not conceauing Fruit but by an admirable mysterious and miraculous way through the work of the Holie-Ghost remaining a Virgin before in and after her Child-birth and lastly framed without anie cost or merits of ours that Honie of honies that Honie-comb distilling which carries the honie in his lips The honie indeed is engendred in the ayre through the fauour and influence of certain starres as in the Canicular dayes we may note betimes in the morning the leaues to be charged and sugred with it Such as go forth at that time before day shal find themselues to be moistned therewith which the Bees suck from the leaues and flowers and tunne-vp in their little stomaks to discharge againe and to make it perfect honie in al points for the vse of men So our incomparable Virgin receauing this Deaw or honie of the Eternal Word as it came from Heauen into her Virginal womb so wrought it in her as being deliuered therof it proued a honie most apt for the vse of man the true Bread of Life indeed Most happie Bee and a thousand times most blessed HONIE Where it is to be noted that Bees are exceedingly delighted with these things first with faire serene weather for then those deawes more plentifully fal are more delicious and of the contrarie in the raynie more boysterous weather they are wholy hindered from their vintage as it were or gathering those sugred deawes Secondly they are pleased much with abundance of flowers from whence they gather their purest honie for though the deawes fal vpon the leaues and they gather it no doubt from them also yet is it not so delicious and pure for the nature of deawes participats much of the places they light on which makes the Bee farre more busie and industrious on the flower then on the leaues Thirdly they are wonne with a sweet sound For Aristotle sayth they are exceedingly allured with the harmonie of musick and sweet sounds which we ordinarily practise now adayes to stay them with when they are in a great consult to take their flight and be gone for then with the striking of a pan only insteed of other musick are they brought to settle themselues neer home so Musical they are And lastly they ioy greatly insweet wine as we find by experience and daylie practise as often as they begin to swarme are now on the wing and point to trauel into forren parts Al these things the Blessed Virgin was exceedingly affected to and had them al as it were within her as first a serenitie in the internal conscience where appeared no clowd in the ayre of her Mind and where the pacifical Salomon sat peacefully indeed as in his Iuorie Throne Al the glorie of the King's daughter was wholy within her Then had she the flowers of al Vertues and Graces within her to wit the diuersities of al vertues the lillies of chastitie the blush and moâ—estie of the rose the hope of the Violet the charicie and Diuine loue of the Heliotropion and the like Her soule was a Garden of al flowers and no lesse then a Paradise which had the Archangel as Paranimph Guardian therof with the two-edged sword of Humilitie and the chast Feare of God O delicious Paradise and more then terrestrial euen when she was dwelling on the earth Thirdly she was affected to Musick and very rare and singular therin as appeares by that excellent and melodious Canticle of hers the Diuine Magniâ—â—at so chanted now adayes in the
such complacencie in the Rainebow that when he is in the highest point of his iust choler if he cast but his eye thervpon he is suddenly appeased I wil looke on my Bow and wil remember c sayth he And no maruel surely since the Bow he regards so much is the Symbol heer of his deerest Mother the Incomparable Virgin Let vs see then how this heauenlie Bow deciphers the Queen of Heauen this mirrour of Nature and the astonishment of man-kind The Generation and extract of anie thing discouers it most This Iris then or Raynebow is caused by the reflexion of the Sunnie beames vpon a lucid clowd concaue and waterish Clowdes are engendred of the marine vapours or exhalation of the seas where the vapoural parts of the Ocean are attracted by the vertue of the Sun which conglomerated togeather engender a clowd when the brackishnes of the Sea-water is turned to sweetnes And so was our Ladie a true clowd since in her were found these marine vapours that is incredible tribulations bitter and brackish of themselues though to her made sweet through the force and vertue of Diuine Loue. The Sunnie beames therefore that is the grace of GOD being a ray as it were of the Diuine Essence reflecting on the purest Virgin a lucid clowd concaue and waterish produced the Iris or Rainebow in the Hierarchie of the Church as in the firmament of the Heauens and therefore called the Iris or Celestial Bow a signe of the Reconciliation of GOD with al mankind She was concaue through humilitie and therefore very apt to receaue the rayes of the Sunne of Iustice the influence of Diuine graces as she was waterish no lesse through compassion and pietie because her hart was a Spring and her eyes as continual-standing pooles of teares A bow commonly hath a string is bent with an arrow in it and hath the horns conuerted towards vs as menacing the Foes Our Blessed Vigin is a Bow indeed but without the string of seueritie because most iust and without menaces and feare because most sweet and hath two horns withal to wit Grace and Mercie which she holdeth towards vs while grace she affordeth to the iust and mercie to sinners and is therefore called the Mother of Grace and Mother of Mercie Aboue al the Rayne-bow hath its proper subsistence in coulour which it seemes to borrow as Bede sayth of the foure Elements For of the fire it contracts a ruddie coulour from the water a Cerulean from the ayre the coulour of the Hyacinth and from the earth the green it hath al which seeme spiritually to be found in our Celestial Bow the Incomparable Ladie for red she was being wholy inflamed with the fire of Diuine loue which she tooke from the Diuine fire God being our consuming fire a fire indeed that burns and consumes others but not her because although she were a bush and burning too yet incombustible She might borrow that coulour likewise from her dead Sonne as he lay on her lap being taken from the Crosse al bathed with his precious Bloud which mixed with her faire complexion might wel appeare like to flames in our heauenlie Iris. She had the Cerulean which is the coulour of the Sea because she is properly the Starre of the Sea and hath therefore a great correspondencie with that liquid Element and through meer compassion was become as it were al liquid according to that of the Psalmist My hart is become as dissolued or liquifyed wax as wel for the abundance of teares she was wont to shed as the puritie of her mind which made them so limpid and cleare She had thirdly the coulour of the Hyacinth which she tooke as from the ayre since al her conuersation was in the ayre as it were abstracted from the earth or terrene cogitations She was wholy as the Bird of Paradise which hath no feet to touch the earth with from the time that her Sonne ascended to heauen from the mount Oliuet she could do nothing but cast vp her eyes thither-wards and so powerfully perhaps contracted that coulour through the vehemencie of her attention and application to that object til her Assumption haply when she left it by the way in her Bow to remayne for euer as a signe of her puritie But now to conclude with the green which she tooke from the earth what might it be but a continual Spring of al Graces and Vertues which she practised on earth Looke into a garden in that season of the Spring and whatsoever your eyes can behold truly delicious there in the greennes of the plots and arbours both open and close and in the green-sword allies and bancks your vnderstanding shal be able to paralel and find-out her vertuous conuersation on earth For if you consider her green walks they were al as streight as garden-walks for streight were the paths of her whole life If on the arbours you shal find her continually in her closet her plots were nothing els but how to become more gratful to her Sonne her Spouse her Lord and those alwayes new euer green so as in the garden of her mind was a perpetual Spring to be seen of al vertues while she liued amongst vs no maruel then the green was so dear vnto her to be put into her bow THE EMBLEME THE POESIE FRom heauen the Father viewes his Sonne below Vpon the Crosse as on a clowde a Bowe When vapours from the earth exhal'd arise The Mother likewise sees with mourning eyes Her Sonne al black blew pale wan red Green with a crowne of thornes fixt on his head Al which reflect by reflexion die The Mother like a Raine-bow in the skie To her for mercie when the Sinner sues The Sonne his Mother as a Raine-bow viewes That pleades for mercie to her Sonne appeales Who signes the Pardon and his Wounds are Seales THE THEORIES COntemplate first that if Nature be able to frame so rare a peece of workmanship as the Rayne-bow and that no wit of man can truly comprehend the reasō of its forme and figure with the admirable diuersitie of coulours in it so as among her other works most choice and rare the same is accounted as a cheef miracle in Nature in the visible Heauens I imagin the while what GOD himself is able to doe in his works of Grace being disposed as it were to vye with Nature in framing an Iris likewise in this Heauen of Heauēs to astonish not Mortals only but the Angels and blessed Spirits themselues better able to iudge of the diuersitie of coulours in her to wit the mysteries and graces wherewith he hath adorned her Consider then that as the Rayne-bow of it-self is no more then a meer Meteor in the ayre if it be so much whose whole luster it takes from the Sun and vanisheh as soone as he is either in a clowd or hath his aspect some other way since it is wholy of him and so of him as
Heauens the World and Hel. This Deaw of Grace was not engendred in the vpper Region that is in Heauen nor was the work of the Incarnation of CHRIST effectually wrought therin because he assumed not the Angelical nature He apprehended not the Angels Nor beneath that is in Hel because he redeemed not Diuels or spared thē or shewed mercie to them God pardoned not the Angels sinning But it was engendred in the midst that is the Incarnation was wrought in this middle Region because therin the Diuine hypostastis assumpted human nature to itself God sent his Sonne made of a woman Now was this Deawing or Incarnation made as I sayd of hot cold For God vouchsafed to become Man for two respects that is out of abundāce of charitie of the one side which was excessiue heat and out of a general miserie of ours which was a kind of benumming cold From this heat therfore to wit from this Charitie of GOD and from this cold the general miserie of mankind was wrought roration or Deawing that is the Incarnation of the Sonne of God with this onlie difference that there was a temperate heat and cold togeather but heer a heat with a great excesse through his too much charitie wherewith he loued vs and a great frigiditie of languour in vs or a languishing frigiditie Because al haue declined and are become vnprofitable Moreouer this roration or Deaw we speake of was made in our Virgin-earth who being watered with Celestial Deaw brings forth the Nazaraean flower that sayth of himself I am the flower of the field Againe Let flow thy speech like Deaw and as drops vpon the gras To which the Church alluding sayth Let him descend into the Virgins womb like Deaw therin This earth therefore so moystned and watered with Deaw produced the Lillie of Paradice I the Deaw of Israel budding like the Lillie This Israel is interpreted a man seing God and heer signifyes our incomparable Ladie who was truly Masculin in al her actions beholding as it were the Diuine Essence through Contemplation I wil now then maruel no more that GOD leauing al other creatures should take complacencie as he doth to be the Father of Deawes the Scriptures saying Who begat the drops of deaw and who is the Father of rayne You would say he meāt that there is nothing which better represents the Diuine generatiō of the Sonne which is begotten of the Father by way of Vnderstanding from whence as from a fruitful clowd distils the Diuine Deaw of the Word Let my word flow like deaw But for the Incarnation itself it seemes to be iust the verie same For the Sun of the Diuinitie therin vnited to the little poore vapour of our mortalitie hath fertilizd this beautiful Paradice of the Church the Deaw watering the same which fel from the Fiue Wounds of IESVS that deawie clowd suspended in the ayre and hanging on the tree of the Crosse. Hence it is that GOD makes so great accompt of this Deaw for when he would make a feast for his people in the wildernes he did it by meanes of the Deaw which was then conuerted into Manna and Manna virtually into al meats And if GOD would make him a chamber al of gold or a cabinet for himself surely he would choose the Deaw to be his house Who puts the clowds his bower c. God makes as exact esteeme of a simple drop of Deaw as of al the world besides Before thee sayth Salomon is the whole world as a drop of morning-deaw You wonder now at a smal matter but I wil tel you yet a thing more strange which is that since the Sonne GOD of a litle graine of mustard sayes The kingdome of heauen is like to a graine of mustard-seed c. me thinks I might say as wel The kingdome of heauen is like to a drop of Deaw For the Sauiour of the world who is the graine of mustard-seed is likewise this same rich drop of Deaw For as the Sonne of God in outward apparance was as it were no bodie nor seemed to make anie shew yet when the Sun of the Diuinitie once began to appeare in him he shewed himself to be the vertue of Paradice euen so a little drop of Deaw falling from the heauens for example on the Flowerdeluce would seeme perharps to you but a little round point of water and a meer graine of Cristal but if the Sun do but shine vpon it Ah! what a miracle of beautie it is while of the one side it wil looke like an Orient-pearl and being turnd some other way becomes a glowing Carbuncle then a Saphir and after an Emerald and so an Amethist and al enclosed in a nothing or a litle glasse of al the greatest beauties of the world that seeme to be engraued therin so manie drops so manie Orient-pearls so manie drops of Manna wherewith the Heauens seeme to nourish the earth and to enrich Nature as being the Symbol of the Graces wherewith GOD doth water and fertilize our soules For what should that Flcece of Gedeon signify but the Grace of graces the admirable grace of the Incarnation of Christ to be wrought in the conception of the Diuine Word in the virginal womb or fleece of the said Gedeon which was replenished with the Deaw of the Holie-Ghost in liew of the verie Deaw that is where descended the fulnes of the Diuinitie she being worthily called and compared to a fleece since she hath cloathed the true Lamb of God with her flesh who takes away the sines of the world O Virgin worthie of al grace How art thou graced indeed and fauoured aboue al the Daughters of Ierusalem since thy head IESVS CHRIST came so to thee ful of Deaw and reposes in thy chast bower THE EMBLEME Benedicta inter mulieres lucae c. i. THE POESIE NOt like a duskie clowde which Sol exhales Nor like a gloomie mist that shrowdes the vales But from the Earth the Sunne of Iustice drew A purer vapour which dissolu'd the Deaw Distilling from the Limbeck of the skies Our drie barren Earth doth fertilize The barren womb erst was accurst but she Though Virgin was a faire fruitful tree Women bring forth with paineful throbs throwes She was a Mother but not one of those Mongst women blest drawne by heauens radiant beames Twixt clowd mist pure Deaw twixt both extreames THE THEORIES COnsider first that as Eue our first Parent and Mother of vs al was not created immediatly of earth as Adam was but taken from his rib it being a priuiledge only due to Adam so to be framed of virgin-earth and was therefore called Virago fetching her extraction as it were a Viro So our second Eue our Spiritual and Celestial Mother adopting vs engendring vs as children through the Deawes of Celestial graces procured vs from heauen was not made of virgin-extraction herself that is was not framed of the Diuine or Angelical
world and taken-vp in the Church for an admirable peece of that Art to vye with the Angels the Cherubins and Seraphins themselues to frame the like Nor yet was she so pleased to heare herself sing only as to listen to her Spouse the voice of her beloued knocking and saying My sister open vnto me to whom she would answer againe Behold my beloued speaks vnto me Oh let thy voice stil sound in mine eares and a thousand other affects of her Musical hart would she dayly sing besides to the Angelical troups which enuironed her round And lastly for her loue to wine that is to the Angelical Nectar she was dayly feasted with of spiritual gladnes as tasts before hand of her future ioyes which might appeare by the quantitie she tooke of those wines and the qualitie againe by the frequent extasies of loue she would breake into remaining in her Closet as we may piously beleeue being inebriated therewith THE EMBLEME THE POESIE TO Bethlem's sillie shed me thinkes I see The Virgin hasten like a busie Bee Which in a tempest subiect to be blowne In lieu of ballast beares a little stone As 't were with oares beats to and fro his wings Collects heauens deaw which to the hiue he brings Within that store-house lyes the daylie frait Le ts fal the stone Euen so of greater weight Cut without hands the Virgin now is gone To lay the prime and fundamental stone Heauens Deaw condens'd was in the honie-comb She was the Bee the Hiue her Sacred Womb. THE THEORIES COntemplate first how little soeuer the Bee seemes yet how great its excellencies and eminencies are and measure not the singular properties it hath with the outward shew it giues forth For though it seeme no more indeed then as raysed but a little higher then an ordinarie fly yet is it a miracle in nature an astonishment to men and a liuelie Symbol of our Blessed Ladie who being so singular and eminent in al prerogatiues and graces Celestial and Diuine made no greater a shew then she did in being so priuate in her Closet or Oratorie where she was as a Bee in her Cel a-framing the delicious honie of her admirable examples of life to sweeten the world with for after-ages Where you may note her stupenduous humilitie that seing herself elected the Mother of God and consequently the Queene of Angels and men yet held herself to be no more then as a seruiceable Bee to worke the precious honie of Man's Redemption in her Virginal Womb when she sayd Behold the hand-mayd of our Lord. Consider then that as one of the properties of the Bee is when it is on the wing and feares to be carried away with the winds of the ayre to take vp a stone to keep itself steadie therin through the poyse therof So our blessed Virgin in her highest contemplation of heauenlie mysteries which was frequent and ordinarie with her would take herself to her little Iesus the mystical stone for Christ was a Stone for feare of being carryed away with the wind of vanitie she would fly and soare aloft but yet hold her to her little Nothing which she euer tooke herself to be O admirable humilitie of our incomparable and industrious Bee Ponder lastly that if the Bee is so admired for its singular guists of Continencie of Policie and Industrie and especially so affected by al men for the benefit of the honie they receaue from it how admirable needes must the blessed Virgin be so chast as to be the first and onlie patterne of al Chastitie both Virginal Coniugal and Vidual so wise politick wel-gouerned in herself to haue Sensualitie so obedient to Reason and Reason to GOD as to haue no deordination in her either of the inferiour to the superiour part and so industrious withal as to work so exquisit a loome of al Perfection as wel Human as Angelical in the whole course of her diuine life Yea how ought she to be honoured and worshipped of vs al for the Celestial Diuine fruit she brought vs forth that mellifluous Honie of the Diuine Word Incarnate and made Man in her most precious and sacred Wombe THE APOSTROPHE O Great Monarkesse and Princesse of intercession in heauen most constant and immoueable in thy Virginal purpose who hadst rather not to haue been so great in the kingdome of God then to falsify thy promise vow of perpetual Virginitie if in being the Mother of God the same had been put in the least danger O help me then to guard this inestimable treasure of Chastitie in my state of life by that sweetest Honie-comb thou hredst within thee and broughtst into the world thy deerest Sonne Ah let me not be perfidious disloyal or a breaker of my faith nor rash in my good purposes made to His Diuine Maiestie For that O soueraigne Ladie displeases him highly and offends thee likewise deare Princesse of Virgin-soules THE VIII SYMBOL THE HEAVENS THE DEVISE THE CHARACTER THE Heauens are the glorious Pallace of the Soueraigne Creatour of al things the purple Canopie of the Earth powdred ouer and beset with siluer-oes or rather an Azure Vault enameld al with diamants that sparckle where they are And for that there is aloft aboue this seeling they make a pauiment likewise for the Intelligences and Angelical Spirits strewed as become such inhabitants with starres It is a Court where those blessed Spirits as Pensioners stand continually assisting in the King's presence with the fauour to behold him to face in his greatest glorie while the Starres as Pages attend in those spacious Hals lower roomes If al togeather should make vp the bodie of an Armie ranged and marshalled in the field the Spirits themselues would make the Caualrie and the Infanterie the Starres S. Muhael General of the one and Phoebus of the other where euen as the Foot that are as the Corps of the whole Batallions make a stand so remaine the whole multitude of Starres al fixt in the Firmament while the Planets which are as the Collonels of the rest with the speedie Coursers of their proper Orbs fly vp and down to marshal the Legions and to keepe the Companies in their due squadrons If they shoot their shafts and darts they send are but their influences they powre on mortals and terrene things good and bad some sweet of loue as those which Venus shoots from her Regiment headed with gold some with steel as those of Mars and his troups and some againe as more malignant dipt in venome as those of Saturn and the Caniculars As the Earth hath beasts the Heauens haue their Lion and Beare the great and lesse Where the Sea hath fish the Heauens haue theirs and waters enough as wel aboue as vnder the Firmament As the Ayre hath birds the Heauens haue Angels as birds of Paradise And if the vpper Region of the Elements be of fire the Seraphins are al of amourous fires of Diuine loue and the
to nought but is a Cestern rather that wil in time be exhausted and that ere very long They haue left me the Fountain oâ— liuing Water and framed to themselues broken Cesterns that leake and can hold no water Lastly this Fountain of Ours is sweet and pleasant For as Springs and Fountains of waters arising from the Sea and passing through veynes as it were and subterranean places become very fauourie and sweet and that by certain degrees hauing first of al a kind of bitternes with them and then a more gratful and lastly a pleasant and delicious tast So the blessed Virgin like a Fountain springing from the source and origin of the bitter and harsh people of the Iewes was through a singular and especial prerogatiue preserued from the least tack of those brackish waters whence she came and being diuinely sanctifyed by the Holie-Ghost became a most delicious Fountain of al graces according to that of Iudith The bitter fountains are made sweet to drink From whence as from a publick Conduit of a Cittie the vniuersal Church deriues infinit streames of graces and fauours And as in great Citties there is wont to be some Conduit or Concha or most ample and spacious Channels erected in the open market-place from whence may al at their pleasure fetch waters without limit or restraint for al their vses besides some special pipes conueighed into some mens houses as a singular fauour So the blessed Virgin like a copious and endles Conduit abundantly affords the waters of her graces to al that haue their recourse to her for them and more particularly and familiarly to those that are her special Deuotes as being of her families and holie Sodalities Let vs now see then what waters she affords for surely her waters are ful of Vertues And first they coole and refrigerate and are therefore most welcome to the thirstie soule And as Fountain-water in Sommer is more cold and hotter in Winter so the Incomparable Virgin in the sommer of prosperitie giues fresh and coole waters to wit a cooling and refrigerating grace that the mind be not too much enflamed with terrene affects but in the winter of Aduersitie yealds her waters hot that is inflaming least the mind with aduersities being too much depressed might coole and at last grow vtterly cold in the loue and seruice of God As these waters coole so do they quicken and viuify withal and are therefore called liuing or the waters of life Heart the clamour of this people and open them the treasure the fountain of liuing water These Fountain-waters haue an humectiue and vegetatiue vertue with them to water and to make things prosper and grow vp A fountain ascended from the earth watering the vniuersal superficies So Genesis And for growing Esay sayth The shower falles and snow from heauen and returns no more but inebriates the earth powers vpon it and makes it to spring and grow vp For the earth indeed is sayd first to put forth the blade of the wheat then the green eare and lastly it becomes a ripe and ful-grayned eare of corne And this heauenlie Fountain of ours first makes the earth of our soule to put forth the green hearb of the feare of God which is the beginning of a new life then the green eare of Pennance which is bitter and sharp lastly a ful perfect fruit in the ripe eare which is Charitie since Dilection is the fulnes of the Law And to conclude the vertues of these waters haue the power to ascend and mount vp according to that The water which I shal giue you shal be in her a Fountain of water arising and springing to eternal life And as the nature and propertie of the water is especially in pipes to arise the higher the lower it falles so the Virgin stooping to the center of her Nothing is aduanced so high aboue the Cherubins and Seraphins themselues and so consequently the waters of grace that flow to vs from her rayse vs the higher in Heauen while by her example we stoop downe and abase our selues and especially despise these base and terrene things THE EMBLEME THE POESIE IT had not rayn'd and so the earth was dry No showres of Grace were falling from the sky An vniuersal drought possest the Land With dearth famine God's reuengeful hand On Eue pass'd to her progenie For sinne Man's soule like earth dried vp had euer byn But that there did a cristal Spring arise To drench the barren soile and fertilize For Naamans Iordan-like it made a floud That flowd with Grace 'T was Troubled not with mud While She 's cal'd ful of grace But sinner I Am troubled 'cause I want Fountain supply THE THEORIES COntemplate first that as an Aqueduct hath length and breadth with it so our glorious Virgin the Fountain I mentioned aboue of liuing waters as an Aqueduct hath so great a length as she reaches euen from heauen to the earth according to that mellifluous Doctour Marie is an Aqueduct whose top like Iacob's ladder reaches to Heauen And the breadth of this Aqueduct is such as she was able to containe the Diuine Fountain itself as the same S. Bernard affirmes A Fountain is borne to vs because that Celestial veyne hath descended by the Aqueduct though not affording vs the whole plentie of the fountain yet powring out certain stillicides of grace into our dry and arid harts Consider then that as we can not deriue the waters of the Heauens into our Conduits on earth without some conueyance or other so can we not expect the waters of Grace to come from thence without some Aqueduct of Grace which is the blessed Virgin the Incomparable Fountain therof for that as S. Bernard sayth the flouds of graces were wanting so long to human kind for that as yet no Aqueduct had made intercession for it Seeke we therefore grace through the inuocation of Marie Mother of Grace and whatsoeuer we offer to GOD commend we to Marie that grace may returne back by the same channel by which it flowed Ponder lastly the manner how this Aqueduct or Fountain of ours communicates its waters for to some she communicates in manner of a Well to some againe in manner of a Spring and thirdly to others in manner of Riuer-waters The Well hath its waters hid in the bottom of the pit and not to be drawne without some difficultie in which manner she communicates herself to sinners only to whom the waters of grace are hidden but yet to be fetcht and had with the labour of contrition and pennance but the water of the Spring is drawne without labour at al and flowes continually and in this manner she communicates herself to pious Soules and her Deuotes because continually she affords them graces with much facilitie and lastly as touching the Riuer that flowes so with great abundance she communicates and powres forth herself to the Blessed Soules with ineffable graces which are
as from the sea do flow great quantities of waters which it receaues againe not being kept so do graces flow froÌ„ the Sea of Marie in great plentie yet with flowings and ebbings through our ingratitude and not making vse therof But if after our neglect of her fauours we returne as we ought to beg them againe though we receaue no effectual benefits by her first offers which we refused yet doth she dayly offer them againe with this differeÌ„ce from those flowings of the liquid seas that they go and come to and fro of course and at certain times with stints but she is readie euerie moment to communicate her fauours without limits so we wil but open the chanels of our harts to let them in As al Wels Springs and Fountaines deriue from the Sea the Sea virtually containes the nature and qualities of al Well-springs current fountaines and riuers By which waters are aptly vnderstood the three degrees of graces which through our Ladie flow into our harts to wit the Incipient or preuenient grace in the first beginnings of our conuersioÌ„s the Proficient by which we proceed to vertuous actions through grace receaued the Perfect grace which is the ful consummation therof and is indeed a constant perseuerance to the end in al vertues This Incipient or commencing grace is signifyed by the Well or spring of liuing waters because these springs haue their waters secret hiddeÌ„ vnder ground they suddenly arise and no man knowes from whence so preuenient grace is by vs not merited at al but springs and is powred into vs through a secret and hidden inspiration of GOD no man can tel how or whence but often comes through the intercession of the IncoÌ„parable Mother of mercie and the Sea of graces being called the liuing Waters for that by this grace are sinners dead in sinnes as viuifyed to life The Fountain-water is vnderstood to be grace ProficieÌ„t wherof is sayd the Fountain of the Gardens which gardens of GOD are the good Proficients in grace vertues in whome are the hearbs plants of al vertues in a flourishing state which yet could not spring at al nor grow a whit much lesse seeme to prosper flourish vnles by this fountain they were watered with grace being a Fountain indeed ascending from the earth which waters the vniuersal face therof By the river-Riuer-water which flowes with violeÌ„ce is perfect grace to be vnderstood which is sayd to flow with violence because such as are replenished therwith are very earnest and sollicitous in the works of vertue and proceed with feruour therin Looke where the force of the spirit leads them thither wil they go with a violence and impetuositie as it were The Sea is alwayes ful and neuer wasts and so our Ladie was announced by the Angel to be ful of grace as truly she was a vast and immense Sea of al graces Of whom the mellifluous S. Bernard sayth vpoÌ„ those words of Aue gratia plena In the mouth truly was she ful of affabilitie in her womb with the grace of the Deitie in her hart with the grace of chatitie in her hand or work with the grace of mercie and liberalitie So likewise are the waters of the Sea exceeding bitter and our Virgin Marie was amarum mare that is a bitter Sea for diuers respects First for sorrow for the losse of her Sonne in the Temple Behold thy Father and I haue sought thee with sorrow Then was she bitter meerly of compassion in beholding the Spouses in the Nuptials to be abashed confounded for want of wine she had compassion of the Iewish nation while she saw them to be reprobate and forsaken of GOD She pittied the Apostles in seing them dispersed in the passion of her Sonne But especially was she bitterly sorie at the passion of her Sonne when the sword of sorrow traÌ„sfixed her hart and lastly was she bitter for her tedious pilgrimage heer so long and therefore would she say Alas how my â—iâ—grimage is prolonged THE EMBLEME THE POESIE NO sooner was the infant-world disclos'd But that God's Spirit on the Sea repos'd Borne on the waters did impart a heat By influence diuine a fertil seat He made that vast and barren Ocean's wombe T was fruitful when the Holie-Ghost was come The sacred Virgin was a Sea like this But darknes on the face of the Abysse Was neuer on her Soule that shined bright From her first being for GOD sayd Let light Be made the Word was in this Sea compriz'd When th' Holie-Ghost the waters fertiliz'd THE THEORIES COntemplate first that when the world was first created that the waters were diuided as it were by the Firmament while part was put aboue the Firmament and part beneath the waters beneath on the earth were called by the name of Maria or Seas and the Spirit of GOD as we haue it in Genesis did incubare super aquas couer as we say or ouershadow the waters Which was a work of the first Creation So in the work of our Redemption where the blessed Virgin Maria by name which signifyes the Seas also it pleased the Eternal Word leauing the delicious bosome of the heauenlie Father to descend into this Sea of human miseries to take them vpon him and the Holie-Ghost likewise to ouershadow her withal Consider then in the Temple of Salomon that as besides other riches and ornaments there as the Propitiatorie aboue the Cherubins and Seraphins of each side therof the golden Candlestick in the midst the Altars of Perfumes and of Propitiation heer and there with the lamps the Veyle the Ark and the like in their places was planted a great vessel of Brasse ful of water at the entrance of the said TeÌ„ple where the Priests were to cleanse themselues before they entred to Sacrifice and this Vessel was called Mare aeneum or the brazen Sea So ought the Priests in our Churches before they enter or approach vnto the dreadful Sacrifice of al Sacrifices the Sacrifice of the Masse to recurre to this Mare aeneum our Blessed Ladie to procure them a puritie of soule to assist therat or approch thervnto Ponder lastly that as GOD the soueraigne Lord of al things communicates his offices and charges to men according to his most holie and Diuine dispensation very suitable and agreable to euerie one as to Moyses the office of a Law-giuer to his people of Israel to AaroÌ„ the office of high Priest to Iosue of Captain Leader of them into the land of promise and consequently gaue them talents accordingly to discharge the same very punctually in al things So is it likelie that in choosing his Mother he vsed the self-same tenour in his fayre dispositioÌ„ therof to wit in appointing her so to be the Starre of the Sea he ordeyned her no doubt to be the Ladie of the Sea as her name imports Now then as in the Seas he hath drencht and plunged as it were