able to discouer no nor any bus the vnsearchable knowledge of the highest God therefore proued the Author and destroier is proposed as a president to vs in that he tooke six daies to finish that which at a trice he could haue performed Amongst his successiue labors the cōfortable light is preferred in time made the first fruit of his creatures the substance thereof vncertaine the beautie and profits therof most certaine what cause moued the almightie to distinguish betweene day and day light and light with intercourse of night and darkenes expressed The angels creation being touched according to a general opinion attributed to this daies work the fal of som of them malice of these apostate relapses the persistance and diligent seruice of others in the desence of Gods beloued and offence of his enimies described the Poet takes his farewell for the first day PHillips faire bloome sole eie of Macedon Hauing disroabd of all their royaltie The loftie towers of thrice-sackt Ilion Was askt by one if he the harpe would see That Paris vsde amidst his venerie Not that quoth he but rather THAT would I Wherewith Achilles made such melodie His minde forsooth and voice accorded then With THAT which warbled still the woorthy deedes Of heaun-bred ympes heroick Gentlemen The mortall blossoms of immortall seedes None such that other twangd but worthlesse weedes As sighes sobs sorrowes and louers languishments Or else their wiles smiles sports and wanton meriments No such like passions heere of carpet loue No obiects fit for lewd and lustfull eies Lo heere the world the earth the heauen aboue The elements and sense deceiuing skies All made free denizens after English guise You Gentles cast in Alexanders mould By choise like his like minde of yours vnfould Io. Ho. THE FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST WEEKE OF du Bartas THou that the course of glittring heauen dost guide And checkest trucebound Neptunes surlie waues The poets inuocation on God Shaking the steedie earth both far and wide Whose word can tame th'Aeolian broad that raues Or cause them bussell from their vented caues Dischardge my mind of cloudie cares and thought And to thy selfe hale vp my sprights aloft Driue out this statelie drift of me intended And by thy cunning let this verse be squarde So that thy works by words may be commended Leuie those lines with speciall regard Wherein the worlds rare grow the shall be declarde That I may sing and latter age may heare How first the worlds rude nonage did appeare Great father graunt that I may couch in measure The proposition The rarest points of beautie in this frame And spread abroad the chiefe concealed treasure Containing worthie lectures of thy name And seruing fit to register thy fame Let me thy sacred mysteries discerne That teaching others them my selfe may learne The elements from euerlasting time Haue not bene pitcht as we behold them now Nor did the nimble fire so euer clime That it kept downe the tossing aire belowe The world was not eternall Nor did the aire about the waters bowe Nor water shrinking in the earths hollow lap With slipprie turnings did the same inwrap This mightie Cope The world not made by chance that stretcheth wide and side Was not rough hewde by fortunes chop or chance Nor in grosse clusters of moates vndescride Or time scrapes vp ruffeled at a glance As vaine Democritus dreamd in his trance That selfesame word whereby the world shall fade Was once the word whereby the world was made Not made before the measuring time was found Without beginning from eternitie But world and time World and time of one standing at one the selfe same stound As things coequall tooke formalitie For you o heauenlie lampes giue certaintie The seasons and the times your course confirmes And cuts the yeares the months the daies and termes Elder then place then forme of arched skie Elder then time which wheeles in circle space Sate endles Ioue in perfect maiestie Peizing the whole with more then princelie grace Chearing the parts which all he did imbrace What that was then I know not how to call Nought els but God for God was all in all One onlie mind and pure intelligence A virgin spright vnspotted and sincere Liuing for euer making no expence Of age or time that wrinkles might appeare By nature bright and alwaies shining cleare Fearles and infinite a lord vnknowen Conuersing onlie with himselfe alone Wretches that beat your braines on frantike toies Aske you how mightie Ioue was then imploide An answere to the Atheist that demandeth what God did before he made the world Making inquirie what were then his ioies When all the world was vncreate and voide His prudent mind saie they might be annoide Which hauing power to counterpoise his will Could suffer nothing woorse than sitting still This curious motiue mounts to blasphemie Another point were fitter to record Before the heauens and late worlds infancie Produced were by his effectuall word The Answere of Spiridio in the councell of Neece to the Epicures demand He built a hell for such as were abhord A hell for such a proud ambitious rout As Giant-like would cast their maker out Doth not a Caruer master of his art Draw whilome fancide patternes in his braine Not vsing tooles nor timber in his draught Doth not the Webster negligent of gaine Lay somtimes by both wooffe and warpe in vaine Doth not the Potter leaue his tempered clay Not forging it in vessels though he may And shall the Master workman of them all Subiect his art vnto some lumpish stuffe As though his skill were meere mechanicall Which in it selfe is absolute enough And by it selfe can yeeld sufficient proofe Neuer was Scipio solitarie lesse Than when alone and had no other guesse Could such a Romane captaine take delight Within the closet of his humane brest And sole sufficient Ioue be thought so slight That he could not enioie an actiue rest Amongst such ioies as cannot be exprest Might he not liue alone O heauens what madnes As well as men in melancholie sadnes That ancient sage Priënaes great renowne Bias. When he should fleete with bag and baggage thence Bragd he brought all Omnia mea mecum porto yet nothing from the towne His minde was all fraught with intelligence And should rich Ioue in his magnificence A Lord and King and all within himselfe Desire to be enricht with worldlie pelfe God is the fountaine from whose liuely spring Conduits of grace and streames of good do flowe All turnes are serud by his replenishing For worlds of plentie from this fountaine growe He is not suppliant to high nor lowe But Ocean-like his fulnes he discharges Supplying euerie want with his franke largesse Before the winds could breath or waters breed The spawning fish before the earth was storde With Antleere or enrichde with anie feed Or haruest crop that fodder might afford Before all this remaind the soueraigne Lord
wast comportenance On backside of the booke we spend our daies Not vsing natures text a furtherance To helpe instruct our blindfold ignorance Thence might we learne that God is chiefest cause Supporting cities peace with wholsome lawes What do we trauell in the multitude Of languages and labour to explaine The sense which Turkish characters include Or Aegypts sacred figures do containe What those small pricks in th'Ebrew language meane To know the notes and accents of the Greeke These things so slight what neede we greatly seeke The Scythian and the wildt Tartarian The seuen yeeres wit not growne yet to be wise And those that haue the Pole meridian By natures light can scand these mysteries Saunce further insight than by carnall eies But he that is illuminate by faith Moues from this mould and mounts a greater haith He vawts aboue the cristall firmament And vnderneath his feet beholds the stirre Of spheeres conuerted by Gods regiment Whence reading his celestiall kalender He proues to be an arch-Astronomer Aided with faith I long to be discerning The sacred text of Gods inspired learning My pleasure is to couch in statelie verse The worlds first birth and tender nurserie The eaning and the weaning I reherse The infant nonage and minoritie And how it grew to perfect dignitie I will vnfold the bosome of this frame That all may read Gods essence in the same The founder of this ouerspreading tent Tooke no fantasticke copie for his guide No borrowed shadow for his president Nor melancholie did he long abide God tooke no view of any externall patterne to make the world after Inuenting how the parts might be applide There was no world before this world erected No former plot nor patterne he respected An earthly builder tossing in his braynes How best to raise a pallace for a king First craueth respite counsell taketh paynes To make suruey of many a such like thing Before he sets his hand to fashioning That after diuers pallaces beheld Himselfe at last might exquisitely build Where any queint conueiance is comprisde He markes the point the workmanship and grace Heere he commends the forefront well deuisd Else-where some pillar raisd on comely base Or stares well mounted honoring the place Surueying much he notes a thousand things And in his worke the grace of all he brings No such examples of Ichnographie Had euerlasting Ioue to imitate That he might forge a second world thereby And frame a worke for worlds to woonder at He neuer sweat nor beat his braynes for that But cast the world with ease into a square Quartered with earth and water fire and aire Euen as the Sunne earths fairest husbandman Annexed to the wheeling firmament Descendeth not from his pauilion But sends from thence his fruitfull increment Cheering the loue-sicke earth with meriment Although he list not come yet doth he send Garlands of plentie to his distant frend Gods pleasure and performance will and deed Conceit and act are of one equall age Purpose and practise word and worke proceed And march alike with perfect aequipage As ofsprings of one heauenly parentage All keepe their course inioynd on God attendant He was their maker and is their defendant But yet the matter of this comely frame Was not foorthwith so curious to behold Nor so polite as now we see the same Till Ioue had cast it in a fairer mold For as a shipwright not to be comptrold When he should build a barke to checke the seas By leasure lookes what kinds of stuffe he please First trees for tymber iron pytch for strength Then he prouides his cables and his cord Which all he layes on heapes vntill at length He singles out a sayle-yard from the hord The beake and sterne he makes of some choyse bord The tallest firre he marketh for his mast Vntill by art ech part is fitly plac'd So God before this world was polished Produc'd his pregnant and immortall word And then collecting all the parts vntride He mendgd them all in one confused hord But where the Shipwright to his hands is stord God was the author both of forme and stuffe Not borrowing ought for he had all enough Base was the worlds first visage and vncowth An Auerne dungeon tost with heedles quoyle A rifraffe medley The world without forme fashion place at the first and a gulphall mouth A sluggish heape of Elements at soyle Amongst themselues pell mell all one the spoyle Cold nipt the heat square things and round did iar The hard and rough with soft and smooth made war Moisture and drouth high mounting things humble At hurlie-burlie skattered on a ranke In ciuill strife vnciuillie did tumble The fire and aire plaid many a lawles pranke The water skornd to keepe within a banke Nor earth nor aire retained bound or border But all things were vnperfect out of order Somtime the water kept such heaue and shoue That it incrochde vpon the victorie The aire somtimes by strugling did remoue The waters force and got the masterie Somtime the earth did crush the other three Eftsoones the fire aboue them all did skip When topsie turuie downe the rest did slip That high Lord Marshall darting thundershot As yet had not his offices disposd The shapeles skie had not one glystering spot Nor any Planetarie signe that glosd The earth had not hir motley weeds imposd Nor Neptune had his watrish kingdome storde Nor any foule amidst the welkin soarde All things lay weltring in a slothfull shade No quickning spright did animate the lumpe Genos 1. â— The blended fire no fierie gesture had The earth no earth the aire could make no thumpe These first borne creatures stucke as in a dumpe No setled course degrees or bounds ordained By which this reuell rout might be restrained If fire were then t was not possest with heat If aire it did not thorough shine with light If water yet the moysture was not great If earth it tottering daunc'd for lacke of weight Do but imagine such an auckwoorth sight Where Tellus bald and barren were presented Not firme nor plaine nor yet with dales indented Suppose the heauens disrobde of all their pride Those eies pockt out and lights extinguished Debard of motion and all forme beside And thinke thou seest the first world pictured Whose portraiture can not be vttered What then was not I better can declare Then what that was which was of old time theare World was it not but hope of world to come A lumpe that askt sixe daies the finishing A likelihood such as in mothers wombe The fruite giues first when first it ginnes to spring Embrye Which growes so long till it be liuely thing First face then eies then chin and nostrils parting Then hands distinct and fingers thereto sorting This pettie world thus at the length increasd Obtaineth vigour for his enterprise And out of prison striues to be releasd Getting a larger prospect for his eies Yet in this masse a secret vertue lies Which hath
by nature force to forme and giue A vitall act whereby the flesh may liue That vaster heape had no selfe-quickning spright No naturall actiuitie to grow And therefore had in dulnes moultred quight But that Gods sacred word began to flow And with his influence inspird it so That it became a vegetable brood And was partaker of such liuelihoode A darksome horror such as Aegypt felt With blindfold eies and harts astonishment Blacknes like that where the Cimmerians dwelt Or Sibb vnto Mephitis hellish sent Belchd from the puddle Styx Gods punishment Or if some darknes be more palpable Of that and all was Chaos capable Confused reuell and disorder raigning This waxing world was like to ruinate Had not Gods powre their mutines restraining Disperst it selfe into that rude estate And qualified the rage of their debate The spirit moued vpon the water Genes 1. Had not his vertue like to sodder closd The chops and rents of matter indisposd Had it not bound as with a mastique glue The heauens earth aire and vagrant Ocean And fixed listes to keepe apart that crue Their natures in the cradell euery one Had bin extinct with selfe commotion But Gods great puissance shed into this hord Asswagd the striffe and bred a sweete accord As some braue wit resolu'd to consecrate A worke of waight vnto the Muses shryne At home abroad at bed bourd earely late Rippes his discourse and ponders euery lyne Hovring amongst his books of discipline So Gods great spright which was the onely mouer Genes 1.2 Vpon the waters superfice did houer Euen as the brooding bird that sits at once To hatch hir egges and huckle vp hir yonge Till natiue and adoptiue egges breed bones And all hir flocke is fledge and liuely sprong So Gods owne spirit sate though not so long And farre and neere did spread his ripning wings Till he had perfected these callowe things Out of the suds where monsterlike they lay He did extract them altering their hue Extending such an vniuersall baye As ouerreachd this compasse which we viewe And was compleat with all the residue All was but one thing neither markd nor bounded Nothing remaind that was not there impounded If that Archduke from God in Horeb taught Had not this certaine testimonie yeelded How first the vniuersall world was wrought And in sixe daies this stately frame so builded By that same God which all things wrought weilded Leucippus might by arguments perswade A pluralitie of worlds confuted That some great multitude of worlds were made Nature no niggard of hir workmanship If she had coinde manie worlds in number The heauie earth would rush the water drip And make one neighbour world anothers cumber So all might fall into their wonted slumber Or least the one the others course should hinder Some emptie space must keepe the frames asunder But now the engine was so firmely iointed So close compact without one creuise void With furnisht complements so well appointed That nothing was by vacant chinks annoid We see how close stopt wine cannot auoid Nor issue currantly from out the terse Except a vent to take in aire we perse We see the puffing bellowes cannot heaue If at the nose they snuffe not vp the wind Bungd vessels cannot anie frost receiue Not closed waterpots an issue find Forc'd liquor drawne in pipes against the kind Doth mount aloft as though it were no water So great a foe is emptines to nature God onlie great beyonde all quantitie God onlie infinite the worlde hath his limited measure of time and place Framed the course of nature mutable From change exempting his diuinitie Making time measure althings moueable For heauens themselues are not vnmeasurable Time meets the circuit of the firmament And rules the motions with his regiment The world is not immortall though so vast But subiect vnto rauenouse decay The parts do languish and the members wast And like the parts the whole must weare away To euery thing prefixed is a day The daie calles death still gaping to deuoure And natures wheele is turned euery houre Now go vaine Greece and weaue heauens curtaincloth Of braine spun threads such as thy quintessence The quintessence of Aristotle Fill all the world with fancies windie froth Painting fond fables with faire eloquence Dispute according thine intelligence And say the course of heauen was near begone Nor euer in thy iudgement shall haue done Stand on the vrgent lawes of destinier And locke vp all within their hard precinct The stoicall accessitie As bound to tocke of starke necessitie Yet not the stars so slauishly are link'd But monthly they receaue a fresh instinct Such fables are not able to defend The worldly frame from ruine in the end The day shall come A description of the worlds end when rocks rent from the quarrie And trembling tops of loftie hils shall rush When heauens shall cracke and lowly vales miscarrie Stuft vp with sheards and suffring many a brush Of huge great heapes that cannot chuse but crush The rubbish of the ruinated heauen Shall make the mountaines and the valleies euen Gape shall the chanels void of water streames Or hauing moysture all imbrew'de with bloud Shall hysse with heate of scorching fierie beames The sea shall vomite lightnings as a floud And blazing flame shall fome vp like the sud The Whales halfe roasted on the bancke shall rore And gasping lie vpon the new found shore The foggie clouds shall muffle vp the day The cheerefull Sunne shall mourne in fearefull maske And Neptunes tayle shall sweepe the starres away Both Sun and Moone shall shun their woonted taske In fogs shall one in bloud the other baske The darting stars shall cleaue the earth asunder And forth shal march fear death dark storms thunder Those marshald in their quarters shall attend The wrathfull vengeance of their Lord approching All wicked harts shall fayle to see that end And heare the Iudge their own lewd deeds reproching With thousand torments on them still incroching Nought shall the world be but a flaming ball Light fire like water once surrounding all Alas what meanes the misbeleeuing pen Of sottish wizards scribling Almanakes To marke the yeare the month or season when This fleeting world full point and period makes And Saturnes port a Supersedeas takes As though some crosse aspect of wandring starres Should crush the world by furie of their iarres I tremble to relate and thorough hart and ioints A chill cold horror shoots Against the baser sort of astrologers which dare set forth their predictions of the time whem doomes day shall come when I do ponder How some base figure-flingers broch these points Forestalling God the onely worlds confounder To mooue the people to a faithles wonder For their coniectures taken by their theame Iudicials and all are but a dreame Yet grope they at Gods sealed closset dore And would be prying at those mysteries Which he hath treasured vp for secret store Keeping the