Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n
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A27212
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Psyche, or, Loves mysterie in XX canto's, displaying the intercourse betwixt Christ and the soule / by Joseph Beaumont ...
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Beaumont, Joseph, 1616-1699.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing B1625; ESTC R12099
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503,783
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414
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Damnation 222. To Paradise He came and brought his Hell Into the earthly Heav'n where looking round To view the Colonies which there did dwell A Creature spruce and delicate He found Upon a Bank of flowrie Pleasures spread But farre more sweet and beauteous then its bed 223. It was the Serpent whose illustrious skin Plaid with the Sunne and sent Him back his Beams With glorious Use that Wealth which glisters in The bosome of the Orientall Streams Salutes Aurora's Cheek with fewer Rays Then this bright Robe in all Heaven's face displays 224. His sharpest Eyes sparkled with nimble flames The light by which his active Soule was read Wisedome and Art with all their plots and frames Made their close Nest in his judicious Head Above his Fellows on Crafts Wings he flew All Beasts but He to that dull Name were true 225. This Agent Belzebub approv'd and as He fed upon his Couch mix'd with his Meat And in that ambush through his lips did pass Where having taught his Bane to rellish sweet He easily wonne the passage through his Throat And thence by stealth into his Heart he got 226. As when the Fire hath through the Cauldrons side Into its unsuspecting bowells stollen The Liquor frets and fumes and to a Tide Of working Wrath and hot impatience swollen With boiling Surges beats the Brass and leaves No way untr'd to vent its tortur'd Waves 227. So now the Serpent felt his Bosome swell With peevish Rage and desperate Disdain A thousand Plots and fallacies did fill The busie Corners of his belking Brain Sometimes he beats on that sometimes on this Sometimes thinks neither sometimes both amisse 228. He knew the vastnesse of his fell Designe Which was to slay a World at one dread Stroke And reach Destruction in a poisoned Line Unto the latest Twigg of Humane Stock And therefore muster'd up the utmost Might All Hell could send to back Him in the fight 229. But pondering then how Adams sober Breast With Wisdoms Ammunition furnish'd was And strongly fortifi'd with all the best Of sin-defying Piety and Grace He shak'd his head and thought the Match not even To venture on a fight with Him and Heav'n 230. For if he hapned to be foild at first His following Onsets all would sweat in vain And his own poysnous Spight his Breast would burst To see how Adam and his Race should reign Safe and free Kings of earthly Paradise And flourish thence to that above the skies 231. Yet wholly to decline the Conflict were To let Man win those Realms without a Blow And freely to permit what he did fear Perchance might be by his own Overthrow To a resolved Fight this spurr'd him on Who could loose Nothing though he Nothing won 232. He wisely had observ'd soft-temper'd Eve And yet he fear'd the Mettall of her Breast Would prove so generous that to Deceive Would be an easier Task then to Contest And could she any way be overthrown He hop'd her Fall would justle Adam down 233. Remembring then what Engin did subdue A wiser Head and stronger far than she And how impatient Ambition threw Grand Lucifer from Heav'ns Sublimity He trusts that now the like successefull End Will on this tried way of fight attend 234. Advised thus the mighty Quintessence Of venturous ever-swelling Philautie Of Discontent of Scorn of Insolence Of towring Fancies of Self-flattery And of the stoutest Heav'n-aspiring Pride Together in one desperate Plot He ti'd 235. And if this will not doe the feat yet I Excused am said He and upon Hell Be the foule shame whose feeble Princes by The shock of this Temptation headlong fell This said He towards Eve did gently glide Whom straying from her Husband He espi'd 236. Unhappy Error that which did invite The jealous Tempter to be bold since she Had robb'd her selfe of all her Spouses Might By starting from his holy Company But all the way the cunning Serpent went He put on Looks of contrary Intent 237. For Love and Friendship smiled in his Eyes Upon his Face sate Tendernesse and Care Thrice did he bow his flattering Neck and thrice His silent Homage he presented her And then Fair Queen of Paradise said hee Why must the Prince be bound and Subjects free 238. We crop our Pleasures wheresoe'r We please From any flowrie any spicie bed We pluck our dinner from the dangling Trees And all the Garden doth our Table spread But royall You and Adam nothing eat Have your own Wills or God this order set 239. Nay courteous Serpent Eve replied We Have large Commission and our God is kinde He gives Us leave to feast on every Tree And with all Paradise to please our Minde Bating that one of Knowledge on whose Boughs Inevitable Death He tells Us grows 240. O credulous Queen the Serpent answers who Make your own prejudice by beleeving it What has a fatall Tree of Death to doe Just at whose Elbow one of Life is set I to your selfe appeal Judge you but whether These two can grow like such good Friends together 241. Death in a Tree Flat contradiction lies In the bare Word How can Death be alive Sure Vegetation very ill complies With saplesse Stupor O doe not deceive Your Thoughts nor teach the Tree of 〈◊〉 how To turn a Tree of Ignorance to you 242. Observe its goodly Apples can you read In their fair cheeks the ghastly Looks of Death Doe any Boughs in all this Garden breed A Fruit which more of Heav'ns sweet Count'nance hath Yet grant it Poyson prove Behold at hand The Tree ofLife for Antidote doth stand 243. Ask Me not whether Truth can tell a Lie Vaine were the Question for your God is True And yet it seems by a deep Fallacie Of enigmatick Truth He cheateth You Indeed the Tree bears Death but Death which will Nothing but Wants and imperfections kill 244. A Death of Life which will destroy You so That you no longer Creatures shall remain But by this Metamorphosis shall grow Above your selves and into Gods be slaine With Eys divine discerning Good from Evill From Heav'n Hell and an Angell from a Devill 245. Full well did God know this and 't is no Wonder If He desires to reigne a God alone And so He may if he can keep You under By the poor Rein of one Injunction If by an Apple thus He terrifies The native Princes of fair Paradise 246. O how it stings my Soul to think that You My Soveraign should thus faint-hearted be For my part did ten thousand Mandates grow Thick in my Way to barre Me from this Tree Through all I 'd break And so would You if once Your Heart were fir'd by my Experience 247. For yesterday when I began to taste The sprightfull Fruit Flames kindled in mine Eyes My Soul a wak'd and from my Bosome chas't Those Mists of Ignorance whose thick Disguise Muffled my thoughts and kept me down a Beast As dark and dull as any of the rest 248. But now Serenity walks
through my heart And yeilds me uncontrolled Prospect to The Orbs of Knowledge where from Part to Part My nimbly piercing Eye about doth goe This is the Death I found a Death which I Mean ever day as long 's I live to die 249. O then what vast advantage will arise To your large Soul by this enlightning Tree My breast is shallow narrow are mine Eyes But wide and brave is your Capacity So wide that Wisdoms deepest Seas may finde Sufficient Channells in your Mighty Minde 250. And if this Knowledge if Divinity It selfe may merit but the easie Pains Of your Acceptance O perswaded be To suffer these inestimable Gains Shame burns my Cheeks that I your Slave should eat This Bliss and You my Queen be barr'd the Meat 251. And yet you are not barr'd Behold but how You are bid welcome by the courteous Tree Whose laden Arms their pretious Offrings bow To meet your Mouth and seem to plead with Me Their postures Language asks What make we here If wee alone by You contemned are 252. These Charms stole ope the Door into the Heart Of carelesse Eve and thrust their poyson in Besides the smiling Apples plai'd their part And her Affections with her Eye did win Capricious curious Pride did her invite What e'r it cost to taste of that Delight 253. Three times she stepped to th' inchanting Tree As oft by Conscience plucked back again Yet still with fatall importunity She struggled till she broke her Freedoms Chain Then with unchecked Madnesse on she goes To win her wished Prize and her Selfe to loose 254. Up went her desperate Hand and reach'd away All the Worlds Blisse whil'st she the Apple took When loe the Earth did move the Heav'ns did stay Beasts and Birds shiver'd absent Adam shook But none did know the reason of their Fear Onely hee ran to see what Eve did here 255. O balefull sight His pretious Queen hee saw Enslaved by her soothing Subjects Craft She who was Beauties Centre untill now Is of her brave Prerogative bereft Bereft so wholy that with wondering Doubt For his late lovely Eve in Eve He sought 256. Apparent Misery sate on her Face Before the goodly Throne of Pleasantnesse Her Cheeks which bloom'd till now with heav'nly Grace Sins black and dismall horror did confesse Forth at her Eyes of late Lifes Windows Death Did look and Rottennesse flow'd with her Breath 257. But greater was the Change within for there Her bold Transgression spred an hideous Night Of Ignorance on her intellectuall Sphear Her Will which grew before so fair and straight Turn'd crooked and perverse Each Passion Scorn'd Her Commands as the Her Gods had done 258. Her Heart till now soft as the Turtles Sighs It s heav'n-inamoring Tendernesse forgets And with the stoutest Purian Marble vies Her Thoughts before all Sons of Love professe No trade but Mischiefe now and busie are To propagate the Woes which stinged Her 259. Nor fears she now to play the Serpent too In envy of her Husbands blessed State Whom with the beauteous Apples she does Wooe To taste of Hell and swallow down his fate Fall to my Dear said she fear not the food I have thy Taster been and finde it good 260. But wiser Adam well the danger knew Whose miserable Proof now wounds his eyes Nor could the poor Bait of an Apple shew Him reason Heav'n and Virtue to despise Fair in his bosome written was the Law And reverent Terror kept his Soul in awe 261. In a we a while it kept it But at last Commiseration of his Spous's case Grew to such strength in his too-tender Breast That Pitty to himselfe it did displace Eve sate so neer to his Uxorious Heart That rather he with Heav'n then Her will part 262. For part He must unlesse He reconcile That mighty Breach which she between them made O potent Sympathie which canst beguile An Heart so pure and cleer-ey'd and degrade Earths Monarch from his native Pinacle Of Innocence as low as Death and Hell 263. He yeilds and eates and eating tears the great Creators Law yet tears not that alone But rends his Bliss his Health his Life and that Fair Robe of Puritie 〈◊〉 He had on Becoming Eves Companion no lesse In nature than in shamefull Nakednesse 264. And thus indeed they 'gan to judge between Evill and Good whilst they themselves did see Who untill then no Evill thing had seen But now can witnesse their own Misery Which they with wrerched Aprons strive to heal As if the leaves the Apples would conceal 265. Alas nor they nor all the Trees that grow In shady Paradise so thick and high Could any shelter unto them allow When he was pleas'd to search who is all Eye Yet by degrees hee findes them that they might With Deprecations salute his sight 266. Had he in Thunder and in Lightning spake And of fierce Veng'ance breath'd a flaming stream Just had the Dialect been But He did make A foft enquiry of the Fault and seem To beg Confession and to wait whil'st they Did with their Crime their Penitence display 267. But they with Shifts and Excusations trie Not to excuse the Fact but to defend And by that wretched Impudence defie Mercy which all this while did them attend This forced Justice who came rushing in And did her Office upon saucy Sin 268. She first the Curse pronounc'd which written was In adamantine Tables ne'r to be Revers'd by Pitty Then she forth did chase The proud Delinquents and the Garden free From its unworthy Guests appointing Fate To set a double Guard before the Gate 269. A Troop of Cherubs straight was marshalled In dreadfull Order at the Eastern Gate And then a flaming Fauchion brandished Terror about the way that none might at That door of Happinesse passe in but who By tried Purity through Fire could goe 270. The Wofull Exiles were no sooner come Into the wide World but poor Adam sees The heavy Losse of his enclosed Home Finding in stead of blessed Flowres and Trees Thistles and Thorns all arm'd with pikes and pricks Amongst whose Crowd he vex'd and tatter'd sticks 271. Long did He strive and toyle e'r He could make The Ground give fertile answer to his sweat The righteous Earth did this due Vengeance take On his Rebellion so did the great Cognation of Beasts and Birds who broke Off from their sullen Necks his regall Yoke 272. Those who were able muster up their might And in their Makers Quarrell Him pursue The weaker from his presence speed their flight Professing now they knew no homage due Thus by their furie Those These by their Feare Equally frightfull and vexatious were 273. No friend he had but her who did betray Him to that Miserie unhappy Eve And yet the reaping of his sweetest Joy Of what was sweeter did them both deprive Their gains unable were to quit the cost For now their dear Virginity was lost 274. Eve through many nauseous Moneths did pass E'r she could to