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
when he set vp his Pillar so in the then vtmost Spanish Gades and called it his Non plus vltra But alas Since that hath a new whole world been discouered far beyond it One Painter with his art deceaued the birds with a bunch of grapes and he thought verily he had done a great peece of matter when comes me another streight and with his art likewise deludes the verie Painter himself in his owne art One drawes me a line which he held to be indiuisible comes me another with a lighter touch and cuts that line asunder with another line It is often seen the Scholler goes beyond the Maister Plato excelled his Maister Aristotle his and so haue infinit others the reason yealds that ReuereÌ„d Father Southwel in his Spiritual Poems Deuise of man in working hath no end What thought can think another thought can mend GOD when he framed the world might as wel haue built manie more and happely a second better then the first so a third and so a fourth because al are in the compas of his Omnipotencie but so can not maÌ„ do in his works for stil there wil be found an vtmost tearme beyond the which he can not passe because he is finit The Giants in their big conceipts had framed in their imagination a Stayre-case vp to Heauen by setting Pelion vpon Ossa's back but when they had brought it to a certain pitch they could reare their building no whit higher but downe comes Ossa much sooner then he got vp and al was but a Castle in the ayre which hangs there stil the foundation being shrunck away Such are the works of Mortals and so are they limited in al they do GOD only is he who is boundles in al. Yet when he framed the Incomparable Virgin Marie and chose her to be his Mother he made her so incomparable a PhaÌ„enix not only to al that euer were or shal be but euen to such as he intended or was able to frame since being not able to be greater then he is himself he could not make her to be a greater Mother then she is * making her his owne Mother therefore wel may besayd NEC SIMILIS VISA NEC SECVNDA THE CHARACTER THE Phenix is the Cesar of birds and sole Dictatour amongst them which admits no Pompey in his kind therefore Nature hath framed but one at once to take away the cause of ciuil iarres He is the miracle of Nature and a prime maister-peece of her workmanship wherin she seemes contrarie to her custome to shew some art He is euen the honour of Arabia Felix or the felicitie of that Region the of-spring of the Sun that might wel haue been his father if either two Suns had been possible or two Phenixes at once He is a Treasurer or rather an Vsurer of spices with the interest of his life He is the Heyre apparant to himself and feares no other 's clayme to that nature bred of ashes and as we al to ashes must returne againe and yet immortal while he dyes not but renewes rather and not as the Hawke which mewes his feathers only but himself The Tomb is his cradle the Fire his midwif himself the Damme the Sun his Sire There being but one at once they are framed without a pattern and yet so like as they are taken for the same He can speake much of others Ancesters but nothing of his owne He is the Alpha and Omega of his kind the first and last because alwayes the same Being solitarie he is apt to scruples but puts them ouer through the innocencie of his life for though by nature he be a Prince yet dares he not say We because there is no more then he If he steale they are but spices wherof he makes no conscience because for his Altar of Holocausts nor hath anie Casuist with him to put that scrupule into his head And being so accessarie to his owne death he makes as litle scruple of that also as done through the inspiration of Nature as he calles it to maintaine his House and to rayse his seed Were he not wel knowne otherwise to the Arabians to be a bird by manie faire demonstrations it had been a wonder that people had not chosen him for a GOD. But GOD it seemes would not permit it as a special fauour to this singular and miraculous Bird. Like the Camelion he liues by the ayre and no maruel the spirit of birds should liue of its proper Element the ayre being the ElemeÌ„t of birds as the waters of the fish The Fire he makes his Purgatorie in this world and that so efficaciously as he becomes renewed to an other life or like the Snake which changing his coat only is stil the same but yet more fresh Whereby obseruing the precept he puts off the old man to be take him self to a new being in newnes of life BEhold how Death aymes with his mortal dart And wounds a Phaenix with a twin-like hart These are the harts of Iesus and his Mother So linkt in one that one without the other Is not entire They sure each others smart Must needs sustaine though two yet as one hart One Virgin-Mother Phenix of her kind And we her Sonne without a father find The Sonne 's and Mothers paines in one are mixt His side a Launce her soule a Sword transfixt Two harts in one one Phâ—nix loue contriues One wound in two and two in one reuiues THE SWAN THE DEVISE THE MORALS AD VADA CONCINENS ELISII ARistotle sayth that harmonie and Musrck is a worthie great and Diuine thing whose bodie is composed of parts discordant in theÌ„selues yet accordant one with the other which entring into the bodie by the eare with I know not what diuinitie as it were rauisheth the soule The World therefore is much obliged to the first Inuentour of Musick being the sweet charme of al the annoyes of our pittiful mortalitie For euen they who are plunged in the abysse of al euils at the least touch of sweet Musick do euen swim vault like Dolphins as Poets say at the feet of that Minstrel Orion What grief or trouble is so great that reuiues not when a gentle Treble mounts vpto heÌ„auen and there soaring and houering aloft as on the wing comes like a Falcon at last to seize vpon the Base as a prey euen to the losse of breath sense of hearing or when the Base after a long pursuit of the Treble and not able to reach it as it would as in a rage in despite with itself seemes to precipitate and plunge itself euen to the Center of the earth Who would not wonder to see the gentle Orpheus haue such power vpon sauage beasts to make them to forget their prey and chase to feed and fatten themselues with such mincing diuisioÌ„s by the eare feed on those Diuine viands who when he made his Harp to speak and his fingers to runne so fast marrying his Angelical
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
from the Mountain Head brest armes and al By striking of the feet demolisht fal O with that Stone this Monsters feet misled May she breake downe that crusht the Serpeâ—â—â— THE THEORIES COntemplate first that as Libanus is a Mount of indeficient waters for that there according as we haue it in the CaÌ„ticles are springs of liuing waters which flow with a force and violence Libanus itself is a fountain and spring of flouds while on the foot therof two fountaines arise the one Ior the other Dan which sliding falling into one do make the Iordan at last as S. Hierom sayth So our Incomparable Virgin is truly a Libanus likewise of endles indeficieÌ„t waters whose graces and fauours continually flow to Mortals nor can those springs of hers be euer dry to wit her perpetual virginitie and stupendious humilitie which being so vnited in her AnnunciatioÌ„ produced such a Iordan of al graces in the person of her deerest Sonne our Sauiour Christ. Consider then that as Mount Libanus is a Mount of fragancie and sweet odours and therefore it is sayd Like Libanus hauing the odour of sweets For there are trees that beare the incence and many odoriferous herbs besids do there grow So in our sacred Libanus the Virgin Marie are the delicious odours of al vertues with the Incence of sublime prayer and contemplation the perfumes of sanctitie holie conuersation the mirrh of mortification memorie of death while her life was nothing els but a continual languor of perpetual mortification as wel in denying herself the pleasures contentments and delights of the world as in sighing groning so much after heauen where her whole conuersation was And therefore is it sayd in the Canticles Fly my beloued resemble the goat fawn of the deer on the Mountains of spices as much to say as fly from the vanities of the world hygh you to Libanus the mount of Spices to the Blessed Virgin the Libanus of al graces Ponder lastly that as Libanus is interpreted white for the candour of the snow which perpetually couers the same so is our Libanus no lesse white yea a great deale more through the candour of perpetual Virginitie which is a kind of whitnes of the flesh as Libanus through the abundance of the Deawes much quantitie of raynes that fal vpon it abounds with principal hearbs fat pastures and excellent fruits so in our Libanus of the Blessed Virgin do flow the deawes of Diuine grace and the raynes of spiritual knowledge and therefore abounds she so with the rich pastures of the sacred Scriptures and Celestial vnderstandings of high Mysteries with plentiful hearbs of the flourishing green of al vertues especially loaden with the gallaÌ„t fruits of soules Her root shal break forth as that of Libanus her boughes shal grow out and her glorie shal be as the Oliue and her odour as of Libanus sayth the Prophet THE APOSTROPHE O Queen of Angels and Archangels of Patriarks Prophets and Euangelists of Apostles Martyrs and Confessours of Doctours Anchorits and Hermits and especialâ—y the Crowne and glorie of Virgins Widowes and of al holie Woemen in the couiâ—gal state o Mountain among the lesser hils of al those Saints that haue been euer are or euer shal be O excellent Mountain O eminent Mountain O Mount whose aire is temperate and neuer troubled where no Serens of inordinate concupiscences euer fal and where no iniurie of times euer works anie mischief Mountain of pleasure delicious Paradice the Libanus of sanctitie the Sinaj of Maiestie and terrour to the reprobate the Caluarie of compassion of thy Sonne 's passion the Thabor of Diuine mysteries the Oliuet of ioy and eternal happines In a word O mount of heauen fayre habitation of the Heauen of Heauens O Virgin Alas make me of thy condition draw my soule from the seruitude of sinne from the affection of the world tyrannie of the flesh put my feet on the Mountain of perfectioÌ„ that so approching neerer to thee I may come to inbabit with thee aboue the clowds O grauÌ„t this same I beseech thee for his sake who came downe from heauen to meet thee in the clowds accoÌ„panied with miriads of Saints blessed Spirits at thy glorious AssumptioÌ„ THE XXI SYMBOL THE SEA THE DEVISE THE CHARACTER THE Seas are the great Diet or Parliament held of Waters at the first creation of the world when GOD himself was the onlie Speaker of the House where they met of compulsion rather then faire accord while euerie whispering of sinister breath puts them al into combustion when for the time there wil be no dealing with theÌ„ so implacable they are that the stoutest are faine to vale-bonet stoop vnto them They are great Vsurers likelie neuer let go anie pawnes they once lay hold of which they extort ful sore against their wils who leaue theÌ„ in their clutches They are infinit rich with such booties may wel compare with their neighbour Pluto or MamoÌ„ himself They wil sometimes notwithstanding be very calme courteous seren so as they wil inuite the houshold-Nimphes Halcions to sing dance to the noyse of their musick of a sudden change the key and tune so as none but Dolphins caÌ„ brook the stage or keep measure with their boysterous time in the vnrulie Reuels they keep As the Earth haue they also their mines of richest wealth lying in the bowels of their Abysses which enioy no other light theÌ„ their owne lusters nor euer are like to do such couetous misers they are of their pelf They haue likewise their dales mountains to but those so restles as no beasts can graze vpoÌ„ them going vpon foure but such as take anie benefit of those pastures are faine to go on their breasts They are the humid firmament without firmnes where al the starres are mouing Planets They are the clowdie or waterie ayre where the birds make vse of fins insteed of wings Only the Element of fire hath no frienship with theÌ„ but is at deadlie fewd with them therefore goes as farre froÌ„ them as possibly it can because they neuer meet but it payes wel for it with its owne destruction They scarcely acknowledge anie deitie aboue them or homage due to anie but the Moon to whome they are very punctual obsequious nor misse her a moment with their seruice at her beck to go come as hawkes in a line or horses with the bit that dare not go amisse Most think they are flegmatick because so humid but rather I take them to be of a melancholie complexion with the guift of teares only for that their waters are euer brackish bitter as teares are In fine they are another world in theÌ„selues wherin GOD hath pluÌ„ged and drencht the diuersities of al earthlie creatures THE MORALS AB A MARO MARE A MARI MARIA THE Egiptians for characters had pictures of pictures made they books
an other world since there is no liuing creature but hath its like in the Sea also implicitiuely he hath likewise appointed her to be the Ladie and Mistris of al the world For how should she saue from shipwrack if were not Ladie Mistris of the waues and winds And how should she be Ladie of the Seas alone if she were not the Ladie likewise of the land Since she who is stiled the Ladie of the Seas is the true and natural Mother of him who is Lord both of Sea and land and al the world THE APOSTROPHE O Ladie of the Ocean Starre of the Sea Sea of graces Fountain of life Spring of liuing waters that flow froÌ„ the Libanus of the candour of glorie Thou great Abysse of limpid waters whose bottome none can reach vnto whence nothing ariseth but the purest exhalations of Paradise light clowd whence nothing falles but deawes and showres of graces O immense Ocean of Charitie which bearest vp al things and where easily nothing sincks bitter but in the dolours and passions of thy Sonne sweet to the creatures that liue of thee or depend vpon thee O grant I beseech thee that wholy relying on thee I perish not and by neglecting thee and thy seruice I incurre not thy disgrace nor so running on the rocks of thy displeasure I split not on them nor suffer shipwrack of my soule THE XXI SYMBOL THE SHIP THE DEVISE THE CHARACTER THE Ship is the artificial Dolphin of the Seas that much addicted to musick is neuer set on a merrier pin then when the winds whissel to her dancing It is a floating Castle that hath the gates open indeed but trusts to her Battlements which she hath wel planted with Canons and Sacres wherin she more confides then manie do in Sacred Canons her whole saluation depending vpon them It is a litle Common-wealth whose whole Reason of State consists in iealousies spyes which she sends vp to her turret-tops to discouer if the coasts be clear stil standing on her guard against the neighbour waues that seeke but to swallow her vp And al her care is to walke vpright amidst her enemies least vnawares they arrest her and cite her to appeare at Pluto's Court for euerie errour or default of the least ship-boy There is no Bride requires so much time to dresse her on her wedding-day as she to be rigd whensoeuer she goes to sea If they haue their fillets to bred and wreath their haires with she hath her tacklings to trim her vp whose ropes are as manie as intricate as they if they haue their veyles to spread vpon them she hath her sayles to hoyse vp to go her wayes It is the Lion of the seas that feares no Monsters but is as dreadful herself as anie Monster hauing as manie mouthes as Gun-holes in euerie mouth a Serpent tongue that spits vomits fire which euen spits her teeth too in the face of her enemies which often sincks them vnder water It is one of the prettiest things in the world to see her vnder sayle how like a Turkiecock she strouts it out as brauing euen the Elements themselues both aboue and beneath her wherof the one she ploughes with her slicing share and braues the other with her daring look She is an excelleÌ„t swimmer bnt no good diuer at al which she neuer doth but sore against her wil and that with so il successe as likely she is neuer seen more The first that euer was seen to our Antipodes was thought by them to haue had indeed a liuing soule with her els would the simple people say how could so great a bulk so easily wind turne it sell euerie foot this because they knew but the Oare only and not the Rudder What would they haue said then had they knowne the effects of her Card and Compas doubtles she had a reasonable soule She likely neuer goes without her Pages with her to wit her Long-boat and her Cockboat wherof she makes such vse now then as without them she might starue for ought I know She is very ciuil if a Marchant-man but when she is a Man of warre then Marchants beware and looke to your selues THE MORALS DE LONGE PORTANS PANEM IN the TeÌ„ple of Salomon no gold would serue his greatcuriositie but that of Ophir Which the Southern QueeÌ„ of Saba knowing wel perhaps thought no doubt her presents would be gratful to him coming so froÌ„ parts remote Who is he that is not takeÌ„ much with verie toyes that come froÌ„ China which carrie I know nor how in themselues at least in our opinioÌ„ a kind of luster with theÌ„ greater farre then otherwise they would The preseÌ„ts which the Magi brought vnto the Crib coming from the East were deemed by them sit presents for a King yea for a GOD. And how were Iosue Caleb the Spyes Intelligencers of the people of Israel extolled magnifyed at their returne with those rare admirable booties fetched from Canaan And yet the gold of Ophir was but gold a yellow earth the presents made by Saba such as that Countrie afforded those IndiaÌ„ toyes but toyes indeed Yea the guifts the Magi brought had greater luster with them from the giuers harts then froÌ„ theÌ„selues more respected for the place to which theÌ„ wheÌ„ce they came And for those forren fruits they came indeed froÌ„ the laÌ„d of promise froÌ„ Palestin which was but the figure only of the Heauenlie countrie But lo our IncoÌ„parable Virgin like a Ship most richly fraighted hath brought vs Bread froÌ„ farre What bread but the true liuing bread How farre As farre as Heauen But how bread Bread whose corne was haruested in the Mightie man's rich Boozfield framed by the hand of the Maister Baker himself of a most pure meale or flower to wit of the immaculate Bloud of the holie Virgin herself baked in the Ouen of an ardeÌ„t Loue which She hath brought into the world And therefore is truly sayd DE LONGE POâ—TANS PANEM THE ESSAY I Can not tel whether in the world besides be a more statelie fight to behold then an English Ship vnder sayle riding in the Ocean cutting the watrie playnes with her sharp keel in case she haue a gallaÌ„t gentle gale in the poop for then they feast it and make good chear who are the liuing soules abiding in this bulk of human art compiled togeather in despite of Nature to frame a liuing creature more then she intended that neither should be fish nor fowle yet liue in the ayre and water But if the Seas proue rough al the marine MoÌ„sters vise vp against her coÌ„spiring with the blustering Spirits of the ayre to sinck her quite it is a sport to see how she rides prances on his crooked back sporting herself the while and making a meer scoff at al their menaces There is an infinit number of seueral sorts of these artificial creatures in the world
transfixed with the sword of sorrow she yealded a sweet perfume of perfect Fayth In other afflictions and tribulations she imparted the communicatiue odour of Compassion For the tormēts which he suffered of the Iewes she sent vp the fragrancie of Thanks-giuing to the heauenlie Father from the Thurible of her Hart. And in the desolation she felt after his Ascension for the absence of her Beloued she powred forth incense of her holie Desires and incomparable Deuotion After al which odours O giue me leaue most sweet and odoriferous Rose through desires and deuotion to runne after thee or doe thou but draw me after thee vnto the odour of thine oyntments The Rose growes on thorns but puts not on their nature the thorns are churlish and rough while the Rose is sweet and gentle And Our Rose sprung indeed from the thornie stock of the Iewish race but yet tooke nothing of the condition of thorns with her The Iewes were Prowd and haughtie She most humble they ful of vices she fully replenished with grace the Iewes we see are Infidels she the pattern and mirrour of Fayth the Iewes couetous of earthlie and terrene things and she most thirsting after celestial She sprung likewise from the thornie Eua but yet tooke not after her nature O thou Virgin sayth S. Bernard most flourishing Rod of Iesse through whom was recouered in the Branch what had perished in the Root Eua was a branch of bitternes Marie a branch of eternal sweetnes An admirable and most profound dispensation of the Diuine Wisedome that such a Rod should grow from such a Root such a Daughter from such a Mother such a Free-borne from such a Bond-slaue such an Empresse from such a captiue from so dry a Thorn so flourishing a Rose What the Rose giues outwardly forth are the objects of three principal Senses of Seing Smelling and Touching and for the first who sees not that hath the benefit of eyes how gorgeous the Rose is among al the flowers of the Garden alluring and attracting the eyes of al that enter into it So our incomparable Rose was exceeding faire and with incredible beautie seemed gracious and amiable to the eyes of al. She was a glad spectacle vnto GOD Men and Angels to GOD because so specious to her Sonne her Spouse her GOD. The King desires thy beautie and sayes therefore Shew me thy face for thy face is comelie Vnto men she was so admirable for beautie and grace that S. Denys that great light of the Militant Church beholding her acknowledged himself to haue been dazeled and nigh transported from himself And for the Angels heare what the Prophet sayes Al the rich of the people shal implore thy countenance And who are these rich but the Angels who beyond others enioy the riches of the heauenlie Kingdome Whence She is sayd to be the Glorie of Hierusalem the gladnes of Israel the honour of her people As for the odour she gaue-forth of her Sanctitie it is sayd The odour of thy garments which is of her outward vertues being as the odour of incense a grateful Sacrifice to God which recreates those that are edifyed therewith And for the sense of Touching in the Rose it is vnderstood in a spiritual sense Heare S. Bernard Why feares human frailtie to approach to Marie you shal find nothing terrible She is wholy sweet and gentle and being so sweet is therefore to be sought-for and embraced through deuotion Take her then and she shal exalt thee when thou shalt embrace her thou shalt be glorified by her THE EMBLEME THE POESIE THe Virgin sprung euen from the barren earth A pure white Rose was in her happie birth Conceau'd without a thorne This onlie Flower The Father rays'd by his Almightie power When th' Angel said she should conceaue a Sonne She blushed asked how it should be donne The Holie-Ghost inflam'd so the white By him was made a Damask firie bright Lastly her Sonne made her purple red When on the Crosse his precious Bloud was shed No Faith of Mortals then but had a staine Excepting hers for she was died in graine THE THEORIES COntemplate first a gallant and odoriferous Rose growing on a pricklie and thornie stemme and men with admiration to stand pointing at it saying to one another What is that there so shot-vp so beautiful to behold from so ragged sharp and harsh a thorn And then ponder how the Angels stood amazed seing so our Mystical Rose transplanted from Hierico into the Heauenlie Paradice or ascending rather so flourishing from the Desert when there was like questioning amongst them at her glorious Assumption asking Who it was that ascended flowing with delights Consider then the Rose while it growes in the Garden and flourisheth as it were aliue how it cheeres and glads the eyes of al with its glorious presence and how after it is cropt from its stemme also which is the death of the said Rose what an odour it hath with it euen after it hath been persecuted with fire in the fournace of the Stil as wel in the water as in the cake and then think what a mirrour and pattern of sanctitie Our Ladie was during her abode heer in the garden of the World and how she multiplied her fauours to man-kind especially after she was translated thence and had been proued and exercised with infinit tribulations leauing an vnspeakable odour behind of miracles and graces witnes the innumerable Votes that hang on her Tēples and Chapels throughout the world Ponder lastly that of Roses are made sometimes Electuaries sometimes Oyles sometimes Playsters and Conserues very soueraigne and medicinal for manie diseases namely foure for first the Rose fortifyes the stomack and comforts the hart secondly it stops the flux of the venter thirdly it clarifyes the eyes and finally heales the head-ach So our Mystical Rose comforts the hart in affording it the Charitie of GOD restraines the flux of sinnes through the Feare of GOD which she giues to eschew sinnes withal clarifyes the eye of the vnderstanding by imparting to it the knowledge of Diuine things and cures the head which is hope being the helmet of health when she rayseth our tepid hope to desire Celestial things and therefore sayth I am the mother of fayre dilection of feare of knowledge and of holie hope THE APOSTROPHE FLower of flowers O Rose of roses O Flower of roses O Rose of flowers Shore me vp with flowers because I languish for loue of thy loue Iesvs the bud of thee ô Rose little in thy womb greater in thine armes then fayrest of al when opened throughly and displayed on the Crosse. By that precious bud of thine I beseech thee and the sheading of his most precious bloud thou wouldst change my thorns into roses and present me as a Rose of sweet odours to thy Sonne and not as thorns for fuel of the fire of his indignation O grant me this I beseech thee
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