seed should wheat and barly bring Pure Mayden-wombs desired Babes should bear All things at all times should grow euery where The Hart in Water should it self in gender The Whale on Land in Aire the Lambling tender Th' Ocean should yeeld the Pine and Cornell Tree On Hazels Acorns Nuts on Oaks should bee And breaking Natures set and sacred vse The Doues would Eagles Eagels Doues produce If of themselues things took their thriuing then Slowe-growing Babes should instantly be men Then in the Forests should huge boughs be seen Born with the bodies of vnplanted Treen Then should the sucking Elephant support Vpon his shoulders a well-manned Fort And the new-foaled Colt couragious Should neigh for Battail like Bucephalus Contrariwise if ought to nought did fall All that is felt or seen within this All Still loosing somwhat of it self at length Would com to Nothing If Death's fatall strength Could altogether Substances destroy Things then should vanish even as soon as dy In time the mighty Mountains tops be bated But with their fall the neighbour Vales are fatted And what when Trent or Auon ouer-flowe They reaue one field they on the next bestowe Loue-burning Heav'n many sweet Deaws doth drop In his deer Spouses fair and fruitfull lap Which after she restores straining those showrs Through th' hidden pores of pleasant plants and flowrs Whoso hath seen how one warm lump of wax Without increasing or decreasing takes By an apt similitude he sheweth the continuall Change of the World in the matter and form therof according to Gods pleasure in such sort yet that the matter remaines though it receiue infinite Formes A hundred figures well may iudge of all Th' incessant Changes of this nether Ball. The World 's own Matter is the waxen Lump Which vn-self-changing takes all kinde of stamp The Form's the Seal Heav'ns gratious Emperour The Liuing God 's the great Lord Chancellour Who at his pleasure setting day and night His great Broad Seales and Priuy Signets right Vpon the Mass so vast and variable Makes the same Lump now base now honourable Heer 's nothing constant nothing still doth stay For Birth and Death haue still successiues way Heer one thing springs not till another dy Onely the Matter liues immortally Th' Almighties Table body of this All Of change-full Chances common Arçenall All like itself all in itself contained Which by Times Flight hath neither lost nor gayned Change-less in Essence changeable in face Much more then Proteus or the subtile race Of rouing Polypes who to rob the more Transform them howrly on the wauing shore Sundry Similes to that purpose Much like the French or like our selues their Apes Who with strange habit do disguise their shapes Who louing nouels full of affectation Receiue the Manners of each other Nation And scarcely shift they shirts so oft as change Fantastik Fashions of their garments strange Or like a Laïs whose inconstant Loue Doth euery day a thousand times remooue Who 's scarce vnfolded from one Youths embraces Yer in her thought another she embraces And the new pleasure of her wanton Fire Stirs in her still another new desire Because the Matter wounded deep in heart With various Loue yet on the self same part Incapable in the same time at once To take all figures by successions Form after Form receiues so that one face Another faces features doth deface The chief motiue of this change of Formet in the matter Now the chief Motiue of these Accidents Is the dire discord of our Elements Truce-hating Twins where Brother eateth Brother By turns and turn them one into another Like Ice and Water that beget each other Enigma And still the Daughter bringeth-forth the Mother But each of these hauing two qualities One bearing Rule another that obayes Those whose effects do wholly contradict Longer and stronger striue in their Conflict The hot-dry Fire to cold-moist Water turns not The cold-dry Earth to hot-moist Aire returns not Returns not eas'ly for still opposite With tooth and nail as deadly foes they fight But Aire turn Water Earth may Fierize Because in one part they do symbolize And so in combate they haue less to doo For 't's easier far to conquer one then two Sith then the knot of sacred Mariage Of the Situation of the Elements of the effects therof compared to the Notes of Musick to the letters of the Alphabet Which ioynes the Elements from age to age Brings forth the Worlds Babes sith their Enmities With fell diuorce kill whatsoeuer dyes And sith but changing their degree and place They frame the various Forms wherewith the face Of this fair World is so imbellished As six sweet Notes curiously varied In skilfull Musike make a hundred kindes Of Heauenly sounds that rauish hardest mindes And with Division of a choise deuise The Hearers soules out at their ears intice Or as of twice-twelue Letters thus transpos'd This World of Words is variously compos'd And of these Words in divers order sowen This sacred Uolume that you read is growen Through gracious succour of th' Eternall Deïtie Rich in discourse with infinite Variety It was not cause-less that so carefully God did diuide their common Signory Assigning each a fit-confined Sitting Their quantity and quality befitting Whoso somtime hath seen rich Ingotstri'd A simile liuely representing the separation of the Elements When forç't by Fier their treasures they diuide How fair and softly Gold to Gold doth pass Siluer seeks Siluer Brass consorts with Brass And the whole Lump of parts vnequall seuers It self apart in white red yellow Rivers May vnderstand how when the Mouth Diuine Op'ned to each his proper Place t'assigne Fire flew to Fire Water to Water slid Aire clung to Aire and Earth with Earth abid Earth as the Lees and heauy dross of All After his kinde did to the bottom fall Situation of the earth and fire Contrariwise the light and nimble Fire Did through the crannies of th' old Heap aspire Vnto the top and by his nature light No less then hot mounted in sparks vpright As when we see Aurora passing gay With Opals paint the Seeling of Cathay Sad Floods doefume and the celestiall Tapers Through Earths thin pores in th' Aire exhale the vapours But least the Fire which all the rest embraces Being too neer should burn the Earth to ashes As chosen Vmpires the great All-Creator Of aire water plac't between the earth fire Between these Foes placed the Aire and Water For one suffiz'd not their stern strife to end Water as Cozen did the Earth befriend Aire for his Kinsman Fire as firmly deals But both vniting their divided zeals Took vp the matter and appeas'd the brall Which doubt-less else had discreated All. Th' Aire lodg'd aloft the Water vnder it Not casually but so disposed fit By him who Nature in her kind to keep Kept due proportion in his Workmanship Why the aire was lodged next the Element of Fire
my self may learn And also graunt great Architect of Wonders The TraÌ„slator knowing and acknowledging his owne insufficieÌ„cy for so excellent a labor craueth also the ayde of the All sufficient God Whose mighty Voice speaks in the midst of Thunders Causing the Rocks to rock and Hills to tear Calling the things that Are not as they were Confounding Mighty things by means of Weak Teaching dumb Infants thy dread Praise to speak Inspiring Wisedom into those that want And giuing Knowledge to the Ignorant Graunt mee good Lord as thou hast giv'n me hart To vndertake so excellent a Part Graunt me such Iudgement Grace and Eloquence So correspondent to that Excellence That in some measure I may seem t' inherit Elisha-like my dear Elias Spirit CLEAR FIRE for euer hath not Ayre imbraç't The World was not from euerlasting Nor Ayre for-ay inuiron'd Waters vast Nor Waters always wrapt the Earth therein But all this All did once of nought begin Once All was made not by the hand of Fortune As fond Democritus did yerst importune With iarring Concords making Motes to meet Inuisible immortall infinite Th' immutable diuine Decree which shall Neither made by Chance But created together with Time by the almighty wisedome of God Cause the Worlds End caus'd his Originall Neither in Time nor yet before the same But in the instant when Time first became I mean a Time confused for the course Of years of months of weeks of daies of howrs Of Ages Times and Seasons is confin'd By th' ordred Daunce vnto the Stars assign'd Before all Time all Matter Form and Place God all in all and all in God it was God was before the World was Immutable immortall infinite Incomprehensible all spirit all light All Maiesty all-self Omnipotent Inuisible impassiue excellent Pure wise iust good God raign'd alone at rest Himself alone selfs Palace host and guest Thou scoffing Atheist that enquirest what He consuteth the Atheists questioning what God did before he created the World Th' Almighty did before he framed that What waighty Work his minde was busied on Eternally before this World begun Sith so deep Wisedom and Omnipotence Nought worse beseems then sloath and negligence Knowe bold blasphemer that before he built A Hell to punish the presumptuous Guilt Of those vngodly whose proud sense dares cite And censure too his Wisedom infinite Can Carpenters Weauers and Potters passe And liue without their seuerall works a space And could not then th' Almighty All-Creator Th' all-prudent BEE without this frail Theater Shall valiant Scipio Thus himself esteem Neuer lesse sole then when he sole doth seem And could not God O Heav'ns what frantike folly Subsist alone but sink in melancholy Shall the Pryénian Princely Sage auerr That all his goods he doth about him bear And should the Lord whose Wealth exceeds all measure Should he be poor without this Worldly treasure God neuer seeks out of himself for ought He begs of none he buies or borrows nought But aye from th' Ocean of his liberall Bounty Hee poureth out a thousand Seas of Plenty What God did before he created the World Yer Eurus blew yer Moon did Wax or Wain Yer Sea had Fish yer Earth had grass or grain God was not void of sacred exercise He did admire his Glorie's Mysteries His Power his Iustice and his Prouidence His bountious Grace and great Beneficence Were th' holy obiect of his heav'nly thought Vpon the which eternally it wrought It may be also that he meditated The Worlds Idëa yer it was Created Alone he liv'd not for his Son and Spirit Of 3. Persons in one only Essence of God of the eternall generation of the Son Were with him ay Equall in might and merit For sans beginning seed and Mother tender This great Worlds Father he did first ingender To wit His Son Wisedom and Word eternal Equall in Essence to th' All-One Paternal Of the Holy-Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Sonne The which three Persons are one onely and the same God Out of these Two their common Power proceeded Their Spirit their Loue in Essence vndiuided Onely distinct in Persons whose Diuinity All Three in One makes One eternall Trinitie Soft soft my Muse launch not into the Deep Sound not this Sea see that aloof thou keep From this Charybdis and Capharean Rock Where many a ship hath suffered wofull wrack While they haue fondly vent red forth too-far Following frail Reason for their only Star Who on this Gulf would safely venture fain How to think speak of God Must not too-boldly hale into the Main But longst the shoar with sails of Faith must coast Their Star the Bible Steers-man th' Holy-Ghost How many fine wits haue the World abus'd Because this Ghost they for their Guide refus'd The Heathen Philosophers lost themselues and others in their curâ—osities weening to be wise became fooles And scorning of the loyall Virgins Thred Haue them and others in this Maze mis-led In sacred sheetes of either Testament 'T is hard to finde a higher Argument More deep to sound more busie to discuss More vse-full knowne vnknowne more dangerous So bright a Sun dazles my tender sight So deep discourse my sense confoundeth quite My Reason's edge is dull'd in this Dispute And in my mouth my fainting words be mute This TRINITY which rather I adore God the Father Sonne Holy-Ghost created of Nothing the Worlds goodly frame In humblenes then busily explore In th' infinit of Nothing builded all This artificiall great rich glorious Ball Wherein appears in grav'n on euery part The Builders beauty greatnes wealth and Art Art beauty wealth and greatnes that confounds The hellish barking of blaspheming Hounds Climb they that list the battlements of Heav'n Leaâ—ing curious speculations the Poet teacheth how to contemplate God in his Workes And with the Whirl-wind of Ambition driv'n Beyond the World's wals let those Eagles flie And gaze vpon the Sun of Maiestie Let other-some whose fainted spirits do droop Down to the ground their meditations stoop And so contemplate on these Workmanships That th' Authors praise they in Themselues eclipse My heedfull Muse trained in true Religion Diuinely-humane keeps the middle Region Least if she should too-high a pitch presume Heav'ns glowing flame should melt her waxen plume Or if too-lowe neer Earth or Sea she flag Laden with Mists her moisted wings should lag It glads me much to view this Frame wherein As in a Glasse God's glorious face is seen I loue to look on God but in this Robe Of his great Works this vniuersall Globe For if the Suns bright beams doo blear the sight Of such as fixtly gaze against his light Who can behold aboue th' Empyriall Skies The lightning splendor of God's gloriouseies O who alas can finde the Lord without His Works which bear his Image round about God of himself incapable to sense God makes himselfe as it were visible in his Workes In 's
Works reueales him t' our intelligence There-in our fingers feel our nostrils smel Our palats taste his vertues that excel He shewes him to our eyes talks to our ears In th' ord'red motions of the spangled Sphears The World 's a School where in a generall Story Sundrie comparisons shewing what vse Christians should make in considering the workes of God in this mighty World God alwayes reads dumb Lectures of his Glory A pair of Stairs whereby our mounting Soule Ascends by steps aboue the Arched Pole A sumptuous Hall where God on euery side His wealthy Shop of wonders opens wide A Bridge whereby we may pass-o're at ease Of sacred Secrets the broad boundless Seas The World 's a Cloud through which there shineth cleer Not faire Latona's quiv'red Darling deer But the true Phoebus whose bright countenance Through thickest vail of darkest night doth glance The World 's a Stage where Gods Omnipotence His Iustice Knowledge Loue and Prouidence Do act their Parts contending in their kindes Aboue the Heav'ns to rauish dullest mindes The World 's a Book in Folio printed all With God's great Works in letters Capitall Each Creature is a Page and each Effect Afaire Character void of all defect But as young Trewants toying in the Schools In steed of learning learn to play the fools We gaze but on the Babies and the Couer The gawdy Flowrs and Edges gilded-ouer And neuer farther for our Lesson look Within the Volume of this various Book Where learned Nature rudestones instructs That by His wisedome God the World conducts To read This Book we need notvnderstand Although the world discouer sufficiently euen to the most rude the Eternity and Power of God Yet only the true Christians do rightly conceiue it Each strangers gibbrish neither take in hand Turks Characters nor Hebrue Points to seek Nyle's Hieroglyphikes nor the Notes of Greek The wandring Tartars the Antartiks wilde Th' Alarâ—ies fierce the Scythians fel the Childâ— Scarce seav'n year old the bleâ—red aged eye Though void of Art read heer indifferently But he that wears the spectacles of Faith Sees through the Sphears aboue their highest heighth He comprehends th' Arch-moouer of all Motions And reads though running all these needfull Notions Therefore by Faith's pure rayes illumined These sacred Pandects I desire to read And God the better to beholde beholde Th' Orb from his Birth in 's Ages manifolde Th' admired Author's Fancy fixed not On some fantastik fore-conceited Plot Much less did he an elder World elect God needing no Idea nor premeditatioÌ„ nor Pattern of his work of nothing made all the World By form whereof he might this Frame erect As th' Architect that buildeth for a Prince Some stately Palace yer he do commence His Royall Work makes choise of such a Court Where cost and cunning equally consort And if he finde not in one Edifice All answerable to his queint deuice From this fair Palace then he takes his Front From that his Finials here he learns to mount His curious Stairs there findes he Frise and Cornish And other Places other Peeces furnish And so selecting euery where the best Doth thirty Models in one House digest Nothing but Nothing had the Lord Almighty Whereof wherewith whereby to build this Citie Yet when he Heav'ns Aire Earth and Sea did frame He sought not far he swet not for the same A fit Simile to that purpose As Sol without descending from the sky Crowns the fair Spring in painted brauery Withouten trauaile causeth th' Earth to bear And far off makes the World young euery year The Power and Will th' affection and effect The Work and Proiect of this Architect March all at once all to his pleasure ranges Who Alwaies-One his purpose neuer changes Yet did this Nothing not at once receiue Of Nothing God created the matter whereunto afterward he gaue the form and figure which now we behold in the creatures Matter and Forme For as we may perceiue That Hee who means to build a warlike Fleet Makes first prouision of all matter meet As Timber Iron Canuase Cord and Pitch And when all 's ready then appointeth which Which peece for Planks which plank shall line the waste The Poup and Prow which Fir shall make a Mast As Art and Vse directeth heedfully His hand his tool his iudgement and his eye So God before This Frame he fashioned I wote not what great Word he vttered From 's sacred mouth which summon'd in a Masse Whatsoeuer now the Heav'ns wide arms embrace But where the Shipwright for his gainful trade Findes all his stuffe to 's hand already made Th' Almightie makes his all and euery part Without the help of others Wit or Art That first World yet was a most formless Form A confus'd Heap a Chaos most deform What that new created Chaos was before God gaue it forme figure place and situation A Gulf of Gulfs a Body ill compact An vgly medly where all difference lackt Where th' Elements lay iumbled all together Where hot and colde were iarring each with either The blunt with sharp the dank against the drie The hard with soft the base against the high Bitter with sweet and while this brawl did last The Earth in Heav'n the Heav'n in Earth was plac't Earth Aire and Fire were with the Water mixt Water Earth Aire within the Fire were fixt Fire Water Earth did in the Aire abide Aire Fire and Water in the Earth did hide For yet th' immortall mightie Thunder-darter The Lord high-Marshall vnto each his quarter Had not assigned the Celestiall Arks Were not yet spangled with their fiery sparks As yet no flowrs with odours Earth reuiued No scaly shoals yet in the waters diued Nor any Birds with warbling harmony Were born as yet through the transparent Sky All All was void of beauty rule and light Genes 1. 2. All without fashion soule and motion quite Fire was no fire the Water was no water Aire was no aire the Earth no earthly matter Or if one could in such a World spy forth The Fire the Ayre the Water and the Earth Th' Earth was not firm the Fier was not hot Th' Aire was not light the Water cooled not Briefly suppose an Earth poore naked vain All void of verdure without Hill or Plain A Heav'n vn-hangd vn-turning vn-transparant Vn-garnished vn-gilt with Stars apparant So maist thou ghesse what Heav'n and Earth was that Where in confusion raigned such debate A Heav'n and Earth for my base stile most fit Not as they were but as they were not yet This was not then the World 't was but the Matter The Nurcery whence it should issue after Or rather th' Embryon that within a Weeke The Chaos how to be considered Was to be born for that huge lump was like The shape-less burthen in the Mothers womb A simile Which yet in Time doth into fashion com Eyes eares and nose mouth fingers hands and feet And euery member in proportion
doth so sweet inspire Are euen the Bellows whence they blow the fire Of raging Lust before whose wanton flashes A tender brest rak't-vp in shamefaç't ashes Our Poets modest purpose Therefore for my part I haue vow'd to Heav'n Such wit and learning as my God hath giv'n To write to th' honour of my Maker dread Verse that a Virgine without blush may read Again he calleth vpon God for assistance in the descriptioÌ„ of the 2. Dayes worke Clear Source of Learning soule of th' Vniuerse Sith thou art pleas'd to chuse mine humble verse To sing thy Praises make my Pen distill Celestiall Nectar and this Volume fill With th' Amalthéan Horn that it may haue Som correspondence to a Theam so graue Rid thou my passage and make clear my way From all incumbers shine vpon This Day That guided safely by thy sacred Light My Rendez-vous I may attain yer night Which is thè Fir mament meÌ„tioned by Moseâ— in the 1. Ch. of Gen. V. 6 7 8. Comprehending the Heauens and all the Elementary Region Of the foure Elements simple in theÌ„selues wherof all things subiect to our sense are composed THAT HVGE broad-length that long-broad height-profound Th' infinite finit that great moundless Mound I mean that Chaos that self-iarring Mass Which in a moment made of Nothing was Was the rich Matter and the Matrix whence The Heav'ns should issue and the Elements Now th' Elements twin-twins two Sons two Daughters To wit the Fire the Aire the Earth and Waters Are not compounded but of them is all Compounded first that in our sense can fall Whether their qualities in euery portion Of euery thing infuse them with proportion Whether in all their substance they confound And so but one thing of their foure compound As in a Venice Glass before our eyne Diuers similes We see the water intermix with wine Or in our stomack as our drink and food Doe mingle after to conuert to blood This in a Fire-brand may wesâ—e whose Fire Doth in his flame toward 's natiue Heav'n aspire His Ayre in smoak in ashes falls his Earth And at his knots his Water wheezes forth Euen such a War our Bodies peace maintains For in our Flesh our Bodie 's Earth remains Our vitall spirits our Fire and Aire possess And last our Water in our humours rests Nay ther 's no Part in all this Bulk of ours Where each of these not intermix their powers Though 't be apparant and I needs must graunt That ayesom one is most Predominant The pure red part amid the Mass of Bloud The Sanguine Aire commaunds the clotted mud Sunk down in Lees Earths Melancholy showes The pale thin humour that on th' out-side flowes Is watery Phlegme and the light froathy scum Bubbling aboue hath Fiery Cholers room Not that at all times one same Element In one same Body hath the Regiment A vicissitude of the Elements praedominance But in his turn each raigning his subiects draws After his Lore for still New Lords new Lawes As sans respect how rich or Noble-born Each Citizen rules and obayes by turn In chart'red Towns which seem in little space Changing their Ruler euen to change their face For as Chameleons vary with their obiect So Princes manners do transform the Subiect So th' Element in Wine predomining It hot and cold and moist and dry doth bring By 's perfect or imperfect force at length Inforcing it to change the taste and strength So that it doth Grapes sharp-green iuice transfer To Must Must t'wine and Wine to Vineger As while a Monarch to teach others aw ExcelleÌ„t Similes shewing the commodity or discoÌ„modity of the proportioÌ„ or excesse of euery of the Elemente Subiects his own selfs-Greatnes to his Law He ruleth fearless and his Kingdoms flourish In happy Peace and Peace doth Plenty nourish But if fell Tyrant his keen sword be euer Vniustly drawn if he be sated neuer With Subiects blood needs must his Rage at last Destroy his State and lay his Countrey waste So or much like the while one Element Ouer the rest hath modest Gouernment While in proportion though vnequall yet With Soueraign Humours Subiect Humours fit The Body's â—ound and in the very face Retains the Form of beauty and of grace But if like that inhumane Emperour Who wisht all People vnderneath his Power Had but one head that he might butcher so All th' Empires Subiects at one onely blowe It Tyrannizing seek to wrack the rest It ruines soon the Prouince it possest Where soon appears through his proud vsurpation Both outward change and inward alteration So too-much Moist which vnconcoct within Excesse of moisture The Liuer spreads betwixt the flesh and skin Puffs vp the Patient stops the pipes pores Of Excrements yea double bars the dores Of his short breath and slowely-swiftly curst In midd'st of Water makes him euer thirst Nor giues man Rest nor Respite till his bones Be raked vp in a cold heap of stones Of Drought So too-much Drought a lingring Ague drawes Which seeming painless yet much pain doth cause Robbing the nerues of might of Ioy the heart Of mirth the face of moisture euery part Much like a Candle fed with it own humour By little and little it own selfs consumer Nor giues mans Rest nor Respite till his bones Be raked vp in a colde heap of stones So too-much Heat doth bring a burning Feuer Of Heate Which spurrs our Pulse and furrs our Palat euer And on the tables of our troubled brain Fantastikely with various pensill vain Doth counterfait as many Forms or mo Then euer Nature Art or Chance could showe Nor giues man Rest nor Respite till his bones Be raked vp in a cold heap of stones So too-much Cold couers with hoary Fleece Of Colde The head of Age his flesh diminishes Withers his face hollowes his rheumy eyes And makes himself euen his own self despise While through his marrow euery where it enters Quenching his natiue heat with endless Winters Nor giues man Rest nor Respite till his bones Be taked vp in a coldheap of stones Of the continuance of the Elements maintaining that whatso euer is now nâ—w formed hath stil his substance froÌ„ the Materia prima what soeuer dissolues resolues into the same changing onely forme And also consuting the contrary Errors Yet think not that this Too-too-much remises Ought into nought it but the Form disguises In hundred fashions and the Substances Inly or outly neither win nor leese For all that 's made is made of the First Matter Which in th' old Nothing made the All-Creator All that dissolues resolues into the same Since first the Lord of Nothing made This Frame Nought's made of nought and nothing turns to nothing Things birth or death change but their formall clothing Their Forms doe vanish but their bodies bide Now thick now thin now round now short now side For if of Nothing anything could spring Th' Earth without
And in this Store-house of his Wonders treasure Observ'd in all things number waight and measure For had the Water next the Fire been plaç't Fire seeming then moro wrongd and more disgraç't Would sodainly have left his Aduersary And set vpon the Vmpire more contrary But all the Links of th' holy Chain which tethers The many Members of the World togethers Are such as none but only he can breake them Who at the first did of meere nothing make them Water as arm'd with moisture and with cold The cold-dry Earth with her one hand doth hold With th' other th' Aire The Aire as moist and warm The disposing combining of the Elements Holds Fire with one Water with th' other arm As Country Maidens in the Month of May Merrily sporting on a Holy-day And lusty dancing of a lively Round A Similitude About the May-pole by the Bag-pipes sound Hold hand in hand so that the first is fast By means of those between vnto the last For sith 't is so that the dry Element Not onely yeelds her owne Babes nourishment But with the milke of her aboundant brests Doth also feede th' Aires nimble winged guests And also all th' innumerable Legions Of greedy mouths that haunt the Bryny Regions So that th' Earth's Mother or else Nurse of all That run or fly or swim or slide or crawl 'T was meet it should be it self's Counterpoize To stand still firm against the roaring noise Of wrack full Neptune and the wrathfull blasts Of parching South and pinching Boreas 'T was meet her sad-slowe body to digest Why the Earth is the lowest and enuironed with the other three Elements wherof it is the center Farther from Heav'n than any of the rest Least of Heav'ns Courseth ' Eternall swift Careers Rushing against her with their whirling Sphears Should her transport as swift and violent As ay they do their neighbour Element And sith on th' otherside th' harmonious Course Of Heav'ns bright Torches is th' immortall source Of earthly life and sith all alterations Almost are caus'd by their quick agitations In all the World God could not place so fit Our Mother Earth as in the midst of it For all the Stars reflect their lively rayes On Fire and Aire and Water diuers wayes Dispersing so their powerfull influence On in and through these various Elements But on the Earth they all in one concurr And all vnite their seuered force in her As in a Wheel which with a long deep rut Simile His turning passage in the durt doth cut The distant spoaks neerer and nearer gather And in the Navevnite their points together As the bright Sun shines thorough smoothest Glass Simile The turning Planets influence doth pass Without impeachment through the glist ' ring Tent Of the tralucing Fierie Element Th' Aires triple Regions the transparent Water But not the firm Base of this fair Theater And therefore rightly may we call those Trines Fire Aire and Water but Heav'ns Concubines For neuer Sun nor Moon nor Stars inioy The love of these but only by the way As passing by whereas incessantly The lusty Heav'n with Earth doth company And with a fruitfull seed which lends All life With-childs each-moment his owne lawfull wife And with her louely Babes in form and nature The Water between the Earth and Aire So diuers decks this beautifull Theater The Water lighter then the Earthy Masse Heauier then Aire betwixt them both hath place The better so with a moist-cold to temper Th' ones over-driness th' others hot distemper But my sweet Muse whither so fast away Leauing the Earth and Sea till the next Booke hee comes to treate of the Aire Soft soft my Darling draw not dry To-Day Castalian Springs defer the Cirque and Seat The power and praise of Sea and Earth as yet Do not anticipate the Worlds Beginning But till To-Morrow leaue the enter-blinning Of Rocky Mounts and rouling Waues so wide For euen To-Morrow will the Lord diuide With the right hand of his Omnipotence These yet confus'd and mingled Elements And liberally the shaggy Earth adorn With Woods and Buds of fruits of flowers and corn 'T is time my Loue 't is time mine onely Care To hie vs hence and Mount vs in the Aire 'T is time or neuer now my dearest Minion To imp strong farcels in thy sacred pinion That lightly born vpon thy Virgin back Safe through the Welkin I my course may take Com com my Ioy lend me thy lillie shoulder That thereon raised I may reach the bolder Before the rest of my deer Country-men Of better wit but worse-applied pen At that green Laurel which the niggard Skies So long haue hidden from my longingeies Th' Aire hoste of Mists the bounding Tennis-ball That stormy Tempests toss and play with all The Aire distinguished into 3 Regions Of winged Clouds the wide inconstant House Th' vnsetled kingdom of swift Aeolus Great Ware-house of the Windes whose traffik giues Motion of life to euery thing that liues Is not throughout all one our Elder Sages Have fitly parted it into Three Stages Wherof because the Highest still is driv'n With violence of the First-mouing Heav'n The High From East to West and from West returning To th' honored Cradle of therosiall Morning And also seated next the Fiery vault It by the learned very hot is thought That which we touch with times doth variate Now hot now cold and sometimes temperate The Lowe Warm-temp'red showers it sendeth in the Spring In Autumn likewise but more varying In Winter time continuall cold and chill In Sommer season hot and soultry still For then the Fields scorched with flames reflect The sparkling rayes of thousand Stars aspect And chiefly Phoebus to whose arrows bright Our Globy Grandame serues for But and White The Middle Region of the Aire But now because the Middle Region's set Far from the Fiery seelings flagrant heat And also from the warm reuerberation Which aye the Earth reflects in diuers fashion That Circle shiuers with eternall colde For into Hail how should the Water molde Of the causes of Haile Euen when the Sommer hath gilt Ceres Gowne Except those Climes with Ycicles were sowen So soon as Sol leaving the gentle Twins With Cancer or thirst-panting Leo Inns The mid-most Aire redoubleth all his Frosts Being besieged by two mighty Hoasts Of Heat more fierce ' gainst his Cold force then ever Calls from all quarters his chil troups together T' incounter them with his vnited Powr Which then dispersed hath far greater powr As Christian Armies from the Frontiers far And out of fear of Turks outrageous War March in disorder and become disperst As many Squadrons as were Souldiers yerst So that somtimes th' vntrained Multitude With bats and boawes hath beat them and subdu'd But if they once perceive or vnderstand The Moony Standards of proud Ottoman To be approaching and the Sulph'ry thunder Wherewith he brought both Rhodes and Belgrade vnder They
grow'n Yet from their birth-place take they diuersly A diuers name and diuers quality Feeling the fower Windes that with diuers blast Of the Windes whereof there are foure principall compared to the foure Seasons the foure Complexions the foure Elements and the foure Ages of man assigned to the foure Corners of the World And called East West North South From the fower corners of the World doo haste In their effects I finde fower Temp'raments Foure Times foure Ages and foure Elements Th' East-winde in working follows properly Fire Choler Summer and soft Infancy That which dries-vp wild Affrick with his wing Resembles Aire Bloud Youth and liuely Spring That which blowes moistly from the Western stage Like Water Phlegme Winter and heauy Age That which comes shiv'ring from cold Climates solely Earth withered Eld Autumn and Melancholy Not but that Men haue long yeâ— this found-out More then these foure Windes East West North and South Those that at Sea to see both Poles are wont Vpon their Compass two and thirty count Though they be infinite as are the places Whence the Heav'n-fanning Exhalation passes But wheresoeuer their quick course they bend As on their Chiefs all on these Foure depend One while with whisking broom they brush and sweep Diuers effects of the Windes The cloudy Courtains of Heav'ns stages steep Anon with hotter sighes they dry the Ground Late by Electra and her sisters drownd Anon refresh they with a temperate blowing The soultry Aier vnder the Dog-star glowing On Trees anon they ripe the Plum and Pear In cods the Poulse the Corn within the ear Anon from North to South from East to West With ceas-less wings they driue a Ship addrest And somtimes whirling on an open Hill The round-flat Runner in a roaring Mill In flowry motes they grinde the purest grain Which late they ripened on the fruitfull Plain Diuers effect of hot exhalations If th' Exhalation hot and oily proue And yet as feeble giueth place aboue To th' Airy Regions euer-lasting Frost Incessantly th' apt-tinding fume is tost Till it inflame then like a Squib it falls Or fire-wingd shaft or sulp'hry Powder-Balls Of Comeâ—s But if This kinde of Exhalation tour Aboue the walls of Winters icy bowr ' T-inflameth also and anon becoms A new strange Star presaging wofull dooms And for this Fier hath more fewell in 't Then had the first 't is not so quickly spent Whether the Heav'ns incessant agitation Into a Star transforming th' Exhalation Kindle the same like as a coal that winkt On a sticks end and seemed quite extinct Tost in the dark with an industrious hand To light the night becoms a fier-brand Or whether th' vpper Fire doo fire the same As lighted Candles doo th' vnlight inflame According as the vapour 's thick or rare Of other fiery impressions in the regions of the Aire Euen or vn-even long or large round or square Such are the Forms it in the Aire resembles At sight whereof th' amazed Vulgar trembles Heer in the night appears a flaming Spire There a fierce Dragon folded all in fire Heer a bright Comet there a burning Beam Heer flying Launces there a Fiery Stream Heer seems a horned Goat environ'd round With fiery flakes about the Aire to bound There with long bloody hair a Blazing Star Threatens the World with Famin Plague and War To Princes death to Kingdoms many crosses To all Estates ineuitable Losses To Heard-men Rot to Plough-men hap-less Seasons To Saylers Storms to Cities ciuill Treasons But hark what hear I in the Heav'ns me thinks A liuely description of thunder and lightning The Worlds wall shakes and his Foundation shrinks It seems euen now that horrible Pâ—rsiphoné Loosing Meger Alecto and Tysiphoné Weary of raigning in black Erebus Transports her Hell between the Heav'n and vs. 'T is held I knowe that when a Vapour moist How they are ingendred As well from Fresh as from Salt water 's hoist In the same instant with hot-Exhalations In th' Aiery Regions secondary stations The Fiery Fume besieged with the Croud And keen-cold thicknes of that dampish Cloud Strengthens his strength and with redoubled Volleys Of ioyned Heat on the the Cold Leagher sallies Like as a Lion very late exil'd A simile From 's natiue Forests spit-at and reuil'd Mock't moov'd and troubled with a thousand toyes By wanton children idle girls and boyes With hideous roaring doth his Prison fill In 's narrow Cloistre ramping wildely still Runns to and fro and furious less doth long For liberty than to reuenge his wrong This Fire desirous to break forth again From 's cloudy Ward cannot itself refrain But without resting loud it grones and grumbles It roules and roars and round-round-round it rumbles Till hauing rent the lower side in sunder With Sulph'ry flash it haue shot-down his thunder Though willing to vnite in these alarms To 's Brothers Forces his own fainting arms And th' hottest Circle of the World to gain To issue vp-ward oft it striues in vain But 't is there fronted with a Trench so large And such an Hoast that though it often charge On this and that side the Cold Camp about With his Hot Skirmish yet still still the stout Victorious Foe repelleth ev'ry push So that despairing with a furious rush Forgetting honour it is fain to fly By the back-door with blushing Infamy Then th' Ocean boyls for fear the Fish doo deem Their effects The Sea too shallow to safe-shelter them The Earth doth shake the Shepheard in the field In hollow Rocks himself can hardly shield Th' affrighted Heav'ns open and in the Vale Of Acheron grim Plutoes self looks pale Th' Aire flames with Fire for the loud-roaring Thunder Renting the Cloud that it includes asunder Sends forth those Flashes which so blear our sight As wakefull Students in the Winters night Against the steel glauncing with stony knocks Simile Strike sodain sparks into their Tinder-box Moreouer Lightning of a fume is fram'd Admirable effects of lightning Through ' tselfs hot-dryness euermore inflam'd Whose powr past-credit without razing skin Can bruiz to powder all our bones within Can melt the Gold that greedy Mizers hoord In barred Cofers and not burn the boord Can break the blade and neuer sindge the sheath Can scorch an infant in the Womb to death And neuer blemish in one sort or other Flesh bone or sinew of th' amazed Mother Consume the shooes and neuer hurt the feet Empty a Cask and yer not perish it My yonger eyes haue often seen a Dame To whom the flash of Heav'ns fantastike flame Did els no harm saue in a moment's space With windy Rasor shaue a secretplace Shall I omit a hundred Prodigies Of Crownes and circles about the Sunne Moone and other Planets Oft seen in forehead of the frowning Skies Somtimes a Fiery Circle doth appear Proceeding from the beautious beams and clear Of Sun and Moon and other Stars aspect Down-looking on a
Then sodainly turnd studious Platonist I hold the Heav'ns of Elements consist What vse of Elements in the Heauens 'T is Earth whose firm parts make their Lamps apparant Their bodies fast Aire makes them all transparant Fire makes their rest-les circles pure and cleer Hot lighsom light and quick in their career And Water ' nointing with cold-moist the brims Of th' enter-kissing turning Globes extreams Tempers the heat caus'd by their rapid turning Which els would set all th' elements a-burning Not that I doo compare or match the Matter Difference between the Elements whereof the Heauens are composed and these inferiour Elements Whence I compose th' All-compassing Theater To those gross Elements which heer belowe Our hand and ey doth touch and see and knowe 'T's all fair all pure a sacred harmony Those bodies bindes in end-less Vnity That Aier's not flitting nor that Water floating Nor Fire inflaming nor Earth dully doating Nor one to other aught offensiue neither But to conclude Celestiall altogether See see the rage of humane Arrogance Detesting the presumption of those curious wits searching these secrets He limits himselfe within the bounds of Christian Sobriety See how far dares man's erring ignorance That with vnbridled tongue as if it oft Had try'd the mettle of that vpper Loft Dares without proof or without reason yeelded Tell of what timber God his Palace builded But in these doubts much rather rest had I Then with mine errour draw my Readerwry Till a Saint Paule doore-descend from Heav'n Or till my self this sinfull roab be reav'n This rebell Flesh whose counterpoize oppresses My pilgrim Soule and euer it depresses Shall see the beauties of that Blessed Place If then I ought shall see saue Gods bright Face But ev'n as many or more quarrels cumber Diuers opinions of the number of the Heauens Th' old Heathen Schools about the Heav'ns number One holds but one making the Worlds Eys shine Through the thin-thicknes of that Crystal line As through the Oceans cleer and liquid Flood The slippery Fishes vp and down doosâ—ud Another iudging certain by his ey And seeing Seav'n bright Lamps moov'd diversly ' Turn this and that way and on th' other side That all the rest of the Heav'ns twinkling pride Keep all one course ingeniously he varies The Heav'ns rich building into eight round Stories Others amid the Starriest Orb perceiuing A triple cadence and withall conceiuing That but one naturall course one body goes Count nine som ten not numbring yet with those Th' empyreall Palace where th' eternall Treasures Of Nectar flowe where ever-lasting Pleasures Are heaped-vp where an immortall May In bliss-full beauties flourisheth for ay Where Life still liues where God his * Assises Sises holds Environ'd round with Seraphins and Soules Bought with his precious blood whose glorious Flight Yerst mounted Earth above the Heav'ns bright Nor shall my faint and humble Muse presume So high a Song and Subiect to assume O fair fiue-double Round sloath's Foe apparant He stoppeth at the contemplation and praise of the Heauens Which he considereth as distinguished into ten stages or Heauens Life of the World Dayes Months and yeers own Parent Thine own selfs model never shifting place And yet thy pure wings with so swift a pase Fly over vs that but our Thought alone Can as thy babe pursue thy motion Infinite finite free from growth and grief Discord and death dance-louer to be brief Still like thy self all thine own in thee all Transparent cleer light law of this lowe Ball Which in thy wide bout bound-les all doost bound And claspâ—st all vnder or in thy Round Throne of th' Almighty I would fain rehearse Thy various Dauies in this very Verse If it were time and but my bounded Song Doubteth to make this Second Day too-long For notwithstanding yet another day I fear som Critick will not stick to say My babbling Muse did sail with every gale And mingled yarn to length her web withall But knowe what e'r thou be that heer I gather The summe of what hath been handled in this booke what is to be vnderstood by the firmament which Moyses describeth in the first of Gen. â— 6 Iustly so many of Gods works together Because by th' Orbe of th' ample Firmament Which round This-Day th' Eternall Fingers pent Between the lower Waters and the higher I mean the Heav'ns the Aire and th' vpper Fire Which separate the Oceans waters salt From those which God pour'd o'r th' Ethereal Vault Yet haue I not so little seen and sought Against those that think there are no waters aboue the firmament Whom he confuteth by diuers Reasons Simile The Volums which our Age hath chiefest thought But that I knowe how suttly greatest Clarks Presume to argue in their learned Works T'o ' r-whelm these Floods this Crystal to deface And dry this Ocean which doth all imbrace But as the beauty of a modest Dame Who well-content with Natures comly Frame And native Fair as it is freely giv'n In fit proportion by the hand of Heav'n Doth not with painting prank nor set-it-out With helps of Art sufficient Fair without Is more prayse-worthy then the wanton glance Th' affected gait th' alluring countenance The Mart of Pride the Periwigs and painting Whence Courtisans refresh their beauties fainting 1. The word of God to be preser red before the voice of man So doe I more the sacred Tongue esteem Though plain and rurall it doe rather seem Then school'd Athenian and Diuinity For onely varnish have but Verity Then all the golden Wit-pride of Humanity Wherewith men burnish their erroneous vanity I 'l rather give a thousand times the ly 2. Gods word meÌ„tioneth waters aboue the firmament To mine own Reason then but once defy The sacred voice of th' ever-lasting Spirit Which doth so often and so loud averr-it That God above the shining Firmament Gen. 1 7 Psal. 104 3 Psal. 148 4 I wot not I what kinde of Waters pent Whether that pure super-celestiall Water With our inferiour haue no likely nature Whether turnd Vapour it haue round embow'd Heav'ns highest stage in a transparent Cloud Or whether as they say a Crystall case Do round about the Heav'nly Orb embrace But with coniectures wherefore strive I thus Can doubtfull proofs the certainty discuss I see not why Mans reason should withstand 3. The power of God ought to be of greater authority then Mans Reason Or not beleeve that Hee whose powrfull hand Bay'd-vp the Red-Sea with a double Wall That Israels Hoast might scape Egyptian thrall Could prop as sure so many waves on high Above the Heav'n Star-spangled Canapy See we not hanging in the Clouds each howr So many Seas still threatning down to pour 4. The consideration of the waters which hang in the Aire and of the Sea which compasseth the Earth Supported only by th' Aier's agitation Selfly too weak for the least waight's foundation See wee not also that
Storms The lightning Flashes and the hideous Forms Seen in the Aire with language meetly brave Whilom discourst vpon a Theam so grave But This-Day flagging lowely by the Ground She seems constrain'd to keep a lowely â—ound Or if somtimes she somwhat raise her voice The sound is drown'd with the rough Oceans noise O King of grassie and of glassie Plains He calleth vpon the true God be assisted in the description of thâ—se two Elements and the things therein Whose powrfull breath at thy drad will constrains The deep Foundations of the Hills to shake And Seas salt billows 'gainst Heav'ns vaults to rake Grant me To-Day with skilfull Instruments To bound a right these two rich Elements In learned numbers teach me sing the natures Of the firm-Earth and of the floating Waters And with a flowring stile the Flowrs to limn Whose Colours now shall paint the Fields so trim All those steep Mountains whose high horned tops God in this third Day gathers together the Waters separates them from the Earth The misty cloak of wandring Clouds enwraps Vnder First Waters their crump shoulders hid And all the Earth as a dull Pond abid Vntill th' All-Monarch's bountious Maiesty Willing t'enfeof man this worlds Empery Commaunded Neptune straight to Marshall forth His Floods a-part and to vnfold the Earth And in his Waters now contented rest Thaue all the World for one whole day possest As when the muffled Heav'ns have wept a main By an apt coÌ„parison he sheweth how the Water withdrewe from off the Earth And foaming streams assembling on the Plain Turn'd Fields to Floods soon as the showrs do cease With vnseen speed the Deluge doth decrease Sups vp it self in hollow sponges sinks And 's ample arms in straighter Chanell shrinks Even so the Sea to ' tself it self he took Mount after Mount Field after Field forsook And sodainly in smaller cask did tun Her Waters that from every side did run Whether th' imperfect Light did first exhale Much of that primer Humour where withall God on the Second-Day might frame and found The Crystall Sphears that he hath spred so round Whether th' Almighty did new place provide To lodge the Waters whether op'ning wide Th' Earth's Hollow Pores it pleas'd him to conueigh Of the lodging and bed of the sea Deep vnder ground som Arms of such a Sea Or whether pressing waters gloomy Globe That cov'red all as with a cloudy Robe He them impris'ned in those bounds of brass Which to this day the Ocean dares not pass Without his licence For th' Eternall knowing The Seas commotive and inconstant flowing The Sea kept within her bouÌ„ds by the Almighty power of God Thus curbed her and 'gainst her enuious rage For-ever fenç't ouâ— Flowry-mantled Stage So that we often see those rowling Hils With roaring noise threatning the neighbour Fields Through their owne spite to split vpon the shore Foaming for fury that they dare no more For what could not that great high Admirall Work in the Waues sith at his Seruants call His dreadfull voice to save his ancient Sheep Did cleave the bottom of th' Erythrean Deepe Exod. 14 11 Iosuah 3 16 Gen. 7 21 Exod. 17. 6 And toward the Crystall of his double source Compelled Iordan to retreat his course Drown'd with a Deluge the rebellious World And from dry Rocks abundant Rivers purl'd Lo thus the waighty Water did yer-while With winding turns make all this world an I le For like as molten Lead being poured forth A fit Simile shewing the winding turns of the Sea abouâ— the Earth Vpon a leuell plot of sand or earth In many fashions mazeth to and fro Runs heer direct thear crookedly doth go Heer doth diuide it self there meets again And the hot Riv'let of the liquid vain On the smooth table crawling like a worm Almost in th' instant euery form doth form God pour'd the Waters on the fruitfull Ground In sundry figures somin fashion round Some square som crosse som long som lozenge-wise Som triangles som large som lesser size Amid the Floods by this fair difference To giue the world more wealth and excellence Such is the German Sea such Persian Sine Such th' Indian Gulf and such th' Arabian Brine And such Our Sea whose divers-brancht * Windings retortions Divide the World in three vnequall Portions And though each of these Arms how large soever The arms of the Sea distinguished into smaller members with coÌ„modities and vse thereof To the great Ocean seems a little Riuer Each makes a hundred sundry Seas besides Not sundry in waters but in Names and Tides To moisten kindely by their secret Vains The thirsty thickness of the neighbour Plains To bulwark Nations and to serue for fences Against the inuasion of Ambitious Princes To bound large Kingdomes with eternall limits To further Traffick through all Earthly Climates T' abbridge long Iourneys and with ayd of Winde Within a month to visit eyther Inde But th' Earth not only th' Oceans debter is A Catalogue of most of the most famous Riuers in the World For these large Seas But sh' owes him TanaÌ„is Nile Aegypts treasure and his neighbour stream That in the Desart through his haste extream Loseth himself so oft swift Euphrates And th' other proud Son of cold Niphates Fair spacious Ganges and his famous brother That lends his name vnto their noble Mother Gold-sanded Tagus Rhyne Rhóne Volga Tiber Danubius Albis Pô Sein Arne and Iber The Darian Plate and Amazónian River Where SPAIN'S Gold-thirsty Locusts cool their liver Our siluer Medway which doth deep indent The Flowrie Medowes of My natiue KENT Still sadly weeping vnder Pensherst walls Th' Arcadian Cygnet's bleeding Funerals Our Thames and Tweed our Severn Trent and Humber And many moe too infinite to number Of him she also holds her Silver Springs And all her hidden Crystall Riverlings And after greatly in two sorts repaies Th' Humour she borrows by two sundry waies Fountains Springs and Riuers welling out of the Earth For like as in a Limbeck th' heat of Fire Raiseth a Vapour which still mounting higher To the Still's top when th' odoriferous sweat Above that Miter can no further get It softly thickning falleth drop by drop A Similie shewing how the waters of the Earth are exhaled by the Sun then powred into the Sea And Cleer as Chrystall in the glass doth drop The purest humour in the Sea the Sun Exhales in th' Aire which thear resolv'd anon Returns to water and descends again By sundry waies vnto his Mother Main For the dry Earth having these waters first Through the wide sive of her void entrails searst Giving more room at length from Rockie Mountains How the Fountains come to breake forth of the Earth She night and day pours forth a thousand Fountains These Fountains make fresh Brooks with murmuring currents These murmuring Brooks the swift violeÌ„t Torrents These violent Torrents mighty Rivers These These Riuers make
below diuersly mooving them The painted Birds between two aires do swim But rather fixed vnto turning Spheares Ay will-they nill-they follow their careeres Simile As Cart-nails fastned in a wheel without Selfs-motion turn with others turns about As th' Ague-sicke vpon his shivering pallet A comparison Delaies his health oft to delight his palat When wilfully his taste-les Taste delights In things vnsauory to sound Appetites Even so som brain-sicks liue ther now-adaies That lose themselves still in contrary waies Preposterous Wits that cannot rowe at ease On the smooth Chanell of our common Seas And such are those in my conceit at least Those Clarks that think think how absurd a iest That neither Heav'ns nor Stars do turn at all Nor dance about this great round Earthly Ball But th' Earth it self this Massie Globe of ours Turns round-about once euery twice-twelue houres And wee resemble Land-bred nouices New brought aboord to venture on the Seas Who at first launching from the shoar suppose The ship stands still and that the ground it goes So twinkling Tapers that Heav'ns Arches fill Opinion of Copernicus coÌ„futed Equally distant should continue still So neuer should an Arrow shot vpright In the same place vpon the shooter light But would doo rather as at Sea a stone Aboord a Ship vpward vprightly throw'n Which not within-boord fall's but in the Flood A-stern the Ship if so the winde be good So should the Fouls that take their nimble flight From Western Marshes toward Mornings Light And Zephyrus that in the Summer time Delights to visit Eurus in his clime And Bullets thundred from the Canons throat Whose roaring drowns the Heavn'ly thunders note Should seem recoyl sithens the quick career That our round Earth should daily gallop heer Must needs exceed a hundred-fold for swift Birds Bullets Windes their wings their force their drift Arm'd with these reasons 't were superfluous T' assail the reasons of Copernicus Who to salve better of the Stars th' appearance Vnto the Earth a three-fold motion warrants Making the Sun the Center of this All Leauing to dispute farther vppon the former Paradox he pro ccedeth in his discourse and by a liuely comparison representeth the beautifull ornament of the Heavens about the Earth Moon Earth and Water in one only Ball. But sithens heer nor time nor place doth sute His Paradox at length to prosâ—cute I will proceed grounding my next discourse On the Heav'ns motions and their constant course I oft admire Greatnes of mighty Hills And pleasant beauty of the flowry Fields And count-les number of the Oceans sand And secret force of sacred Adamant But much-much more the more I mark their course Stars glistering greatnes beauty number force Euen as a Peacock prickt with loues desire Simile To woo his Mistress strowting stately by her Spreads round the rich pride of his pompous vail His azure wings and starry-golden tail With rattling pinions wheeling still about The more to set his beautious beautie out The Firmament as feeling like aboue Displays his pomp pranceth about his Loue Spreads his blew curtain mixt with golden marks Set with gilt spangles sow'n with glistring sparks Sprinkled with eyes specked with Tapers bright Poudred with Starrs streaming with glorious light T' inflame the Earth the more with Louers grace To take the sweet fruit of his kinde imbrace Hee that to number all the Stars would seek The number of Stars vnder both the Poles innumerable Had need inuent som new Arithmetick And who to cast that Reck'ning takes in hand Had need for Counters take the Ocean's sand Yet haue our wise and learned Elders found And why the ancient Astronomers obserued 48. Foure-dozen Figures in the Heav'nly Round For aid of memory and to our eyes In certain Howses to diuide the Skyes Of those are Twelue in that rich Girdle greft Of the fignes in the Zodiacke Which God gaue Nature for her New-yeres-gift When making All his voice Almighty most Gaue so fair Laws vnto Heav'ns shining Hoast To wear it biaz buckled ouer-thwart-her Not round about her swelling waste to girt-her This glorious Baldrick of a Golden tindge Imbost with Rubies edg'd with Siluer Frindge Buckled with Gold with a Bend glistring bright Heav'ns biaz-wise enuirons day and night For from the period whear the Ram doth bring The Zodiacke The day and night to equall ballancing Ninetie degrees towards the North it wends Thence iust as much toward Mid-Heav'n it bends As many thence toward the South and thence Towards th' Years Portall the like difference Nephelian Crook-horn with brass Cornets crown'd Aries in Mid-March begins the Spring Thou buttest brauely 'gainst the New-yeres bound And richly clad in thy fair Golden Fleece Doo'st hold the First House of Heav'ns spacious Meese Taurus in mid-Aprill Thou spy'st anon the Bull behinde thy back Who least that fodder by the way he lack Seeing the World so naked to renewg't Coats th' infant Earth in a green gallant sute And without Plough or Yoak doth freely fling Through fragrant Pastures of the flowry Spring Gemini in mid-May The Twins whose heads arms shoulders knees and feet God fill'd with Starrs to shine in season sweet Contendin Course who first the Bull shall catch That neither will nor may attend their match Then Summers-guide the Crab coms rowing soft Cancer in mid-Iune begins the sommer With his eight owres through the Heavn's azure loâ—t To bring vs yeerely in his starry shell Many long daies the shaggy Earth to swele Almost with like pase leaps the Lion out Leo in mid-Iuly All clad with flames bristled with beams about Who with contagion of his burning breath Both grass and grain to cinders withereth The Virgin next sweeping Heav'ns azure Globe Virgo in mid-August With stately train of her bright Golden robe Milde-proudly marching in her left hand brings A sheaf of Corn and in her right hand wings Libra in mid-September begin neth Autumn After the Maiden shines the Balance bright Equall druider of the Day and Night In whose gold Beam with three gold rings there fastens With six gold strings a payr of golden Basens The spitefull Scorpion next the Skale addrest With two bright Lamps couers his loathsom brest Scorpio in mid-October And fain from both ends with his double sting Would spet his venom ouer euery thing Sagittarius in mid-Nouember But that the braue Half-horse Phylirean Scout Galloping swift the heav'nly Belt about Ay fiercely threats with his flame-feathered arrow To shoot the sparkling starry Viper thorough And th' hoary Centaure during all his Race Capricornus in mid-December beginneth Winter Is so attentiue to this onely chase That dread-less of his dart Heav'ns shining Kid Coms iumping light iust at his heels vnspid Aquarius in mid-Ianuary Mean-whilethe Skinker from his starry spout After the Goat a siluer stream pours-out Distilling still out of his radiant Fire Riuers of Water who but
Mercury For ship for shop book bar or Court or Citie Smooth Orator swift Pen-man sweet Musician Rare Artizan deep-reaching Politician Fortunat Marchant fine Prince-humour-pleaser To end his course takes neer a twelue-months leasure For all the while his nimble winged heels Dare little bouge from Phoebus golden wheels And lastly Luna thou cold Queen of night Regent of humours parting Months aright Of the 1. which is the Sphear of Lunâ— The lowest Planet nearest the Earth Chaste Emperess to one Endymion constant Constant in Love though in thy looks in constant Vnlike our Loues whose hearts dâ—ssemble soonest Twelue times a year through all the Zodiak runnest Now if these Lamps so infinite in number Should stil stand-stil as in a sloathfull slumber Then should som Places alwaies in one plight Have alwaies Day and â—om haue alwaies Night Of the necessitie of diuers motions of the Heauens Then should the Sommers Fire and Winters Frost Rest opposite still on the self same Coast Then nought could spring and nothing prosper would In all the World for Want of Heat or Cold. Or without change of distance or of dance If all these Lights still in one path should prance Th' inconstant parts of this lowe Worlds contents Should neuer feel so sundry accidents As the Conâ—unction of celestiall Features Incessantly pours vpon mortall Creatures I 'll n'er beleeve that the Arch-Architect Of the force and influence of the Câ—lestiall body vpon the terrestriall With all these Fires the Heav'nly Arches deckt Onely for Shewe and with these glistering shields T' amaze poor Shepheards watching in the fields I 'll n'er beleeve that the least Flowr that pranks Our Garden borders or the Common banks And the least stone that in her warming Lap Our kind Nurse Earth doth covetously wrap Hath som peculiar vertue of it owne And that the glorious Stars of Heav'n have none But shine in vain and haue no charge precise But to be walking in heav'ns Galleries And through that Palace vp and down to clamber As Golden Gulls about a PRINCES CHAMBER Sens-less is he who without blush denies What to sound senses most apparant lies And 'gainst Experience he that spets Fallacians Is to be hisst from learned Disputations And such is he that doth affirm the Stars To have no force on these inferiours Though heav'ns effects we most apparant see In number more then heav'nly Torches be I nill alleadge the Seasons alteration Sundry proofes of the same 1 The diuers seasons 2 The fearefull accideÌ„ts that coÌ„monly succeede Eclipses Caus'd by the Sun in shifting Habitation I will not vrge that neuer at noon daies His enuious Sister intercepts his Raies But som great State eclipseth and from Hell Alecto looses all these Furies Fell Grim lean-fac't Famine foul infectious Plague Blood-thirsty VVar and Treason hatefull Hag Heere pouring down Woes vniuersall Flood To drown the World in Seas of Tears and Blood I 'l overpass how Sea doth Eb and Flowe 3 The ebbing flowing of the sea As th' Horned Queen doth eyther shrink or growe And that the more she Fills her forked Round The more the Marrow doth in bones abound The Bloud in Veins the sap in Plants the Moisture 4 The increase and decrease of marrow bloud and humours in diuers creatures And lushious meat in Creuish Crab and Oyster That Oak and Elm and Firr and Alder cut Before the Crescent have her Cornets shut Are neuer lasting for the builders turn In Ship or House but rather fit to burn 5. The apparant alterations in the bodies of sick persons And also that the Sick while shee is filling Feele sharper Fits through all their members thrilling So that this Lamp alone approoves what powrs Heav'ns Tapers have even on these soules of ours Temp'ring or troubling as they be inclin'd Our mind and humours humours and our minde Through Sympathy which while this Flesh we carie Our Soules and Bodies doth together marry I 'l only say that sith the hot aspect Of th' Heav'nly Dog-Star kindles with effect A particular proose by the effects of certaine notable stars ordinarily noted in some Moneth of â—he yeare A thousand vnseen Fires and dries the Fields Scorches the Vallies parches-vp the Hills And often times into our panting hearts The bitter Fits of burning Fevers darts And opposit the Cup the dropping Pleiades Bright-glistering Orion and the weeping Hyades Neuer almost look down on our aboad But that they stretch the Waters bounds abroad With Clowdy horror of their wrathfull frown Threatning again the guilty World to drown And to be brief sith the gilt azure Front Of Firmest Sphear hath scarce a spark vpon 't But poureth down-ward som apparant change Toward the Storing of the Worlds great Grange We may coniecture what hid powr is given T' infuse among vs from the other Seaven From each of those which for their vertuerare Th' Almighty placed in a proper Sphear Reiecting the Stoiks he sheweth that God as the first Cause doth order all things and what vse we should make of the force Course Light of the coelesti all bodies Not that as Stoiks I intend to tye With Iron Chains of strong Necessitie Th' Eternal's hands and his free feet enstock In Destinies hard Diamantin Rock I hold that God as The first Cause hath giv'n Light Course and Force to all the Lamps of Heav'n That still he guides them and his Providence Disposeth free their Fatall influence And that therefore the rather we belowe Should study all their Course and Force to knowe To th' end that seeing through our Parents Fall T' how many Tyrants we are waxen thrall Euer since first fond Womans blind Ambition Breaking made Adam break Heav'ns High-Commission We might vnpuff our Heart and bend our Knee T' appease with sighs Gods wrathfull Maiestie Beseeching him to turn away the storms Of Hail and Heat Plague Dearth and dreadfull Arms Which oft the angry Starrs with bad Aspects Threat to be falling on our stubborn necks To give vs Curbs to bridle th' ill proclivitie We are inclin'd-to by a hard Nativitie To pour som Water of his Grace to quench Our boyling Fleshes fell Concupiscence To calm our many passions spirituall tumours Sprung from corruption of our vicious humours Latonian Twinns Parents of Years and Months Heer proceeding to the second part of this book he treateth at large of the Sun and Moon Alas why hide you so your shining Fronts What nill you shew the splendor of your ray But through a Vail of mourning Clouds I pray I pray pul-off your mufflers and your moorning And let me see you in your native burning And my deer Muse by her eternall flight Shal spread as far the glory of your Light As you your selues run in alternat Ring Day after Night Night after Day to bring Thou radiant Coach-man running end-les course Of the Sun entring into the descriptioÌ„ wherof he confesseth that he knowes not well where to begin Fountain
'Gainst Ezechias and that he would give The godly King fifteen years more to live Transgressing Heav'ns eternall Ordinance Thrice in one Day thou through one path didst prance And as desirous of another nap In thy ver million sweet Aurora's Lap Thy Coach turn'd back and thy swift sweating Horse Full ten degrees lengthned their wonted Course Dials went false and Forrests gloomy black Wondred to see their mighty shades go back So when th' incensed Heav'ns did fight so fell Of the Sunnes standing still in the time of Iosuah Ios. 12. 13 Vnder the Standard of deer Israel Against the Hoast of odious Ammorites Among a million of swift-Flashing Lights Rayning down Bullets from a stormy Cloud As thick as Hail vpon their Armies proud That such as scaped from Heav'ns wrathfull thunder Victorious swords might after heaw in-sunder Coâ—â—ur'd by Iosuah thy brave steeds stood still â—â—â—ull Career stopping thy whirling wheel And one whole Day in one degree they stayd In midst of Heav'n for sacred Armies ayd Least th' Infidels in their disordred Flight Should save themselues vnder the wings of Night Those that then liv'd vnder the other Pole Seeing the Lamp which doth enlight the Whole To hide so long his lovely face away Thought never more to haue re-seen the Day The wealthy Indians and the men of Spain Never to see Sun Rise or Set again In the same place Shadows stood still as stone And in twelue Houres the Dials shew'd but one THE FIFT DAIE OF THE FIRST WEEK THE ARGVMENT Fish in the Sea Fowls in the Aire abound The Forms of all things in the Waters found The various Manners of Sea-Citizens Whose constant Friendship far exceedeth Mens Arions strange escape The Fowls attend On th' only Phoenix to her end-less end Their kindes their customs and their plumes variety Som presidents of Prudence som of Piety The gratefull Aegle burning in the Fláme With her dead Mistress the fair Sestian Dáme LAtónian Lamps conducting divers ways After a Poeticall maner he craueth time opportunity to discourse in this Day of the creation of Fishes of Fowles About the World successiue Nights and Days Parents of winged Time haste haste your Carrs And passing swiftly both th' opposed Barrs Of East and West by your returning Ray Th' imperfect World make elder by a Day Yee Fish that brightly in Heav'ns Baldrik shine If you would see the Waters waving brine Abound with Fishes pray Hyperion T' abandon soon his liquid Mansion If he expect in his prefixt Career To hoast with you a Month in every Yeer And thou eternall Father at whose wink To which purpose â—specially he calleth on the true God The wrathfull Ocean's swelling pride doth sink And stubborn storms of bellowing Windes be dumb Their wide mouthes stopt and their wilde pinions num Great Soverain of the Seas whose books can draw A man aliue from the Whales monstrous maw Provide me Lord of Steers-man Star and Boat That through the vast Seas I may safely float Or rather teach me dyue that I may view Deep vnder water all the Scaly crew And dropping wet when I return to land Laden with spoils extoll thy mighty hand IN VAIN had God stor'd Heav'n with glistring studs The first part of this Book wherin he handleth how by the Commandement of the Lord thâ— Fishes began to moue in the Waters The Plain with grain the Mountain tops with woods Sever'd the Aire from Fire the Earth from Water Had he not soon peopled this large Theatre With living Creatures Therefore he began This-Day to quicken in the Ocean In standing Pools and in the straggling Riuers Whose folding Channell fertill Champain severs So many Fishes of so many features That in the Waters one may see all Creatures And all that in this All is to be found As if the World within the Deeps were drown'd Seas haue as wel as Skies Sun Moon and Stars The Seas no lesse stored with priui ledges and presidents of Gods glorious power then Heauen Earth and of the strange Fishes that liue therin As well as Aire Swallows and Rooks and Stares As well as Earth Vines Roses Nettles Millions Pinks Gilliflowrs Mushroms and many millions Of other Plants more rare and strange then these As very Fishes living in the Seas And also Rams Calfs Horses Hares and Hogs Wolves Lions Vrchins Elephants and Dogs Yea Men and Mayds and which I more admire The Mytred Bishop and the Cowled Fryer Wherof examples but a few yeers since Were showen the Norways and Polonian Prince You divine wits of elder Dayes from whom The deep Inuention of rare Works hath com Took you not pattern of your chiefest Tools Out of the Lap of Thetis Lakes and Pools Which partly in the Waues part on the edges Of craggy Rocks among the ragged sedges Bring-forth abundance of Pins Pincers Spoaks Pikes Percers Needles Mallets Pipes and Yoaks Owers sayls and swords saws wedges Razors Rammers Plumes Cornets Kniues Wheels Vices Horns Hammers And as if Neptune and fair Panâ—pé Palaeâ—on Triton and Leucothoé Kept publik Roules there is the Calamary Who ready Pen-knife Pen and Ink doth cary As a rare Painter draws for pleasure heer Why God created so many sorts of strange Fishes A sweet Adonis a foul Satyre there Heer a huge Cyclop there a Pigmè Elf Somtimes no less busying his skilfull self Vpon som vgly Monster seldom seen Then on the Picture of fair Beauties Queen Even so the Lord that in his Work 's variety We might the more admire his powerfull Dëity And that we might discern by differing features The various kindes of the vast Oceans creatures Forming this mighty Frame he every Kinde With diuers and peculiar Signet sign'd Som haue their heads groveling betwixt their feet Examples The Pour-Cuttle Cuttle Crab. Sea Harâ— Oyster As th' inky Cuttles and the Many-feet Som in their breast as Crabs som head-less are Foot-less and finn-les as the bane-full Hare And heat-full Oyster in a heap confus'd Their parts vnparted in themselues diffus'd The Tyrian Marchant or the Portuguez Can hardly build one Ship of many Trees The Tortoise But of one Tortoise when he list to float Th' Arabian Fisher-man can make a Boat And one such Shell him in the stead doth stand Of Hulk at Sea and of a House on land Shall I omit the monstrous Whirl-about Which in the Sea another Sea doth spout Where-with huge Vessels if they happen nigh Are over-whelm'd and funken sodainly Shall I omit the Tunnies that durst meet The Tunnyâ— Th' Eöan Monarchs neuer daunted Fleet And beard more brauely his victorious powrs Then the Defendants of the Tyrian Towrs Or Porus conquered on the Indian Coast Or great Darius that three Battails lost When on the Surges I perceiue from far Th' Ork Whirl-pool Whale or huffing Physeter Diuers kindes of Whales Me thinks I see the wandring Ile again Ortygian Delos floating on the Main And when in Combat these fell Monsters
in charge And so the Sparrow with her angry bill Defends her brood from such as would them ill I hear the Crane if I mistake not cry The Crane Y Who in the Clouds forming the forked Y By the brave orders practiz'd vnder her Instructeth Souldiers in the art of War For when her Troops of wandring Cranes for sake Frost-firmed Strymon and in Autumn take Truce with the Northern Dwarfs to seek adventure In Southren Climats for a milder Winter Afront each Band a forward Captain flies Whose pointed Bill cuts passage through the skies Two skilfull Sergeants keep the Ranks aright And with theirvoice hasten their tardy Flight And when the honey of care-charming sleep Sweetly begins through all their veins to creep One keeps the Watch and ever carefull-most Walks many a Round about the sleeping Hoast Still holding in his claw a stony clod Whose fall may wake him if he hap to nod Another doth as much athird afourth Vntill by turns the Night be turned forth There the faâ—r Peacock beautifully brave The Peacock Proud portly-strouting stalking stately-grave Wheeling his starry Trâ—yn in pomp displayes His glorious eyes to Pâ—â—bus goldenrayes Close by his side stands the courageous Cock The Cock Crest-peoples King the Peasants trusty Clock True Morning Watch Aurora's Trumpeter The Lyons terror true Astronomer Who dayly riseth when the Sun doth rise And when Sol setteth then to roost he hies There I perceive amid the flowry Plain The Estridge The mighty Estridge striving oftin vain To mount among the flying multitude Although with fethers not with flight indu'd Whose greedy stomack steely gads digests Whose crisped train adorns tryumphant crests Thou happy Witnes of my happy Watches Blush not my Book nor think it thee dismatches Of Insects in the Creation wherof the wisedom of their Makershineth admirably To bear about vpon thy paper-Tables Flies Butterflies Gnats Bees and all the rabbles Of other Insects end-less to rehearse Limn'd with the pencill of my various Verse Sith These are also His wise Workmanships Whose fame did never obscure Work eclipse And sith in These he showes vs every howr More wondrous proofs of his Almighty powr Then in huge Whales or hideous Elephants Or whatsoever other Monster haunts In storm-less Seas raising a storm about While in the Sea another Sea they spout For if olde Times admire Callicrates For Ivory Emmets and Mermécides For framing of a rigged Ship so small That with her wings a Bee can hide it all Though th' Artfull fruits of all their curious pain Fit for novse were but inuentions vain Admire we then th' All-wise Omnipotence Which doth within so narrow space dispence Of Flyes So stiff a sting so stout and valiant hart So loud a voyce so prudent wit and Art For where 's the State beneath the Firmament That doth excell the Bees for Government Of Bâ—â—â— No no bright Phoebus whose eternall Race Once every Day about the World doth pase Sees heer no City that in Rites and Laws For Equity neer to their Iustice draws Not * Venice That which flying from the furious Hun In th' Adriâ—n Sea another World begun Their well-rul'd State my soule so much admires That durst I loose the Rains of my desires I gladly could digress from my designe To sing a while their sacred Discipline But if of all whose skilfull Pencils dare To counterfait th' Almightie's Models rare None yet durst finish that fair Peece wherein Learned Apelles drew Lâ—ues wanton Queen Shall I presume Hymetus Mount to climbe And sing the Bees prayse in mine humble rime Which Latian Bards inimitable Prince Hath warbled twice about the banks of Mince Yet may I not that little * Worm pass-by The Silk-worm Of Flyturn'd Worm and of a Worm a Fly Two births two deaths heer Nature hath assign'd-her Leaving a Post-hume dead-live seed behinde-her Which soon transforms the fresh and tender leaves Of Thâ—sbes pale Tree to those slender sleaves On ovall clews of soft smooth Silken flakes Which more for vs then for her self shee makes O precious fleeceâ— which onely did adorn The sacred loyns of Princes heertoforn But our proud Age with prodigall abuse Hath so profan'd th' old honorable vse That Shifters now who scarce haue bread to eat Disdain plain Silk vnless it be beset With one of those deer Metals whose desire Burns greedy soules with an immortall fire Though last not least brave Aegle no contempt Made me so long thy story hence exempt Nor LESS-E Xtold shall thy true vertues be For th' Eyrie's sake that owes my Muse and mee Whâ—ar Iov's and Iuno's stately Birds be billing Their azure Field with fairest Eaglets filling Azure they hear three Eaglets Argentine A Cheuron Ermin grailed Or between WIâ—t CHiefâ—ie RICHess to THem all I Wish In Earth in Heav'n th' immortall Crown of Bliss For well I knowe thou holdest worthily That place among the Aëry flocks that fly As doth the Dragon or the Cocatrice Among the bancfull Creeping companies The noble Lion among savage Beasts And gentle Dolphin 'mong the Dyving guests I knowe thy course I knowe thy constant sight Can fixly gaze against Heav'ns greatest Light But as the Phoenix on my Front doth glister Thou shalt the Finials of my Frame illustre On Thracian shoar of the same stormy stream A strange and notable story of the loue and death of an Eagle Which did inherit both the bones and name Of Phryxus Sister and not far from thence Whear love-blind Heros hap-less diligence In steed of Loves lamp lighted Deaths cold brand To waft Leanders naked limbs to land There dwelt a Maid as noble and as rich As fair as Hero but more chaste by much For her steel brest still blunted all the Darts Of Paphos Archer and eschew'd his Arts. One day this Damsell through a Forest thick Hunting among her Friends that sport did seek Vpon a steep Rocks thorny-thrummed top Whear one almost would fear to clamber vp Two tender Aeglets in a nest espies Which 'gainst the Sun sâ—te trying of their eyes Whose callow backs and bodies round about With soft short quils began to bristle out Who yawning wide with empty gorge did gape For wonted fees out of their Parents rape Of these two Fowls the fairest vp she takes Into her bosom and great haste she makes Down from the Rock and shiuering yet for fear Tripps home as fast as her light feet can bear Even as a Wolf that hunting for a pray And having stoln at last som Lamb away Flies with down-hanging head and leereth back Whether the Masâ—y doo pursue his track In time this Aegle was so throughly mann'd That from the Quarry to her Mistress hand At the first call 't would com and faun vpon-her And bill and bow in signe of love and honour On th' other side the Maiden makes as much Of her deer Bird stroking with gentletouch Her wings and train and with a want on voice It want only doth
like to neither make Which yet of eithers ritches doth partake So oft two Creatures of a diuers kinde Against the common course through All Assign'd Confounding their lust-burning seeds together Beget an Elf not like in all to either But bastard Mongrel bearing marks apparant Of mingled members ta'en from either Parent God not contented to each Kinde to giue Of things ingendered without seed or commixtion of sexes And to infuse the Vertue Generatiue Made by his Wisdom many Creatures breed Of liue-less bodies without Venus deed So the cold humour breeds the Salamander Who in effect like to her births Commander With-childe with hundred Winters with her touch Quencheth the Fire though glowing ne'r so much So of the Fire in burning furnace springs The Fly Pyrausta with the flaming Wings Without the Fire it dies within it ioyes Liuing in that which each thing else destroyes So slowe Boötes vnderneath him sees In th' ycy Iles those Goslings hatcht of Trees Whose fruitfull leaues falling into the Water Are turn'd they say to liuing Fowls soon after So rotten sides of broken Ships doo change To Barnacles O Transformation strange 'T was first a green Tree then a gallant Hull Lately a Mushrum now a flying Gull So Morn and Euening the Sixt Day conclude And God perceiv'd that All his Works were good THE SEAVENTH DAIE OF THE FIRST WEEK THE ARGVMENT In sacred Rest vpon This sacred Day Th' Eternall doth his glorious Works suruay His only Powr and Prouidence perseuer T' vphold maintain and rule the World for euer Maugre Mens malice and Hells raging mood God turneth all things to his Childrens good Sabbaoths right vse From all Worlds-Works to cease To pray not play and hear the Word of Peace Instructions drawn from dead and liuing things And from our selues for all Estates for Kings THe cunning Painter that with curious care By an excellent Similitude of a Painter delighted with the sight of a curious table which he hath lately finished our Poet sheweth how God rested the seauenth Day and saw as saith the Scripture that all that he had made was Good Limning a Land-scape various rich and rare Hath set a-work in all and euery part Inuention Iudgement Nature Vse and Art And hath at length t'immortalize his name With weary Pencill perfected the same Forgets his pains and inly fill'd with glee Still on his Picture gazeth greedily First in a Mead he marks a frisking Lamb Which seems though dumb to bleat vnto the Dam Then hee obserues a Wood seeming to waue Then th' hollow bosom of som hideous Caue Heere a High-way and there a narrow Path Heer Pines there Oaks torn by tempestuous wrath Heer from a craggy Rocks steep-hanging boss Thrumm'd half with Iuy half with crisped Moss A siluer Brook in broken streams doth gush And head-long down the horned Cliff doth rush Then winding thence aboue and vnder ground A goodly Garden it be-moateth round There on his knee behinde a Box-Tree shrinking A skilfull Gunner with his left ey winking Leuels directly at an Oak hard by Whereon a hundred groaning Culuers cry Down falls the Cock vp from the Touch-pan flies A ruddy flash that in a moment dies Off goes the Gun and through the Forrest rings The thundering bullet born on fiery wings Heer on a Green two Striplings stripped light Run for a prize with labour som delight A dusty Cloud about their feet doth flowe Their feet and head and hands and all doo goe They swelt in sweat and yet the following Rout Hastens their haste with many a cheerfull shout Heer six pyed Oxen vnder painfull yoak Rip vp the folds of Ceres Winter Cloak Heer in the shade a pretty Shepheardess Driues softly home her bleating happiness Still as she goes she spins and as she spins A man would think som Sonnet she begins Heer runs a Riuer there springs forth a Fountain Heer vails a Valley there ascends a Mountain Heere smoks a Castle there a City fumes And heer a Ship vpon th' Ocean looms In brief so liuely Art hath Nature shap't That in his Work the Work-mans self is rapt Vnable to look off for looking still The more he looks the more he findes his skill So th' Architect whose glorious Workmanships God rested the seauēth Day contemplates on his Works My cloudy Muse doth but too-much eclipse Hauing with pain-less pain and care-less care In These Six Days finisht the Table fair And infinite of th' Vniuersall Ball Resteth This Day t' admire himself in All And for a season eying nothing els Ioyes in his Work sith all his Work excels If my dull stutting frozen eloquence May dare coniecture of his high Intents One while hee sees how th' ample Sea doth take A briefe recapitulation and cōsideration of the Works of God in the whole World and a learned Exposition of the words of Moses Gen. 1. 31 God saw that al that he had made was perfectly good The Liquid homage of each other Lake And how again the Heav'n sexhale from it Aboundant vapours for our benefit And yet it swels not for those tribute streams Nor yet it shrinks not for those boyling beams There see 's he th' Ocean-peoples plentious broods And shifting Courses of the Ebbs and Floods Which with inconstant glaunces night and day The lower Planets forked front doth sway Anon vpon the flowry Plains he looks Laced about with snaking siluer brooks Now he delights to see foure Brethrens strife Cause the Worlds peace and keep the World in life Anon to see the whirling Sphears to roule In rest-less Danses about either Pole Whereby their Cressets caried diuers waies Now visit vs anon th' Antipodés It glads him now to note how th' Orb of Flame Which girts this Globe doth not enfire the Frame How th' Airs glib-gliding firmless body bears Such store of Fowls Hail-storms and Floods of tears How th' heauy Water pronest to descond 'Twixt Air and Earth is able to depend And how the dull Earth's prop-less massie Ball Stands steddy still iust in the midst of All. Anon his nose is pleas'd with fragrant sents Of Balm and Basill Myrrh and Frankincense Thyme Spiknard Hysop Sauory Cinamon Pink Violet Rose and Cloue-Carnation Anon his ear 's charm'd with the melody Of winged Consorts curious Harmony For though each bird guided with Art-less Art After his kinde obserue a song a-part Yet the sole burden of their seuerall Layes Is nothing but the Heav'n-Kings glorious praise In brief th' Almightie's ey and nose and ear In all his works doth nought see sent or hear But showes his greatnes sauours of his grace And sounds his glory ouer euery place But aboue all Man 's many beautious features Detain the Lord more then all other Creatures Man 's his owne Minion Man 's his sacred Type And for Man's sake he loues his Workmanship Not that I mean to fain an idle God That lusks in Heav'n and neuer looks abroad That Crowns not Vertue and corrects not Vice Blinde to
our seruice deaf vnto our sighs A Pagan Idol void of powr and piety A sleeping Dormouse rather a dead Deïtie For though alas somtimes I cannot shun But som profane thoughts in my minde will run I neuer think on God but I conceiue Whence cordiall comforts Christians soules receiue Of the Prouidence of God In God Care Counsail Iustice Mercy Might To punish wrongs and patronize the right Sith Man but Image of th' Almightiest Without these gifts is not a Man but Beast Fond Epicure thou rather slept'st thy self Epicurus and his followers denying the same consuted by sundry Reasons When thou didst forge thee such a sleep-sick Elf For life's pure Fount or vainly fraudulent Not shunning th' Atheïsts sin but punishment Imaginedst a God so perfect-less In Works defying whom thy words profess God is not sitting like som Earthly State In proud Theátre him to recreate With curious Obiects of his ears and eys Without disposing of the Comoedies Content t' haue made by his great Word to moue So many radiant Starrs as shine aboue And on each thing with his owne hand to draw The sacred Text of an eternall Law Then bosoming his hand to let them slide With reans at will whether that Law shall guide Like one that hauing lately forç't som Lake Simile Through som new Channell a new Course to take Takes no more care thence-forth to those effects But lets the Stream run where his Ditch directs The Lord our God wants neither Diligence 1 Gods power goodnes wisdom shine gloriously in gouerning the world Nor Loue nor Care nor Powr nor Prouidence He prov'd his Power by Making All of nought His Diligence by Ruling All he wrought His Care by Ending it in six Daies space His Loue in Building it for Adams Race His Prouidence maugrè Times wastefull rages Preseruing it so many Yeers and Ages For O! how often had this goodly Ball By his own Greatnes caus'd his proper Fall How often had this World deceast except Gods mighty arms had it vpheld and kept 2 In him and through him all things liue and moue and haue their Beeing God is the soule the life the strength and sinnew That quickens moues and makes this Frame continue God's the main spring that maketh euery way All the small wheels of this great Engin play God's the strong Atlas whose vnshrinking shoulders Haue been and are Heav'ns heauie Globes vpholders God makes the Fountains run continually 3. All things particularly are guided by his Ordinance and Power working continually The daies and Nights succede incessantly The Seasons in their season he doth bring Summer and Autumn Winter and the Spring God makes th' Earth fruitfull and he makes the Earth's Large loignes not yet faint for so many births God makes the Sun and Stars though wondrous hot That yet their Heat themselues inflameth not And that their sparkling beams preuent not so With wofull flames the Last great Day of wo And that as mov'd with a contrary wrest They turn at-once both North and East and West Heavn's constant course his heast doth neuer break The floating Water waiteth at his beck Th' Air 's at his Call the Fire at his Command The Earth is His and there is nothing fand In all these Kingdoms but is mov'd each howr With secret touch of his eternall Powr God is the Iudge who keeps continuall Sessions 4 God is the Iudge of the World hauing all Creatures visible and invisible ready armed to execute his Iudgements In every place to punish all Transgressions Who void of Ignorance and Avarice Not won with Bribes nor wrested with Deuice Sins Fear or Fauour hate or partiall zeal Pronounceth Iudgements that are past appeal Himself is Iudge Iury and Witnes too Well knowing what we all think speak or doo He sounds the deepest of the doublest hart Searcheth the Reins and fifteth euery part Hee sees all secrets and his Lynx-like ey Yet it be thought doth euery thought descry His Sentence giuen neuer returns in vain For all that Heavn Earth Aire and Sea contain Serue him as Sergeants and the winged Legions That soar aboue the bright Star-spangled Regions Are euer prest his powrfull Ministers And lastly for his Executioners Sathan assisted with the infernall band Stands ready still to finish his Command God to be brief is a good Artizan That to his purpose aptly mannage can Good or bad Tools for for iust punishment Yea he makeeh euen the wicked this instruments to punish the wicked and to proue his Chosen He arms our sins vs sinners to torment And to preuent th' vngodly's plot somtime He makes his foes will-nill-they fight for him Yet true it is that human things seem slide Vnbridledly with so vncertain tide That in the Ocean of Euents so many Somtimes Gods Iudgements are scarce seen of any Rather it seems that giddy Fortune guideth Againe against Epicures who hold that all things happen in the World by Chance All that beneath the siluer Moon beâ—ideth Yet art thou euer iust O God though I Cannot alas thy Iudgements depth descry My wit 's too shallow for the least Designe Of thy drad Counsails sacred and diuine And thy least-secret Secrets I confess To deep for vs without thy Spirit 's address Yet oftentimes what seemeth at first sight 1 Gods Iudgements past our search yet euer iust in theÌ„selues Vniust to vs and past our reason quite Thou mak'st vs Lord acknowledge in due season To haue been don with equity and reason So suffering th' Hebrew Tribes to sell their brother Gen 45. ver 6. 7 and Gen. 50. vâ— 20. Thy eternall Iustice thou didst seem to smother But Ioseph when through such rare hap it chanced Him of a slaue to be so high aduanced To rule the Land where Nilus fertill flood Dry Heav'ns defects endeuours to make good Learn'd that his enuious brethrens treacherous drift Him to the Stern of Memphian State had lift That he might there prouide Relief and Room For Abraham's Seed against then time to com When thy strong arm which plagues the Reprobate 2. In executing his iudgements on the rebellious he sheweth mercie on his Seruants The World and Sodom did exterminate With flood and flame because there liued then Som small remains of good and righteous men Thou seem'dst vniust but when thou sauedst Lâ—t From Fire from Water Noah and his Boat 'T was plainly seen thy Iustice stands propstious To th' Innocent and smiteth but the vicious He wilfull winks against the shining Sun 5 He sheweth his power in the coÌ„fusion of the Mightiest and in the deliuerance of his Church That see 's not Pharao as a mean begun Forth ' Hebrews good and that his hardned hart Smoothed the passage for their soon-depart To th' end the Lord when Tyrants will not yeeld Might for his Glory finde the larger field Who sees not also that th' vniust Decree Of a proud Iudge and Iudas treachery The Peoples
fury and the Prelats gall Serv'd all as organs to repair the Fall Of Edens old Prince whose luxurious pride Made on his seed his sin for euer slide 4 He turneth the malice of Sathan and his instruments to his own glory and the good of his of whom he hath alwaies speciall care Th' Almighties Care doth diuersly disperse Ore all the parts of all this Vniuerse But more precisely his wide wings protect The race of Adam chiefly his Elect. For ay he watcheth for his Children choice That lift to him their hearts their hands and voice For them he built th' ay-turning Heav'ns Theater For them he made the Fire Aire Earth and Water He counts their hairs their steps he measureth Handles their hands and speaketh with their breath Dwels in their hearts and plants his Regiments Of watchfull Angels round about their Tents A remedy for temptation of the godly seeing the prosperity of the wicked and the afflictions of Gods children But heer what hear I Faith-less God-less men I meruail not that you impugn my pen But O! it grieues me and I am amaz'd That those whose faith like glistering Stars hath blaz'd Even in our darkest nights should so obiect Against a doctrin of so sweet effect Because alas with weeping eyes they see Th' vngodly-most in most Prosperity Clothed in Purple crown'd with Diadems Handling bright Scepters hoording Gold and Gems Croucht-to and courted with all kinde affection As priuiledged by the Heav'ns protection So that their goods their honours their delights Excell their hopes exceed their appetites And opposite the godly in the storms Of this Worlds Sea tost in continuall harms In Earth less rest then Euripus they finde Gods heauy Rods still hanging them behinde Them shame and blame trouble and loss pursues As shadows bodies and as night the deawes Peace peace deer friends I hope to cancel quite The same cōforted in diuers sorts with apt Similitudes cōfirming the reason declaring the right end of God diuers dea ling with men This profane thought from your vnsettled Sp'rit Know then that God to th' end he be not thought A powr-less Iudge heer plagueth many a fault And many a fault leaues heer vnpunished That men may also his last iudgement dread On th' other side note that the Crosse becoms A Ladder leading to Heav'ns glorious rooms A Royall Path the Heav'nly Milken way Which doth the Saints to Ioues high Court convay O! see you not how that a Father graue Curbing his Son much shorter then his Slaue Doth th' one but rare the other rife reproue Th' one but for lucre th' other all for loue As skilfull Quirry that commands the Stable Of som great Prince or Person honourable Giues oftest to that Horse the teaching spur Which he findes fittest for the vse of War A painfull School-master that hath in hand To institute the flowr of all a Land Giues longest Lessons vnto those where Heav'n The ablest wits and aptest wills hath giv'n And a wise Chieftain neuer trusts the waight Of th' execution of a braue Exploit But vnto those whom most he honoureth For often proof of their firm force and faith Such sends he first t' assault his eager foes Such 'gainst the Canon on a Breach bestowes Such he commands naked to scale a Fort And with small number to re-gain a Port. God beats his Deer from birth to buriall To make them know him and their pride appall Affliction profitable to the Faithfull To draw deuout sighes from calamitie And by the touch to try their Constancy T' awake their sloath their minds to exercise To trauail cheer'ly for th' immortall Prize A good Physician that Arts excellence Can help with practice and experience They are necessary to cure the diseases of the soule Applies discreetly all his Recipés Vnto the nature of each fell-disease Curing this Patient with a bitter Potion That with strict Diet th' other with a Lotion And sometime cutteth off a leg or arm So sharply sweet to saue the whole from harm Euen so the Lord according to th' ill humours That vex his most-Saints with soule-tainting tumours Sends somtimes Exile somtimes lingring Languor Somtimes Dishonour somtimes pining Hunger Somtime long Law-suits somtime Loss of good Somtimes a Childes death or a Widdow-hood But ay he holdeth for the good of His In one hand Rods in th' other Remedies The Souldier slugging long at home in Peace Without them Gods children decline His wonted courage quickly doth decrease The rust doth fret the blade hangd vp at rest The Moath doth eate the garment in the Chest The standing Water stinks with putrefaction And Vertue hath no Vertue but in action All that is fairest in the World we finde Subiect to trauail So with storms and winde Th' Air still is tost the Fire and Water tend This still to mount that euer to descend The spirit is spright-less if it want discourse Heavn's no more Heav'n if it once cease his Course The valiant Knight is known by many scars The Crosse an honorable mark But he that steals-home wound-less from the Wars Is held a Coward void of Valours proof That for Deaths fear hath fled or fought a-loof The Lord therfore to giue Humanitie Rare presidents of daunt-less Constancy God will be glorified in the constant sufferings of his Seruants And crown his deer Sons with victorious Laurels Won from a thousand foes in glorious quarrels Pours downe more euils on their hap-less head Then yerst Pandora's odious Box did shead Yet strengthning still their hearts with such a Plaister That though the Flesh stoop still the Spirit is Maister But wrongly I these euils Euill call There is nothing euill in Mans life but sinne vertue is best perceiued in the proofe Sole Vice is ill sole Vertue good and all Besides the same is selfly simply had And held indifferent neither good nor bad Let enuious Fortune all her forces wage Against a constant Man her fellest rage Can never change his godly resolution Though Heav'n it self should threaten his confusion A constant man is like the Sea whose brest True constantie liuely represented by two comparisons Lyes ever open vnto every guest Yet all the Waters that she drinks can not Make her to change her qualities a iot Or like a good sound stomack not soon casting For a light surfet or a small dis-tasting But that vntroubled can incontinent Convert all meats to perfect nourishment Though then the Lords deep Wisedom to this day God Resting on the seuenth Day and blessing it teacheth vs that in resting one day of the Week we should principally imploy it in his seruice That we should cease from our worldly and wicked workes to giue place to his grace and to suffer his Spirit to worke in vs by the Instrument of his holy word Work in the Worlds vncertain-certain Sway Yet must we credit that his hand compos'd All in six Dayes and that He then Repos'd
that we should be humble Nay there is nought in our deer Mother found But Pythily som Vertue doth propound O! let the Noble Wise Rich Valiant Be as the base poore faint and ignorant And looking on the fields when Autumn shears There let them learn among the bearded ears Which still the fuller of the flowery grain Bow down the more their humble heads again And ay the lighter and the less their store They lift aloft their Chaffie Crests the more Let her that bound-less in her wanton wishes The Palme-Tree that we should be chast Dares spot the Spouse-bed with vnlawfull kisses Blush at the least at Palm-Trees loyalty Which never bears vnless her Male be by Thou thou that prançest after Honors prize Cinamon teacheth Diligence and Prudence While by the way thy strength and stomach dies Remember Honor is like Cinamon Which Nature mounds with many a million Of thorny pricks that none may danger-les Approach the Plant much less the Fruit possess Canst thou the secret Sympathy behold The Sunne and the Marigold direct vs vnto Christ the Sun of Righteousnes Betwixt the bright Sun and the Marigold And not consider that we must no less Follow in life the Sun of Righteousness O Earth the Treasures of thy hollow brest Are no less fruitfull Teachers then the rest For as the Lime doth break and burn in Water And swell and smoak crackle and skip and scatter Lyme in water teacheth vsto shew our vertue in extremitie Waking that Fire whose dull heat sleeping was Vnder the cold Crust of a Chalky Mass He that to march amid the Christian Hoast Yeelds his hearts kingdom to the holy-Ghost And for braue Seruice vnder Christ his Banner Looks to be crown'd with his Chief Champions honor Must in Affliction wake his zeal which oft In Calmer times sleeps too-securely soft And opposit as the rich Diamond The Diamond exhorteth to Constancy The Fire and Steel doth stoutly both withstand So the true Christian should till life expire Contemn proud Tyrants raging Sword and Fire Or if fell Rigour with som ruth-les smart A little shake the sinnews of his heart He must be like the richest Minerall Gold in the furnace to magnanimity purity Whose Ingots bow but never break at all Nor in the Furnace suffer any loss Of waight but Lees not of the Gold but dross The pretious Stone that bears the Rain-bowes name The stone Iris to edification of our Neighbour Receiues the bright face of Sols burnisht flame And by reflection after it displaies On the next obiect all those pointed rayes So whoso hath from the Empyreall Pole Within the centre of his happy Soule Receiv'd som splendor of the beams divine Must to his Neighbour make the same to shine Not burying Talents which our God hath giv'n To be imploy'd in a rich trade for Heav'n That in his Church he may receiue his Gold With thirty sixty and an hundred fold As th' Iron toucht by th' Adamant's effect The needle in the Mariners compasse sheweth that we shuld incessantly looke on Christ our onely load starre To the North Pole doth ever point direct So the Soule toucht once by the secret powr Of a true liuely Faith looks every howr To the bright Lamp which serues for Cynosure To all that sail vpon the Sea obscure These presidents from liue-les things collected Lessons from liuing Creatures Breed good effects in spirits well affected But lessons taken from the things that liue A liuelier touch vnto all sorts doo giue Vp vp ye Princes Prince and People rise Bees to subiects and to Princes And run to School among the Hony-Flies There shall you learn that an eternall law Subiects the Subiect vnder Princes aw There shall you learn that a courageous King To vex his humble Vassals hath no sting The Persian Prince that princely did conclude The Marlin to the vnthankeful So severe laws against Ingratitude Knew that the Marlin hauing kept her warm With aliue Lark remits it without harm And least her frend-bird she should after slay She takes her flight a quite contrary way Fathers if you desire your Children sage The Eagle so Parents Should by their Blessings bless your crooked age Train them betimes vnto true Vertues Lore By Aw Instruction and Example more So the old Eagle flutters in and out To teach his yong to follow him aboue If his example cannot timely bring His backward birds to vse their feeble wing He leaues them then som dayes vnfed whereby Sharp hunger may at length constiain them fly If that prevail not then he beats them both With beak and wings to stir their fearfull sloath You that to haste your hated Spouses end The Turtle to Wedlock-breakers Black deadly poyson in his dish doo blend O! can ye see with vn-relenting eyes The Turtle-Doue sith when her husband dies Dies all herioy for never loues she more But on dry bowghs doth her dead Spouse deplore Thou whom the freedom of a foolish tongue Wilde geese to Bâ—bblers Brings oft in danger for thy neighbours wrong Discreetly set a hatch before the door As the wise Wilde-geese when they over-soar Cilician Mounts within their bills doo bear A pebble-stone both day and night for fear Least rauenous Eagles of the North descry Their Armies passage by their cackling Cry O! Mothers can you can you O vnkinde Diuers Fishes to vnnaturall Mothers that will â— not nour se their owne Children Deny your Babes your breasts and call to minde That many Fishes many times are fain Receiue their seed into their wombs again Lucinas sad throes for the self-same birth Enduring oft it often bringing forth O! why embrace not we with Charity Dolphins to the cruell The living and the dead with Piety Giving these succour sepulture to those Even as the Dolphins doo themselues expose For their lyue fellows and beneath the Waues Cover their dead-ones vnder sandy Graues You Children whom past hope the Heav'ns benignity The wild Kid to children Hath heapt with wealth and heaved-vp to dignity Doo not forget your Parents but behold Th' officious Kids who when their Parents old With heavy Gyues Elds trembling fever stops And fetters-fast vpon the Mountain-tops As carefull purveyours bring them home to brouz The tendrest tops of all the slenderest boughs And sip self-thirst-les of the Riuers brink Which in their mouths they bring them home to drink For House-hold Rules read not the learned Writs Of the Stagirian glory of good wits The Spiders to Man and Wife Nor his whom for his honny-steeped stile They Proverbiz'd the Attik Muse yer-while Sith th' onely Spider teacheth euery one The Husbands and the Huswifes function For for their food the valiant Male doth roam The cunning Female tends her work at home Out of her bowels wooll and yarn she spitteth And all that else her learned labour fitteth Her waight's the spindle that doth twist the twine
their sacred ornaments beside Anon he wonders at the differing graces Tongues gests attires the fashions and the faces Of busie-buzzing swarms which still hee meets Ebbing and flowing ouer all the streets Then at the signes the shops the waights the measures The handy-crafts the rumors trades and treasures But of all sights none seems him yet more strange Then the rare beautious stately rich Exchange Another while he maruails at the Thames Which seems to bear huge mountains on her streams Then at the faâ—-built Bridge which he doth iudge More like a tradefull City then a Bridge And glancing thence a-long the Northren shoar That princely prospect doth amaze him more For in that Garden man delighted so That rapt he wist not if hee wak't or no If he beheld a true thing or a fable Or Earth or Heav'n all more then admirable For such excess his extasie was small Not hauing spirit enough to muse withall He wisht him bundred-fold redoubled senses The more to taste so rare sweet excellences Not knowing whether nose or ears or eyes Smelt heard or saw more sauors sounds or Dies But Adams best and supreame delectation Happines of the first Man before his fall Was th' often haunt and holy conuersation His soule and body had so many waies With God who lightned Eden with his Rays For spirits by faith religiously refin'd 'Twixt God and man retain a middle kinde And Vmpires mortall to th' immortall ioyn And th' infinit in narrow clay confine Som-times by you O you all-faining Dreams We gain this good but not when Bacchus steams Of the visions of the spirit And glutton vapours ouer-flowe the Brain And drown our spirits presenting fancies vain Nor when pale Phlegm or Saffron-coloured Choler In feeble stomacks belch with diuers dolor And print vpon our Vnderstandings Tables That Water-wracks this other flamefull fables Nor when the Spirit of lies our spirits deceiues And guile-full visions in our fancy leaues Nor when the pencil of Cares ouer-deep Our day-bred thoughts depainteth in our sleep But when no more the soules chief faculties Are sperst to sereue the body many waies When all self-vned free from dayes disturber Through such sweet Trance she findes a quiet harbour Where som in riddles som more plain exprest Shee sees things future in th' Almighties brest And yet far higher is this holy Fit Of the certainty of the visions of the spirit the body being at rest When not from flesh but from flesh-cares acquit The wakefull soule it self assembling so All selfly dies while that the body though Liues motion-les for sanctified wholly It takes th' impression of Gods Signet Soly And in his sacred Crystall Map doth see Heav'ns Oracles and Angels glorious glee Made more then spirit Now Morrow Yesterday To it all one are all as present aye And though it seem not when the dream 's expir'd Like that it was yet is it much admir'd Of rarest men and shines among them bright Like glistring Starrs through gloomy shades of night But aboue all that 's the divinest Trance Of diuine extraordinary visions and Reuelations When the soules eye beholds Gods countenance When mouth to mouth familiarly he deales And in our face his drad-sweet face hee seales As when S. Paul on his deer Masters wings Was rapt aliue vp to th' eternall things And he that whilom for the chosen flock Made walls of waters waters of a rock O sacred flight sweet rape loues soueraign bliss Of the excellency of such visions and Reuelations Which very loves deer lips dost make vs kiss Hymen of Manna and of Mel compact Which for a time dost Heav'n with earth contract Fire that in Limbeck of pure thoughts divine Doost purge our thoughts and our dull earth refine And mounting vs to Heav'n vn-mouing hence Man in a trice in God doost quintessence O! mad'st thou man divine in habitude As for a space O sweetest solitude Thy bliss were equall with that happie Rest Which after death shall make vs ever-blest Now I beleeve that in this later guise What manner of visions the first Man had in Eden Man did conuerse in Pleasant Paradise With Heav'ns great Architect and happy there His body saw or body as it were Gloriously compast with the blessed Legions That raign above the azure-spangled Regions ADAM quoth He the beauties manyfold Man is put in possession of EdeÌ„ vnder a conditioÌ„ That in this Eden thou doest heer behold Are all thine onely enter sacred race Come take possession of this wealthy place The Earth's sole glory take deer Sonn to thee This farm's demains leave the Chief right to me And th' only Rent that of it I reserue is One Trees fair fruit to shew thy sute and seruice Be thou the Liege and I Lord Paramount I 'le not exact hard fines as men shall woont For signe of Homage and for seal of Faith Of all the profits this Possession hath I only ask one Tree whose fruit I will For Sacrament shall stand of Good and Ill. Take all the rest I bid thee but I vow By th' vn-nam'd name where-to all knees doo bow And by the keen Darts of my kindled Ire More fiercely burning then consuming fire That of the Fruit of Knowledge if thou feed Death dreadfull Death shall plague Thee and thy Seed If then the happie state thou hold'st of me My holy mildnes nor high Maiesty If faith nor Honour curb thy bold ambition Yet weigh thy self and thy owne Seeds condition Most mighty Lord quoth Adam heer I tender Before Sinne Man was an huÌ„ble and zealous seruant of God All thanks I can not all I should thee render For all thy liberall fauours far surmounting My hearts conceit much more my tongues recounting At thy command I would with boyst'rous shock Goe run my self against the hardest rock Or cast me head long from som Mountain steep Down to the whirling bottom of the Deep Yea at thy beck I would not spare the life Of my deer Phoenix sister-daughter-wife Obaying thee I finde the things impossible Cruell and painfull pleasant kinde and possible But since thy first Law doth more grace afford Vnto the Subiect than the souerain Lord Since bountious Prince on me and my Descent Thou doost impose no other tax nor Rent But one sole Precept of most iust condition No Precept neither but a Prohibition And since good God of all the Fruits in EDEN There 's but one Apple that I am forbidden Euen only that which bitter Death doth threat Better perhaps to look on then to eate I honour in my soule and humbly kiss Thy iust Edict as Author of my bliss Which once transgrest deserues the rigor rather Of sharpest Iudge then mildnes of a Father The Firmament shall retrograde his course Swift Euphrates goe hide him in his source Firm Mountains skip like Lambs beneath the Deep Eagles shall diue Whales in the air shall keep Yer I presume with fingers ends to touch Much less
How long they had that Garden in possession Before their proud and insolent Transgression What Children there they earned and how many Of whether sex or whether none or any Or how at least they should haue propagated If the sly malice of the serpent hated Causing their fall had not defil'd their kin And vnborn seed with leprosie of Sin If void of Venus sith vnlike it is Such blessed state the noble flowr should miss Of Virgin-head or folk so perfect chaste Should furious feel when they their loues imbraç't Such tickling flames as our fond soule surprise That dead a-while in Epilepsâ—e lies And slack our sinews all by little and little Drowning our reason in foule pleasure brittle Or whether else as men in gender now Sith spouse-bedspot-less laws of God allow If no excess command sith else again The Lord had made the double sex in vain Whether their Infants should haue had the Powr We now perceiue in fresh youths Iusty flowr As nimble feet lims strong and vigorous Industrious hands and hearts couragious Sith before sin Man ought not less appear In Natures gifts then his then-seruants were And loe the Partridge which new-hatched bears On her weak back her parent-house and wears In stead of wings a bever-supple down Follows her dam through furrows vp and down Or else as now sith in the womb of Eue A man of thirtie yeares could neuer liue Nor may we iudge ' gainst Natures course apparant Without the sacred Scriptures speciall warrant Which for our good as Heav'ns deer babe hath right To countermaund our reason and our sight Whether their seed should with their birth haue brought Deep Knowledge Reason Vnderstanding-thought Sith now wee see the new-fall'n feeble Lamb Yet stayn'd with bloud of his distressed Dam Knowes wel the Wolf at whose fell sight he shakes And right the tear of th' vnknow'n Eaw he takes And sith a dull Dunce which no knowledge can Is a dead image and no liuing man Or the thick vail of Ignorance's night Had hooded-vp their issues inward sight Sith the much moisture of an Infant brain Receiues so many shapes that ouer-lam New dash the old and the trim commixation Of confus'd fancies full of alteration Makes th' Vnderstanding hull which settle would But findes no firm ground for his Anchors hold Whether old ADAM should haue left the place Vnto his Sonnes they to their after-race Or whether all together at the last Should gloriously from thence to Heav'n haue past Search whoso list who list let vaâ—â—t in pride The decision of such Questions is a busie idlenes T' haue hit the white and let him sage decide The many other doubts that vainly rise For mine owne part I will not seem so wise I will not waste my trauail and my seed To reap an empty straw or fruitless reed Alas we know what Orion of grief Rain'd on the curst head of the creatures Chief Sin makes vs perceiue more then sufficiently what happines our Grand-sire lost and what misery he got by his shamefull Fall After that God against him war proclaim'd And Satan princedom of the earth had claim'd But none can know precisely how at all Our Elders liv'd before their odious fall An vnknow'n Cifer and deep Pit it is Where Dircean Oedipus his marks would miss Sith Adam's self if now he liv'd anew Could scant vnwinde the knotty snarled clew Of double doubts and questions intricate That Schools dispute about this pristin state But this sole point I rest resolved in But for sinne man had not been subiect vnto Death That seeing Death 's the meer effect of sin Man had not dreaded Death's all-slaying might Had hee still stood in Innocence vpright For as two Bellows blowing turn by turn Simile By little and little make cold coals to burn And then their fire inflames with glowing heat An yron bar which on the Anuil beat Seems no more yron but flyes almost all In hissing sparks and quick bright cinders small So the Worlds Soule should in our soule inspire Th' eternall force of an eternall fire And then our soule as form breathe in our corse Her count-less numbers and Heav'n-tuned force Wherewith our bodies beauty beautified Should like our death-less soule haue neuer died Heer wot I well som wranglers will presume Obiections against the estate of man who had not beene subiect vnto death but for Sinne. To say Small fire will by degrees consume Our humor radicall and how-be-it The differing vertues of those fruits as yet Had no agreement with the harmfull spight Of the fell Persian dangerous Acomte And notwithstanding that then ADAMS taste Could well haue vsed all without all waste Yet could they not restore him euery day Vnto his body that which did decay Because the food cannot as being strange So perfectly in humane substance change For it resembleth wine wherein too rife Simile Water is brewd whereby the pleasant life Is ouer-cool'd and so there rests in fine Nought of the strength sauour or taste of wine Besides in time the naturall faculties Are tyr'd with toyl and th' Humour-enemies Our death conspiring vndermine at last Of our Soules prisons the foundations fast I but the Tree of life the strife did stay Answer to those obiections Which th' Humours caused in this house of clay And stopping th' euill changed perfect good In body fed the body of the food Only the soules contagious malady Had force to frustrate this high remedy Immortall then and mortall man was made Conclusion Mortall he liv'd and did immortall vade For 'fore th' effects of his rebellious ill To die or liue was in his power and will But since his Sin and proud Apostasie Ah! die he may but not alas not-dy As after his new-birth he shall attain Onely a powr to neuer-dy again FINIS THE IMPOSTVRE THE II. PART OF THE I. DAY OF THE II. WEEK THE ARGVMENT Iustice and Mercy modul'd in their kinde Satans proud Hate and Enuie to Mankinde His many Engins and malitious Wiles Whereby the best he many-times beguiles Why he assum'd a Body and began With Eue by Her to vndermine her Man Their dreadfull Fall Their drousie Conscience Gods righteous Sentence for their foul Offence On them and Theirs Their Exile Eden barr'd With flaming Sword and Scraphin for guard O Who shall lend me light and nimble wings That passing Swallows and the swiftest things Euen in a moment boldly-daring I From Heav'n to Hell from Hell to Heav'n may fly O! who shall showe the countenance and gestures Of Mercy and Iustice which fair sacred sisters With equall poiz doe euer ballance ev'n Th' vnchanging Proiects of the King of Heav'n Th' one stern of look the other milde-aspecting Th' one pleas'd with tears the other bloud affecting Th' one bears the Sword of vengeance vnrelenting Th' other brings Pardon for the true-repenting Th' one from Earths Eden Adam did dismiss Th' other hath rais'd him to a higher Bliss Who
the Winters keener breath began To crystallize the Baltike Ocean To glaze the Lakes and bridle-vp the Floods And perriwig with wooll the bald-pate Woods Our Grand-sire shrinking 'gan to shake and shiver His teeth to chatter and his beard to quiuer Spying therefore a flock of Muttons comming Whose freez-clad bodies feel not Winters numming He takes the fairest and he knocks it down Then by good hap finding vpon the Down A sharp great fish-bone which long time before The roaring Flood had cast vpon the shore He cuts the throat flayes it and spreads the fell Then dries it pares it and he scrapes it well Then cloaths his wife therwith and of such Hides Slops Hats and Doublets for himself prouides A vaulted Rock a hollow Tree a Caue Their Lodging and first building Were the first buildings that them shelter gaue But finding th' one to bee too-moist a hold Th' other too-narrow th' other ouer-cold Like Carpenters within a Wood they choose Sixteen fair Trees that neuer leaues doe loose Whose equall front in quadran form prospected As if of purpose Nature them erected Their shady boughs first bow they tenderly Then enterbraid and binde them curiously That one would think that had this Arbor seen 'T had been true seeling painted-ouer green After this triall better yet to fense Their tender flesh from th' ayry violence A building somwhat more exact Vpon the top of their fit-forked stems They lay a-crosse bare Oaken boughs for beams Such as dispersed in the Woods they finde Torn-off in tempests by the stormy winde Then these again with leauy boughes they load So couering close their sorry cold abode And then they ply froÌ„ th' eauâ—s vnto the ground With mud-mixt Reed to wal their Mansion round All saue a hole to th' East-ward situate Where straight they clap a hurdle for a gate Instead of hinges hanged on a With Which with a sleight both shuts and openeth Yet fire they lackt but lo the windes that whistle The inuention of Fireâ— Amid the Groues so oft the Laurell iustle Against the Mulbery that their angry claps Do kindle fire that burns the neighbour Cops When Adam saw a ruddy vapour rise In glowing streams astund with fear he flies It follows him vntil a naked Plain The greedy furie of the flame restrain Then back he turns and comming somwhat nigher The kindled shrubs perceiuing that the fire Dries his dank Cloaths his Colour doth refresh And vnbenums his sinews and his flesh By th' vnburntend a good big brand he takes And hying home a fire he quickly makes And still maintains it till the starry Twins Celestiall breath another fire begins But Winter being comn again it griev'd him T' have lost so fondly what so much reliev'd him Trying a thousand waies sith now no more The iustling Trees his domage would restore While else-where musing one day he sate down How the first Man inuented Fire for the vse of himself his Posteritie Vpon a steep Rocks craggy-forked crown A foaming beast come toward him he spies Within whose head stood burning coals for eys Then suddainly with boisterous arm he throwes A knobbie flint that hummeth as it goes Hence flies the beast th' il-aimed flint-shaft grounding Against the Rock and on it oftre bounding Shivers to cinders whence there issued Small sparks of fire no sooner born then dead This happy chance made Adam leap for glee And quickly calling his cold company In his left hand a shining flint he locks Which with another in his right he knocks So vp and down that from the coldest stone At euery stroak small fiery sparkles shone Then with the dry leaves of a withered Bay The which together handsomly they lay They take the falling fire which like a Sun Shines cleer and smoak-less in the leaf begun Eue kneeling down with hand her head sustaining And on the lowe ground with her elbowe leaning Blowes with her mouth and with her gentle blowing Stirs vp the heat that from the dry leaves glowing Kindles the Reed and then that hollow kix First fires the small and they the greater sticks Beginning of Families And now Man-kinde with fruitfull Race began A little corner of the World to man First Cain is born to tillage all addicted The seuerall Occupations of Abel and Cain Then Abel most to keeping flocks affected Abel desirous still at hand to keep His Milk and Cheese vnwildes the gentle Sheep To make a Flock that when it tame became For guard and guide should haue a Dog and Ram. Cain more ambitious giues but little ease To 's boysterous limbs and seeing that the Pease And other Pulse Beans Lentils Lupins Rice Burnt in the Copses as not held in price Som grains he gathers and with busie toyl A-part hee sowes them in a better soyl Which first he rids of stones and thorns and weeds Then buries there his dying-liuing seeds By the next Haruest finding that his pain On this small plot was not in grately-vain To break more ground that bigger Crop may bring Without so often weary labouring He tames a Heifer and on either side On either horn a three-fold twist he ti'd Of Osiar twigs and for a Plough he got The horn or Tooth of som Rhinocerot Now th' one in Cattle th' other rich in grain On two steep Mountains build they Altars twain Their sacrifice Where humbly-sacred th' one with zealous cry Cleaues bright Olympus starry Canopy With fained lips the other low'd-resounded Hart-wanting Hymns on self-deseruing founded Each on his Altar offreth to the Lord The best that eithers flocks or fields affoord Rein-searching God thought-sounding Iudge that tries God regardeth Abell and his Sacrifice and reiecteth Cain and his whereas Cain enuieth and finally kils his Brother whose blood God reuengeth The will and heart more then the worke and guise Accepts good Abels gift but hates the other Profane oblation of his furious Brother Who feeling deep th' effects of Gods displeasure Raues frets and fumes and murmurs out of measure What boots it Cain O wretch what boots it thee T' haue opened first the fruitfull womb quoth he Of the first mother and first born the rather T' haue honour'd Adam first with name of Father Vnfortunate what boots thee to be wealthy Wise actiue valiant strongly-limb'd and healthy If this weake Girl-boy in mans shape disguis'd To Heav'n and Earth be dear and thou despis'd What boots it thee for others night and day In painfull toyl to wear thy self away And more for others then thine own relief To haue deuised of all Arts the chief If this dull Infant of thy labour nurst Shall reap the glory of thy deeds accurst Nay rather quickly rid thee of the fool Down with his climbing hill and timely cool This kindling flame and that none ouer-crowe thee Re-seise the right that Birth and Vertue owe-thee Ay in his minde this counsail he reuolues And hundred times to act it he resolues And yet as oft
Who lacks a member yet persevereth To liue we see but members cut away From their own head do by and by decay 9. A Traytor deserues to haue his house razed to the ground Nor was God cruell when he drown'd the Earth For sit hence man had from his very birth Rebeld against him was 't not equity That for his fault his house should vtterly Be rent and raz'd that salt should there besow'n That in the ruins for instruction We for a time might read and vnderstand The righteous vengeance of Heav'ns wrathfull hand That wrought this Deluge and no hoorded waves Of ayry clouds or vnder-earthly caves If all blew Curtins mixt of ayr and water 10. The Flood was no naturall accident but a most iust iudgement of God Round-over-spreading this wide All-Theater To som one Climate all at once should fly One Country they might drown vndoubtedly But our great Galley hauing gone so far So many months in sight of either Star From Pole to Pole through sundry Climats whorld Showes that this Flood hath drowned all the world Now non-plust if to re-inforce thy Camp 11. The waters of the Flood sprung not from a naturall motion only but proceeded frō other then naturall Causes which cannot produce such effects Thou fly for succour to thine Ayery Damp Showe in the concave of what Mountains steep We may imagine Dens sufficient deep For so much ayr as gushing out in fountains Should hide the proud tops of the highest Mountains Sith a whole tun of ayr scarce yeelds in tryall Water ynough to fill one little Viall And what should then betide those empty spaces What should succeed in the forsaken places Of th' air's thin parts in swift springs shrinking thence Sith there 's no voyd in th' All-circumference Whence wilt thou say then coms this raging flood 12. The consideratiō of the power of God in subiecting the creatures to Noah in sustaining feeding them so long in the Arke which was as a Sepulchre confuteth all the obiections of Atheists That over-flowes the windy Ryphean Wood Mount Libanus and enviously aspires To quench the light of the celestiall fires Whence shall I say then whence-from coms it Cham That Wolves and Panthers waxing meek and tame Leaving the horror of their shady home Adiourn'd by Heav'n did in my presence com Who holding subiect vnder my command So many creatures humbled at my hand And now restor'd to th' honour and estate Whence Adam fell through sin and Satans hate Whence doth it com or by what reason is' t That vn-mann'd Haggards to mine empty fist Com without call Whence coms it that so little Fresh water fodder meal and other victuall Should serue so long so many a greedy-gut As in the dark holds of this Ark is shut That heer the Partridge doth not dread the Hauk Nor fearfull Hare the spotted Tiger baulk That all these storms our Vessell haue not broak That all this while we doe not ioyntly choak With noysom breath and excrementall stink Of such a common and continuall sink And that ourselues ' mid all these deaths are sav'd From these All-Seas where all the rest are Grav'd In all the compass of our floating Inns 13. The Arke full of Miracles which confound the wits stop the mouthes of profane wranglers Are not so many planks and boords and pins As wonders strange and miracles that ground Mans wrangling Reason and his wits confound And God no less his mighty powr displayd When he restor'd then when the World he made O sacred Patron pacifie thine ire Bring home our Hulk these angry floods retire A-liue and dead let vs perceiue and proove Thy wrath on others on our selues thy love Thus Noah sweetens his Captivity God causeth the Flood to cease Beguiles the time and charms his misery Hoping in God alone who in the Mountains Now slopping close the veins of all the Fountains Shutting Heav'ns sluees causing th' ayr controul'd Close-vp his channels and his Seas with-hould Cals forth the windes O Heav'ns fresh fans quoth he Earths sweeping Brooms O Forrests enmity O you my Heralds and my Harbengers My nimble Postes and speedy Messengers Mine arms my sinews and mine Eagles swift That through the ayr my rowling Chariot lift When from my mouth in my iust-kindled ire Fly Sulphry fumes and hot consuming fire When with my Lightning Scepters dreadfull wonder I muster horror darknes clouds and thunder Wake rise and run and drink these waters dry That hills and dales haue hidden from the sky Th' Aeolian Crowd obays his mighty call The Arke resteth on the Mountain Ararat in Armenia The surly surges of the waters fall The Sea retreateth and the sacred Keel Lands on a Hill at whose proud feet doo kneel A thousand Hills his lofty horn adoring That cleaues the clouds the starry welkin goaring Then hope-cheer'd Noah first of all for scout What Noah did before he went forth Sends forth the Crowe who flutters neer-about And finding yet no landing place at all Returns a-boord to his great Admirall Som few dayes after from the window flyes The harm-less Doue for new discoveries But seeing yet no shoar she almost tyr'd A-boord the Carrack back again retyr'd But yer the Sun had seav'n Heav'n-Circuits rode To view the World a-fresh she flyes abroad And brings a-boord at evening in her bill And Oliue branch with water pearled still O happy presage O deer pledge of loue O wel-com newes behold the peacefull Doue Brings in her beak the Peace-branch boading weal And truce with God who by this sacred seal Kindely confirms his holy Couenant That first in fight the Tiger rage shall want Lions be cowards Hares couragious Yer he be false in word or deed to vs. O sacred Oliue firstling of the fruits Health-boading branch be it thy tender roots Haue lived still while this strange Deluge lasted I doe reioyce it hath not all things wasted Or be it since the Ebb thou newly spring Prays'd be the bounty of th' immortall King That quickens thus these dead the World induing With beauty fresh so suddainly renuing Thus Noah spake And though the World gan lift He exspecteth Gods commandement to goe forth whereby at the first hee was shut vp in the Ark Most of his Iles above the waters drift Though waxen old in his long weary night He see a friendly Sun to brandish bright Though choak't with ill ayr in his stinking staul Hee 'l not a-shoar till God be pleas'd with-all And till devout from Heav'n he vnderstand Som Oracle to licence him to land But warn'd by Heav'n he commeth from his Cave Or rather from a foul infectious grave With Sem Cham Iapheth and their twice-two Brides And thousand pairs of living things besides Vnclean and clean for th' holy Patriark Had of all kinds inclosed in the Ark. But heer I hear th' vngodly that for fear Late whispered softly in each others ear With silent murmurs muttering secretly Now trumpet
Among this people euery where did iangle Bring me quoth one atrowell quickly quick One brings him vp a hammer heaw this brick Another bids and then they cleaue a Tree Make fast this rope and then they let it flee One cals for planks another mortarlacks They bear the first a stone the last an ax One would haue spikes and him a spade they giue Another asks a saw and gets a siue Thus crosly-crost they prate and point in vain What one hath made another mars again Nigh breath-less all with their confused yawling In boot-less labour now begins appawling In brief as those that in som channell deep An other elegaÌ„t comparison showing that there is no Counsail no Endeuour no diligence no might nor multitude that can resist God Begin to build a Bridge with Arches steep Perceiuing once in thousand streams extending The course-chang'd Riuer from the hils descending With watry mountains bearing down their Bay As if it scorn'd such bondage to obay Abandon quickly all their work begun And heer and there for swifter safety run These Masons so seeing the storm arriu'd Of Gods iust Wrath all weak and hart-depriu'd Forsake their purpose and like frantick fools Scatter their stuffe and tumble down their tools O proud revolt O trayterous felony Discommodities proceeding froÌ„ the confusion of Tongues See in what sort the Lord hath punisht thee By this Confusion ah that language sweet Sure bond of Cities friendships mastik meet Strong curb of anger yerst vnited now In thousand drie Brooks strays I wot not how That rare-rich gold that charm-grief fancy-mouer That calm-rage harts-theef quel-pride coniure-louer That purest coyn then currant in each coast Now mingled hath sound waight and colour lost 'T is counterfeit and ouer euery shoar The confus'd fall of Babel yet doth roar Then Finland-folk might visit Affrica The Spaniard Inde and ours America Without a truch-man now the banks that bound Our Towns about our tongues do also mound For who from home but half a furlong goes As dumb alas his Reason's tool doth lose Of if we talk but with our neer confines We borrow mouthes or else we work by signes Vn-toild vn-Tutord sucking tender food We learn'd a language all men vnderstood And seav'n-yeers-old in glass-dust did commence To draw the round Earths fair circumference To cipher well and climbing Art by Art We reacht betimes that Castles highest part Where th' Encyclopedie her darlings Crowns In signe of conquest with etern renowns Now euer-boys we wax old while we seek The Hebrew tongue the Latin and the Greek We can but babble and for knowledge whole Of Natures secrets and of th' Essence sole Which Essence giues to all we tire our minde To vary verbs and finest words to finde Our letters and our syllables to waigh At Tutors lips we hang with heads all gray Who teach vs yet to read and giue vs raw An A. B. C. for great Iustinians law Hippocrates or that Diuiner lore Where God appears to whome him right adore What shall I more say then all spake the speech The Hebrew Tongue in all Mens mouthes before the confusion of Languages Of God himselfe th' old sacred Idiom rich Rich perfect language where 's no point nor signe But hides some rare deep mysterie diuine But since that pride each people hath a-part A bastard gibberish harsh and ouerthwart Which daily chang'd and losing light wel-neer Nothing retains of that first language cleer The Phrygians once and that renowned Nation A conclusion tried whereb appeareth that chil dren are naturally apt to learn to speak not able of themselues to speake without example Fed with fair Nilus fruitfull inundation Longing to know their Languages prioritie Fondly impos'd the censuring authoritie To silly Iudges voyd of iudging sense Dumb stammerers to treat of eloquence To wit two Infants nurst by Mothers dumb In silent Cels where neuer noyse should com Of charming humane voice to eccho there Till triple-twelue months full expired were Then brought before the Memphians and the men That dwell at Zant the faint-breath'd children Crie often Bek Bek Bek is all the words That their tongue forms or their dumb mouth affords Then Phrygians knowing that in Phrygian Bek meaneth bread much to reioyce began Glad that kinde Nature had now graçt them so To grant this Sentence on their side to go Fools which perceiv'd not that the bleating flocks Which powl'd the neighbour Mountains motly locks Had taught this tearm and that no tearms of Rome Greece Egypt England France Troy Iewry com Com born with vs but euery Countries tongue Is learnt by much vse and frequenting long Only we haue peculiar to our race Aptnes to speak as that same other grace Which richly-diuers makes vs differ more From dull dumb wretches that in Desarts roar Now that Buls bellow if that any say Answeres to the obiection taken from the consufused voice of Beasts That Lions roar and slothfull Asses bray Now lowe now lowd and by such languages Distinctly seeme to shew their courages Those are not words but bare expressions Of violent fits of certain passions Confused signes of sorrow or annoy Of hunger thirst of anger loue or ioy To another Obiection of the chirping of Birds And so I say that all the winged quiers Which mornly warble on green trembling briers Ear-tickling tunes for though they seem to prattle A-part by payrs and three to three to rattle To winde their voice a hundred thousand waies In curious descant of a thousand layes T' haue taught Apollo in their School his skill Their sounds want sense their notes are word-less still Their song repeated thousand times a day As dumb discourse flies in the Woods away But only Man can talke of his Creator Aduantage of Man endued with Reason aboue the rest of the Creatures Of heav'n and earth and fire and ayr and water Of Iustice Temperance Wisdom Fortitude In choise sweet tearms that various sense include And not in one sole tongue his thoughts disâ—under But like to Scaliger our ages wonder Iosephus Scaliger skilfull in 13. languages The Learned's Sun who eloquently can Speak Spanish French Italian Nubian Dutch Chaldee Syriak English Arabik Besides the Persian Hebrew Latin Greek O rich quick spirit O wits Chameleon Which any Authors colour can put on Great Iulius Son and Syluius worthy brother Th' immortall grace of Gascony their mother And as for Iayes that in their wyery gail Answer to a third obiection touching Tarotresembling Eccho and speaking without speech Can ask for victuals and vnvictuail'd rail Who daring vs for eloquences meed Can plain pronounce the holy Christian Creed Say the Lords prayer and oft repeat it all And name by name a good great houshold call Th' are like that voice which by our voice begot From hollow vale babbles it wots not what In vain the ayr they beat it vainly cleauing And dumbly speak their own speech not conceiuing Deaf to themselues for speech
at the vulgars will Anothers course is curiously inclos'd In lists of Art of choise fit words compos'd One in the feeble birth becomming old Is cradle-toomb'd another warreth bold With the yeer-spinners One vnhappy-founded Liues in a narrow valley euer bounded Another 'mong the learned troup doth presse From Alexanders Altars euen to Fez. And such are now the Hebrew Greek and Latin Excellencie of the Hebrew Greek and Latine Tongues aboue the rest Th' Hebrew because of it wee hold the Paten Of Thrice-Eternalls euer sacred Word And of his Law that is the first Record The Greek as hauing cunningly compriz'd All kinde of knowledge that may be devis'd And manly Roman sith the sword vndaunted Through all the world her eloquence hath planted Writing these later lines weary wel-neer A pleasant introduction to his following Discourse wherein Poetically He describeth and bringeth in the principall Languages together with such as haue excelled in each of them Of sacred Pallas pleasing labours deer Mine humble chin saluteth oft my brest With an Ambrosial deaw mine eys possest By peece-meal close all mouing powrs be still From my dull fingers drops my fainting quill Down in my sloath-lov'd bed again I shrink And in dark Lethè all deep cares I sink Yea all my cares except a zeal to len A gainfull pleasure to my Country-men For th' holy loues-charm burning for their sake When I am sleeping keeps my soule awake Gold-winged Morpheus East-ward issuing The God of Dreams By 's crystall gate it earlier opening Then daies bright door fantastick leads the way Down to a vale where moist-cool night and day Still calms and storms keen cold and sultry smother Rain and fair weather follow not each-other But May still raigns and rose-crown'd Zephyrus With wanton sighes makes the green trees to buss Whose whispering boughs in Ouall form do fence This flowrie field 's delightfull excellence Iust in the midst of this enammeld vale Rose a huge Rock cut like a Pedestall Description of the House Image of Eloquence and of the principall Languages And on the Cornich a Colossus stands Of during brasse which beareth in his hands Both fire and water from his golden tongue Grow thousand chains which all the mead a-long Draw worlds of hearers with alluring Art Bound fast by th' ears but faster by the hart Before his feet Boars Bears and Tigers lie As meek as Lambs reclaim'd from cruelty Neer hils do hop and neighbour Forrests bound Seeming to daunce at his sweet voices sound Of Carian pillars raisd with curious Art On bases firm a double rowe doth girt The soule-charm Image of sweet Eloquence And these fair Piles with great magnificence Bear foure by foure one of the Tongues which now Our learned Age for fairest doth allow Now 'mong the Heav'n-deer spirits supporting heer 1. The Hebrew supported by 4. Pillars viz. The Hebrew tongue that Prince whose brows appear Like daunt-Earth Comet 's Heav'n-adorning brand Who holds a green-drie wither'd-springing wand And in his arms the sacred Register Moses Of Gods eternall ten-fold Law doth bear Is Israels guide first Author he that first Vnto his heirs his Writings offer durst Whose hallowed Pages not alone preceed All Grecian Writ but euery Grecian Deed. Dauid's the next who with the melody Of voice-matcht fingers draws sphears harmony Dauid To his Heav'n-tuned harp which shall resound While the bright day-star rides his glorious Round Yea happily when both the whirling Poles Shall cease their Galliard th' euer-blessed soules Of Christ his champions cheer'd with his sweet songs Shall daunce to th' honour of the Strong of strongs And all the Angels glory-winged Hostes Sing Holy Holy Holy God of Hoasts The third his Son wit-wondrous Salomon Salomon Who in his lines hath more wise lessons sow'n More golden words then in his Crown there shin'd Pearls Diamonds and other Gemms of Inde Then Amos Son in threatnings vehement Esay Grace-fellowed graue holy and eloquent Sweet-numbred Homer heer the Greek supports 2 The Greeke by Homer Plato Herodotus Demosthenes Whose School hath bred the many-differing sorts Of ancient Sages and through euery Realm Made like a Sea his eloquence to stream Plato the all-diuine who like the Fowl They call of Paradise doth neuer foul His foot on Earth or Sea but lofty sties Higher then Heav'n from Hell aboue the skies Cleer-styl'd Herodotus and Demosthen Gold-mouthed hearts-king law of learned men 3. The Latine by Cicero Caesar. Salust Virgil. Th' Arch-Foe to factious Catiline and since To Anthony whose thundring eloquence Yeelds thousand streams whence rapt in admiration The rarest wits are drunk in euery Nation Caesar who knowes as wel to write as war The Sinnewy Salust and that Heav'n-fall'n star Which straggling Ilium brings to Tybers brink Who neuer seems in all his Works to wink Who neuer stumbled euer cleer and graue Bashfully-bold and blushing modest-braue Still like himself and else still like to no-man 4. The Italian by Boccace Petrarch Ariosto Tasso Sustain the stately graue-sweet ancient Roman On mirthsull Boccace is the Tuscan plac't Bold choice-tearm'd Petrarch in deep passions graç't The fluent fainer of Orlando's error Smooth pithie various quick affection-stirrer And witty Tasso worthy to indight Heroïk numbers full of life and light Short sharpe-conceipted rich in language cleer Though last in age in honour formost heer 5. The Arabik by Aben-Roes Eldebag Auicen Ibnu-farid Th' Arabian language hath for pillers sound Great Aben-Rois most subtill and profound Sharp Eldebag and learned Auicen And Ibnu-farid's figure-flowing Pen. The Dutch hath him who Germaniz'd the story 6. The Dutch by Peuther Luther Peucer Butric Of Sleidan next th' Isleban lasting glory Of Wittenberg with Peucer gilding bright His pleasing stile and Butric my delight Gueuarra Boscan and Granade which sup With Garcilace in honey Pytho's cup 7. The Spanish by Gueuarra Boscan Granada Garcilaco The smiling Nectar bear th' Hyberian And but th' old glory of the Catalan Rauisht O syas he might well haue claymed The Spanish Laurell 'mong these lastly named Now for the French that shape-less Column rude 8 The French by Marot Whence th' idle Mason hath but grosly hew'd As yet the rough scales from the vpper part Is Clement Marot who with Art-les Art Busily toyls and prickt with praise-full thirst Brings Helicon from Po to Quercy first Whom as a time-torn Monument I honour Or as a broken Toomb or tattered Banner Or age-worn Image not so much for showe As for the reuerence that to Eld I owe. The next I knowe not well yet at the least He seems som skilfull Master with the rest Yet doubt I still For now it doth appear Like Iaques Aymot then like Uiginere Amyot Ronsard That is great Ronsard who his France to garnish Robs Rome and Greece of their Art-various varnish And hardy-witted handleth happily All sorts of subiect stile and Poësie And this du Plessis beating Athëisme
for super-Intendent there The supream Voice placed in every Sphear A Syren sweet that from Heav'ns Harmony Inferiour things might learn best Melody And their rare Quier with th' Angels Quier accord To sing aloud the prayses of the Lord In 's Royall Chappell richly beautifi'd With glist'ring Tapers and all sacred Pride Simile Where as by Art one selfly blast breath'd out From panting bellowes passeth all-about Winde-Instruments enters by th' vnder Clavers Which with the Keys the Organ-Master quavers Fils all the Bulk and severally the same Mounts every Pipe of the melodious Frame At once reviving lofty Cymbals voice Flutes sweetest ayr and Regals shrillest noyse Even so th' all-quickning spirit of God above The Heav'ns harmonious whirling wheels doth move So that-re-treading their eternall trace Th' one bears the Treble th' other bears the Base A foure-folde Consort in the humors seasons and Elements But brimmer far than in the Heav'ns heer All these sweet-charming Counter-Tunes we hear For Melancholy Winter Earth belowe Bear ay the Base deep hollow sad and slowe Pale Phleagm moist Autumn Water moistly-cold The Plummet-like-smooth-sliding Tennor hold Hot-humid Bloud the Spring transparent Air The Maze-like Mean that turns and wends so fair Curst Choler Sommer and hot-thirsty Fire Th' high-warbling Treble loudest in the Quire And that 's the cause my Son why stubborn'st things The power of Musike towards all things Are stoopt by Musick as reteining springs Of Number in them and they feeble live But by that Spirit which th' Heav'ns dance doth drive Sweet Musik makes the sternest men-at-Arms Let-fall at once their anger and their Arms Towards Men. It cheers sad soules and charms the frantik fits Of Lunatiks that are bereft their wits It kils the flame and curbs the fond desire Of him that burns in Beauties blazing Fire Whose soule seduced by his erring eyes Doth som proud Dame devoutly Idolize It cureth Serpents bane-full bit whose anguish In deadly torment makes men madly languish The Swan is rapt the Hinde deceiv'd with-all And Birds beguil'd with a melodious call Towards Beasts Birdes Plies Fishes Th' Harp leads the Dolphin and the buzzing swarm Of busie Bees the tinkling Brass doth charm O! what is it that Musik cannot doo Sith th' all-inspiring Spirit it conquers too And makes the same down from the Empyreall Pole Descend to Earth into a Prophets soule With divine accents tuning rarely right Towards God himselfe Vnto the rapting Spirit the rapted Spright Sith when the Lord most moved threatneth most With wrathfull tempest arming all his Hoast When angry stretching his strong sinnewy arms With bended back he throwes down thundry storms Th' harmonious sighs of his heart-turning Sheep Supple his sinnews lull his wrath a-sleep While milde-ey'd Mercy stealeth from his hand The sulph'ry Plagues prepar'd for sinfull Man But while that Heber eloquently would Conclusion of the 2. Day of the 2. Week Olde Musikes vse and excellence haue told Curst Canaan seeking Iordans fatall course Past by the Pillars and brake his Discourse And mine with-all for I must rest me heer My weary Iourny makes me faint well-neer Needs must I craue new ayd from High and step A litle back that I may farther leap The ende of the Second Day of the Second Week ABRAHAM The THIRD DAY Of The SECOND WEEK Containing 1. THE VOCATION 2. THE FATHERS 3. THE LAWE 4. THE CAPTAINS Acceptam refero The VOCATION THE I. PART OF THE III. DAY OF THE II. WEEK THE ARGVMENT ABRAM from Chaldé is Divinely CALL'D How Blest abroad His parted Nephew Thrall'd In Sodom's ayd to Chedorlaomer Rescu'd by Him Type of that bloudy War Melchisedec His Hap congratulates Ismael great but GOD confederates With promis'd Isaak and his CHRIST-kin Seed Which shall in number even the Stars exceed Lot harbors Angels sav'd from Sodom's Fire His Wife Transform'd His Daughter 's foul Desire VNtill this Day deer Muse on every side Within straight lists thou hast been boundifi'd Pend in a Path so narrow every-where Thou couldst not manage onely heer and there Reaching thine arms over the Rails that close Thy bounded Race thou caught'st som fragrant Rose Som Gilly-flowr or som sweet Sops-in-Wine To make a Chaplet thy chaste brows to binde But now behold th' art in the open Plain Where thou maist liuely like the Horse of Spain Simile That having burst his halter and his holde Flings through the field where list him vncontrol'd Coruet and turn run prance advance and pride-thee As sacred fury of thy Zeal shall guide-thee Th' whole World is thine hēceforth thy Sythe may mowe The fairest Crop that in Fame's fields doth growe And on the Sea of richest Histories Hulling at large a hundred Victories A hundred Rowts a hundred Wonders new Com huddling in in heaps before thy view So that I fear lest trayn'd with various sent Thou be at fault in this vast Argument And least the best choice in so bound-less Store Painthee no less now than did Want before But wotst thou what my Muse my deer delight My care my comfort we will follow right The modest hand of a fair Shepheardling Simile Who doth not rudely spoyl the flowry Spring Of all her painted beauties nor deface All in one day a pleasant Gardens grace But mannerly amid the Quarters seeks Such rarest flowrs as best her fancy likes And heer a blew one there a red she pulls A yellow heer and there a white she culls Then bindes them with her hair and blessed over With a chaste kiss she sends them to her Lover Wee 'l ouer-run the Annalls of all Ages And choosing-out the chiefest Personages And Prodigies amid the Hebrew Story Wee 'l offer them on th' Altar of Gods glory For He I hope who no less good then wise First stirr'd vs vp to this great Enterprise And gaue vs heart to take the same in hand For Level Compass Rule and Squire will stand Will change the Pebbles of our puddly thought To Orient Pearls most bright and bravely wrought And will not suffer in this pretious Frame Ought that a skilfull Builders ey may blame Or if he suffer ought 't shall be som trace But of that blindnes common to our Race T' abate my glory and to giue me proof That mortall I build but with mortall stuff IAMES richest Iem of Scots and Scotland's Praise Dedication to the Kings Maiestie Who with the same hand that the Scepterswayes On Heav'n-faln paper in a golden stile Doost happily immortall lines compile And new Apollo vnder Others names Singst in thy Childehood thine Ownefuture Fames To whom but thee should I these Verses vow Who through the World hast made me famous now And with a liberall learned hand indew'd My Muse with lustre of a Royall Sute Before so ragged that she blusht wel-neer That her chaste Sisters should so homly see-her The scorn of Art of Helicon the shame Vsurping wrong VRANIA'S sacred Name Through thee she 's Heav'nly O wise worthy
Prince May'st thou surmount all those in Excellence Which haue before thee Rul'd th' hard-ruled Scots And ruder Picts painted with Martiall spots That first Fergusius glory of his dayes Ev'nus and Donald may enuy thy Praise And even the Scott'sh or rather th' Hebrew Dauid Iesses great son so holily-behaved Give place to thy Renown and therewithall Give thee his Zeal and Heart heroïcall And all his best which doth thee best belong As he hath given thee his sweet Harp and Song THOVGH profane service of Idolatry Had drown'd the whole Earth vniversally Though shame-less sin born with the COLONIES Through all the World through all did Tyrannize Yet in Chaldea was their chiefest Seat Their strength in Shinaar and that City great Built on the slymy strand of Euphrates Was the proud Palace where they held their Feasts So that even Sem's and Heber's sacred Ligne Where God his grace yet seemed to confine Sucking the Sin-bane of Assyrian aire Did like the Heathen every day impaire Simile Forgot the true God followed rashly-rude The gross grand Error of the multitude Degeneriz'd decay'd and withered quight Likesom rare Fruit-Tree over-topt with spight Of Bryers and Bushes which it sore oppress With the sowr shadow of their Thorny tress Till choakt withall it dies as they do growe And beareth nought but Moss and Misseltoe But God desirous more for vs then him The Calling of Abraham In som one stock to saue Faith's sacred stem Like as before from the All-drowning Flood He sav'd the worlds seed in an Ark of wood Marks Abram for his owne and from false Rites To men to Beasts to Stocks to Stones to Sprights Him gratiously to his owne Service drawes Not by meer Conduct of exteriour cause As by contempling th' Artship richly-rare Which gilds the Seeling of this Globe so fair Earthsfruitfull power producing goodly-green From so small seeds so huge and mighty Treen Flowrs fragrant aier so fresh and divers-died Seas foaming Course whose ever-Tilting Tide Ebbing or flowing is confin'd to Season Bounded with lists guided with reans of Reason But by the motion of his Spirit which seals In our hearts Centre what his word reveals And prudently in his fit time and place Dispensing frankly his free gifts of Grace Doth inwardly bear-witnes and aver-it Vnder our Spirits that'â—is God's Holy Spirit The sacred Faith of Abram languisht not In Idleness but alwayes waakt and wrought The fruits of a true faith and the effect thereof And ever lively brought forth Patience Humility Hope Bounty Innocence Love fervent Zeal Repentance Temperance Sincerity and true Perseverance Fruits that like Load-stones haue avertue given Through Faith to draw their Father-Tree to Heav'n And guide the soules to God the spring of life Of 's kins-man Lot and Sara his deer Wife Who with him following the Almighti's call Wend to the strand where Iordans course doth craul Their owne deer Country willingly forsake And true-religious less account do make Of goods and lands and quiet-lifes content Than of an end-les friend-les Bannishment O sacred ground of Vertu 's sole perfection O shield of Martyrs Prophets sure direction Soule 's remedy O contrite heart's Restorer Tears-wiping tame-grief Hopes guide hunting horror Path of Salvation Pledge of Immortality O lively FAITH through thy admired quality How many wonders doost thou work at once When from Sin 's slumbers thou hast waakt vs once And made vsmly in our spirits conceiue Beauties that never outward eyes perceiue Alas said Abram must I needs forgoe Natural conside rations to haue stopped the Iourney of Abraha These happy fields where Euphrates doth flowe Heer first I drew this vitall air and pleas'd With my births news my Mothersthroes I eas'd Heer from her tender brest as soft as silk My tender gums suckt my first drop of milk Heer with the pleasure of mine infant-smile Her Cares and Cumbers I did oft beguile Heer my chaste Sisters Vnkles Aunts and Kin My prity prattling haue delighted in Heer many a time I want only haue clung And on my Fathers wrinkled neck haue hung Heer I haue past my Lad-age fait and good Heer first the soft Down on my chin did bud Heer I haue learn'd Heav'ns Motions and the nature And various force of Fire Air Earth and Water Heer I haue show'n the noblest tokens forth Both of my Mindes and of my Bodies worth Heer I have spent the best part of mine age Heer I possess a plentious Heritage Heer I haue got me many friends and fame And by my Deeds attain'd a glorious Name And must I hence and leaue this certain state To roam vncertain like a Runnagate O're fearfull Hils and thorough foaming Torrents That rush-down Mountains with their roring currents In dreadfull Desarts where Heav'ns hottest beam Shall burn without within vs Thirst extream And gloomy Forrests full of ghastly fear Of yelling Monsters that are dwelling there To seek a Country God knowes where and whither Whose vnknowen name hath yet scarce sounded hither With staff in hand and wallet at our back From Town to Town to beg for all we lack To guise ourselues like counterfaiting Ape To th' guise of Men that are but Men in shape T' haue briefly nothing properly our owne In all the World no not our Grave-place knowen Is' t possible I should endure to see The sighs and tears my friends will shed for me O! can I thus my Native soyl forsake O! with what words shall I my farwell take Farwell Chaldea deer delights adieu Friends Brothers Sisters farwell all of you Farwell for ever Can I thus alas Rudely vnwinde me from the kinde embrace Of their deer arms that will me faster holde 2. Comparisons Than trembling Ivie doth the Oak enfolde Or then the Vine doth with her crawling spray The boughs of Elm her limber limbs to stay Can I expose with perill of my life Th' vn-vulgar beauties of my vertuous wife To the none-sparing lust of that loose Nation That brutely burns in all abhomination Besides what rigour nay what paricide To hale from Tygris shoat to Iordans side A weak olde-man a man so weak and olde He scarse can creep without our help and holde Yet 't must be so for so the Lord commands His resolution aboue al discour se of reason A carnall man on carnal reason stands But for all Reasons Faith suffizeth me Who lodge with God can never House-less be Then cheerly marcht he on and though the age And death of Terah slow'd his pilgrimage Therest of His he doth conduct in fine To Canaan since called Palaestine Where God pours down such flouds of goods vpon them The great blessing of God on his obedience And bountiously bestowes such blessings on-them That their abundance shortly seems t' exceed God's Promises and their desires indeed Their fruitfull Heards that hill and dale do haunt Resemble not the breed of th' Elephant Which slowe in coupling and in calving more Pyning her Master so long time
can the Steer The whistling Goad-man's guiding language hear It rain'd indeed but not such fertil rain The manner of their punishment by fire and brimstone from Heaven and the reason thereof As makes the Corn in Sommer sprout amain And all things freshed with a pleasant air To thrive and prove more lively strong and fair But in this sink of Sin this stinking Hel A rain of Salt of Fire and Brimston fel. Salt did consume the pleasant fruitfulness Which serv'd for fewel to their Wantonness Fire punished their beastly Fire within And Brimstone's stink the stench of their foul Sin So as their Sin was singular of right Their Punishment was also exquisite Heer open Flames and there yet hidden Fires Burn all to ashes sparing neither Spires Of Brick nor Stone nor Columns Gates nor Arches Nor Bowrs nor Towrs nor even their neighbour-Marches In vain the-while the People weep and cry The same most liuely represented To see their wrack and knowe no remedy For now the Flame in richest Roofs begun From molten gutters scalding Lead doth run The Slats and Tyles about their ears do split The burning Rafters Pitch and Rosin spit The whirling Fire re-mounteth to the Skie About the fields ten thousand sparks do flie Half-burned Houses fal with hideous fray And VVLCAN makes Mid-night as bright as Day Heaven flings-down nought but flashing Thunder-shot Th' Air 's all a-fire Earth's exhalations hot Are spewing AETNA'S that to Heaven aspire All th' Elements in brief are turn'd to fire Heer one perceiving the next Chamber burning With suddain leap towards the window turning Thinks to cry Fire but instantly the smoke And Flame with-out his with-in Voice do choke Another sooner feels then sees the Fire For while O horror in the stinking mire Of his foul Lust he lies a Lightning flash Him and his Love at-once to dust doth dash Th' abhorred Bed is burnt and they aswell Coupled in Plague as Sin are sent to Hell Another yet on tops of Houses crawls But his foot slips and down at last he falls Another feeling all his cloathes a-fire Thinking to quench them yer it should come nigher Leaps in a Lake but all the Lake began To boyl and bubble like a seething Pan Simile Or like a Chaldron that top-full of Oyl Environ'd round with fume and flame doth boyl To boyl to death som cunning counterfait That with false stamp som Princes Coyn hath beat Another seeing the City all in Cinders Himself for safety to the fields he renders But flakes of Fire from Heav'n distilling thick There th' horror of a thousand Deaths do strike Through Adamah's and Gomor's goodly Plains Sodom and Seboim not a soule remains Horse Sheep and Oxen Cows and Kids partake In this revenge for their vile Masters sake Thus hath the hand of the Omnipotent Inroll'd the Deed of their drad Punishment With Diamantin Pen on Plates of Brass With such an Ink as nothing can deface The molten Marble of these cindred Hills Asphaltis Lake and these poor mock-fruit Fields Keep the Record and cry through every Age How God detesteth such detested rage O chastisement most dradly-wonderfull Th' Heav'n-cindred Cities a broad standing Pool O're-flowes yet flowes not whose infectious breath Corrupts the Ayr and Earth dis-fertileth A Lake whose back whose belly and whose shoar Nor Bark nor Fish nor Fowl hath ever bore The pleasant Soyl that did even shame yer-while The plentious beauties of the banks of Nile Now scarr'd and collowed with his face and head Cover'd with ashes is all dri'd and dead Voyd of all force vitall or vegetive Vpon whose brest nothing can live or thrive For nought it bears save an abortiue suit Of seeming-fair false vain and fained fruit A fruit that feeds theey and fills the hand But to the stomach in no steed doth stand For even before it touch the tender lips Or Ivory teeth in empty smoak it slips So vanishing only the nose receiues A noysom savour that behinde it leaues Heer I adiure you vent'rous Trauailours Exhortation to Trauailers that haue seene to others that shall reade or heare these fearefull monuments of Gods seuere Iustice to make right vse of this fearefull Example That visit th' horror of these cursed shoars And taste the venom of these stinking streams And touch the vain fruit of these wythered stems And also you that do beholde them thus In these sad Verses pourtray'd heer by vs To tremble all and with your pearly tears To showr another Sea and that your hairs Staring vpright on your affrighted head Heave-vp your Hats and in your dismall dread To think you hear like Sulph'ry Storms to strike On our nâ—w Monsters for Offences like For the Almightie's drad all-daunting arm Not only strikes such as with Sodom swarm In these foul Sins but such as sigh or pity Sodoms destruction or so damn'd a City And cannot constant with dry eyes observe God's iudgements iust on such as such deserve LOT hies to SEGOR but his wife behinde Lots wise metamorphozed Lagged in body but much more in minde She weeps and wails O lamentable terror O impicus Pity O kind-cruell error The dire destruction of the smoking Cities Her Sons-in-Law which should haue been she pities Grieves so to leave her goods and she laments To lose her Iewels and habiliments And contrary to th' Angels Words precise Towards the Town she turns her wofull eyes But instantly turn'd to a whitely stone Her feet alas fast to the ground be growen The more she stirs she sticks the faster in As silly Bird caught in a subtil gin Simile Set by som Shepheard neer the Copses side The more it struggles is the faster ty'd And as the venom of an eating Canker Simile From flesh to flesh runs every day the ranker And never rests vntill from foot to head O're all the Body his fell poyson spread This Ice creeps-vp and ceaseth not to num Till even the marrow hard as bones becom The brain be like the seul and bloud convert To Alablaster over every part Her Pulse doth cease to beat and in the air The Windes no more can wave her scattered hair Her belly is no belly but a Quar Of Cardon Rocks and all her bowels are A pretious Salt-Mine supernaturall Such as but Salt I wot not what to call A Salt which seeming to be fall'n from Heav'n To curious Spirits hath long this Lesson given Not to presume in Divine things to pry Which seav'n-times seal'd vnder nine Locks do lie She weeps alas and as she weeps her tears Turn into Pearls fro'rn on her twinkling hairs Fain would she speak but forced to conceal In her cold throat her guilty words congeal Her mouth yet open and her arms a-cross Though dumb declare both why and how she was Thus Metamorphos'd for Heav'n did not change Her last sad gestures in her suddain Change No gorgeous Maâ—sole grac't with flattering verse Eternizeth her Trunk her House and Herse But to
Coward lose the Crown So neer your head to heap you with renown Shal we so dare to dally with the Lord To cast his yoak and to contemn his Word Where shall we fly his hand Heav'n is his Throne The Earth his foot-stool and dark Acheron The Dungeon where the damned soules be shut Is of his anger euermore the Butt On him alone all our good-hap depends And he alone from dangers vs defends Ah! weep no more This sacred Turf doth craue More blood than Tears let vs vs so behaue That ioyn'd in zeal we yield vs willingly To make a vertue of necessity Let 's testifie we haue a time abod I in your School you in the school of God Where we haue learned that his sacred Word Which made of Nothing all that euer stirr'd Which all sustaines and all directeth still To diuers ends conducts the good and ill Who loues not God more than all Kinn's respect Deserues no place among his deer Elect And who doth once God's Till age vnder-take Must not look back neither his Plough forsake Here-with th' old Hebrew cheerfuller becam And to himself cries Courage Abraham The World the Flesh Adam are dead in thee God Spirit and Faith alone subsisting be Lord by thy Spirit vnto my spirit annex So liuely Faith that still mine eyes may fix On thy true Isaac whose sharp sin-less Suffering Shall purge from sin me and my sinfull offering Scarce had he draw'n his sword in resolution With heaued hand for instant execution When instantly the thundring voyce of God Stay'd heart and hand and thus the Fact forbod Abram enough holde holde thy hand sayd he Put-vp thy sword thine Isaac shall not die Now of thy faith I haue had perfect proof Thy Will for Deed I do accept enough Glad Abram then to God giues thanks and prayse Vnbindes his Son and in his room he lays A Lamb there strangely hampered by the head And that to God devoutly offered Renowned Abraham Thy noble Acts Excell the Fictions of Heröik Facts And that pure Law a Son of thine shall write Shall nothing els but thy braue deeds recite Extol who list thy wisdom's excellence Victorious Valour frank Beneficence And Iustice too which even the Gentiles honor Ill dares my Muse take such a task vpon-her Onely thy Faith not all with all th' Effects Onely one fruit of thousand she selects For glorious subiect which to say the right I rather loue to wonder-at than write Go Pagans turn turn-over every Book Through all Memorials of your Martyrs look Collect a Scroule of all the Children slain On th' Altars of your Gods dig-vp again Your lying Legends Run through every Temple Among your Offerings choose the best example Among your Offerings which your Fathers past Haue made to make their names eternall last Among them all fondlings you shall not finde Such an example where vnkindely-kinde Father and Son so mutually agree To showe themselues Father nor Son to be Where man 's deep zeal and God's deer fauour stroue For Counter-conquest in officious loue One by constraint his Son doth sacrifice Another means his Name t' immortallize By such a Fact Another hopes to shun Som dismall Plague or dire Affliction Another only that he may conform To Tyrant Custom 's aw-les law-les Form Which blears our eys and blurs our Senses so That Lady Reason must her seat forgo Yea blindes the iudgement of the World so far That Uertue's oft arraign'd at Vice's Bar. But vn-constrain'd our Abram all alone Vpon a Mountain to the guise of none For it was odious to the Iewes to doo And in a time of Peace and plenty too Fights against Nature prickt with wondrous zeal And slaying Isaac wars against his Weal O sacred Muse that on the double Mount With withering Bayes bind'st not thy Singers Front But on Mount Sion in the Angels Quire With Crowns of glory doest their brows atrire Tell for thou know'st what sacred Mystery Vnder this shaddow doth in secret ly O Death Sin Satan tremble ye not all For hate and horror of your dreadfull Fall So liuely figur'd To beholde Gods Bowe So ready bent to cleaue your heart in two To see yong Isaac Pattern of that Prince Who shal Sin Satan Death and Hell convince Both only Sons both sacred Potentates Both holy Founders of two mighty States Both sanctified both Saints Progenitors Both bear their Cross both Lamb-like Sufferers Both bound both blame-less both without reply Both by their Fathers are ordain'd to dy Vpon Mount Sion which high glorious Mount Serues vs for Ladder to the Heav'ns to mount Restores vs Edens key the key of Eden Lost through the eating of the fruit forbidden By wretched Adam and his weaker Wife And blessed bears the holy Tree of life Christ dies indeed but Isaac is repriv'd Because Heav'ns Councell otherwise contriv'd For Isaac's blood was no sufficient price To ransom soules from Hell to Paradise The Leprosie of our contagious sin More powr-full Rivers must be purged in FINIS The LAWE THE III. PART OF THE III. DAY OF THE II. WEEK THE ARGVMENT Envy in Pharao seeks to stop the Cause Of Iews increase Moses escapes his claws Out of a Burning vnburnt Bush a Voice For Iacob's Rescue doth of Him make choice Sends him with Aaron to the Egyptian King His Hard'ning PLAGVING finall Ruining In the Red Sea Israel ingrate for all Christ-Typing Manna Quails Rock-waters fall The glorious LAVVE the golden Calf strange Fire Coré in-gulft MOSES prepar'd t' expire ARm-Arming Trumpets lofty Clarions Rock-battering Bumbards Valour-murdering Guns Think you to drown with horror of your Noise The choise sweet accents of my sacred Voice Blowe till you burst roar rend the Earth in sunder Fill all with Fury Tempest War and Thunder Dire Instruments of Death in vain yee toyl For the loud Cornet of my long-breath'd stile Out-shrills yee still and my Stentorian Song With warbled Ecchoes of a silver tongue Shall brim be heard from India even to Spain And then from thence even to the Artik Wayn Yet 't is not I not I in any sort My sides's too-weak alas my breath 's too-short It is the spirit-inspiring Spirit which yerst On th' eldest Waters mildly moved first That furnishes and fills with sacred winde The weak dull Organs of my Muse and minde So still good Lord in these tumultuous times Giue Peace vnto my Soule soule to my Rimes Let me not faint amid so fair a course Let the World's end be th' end of my Discourse And while in FRANCE fell MARS doth all devour In lofty stile Lord let me sing thy Powr ALL-CHANGING Time had cancell'd and supprest IOSEPH'S Deserts his Master was deceast His Sons were dead when currish Envie 's strife Lays each-where ambush for poor ISRAEL'S life Who notwithstanding doth far faster spread Comparison And thicker spring than in a fruitfull Mead Moted with Brooks the many-leaved locks Of thriving Charvel which the bleating Flocks Can with their dayly hunger hardly mowe So
What resteth at this day of Salaminian The inconstancie and vanity of Humane Lawes Laconian LAVVS or of the Carthaginian Yea Rome that made even all the World one City So strong in Arms and in State's-Art so witty Hath in the Ruines of her Pride 's rich Babels Left but a Relique of her Twice-Six-Tables But since in Horeb the High-Thundring ONE Stability and authoritie of the Law of God Pronounç't This Law three-thousands times the Sun Hath gallopt round Heaven's golden Bandeleer Imbosst with Beasts studded with starrs so cleer And yet one tittle hath not Time bereft Although the People vnto whom 't was left Be now no People but expulst from home Through all the corners of the World do roam And though their State through every Age almost On a rough Sea of Mischiefs hath been tost A Butt a Brook a Torrent doth confine All other Lawes Megarian Discipline Hath nought of th' Attick nor the Coronan Of Theban Rytes nor Thebes of Cadmèan But this Set LAVV given IACOB'S Generations Is the true Law of Nature and of Nations Which sacred sounds wher-ever to descry Th' all-searching Sun doth cast his flaming eye The Turks imbrace the Christians honour it And Iews with Fear do even adore it yet I only I Great GOD thy LAVVS do spurn How all men transgresse the same in euery part With my foul feet I do thy Satutes scorn Puft in my Soule with extream Pride before Nay in thy stead I do my self Adore I Serue no wooden gods nor Kneel to Stones But Covetous I Worship Golden ones I Name thee not but in vain Blasphemy Or ACHAB-like in sad Hypocrisie I Rest the Sabboath yet I break thy LAVV Seruing for thee mine idle Mouth and Maw I Reverence Superiors but in showe Not out of Loue but as compelled so I Murder none yet doth my Tongue too-rife Wound others Fame and my Hearts-hate their life I Civilize lest that I seem Obscoene But Lord Thou know'st I am Vnchaste vnclean I seem no Theef yet tempted with my Want I take too oft the Fruit I did not plant I speak not much yet in my little Talk Much Vanity and many Lies do walk I Wish too-earnest and too-oft in fine For others Fortunes male-content with mine Heer lie I naked lo th' Anatomy Remedy for all our sinnes Of my foul Heart O Humane-Deity O Christ th' Almightie's like All-mighty Word O put-me-on Thy Robe as whilom Lord Thou putst-on Mine me in Thy Blood be-laue And in my Soule thy sacred Laws ingraue While with the Duke th' Eternall did deuise And to his inward sight did modulize His Tabernacle's admirable Form And prudently him faithfull did inform In a new Rubrik of the Rytes Divine To th' end the Heirs of promis'd Palestine After their fancy should not worship him Nor Idol-prone example leading them Into his sacred TEMPLE introduce The Sacrifices that the Heathen vse But by their Rytes to guide their spiritual eye To Christ the Rock on whom their hopes should lie In Moses absence Aaron makes the golden Calfe Beholde alas frail Aaron Deputied During his absence all the Flock to guide Dumb coward Curr barks not against their ill But giving way to the mad Peoples will Casteth a Golden Calf and sets it vp For them to worship and vnto it stoop Gold Rings and Iewels which the Lord of Heaven Had as Loue-tokens lately to them given Are cast into a Mould and which is worse Iacob to wed a Calf doth God divorce Those Feet that dry-shod past the Crimsin Gulf Now Dance alas before a Molten Calf That Voice which late on ETHAM sands had rung Th' Almightie's glory now to Satan sung The zealous Prophet with iust fury moov'd Moses sharply reproveth Aaron breakes the Idol and punisheth the Idolaters 'Fore all the Hoast his Brother sharp reproov'd And pulveriz'd their Idol and eft-soons Flankt by olde LEVI'S most religious Sons Throngs through the Camp each-where strowes his way With blood and slaughter horror and dismay As half a score of Reapers nimbly-neat Simile With cheerfull ey choosing a plot of Wheat Reap it at pleasure and of Ceres locks Make hand-fulls sheaves of their sheaves make Shocks And through the Field from end to end do run Working a-vie till all be down and don Or as so many Canons shot at-once A-front a Camp Th' Earth with the Thunder grones Simile Heer flies a broken arm and breaks another There stands th' one half of a halv'd body th' other Falls-down a furlong thence heer flies a shield And deep-wide windows make they in the field All these sure signes of God's deer estimate Aaron Mary or Miriam murmure against Moses Cannot confirm the Hebrew Magistrate In his Authority even AARON spights-it And MIRIAM his Sister too back-bites-it But suddainly on her in his Defence Foul Leprosie did punish this Offence Nadab and Abihu for offering of strange Fire are killed by Fire from Heaven His Nephews scorning his Command aspire Before the Lord to offer forrain Fire But on them soon a heav'nly Flame down-falling As in the Sommer som hot-dry Exhaling Or blazing-Star with suddain flash doth fall At Palmers feet and him affright with-all Fires instantly their beards and oyled hair And all the sacred vestiments they wear Exhales their bloud their Bodies burns to ashes Their Censers melts with heat of Lightning flashes Their coals are quenched all and sacred Flame Th' vn-hallowed Fire devour'd and over-came His Kins-man CORE then with DATHAN ioyn'd Core Dathan and Abiram their conspiracy And with ABIRAM murmur'd and repin'd O see saith he how many a subtil gin The Tyrant sets to snare our Freedoms in How we abus'd with Oracles most vain Which MOSES and his brother AARON fain For idle hopes of promis'd Signories Do simply lose our sweetest Liberties See how they do ingross between them two Into one House SCEPTER and EPHOD too See how they dally and with much delay Prolong our Iourney to prolong their Sway And to conclude see how sly Course they take To build their Greatness on our grievous wrack Hear'st thou me MOSES if thou chiefly ioy To see thy Brethren's torments and annoy 'T were good to walk vs yet for ten yeers more About these Mountains in these Desarts poor Keep vs still Exiles Let vs our Desire Languish wax-olde and in these sands expire Where cruell Serpents haunt vs still at hand A Fruit-les Flood-les yea a Land-les Land If rear'd from Youth in Honour thine Ambition Cannot com down to privat mens condition Be Captain Duke and King for God approves-thee Thy Vertues guard the People fears and loves-thee But as for AARON what is his desert What High-exploit what Excellence what Art Gain'd him th' High-Priesthood O good God what shame Alas hath he for any thing got â—ame But HOREBS Horn-God for despising thee And thy Commands and for Conspiracie The morrow next before the Sacred Tent This Mutiner with sacred Conserwent
wide Crock tkat on his hip had hung And down his back powrs back-ward all his Course The stream returns towards his double source And leaving dry a large deep lane betwixt The fearfull waues in heaped Hils were fixt To giue God place and passage to his hoast Towards their Promis'd and appointed coast So dry they pass after the sacred Oracle The Israelites passe dry shod through Iordan And leaue Memorials of that famous Miracle Vpon Mount Gilgal and their flesh anon They seal with Signe of their Adoption For the All-guiding God th' Almighty Prince To giue His som speciall difference Will'd that all Males of Abram's Progenies Circumcision With sacred Rasor should them Circumcise And ever-more that Isaac's blessed Race Should in their Fore-skin bear his gage of Grace But why sayst thou should ancient ISRAEL A curious Question why it was appointed in such a place In such a secret place Record and Seal Th' Act of the Covenant and with bloody smart Ingraue their glory in a shamefull part Who blushes at it is a grace-less Beast Who shames to see the Signe of Grace imprest A sharp and sober answere In shamefull part he is asham'd of CHRIST Born of that Race and selfly Circumcis'd A hundred subtill Reasons from the Writs Of Rabines could I bring but sober Wits Rest satisfied conceiving that th' incision Of th' obscoene Fore-â—kin signifies th' abscision The right application and vse thereof Or sacred cutting-off of foul Affects Beseeming those whom God for his elects That God the Fruits of Flesh and Blood doth hate And that through CHRIST we must regenerate Now th' Hebrews kept their Pass-over and go The Passeover By Heav'ns address to mighty Iericho Besieging so the City round about That fear got in but nothing could get out Souldiers sayd then th' vndaunted Generall The Siege of Iericho after a strange manner Prepare no Mattocks Ladders nor Rams at all To myne or scale or batter-down these Towrs The great the high the mighty God of Powrs Will fight himself alone and then he bod As first himself had been inform'd by God That dayly once they all should march the Round About the City with horn-Trumpets sound Bearing about for only Banneret The lightfull Ark GOD's sacred Cabinet Their swords vn-draw'n not making any noyse Threat-less their brows and without braves their voyce No shaft to shoot no signe of War no glance And even their March doth rather seem a dance What Childre-spell what May-game haue we heer The Citizens devide it What dare you Gallants dare you com no neer Is this your braue Assault is this your Fight Ween you with Scar-crowes vs like birds to fright Said the besieged get you som where els Poorsots to showe your Bug-bears and your spels Cease your hoarse musick leaue the stage alone Fools draw the Curten now your Play is done Six dayes together had the Hebrews thus 't On the 7 day their walles of themselues fall downe About the town seaven-times the seaventh they must When sacred Levits sound more lowd and high Their horny Trumps then all the people cry Com com great God com batter batter down These odious walls this Idol-wedded Town It cracks in th' instant the foundation shrinks The mortar crumbles from the yawning chinks Each stone is loose and all the wall doth quiver And all at once vnto the ground doth shiver With hideous noyse and th' Heathen Guarison Is but immur'd with Clowds of dust alone So shall you see a Clowd-crown'd Hill somtime Torn from a greater by the waste of Time Dreadly to shake and boundling down to hop And roaring heer it roules tall Cedars vp There aged Oaks it turns it spurns it hales The lower Rocks into th' affrighted Vales There sadly sinks or suddain stops the way Of som swift Torrent hasting to the Sea Boast you O Bombards that you Thunder drown And vaunt you Mines that you turn vp side-down Rampires and Towrs and Walls the massie-most Yet your exploits require both time and cost You make but a small breach but a rough way And by mischance oft your owne side betray But th' Hebrews with a suddain showt and cry A whole great Town dis-mantle instantly And vnresisted entring every-where They exercise all hostile vengeance there And as a sort of lusty Bil-men set Simile In Wood-sale time to fell a Cops by great Be-stir them so that so on with sweating pain They turn an Oak-groue to a Field of grain So th' Hebrew Hoast without remorse or pitty Ierico sackt consumed with fire and all her inhabitants put to the sword without respect of State Sexe or Age. Through all sad corners of the open City Burn break destroy bathe them in blood and toyl To lay all levell with the trampled soyl The Idol's Temples and the delicat Prince-Palaces are quickly beaten flat The Fire lowd-crackling with the Clowds doth meet A bloody Torrent runs through every street Their venge-full sword spares neither great nor small Neither the Childe that on his hands doth crawl Nor him that wears snowe on his shaking head Ice in his heart nor the least Beast they bred A deed indeed more worthy th' Hesiline Than th' holy Hebrews had the voyce Divine Not charg'd them so and choycely armed them 'Gainst Iericho with his owne * Curse Anathem Reserving only for his Sacred Place The Gold and Silver th' Iron and the Brass Yet sacrilegious Achan dar'd to hoord Achan's Sacriledge Som precious Pillage which incenst the Lord Against the Camp so that he let them fly For this Offence before their Enemy For when three thousand chosen Israelites Were sent to Hai t' assault the Cananites Hai summoned the Townes mens sally and put the Israelites to flight The Town all arm 's their Prince the forwardest No less-brave Souldier then bold Athëist Arms the broad mountain of his hairy breast With horrid scales of Nilus greedy beast His brawny arms and shoulders with the skin Of the dart-darting wily Porcupin He wears for Helm a Dragon 's ghastly head Wher-on for Plume a huge Horse-tail doth spread Not much vnlike a Birch-tree bare belowe The antik armour of the king His insolent and blasphemous Oration Which at the top in a thick tuft doth growe Waving with every winde and made to kiss Th' Earth now on that side and anon on this In Quyver made of Lezard's skins he wears His poysoned Arrows and the Bowe he bears Is of a mighty Tree strung with a Cable His Shaft a Lever whose keen head is able To pearce all proof stone steel and Diamant Thus furnished the Tyrant thus doth vaunt Sirs shall we suffer this ignoble Race Thus shamefully vs from our Owne to chase Shall they be Victors yer they overcom Shall our Possessions and our Plenty com Among these Mongrels Tush let Children quake At dreams of ABRAM let faint Women shake At their drad God at their
askt in vain For what is it Elijah cannot do If he be hungry Fouls and Angels too Becom his Stewards Fears he th' armed Bands Of a fel Tyrant from their bloody hands To rescue him Heav'n his confederate Consumes with Fire them and their fierie hate Or would he pass a Brook that brooks no bay Nor Bridge nor Bank The Water giues him way Or irks him Earth To Heav'n alive he hies And sauing Henoch onely He not-dies This Man of God discoursing with his heir Elijah taken vp aliue into Heaven Of th' vpper Kingdom and of Gods Affair A sodain whirl-winde with a whiffing Fire And flaming Chariot rapts him vp intire Burns not but fines and doth in fashion strange By death-les Death mortall immortall change A long-tail'd squib a flaming ridge for rut Seems seen a while where the bright Coach hath cut This sacred Rape nigh rapt Elisha too Who taking vp his Tutors Mantle tho Follows as far as well he could with ey The fire-snort Palfreys through the sparkling Sky Crying My father father mine fare-well The Chariots and the Horse of Izrael The Thisbian Prophet hangs not in the Air Amid the Meteors to be tossed there As Mists and Rains and Hail and hoarie Plumes And other Fierie many-formed Fumes Amid the Air tumultuous Satan roules And not the Saints the happy heav'nly Soules Nor is he nailed to some shining Wheel Ixion-like continually to reel For CHRIST his flesh transfigur'd and divine Mounted aboue the Arches Crystalline And where CHRIST is from pain and passion free There after death shall all his Chosen bee Elijah therfore climbs th' Empyreal Pole Where ever-blest in body and in soule Contemns this World becoms an Angel bright And doth him firm to the TRINE-ONE vnite But how or why should He this vantage haue Yer CHRIST right call'd the first-fruits of the Grave O happy passage O sweet sacred Flight O blessed Rape thou raptest so my spright In this Dispute and mak'st my weaker wit So many wayes to cast-about for it That I confess the more I do contend I more admire and less I comprehend For lack of wings then biding heer belowe With his Successor I proceed to showe How soon as he took-vp his Cloak to bear-it Elizeus or Elisha Within Elisha shin'd Elijah's Spirit By powr whereof immediatly he cleaves An vn-couth way through Iordan's rapid waves Past hope he gives to the Sunamian Wife A Son and soon restores him dead to life With sodain blindness smightes the Syrian Troup The which in Dothan did him round in coup Increaseth bread and of a pound of Oyl Fills all the Vessels in a Town that while His hoary head in Bethel laught to scorn Is veng'd by Bears on forty children torn Naaman's cleans'd and for foul Simonie Gehazi's punisht with his Leprosie Mends bitter Broath he maketh Iron swim As porie Cork vpon the Water's brim Rich Iericho's sometimes sal-peetry soil Through brinie springs that did about it boil Brought forth no fruit and her vn-holsom Brooks Voyded the Town of Folk the Fields of Flocks The Towns-men therefore thus besought the Seer Thou seest our Citie 's situation heer Is passing pleasant but the ground is naught The Water worse we pray thee mend the fault Sweeten our Rivers make them pleasanter Our Hills more green our Plains more fertiler The Prophet calls but for a Cruse of Salt O strangest cure to cure the brynie fault Of all their Floods and casting that in one Foul stinking Spring heals all their streams anon Not for an houre or for a day or twain But to this Day they sweet and sound remain Their Valley walled with bald Hills before But even a horror to behold of-yore Is now an Eden and th' All-circling Sun For fruitfull beauty sees no Paragon There labour-les mounts the victorious Palm There and but there growes the all-healing Balm There ripes the rare cheer-cheek Myrobalan Minde-gladding Fruit that can vn-olde a Man O skilfull Husbands giue your fattest Plains Five or six earths spare neither cost nor pains To water them rid them of weeds and stones With Muck and Marle batten and baste their bones Vnles God bless your Labour and your Land You plough the Sea and sowe vpon the sand This Iurie knowes a Soil somtimes at least Sole Paradise of all the proudest East But now the brutest and most barren place The curse of God and all the Worlds disgrace And also Greece on whom Heav'ns yerst so good Rain nothing now but their drad Furie's Flood The grace of God is a most sure Revenue A Sea of Wealth that ever shall continew A never-failing Field which needs not ay The cool of Night nor comfort of the Day What shall I say This sacred Personage Not only profits to his proper Age But after life life in his bones hee leaves And dead the dead he raiseth from their graves Nor is Elisha famous more for Miracles Than for the Truth of his so often Oracles He showes the Palms and Foils of Israell Benhadad's death the Raign of Hazael Beyond all hope and passing all appearance Deiected Ioram's neer relief he warrants For now the Syrian with insulting Powrs The fiege and Famine of Samaria So streict besiegeth the Samarian Towrs That even al-ready in each nook agrising Fell wall-break all-break Famin ill-advising Howls hideously even the bare bones are seen As sharp as kniues thorough the emptie skin Of the best bred and each-man seems almost No Man indeed but a pale ghastly Ghost Som snatch the bread from their owne Babes that pine Som eat the Draff that was ordain'd for Swine Som doo defile them with forbidden flesh Som bite the grass their hunger to refresh Som gold for Birds-dung waight for waight exchange Som of their Boots make them a Banquet strange Som fry the Hay-dust and it savorie finde Som Almond-shels and Nut-shels gladly grinde Som mince their Fathers Wills in parchment writ And so devoure their Birth-right at a bit The King when wearie he would rest awhile Dreams of the Dainties he hath had yer-while Smacks swallows grindes both with his teeth and iaws But only winde his beguil'd bellie draws And then awaking of his owne spare Diet Robbs his owne brest to keep his Captains quiet He is importun'd heer and there about Aboue the rest a Woman skrieketh out In moornfull manner with disheueled haire Her face despight her fashion showes despaire O! stay my Liege heat hear a grieuous thing Mothers eat their owne Children Iustice great Ioram Iustice gentle King O no not Iustice did I Iustice craue Fondling in Iustice thou canst nothing haue But a iust death nay but a Torture fell Nay but a Torment like the pains of Hell Yet even this Plea is worse then death to me Then grant me Iustice Iustice let it be For O! what horror can restrain desire Of iust Revenge when it is once afire My Lord I bargain'd and to bind the Pact By solemn Oath I sealed the Contract
for their Deities Gods made with hands Gods without life or breath Gods which the Rust Fier Hammer conquereth But thou art Lord th' invincible alone Th' All-seeing GOD the Everlasting ONE And who so dares him gainst thy Powr oppose Seems as a Puff which roaring Boreas blowes Weening to tear the Alps off at the Foot Or Clowds-prop Athos from his massie Root Who but mis-speaks of thee he spets at Heav'n And his owne spettle in his face is driven Lord shew thee such take on thee the Defence Of thine owne glory and our innocence Cleer thine owne name of blame let him not thus Tryumph of Thee in tryumphing of vs But let ther Lord vnto thy Church appear Iust Cause of Ioy and to thy Foes of fear God hears his Cry and from th' Empyreal Round Miraculous slaughter of the Assirians He wrathfull sends a winged Champion down Who richly arm'd in more than humane Arms Mowes in one night of Heathen men at Arms Thrice-three-score thousand and five thousand more Feld round about beside behinde before Heer his two eyes which Sun-like brightly turn Simile Two armed Squadrons in a moment burn Not much vnlike vnto a fier in stubble Which sodain spreading still the flame doth double And with quick succour of som Southren blasts Crick-crackling quickly all the Country wastes Heer the stiff Storm that from his mouth he blowes Thousands of Souldiers each on other throwes Simile Even as a Winde a Rock a sodain Flood Bears down the Trees in a side-hanging Wood Th' Yew overturns the Pine the Pine the Elm The Elm the Oak th' Oak doth the Ash ore-whelm And from the top down to the Vale belowe The Mount's dis-mantled and even shamed so Heer with a Sword such as that sacred blade For the bright Guard of Eden's entry made He hacks he hews and somtimes with one blowe A Regiment hee all at once doth mowe And as a Cannon's thundrie roaring Ball Simile Battering one Turret shakes the next withall And oft in Armies as by proof they finde Kils oldest Souldiers with his very winde The whiffing Flashes of this Sword so quick Strikes dead a many which it did not strike Heer with his hands he strangles all at-once Legions of Foes O Arm that Kings dis-throans O Army-shaving Sword Rock-razing Hands World-tossing Tempest All-consuming Brands O let som other with more sacred fier Than I inflam'd into my Muse inspire The wondrous manner of this Overthrowe The which alas God knowes I little knowe I but admire it in confused sort Conceiue I cannot and much less report Com-on Zenacherib where 's now thine Hoast Where are thy Champions Thou didst lately boast Th' hadst in thy Camp as many Soldiers As Sea hath Fishes or the Heav'ns haue Stars Now th' art alone and yet not all alone Fear and Despair and Fury wait vpon Thy shame-full Flight but bloody Butcher stay Stay noysom Plague fly not so fast away Fear not Heav'ns Fauchin that foul brest of thine Shall not be honor'd with such wounds divine Nor shalt thou yet in timely bed decease No Tyrants vse not to Depart in Peace As bloud they thirsted they are drown'd in blood Their cruell Life a cruell Death makes good For O iust Iudgement lo thy Sons yer-long Zenacherib slain by his owne sonnes At Nisroch's Shrine revenge the Hebrews wrong Yea thine owne Sons foul eggs of fouler Bird Kill their owne Father sheath their either sword In thine owne throat and heirs of all thy vices Mix thine owne bloud among thy Sacrifices This Miracle is shortly seconded By one as famous and as strange indeed It pleas'd the Lord with heavy hand to smight King Ezechiah who in dolefull plight Ezekiah's sicknesse Vpon his bed lies vexed grieuously Sick of an Vlcer past all remedy Art fails the Leach and issue faileth Art Each of the Courtiers sadly wayles a-part His losse and Lord Death in a mourn-ful sort Through every Chamber daunteth all the Court And in the City seems in every Hall T' haue light a Taper for his Funerall Then Amos * The Prophet Isaiah Son his bed approaching pours From plentious lips these sweet and golden showrs But that I knowe you knowe the Lawes Divine But that your Faith so every-where doth shine But that your Courage so confirm'd I see I should my Liege I should not speak so free A comfortable Visitation of the sicke I would not tell you that in continent You must prepare to make your Testament That your Disease shall haue the vpper hand And Death already at your Door doth stand What fears my Lord Knowe you not heer beneath We alwayes say I towards the Port of Death Where who first anch'reth first is glorified That 't is Decreed confirm'd and ratified That of necessity the fatall Cup. Once all of vs must in our turn drink vp That Death 's no pain but of all pains the end The Gate of Heav'n and Ladder to ascend That Death 's the death of all our storms and strife And sweet beginning of immortall Life For by one death a thousands death's we slay Thear-by we rise from Body-Toomb of Clay Thear-by our Soules feast with celestiall food Thear-by we com to th' heav'nly Brother-hood Thear-by w' are chang'd to Angels of the Light And face to face behold Gods beuties bright The Prophet ceast and soon th' Isaacian Prince Deep apprehending Death's drad form and sense Vnto the Wall-ward turns his weeping eyes And sorrow-torn thus to himself he cries Lord I appeal Lord as thine humble childe A Prayer for a sick person mutatis mutandis From thy iust Iustice to thy Mercy milde Why will thy strength destroy a silly-one Weakned and wasted even to skin and bone One that adores thee with sincere affection The wrack of Idols and the Saints protection O! shall the Good thy servant had begun For Sion rest now by his death vndon O! shall a Pagan After-king restore The Groues and Idols I haue raz'd before Shall I dye Childe-les Shall thine Heritage In vain exspect that glorious golden Age Vnder thy CHRIST O! mercy mercy Lord O Father milde to thy dear Childe accord Som space of life O! let not Lord the voice Of Infidels at my poor death reioyce Then said the Seer Be of good cheer my Liege The Kings praier heard and his life prolonged 15 yeares Thy sighes and tears and prayers so be siege The throne of Pitty that as pierçt with-all Thy smyling Health God yieldeth to re-call Wills to his Temple three dayes hence thou mount Retracts his Sentence and corrects his count Makes Death go back for fifteen yeers as lo This Dial's shadow shal heer back-ward go His Word 's confirm'd with wonderfull Effect The Sunne goes backe For lo the Dial which doth houres direct Life's-guider Daye's-divider Sun's-Consorter Shadow's dull shifter and Time's dumb Reporter Puts-vp-again his passed Houres perforce And back-ward goes against his wonted course 'T is Noon at Mid-night and
presages that the Flood abates The dismal flood where blood and tears did flowe And Ianus now locks-vp his Temple gates Iustice and Faith doo kindly kisse each other And Mars appeas'd sits down by Cupids Mother SONNET 3. Fair fruitfull Daughter of th' Omnipotent Great Vmpire that doost either World sustain Without whose help all would return again Like hideous Chaos to confusion bent O Mother of the living second Nature Of th' Elements Fire Water Earth and Air O Grace whereby men climbe th' heav'nly stair Whence void this world harbors no happy creature Pillar of Lawes Religions pedestall Hope of the godly glory of th' Immortall Honour of Cities Pearl of Kingdomes all Thou Nurse of Vertues Muses chief supportall Patron of Artes of Good the speciall spring All hail deer Peace which vs all heale doost bring SONNET 4. Comforth deer Fraunce from thy dark Cell of mone Com as new-born from Warrs vnkindly quarrels Turn tragick Cypresse to triumphant Laurels Change black to green and make thy Graue a Throne Let Cores dwell vpon thy Desart Plain Bacchus and Dian on thy Hills and Groues Pomana in Gardens Pan among thy Droues Secure all Rhoades and ope all Gates again Resume O Cities Rule and Reverence Revest yee States your Robes of dignity Rise-vp yee Ruines in fair Battlements Com Muses Pallas Themis Mercurie Restore vs Lawes Learning and Arts and Trade And let our Age a golden Age be made SONNNET 5. Most Christian Kingdom thou wert ne're so near Drown'd in the deep Gulphes of thy Civill warre As in the tempest of this later lar Which past conceit of calming did appear When all the windes adversly armed were Though selfly-foes yet friends to work thy wrack Thy Ship a helm thy self a heart didst lack On troubled waters tossed here and there Then from aboue O bounty most admired Saint Hermes shin'd whose gentle light presageth That then the anger of the Heav'ns asswageth O happy PEACE lesse hoped then desired O grace much honour'd little yet conceiv'd O blessed guile that thus our sense deceiv'd SONNET 6. Who could expect but past all expectation So suddain order from so sad confusion So loyall friendship from false emulation So firm possession from so fierce intrusion Who could expect but past all likelihood From such a storm such and so sweet a calme From Fraunce her cyndars such a Phoenix-brood Pandoras boxe to yeeld so rare a balme Who could expect but past all humane thought So frank a freedom from a thrall so late Or certain Rudder of so rent a State True Aesculapius thou alone hast wrought This MIRACLE not on Hyppolitus But on this Kingdom much more wonderous SONNET 7. Th' vnlookt-forworking of all things almost Inconstant-constant in succession strange Amazeth those whose wits we chiefly boast To see this suddain vn-expected change Each feels th' effect but none the cause descries No though he haue with starrs intelligence God to himself reserues such Mysteries Disposing Kingdoms by his Prouidence O end-less Bounty In the midst of Broyls He giues vs PEACE when Warr did vs inflame And reaues the mischief we pursu'd yer-whiles But this doth most extoll his glorious Name That when most sharply this extreamest Fit Stroue to be cure-les soon he cured it SONNET 8. Som reasoned thus No violence can last Revolted Subiects of themselues will quail Iust Soveraignty can never be displac't And lawfull Princes first or last preuail But who could think that the conioyned powers Of Spain and Rome with an exceeding number Of rebell Cities and false States of ours So weak a King so little should encumber Others discoursed in another sort While all things sorted to another end Then their imaginations did purport That earth may knowe it cannot comprehend The secret depths of Iudgements all-divine No there 's no ground beginning midst nor fine SONNET 9. Admire we onely Gods Omni-potence His deep-deep Wisedom and his Mercy deer For with these three he hath surmounted heer Our hatefull foes our hopes and all our sense His power appears vpon our Lord and King As yerst on Dauid for they both attain By war-like broyls their pre-appointed Raigne Strangers and subiects and selues conquering His Prudence shines when to preserue vs thus All humane wit his wisedom doth convince His gracious bounty in our bountious Prince Ovarious wonders mel delicious Flowes from a living Lion Mars is quiet Valour relenting Conquest void of ryot SONNET 10. This was no action of a humane hand But th' only work of the great Thunderer Who wise-directing all the things that are In vs divinely works his owne command Som men vnwilling benefit their Land Or vn-awares their Countries good preferr Another motions PEACE but mindeth Warr And PEACE succeeds what-ever drifts withstand Th' Arch-Architect the matchles Artizan All instruments vnto good vses prooues Man 's but a wheel which that great Moover moues Each gracious gift in that first cause began Each good 's a gleam of that first light alone If Ill approach vs onely that 's our owne SONNET 11. If God dart lightning soon he dewes down rain A dreadfull Iudge and yet a gentle Father Whose wrath slowe-kindled is soon quencht again To moue vs sinners to repent the rather 'Gainst Hel-bred Hydra Heav'n-born Theseus brings The great Alcides arm and armory Of greatest Ill a greater Good there springs And Mercy still doth Rigour qualifie Ah Fraunce so many Monsters to suppresse Thou hadst great need of Royall fortitude Els had'st thou been an Afrik Wildernes O happy lost Realm for it hath ensude That now thy gain is more in restauration Then was thy losse in all thy desolation SONNET 12. But if I sing great Henries fortitude Shall I not then be blam'd for ouer-daring If over-slip it then be taxt for fearing Of silent dread and dumbe in gratitude What e're befall my youth-bold thoughts conclude Like Icarus my nimble Muse to raise And if I fall in such a Sea of praise What rarer Mausole may my bones include A sacred rage of som sweet-furious flame Will-nill-I rapts me boldly to rehearse Great Henries Tropheis and his glorious name Then roule thou Torrent of my tender verse Though his high Theam deserue a consort rather Of all the Muses and all musikes Father SONNET 13. Great Prince not pleas'd with a vain vertue-seeming Great Victor prone to pardon humblenes Happy all Hap Heav'ns onely gift esteeming Warriour whose warrs haue wrought his Coūtries PEACE Noble by deeds and noble by descent Ancient Achilles youthfull Nestor sage Whose ripe-experienç't courage confident To knocks knits counsail and giues rule to rage As hard in toyle as in compassion soft Inur'd to that by nature born to this Who sheds no blood but sheddeth tears as oft Who never fights but still the field is his So like to Mars that both in loues and warres Bellona and Uenus take him still for Mars SONNET 14. A spirit to vertues cheerfully addrest Apt to all goodnes to no ill inclin'd Quick to conceiue ingenious
stately Toombes externly gilt and garnisht With dust and bones inwardly fill'd and furnisht But inwardly shee 's no less fraught with riches Of the riches vnder or within the Earth Nay rather more which more our soules bewitches Within the deep folds of her fruitfull lap So bound-less Mines of treasure doth she wrap That th' hungry hands of humane avarice Cannot exhaust with labour or device For they be more then ther be Starrs in Heav'n Or stormy billows in the Ocean driv'n Or ears of Corn in Autumn on the Fields Or Savage Beasts vpon a thousand Hills Or Fishes diving in the silver Floods Or scattred Leaves in Winter in the Woods Slat Iet and Marble shall escape my pen Of Minerals I over-pass the Salt-mount Oromene I blanch the Brine-Quar Hill in Aragon Whence there they pouder their provision I 'le onely now emboss my Book with Brass Dye't with Vermilion deck't with Coperass With Gold and Siluer Lead and Mercury Tin Iron Orpine Stibium Lethargy And on my Gold-work I will onely place The Crystall pure which doth reflect each face The precious Ruby of a Sanguin hew Of pretious stones The Seal-fit Onyx and the Saphire blew The Cassidonie full of circles round The tender Topaz and rich Diamond The various Opal and green Emerald The Agate by a thousand titles call'd The skie-like Turquez purple Amethists And fiery Carbuncle which flames resists I knowe to Man the Earth seems altogether No more a Mother but a Step-dame rather Because alas vnto our loss she bears Blood-shedding Steel and Gold the ground of cares As if these Mettals and not Man 's amiss Had made Sin mount vnto the height it is But as the sweet bait of aboundant Riches Bodies and Soules of greedy men bewitches The vse or abuse of things makes theÌ„ good or euill helpfull or hurtful to Mankinde Gold gilds the Vertuous and it lends them wings To raise their thoughts vnto the rarest things The wise not onely Iron well apply For houshold turns and Tools of Husbandry But to defend their Country when it calls From forrain dangers and intestine bralls But with the same the wicked never mell But to do seruice to the Haggs of Hell To pick a Lock to take his neighbours Purse To break a House or to doo somthing worse To cut his Parents throat to kill his Prince To spoyl his Country murder Innocents Even so profaning of a gift divine The Drunkard drowns his Reason in the Wine So sale-tongu'd Lawyers wresting Eloquence Excuse rich wrong and cast poor Innocence So Antichrists their poyson to infuse Miss-cite the Scriptures and Gods name abuse For as a Cask through want of vse grow'n fusty Makes with his stink the best Greek Malmsey musty So God's best gifts vsurpt by wicked Ones To poyson turn through their contagious But shall I baulk th' admired Adamant Of the rare vertue of the Loadstone Whose dead-live power my Reasons power doth dant Renowned Load-stone which on Iron acts And by the touch the same aloof attracts Attracts it strangely with vnclapsing crooks With vnknow'n cords with vnconceived hooks With vnseen hands with vndiscerned arms With hidden Force with sacred secret charms Wherewith hee wooes his Iron Misteriss And never leaves her till he get a kiss Nay till he fold her in his faithfull bosom Never to part except we love-less loose-em With so firm zeal and fast affection The Stone doth love the Steel the Steel the Stone And though somtime som Make bate com betwixt Still burns their first flame 't is so surely fixt And while they cannot meet to break their mindes With mutuall skips they shew their loue by signes As bashfull Suters seeing Strangers by Parley in silence with their hand or eye Who can conceiue or censure in what sort One Loadstone-touched Annlet doth transport Another Iron-Ring and that another Till foure or fiue hang dangling one in other Greatest Apollo might he be me thinks Could tell the Reason of these hanging links Sith Reason-scanners haue resolved all That heavie things hangd in the Aire must fall I am not ignorant that He who seeks In Romane Robes to sute the Sagest Greeks Whose iealous wife weening to home-revoke-him With a Love-potion did with poyson choak-him Hath sought to showe with arguing subtilty The secret cause of this rare Sympathy But say Lucretius what 's the hidden cause That toward the North-Star still the needle draw's Whose point is toucht with Load-stone loose this knot And still-green Laurell shall be still thy Lot Yea Thee more learned will I then confess Then Epicurus or Empedocles W' are not to Ceres so much bound for Bread Of the excellent vse of the Mariners Compasse Neither to Bacchus for his Clusters red As Signor Flauio to thy witty triall For first inuenting of the Sea-mans Diall Th' vse of the Needle turning in the same Diuine deuâ—â— e O admirable Frame Whereby through th' Ocean in the darkest night Our hugest Caraques are conducted right Whereby w' are stor'd with Truch-man Guide and Lamp To search all corners of the watery Camp Whereby a Ship that stormy Heav'ns haue whurld Neer in one Night into another World Knowes where she is and in the Card descries What degrees thence the Equinoctiall lies Cleer-sighted Spirits that cheer with sweet aspect My sober Rymes though subiect to defect If in this Volume as you ouer-read it You meet som things seeming exceeding credit Because perhaps heer proued yet by no-man Their strange effects be not in knowledge common Think yet to som the Load-stone's vse is new And seems as strange as we haue try'd it true Let therefore that which Iron draw's draw such To credit more then what they see or touch Nor is th' Earth onely worthy praise eternall Of medicinable Earthes For the rare riches on her back externall Or in her bosom but her own selfs worth Solicits me to sound her glory forth I call to witnes all those weak diseased Whose bodies oft haue by th' effects been eased Of Lemnos seal'd earth or Eretrian soil Or that of Chios or of Melos I le All-hail fair Earth bearer of Towns and Towrs Of Men Gold Grain Physik and Fruits and Flowrs The Earths Encomion Fair firm and fruitfull various patient sweet Sumptuously cloathed in a Mantle meet Of mingled-colour lac't about with Floods And all imbrodered with fresh blooming buds With rarest Gemmes richly about embost Excelling cunning and exceeding cost All-hail great Heart round Base and stedfast Root Of All the World the Worlds strong fixed foot Heav'ns chastest Spouse supporter of this All This glorious Buildings goodly Pedestall All hail deer Mother Sister Hostess Nurse Of the Worlds Soverain of thy liberall purse W' are all maintained match-less Emperess To doo thee seruice with all readiness The Sphears before thee bear ten thousand Torches The Fire to warm thee foldes his heatfull arches In purest flames aboue the floating Cloud Th' Aire to refresh thee willingly
is bow'd About the Waues and well content to suffer Milde Zephyrs blasts and Boreas bellowing rougher Water to quench thy thirst about thy Mountains Wraps her moist arms Seas riuers lakes and fountains O how I grieue deer Earth that given to gays Commendations of the Country-life Most of best wits contemn thee now-a-days And noblest hearts proudly abandon quight Study of Hearbs and Country-lifes delight To brutest men to men of no regard Whose wits are Lead whose bodies Iron-hard Such were not yerst the reuerend Patriarks Whose prayse is penned by the sacred Clarks Noah the iust meek Moses Abraham Who Father of the Faithfull Race becam Were Shepheards all or Husbandmen at least And in the Fields passed their Dayes the best Such were not yerst Attalus Philemetor Archelaus Hiero and many a Pretor Great Kings Consuls who haue oft for blades And glistering Scepters handled hooks and spades Such were not yerst Cincinnatus Fabricius Serranus Curius who vn-self-delicious With Crowned Coultars with Imperiall hands With Ploughs triumphant plough'd the Roman lands Great Scipio sated with fain'd curtsie-capping With Court Eclipses and the tedious gaping Of golden beggers and that Emperour Of Slave turn'd King of King turnd Labourer In Country Granges did their age confine And ordered there with as good Discipline The Fields of Corn as Fields of Combat first And Ranks of Trees as Ranks of Souldiers yerst O thrice thrice happy He who shunns the cares Of City-troubles and of State-affairs And seruing Ceres Tills with his own Teem His own Free-land left by his Friends to him Never pale Enuie's poysonie heads doo hiss To gnaw his heart nor Vultur Auarice Free from enuy ambition auarice and consequently from the diuelish practises of MachiauiliaÌ„ Politikes His Field's bounds bound his thoughts he never supps For Nectar poyson mixtin silver Cups Neither in golden Platters doth he lick For sweet Ambrosia deadly Arsenick His hand 's his boaul better then Plate or Glass The siluer Brook his sweetest Hypocrasse Milk Cheese and Fruit fruits of his own endeuour Drest without dressing hath he ready ever False Counsailours Concealers of the Law Not vâ—xed with counterfait wrestings of wrangling Laywers Turn-coat Attourneys that with both hands draw Sly Peti-Foggers Wranglers at the Bar Proud Purse-Leaches Harpies of Westminster With fained chiding and foul iarring noyse Break not his brain nor interrupt his ioyes But cheerfull Birds chirping him sweet Good-morrows With Natures Musick doo beguile his sorrows Teaching the fragrant Forrests day by day The Diapason of their Heav'nly Lay. His wandring Vessell reeling to and fro Not dreading shipwracke nor in danger of Pirates On th' irefull Ocean as the Windes doo blowe With sodain Tempest is not ouer-whurld To seek his sad death in another World But leading all his life at home in Peace Alwaies in sight of his own smoak no Seas No other Seas he knowes nor other Torrent Then that which waters with his siluer Corrent His Natiue Medowes and that very Earth Shall giue him Buriall which first gaue him Birth To summon timely sleep he doth not need Not diseased in body through delicious Idlenes Aethyop's cold Rush nor drowsy Poppy-seed Nor keep in consort as Mecaenas did Luxurious Villains Viols I should haue sayd But on green Carpets thrumd with mossy Beuer Frendging the round skirts of his winding Riuer The streams milde murmur as it gently gushes His healthy limbs in quiet slumber hushes Drum Fife and Trumpet with their loud A-larms Not drawen by factions to an vntimely Death Make him not start out of his sleep to Arms Nor deer respect of som great Generall Him from his bed vnto the block doth call The crested Cock sings Hunt is vp to him Limits his rest and makes him stir betime To walk the Mountains or the flowry Meads Impearld with tears that sweet Aurora sheads Never gross Aire poysond in stinking Streets Not choaked with contagion of a corrupted Aire To choak his spirit his tender nostrill meets But th' open Sky where at full breath he liues Still keeps him sound and still new stomack giues And Death drad Seriant of th' eternall Iudge Coms very late to his sole seated Lodge His wretched yeers in Princes Courts he spends not Nor Chamelâ—â—like changing with euery obiect the colour of his conscience His thralled will on Great mens wils depends not He changing Master doth not change at once His Faith Religion and his God renounce With mercenary lies hee doth not chaunt Praysing an Emmet for an Elephant Nor soothing Sin nor licking the Tayl of Greatnesse Sardanapalus drown'd in soft excess For a triumphant vertuous Hercules Thersites foul for Venus louely Loue And every Changeling for a Turtle-Doue Nor lavishes in his lascivious layes On wanton Flora chaste Alcestes prayse But all self-priuate serving God he writes Fear-less and sings but what his heart in dites No sallow Fear doth day or night afflict-him Vnto no fraud doth night or day addict-him Neither prest with Fear nor plotting Fraud Or if he muse on guile 't is but to get Beast Bird or Fish in toil or snare or net What though his Wardrobe be not stately stuft With sumptuous silks pinked and powne't and puft With gold-ground Velvets and with siluer Tissue And all the glory of old Eues proud Issue What though his feeble Cofers be not cramd With Misers Idols golden Ingotsramd He is warm-wrapped in his own-growen Wooll Of vn-bought Wines his Cellar 's everfull His Garner's stor'd with grain his Ground with flocks His Barns with Fodder with sweet streams his Rocks For heer I sing the happy Rustiks weal Whose handsom house seems as a Common-weal And not the needy hard rack-rented Hinde Or Copy-holder whom hard Lords doo grinde The pined Fisher or poor-Daiery-Renter That liues of whay for forfeiting Indenture Who scarce haue bread within their homely Cotes Except by fits to feed their hungry throats Let me good Lord among the Great vn-kend My rest of daies in the calm Countrey end Let me deserue of my deer AEGLE-Brood For Windsor Forrest walks in Almes-wood Bee Hadley Pond my Sea Lambs-bourn my Thames Lambourn my London Kennet's siluer streams My fruitfull Nile my Singers and Musicians The pleasant Birds with warbling repetitions My company pure thoughts to work thy will My Court a Cottage on a lowely Hill Where without let I may so sing thy Name That times to-com may wonder at the same Or if the new North-star my Souerain IAMES The secret vertue of whose sacred beams Attracts th' attentiue seruice of all such Whose mindes did euer Vertue 's Load-stone touch Shall euer daign t' inuite mine humble Fate T'approoch the Presence of his Royall State Or if my Duty or the Grace of Nobles Shall driue or draw me neer their pleasing-Troubles Let not their Fauours make me drunk with folly In their Commands still keep my Conscience holy Let me true Honour not the false delight And play the