Dearum Coeli splendor unica O voluptas Humani generis catena nodis Auratis homines ligans Deósque Te circumvolitant leves Olympi Alati juvenes tuósque gressus Sustentant manibus suis tenellos Et firmant tua crura mollicella Dulcis cura Deûm Venúsque coeli O fons laetitiae piÃque lusus O ter pulchra puella blanda virgo Nostris molliter insidens medullis Coelestémque animo fovens amorem In coetu superûm locas Deorum SIng aloud His praise rehearse Who hath made the Universe He the boundlesse Heavens has spread All the vitall orbs has kned He that on Olympus high Tends his flocks with watchfull eye And this eye has multiplide Midst each flock for to reside Thus as round about they stray Toucheth each with out-strecth'd ray Nimble they hold on their way Shaping out their Night and Day Summer Winter Autumne Spring Their inclined Axes bring Never slack they none respires Dancing round their Centrall fires In due order as they move Echo's sweet be gently drove Thorough Heavens vast Hollownesse Which unto all corners presse Musick that the heart of Jove Moves to joy and sportfull love Fills the listning saylers eares Riding on the wandring Sphears Neither Speech nor Language is Where their voice is not transmisse God is good is Wise is Strong Witnesse all the creature-throng Is confess'd by every Tongue All things back from whence they sprong As the thankfull Rivers pay What they borrowed of the Sea Now my self I do resigne Take me whole I all am thine Save me God! from Self-desire Deaths pit dark Hells raging fire Envy Hatred Vengeance Ire Let not Lust my soul bemire Quit from these thy praise I 'll sing Loudly sweep the trembling string Bear a part O Wisdomes sonnes Free'd from vain Religions Lo from farre I you salute Sweetly warbling on my Lute Indie Egypt Arabie Asia Greece and Tartarie Carmel-tracts and Lebanon With the Mountains of the Moon From whence muddie Nile doth runne Or where ever else you wonne Breathing in one vitall air One we are though distant farre Rise at once let 's sacrifice Odours sweet perfume the skies See how Heavenly lightning fires Hearts inflam'd with high aspires All the substance of our souls Up in clouds of Incense rolls Leave we nothing to our selves Save a voice what need we els Or an hand to wear and tire On the thankfull Lute or Lyre Sing aloud His praise rehearse Who hath made the Universe Charitie and Humilitie FArre have I clambred in my mind But nought so great as love I find Deep-searching wit mount-moving might Are nought compar'd to that good spright Life of delight and soul of blisse Sure source of lasting happinesse Higher then Heaven lower then hell What is thy tent where maist thou dwell My mansion hight humilitie Heavens vastest capabilitie The further it doth downward tend The higher up it doth ascend If it go down to utmost nought It shall return with that it sought Lord stretch thy tent in my strait breast Enlarge it downward that sure rest May there be pight for that pure fire Wherewith thou wontest to inspire All self-dead souls My life is gone Sad solitude 's my irksome wonne Cut off from men and all this world In Lethes lonesome ditch I 'm hurld Nor might nor sight doth ought me move Nor do I care to be above O feeble rayes of mentall light That best be seen in this dark night What are you what is any strength If it be not laid in one length With pride or love I nought desire But a new life or quite t' expire Could I demolish with mine eye Strong towers stop the fleet stars in skie Bring down to earth the pale-fac'd Moon Or turn black midnight to bright Noon Though all things were put in my hand As parch'd as dry as th' Libyan sand Would be my life if Charity Were wanting But Humility Is more then my poore soul durst crave That lies intombd in lowly grave But if 't were lawfull up to send My voice to Heaven this should it rend Lord thrust me deeper into dust That thou maist raise me with the just THE TRIUMPH OR A Paraphrase upon the ninth Hymn of Synesius written in honour of Jesus the Son of Mary the SAVIOUR of the World O Lovely Child with Glory great arraid Sweet Of-spring of the Solymeian Maid Thee would I sing and thy renowned Acts For thou didst rid the boundlesse flowry tracts Of thy dear Fathers Garden from the spoyles Of the false Serpent and his treacherous toyles When thou hadst once descended to this earth A stranger wight ' mongst us of humane birth After some stay new voyage thou didst take Crossing cold Lethe and the Stygian Lake Arriv'st at the low fields of Tartara There where innumerable flocks do stray Of captive souls whom pale-fac'd Death doth feed Forc'd under his stiff Rod and churlish Reed Streight at thy sight how did that surly Sire Old Orcus quake and greedy Dogg retire From 's usuall watch whiles thou from slavish chain Whole swarms of souls to freedome dost regain Then ' ginst thou with thy immortall Quire to praise Thy Father and his strength to Heaven to raise Ascending thus with joy as thou dost fare Through the thin Sky the Legions of the Aire Accursed Fiends do tremble at thy sight And starry Troops wax pale at thy pure light But Ather master of queint Harmonies With smiling look on 's Musick doth devise Tunes his seven-corded Harp more trimly strung Then strikes up loudly thy Triumphall song Lucifer laughs bright Nuncio of the Day And golden Hesperus to hear him play The Moon begins a dance great Queen of Night Her hollow horns fill'd up with flusher light Titan his streaming locks along doth strow Under thy sacred feet more soft to go Doth homage to thee as to Gods dear Son And to the Spring whence his own light doth run Then thou drad Victour thy quick wings didst shake And suddenly ascend'st above the back Of the blew Skie In th' Intellectuall sphears Dispreadst thy self Where the still Fount appears Of inexhausted Good and silent Heaven Smiles without wrinckle ever constant even Unwearied Time this mansion connot seize Nor Hyles worm importunate Disease Here Aeon wons that cannot wexen old Though of his years the numbers no'te be told Youthfull and ag'd at once here doth he live And to the Gods unmov'd duration give 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS Notes upon Psychozoia Canto 1. Stanz 1. Vers 6. Psyche I 'll sing c. THe fittest
largely worketh and more glitterandly Displayes her spreaden forms and chearfully Pursues her sports Again the greater corse Would most be fill'd with magnanimity But oft we see the lesse hath greater force To fight or talk the greater oft we see the worse 17 All which if weighed well must ill agree With bodies natures which merely consist In a dull silent stupid quantity Stretching forth mirksome matter in what list Or precincts no man knows No Naturalist Can it define unlesse they adde a form That easly curbs the thing that no'te resist And after her own will can it inform It still and stupid stands and thinks nor good nor harm 18 The man is mad that will at all agree That this is soul Or if forme bodily Non-replicate extent not setten free But straight stretch'd out in corporeity Betwixt these two there 's that affinity As little wit that man will seem to have Which I shall plainly prove by th' energie Of sense though that same force seem not so brave Yet for the present I 'll not climbe to higher stave 19 If Souls be substances corporeall Be they as big just as the body is Or shoot they out to th' height Aethereall Of such extent are the sights energies If they shoot out be they equally transmisse Around this body or but upward start If round the body Nature did amisse To lose her pains in half of the souls part That part can finden nought that through the earth doth dart 20 Or will you say she is an hemisphere But a ridiculous experiment Will soon confute it list you but to rear Your agill heels towards the firmament And stand upon your head that part is bent Down through the earth that earst did threat the skie So that your soul now upward is extent No higher then your heels yet with your eye The heavens great vastnesse as before you now discry 21 You 'll say this souls thin spread exility Turns not at all How doth it then depend Upon this body It has no unity Therewith but onely doth of cur'sy lend It life as doth the worlds great lamp down send Both light and warmth unto each living wight And if they chance to fail and make an end It s nought to him he shineth yet as bright As ere he did This showes the soul immortall quite 22 But if the soul be justly coextent With this straight body nought can bigger be Then is our body that she doth present ' Cording to laws of Corporeity So must she represent each realty Thus tallest Gyants would be oft defied By groveling Pigmees for they could not see The difference nor mete his manly stride Nor ween what matchlesse strength did in his armes reside 23 For they must judge him just as their own selves Of the same stature of the self-same might All men would seem to them their fellow Elves Nor little curs would tremble at the sigh Of greater dogs nor hawks would put to flight The lesser birds Th' impression of a seal Can be no larger then the wax or right As big or lesse it is Therefore repeal This grosse conceit and hold as reason doth reveal 24 Again if souls corporeall you ween Do the light images of things appear Upon the surface slick bright smooth and sheen As in a looking glasse Or whether dare They passe the outside and venture so farre As into the depth of the souls substance If this then they together blended are That nought we see with right discriminance If that the object gone away those forms do glance 25 Thus should we be devoid of memory And be all darknesse till the good presence Of outward objects doth the soul unty From heavy sleep But this experience Plainly confutes For even in their absence We do retain their true similitude So lovers wont to maken dalliance With the fair shade their minds do still include And wistly view the grace wherewith she is endude 26 But now new reasons I will set on foot Drawn from the common sense that 's not extense But like a centre that around doth shoot Its rayes those rayes should be the outward sense As some resemble't But by no pretence Would I the outward senses should be thought To act so in a spread circumference That the seat of their forms should be distrought Or that by reach of quantities dead arms they wrought 27 For see how little share hath quantitie In act of seeing when we comprehend The heavens vast compasse in our straitned eye Nor may the Ox with the Eagle contend Because a larger circle doth extend His slower lights So that if outward sense In his low acts doth not at all depend On quantity how shall the common-sense That is farre more spirituall depend from thence 28 But still more presly this point to pursue By th' smelling odours voices by the ear By th' eye we apprehend the coloured hew Of bodies visible But what shall steer The erring senses where shall they compear In controversie what the difference Of all their objects can with judgement clear Distinguish and discern One common-sense For one alone must have this great preeminence 29 And all this one must know though still but one Else't could not judge of all But make it two Then tell me doth the soul by this alone Apprehend this object that the sense doth show And that by that or doth it by both know Both objects as this colour and that sound If both knew both then nature did bestow In vain one faculty it doth redound But if this that that this what shall them both compound 30 And by comparison judge of them both Therefore that judge is one But whether one Without division let 's now try that troth If it be any wise extent you 're gone By the same reason that afore was shown Suppose't a line the least of quantity Or sound is here there colour or each one Of the lines parts receive them both If we Grant that again we find a superfluity 31 If this part this and that part that receive We are at the same losse we were afore For one to judge them both or we bereave Our souls of judgement For who can judge more Than what he knows It is above his power Therefore it 's plain the common sense is one One individed faculty But store Of parts would breed a strange confusion When every part mought claim proper sensation 32 If not nor all could exercise the Act Of any sense For could a power of sense Arise from stupid parts that plainly lack'd That might themselves Thus with great confidence We may conclude that th' humane souls essence Is indivisible yet every where In this her body Cause th' intelligence She hath of whatsoever happens here The aking foot the eye doth view the hand doth cheer 33 What tells the hand or head the toes great grief When it alone is pinch'd with galling shooes Do other parts not hurt call for relief For their dear mates Ill
spittle tumbling with their tongue On their raw lether lips these near will to her clung 44 And lovingly salute against her will Closely embrace and make her mad with wo She 'd lever thousand times they did her kill Then force her such vile basenesse undergo Anon some Giant his huge self will show Gaping with mouth as vast as any Cave With stony staring eyes and footing slow She surely deems him her live-walking grave From that dern hollow pit knows not her self to save 45 After a while tost on the Ocean main A boundlesse sea she finds of misery The fiery snorts of the Leviathan That makes the boyling waves before him flie She hears she sees his blazing morn-bright eye If here she scape deep gulfs and threatning rocks Her frighted self do straightway terrifie Steel-coloured clouds with rattling thunder knocks With these she is amaz'd and thousand such like mocks 46 All which afflict her even like perfect sense For waxen mad with her sore searching pain She cannot easly find the difference But toils and tears and tugs but all in vain Her self from her own self she cannot strain Nocturnall life hath now let ope th' Idee Of innate darknesse from this fulsome vein The soul is fill'd with all deformity But Night doth stirre her up to this dread energie 47 But here some man more curious then wise Perhaps will ask where Night or Hell may be For he by his own self cannot devise Sith chearfull light doth fill the open sky And what 's the earth to the souls subtilty Such men I 'd carry to some standing pool Down to the water bid them bend their eye They then shall see the earth possest and full Of heaven dight with the sunne or starrs that there do roll 48 Or to an hill where 's some deep hollow Cave Dreadfull for darknesse let them take a glasse When to the pitchy hole they turned have Their instrument that darknesse will find place Even in the open sunne-beams at a space Which measures twice the glasses distancy From the Caves mouth This well discovered has How Hell and Heaven may both together lie Sith darknesse safely raies even in the sunny skie 49 But further yet the mind to satisfie That various apprehensions bearen down And to hold up with like variety Of well fram'd phantasms lest she sink and drown Laden with heavie thoughts sprong from the ground And miry clods of this accursed earth Whose dull suffusions make her often sown Orecome with cold till nimble Reason bear'th Unto her timely aid and on her feet her rear'th 50 I will adjoyn to those three former wayes To weet of the Souls self-activity Of Union with Hell and Gods high rayes A fourth contrivement which all souls doth ty To their wing'd Chariots wherein swift they fly The fiery and airy Vehicles they hight In Plato's school known universally But so large matter can not well be writ In a few lines for a fresh Canticle more fit The Preface to the Reader ALthough the opinion of the Praeexistency of the Soul be made so probable and passable in the Canto it self that none can sleight and contemn it that do not ordinarily approve themselves men by Derision more then by Reason yet so heavie prejudice lying upon us both from Naturall diffidence in so high Points and from our common Education I thought it fit for seeuring my self from suspicion of overmuch lightnesse to premize thus much That that which I have taken the pains and boldnesse to present to the free judgement of others hath been already judged of old very sound and orthodox by the wisest and most learned of preceding Ages Which R. Menasseh Ben-Israel doth abundantly attest in his 15. Problem De Creatione Avouching that it is the common Opinion of all the Hebrews and that it was never called into controversie but approved of by the common consent and suffrage of all wise men And himself doth by severall places out of the Old Testament as pat for his purpose I think as any can be brought against it endeavour to make it good but might I confesse have been more fitly furnished could his Religion have reached into the New For Philip. 2. v. 6 7 8. John 9. v. 1 2 3. John 17. v. 45. Mark 8. v. 27 28. all those places do seem so naturally to favour this Probability that if it had pleas'd the Church to have concluded it for a standing Truth He that would not have been fully convinc'd upon the evidence of these passages of Scripture would undoubtedly have been held a man of a very timorous Scepticall constitution if not something worse Nor is the feeblenesse and miserable ineptnesse of Infancy any greater damp to the belief of this Preexistency then the dotage and debility of old Age to the hope of the Souls future subsistency after death Nor if we would fetch an argument from Theologie is Gods Justice and the divine Nemesis lesse set out by supposing that the Souls of men thorough their own revolting from God before they came into the body have thus in severall measures engaged themselves in the sad dangerous and almost fatall entanglements of this Corporeall World then it is by conceiving that they must needs survive the Body that the judgement of the Almighty may passe upon them for what they have committed in the flesh Nor lastly is it harder to phansie how these Praeexistent Souls insinuate into seed Embryos or Infants then how Created ones are insinuated nor yet so hard to determine of their condition if they depart in Infancy as of the condition of these But mistake me not Reader I do not contend in thus arguing that this opinion of the Praeexistency of the Soul is true but that it is not such a self-condemned Falsity but that I might without justly incurring the censure of any Vainnesse or Levity deem it worthy the canvase and discussion of sober and considerate men Yours H.M. The Praeexistency of the SOUL The Argument Of the Souls Praeexistency Her Orb of Fire and Aire Of Ghosts of Goblins of Sorcery This Canto doth declare 1 RIse then Aristo's son assist my Muse Let that hie spright which did inrich thy brains With choice cōceits some worthy thoughts infuse Worthy thy title and the Readers pains And thou O Lycian Sage whose pen contains Treasures of heavenly light with gentle fire Give leave a while to warm me at thy flames That I may also kindle sweet desire In holy minds that unto highest things aspire 2 For I would sing the Praeexistency Of humane souls and live once ore again By recollection and quick memory All what is past since first we all began But all too shallow be my wits to scan So deep a point and mind too dull to clear So dark a matter but Thou O more then man Aread thou sacred Soul of Plotin deare Tell what we mortalls are tell what of old we were 3 A spark or ray of the Divinity Clouded in earthy
Straight all night-trifling sprights doth chase away with fear 12 Long have I swonk with anxious assay To finden out what this hid soul may be That doth her self so variously bewray In different motions Other we her see When she so fairly spreads the branching tree Other when as sh ' hath loos'd her self from ground And opes her root and breaths in heaven free And doth her wants in the wide air resound Speaks out her joy no longer whispers under-ground 13 Such is the noise of chearfull chirping birds That tell the sweet impressions of the Spring Or 'fore some storm when their quick sprights be stird With nearer strong appulse and hid heaving That fills their little souls and makes them sing Puft up with joy and o'rflowing delight Estsoons with ratling winds the air doth ring The sturdy storm doth make them take their flight Into thick bush or hedge to save them from heavens spight 14 From this same sourse of sense are murmuring moans Of bellowing bullocks when sharp hunger bites Hence whining dog so pittifully groans When as with knotted whip his Lord him smites And every beast when with Deaths pangs he fights But senslesse trees nor feel the bleaker wind That nip their sides nor the Suns scorching might Nor the sharp ax piercing their ruggid rind Yet have they soul whose life in their sweet growth we find 15 So plants spring up flourish and fade away Not marking their own state they never found Themselves when first they ' pear'd in sunny day Nor ever sought themselves though in the ground They search full deep Nor are they wak'd by wound Of biting iron to nought are attent That them befalls when cold humours abound And clog their vitall heat or when they 're brent With Sirius flame or when through eld they waxen faint 16 Or whatsoever diseases them betide That basten death they nought at all regard But when to plantall life quick sense is ti'd And progging phansie then upon her guard She gins to stand and well her self to ward From foes she plainly feels pursues her joy Remembers where she well or ill hath far'd Or swiftly flies from that that doth annoy Or stoutly strives her fierce destroyer to destroy 17 Thus have we run thorow these two degrees Of the souls working seen in beast and plant Reason's the third of common qualities The best Of this the humane race doth vaunt As proper to themselves But if we skan't Sans prejudice it 's not in them alone The Dog the Horse the Ape the Elephant Will all rush in striving to make up one And sternly claim their share in use of right reason 18 But whether brutes do reason and reflect Upon their reasoning I 'll not dispute Nor care I what brisk boyes will here object Long task it were all fondlings to confute But I 'll lay down that which will better sute With that high heavenly spark the soul of man His proper character I would he knew 't Is that which Adam lost by wily train Of th' old sly snake that â—â—ve beguil'd with speeches vain 19 This was the Image of the highest God Which brutes partake not of This Image hight True Justice that keeps ever th' even trod True Piety that yields to man the sight Of heavenly beauty those fair beams so bright Of th' everlasting Deity that shed Their sacred fire within the purer spright The fruit of Eden wherewith souls be fed Mans awfull majesty of every beast ydred 20 Nor is that radiant force in humane kind Extinguisht quite he that did them create Can those dull rusty chains of fleep unbind And rear the soul unto her pristin state He can them so inlarge and elevate And spreaden out that they can compasse all When they no longer be incarcerate In this dark dungeon this foul fleshly wall Nor be no longer wedg'd in things corporeall 21 But rais'd aloft into their proper sphere That sphere that hight th' Orb Intellectuall They quiet sit as when the flitting fire That Natures mighty Magick down did call Into the oyly wood at its own fall Grows full of wrath and rage and gins to fume And roars and strives ' gainst its disquietall Like troubled Ghost forc'd some shape to assume But it its holding foe at last doth quite consume 22 And then like gliding spright doth straight dispear That earst was forc'd to take a fiery form Full lightly it ascends into the clear And subtile aire devoid of cloudy storm Where it doth steddy stand all-uniform Pure pervious immixt innocuous mild Nought scorching nought glowing nothing enorm Nought destroying not destroy'd not defil'd Foul fume being spent just 'fore its flight it faicly smil'd 23 Thus have I trac'd the soul in all her works And severall conditions have displaid And show'd all places where so e'r she lurks Even her own lurking's of her self bewray'd In plants in beasts in men while here she staid And freed from earth how then she spreads on high Her heavenly rayes that also hath been said Look now my Muse and cast thy piercing eye On every kind and tell wherein all souls agree 24 Here dare I not define't th' Entelechie Of organized bodies For this life This centrall life which men take souls to be Is not among the beings relative And sure some souls at least are self-active Withouten body having Energie Many put out their force informative In their ethereall corporeity Devoid of heterogenâ—all organity 25 Self-moving substance that be th' definition Of souls that longs to them in generall This well expresseth that common condition Of every vitall centre creaturall For why both what hight form spermaticall Hath here a share as also that we term Soul sensitive I 'll call 't form bestiall It makes a beast added to plantall sperm Adde rationall form it makes a man as men affirm 26 All these be substances self-moveable And that we call virtue magneticall That what 's defin'd be irreprovable I comprehend it in the life plantall Mongst trees ther 's found life Sympatheticall Though trees have not animadversive sense Therefore the soul 's Autokineticall Alone What ere 's in this defining sense Is soul what ere 's not soul is driven far from hence 27 But that each soul 's Autokineticall Is easly shown by sifting all degrees Of souls The first are forms Spermaticall That best be seen in shaping armed trees Which if they want their fixt Centreities By which they fairly every part extend And gently inact with spred vitalities The flowring boughs How Natures work doth wend Who knows or from what inward stay it doth depend 28 Forthy let first an inward centre hid Be put That 's nought but Natures fancie ti'd In closer knot shut up into the mid Of its own self so our own spirits gride With piercing wind in storming Winter tide Contract themselves and shrivell up together Like snake the countrey man in snow espi'd Whose spright was quite shrunk in by nipping weather From whence things come by fo-man
grasp of vast Eternitie Longs not to beings simply vegetive Nor yet to creatures merely sensitive Reason alone cannot arrive to it Onely souls Deiform intellective Unto that height of happinesse can get Yet immortalitie with other souls may fit 48 No force of Nature can their strength annoy For they be subtiler then the silken air Which fatall fire from heaven cannot destroy All grossensse its devouring teeth may shear And present state of visibles empare But the fine curtains of the lasting skie Though not of love yet it perforce must spare If they could burn each spark from flint would trie And a bright broad-spread flame to either Pole would hie 49 But if all souls survive their bulks decay Another difficultie will straight arise Concerning their estate when they 're away Flit from this grosser world Shall Paradise Receive the sprights of beasts or wants it trees That their sweet verdant souls should thither take Who shall conduct those stragling colonies Or be they straightway drench'd in Lethe lake So that cold sleep their shriveld life from work doth slake 50 Or if that all or some of them awake What is their miserie what their delight How come they that refined state forsake Or had they their first being in our sight Whither to serve what is the usefull might Of these spirituall trees doth fearfull hare Flie the pursuing dog doth soaring kite Prey upon silly chickins is there jarre Or be those sprights agreed none to other contraire 51 If some contraire then tell me how 's their fight What is the spoil what the stout victors meed No flesh no bloud whereon to spend their spight Or whereupon these hungry souls may feed Or doth the stronger suck the aiery weed Wherewith the other did it self invest And so more freshly deck it self at need An aierie prey for aierie spright is best Or â—o they want no food but be still full and rest 52 Die they again draw they in any breath Or be they sterill or bring forth their young Beat their light feet on the soft aierie heath Expresse they joy or sorrow with their tongue Enough who ere thou art that thus dost throng My tender Muse with rough objections stout Give me but leave to tell thee thou art wrong If being of a thing thou call'st in doubt Cause its more hid conditions shine not clearly out 53 Who questions but there is a quantitie Of things corporeall a trinall dimension Of solid bodies yet to satisfie All doubts that may be made about extension Would plunge the wisest Clerk I 'll onely mention That quaere of what parts it doth consist Whether of Atoms or what strange retention Still keepeth so much back that if God list He could not count the parts of a small linear twist 54 For his division never could exhaust The particles say they of quantitie O daring wit of man that thus doth boast It self and in pursuit of sciencie Forget the reverend laws of pietie What thing is hid from that all-seeing light What thing not done by his all-potencie He can discern by his clear-piercing might The close-couch'd number of each bignesse comes in sight 55 And so can count them out even part by part In number measure weight he all things made Each unite he dissevers by his Art But here this searching reason to evade Each quantum's infinite straight will be said That 's against sense If it be infinite Of parts then tell me be those parts out-spread Or not extent if extended ouâ—right Each flie in summer-Even is higher then Heavens height 56 If not extended then that quantum's nought Some be extended others not extent Already answers a vain shifting thought But those potentiall parts how be they meint With those that now be actually distent Even thus you grant that those that actuall be Be plainly finite against your intent Grant me but that and we shall well agree So must sleight Atoms be sole parts of quantitie 57 But if 't consist of points then a Scalene I 'll prove all one with an Isosceles With as much ease I 'll evince clear and clean That the crosse lines of a Rhomboides That from their meeting to all angles presse Be of one length though one from earth to heaven Would reach and that the other were much lesse Then a small digit of the lowest of seven So as she ' pears to us yet I could prove them even 58 And that the moon though her circumference Be farre more strait then is the earthie ball Sometime the earth illumineth at once And with her grasping rayes enlights it all And that the Sunnes great body sphericall Greater then th' earth farre greater then the moon Even at midday illumines not at all This earthy globe in his Apogeon So that we in deep darknesse sit though at high noon 59 Of will of motion of divine foresight Here might I treat with like perplexitie But it 's already clear that 't is not right To reason down the firm subsistencie Of things from ignorance of their propertie Therefore not requisite for to determ The hid conditions of vitalitie Or shrunk or sever'd onely I 'll affirm It is which my next song shall further yet confirm The Argument of PSYCHATHANASIA OR The Immortality of the Soul Book 1. Cant. 3. Ore whelm'd with grief and pitious wo For fading lifes decayes How no souls die from Lunar bow A Nymph to me displayes 1 IN silent night when mortalls be at rest And bathe their molten limbs in slothfull sleep My troubled ghost strange cares did straight molest And plung'd my heavie soul in sorrow deep Large floods of tears my moistned cheeks did steep My heart was wounded with compassionate love Of all the creatures sadly out I creep From mens close mansions the more to improve My mournfull plight so softly on I forward move 2 Aye me said I within my wearied breast And sighed sad wherefore did God erect This stage of misery thrice foure times blest Whom churlish Nature never did eject From her dark womb and cruelly object By sense and life unto such balefull smart Every slight entrance into joy is checkt By that soure step dames threats and visage tart Our pleasure of our pain is not the thousandth part 3 Thus vex'd I was ' cause of mortality Her curst remembrance cast me in this plight That I grew sick of the worlds vanity Ne ought recomfort could my sunken spright What so I hate may do me no delight Few things alas I hate the more my wo The things I love by mine own sad foresight Make me the greater torments undergo Because I know at last they 're gone like idle show 4 Each goodly sight my sense doth captivate When vernall flowers their silken leaves display And ope their fragrant bosomes I that state Would not have changed but indure for aye Nor care to mind that that fatall decay Is still recured by faithfull succession But why should ought that 's good thus fade away Should
Or some thin body or spread quality Or point of quality or fixt or setten free 29 But whether thin spread body she doth deem Her self dispersed through this grosser frame Or doth her self a quality esteem Or quient complexion streaming through the same Or else some lucid point her self doth name Of such a quality in chiefest part Strongly fix'd down or whether she doth clame More freedome for that point in head nor heart Fast seated yet saith she the bodies brat thou art 30 Thence thou arose thence thou canst not depart There die thou must when thy dear nurse decayes But these false phansies I with reason smart Shall eas'ly chace away and the mind raise To higher pitch O listen to my layes And when you have seen fast seald eternity Of humane souls then your great Maker praise For his never fading benignity And feed your selves with thought of immortality The Argument of PSYCHATHANASIA OR The Immortality of the Soul Book 2. Cant. 2. Sense no good judge of truth What spright What body we descry Prove from the souls inferiour might Her incorp'reitie 1 WHile I do purpose with my self to sing The souls incorporeity I fear That it a worse perplexitie may bring Unto the weaker mind and duller ear For she may deem herself ' stroyd quite clear While all corporeals from her we expell For she has yet not mark'd that higher sphear Where her own essence doth in safety dwell But views her lower shade like boy at brink of well 2 Dotes upon sense ne higher doth arise Busied about vain forms corporeall Contemns as nought unseen exilities Objects of virtue Intellectuall Though these of substances be principall But I to better hope would fainly lead The sunken mind and cunningly recall Again to life that long hath liggen dead Awake ye drooping souls shake off that drousihead 3 Why do you thus confide in sleepy sense Ill judge of her own objects who 'll believe The eye contracting Phoebus Orb immense Into the compasse of a common sieve If solid reason did not us relieve The host of heaven alwayes would idle stand In our conceit nor could the Sun revive The neither world nor do his Lords command Things near seem further off farst off the nearst at hand 4 The touch acknowledgeth no gustables The tast no fragrant smell or stinking sent The smell doth not once dream of audibles The hearing never knew the verdant peint Of springs gay mantle nor heavens light ylent That must discover all that goodly pride So that the senses would with zeal fervent Condemne each other and their voice deride If mutually they heard such things they never try'd 5 But reason that above the sense doth sit Doth comprehend all their impressions And tells the touch it s no fanatick fit That makes the sight of illustrations So stifly talk upon occasions But judgeth all their voyces to be true Concerning their straight operations And doth by nimble consequences shew To her own self what those wise Five yet never knew 6 They never knew ought but corporealls But see how reason doth their verdict rude Confute by loosening materialls Into their principles as latitude Profundity of bodies to conclude The term of latitude is breadthlesse line A point the line doth manfully retrude From infinite processe site doth confine This point take site away it s straight a spark divine 7 And thus unloos'd it equally respects The bodies parts not fixt to any one Let 't be distused through all Thus it detects The soul's strange nature operation Her independency loose union With this frail body So 's this unity Great but without that grosse extension Exceeding great in her high energie Extended far and wide from her non-quantity 8 If yet you understand not let the soul Which you suppose extended with this masse Be all contract and close together roll Into the centre of the hearts compasse As the suns beams that by a concave glasse Be strangely strengthned with their strait constraint Into one point that thence they stoutly passe Fire all before them withouten restraint The high arch'd roof of heaven with smouldry smoke they taint 9 But now that grosnesse which we call the heart Quite take away and leave that spark alone Without that sensible corporeall part Of humane body so when that is gone One nimble point of life that 's all at one In its own self doth wonderfully move Indispers'd quick close with self-union Hor sparkling active mounting high above In bignesse nought in virtue like to thundring Jove 10 Thus maugre all th' obmurmurings of sense We have found an essence incorporeall A shifting centre with circumference But she not onely sits in midst of all But is also in a manner centrall In her outflowing lines For the extension Of th' outshot rayes circumserentiall Be not gone from her by distrought distension Her point is at each point of all that spread dimension 11 This is a substance truly spiritall That reason by her glistring lamp hath shown No such the sense in things corporeall Can ere find out May this perswasion O sunken souls slaves of sensation Rear up your heads and chase away all fear How when by strong argumentation I shall you strip of what so doth appear Corporeall that you to nought should vanish clear 12 The naked essence of the body 's this Matter extent in three dimensions Hardnesse or softnesse be but qualities Withouten self reduplications Or outspread circling propagations Of its own presence These be corporall And what with these in such extension Singly's stretch'd out is form materiall Whether our soul be such now to the test we 'll call 13 If souls be bodies or inanimate They be or else endowed with life If they Be livelesse give they life if animate Then tell me what doth life to them convey Some other body Here can be no stay Straight we must ask whether that livelesse be Or living Then what ' lives it Thus we 'll play Till we have forc'd you to infinity And make your cheeks wax red at your Philosophy 14 Again pray tell me is this body grosse Or fluid and thin you deem the soul to be If grosse then either strongly it is cross'd From entring some parts of this rigid tree And so of life they 'll want their ' lotted fee Or if it penetrate this bulk throughout It breaks and tears and puts to penalty This sory corse If 't thin and fluid be thought How pulls it up those limbs and again jerks them out 15 Besides if stretchen corporeity Longs to the soul then Augmentation Must likewise thereto appertain But see Th' absurdities that this opinion Will drag on with it for effluxion Of parts will spoil the steddy memory And wash away all intellection Deface the beauty of that imagery That once was fairly graven in her phantasie 16 But oft when the weak bodie 's worn and wasted And far shrunk in the nimble phantasie So far she 's from being withered and blasted More
their rude ignorance but to disclose The very truth our soul 's in safety In that distemper that doth ill dispose Her under spright But her sad misery Is that so close she 's tied in a prone Unitie 50 Leans on this bodies false security Seeks for things there not in herself nor higher Extremely loves this bodies company Trusts in its life thither bends her desire But when it gins to fail she 's left i' th' mire Yet hard upon us hangs th' Eternall light The ever-live-Idees the lamping fire Of lasting Intellect whose nearnesse might Illumin were our minds not lost in that frail spright 51 That spright and we are plain another thing Which now I 'll clearly show that we may see Our independency on his existing Which prove I must from eithers property That spright hath no perceptibility Of his impressions Phantasie nor sense Perceive themselves often with open eye We look upon a man in our presence And yet of that near object have no cognoscence 52 And so of Phansies that be fresh enough Even deeply seald upon that lower spright Unlesse we seek them out and pierce them through With aiming animadversion they in night Do lurk unknown to us though they be bright In their own selves Again some object may In its great vigour lustre sweying might This spirit wound by its fierce riving ray Our sight is hurt by th' eye of the broad blasing day 53 Beside the senses each one are restrained To his own object so is Phantasie That in the spirits compasse is contained As likewise the low naturall memory But sooth to say by a strong sympathy We both are mov'd by these and these do move As the light spider that makes at a fly Her selfe now moves the web she subt'ly wove Mov'd first by her own web when here the fly did rove 54 Like spider in her web so do we sit Within this spirit and if ought do shake This subtile loom we feel as it doth hit Most part into adversion we awake Unlesse we chance into our selves betake Our selves and listen to the lucid voice Of th' Intellect which these low tumults slake But our own selves judge of what ere accloyes Our muddied mind or what lifts up to heavenly joyes 55 All the five senses Phansie Memorie We feel their work distinguish and compare Find out their natures by the subtiltie Of sifting reason Then they objects are Of th' understanding bear no greater share In this same act then objects wont to do They are two realties distinguish'd clear One from the other as I erst did show She knows that spright that spright our soul can never know 56 Sense Phansie Memorie as afore was said Be hurt by stronger objects or be spoild By longer exercise Our soul ne're fades But doth her spright commiserate long toild With agitation when she feels it moild Descends to comfort it and gives it rest But she grows quicker vaster never foild With contemplations that this spright molest The inward soul 's renew'd as cannot be exprest 57 How soul and spright be severed we see But how 't works by it self is not yet shown I mean without this sprights assistencie Though not quite by her self High light doth crown Her summitie when sleep that spright doth drown â—â—apt into highest heavens in ecstasie She sees such things as would low life confound Enrage with a tumultuous agonie Burst this pent spright for want of fit capacitie 58 Then is she joynd with the Eternall Idees Which move our souls as sights do here below Joynd with the spright of God we gaze on these As by the Mundane spright th' Out-world we know Our soul hangs twixt them both and there doth go Where either spright doth snatch her Either raise Her inward forms which leap out nothing-slow When sympathie them calls Thus she displayes Her inward life Gods light views with her wakened rayes 59 When we confute a pregnant falsitie Cloth'd with strong phantasmes in our snared mind As this suppose The earths stabilitie What help can we in our low phansie find Possest of this impression what shall bind This stubborn falshood so inveterate That spright so stifly set can't be inclin'd By ought but by the soul that contemplates Truth by her self brings out her forms that be innate 60 Flies she to sense sense pleads for Ptolemee Flies she to her low phansie that 's so swayd By sense and fore-imprest Astronomie By botch'd inculcate paradigmes made By senses dictate that they 'll both perswade That Philolaus and wise Heraclide Be frantick both Copernicus twice mad She cannot then this question well decide By ought but her own forms that in her self reside 61 Which she calls out unto her faithfull aid Commands deep silence to fond phantasie Whose odious prating truth hath oft betraid And in her stead brought in rash falsitie Seated in sowr inert stupiditie Then farewell sense and what from sense hath sprong Saith she I 'll contemplate in puritie And quit my self of that tumultuous throng What then she finâ—s shall be unfold in my next song The Argument of PSYCHATHANASIA Or The Immortality of the Soul BOOK III. CANT III. That th' earth doth move proofs Physicall Unto us do descrie Adde reasons Theosophicall Al 's adde Astronomie 1 BLest souls first Authours of Astronomie Who clomb the heavens with your high reaching mind Scal'd the high battlements of the lofty skie To whom compar'd this earth a point you find Your bodies lesse what measure hath defin'd What art that mighty vastnesse Such high facts The ancient Giants swoln with raging wind Could not effect A subtile Parallax A dark Eclipse do quite obscure their braving acts 2 O the great might of mans high Phantasie Which with a shade or a divided line That nought this but a thin exilitie Can do farre more then strength enrag'd with tine Hoysted with haughty pride That brood combine To clamber up to heaven Hill upon hill Ossa upon Olympus doth recline Their brawnie arms redoubled force doth fill While they their spirits summon t' effect their furious will 3 But all in vain they want the inward skill What comes from heaven onely can thereascend Not rage nor tempest that this bulk doth fill Can profit ought but gently to attend The souls still working patiently to bend Our mind to sifting reason and clear light That strangely figur'd in our soul doth wend Shifting its forms still playing in our sight Till something it present that we shall take for right 4 The busie soul it is that hither hent By strength of reason the true distancies Of th' erring Planets and the vast extent Of their round bodies without outward eyes Hath view'd told their proportionalities Confounded sense by reasons strange report But wiser he that on reason relies Then stupid sense low-sunken into dirt This weapon I have got none from me may extort 5 O You stiff-standers for ag'd Ptolemce I heartily praise your humble reverence If willingly given to Antiquitie But when of him
in whom's your confidence Or your own reason and experience In those same arts you find those things are true That utterly oppugne our outward sense Then are you forc'd to sense to bid adieu Not what your sense gainsayes to holden straight untrue 6 Though contraire unto sense though it be new But sooth to sayen th' earths motion is of tri'd Antiquitie as I above did shew In Philolaus and in Heraclide Those subtile thoughts of old did close reside Yet reason ought to bear away the bell But irefull ignorance cannot abide To be outtopd reprochfully she 'll yell Call's mad when her own self doth with foul furie swell 7 But let them bark like band-dogs at the Moon That mindlesse passeth on in silencie I 'll take my flight above this outward sunne Regardlesse of such fond malignitie Lift my self up in the Theologie Of heavenly Plato There I 'll contemplate The Archtype of this sunne that bright Idee Of steddie Good that doth his beams dilate Through all the worlds all lives and beings propagate 8 But yet in words to trifle I will deigne A while They may our mind fitly prepare For higher flight we larger breath may gain By a low hovering These words they are All found in that old Oracle of Clare That heavenly power which Iao hight The highest of all the Gods thou mayst declare In spring named Zeus in summer Helios bright In autumn call'd Jao Aides in brumall night 9 These names do plainly denotate the sunne In Spring call'd Zeus from life or kindly heat In winter ' cause the day 's so quickly done He Aides hight he is not long in sight In Summer cause he strongly doth us smite With his hot darts then Helios we him name From Eloim or Eloah so hight In Autumn Jao Jehovah is the same So is the word deprav'd by an uncertain fame 10 So great similitude twixt Phoebus light And God that God himself the Nations deem The sunne The learned Seventy 've boldly pight A tent therein for the true Eloim The sensible Deity you 'll reckon him If Hermes words bear with you any sway Or if you Christian Clerks do ought esteem In Davids odes they make Gods Christ a day His father 's then the sunne from whence this light doth ray 11 Then by all the wide worlds acknowledgement The sunne's a type of that eternall light Which we call God a fair delineament Of that which Good in Plato's school is hight His T'agathon with beauteous rayes bedight Let 's now consult with their Theologie And that Idea with our inward sight Behold casheering sensibility Then in clear reason view this correspondency 12 One steddy Good centre of essencies Unmoved Monad that Apollo hight The Intellectuall sunne whose energies Are all things that appear in vitall light Whose brightnesse passeth every creatures sight Yet round about him stird with gentle fire All things do dance their being action might They thither do direct with strong desire To embosome him with close embracements they aspire 13 Unseen incomprehensible He moves About himself each seeking entity That never yet shall find that which it loves No finite thing shall reach infinity No thing dispers'd comprehend that Unity Yet in their ranks they seemly foot it round Trip it with joy at the worlds harmony Struck with the pleasure of an amorous stound So dance they with fair flowers from unknown root ycrownd 14 Still falling short they never fail to seek Nor find they nothing by their diligence They find repast their lively longings eâ—k Rekindled still by timely influence Thus all things in distinct circumference Move about Him that satisfies them all Nor be they thus stird up by wary sense Or foresight or election rationall But blindly reel about the leart of Lives centrall 15 So doth the Earth one of the erring Seven Wheel round the fixed sunne that is the shade Of steddy Good shining in this out-Out-heaven With the rest of those starres that God hath made Of baser matter all which be array'd With his far-shining light They sing for joy They frisque about in circulings unstay'd Dance through the liquid air and nimbly toy While Sol keeps clear their sprite consumes what may accloy 16 Better the indigent be mov'd then he That wanteth nought He fills all things with light And kindly heat through his fecundity Peoples the world by his exciting sprite Wakens the plants calls them out of deep night They thrust themselves into his fostring rayes Stretch themselves forth stird by his quickning might And all the while their merry roundelayes As lightsome phansies deem each Planet spritely playes 17 But sooth to say that sound so subtile is Made by percussion of th'ethereall fire Against our air if it be not transmisse By its exility that none ought admire That we no'te hear what well we mought desire Heavens harmony ' Cording to others lear The sound 's so big that it cannot retire Into the windings of a mortall ear No more than Egypt can Niles Catadupa bear 18 There ought to be certain proportion Betwixt the object and the outward sense Rash man that dost inferre negation From thy dead ear or non-experience Then let them dance and sing raise iufluence From lively motion that preserves their sprite From foul corruption motion 's the best sense To keep off filth in children of cold Night Whose life is in dull matter but the sunne's all Light 19 Therefore full safely he may steddy stond Unmov'd at least not remov'd out of place I 'll not deny but that he may turn round On his own centre So the steps we 'll trace Of Essence Plato's On which steddy stayes And moves at once that same Iao hight In that old Clarian Oracle that sayes It is the sunne This answer will aright To Jove or Plato's On as done those schools descry't 20 That same first Being Beauty Intellect Turns to his father of whom he was born In a brief instant But who can detect Such hidden mysteries back mine eyes I 'll turn Lest in this light like fluttering moth I burn Enough is shown of correspondency Twixt this worlds sunne and centre of hid Morn The radiant light of the deep Deity Thus have I fairly prov'd the sunnes stability 21 Then must the earth turn round or we want day Or never be in night Now I 'll descend Cloth'd with this truth As wrathfull dogs do bay At spectres solemn Cynthia doth send So now I backward to the senses wend They 'll bark at th' shape of my disguised mind As stranger wights they wrathfully will rend This uncouth habit They no such thing find ' Mongst their domestick forms to whom they are more kind 22 And weaker reason which they wont misguide Will deem all this nothing mysterious But my strong-winged Muse feeble to slide Into false thoughts and dreams vertiginous And plainly judge us woxen furious Thus in our rage to shake the stable earth Whirling her round with turns prodigious For she doth
stedfast stand as it appear'th From the unshaken buildings she so safely bear'th 23 If she should move about then would she sling From of her self those fair extructed loads Of carved stone The air aloud would sing With brushing trees Beasts in their dark aboads Would brained be by their own caves th' earth strowd With strange destruction All would shatter'd lie In broken shivers What mad frantick mood Doth thus invade wary Philosophy That it so dotes on such a furious falsitie 24 But still more subt'ly this cause to pursue The clouds would alwayes seem to rise from th' East Which sense and oft-experience proves untrue They rise from all the quarters South North West From every part as Aeolus thinketh best Again the Earths sad stupid gravity Unfit for motion shows her quiet rest Lastly an arrow shot unto the sky Would not return unto his foot that let it fly 25 Adde unto these that contrariety Of motion when as the self same things At the same time do back and forward hie As when for speed the rider fiercely dings His horse with iron heel layes the loose strings Upon his neck westward they swiftly scoure When as the Earth finishing her dayly rings Doth Eastward make with all her might and power She quite hath run her stage at end of twice twelve houres 26 These and like phansies do so strongly tye The slower mind to aged Ptolemee That shamefull madnesse 't were for to deny So plain a truth as they deem this to be But yet alas if they could standen free From prejudice and heavie swaying sense That dims our reason that it cannot see What 's the pure truth enough in just defense Of Pythagore we find though with small diligence 27 One single truth concerning unity Of sprights and bodies and how on Form may Inact a various Corporeity Keep 't up together and her might display Through all the parts make 't constantly obey The powerfull dictates of its centrall spright Which being one can variously play This lore if we but once had learnd aright All what was brought afore would vanish at first sight 28 For that Magnetick might doth so combine Earth Water Air into one animate Whose soul or life so sweetly 't doth incline So surely easly as none can relate But he that 's exercis'd in every state Of moving life What Can the plastick spright So variously his branching stock dilate Downward to hell upward to heaven bright And strangely figur'd leaves and flowers send into sight 29 Can one poore single Centre do all this In a base weed that suddenly decayes And shall not the earths life that is transmisse Through sea and air and with its potent rayes Informs all this all this on that life stayes Shall 't not obtain the like variety Of inward ruling motion Your minds raise O sluggish men single centrality You 'l find shall do what ere 's admit by phantasie 30 Now see if this clear apprehension Will not with case repell each argument Which we rehears'd with an intention For to refute The earths swift movement Because 't is naturall not violent Will never shatter buildings With straight line It binds down strongly each partic'larment Of every edifice All stones incline Unto that Centre this doth stoutly all combine 31 Nor is lesse naturall that circular motion Then this which each part to the centre drives So every stone on earth with one commotion Goes round and yet withall right stifly strives To reach the centre though it never dives So deep Who then so blind but plainly sees How for our safety Nature well contrives Binding all close with down-propensities But now we 'll answer make to the loud-singing trees 32 Walls Towers Trees would stir up a strange noise If th' air stood still while the earth is hurled round As doth the switch oft shak'd by idle boyes That please themselves in varying of the sound But this objection we with reason sound Have well prevented while we plainly taught Earth Water Air in one to be fast bound By one spermatick spright which easly raught To each part Earth Sea Air so powerfully hath it caught 33 All these as one round entire body move Upon their common Poles that difficulty Of stirring sounds so clearly we remove That of the clouds with like facility We straight shall chace away In th' air they ly And whirl about with it and when some wind With violence afore him makes them fly Then in them double motion we find Eastward they move and whither by these blasts they 're inclin'd 34 What they pretend of the Earths gravity Is nought but a long taken up conceit A stone that downward to the earth doth hy Is not more heavie then dry straws that jet Up to a ring made of black shining jeat Each thing doth tend to the loud-calling might Of sympathy So 't is a misconceit That deems the earth the onely heavie weight They ken not the strange power of the strong centrall spright 35 Were there a shiver cut from off the Moon And cast quite off from that round entire masse Would 't fall into our mouths No it would soon Make back to th' centre from whence forc'd it was The same in Mars and Sol would come to passe And all the stars that have their proper centres So gravity is nought but close to presse Unto one Magick point there near to enter Each sympathetick part doth boldly it adventure 36 Thus in each starry globe all parts may tend Unto one point and mean time turn around Nor doth that sway its circling ought offend These motions do not at all confound One th' others course The Earth's not heavy found But from that strong down-pulling centrall sway Which hinders not but that it may turn round Sith that it moves not a contrary way Which answre I will bend against the fifth assay 37 An arrow shot into the empty air Which straight returning to the bowmans foot The Earths stability must proven clear Thus these bad archers do at random shoot Whose easie errour I do thus confute The arrow hath one spirit with this sphere Forc'd upward turns with it mov'd by the root Of naturall motion So when back't doth bear It self still Eastward turns with motions circular 38 So 't is no wonder when it hath descended It falleth back to th' place from whence it flew Sith all this while its circular course hath bended Toward the East and in proportion due That arcuall Eastern motion did pursue Nearer the earth the slower it must go These Arks be lesse but in the heavens blew Those Arks increase it must not be so slow Thus must it needs return unto its idle bow 39 Nor ought we wonder that it doth conform Its motions to the circles of the aire Sith water in a wooden bucket born Doth sit it self unto each periphere By hight or depth as you shall change the sphere So lowly set more water 't will contain ' Cause its round tumour higher then doth
bear It self up from the brims So may 't be sayen The lowlier man the larger graces doth obtain 40 But now to answer to the last objection T is not impossible one thing to move Contrary wayes which by a fit retection I strongly will evince and clearly prove Take but the pains higher for to remove A clock with hanging plummet It goes down At that same time you heave it high above Its former place Thus fairly have we won The field ' gainst stupid sense that reason fain would drown 41 Now let 's go on we have well cleard the way More plainly prove this seeming paradox And make this truth shine brighter then midday Neglect dull sconses mowes and idle mocks O constant hearts as stark as Thracian rocks Well grounded in grave ignorance that scorn Reasons sly force its light slight subtile strokes Sing we to these wast hills dern deaf forlorn Or to the cheerfull children of the quick-ey'd Morn 42 To you we sing that live in purer light Escap'd the thraldome of down-drooping sense Whose nimble spirit and clear piercing sight Can easly judge of every conference Withouten prejudice with patience Can weigh the moments of each reason brought While others in tempestuous vehemence Blow all away with bitter blasts Untought In subtilties they shew themselves in jangling stout 43 I have the barking of bold sense confuted It s clamorous tongue thus being consopite With reasons easie shall I be well suited To show that Pâ—thagore's position's right Copernicks or whosever dogma't hight The first is that that 's wisely signifi'd By Moses Maymons son a learned wight Who saith each good Astronomer is ty'd To lessen the heavens motions vainly multiply'd 44 And the foul botches of false feigned Orbs Whose uselesse number reason must restrain That oft the loose luxuriant phansie curbs And in just bounds doth warily contain To use more means then needs is all in vain Why then O busie sonnes of Prolemee Do you that vast star-bearing sphere constrain To hurl about with such celerity When th' earth may move without such strange velocity 45 What needlesse phansy's this that that huge sphere In one short moment must thus whirl around That it must fly six hundred thousand sheere Of Germane miles If that will not confound For pomp adde fourty thousand more that ' bound Three thousand more if it were requisite You might annex and more if they have found The measure right when as the earth 's slow flight One sixteenth of a mile her scarcely doth transmit 46 But if this All be liquid pervious One fine Ethereall which reason right Will soon admit for 't is ridiculous Thus for to stud the heaven with nails bright The stars in fluid sky will standen tight As men do feigne the earth in the soft aire To be unmov'd How will proportion fit So vast a difference there doth appear Of motions in those stars that the same bignesse bear 47 Besides that difficulty will remain Of unconceivable swift motion In the Equinoctiall stars where some contain This earthy globes mighty dimension Ten thousand times twise told They hurry on With the same swiftnesse I set down before And with more pains A globes extension The bigger that it grows groweth still more Nigh to a flat fac'd figure and finds resistance fore 48 But now that all the heavens be liquid hence I 'll fetch an argument Those higher stars They may as well in water hang suspense As do the Planets Venus orb debars Not Mars nor enters he with knocks and jars The soft fiâ—e yielding Aether gives admission So gentle Venus to Mercurius dares Descend and finds an easie intromission Casts ope that azuâ— curtain by a swift discission 49 That famous star nail'd down in Cassiopee How was it hammer'd in your solid sky What pinsers pull'd it out again that we No longer see it whither did it fly Astronomers say 't was at least as high As the eighth sphere It gave no parallax No more then those light lamps that there we spy But prejudice before her self she 'll tax Of holy writ the heavens she 'll make a nose of wax 50 What man will now that 's not vertiginous Hurrie about his head these severall lights So mighty vast with so voracious And rapid course whirling them day and night About the earth when the earths motion might Save that so monstrous labour with lesse pains Even infinitely lesse But thoughts empight Once in the mind do so possesse the brains That hard it is â—o wash out those deep ancient stains 51 Two things there be whose reason 's nothing clear Those cool continuall breathings of East wind Under the line the next high Comets are In which Philosophers three motions find Concerning which men hither to are blind That have not mov'd the earth unto their aid Diurnall and an annuall course they have mind Like to the sunnes beside by what they 're sway'd To North or South This myst'ry's easly thus display'd 52 The Ecliptick course and that diurnall moving Is but apparent as the sunnes not true But that the earth doth move that still wants proving You 'll say Then if you will these Comets shew One proof for her two motions Whence issue Those meteors turnings what shall hale them on And guide their steps that in proportion due They dance Sols measures what occasion Or fruit can be of that strange double motion 53 Nought but the Earths circumvolution Doth cause this sight and but in outward show This sight of double Sunlike motion Seen in the Comets For the winds that blow Under the Aequinoctiall who doth know Any other cause that still they breathe from th' East That constant feat from whence else can it flow Save from the Earths swift hurring from the West Mid part is strongliest rouz'd the Poles do sleep in rest 54 Wherefore men under th' Aequinoctiall Where the earths course most rapid is and swift Sensibly 're dash'd ' gainst that Aereall Pure liquid essence That clear aire is left Not snatch'd away so fast not quite bereft Of its own Nature nor like th' other skie Unmoved quite but slowpac'd is yeleft And driven close together sensibly So feel we that fine aire that seems from East to flie 55 Those parts be in farre greater puritie Devoid of earthy vapours Thence it is They 're not so easly turn'd by sympathie The air there having lesse of earthinesse So that they move not with one speedinesse The earth and it Yet curious men have fun Something like this even in the mid-land Seas Ships foure times sooner the same stages run When Westward they do flie then when they there begun 56 But that disgracement of Philosophie From flux and reflux of the Ocean main Their monethly and yearly change this Theorie Might take 't away and shew the causes plain Some parts of th' Earth do much more swiftnesse gain When as their course goes whirling on one way With th' annuall motion which must needs constrain The
fluid Sea with unexpected sway Long time it were this mystery fully to display 57 Wherefore I 'll let it passse my self betake Unto some reasons Astronomicall To which if 't please the nimble mind t' awake And shake off prejudice that wont forestall The ablest wit I fear not but he 'll fall Into the same opinion magnifie That subtile spirit that hath made this All And hath half-hid his work from mortall eye To sport and play with souls in sweet philosophie 58 But with crabb'd mind wisdome will nere consort Make her abode with a sowr ingenie That harmlesse spright her self will nere disport With bloudy zeal currish malignitie With wrathfull ignorance grave hypocrisie Mirth and Free mindednesse Simplicitie Patience Discreetnesse and Benignitie Faithfulnesse heart-struck Teneritie These be the lovely playemates of pure veritie 59 The Eternall Son of God who Logos hight Made all things in a fit proportion Wherefore I wote no man that judgeth right In Heaven will make such a confusion That courses of unlike extension Vastly unlike in like time shall be run By â—he flight stars Such huge distension Of place shews that their time is not all one Saturn his ring no'te finish as quick as the Moon 60 Yet if the Earth stand stupid and unmov'd This needs must come to passe For they go round In every twise twelve houres as is prov'd By dayly experience But it would confound The worlds right order if 't were surely found A reall motion Wherefore let it be In them but seeming but a reall round In th' Earth it self The world so 's setten free From that untoward disproportionalitie 61 For so the courses of the erring Seven With their own orbs will fitly well agree Their Annuall periods in the liquid Heaven They onely finish then which as they be Or lesse or greater so the time they flie In their own circlings hath its difference The Moon a moneth Saturn years ten times three Those have the least and bigg'st circumference So all their times and oâ—bs have mutuall reference 62 Next light 's the Planets dark opacitie Which long time hath been found in the low Moon Hills Valleys and such like asperitie Through optick glasses thence have plainly shone By the same trick it hath been clearly shown That Venus Moon-like grows corniculate What time her face with flusher light is blown Some such like things others have contemplate In Mercurie about the Sunne both circulate 63 When Venus is the furthest off from us Then is she in her full When in her full She seemeth least which proves she's exterous Beyond the Sunne and further off doth roll But when her circling nearer down doth pull Then gins she swell and waxen bug with horn But loose her light parts clad with darknesse dull She shows to us She and Mercury ne're born Farre from the Sunne proves that about him both do turn 64 They both opake as also is the Moon That turns about the Earth so turn those foure 'Bout Jupiter tend him as he doth run His annuall course That Tellus so may scoure Th'Ethereall Plain and have the self same power To run her circuits in the liquid skie About the Sunne the mind that doth not lour Drooping in earthy dregs will not deny Sith we so well have prov'd the starres opacitie 65 About the great the lesser lamps do dance The Medicean foure reel about Jove Two round old Saturn without Nominance Luna about the earth doth nimbly move Then all as it doth seemly well behove About the bigg'st of all great Phoebus hight With joy and jollitie needs round must rove Tickled with pleasure of his heat and light What tumbling tricks they play in his farre-piercing sight 66 Next argument could I it well expresse With Poets pen it hath so mighty force That an ingenious man 't would stoutly presse To give assent unto the Annuall course Of this our earth But prejudice the nurse Of ignorance stoppeth all free confession Al 's keeps the way that souls have not recourse To purer reason chok'd with that oppression This argument is drawn from the stars retrocession 67 Planets go back stand still and forward flie With unexpected swiftnesse What 's the cause That they thus stagger in the plain-pay'd skie Or stupid stand as if some dull repose Did numb their spirits and their sinews lose Here 'gins the wheel-work of the Epicycle Thus patch they Heaven more botch'dly then old cloths This pretty sport doth make my heart to tickle With laughter and mine eyes with merry tears to trickle 68 O daring phansie that dost thus compile The Heavens from hasty thoughts such as fall next Wary Philosophers cannot but smile At such feat gear at thy rude rash context An heap of Orbs disorderly perplext Thrust in on every hint of motion Must be the wondrous art of Nature next Here working under God Thus thus vain man Intitles alwayes God to his opinion 69 Thinks every thing is done as he conceives Would bind all men to his religion All the world else of freedome he bereaves He and his God must have Dominion The truth must have her propagation That is his thought which he hath made a God That furious hot inust impression Doth so disturb his veins that all abroad With rage he roves and all gainsayers down hath trod 70 But to return from whence my Muse hath flown All this disordred superfluity Of Epicycles or what else is shown To salve the strange absurd enormity Of staggering motions in the azure skie Both Epicycles and those turns enorm Would all prove nought if you would but let flie The earth in the Ecliptick line yborn As I could well describe in Mathematick form 71 So could I that 's another argument From this same principle most clearly prove In regresse and in progresse different Of the free Planets Why Saturn should rove With shorter startings give back lesse then Jove Jove lesse then Mars why Venus flincheth out More then Mercurius why Saturn moves Ofter in those back jets then Jove doth shoot But Mercury more oft then Venus and Mars stout 72 And why the Sunne escap'd an Epicycle When as th' old prodigall Astronomie On th' other six bestowed that needlesse cycle Why Saturn Jove and Mars be very nigh Unto the Earth show bigger in our eye At Eventide when they rise Acronicall Why far remov'd with so vast distancy When they go down with setting Cronicall All these will plain appear from th' earths course Annuall 73 Many other reasons from those heauenly motions Might well be drawn but with exility Of subtile Mathematicks obscure notions A Poets pen so fitly no'te agree And curious men will judge't a vagrancy To start thus from my scope My pitched end Was for to prove the immortality Of humane souls But if you well attend My ship to the right port by this bow'd course did bend 74 For I have clearly show'd that stout resistence Of the pure soul against the Mundane spright And body
that 's the lower mans consistence How it doth quell by force of reason right Those grosse impressions which our outward sight Seald in our lower life From whence we see That we have proper independent might In our own mind behold our own Idee Which needs must prove the souls sure immortality The Argument of PSYCHATHANASIA OR The Immortality of the Soul Book 3. Cant. 4. Justice true faith in the first good Our best perswasion Of blest eternity unmov'd The earths conflagration 1 IT doth me good to think what things will follow That well prov'd thesis in my former song How we in liquid heavens more swift then swallow Do sail on Tellus lap that doth among The other starres of right not rudely throng We have what highest thoughts of man desire But highest thoughts of man are vain and wrong In outward heaven we burn with hellish fire Hats envie couetise revenge lust pride and ire 2 In the eighth sphear Andromeda from chains Is not releast fearfull Orion flies The dreadfull Scorpion Alas what gains Then is 't to live in the bright starry skies It no man can exeem from miseries All you that seek for true felicity Rend your own hearts There God himself descries Himself there dwels his beautious Majesty There shines the sun of righteousnesse in goodly glee 3 And you who boldly all Gods providence Confine to this small ball that Tellus hight And dream not of a mutuall influence And how that she may shine with beames bright At a farre distance clad with Sols lent light As Venus and the Moon O you that make This earth Gods onely darling dear delight All th' other orbs merely for this orbs sake So swiftly for to run with labour never slack 4 To dance attendance on their Princesse Earth In their quick circuits and with anger keen Would bite him that or serious or in mirth Doubts the prerogative of your great Queen Best use of that your Theory I ween Is this that as your selves monopolize All the whole world so your selves back again You wholly give to God Who can devise A better way Mans soul to God this closely tyes 5 But if the Earth doth thankfully reflect Both light and influence to other starres As well as they to it where 's the defect That sweet subordination it mars Gods love to us then not so plain appears For then the starres be mutually made One for another Each all the good then bears Of th' Universe for ' tâ—s single labour paid With the joint pains of all that in the heavens wade 6 Rare reason why then God would be too good What judgeth so but envie and vain pride And base contract self-love which that free floud Of bounty hath so confidently tied Unto it self alone Large hearts deride This pent hypocrisie Is he good to me That grace I would not ere should be deny'd Unto my fellow My felicity Is multiply'd when others I like happy see 7 But if the rolling starres with mutuall rayes Serve one another sweet fraternity And humble love with such like lore we 'll raise While we do see Gods great benignity Thus mutually reflected in the skie And these round-moving worlds communicate One with another by spread sympathy This all things friendly will concatenate But let more hardy wits that truth determinate 8 It me behoves t' hold forward on my way Leaving this uncouth strange Philosophy In which my lightsome pen too long did play As rigid men in sad seuerity May deem but we right carelesse leave that free Unto their censure Now more weighty thought Doth sway our mind thinking how all doth flee Whatever we have painfully ytaught So little fruits remain of all my skill hath wraught 9 O th'emptinesse of vain Philosophy When thin-spun reason and exile discourse Make the soul creep through a strait Theory Whither the blunter mind can never force Her self yet oft alas the case is worse Of this so subtile wight when dangers deep Approch his life then his who learnings sourse Did never drink of nere his lips did steep In Plato's springs nor with low gown the dust did sweep 10 Certes such knowledge is a vanity And hath no strength t' abide a stormy stour Such thin slight clothing will not keep us dry When the grim heavens all black and sadly soure With rage and tempest plenteously down shower Great flouds of rain Dispread exility Of slyer reasons fails Some greater power Found in a lively vigorous Unity With God must free the soul from this perplexity 11 Say now the dagger touch'd thy trembling breast Couldst thou recall the reasons I have shown To prove th' immortall state of men deceast Evolved reason cannot stand at one Stoutly to guard thy soul from passion They passe successively like sand i' th' glasse While thou look'st upon this the other's gone But there 's a plight of soul such virtue has Which reasons weak assistance strangely doth surpasse 12 The just and constant man a multitude Set upon mischief cannot him constrain To do amisse by all their uprores rude Not for a tyrants threat will he ere stain His inward honour The rough Adrian Tost with unquiet winds doth nothing move His steddy heart Much pleasure he doth gain To see the glory of his Master Jove When his drad darts with hurrying light through all do rove 13 If Heaven and Earth should rush with a great noise he fearlesse stands he knows whom he doth trust Is confident of his souls after joyes Though this vain bulk were grinded into dust Strange strength resideth in the soul that 's just She feels her power how 't commands the sprite Of the low man vigorously finds she must Be independent of such feeble might Whose motions dare not 'pear before her awfull fight 14 But yet my Muse still take an higher flight Sing of Platonick Faith in the first Good That Faith that doth our souls to God unite So strongly tightly that the rapid floud Of this swift flux of things nor with foul mud Can stain nor strike us off from th' unity Wherein we stedfast stand unshak'd unmov'd Engrafted by a deep vitality The prop and stay of things is Gods benignity 15 Al 's is the rule of his Oeconomie No other cause the creature brought to light But the first Goods pregnant fecundity He to himself is perfect full delight He wanteth nought with his own beams bedight He glory has enough O blasphemy That envy gives to God or soure despight Harsh hearts that feign in God a tyranny Under pretense t' encrease his sovereign Majesty 16 When nothing can to Gods own self accrew Who 's infinitely happy sure the end Of this creation simply was to shew His flowing goodnesse which he doth out send Not for himself for nought can him amend But to his creature doth his good impart This infinite Good through all the world doth wend To fill with heavenly blisse each willing heart So the free Sunne doth ' light and ' liven every part
God who is th' Originall of all Who being everywhere doth multiplie His own broad shade that endlesse throughout all doth lie 11 He from the last projection of light Ycleep'd Shamajim which is liquid fire It Aether eke and centrall Tasis hight Hath made each shining globe and clumperd mire Of dimmer Orbs. For Nature doth inspire Spermatick life but of a different kind Hence those congenit splendour doth attire And lively heat these darknesse dead doth bind And without borrowed rayes they be both cold and blind 12 All these be knots of th' universall stole Of sacred Psyche which at first was fine Pure thin and pervious till hid powers did pull Together in severall points and did encline The nearer parts in one clod to combine Those centrall spirits that the parts did draw The measure of each globe did then define Made things impenetrable here below Gave colour figure motion and each usuall law 13 And what is done in this Terrestriall starre The same is done in every Orb beside Each flaming Circle that we see from farre Is but a knot in Psyches garment tide From that lax shadow cast throughout the wide And endlesse world that low'st projection Of universall life each thing 's deriv'd What er'e appeareth in corporeall fashion For body's but this spirit fixt grosse by conspissation 14 And that which doth conpissate active is Wherefore not matter but some living sprite Of nimble nature which this lower mist And immense field of Atoms doth excite And wake into such life as best doth fit With his own self As we change phantafies The essence of our soul not chang'd a whit So do these Atomes change their energies Themselves unchanged into new Centreities 15 And as our soul 's not superficially Colourd by phantasms nor doth them reflect As doth a looking-glasse such imag'rie As it to the beholder doth detect No more are these lightly or smear'd or deckt With form or motion which in them we see But from their inmost Centre they project Their vitall rayes not merely passive be But by occasion wak'd rouse up themselves on high 16 So that they 're life form sprite not matter pure For matter pure is a pure nullitie What nought can act is nothing I am sure And if all act that is they 'll not denie But all that is is form so easily By what is true and by what they embrace For truth their feigned Corporalitie Will vanish into smoke But on I 'll passe More fully we have sung this in another place 17 Wherefore more boldly now to represent The nature of the world how first things were How now they are This endlesse large Extent Of lowest life which I styled whileere The Cuspis of the Cone that 's every where Was first all dark till in this spacious Hall Hideous through silent horrour torches clear And lamping lights bright shining over all Were set up in due distances proportionall 18 Innumerable numbers of fair Lamps Were rightly ranged in this hollow hole To warm the world and chace the shady damps Of immense darknesse rend her pitchie stole Into short rags more dustie dimme then coal Which pieces then in severall were cast Abhorred relicks of that vesture foul Upon the Globes that round those torches trac'd Which still fast on them stick for all they run so fast 19 Such an one is that which mortall men call Night A little shted of that unbounded shade And such a Globe is that which Earth is hight By witlesse Wizzards the sole centre made Of all the world and on strong pillars staid And such a lamp or light is this our Sun Whose fiery beams the scorched Earth invade But infinite such as he in heaven won And more then infinite Earths about those Suns do run 20 And to speak out though I detest the sect Of Epicurus for their manners vile Yet what is true I may not well reject Truth 's incorruptible ne can the style Of vitious pen her sacred worth defile If we no more of truth should deign t' embrace Then what unworthy mouths did never soyle No truths at all ' mongst men would finden place But make them speedy wings and back to Heaven apace 21 I will not say our world is infinite But that infinity of worlds there be The Centre of our world 's the lively light Of the warm sunne the visible Deity Of this externall Temple Mercurie Next plac'd and warm'd more throughly by his rayes Right nimbly 'bout his golden head doth fly Then Venus nothing slow about him strayes And next our Earth though seeming sad full sprightly playes 22 And after her Mars rangeth in a round With fiery locks and angry flaming eye And next to him mild Jupiter is found But Saturn cold wons in our outmost sky The skirts of his large Kingdome surely ly Near to the confines of some other worlds Whose Centres are the fixed starres on high 'Bout which as their own proper Suns are hurld Joves Earths and Saturns round on their own axes twurld 23 Little or nothing are those starres to us Which in the azure Evening gay appear I mean for influence but judicious Nature and carefull Providence her dear And matchlesse work did so contrive whileere That th' Hearts or Centres in the wide world pight Should such a distance each to other bear That the dull Planets with collated light By neighbour suns might cheared be in dampish night 24 And as the Planets in our world of which The sun 's the heart and kernell do receive Their nightly light from suns that do enrich Their sable mantle with bright gemmes and give A goodly splendour and sad men relieve With their fair twinkling rayes so our worlds sunne Becomes a starre elsewhere and doth derive Joynt light with others cheareth all that won In those dim duskish Orbs round other suns that run 25 This is the parergon of each noble fire Of neighbour worlds to be the nightly starre But their main work is vitall heat t' inspire Into the frigid spheres that 'bout them fare Which of themselves quite dead and barren are But by the wakening warmth of kindly dayes And the sweet dewie nights they well declare Their seminall virtue in due courses raise Long hidden shapes and life to their great Makers praise 26 These with their suns I severall worlds do call Whereof the number I deem infinite Else infinite darknesse were in this great Hall Of th' endlesse Universe For nothing finite Could put that immense shadow unto flight But if that infinite Suns we shall admit Then infinite worlds follow in reason right For every Sun with Planets must be fit And have some mark for his farre-shining shafts to hit 27 But if he shine all solitarie alone What mark is left what aimed scope or end Of his existence wherefore every one Hath a due number of dim Orbs that wend Around their centrall fire But wrath will rend This strange composure back'd with reason stout And rasher tongues right speedily
have gone They still descry eas'ly they do inferre Without all check of reason were they down Never so deep like substance would appear Ne dream of any hollow horrour there My mind with like uncurb'd facility Concludes from what by sight is seen so clear That ther 's no barren wast vacuity Above the worlds we see but still new worlds therely 64 And still and still even to infinity Which point since I so fitly have propos'd Abating well the inconsistency Of harsh infinitu de therein suppos'd And prov'd by reasons never to be loos'd That infinite space and infinite worlds there be This load laid down I 'm freely now dispos'd A while to sing of times infinity May infinite Time afford me but his smallest fee. 65 For smallest fee of time will serve my turn This part for to dispatch sith endlesse space Whose perplext nature well mans brains might turn And weary wits disorder and misplace I have already passed for like case Is in them both He that can well untie The knots that in those infinite worlds found place May easily answer each perplexity Of these worlds infinite matters endlesse durancie 66 The Cuspis and the Basis of the Cone Were both at once dispersed every where But the pure Basis that is God alone Else would remotest sights as big appear Unto our eyes as if we stood them near And if an Harper harped in the Moon His silver sound would touch our tickled ear Or if one hollowed from highest Heaven aboven In sweet still Evening-tide his voice would hither roame 67 This all would be if the Cuspe of the Cone Were very God Wherefore I rightly 't deem Onely a Creaturall projection Which flowing yet from God hath ever been Fill'd the vast empty space with its large streem But yet it is not totall every where As was even now by reason rightly seen Wherefore not God whose nature doth appear Entirely omnipresent weigh'd with judgement clear 68 A reall infinite matter distinct And yet proceeding from the Deitie Although with different form as then untinct Has ever been from all Eternity Now what delay can we suppose to be Since matter alway was at hand prepar'd Before the filling of the boundlesse sky With framed Worlds for nought at all debar'd Nor was His strength ungrown nor was His strength empair'd 69 How long would God be forming of a fly Or the small wandring moats that play in th' sun Least moment well will serve none can deny His Fiat spoke and streight the thing is done And cannot He make all the World as soon For in each Atom of the matter wide The totall Deity doth entirely won His infinite presence doth therein reside And in this presence infinite powers do ever abide 70 VVherefore at once from all eternity The infinite number of these VVorlds He made And will conserve to all infinitie And still drive on their ever moving trade And steddy hold what ever must be staid Ne must one mite be minish'd of the summe Ne must the smallest atom ever fade But still remain though it may change its room This truth abideth strong from everlasting doom 71 Ne fear I what hard sequel after-wit Will draw upon me that the number 's one Of years moneths dayes houres and of minutes fleet Which from eternitie have still run on I plainly did confesse awhile agone That be it what it will that 's infinite More infinites will follow thereupon But that all infinites do justly fit And equall be my reason did not yet admit 72 But as my emboldened mind I know not how In empty Space and pregnant Deitie Endlesse infinitude dares to allow Though it begets the like perplexitie So now my soul drunk with Diuinitie And born away above her usuall bounds With confidence concludes infinitie Of Time of Worlds of firie flaming Rounds Which sight in sober mood my spirits quite confounds 73 And now I do awhile but interspire A torrent of objections ' gainst me beat My boldnesse to represse and strength to tire But I will wipe them off like summer sweat And make their streams streight back again retreat If that these worlds say they were ever made From infinite time how comes't to passe that yet Art is not perfected nor metalls fade Nor mines of grimie coal low-hid in griefly shade 74 But the remembrance of the ancient Floud With ease will wash such arguments away Wherefore with greater might I am withstood The strongest stroke wherewith they can assay To vanquish me is this The Date or Day Of the created World which all admit Nor may my modest Muse this truth gainsay In holy Oracles so plainly writ Wherefore the Worlds continuance is not infinite 75 Now lend me Origen a little wit This sturdy stroke right fairly to avoid Lest that my rasher rhymes while they ill fit With Moses pen men justly may deride And well accuse of ignorance or pride But thou O holy Sage with piercing sight Who readst those sacred rolls and hast well tride With searching eye thereto what fitteth right Thy self of former Worlds right learnedly dost write 76 To weet that long ago there Earths have been Peopled with men and beasts before this Earth And after this shall others be again And other beasts and other humane birth Which once admit no strength that reason bear'th Of this worlds Date and Adams efformation Another Adam once received breath And still another in endlesse repedation And this must perish once by finall conflagration 77 Witnesse ye Heavens if what I say's not true Ye flaming Comets wandering on high And new fixt starres found in that Circle blue The one espide in glittering Cassiopie The other near to Ophiuchus thigh Both bigger then the biggest starres that are And yet as farre remov'd from mortall eye As are the furthest so those Arts declare Unto whose reaching sight Heavens mysteries lie bare 78 Wherefore these new-seen lights were greater once By many thousand times then this our sphear Wherein we live 'twixt good and evil chance Which to my musing mind doth strange appear If those large bodies then first shaped were For should so goodly things so soon decay Neither did last the full space of two year Wherefore I cannot deem that their first day Of being when to us they sent out shining ray 79 But that they were created both of old And each in his due time did fair display Themselves in radiant locks more bright then gold Or silver sheen purg'd from all drossie clay But how they could themselves in this array Expose to humane sight who did before Lie hid is that which well amazen may The wisest man and puzzle evermore Yet my unwearied thoughts this search could not give o're 80 Which when I 'd exercis'd in long pursuit To finden out what might the best agree With wary reason at last I did conclude That there 's no better probability Can be produc'd of that strange prodigie But that some mighty Planet that doth run About some
fixed starre in Cassiopie As Saturn paceth round about our Sun Unusuall light and bignesse by strange fate had wonne 81 Which I conceive no gainer way is done Then by the seazing of devouring fire On that dark Orb which 'fore but dimly shone With borrowed light not lightened entire But halfed like the Moon And while the busie flame did siez throughout And search the bowels of the lowest mire Of that Saturnian Earth a mist broke out And immense mounting smoke arose all round about 82 Which being gilded with the piercing rayes Of its own sun and every neighbour starre It soon appear'd with shining silver blaze And then gan first be seen of men from farre Besides that firie flame that was so narre The Planets self which greedily did eat The wastning mold did contribute a share Unto this brightnesse and what I conceit Of this starre doth with that of Ophiuchus fit 83 And like I would adventure to pronounce Of all the Comets that above the Moon Amidst the higher Planets rudely dance In course perplex but that from this rash doom I 'm bet off by their beards and tails farre strown Along the skie pointing still opposite Unto the sunne however they may roam Wherefore a cluster of small starres unite These Meteors some do deem perhaps with judgement right 84 And that theâ— tayls are streams of the suns light Breaking through their near bodies as through clouds Besides the Optick glasse has shown to sight The dissolution of these starrie crouds Which thing if 't once be granted and allow'd I think without all contradiction They may conclude these Meteors are routs Of wandering starres which though they one by one Cannot be seen yet joyn'd cause this strange vision 85 And yet methinks in my devicefull mind Some reasons that may happily represse These arguments it 's not uneath to find For how can the suns rayes that be transmisse Through these loose knots in Comets well expresse Their beards or curld tayls utmost incurvation Beside the conflux and congeries Of lesser lights a double augmentation Implies and 'twixt them both a lessening coarctation 86 For when as once these starres are come so nigh As to seem one the Comet must appear In biggest show because more loose they lie Somewhat spread out but as they draw more near The compasse of his head away must wear Till he be brought to his least magnitude And then they passing crosse he doth repair Himself and still from his last losse renew'd Grows till he reach the measure which we first had view'd 87 And then farre distanc'd they bid quite adiew Each holding on in solitude his way Ne any footsteps in the empty Blew Is to be found of that farre-shining ray Which processe sith no man did yet bewray It seems unlikely that the Comets be Synods of starres that in wide Heaven stray Their smallnesse eke and numerositie Encreaseth doubt and lessens probabilitie 88 A cluster of them makes not half a Moon What should such tennis-balls do in the skie And few'll not figure out the fashion Of those round firie Meteors on high Ne ought their beards much move us that do lie Ever cast forward from the Morning sunne Nor back cast tayls turn'd to our Evening-eye That fair appear when as the day is done This matter may lie hid in the starres shadowed Cone 89 For in these Planets conflagration Although the smoke mount up exactly round Yet by the suns irradiation Made thin and subtil no where else it s found By sight save in the dim and duskish bound Of the projected Pyramid opake Opake with darknesse smoke and mists unsound Yet gilded like a foggie cloud doth make Reflexion of fair light that doth our senses take 90 This is the reason of that constant site Of Comets tayls and beards And that their show's Not pure Pyramidall nor their ends seem streight But bow'd like brooms is from the winds that blow I mean Ethereall winds such as below Men finden under th' Equinoctiall line Their widend beards this aire so broad doth strow Incurvate and or more or lesse decline If not let sharper wits more subtly here divine 91 But that experiment of the Optick glasse The greatest argument of all I deem Ne can I well encounter nor let passe So strong a reason if I may esteem The feat withouten fallacie to been Nor judge these little sparks and subtile lights Some ancient fixed starres though now first seen That near the ruin'd Comets place were pight On which that Optick instrument by chance did light 92 Nor finally an uncouth after-sport Of th' immense vapours that the searching fire Had boyled out which now themselves consort In severall parts and closely do conspire Clumper'd in balls of clouds and globes entire Of crudled smoke and heavy clunging mists Which when they 've stayed a while at last expire But while they stay any may see that lists So be that Optick Art his naturall sight assists 93 If none of these wayes I may well decline The urging weight of this hard argument Worst is but parting stakes and thus define Some Comets be but single Planets brent Others a synod joyn'd in due consent And that no new found Meteors they are Ne further may my wary mind assent From one single experience solitaire Till all-discovering Time shall further truth declare 94 But for the new fixt starres there 's no pretence Nor beard nor tail to take occasion by To bring in that unluckie inference Which weaken might this new built mysterie Certes in raging fire they both did frie. A signe whereof you rightly may aread Their colours changeable varietie First clear and white then yellow after red Then blewly pale then duller still till perfect dead 95 And as the order of these colours went So still decreas'd that Cassiopean starre Till at the length to sight it was quite spent Which observations strong reasons are Consuming fire its body did empare And turn to ashes And the like will be In all the darksome Planets wide and farre Ne can our Earth from this state standen free A Planet as the rest and Planets fate must trie 96 Ne let the tender heart too harshly deem Of this rude sentence for what rigour more Is in consuming fire then drowning stream Of Noahs floud which all creatures chok'd of yore Saving those few that were kept safe in store In that well builded ship All else beside Men birds and beasts the lion buck and bore Dogs kine sheep horses all that did abide Upon the spacious Earth perish'd in waters wide 97 Nor let the slow and misbelieving wight Doubt how the fire on the hard earth may seize No more then how those waters earst did light Upon the sinfull world For as the seas Boyling with swelling waves aloft did rise And met with mighty showers and pouring rain From Heavens spouts so the broad flashing skies With brimstone thick and clouds of fiery bain Shall meet with raging Etna's and Vesuvius flame
corpse doth rot the spirit wide is spread And with the Mundane life fallen into one So then the soul from these quite being fled Unmov'd of ought must lie sunk in deep drowsihead 18 Nought then she hath whereon to contemplate Her ancient phantasms melt and glide away Her spright suck'd back by all-devouring fate And spread abroad those forms must needs decay That were therein imprinted If they stay Yet sith the soul from them is disunite Into her knowledge they can never ray So wants she objects the mind to excite Wherefore asleep she lies wrapt in eternall Night 19 To which I answer though she corporate With no world yet by a just Nemesis Kept off from all yet she thus separate May oft be struck with potent rayes transmisse From divers worlds that with such mockeries Kindling an hungry fire and eager will They do the wretched soul but Tantalize And with fierce choking flames and fury fill So vext that if she could in rage herself she 'd kill 20 If any doubt of this perplexitie And think so subtil thing can suffer nought What 's gnawing conscience from impietie By highest parts of humane soul ywrought For so our very soul with pain is fraught The body being in an easie plight Through all the senses when you 've pressly sought In none of them you 'll find this sting empight So may we deem this dart the soul it self to hit 21 Again when all the senses be ybound In sluggish sloth the soul doth oft create So mighty pain so cruelly doth wound Herself with tearing tortures as that state No man awake could ever tolerate Which must be in herself for once return'd Unto her body new resuscitate From sleep remembring well how erst she mourn'd Marvels how all so soon to peace and ease is turn'd 22 Wherefore the soul it self receiveth pain From her own self withouten sympathie With something else whose misery must constrain To deep compassion So if struck she be VVith secret ray or some strong energie Of any world or Lives that there remain She 's kept awake Besides fecunditie Of her own nature surely doth contain Innate Idees This truth more fully I 'll explain 23 Strong forward bearing will or appetite A never wearied importunitie Is the first life of this deep centrall spright Thus thrusts she forth before her some Idee Whereby herself now actuall she doth see Her mighty Fiat doth command each form T' appear As did that ancient Majestie This world of old by his drad VVord efform And made the soul of man thus divine Deiform 24 Thus in a manner th' humane soul creates The image of her will when from her centre Her pregnant mind she fairly explicates By actuall forms and so doth safely enter To knowledge of her self Flush light she sendeth forth and live Idee's Those be the glasse whereby the soul doth paint her Sweet centrall love sends out such forms as please But centrall hate or fear foul shapes with evil ease 25 The manner of her life on earth may cause Diversity of those cruptions For will desire or custome do dispose The soul to such like figurations Propension brings imaginations Unto their birth And oft the soul le ts flie Such unexpected eructations That she her self cannot devisen why Unlesse she do ascribe it to her pregnancy 26 It is an argument of her forms innate Which blazen out perchance when none descry This light is lost sense doth so radiate With Mundane life till this poor carcase die As when a lamp that men do sitten by In some wide hall in a clear winter night Being blown out or wasted utterly Unwares they find a sly still silver light The moon the wall or pavement with mild rayes hath dight 27 So when the oyl of this low life is spent Which like a burning lamp doth waste away Or if blown out by fate more violent The soul may find an unexpected ray Of light not from full faced Cynthia But her own fulnesse and quick pregnancy Unthought of life her Nature may display Unto her self not by forc'd industry But naturally it sprouts from her fecundity 28 Now sith adversion is a property So deeply essentiall to the rationall soul This light or life from her doth not so fly But she goes with it as it out doth roll All spirits that around their raies extoll Possesse each point of their circumference Presentially Wherefore the soul so full Of life when it raies out with presse presence Oretakes each outgone beam apprends it by advertence 29 Thus plainly we perceive th' activity Of the departed soul if we could find Strong reason to confirm th' innate idee Essentiall forms created with the mind But things obscure no'te easly be defin'd Yet some few reasons I will venture at To show that God's so liberall and kind As when as humane soul he doth create To fill it with hid forms and deep idees innate 30 Well sang the wise Empedocles of old That earth by earth and sea by sea we see And heaven by heaven and fire more bright than gold By flaming fire so gentle love descry By love and hate by hate And all agree That like is known by like Hence they confesse That some externall species strikes the eye Like to its object in the self-same dresse But my first argument hence I 'll begin to presse 31 If like be known by like then must the mind Innate idolums in it self contain To judge the forms she doth imprinted find Upon occasions If she doth not ken These shapes that flow from distant objects then How can she know those objects a dead glasse That light and various forms do gaily stain Set out in open streets shapes as they passe As well may see Lutes hear each soaming diapase 32 But if she know those species out sent From distant objects tell me how she knows These species By some other You nere ment To answer so For straight the question goes Unto another and still forward flows Even to infinity Doth th' object serve Its image to the mind for to disclose This answer hath as little sense or nerve Now reel you in a circle if you well observe 33 Wherefore no ascititious form alone Can make us see or hear but when this spright That is one with the Mundane's hit upon Sith all forms in our soul be counite And centrally lie there she doth beget Like shapes in her own self that energie By her own centrall self who forth it let Is view'd Her centrall omniformity Thus easly keepeth off needlesse infinity 34 For the quick soul by 't self doth all things know And sith withouten apt similitude Nought's known upon her we must needs bestow Essentiall centrall forms that thus endew'd With universall likenesse ever transmew'd Into a representing energie Of this or that she may have each thing view'd By her own centrall self-vitality Which is her self-essentiall omniformity 35 If plantall souls in their own selves contain That vitall formative fecundity
set purpose do appear To holden talk with frail mortality Make longer stay So that there is no fear That when we leave this earthly husk we perish clear 21 Or what is like to perfect perishing That inert deadlinesse our souls shall seize That neither sense nor phansies fountains spring But ever close in dull unactive ease For though that Death our spirits doth release From this distinguish'd organizate sense Yet we may hear and see what where we please And walk at large when we are gone from hence And with both men and ghosts hold friendly conference 22 And all in virtue of that airy Waine In which we ride when that of earth is gone Unlesse no terrene tinctures do us stein For then forthwith to heaven we be yflone In our swift fiery chariot thither drawn But least men deem me airy notions feigne All stories this sure truth do seem to own Wherefore my Muse some few do not disdain Of many to relate more firm assent to gain 23 But first lay out the treasures of the Air That immense womb from whence all bodies spring And then the force of Phantasie declare Of Witches wonnes a while then maist thou sing Their Stygian rites and nightly revelling Then to the wished port to draw more near Al 's tell of the untimely wandering Of the sad ghosts of men that oft appear All which to the hard search of truth joynt light do bear 24 Shew fitly how the praeexistent soul Inacts and enters bodies here below And then entire unhurt can leave this moul And thence her airy Vehicle can draw In which by sense and motion they may know Better then we what things transacted be Upon the Earth and when they list may show Themselves to friend or foe their phantasie Moulding their airy Orb to grosse consistency 25 For sooth to sayn all things of Air consist And easly back again return to air Witnesse the carkases of man and beast Which wast though teeth of Wolves them never tear Nor Crow nor Vulture do their flesh empare Yet all is wast and gone no reliques seen Of former shape saving the bones bare And the bare bones by Time and Art I ween First into liquour melt to air ychanged been 26 Besides experience doth maken plain How clouds be but the crudling of the air Take a round glasse let 't nought but air contain Close it with Hermes seal then cover it over With cinders warm onely the top discover The gentle fire hard at the bottome pight Thins the low air which got above doth hover Like a white fume embodying in the hight â—ith cooler parts then turns to drops all crystall bright 27 Not much unlike to the experiment That learned Leech professes to have seen Amongst the Alps where the wind violent Hammered out clouds with his strong blustring keen ' Gainst a steep rock which streight themselves did teem Upon the Earth and wet the verdant Plain Dissolved by the sight of Phoebus sheen But sometimes clouds afford not onely rain But bloud stones milk corn frogs fire earth and all contain 28 Wherefore all bodies be of air compos'd Great Natures all-complying Mercury Unto ten thousand shapes and forms dispos'd Like nimble quick-silver that doth agree With gold with brasse or with what ere it be Amalgamate but brought unto the fire Into an airy fume it all doth flie Though you before might turn to earth and mire What into ancient air so quickly doth retire 29 Wherefore the soul possest of matter meet If she hath power to operate thereon Can eath transform this Vehicle to sight Dight with due colour figuration Can speak can walk and then dispear anon Spreading her self in the dispersed air Then if she please recall again what 's gone Those th' uncouth mysteries of phansie are Then thunder farre more strong more quick then lightning faâ— 30 Some heavings toward this strange activity We may observe even in this mortall state Here health and sicknesse of the phantasie Often proceed which working minds create And pox and pestilence do malleate Their thoughts still beating on those objects ill Which doth the mastered bloud contaminate And with foul poysonous impressions fill And last the precious life with deadly dolour kill 31 And if 't be true that learned Clerks do sayen His phantasie whom a mad dog hath bit With shapes of dogs doth all his Urine stain Women with child if in their longing fit They be differ'd their eager appetite So sharply edges the quick phantasie That it the Signature doth carve and write Of what she long'd for on the Infants body Imprinting it so plain that all the world may see 32 Those streaked rods plac'd by that Syrian swain Before the sheep when they receiv'd the ramme Whence the best part of Labans flock became All spotted or'e whereby his shepheard wan The greater wages show what phansie can And boyes ore night when they went to their rest By dreams grown up to th' stature of a man And bony shapes in mens sad hearts exprest Dear image of their love and wrought by loves unrest 33 Things farre more wonderfull then Cippus horn Who in the field with so much earnestnesse Viewing the fight of bulls rose in the Morn VVith forked front for though the fight did cease Amongst th' enraged heards yet ne're the lesse His working phansie did the war revive Which on the bloud did make so strong impresse In dewy sleep that humours did arrive His knobby head and a fair pair of horns contrive 34 All these declare the force of phantasie Though working here upon this stubborn clay But th' airy Vehicle yields more easily Unto her beck more nimbly doth obey Which truth the joynt confessions bewray Of damned Hags and Masters of bold skill Whose hellish mysteries fully to display With pitchy darknesse would the Heavens fill The earth would grone trees sigh and horrour all ore spill 35 But he that out of darknesse giveth light He guide my steps in this so uncouth way And ill done deeds by children of the Night Convert to good while I shall thence assay The noble souls conditions ope to lay And show her empyre on her ayry sphear By what of sprights and specters Stories say For sprights and spectres that by night appear Be or all one with souls or of a nature near 36 Up then renowned Wizard Hermite sage That twice ten years didst in the desert wonne Convers'dst with sprights in thy hid Hermitage Since thou of mortals didst the commerce shun Well seen in these bad arts that have foredone Many a bold wit Up Marcus tell again That story of thy Thrax who has thee wonne To Christian faith the guise and haunts explain Of all air-trampling ghosts that in the world remain 37 There be six sorts of sprights Lelurion Is the first kind the next are nam'd from Air The first a loft yet farre beneath the Moon The other in this lower region fare The third Terrestriall the fourth Watery are The fift
dangers drad Make me distraught Surpriz'd with fear my senses all I find In hell I dwell Opprest with horrour pain and sorrow sad My former Resolutions all are fled Slip't over my tongue My Faith my Hope and Joy are dead Assist my heart Rather then my song My God! my Saviour when I 'm ill bested Stand by And I Shall bear with courage undeserved smart Aphroditus Synes hymn 2. 3. Macrob. Saturnal lib. 3. cap. 8. SUmme Pater rerum fixa inconcussáque sedes Omnia qui fulcis mundo non fictus Adonis Fundamen coelorum immobile Sustentamen Telluris magnûmque quies secura Deorum Omniparens Amor In dias tu luminis oras Omnia producis vastus quae continet orbis Innumera tu prole tua terrasque feraces Aerá que immensum comples camposque natantes Saeclorum Pater es Mater pia sedula Nutrix Te circum quoniam ludunt humana propago Quos nisi tu sistis nutricis more patenti In gremio circumjectis tutare lacertis Protinus heu pereunt priscas repetendo tenebras Submersosque suo claudit Styx lurida fundo Lurida Styx summi quam oderunt tangere Olympi Incolae inextinctum spirantes semper amorem Hujus enim horrendas nemo quisquam petet umbras Fluminis accensus lucenti pectora ab igni Nos tamen intereà charis dum amplecteris ulnis Materno sistisque genu te cernere contrà Vix cupimus blandosve tuos advertere vultus Sed veluti lactens infantulus ubera matris Quaeritat cunctas complet vagitibus aedeis Ni sedet mollem sibi nudam veste mamillam Exhibet Haec igitur properat saevumque tyrannum Demulcet dictis atque oscula dulcia figit Ille autem non dicta moratur nec pia matris Oscula non hilares oculos vultumque serenum Attendit pulchros neque amantum rete capillos Nulla mora est quò caeca fames vocat instat in uber Involat niveum sitienti fauce liquorem Haurit alterno jactans sua cruscula motu Maternum refricat gremium dulcedine sensûs Exultans tenerum succo feriente palatum Sic nos magna Parens quorum provectior aetas Sic tua sic avidis premimus sacra ubera labris Sed formam vultumve tuum quis conspicit Omneis Caecus amor quò tractat expectata voluptas Auferimur plenoque unà devolvimur alveo Verùm ego si possim neque enim deprendere possum Divinam speciem nimio tua pignora lusu Namque soles lassare gratam avertere formam At cùm conatu longo defessus ocellos Adduco facilis vineit mea tempora somnus Tu tamen intereà vigilas membra sopore Dulci extensa vides amico lumine mulces Haec Venus alma animus nebulas noctemque malignam Somniat obfusus neque enim poti ' cernere quicquam est Sed furit caeco rerum perculsus amore Evomit insanum turbato pectore carmen Out of the Anthologie a Distick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In English thus WHen the strong Fates with Gigantean force Bear thee in iron arms without remorse Bear and be born But if with pievish struggle Thou writhe and wrest thy corse thou dost but double Thy present pain and spend thy restlesse spright Nor thou more heavie art nor they more light Or thus If Chance thee change be chang'd and change thou it To better by thy well complying wit If thou repine thou dost but pain and grieve Thy self and Chance will change thee without leeve RIght well I wot my rhymes seem rudely drest In the nice judgement of thy shallow mind That mark'st expressions more then what 's exprest Busily billing the rough outward rinde But reaching not the pith Such surface skill's Unmeet to measure the profounder quill Yea I alas my self too often feel Thy indispos'dnesse when my weakened soul Unstedfast into this Outworld doth reel And lyes immerse in my low vitall mold For then my mind from th' inward spright estrang'd My Muse into an uncouth hew hath chang'd A rude confused heap of ashes dead My verses seem when that caelestiall flame That sacred spirit of life 's extinguished In my cold brest Then gin I rashly blame My rugged lines This word is obsolete That boldly coynd a third too oft doth beat Mine humourous ears Thus fondly curious Is the faint Reader that doth want that fire And inward vigour heavenly furious That made my enrag'd spirit in strong desire Break through such tender cob-web niceties That oft intangle these blind buzzing flies Possest with living sense I inly rave Carelesse how outward words do from me flow So be the image of my mind they have Truly exprest and do my visage show As doth each river deckt with Phebus beams Fairly reflect the viewer of his streams Who can discern the Moons asperity From of this earth or could this earths discover If from the earth he raised were on high Among the starrs and in the sky did hover The Hills and Valleyes would together flow And the rough Earth one smooth-fac'd Round would show Nor can the lofty soul snatch'd into Heven Busied above in th' Intellectuall world At such a distance see my lines uneven At such a distance was my spirit hurld And to my trembling quill thence did endite What he from thence must reade who would read right Fair Fields and rich Enclosures shady Woods Large populous Towns with strong and stately Towers Long crawling Rivers far distended Flouds What ever 's great its shape these eyes of ours And due proportions from high distance see The best And Paro such my Rhyme's to thee Thy groveling mind and moping poreblind eye That to move up unmeet this to see farre The worth or weaknesse never can descry Of my large winged Muse But not to spare Till thou canst well disprove proves well enough Thou art rash and rude how ere my rhymes are rough Necessitas Triumphata Seu Humanam voluntatem ad unum necessariò non determinari O Dea quae clavum manibus cuneúmque superbis Gestas stricta liquidi compagine plumbi Cuncta premis duramque soles imponere legem Usque adeone tuo indulges saevissima rerum Imperio astringas trist◠tibi ut omnia nodo Terra tua est quos sub verno tempore flores Proruit quicquid tenebrosa in viscera condit Amnes quò tu cunque vocas salsaeque lacunae Pergunt lati palantia sydera mundi Aer sub ditione tua est nimbique ruentes Quaeque boant rauco metuenda tonitrua caelo Et nimis angustum si forte haec omnia regnum Infernas moderare umbras sedesque silentûm Horrificosque suis ructantem è faucibus aestus Tartaron His addas brutum genus omne animantûm Innumeras pecorum species atque Altivolantûm Mancipium Natura tuum est sen tristior illa Quam Nox ima premit caeca in caligine sive Quam matutinis radiis
fovet Aetherius Sol. Omnibus his dare jura potes durasque catenas Nectere ad rigidum nodis mordentibus Unum Stringere At hac stupida non torpent caetera lege Liberum enim est genus humanum veluti innuba virgo Quae nondum ullius thalamis addicta mariti est Multi hanc ergo viri precibus blandisque loquelis Facundos quos fecit amor noctisque cupido Solicitant Nostras alios ita manibus imis E mediis alios alios è sedibus altis Impugnasse procos animas sentimus ipsum Delcendisse Jovem casto in praecordia lusu ut Virtutem inspiret sanctumque accendat amorem Scilicet haec fiunt quoniam mens libera nostra est Legibus aeterni fati Uniusque severi Quod si animae motus solido Dea ferrea clavo Praefixos jam olim determinet illius omnes Fictitii assensus libertas nil nisi inane Commentum quod qui est ausus fabricare necesse est Aestuet implicitus nodis quos consuit ipse Et Châ—ysippeum sudet volvendo cylindrum Exorcismus WHat 's this that in my brest thus grieves and greanes Rives my close-straitned heart distends my sides with deep fetch'd sighs while th' other in fell pride Resists and choaks O hear the dreadfull moanes Of thy dear son if so him cleep I may If there be any sense 'twixt Heven and Earth If any mutuall feeling sure this birth May challenge speed and break off all delay You Winged people of the unseen sky That bear that living Name in your pure brest Chariots of God in whom the Lord of rest Doth sit triumphant can not you espy The self same Being in such jeopardy Make haste make haste if you Gods army been Rescue his son wreak your revengefull teen On his fast holding Enemy Hath Nature onely sympathy What may I deem you self-exulting sprights Lock'd up in your own selves whose inward life Is self-contenting joy withouten strife Of doing good and helping wofull weights Then were you empty carres and not the throne Of that thrice-beautious sun the god of love The Soul of souls and heart of highest Jove If you to others good were not most prone Open thou Earth unclose thou fast bound ball Of smoring darknesse The black jawes of Hell Shall issue forth their dead that direfull cell Of miscreant Lives that strive still to enthrall Shall let him go at last and he ore all Shall triumph Then the gladsome Progeny Of the bright Morning star shining on high Shall fill the Round aetheriall With sound of voices musicall Nor yet this breath 's quite spent Swift flight of wing Hath shot my soul from th'hight to th'depth again And from the depth to th' height The glistring Main Of flowing light and darknesses curs'd spring I 've mov'd with sacred words the extreme worlds In holy rage assaulted with my spell I 'll at the middle Movable as well As those and powerfull magick gainst it hurle You waving aires and you more boistrous winds Dark Zaphons sons who with your swelling blasts Thrust out the ribs of heaven and that orepast Leave Nature languid to her wont confind Suppresse your spright and be at his command Who on the troubled Galilean lake Did wind and storm to him obedient make Let still serenity the land Inclose about with steddy hand And you heaven-threatning rocks whose tops be crown'd With wreaths of woolly clouds fall into dust And thou O Ida kill thy glory must Consume and thou lye equall with the ground O're quick-ey'd Ida thou which seest the Sun Before day spring those Eastern spatterd lights And broad spread shinings purpling the gay Night And that swoln-glowing ball they 'll all be gone You summer neezings when the Sun is set That fill the air with a quick fading fire Cease from your flashings and thou Self-desire The worst of meteors curs'd Voraginet The wind of God shall rend thee into nought And thou shalt vanish into empty air Nor shall thy rending out leave any scarre Thy place shall not be found though sought So perish shall all humane thought Deliquium VIres deficiunt abitque vita Virtutem revoca O Deus fugacem O sol justitiae atque origo vitae Vitae qua reficis tuos alumnos Inspira obsecro spiritum suavem Venis languidulis meósque ocellos Lucis vivica novo vigore Perculsum saliat novóque amore Pectus compositas agat choreas Laetum cor cupidis premátque in ulnis Quae tu cunque facis Pater Deorum ImmensÃque opifex perite mundi Cuncta exosculer ambitu benigno Injectis teneam fovens lacertis Nam jucunda cluent cluent amena Ni nubes animum gravent acerbum Atque urat dolor intimus medullam Ergo magnanimam piámque mentem Sedatam facilémque callidámque Concedas quae hominum sciat ferátque Mores omnimodos bonos malósque Nec cor concutiant superbiarum Fluctus turgidulum furor dolórque Vitae ne obsideant vias misell ae Soffocéntque suis feris catenis Mentem praebe humilem at simul serenam Mentem praebe hilarem at simul severam Te circum choreas leves agentem Pulsantem citharam at tibi canentem IT was the time when all things quiet lay In silent rest and Night her rusty Carre Drawn with black teem had drove above half way Her curbed steeds foaming out lavering tarre And finely trampling the soft misty air With proner course toward the West did fare I with the rest of weak mortality For natures due relief lay stretch'd on bed My weary body lay out-stretch'd not I. For I alas from that dead corse had fled Had left that slough as erst I doft my clothes For kindly rest that very Evening-close Free as in open Heaven more swift then thought In endlesse spaces up and down I flie Not carryed on wings or as well taught To row with mine own arms in liquid skie As oft men do in their deceiving sleep Hovering over Waters Woods and Valleys sleep But born on the actuall efflux of my will Without resistence thither easly glide Whither my busie mind did breathe untill All-suddenly an uncouth sight I spide Which meanly as I may I will propound To wiser men to weigh with judgement sound Behold a mighty Orb right well compil'd And kned together of opacous mould That neither curse of God nor man defil'd Though wicked wights as shall anon be told Did curse the ill condition of the place And with foul speech this goodly work disgrace But vain complaints may weary the ill tongue And evil speeches the blasphemer stain But words Gods sacred works can never wrong Noâ— wrongfull deeming work dame Natures bane Who misconceives conceives but his own ill Brings forth a falshood shows his want of skill This globe in all things punctually did seem Like to our earth saving in magnitude For it of so great vastnesse was I ween That if that all the Planets were transmewd Into one Ball they 'd not exceed this Round
Plotin Ennead 3. lib. 7. where he doth acknowledge Aeon and On all one at the fourth Chapter STANZ 9. This is the ancient Eidos omniform Fount of all beauty c. The description of Aeon which is the first form also or pulchritude is largely set out Ennead 5. lib. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the condition of that Eternall life is thus delineated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that is It is an easie life they live there for truth is their mother nurce substance and nourishment and they see all things not in which generation is but essence and themselves in others For all 's pellucid nothing dark or impervious but every one to every one is perspicuous and all to every one as light to light For every one hath in him all things and again sees all things in others So that all things are every where and all is all and every thing all and the splendour infinite For every thing there is great sith what is little must be also great the Sun there is all the starres and again every starre the Sun and all things but every thing is more eminently some one thing and yet all things fairly shine in every thing c. See Plotin Ennead 5. lib. 8. cap. 4. STANZ 13. Far otherwise it fares in Aeons realms This is in reference to Narcissus story Stanz 12. that sets out the hazard of loving earthly beauty and of the desire of conjunction with it but there is no such danger in Aeon land for the objects there are perfective and not destructive better then the soul not baser and chiefly Abinoam or Ahad which is as it were the Sun of that world which Aeon doth alwayes behold steddy and unmoved and with him all they that arrive thither Aeons self is also an unspeakable plenitude of life and it is an unexpresseable perfection of the mind to be joyned with him so that there is plainly no danger or hurt to desire earnestly the enjoyment of these divine forms though union with corporeall features may deface the soul STANZ 14. For Aeon land which men Idea call Is nought but life c. So Plotin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The nature of Intellect and On is the true and first world not distant from it self not weak by division or dispersion nothing defective But all of it is life and all intellect living in one and at once understanding A part exhibits the whole and the whole is friendly to it self not separated one part from another nor become another alone and estrang'd from others Whence one part is not injurious to another nor contrary Wherefore every where being one and perfect every where it stands unmoved and admits no alteration See Ennead 3. lib. 2. cap. 1 STANZ 5. That Virgin wife of Aeon Vranore Vranore or Psyche the wife of Aeon the daughter of Ahad For indeed all things come from him but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Ahad that is a simple unity then Aeon that 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an actuall unmoveable Omniformity Lastly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 's Vranore or Psyche viz capable of that stable Omniformity that Fulnesse of life even all things and of him that is above all things but it is not of her Essence to be all things actually and steddily See Plotin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ennead 5. lib. 1. cap 8. But nothing can be more plain than what he hath written Ennead 5. lib. 6. cap. 4. where speaking of Ahad Aeon and Psyche 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is And we may resemble the first viz. Ahad to lux or light the next to the Sunne the third viz. Psyche to the Moon borrowing her light of the Sunne For Psyche hath but an adventitious Intellect which doth as it were colour her made Intellectuall But Intellect or Aeon hath in himself proper Intellectuall life not being that light onely but that which is in his essence illuminated by Ahad but that which imparts this light viz. Ahad is light alone and nothing else beside exhibiting a power to him to be what he is STANZ 4. 5. Because the fire Of Aethers essence c. That the Intellect in man is clothed with the soul the soul with fire or spirit and that through that instrument it governs and orders this grosse body is the Opinion of Trismeg in his Clavis and the like instrument he ascribes to the Maker of the whole World 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Maker of the Heavens useth fire to his work But I conceive indeed that the pure Heavens or Aether which is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to burn is nothing else but attenuate fire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a subtill fiery liquor or liquid fire as I have else where intimated Vers 6.7 And inward unseen golden hew doth dight And life of Sense c. I cannot better declare this matter then the Philosopher hath already Ennead 5. lib. 1. cap. 2. Let any particular soul saith he quietly by her self conceive the whole Universe devoid of life form and motion let the Earth be still and stupid the Sea the Aire and the Heaven anon an universall soul flow into this torpent masse inwardly infus'd penetrating throughout and illuminating all as the beams of the Sunne doth some Cloud 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 making a golden show by their gilding light Such is the entrance of Psyche into the body of the Vniverse kindling and exciting the dead mist the utmost projection of her own life into an Aethereall vivacity and working in this by her plasmaticall Spirits or Archei all the whole world into order and shape fitting this sacred Animal◠for perfect sense establishing that in being which before was next to nothing Vers 8. Aether's the vehicle of touch smell sight Of taste c. This is true in the Microcosme as well as in the Macrocosme above described viz. that the more subtill fiery and attenuate spirits in mans body are the medium whereby the soul is joyned to and doth work in the body STANZ 16. May reach that vast profundity Synesius also calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the paternall depth Hymn 2. STANZ 18. Now rise my Muse c. From this STANZ to the 33. is contained a description of the visible World Vers 2. Th' outward vest To make all this visible World the garment of Psyche is no forc'd or new fancy sith the Sibyll hath apparrelled God therewith Sibyll Orac. lib. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is I am JEHOVAH well my words perpend Clad with the frory Sea all mantled over With the blew Heavens shod with the Earth I wend The Starres around me dance th' Air doth me cover Moses also if we will believe Philo the Jew made Aarons garment a symboll of the visible World and it agrees well with this of the Sibylls For
Nearer the Earth the slower it must go These Arks be lesse but in the Heaven blew Those Arks increase it must not be so slow Thus must it needs return unto its idle Bow Where let B be the earth A the East Let an arrow fly in the line BC. let DE be severall hights of the air Let the arrow K keep in BC the same line of the air or earthly magnetick spirit So that BF BG BH c. are not new lines of the air but of immovable imaginary space which spaces let be aequall one with another Now let the arrow K moving upward or downard in BC make also toward the East A in a circular motion I say then it goes faster in E then in D. For the ark DA is divided into parts of the same proportion to the whole D A that the parts of EA to the whole EA Now EA is far greater then DA and therefore must the parts of EA be far greater then the parts of DA. And yet in the same time doth the arrow K passe thorough the portion of EA that it doth of DA. otherwise it would not keep in the line BC which is contrary to our hypothesis and indeed to ordinary experience For our eye finds the arrow come down in the same line it went up Therefore it must needs go faster in EA then DA. But this may seem strange and uncouth that the arrow should thus moderate it self in its motion and proportion its swiftnesse to the ark it is in But I conceive it is no more wonderfull then that water should figure it self according to the variety of its situations in hight and depth STANZ 39. Nor ought we wonder that it doth conform Its motion to the circles of the air Sith water in a wooden bucket born Doth fit it self unto each Periphere c. The truth and sense of this stanza will appear thus Water is a heavie body and therefore will get so near the centre as it can That all the parts may get as near as they can they must of necessity cast themselves into a sphaericall figure For any other figure though it may happily let some parts nearer then they be in a sphear yet it necessarily bears others further off from the Centre then the furthest would be were they all cast into a sphericall as plainly appears in the following Scheme Where let DA be a proportion of water casting it self into a rectilinear figure FG the same proportion casting it self into a sphaericall 'T is plain that though DA be nearer the Centre at the point C and thereabout then FG at B or any where else yet the highest point in the furface of FG is not so high or so far remov'd from the centre I as any betwixt DK or HA wherefore all the particles of the proportion of water DA are not brought to the nearest position to the centre I till they conform with the circle CLM. which we suppose the same proportion of water FG to have done wherefore the lubricous particles of the water DA will never cease tumbling as being plac'd in an undue hight till the surface thereof be concentricall with I. This being premised let E be a vessel of water in severall situations of hight The first and highest situation of this vessel let be BAB which is plainly the biggest circle Let CBC be the next a lesse circle then BAB The tumour at B is bigger then then at A. let BCB be the third lesser then any of the former the tumour at C is then highest of all and so on still There will ever be a new conformation of the surface of the water according to the distance from the Centre of the earth as is plain from the praemized Theorem STANZ 4â— venus Orb debarres not Mars c. That the Planets get into one anothers supposed Orbs is plain from their greatest laste distances from the centre of the Earth Mars his least distance 556 Semidiam Venus greatest distance 2598 Semidiam Venus least distance 399 Semidiam Mercuries greatest distance 2176 Semidiam Now they that make solid Orbs must of necessity make the Orb of the Planet as high or as low as the Planet it self is at least Wherefore the lowest distance of an high Planet being much lower then the highest distance of a lower Planet as appears out of Landsbergius his calculation in his Vranometria it must needs be that their supposed solid orbs will runne one into another But you 'll say it is foul play to appeal to Landsbergius his Calculation sith he is a party But I see no man distrust his conclusions though they mislike his Hypothesis How ever that this objection may be taken away The fluidnesse of the Planetary heavens is acknowledged even by them that are against the motion of the Earth As by Tycho that famous Astronomer who hath made such a System of the world even the earth standing still as may well agree with the conclusions of Landsbergius about the distances of the Planets from the Centre of the earth For there Mars his least distance must needs be lower then Venus greatest distance and Venus lest distance must needs be lower then Mercuries greatest distance As you may see in the Paradigme Where it is very plain that Venus sometime is nearer the earth then Mercury that Mars is sometime nearer the earth then Venus which cannot be without penetration of dimensions in solid Orbs. But what an untoward broken system of the would this of Tycho's is in comparison of that of Copernicus will appear even at first sight if we do but look upon them both I have set down this scheme of Copernicus because it is usefull also for the better understanding of some following passages Copernicus System of the World as it is described in Galilaeo pag. 242. It is plain to any man that is not prejudic'd that this System of the world is more naturall genuine then that of Tycho's No enterfaring or cutting of circles as in Tycho's where the course of the Sunne cuts Mars his circuit No such vast excentricity as there nor disproportionatednesse of Orbs and motions But I 'll leave these things rather for the beholder to spy out then to spend needlesse words in an easie matter STANZ 56. But that disgracement of Philosophy From Flux and Reflux of the Ocean main Their monethly and yearly change c. How the Flux and Reflux of the sea depends on the motion of the earth I shall endeavour to explain as follows About the Centre A describe the circumference of the Earths annuall course HBC from West to East In the point B describe the globe of the earth DEFG running also from West to East in its diurnall course that is from G to D from D to E and so on till it come to G again Here we may observe that every part of the earth at severall times hath a contrary motion As for example Those parts at Dâ—tending
of the motion of the Earth so fitly salving all such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the following figure will make plain Let the circuit of the earth be AGA about the Sunne standing still at the Centre Z. Let AN be a twelfth part of Jupiters circle that he moves in about the Sunne For Jupiter finisheth his course but in twelve years Divide the circuit of the earth AGA into twelve equall parts By that time the earth hath gone through all these Jupiter will have gone the twelfth part of his own circuit viz. AN. Divide AN into twelve equall parts according to the number of parts in the Earths circuit before describ'd That while the Earth passeth thorough one twelfth of her whole circle AGA Jupiter may also dispatch a twelfth of the ark AN Let both these twelves be signed with the same letters ABCDEFGHIKLMN Now place the Earth at the point A. Let it go forward till it come to B. Jupiter hath also gone forward in his circuit and appears in the starry firmament at B going forward on his way suppose with the order of the signes Let the Earth proceed to C then is Jupiter also come to C and appears yet direct in the highest C. so he doth in D and in E but in F he appears Stationary betwixt F E. Let the Earth proceed to G. Here Jupiter has skip'd back in appearance as far as from F to G. Let the earth go on to H in appearance he has gone back as far as from G to H. Let her still move forward till she reach I there Jupiter becomes Stationary again in IH Put her on further to K then he is again direct So is he in L and M and N which is the entire finishing of the Earths annuall course Thus according to Copernicus his supposition is the station and repedation of the Planets at least the three highest Saturn Jupiter and Mars plainly discovered to be an appearance onely that the Heavens are not guilty of any such reall irregularity of motion Which coneinnity nor Ptolemees nor Tycho's Hypothesis can afford us But lest any mistrust that the same seeming irregularity will not fall out in Mercury and Venus which are betwixt the Sunne and our Earth The following scheme will show how there is a station and repedation in them too according to this Hypothesis of Copernicus Set the Earth at some certain point of its annuall circle viz. at O. Let ABCDEFGHIKLM divide the circle of Venus or Mercury into equall parts Mercurie and Venus will be in all these sites in respect of the Earth before they can be in conjunction with the Earth again though the Earth be not fixt in the point O. Now draw a line from the point O into every section you shall find direction station and repedation in these Planets as well as in the other higher Planets For supposing the order of the Signes to go according to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 place Venus first in A then let her Proceed to B. She has taken a long journey backward contrary to the series of the Signes and recoyled from A in the starry firmament to B. Let her go on to C. She has given another skip back into C but a very little one In DEFGHIKL she is direct but then at M she goes backward again and in ABC till she come at D again This for the Retrogradation and direction As for the station of this Planet it is betwixt B and D and M and K as the figure plainly discovers What hath been said of Venus is also appliable to Mercury as was intimated at first STANZ 71. Why Saturn should rove With shorter startings give back lesse then Jove Jove lesse then Mars Why Venus flincheth out More than Mercurius Let ABCDEF be the circles of Saturn Jupiter Mars Tellus Venus Mercurie Saturn Jupiter Mars let them all ly in one line GH The Earth be at the point I. It is plain that the nearest the Earth flyeth of the widest and so in order The same happeneth in Venus and Mercury supposing the Earth at the point K. This matter is very plain even at the first sight STANZ 72. Why Saturn Jove and Mars be very nigh Unto the Earth show bigger in our eye At eventide c. Why Saturn Jupiter and Mars when they rise Acronychall that is at the beginning of the night seem bigger and be indeed nearer us then when they follow the Sunne close and set Acronychall The reason of this is very evident in Copernicus his Hypothesis as you may see in this Diagram Mars when he riseth Acronychall is distant from the Earth but the space of AB But when he setteth Acronychall he is distant the space of HB So Jupiter when he riseth Acronychall is distant but AC from the Earth but when he setteth he is distant the space of HC the like 〈…〉 Cant. 4. STANZ 13. Is confident of his souls after joyes THe condition of the bad and good soul in reference to their estate after death Plotinus has very Philosophically set out as follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ennead 4. lib. 4. cap. 45. Notes upon The Infinity of Worlds STANZ 8. and 66. A Circle whose Circumference no where Is Circumscrib'd c. The Cuspis and the Basis of the Cone Were both at once c. WHen I speak of God this Mathematicall way which is no new thing for the Ancients also have defined Him to be a Circle whose Centre is every where and Circumference no where And Synesius calls him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Centre of Centres I say when I speak thus of God I then set out that modification of his Being which answers to quantity in Bodies But God is so perfect that no one appellation or resemblance can exhaust that Treasure of Attributes in him He being so fully all things in himself So that if we will venture to call Him all that He eminently contains we must be forc'd upon at least seeming inconsistencies And now we endeavour to set out that which answers in God to Quantity we fall into disagreeing terms of Centre and Basis of a Cone But why we adumbrate the divine Entity by this representation you shall compendiously conceive in the following figure and see in what respect he is a Centre and in what the Basis of a Cone as also what that is we call the Cuspis of the Cone Let KIHK be the whole Orb of beings The Centre A. Ahad or Atove BCDEFGH Aeon Psyche Semele Arachne Physis Tasis Hyle I say that Ahad in respect of those subsequent Effluxes BCD c. is fitly termed a Centre and is as the Sunne in respect of the Light and Rainbow But now all things flowing from him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with abatement as is most discernable in the Extremes for the point A is in every point of the whole Orb KIHK and so is as large as the whole Orb. As for example The point A is at the point G and every
vivo THus have I run through the more obscure terms in the preceding Poems But for the many points a man may meet withall therein though I did heretofore make some sleight promise of speaking more determinately of them I hope I may without offence decline the performance as yet till I abound more with leasure and judgement For as I am certain I have little enough of the one so I can not but doubt Nature having lavished so much upon all men else even to the infallible Determining of mutuall contradictions whether I have got any share at all of the other But yet I hope without breach of modesty I may presume to understand the purpose of my own writings Which as I have heretofore signified was no other then this to stirre men up to take into their thoughts these two main considerations The heartie good will of God to mankind even in the life of this world made of the commixture of light and darknesse that he will through his power rescue those souls that are faithfull in this their triall and preferre the light before the dark that he will I say deliver them from the power of living Death and Hell by that strong arm of their salvation Jesus Christ the living God enthron'd in the heart of man to whom all the Genii of the Universe be they never so goodly and glorious shall serve They and all their curious devices and inventions shall be a spoil prey and a possession to Him that is most just and shall govern the nations in righteousnesse and equity And that beside this happinesse on earth every holy soul hereafter shall enjoy a never-fading felicity in the invisible and eternall Heaven the Intellectuall world Which if it be not true I must needs confesse it seems almost indifferent whether any creature be or no. For what is it to have lived suppose 70 years wherein we have been dead or worse above two third parts of them Sleep youth age and diseases with a number of poor and contemptible employments swallow up at least so great a portion that as good if not better is he that never was then he is that hath but such a glance or glimpse of passing life to mock him And although the succession of righteousnesse upon earth may rightly seem a goodly great and full spread thing and a matter that may bear an ample correspondencie even to the larger thoughts of a good and upright man yet to say the truth no man is capable of any large inheritance whose life and existence is so scant that he shall not be able so much as to dream of the least happinesse once seised on by death But there are continually on earth such numbers of men alive that if they liv'd well it would be an Heaven or Paradise But still a scant one to every particular man whose dayes are even as nothing So that the work of God seems not considerable in the making of this world if humane souls be extinguished when they go out of it You will say that those small particles of time that is thus scattered and lost among men in their successions are comprehended and collected in God who is a continuall witnesse of all things But alas what doth the perpetuall repetition of the same life or deiform Image throughout all ages adde to Him that is at once infinitely himself viz. good and happy So that there is nothing considerable in the creation if the rationall creature be mortall For neither is God at all profited by it nor man considerably And were not the Angels a great deal better employed in the beholding the worth of their Creatour then to deminish their own happinesse by attending those whom nothing can make happy looking on this troubled passing stream of the perishing generations of men to as little purpose almost as idle boyes do on dancing blebs and bubbles in the water What designe therefore can there be in God in the making of this world that will prove 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worthy of so excellent a goodnesse and wisdome but the triall of the immortall spirit of man It seems the deepest reach of his counsell in the creation and the life of this world but a prelude to one of longer durance and larger circumference hereafter And surely it is nothing else but the heavy load of this body that keeps down our mind from the reaching to those so high hopes that I may not say from a certain sense and feeling of that undisturbd state of immortality And thus much I have ventured to speak boldly without Scepticisme in Faith and Sense that the first Principle of all things is living Goodnesse armd with Wisdome all-powerfull Love But if a mans soul be once sunk by evil fate or desert from the sense of this high and heavenly truth into that cold conceit that the Originall of things doth lie either in shuffling Chance or in that stark root of unknowing Nature and brute Necessity all the subtile cords of Reason without the timely recovery of that divine touch within the hidden spirit of man will 〈…〉 â—ack out of that abhorred pit of Atheisme and Infidelity So much better is Innocency and Piety then subtile Argument and earnest and sincere Devotion then curious Dispute FINIS Errata Pag. Stanz lin Pro Lege 12 43 9 Hiddenly Hiddeâ— lie 15 56 1 censent concent 22 20 2 weight wight 22 20 5 Can make Can wake 37 79 7 Countrey-speech Counterspeech 46 125 9 preceed proceed 58 21 5 There lives There lies 81 3 1 eanst canst 97 11 8 wild mild 126 17 8 truths truth 's 142 11 6 So he gins so she 'gins 145 24 4 Nor part Not part 153 57 6 Wrapt Rapt 162 30 7 binds It binds 175 5 8 for 't is for 'ts 194 14 1 conpissate conspissate 199 33 3 possession position 203 48 9 debare debarre 212 84 1 these their 242 4 4 though through 246 20 2 stell well 260 19 9 night wight 260 20 3 over oft overmost 264 36 7 of thy to thy 286 6 4 tosse touze 314  33 two efficious too officious 318  21 Haec Venus Haec Venus 322  17 vivica vivifica 340  32 Stanz 5. Stanz 15. 341  26 Stanz Vers 346  18 Stanz 59. Stanz 49. 368  4 Stanz 28. Stanz 38. 369  3 Stanz 50. Stanz 51. 383  24 Stanz Stanz 2. 388  8 Stanz 84. Stanz 48. 412  17 Omnipotency Omnipraesency