A FEAST FOR WORMES SET FORTH IN A POEME OF THE HISTORY OF IONAH By FRA. QVARLES ad hoc ab hoc per hoc This Naked Pourtraiture before thine Eye Is Wretched helplesse MAN MAN borne to Die On either side an ANGELL doth protect him As well from EVILL as to GOOD direct him Th' one poynts to DEATH the t'other to a CROVVNE Who THIS attaines must tread the OTHER downe All which denotes the Briefe of MANS Estate That HEE 'S to goe from HENCE by THIS to THAT AT LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Richard Moore and are to be sold at his shop in Saint Dunstans Church-yard in Fleetstreet 1620. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE ROBERT LORD SYDNEY Baron of Penshurst Viscount Lisle Earle of Leicester Knight of the most Noble Order of the Garter SIR two things more especiall haue made me industrious to doe your Lordship seruice The one is the loue you did beare to my long since deceased Father whom dead your Lordship did please to honour with your Noble remembrance The other is your vndeserued Fauours and Honourable Countenance towards me in your passage thorow Germany where you haue left in the hearts of men a Pyramis of your Worth As for the first I am heire to that seruice which my Father alwayes obseruant to your Honour was ready to performe As for the second my selfe in more particular stand obliged In respect of both heere I dedicate my selfe and these few leaues to your truly-Noble Selfe hoping your Lordship will vaile my boldnesse in your good acceptance and crowne my labours with your approbation SIR Your Lordships truly obseruant FRA. QVARLES TO THE READER Reader J fairely salute thee I List not to tyre thy patient eares with vnnecessary language the abuse of complement My mouth 's no Dictionary it onely serues as a needfull Commentary vpon the obscure Text of my meaning J haue heere sent thee the first fruits of an obortiue Birth Jt is a dainty subiect not Fabulous but Truth it selfe VVonder not at the Title A FEAST FOR WORMES for it is a Song of Mercy VVhat greater FEAST than Mercy And what are Men but WORMES Moreouer J haue gleaned some few Meditations obuious to the History Let me aduise thee to keepe the Taste of the History whilest thou readest the Meditations and that will make thee Rellish both the better Vnderstanding Reader fauour me Gently expound what it is too late to correct He le va de Golpe Dios sea con ella Farewell THE PROPOSITION OF the whole Worke. 'T Is not the Record of Great HECTORS Glory Whose matchlesse Valour makes the World a Story Nor yet the swelling of that Romans Name That onely Came and Look'd and Ouercame Nor One nor All of those braue Worthies Nine Whose Might was Great and Acts almost Diuine That liu'd like Gods but di ' de like Men and gone Shall giue my Pen a Taske to treat vpon I sing the praises of the KING of Kings Out of whose mouth a two-edg'd Smiter springs Whose Words are Mystery whose Works are Wonder Whose Eyes are Lightning and whose Voyce is Thunder Who like a Curtaine spreads the Heauens out Spangl'd with Starres in Glory round about 'T is HEE that cleft the furious waues in twaine Making a High-way passage through the Maine 'T is He that turn'd the waters into Blood And smote the Rocky stone and caus'd a Flood 'T is HEE that 's iustly Armed in his Ire Behind with Plagues before with flaming Fire More bright then mid-day Phoebus are his Eyes And whosoeuer sees his Visage Dyes I sing the Praises of Great Iudah's Lion The fragrant Flowre of Iesse the Lambe of Sion Whose Head is whiter then the driuen Snow Whose Visage doth like flames of Fire Glow His Loynes begirt with Golden Belt His Eyne Like Titan riding in his Southerne Shine His Feet like burning Brasse and as the noyse Of surgie Neptunes roaring is his Voyce This is that Paschall Lambe whose dearest Blood Is soueraigne Drinke whose Flesh is sauing Food His precious Blood the Worthies of the Earth Did drinke which though but borne of Mortall birth Returnd them Deities For who drinkes THIS Shall be receiu'd into Eternall Blisse Himselfe the GIFT which HE himselfe did giue His Stripes heale vs and by HIS Death we liue HEE acting GOD and MAN in double Nature Did reconcile Mankind and Mans Creator I heer 's a TASKE indeed if Mortals could Not make a Verse yet Rocks and Mountaines would The Hils shall daunce the Sunne shall stop his Course Hearing the subiect of this high Discourse The Horse and Gryphin shall together sleepe The Woolfe shall fawne vpon the silly Sheepe The Crafty Serpent and the Fearfull Hart Shall ioyne in Consort and each beare a part And leape for Ioy when my VRANIA sings She sings the praises of the KING of Kings THE INTRODVCTION ¶ THat Ancient Kingdome that old Assur swai'd Shew'd two great Cities Ah! but both decai'd Both mighty Great but of vnequall growth Both Great in People and in Building both But Ah! What hold is there of Earthly Good Now Grasse growes there where these braue Cities stood The name of one Great Babylon was hight Through which the rich Euphrates takes her flight From High Armaenia to the ruddy Seas And stores the Land with rich Commodities ¶ The other Ninus Niniueh the Great So huge a Fabrick and well chosen Seat Dan Phoebus fiery Steeds with Maines becurld That circundates in twice twelue houres the World Ne'r saw the like By Great King Ninus hand 'T was raisd and builded in th' Assyrians Land Which he subdude 'T was plac'd twixt riuers twaine Licus and swift Tygris that runnes amaine Begirt she was with Walls of wondrous might Creeping twice fifty foot in measur'd height Vpon their bredth if ought we may relie On the report of Sage Antiquity Three Chariots fairly might themselues display And ranke together in a Battell-ray The Circuit that her mighty Bulke imbraces Containes the mete of sixty-thousand paces Within her well-fenc't walles you might discouer Fiue hundred stately Towers thrice told ouer Whereof the highest draweth vp the eye As well the low'st an hundred Cubits hie All rich in those things which to state belong For beauty Braue and for munition Strong Duly and daily this Great worke was tended With ten thousand Workmen Begun and ended In eight yeeres space How beautifull How faire Thy Buildings And how foule thy Vices are ¶ Thou Land of Assur double then thy pride And let thy Wells of Ioy be neuer dri'de Thou hast a Palace that 's renown'd so much The like was neuer is nor will be such ¶ Thou Land of Assur trebble then thy Woe And let thy Teares doe as thy Cups o'rflow For this thy Palace of so great renowne Shall be destroy'd and sackt and batterd downe But cheere vp Niniueh thine inbred might Hath meanes enough to quell thy Foemans spite Thy
Bulwarkes are like Mountaines and thy Wall Disdaines to stoope to thundring Ordnance call Thy watchfull Towers mounted round about Keepe thee in safety and thy Foe-man out I but thy Bulwarks aide cannot withstand The direfull stroke of High Almighties hand Thy Wafer-walles at dread Iehouah's blast Shall quake and quiuer and shall downe be cast Thy watchfull Towers shall asleepe be found And nod their drowsie heads downe to the ground Thy Bulwarks are not Vengeance-proofe thy Wall When Iustice brandisheth her Sword must fall Thy lofty Towers shall be dumbe and yeeld To High Reuenge Reuenge must win the field Vengeance cries loud from heauen she cannot stay Her Fury but impatient of delay Hath brim'd her Vials full of deadly Bane Thy Palace shall be burnt thy People slaine Thy Heart is hard as Flint and swolne with pride Thy murth'rous Hands with guiltlesse blood are dy'de Thy silly Babes doe starue for want of Food Whose tender Mothers thou hast drench't in Blood Women with child lie in the streets about Whose Braines thy sauage hands haue dashed out Distressed Widowes weepe but weepe in vaine For their deare Husbands whom thy hands haue slaine By one mans Force another man 's deuour'd Thy Wiues are rauisht and thy Maids deflowr'd Where Iustice should there Tor◠and Bribes are plac't Thy ' Altars defild and holy things defac't Thy Lips haue tasted of proud Babels Cup What thou hast left thy Children haue drunke vp Thy bloody sinnes thine Abels guiltlesse blood Cries vp to heauen for Vengeance cries aloud Thy Sinnes are ripe and ready for the Sickle Heere rouze thy selfe my Pen and breathe a little THE ARGVMENT OF THE HISTORY GOd sent Ionah the Prophet to the Nineuites to denounce his Iudgements against them for their sinnes but Ionah tooke shipping intending to fly to Tarshish God raised a Storme which indangered the Ship Whereupon the Mariners perplext did cast Lots to see for whose sake the Tempest was The Lot fell vpon Ionah They all consented and cast Ionah into the Sea But God prouided a Whale which receiued Ionah and swallowed him in whose Belly he continued three Dayes and three Nights Where He praying to God God at length spake to the Whale and the Whale did cast him vpon dry Land safe and sound So God commanded Ionah the second time to goe and denounce his Iudgements against the Niniuites So Ionah went to Niniueh and prophecied that vpon the expiring of forty dayes Niniueh should be destroyed Whereupon the Niniuites beleeued And the King caused a Fast to bee proclaimed so that God likewise repented of the Euill that He had intended to haue done them Vpon which Ionah was discontended Desired to die Went out of the City lay without the Gate to see what would become of Niniueh after the forty dayes There he made him a Booth of reeds and houghes to guard him from the extremity of the heat of the Sunne and Wind But the heat of the Sunne and the feruency of the Wind strait wither'd it Whereupon God raised vp a Gourd which gaue him much content But the next morning God sent a Worme which did eate it to the ground So Ionah grew againe into passion for the losse of the Gourd wisht to die And iustified his Anger Whereupon God deputes with Ionah framing his argument à minore ad maius viz. That if thou Ionah hadst so much compassion and grieued so much for the losse of a trifling Gourd Should not I that am the God of mercy take Compassion vpon so Great a City TO THE MOST HIGH HIS HVMBLE SERVANT IMPLORES HIS FAVOVRABLE ASSISTANCE O All-sufficient God Great Lord of Light Without whose Gracious ayde cōstant Sprite No labours prosper howsoe're begun But flie like Mists before the morning Sun O raise my thoughts and cleare my Apprehension Infuse thy Spirit into my weake Inuention Reflect thy Beames vpon my feeble Eyes Shew me the Mirrour of thy Mysteries My Art-lesse Hand my humble Heart Inspire Inflame my frozen Tongue with holy Fire Rauish my stupid Senses with thy Glory Sweeten my Lips with sacred Oratory And thou O FIRST and LAST assist my Quill That first and last I may performe thy Will My sole intent's to blazon forth thy Praise My Ruder Pen expects no Crowne of Bayes Suffice it then Thine Altar I haue kist Crowne me with Glory ' and take the Bayes that list A FEAST FOR WORMES THE ARGVMENT The Word of God to Ionah came Commanded Ionah to proclaime The vengeance of his Maiesty Against the sinnes of Nineuy Sect. 1 THe Dreadfull Word of God his high Decree That aye remaines and cannot frustrate bee Came down to Ionah from the heuens aboue Came downe to Ionah heauens anoynted Doue Ionah the flowre of old Amittais youth Ionah the Prophet Sonne and Heire to Truth The blessed Type of him that di ' de for vs That Word came to him and bespake him thus Arise trusse vp thy Ioynes make all things meet And put thy Sandalls on thy hasty feet Gird vp thy reynes and take thy staffe in hand Make no delay but goe where I command Me pleases not to send thee Ionah downe To sweet Gath-Hepher thy deare natiue Towne Whos 's tender paps with plenty ouerflow Nor yet vnto thy brethren shalt thou goe Amongst the Hebrewes where thy spredden fame Fore-runnes the welcome of thine honor'd name No I 'le not send thee thither Vp Arise And goe to Nineueh where no allyes Nor consanguinity preserues thy blood To Nineueh where strangers are withstood To Nineueh a City farre remou'd From thine acquaintance where tha' rt not belou'd I send thee to Mount Sinay not Mount Sion Not to a gentle Lambe but to a Lion Ne yet to Lydia but to bloody * Passur Not to the land of Canan but of Assur Whose language will be riddles to thine eares And thine againe will be as strange to theirs I say to Nineueh the worlds great Hall The Monarchs seat high Court Imperiall But terrible Mount Sinay will affright thee And Pashurs heauy hand is bent to smite thee The Lions rore the people's strong and stout The Bulwarkes stand afront to keepe thee out Great Ashur minaces with whip in hand To entertaine thee welcome to his land What then Arise be gone stay not to thinke Bad is the cloth that will in wetting shrinke What then if cruell Pashur heape on strokes Or Sinay blast thee with her sulph'rous smokes Or Ashur whip thee Or the Lions rent thee P'sh on with courage İ the Lord haue sent thee Away away lay by thy foolish pity And goe to Niniueth that mighty City Cry lowd against it let thy dreadfull voice Make all the City eccho with the noyse Not like a Doue but like a Dragon goe Pronounce my iudgement and denounce my Woe Make not thine head a fountaine
Or shall we saue thee No for thou dost fly The face of God and so deseru'st to dye Thou Prophet speake what shal we doe to thee That angry seas may calme and quiet be Meditatio quarta GIue leaue a little to adiourne your story Run backe a step or twaine and looke afore ye Can he be said to feare the Lord that flies him Can Word confesse him when as Deed denies him My sacred Muse hath rounded in mine eare And read the myst'ry of a twofold feare The first a seruile feare for Iudgements sake And thus the damned Diuels feare and quake Thus Adam fear'd and fled behind a tree And thus did bloody Kain feare and flee Vnlike to this there is a second kind Of feare extracted from a zealous mind Full fraught with loue and with a conscience cleare From base respects It is a filiall feare A feare whose ground would iust remaine and leuell Were neither Heauen nor Hell nor God nor Diuell Such was the feare that Princely Dauid had And thus our wretched Ionah fear'd and fled He fled asham'd because his sinnes were such He fled asham'd because his feare was much He fear'd Iehouah other fear'd he none Him he acknowledg'd Him he fear'd alone Vnlike to those men that befoold with errour Frame many gods and multiply their terrour Th' Egyptians God Apis did implore God Assas the Chaldaeans did adore Babel to the Deuouring Dragon seekes Th' Arabians Astaroth Iuno the Greekes The name of Belus the Assyrians hallow The Troians Vesta Corinth wise Apollo Th' Arginians sacrifice vnto the Sunne To Light-foot Mercury bowes Macedon To god Volunus louers bend their knee To Pauor those that faint and fearfull bee Who pray for health and strength to Murcia those And to Victoria they that feare to lose To Muta they that feare a womans tongue To great Lucina women great with young To Esculapius they that liue opprest And they to Quies that desire rest O blinded Ignorance of antique times How blent with errour and how stuft with crimes Your Temples were And how adulterate How clog'd with needlesse gods How obstinate How void of order and how inconfuse How full of dangerous and foule abuse How sandy were thy grounds and how vnstable How many Deities yet how vnable Implore these gods that list to howle and barke They bow to Dagon Dagon to the Arke But he to whom the seale of mercy 's giuen Adores Iehouah mighty God of Heauen Vpon the mention of whose sacred Name Meeke Lambs grow fierce and the fierce Lyons tame Bright Sol shall stop and heauen shall turne his course Mountaines shall dance and Neptune slake his force The Seas shall part the fire want his flame Vpon the mention of Iehouah's Name A Name that makes the roofe of Heauen to shake The frame of Earth to quiuer Hell to quake A Name to which all Angels blow their trumps A Name puts frolicke man into his dumps Though ne're so blythe A Name of high renowne It mounts the meeke and beates the lofty downe A Name deuides the marrow in the bone A Name which out of hard and flinty stone Extracteth hearts of flesh and makes relent Those hearts that neuer knew what mercy ment O Lord how great 's thy Name in all the Land How mighty are the wonders of thy hand How is thy Glory plac't aboue the heau'n To tender mouthes of Sucklings thou hast giu'n Coerciue pow'r and boldnes to reprooue When elder men doe what them no'te behooue O Lord How great 's the power of thy hand O God! How great 's thy Name in all the Land THE ARGVMENT The Prophet doth his fault discouer Perswades the men to cast him ouer They rowe and toyle but doe no good They pray to be excus'd from blood Sect. 5. SO Ionah fram'd the speech to their demand Not that I seeke to trauerse the command Of my deare Lord and out of minde peruerse T' auoyd the Niniuites doe I amerce My selfe Nor that I euer heard you threat Vnlesse I went to Niniueh the great And doe the message sent her from the Lord That you would kill or cast me ouer boord Doe I doe this 'T is my deserued fine You all are guiltlesse and the fault is mine 'T is I 't is I alone 't is I am he The tempest comes from heau'n the cause from me You shall not lose a haire for this my sin Nor perish for the fault that mine hath bin Lo I the man am here Lo I am He The roote of all End your reuenge on me I fled from God of Heau'n O let me then Because I fled from God so flie from men O take me for I am resolu'd to die As you did cast your Wares so cast in Me I am the man for whom these billowes dance My death shall purchase your deliuerance Feare not to cease your feares but throw me in Alas my soule is burthen'd with my sin And God is iust and bent to his Decree Which certaine is and cannot altred bee I am proclaim'd a Traytor to the King Of heau'n and earth The windes with speedy wing Acquaint the Seas The Seas mount vp on hie And cannot rest vntill the Traytor die Oh cast me in and let my life be ended Let Death make Iustice mends which Life offended Oh let the swelling waters me embalme So shall the Waues be still and Sea be calme So said the Mariners grew inly sad Though rude and barbarous and much ydrad As moou'd to see a Stranger for their good Lay downe his life which offer they withstood Till they had sought with all their pow'r and skill To saue the man and not the Ship to spill They digg'd and deepely delu'd the surrow'd Seas With brawny armes they plough'd the watry Leas Hoping in vaine by toyle to win the shore And wrought more hard thē erst they wrought before Alas their strength now failes and weares away For bodies wanting rest doe soone decay The Seas are angry and the waues arise Appeas'd with nothing but a Sacrifice Gods vengeance stormeth like the raging Seas Which nought but Ionah dying can appease Bootlesse it is to thinke by any deed To alter that which God of heau'n decreed Ionah must die 't is folly to say No Ionah must die or else we all die too Ionah must die that from his Lord did flie The lot determines Ionah then must die His guilty word confirmes the sacred lot Ionah must die then if we perish not If Iustice then it be that he must die And we sad Actors of his Tragedie We begge not Lord a warrant to offend O pardon bloud-shed that we must intend Though not our hands yet shall our hearts be cleare Then let not stainelesse Consciences beare The pond'rous burthen of a Murthers guilt Or voyce of harmelesse bloud that must be spilt For lo deare Lord it is thine owne Decree And we sad ministers of Iustice bee Meditatio quinta BVt
Question was not ended so One sayes 'T was thine offence but he sayes No But t' was for thy sake that accuses mee Rusht forth a third the worser of the three And swore it was anothers which he hearing Deny'd it flat and say'd 'T was thine for swearing In came a fift accusing all replying But little else they all chid him for lying One sayd it was another say'd 't was not So all agreed to stint the strife by Lot Then all was whist and all to prayer went For such a buis'nes a fit complement The lot was cast 't pleas'd God by Lots to tell The lot was cast The lot on Ionah fell Meditatio tertia O Sacred Subiect of a Meditation Thy Works O Lord are full of Admiration Thy iudgements all are iust seuere and sure They quite cut off or else by launcing cure The festring sore of a Rebellious heart Lest foule infection taynt th' immortall part How deepe a Lethargie doth this disease Bring to the slumbring Soule through carelesse ease Which once being wak't as from a Golden Dreame Lookes vp and sees her griefes the more extreme How seeming sweet's the quiet sleepe of sin Which when a wretched man 's once nuzz'ld in How soundly sleepes he without feare or wit No sooner are his armes together knit In drowzie knot athwart vpon his brest But there he snorts and snores in endlesse rest His eyes are closed fast and deafe his eares And like Endymion sleepes himselfe in yeares His sence-bound heart ne answeres to the voyce Of gentle warning no nor does the noyse Of strong reproofe awake his sleeping eare Nor lowder threatnings thunder makes him heare So deafe's the sinners eare so numb'd his sence That sinne 's no corrosiue nor no offence For custome breeds delight deludes the heart Beguiles the sence and takes away the smart ¶ But stay Did one of Gods elected number Whose eyes should neuer sleepe nor eye-lids slumber So much forget himselfe Did Ionah sleepe That should be watchfull and the Tower keepe Did Ionah the selected mouth of God In stead of roring Iudgements does he nod Did Ionah sleepe so sound Could he sleepe then When with the suddaine sight of Death the men So many men with yelling shreekes and cries Made very heau'n report and shooke the skies So vncouth that the ship it mought haue riu'n Hard must he winke that shuts his eyes from heau'n O righteous Isr'el where O where art thou Where is thy Lampe thy zealous Shepheard now Alas the rau'nous Wolues will worr ' thy Sheepe Thy Shepheard's carelesse and is fall'n asleepe Grim dogs will rowze thy Flock and rule the rost Thy Sheepe are scatter'd and thy Shepheard's lost Ah weladay whose words beseeme the Altar Their works discent and first begin to faulter And they that should be Watch-lights in the Temple Are snuffes and want the oyle of good example The chosen Watch-men that the Tow'r should keepe Are waxen heauy-ey'd and fall'n asleepe ¶ Lord if thy Watch-mē wink too much awake them Although they slumber doe not quite forsake them The flesh is weake say not if dulnesse seaze Their heauy eyes Sleepe henceforth Take your ease And we poore weakelings when we sleepe in sin Knock at our drowzie hearts and neuer lin Till thou awake our sinne-congealed eyes Lest drown'd in sleepe we sinke and neuer rise THE ARGVMENT They question Ionah whence he came His Country and his peoples Name He makes reply They mone their woe And aske his counsell what to doe Sect. 4. AS when a Thiefe's appr'ended on suspect And charg'd for some supposed malifact A rude concurse of people strait accrewes Whose itching eares euen smart to know the newes The guilty pris'ner to himselfe betray'd He stands deiected trembling and afrayd So Ionah stood the Saylers all among Inclosed round amid the ruder throng As in a Summers Euening you shall heare In Hiue of Bees if you lay close your eare Confused buzzing and seditious noyse Such was the murmur of the Saylers voyce What was thy sinfull fact that causes this Sayes one wherein hast thou so done amisse Tell vs What is thine Art another sayes That thou professest Speake man Whence awayes From what Confines cam'st thou A third replies What is thy Country And of what allies What art thou borne a Iew or Gentile Whether Ere he could lend an answere vnto either A fourth demands Where hath thy breeding been All what they askt they all askt o're againe In fine their eares impatient of delay Becalm'd their tongues to heare what he could say So Ionah humbly rearing vp his eyes Breaking his long kept silence thus replies I am an Hebrew sonne of Abraham From whom my Land did first deriue her name Within the Land of Iury was I borne My name is Ionah retchlesse and forlorne I am a Prophet ah but woe is me For from before the face of God I flee From whence through disobedience I am driuen I feare Iehouah mighty God of Heauen I feare the Lord of Heauen whose glorious hand Did make this stormy Sea and massy land So said their eares with double rauishment Still hung vpon his melting lips attent Whose dreadful words their hearts so neere impierc't That from themselues themselues were quite deuers't Like as in a hot Summers euentide When lustfull Phoebus re salutes his Bride And Philomela 'gins her caroling A heard of Deere are browzing in a spring With hungry appetite misweening nought Nor in so deepe a silence fearing ought A sudden cracke or some vnthought of sound Or bounce of Fowlers Peece or yelpe of Hound Disturbes their quiet peace with strange amaze Where sencelesse halfe through feare they stand at gaze So stand the Sea-men as with Ghosts affrighted Entraunc'd with what this man of God recited Their whilome sturdy limmes wox faint and lither Their hearts did earne their knees did smite together Congealed blood vsurpt their trembling hearts Which coldly crawld about in all their parts Who trembling out some broken language thus Why hast thou brought this mischiefe vpon vs What humour led thee to a place vnknowne To seeke a forrein land and leaue thine owne What faith hadst thou by leauing thine abode To thinke to fly the presence of thy God Why hast thou not obey'd but thus transgrest The voice of God whom thou acknowledgest Art thou a Prophet and dost thou amisse What is the cause And why hast thou done this What shall we doe The tempest lends no eare To fruitlesse chat nor doe the billowes heare Or marke our language waues are not attent Our goods they float and all our paines are spent Our Bark's not weather-proofe for aye to last No Fort so strong but daily siege will wast The Lot accuses thee thy words condemne thee The waues thy deaths-mē striue to ouerwhelme thee What shal we do Thou Prophet speak we pray thee Thou fear'st the Lord Alas we may not slay thee
golden Causie and a Road That 's leuell pleasant that is euen and broad But leads at length to death and endlesse griefe To torments and to paines without reliefe Iustice feares none but maketh all afraid And then falls hardest when 't is most delaid But thou reply'st Thy sinnes are daily great Yet thou sitt'st vncontrold vpon thy seat Thy wheat doth flourish and thy barnes doe thriue Thy sheepe encrease thy sonnes are all aliue And thou art buxom and hast nothing scant Finding no want of any thing but want Whil'st others whō the squint-e'yd world counts holy Sit sadly drooping in a melancholy With brow deiected and downe-hanging head Or take of almes or poorly beg their bread But Young man know there is a Day of doome The feast is good vntill the reck'ning come The time runnes fastest where is least regard The stone that 's long in falling falleth hard There is a Day a dying Day thou foole When all thy laughter shall be turn'd to Doole Thy roabes to tort'ring plagues and fell tormenting Thy whoops of Ioy to howles of sad lamenting Thy tongue shall yell and yawle and neuer stop And wish a world to giue for one poore drop To flatter thine intolerable paine The wealth of Pluto could not then obtaine A minutes freedome from that hellish rout Whose fire burnes and neuer goeth out Nor house nor land nor measur'd heapes of wealth Can render to a dying man his health Our life on earth is like a thrid of flax That all may touch and being toucht it cracks ¶ As when an Archer shooteth for his sport Sometimes his shaft is gone sometime 't is short Sometimes o' th' left hand wide sometimes o' th' right At last through often triall hits the White So Death sometimes with her vncertaine Rouer Hits our Superiours and so shootes ouer Sometimes for change she strikes the meaner sort Strikes our inferiours and then comes short Sometimes vpon the left hand wide she goes And so still wounding some she strikes our foes And sometimes wide vpon the right hand wends There with impartiall shafts she strikes our friends At length through often triall hits the White And so strikes vs into Eternall night ¶ Death is a Kalender compos'd by Fate Concerning all men neuer out of Date Her dayes Dominicall are writ in blood She shewes more bad dayes then she sheweth good She tells when dayes and months and termes expire And shewes thee strange aspects of fearefull fire ¶ Death is a Pursiuant with Eagles wings That knocks at poore mens dores and gates of Kings Worldling beware for lo Death sculks behind thee And as she leaues thee so will Iudgement finde thee THE ARGVMENT Within the bowels of the Fish Ionah laments in great anguish God heard his pray'r at whose command The Fish disgorg'd him on the Land Sect. 7. THen Ionah turn'd his face to heau'n and pray'd VVithin the bowels of the VVhale and sayd I cry'd out of my balefull misery Vnto the Lord and he hath heard my cry From out the paunch of hell I made a noyse And thou hast answer'd me and heard my voyce Into the Deepes and bottome thou hast throwne me Thy Surges and thy VVaues haue past vpon me Then Lord said I from out thy glorious sight I am reiected and forsaken quite Nath'lesse while these my wretched eyes remaine Vnto thy Temple will I looke againe The boyst'rous waters compasse me about My body threats to let her pris'ner out The boundlesse depth enclos'd me almost dead The weedes were wrapt about my fainting head I liu'd on earth reiected at thine hand And a perpetuall pris'ner in the Land Yet thou wilt cause my life t' ascend at length From out this pit O Lord my God my Strength When as my soule was ouer-whelm'd and faint I had recourse to thee did thee acquaint With the condition of my wofull case My cry came to thee in thine holy Place Whoso to Vanities themselues betake Renounce thy mercies and thy loue forsake To thee I 'le sacrifice in endlesse dayes With voyce of thanks and euer-sounding praise I 'le pay my vowes for all the world records With one consent Saluation is the Lords So God whose Word 's a deed whose Breath's a law Whose iust command implies a dreadfull awe Whose Word prepar'd a Whale vpon the Deepe To tend and waite for Iona's fall and keepe His out-cast body safe and soule secure This very God whose mercy must endure When heau'n and earth and sea and all things faile Disclos'd his purpose and bespake the Whale To redeliuer Ionah to his hand Whereat the Whale disgorg'd him on the Land Meditatio septimu I Well record a holy Father sayes He teaches to denie that faintly prayes The suit surceases when desire failes But whoso prayes with feruencie preuailes For Pray'rs the key that opens heauen gate And findes admittance whether earl ' or late It forces audience it vnlocks the eare Of heau'nly God though deafe it makes him heare Vpon a time Babel the Worlds faire Queene Made drunke with choller and enrag'd with Spleene Through fell Disdaine derraigned Warre ' gainst them That tender Homage to Ierusalem A Mayden fight it was yet they were strong As men of Warre The Battaile lasted long Much bloud was shed and spilt on either side That all the ground with purple gore was dyde In fine a Souldier of Ierusalem Charissa hight the Almner of the Realme Chill'd with a Feuer and vnapt to fight Into Iustitia's Castle tooke her flight Whereat great Babels Queene commanded all To lay their siege against the Castle wall But poore Tymissa not with warre acquainted Fearing Charissa's death fell downe and fainted Dauntlesse Prudentia rear'd her from the ground VVhere she lay pale and sencelesse in swound She rubb'd her temples lost in swouny shade And gaue her water that Fidissa made And said Cheare vp deare Sister though our foe Hath ta'ne vs Captiues and inthrall'd vs so We haue a King puissant and of might Will see vs take no wrong and doe vs right If we possesse him with our sad complaint Cheare vp wee 'l send to him and him acquaint Timissa new awak'd from swound replies Our Castle is begirt with enemies And clouds of armed men besiege our walls Then suer Death or worse then Death befalls To her who ere she be that stirres a foote Or dares attempt this place to fally out Alas what hope haue we to finde reliefe And want the meanes that may diuulge our griefe Within that place a iolly Matron won'd With firie lookes and drawen-sword in hond Her eyes with age were waxen wond'rous dim With hoary locks and visage sterne and grim Her name Iustitia hight to her they make Their moane who well aduis'd them thus bespake Faire Maydens well I wot y' are ill bedight And rue the suffrance of your wofull plight But Pitty 's fond alone
that which most doe couet most is best Best are the goods mixt with contented rest Gasp not for Honour wish no blazing glory For these will perish in an ages story Nor yet for pow'r for that may be conferr'd On fooles as well as thee that hast deseru'd Thirst not for Lands nor Mony wish for none For Wealth is neither lasting nor our owne Riches are faire inticements to deceiue vs They flatter while we liue and dying leaue vs. THE ARGVMENT Ionah desires to dye The Lord Rebukes him He maintaines his word His anger he doth iustifie God pleads the Cause for Niniuie Sect. 13. WHen ruddy Phoebus had with morning light Subdu'd the East and put the stars to flight The Lord prepar'd a feruent Easterne wind Whose drought together with the Sunne combin'd Each adding fier to the others heat With strong vnited force amaine did beat And sore reflect vpon the helplesse head Of fainting Ionah that was well-nye dead Who turning oft and tossing to and fro As they that are in torments vse to doe And restlesse finding no successe of ease But rather that his tortures still encrease His secret passion to his soule betrai'd Wishing with all his heart to dye and said O kill me Lord or lo my heart will riue For better 't is for me to dye then liue So said the Lord did interrupt his passion Saying How now Is this a seemly fashion Doth it become my seruants heart to swell Can anger helpe thee Ionah do'st thou well Is this a fit speech or a well-plac'd word What art thou angry Ionah for a Gourd What if th' Arabians with their ruder traine Had kill'd thine Oxen and thy Cattell slaine What if consuming fier falne from heauen Had all thy seruants of their liues bereauen And burnt thy Sheep What if by strong oppression The Chaldees had vsurpt vniust possession Vpon thy Cammels Or had Boreas blowne His full-mouth'd blast and cast thy houses downe And slaine thy sonnes amid their iollities Or hadst thou lost thy Vineyard full of trees Or bin bereaued of thine only Sheep That in thy tender bosome vs'd to sleep How would thine hastie spirit then bin sturr'd If thou art angry Ionah for a Gourd So Ionah frames his answere thus and saith Lord I doe well to vex vnto the death I blush not to acknowledge and professe Deserued rage I 'm angry I confesse 'T would make a spirit that is thorow frozen To blaze like flaming Pitch and frie like Rozen Why dost thou aske that thing that thou canst tell Thou know'st I 'm angry and it beseemes me well So said the Lord to Ionah thus bespake Dost thou bemoane and such compassion take Vpon a Gourd whose seed thou didst not sow Nor mou'd thy skilfull hands to make it grow Whose beautie small and profit was but slight Which sprang and also perisht in a night Hadst thou O dust and ashes such a care And in-bred pittie a trifling plant to spare Hadst thou O hard and incompassionate To wish the razing of so braue a State Hadst thou I say compassion to bewaile The extirpation of a Gourd so fraile And shall not I that am the Lord of Lords Whose fountaine's neuer dry but still affords Sweet streames of mercie with a fresh supply To those that thirst for grace What shall not I That am the God of mercie and haue sworne To pardon sinners when soe're they turne I say shall I disclaime my wonted pitie And bring to ruine such a goodly Citie Whose hearts so truly penitent implore me Who day and night powre foorth their soules before me Shall I destroy the mightie Niniuie Whose people are like sands about the sea 'Mong which are sixe-score thousand soules at least That hang vpon their tender mothers brest Whose prettie smiles did neuer yet descry The deare affection of their mothers eye Shall I subuert and bring to desolation A Citie nay more aptly tearm'd a Nation Whose walls are wide and wondrous full of might Whose hearts are sorrowfull and soules contrite Whose infants are in number so amounting And beasts and cattell endlesse without counting What Ionah shall a Gourd so moue thy pitie And shall not I spare such a goodly Citie Meditatio vltima ¶ MY heart is full and knowes not how to vent My tongue proues traytor to my poore intent My mind 's in labour and find's no redresse My heart conceiues My tongue cannot expresse My organs suffer through a maine Defect Alas I want a proper Dialect To blazon forth the tythe of what I muse The more I meditate the more accrewes But lo my faultring tongue must say no more Vnlesse she step where she hath trod before What shall I then be silent No I 'le speake Till tongue be tyred and my lungs be weake Of dearest mercie in as sweet a straine As it shall please my Muse to lend a vaine And when my voyce shall stop within her sourse And speech shall faulter in this high discourse My tyred tongue vnsham'd shall thus extend Only to name Deare mercie and so end ¶ Oh high Imperiall King heauens Architect Is man a thing befitting thy Respect Lord thou art wisdome and thy wayes are holy But man's polluted full of filth and folly Yet is he Lord the fabrick of thy hand And in his soule he beares thy glorious brand How-e're defaced with the rust of sin Which hath abus'd thy stamp and eaten in 'T is not the frailtie of mans corrupted nature Makes thee asham'd t' acknowledge man thy creature But like a tender father here on earth Whose child by nature or abortiue birth Doth want that sweet and fauourable rellish Wherewith her creatures Nature doth imbellish Respects him ne'rthelesse so stands the case 'Twixt God and sinfull man Though sinne deface The glorious portraiture that man did beare Whereby he loath'd and vgly doth appeare Yet God within whose tender bowels are Deep gulfs of mercie sweet beyond compare Regards and loues with reu'rence be it said Nay seems to dote on man when he hath strayd Lord thou hast brought him to his fold againe When he was lost thou didst not then disdaine To think vpon a vagabond and giue Thine only Sonne to dye that he might liue How poore a mite art thou content withall That man may scape his downe-approching fall Though base we are yet didst not thou abhorre vs But as our story notes art pleading for vs To saue vs harmlesse from our foemans iawes Art thou turn'd Oratour to plead our cause ¶ How are thy mercies full of admiration How soueraigne How sweet's their application Fatning the soule with sweetnes and repayring The rotten ruines of a soule Despayring ¶ Loe here Malfido is the feast prepar'd Fall too with courage and let nought be spar'd Taste freely of it Here 's no Misers feast Eate what thou canst and pocket vp the rest These precious vyands are Restoritie Eate then and if the sweetnes