Selected quad for the lemma: land_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
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A00034
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Susanna: or, the arraignment of the two vniust elders
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Aylett, Robert, 1583-1655?
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1622
(1622)
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STC 1003; ESTC S100330
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23,050
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50
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his throne on Iustice will erect Mens causes noâ— their persons must respect If Elders now accusers will become They must before the Priests and Iudges come And if they faile to prooue their accusation They must be subiect to like condemnation Returne returne make better inquisition Puâ— the accusers both out of Commission Apâ—oâ—nt new Iudges who with diligence May trâ—e the witnesses and her defence Returne returne in Iudgement sit againe For they against heâ— falsely doe complaine As when lost Sonne of Iacob did vnfold The meaning of the Dreame which Pharaoh told And 〈◊〉 that he should Officers command To store vp â—oode â—o 〈◊〉 aliue his land None then in Pharoeâ— and his seruants eyes Appeâ—red then this Hebrew childe more wise For by his gracious words they plaine descry 〈…〉 in him most abundâ—ntly And therefore next vnto the King must stand And 〈◊〉 by his word all Egypt land So when this youth doth his great Prudence show 〈…〉 like dew of Heau'n which from him flow 〈◊〉 one minde conclude for certainetie 〈◊〉 the Spirit rests of the most High And therefore as approouing of Gods choise 〈◊〉 all elect him Elder with one voice 〈◊〉 other from their offices suspend 〈…〉 their cause shall haue a finall end The end of the third Booke THE FOVRTH BOOKE OF SVSANNA The fickle state of seeming men of might Their peace of conscience that iudge vpright The people plaine the Elders malice see In that their testimonies disagree Susan 's absolu'd and they condemn'd to die Of Men and Angels heau'nly melody YOu Iudges that on earth Gods people wield As husbands trees and bushes in a field Crop which you list and which you list let grow And are as Gods Vicegerents here below Loe heere an embleme of your fickle fate And vaine inconstancy of humane staâ—e Who but this morning ruld both faâ—re and neere Ere noone as prisoners at the Barre appeare And who eu'n now were Iudges ouer all Must by their Subiects iudgement stand or fall Ambition base light puffe of worthlesse Pride How dost thou heere vaine mortals thoughts deride Them throwing like hand-bals against the ground That they againe the higher may rebound And when as thou hast finished thy Sport Them leau'st all in the Dust in equall sort Oh happy Elders could your conscience Now pleade with Samuels a iust defence That willing doth before King Saul appeare And people all himselfe of fraud to cleare Whole Oxe whose Asse haue I vniustly tane Whom haue I wrong'd saith he in Goods or Name Of whose hands haue I taken lesse or more To blind mine eyes and I will all restore Before God and 's Annointed say they wee Acknowledge thee from all corruption free Thus all acquitted vpright Samuel Who many yeeres had iudg'd all Israel But these two Elders had not rul'd one yeare Ere they are both brought forth themselues to cleare Before the Iudge and there to testifie Against themselues their owne iniquitie Oh peerelesse pearle of good sound conscience When we are call'd to plead our owne defence Especially before the Lord of might Before whom all our deeds must come to light When Angels shall aloud their trumpets blow And mortals all at once in flesh shall show For to receiue their iust and finall Dome When all in person must to Iudgement come How cheerefull shall good Consciences abide Whilst wicked wish the rockes may fall and hide Them from the vengeance of that iustest one Who retributes to all as they haue done As wisest Salomon when he could finde No certaine witnesse to resolue his minde When as two women did before him striue VVhose was the dead and whose the childe aliue VVell knowing one of them the truth did know Deuis'd how by themselues it plaine to show So this yong Iudge in heau'nly wisedome wise Doth with the Lords and people thus aduise Brethren Lo heere a question betwixt two VVhich none on earth but they doe truly know The Dame deny's what these accusers sweare Shee 's one they two but both one party are And witnesses therefore in lawes conception They both are lyable to iust exception Wherefore I will that one be put aside Whilst th' other is examined and tride God that from heau'n the truth of all doth see Will neuer let false witnesses agree When they are parted first to Barre they call The elder Iudge there to be seene of all Who as base Shemei of the cursing kind After he was by Solomon confind For passing 's bounds then brought before the King His guilty conscience 'gainst him witnessing The wickednesse he to King Dauid did When from his gracelesse Absolon he fled Stood mute amaz'd before the iudgement seate And out of hope no pardon doth intreate So stood the Carle amazed shaking mute Expecting God should vengeance retribute Yet being old and full of subtilty Doth thus his owne proceedings iustify My heart is confident and bold within Since all I did was but to punish sinne If in some circumstances faile I shall To be accuser witnesse Iudge and all My witnesse-bearing thus I iustify There was no more but we could testify And better we to bring this accusation Than leaue vnpunisht such abhomination As for condemning let the people say Who were the onely Iudges here to day We neuer vrg'd the rigour of the law We onely testifide what we both saw Let not her teares or beauty thee so blind As she a patrone for her sinne may find Besides the proofe which we by oaths haue showne T is plaine we found her naked all alone Alone 〈◊〉 Daniel â—â—ncâ—ed â—aâ—e that hast Liu'd wiâ—kedly so long and â—o vnchast Th' ungracious deedes thou actedst in Gods sight Shall here before vs all be brought to light False iuâ—gements thou hast giu'n and sore opprest The innocent the guilty hast releast Yet 〈◊〉 the Lord The innocent and righteous 〈…〉 nor iustify th'unrighteous We haue well mark'd the wicked accusation Thou bringst against this daughter of our nation If as thou swear'st thou saw'st th' adultery Tell now vnder what tree they then did lye A Mulbery tree the Elder then replyde Well then said Daniel now thou hast lyde Against thy selfe the Angell of the Lord Stands ready to divide thee with a sword Against thine owne life thou hast testifide Bring forth the other put this wretch aside As theeâ—e which feares besides his guilty breast That 's fellow hath before the theft confest Trembles and quakes at his examination And seekes to scape by nice equivocation At last resoluing still to hold his tale Doâ—h vtter words that tend to 's finall bale Eu'n so this second feares his will not hold Agreement with the tale his fellow told Or that his brother might the truth confesse In hope of pardon for his wickednesse But in the end t is his determination No whit to alter his first accusation And therefore with a feigned innocence He boldly speakes thus in his owne defence Brethren since you
That Both vs plungeth in this misery The desert sooner shall be fruitfull plaine Mount Sinas top be drown'd in Ocean maine And Iordans fruitfull valleys turne to waste Than I suspect my loyall Wife vnchaste As when fierce Stormes doe all the mountaines wash And threat to drowne the valleys with a dash If Titan please to cast a golden Gleame The coasts are cleare and all the Heau'n serene So at these gracious speeches of her Knight Susanna turnes her clowdinesse to Light Her eyes are dride which fountaines were of teares Sighs turn'd to speech And thus her selfe she cleares O wretched I yet wretched who can bee That hath so kinde a noble Lord as thee Who doe'st mee now in louing armes embrace When enemies doe plot my most disgrace My Lord shouldst thou suspect my Loyalty My heart should burst for Griefe and I should die But Iordanes streames shall sooner backward slide And Force my Body from my Soule diuide Celestiall Fire vnto Earths center tend And Center Titans fiery coach ascend Than I consent for feare of Death or Shame My conscience with eternall spots to blame Perswaded be that I haue loyall stood I ioyfully will seale it with my blood I feare no accusations vniust For I doe know in whom I put my trust These wicked Lords for mee in wait haue laid But shame and Sorow here her Speeches staid And suddenly another Cloud appeares Which dims her Light and drowneth all in teares So deepe shee sighs â—o fast her teares doe flow That Ioachim doth weepe with her for woe And both with Sighs and Groanes their loues record But neither able is to speake a word As when two Cloud in Sommers day arise In East and West which doe obscure the Skies The lesser Cloud which Zephirus doth blow Comes swift but Loâ—â— the greater comes but slow Till they both meeting in the Welkin wide Raise raging â—louds like to an Easterne tide Whose violence the eares of Oorne downe beates And all the Plough-mans Labour ill intreates So doe the teares of this grieu'd Couple fall That they in Sorow drowne Words Eyes and All. And eu'n my pen with Sorow drown'd is faint To leaue them weeping and you next acquaint With that which passed in the Iudgement Hall For there the people doe assemble all Amongst the rest one called Ieremy That was a childe of the Captiuity Who was old Helchi's ancient friend and peare And from their cradles most familiar were And often had the Elders office borne Till Pride and base Ambition with scorne Had throwne from Seate of Iustice Equitie And foisted in her roome base Briberie Being now summond to appeare that day Enquir'd of Tobith then vpon the way What cause was of this Summons generall Who told him what to Susan had befall Susan said he what Helchi's daughter faire Which is her parents onely childe and heire Could she be brought her fathers house to blame And bring her husbands honour vnto shame Togither with her parents I was one Led Captiue by the King to Babilon There was no man more noble in the Land Than he nor more for Countreys Good did stand We saw our Kings Sonnes slaine before his face And then his eyes thrust out for more disgrace Yet vertue grac'd to Helchi in this Land He in high grace soone with the King did stand And was the first dwelt here in his owne house Most Valiant Noble Wise Religious Most happy in one chaste and godly wife By whom he had this child their ioy and Life I tell thee Neighbour I this Girle did know Eu'n from a childe as pure as any Snow VVho from her mother suckd milke as sincere As euer any nurse to childe did beare For she so much this infant tendered As with her owne Brests she it suckeled For with the milke it is an old tradition The child may sucke a good or bad condition So soone as Parents could her tongue prepare To speake they neither Cost nor Labour spare To teach her all demeanour mannerly But aboue all the dread of the most High In Scripture they her daily taught to reade So that in time they sow'd in her such seede As might produce in Haruest certaine gaine For all their tillage labour cost and paine Scarse had the Sunne twelue times through Virgo past When faire Susannas manners sweete were cast By care of Parents in so faire a mould That all with wonder did the maide behold In publique Dancing she doth not delight Faires banquets plays or sittings vp at night Nor yet in wandring Dinas conuersation But keepes at home her fathers habitation Imploying all her paines and carefull thought To please and tend on them that vp her brought Like Storke who when her parents old haue neede Sustaines in Eld who her in youth did feede Accounting it a wondrous happinesse For gifts receiu'd to render thankfulnesse At vacant houres it was her chiefe delight To reade the stories of Gods glorious might Where all the choisest precepts she could find She stor'd as heau'nly Manna for her mind The Liues of choisest Dames of Iewish nation To her as patternes are for imitation Which oft with needle lest she should forget She in most curious Colours neately set Here in a table she doth tell the story Of Egypts ouerthrowe and Iudas glory Where Miriam leades her Daughters in a dance To sing Heau'ns Prayses for Deliuerance The Red Sea here his waters doth diuide Whilst Israel passeth to the other side And here the waues begin to meete againe To drowne the proud Egyptians in the maine One breakes but knowes not how his Charet wheele Anothers horse doth of the staggers reele Here one yet without hope of Life doth swim Another siâ—â—ing catcheth hold on him And neuer lets him goe till he him straine â—nto â—he late-â—ry bottome of the Maine Here stands a Palme whose height and breadth excell Wheâ—e Debora sits iudging Israel Close by whose side sate valiant Barac who Vnto the warre without Her would not goe Here weanes She Iephtes daughter in a Lome From Conquest welcomming her father home When lo he rends his haire and teares his beard That one would thinke the picture had been scard Who for the Vow he made to the most High Deuotes her to perpetuall Chastity Then would She wish her Father such a crosse So both thereby might haue no greater losse Oft sings she to her Lute diuinest Layes And oft to make sweet Hymns her selfe assaies So that indeede to win her for his Bride Young Princes sought but she them all deuide Thus woo'd of all but yet Loues fiery dart Could neuer thaw the chaste yâ—e of her heart But like a Diamond which nothing but A Diamond is able for to cut So nothing could this peerelesse Lady moue But pairelesse Ioachims most constant Loue The yron easelier from beloued Side Of Loade-stone than their Loues you might diuide For as words cut in Diamonds ay last So Loue on vertue grounded standeth fast When that which