barrennesse the daies of my desolation are come The blessedst amongest women is now the miserablest amongst mothers Grief hath brought mee to deaths doore my sonne but death will not let me enter oh then shewe thy deitie to helpe thy mother and let me die in this desolate flesh to liue in thy diuine bodie the ioy in possessing the one shall temper the losse of the other and dying in my selfe to giue thee life I shall liue in death by reason of thy lyfe O Lorde Lord of my life how hath zeal made mee presume no soule meriteth to dwel in this body but thine own thus impatience in loue makes mee too much presume for loue Fruites long time shut in their buds by rain deawe and sunne are made to blossome riuers closde in then bounds by huge windes are forced to ouerlope the bankes The Ostridge by helpe of the Sun and sand breaketh the shell ripen then thou roote of mine for the raine of remorse hath watered thee the deaw of compassion hath wet thee the sunne of my zeale and charitie hath looked on thee and inflamed thee rise rouse thy selfe thou riuer of God for the windes of my sighs haue summoned thee ouerbeare death holye spring of happines and let the waters of life issue from thee Breake the shell of death thou that fastedst in the desart and let the sunne of my desire quicken the sun of vnderstanding be not to long in conquering death least I loose life in wailing thy death How long ô Lorde howe long wilt thou delay Shall death neuer haue end because my life may be deuoured in death Wilt thou not awake like a strong warriour to conquere these passions with combat with thy mothers heart Set thine axe to the tree of my sorrowe let mine eyes which bewaile thee dead beholde thee liuing let mine eares which are scard with mine owne clamors bee consolated by thy counsels let mee smell thee the rose and see thee the lilly richly clothed let me tast howe sweet the Lord is let me touch him whose absence toucheth mee at the hart let my imagination be the vsher to present thee my memorie the painter to describe thee my consideration the fire to kindle loue Let hell hunger thirst weepe and waile come thou and ioy with Israel thou hast not to doo with Aegypt Come thou corner stone and let me builde on thee wed me to death so thou returne to life I cannot want thee I will not misse thee my loue is so feruent as it neither measures iudgement or regardeth counsel or is brideled by shame or subiect to reason come yeeld me peace with a kisse of thy mouth and let my importunacy work more with thee than all expectation can require Lēd me the cloak of thy presence to diuide the waters of my woes let thy mother bee as strong as thy prophet that by praying to our Lorde with teares by putting my mouth on thy mouth by fastning mine eies to thine eies by closing my handes in thy handes I may make the flesh of my sonne wax warme as he warmed the flesh of the Sunamites child then gasping seuen times I wold kisse thee seuētie times seuen seeme more thy louer than thy mother I wold expostulate with thee of thine absence and if thy wounds fell new a bleeding I would wash them with my teares my hairs should dry them my lips should suck them thou shouldest make me more than a mother in recouering mee an absent sonne Well Lorde if thou denyest that I want I will reioyce in that I haue I wil symbolise thy body with mine and quicken thy passion by my sufferance There shal no sorrow be hid from mine eies till I see thy eyes open and till the eies of our Lord quicken mee the eie of poore Marie shall see no comfort mine eie shal onely see by supposing thine eie seeth all pleasures shal be smoake to mine eies till thy eies doo beholde them till thy eies bee waking mine eies shall be weeping and vnles they grow open I will shut mine eies with sorrow I will set a sure seale vppon my lips till thy lips salute me my lips shall become white as the lilly til thy lips grow crimson like a rose coloured riband My vnsained lips shal bee tired with praier till such time I may inioy thy desired presence my handes shall neuer vnfolde till the hands of my Lord be extended I wil neuer deliuer thy bodie out of my hands till thou deliuer my soule out of her sorrow I will lay my hand vppon my mouth till thou speakest neuer wil I cease to lift vp my hands to heauen till thy hands haue imbraced me on earth till thou put foorth thy hand I will leane my head vpon my hande and till thy fingers touch me my heart shall bee touched with sorrow the wings of the cherubines touched one another ô let the wings of my charity touch the wings of my life both are allied both loue They that touched the hem of thy vesture recouered from their sicknesse shall not I touch thy bodie to recouer me of my sorrow The bodie which liueles touched the bones of Elisa were restored to life and shall my hands touch thee my lippes kisse thee my loue importune thee and thou not liue All heauie thinges by nature search the center I am in the abundance of my heauinesse and cannot descend into the graue I will glorie in tribulation so thou grace me in thy life My soule is in bitternesse and heauie captiuitie oh make my burden light by once looking on mee The Iewes by smiting haue wounded thee thou by absence hast wounded mee sorrow and wounds are euer in my sight touch I thy browe thornes haue wounded it kisse I thy cheekes crimson hath forsaken them thy sides are wounded thy hands are wounded thy feet are wounded my wounds cannot bee hid till thy wounds be healed and til thou liue to recure mee I shall die thorough wanting thee Thou hast promised that whatsoeuer wee shall faithfully aske in thy name thou wilt grant it vs. Then ô Iesu my sonne my cōforter I coniure thee by thine owne name Iesus to blunt and abate the sting of death to breake vp and dispearse the cloudes of darknes and appearing like a fair morning starre quicken the dead comfort of thy mother and giue a light to this desolate and dismaide worlde Shew the light of thy countenance and I shall be whole O Lord my redeemer tarrie not my soule thirsteth after thee my sonne as the hart desireth the hart desireth the water brookes euen so my soule longeth after thee my God Appeare then thou chief shepheard thy flocks saint without thee Apparell thy selfe with life to apparell our hearts with ioy my eies long fore for thy sight oh when wilt thou comfort me O who will giue my head water inough and a spring of teares for mine eies that I
may weepe daie night for the absence of my son Ahlas ahlas sorow increaseth in me and heauinesse swalloweth vp my soule my teares are like seede in a barren ground the garden of my delight is become a desart of sorrow I am like a mother bemourning her child because he is not Oh thou angell of peace come and succour me Ah my sonne the happinesse in bearing thee is buried through the heauinesse in missing thee and the hope I conceiued of thy life is preuented by thy lamentable death Wo is me I am sicke to the death to see thee dead I am sicke for loue and desire to hasten thy life Wilt thou lifte the poore out of the dust and leaue thy mother in desolation Oh lifte vp thine eies and see howe the mother lifteth vp her voice and weepeth Oh loue if thou art mightier than death now shew thy power lighten the lampe of his life at the candle of my charitie Poure the oyle of thy compassion into these wounds and heale them breath the breath of life into him by imbraces and kissing as I claspe mine armes let him gaspe breath as I weep on his face let him sucke vp my teares O death if thou be more pittifull than loue imprison thy dart in my heart ransome my sonne Ahlas the fairest among men loue will not lend him me death wil not grant him me his mother must be onely kinde and her best tributes are but teares prayers kisses and wishes Ah Bethelem mourn with me and you inhabitants of Iuda put on sackcloth for sorrow is come vppon you and the voice of the mourner must ring in your streetes houle and lament Ierusalem weepe the teares of contrition sigh sob complaine you he that loued you lost his lyfe he that wept for you is dead for you hee that praied for you is plagued for you Ah crosse that hast made my sonne a martyr and mee a mourner Ah crosse that art the meane of my griefe Ah crosse the cause of crosse I must kisse thee accuse thee See see thou art honoured by my Iesus name his purple drops of blud dwel in thee thou diddest kisse his bodie his warme bodie and for these causes I kisse thee But cruel crosse since all thy trophies are cause of my trouble thy titles the occasions of my teares let me accuse thee which hast honored thy selfe and left me comfortlesse yet art thou kinde to me in listning my complaintes and but in bearing the name of Iesus in thy front thou hast alreadie recouered my fauour O crosse the image of mortification the tree of redemption the bond of peace the seal of the couenant I will crosse mine armes to imbrace thee Crosse all my ioyes to containe thee I will be a crosse to mine owne soule if it seeke thee not and count euerie comfort a crosse that is not crost by thee I will crosse the seas of tribulation to incounter thee whilst I hold thee holy crosse I will count no crosse too cruell I that bare my sonne will holde it for no base benefit to beare his crosse the onely glorying in the crosse of Christ crucified shal be my best blessing my loue shall fasten mee to my sonnes crosse and in that he vouchsafed a crosse I will esteeme no glorie but in his crosse O sonne the words of thy wisedome were pricks and nailes to my meditation these fastned thee vnto me in all assaultes of sorrowe and those nailes which nailed thy handes and feete to the crosse shall nail my soul thoughts to thy crosse with my nailes I will dig my owne graue before I forsake those nails which forced thy hands Like as a nail in the wall sticketh fast so fastly shall the nailes of thy martirdome sticke in my heart I will naile vp my soule from all ioy because the naile that issued from Iuda is broken my flesh is torne with thornes because thy forehead is rent wyth thornes the thornes of tribulation persecute me because the thornes of martirdome pearceth I will hedge in my heart with thornes because they haue hemd in thy braines with thornes Whether vnto extendeth my sorrowe If it was thy loue that madest thee suffer it becommeth my loue to suffer with thee and since thou giuest mee an example of patience why should I not preserue the same Though the shadow of death ouerspred thine eies hope saith they shall be lightned though thy life be nowe like the darke night it shortly shall be as cleere as the noone daie yea thou shalt shine forth and bee as the morning The shepheards after great storms wait for faire weather the souldiers after dreadfull warre expect happie peace the sentinell after his colde watch attendeth and intendeth his desired and wished sleepe pleasures are the heires of displeasures comfort treadeth on the heele of care Why expostulate I then with death who hauing a time to tyrannize shal at last be lead in triumph the storms of afflictions shall bee calmed the warres of rufull wailing shall haue a peacefull delight these watchfull complaints and attendings to see my loue shal at last be quieted and I shal laie me downe and take my rest for my Lord shall come and cause mee to dwell in safetie Brieftie all teares shal be wiped from mine eies deaths sting shall bee dulled lifes triumph shall bee established sorrowe shall be disinherited and maiestie reuiued Oh my charitie how much doest thou helpe mee in this my faith onely presenteth mee wyth all these hopes as it were vnder a vaile my hope beholdeth my sonne these future prophesies of him as the chiefest good which as yet vnpossessed she hopeth to inioy but thou my charitie makest all these ioyes present so that I behold effectuallye thinges before thy bee and craue no interest in beleefe whereas my loue assures mee all is present Ah that the aduersitie of an houre shoulde make mee thus forget the pleasures I had in lyfe when I lulled thee in my lap my son fostered thee at these teates followed thee in trauels fedde with thee in Aegypt Then ô then what sweetnes inioyed I in thy presence what comfort in thy counsels what courage in extreams Ah but if it be true that thinges the dearer they are loued breed the more hart griefe by their losse howe can I choose but waile that hauing had pleasure to wrappe thee in thy swathing bands must nowe to my discomfort close thee in thy winding sheete Can the want of thy companie the lacke of thy counsells the muficke of thy preachings the miracles in thy lyfe the charitie in thy death be expiated but with another death or answered with a few sighs Ah this aduersitie of an hour in other mens thoughts is an age in mine Compare the age of thy pleasure to one minute of the griefe and it exceedeth it The earth for a little trauell rewardeth the husbandman with a huge crop and
though nature cannot mâ—â—e you to sighs which is affecteâ—â—y her obiects let mee winne you by reasons to ratifie your remorse If your friends come from far countries to visite you you imbrace them if they giue you giftes you thanke them if they counsell you you consent vnto them What then will you returne your sauiour my sonne for his curtesies Hee comming into the worlde hath shewed you three principall signes of loue mercie and pietie First hee condescended to your mortalitie Secondly hee prouided messengers of your saluation Thirdly he gaue you precepts and admonishmentes of your welfare He came from heauen to comfort you on earth hee suffered on earth to carrie you to heauen he became the lowlyest amongst men to make you the highest among creatures hee hath visited you with his graces giuing ease to your labour comfort to your afflictions salue to your infirmities he hath presented you with gifts not golde and siluer which are corruptible not pomp honor which seduce the senses not securitie and vanitie which corrupt the heart but he hath broken his bodie on the crosse for you hee hath broken his bodie in the Sacrament for you he hath giuen you the cup of attonement his ' precious bloud hee hath made you one with God by being generally condemned by the world he hath counselled you to rise from sins to make your bodies vessels of the holy Ghost to sanctifie your soules in the bloud of his testament being made approued iust therefore you ought to loue him wholy to whoÌ„ you owe al what you are wholy If you see an earthly king before you you fal before his throne you humble your selfe before his iudgment you subscribe to his law and obey his ordinances why despise you then the king of heauens to whom princes stoope and whom the wind and sea obeyeth to whom all knees both in heauen earth and hel are bowed If you respect works hee made heauen and earth if the manner of nothing if the purpose for vngratefull man who being lord of all by him will not acknowledge his due homage to him if you dispose your affections by the wisdom of your gouernors who more wiser than Iesus Where the Psalmist sayth Great is the Lord our God mightie his vertue and his wisdom is beyond number And again God is the God of sciences our thoughts are prepared vnto him Who therefore is so wise mightie as her that by wisdom discouereth al things and by power punisheth all offences How much wisedome and seuetitie is in this Iudge Who discouereth the thoughts of the hart knoweth whereunto our imaginations are intended measureth the waight of our sinnes and how iniquities are chained together Fnally all are of him by him and in him If wonders drawe your affections who were wonderfull looke on his birth it is wonderfull aboue nature without man of a sole virgine looke on his name it is wonderfull Iesus by interpretation a sauior Yet more woÌ„ders a fraile man and a strong God a poore mans sonne and the prince of peace borne in time and the perpetuall father of succeeding ages Yet three more wonders First in those things which were spoken of him SecoÌ„dly in those things which were spoken by him Thirdly in those which were forespoken of him by the Patriarks and Prophets Iacob prophesied his comming long before The scepter shall not bee taken from Iudah Balaam called him the starre out of Iacob they called him the flower and the branch on which flower the holy Ghost should haue his resting place And is not this admirable Wil you more wonder Hear Elizabeth prophesie hear Zacharie prophesie the shephearde prophesie the Sages prophesie Yet more wonders In his infansy his answeres were admirable all testifie of him maruell at his answere applaud his prudence Will you more wonders The people maruelled at him saying He hath done all things wel hee hath made the deafe heare and the dombe speake Loue him therefore as your Lorde honour him as your king who is admirable in his conception admirable in his birth admirable in his preachings admirable in his passion admirable in his death admirable in his charitie And to this loue O remorselesse lookers on adde teares for no man can truelye loue that is not affected to see his beloued afflicted Come come and weepe bitterly with mee for you haue much cause of lamentation If loue can diuorce you from ingratitude come and weep of pure loue for my son hath therefore suffered because he loued if in iustice come mollifie your hearts behold an innocent reprochfully crucified if consanguinitie can affect you behold your father which hath begotten and chosen you before all eternities reckned amongst theeues rent by bloudthirstie men scourged by the guiltie if you be abashed to see God so mightily brused bewail your deadly sins the causes of his detriment if you wonder at his humilitie blame your pride if you admire his patience condemn your wrath As the member that feeleth no griefe is sayde to bee dead and the disease which is insensible is alwayes vncurable so vnlesse you partake in passion with Christ lament to see him crucified sorrowe to beholde his woundes you are no liuing members but dead ones no true sonnes of his but bastardes if you suffer wyth him you shall raigne with him if you associate him in his passions you shall partake wyth him in his consolations The Philosophers write that the Harpie is a birde hauing a mans 〈◊〉 so fell cruell and furious that beeing pressed and assaulted with hunger she inuadeth killeth a man whome when shee hath deuoured and whose bodie when she hath torne beeing assailed wyth thirst she flyeth to the water to drinke where beholdin◠〈◊〉 owne face and remembring the similitude of him whome shee slew shee is confounded with so much griefe that shee dieth for dolour Oh carelesse worldlings except ther be lesse remorse in you than in this creature looke into the spring of your consciences lodge in your memorie howe much you haue crucified this Christ with your sinnes slain him by your offeÌ„ces though you die not through extremitie of grief yet let fall some teares to bewayle him tenderly Oh let not sinne take hold of you idlenesse preuent you or pride consound you for trees that haue broadest leaues doo soonest loose them men that haue proudest thoughts are soonest deceiued by them Foolish that thou art canst thou bewaile thy dead father that begot thee thy sick sonne that delights thee thy lost riches that maintained thee wilt not thou weepe for Iesus that redeemed thee Canst thou grieue to see thy flockes perish thy houses burnned thy wise slaine thy daughters defloured and wilt thou not weepe to see thy God who gaue these confounded with tormeÌ„ts thy comforter that created these suffer on the crosse thy Iesus that lightneth thee cloathed with death Oh let not your gronings be hidden from him praie
with Iob that thou mayest a little bewaile thy dolours push forth thy teares of griefe and make them flowe in abundaunce for laughlng thou descendest to hel but murning thou ascendest to heauen Wilt thou haue Christ dwel with thee mourn Wilt thou haue Christe dwell in thee mourne Wilt thou haue sinne mortified in thee mourn Wilt thou haue grace plentyfull in thee mourne O remember that Peter after hee had bewayled his apostasie found greater grace by his teares than hee lost by his deniall Looke on Dauid the adulterer hee weepeth and is restored Look on Agar the desolate she weepeth and is comforted Looke on weeping Anne she recouereth her barrennesse Looke on mourning and weeping Iob hee ouercommeth his temptations mourning Ieremie prophesieth the mourning Publicane is iustifyed and mourning Ioseph is deliuered Oh teares of great worth working great thinges with GOD. By teares Marie obtayned the pardon of her sinnes by teares shee obtained the resurrection of her deade brother for her teares sake the Angelles came and comforted her for her teares sake our Sauiour first appeared and shewed himselfe vnto her Great is the vertue and power of teares which tie the handes of the omnipotent ouercome the inuincible appease the wrath and indignation of the Iudge and doth change and conuert it into mercie Hee that standeth on a profound and deepe pit sayeth the Philosopher seeth the stars at noonstead where hee that standeth on the face of the earth seeth not one starre in so great a light In like maner he that is placed in the deapth of humilitie teares sighs and tribulation sigheth to heauen and summoneth God by his cries but hee that standeth in the light of this worlde and in the brightnesse of worldlye lasciuiousnesse can see no star or retaine anie grace Shall I teach you how to bewaile Christ First loue him for loue vniteth things together drawing all mans interest from himself and placing it in another when thou art conuerted into Christ then mayest thou truely bewaile him For the losse of things then neerest touch vs when they are best knowee vnto vs. Those that are one in affection are one in passiō one in desires one in teares one in loue one in sorrow one in minde one in martyrdome mockers martyr Christ penitents weep for him blasphemeis crucifie him the sorrowfull are comforted by him O men learne and vnderstand this our Lord suffered of will not of necessitie and hee indured of commiseration we in condition his voluntarie passion therefore is our necessarie consolation that being afflicted as hee was we may be confident as he was Will you know the hunger and thirst of this aduocate Ahlasse hee scarce found one theese on the gallowes whome hee might taft his Apostles are fled from him and hid them in the throng Peter that promised to perseuer till death hath denied him Wherevpon then shall hee feed if all soules flie him Nay howe can hee hope orf loue where none weep for him Oh man thou art made iust by the iustice of God Thou art saued gtatis and not by thy graces thou hast none to flie to but to him in necessities thou hast no life but it proceedeth from him vnder the Sunne thou hast nothing but watching sleeping eating drinking hunger thirst growth weaknes infancy childhood youth age and all these hee gaue thee Aboue the Sunne thou hast inuisible faith inuisible hope inuisible charitie inuisible bountie inuisible feare in holynesse which he willingly offereth thee Oh then giue him teares for his treasures a small interest for so great riches Oh yee sinful race of men what are you but a sacke of necessities Ahlasse what necessities are these Not to knowe anothers heart to thinke ill oftentimes of a faithfull friend to thinke well oftentimes of a dissembling enemie O hard necessitie yet another harder Thou knowest not what thou shalt be tomorow O greatest miserie yet another harder Thou must needes die O harde necessitie not to wyll that which thou canst not escape In this confusion what canst thou man Whether art thou carried How art thou bannished Crie and crie out vnhappie man that I am who shall deliuer mee from these Who shall aunswere thee Who shall helpe thee Not ambition for it is blinde not lust for it hastens death not wrath for it subdueth reason not the infirmities of the world for they are all fraile It must be humble Iesus then that must heal these imperfectious recouer these necessities determine these daungers to whom thou no sooner canst offer teares but he sodainly sendeth remedies Oh what hart can bee so hardned What mind so obdurate What soul so sensles that beholding a prince in his owne kingdome amongst his owne subiects massacred by his owne sonne wil not grieue at it by how much reason then ō you bond slaues of sinne should you be sorrowfull that see a prince not slaughtered in his owne kingdome but vniustly murthred in the world not among his subiectes but his brethien not by his sonnes onely but sonnes seruants and liegemen nay which is more not for his owne offence his owne default his owne errour but for their sinnes onely who persecute him onely Oh wonderful charitie Christ spreadeth his armes to imbrace those that spit at him openeth his woūds to intertain those that will enter offereth his bloud to ran some them that shedde it giueth his flesh to bee eaten to those that mangled it he praieth for theyr offences that fastned him to the crosse he made their sinnes his sinne that hee might make his iustice their iustice Oh if there be anie kindnesse in thee man thinke on these benefits looke looke about thee consider the waight of thy offences which stops the Fathers cares though the sonne crieth Make Christ sweat water and bloud for verie agonie in bearing them make heauen and earth and all creatures breake out in miracles to beholde them Iob vppon the deuils request was lefte to him to bee tempted and after his long patience receiued blessinges two folde but our Lord was whipte and no man helped him foulely spit vppon and no man succoured him lewdly buffetted and no man regarded him crowned with thornes and no man pittied him nailed to the crosse and no man deliuered him hee cryed My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and was not succored Why oh good Iesu whence came these thinges For what cause sufferedst thou all this To what end are all these torments Why cryed the Iewes Crucifie crucifie Why wert thou poured out like water Why were all thy bones dispearsed Why became thy heart like melting wax Why cleaued thy tong to thy roof Why diuided they thy garments cast lots on thy vesture O Christ the sonne of God if thou wouldest not thou shuldest not haue suffred shew vs therfore the fruit of this thy passion It was thy sinne O sinner that caused this it was thy disobedience to God that was punished in Gods sonne to
holye Ghost the flower sprong A branch shall springe out of the roote of lesse and a flower shall ascende from the roote as faith Esaie And what other is this braunch O thou blessedst amongest women but thy selfe the virgine of God what this flower but thy sonne O crimson rose Iesus how in all thy bodie shine the perfect signes of thy loue Ahlasse there is no little space lefte without impression of loue or griefe Hearke what Ambrose faith further of this virgin She fixed not her happines in vncertaine substaunce but fastned her hope to her son Christ intentiue in her workes modest in her sayinges whose purpose was not to satisfie man but to seeke after God to hurt none but to succour all to salute euerie one to reuerence her elders not to hate her equalls to slie boasting to followe reason to loue vertue When dyd this virgin hurt her parents with disobedient lookes When dissented she from hir friends When despised she the humble When decided she the weake When shunned she the needie Accustoming her selfe to conuerse onely with that companie of men whose conuersation shee might not be ashamed of Whome past shee by without modestie hauing nothing crabbed in her looks nothing crooked in her sayiugs nothing immodest in her actions not wanton in gesture not insolent in gate not foolish in voice but such she was that the verie beautie portraiture and forme of her body was the image of her mind and figure of her honestie The beautie of this tēple of the Deity was expressed in the Canticles where it is sayd O howe faire art thou my loue Howe faire art thou Thine eies are like doues eies yet is there farre more hidden within This is the paradyce which God prepared to put the second Adam in This is that virgin of whom Hierome speaketh which passed the night in contemplation watching the thiefe in loue of God the most learned in humilitie the most humble in the psalms of Dauid the most elegant in charitie most feruent in puritie the most pure and in all vertue the most perfect All her words were alwaies full of grace because she had God alwaies in her mouth shee continually praide and as the Prophet sayd meditated in the lawe of God daie and night This is the virgin of virgins the humble of hūblest in whome humilitie greatned virginitie virginitie adorned humilitie This is shee whose humilitie adorned her fecunditie and whose fecunditie consecrated her virginitie This is that Marie into whose armes the faire vnicorne Iesus retyred himselfe after a long pursuit by the praiers teares and sighs of the fathers This is the exalted according to the Hebrew or the starre of the sea as Hierome translateth it or the mistres of mankinde according to the Siriake This is she of whom the Sibils prophesied This is she whom Euodius Peters successour calleth immaculate without spot glorious in humilitie This is shee appointed before all ages to beare the great fruit This is the animated arke of the liuing God which brought many blessinges to Zacharie and Elizabeth as the Arke of the couenant did to Obed Edom. This is shee of whom Albumazar prophesied who speaking of the signe of the Virgine sayde that there shoulde an immaculate virgine be borne sayre elegant and modest that should norish an infant in Iudea who shoulde be called Christ. Of this virgin there was found a testimony on the tomb of a pagan where in a plot of ground these wordes were written found in Constantine and his mother Irenes time An infant named Christ shall bee borne of a virgine and I beleeue in him O sonne thou shalt see mee againe in the time of Constantine and his mother Irene The like Zonoras reporteth of a certaine Iew who in a certaine ancient book written in three languages vsed these wordes This is shee in whome Nestorius denying the vniting of the humanitie with the diuinitie our Lorde in iustice caused wormes to deuour and eate out his tongue This is she in whom all vertues did concurre all learning abound all deuotions flowe all comforts depend This is she as Gregorie testifieth which foretolde the Iewes of their destruction and the desolation of their citie This is the true celestiall Pandora decked and inriched with the whole gifts of God the father the sonne and the holie Ghost This is shee whome the Moores reported to surpasse in excellence this is the perfectest of all perfections as the Turkes and Arabians testifie This is shee whome all the fathers in deuotion the Mahumetists in theyr Alcoran set foorth with praises and inrich with titles Oh sweete mother of God who so speaketh of thee as Hierome sayth speaketh insufficiently humane abilitie cannot attain it humane industrie is too weake for it Whether art thou transported my soule O my heart bee no more rauished with ioye intentiue to praise looke back to the foot of the crosse there is more cause of meditation more cause of moane Ahlasse what seest thou Nay what seest thou not to bewaile If thou seest the virgines lappe it is bloudied with the streames that fall from her Sonnes wounded head If thou seest her modest eies they are almost swolne and sunke into hir head with teares If thou looke for her pure colour it is decaied with extreame sorrowe her breasts are defaced with often beating of her handes her handes are wearyed by often beating of her breasts If shee looke on the one side shee sees Marie the sinner washing her sons feet with her tears if on the other she beholdeth Ioseph wofully preparing his funeralls if on the other she seeth virgins mourning if on the other she beholdeth soldiers mocking if anie waies she sees sorrowes plentifull knowing therfore in her selfe that true griefe correcteth the minde salueth the offence and maintaineth innocence shee gan renue her teares and thus tenderly bewailed her If it bee a custome in nature that fountains return from whence they first issued bodies bee resolued to that wherof they were first created ahlasse why should not the same law be in my tears which first springing from loue must be buried in loue no sooner buried but renued nothing before his fulnesse hath his fairenesse his ripenesse his strength his perfection his praise Why then delaie I my teares which can neuer receiue their excellence till they bee wepte to their vtteraunce Ahlasse ahlas teares are sweet weapons to wound and to winne harts I will vse them I will inuite them I will maintaine them I will triumph in them Come my son what now shall I weep in thee Not thy death for it is thy triumph not thy contēpts for they were thy cōtents but thy martyrdom which wrought my miserie O sinfull soules behold two altars raised by one massacre one in the bodie of Christ the other in the heart of the virgin on the one is sacrificed the flesh of the sonne on the other the soule of the mother such a death
no creature hath suffered such a sorrowe no heart hath contained Philosophie concents to my sorow for mine eies increase in griefe my passions are intollerable beeing afflicted in al my senses my loue quickens my passions my deuotion nourisheth my loue my teares beautifie my affection Woe is me nowe'am I rightly compared to the Moone for my sunne is eclipsed and I am confounded now iustly am I counted a peele being sed no waies better than by the deaw of teares now am I'improperly taken for a cedar for the sweet sent of my blossome is vanished my fruit is decaid the leaues of my delight are fallen onelye in this I retaine thy nature by reseruing my griefe in force my compassion to eternities Oh what a wo is mine What a sorrow is mine If the Angels behold this face they bewail him if the heauens look on this crueltie they weepe for him if the aire discouer it it loureth if the earth eie it it renteth What shall the mother then doo that hath behelde her sonne martyred and could not succour him naked could not cloath him thirsty and could not comfort him iniuried and could not defend him defamed and coulde not aunswere for him spit vpon and could not wipe him finally weeping and could not comfort him Out alasse for teares I will paie teares teares for former tragedies teares for after passion teares for present miserie tears in abundance teares with vsurie Oh thou so excellent in holynesse so mightie in power and so merciful in pietie how shal I more righfully bewaile thee than in considering the wants I haue beeing diuided from thee I want thy presence to repayre my delights I want thy counsell to inrich my soule I want my ioye by wanting thee Nay what wanteth not the worlde by thine absence The humble are turned to proude the faithfull falne to Apostasie the poore are despised the iust reuiled the patient spit at the faithfull afflicted deuotion nowe is clothed with dissimulation sanctimonie with simonie conscience with couetousnesse hypocrites wil be humble without contempt poore with out defect flatterers vnseene enuious vnsuspected slanderers without cause craftie as foxes within humble as lambes without Ahlasse what confusion What error Thy scholers in humilitie haue forgotten their lesson they will not learn of the bird which before hee soareth towards heauen humbleth his bodie to the earth they will enter by thee as the gate and wil not learne of thee because thou art humble Thou hūblest thy selfe to thy equals they despise their superiours The tree the more it aboundeth in fruit the more it abaseth his bowes towardes the earth but man the more he is raised by thy graces the more hee resisteth against thy humilitie Thy glorie is to submit serue and obey mans desire is to gouerne rule command Thou sayest that all thing perisheth if it be not kept with humilitie they saie that nothing more breedeth cōtempt than obseruance Thou biddest them flie honours they affect them Thou biddest them possesse their soules in feare they deeme nothing assured but in honour Oh sweet Iesus thou sayest that the gate of heauen is so straight that no man laden with riches no man fatned with delights no man decked in purple can be possest thereof before he be dispossessed of these vanities but the worldling saith that welth breedeth happinesse delightes lengthen life rich clothing bringeth credit so that they that possesse these they vtterly despise heauen What shall I saie the worlde is so fraught with pleasure and auarice is so ful of profite that it is helde good pollicie to heare thee preach but no wisedome to followe thy pouertie Oh deare Lord thou giuest thy self wholy vnto them and they wholie flie thee if they are hungrie thou art bread to them if they are thirstie thou art water to thē if they are in darknes thou are light vnto them if they be naked thou cloathest them yet are they 〈◊〉 grounded in vngratitude that they forget thee They knowe that what so euer the world is is eyther the desire of the flesh or the desire of the eyes or the pride of lyfe yet pretēding to flie the world they fansie nothing more earnestly They knowe that a fatned thicke and dilated body leaueth God and forgetteth his creator yet follow they sensualitie and forget thee eāmque mortuam sayth the Psalme neither cordially recorde they thy benefites They knowe with Hermes that thy acceptable best incense is thanksgiuing yet haue they learned with Iudas to crucifie thee vngratefully They knowe that they are blessed that haue not seene and beleeue yet hauing beheld thy passion they despise it They know the booke of life is opened but they will not reade They know that those which folow thee shall not walke in darknes se yet take they pleasure to stumble in the daie time Finally they knowe that thou hast spred the light of thy coūtenance on them yet preferre they darknes before light to their owne damnation The Naturalistes write that Bats haue weake sight because the humor Christaline which is necessarie for the eie to see with is translated into the substance of the wings to flie with whereupon they haue leatherne winges and so for their flight sake haue lost their sight because that is substracted from the eies which is imploied in the wings These bats betoken these proud neglecters who by how much the more they striue to flie by so much more are they depriued of the grace of the diuine light because all their intention which ought to bee in consideration of heauenly things is translated into the feathers of ambition so that all their thought is howe they may ascend by degrees the steps of dignitie not descende in imitation of thee to the bosome of humilitie O man the cause of the Angells fall was negligence the cause of Adams fall was negligence why then art thou summoned so sweetly neglectest so carelesly If men angels created by God had vsed his giftes orderly the angels had neuer striued to surpasse God in excellence neither had man listned to the serpents perswasion but because they were careles of his graces he suffred thē to fall into errour by the sinne of negligence and from the error of neglygence into the sinne of pride disobedience Beware man by mans first falling flie man the Angels negligence least by both thou winne apostasie and with apostasie perdition Wilt thou be frind of this world thou art enemie to God Wilt thou follow Beliall thou art not for Iesus Oh cast downe thy selfe proud soule whatsoeuer thou hopest trust not the weaknes of thy power since strength it selfe hath beene oppressed Knowe that chastitie is hardned in delightes truth in riches and humilitie in honours iust feare to fall mercifull feare obduration continence feare lust deuout feare negligence with feare and trembling waxe you rich in Iesus who wyth griefe and agonie hath indured for you Oh sinners