Pow're consociates Pow'res diuine Gliding through Heau'n on hir celestiall wings And to the Angells Hymnes hir eares incline And all the Hoast of Heaun together brings At once to view those bright-eye-blinding things Yet stayes not here but doth hir selfe intrude Into the presence of the King of Kings To see th Obiectiue sole Beatitude That of the Cherubins cannot be view'd And hou'ring here she staies and straines hir fight To see the same as of it selfe its seene But taper-pointed Beames of extreame light Darts through hir eies and make them sightlesse cleane Yet inly sees a certaine Light vnseene That so doth rauish all hir powres of Sence As in the Heau'n of Heau'ns it makes hir weene She sensibly hath reall residence O'rewhelm'd with Glory and Magnificence But if the Body in disposed bee And due proportion of the Humors want If Wisdome do not well the same foresee She here may passe the bounds of Grace I grant And so wax franticke vaine and ignorant Or else presumptuously too curious For Powre inscrutable she must not fcant To hir powres reach for that were impious And most impard'nably presumptuous For as our Corp'rall Eyes cannot behold The Sunne whose substance is but corporal So the Soules Eye being fixt to mortall mould Cannot behold the Deity immortall But if our Eye were supernaturall And fixt vnto the Sunne then might it see The Sunne it selfe and with the Sunne see all So shall the Soules Eye see that Deitie When after death it fixt to it shall bee Yet Contemplation may by force of loue Whilst yet the Soule is to the Body tide Wing d with Desire ascend her selfe aboue And with hir God eternally abide So neare as if she toucht his glorious side For as one drawing nigh materiall fire Doth feele the heate before the flame be tride So who drawes nigh to God by Loues desire Shall to and with that heau'nly Flame aspire This is that holy kind and sugred Kisse That God in loue vouchsafes the louing Soule To which this louing Lord espowsed is When as hir Lord he by his grace doth rule Which doth extinguish all affections foule This Kisse must needes be short as Lightnings leame Or else it would the Body so controule Through Soules excesse of ioy in such extreame That it would leaue hir in a datelesse dreame Those Soules that are by Contemplation fixt So fast to God that th' are remou'd by none Are like the Seraphins to God confixt Who are exempt from outward charge alone And still like burning lampes surround his Throne For as fine Gold beeing molten in the fire Doth seeme as if the fire and it were one So is the louing Soule through loues desire With God in Contemplation made intire Here Contemplation may so long reside For here she makes the Soule drunke with delight As if the Body Soulelesse did abide And all the Sences were depriu'd of might While from hir selfe the Soule thus takes hir flight To such excesse of mind some men are brought That they do see by reuelation right How they should liue and belieue as they ought VVith many maruells else surmounting thought This ghostly wine in Contemplation drunke Hath made ere now some Soules so drunke with ioy As some good Bodies in the same haue suncke As if they were strooke dead with some annoy And othersome it hath constraind to toy To sing to leape to laugh and some to rue Who then to weepe they doe themselues imploy Some nothing say but Iesu Iesu Iesu And othersome some words they neuer knew The cause of all these motions as should seeme From the Soules blisse and ioyes-aboundance came Which to the Body shares that ioy extreame And it not able to containe the same Doth vent it out with jestures vsde in game As when new wine into a caske is cast It vpwardes boiles and many motions frame And wanting vent it will the vessell brast So fares the Body which these Dainties taste But heere me thinkes I heare some Athist say All these are but meere naturall effects For th' obiect of our Loue our Soules betray To eu'ry Passion which it selfe reflects And so the Pagan his false God respects As Loue thereto these things in him doth worke But neuer Heathens heart had these Affects For neuer in a Pagan Iew or Turke Can such Soule-pleasing Iubilations lurke For as in Tempests Smoake away doth flie Which yet augments the fire and spreads the flame So in Afflictions stormes these dogges will die And can no praier with deuotion frame But Christians then can best performe the same Who though with Troubles stormes they still are tosst Yet of their endlesse griefes they make their game And in their most affliction glory most When such affliction grieues a Pagans ghost Know then whose knowledge is but Ignorance Whose Wit though ne're so nimble is but lame That all is subiect to the gouernance Of that I Am that no Tongue well can name For there is nothing subiect vnto Chance But as he will so will all Fortunes frame Who is the proppe of diuine Prouidence Which thou seest not for want of Grace and Sence Thou Diu'l incarnate Monster like a Man Perfidious Athist gracelesse Libertine Which Nature then produc'd when she began To wrong her selfe and from herselfe decline Yea then when Reason farre herselfe ore-ran And to the brutish part did whole incline What brow of Brasse can beare thy earned blame Whose Conscience fear'd wants sense of sinne and shame For loe the Soule by force of Contemplation Engulphed lies in ioyfull Extacy Where she doth languish in a loue-sicke passion Swallowed with sweets in such extremity That shee s eu'n stifl'd with felicity But O wretch that I am when when O when Shall my dry soule her thirst here satisfie But I a sincke of sinne and Soile of Men Am too too fowle this Fount a loofe to ken Here neede the Soule to stand vpon her guard And keep the Tempter at the Sp'rits sword-point Else pride will puffe her sith so well she far'd Which swelling will runne downe from ioynt to ioynt That she wil burst if Grace her not annoynt This found he true that found this true repast In the third Heau'n as God did fore-appoint Yet must he Buffetts with such Banquets taste Lest he should be puft vp and so disgrac'd For our Soules foe extracts Ill out of Good As our Soules friend doth draw Good out of Ill The foe can foile if he be not with-stood With Pride our Piety and our good-will But our best friend though we offend him still From these offences drawes humilitie Which makes vs crouch and kneele and pray vntill He doth commiserate our misery This doth our friend vnlike our enemie The Soule cannot her soundnesse more bewray Then when she doth Temptations strong resist For like as when our Pulses strongly play We know wee neede not then a Galenist So when the Soule doth paint striue and persist In strugling with Temptations then we kno That
such sorrow 's mixt with solace still Which is substantiall good with seeming Ill. This takes away th'obiection vsde by thee Thou godlesse Man against thy Gods good will Which faith he hath no care how ill we be Or if he had from Ills would set vs free Wherein thou dost the Good and Ill confound For to a good man can no ill befall Though hells of harmes did euer him surround And to a bad man no good can or shall Fall to his share though he possessed all For Goods the Ill abuse vnto their woe Wherewith they execute no mischiefesmall As worldly ills doe make the good forgoe All that is ill indeede or ill in shoe For as a Body craz'd conuerts good foode Into the humour ill predominant Whenas the sound conuerts to perfect blood Those meates that are to health most discrepant So doe the Bad with Wealth the Good with Want With thy Mindes eies behold those Caesars past That were fell Tyrants and thou needes must grant That for they were of their owne shades agast That which they held held them to horror fast What if an aking head were crown'd with gold What could that doe more then to paine it more It were too heauy hard and too too cold To giue it case or make it as before Which goldes restoratiue cannot restore How stopps the purple Robe the purple bloud Of him whose hart a traitrous hand did gore If in such cases such can doe no good Then who will Tirants taxe in enuious moode With gold or Ir'n what skils it to be giu'd Sith both our freedome reaues indifferently What matters it to be of life depriu'd With Axe or Hempe sith all is but to die Saue that the Axe doth it more speedily Aduance a Begger on a burning Throne And at his foote let Princes prostrate lie What pleasure takes he in Kings so or'throwne But such as kingly Tyrants feele alone A greater signe of death cannot appeere If fage Hipocrates we credit may Then when we see the Sicke to gripe the geare That lies vpon them or with it to play They are past helpe God helpe them then we say So they which still are fingring worldly things And greedily gripes all that 's in their way Whether they Subiects bee or frolicke Kings Are at Deathes grizly gate and Swan-like sings Many thou seest with Iustice Sword in hand Vpon it fall or it falls from their fist Because they could not well the same command And so themselues might mischiefe ere they wist God spills and spares by like meanes whom he list So want saues some that wealth would cast away Phisitians meates restraine that health resist And we for our health sake doe them obay Because of sufferance comes ease we say Grieue not to see a Beggar made a King Nor yet a King a Beggar made by chance The first doth stand in awe of eu'ry thing The last feares nothing subiect to mischance Because he liues as death should him aduance No Kingdome to Content no Crowne t'a Crosse No peace to that continuall variance We haue with our Affections and no losse To that of Heau'n for a world of drosse Store is no sore some say nor is ease ill So thought not Cirus who the Sardines sill'd VVith all that mought voluptuous thoughts fulfill VVhich for a plague to them he so fulfill'd And that they might so curelessely be spill'd The sober Soule and temp rate Body sees How mortall it is to be ouer-fill'd But th' eyes of swolne Excesse still ouersees That which with God and Nature best agrees Many meets Death at Feasts that in the field Could not come ne ere him though for him they sought A Splint at Triumph hath some Kaesars kil'd That many a bloudy battle erst had fought Thus Kings to death triumphantly are brought Because they will triumph ere victory The end makes all and in the end we ought To triumph only if we liue and die Belowe the Crosse that vs shall crowne on hie But yet saist thou what Prouidence can see The guiltlesse made a bloudy sacrifize To expiate the rage of Villanee That nothing else will quiet or suffize What skills it how the vertuous liuer dyes Sith by a bloudy death in likely-hood It pleaseth God their Soules so to surprize And on the brow of Time write with their blood Their virtues for succeeding Ages good Thus makes he Euill Good in spite of Euill For all that Is doth to his Glory tend Whereto he guides the doings of the Deuill Though Diu'ls doe it not vnto that end Then sith Gods Prouidence so cleere is kend As that sâ—â—se Blindnesse needs must see the same Let Gods â—â—â—les wisely thereon stil depend Whiles these wise men like fooles past Grace and Shame Denying it loose Body Soule and Name FINIS Coloss. 3. Bicause such a Monster should euer breathe The Noble comes sooner by violent death then the obscure
Mirum in modum A Glimpse of Gods Glorie and The Soules Shape Eyes must be bright or else no eyes at all Can see this sight much more then mysticall LONDON Printed for William Aspley 1602. To the most noble iudicious and my best beloued Lorde William Earle of Pembrooke the most honorable Sir Robert Sidney Knight Lord Gouernor of Vlishing and the right right worshipful Edward Herbert of Mountgomery Esquire my most honored and respected Friendes TO subdiuide Soules indiuisible Being wholy in the whole and in each part For me were more then most impossible Though I were Arte it selfe or more then Arte. Yet must I make my Soule a Trinitie So to diuide the same betweene you three For Vnderstanding Will and Memorie Makes but one Soule yet they three Virtues be The Vnderstanding being first I giue Unto the first for Order so doth craue And Will Good-will the second shall receiue Then Memory the last shall euer haue And as I part my Soule my Booke I part Betwixt you three that shares my broken hart All yours wholy and to you most humbly deuoted Iohn Dauies Mirum in modum A glimpse of Gods Glorie and the Soules shape Wlt yeeld me words Wits words Wisedome bewray My Soule infuse thy selfe in 't Same 's diuine The froath of Wit O Wisedome skumme away Powder these lines with thy preseruing Brine Refresh their saltnesse salt their freshnesse fine That Wits sweete words of Wisedomes salt may taste Which can from crude Conceit corruption stay And make the same eternally to last Though in Obliuion be buryed ay The skumme of Wit the witty Skummes repast Which like light skum with those lewd Skums doth waste O Thou maine Ocean of celestiall light From whom all Lights deriue their influence The light of Truth infuse into my sprite And cleere the eyes of my Intelligence That they may see my Soules circumference Wherein the Minde as Centre placed is Wherein thou restest Center of true Rest Compass'd with glory and vncompass'd blisse Which do thy Lodge with glorious light inuest Then lighten thy darke Inne O glorious Ghest The Soule of Man immortall and diuine By Natures light beholds the light of Nature Like as the Bodies eyes when Sunne doth shine Doe by the Sunne behold the Sunnes faire feature So by that light shee sees shee is a Creature Created to her faire Creators forme In Wisdome Knowledge and such goodly graces Which doe the Vnderstanding right informe To guide the Will aright in sundry cases Whenas the Sence deluded Reason out-faces For as the Uaynes the body ouer-spreds And to its vtmost bounds themselues extend So Science in the Soule from certaine heads In great varietie her vaines doth send To whatsoe're the soule may comprehend This is her Birth-right with the body borne Kinde Natures larges giu'n with hand displai'd Which doth the Minde illustrate and adorne To and from whom all knowledge is conuai'd That tends vnto the soule or bodies aide Which is deduced from pow'r more supreame Then in th' externall Senses doth reside This light proceeds from that infused beame Which in the Soules supreamest part doth bide The Bodies motions and hir owne to guide For though th'incomprehensible hath stampt His wisdome in his workes to prooue his Beeing Yet all saue Man from this Light is exempt By which the Soules eyes sees past sense of Seeing Celestiall sweets with hir sweete selfe agreeing For th' outward Senses Beasts with vs enioy Nay they possesse the same in greater pow'r But yet those Senses they cannot imploy To Reasons vse and Understandings cure But these effects doe flowe from Sense more sure Which from an vnderstanding Soule proceeds Yet nought that Understanding doth digest But first on it the outward Senses feedes Both which inuites the Will vnto their feast Those Senses beeing tastèrs to the rest Then if the Senses bee affected ill Or apprehend their Obiects with offence They wrong the Vnderstanding and the Will With false reporte of their experience But first they misse-informe th' Intelligence It giuing credit to their information Misse-leads the Will that way ward is by kinde Which moues the Members wih all festination Beeing instrumentall agents of the Minde To doe what ere the Senses pleasant finde But when we say the Understanding seazeth On nought but what the Senses first surprizeth It s meant of things that pleaseth or displeaseth And to the Senses sensibly ariseth Then herevpon the common Sense deuiseth And then transferres it to the Intellect Which by hir pow'r inherent doth discourse By Reasons rules from Causes to th' effect And beeing there runnes forth with greater force Till Iudgement with strong hand doth stay her course Herehence it is the Soule her selfe doth know Hir owne effects shee to hir selfe discloseth So to herselfe herselfe herselfe doth shew By powres which shee within hirselfe encloseth Whereof hirselfe not of hirselfe disposeth But are directed by a higher Pow'r Yet hath shee eyes to see and sence to feele The way vnto hirselfe though most obscure Which hirselfe virtues to hirselfe reueale Through which she wots what works hir woe or weale This knowledge of the vnknowne parte of Man Namely the knowen Soules vnknowen parte From Man is hid since he to sinne began For Ignorance of Sinne is the iust smart Which now doth hold enthrall'd his vniust hart But sith the Soule is such a precious thing As cost the price of past-price deerest bloud Then can no knowledge more aduantage bring Then knowledge of the Soule as first she stood Or since she fell from her extreamest Good For she enwombes worldes of varietie Of Sunne-bright Beauties and celestiall Sweetes Vnited all in perfect sympathie Whereas the Minde with diuerse Pictures meetes Which Fancie formes and from the Fancie fleetes From whence proceedes all maruellous Inuentions Which doe produce all Artes and Sciences That Doubts resolue and doe dissolue Dissentions Touching the vniuersall Essenses Subiect t' our inward or our outward Senses Then what Soule on the Soule excogitates But it is rapt with ioy and wonderment Sith when the Minde but her adumberates In Fancies forge it feeles such rauishment As yeeldes therewith a heau'n of high content Then sith all Weale or Woe that vs befall Flowes from the Soule as from their speciall Spring We should not to her Weale be neuterall But study to preserue that precious thing As that conserues the Soule and Bodies Being Wherein three Faculties still working be Animall Vitall and the Naturall The Animall diuided is in three Motiue Sensitiue and Principall The Principall hath three parts speciall Imagination Reason Memory The power Sensitiue includes the powres Of the externall Senses seu'rally The Motiue powre the Corps to stirre procures As long as Vitall faculty indures Which Facultie is seated in the Hart Infusing Spirites of Life through eu'ry vaine The vertues Animall doe play their part In all the seu'rall cauerns of the Braine The virtues Naturall the wombe containe Which doe consist of three essentiall partes
Feeding Growing and Ingendering Which subdiuided are by Natures Artes Into sixe Faculties with them working And common to them all in eu'ry thing The first and second with the third and fourth Attracts retaines concocts and distributes The fift and sixt encorp'rates and puts forth What is supersluous And thus executes Their pow'res as one though sextiplied in sutes The foode the Mouth prepareth for the Maw The Maw forthwith prepares it for the Liuer From whence a sanguine tincture it doth draw And then vnto the Hart doth it deliuer Who in the nerues and veines it soone doth seuer Then through those channels of the bloud it flowes Through all the limbes to giue them nourishment And by those condites to the Braine it goes Whereas the Soule doth hold her Parliment To giue Lawes for the Bodies gouernement Where if the foode be fine and delicate It turnes to bloud that in the Braine doth breede Those Spirites fine that doe refine the pate And crowne the same with glory for its meede For Glory Spirites refined dooth succeede The like is found betweene th'internall Senses And those same Powres and virtues Animall First must a Powre receiue the Images That form'd are in the Senses corporall Which Powre is calld the powre Fantasticall This is the Soules eye seeing all vnseene Which viewes those Senses obiects being absent And of th'internall Senses is the meane They to the Memorie the same present Who safely keepes that which to her is sent Thus then the Fantasie attracts we see The Memorie retaines and Reas'on digest Iudgement distributes all in their degree Experience then incorporates the best And Wisedome by hir powre expells the rest Now for these Senses Powres and Faculties Haue all their Organs seated in the Braine Order requires that we particularize What cauernes in the scull the same containe And in what manner they doe there remaine Which Caues or Cells distinguisht are with skinne Or subtill Membranes and so being diuided The Head is like a House that is within Too many rowmes or chambers subdiuided Vaulted with Bone and with Bone likewise sided The skinne that rafters or else lines the roofe Is hard for durance and thicke to enwall Which is the skinne of Skinnes a skinne of proofe That Dura mater loe the Latines call For it enwombes the rest from dangers all The vse whereof is to preserue the Braine When it doth moue from hardnesse of the Scull For discreete Nature maketh nought in vaine Whose tender prouidence of care is full With Meanes she doth Extreames together pull It likewise serues to giue a passage free For all the Veines the Braines to feede and guide Whereby the vitall spirites may gouern'd be And likewise into partes the Braine diuide Before behind on this and on that side Besides this Membrane there is yet another More fine and subtill wou'n of many vaines Hight Piamater or the godly Mother Which in her wombe doth subdiuide the Braines And them in seu'rall secret Celles containes Wherein the Soule doth vse hir chiefest Pow'res Namely the Animall and Rationall Therefore all braines of Beasts are lesse then ours Ours fill their Cells and well-neere Scull and all Which doe refine the Spirits Animall Those Spirits that thus the Braynes repurifie Procures the Bodyes vnconceiued blisse And serues as Organs to Reas'ns faculty Which in the Soule the highest virtue is That hir corrects if she directs amisse Foure Ventricles or concaues close conioyn'd In substance of the Braine Dame Nature seates With mutuall passages which are assign'd For all the Spirites egresse which Sense creates For Nature all to all communicates Those Cells wherein this witty work 's begun Are made by right more rowmsome then the rest Of those to which the Spirites well-wrought do runne For there they purge their bad and keepe their best For the last Uentricles which are the least Two of the foremost then like Cressents twaine Plac'd on each side the Head are most compleate The third's in middle Region of the Braine Where Reason rules and holdes hir royall Seate The Fourth's behinde where Memorie is greate The Brayn-presse into which the Bloud is prest That giues the Braines their vitall nutriment Is compast with those concaues with the rest By which the Soule effecteth hir intent As with hir worke-performing Instrument Likewise an Organ made most curiously Like little Wheeles together close connext Is plac'd as Portall of the Memory To let the Spirits swift passage lest perplext It might bee by their throng and shrowdly vext From the midde Uentricle vnto the last A pipe doth passe as Chariot of the Sp'rites There to and fro they come and go in hast In mutuall wise as Nature them incites To do their duties and performe their rites In this part of the Brayne the Brayn-wrights skill And wisdome infinite do most appeare And here to Man hee shewes his great good will For he imprints his owne Character there Wherein his diuine Nature shineth cleere Which wee the more perspicuously should see If we could see to which internall Sence Each of these parts pertayne or Vessells bee Wherein the Soule most shews hir excellence But this surmounts the Mindes intelligence For such a Mystrie is embozomed In Wisdoms Breast chest of such Secrets hie Which is with obscure clouds invironed That it 's concealed from the Eagles eye Much more from Man that seeth but here by Thus hauing slightly toucht this tender parte For I could not but touch it thus at least Because the Soule therewith performes hir Arte It now remaines to prosecute the rest Of what my Muse touching the Minde exprest Imagination Fancie Common-sence In nature brooketh oddes or vnion Some makes them one and some makes difference But wee will vse them with distinction With sence to shunne the Sence confusion The Common-sence whose locall scituation The Fore-head holdeth hath that name assign'd Because it first takes common information Of all the outward Sences in their kinde Of inward Sences this is first I finde Ordain'd to sort and seuer eu'ry thing According to its nature properly Which th' outward Sences to this Sence doe bring And then transmitteth it successiuely To each more inward Sences faculty The outward Sences then cannot discerne What they doe apprehend but by this Sence Of which those Sences all their science learne And vnto which their skill haue reference As it referres all to th' Intelligence Making a through-fare of the Fantacie Which doth so forme reforme and it deformes As pleaseth hir fantasticke faculty Not pleas'd with what the common Sence informes But in the Minde makes calmes or stirreth Stormes This Pow'r is pow'refull yet is most vnstaid Shee resteth not though Sleepe the Corpes arrest She doates and dreames and makes the Minde afraide With visions vaine wherewith she is opprest And from things likely things vnlikely wrest Shee is the Ape of Nature which can doe By imitation what she doth indeed And if shee haue hir Patterns adde thereto A thousand toyes which in hir
the Will proceedes And with that Good the Will it freely feeds Yet lest the Soule beholding hir faire forme Aboue hirselfe should of hirselfe aspire He giues vs proofe he can hir parts deforme That form'd hir parts if pride prouoke his ire Then lets hee Fiends the Fantacie enorme VVith strong delusions and with passions dire Herehence it is that some suppose they are Stone dead some all Nose some more brittle ware Some hauing this parte perfect are defected In the powre rationall the Soules sentinell That is with doting dulnesse so infected As what they say or do they wot not well Yet is their Memory right well affected And all their other Faculties excell So Sicknesse some Mens Memory vnframes That they forget their country friends and names Some others not in parte but wholy loose The vse of all the Sences of their soule Because they did their faculties abuse Those beeing franticke Reason with Rage controule And worse then beasts they liue and cannot chuse The Good from Bad ne yet the Faire from Fowle But like infernall Furies fare they than Iniurious to themselues to God and Man Thus may these Powers perish all or parte VVhen that almighty Powre his grace withdrawes Then let high Spirits retaine a lowly hart That may obedient be to Reasons Lawes For ill successe proceeds from worse desart And good effects proceeds from no ill cause If thy Mindes eyes see more then such eyes can Thanke God therefore yet thinke thy selfe a man For if thy thoughts flie higher then that pitch And Luciferian pride thy Minde inflate Thou mayst with him fall hedlong in the ditch And runne into Gods vnreuoked hate Then will the Fiend so much thy Mind bewitch That thoushalt be possesst in endlesse date VVith his strong Legions Then let Reason raine Thy head-strong Will and thy high thoughts restraine Now hauing seene how each internal Sence Contained is in cauernes of the Braine And how their works haue mutuall reference That so they may their common good maintaine Let vs with Eagles eyes without offence Transview the obscure things that do remaine For Mans aye-searching Sp'rite with toil 's opprest Til it haue found that Good that giues it rest Yet this breeds bate twixt Reas'n and Fantacie For Fantacie beeing neere the outward Sences Allures the Soule to loue things bodily But Reason mounts to higher Excellences And mooues the spirit her nimble wings to trie In pursuite of diuine Intelligences Who in the iawes of Fantasie doth set A Snaffle to o're-rule her wilde coruet And all this vigor to the Spirite is giu'n To flie with restlesse wings of Contemplation Vnto that Powre which in the highest Heau'n Makes his no powre-impeaching Habitation Of which Powre if this Powre be quite bereau'n Her dignitie incurreth degradation For as nought is more rare in Man then Spright So nought but rarest things should it delight For it beseemes not that high Maiestic To Man his creature lower to descend Then Man by force of his Mindes Ingeny Is able to him easly to ascend That makes him not appeare to Mans weake eie Because his Reason can him apprehend If Reason then by vse be cleere and bright She may see him vnseene by her owne light For by our Reason and Intelligence We know him from which knowledge Loue doth slowe For we may loue that we see not by Sense But cannot loue the thing we doe not know Our Soules we loue and loue the place from whence Our Soules first came though Sense them cannot show So that high Powre though our Sense cannot show him Yet may we loue because our Reasons know him For can it be Mans Soule should be endow'd With Understanding Reason Will and Wit To whose high powre the highest Powre hath bow'd His goodnesse to be conuersant with it But that the Soule is therewithall allow'd On sempiternall Thrones with him to sit If so what can be worth the Soules discourse But that same Minde that gaue the Soule such force Let Beasts whose soules are meerely Sensitiue Whose Beeing ceaseth with their Bodies beeing Let those with Tooth and Naile striue here to liue Because they die for euer with their dying To them no other Soules did Nature giue But such as to this life was most agreeing But sith Mens soules of God Characters bee With nothing but with God they should agree Which Soules without their corp'rall Instruments By vertue of their intellectiue powres Within themselues can act some good intents Though not expresse them to this sence of ours Who are sometimes rapt vp with rauishments As parted from the Body certaine howres Wherein they exercise their virtue so That more then erst they knew they doe and kno Wherein the Vnderstanding and the Will Wherewith the Soule are sumptuously set forth Are most imploi'd whose functions are to fill The Soules with Treasures of the rarest worth Which th' Intellect to Will presenteth still And to the loue thereof the will allur'th For Will will nothing entertaine in loue But what the Vnderstanding doth approue And what it doth approue as erst was said It sends to Memories safe custodie So then the powres that most the Soule do aide Is Understanding Will and Memorie Which if by Error they bee not betraid They will the Soules affects so fortifie That shee in spight of all the Pow'res belowe Shall giue hir foes a glorious ouerthrowe Yet as the Sunne to vs imparts his light Now more now lesse as it is cleare or clouded So fares it with our Vnderstandings sight That 's darke as hell if it with Sinne be shrowded Or if that Earthly things inclose it quight VVherewith the Soule may be so ouer-crowded That she may faint and finally may fall To vtter darkenesse hir foe Capitall Besides the Sodies state and constitution May much auaile or disaduantage it Then Riot is no good Phisition To heale or keepe in health mans feeble Wit For excesse tends to Dissolution And Dissolution doth in Darkenesse sit Then wouldst thou haue a cleere Intelligence Feare God fare well but feede without offence For though the Soule the Body should o're-rule By lawe of Nature and in Reasons right Yet oft we see the Body rule the Soule When meates excesse augments the Bodies might The Flesh exalted wil the Spirit controule And make the Bodies manners brutish quight But if thy Flesh be ill compos'd by kinde Mend it with holsome meate and mod'rate minde For what a monstrous vice is this in Man To quench his Spirit with wine and belly-cheare When Beasts will take no more then well they can Although by force they should aby it deare For neuer Man a Beast by rigor wan To eate or drinke more then hee well could beare Then if thou wouldst not haue a Beast excell thee Take thou no more then Nature doth compell thee O that these Healthes that makes so many sicke Were buried in the lake of Leachs quicke For since our English ah were Flusbeniz'd Against good manners and good men
they kicke As Beasts they were and wondrous ill aduiz'd Band be these Bacchus feasts which oft they make Which makes Reason sleepe and Riot keepes awake Can Meate and Drinke which pleaseth but the Taste A Sence from th Understanding most remote Which pleasure for so small a while doth last As passing but two inches of the throte Make men their sames and Soules away to cast GOD shield that famous Men so much should dote Let neuer Men of Minde their Mindes defile With such a vice more vile then Vice most vile O what a hell of Minde good Mindes endures When they in minde behold such Men of Minde Whose Soules are deckt with intellectiue pow're Imploy the same repugnant to their kind To find out lothsome leakage which procures Them witts to loose where they such Leakage finde Can any griefe be greater then to see A man that men commands a beast to be Conuerting martiall sports that were in vse To winie vnaccustom'd Combates O That valiant men should dare men to carouse And count them cowards that will not doe so For now it is become a great abuse Healthes to refuse If legges can stand or goe But out vpon such Combatts and such game Whereas the victors glory is their shame The Spirit of Man whose temper is diuine And made to mount vnto the highest height Should not to such Soule-smillings base decline But with hir nimble wings should take her flight Where she might druncke be made with Angels wine To make her slumber in diuine delight But if his Sprite ascend when wine descends The Spirite of Wine and not his Sprite ascends Then how prodigious is it when the Mind That should be conuersant with heau'nly Sweetes To swash of Swine should Sow-like be inclind That swallowes vp what ere their rauine meetes And in strong drinke deuouring pleasure finde Till they lie durt-deuoured in the Streetes But let great men whose sp'rites are most diuine This most base beastlinesse to Beasts assigne For if the Head replenisht be with Wit No roome remaines for Wine there to reside For if the Wine thrusts in it out thrusts it Much Wine and Wit together cannot bide And when the Hart where the Affections sit With wine's inflam'd th' Affects soone shrinke aside And like enraged Furies doe confound Both Grace and Nature Wit and Iudgement sound For when the Braines are full of winie fumes The Soule with Aegypts darkenesse is inclosde And what the Braine receiues the Hart assumes For as the one the other is disposde The Powres of both Wine vtterly consumes If Wine against their Powers be opposde So the Soules Faculties and her Affects Are brought to nought by Wines too bad effects For if the Soule at best and best aduizd Be prompt Opinion still to chop and change What will shee doe when she with Wine 's baptizd How will she wander then where will she range Where nay where not she being so disguizd If from herselfe herselfe she may estrange Then eu'ry way shee le runne saue that is right Because her eie of Iudgement wanteth sight For Reas'n th' effect of the Intelligence Winde-driu'n from the Sterne that rules the Minde What shall direct the faculties of Sense In their right course but bolde affections blind Which headlong runnes into all foule offence As they are mooued by their corrupt kind For eu'ry Sensuall man in sensuall sort Of Sensualitie makes but a sport Then Reas'n must rule or Sense will runne awry Vnruely Sense by kinde is so o'rethwart Yet Reason hath a two-folde property And in her practise vseth double Art For now by Consequence she Truth doth try Then heere and there for Truth her trialls start And starting so she balkes Truths euidence Then right she doomes not but by Consequence Sharpe Wits wil pierce hard Propositions strait Quicke Wittes by sharp coniecture Truth attaines Great Wits at once conclude it in Conceit Slowe and yet sure wittes find it out with paines And all those wittes on Wisedome still doe waite To serue her in the Skonce that bounds the braines Whose Powre she still imployes t' augment her might And doomes of their indeuors most vpright For shee within the Soule is Queene of Queenes As God vnto the Soule is King of Kings Th'internall Senses are Queenes yet but meanes Wherewith her businesse to effect she brings On whome as on her Minions still she leaner With greater ease to doe vneasie things But for her selfe she is in Natures due Soules Mind Mindes Soule and Gods sole Image true Or rather Gods Soules sole Character right In whose breast it had haue and shall haue euer True restlesse rest whose word true Wisedome hight That past beginnings liu'd and dieth neuer Did on our flesh which dide in painefull plight That none might from our Soules that Wisedome seuer For wein that and that in vs doth bide By vnchang'd interchange on either side The Body in the Elements is cloz'd The Bloud within the Body is confind The Spirits within the Bloud the Soule 's dispoz'd Within the Spirites which Soule includes the Minde The Vnderstanding in the Minde 's repoz'd And God in th' Understanding rest doth find So this Worlde 's made for Man Man for the Soule Soule for the Mind the Minde for God her Gole How be 't it is too true she was betray'd When Sinne perswaded hir shee should be eu'n With Wisdome infinite and so assay'de To match that Pow're that all hir pow'r had giu'n Then for she was ingrate and so vnstay'd She was bereft much virtue though forgiu'n That now she see'th Truth but through a vaile So in discerning Truth she oft doth faile For as the Soule so is her faculties The Spring beeing choak'd the streame cannot be strong They see not wel that haue but sand-blind eyes Nor is that firme that frailty hath among So humane Wisdome be it ne're so wise Oft goeth right but ofter runneth wrong Whose restlesse trauells are but Truth to meete And yet though oft at hand shee cannot see t. For how can humane Wisdome chuse but erre When all hir science comes from th' outward Sences Which oft misse apprehend and misse referre And so betrayes our best intelligences Then Iudgement needs must fayle that doth conferre False Antecedents with false References For what those Sences constantly affirme The Iudgement doth as constantly confirme But yet in cases of our constant faith Wee Faith beleeue and giue our Sence the lie Nay whatsoe're our humane reason saith If it our faith gainesay we it deny On highest heights Faith hir foundation laith Which neuer can be seene of mortall eye For if Faith say a Maid may be a Mother Though Sence gainesay it wee beleeue the other If Faith affirme that God a man may bee A mortall man and liue and die with paine We it belieue though how we cannot see For heere strong Faith doth headstrong Reas'n restraine And with the truth compells hir to agree Lest she should ouer-runne hir selfe in vaine So
Bowells breede Without which patterns she cannot proceede Now shee Chimeraes then shee Beauties frame That doe the Mynde beheau'n with matchlesse blisse The whole she cripples and makes whole the lame And makes and marrs as she disposed is Which is as life is led wel or amisse Shee with hir wings that can out-fly the wind Through Heau'n Earth Hell and what they hold doth fly And so imprintes them liuely in the Minde By force of hir impressing property Seeing all in all with her quicke sighted Eye She double dilligence is still in motion And well or ill shee euer is imploy'd Therefore good Spirits and badde with like deuotion Frequent hir still which she cannot avoyde Wherewith the Minde is cheered or annoy'de For as celestiall Spirits can obiect To the Minds Eye diuine soul-pleasing sights So can infernall Sprightes with like effect Present the Soule with what the Soule affrights Soe pow'rfull in their Pow'r are both these Sprights Which Pow'r fantasticke is of so great force As what she powrefully doth apprehend VVithin the Body she imprints perforce For to the Body she doth force extend A proofe whereof in women kinde is kend VVhen they in Coitu fix their Fancie fast On him they fancie if they then conceaue It will be like their Fancies obiect fac'd If then a wife doth but in thought deceaue The husband in that face may it perceaue This Powre is so preualent in the Mind As if some passe a Bridge or some such thing They lightly fall because their Fancies find Danger beneath which to the braine doth bring A giddinesse which causeth stumbling Thus then the Fancie oft the fact produceth That she with recollected virtue mindes And by the shade the substance oft traduceth So violent each Sense her virtue bindes And noyes or ioyes the Mind in diuerse kindes Halla my Muse heere rest a breathing while Sith thou art now arriu'd at Reasons seate To whom as to thy Sou'raigne reconcile Thy straying thoughts and humbly hir entreate VVith hir iust measure all thy lines to meate Lest that like many Rimers of our time Thoublotst much Paper without meane or measure In Verse whose reason runneth alto Rime Yet of the Lawrell wreathe they make a seazure And doth Minerua so a shrewde displeasure HAd my Soule pow'r the Souls pow'r to expresse And with strōg reasons Reasons strēgth bewray Men would admire hir virtue and confesse By Natures right she should their nature sway Monsters alone resists her mightinesse But Men though pow'rfull hir pow'r will obay For shee as Sou'raigne sitteth in the Soule All peruerse passions therein to controule Shee by the pow'r of hir discreete discourse In th'operations of the Fantasie Can iudge of good and bad and by hir force Swiftly surmount each Sences facultie And whatsoeuer interrupts hir course Shee it remooues with great facilitie For Natures bosome nothing doth embowre That is not subiect to his searching pow're In which respect shee hath hir Throne assign'd Betweene th' extreame partes of the parted Braine The place where Nature Vertue hath confin'd There doth shee sit and o're the Sences raigne And by hir might doth signlorize the Minde VVhose wild and waiward moods she doth restraine Their spight of Passion she doth keepe hir place Though Passion in hir spight hir oft disgrace For should shee shee transplac'd to Fantasie Or with Imagination be confounded A world of mists would clowde hir Sunne-bright eye VVherewith shee should be euermore surrounded So that she should not Truth from falshood spye But with strong Fancies should hir pow'r be bounded And like a Queene deposed from hir throne She should not able be to vse hir owne So fares it with hir when th' Affections force Like a swift streame that carries all away Doth carry hir by current of their course Farre from hirselfe as wanting strength to stay Vntill the whole man waxing worse and worse Be brought to vtter ruine and decay But if that shee be strong them to withstand Shee doomes aright and doth aright command Then rules Sans check then doomes without appeale No second sentence can hirs contradict She rules alone the whole Mindes common weale By holsome Heasts and Lawes and Iudgements strict Which to the Memory she doth reueale Else it Obliuion would interdict Wherein as in a booke of Decretalls She writeth hir decrees in Capitalls For which respect the seate of Memory Confineth hard vpon hir Continent That so she may soone empte the Fantasie Of what doth passe through hir arbitterment For else what bootes hir Good and Bad to try If to the Memory it were not sent For that is it that is sole receptacle Of humane Wisdome Natures miracle Therefore hir parte and portion of the braine Is much lesse humid and more firmly sixt Because it so the better may retaine Th'impressions by the Sences there infixt And for its Fount of marrow in the raine Whereof the strongest sinewes are commixt For both which reasons Nature had respect To binde the Braine behind to that effect And yet too hard the Braine may there be bound For so t will hardly open to conceiue And beeing ouer-moyst it will confound All the impressions which the Sences giue VVell temp'red therefore needs must be the ground That truly yeelds the seede it doth receiue Yet the moyst braine conceiues more readily But the drie braine retaines more steadily The iudgement which the outward Sences giue Is eu'n as if we saw the shade of things And what we from the Fantacie receiue Is as it were their liuely picturings The Intellect which seldome doth deceiue Doth shew the substance of those shadowings But that which Reas'n presenteth to the Minde Is their effects and virtues in their kinde Th' externall Sences serues the common Sence The common Sence informes the Fantacie The Fantacie the Minds Intelligence Th' Intelligence doth Knowledge certifie VVhich when it hath past Iudgements conference Committeth all vnto the Memory Then Memory doth mirror-like reflect To them againe what they to hir obiect Thus Reason in the Soule is as hir eye VVherewith shee see'th the well linckt chaine of Causes And vseth euery Sences facultie To find what is included in their clauses Yet cannot lift hir lowly looke so hie Without re'nforcing of hir sight by pauses For since darke Sinne eclipst hir natiue light Shee see'th but by degrees and not out-right But as she is she plainly can discerne The Sence-transcending Heau'ns plurality And in the booke of Nature she doth learne VVhat 's taught in this Worldes Vniuersitie She keepes the Compasse and doth stirre the Sterne That guides to Wisdoms singularity All whose collections when the Soule suruayes Shee sees hirselfe diuin'd a thousand wayes Thus Reasons reach is high and most profound VVhose deepe discourse is two-fold which depends On Speculation and on Practise sound The first hath Truth the last hath Good for ends For Speculation rests when Truth is found But Practise when that Good it apprehends It staies not there but to
if Faith say one's three and three is one Though Sence say nay we Faith belieue alone Faithes Sences are so firme they cannot faile For they deriue their science from Gods Sonne Through whom in what she seekes she doth preuaile And by the light thereof aright doth runne Faith hath no Fancies fell hir thoughts to quaile Nor by delusions is to wauer wonne For beeing guided by so true a light Hir Iudgement and discourse must needes be right No maruell then though men with Faith endow'd Become so firme that no plague pow'r or skill Can shake them once for they are wholy vow'd To him whose Rod and Staffe doe stay them stil. In few by no meanes can she be subdu'd But stands as vnremou'd as Sion hill Then Faithes foundacions must of force be sure That can all kinde of force so wel endure Yet Iudgements function is of great effect Which sortes Particulars from Generalls Then Generalls from Generalls elect And so from Speciall parteth speciall Then all conferres and as she can select The good from bad and Spirits from Corporals This by hir pow're she able is to doe Especially if God giues ayme thereto But when discourse sets out Fancy must rest Shee s like a whelpe that playes with eu'ry toy Nor must the Will the Memory molest Because it doth the Intellect annoy Which quietly must Sence reports disgest And al hir powre it must thereon imploy But if commotions of the Minde impugne She cannot worke and all must needs go wrong For as in well composed Common-weales The Members in their place their works apply And with reciprocall affection feales Each others want and it with speede supply So in well-mannag'd mindes the Sences deales Which hinders not ech others faculty But for the publike good of Souls and Minde Each Pow're applies the worke to it assign'd And Memory is true if she be trusted If otherwise shee 's more then most vnsure Shee 'l keepe Mindes riches else till they be rusted Yet riches of the Minde are passing pure But if the Minde with rust of Care be crusted Then Memory in force cannot endure For cares are moathes and cankers of the Minde That Memory consumes therein confin'd So while Reas'n worketh Iudgement rest doth take But when that worke is wrought the same she wayes And markes with Linxes Eyes what Reas'n did make If wel or ill or neutrall she bewrayes And if she finde hir eyes not wel awake VVith watchfull eyes againe she it suruayes And ceaseth not till she be fixed fast In that which of the truth hath greatest taste And when she doubts she is her selfe deciu'd It growes from Ill that is so like to Good That for that good its commonly receiu'd Yet is the Frier not made by the Hood But likelihoods of Truth by Sence conceiu'd May drowne her without heede in Errors flood Else hardly would she slide but firmly stand If Falshood like Truth bare hir not from land For as true Good agreeth with the Will So Truth hath with the Minde true simpathy And as the Will hath no such foe as Ill So Error is the Mindes most ennemy If Iudgement then approue of Reasons skill Shee ioynes hir selfe thereto insep'rably And so of Iudgments reas'n and Reas'ns iudgement Makes then but one by force of one consent Fow'r things there are that makes our knowledge strong Experience knowne to know each Principle Naturall iudgement hauing health among And reuelation from th' Inuisible That 's iust and right and cannot vtter wrong These makes vs know all comprehensible The first three tendeth to Philosophy The last belongeth to Diuinity These are the Elements whereof is form'd Our totall knowledge humane or diuine And had the first Man not bin sinne-deform'd More bright then Sol it in the Soule should shine For to that influence t 'had bin conform'd That make the Mindes eyes pure and chistaline For then Gods glorious Sonne all only wise Had lent the Spirite Sunne-bright all-seeing eyes Now twixt the Soule and Spirit great oddes there is Though vulgarly they taken are for one For by the Soule is meant those faculties That doe consorta humane Soule alone The Spirit doth not as they doe oft amisse For it to grace and virtue still is prone The Soule to Sinne consents but not the Sp'rit For that with Sinne and Flesh still maintaines fight Whereto in sort agrees what 〈◊〉 faine How Ioue did Reas'n ensconse within the 〈◊〉 And for th' Affections did the Corpes ordaine Which Reas'ns regiment doth disannull Taking two Tirants fell with them to raigne VVhich oft the whole man to their parte doe pull That 's Ire which in the Hart hath residences And in the Belly raignes Concupiscence VVhich Passion of it selfe is of such pow'r Vnlesse th' almighty Powre preuent the same As Nolens volens will the Soule deolow'r And make the flesh Gomorrah-like to flame Though God and Nature at that sight doelow'r And Hell wide-gaping laughes to see the same Nay though it should foorthwith destroy the Soule Yet Flesh being fraile wil make faire Flesh thus fowle But from this Passion to repasse from whence VVe past Oblique and so out-right proceede For hauing past the faculties of Sence It rests that now wee weigh what doth succeede But stay a while my Muse thou must from hence Mount higher then thou canst then hast thou neede To rest in contemplation of thy flight Sith Contemplation next ensues by right WHen from the outward Sences is conuai'd All their relations in the common Sence And so to Fantasie as erst was said And then to Reason or Intelligence From whence being sent to Iudgments confe It lastly comes to Contemplations sight rence Which is the viewe of Truthes true consequence For Reas'n and Iudgement findes out what is right Which Contemplation viewes with rare delight For to the Spirit nought more pleasing is Then naked Truth she is so passing faire For when they meete they do with comfort kisse And nought but Error can that ioy impaire Herehence it is that though we do dispaire Of some whose manners are most monstrous Yet they by Natures instinct Truth desire For knowledge to their Spirits is precious And deeme all dull-heads most inglorious Nay though the Sp'rit cannot come neere the truth It pleaseth hir t' approach the neer'st she may Which like an egre Beagle it pursu'th Whose paines are passing pleasure all the way Then as the Minde is more diuinely gay So wil it most most diuine Truth affect But beeing base it will the same bewray By most pursuing things of least effect Which Spirits of diuine temper do neglect The Contemplation then doth ruminate On Truth and none but Truth for onely it Vnto hir dainty tast is delicate And nothing doth the same so fully fit As this Soule-feeding single simple bit Then Contemplation must be most diuine That can with Truth diuine a humane wit And Zeale from Error doth aright refine And to the purest faith the same combine She diuine
being One though one in trinity Consisting of himselfe he hath addrest From himselfe all this All 's diuersity To moue to rest in his true vnity As in a Quire of well tun'd voyced Men When the first man hath giu'n the first accent There doth ensue a noise melodious then Of all the voyces ioyn'd in one consent So God by powre super-omnivalent Giuing first motion to the highest Sphere Being first Mouer then incontinent All lower Bodies orderly did steere As by their present motion doth appeare Looke on the World and what it doth comprize And Sence shall see all mouing vnto one The Elementes and ten-fold orbed Skies In motion diuerse tend to one alone And make one World through their coniunction The Sea ingirts the Earth Th' Aire boundeth both Beeing compas'd with the Firy region The Coape of Heau'n doth seeme them all to cloth Who arme in arme vnto an Vnion goth The Sea through vaines and Arteries of the Earth Creeps through her Corpes to fix her droughty dust That done it springs aloft as t' were in mirth For that it hath perform'd what needes it must And then returnes with windings most vniust Iust to it selfe which vndeuided is So many members makes one Body iust And many ioyes compleates one perfect blisse Which blisse is onely Ones and none but his From one selfe Earth all earthly things proceede To which selfe Earth those earthly things retires One silly drop of slime man-kinde doth breed In which one kinde are manifold desires Which nerethelesse one Good alone requires All numbers do consist of many Ones And eu'ry one to only One aspires Which One those seu'rall vnities attones So ONE aboue all ones himselfe enthrones All parts of Man with mutuall respect Discharge their functions to preserue the whole The like in common-weales the parts effect The like the faculties do in the Soule And but one truth is taught in eu'ry Schoole The parts of speech tends but to perfect speech The end whereof is Error to controule And shew one truth which onely one doth teach That by one truth rules all within his reach Where Unitie is lost Confusion's found Where Vnitie is found there 's nothing lost The noblest creatures neede the vil'st on ground The vil st are serued by the honor'd most And which is more the very heau'nly hoast Doth serue the basest creatures voide of sense Yet ouer rules them in each Clime and Coast. So one to other haue such reference As they in Vnion haue their residence Arithmetike from Vnity proceedes Eu'n as from Punctum flowes Geometry Musicke the symphony of sounds succeedes And Architecture Vniformitie Perspectiue at one poynt lookes diuersly Phisicke doth ayme at health and that 's no more But Humors well-consorted vnitie The Lawe lookes at one Right whose onely lore Is to conioyne that Wrong vnioyn'd before Good gouernement brings many Families Vnder obedience to one Maiestrate And many Seruants Daughters Sonnes Alies Vnder a housholde petty Potentate And many Passions in one Minde at bate It reconciles to Reasons onely rule And many peace-infringers in a State The Rod of Discipline doth ouer-rule And makes them One that maketh all mis-rule Which vnion of so many Vnities And which diuersities in Vnion Implies there is but ONE all onely wise Who through his Wisedome made them eu'ry one To whome all laudes diuine belongs alone Pluralitie of Gods who then defends Must be the author of Confusion For many Gods he makes for many ends Which to Distraction and Confusion tends Can all things Thicke and Thinne Heauie and Light Hote Cold Moyst Dry Great Small or Quicke or Dead That doe appeare or not appeare to sight Be held in one without some One their Head Shall these in one to vs alone be lead And we misse-led to many Gods from one Who in these Capitalls may plaine be read To be the God of Gods yea God alone If so we should our wittes were not our owne But with what words can I their blame bewray That maugre all that euer can be saide To proue this God will all that All gainesay And flat affirme and speake as wellapaide There is no God Whose words if they be waide Do make them worse than Fiends for they confesse There is a God of whome they are afraide O Fiendes of Fiends I cannot call you lesse But more much more sith ye much more transgresse Omitting many reasons which they bring Reasons O no but diu'lish blasphemies To proue no God nor any such like thing They say That Man is ill no man denies If then God made him he made Ill likewise If he made Ill then cannot he be good And if not good not God in any wise For God's the Fount and Goodnesse is the flood Thus vrge they this vnlikely likelihoode Know Diu'lls incarnate Antideities To make and marre are two repugnant things To make implies Natures or Substances Both which are good and from Gods goodnesse springs Ill 's none of both for vnto both it clings No otherwise then Rust to Siluer cleaues Which is the accident Priuation brings That Good of goodnesse casually bereaues And so the Good the Ill vnmade receaues Which of it selfe consists not nor consists In aught that nought is but in Good alone It s no Effect but Defect which resists The good of Goodnes by corruption It is not made therefore by any one For were it made by Sinne it must be made And Sinne is nothing but priuation Which in it's nature doth to nothing fade So Euill of it selfe is still vnmade For Ill beeing but a meere defect of Good It followes then it s but a meere Defect Which is no more but a meere Nihilhood For Want can be no more in no respect And not to Bee is nothing in effect Then Nothing beeing but a Negatiue How ere it goodnesse may perhappes infect Produceth Nothing beeing the Priuatiue Which Nought makes good this my affirmatiue Wherefore in that things Bee of God they bee And that they faile they faile sith Nought they were For All of nothing Good created hee Which All to nothing of themselues do weare Then Good they are in that they truly are And Ill they bee sith Beeing they haue none Good on his part that made them so appeare And Ill because they al to nothing rone Then he is good of whom they Are alone Yee Soule-confounding selfe-confounding Soules Can yee not see because yee will not see How all the Orbes of Heau'n in order roules VVhich cannot moue vnlesse they moued bee By some first mouer sith vnmou'd is hee For nothing moues but it another moues So Motion from degree vnto degree Doth mount to that that moues it and approues The same for God as it the same behoues What moues yee then yee Monsters in Mens shapes To moue such questions which assoile yee can By that selfe motion For such willfull scapes Moues from the Fend to him to moue fraile man Your conscience tells yee so which looketh wan With
bleeding still your selues still wounding it If Diuills Be Godis assure ye than And I presume your diu'lish searching witt Findes out God by the Diu'll though most vnfit VVhat 's vnder Heau'n but God aboue doth preach Saue Hell it selfe which in you yee retaine And yet the very Hell a Heau'n doth teach VVhich is not voide for then it were in vaine But hee there dwells that doth the same sustaine Thou great wise man why lett'st thy braines to beate On things vnworthy of thy beaten braine For all thou think'st on is how to defeate Thy selfe of God and himselfe of a Seate VVhat humane hart of temper is so hard That yeelds not to th' impression of Gods forme From whence can his Ubiquitie be barr'd That what hee will doth eu'ry where performe Then can the hart of Man a forcelesse worme Keepe out that God that nothing can with-stand No no perforce hee must himselfe enforme There is a God by whose allmighty hand All things were made and all things doth commaund What i st that hang'd the Earth within the Aire Yet hang'd it so that it is fixed fast VVhat made the Gulfe where waters all repayre VVhose foming fury makes the Earth agast Lest it in rage the same should ouer-cast Yet is it barrd with flatt fraile sandy bounds What powre could make such weake barres so to brast The banded Billowes which on them rebounds But Pow'r whose praise both Land and Sea resounds Who peopled that wide watry World with store Of scaly creatures which there wandring are Resembling all that liue on Earth and more More supereminent and much more rare The Whale amongst the rest doth make this cleare Which beeing the amplest Master-peece of Nature VVith thundring voice doth amplely declare There 's some high Hand that gaue him his huge stature And Nature did direct to frame his feature For eu'ry thing that Nature doth produce As by experience is most euident She doth direct vnto some end and vse Then what directeth that hir regiment But some one Thing much more preheminent For she is finite in hir Acts and powre But so is not that Powre omnipotent That Nature subordain'd chiefe Gouernour Offading Creatures while they do endure For that all worldly things do end we see It doth inferre the World beginning had Then if this World began how could it Bee VVithout a cause Efficient had it made To say it made it selfe when t' was vnmade Doth Nature Reas'n and common Sence impugne To say a parte the whole made were more mad Can part e're to the whole it doth belong Create the whole this wholy is more wrong Weigh all the World in Ballance of the Minde And all the world will make thee God to way Looke in thy little World and thou shalt finde That great great great three greates in one alway Which GREAT in thy least parts doth wholy stay His rare existence to thee to reueale That beeing felt as t' were thou shouldst bewray Vnto his praise what thou dost see and feele And not in sullen silence it conceale There dost thou finde the World epitomiz'd A corps for motion meete of diuerse kindes A diuine Soule wherewith its all suffiz'd Which vnremou'd the Body turnes and windes And powres to eu'ry part with powre assignes Thy corps a coppy of this copious Masse Thy Soule his Image that no Image findes Like him but it that able is to passe Through Heau'n and Earth yet stay still where it was For as we hold there 's but one God alone But yet three persons in the Deity So the Soule 's parted though in substance one In't Vnderstanding Will and Memory These Powres or Persons makes one Trinity Yet but one Substance indiuisible Which perfect Trinity in Vnity Both beeing Spirituall and inuisible Doe make the Soule hir God so right resemble And like as one true God in persons three Doth rightly rule this great Worlds Monarchy So in Mans little World these Uirtues bee But one Soule ruling it continually Yet in this lesser World as wel we try Be sundry sorts of people some there are That be as heads Some Rulers not so hie Some common Cittizens and some lesse rare Those Ruralls bee that still are out of square The Heads are those aboue recited three The vnder Rulers Thoughts and Fancies are The Cittizens the outward Sences bee The Ruralls be the Bodies rare Which often make the Soule most poore and bare For when these Riffe-raffes in commotion rise And all will haue their will or nought will spare The Soule poore Soule they then in rage surprise And rob hir of hir wealth and blinde hir of hir eyes Then set Iehouah thunder from on hie And in the Soule aduance his glorious voice The Vnderstanding Will and Memory Then cannot heare it for the other noise As when a king speakes to his captaines choise Though nere so neere if th' Army make a shoute They heare him not though his speach high he hoise So God may speake but were as good be mute For hee 's not heard when Passions doe dispute But when those traitrous Tirants are supprest Then like as Moises did ascend the Hill And left the Izralites below in rest To commune with his God and know his will So the Soules Senses may the like fulfill Who then may Contemplations Mountaine scale To talke with God the Passions being still And left below in Meekenesse humble vale Where they are cool'd with many temprate gale Loe thus the Soule hath the similitude Of God and of the World of God because He with his Attributes hath hir endu'd And of the world sith that so neere shee drawes To be and not to be contain'd by lawes Of God in point of gouernment shee 's like And of the World sith she doth seldome pause Against hir gouernment though iust to like For which hir selfe hir selfe doth oft mislike But what a needelesse paine is it to proue The Sunne that lighteth each Eye to be light When none endu'd with Sence a doubt will moue Of that which doubtlesse is so passing bright That eu'n the blinde perceiues it without sight Then much more needlesse is this proofe of mine Sith Wrong it selfe must needs know God aright And Powres of Darkenesse sees this Powre diuine Much more must Men whose Eyes are christaline What shall I say looke thou with all thine Eyes Seene or vnseene on things vnseene or seene Eyther aboue or vnderneath the Skyes What canst thou see in which God is vnseene Sith hee 's much more then all in all I meane He all and much more able is to fill Without an adiunct or a second meane Eu'n by the only motion of his will Which can doe all and yet can doe no ill What makes the hugest and the strongest things Obedient to the things most small and weake Will strong things be the weakers vnderlings Ofselfe accord sith all things freedome seeke Without some mightier will their will to breake The smallest Ante whose strength is but
Defect Hath more preeminence and virtue eake Then the Earthes totall Globe in each respect Then Powre in weaknesse show'n workes this effect And naturally Contraries spill each other Then how can Nature these Diu'ls God compound The disagreeing Elements togeather But that shee must those Elements confound In Nature no such force was euer found Then must some Power supernaturall Giue to each Element his vttmost bound That though they swarue in Nature yet they shall In one agree through One vniting All. The Sunne doth warme the cold wombe of the Earth The Moone and Starrs hir reasons doth assigne The Aire and Water bringeth foorth hir birth Which serueth Beasts and Beasts serue Men in fine If from Eternity these things thus were How could they to them selues an end designe Seeing the ende for which things formed are Before the things themselues must needes appeare And in our selues we finde and feele a Minde That can at once a thousand Worldes containe Which needes must be of a celestiall kinde Then can we thinke no Minde doth else remaine When to our Mindes that Mind appeereth plaine For we can nothing minde or good or bad But it directs our Mindes with might and maine Vnto a Minde that ne're beginning had By whome in our beginning ours were made If not from thence from whence was our beginning Did we beginne our selues that once began For that must needes begin that needes hath ending And runne we vp Mans race from Man to Man A first we finde from whome all others ranne For could we make our selues why make we not Such as our selues are where we list and whan Why hath a wise man to his Sonne a Sotte But that he cannot make his Sonne God wot Man cannot make a Moath much lesse a Man For as no hand but his that Man did make Could make an Angell so no other can Make the least haire or make it white or blacke If not a haire nor colour if it lacke Can Man create how make himselfe can he No no he cannot that Taske vndertake For through his ignorance he needes must see His blessed Being that made him to Be. Because we see him not not as he is But by effects which from him doe proceede Shall we deny his being or his blisse And so subuert the fore-front of our Creede Then raze we Reas'n and Conscience by that deede Were we endungeon'd from our birth yet wee Would weene there were a Sunne whose beames are shed Through chincks on vs though him we could not see Then shall we question if a God there be And shall wee question make if God there be When through Sun Moone and Stars and all below them He darts his Glories beames for vs to see And yet shall we not see them though he shew them But wincke wincke hard because we wil not know them For should we thinke nought is which we see not We should not thinke we had eies though we owe them For though with them we see yet well we wot We see them not themselues though free from blot Much lesse they see the Soule by which they see Yet Reas'n perswadeth Sense there is a Soule From whom the Senses powres deriued bee Yet shall our Sense our Reason so controule To make it to maintaine this error foule That God is not without whome nothing Is. For all that Is is but as t' were a Scroule Wherein in letters plaine that none can misse God is enroulde aboue all Deities But some there are ah woe that such there are That do confesse perforce they do confesse There is a GOD yet hold hee hath no care Of worldly things but raignes in blessednesse And of the World makes Fortune gouernesse These Diuills are more dampned then the rest Sith they confessing God make more transgresse For if a Prouidence bee not confest Who will not liue to liue as hee thinks best These fooles confessing God doe God deny Whom to confesse without his Atributes Doth to that fond confession giue the ly Because it selfe against it selfe disputes And to their shame it selfe it selfe confutes For aske a Sauage if a God hee holdes Why so he weenes he straight his reasons sutes From Order drawne which hee in all beholdes Which hee beeleeues some ord'ring Pow'r vpholdes By nought so much as by his prouidence Is God discern'd which all must needs discerne That hath a humane Soule and common sence For common sense the outward'st sense interne At the first sight that principle doth learne For if through the effects we see their cause Then may we plainely see whose Nature 's Sterne By that Decorum wee see in hir lawes Namely this Powre that Land and Ocean awes Who if he carelesse were of wordly things It is for want of powre or want of will If want of powre his powre in bounds it brings If want of will his goodnesse it doth spill For of his works to haue no care is ill But if thou God confesse confesse thou dost That he is good and most almightie still Ifso he be then needs confesse thou must That he is prouident or most vniust For Prouidence being but a wise connay Of things created to some certaine end And that no humane soule hir powres imploy Ought to effect but doth the same intend Then shall we say he to whom all doth tend VVhen he made all meant not they should doe so As if against his will to him they bend So spill his wills and spoile his wisedome to If not then must we say God all must do For as his will had pow're the World to make So had his wisedome might to sway the same For Wisedome infinite cannot mistake But as it deemeth so will all things frame And in lesse power neuer looseth ame For as he made the whole the parts he made And if the whole he cares for sure I am The parts he cares for though they seeme to fade Which sence and common reason doth perswade Nature we well perceiue makes nought in vaine And thou mak'st nought but to some end or vse Thou ween'st thou merrits praise for that thy paine As sure thou dost and think'st thou dost misse-vse In making vselesse things thy wits and Muse Darst GOD bereaue of what returnes thee praise And giue him that in thee thou deem'st abuse O Men O Manners O most damned Dayes What Tongue or Pen can paint your iust dispraise Alphons the tenth that Spaine did signiorize The maine obiection gainst all Prouidence Said O that such a Slaue from Kinges should rise Had he bin with God when things did commence They should haue better bin in their essence This Foole the Only wise would needs direct But for his paine Paine was his recompence Who for he would surmount God in effect This Lucifer to Earthes Hell was diject Pherecides the damn'd Assirian For scorning God and Prouidence out right Lice him consum'd for on him so they ran That he for shame abandoned all mens sight And desolately died