THE LABYRINTH OF MANS LIFE.

OR VERTVES DELIGHT AND Enuies opposite.

By IO: NORDEN.

Virtus abunde sui est pr [...]mium, quicum (que) sequ [...]tur euentus.

Printed at London, for Iohn [...]udge, and are to be sold at the great South doore of Paules▪ and at Brittaines [...]u [...]sse, 16 [...]4.

TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR ROBERT CARR Knight, Baron of Branspeth, Vicecount Rochester, Earle of So­merset, of his Maiesties most honorable priuie Counsell, Knight of the most noble order of the Garter; And Lord High Treasurer of Scotland.

Most Honorable Lord,

I Haue bin long ballanced betweene Desire, and Feare: The first inclining vnto: The second swaying me from, the publishing of these vnworthy lines: especially vnder so honorable a Name. But the first beeing a passion, in counterpoysible preuailed. Onely Feare remayneth, least your high prudence, and admired grauity, should disesteeme the gracing of seeming Le [...]tlie. Because many friuolus Poems, are dayly begotten and brought forth, worthy to be abandoned. Yet many worthy subiects haue been handled in verse, much graced and imbraced of the wise. And howsoeuer these silly lines, may seeme vnworthy the hand, or eye, of so worthy a Patron, there is vse in some of them, to be made by men of whatsoeuer condition: If it be but to the chasing a­away of that common enemy Idlenes; And to preuent thoughts lesse beseeming mindes inclinable to vertue. For, where vertue is a stranger, vice is a dayly guest. [Page] [...] tue, the M [...]ther, [...], and guide to most solide content: Containing the Appetite, euer within the circle of Sobrietie. Obseruing that the more Concupiscence is sa­tisfied, and fed, the more irregularly it runnes, from one voluptuous experiment to another; neuer satisfied with the admired varieties, of abhorred vanities. Men enter this life, as into a Labyrinth, or fatall Desert of changes, and miseries. And none escapeth the incoun­ter of those hideous Minotaures, Vice, or Enuy, whose dangers are as Silla, and Caribdis, by shunning the first, he fals into the second. Democritus laughed to see the folly of men: But much more might Heraclitus weepe to obserue the miseries, whereinto they are subiect to fall by Vice, or Enuy. Onely that Diuine Ariadne ( ver­tue) giueth vnto euery prudent Theseus, the line of Right Reason, to cōduct him, through all the ambiguous Angles, and crooked turnings of this lifes Labyrinth, wherin Vice and Enuy, couch to snare & surprise the wi­sest. Common experience the Mother of best vnder­standing reueileth this, as in the glasse of the risings and fallings, of men, which I haue endeuored, in some weake measure, in these simple Elegies to dilate: not to teach, but to put men in minde, of the vncertaintie of all estates in this mortalitie, wherein there is nei­ther safetie, or content, without adhering to Vertue, whose companion is Enuy, which euer followeth, but neuer fayleth the vertuous. Sola virtus inuicta.

Most bound vnto your Honor, IO: NORDEN.

The Authors farewell to his Booke.

THou silly Orphan of my dulled braine,
I send thee forth, in basest Country tyre:
Least falling in, to that high Courtly [...]raine,
Should'st be enui'd if thou wert clothed higher,
So were my cost bestow'd in vaine.
Therefore where so thou shalt be entertain'd
Giue what content may best befit thy place:
And tell thy Readers forc'dly wert constrain'd,
To leaue thy Syre, and seeke some vulgar grace [...]
Which by desert may be obtain'd.
And as thou maist flye selfe-conceited wits,
Though they pretend experience:
The meanest apprehension best befits,
Thy Country-breeding wanting Eloquen [...].
Digest it wel, whatsere hits.
If any taxe thee with too base a stile,
And say thy verse, is but a ragged Rime:
Intreat those Eloquents to vse their file,
To burnish thee from that suggested crime,
So shalt thou seeme A new compile.
Some will content to heare thee speake so plaine,
That long to learne, and be not superfine:
First will them read, if cause be to complaine,
If matter nor the meeter please their eyne,
Be not dismaid, come home againe.
And leaue this errand with the Curious,
Who seeme to [...] thinges most intricate.
The [...]aker, willing, though lesse Coyous,
Search, and conceiue, what Readings intimate,
Else R [...]ing were superfluous,
And tell the Captious thou art not ignorant,
Of higher Poems and Inuention:
But that thou dred'st to be deem'd arrogant,
Exceeding measure of Intention,
Soe censur'd too extrauagant.
Chawcer▪ Gowre, the bishop of dunkell,
In ages farre remote were eloquent:
Now S [...]d [...]ey, Spencer, others moe excell,
And are in latter times more excellent,
To antique Lauriats paralell.
But matters of great admiration,
In moderne Poes [...]es are wordes estrang'd
Inuention of hid speculation,
The scope whereof hardly conceiu'd as it is rang'd
But by a Comentation.
Who readeth Chaucer as a moderne man,
Not looking back into the time he wrote,
Will hardly his ambiguous phrases scan,
Which in that time were vulgar, well I wote,
Yet we run back where he began.
And all our praised Poems art beset,
With Chaucers wordes and Phrases ancient:
Which these our moderne ages quite forget
Yet in their Poems, far more Eloquent,
Not yet from Gowre or Chaucer fett.
Why should it not befit our Poets well,
To vse the wordes and Phrases Uulgar know?
[Page]Why should d they rouze them from obliuions cel
Sith their ambiguous termes frō whence they flow
The learned'st Reader scant can tell.
But thinges illustrated with art and sence,
As Chaucer did his Troylus and Creside:
To amplifi't aptly with Eloquence,
Base matter by good Verse is beautifi'de,
And gaines admired Reuerence.
Not vsing wordes and Phrases all so darke,
But so familiarly as vulgar may,
Well apprehend the Poets couched marke,
And see th' Idea which he doth display:
About the Center in his Arke.
This will excuse thee to the friendly wise,
But not perhaps vnto the Captio [...]s:
Be silent yet, know, nothing fructefies
In fattest wit, if will be scurrilous,
Wit wilfull, will wil tyrranise.
But for more hoped comfort and content,
Keepe on thy way, first to that worthy wight:
To whose protecting fauour I thee sent,
He either will accept thee, basely dight,
Or send thee back incontinent.
And thus I leaue thee to thy fortunes lot,
As other Orphans left depriu'd of friendes:
If he affect thee, though some other not,
Though some do rob thee, and some make amends
It is enough that thou hast got.

To his deare friend Maister John Norden vpon his Labyrinth of Mans life. R. N.
Encomium.

NOt Egipts old laborious Labyrint,
Turning, returning, winding in and out,
Which whosoeuer once did enter in't
Euer to issue stood in deepest doubt,
Nor the Dedalion Labyrinth of Crete
Wherein King Minos shut, the Minotaure,
Nor which Porsenna' in Italy did complete,
Nor that in Lemnos Isle, of stone hew'd square,
Nor which King Henry-fit [...] Empresse did found
At Woodstock, for his beautious Concubine,
That famous and renowned Rosamond,
Can be compard with this worke so diuine,
That Norden here (with his Practise p [...]nsife)
Reueales in this his Labyrinth of mans life.

Non luco, subter Rosis.

Amico suo I. N.

THe labour of this Labyrinth I finde,
A perfect mirror of an honest minde:
Who hauing truely trod this worldly maze,
Hath left the wonder for the world to gaze,
Where Iudgements care, doth by description proue,
Which is the chiefest, Earths or Heauens Loue:
A worke of worth, and worthy good Regard,
The paines well way'd, well worthy like Reward.
N. B.

To the Author of the Labyrinth of Mans life.

WHile vulgar heads are stilling Venus Rose,
NORDEN thy Lembeck drops the purest balme:
Thy Nectar to the Pensiue shed in Prose,
With this thy Mummy mingled for ech qualme,
Shall giue thee life: and dying, Loue reuiue,
While Loue, or Life, on earth remaines aliue.
R. J.

THE ARGVMENT.

THe man that in the Cell of silence fits,
Imports content, in his distastfull fits,
The Labyrinth, the worlds inconstancie,
The passionate Desert doth signifie.
True vertue doth the Lady represent,
The hag foule Enuy, alwaies malecontent:
Who what the Ladie, frames and rectifies,
She in despite, inchants, and vilifies.
Wherein the Authors purpose is to show,
Enuies assault, And Vertues counterblow:
How Enuie showes her most obsequious,
When she would circumuent the Vertuous.

THE LABYRINTH OF MANS LIFE.

CAn man opprest, though silent, rest content?
Can griefe grow great, and can the heart consent?
Tweene mirth and mourning can true concord be?
Can fire and flaxe consorted well, agree?
Can seeming grace that is not grace in deed,
Relieue the heart, it wounds, and yeelds no meed,
Hope, fed with fawnes, is like a withering tree,
That's dead at heart, yet seemes aliue to be.
That Hope that hath naught but faire words to feed it,
Is crush'd by him (in show) that seemes to breed it.
Dispaire at helme, how can Assurance sayle,
Assurance tost, wits card and compasse fayle.
What then can bring hopes houering barke to rest,
That's forc'd to floate in sea of raging breast?
Onely sad silence, in a secret cell,
Where onely patience and contentment dwell.
This Cell is happines, to them it finde
More precious far, then gold vnto the minde.
By sea and land to finde it some men runne,
As neere at last, as when their race begunne.
The place, the thing, the way they seeke amis,
Fond Fancie knowes not, what Contentment is.
Men run they know not where, seeke know not what,
Finde not Content: not to be wondred at.
[Page]For wit, nor art, nor policie can finde,
That true content, that cures sad griefe of minde.
Who doth suppresse and bridle Appetite,
Hath best content, ▪if not an hypocrite.
Appetite implied all affections,
Mou [...]d as the heart, giues her directions.
The fruit [...] of Lust.
As when the heart, is ouer-gorg'd with Lust,
It vomits forth, grosse humors, things vniust.
Anger, Reuenge, Enuy, wrath, and Hate,
Fruits onely growing, on the desperate:
The desperate cannot true patience haue,
They kill content, which they would seeme to craue.
The daughters of Ioy-priued Acheron
Alecto, Megera, and Tysiphon.
Hels furies, got on darkest shade of night,
Feede with dispaire, their vassals voide of light.
Depriu'd of light, men liue, they loue, they hate,
Abhor, affect, disdaine, are passionate.
Neuer content, content (in show) they grieue,
Fawning, they frowne. And seeming dead they liue.
Seeming aliue, are in heart, dead in deed,
They seeme to see, and seeing take not heed.
But grudge to see, anothers good content,
That still as like, in good and ill euent.
Content.
Not mou'd to mirth, when fawning fortune shines,
Nor feares her stormes, when her fayre faune decline [...] ▪
For, in my Cell I found a pylot fit,
That steres the barke, where I contented sit,
Twixt S [...]l [...]a, and Caribdis gulfes offeare,
I safely saile conducted by her steare.
Oft bearing neare, where sweet Sirenes sing,
Sometimes where furies haue their habiting,
Sirenes here, the furies there, me haile,
Diuinely steer'd, twixt both along I saile.
[Page]Yet oft the tempests of sad crosses rage,
Then take I harbor, in port Good courage:
Casting Hope-anker, on soyle sapience
Floating secure, in hull true sapience.
Aloofe a little from Cape ficklenes,
Where oft I heare sad songs of heauines.
Silent I sate in Cabbin of desire,
The storme past ouer, we hoyse and retire.
And on the banke desert, I did descry,
One cast ashore, through wracke of penury.
And as we past him by, he thus relates,
The doubtfull Labyrinth of all estates.
IF th'earth were brasse, my tongue a grauing pen,
I would therein graue fickle states of men
That rise and fall, that change and alter oft,
From basest clowne to Keysar set aloft.
Related words are only winde, and dye,
Letters, transferre them to posteritie.
Mans incon­stant state.
My subiect sad is mans inconstant lot,
That is to day what yesterday, 'twas not.
No state stands long, but riseth or it fals,
And best resembles tossed tennis bals.
Now striken hye, then lights, and then rebounds,
One now is low, then raised, then redounds.
Most strange vicissitudes, of states I see,
Yet not, who happy, or vnhappy be.
Outward seeming deceit­full.
Though present wealth or want, seeme grace or griefe,
Few know what hurts, or truely giues reliefe.
For, as earthes creatures liue by contraries,
So, seeming good, or ill, are falacies:
Beginnings good, oft end with ill successe,
Ill seeming ends, may bring most happinesse.
[Page]Man, of all creatures that subsede the skye,
Onely partakes, none else eternity.
Guided by Reason hath the vse of Artes,
Of tongues and of diuinest inward partes,
None else hath yet so strange varieties,
Of good and ill, of mirth and miseries.
Who notes how man begins, per [...]ists and endes,
May see strange chances on which life depends,
From birth to youth, from youth to mans estate,
He growes vnlike and stil degenerate.
As yeares encrease, so alters life and lust,
The body, mind, affection, feare and trust:
Man learnes, forgets, he loues, dislikes and liues,
As weaknesse, power, as wit, or folly giues:
The heart the fountaine of the vitall spring,
Distilles the bloud that nurseth fancying▪
For, though mens soules seeme reasonable all,
All men show not, their soules caelestiall.
As are mens humors and complexions,
By nature so are inclinations:
Where art or grace guide not, there Nature swayes,
But where they rule, there Natures force decayes:
Yet Nature hath a power commanding strong,
Though art, or grace, haue some command among.
As Art helpes Nature, so experience tries,
Where in best artes the most perfection lies:
Hardly can art make straight a crooked mind,
Nor make him see whom Nature brought foorth blind
As fire in flaxe, cannot be long conceil'd,
At length so Nature is though hid reueil'd:
Mala [...]olly, the mother of best artes,
Hath greatest power, (grace absent) in mens hearts,
All humors strong or much defectiue breed,
Both good and bad, fruitfull or fruitles seede,
[Page]Mirth, greife, sloth, diligence, superbity,
Feare, Enuy, Folly, sweet tranquillity,
B'instinct of nature, bred and brought to light,
Do show that humors haue commanding might:
Some are opinatiue, gracious, pittifull,
Enuious, louing, feeble, strong▪ fearefull,
Sober, light, foolish, wise, true, false, lyers,
Quarlous, deceiuers, of vncleane desires.
Strangely affected, all men stand and be,
As humors haue meane, or extreame degree.
By grace some curbe ill disposition,
By discipline and education.
Complexions principall in all but foure,
Their branches infinite, distinct in powre:
Some attribute mens dispositions,
To Starres aspects and Constellations,
That are predominant, at time of birth,
Thence to proceed hartes heauines or mirth.
Some to the clime, where men are borne, and liue,
Some to the tribe, whence men discend, it giue.
Some to the feeblenesse or force of seede,
Some to the Nurse and food whereon men feed,
These much preuaile: not yet of force cheefe cause,
Why men refist, or hold diuiner lawes.
An inward cause there is that workes the will,
As light or darke giues motiues good, or ill.
Two ruling powers are of distinct effects,
Mens mindes are led, as each of these directs:
Of loue diuine th'one, th'other of set hate,
As these preuaile, mens actions perpetrate.
Betwixt these powers is alwayes emnity,
The good confirm'd by contrariety,
For, if there were no feeling fight within,
Law needed not to make a sinne a sinne.
Nature the mother of all earthly things,
Creates, preserues, by due contraryings,
Concord of contraries.
Without a discord can no concord be,
Concord is when contrary thinges agree:
But these two contraries that guide the mind,
Are so disiunct can neuer be combin'd:
As good and ill, as right and wrong cannot,
Be in one subiect, as may cold and hot:
So heauen and hell, and what partakes their might,
Can neuer be in one without a fight,
Though thinges repugnant may haue vnity
And seeme as one and of one quality;
Though Natures, simples may in one combine,
And one to others quality incline,
Yet one too strong breedes such dissention,
As Nature hardly workes re-vnion.
Nature by art may imitated be,
And contraries by art be made agree:
Of coulours mixed, meerely contraries,
She moldes and makes most pleasing decencies,
The eye beholdes the mixtures with delight,
If they haue beauty, and be exquisite,
But if the growndes, as white, or black, or blew,
Exceed too much, it marres the mixed hew.
Drugges farre vnlike, in hot, cold, moyst and dry,
Are brought by art to true Congruity:
Musicke, the medicine of heauy hearts,
Makes concord, only of discording partes,
As high and low, as longs and shortes agree,
So harsh, or sweet, is musicke found to be.
No contraries appeare in perfect kind,
But seene together, or by art combind,
Vnlike to these are inward qualities,
The hart indureth not her contraries:
[Page]But as to good or ill it stands affected,
It harbors one, the other is reiected.
Vertue, and vice, are meerely contraries,
Vertue and Vice.
And each is foe, to others qualities.
And neither Art, nor Nature, can bring those,
At one; they are, and will be, mortall foes.
Vice, seekes to blemish mindes best qualified,
Neuer preuailes in persons rectified:
Where Vertue liues, there Vice doth seldome dye:
Vice liues below, vertue aspireth hie.
Vertue in earth, is meerely perigrin
In heauen a naturalized Citizen.
Who so is led, by that celestiall guide,
Confronts all Vice, strong, truely fortifide.
Of inward heart, and not of outward weede,
Doe all effects of good, and ill, proceede.
But what is good, that Enuie doth dispise
E [...].
Foe to true vertue, friend to vanities.
What can best wit, what can deep'st wisedome chuse
Or best performe but Enuie will abuse?
No publike place, no person of estate,
Whom hatefull Enuie will not emulate.
Then I, of lowest rancke, can I be free,
If Enuie heaue at highest in degree?
I will digest, foule Enuies cup of spite,
Sith they tast most, that are most exquisite:
Foule Enuie aymes to hit the innocent,
And wounds her selfe, shee's so maleuolent:
She waxeth leane, seeing another fat,
She kicks at others, she not spurned at.
Long haue I trod, this Labyrinth with care,
Yet know I not in it what curuings are:
The wayes and turnings are [...]'ambiguous,
They make me doubtfull and infatuous.
[Page]But who so treades it, with best skill throughout,
Walkes not so wyselie, but findes waies of doubt,
[...]
Two guides are in this maze, most principall,
As are the wayes, two in the generall,
The branches infinite of either be;
All doubtfull, though the entries plaine men see.
They guide the passengers in either way,
The first aright, the second, leads astray.
The first yet narrow, slippie, full of let,
The second faire, broad, full of pleasures set;
The first seemes base, most ignominious,
The second pleasant, and tres-glorious.
But whether so or meerely contrary,
Successe declares, not wit, or pollicy;
A hidden mistery, vnseene there lyes,
Within this Labyrinth of Destinies.
Wherein scarce two estates, stand equaliz'd
More one then other, hurt, or benefizd.
As many men, so many earthes estates,
From basest begger to great'st potentates.
Some sing, some sigh; some laugh and some lament,
Some fast, some feast, some murmor, some content,
Some fawne, some frowne, some act and some admire;
Some hope, some feare, some runne, and some retyre.
Some grac'd, some griu'd▪ some wrong, & some complain
Some get, some lose, some take, some giue, and gaine,
Some rise, some fall, some stand, some feede, some pine,
Some heau'd aloft, some lofty ones decline.
Some saile with tide, some swim gainst winde and tide,
Some flote, some sinke, some run and neuer slide,
Some sleeping get, for frutelesse gaine some wake,
Some all men grace, some causlesse all forsake.
Some neitlie tir'd (sotts) held of high desert,
Some basly clad (deseruing) held in erte.
[Page]Some bosting, breake into the worlds admire,
Some meeke, though worthy, sildome raysed hier;
Some frowned on in fine regaine regard,
Some fawned, fayle of their vayne hopes reward.
Some lyuing ill, stand yet in wished grace.
Some well yet liue but in penurious case,
Some cruell, tyger-like, some temperate.
Some mild, some mad, some kind, some obstinate,
Some hauty proud, some of an humble mind,
Some louing, hatefull buxsum, some vnkind:
Luxurious some, lustfull, some continent,
Perfidious some, faithfull, some insolent,
Thus yeeldes this labyrinth, wherein men liue
It giues some ioy, and some it maks to grieue.
A thousand thousand, strange varieties
Of outward mirth, and inward miseries,
It yeelds to men: yet none true iudgement haue,
To shape their wills, to his who first them gaue.
But feede on vapors of a strange content,
That vanish quite, as soone as they haue vent.
On humaine promise, that is made, and dies:
Clip'st as the Sunne, by blackesse cloudes, that ryse,
Who thinkes all promises will come to passe,
Makes faire, foule fancy, with a flattering glasse,
Fancies farre fetch't, doe feede a feeble heart;
They cure, or comfort, by dissembling art.
As he that's plac'd in highest ranck conceiues,
Him most secure, yet fancie, oft deceiues:
The Bramble, and the Cedar, neighbors bee,
And farre the stronger is the Cedar tree;
The Bramble bends, breakes not, when tempests rise:
"That soonest falls, that is of greatest sise,
Vnder the Cedar, on a mountaine set;
The lower trees, and shrubs, there shelter get:
[Page]But when the tempest, tumbles downe the tree,
They bend or breake, that vnder-shelter'd be,
Her stature tall, her massie bodie teares,
And breakes the branches, which the bodie beares.
And vnderlings, which Cedars shelter haue,
Doe bow, or bruse, or others shelters craue.
High Cedar falling, hath no meanes of stay,
His fall affrights, and makes whole woods dismay;
The mountaine whereon Cedar firmely stands,
And woods, when Cedars flourish clap their hands.
Some from their birth, left in this maze forlorne,
As fruits abortiue, and vntimely borne,
And he that lookes into Times glasse of steele,
Shall see all states, in earth, as on a wheele
That turnes them all about inconstantly,
Aloft, and lowe, with much vncertaintie.
Glorie, and Basenesse, are the boundaries
Of all estates: all but two contraries.
Glory and Basenesse.
Betweene them both there is a limit set
And either meane, doth her extreames beget.
And he that from the basest riseth hie,
In selfe-conceit hath most felicitie.
But he, whom Fortune hath aduanced most,
[...].
And not true Vertue, hath no cause to boast:
There's no estate, which Vertue founded not,
That hath a certaine, or contented lot.
Fortune, is constant, in vnconstancie,
Most churlish in her seeming clemencie:
For, what she giues to day, too morrow takes,
She comes, and goes, she followes, and forsakes:
As clouds, and cleerenesse, clipse and cleare the Sunne,
By Fortune so, are men made, and vndone.
The vulgar hearts, eyes, sences, all
In thought, in [...]ight, in iudgement partiall.
[Page]They iudge vnequally, of this earths lots
The great, earths ornaments, the base, her spots,
Earths highest portions, seeme true pawnes of grace,
Gracefull allotments, haue no seemings bace:
But in these misteries hid matter lies
Which none can see, with his owne natures eyes,
Therefore I leaue it, [...]o euent▪ And smile;
At Enuies weaknes, and her strong reuile.
Enuies [...]a [...] ­te [...]ers.
Partiall she fawnes, and flatters high estate,
And (false) suggesteth, meane, vnfortunate.
Fortune, and Enuie, are two secret foes
Fortune and Enuy.
And neither doth her purposes disclose.
For, whom, and when, they seeke to smite they smile:
And still conceale, the substance of their wyle.
Where Fortune fauours, there doth Enuie hate,
Betweene them both, there is no sure estate.
But where true vertues Heroickes, doe stand
Constant, th'incounter these foes, hand, to hand.
But Fortune, taken, in diuiner sence
Is not a foe, but nurse of patience:
It is that power that swayeth all estates
And loues them best, that most she verberates.
Therefore the causes of mens want and weale,
This powre Diuine, daignes not them to reueale,
But lets th' ambitious, holds them onely blest
That winne earths happines; and loose the rest.
No art or eloquence, no feare or loue,
Can from earths loue, their blinded hearts remoue:
Opinion strong, reiecteth Reasons skill,
Feedes foolish Fancie, and peruerts the will.
A face most ougly, may in selfe-conceit
Seeme fayre, welfauor'd, amiable, neyt,
But when he sees it, in a perfect glasse,
He checkes conceit, misdeeming what it was.
[Page]So they that think nought good, but this earths might,
Liue yet in darke, not hauing inward light:
Though this high power do freely it bestow,
Yet for what cause the wisest do not know:
For, Fortune giues but thinges of outward vse,
She giues and takes, for feare frames no excuse,
But he that sees and swaieth all euents,
Heaues somtimes vp, some graceles malecontents.
And who foresees when he is lifted high,
What future perill may succeed thereby,
None see the issue of a thing begun,
Nor how successe of good or ill may run,
False, fond, and rash, are humane arguments,
Of high or low, conceyl'd are all euents,
Somtimes best seemings worse then baser hit,
Which none fore-sees, not one preuenteth it,
The power diuine, oft turnes an ill to best,
And best suppos'd of best oft dispossest.
High powers permit a wicked man to rise,
And by vsurped greatnes tyrranise:
But it's obseru'd, he hath not long to stand,
In his false greatnes, but the selfe same hand
That heau'd him vp, so one hurles him downe againe,
That nought regardes, faire fawnes, or deepe disdaine.
And some that see such changes in Estates,
Hold al successes wrought by fained Fates:
No, no, a power superior sits and swaies,
This Labyrinths right race, and her estraies,
Who doth, ne suffers ought, mong men in vaine,
And yet turnes oft mens wayes of loy to paine,
And paine to pleasure if it more befit,
None know thinges issues ere they see them hit,
Astrologers by Planetary skill;
Astrologers erre in their speculations
Presume to tell successes good and ill.
[Page]If they indeed had deified wits,
They might pre [...]age a thing before i [...] hits,
But he that by celestiall influence,
And starres aspects seekes truthes intelligence.
Fore-tels mans lot, and how his end shal make,
May hit by chance; more certainely mistake,
Gaine makes them gaze, vaine-glory makes them speake
They pawne their credits, yet their promise breake:
So they that iudge, by present weale, or woe,
That future ioy, or greefe, must needs be so.
(Though as the cause men deeme th'effect to be)
Their iudgement blind, cause, nor effect can see,
Blind then that iudge of things succeeding well,
By their well-weening, when they cannot tell,
Wel hard­ly known.
What is that well that men [...]o much desire,
Wealth, honor, beauty, credit, wits aspire
All which compar'd to wel, indeed are found
Base, euil, idle, rotten, and vnsound.
Vnlesse with these concurre hearts humblenesse,
Feare, reuerence, and faithfull thankefulnesse,
True thankfulnesse, chiefe argument of grace:
Of grace diuine, that leades in that right race,
That tendes indeed to truest happinesse,
To earths contentment and heauens blessednesse.
And to that peace that feedeth stil a guest.
That nought remooues but earths care from the brest,
And yet earths care the carnall hearts delight,
That breeds a peace that fosters selfe-despite,
Yet seemeth sweet that seeming yeelds content
The heart mistaking falcifies consent.
As greatest pearles and gemmes of best respect
Simile
By humane art are found oft counterfeite.
And he that wants true iudgement of the thing,
Esteemes that base fit lewell for a King.
[Page]The perfect pearle, is precious, permanent;
The counterfeit, decayes incontinent,
In coulour, weight, and value, which doth show
The thing not currant, which doth alter so.
So alter all this lifes felicities,
That fall to good, and bad, and miseries:
They alter oft, and neuer stand secure,
One giues the checke, and lies aloofe the lure.
Th'other [...]toopes, when men would haue her flye,
And both disdaine all humane policie.
A [...] not the lowe, set sometimes all-aloft?
Are not the loftie, hurled downe as oft?
Prophane, Diuine, our owne Domesticals
Are mirrors, of Times true memorials:
Sometimes the great, by b [...]fe are captiuate
To show that none till death is fortunate.
The lowe, and hye, stand all, in fickle stay
Like changing actors, in a tragick play:
In this lifes Labwinth, men rise and fall,
As creekes, and curuings leade, they meet withall.
And nothing more leades passengers awry,
Nor breeds more danger, then Securitie.
Security.
Securest, oft things most vniust commit,
Not deeming powers Diuine, consider it.
But when they are, in their securest pride,
Not looking lowe, where danger lyes, they slide.
Earths comforts, are like Phoebus splending rayes,
Her crosses like sad darke, and gloomie dayes:
Prosperity and Aduer­sitic.
Prosperitie resembles, Summer spring,
Aduersitie, Autumne, and wintering,
Alternately haue these their turnes to runne,
Shining or shadow'd, as, with clouds, the Sunne.
Which way s'euer, th'inconstant wind doth blow,
It's still full-various, blow it hye or lowe.
[Page]And like to it, are Earthly mens estates,
Increasing now, forthwith againe abates.
Best wits, doe most affect Ambition:
Wit and Wisedome.
True Wisedome not, but with condition:
For, if she thinke aduancement dangerous,
She makes a pause, not rashly credulous.
For who sees not whereof high state's compounded,
May thinke it large, till he see how 'tis bounded.
It is great honour, to be set on hye,
But greater wisedome, to shun danger nye.
For Enuie, Vertues blacke infernall foe,
Cannot affect any aduanced so.
A pleasing step to mount a regall throne,
A wished lot, to be subiect to none.
Yet he that hath the highest step of state
May not be happie, yet seeme fortunate.
The greatest happinesse, is found to be,
In him that liues at large, and euer free.
What care, what trauels, what regard haue Kings,
Kings haue great care.
To manage those, vnder their gouernings?
Kings need but learne this one peculiar art,
Ouer their Subiects the right ruling part:
To doe themselues, what they would others should
For Subiects mindes, follow the Princes mould,
What loue, what dutie, what affection,
Ought be in those, in their protection?
For whoso liues, and rules, a multitude
May say he liues in Honors seruitude,
Though he command, the inferiour sort obayes,
They censure yet, what ruler doth, or sayes.
If he be iust then censur'd too seuere,
If pittifull, he looseth vulgar feare.
If he reward, as princely liberall,
They taxe him then, as too too prodigall.
[Page]If he be sauing, and seeme worldly wise,
Th'accuse him then, as too too couetise,
If he be peacefull, and refraine Debate,
He is a coward, farre, vnfit for state.
If he couragious, princely valarous,
They grudge at this, as too too quarrellous.
If he be graue, then is he proud in show,
If affable, not fit a Prince be so.
If he be sad, then discontent in minde,
If merry, light. Thus vary they as winde.
Can Honour wake, and will fowle Enuie sleepe?
Honor hath Enuy.
If Vertue rise, will Enuie silence keep?
Who then can see, though vertue be his guide;
What may within this Labyrinth, betide,
Wherein the wisest, oft, amazed stand:
For best successe, to turne on whither hand.
The highest of the highest rancke is set,
To tread this maze, not free from counterlet.
For, Enuie bandes, and doth oppose her skill,
To circumvent as well the good, as ill.
Whom she detracteth, be he hye or low,
Receiues a wound, before he feeles the blow.
But, who pursues, another, in despite,
Hurts more himselfe, then him he aymes to smite.
Vertue the loadstarre of a liuely life,
Vertue and Enuie.
Is free it selfe, by Enuie forc'd to strife.
Where vertue shines, yet, in the outward deed,
By inward light, makes Enuyes heart to bleed:
Yet none can stop the mouthes of Machiauels
That fawne, and whine, yet bite him that excels.
Hardly the highest, and most honourable
Auoide the scandals of those execrable,
Not one, aduanc'd, can tread this maze so right,
But that foule Hagg, will scandalize his might.
[Page]The iustest Magistrate, censures not that,
Which will not be, by her, accepted at.
Enuy maligneth all, affecteth none,
No, no, not those, of her owne faction.
For if she see her instruments to rise,
She is suspicious, and will tyrannize.
To raise and then reiect, is her delite [...]:
She makes a pastime, of her workes of spite.
Yet is her force, but meerely feeblenes,
Her wisedome folly, her wit giddynes.
Self-harme she feares, at others goods she frets,
She eggs to vice, and vertue counterlets.
Desertlesse vpstarts, that from basest rise,
She doth with most desertfull, equalise.
She frames the fancies, of the vulgar so,
Vulgar cen­sure.
As, they giue censure, as is outward show.
The robed in the brauest weeds, they deeme,
Most worthy; base in show, of base esteeme.
They seeme to reuerence, the glorious,
To get their shelter, are obsequious.
To whom, their fawnes, in loue they leuell not.
But to be grac't, by him, that grace hath got.
And some that thus obtaine, the fawning traine,
Thinke it true greatnes: yet, conceal'd disdaine.
The likest way, leades oft to most annoy:
Th'vnlike to grace: This Labyrinth is coy.
For oft their lyes, abayt, in pleasing'st things,
Inchanted, and men bite, and then it stings.
Sweet first in tast; And yeelds a while content,
The tast, well pleas'd, will, yeeldeth full consent.
And swallowes it: And thinkes it will digest,
To his high happines, and thinkes him blest,
That in this Labyrinth, he found the way,
That others sought; But found not where it lay.
[Page]Then he puft vp with vapors of his pride,
Sayles on as he commanded winde, and tyde.
Then fawning some, some flatter, some admire,
Some yeeld al-haile, that hate his haute aspire.
Some emulate, some enuy, some deuise,
To hurle him downe, that they themselues may rise,
By right or wrong, Ambition seldome stayes,
Ambition
When she begins, she scornes to make delayes:
From lowest step, she lifts her foote aloft,
By large degrees; And he that steppeth oft,
Goes farre: Yet, some, as in a Crane doth raise
Some others hye, by his steps, yet he stayes.
And when the wheele hath mounted some too hye.
The engine fayles, and they fall fearefully.
And standers by, that see them rise, and fall,
Admiring say better not rise at all.
This mouing world, may well resembled be,
T'a Iacke, or Watch, or Clock, or to all three:
For, as they moue, by weights, or springs, and wheeles,
And euery mouer, others mouer feeles,
So doe the states, of men of all degrees,
Moue from the lowest to the highest fees,
The lesser wheeles, haue most celeritie,
The greatest moue with farre more constancie,
And if there mouings lowest wheeles neglect,
The greatest mouer doth them all correct.
For, if the wheeles, had equall force to moue,
The lowest would checke, the leading wheele aboue.
So, if there were, no difference in estates,
All would be lawlesse, yet al Magistrates:
Therefore hath Art, well ordered the thing,
That best resembles, Subiects and their King.
The spring is set to force the motion
Of the vnequall wheeles; to make distinction:
[Page]The wheeles ought moue, but as first mouer will,
If too too fast, or too to slow its ill.
And if the spring, doe tenter string too hye
It breakes: And wheeles runne back confusedly.
Therefore a meane preserues the whole in peace,
And true concordance: yeeldeth sweet increase.
The frame of heauen's admir'd, orbes mighty sphere
Doth show, by nature, how arts wheeles should stere:
The princely Planet Sol, hath limits set,
But in his moouing hath no counterlet.
She's onely Mistresse of the Zodiack,
And that she walkes, and weyneth forth and back,
Teaching Earthes potentates to rest content,
Not to vsurp, beyond their set extent.
For if the Sunne should grow, too hye, or low,
Earth's orbe or heau'ns her heat would ouerthrow.
Ambition faines, fames period onely lyes
To be Earths Monarch, as sole Sunne in skies:
If one in earth seeme greatest of renowne,
Another thirsteth to depriue his Crowne.
Atchieu'd he holds, not yet his fame compleat,
Seeing some neighbour Diadems so great.
There must no equals, or superiors be,
Ambition scornes, comparatiue degree.
Which makes th'ambitious, rash to vndertake,
Things desperate, for gold, and glories sake.
He thirsts, for blo [...]d, he hungers most for gold,
He ouerleapes mens heads, takes not good hold,
Then Fortune frownes, and giues his pride a check,
Aspiring wings clipt, fals and breakes his neck.
Ambition is the sparke of Enuies fire,
Aspires it selfe, hates others that aspire.
Retaines not any drop of Temperance,
To quench the heat, of hatefull Arrogance.
Where haute Ambition climes th'inferior fall,
Hard are th-ambitious, and illiberall:
[...]3 Emperours of Rome in 100. yeares: whereof only 3. dyed of a naturall dis­ease, the rest were slaine by ambition.
Vnlesse to Agents, in their Tragedies,
Men meerely of infernall qualities.
Who stops their enterprise, by force must downe,
Bloud must make way, to haute Ambitions crowne.
And when the diademe is wonn, and worne,
With highest dignitie, and best adorne:
The Actors of their miscrean pollicies
No longer held their needfull complices.
But seeking surance for their secrecie,
Make agents, patients of their trecherie.
Then like the Sunne resplending in the skies,
In selfe-conceit, th'are glorious in mens eyes.
In the time of Galienus 30. vsurped the name of Emperor. The like ambi­tion among P [...]pes, 6. at one time in the time of Henry the Emperor.
Then sway they th'earth, as if whole orbe were theirs.
And due to none, but to them and their heires:
As in a dreame puft vp, awak't they fall:
Ambition beates th'ambitious to the wall.
Successiuely, Ambition, raignes by force,
The sword her right, and Rigor, her remorce.
Glorie and gold, are two extreames of lust,
They shine in show awhile: then turne to rust.
The vertuous man, will not exchange his state,
The vertuous man.
With him that seemes, in fame, more fortunate.
For, though the greatest, and the most of might,
Haue this lifes outward, reuerenced hight,
It is vncertaine, nothing permanent,
But mindes, true patience, and the hearts content:
The vertuous is, and will be as he is,
No tossing tide, or tempest comes a [...]isse.
The riches of the minde, are light and long,
Riches of the minde.
They bring content, and make the owner strong.
Portage, not ponderous, the roomer small,
Where th'owner goes, his riches goe withall.
[Page]When th'worlds rich man, hath most he thinks in bank
Vnfolds his bils, and findes Assurance, blanke.
What he possesseth, others posses'd before:
Dead, what he had, others diuide his store.
These riches, rise, and fall, they pitch and flye,
They runne, and rest, as dust, before the eye.
The greedy Miser, is earths moth, and eates,
The Miser.
The fruits of others, he, yet neuer sweates:
Nothing more pest, to publique weale then he:
Nothing more shun'd, of vertuous men can be.
Though gold, nor glorie, in themselues be ill,
If Will, rule them, And they rule not the Will.
Auarice, a Beast, which hardly men can tame,
It brings in pelfe, puts on't a noble name.
But he that least affecteth riches lot,
Hath that best lot, which some rich men haue not.
For, he that is content, possesseth most:
And least distracts his minde, what he hath lost.
Vertue much greeues not, at sad misery:
Nor much insults, at earths felicitie.
But as the powre Diuine, appoints his lot
He rests content: Th'ambitious man can not,
He thirsts to rise, regards not though by wrong,
His triumph short, in vaine, desired long.
Drinkes are held best, that soonest quench the thirst,
Ambition, drunke, drinkes, more then at the first,
It euer drinkes, yet neuer is but dry,
One cold the mouth. Earthes orbe, fils not the eye.
Fancie, a Feuer hecttique of the minde,
It sees sometimes, sometimes againe is blind,
Affection, guided, by right rule of grace,
Disgraceth foolish fancie to her face.
Right Reason, glut with Fancies banquettings
Disgorgeth Fancie, and her flatterings.
[Page]And bendes her appetite to feed on that,
Is onely good: shunnes ill though delicate,,
What happines in seeming happy daies,
Life and Death
Sith life begun, immediatly decayes?
Delight, a dreame; his death can no man shun,
Intreat preuailes not when times glasse is run:
Though life beginnes alike in generall,
By diuers meanes fierce death determines all.
Deaths memory a motiue to liue well,
She comes on sodaine, when, disdaines to tel,
Al creatures irrational shew more content,
In Bruitish life: and seeme more continent:
Then many whom true reason should possesse,
As ioy and greefe: by two extreames expresse:
Humane delights are short, repentance long
Weak the resistance; will to vices, strong.
What way soeuer, seemeth sweet men take,
The truely sweet, they wilfully forsake,
Heauens sacred children do the best imbrace,
The vertu­ous and vi­cious.
The worst the wicked by mistaken grace:
Both haue their ioyes, but by two contraries,
Heauens truth the one, th'other earths vanities,
The first hath inward th'other owtward light
The first diuine, that other carnall sight.
The thinges men see and what they heere possesse,
Is theirs they think, and therein happines,
Thinges present in conceit do profit most,
Past or expected, deemed things but lost.
The greatest men, that spatious buildings haue,
At once, possesse of all, one onely caue,
At once they can but in one place reside,
Though Gods on earth, in earth not deifi'de
Where so the highest or the lowest bee,
In person are only, as eye doth see.
[Page]Thoughts, yet, are hid, hearts, are extrauagant
Hearts hot desires too too, exorbitant.
The greatest, wise, containe their greatest mind,
Honor, milde.
And hold themselues, but as them others finde:
Though great in state, true Honor is most milde
Stout yet in heart, most constant, vndefil'd,
To whom inferiors ought all dutie lend,
As members worthy, and most reuerend.
The memories, are still solemnized
By th'vertuous liuing, of the vertuous deed.
Some thinke their glorie, of high mountaine fame,
When lesse then mole-hill others hold the same.
Fame arro­gate.
Fame arrogate, is but a doubtfull dreame,
A building founded, on a broken beame.
A castle set, nere surges, on the sand.
Which fals forthwith vnder the builders hand.
Desert, preceding hearts desire to rise,
Is onely that, that truely dignifies.
A fickle trust, or feare, Earths fawne, or frowne,
When Fortune smiles, she plots to hurle Men downe.
And when she frownes, she frownes to try the minde:
If it be constant,, then is she most kinde.
True Constancie, is alwaies, one, the same
In all euents: it holds the force and name.
It's not the thing, that ioyes, or greeues the heart
It is conceit, of best, or worser part.
For, he that is in crosses discontent,
In best estate, was but maleuolent.
The vertuous, in hye, or low estate,
Show not the higher, or the lower rate.
Most men, doe most affect, but mortall things,
Blind, not conceiuing, rightly, what it brings:
What future times may be, seeke not to know,
But that, whereby vaine-glorie most may grow.
[Page]Affecting that, which seemes in show content,
Like libertie, indeed, imprisonment.
Fetters seeme ornaments, freedome, but guile,
Misery sweet mirth: home hard and harsh exile.
Sicknes of body, crosses, poore estate,
Nothing so hard, as heart infatuate.
Aspiring mindes that fight for Honors fame
Faint not, but in conceit, atchieue the same.
The gaine that growes, by hearts ambition,
Is but the breath of basest of condition,
VVho by the vapors of their lips al-haile,
Raise fickle blasts, that fill vaine-glories sayle:
But he that best deserues, true glories fame,
Is, that deserues, and seekes to shun the same.
Some great about great princes, seeke for praise:
As doe Heroicks, by martiall essayes.
Yet either may vsurpe, and challenge that,
Which by desert, neither attained at,
High hope of glorie, moues to vndertake,
Things good, and ill, that may them famous make.
Baltaser Sc­rach kild the P. of Orange, one Clement a Frier, and Ra­ui [...]ia [...]k, kild the two Kings of France.
Some mindes so mad, and fancies, furious,
They seeke for fame, by actions impious.
Proiect in heart to perpetrate some act,
That soule, and body perish for the fact.
Vulgar salutes, and courtly congies flye,
To gaine the beck, that feedes the fawning eye.
Some struggle to be Princes fauorites,
And yet in heart, but fawning parasites,
Some deck them with that vermal excrement,
Of peacock-plume-like, colours orient:
To win worlds wonder, and to gaine the gaze
As th'onely merit-mirrors of this maze.
Aesops plume-stealing Crow, the birds, admir'd
As men admire, the peacock-like attir'd.
[Page]But when ech bird, had his fayre plumes re-reft
The poore proud Crow, was naked, plumelesse left.
Then birds admir'd, more her penurious case,
Then her false glorie, and vsurped grace.
A prudent Caueat, fram'd by Esops wit,
Needing no Coment to discourse of it,
Vaine-glorious Habite, some, assume to seeme,
One of the Worthies, highest in esteeme.
But were his heart seene, as his habite is,
Few men would gesse, wit, or the habite his.
The tongue, the gesture, and the habite show,
What fancie feedes the heart, whence these plumes grow:
None, yet can find, depth of conceiled mind,
Linx-persing sight, to hidden hearts is blind,
Some shroud a secret guile, by seeming grace,
A doubtful mirror, is a fawning face,
More to be trusted is a threatning foe:
Then he that faynes to loue, and doth not so.
Who thinkes all congies, and fayre lookes are loue,
May much mistake, and of all knees that moue,
The Asse that bare the goddesse Isis frame,
Assum'd the Honor, done vnto her name.
Fortunes men haue, gaine, glorie, or disdaine:
Fortune and Vertue.
Fortunes are coy, but vertues courses plaine.
True vertue scornes, that silly Asse should beare her,
Fortune not, for many asses weare her.
And As-like sottish, who, so much mistake:
The congies, which, men to their garments make:
The wise, indeed, and truely qualifi'de:
Seeke not, but suffer, to be dignifi'de.
But where desire, presumes, before desert,
He may vsurp it, Th'honor, will reuert.
Admit a man, gaine glorie, and he grow
(By meanes vsurped) hye and looke not low.
[Page]He will by his owne weight, and fulnes fall,
And fained friends, and fawtors fayle withall.
And though he stand, and grace vsurp'd possesse,
The outward can not inward part expresse.
None sees, how deepe, how dark, how black, how blind
Is dungeon of dispayre, in doubting minde
Sorrowes-serpents, and griefes-torments lye
Hid in fayre prison, of false dignitie.
The man that liues in competent estate,
And enuiously, doth others emulate;
If he grow greatest, of his ranke will not
Yet rest content, but still distaste his lot.
The dropsie maladie, is alwayes dry,
A quenchlesse thirst, is auaritious eye.
It alwaies climbes, hath neuer wished hight,
It seemes to loue, yet loden with despite.
And if it loose, or misse, what it would get,
It breakes the heart, it had a counterlet.
Some seeme to be, what they in heart deny,
And seeke, and finde, what th'would, but can not fly.
And what they flye, still followes them perforce:
Themselues, selfe foes, haue not yet selfe remorce.
Great men, that hold themselues in seruile state,
Opinion.
Though great in show, thinke slaues more fortunate.
What so man holds him, in estate to be,
Though not in deed, In heart, the same is he.
Opinion ioyes, or grieues at things vnseene,
It workes the Will, will blindeth Reasons eyne.
One sleepes secure, though perill be his bed;
Another cannot, not endangered,
Some are but prisoners, yet supposed free;
In freedome some, are prisoners in degree:
A reall prisoner hath seene gyued parts,
Distracted mindes, are fetters to mens hearts.
[Page]What most distracts, is haut Ambition:
Neuer content, with Earthes fruition,
For had he got, this ample Orbe would yet:
Not rest content, nor bound his will, to get.
Alexander.
The things in earth, that man affecteth most,
Decreasing grieue, increasing, make him boast.
And when he boasteth most of flowing tyde,
It ebbs againe, and back his fortunes slide.
For as the Sea, stands not in one estate,
But at the full it doth forthwith abate.
And as, when Cancer, doth enioy the Sunne,
It fals to Capricorne, where it begunne.
The Moone increaseth, and decreaseth oft,
She new, comes old, now low, forthwith aloft.
So doe the states of men, aloft and low:
Now rise, then fall, now ebbe, and then reflow.
A Father gets, a Sonne spends all, and dyes,
A Father spends, A Sonne doth get, and rise.
No thing is permanent within this maze,
Long'st lasting, passeth as a paper blaze.
And none by nature, rightly sees and shunnes,
Apparent dangers, as, in hast, he runnes.
The strongest striue, to runne before the rest:
The weake sometimes, themselues doe re-inuest.
When partiall censure, doth detract good deeds,
It starues desert, in steede, it Enuie feedes.
No partiall hand, nor tongue, nor eye can be,
In vertues life. In Enuies all the three.
Right Reason, and true Vertue, are two twyns,
Reason and Vertue.
The second doth performe, what'th first begins.
True Vertue, alwaies hath, right Reason guide,
With her consultes, by her is rectifi'd.
A vertue shaped in a forged show,
By seeming true, hath oft the ouerthrow.
An Asse attired in a Lyons skin,
May seeme a Lyon, yet an Asse within.
A masked face, implies; true beauties hew:
The maske tooke off: oft, filthy face in view.
So counterfets that vertue falsifie,
Haue but the shadow of integritie.
The substance is, indeed, but seeming right,
Compar'd indeed, to Vertue in the light.
For, if she were in substance, as in show,
Enuy could not but seeke her ouerthrow.
Enuy, a while is to the false, a friend,
But to true vertue, neuer to the end.
In what affaires, can man conuerse and liue,
Censure,
But must indure, what censure all men giue?
If he doe ill, high Ioue becomes his foe,
By due desert, his conscience tels him so.
If well, the world, and worldlings, enemies.
They will, obrayde him, and him scandalize.
And if he seeke to please the multitude,
(A monster) tamed by no fortitude.
Selfe-pleasing, seemeth sweet, and most secure,
Of all diseases, held the helping cure.
Right Reason yet, condemnes, selfe-loue, as hate
VVho doth not publique good, is detestate.
He's happy'st that best pleaseth powres diuine,
Though he thereby, breake league, with humane line.
Some hold the Court, the paradice of ease,
The Court.
Of plenty, pleasure, free, of all disease.
Fain'd Hony drops, of courtly smiles doe feede,
Blind fancy, till it starue, yet feeles no need.
But when the VVell, of sugar promise dryes
VVithout performance: then fond fancie dyes.
Reason reuiues, stir'd vp by sorrowes signes,
Retires, with sighes, to see, vaine hopes declines.
[Page]Some wish to leade, a rurall priuate stare,
A Rurall [...]
Rusticks some hold, of all, most fortunate:
Domestick crosse, distracts, anothers braine:
Some glorie in a clownish, rustick traine.
The swaine that sweates, at paunch-full table toyle,
Feedes fat, more free, then Master of the soile.
Some sicke of court, and country, seeke to please,
Perturbed fancie, in the doubtfull Seas.
Some hoyse the sayle, for glorie, some for gaine,
Trauellers.
Successefull some, some loose both by, and maine.
To see the parts, the persons, and the states,
Of forraine soiles, and mighty Potentates,
Some pilgrim-like, forge habite to haue passe,.
Returning know not, what their errand was.
A multi-linguist, is of such request,
To gaine it. Some, giue carcas little rest.
When all is done, that humane heart can finde
None holds himselfe truely content in minde,
Desire, is so exorbitant and large,
Desire.
It keepes no meane; of what it hath in charge.
Rich therefore no man, can be truely said,
Whose will with appetite, is ouerswaide.
The seeming best content, will change his state,
With him, seemes more, and is lesse, fortunate.
This doubtfull Labyrinth, full of varieties,
Amazeth many, with her contraries.
The most men trauers this Labyrinth awry,
Some ofsel [...]e will, some of necessitie.
Pretended feare, or shame, leade men awry,
They rightly see, and yet miscast their eye.
They would retire, from hurtfull things they take,
But feare disgrace, their rash exchange would make.
Is he not mad that fosters in his brest,
A Viper venemous to make his nest.
[Page]Who knowes the thing he perpetrates is ill,
Ers not by chance, but with consent, and will.
The guilty heart, then touched with the same,
Feedes inward viper, to shun outward shame.
Among a thousand, ten haue not the skill,
To curbe conceit, or manage well their will.
There is a guide, and happy who her findes,
Most ready prest, to best inclined mindes.
Few craue, or haue her (in this maze) direction:
But rashly runne into selfe plagues infection.
Yea they of seeming high and hidden skill,
Doe physicke others, yet themselues doe kill.
Some counsell others to a holesome layre,
Yet they themselues, stay in infected ayre.
Whither may one, flye from his inward sttife?
[...]rs of [...] diuer [...].
Where may he liue, to lead contented life?
The Court hath cares to get and keep what's got,
And feare to loose, what one indeed hath not.
In Country growes, a thousand discontents,
Rurall crosses, Disaster, accidents.
Some seeke content by solitarines,
That yeelds no solace, but sad heauines.
Company, some craue, to moue the minde to mirth:
Short, is that mirth, oft dyeth in the birth.
Some seeke the Desart, some the froathing Seas,
The Warres seeke some: none, yeelds contented ease.
A thousand fantasies possesse the brest,
All promise, yet not one, giues grieued rest.
[...] ▪
They flatter all▪ as fawning Harlots doe,
They hugg, and kisse, the weake conceits, they wooe.
They draw the minde▪ from prays-full constancie
To rash consent, and peeuish leuitie.
For, what the eye doth apprehend and see,
The heart conceiues, and breedeth fantasie.
[Page] Fancie affects, or doth reiect the things
That th'artes conceit to th'vnderstanding brings.
The heart sometimes in couert policie,
Conceales effect, of hidden fantasie,
As he that seemes, to fly the praise of men,
Seekes it, by shelter, in monastick den.
In show, some, doe deny, what they desire,
Some would goe on in show, yet they retire.
Some set themselues before, by drawing backe,
In show some forward, that in heart are slacke.
Some thirst for honor, that deny to take it,
Some well deserue it, would, can not forsake it,
Some seeme to hide them from societie
Desire it yet, vnder fain'd modestie,
Some are most meeke, in seeming outward pride,
In heart some proudest, seeming mortifide.
No man can iudge anothers minde by gesse,
Though outward gesture seeme it to expresse,
A hart-proud man, may be but base in show,
In heart too hye, in weedes a straine too low.
If men of worth, of office, place and state,
Be base in show, their grace extenuate.
And bring disgrace vpon the place they vse;
And giue men place, them and their place t'abuse.
The person iust, the minde within vpright
True glory.
Giue grace, and glorie, to the basest dight,
Gracefull attire, a lawfull ornament;
To him that swayes a place of gouerment.
Although the garment, nothing dignifies
The persons, but the place they exercise:
The meane therefore, (though few it seeke or finde)
Should rule, & curb, the grosse extreames of minde.
Some stand conceited of their owne desert,
Of all mens humors, seeme not in-expert.
[Page]But hold them all that flatter truest friends,
He is no foe, whose knee and bonet bends.
Strange thing to see, that he should least suspect,
Anothers fawnes, himselfe most counterfet,
But as he forged coppor coyne, for gold,
With it is paid for fayned fawnes he sold.
A thousand humors strange man vndergoes,
And dangers infinite, to gaine him foes.
For, what true vertue holdeth not for iust
Proceedes, from in-bred, and forbidden lust.
Lust, inward enemie and rageth most.
In that vaine heart, that outwardly doth boast.
Pompey could not indure, an equall mate,
Nor Caesar, one in Superiour estate.
Yet neither had a stronger outward foe,
Arrogance.
Then inward pride, that bred their ouerthrow.
Antiochus did beare himselfe in hand
That he could foote the seas, and sayle the land,
When will, and power, and Arrogance doe meete,
Vertue is trod, and Reason vnder feete.
As sotted Sabor, that proud Persian King,
Was [...]ouerswayd with foolish fancying.
As he the title, King of Kings assum'd,
Companion of the starres, himselfe presum'd.
Brother vnto the Moone, and glorious Sunne,
And they shone not, till his light first begun,
Thus arrogance inflames the fuming brest,
Consumes true peace, depriues the heart of rest:
The errors infinite, of wauing minde:
What pleaseth now, is suddenly repin'd.
Conceit.
Conceit intends, all what it seekes is best,
And had, it holdes it, most accepted guest.
But when a crosse conceit, comes thwart of it,
The first cast off, the second held more fit.
The greatest grace, is mighty Princes grace,
A Princes fauour.
His bounties hand, and his affecting face:
When it's at high'st, it harbors yet a feare,
Least fayrest Sunne, presage a tempest neare.
A Lyons fawnes, fed by his keeper showes,
Whence Lyons loue, vnto his Keeper growes,
Though gentle clawings, and oft feeding makes
Fierce Lyon tame, heed yet the Keeper takes,
And fearefully he giues, familiar Lyon foode,
Doubting his fawnes, may turne to fiercer moode.
So Princes fauorites amazed stand,
Lest Prince should frowne, turne, or withdraw his hand.
A Prince may raise, for cause, hurle downe againe,
He's onely absolute, and soueraigne.
But Princes of respectiue clemencie,
Are still the same in princely constancie.
Yet if their fauorites Dependancies,
Proue not of loue, but lust for Dignities.
The Argos-eyed Prince, will soone detect,
The hollow-hearted, and the counterfet.
The Prince then checks them, (ful of [...]reasures fraught)
Wrings out their welth, & brings their fame to naught.
The way to win, anothers ayde, at need,
Receiuers heart, must correspond the deed.
The Talion-lawe, giues like to like to all,
Preuailing deeds, for loue effectuall.
Fearce-loue procures, a deede of like effect,
Faire in the show, in deed, but counterfet.
When things succeed not to th'expectants minde,
He lookes not where he might th'occasion finde.
His hidden heart, and selfe hypocrisie,
He might, but will not lay before his eye.
But doth accuse, his fained friend, or chance,
Of selfe desert, will take no cognizance.
[Page]Some faine that Fortune giues, yet doth not see
Fortune.
She makes at random, high and low degree;
In constant, fickle, of Camelion-showes,
A fansie or a dreame, whom no man knowes.
Some faine her, brutish, sottish, and some blind,
None can define her, as she is in kinde.
Her name, nor nature, nor her qualities,
Are truely such as man Philosophies:
For when we say, fortune, or fortunate,
It's prouidence Diuine, we intimate.
This prouidence distributes, as he will,
In outward things, alike, to good, and ill.
To none by chance, Diuinely he fore-sees,
Where great, or lesser portion best agrees.
The greatest portion, and the least may fall,
Alternately, and suddenly to all.
And all for good, vnto the good befals,
The best good thing the wicked most inthralls.
And whether seeming good, or ill men haue,
For good, or ill, the powres Diuine it gaue.
Not ill, in what is giu'n, or him that giues,
The heart doth hurt, mistaking what relieues.
For what is good, blind Nature doth despise,
And likes of bad, pleasing fond fansies eyes.
As is opinion, so is good, and bad,
The good and ill, is as it's held, and had.
Much ioyes, some man, when he by fraud doth rise
And thinkes him happy in his enterprise,
Such gaine and glory, yet are steps to shame,
Vnlesse true vertue soone, reforme the same.
True greatnes, growes, by right and not by wrong,
True greatnes
The Iust are great, the contrarie not strong.
Though seeming so, in humane fantasie,
It's but the shadow of felicitie.
[Page]For, when the Fates, (by Poets fayn'd) so cal'd,
Depriue againe, what they themselues instal'd.
Then how that greatnes, futurely succeeds,
Soone showes it selfe, by vanitie it breeds.
Fulnes, breeds pride, and pride, breeds libertie,
Libertie gets sinne, sinne brings miserie.
Miserie breeds griefe, Griefe sadnes to the heart,
Sadnes, the gall of out, and inward part.
If outward, and the inward parts sustaine,
For present pleasure, such succeeding paine.
Why should men mourne, when they begin to slide,
From Earths fayre fauour, so oft falsifide?
Assur'd to none, no, none, so great can say,
He stands secure; If powres Diuine say nay.
Where greatnes growes, there emulation breeds,
VVhere Emulation lurkes, there Enuy feeds.
VVhere Enuy liues, there hidden Trecherie,
Seekes to betray by seeming amitie.
It's seldome seene, a man of might to fall,
Couert Trea­cherie. Androm [...]cus betraid Crassus vnder coulour of loue &c. Zopirus be­traid the Babi­lonians to Da­rius coue­ [...]ou [...]ly.
But some, that seemes to loue, prepares the gall.
Needlesse to quote examples, here by name,
For, full are our times legends of the same.
Are not great Cities, by like guile, surpriz'd,
As well as men, the actors long disguiz'd?
How then can men aduanced high be sure,
That they are safe, though they themselues be pure?
Sith inward fauourites may vndermine,
Their hearts deseignes, and couertly combine,
P [...]ltrot kild the Guise his master &c.
With Enuies Actors, to hurle downe the tree,
Vnder whose beames, themselues safe shelter'd be?
Hate may be hid, vnder true Loues pretence,
Loue and Hate.
And true Loue liue. And yet, but held offence:
The first is subtile, secret, politicke:
The second, simple, ouert, still it like▪
[Page]The first pre tendeth loue, and loueth not,
The second loues, beloued, thinkes it not.
Deceiu'd sometimes, by fained humblenes,
And verb all dutie, forged thankefulnes.
The fearefull, milde, stands off, in heart comes neare,
Not faining dutie, If true triall were.
The most officious are not firm'st of trust,
Though forward, and by deep protests most iust.
The habite, face, and tongue, might show the heart,
If it were skil-lesse of dissembling art,
The touch of truth, doth in true triall rest,
Truely tride, dutie showes, transparent brest,
Onely fowle E [...]y dissembles that,
May draw the innocent to stumble at.
In words, and deedes, and what men doe proiect,
It much behooues them to be circumspect.
Deeds done are seene, words heard, and thoughts conceil'd
Fooles speake, and doe, yet say, I'le haue't conceal'd.
What's done or said, nay thought, will be disclos'd,
Too late to say, I wish t'were not propos'd.
All states of men by nature dangerous,
For all are carnall, too too humerous.
And in their humours, often perpetrate,
Offensiue things, too inconsiderate.
God disconers secretst thing▪
For, though they think, the things they spake, or did,
Could not be knowne (from foes conceal'd and hid.)
God discouc­red the pow­der Treason.
That power Diuine discouers secret'st things:
Concealing none, no, not the thoughts of Kings.
He will re-rouze from darke Obliuions pit,
Fare by-past sinne of men forgetting it.
His Maiestie of wisedome infinite
Is patient, but not forgetfull quite.
His long for bearance, no quietus est,
Mercy, and Iudgement, still possesse his brest▪
The powres Diuine, behold the inward part,
Of Rich and poore: nought hurteth, but the heart:
A poore man proud, A rich man couetous,
The powres Diuine, hold equall odious.
The poore content, The rich man liberall,
In earth betoken, grace spirituall.
The Rich, and Poore, resemble two estates,
Rich and Poore.
The one, and other, as ech estimates,
Their ioy and griefe, resemble heauen and hell,
How either stands, none, but himselfe can tell.
Although the Poore seeme heere afflicted most,
The Rich may haue, then he, lesse cause to boast.
A harder lot, lights, not on men that neede,
Neede.
A strong commander in the actiue deede:
But in the passiue part, no thing more strong,
Perforce, accepts, and vndergoes all wrong.
But if it would, it can not doe the thing,
May ease the minde, commanded by a King.
When griefe of heart, proceeds of outward need,
Supply reuiues, the inward parts that bleed,
Greefe two­fold.
But if it grow, by sinnes felt guiltines.
No outward cure, can ease hearts heauines,
Onely the heart, incountring what is ill,
Not doing ill, but as against the will,
Obtaines the victory: that bringeth peace,
That peace, heales griefe, makes sorrow-feuer cease.
Hearts nature seekes, to please it selfe below,
Where, what it feeles, pretends, it well doth know:
The future not foreseene.
Yet knoweth not, by present, future things,
Though what too day, not what too morrow brings.
Much lesse by this, the carnall minded see,
What ioy, or griefe, in future time shall be,
What's found in fine, shall be perpetuall,
Here wunne or lost, the best and principall.
[Page]But hearts diuinely light doe here foresee,
Of carnall hearts delights, what end will be:
Bondmen of free, these earthly pleasures make,
The wise preponder, what they vndertake.
For, pleasures comming, promise hearts reliefe,
Retain'd, perform'd, and gone, leaue th'hart in griefe.
A man best qualifide, indeed doth ill,
To gaze on that, that may peruert the will.
The eye doth show the obiect of the heart.
The heart then likes or loathes what th'eyes impart.
And when desire, inkindles and consents,
Be't good, or ill, it is the thing contents.
What best contents, is that good thing men craue,
Which they themselues, or which some others haue.
Desire, and Appetite, are blind and strong,
They both command, both leade commanded wrong.
Vnlesse right Reason, daigne to be their guide,
By whom the heart is rightly rectifide.
Not to aspire, against right Reasons will,
To runne and rise, without regard, is ill.
Many hid gulfes, and pits of danger lie,
Which they auoid, that runne aduisedly.
Some may mistake, and iudge of men amisse,
All men ad­uanced not ambitious
Not euery one, aduanc'd, ambitious is.
Whom Vertue rayseth; honorable parts
Will show desert, good deeds, bewray good hearts:
When earthly honor, hath celestiall grace,
Th'inferiour by them, are in gracefull case,
For, as the Sun, shines not, but giues all heate,
So by true honor, meanest, comfort get.
A painted Sunne, may seeme in show to shine,
So may th'ambitious to the outward eyne,
And he that seekes to warne him by that Sun,
Needs not complaine of too much warmth he wun.
[Page]A man that scales, fayre Honors mount by might,
Though most vnlust, presumes to seeme vpright,
Where vertue daignes not her preuailing hand
To raise: the rais'd, is as a plant in sand,
Though water'd wythers, with the frost of ha [...]e,
The blossomes fall, forg'd fayre, and delicate.
As good men grow, and rise to wished grace,
So grow the ill, not iudged by their place.
But by the sword, that in the place they sway,
Th'vse or abuse, whereof their heatrs bewray.
None are aduanc'd by chance to gouerment,
Nor rise, nor fall, by Fortune, discontent.
But all are set in places high or low,
And wither too, or else more greater grow,
By powres Diuine: The good he sets,
To succour those that haue wrong counterlets.
The ill he sets, that good and ill may see,
How right and wrong, how light and darke agree.
For as all creatures, liue by contraries,
So Common weales, in their societies.
If all were of one disposition,
Law needed not, nor imposition.
But, as the night, and day, are two in show,
And each giues other, changing ouer throw,
So right, and wrong, are euer in debate,
The second seekes the first to violate.
Yet takes the habite, of the thing she hates,
To faine it good, the thing, she perpetrates.
A wicked man that counterfects his deeds,
Couets to show them, as true vertue's seeds:
At length they show the soyle, wherein they grew,
By bud, or bloome, by branch, or stalke, or hew.
It bootes men much, aduanc'd, to haue foresight,
Whom they accept, and shelter by their might,
[Page]Yet wish I none to be suspitious,
Without good cause, or too too credulous:
None can forsee, th'euent of future dayes,
His harmes, his helpes, dispatch, or his delayes,
Nought can succeed vnto the good, or ill
Wealth, want or meane, with, or against their will:
As they do will, or as they can foresee
All thinges are done by him whose will is free,
And if men knew what prouidence diuine,
Workes by his will, they would their willes incline
To take it wel; how so their wills were crost,
For oft it's ill, when seeming wisest boast.
If one aduanc'd, be brought to meane estate,
Let him not murmur, rather r [...]inate,
One aduan­ced brought low.
Re-chaw the cudde of wilful wayes forgot,
Which who forgets the powers diuine do not:
From whose al-seeing eye nothing is hid,
Disclos'd shall be what so the closest did.
If Enuy hurt thee ( vertues dismall ghost)
Feare not nor faint, think not thine honor lost:
Where Vertue liues, there Enuy neuer dyes,
Where Enuy lurkes is nest of villanies.
True Honor maybe stung, but cannot dye,
Though Enuy hisse she standes and scornes to flye.
True vertue fortefies true Honors seat,
The hart heroycall, that still is great
By inward grace. If by his vice one fell,
Obraid him not, nor wish him greater hell,
For, sinne sufficeth for sinnes punishment,
Without inflict of death or banishment.
Men in this Maze haue sundry greefes and paines,
Yet none that liues, all greefes at once sustaines:
But one with this, with that another pines,
As hart corrupt, or member grosse inclines.
[Page]Some crie as did the Sh [...]na [...]ite his head,
Some as Antiochus, his belly ill besteed,
With Asa some against the gout complaine,
With Aristarch against the dropsey paine
Th'aflicting feauer shakes some's trembling bones,
The grating Stone inforceth helples groanes,
If theirs and other greefes combin'd in one
And in one body, did insist alone,
They all could not one euill equalize,
A troubled Conscience gulfe of maladies,
Which though men feele not in their pleasures fits [...]
In fine 'twil try the quintessence of wits,
As riuers run into the Ocean all,
So in the conscience greefes in generall.
To rack the heart that feeles no terror now,
And nought shall ease it, deep'st protest or vow,
Though men of might may deeme them free from ill,
For that none dare to countercheck their will,
A guilty Conscience wil bring miseries,
No boot to plead high lawlesse dignities:
Though Tyrants seeme to haue no feare to fall,
In outward show, within they feed on gall,
The outward lawlesse, haue small inward rest,
Their seeming free, is froth of fretting breast.
Foolish, feeble, faithlesse is vanity,
Yet feedes fond fancy with variety.
Oh flye her truthlesse faining flatteries,
That seekes to sooth men in impieties:
And yet betraies the worthiest wights that loue her,
Thrice happy he that can in time remooue her.
And most vnhappy who imbrace her most,
A Sainct in show, in deed an owgly ghost.
Some great, disguize their guile, by smiling face,
And seeme in show to back the weak with grace:
[Page]A strong conceit, of dreamed feast doth feed
Promises not performed
As doth a promise of a helples deed.
Resembling th apple, Tantalus would taste,
That gapes, and bytes, but byteth still in waste.
A promis'd fauour not performed is,
Mare Sodomi­ [...]um.
Much like the Apples of Asphaltidis,
Which to the eye are goodly great and faire,
Within all ashes and corrupted ayre.
The fairest promises are farthest tost,
Oft, striken faire, as often nicely crost,
A ball that hath no stuffe to beare it out,
Lights alway short though he that strikes be stout.
Great care ought men of greatest place to haue,
In promise or denyall what men craue,
A quick deniall or a quick consent,
In all demands, yeelds Reason best content.
Lingring performance of a promise made,
Makes Hope to wither in the ripening blade.
Experience teacheth how to take or shun,
Experience.
As former good, or ill successe hath runne:
Some men do find by others fortunes fall,
A stronger staffe to stay themselues withall:
He then is happy who can harmes forsake,
By shunning that, some to their hurts did take.
Examples teach to take or to eschew,
And onely steede, as helpes, or harmes ensue.
The best examples may direct awry,
Though in the president no error lye.
As is opinion, so is good or ill,
Mistaken oft, by rash conceiuing will:
Who so pre-ponders how things may succeed,
Before attempts, takes likeliest way to speed.
Ignorance breedes con­tent.
Somtimes doth Ignorance, breed most content
Not to foresee some dangers imminent:
[Page]It breedes, but terror, anguish greefe, and feare,
A knowne ineuitable danger neere:
It profits nothing danger to fore-show
To him that by no meanes can it foregoe.
Onely it may prepare the hearts consent,
Fantasie,
To vndergoe what meanes cannot preuent.
Sometimes to lack what one desireth most,
Is best: And when a thing held dear'st is lost,
Fond fancies, best, is often worst to haue,
What she affects oft makes a free-man slaue:
Fancy miscarried by a doubtfull guide,
Is much deceiu'd by ignorance or pride,
Rash presumption, and blind ignorance
Are common actors of selfe hinderance.
The one is rash, in selfe-conceit aspires,
The other sottish, may rise, yet retires,
The first conceiueth his deserts so great,
He scornes to seeke: the great should first intreat.
The second knowes not to distinguish who
Is fained friendly, or professed foe:
Without the guidance of celestiall light,
It resteth not in power of mortall wight.
By it the giuer, and the taker knowes,
For what desert the giuen guerdon growes:
This only resteth in true honors breast,
Where neuer Auarice or Enuy rest.
This Honor liues her vertue neuer dyes,
Her fame immortall by true loues Trophies
True honor neuer dies.
( Honors renowne) Enuy cannot staine it,
Although she frowne, and in despite disdaine it.
This earthly honor, heauens benedice,
Her vertues life an earthly Paradice.
The garden of content, where growes the seed,
That beares the fruit whereon the poorest feede.
[Page]In this fayre Eden, are exalted most,
Who best deserue. Not such as onely boast:
This Honor heares, and iustly arbitrates,
Mens causes, when, the partiall vulnerates.
Sith counterfects cry out likewise for aide,
It doth obserue, how ech mans cause is swaid.
And onl'endeuors truely to descry,
Who feele indeed, and who forge misery.
That powre diuine that's absolute, and sees,
Both base and big, disposing all degrees.
Sets vp high Cesar, giues him sword and crowne,
He bowes, or breakes, and hurles the proudest downe.
To infinite Earths portions infinite
He giues, from Scepter, to the meanest mite,
And whoso grudgeth, at the lowest rate,
Vsurpes, his portion, and bewrayes his hate.
From lowest step, and basest in degree,
Lots rise by rule, vnto the largest fee.
And none mong all, can so compare his lot,
As he may proue he hath what others not.
No, none, by iust comparison, may say,
His lot is like anothers euery way.
For, as mens faces, infinite to see,
Are all vnlike, though some resemblance be;
Yet all compar'd to one, or one to all,
They differ all: So states in generall.
And as they differ, in their hye and low,
So their offence greater, or lesse in show.
For persons, time, and place doe aggrauate
Faults more or lesse, or them extenuate.
For when a great man errs in publique view,
Th' examples drawes offendors to ensue.
Therefore behoues them to beware or shun▪
Powres Di­ [...] [...]rd [...]n [...] [...].
Offence: for powres Diuine see how they run.
[Page]Who doth reward in substance, not in show;
If it stay long, the heauier is the blow:
He doth discouer by al-seeing light,
Most cunning counterfects, that seeme vpright.
Will future answere counterfect preuaile?
The Iudge is iust, and will accept no baile;
But as the cause deserues, the party findes,
Pardon, or punishment: his sentence bindes:
Affirmatiue, Come, Negatiue, Depart
Without respect of person, but of heart.
The greatest in his sight, vniust, are base:
Vpright, are great: though in penurious case.
This Iudge of Iudges, of true equitie
Forgiues, condemnes; But neither partially.
It's not the basest, not the great'st, in grace,
That can pretend, or challenge greater place,
Nor by his place, fore-showes, his weale or woe,
But by his inward, heart, or outward show.
The one is secret, and from man conceil'd,
The other ouert, sundry waies reueil'd.
Yet neither truely doth appeare to men,
The heart is hid, a deep, and darksome den.
But powres Diuine, well see the closest heart,
The worke, and will, the thought and hidden part.
This Prouidence, Al-knowing, worketh all,
He hurles downe some, And some he saues from fall,
He feedes som fat; And some he keepes but low:
He cuts downe some, and some he leaues to grow.
He doth dispose, the things, he giues or takes:
Some ignominious, some he glorious makes:
Some Rich as Craesus, poore as Hecalen,
Some needie, as was Irus Ithacen.
And none can counterm and his prouidence,
Policie, nor power, nor haute insolence-
[Page]Greife cures not greefe, sad sorrow yeelds no meed,
Content releeues; Conceit doth starue, or feed:
Vaine hope, that hungers for vncertainties,
Feedes fainting heart with helples vanities
Who ties his hope on humane anker-line,
Carnal conceit holdes, that vaine hope diuine.
On humane help yet hope may builded be,
Foundation layd first by diuine decree.
This hope I haue this anker-hold my rest,
The line of loue hath link't it to my brest:
This line is lent to lead me in the darke,
Of doubtful maze: true duty is my marke.
THis Tragicall discourse of mans estate,
I heard attentiuely; yet silent sate:
And as I sate in my sad sorrowes Cell,
My hart gaue Eccho, as his speeches fell.
And as I mused what this proiect ment,
A Lady graue, I saw herselfe present,
The descripti­on of vertue.
She's Soueraigne gouernesse within this maze
Her glory great made passionate to gaze,
Her lookes were louing, beauty sun-like bright,
Her stature tall, aboue the cloudes in height,
Her armes extended infinitely farre,
And on her brest a brazen shield for warre:
One hand a Scepter, her other hand did hold,
A sword; her head a Diadem of gold,
Insteed of pearle rich, to adorne the same,
There stream'd from it a farre extending flame,
Ouer her head, a rich pauilion set,
Azure-coulor'd, which in a circle met:
Vnder her feet a Pauement strangely spred,
Layd, and compact of ghastly bodies dead.
This strange aspect, and vision misticall
I could not thinke, but meere celestiall:
Therefore, without Diuine assistance, I
Durst not coniect the hidden misterie:
But searching inward truth by outward showe,
I did collect whence eche of these did growe.
Her lookes of loue, imports the sweete delites,
Wherewith she feedes, her constant fauorites,
Her Sun-like beautie, showes she is Diuine,
Her stature tall showes, she's boue sight of eyne.
Her armes extention, her great might imports,
And readinesse to strengthen, her consorts.
Her shield vpon her brest, showes her defence,
When Enuye rageth in great'st violence.
Her Scepter showes her power, and loue to peace.
The Sword, her valour, and her mights increase:
Her golden Diademe, her victories,
Her splending beames, doe showe her dignities:
She set within a circkled azure Tent,
Shewes her true limites, and her powers extent.
The pauement, of the corpes of dead men showes,
She hath her foes, and them she ouerthrowes.
She treads them downe that doe withstand her might:
None see her clearl' her beautie shines so bright:
But they alone, whose hearts conformed be,
Haue inward sight, and with delight her see.
They frame the faculties of Sence and Will,
To apprehend the good, and shun the ill.
Attendant on this Ladie graue, I sawe,
A hidious hagge, clad, with rent leaues of Lawe:
For, impious ones, that only worke disdaine,
To seeme vpright, seeke shrowde for outward staine.
This hagge was ougly, colour'd pale, and wan;
Her face puft vp, she couer'd with a fan.
[Page]Her eyes were fiery, teeth of gastfull [...]
A sword-like tongue, seene when the hagge did gape.
Lyon-like her clawes, in hands and feete were set,
And when she gryp'd, her ougly tallandes met.
Her nosthrels wide, her breath a stinking sent,
Her stature lowe, her bodie corp [...]lent.
Her hands were both the left, she had no right,
Her armes seem'd great, with bowe and arrowes dight.
Her life she leades in darke, and dismall den,
She comes among, but seldome seene of men.
She counterfeits, Camelion-like her hew,
That none may know her by the outward view.
She's alwaies dry, and only drinkes of bloud,
Whereof there flowes, where she abides a floud.
This hidious sight affrights my minde opprest,
And what it ment, I ponder'd in my brest.
A voyce (me thought) diuinely thunder'd out,
The meaning of this misterie of doubt.
The hagge was Enuie, which did thus appeare,
Her colour pale, imports despite and feare.
Her swolne cheekes, shewes her puft vp with spight,
Couer'd, imports, she flyes reueyling light.
Her fiery eyes, bewray reuenging minde,
Her gastfull teeth, her cruell Tygers kinde.
Her sword-like tongue, imports her words are wounds,
Her gaping mouth, whom she can seaze, confoundes.
Her Lyons clawes, her crueltie imports,
Her stincking breath, her poysoning her consorts.
Her stature lowe, imports she is but weake,
Her belly bigge, she must disgorge or breake.
Both hands sinister, showes she doth no right,
Her bowe and shafts, her furniture of spight.
The denne wherein she liues, in darke doth showe,
That nought in her, but things of darkenesse growe.
[Page]Her counterfeyting sundry shapes, declares,
How forging loue, her deepe despite prepares.
None knowing her by outward habit, makes
Some fall into her snares, and them she takes.
Her thirst for bloud, imports her hate so great,
As naught, but death, can quench her hatefull heate.
The spring of bloud that issues from her Cell,
Showes her delights doe spring and flowe from hell.
All which, she cloakes with fayned pietie,
Cou'ting to couer inward enmitie.
This ougly filth, the Mother of despite,
Pursues that Ladie of true loues delite.
These visions strange appal'd my minde opprest;
For sorrowes subiectes, would, but cannot rest:
Yet by the processe of ech course I gessed,
Whose person ech, of all the three expressed.
This passionate, (deseruing) cros'd relates,
By his successe, the change of all estates.
The Ladie faire, true Vertue represents:
The hagge foule Enuie, nurse of Malc [...]tents.
Her cloathing of rent leaues of bookes of Lawe,
Imports her seeming, but of Law no awe.
The Ladie modest, had a vayle e'cast
Ouer her face, this hagge oft makes it fast,
Lest men should see the glorie of her face,
And guide them by her rudiments of grace.
The Ladie milde, beheld this passionate,
Blush at her presence, and her gracefull gate.
The hagge perchance, did most amaze the man,
Who on the Ladie sprinkles with her fan
Distastfull sauours, and reproche with tongue:
Yet this milde Ladie vndergoes her wronge,
Seemes not to heare, or feele her iniuries;
Custome makes constant in extremities.
This gracefull Ladie, doth thi [...] common so [...],
Captiue at will, yet wils to let her goe.
Giues not consent vnto her workes of hate;
She holds her, feeble, [...]urious, detestate.
This louely Ladie, with affecting cheere▪
Her vaile cast off, wils passionate come neere:
He, fearefull fals, before this Ladie faire,
And seekes on suddaine, outward faults repaire [...]
For, whoso comes obruptly in the view
Of great estates, will all defectes renew,
And set externall things in order neyte,
Though a meere Pharisaycall conceite.
Much was this passionate deceiu'd in this;
This Ladie lookes, what is within amis.
No outward onament allureth her,
Who thinke to win her by gay garments, erre▪
No outward want, or basenesse in attire,
Disgraceth her, none great, make her admire.
Defectes within, she onely loathes▪ and [...]yes:
The good: within, with grace, she fortifies.
The impious ones, she hates, and scornes to be [...]
Where that foule hagge is entertain'd, not she.
This hatefull hagge, vsurpes dominion
Within this Labyrinth, (disunio [...])
Before she came, and did intrude the place,
It was no Labyrinth, but place of grace:
But now she bandes, in her al-hatefull bowre,
In spite vsurping vertues seeming powre.
She is most hatefull to the vertuous:
In outward showe, yet, most obsequious.
They scorne to foyle their fingers in her deedes;
Deluding some, yet, by her painted weedes,
Camelion-like she oft transformes her face;
And faines her Angel-like, in frauding grace.
[Page]The Ladie shines▪ and showes he [...] selfe to those
That loue her light, and be blacke Enuies [...]oes.
Her counsell consequent, to'ch passionate,
Showes how to curbe this hagge, though obstinate.
Though she b [...]traies, by wiles, and circumuentes,
The most desertfull, by her instruments.
This Ladie lures, and would haue all men [...]ye
That monster, mother of impietie;
Who luls her louers, like a nurse of spite,
With kisse of curses, seeming sweete delite.

The Ladie her speach to the Passionate.

LOng since I this confused Maze possest,
(Chiefe Ladie) when t'was place of heauenly rest,
Before the fall of him, I first did beare:
Who [...]e dismall fall, this hatefull hagge did reare.
Herselfe once set (pu [...]e) in celestiall place,
Enuie, and Pride, depriu'd her of that grace.
Cast downe from blisse, then strip'd of light, and loue:
Malign'd the glorie, shining from aboue;
And hates the happinesse of man below,
Plac'd in the Garden, where Content did grow;
She then intrudes▪ pretending wisdomes loue,
And my first borne, in malice did remoue,
From light to darke, from grace, to giddinesse,
From Loue to [...]ust, from Faith to sicklenesse.
In him (my first) haue all posterities,
Lost true content, and found sad miseries.
Now she seemes greatest, and of greatest might;
She's so indeed, but only in despite.
She counter checkes the course, which I aduise,
And fils this Labyrinth with cruelties.
[Page]The place where now this Labyrinth is set,
Was free to mee, I had no counter let,
Vntill this hagge vsurped power, and place,
And by her w [...]les, robd humane kinde of grace.
A gracelesse guide, her light, infernall fire,
Begot belowe, blacke Darknesse was her fires
A hatefull monster▪ of infernall breede,
On humane hearts and soules delites to feede [...]
As Toades and Serpents, creatures venimous,
Feede on gros [...]e poyson, and [...]:
So this foule hagge feedes only on despite,
Enuie, [...], Ha [...]e, are [...]er delite▪
None can escape her hidious hands of hate,
The purest, she seekes to contaminate.
Within this Labyrinth high power [...] [...],
That qualities [...] I might beget▪
And men by mee might learne to liue vpright,
And re-assume the grace of heau'nly light:
Which is not got by humane pollicie,
By Arte or force, or restlesse industrie.
The proud, mali [...]ious, hautie▪ ins [...]lent,
Learne of that hagge, their gracelesse gouernment.
The humble only, and true fearefull take
The way of life, I leuell for their sake
A way, yet seeming way of bitternesse,
Of hearts distaste, and irkesome wearinesse:
Only to those, whose reason she peruerts,
And seedes of Ignorance, in steede inserts:
She muffles men, and hoodes them, leste they see,
The meanes to make them, of her bondmen, free.
Thou know'st that hast had tryall of her spite,
Hee is her slaue, that is her fauorite.
The practices of Enuie.
If thou persist a fauorite of mine,
Thou canst not bee but odious in her eyne.
[Page]She will oppose thee, and against thee band,
She'll fawne in [...], haue wounding sword in hand [...]
A seeming cup of sweete delight she beares,
If that serue not, sh'in [...]atuates with teares.
Flatterie and force, are weapons of her fight:
A fearefull combate, to the vertuous, light.
Reuenge of wrongs (though light) she instigates,
Puts patience by, she only plots debates.
Reuenge heroycall, Meekenesse cowardice:
Pardon, ( [...] wrongs) indignities.
The hautie, proud, and insolent, she makes
The Minions of her Court, who vndertakes
A course by wrong, If he grow thereby great,
She wils hold fast, to giue for no intreat.
He is her prudent, her prouident, her bancke,
Him she commends, inhibites to be franke.
And he that will the contrarie imbrace,
(The prodigall) that spends in virious case,
Bountie, who promiseth, performeth not,
Is truely pollitique, and not a s [...] ▪
She blindes▪ mens eyes▪ the meane, they may not see,
The meane is Vice, Vertue [...] th'extreame degree.
A thousand counterfeites of Vertues deedes,
She giues for currant, and truthes-bearing seedes.
The Spider and the Toade (both venimous)
Are ech to other deadly odious:
So Pride and Enuie, borne infernall twins,
Pride & Enuie.
Hold mutuall warre, but Enuie still begins.
This hagge haunts mee, where I am, there is she,
Her workes and mine, as light and darke agree.
She in despite, peruertes the wayes I teach,
Where I affect, she seekes to make a breach.
Whom I aduance, she plots to hurle him downe,
From basest abiect, to th'imperiall crowne.
How did She instigate those bloudie hearts?
Envie plotted the Pow­der Trea­son.
How kept She concord of so many parts?
That plotted lately, that strange Strategeme,
That aym'd, not only to the Diademe,
The Stocke and Branches of admired State,
To Prince, and Princesse pure, and Potentate:
But Artes, and Artistes, and Religion,
Had felt together, sad subuersion?
But that the power, that curbes her deepest despi [...],
From darkest cell, brought Deuils deuice to light.
Worlds wonder, how this hidious hagge could finde,
So many, knit firme in infernall minde:
But that, whom she once windeth in her clewe,
Seldome vntwist, or libertie renewe.
Spider-like she spins snares, stings, lets them lye,
Whom she findes instruments for villanie:
Els needes must some of that infernall crewe,
Disclos'd the plot, though sworne to be trewe.
Traytors are worse then wormes, that eate the tree,
Treason.
Vnder whose barke themselues ingendr'd bee.
Worse then the Viper, and the Moath that gnawe
Their mothers bowels, maugre Natures lawe.
Antigonus could loue a Traytor so,
As he could plot to circumuent his foe:
The treason done, transformes his loue to hate;
Reiects the Traytor, person detestate.
What then, if these reneged impes had sped?
Th'had cut themselues, by treason, from their head.
And seeking for their treasons, salarie,
They should haue guerdon fit; like treacherie.
What Traytor thinkes, another will him trust,
That's to his Head suborn'd to be vniust?
A giddie head, an idle thirst to rise;
A heart corrupt, breedes Treasons first surmise.
[Page]Surmising feares, his in-bred plot is knowne,
Suspectes ill haruest ere the seede be sowne.
If this [...]oule hagge, the nurse of dyre despite,
Heaue at the highest, will she not excite,
Her hatefull instruments, to hurle downe those,
Of lowest ranke, and yet, of force, her foes?
In all complots, how so of spite they rise,
On mee she fasly fathers th'enterprise.
She makes Religion colour outward hate,
Which makes the fact farre the more detestate.
Religion colour of Treason.
Religion is the builder of estates,
And true Obedience, her remunerates.
Strange thing that true Religion should be foe,
To that estate she planted, first to growe.
This hagge doth haunt me at ech wished deed,
Not to assist, but hinder leste it speede.
Where true desert may challenge due reward,
She frownes, and striues the gift may be debar'd.
If any prosper by my ayd-full hand,
Her malice great, takes sword in hand to band:
Not one escapes, who her despite feeles not,
And oft preuailes, her heart of hate is hot.
Examples of her ougly cruelties,
Are infinite, couler'd by flatteries.
But when the plot, hath taken it effect,
It's found herfawne, were meerely counterfect.
False, fraudulent, and secret vndermines,
Which when the wise doe shun, then she repines.
And vomits out her glutted g [...]rge of gall,
Without respect of State Imperiall.
Deceipt her sword, flatt'ry, defensiue sheeld,
Are her chiefe instruments of [...]ight in feeld:
Enuies chiefe weapons.
Put by the first, the second naught auailes,
She flyes, or fals, before him she assailes.
[Page]Thy selfe who [...]
By proofe, dost finde, [...]
Though showing [...]
She hates and seekes to [...]
If thou conioy [...]e [...], to what [...] ▪
Thou shalt be nee [...]e her, ye [...] without [...]
I am thy guide, this [...] [...] ▪
Honour is attai­ned by Vertue.
Thou shalt goe right, it by [...] ▪
The way to [...] this [...] [...],
Is not selfe▪ force, but only of my [...]gh [...]
Thou must begin, by banish me [...] ill,
To what is good to dedicate thy will,
And hone [...] life free from impi [...]tie,
Is first and chiefest steppe to dignitie.
It is not actes of auncester [...] [...] make,
A vertuous man, but way [...] [...]
If any vaunt him of high, honour a [...],
And is no [...] vertuous, giues himselfe [...]
It is no praise, t▪haue a [...] worthy [...],
Vnlesse the sonne by vertue [...] [...]
True vertue is the [...],
Who hath not that, [...]ur [...] the Noble [...]
None can be Noble, but the Vertuous,
All Vertuous are not Noble yet gen [...]ous,
The vertuous-base, may, haue an honest [...]al [...]e,
True generositie imports the same.
One may be vertuous, yet not seene to rise
To great estate, or earthly dignities:
Though men see not▪ nor praise thy ver [...],
Imbrace them full, for inward grace [...]t [...].
If Vertue liue within thy secret [...],
She will bee working, V [...]rtue cannot [...]st:
Nor seldome may, for E [...] [...]
Me [...] liue in thee, or thou to [...].
[Page]Set thou therefore, [...],
As thou be not [...]
She will [...] wiles,
By office, [...].
For we [...]y place,
Or by [...].
She heaues [...]eth, di [...]ines,
Fortune and En­uie.
[...]he fawns, & [...], constrains,
As she for [...]d,
Fortune [...] ▪
Fortune [...], [...], [...]e [...]iles;
The fawn'd, and [...] with equall wiles.
Trust not [...],
Ficklen [...] [...]e [...] ▪
And falslie imitate [...],
Which giues, nor [...] (respecting men) [...]ward:
But as the heart [...],
So high, or lowe, con [...].
What ech [...] of [...] wrest,
The good to ill the ill [...] [...] ▪
Thou hast had [...] of [...]er,
Be constant, walke [...] [...].
Enuie [...] posite to Ver­tue.
Cons [...]rt not [...] base,
Were thou [...] branch of most high honours race.
Refraine the way, where [...]d,
I will conduct where [...]de
Though [...],
Like subt [...]le [...] I haue.
To place polluted [...] the [...]lth of [...],
She will in [...]i [...]e [...]orbea [...] [...] ▪
What I command, [...],
What I fo [...] to [...] [...].
Be not too rash what [...] bi [...] [...]ndertake,
Attempt it not, by mee, first triall make.
[Page]What I aduise, if thou reuolt and fly,
(Faining consent) it is hipocrisie.
The Truth is naked, Craft is cloath'd with guile,
None vse deceite, but are deceiu'd the while.
Imbrace the words and documents I teach,
Let not this hagge, make in thee smallest breach:
For it she set foot, in thy heart, and finde
Foundation fit, in thine vnstable minde:
Hard to remoue her from the Ci [...]ll,
She in thy heart plants, and prepares to dwell.
Armies of Vice and Vanities will be
At her commaund, and ouer master thee.
The chiefest point that first thou art to seeke▪
Is that true wisdome, which makes hautie meeke.
Wisdom
It is not Natures gift, as Nature stands
Polluted, but giu'n by Diuiner hands:
Mans nature knowes not things celestiall,
No not it selfe, and parts materiall.
But only as they seeme, them takes and holds,
The cause materiall, and the formall mouldes.
The perfect, and imperfect outward parts,▪
Not th'in clinations of imperfect hearts.
Speach, motion, breathing, sicknes, health, and light,
Are somewhat subiect to weake Natures sight:
But who, where, how, wherefore men are; to knowe
Is giu'n by grace, doth not by Nature growe.
In showe the impious may appeare vpright,
And see some steps of Truth, by Natures light:
But brought vnto Truthes test, it's found but drosse
That flyes, and vaporates, and brings but losse.
Youth and age.
The young and old are apt to hide their ill▪
(That comes by Nature) not to [...] be the will:
Vnsetled in their iudgements, young men are,
The aged feeble, yet of deeper care.
[Page]The idle froth of youthfull fuming braine,
Must be cast off by Wisdome, to containe,
Not to consent to all what th'hart would haue,
Nor to effect all Appetite doth craue.
In doubtfull things, giue not too rash consent,
Luste buyes too deare a rash experiment:
Concu­piscence brings [...]ame.
Her present pleasures, with succeding paine,
Content, with griefe, both, with perturbed braine.
Continuing lust, gets hatefull Impudence,
Infamie and shame succeede concupiscence,
Young yeares in some, haue old experience,
And aged men the least intelligence:
But it's obseru'd, soone rots that ripes too fast,
Soone ripe soo [...] ­rotten.
A suddaine flame, is no long-lasting blast:
True Wisdomes seede, sowne in the greenest head,
Water'd by grace, doth quickly branch and spread:
So doe the humors of vnstable minde
Grow strong or weake, as Fancies are inclynde.
A life contemplatiue in things Diuine,
Brings hurtfull humors vnder, that repine.
It's not the Cloyster, or the Hermite life,
That keepes perturbed minde from inward strife:
But constancie in Vertues exercise
Which he obtaines that best Philosophies:
That by true reason can his iudgement guide,
Which he can not, that is not rectifide.
This Wisdome doth in words and deeds consist,
Nature renewed
Not in the Will, that worketh what it list:
But in the Will, by grace Diuine renew'd,
And in the sence, by Nature new indew'd.
This Nature sowes, in mindes prepar'd, the seede,
That beares the fruite, whence will and worke proceed.
This changed nature, and reformed, swayes
In some degree, the minde that most estrayes.
[Page]Some sparke she leaues, [...] mindes polluted most,
Which most neglect, and deeme it meerely lost▪
This Nature will require, what first it gaue,
As well what'th vitious as the vertuous haue:
Though they forget, and make no vse of it,
Excuse, but vaine, fram'd by the finest wit.
There is a light, within the darkest minde,
Euery man hath a sparke of Diuine light.
Though it shine not, none can pretend him blinde:
For, he that sues, and soone consents to ill,
Feeles yet a lawe, that countermands the will.
The will yet obstinate, performes the fact,
That light within doth witnesse the contract:
That light will shine vnto the conscience,
And will reueale, most hid concupiscence.
The things indeede thou must auoid, and doe,
Are in effect in generall, but two:
To flye, what Enuie egges thee to effect,
To doe what I, in contrarie direct.
Enuie & Lust, cō ­prehend all for­bidden things.
Vnder the name of Enuie, and of Lust,
Is comprehended, what I hold vniust.
Pride, Enuie, Crueltie, and Auarice,
Deceit, Hypocrisie, and flatteries,
Presumption, and prodigalitie,
Ingratitude, Hate, Sloth, and Gluttonie,
And many other things forbidden, rest,
Harbor'd and hug'd in euery doting brest.
Earths pleasures, vanities, carnall delites,
Are Natures content, not guided by my rites.
As many Sences as the bodie beares,
So many appetites Affection reares:
Ech pleasur's propper to some Sence alone,
The rest then sleepe, or are content with none.
The thing belou'd, delites the longing eye,
The other Sences, silent willingly.
[Page]The eye suffi [...]'d, the eare pertakes her share:
The taste, smell, feeling, all propensiue are
To feede affection, and abuse the heart,
Which erres, led by polluted Natures Arte.
When ech hath yeelded, what his office giues,
The heart misguided, thinkes it much relieues.
And when the heart, whence springs affection,
Hath [...]edde at full, of false refection,
Then hungers it anew, for new delite,
What fancie likes, it holds most exquisite.
The changes of fond fancies appetites,
Are infinite, seeming a while delites▪
Forth with they grow vnto such harsh distaste,
Others are had, fit fewell for a blast.
New choyce, new change, strangest varieties,
Are sweete awhile, in fine, perplexities.
Affection, guided by Reason Diuine,
Shuts vp the outward, opes the inward eyne:
Auoids earths pleasures, treacherous and short,
Seekes pleasures, which eternitie import.
The pleasures which determine, be not best,
Pleasure perma­nent.
Nor long content the minde, wherein they rest.
Pleasures alone, that inwardly are bred,
And by right reason nourished and [...]ed,
Shall neuer change, though outward sences die,
Their inward ioyes shall liue eternally.
Let thy delite be then, in what doth last,
Sport sparingly, in that may bring distaste.
The weakest worme, hath motion to aspire,
Knowes not yet whether it rise or retire:
No more knowes he, that fancieth this and that,
Where, or what marke it is he aymeth at.
The brutest beast, seekes and desires to haue,
What so his brutish appetite doth craue.
[Page]Resembling those, that what they see, affect,
Though ill haue not, true reason to reiect.
The minde doth long, the will consentes and takes,
Lawfull, or not, as mindes delite, it makes:
But if the will, and full affection bee
In earthes delites, it makes a bond, of free.
As pleasures come, they fawne, as harlots doe:
But past, the minde left stunge, they come into.
I [...] outward acte o [...] thy delite regaine,
More inward force▪ t'exhilerate thy braine,
Dul'd with the practise of true vertues deedes,
Be moderate, and then no ill it breedes.
And for the choyce of [...]it companions,
Choyce of com­panions.
To passe the time in recreations,
Looke not vpon them, as they onely seeme,
Nor thinke them fit, in showe of good esteeme:
But trye the humours and the inward minde,
Before consort, proue how they stand inclinde:
If they affectate vitious wordes and deedes,
Abandon them, scurrilitie it breedes.
And in thy recreati [...]e disports take heede,
Thou loose not that thy inward grace may feede.
Thy constancie and magnanimitie,
By wantonnesse, and effeminacie:
No recreation beedes more infamie,
Then to bestowe deare time in gamestrie.
Dicing beseemes noe men of grauitie,
But brands them with the marke of leuitie,
Of frensie▪ indiscretion, wanting wit,
With these the sagest Romans branded it.
Let vertues actes, be cherished in thee,
So shalt thou keepe thy minde (assayled) free.
Vertue a power, ruling the inward part,
Brings into order the disord [...]ed [...]art,
[Page]And sets th'appetite in so comely frame,
It thirsts for nought, but Reason holds the same.
Goods.
One thing among a multitude, is had
In great esteeme, which makes the gainer glad:
It beares the name, which trul'it cannot take,
Goodes: yet not good, for good it cannot make.
It rather makes the good indeed the wurse,
[...]exing the mind for goodes to fill the purse.
When inward heart doth rest in setled peace,
If thou thy health, thy limbes, and sence possesse,
What more can wealth, and great aboundance bring,
But feare to loose (and lost) thy sorrowing?
In getting much is great perplexity,
In keeping it as much timidity.
But greife of greefes to leaue it when he dies,
Can that be good, that breedes such miseries?
Can houses, landes, can gold or siluer giue
To mindes distract, harts-Mummy to releeue?
Can Iewels of the highest price abate
A feuer heckticke, or the dartes of hate?
Be not too bold, to ryot of thy store,
Prodigality
Though thou be sure supply will bring thee more:
A mountaine wasteth with soft drops of raine,
And wasted once, hardly suppli'd againe:
Therefore if fortune fill thy fist with gold,
Spend, yet, in spending, be not too too bold.
Nor spare it so as if thy heart had not,
Some other, and farre more releyuing lot,
Some know no other bounty then to spend,
Yet can propound therein no lawfull end.
The wise yet find, idle expendings vaine,
They spend in measure and a meane retaine.
Not prodigall, as if it could not wast,
Nor too sparing, fearing, to want at last:
[Page]Anoyding these two strong extreames of ill,
They find the meane doth purchase most good will:
They that imbrace and loue earthes excrements,
Loue onely things compact of elements,
Which by their composition haue defects,
One cheefe predominant, the rest reiects:
For when the elements do disagree,
The bodies long continuance cannot be.
So he that sets his mind on money most,
Hath vse of sacred vertue meerely lost:
For earthly pelfe, and vertue, contraries,
Agree as fire and waters qualities:
And as the fire, predominant preuailes,
And all confining fewell stil assailes,
So loue of lucre doth increase and rise,
As ritches rise, and earthes felicities.
Ritches are good if owner knowes to vse them,
But meerely hurtfull; if he do abuse them.
When thy desire, begins to grow to strong,
Desire.
Giue it not head, nor foster it too long:
It hardes the heart and sotteth so the braine,
It makes commit the foulest thinges for gaine,
A common fault raignes in polluted breast,
Lying.
And cloked oft, by deepe, yet false protest,
To gaine vain-glory by the masse of pelfe,
Some sell a lye for losse of soule it selfe:
Incident to most, respecting misteries,
Respecting persons, great diuersities:
But they that haue the habit in the heart,
Can coulour it by nimblenesse of art.
But what they gaine is like vnto the lye,
It seemes, but is not, as appeares to eye;
The hearers hart, deceiu'd by false relate,
So is the lyer by the gaine he gate.
[Page]For, what he gaines, by false protests, consumes,
As snow in sun, and as light vapor fumes.
This hagg, my foe prescribes this false receit,
To nature sick, which workes in men deceit:
Nature corrupt findes sweetnes of this drugge,
Fancy affecting, doth the potion hugge,
Drinkes first a dram: then quaffes of falsity,
[...]omits at last whole floudes of periury.
Lying a greeuous sicknes of the mind,
And's where wants Reason or where Reason's blind.
Cur'd by right Reason or by publike shame,
Who loues to lye, hates yet a lyers name,
A lyer euer is rewarded best,
Not to beleeue him though he do protest▪
Pope Alexander Sextus neuer did
[...]icclardi [...]
The thing he spake, and Cesar Borgia hid
His inward thought, and spake the contrary,
Father and Sonne of deepe hypocrisie.
If power and place may seeme thee to permit,
To act the thing by law thou thinkest fit.
Be not too rash, consult with reason first,
And do not thou but what right Reason dirst:
Reason and Law.
The law without, rules not the mind within,
What Law may do the mind may think it sinne:
The law commandes, some thinges it tollerates,
The first exacts, the second moderates:
Foure vertues hath each law that gouerneth,
I [...] swayes, forbids, permits, and punisheth,
In these right Reason moderator stands,
Contracts and sutes, in Iustice, passe her hands.
The Lawes extreames are too exorbitant
That to right Reason are disconsonant:
Therefore the meane in case of difference,
Best equalzeth law and Conscience.
[Page]How impious is't, and yet a common crime,
Grosly to erre, and make it yet pastime:
To do [...] and boast it.
Many presume, and foulest facts commit,
Blush not to tell it, rather glory in it.
They hold their infamy a badge of grace,
They make, and cast their owne durt in their face:
These are the men, whose liues the world laments,
Their deathes vntimely, bring as great contents,
These are the forth and scumme of Enuies trayne,
She breeds a swarme of vices in their braine.
Some do deny, or forge their faults offence
The great [...]t fault is to de­fend it.
With shift or lye, or by some hid pretence,
This aggrauates the fault more then the fact,
Confession lessens guilt of foulest act,
By art some shroud their inclinations long,
Conceiling nature, yet when't waxeth strong,
It breaketh forth, in perfect coulours seene,
What seemed, seemely, found to be vnclene.
Dissembling holines and sanctity,
Reforme thy selfe before thou re­prooue.
Are th'only pictures of impiety.
If thou hold not true meane in what thou doost▪
In iudging others art the more vniust:
Reforme thy selfe, and then command, correct,
Iudge when thou hast repaird thine own defect.
If thou be iust and constant in thy deed,
Whom thou exhorts will take the surer heed.
It's easie to giue counsell and direct,
To heare as easie, harder to effect,
In consultations see thou still consort
Consult with the wise.
With men of vertue, and of best report:
No Counsel steedes, [...]east it true wisedome guide,
It prospers not, not by her rectifi'de
Wisedome is slow, in resolution
Resolued: constant in execution.
[Page]But if the counsell-giuer be not wise,
Consult a new, before the enterprise:
Aduised pollicy cannot but be,
The best assurance, wit of man can see,
In most attempts, steedes magnanimity,
But neuer (but by chance) temerity.
But howsoeuer, thinges well plotted, fall,
Be thou the same (constant) grudge not at all:
For I will fortefie thy heart anew,
And good content shall futurely ensue.
As thou consistest of two contraries
Nature and Grace.
Nature, and grace, seeming vnities:
So are there in thee two distinct desires,
Carnall downeward, spirit'all vpward aspires.
Whether of these predominant in thee,
Caries consent where thine affections be,
What thou affectest is thy best delight.
If it be earthly it's my opposite:
That delectation, how sweet soeuer,
Is but conceit, conceited to perseuer.
Yet fades on suddaine, as a morning mist,
And of like substance, al the like consist.
As farre as doth the Sun exceed a starre:
Heau'nly delightes, the earths, exceed as farre
None set delight in pleasures here below,
But such as the superior do not know.
If once true iudgement thy opinion sway,
Affection, cannot lead thy will astray.
Spiritual plea­sures.
Accustome thee to ioyes spirituall,
They comfort most though supernaturall
Natures delights are sweet to outward sence,
Sowre in effect, breeding in fine offence:
Hony sweet in tast, yet if the silly Bee,
While thou dost tast, bestow her sting on thee.
[Page]Thou wilt be wary in thy second tast,
Pleasures haue stinges, when their delights are past,
Then satisfie thou not fond fantasie,
It darkens sense and blindeth Reasons eye.
The more thy fancy is fulfil'd and [...]ed,
More strength it takes, and more peruerts the head.
Pleasures are like a whorish painted face,
[...]alse delights
Onely in show, voyd yet of inward grace,
The tast of pleasures to the outward part,
Is seeming sweet, within polutes the heart,
Carnall delights are foolish fansies ioyes,
Right Reasons guide abandons them as toyes.
A thousand thinges by fancy are affected,
Fancy
Not one of ten, accordingly, effected:
A gulfe it selfe, a gulfe of griefe it makes,
It is selfe bane, and still selfe bane it takes,
Sensual delights, She falsly holdes diuine,
Yet worke they dangerous effects in fine,
And though men laugh that liue licentiously,
They laugh at losse of their felicity,
Mad men, and [...]ooles, do laugh at iniuries,
And wittingly imbrace their miseries,
Some erre in dyet, staffe of mans releefe,
[...]i [...].
Be temperate for gurmondy bringes greefe:
Most danger growes by grosse satiety,
But neuer any by sobriety,
Yet often, hurtes, to be too abstinent:
In meane, is Nature, (ruled) best content,
When vulgar congies yeeld thee most all haile,
Think then some monster seekes thee to assaile:
Stick to thy vertues to defend thy fame,
No other weapons, can protect the same.
The idle vapors of the vulgar rise,
[...]icklenes of ulgar cen­ [...]es.
And fall againe, as fauour liues or dies.
[Page]The fawnes, and frownes resemble well the Bee,
When sun doth thine they swarme and sing we see:
But in a black and gloomy day they lye,
Within the hiue: Thus they obserue the sky,
So when on th vulgar rayes of fauour shine,
They fawne, let fauour faile, their loues decline.
And like a monster fawning; to be fed,
Failing of food, gripes keeper on the head.
Sometimes the great, fall from their outward grace,
Patience in Disgrace.
To low estate and ignominious case:
What then can his perplexed mind content,
That seees redresles dangers imminent?
Ready to fall, he flies, and seekes to shun,
The ill he feares, from which he cannot run,
In this sad strait there is one remedy,
To make a vertue of necessity▪
That's to imbrace what he cannot forgoe,
To dye the death if force determine so,
Where vertue dwels, there dwels true sapience,
The mother, nurse, and life of patience.
Vertue resembles Aarons sacred wand,
That buddeth blessings, held in working hand,
Vertue.
But cast to ground- breedes serpent in thy breast,
In life and death let thy heart be her nest.
There will sh [...]bud and bring forth sacred deedes
Deuouring all the serpents spawne that br breedes
The wise, strong, carnally magnanimous,
Carnally wise
Haue vertues habit, heartes prodigious:
For that foule hagge, the dame of faise delights,
Giues outward glory to her fauorites,
She mooues the mind she workes th'affection,
As only Lady of direction:
She paints the baites, affection sucks delight,
Lu [...]'d in Lusts lap, the better partes despite.
[Page]Hy this infernall hagg and her inchants,
It's not for good the seeming best she grants.
She doth excite to grosse and vild atempts,
And by protests, al danger she exempts:
And by degrees she winnes the doubting mind,
She frames the baites, as she findes mindes inclind.
Ambitious mindes, meanly incens'd to rise,
Ambition
She liftes a little to low dignities:
Then tenders she matters of greater sort,
Sugiesting those, their glory much import.
Then who so standes in way where they must passe,
Must downe, a Diadem, or head of brasse,
Vaineglory.
And when these silly subiects of her fraudes,
Are at the highest, them she then applaudes,
Feedes them with fawnes, and false security,
Plotting the while against them trechery,
They must not stand, sufficeth her to see,
Her plots preuaile and them in high degree.
Soone she repines, at their aduanced state,
She trips their heeles, whom she did eleuate.
Whom she obserues vaine gloriously bent,
She showes false meanes to make more excellent:
To gaine him grace, the meane is to exceed
All of his rank, in cost and forme of weed.
Spending gets glory, sparing but disdaine,
He's too mistrustful, if he saue, or gaine.
Spares not spends all, at last depriu'd of all,
Then she obr aides him as too prodigall,
She leaues no heart vnsearch't what she detects:
Enuics ob­seruations.
Is fundamentall ground for her proiects:
Some are by inclination nigardly,
Them she perswades to liue more thriftily.
Vntill they grow most auaritious,
Sugiesting them yet too too prodigous.
[Page]And when they are in highest honour set
To gaine; she snares and takes them in her net.
Concupiscence, the bane of best estates,
Concupiscēce
Though most pestifrous, she extenuates;
She shews it in a glasse of libertie,
To make it seeme loue, and no leuitie;
Yet fastens she a foile of deepe disgrace,
Griefe in the heart, Shame in the outward face.
A minde inclinde to hatefull Iealousie
Iealousie.
She feedes, with strong deluding fantasie,
And layes the counterfet, so like in show,
As if it were the thing he sought to know:
And when she hath the strong suspition wrought,
She breedes him Enuy, for the thing he thought;
A greater sickenes sacketh not the minde,
Then this that seemes to see, and yet is blinde,
It doth pretend the quintessence of loue,
▪And yet condempnes the part t'would aproue.
What is the thing mans heart incline vnto
How ill soeuer, but she egges to do?
And done, appeares to those in vgly wise,
Whom she seduc'd, and them she terrifies.
What brings reuenge, the act of foule despite;
Reuenge.
Vaineglory egg'd by Enuie to the fight?
When light occasion moues the minde to rage,
What head so light, will lay his life in gage?
Who leaues his foe in field dead, combat done,
Griefe and repentance are the gaine he wonne:
Where hearts affect reuenge, she laies the plot,
Hearts coldly hatefull, she fires and makes hot;
Suggesting him a coward that remits
The smallest wrong; yet when th'offender smits,
She egges the smitten to that deadly hate,
That each must othēr kill or vulnerate.
[Page]And him that wins the prize with best content,
She d [...]th pursue death, or banishment.
[...] glorie, and excesse in needeles pride,
[...].
Resemble Phaēton, (vaineglorious guide)
That mounted on the Charret of the Sunne,
Could not cheeke, nor manage horses runne;
No more can he that giues his will the bit,
It [...]nnes to riot, cannot mannage it.
What gaines the auaritious, but his cares
Auance.
To [...]et and keepe what he in vaine prepares?
He fits secure, yet suddenly befall
A thousand deadly dangers corporall;
Besides the griefe, that he must needes depart
From that false god, he honours in his heart.
What deadly feare, amazeth him to see
The gastly gulfe, whence no escape can be?
How prize men lust, brutish concupiscence,
Concupis [...]ce
That brings so many griefes for recompence?
It is the pledge, and earnest of that shame:
Of force, succeeding, sorrow-winning game:
Short seeming-sweet, sharpe in the finall taste,
A brutish rage by'th brutish held repast.
The errours infinite tht doe distract
The minds of men, in purpose and in fact:
To tell them all were a superfluous deed,
Not one of all, but this fowle hag doth breede:
She shews the thing, though most pernitious,
In a false glasse to make it glorious.
Flie and resist the practise of this witch,
Scoope not vnto her lure, nor soare her pitch,
Of smallest sparke of thy prest wills desire,
She kindles thirst, and longing to aspire,
Distasting then what present fortunes be,
No true content, or peace, can lodge in thee.
[Page] Enuie, Despite, and hatefull Emulation,
Lust, Lucre, and vnbrideled Ambition,
Will be the fewell of thy fuming braine,
The smoake thy smother, thy disgrace the gaine,
Inward distasts, thy hardned hearts vntest
Shall be the banquet, thou sad Sorrowes guest.
Oh flie her, follow me, liue and learn my law,
Thy truest freedome is of me thine awe:
My strongest hate, is hate to hatefull vice,
My loue I leuell to the vertuous wise;
To such as shunne the painted paths of lust,
Set not delight in things compact of dust;
Nor tide, nor tempest, can driue them to doubt,
Assail'd they stand, a Lion not more stout.
Foes fright them not, threats breed in them no feate,
Poore state grieues not, nor daunts whatso they heare:
Hope being helmet, Confidence their shield,
Assurance their sword, nothing can make them yeeld;
Death that most dreadfully threatens and kills,
Heau'ns firie gusts that fearefully distills,
Thunder-claps, nor tempest, plague, nor warre
Affrights the hearts of men that vertuous are.
But as a Ship in stormy tempest tost,
So he at death, in life that boasted most,
Because true Reason pilote to the wise,
Stirs not the heart, when storms of Fansie rise.
Affection as a stormy gust doth driue
The will on ground; wise he it can retriue,
And bring it backe, by Reason to the port,
Where I am Gouernesse and keepe the fort.
But if it harbour where that hag doth keepe,
A seeming hauen, safe, secure and deepe,
A storme ariseth, shelter then not neare,
It sinckes the hope, and none can it vpreare:
[Page]The minde inconstant, swaide with euery winde,
Sailes euery, yet no way but as the blinde.
The blind in light, are alwayes in the darke;
Inconstancie.
So he that is inconstant aimes no marke:
Now mou'd with lust, reuenge then seeketh hee,
Now spends, then spares; In bondage now, then free:
Now hope, then feare; now fauour, then disdaine;
Ambitious now, then in the lowest straine;
Suspitious now, forthwith too credulous;
Now prodigall, then auaritious.
As are desires, so are their opposites,
Dissimulation
Conceal'd sometimes by arte of hypocrites;
A smile may couer hatred of the heart;
Inward deceit shadow'd by outward Art;
Seeming frugalitie shrowds Auarice,
Dissembling grace, a seeming benedice.
But thou in following me shalt surely haue
No seeming succour, but the thing shall saue;
No carnall care needs much perturbe the mind
Of him whose heart is vertuously inclind;
The vertuous.
To him is fulnes, peace, plenty, content,
Neuer distracted by most crosse euent;
He still is one, Fancie, Affection,
Enuie, Reuenge are in subiection:
Sufficeth to be vertuous indeede,
Not onely seeming, hauing but the weede;
The theoricke, wanting the practicke part,
With speculation, must be vse of Art:
Else when the stormes of meanest crosses rise,
They hold sad silence, or giue childish cries;
If griefes within, nor cries without preuaile,
Their wits becalmed, floate without a saile.
Then steps this hag vnto the helme and steares;
Hoiseth her sailes, aloofe off Grace she beares:
[Page]Lanching the Barke into most vnious seas,
Among ragg'd rockes of horror hearts disease;
Then falls the Barke vpon the rocke of Pride,
Lust beates her then, and boulgeth th'other side;
Ambition breakes the prow, Enuie the keele,
The stormes of Blasphemies make t'hull to reele:
The masts and shrowdes of Reason lacerate,
With bullets of Despaire in that estate.
Then houers Hope, hauing redreslesse leakes,
In gaining anker, Surance-cable breakes;
Some swimming haste to shoare, leaue Fansies barke
Vnto the hagge, rent, floating in the darke.
They worke againe for life of inward grace,
Then th'hag leaues helm, & hath these (scap'd) in chace,
They crie to me, I reach the hand and saue them
From that fowle hag that makes pursuite to haue them:
Then she retires and seizeth on the rest,
Makes them her follie slaues, she first possest;
She chaines them then, feeds them with false delight,
And makes them rowe the Barke of her despight,
They are the instruments of her complots,
For prize she gets, her silly slaues cast lots:
Their shares are griefes and sorrowes preparatiues;
Their seeming pleasures, conscience corosiues,
Yet seemes to blesse them with a thousand ioyes,
But what she doth or sayes found deadl' annoyes.
How can she blesse, that is a cursed sot,
How can she grace, who grace hath neuer got?
She leades men backe, in shew they forward runne,
She keepes them darke, yet faines them in the Sunne;
In words she seemes to be right rule of grace,
In workes, and wiles the worst of hellish race;
Who frame their fancies, as she doth, or sayes,
Are most vnhappy in their happi'st dayes:
[Page]The more to mooue the ignorant to erre,
She shews their glory, whom she doth preferre.
Examples more preuaile in good or ill,
[...].
Then Counsell doth, to winne, or wrest the will:
Therefore examples she propounds and showes,
Of good successe, neuer of ouerthrowes:
Her fautors rising, not their falles reueales,
Their seeming ioyes their inward griefes conceales,
Nothing but pleasures she depaints to lure,
Allur'd, pretends they cannot but indure.
What pleasure can be truly pleasing long,
[...]a [...]ure [...]t
Although Affection be neuer so strong?
It waxeth weake, and then the pleasure dies,
Although by art the same she fortifies:
The Power may die, and yet the Will may liue,
If Will be dead, the Power can not it giue:
The will doth worke the act, act not the will,
Yet weakest will increas'th by actiue skill.
For, Custome, is a second Natures Nurse,
[...]u [...]ome.
Best actions may by custome waxe farre worse;
Yet Custome is not simply dangerous,
Though in the worser part suspitious.
Of slender sparke ariseth mighty flame,
But not vnlesse fit matter feed the same.
So where as Custome sets it foote to rise,
In ill, subdue her lest she tyrannize,
While she is young she may be managed,
But growing olde, she will be strong in head;
But euer weakest is she found to bee,
When she should worke the mindes of men to mee.
And when she frames her will to aide my foe,
She's prest; the hag needs not constraine her goe.
Yet not of her selfe-inclination,
But as mens minds haue preparation.
[Page]For though she seeme a Princesse by her law,
She is not absolute, but vnder awe;
She doth command, the mindes she can surprise,
(The seeming so) but not the truly wise:
By nature men are pro [...]nest to doe ill,
Without an outward prompter of the will:
And where she findes the will prepared so,
She feeds affection as fond fansies goe:
She offers still occasion of her aide,
Stil building more vpon the plot she laide.
Thus custome alters, or begets anew,
A nature, which at first, her selfe withdrew;
Both good and ill she can transforme, and make
As is the heart apt good or ill to take.
She's agent both for that fowle hag, and me;
Regards not much whose instrument she be:
But [...]hat my foe hath her attendance most,
She brings me only those that hag hath lost.
Decrepite, feeble, aged, impotent;
The wrong'd, oppressed, lowly, indigent,
They that by her despite and pleasing charmes,
Haue found her witchcraft, and doe feele their harmes:
Not yet by nature, but b'instinct of grace,
That only light bewraies her vgly face.
Flie her, her pleasures and false instruments,
And set thy heart right on my rudiments,
I am delite, my wayes and workes delite,
My pleasures please not carnall appetite,
Heroicke acts, that make men honorable,
Are only sweet, and most inestimable,
The rest are false, found meere scurrilitie,
By which some loose, both fame and dignitie:
But such as haue me patronesse and guide,
Shall neuer fall howso they seeme to slide:
[Page]They shall withstand, and get the victorie
Ouer that hagge and hellish companie:
Whose conquest farre exceedes the manli'st hand
That swaies a sword, none stronger can withstand.
The life of man hath two distinct delites,
Two kindes of pleasures con­ [...]ra [...]e.
Contraries, each to other opposites;
One seeming not, yet is delight indeede;
The other seemes, but is not of the seede.
The seeming not is blemished with spite,
Which makes it seeme sad sorrow, not delite;
The seeming, is, as it is found to bee.
Sweete in the first, sharpe in the last degree:
One seemes contempt, and yet is glorious,
Th'other glorie, yet ignominious.
The issues of these two delites doe show
Whence either takes, the roote and sap to grow,
The first doth spring from my loues influence,
And beares Content, faire fruit of Sapience;
The other issuing from polluted head,
Defiles the organ, through the which t'is led;
And whoso tasteth of that poyson'd spring,
Infatuates, or dyeth murmuring.
The wife in me, by me doe learne to shunne
Experience.
Harmes to themselues, as others harmes haue runne:
And if thou see some runne this Maze awry,
Conceiue the curuings, crosse the wisest eie;
Therefore I wish thee to obserue and take,
My rudiments aright, and triall make,
By inward exercise and meditation,
And by true practise sweet'st recreation.
Prowd hearts are hie, yet grouell on the ground,
The meeke looke vp, where true content is found,
And that content is planted in the heart,
Water'd and prun'd, by right Reasons art;
[Page]And beares the branches of those true delites,
That spread abroad in hearts of Proselites.
True Conuerts, who from Ethnicke Enuie came,
And gaine them grace, and glory in my name.
If thou haue Honours birth or dignitie,
W [...] what the hono [...]able should decke [...]em.
Adorne it more and more with pietie,
With iustice, mercy, and true patience,
With constancie and heauenly sapience,
With humblenesse, true magnanimitie,
With loue, with prouidence, and policie:
Thus thou adorned with celestiall gems,
Shalt farre exceede the farre more honor'd stems;
Let name and nature, heart and hand agree,
Let Honours name be dignifi'd in thee;
For I approue the parts, the person not,
But onely so, as he approoues his lot.
Birth is the badge that shews from whom men came,
Not much materiall, base or noble name.
Of base degree, I raise, and set aloft,
The noble and base are inter­changeable.
The noble birth, abusde, I checke as oft;
It's not the sire that dignifies the sonne,
Nor him disgraceth; but grace lost and wonne:
A noble birth may be disgrac'd and fall,
The base may rise by acts heroicall:
As greatnes growes to ripenes, and to ro [...],
So basest rise, and come to highest lot.
Some are of noble stocke deriued farre
From Williams conquest, yet in's Armes a barre,
That barres him not from higher honors state,
(By due desert) then he th'first honour gate:
There was at first no diffrence in degrees,
Time brought forth Honour, and indignities.
How came men first of equalls differing,
Aduanced some; some contrarie, declining?
[Page]The first, magnanimous and valorous,
The second, ba [...]e of minde, and cowardous;
The first, approu'd by prowesse in the field,
The second, faint, vnhardy, prone to yield;
The first, to Letters, and to Wisedomes law,
The second, to vaine vitious wayes gaue awe;
The first, by grauitie gate gouernement,
The second, wanton, gracelesse, male content;
The first, g [...]te honour, scepter, sword and crowne;
The second, shame, disgrace, and publique frowne:
These were originalls [...]f cac [...]d egree▪
As men were led by that fowle hag▪ or mee.
These changes hold, by prouidence Diuine,
The vertuous grow, the vicious decline.
And though the generalls in heads but twaine,
The branches infinite, they both sustaine:
And as there are in Greatnes, steppes to rise,
So many downe-falls, in their contraries:
If that fowle hagge my opposite haue place,
No honour riseth but with deepe disgrace▪
My wayes resemble [...]ugar in their kinde,
The effects of vertue.
Sweet in themselues, and sweeten all the minde,
Make crosses light, and easie to be borne,
Digested, pleasant, cheering the forlorne:
The loue of me abandous loue of lust,
True trust in me infeebles carnall trust.
In whom I rule, and he be rul'd by me,
All difficulties to him easie be.
It is a matter difficult to finde,
N [...]nd.
By Nature how another is inclinde;
No [...] is't my will, thou should'st diue deepe to know
How others stand; but how thy selfe dost grow.
But if a publique note, by art thou see,
Iudge, yet not rashly till the issue bee.
[Page]For he may rise, or suffer for his guilt;
And thou maist fall, by building as he built,
A happy president▪ that doth fore-teach,
Before a floud to stoppe a doubted breach:
When others harmes farre off thou dost behold,
Thinke thine are neare, Wisedome not rashly bold:
If thou perceiue an errour in thy friend,
Iudge not, aduise; None happy till the end.
Desert and Bountie.
When due desert may challenge thy regard,
True Bounty rests not in a bare reward:
But Fauours eye, preferring will and might,
Giue all their aide, to yeelde deseruer right:
And when thou seest, by fained readinesse,
One to assume selfe-greatest worthinesse,
Thinke greatest boasters are not best of deed,
A cable-show in substance, spiders threed.
Enuie.
When hatefull Enuie stands inuenomed,
To spew her malice on best qualited,
Let them be silent, silence workes her shame,
No outward force, but inward makes her tame:
She flies when I resist, she falls, and dies,
When I incounter her with verities;
Her force is Falshood, Flatterie, Disdaine,
These ouer-gorge her, she cannot containe.
Foule Enuie, blindnesse, and true Vertues light,
Enuies blind­nesse.
Resemble Egypt when t'was darke and light;
Where I inlighten, darkenes vanisheth,
Blacke darknes where that hagge inhabiteth;
None comprehend my light, but they that haue it,
They hate that darkenes, and the hag that gaue it.
Vertues light, and Enuies blindnesse.
My light resembles that celestiall place,
Her darkenes hell, depriu'd of light and grace;
Mine is a mount of ioy, hers gulfe of griefe,
Mine giues content: hers barre to all reliefe;
[Page]Her charmed venime strong, strong her despite▪
Whereby she drawes the weake to her delite:
And to deceiue, she counterfeits true light,
That they that can not iudge, may deeme it right.
She sets fowle visard on the fairest face,
And on her owne depaints dissembling grace;
Deprauing me, she seekes her owne renowne,
And in conceit she stands, and hurles me downe.
She slaunders those that I doe traine aright,
By it supposing to increase her might.
She makes hers seeme by outward ornaments,
Worlds happy ones, and mine as malecontents:
But Plants may seeme to liue, dead yet in heart,
And seeming dead, may liue in inward part.
Mans twofold life, a twofold death declares▪
As life, so death two­fold.
The one of ech all men see how it fares;
For, that men liue, and that they die, men see,
Their inward life, or death, not how they be;
Therefore rash censure I forbid to giue,
The liuing, dead, the seeming dead may liue.
As censure sound, or partiall doome affords,
Censures vn­certaine.
So are men held; A publique errour words.
Words worke report, Report, fame, good or bad,
The fame oft false, grieuing, or making glad.
The badge that best assures what others bee,
▪All outward shews deceiue.
Is gesture, act, and countenance men seen
All these deceiue, and therefore rest content,
Search not, iudge not, but leaue it to euent.
Thy selfe, I wish thou would'st thy selfe vnfold
Vnto thy selfe. In secret, who not bolde?
What in thy selfe by due scrutation
Thou find [...]st, make it a lawe or caution;
A law to liue in awfull temperance,
A caution to preuent more arrogance,
[Page]So shalt thou settle peace within thy minde,
A wall of brasse before thee and behinde:
Who or what so incounters thee thus guarded,
Shall fall or flie; and thou stand, and rewarded.
A thousand censurers will looke on thee,
As are affections, so their censures be;
The vicious, to the vicious vertuous,
The vertuous to the vicious odious.
VVho builds a house, or doth some publique acts,
Stands on the stage of flatteries and detracts:
If he be valorous, then desperate;
If he be a coward, then considerate;
If he be bountifull, then prodigall;
If he be couetous, wise and frugall;
If he be ciuile, then a seelie sot;
If he be insolent, fit for what not?
If he be affable, then base of kinde;
If he be arrogant, of gallant minde;
If he be prowd, a comelie personage;
If meane in tire, fit for no equipage;
If he grow great, he is ambitious;
If meane, content, he is infatuous;
If truely zealous, then a Puritan;
If irreligious, great Politician.
A world of wonders, this worlds wonders maze,
None see themselues, yet all on others gaze;
A forren fault men see; not selfe-estrayes.
The guiltiest censure, the lesse guilties wayes;
Fret not at this, faint not, nor be dismaide,
From Clowne to Keisar, all are thus displaide.
Now for conclusion thus I say to all,
To base and bigge, I am not partiall;
But he that swaies his words and deedes by me,
In fine shall finde a Diademe for fee.
When this Discourse this Ladie faire had ended,
And I obseruing whereunto it tended,
Rightly collected what before I guessed.
Whose persons these three vncoth'd gifts expressed.
Forth with this Ladie and the Hagge were gone,
And left this Passionate in cell alone;
For though they seem'd of shapes substantiall,
They haue no bodies but are spirit'all:
Yet can and do dispose themselues to bee,
Where either likes, though no man may them see.
FINIS.

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