University of Virginia Library

An Ecloge: Spoken by Mælibeus and Dorilus.

MELIBEUS.
The North lookes grisly blacke; our Ewes new-Shorne,
Hast to the Covert of yond' thick-set Thorne;
Presage of Storme: goe wee, while angrie clouds
Threaten our flocks, into the well-made Shrouds
Of the neare Grove. Lambs, sooner wise then wee,
Have got the Hedge, and now stand Weather-free.

DORILUS.
Poore Innocents! who take noe further Care
Then to prevent distemperatures of Ayre;
Happie beyond our Envie; I have oft,
Deare Melibæus, in a serious thought,
Bene pleas'd to see our flocks, how gladlie they
Live in their Nature, pleas'd (as wee may say)
With Providence; and lesson to vs men,
In their faint bleatings, precepts, which the pen
Of Schooles is not soe cleare in. I can see
More resignation, more humilitie,
In this poore Lambe, and practise by Him, farre
Beyond the highest Lectures that I heare.

MELIBEUS.
Ah Dorilus! 'tis Soe: our retchles Swains
Are idle All, and have Lethargicke Brains;
Nature inverted, Starts to see the Change;
And man the onlie Ideot, in a Strange
Posture of Dreaming. Whether tends this dull
Stupiditie vnto? May wee not pull
The Syllie-Hoe (which binds vp our best Eye
From its deare obiect of Tranquillitye)
Away? but tarrie Infants, in the wombe
Of Ignorance, till it become our Tombe?

DORILUS.
Men are but Children ever; what wee know,
Or what wee say wee know, wee doe not Soe;
Wee may intend at Something, and arrive
In Ken of the faire Port at which wee drive;
But there the Sands immure vs. If wee seeke
By force to tugge her in, wee either leake,
(Fraile vessels can noe more) or hemm'd about,
Wee're lost; not to get in, nor can get out.

MELIBEUS.
Wee seeke Destruction with a willing hast,
And boast to be vndone. How madlie fast
Wee run into Selfe-ruine! All our Pride
Is to out-foole our Selves! Some few are tyed
To the dull precepts of Antiquitie;
I call 'em dull, as dull to them who see
Not to the force, but trifle in the word;
Which to the height they tend to but afford,
A Glimpse of Light. Hee in a mist doth stray
To Knowledge, who by words would find his way.
Yet Somewhat must be Spoke; and much is said,
By which the riper Intellect is made
Able to know its obiect by the Sight;
This but to few, though All pretend to Light.
And bad men, in our bold Age, now dare boast
New knowledges to vs; and bring the lost
Exploded errors of all former Ages,
Iustified, to the world, in their full Pages.
Now, nothing from the peasant, Groome is heard,
But Subtle Doubts, & Selfe-sprung doctrines rear'd.
Who has not heard lewd Blotos in a fitt,
Defame All wee thinke Truth? And make it witt
To laugh things Sacred into all Contempt;
Not even Divinitie itselfe exempt.
Vnheard of Arrogance, to question All
Wee move by, from our Earth's originall.
The ranke Impieties of mortalls rise
From burning Entrails, sulphurous Blasphemies;
And to convince themselves they ever beare
Their Hell with them, which they seem not to feare.
Oh! the Anxietie of such a Soule!
Beleive it, Dorilus, the Furies houle
Still in that Bosome; all imagin'd fears
And reall feinds, vnto that Eye appears;
And though Hee (blushles false) seeme to perswade
Nothing of Heaven or Hell, his Thoughts invade;
Hee dare doe All, or neglect, as he List,
Pietie or Profaneness; and persist
Incorrigible; Laugh at all beside,
The follie of the world; and his owne pride,
Is Reason; Reason, God; Or what wee call
Divinitie; and Hee to Himselfe is All.
I tremble to repeat it; yet I've knowne
Him Stupid in his fears, and oft, alone,
Afrighted Start, and Stare, and broken Speake
To the darke Goblins his owne fancies make;
Yet still impenitent, had rather dye
Rack'd by his fears and foule impietie,
Then seeme to retract any of his will;
Obstinate Miscreant to his Error still.
These, the Contagion, not of families,
But Commonwealths, and humane Policies;
What Thought abhors not? Hammers to beat downe
All bonds of Peace, of Love, Religion.

DORILUS.
These, Melibæus, now soe frequent are,
Hee sitts a Dizzard to the world that dare
Not impious be, and with a saucy taunt
Affront Divinitie; as 't wer a want
Of witt or Courage, not to be profane.
Man should dare anything; Shall the inane
Terrors of Death and Hell, the forgéd dreame
Of Heaven, be made a bridle vnto them?
I cannot, dare not, Speake, what even this Eare,
From such foule Mouths, has gvilty bene to heare.
Sence pleasing fallacies! But wherefore should
Wee wander in these waies? Vnles wee could
Reduce them stray'd; a Thing in vaine to trye:
Leave we to speake what None can remedie.

MELIBEUS.
Leave wee't to Him who made and can restore
All Hearts; Him, th' only Maker, to Adore.
That obiect only worthy our desires,
To whom noe Thought can reach; nor the Enquires
Of humane Industrie can ever gaine;
Leave it to Him. It fitts the humble Swaine
Better to see himselfe, or Sing his owne
Notion of things, or ravill out th' vnknowne
Series of naturall Causes; and be free
With fellow-Creatures. Here, can nothing be
Obstructive to our faith; and if wee misse,
'Tis but in Iudgment, which no Error is.

DORILUS.
That, wee can scarce Allow; though it may hitt,
Perhaps, with some new Meta-phisicke witt.
Philosophie and Reason have their Sphœre,
Though in a lower orbe, and Truth is there.
A firme and setled Being doth not move
Or floate with humane fancies, as they rove;
Some thing is Truth; and though the diverse head
Of man, from One, has manie seeming made;
Wee may not grant; for then, might everie braine
Boast its validitie, though nere soe vaine;
And those strange Pseudo-doxal fancies be
Which Maladolon gives Philosophie.
Thinke not, by this, I to old principles
Am meerly tyed, and blow away what else,
By latter Qvills, has worthilie bene taught.
Where pregnant proofes and Reasons have bene brought.
To vindicate their Teachings, there I'me free,
And at my owne Election left to be;
Though 'twer a Thesis by the Stagerite
Left as inviolable. If I might
Put in my humble Iudgment, to the high
Flyings of others in Philosophie;
And give my Approbation, (though alas
I know soe little, yet all Praise will pass).
Lately, a noble Shepheard made appeare
Philosophie, in Garments fitt to weare;
Which I admire, and truelie must allow
It weight and Current; though, perhaps, I know,
The Schooles, and Some who would Schoole-learning vant,
Explode it, false, defective, Arrogant.
Truly, with those Heads shall I never ioyne;
But kisse that honoréd Hand, in everie Line
Of his elaborate Treatise, and confesse
Hee has taught more to me, then I could gvesse
By all I knew before—

MELIBEUS.
that learned Knight
Has left a worke of price, worthy the Spight
Of such an Ignorance as vndertooke
To cavill it, and the most worthy Booke
Now extant; where, me thinks, I read againe
Man from his Principles, to perfect Man.
But let such Impudence discover what
Malice would doe, if 'twer within his fate;
A Qvill soe low, soe yet vndipt, to cope
With these well-mention'd worthyes. What mad Hope
Could soe encourage Him! Ill may his Inke
Run, to revile him. I dare hardlie thinke
Madnes it selfe could hope to merit fame
From such light Pasquills; if not with the name
Of his great opposites Hee thought to find
Some soon-caught Reader, for their Sakes, soe kind.

DORILUS.
You can be bitter; as indeed, I blame
Not much your Zeale to vindicate the name
Of honour, from the Envious breath of those
Who detract Truth, and run with Saucie Nose
To everie neighbour feast; and gather All
The Qvelq-chose or the Scraps, which are let fall
Perhaps to that End. Give the Curre a bit
Or bone, to stay his Canine Appetite.
But, Melibæus, Some, who would appeare
Sober and Solid, iudge that Booke, I heare,
And passe it, in a Character, which sounds
Frightfull to Sence; and weaker Iudgment wounds.

MELIBEUS.
Some, who put on grave Browes, have shallow Brains;
Whose face, their Stocke of wisedome still maintains.
These are Austere, and put a sullen brow
Of Censure to all freedome they not know;
Seeme startled (they confin'd) at fuller ayres,
Which from Enlargéd Minds expression bears:
Where, to name Providence, were to denie
Our faith, and raise some heathen Deitie.
Though higher Soules, full with Cœlestiall fruits,
See God and know Him by his Attributes.
Love, Peace, Truth, Light, and Fire; (expressions, which
Hee daigns;) to them, sounds nothing but an itch
And levitie in words; weake Soules may feare;
And 'tis a vertue, in them, to forbeare.
Though, doubtles, Some minds may expatiate
With as much Innocence, to all the height
Their Notions are made Capable: they, free
In their owne Thoughts, may vse this Libertie.
For still shall Man be foole? or soe much Slave
To words? whose worth or weight, (if ought they have)
Hee gives; and may not Hee vse to his owne
Idea, the most apt expression?
Some words are flat and low, and halt to bring
Forth great intentions; want the relishing
Which fluent Qvills and full Thoughts ever give;
Somewhat beyond the words, which makes 'em Live.

DORILUS.
And in that Hee is Happie; all his Sence
Soe poinant is, soe vnstrain'd his Eloquence,
Hee steales vpon the Soule, and apts the Mind
To all the Proiect which he has design'd;
His words are soe Himselfe; so everie man
That will but speake Himselfe; as nothing can
Be clearer to an Eye not meerlie led
By its owne Meteors. Let the swimming Head
Floate in a Sea of Phlegme, whilst Knowledge towers,
With wings vncurb'd, to ioyne with its great Source;
There lives a flame combin'd, never to fall,
Made one, whence first it had originall.
How diversly the mind of Man may frame
Its owne Beatitude, vnder the Name
Of Knowledge! Each, within himselfe possest,
Hee has the ray, still liveing in his brest.
And sure Each has Enough to his owne End;
What Providence did equallie intend,
Nature, ill organized, may faile to spread;
Or parts, by Accident enfeebled,
May hinder it, to the exterior Sence:
But in its Light, its Seat of Excellence,
The Soule is cleare and perfect; when wee shall
Move Intellects meere in-organicall.

MELIBEUS.
What Strange wild Paradoxes, humane Witt
Oft teem's with! and dare boldlie vtter it,
Strong Reason! Doe you thinke that all Soules be
Equall in their first Cause? or Equallie
Move to the End? Are vessels of one Size,
Or in proportion? or in dignities?
And but the interposure of our flesh,
Doth difference, to make it more or lesse,
Active or cleare? Pardon, if I dissent,
Or if I say 'tis not yet evident,
This Same-proportion; though the Arteries,
And organizéd flesh may faculties
Perhaps obstruct; or sometimes mure the way,
Where Reason should make Sallye. But you say
All minds are forméd Equall, and that All
Shall equall move, One with th' originall.
I doe beleive and know the flesh a weight;
And duller organs hinder the great flight
Our vnderstanding tends to, that Wee now
Not apprehend the least, what wee shall know.
And ev'n that Mind which wee see drench't in mire,
Shall looke at Glorie, freed from its attire
Of Earth; but with a differencéd Light
To those, who liveing saw that flame more bright.
Else, to the Ideot better portion falls
Then to the wise; and what all Wisedome calls
A Blessing, is not soe; but soe much worse;
A Torture, a Disease, perhaps a Curse.

DORILUS.
I cannot yet retract: my Reason must
Vse her owne wing, in this, rather then trust
The borrowed feathers from another's braine;
And what I have said once, must speake againe.
Soules equall are, and Equallye doe move,
In Glorie, to the height of Knowledge, Love.
This, if it be a Paradox to you,
I blame not; to my Iudgment it sounds true;
And truelie, could wee speake our owne thoughts cleare,
Or make full-form'd Conceptions appeare
To others in the Light to vs they Stand,
Wee should not differ; for wee vnderstand
Things now by halfes, and hardlie see the End
Propos'd, or whether the Discourses tend;
Things in their Causes hid, and set beyond
The vtmost fathome of the extended Mind;
Noe wonder if in words they darke appeare,
Hard to Another's Intellect and Eare.
For, what wee know and See, what Sence perswades
Is not well ever told; how lesse, the Shades
Of our Imaginations sett to veiwe?
How least, of faith? which noe man ever knew,
Or could display, beyond the fixéd Light
Resident in him; to informe his Spright.
The brightest Notions which our Reason heav's
From Fancie's hindge, imperfectlie wee leave
To the then forme of words; the beautie rests
Still hid, perhaps; but what, to our owne brests
Was borne within vs, pleases still the mind;
Though hearers nought of Satisfaction find.
But, Melibæus, see, the Storme is ore,
Our flocks now fall to feeding, as before;
Cease wee of this, till further time; and keepe
Committed trust; Love wee, and tend our Sheepe.

MELIBEUS.
The great Cloud breaks, and Titan, with his ray
Obliquelie glanc'd, seems to revive the day;
A merrie wind whistles through all the Grove,
And clears the Ayre; the welkin Smiles above;
Our glad flocks Spread the Hill; the Lambs, made bold
In warmer Ayre, forget the Storme and Cold.

DORILUS.
Then goe wee to the Hill, and lead 'em out
To fresher Herbage, ere the evening Shutt:
The Sun declines, to lave his fierie Carr
In westerne Seas, and rouse the Evening Starr.
Shepheard, applie thy Pipe, whilst Sober Layes
Begvile our Steps, in these oft-trodden waies.