KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world With an Appendix of Gods resting day, Edon Garden; Mans Happiness before, Misery after, his Fall. Whereunto is added, The Praise of Nothing; Divine Ejaculations; The four Ages of the world; The Birth of Christ; Also a Century of Historical Applications; With a Taste of Poetical fictions. Written some years since by N. B.[i.e. Nicholas Billingsley] ... And now published at the request of his Friends |
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 | KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world |  |
When heavens great builder had about enrould
This Marble Gallery, with studs of gold;
He made the greater, and the lesser light
Alternately to rule the Day and Night;
Illustrious Phæbus his refulgent face,
The upper and the lower world doth grace,
With equal splendor; his irradient beams
Refresheth all things; his ignivomous teams
Run restless races; his all-quickning power
Gives life and breath to every plant and flower;
Unto our sight it ev'dently appears,
His revolution makes up days and years:
He circulates in twice twelve howers time
The Universe, spends half in this our clime,
And when his Chariots rapid wheels are whirl'd
Into the Climates of th'inferiour world;
He on the lower Hemisphere displayes
His Rosy light and bright refulgent rayes,
Then pale-fac'd Phæbe riseth to fulfill
Her nightly course, ascending up the hill
Of the renoun'd Olympus, joys to spred
The glittring glory of her new-made head,
Silv'ring the world in her nocturnal race,
She reigns as Empress in her brothers place
And emulates his rayes, (although more dim)
What light she hath is all deriv'd from him;
She ev'ry month doth wax and wane and shew
Now Semicircled like a half bent bow:
But when Sol doth against her full face shine,
Earth interpoz'd in the Eccliptick line;
Her round cheeks are Ecclips'd, her masked face
Admits the glory of its borrowed grace,
She wears a Cypress hood and overshrouds
Her shamfac'd count'nance, in the gloomy clouds.
This Nights fair Lady, by her influence brings
Admir'd effects to sublunary things.
O sacred purdence, ev'ry day nay houer
Sets forth the greatness of th'Almighties power,
His pow'r fils all things, if I tow'r the skies
I do behold it in those twinkling eyes.
Doe not I see it in the burnish'd Sun,
And Moon, which round about their Circle run?
And if from heav'n I to the earth descend,
Are not his wonders there without an end
Nay saile I out into the boundless Seas
Gods goodness meets me; goe I where I please
His mercies find me; if I take the wings
Of fair Aurora, if I search the springs
Of his abundant grace; and if I roul
Even from the Arctick to th'Antarctick Pole.
His favours doe prevent me; Sea and Land
Enrich'd are by the All creators hand.
Dive I to the sulphureous pitt of hell,
There, there th'eternall doth in Iustice dwell
Look here, look there, nay turne I where I will
I see Gods greatness and his goodness still.
No Gods with him may equalized be;
Where is there such another God as he?
I stand amaz'd, on his stupendious name,
O with what words may I express the same!
And now the Major-General of day,
(Whose eye doth all things in the world survay)
Hastens his Chariot to th'Hesperian streams,
Un-yokes his horses hides his blewing beams
In Thetis bosom; by the western Seas
He setting, riseth to th'Antipodes.
The sable Curtains of thick darkness spread
To give us notice Sol is gone to bed:
This Marble Gallery, with studs of gold;
He made the greater, and the lesser light
Alternately to rule the Day and Night;
Illustrious Phæbus his refulgent face,
The upper and the lower world doth grace,
With equal splendor; his irradient beams
Refresheth all things; his ignivomous teams
Run restless races; his all-quickning power
Gives life and breath to every plant and flower;
Unto our sight it ev'dently appears,
His revolution makes up days and years:
He circulates in twice twelve howers time
The Universe, spends half in this our clime,
24
Into the Climates of th'inferiour world;
He on the lower Hemisphere displayes
His Rosy light and bright refulgent rayes,
Then pale-fac'd Phæbe riseth to fulfill
Her nightly course, ascending up the hill
Of the renoun'd Olympus, joys to spred
The glittring glory of her new-made head,
Silv'ring the world in her nocturnal race,
She reigns as Empress in her brothers place
And emulates his rayes, (although more dim)
What light she hath is all deriv'd from him;
She ev'ry month doth wax and wane and shew
Now Semicircled like a half bent bow:
But when Sol doth against her full face shine,
Earth interpoz'd in the Eccliptick line;
Her round cheeks are Ecclips'd, her masked face
Admits the glory of its borrowed grace,
She wears a Cypress hood and overshrouds
Her shamfac'd count'nance, in the gloomy clouds.
This Nights fair Lady, by her influence brings
Admir'd effects to sublunary things.
O sacred purdence, ev'ry day nay houer
Sets forth the greatness of th'Almighties power,
His pow'r fils all things, if I tow'r the skies
I do behold it in those twinkling eyes.
25
And Moon, which round about their Circle run?
And if from heav'n I to the earth descend,
Are not his wonders there without an end
Nay saile I out into the boundless Seas
Gods goodness meets me; goe I where I please
His mercies find me; if I take the wings
Of fair Aurora, if I search the springs
Of his abundant grace; and if I roul
Even from the Arctick to th'Antarctick Pole.
His favours doe prevent me; Sea and Land
Enrich'd are by the All creators hand.
Dive I to the sulphureous pitt of hell,
There, there th'eternall doth in Iustice dwell
Look here, look there, nay turne I where I will
I see Gods greatness and his goodness still.
No Gods with him may equalized be;
Where is there such another God as he?
I stand amaz'd, on his stupendious name,
O with what words may I express the same!
And now the Major-General of day,
(Whose eye doth all things in the world survay)
Hastens his Chariot to th'Hesperian streams,
Un-yokes his horses hides his blewing beams
In Thetis bosom; by the western Seas
He setting, riseth to th'Antipodes.
26
To give us notice Sol is gone to bed:
Night harnisseth her Stallions, and doth crown
Her head with popy; in a mourning gown
She widdow-like appears; a leaden mace
Her sleepy hand engrasps, her steps deface
The Chrystal-brow of day, and out she spreads
The spangled Orb of heaven, about the beds
Of ev'ry thing that draweth breath she closes
All eyes and leavs them to their sweet reposes:
All things doe sleep, the Lady of the night
Entring her brothers place, borrows his light;
Pale Luna rising from the Orient streams
Of Thetis brandisheth her trembling beams:
Th'Olimphick Tow'r sh' ambitiously aspires
Concomitated with her sister fires.
The perfect colours of all earthly things
Are hid with dim-ey'd darkness sable wings:
The fourth day left a universal shade,
And heaven was pleased with the works he made.
Her head with popy; in a mourning gown
She widdow-like appears; a leaden mace
Her sleepy hand engrasps, her steps deface
The Chrystal-brow of day, and out she spreads
The spangled Orb of heaven, about the beds
Of ev'ry thing that draweth breath she closes
All eyes and leavs them to their sweet reposes:
All things doe sleep, the Lady of the night
Entring her brothers place, borrows his light;
Pale Luna rising from the Orient streams
Of Thetis brandisheth her trembling beams:
Th'Olimphick Tow'r sh' ambitiously aspires
Concomitated with her sister fires.
The perfect colours of all earthly things
Are hid with dim-ey'd darkness sable wings:
The fourth day left a universal shade,
And heaven was pleased with the works he made.
| KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world | |