 | Miscellaneous works of George Wither |  |
3
The Preface.
Great
hopes I had, of perfecting, e're this,
My Vox-Pacifica, and songs of Peace:
For, Fairfax, with his Victories, begun,
So stoutly, and successefully, went on,
That, neither Summers heat, nor Winters cold,
Brigade, nor Army, Fortified Hold,
Nor Force, nor Policy; No, nor their wiles,
Who did oppose, in secret, all the whiles,
Could bring his brave procedeings to a stand;
Till he had marched quite throughout the Land,
As in a Tryumph; And, had brought ev'n those
Presuming, and proud Bragadochean-Foes,
(Who had despis'd, and sleighted his beginnings)
To be the sad Spectators of his winnings;
And, to be prostrate-suiters, unto them,
For Life, and Mercy, whom they did contemn.
My Vox-Pacifica, and songs of Peace:
For, Fairfax, with his Victories, begun,
So stoutly, and successefully, went on,
That, neither Summers heat, nor Winters cold,
Brigade, nor Army, Fortified Hold,
Nor Force, nor Policy; No, nor their wiles,
Who did oppose, in secret, all the whiles,
Could bring his brave procedeings to a stand;
Till he had marched quite throughout the Land,
As in a Tryumph; And, had brought ev'n those
Presuming, and proud Bragadochean-Foes,
(Who had despis'd, and sleighted his beginnings)
To be the sad Spectators of his winnings;
And, to be prostrate-suiters, unto them,
For Life, and Mercy, whom they did contemn.
Our Brethren, also, and their Generall,
If, we impartially consider all,
From first to last (and, mar not things, in making,
By rashly misbelieving; or mistaking)
Have greatly added, to the hope of that,
VVhich, I, and all good men have aymed at.
At least, I thinke so; and will so believe,
Till I shall know, that they my hopes deceive;
For, I my duty, shall discharge the better:
And, if they faile, their shame will be the greater.
If, we impartially consider all,
From first to last (and, mar not things, in making,
By rashly misbelieving; or mistaking)
Have greatly added, to the hope of that,
VVhich, I, and all good men have aymed at.
At least, I thinke so; and will so believe,
Till I shall know, that they my hopes deceive;
For, I my duty, shall discharge the better:
And, if they faile, their shame will be the greater.
Our Parliament, hath also, done, what they
VVith so distempered a Body may,
(And so dismembred) labouring about
The Publike-welfare; and, in working out
Her Saving-Health, against those interruptions
VVhich are without; and all those hid corruptions
Within her Members, hindring the successe
Of their Designes, and our desired Peace:
And, I have waited, now, a compleat-Yeare,
To heare that Voice proceed, which I did heare
So long agoe; and, which, had then proceeded,
If Justice had been done, and Mercy heeded
VVith so distempered a Body may,
(And so dismembred) labouring about
The Publike-welfare; and, in working out
Her Saving-Health, against those interruptions
VVhich are without; and all those hid corruptions
Within her Members, hindring the successe
Of their Designes, and our desired Peace:
And, I have waited, now, a compleat-Yeare,
To heare that Voice proceed, which I did heare
So long agoe; and, which, had then proceeded,
If Justice had been done, and Mercy heeded
But, all this time, though oft aside I, went
(And, many an houre my best endeavours bent)
To harken out, and bring unto this Nation,
The long'd for Newes of Reconciliation,
No sound, I had thereof; yet, ev'ry day,
I heard those Rumours, wherewith others may,
And, do delude themselves; and, must, perchance,
Till they repent their wilfull-Ignorance,
And take that course, which Avarice, and Pride,
Hath made them wave, and, hither to deride.
(And, many an houre my best endeavours bent)
To harken out, and bring unto this Nation,
The long'd for Newes of Reconciliation,
No sound, I had thereof; yet, ev'ry day,
I heard those Rumours, wherewith others may,
And, do delude themselves; and, must, perchance,
Till they repent their wilfull-Ignorance,
And take that course, which Avarice, and Pride,
Hath made them wave, and, hither to deride.
As when a Surgeon, who hath vndergone
A Cure, and, therein, his endeavour done
According to the Art by him professed;
VVhen, he, the sore hath searched, clens'd, and dressed,
VVith Tents, and Plaisters proper thereunto,
(And, all things els, befitting him to do)
If, on the Wound, his Medicine worketh nought
Of that effect, which, thereby hath been sought;
But, keepes it at a stand, or, makes it worse:
He, presently, begins another course;
And, if that, also, failes him, growes assured,
It is a Cancer, hardly to be cured;
And, may become a Gangreeve, which will slay
His Patient, if it be not cut away.
A Cure, and, therein, his endeavour done
According to the Art by him professed;
VVhen, he, the sore hath searched, clens'd, and dressed,
VVith Tents, and Plaisters proper thereunto,
(And, all things els, befitting him to do)
If, on the Wound, his Medicine worketh nought
Of that effect, which, thereby hath been sought;
But, keepes it at a stand, or, makes it worse:
He, presently, begins another course;
And, if that, also, failes him, growes assured,
It is a Cancer, hardly to be cured;
And, may become a Gangreeve, which will slay
His Patient, if it be not cut away.
So, I, observing well, how many wayes
The healing-hand of Providence, now, layes
His Plaisters on our wounds; and, yet, how far
Our Maladies, from perfect healing are:
I, searched for the Cause, and, quickly found
There was Malignant-matter in the Wound,
Which would into a Cancer, be corrupted:
And, peradventure (if not interrupted,
By timely care) into a Gangreeve grow,
Which, will effect the Bodies overthrow:
Or, els (beside much trouble, griefe, and cost)
Occasion many Members to be lost.
The healing-hand of Providence, now, layes
His Plaisters on our wounds; and, yet, how far
Our Maladies, from perfect healing are:
I, searched for the Cause, and, quickly found
There was Malignant-matter in the Wound,
4
And, peradventure (if not interrupted,
By timely care) into a Gangreeve grow,
Which, will effect the Bodies overthrow:
Or, els (beside much trouble, griefe, and cost)
Occasion many Members to be lost.
Which, when I had discover'd; my true zeale,
(Although I may have little thanke to deale,
In such a Cure) provoked me unto
That, which, most Friends and Strangers use to do
When one is fallen sicke: That is, to tell
VVhat, they believe or know, may make him well:
And, I conceiving somewhat to that end,
VVould now, performe the duty a Friend.
(Although I may have little thanke to deale,
In such a Cure) provoked me unto
That, which, most Friends and Strangers use to do
When one is fallen sicke: That is, to tell
VVhat, they believe or know, may make him well:
And, I conceiving somewhat to that end,
VVould now, performe the duty a Friend.
A dangerous Disease brookes no delay:
I will not, therefore, trifle time away
In uselesse Prefaces: but, with what speed
Is possible, will, to the Cure proceed.
And, lo; the Simple, whence we will inforce
A Balme to cure it, shall be this Discourse.
I will not, therefore, trifle time away
In uselesse Prefaces: but, with what speed
Is possible, will, to the Cure proceed.
And, lo; the Simple, whence we will inforce
A Balme to cure it, shall be this Discourse.
The Wel-affected, having suffred wrong,
By some, too soone intrusted, and too long,
About those Cures, for which, with joynt-consent
Our State-Physitians call'd a Parliament:
And, they well knowing, that, this Double-Colledge,
Hath neither been, through want of Care or Knowledg,
Defective in their duty, or unjust;
(Although some Individuals faild their trust)
VVere studious, how, a course they might invent,
To have the Trust-infringers roundly shent,
Yet, all their Faith-full-Friends, kept free from blame:
And, Providence did thus effect the fame;
(By meanes of one among them, who intends
To lose himselfe, e're they shall misse their ends)
By some, too soone intrusted, and too long,
About those Cures, for which, with joynt-consent
Our State-Physitians call'd a Parliament:
And, they well knowing, that, this Double-Colledge,
Hath neither been, through want of Care or Knowledg,
Defective in their duty, or unjust;
(Although some Individuals faild their trust)
VVere studious, how, a course they might invent,
To have the Trust-infringers roundly shent,
Yet, all their Faith-full-Friends, kept free from blame:
And, Providence did thus effect the fame;
(By meanes of one among them, who intends
To lose himselfe, e're they shall misse their ends)
Upon a time (which I remember not)
The Well-affected-Partie, had the lot,
To meet with (but, I know not where it was)
The Members of both Houses, in one Place;
And, finding some occasion of their stay,
(I know not how) till they their minds might say;
They, having, intellectively, collected
The Worthies, from the Persons-misaffected;
And, with humilitie, attention pray'd,
First, to the Faithfull-Members, thus they said.
The Well-affected-Partie, had the lot,
To meet with (but, I know not where it was)
The Members of both Houses, in one Place;
And, finding some occasion of their stay,
(I know not how) till they their minds might say;
They, having, intellectively, collected
The Worthies, from the Persons-misaffected;
And, with humilitie, attention pray'd,
First, to the Faithfull-Members, thus they said.
| Miscellaneous works of George Wither | |