Comoedia A worke in Ryme contayning an Enter-lude of Myndes, witnessing the Mans Fall from God and Christ. Set forth by HN, and by him newly porused and amended. Translated out of Base-almaynes into English [by Christopher Vitell?] |
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The X. Chapter.
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The X. Chapter.
Comoedia |  |
The X. Chapter.
A
Understanding.Be comforted ; thou Lamenter; and vex thy mynde nomore.
For though thou searchest much, it shall not thee avayle:
For ye Man hath forsaken, both God & his Counsayle/
Through the Knowledg, so greatly exercised/
Which ; by his owne Mocion; he hath enterprised:
Agaynst the Comaundement of God, who liueth in eternytee.
Therfore is he alwayes, Resisting verylee,
The true Obedience, requyred by his Woord:
And woulde likewyse ; with his Speaches most-absurd;
That his owne knowing Wisdom, in place of Gods mought stande.
But so long now as the Man, is not got-out of that Bande
Of his Owne-wisdom/he doth in Errour byde.
And from the Grace of God, is seperated wyde.
For, how wyse soeuer the Man ; in his Purchase; is bocom/
Yet must he first of all, dye from his owne Wisdom/
Ere that he ; the Understanding, of God; can com-by.
Therfore his owne Wisdom, must he forsake and fly,
Confessing before God, to haue no Understanding, a right:
Nor to know wheare God worketh, with his Hande of Might.
Nor yet can comprehende, Gods Works in their Degree.
Lamentacion.
Oh! this same now can the Man, in nowyse rightly see/
Because that his Longing, to the Knowledg is inclyned.
For each-one cometh-forth, with what he hath gott and guyned
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For the Man can not otherwyse, conceaue it in his Mynde,
But that ye Knowledg ; through Searching; must becom learned.
B
Understanding.Therfore also his Heart, quit away-is turned
From God/to the High Wisdom, of Mans owne Industery.
For so long as the Man, bydeth deafe heerin vtterly/
And wil not stande submitted ; in God; obediently:
Neither yet forsaketh, his owne Comodity:
Nor also the Knowledg, with all her Stock and Broode/
So wil not God likewyse, giue ; into him; his Foode.
For God ; in true Knowledg; is only wyse, no dout[illeg.]
No man, can Gods Wisdom, declare or measure-out:
For God doth keepe his Wisdom, secret ; as is fitt;
From all the Careful-study, of Mans Ingenious-witt.
For when ye Man seeketh after Gods Misteryes that are hidden,
Through the meane of Knowledg, which is to him forbidden/
Wherby to becom like God, in Understanding excelent/
So then likewyse ; being proude in his Heart, and impudent;
He ; most arrogantly; into Gods Work doth thrust.
Also then iniuryously, suppresteth Playne-and-iust:
And so ; in Gods Wisdom; a very Foole is founde.
C
Lamentacion.Oh! Now is the Trueth to mee, opened from the grounde:
But dispise not yet I praye thee, my farder Comunicacien:
For I am still much greeued, in my Cogitacion.
Therfore I must yet aske thee, with Woords of great Feruency:
Wherfore doth the Man, liue thus extreeme vnquyetly?
How cometh it to pas/that he feeleth not his Misery?
For whersoeuer I turne me (to tell thee now the Uerety)
I fynde no Loue at-all, I must it needes disclose:
But Mocking and Deryding, euery-wheare now floes/
Also Curssing, Swearing, Lying, and Reuyling/
Hatred or Enuy, and Falshod with Begyling/
Hipocricie, Sects, and Dissencion, out of-measure/
Uiolence, and Crueltie, voyde of Ioye or Pleasure/
Ambition, Oppression, with Deuouring ful sore/
Also high Wisdom, and New-inuencious, store/
With much Contending, Arguing, and Disputing/
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Much Babling, Betraing, and Witnissing-vnright.
The Simplicitee must ; euery-wheare; bow vnder quyt:
Pryde, and Lightmyndednes, are also in Request/
Blaspheaming, and Persecuting/this causeth much Unrest:
Warr, Battell, and Rebellyon: who can the same now byde?
The Learned are at Discorde, and themselues in Parts deuyde:
Ther are likwyse Many, towards another, fiersly bent:
And to the Requyring of Gods Woorde, are disobedient.
The Subiects do their Rulers, resist and dispise.
And the Scholers, their masters Doctrine, likewyse.
Ther is no wheare true Concorde, but fayned Disscimulashon.
Now when I in my Heart, had all this in considerashon/
Then desyred I gladly, to haue som Information:
Wherfore the Man doth liue, thus voyde of Edification.
What is the cause he knoweth it not? tell me I thee praye.
Wherfore doth he choose the thing, that greeueth him alwaye:
And not that which is the Louelyest, and the very Best?
D
Understanding.
This doth not the Man, comprehend,
till at the last/
When as he, with willing Obedience (mark what I resite)
Is inclynd to the Seruice of Loue, with all his hearts Delyte:
And so ; through the Seruice of Loue, that euermore doth last;
To the vertuous Will of his God, is incorporated fast.
For being without Gods Wil, in Self-lust he leads his Lyfe/
Seekeing only his owne Will, with much Unrest and Strife.
And so long as he therin, captured doth remayne/
He shall not any Loue, neither Peace, obtayne.
When as he, with willing Obedience (mark what I resite)
Is inclynd to the Seruice of Loue, with all his hearts Delyte:
And so ; through the Seruice of Loue, that euermore doth last;
To the vertuous Will of his God, is incorporated fast.
For being without Gods Wil, in Self-lust he leads his Lyfe/
Seekeing only his owne Will, with much Unrest and Strife.
And so long as he therin, captured doth remayne/
He shall not any Loue, neither Peace, obtayne.
For his Owne-will, doth wholly him begyle/
And his taken-on Knowledg, doth him with Lyes ; defyle.
All Aduisement, doth Unregarding, awaye from him now take/
And his owne Good-thinking, doth him contencious make:
His Highmyndednes, make him, rebellyous stout and bolde.
Euen thus then the Man, in the Loue becometh colde.
And then both Loue and Peace, he doth vtterly abhorr/
Reiecting that which is playne.
And his taken-on Knowledg, doth him with Lyes ; defyle.
All Aduisement, doth Unregarding, awaye from him now take/
And his owne Good-thinking, doth him contencious make:
His Highmyndednes, make him, rebellyous stout and bolde.
Euen thus then the Man, in the Loue becometh colde.
And then both Loue and Peace, he doth vtterly abhorr/
Reiecting that which is playne.
E
Lamentacion.Oh, therfore hath the Man, to wayt duly for
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Oh! who shall cause the Man, Understanding, for to taste/
That mought release him, from his greuous Smart?
Understanding.
If eueryone woulde enter, into his owne Heart/
And dealt in sucht-sort, as he woulde be dealt withall:
If Loue and Peace were sought, both of Great and Small:
And woulde eueryone becom, the Least, and not the Cheefe:
Then shoulde the Man right-soone, be cured of his Greefe.
His Loue shoulde also bee, like a Fyer that is glowing:
And God shoulde then likewyse ; with his Grace, ouerflowing;
Be working in the Man/as Hee was wont to doo.
Lamentacion.
O God Father/vouch safe to strenghten vs thertoo:
For, to that ende wil we go proffer ourselues vnto the Man/
To see if his Heart therto, stirr-vpp or mooue we can/
With the holy Scripture, which thou doest witnes playne:
That happly he ; by thar meanes; mought vet once agayne
Suck the right Knowledg, of the godly Uerety.
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The X. Chapter.
Comoedia | |