Fovre bookes of Du Bartas I. The Arke, II. Babylon, III. The Colonnyes, IIII. The Columues or Pyllars: In French and English, for the Instrvction and Pleasvre of Svch as Delight in Both Langvages. By William Lisle ... Together with a large Commentary by S. G. S |
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Or that some word is know'n by some one Element,
Or by some onely word a perfect speech is ment;
As in a short deuise of mysticall embleme
The silent Egypt wont imploy a longer theme.
Or by some onely word a perfect speech is ment;
As in a short deuise of mysticall embleme
The silent Egypt wont imploy a longer theme.
When I consider well that from th'East-Indie sand
Vnto the flaming Mount that borders Iserland,
And from the frozen Sea to scorched Tombuts shore,
Thou Sunne no people seest so voide of wit and lore,
No men so ignorant of Gods most holy Law,
But they retaine as yet, some words of Ebrew saw;
And but their letters doe (though out of order set)
Come neere the sacred names of Moses Alphabet.
Vnto the flaming Mount that borders Iserland,
And from the frozen Sea to scorched Tombuts shore,
Thou Sunne no people seest so voide of wit and lore,
No men so ignorant of Gods most holy Law,
But they retaine as yet, some words of Ebrew saw;
And but their letters doe (though out of order set)
Come neere the sacred names of Moses Alphabet.
When with my selfe I wey that th'holy counterpawne
Of Gods old Testament was in those letters drawne:
That Vrim, that the Dreame, and that the Vision wise,
But in this Hebrew tongue spake not their prophesies;
And that th'Eternal-selfe did with his finger daigne
To graue in Hebrew stile his Law on tables twaine;
And, many winters since, the Messengers diuine
Did preach the ioyfull word in tongue of Palestine.
Of Gods old Testament was in those letters drawne:
That Vrim, that the Dreame, and that the Vision wise,
But in this Hebrew tongue spake not their prophesies;
And that th'Eternal-selfe did with his finger daigne
To graue in Hebrew stile his Law on tables twaine;
And, many winters since, the Messengers diuine
Did preach the ioyfull word in tongue of Palestine.
And when I further way, that th'ancient Patriarches
Had all their names impos'd as reasonable markes,
And such as fully shew'd with mightie consequent
What was of all their time the rarest accident;
And thereto that we finde how eu'ry ancient name,
By writ, by sound, by sense, from Hebrew language came
(As Eue is consterd Life, Cain, first of all begot;
And Adam made of Clay, and Abel, profit not)
Seth, set in others place, and he surnamed Rest,
Who saw th'all-hurting flood below the ground supprest)
I cannot choose but grant, though Greece with furie some,
Preeminence of age to th'Ebrewes Idiome.
Had all their names impos'd as reasonable markes,
And such as fully shew'd with mightie consequent
What was of all their time the rarest accident;
And thereto that we finde how eu'ry ancient name,
By writ, by sound, by sense, from Hebrew language came
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And Adam made of Clay, and Abel, profit not)
Seth, set in others place, and he surnamed Rest,
Who saw th'all-hurting flood below the ground supprest)
I cannot choose but grant, though Greece with furie some,
Preeminence of age to th'Ebrewes Idiome.
Then thus I thee salute, ô ouer-running spring
Of vtterance of minde, leide of th'eternall King,
Thou brightly-shining Pearle, queene-mother of languages,
That spotlesse hast escap'd the dongeon of all ages:
Thou hast no word but wai'th; thy simplest elements
Are full of hidden sense; thy points haue Sacraments.
O holy dialect, in thee the proper names
Of men, townes, countries, are th'abridgements of their fames
And memorable deeds: the names of winged bands,
Of water-habitants, and armies of the Lands,
Are open treatises whereout a man might gather
Their natures historie, before th'heau'n-rowling father,
By mans offence prouokt with flaming Symiteer,
The way of Eden caru'd from these base countries here.
Of vtterance of minde, leide of th'eternall King,
Thou brightly-shining Pearle, queene-mother of languages,
That spotlesse hast escap'd the dongeon of all ages:
Thou hast no word but wai'th; thy simplest elements
Are full of hidden sense; thy points haue Sacraments.
O holy dialect, in thee the proper names
Of men, townes, countries, are th'abridgements of their fames
And memorable deeds: the names of winged bands,
Of water-habitants, and armies of the Lands,
Are open treatises whereout a man might gather
Their natures historie, before th'heau'n-rowling father,
By mans offence prouokt with flaming Symiteer,
The way of Eden caru'd from these base countries here.
For Adam when in tok'n of his prerogatiue
He did in true Elise each creature title giue
When as before his eyes in muster generall
Two by two, side by side, in ranke they marched all;
He chose the names so fit, that eu'ry learned eare
Which vnderstood the sound, might als the wonders heare
Whereby th'alforming word did richly beautifie,
Or those that liue in wet, or those that liue in dry.
He did in true Elise each creature title giue
When as before his eyes in muster generall
Two by two, side by side, in ranke they marched all;
He chose the names so fit, that eu'ry learned eare
Which vnderstood the sound, might als the wonders heare
Whereby th'alforming word did richly beautifie,
Or those that liue in wet, or those that liue in dry.
And for each body must or suffer thing, or doe,
When he the nownes had fram'd, the verbs he ioyn'd thereto;
And more to beautifie this goodly ground of pleading,
He many titles made, that serue for knots in reading,
The parts of most account to ioyne, as best it sits,
Right as a little glew two plankes of timber knits;
As eke for ornament like wauing plume of Feathers,
Which on the chamfred top of shining helmet weathers:
Or as Marbl'Images their foot-stals haue and bases,
And siluer cups their eares, and veluet robes their laces.
When he the nownes had fram'd, the verbs he ioyn'd thereto;
And more to beautifie this goodly ground of pleading,
He many titles made, that serue for knots in reading,
The parts of most account to ioyne, as best it sits,
Right as a little glew two plankes of timber knits;
As eke for ornament like wauing plume of Feathers,
Which on the chamfred top of shining helmet weathers:
Or as Marbl'Images their foot-stals haue and bases,
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This tongue that Adam spake, till in bad time arriu'd
That heau'n assaulting Prince, sincerely was deriu'd
From Father vnto Sonne, the worlds circumference
Did throughly sound the tunes of her rich eloquence:
But after partiall woxe and quickly she retir'd
To Hebers Family; for either he was not hir'd
Among the rebell crew, or wisely did abide
Farre from the Sennar plaine in so disaster tyde.
Or, if he thither were with other moe constrained,
In corners worship'd God and secretly complained,
And so with slauish hand them holpe to build the wall
Against his will, and wisht it sodainly might fall
Into the darkest hell; as gally-slaue in guyues
That combating the Sea most miserably striues
Against his libertie, and curseth in his heart
The head for whom he toyles in such a painefull art.
Or beit th'eternall God, with his hand euer-giuing,
Preuenting as it were the workes of men well liuing,
For his owne honours sake, and of his onely grace,
This treasure least in trust with Hebers holy race:
While all th'vngodly rest of Masons ill-bested
A hundred thousand wayes the same disfigured,
And eu'rychone dispers'd where destinie them taried,
Into their new-found land a new-made language caried.
That heau'n assaulting Prince, sincerely was deriu'd
From Father vnto Sonne, the worlds circumference
Did throughly sound the tunes of her rich eloquence:
But after partiall woxe and quickly she retir'd
To Hebers Family; for either he was not hir'd
Among the rebell crew, or wisely did abide
Farre from the Sennar plaine in so disaster tyde.
Or, if he thither were with other moe constrained,
In corners worship'd God and secretly complained,
And so with slauish hand them holpe to build the wall
Against his will, and wisht it sodainly might fall
Into the darkest hell; as gally-slaue in guyues
That combating the Sea most miserably striues
Against his libertie, and curseth in his heart
The head for whom he toyles in such a painefull art.
Or beit th'eternall God, with his hand euer-giuing,
Preuenting as it were the workes of men well liuing,
For his owne honours sake, and of his onely grace,
This treasure least in trust with Hebers holy race:
While all th'vngodly rest of Masons ill-bested
A hundred thousand wayes the same disfigured,
And eu'rychone dispers'd where destinie them taried,
Into their new-found land a new-made language caried.
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