Prison-Pietie or, Meditations Divine and Moral. Digested into Poetical Heads, On Mixt and Various Subjects. Whereunto is added A Panegyrick to The Right Reverend, and most Nobly descended, Henry, Lord Bishop of London. By Samuel Speed, Prisoner in Ludgate, London |
 |
Judeth and Holofernes. |
 | Prison-Pietie |  |
117
Judeth and Holofernes.
Hol.Be of good comfort, woman, let not fear
Presume to have an habitation here:
I never injur'd any man or thing
That willing was to serve the Earth's chief King.
What now is hapned to thy people, they
By their perverseness have hewn out the way:
But, fairest of your Country, let me know
Whither your wandring Beauty means to go?
And why thou fledst to us, leaving those whom
Dame Nature hath commanded from thy Womb,
Thy name in golden Letters to entomb?
Jud.
Receive the Cause thy Hand-maid shall relate,
Who will resolve in truth the same to state:
Follow the way thy servant shall direct,
And God will thee undoubtedly respect.
As lives Nebuchodonozor thy King,
Who sent thee to support each living thing;
Man shall obedience pay to thee, and all
The Beasts, Fowls of the Air, and Cattel, shall
Live under thy command: for we have hear'd
Thy wisdome makes thine Enemies afeard.
Most true it is, a Sword is not the Rod
Can scourge our Nation, till against their God
They sin: Now Death hath got the upper hand,
Their Meat and Water fail, they're at a stand
What to do next, and do resolve to cause
Some things to be consumed, which the Laws
Of God have held unlawful; Tenths of Oyl
Which was once for the Priests, is now for spoil.
A License from the Senate they expect,
As if that Cloak can cover their neglect:
Now when 'tis brought, they'll doat without delay,
And Justice shall condemn them that same day.
118
To work such wonders with thee, when they're spread,
Those that shall hear, shall stand astonished.
Thy servant serveth God both day and night,
And is religious, trusting in his might.
Let then thine Hand-maid to the Valley go,
And pray to God, then shall she surely know
The time that they intend to act their sin,
And consequently when thou may'st begin
To seize upon Judea for thine own,
And make their great ones to become as none.
And it shall come to pass that there shall be
Not one shall dare to lift his hand to thee.
Thus will I lead thee through the midst of them,
Until thou com'st before Jerusalem;
And in the midst thereof thy Throne shall stand,
And give to Nations far and neer, command.
Hol.
God's strength be with thee; sure he sent thee here
T'encourage us, and put our foes in fear.
Your Beauty and your wisdome do conspire,
The World should Judeth's vertuous name admire.
Proceed, fair Lady; surely if thou do
As thou hast spoken, then will I be true
To thee, and to thy God, and thou shalt dwell
With Nebuchodonozor. We will tell
The Nations how thy Vertues do excel.
Here's Wine enough; when this is gone, we'll then
Revive the Banquet with the blood of men.
Jud.
My Lord, now will I drink, because my state
Is more by much exalted now of late
Then e're it was, since Nature did display
Over mine eyes the banner of the day.
Hol.
This Wine benums my joynts, my limbs do feel
As if each one would with the other reel.
Since so it is, I'll stretch me on my bed.
Jud.
Do so, my Lord—And I'll secure thy head.
Thou need'st not fear those at Jerusalem;
They shall not come to thee, thou go'st to them.
| Prison-Pietie | |