University of Virginia Library


54

A Sigh.

Hence lazie sleepe,
thou sonne of sullen night,
That with soft-breathing Spels
keeps sorrowes vnder
Thy charmes; cheares vp
the spirits with delight,
And laps the Sences
in Lethæan slumber;
Packe and he gone:
for my sad soule knowes well,
Care best accordeth
with a gloomie Cell.
And what more darke
then my sin-clouded Soule?

55

Where yet the Sunne
of Sapience neuer shone;
But still in Errors
vgly caue did roule,
Where nought keepes concord
but discordant mone:
Leaue me I say,
and giue me leaue to tell,
That to my Soule,
my selfe ha's not done well.
Good man! (if good
there liues one) Thou that art
So farre thrust
from the worlds imperious eyes;
Helpe me to act
this penitentiall part:
I meane, No coyner
of new Niceties,
Nor wodden Worshipper:
Giue me him than

56

That's a God-louing,
and good-liuing man,
To be my partner
in this Tragedie;
Whose scenes run bleeding
through the wounded Acts,
Heart-strucke by Sinne
and Satans fallacie,
And poyson'd by
my selfe-committed facts:
Send me thy prayers,
if not thy presence found,
To stop the Ore-face
of this streaming wound.
Steere me (sweet Sauiour)
while I safe haue past
The stormie Euroclydons
of Despaire,

57

Till happily I haue
arriu'd at last,
To touch at Thee, my Soules
sole-sauing stayre:
Tow vp my sin-frought Soule,
sunke downe below,
And long lien weltring
midst the waues of wo.
New rig me vp,
lest wallowing I orewhelme;
Thy Mercy be my Main-mast;
And for Sayles
My Sighs; thy Truth, my tackling;
Faith, my Helme:
My ballast, Loue;
Hope, Anchor that ne're failes:
Then in Heau'ns hauen
calme Peace me arriue,
Where once enharbor'd,
I shall richly thriue.

58

Woes me! how long ha's
Pride besotted me?
Proposing to dim Reason
my good parts,
My nimble Wit,
my quicke procliuitie
To Apprehension;
and in high desarts
How many stood beneath me:
I (vaine foole)
Thus fob'd by Satans sleights,
ore-slipt my Soule:
Who in darke Error
downe embodied lies,
Blacke as the Star-lesse Night;
and hideously
Impuritie with rustie wings
crosse flies
Betwixt the Sunne of
Righteousnesse and me;

59

Whil'st (Bat-like) beats my Soule
her leather sayles
Gainst the soft Ayre;
and rising, fals and failes.
Must I for each
vnsyllabled close Thought
Render account?
O wit fi'lde Conference!
Cal'd in is thy protection then,
deare bought:
How was my brow
o'rehatcht with Impudence?
To let whole worlds of words
my cheekes vp-swell,
The least of whom
would ding me downe to Hell.
O wretched Impes
then of mans impious race!

58

Who'l breath out Blasphemies
to make a Iest;
And call wit flashing
the sole punctuall grace
Of genuine knowledge:
But amongst the rest,
Iudge in what case
are those wit-hucksters in,
That hourely practise
this soule sinking sinne?
O may my tongue
be euer riuetted
Fast to my roofe,
but when it speakes Gods praise:
May not one vocall sound
by breath be sed,
But when it carols out
celestiall Layes;
Let not one tone
through my tongues hatches slye,

61

But what beares with't
heau'ns glories harmonie.
Helpe (Lord of power) my
feeble-toynted praiers
To clamber th' azure Mountaines
throwne aboue me;
And keepe a seat for me there
mongst those haires,
Apportion'd out to such
as truely loue thee:
Admit them in thine eares
a resting roome,
Vntill to thee and them,
my soule shall come.
Meane while, moyst ey'd
Repentance here below
Shall, Inmate wise be
Tenant to my minde:

62

For Prayers, without true
Penitence, doe show,
“Like meats vnseason'd,
or like Bils vnsign'd;
“Or corne on tops of
Cottages that growes,
“Which (vselesse) no man
either reapes or sowes.
O how my Soule's surpriz'd
with shallow feares?
When, thinking to leane on
Lifes broken staffe;
And counting to mine age
large summes of yeares,
I heare the sweet
and sacred Psalmograph,
Compare Life to a Flowre,
a Puffe, a Span;
Who's Monarch now,
next minute's not a Man.

63

Must I needs dye?
why surfet Ion Pleasure?
Must I needs dye?
why swim I in Delight?
Must I needs dye?
why squint I after Treasure?
Must I needs dye?
why liue I not aright?
Must I needs dye?
why liue I then in sin?
Thrice better for me
I had neuer bin.
Fountaine of breathing Dust?
such grace me giue,
That I in life,
prepare in dust to lye;
Let me be dying still
whiles I doe liue;
That I may blisfull liue,
when I shall dye:

64

For in Christs Schoole
this Paradox learne I;
Who dies before he dies,
shall neuer die.
If I must die,
then after must begin
The life of Ioy or
Torment, without end;
The life of Torment
purchas'd is by sinne;
The life of Ioy, by life
that learnes t'amend:
Why should I then prophane,
sweare, curse, lust, lie,
If I but thinke on this;
That I must die?
Why should I quaffe
to more then Nature can?

65

Sith more drinke I gaine
more losse is mine:
For may I not be tearm'd
a bestiall man,
To drowne my Reason
in a cup of wine?
Yea tenfold worse:
Thus monster made at least:
God made me Man,
I make my selfe a Beast.
How swelt I with hard trauell
through the Dale
That leads to Prophanations
irkesome cell?
But freeze, by softly
pacing vp the skale,
Where burning zeale,
and her bright sisters dwell:
Thus sweat. I in the shadow,
shake i'th shine,

66

And by free choice,
from good to ill decline.
Sweet Sauiour cleanse
my leprous loathsome soule
In that depurpled Fount,
which forth thy side
Gurgling, did twixt two
Lilly-mountaines roule,
To rinse Mans tainted Race,
Sin-soylifide:
Wash it more white
then the triumphant Swan,
That rides o'th siluer brest
of Eridan.
Suffer my prayers
harmony to rise
Into thine eares,
while th' Angels beare a part:

67

Accept my Sighs,
as smelling Sacrifice,
Sent from the Altar
of my bleeding heart;
Vp to thy nostrils, sweet
as th' Oyle of Aaron,
Or th' odoriferous Rose
of flowrie Sharon.
The Hart ne're long'd more
for the purling brookes;
Nor did the lustfull Goate
with more pursuit,
After the blossom'd
Tritifolie looke,
Then do's my panting Soule,
t'enioy the fruit
Of thy Life-water;
which if I attaine
To taste of once,
I ne're shall thirst againe,

68

Euen as the chapped ground
in Summers heat,
Cals to the clouds,
and gapes at euery showre:
Whose thirstie Casma's
greedily intreat,
As tho they would
th' whole house of heau'n deuour;
So do's my riuen Soule,
beparcht with sin,
Yawne wide, to let
mayst drops of Mercie in.