The Historie of Ivdith in Forme of a Poeme Penned in French, by the Noble Poet, G. Salust. Lord of Bartas. Englished by Tho. Hudson |
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| 1. | THE FIRST BOOKE OF IVDITH. |
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 | The Historie of Ivdith in Forme of a Poeme |  |
1
THE FIRST BOOKE OF IVDITH.
I sing the vertues of a valiant Dame,
Who in defence of Iacob ouercame:
Th' Assyrian Prince, and slew that Pagan stout,
Who had beset Bethulia walles about.
Who in defence of Iacob ouercame:
Th' Assyrian Prince, and slew that Pagan stout,
Who had beset Bethulia walles about.
O thou, who kept thine Izak from the thrall
Of Infideles, and stelde the courage small,
Of feeble Iudith, with a manly strength:
VVith sacred furie fill my hart at length.
And with thy Holy sprite, my sprite enspire,
For matter so deuine, Lord I require
No humaine stile, but that the Reader may,
Great profit reape, I ioye, thou praise alway.
Of Infideles, and stelde the courage small,
Of feeble Iudith, with a manly strength:
VVith sacred furie fill my hart at length.
And with thy Holy sprite, my sprite enspire,
For matter so deuine, Lord I require
No humaine stile, but that the Reader may,
Great profit reape, I ioye, thou praise alway.
And since in vulgar verse I prease to sing,
This godly Poœme to a Christian King,
To him who God in goodnesse hath erect
For princely Piller, to his owne elect:
For lawfull Lord, to raigne with trueth and right:
For loue some Laurer, to the verteous wight:
Him (I beseech) this trauel to defend,
That to his pleasure I the same may end.
This godly Poœme to a Christian King,
To him who God in goodnesse hath erect
For princely Piller, to his owne elect:
For lawfull Lord, to raigne with trueth and right:
For loue some Laurer, to the verteous wight:
Him (I beseech) this trauel to defend,
That to his pleasure I the same may end.
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And fruitfully the ground gaue her encrease,
VVhich seauentie yeare vntilled lay beforne
And nothing bare but thistle, weede, and thorne.
It pleased God (vpon his iust correction)
T'awake his owne, that were of his election,
Least that the lōgsom peace should thē withhold:
And dull their spirites, as doth the warriour bolde,
Who spoils his horse with pampring in the stable,
That makes him for the manaige more vnable.
He spred their land with bands of enmies stout,
VVhose cloudes of shot, be dimd their land about.
Their Hoste, with arrows, pikes, and stādards, stood
As bristel pointed, as a thornie wood.
Their multitude of men, the riuers dride,
VVhich throw the wealthy Iuda sweete did slide:
So that flood Iordane finding drye his banke,
for shame he blusht, and down his head he shrāke,
For woe that he his credit could not keepe,
To send one waue, for tribute to the deepe.
Scarse had the Haruest mā with hooke in hand,
Dispoilde the fruite and let the stuble stand:
Scarse had the hungrie Gleaner put in bind,
The scattred graine, the Sherer left behind:
And scarse the flapping flaile began to thresh
VVhen vnto Iacob, newes was brought a fresh.
That Holophern, his frontiers did inuade,
And past all Riuers, straites, and murders made
So vile, that none he left that drew the breath:
But olde and young, he put to sodaine death:
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His cruell cutthroates made them all to dee.
Then like a flocke of sheepe that doth beholde,
A wolfe come from the wood vpon their fold,
Shapes no defence, but runnes athwart the landes,
And shortly makes of one, a hundreth bands,
So Isacks sonnes, in dreading for to feele
This tyrant, who pursued them at the heele,
Dissundring fled, and sought their liues to saue:
In hils, and dales, and euerie desert caue.
The sheepherd of his flocke had now no care:
But fearing death fled to some mountaine bare.
The Craftsman now his lumes away hath laide:
The Marchant left his traffike and his trade,
To hide himselfe more safely in a vault:
Then in a Rampier, to sustaine th' assault.
The Lords esteemde them selfes in surer holde:
In Dennes of beasts, then castles gilt with golde.
Feare lent the wings for aged folke to flie,
And made them mount to places that were hie.
Feare made the wofull wemen for to beare,
Their cradles sweete to hilles that highest weare:
Feare made the wofull child to waile and weep,
For want of speede, on foote and hand to creep:
Al where was nothing hard but hideous cryes,
And pittious plaints that did the harts agryes.
O Lord (said they) wilt thou still day by day,
The arrowes of thine anger neuer stay?
Wilt thou that Calde conquer vs againe?
Shall Iuda yet the Heathen yoke sustaine?
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But stonie heapes of houses casten downe?
Againe shall sacrilegious fire deuore,
thy holy house where we do thee adore?
Then Ioachim the priest of God most hie,
who ouer Iuda then had chiefe degrie:
Stood like a Pylot stout in tempest great,
who seeing wind and weather for to threat,
Yet to his mates, his feare, no terrour drawes,
Nor leaues his ship vnto the wrackfull wawes.
But with disguising feare, his face vp casts,
And stoutly doth gainstand the balefull blasts:
Right so this prudent prelate sent in haste,
two hundreth men to passe where men were plaste
In places strong, and thence commanded them,
For to repaire vnto Ierusalem.
Now since th' Eternall did reueale his will,
Vpon the sacred top of Syna Hill,
the Arke of God which wisedome more did holde,
In Tables two, then all the Grekes haue tolde.
And more then euer Rome could comprehend,
In huge of learned bookes that they pend:
Long wandred it throw tribs, throw kin and kin,
and found no certaine place of resting in.
Yea sometime it the shamefull spoile hath beene
to sacrilegious hands of Palestene,
vntill that time, that Iessies holie race,
for euer lodged it in Iebus place.
But for that Dauids hāds with blood were filde
throu infinits of humaines he had kilde.
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to build his Temple farre aboue the best:
His house, whose front vpreard so high and eavne,
that lightlied earth, & seemd to threat the heavne
vntill that wicked time a tyrant vile,
Of name and deede that bare the semble stile,
that did this king, that building braue he wract,
And to the sacred ground al whole it sackt.
Yet when, long after, Abrahms holie race,
Of Tiger bankes had left the captiue place,
with combers great they redefied with paine,
that most renowmed house of God againe.
Which though vnto the first it seemde as small,
As to a Princes house, a sheepherds hall,
And though the hugenes were not as it was:
yet sure the height and beutie did surpas,
And ouerseilde the famous worke of Pharie:
Ephesus temple, and the tombe of Carie.
The Rhodian Collos, and the Caldean wall,
that Semirame set vp with tourrets tall.
Also the wondrous worke of this same temple,
Might serue a Cresiphon for his exemple:
Lysippus eke to carue by square and line,
Or guide Appolles pensile most deuine.
Heare in this place, all Izrel most deuoute,
withdrew them selues to Salem round aboute,
As when the heavne his sluces opens wide,
And makes the floods vpon the ground to glide,
the brookes that breakes adoune from diuers hils
with course impetious till one deepe distils.
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The Holy Iudith, fairest did appere:
Like Phœbus that aboue the starres doth shine:
It seemd that shee was made on moulde deuine.
This Primate then assisted with his kinne
Of great Eleazar (priests whose head and chinne,
Was neuer shaue) deuoutly on he preast:
A pearled Myter on his balmed creast.
And with a holy Alb, with garnettes spred,
And golden Belles, his sacred bodie cled.
And slew, and burnt, the bulks (as was the guise)
Of many a kid, and calfe for sacrifise.
And with their blood, the Alters hornes he dyed,
And praying thus, to God immortall cryed.
“O Lord of Hostes, we come not vnto thee,
“To wey our merits with thy maiestie:
“Nor to protest before thy heauenly might,
“That sacklessy, thy scourge doth on vs light:
“But rather we confesse (as true it is)
“Our sinnes, haue iustly merite more then this.
“But Lord if thou thy couenant would forget,
“VVhich thou with Abrahm made, & so wilt set
“For mercie great, thy iustice most seueare,
“Thou should a greater plague vpon vs reare.
“Change then our proces from thy iustice seate,
“And saue vs at thy throne of mercie great.
“Forgiue vs Lord and holde farre from vs all,
“These plagues, that on our heads are like to fall.
Alas what helpeth vs thy heauie stroke,
To binde our necks to such a seruile yoke,
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Thine Izak, till their bondage thou relieued.
If so this natiue ground that new is tilde,
If so these Hostries new with folke refilde:
If so (alas) our chast and modest Dames,
Our infants young, our Virgins good of fames,
Should be a praye to Ammon, and to Perse,
To Calde, and the mutine Parthian fierse,
If that we see this Alter made prophane,
And witches it abuse with Idols vaine:
Yet, Lord if thou no pittie on vs take,
At least great God, do for thy glories sake.
Haue pittie on this holy building nowe,
Where not a God hath sacrifice but thou:
VVhere not a God but thou hast residence,
To feile the sauour sweete of frankensence.
Hold back (O Lord) the Caldean cressets bright
From these rich Cedar vaults of stately hight.
Preserue these vessels, ornaments of gold,
From sacrilegious hands of neighbours bolde.
And let the blood of beasts before thy face,
Thy Iustice stay, and grant thy seruants grace.
This prayer done, the people went their way,
Then Ioachim conuende that present day:
the Princes all of Iuda, and them praide,
gainst this mischiefe for counsell, and thus said.
Companions, if your former zeale remaine,
If ardent loue to god ye still retaine:
If wife, or childe, may cause your care or loue,
VVhich should the Centers of your senses moue:
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Let deede beare witnes at this wofull tide.
For sauing God and your foresight, in deede
t'is done, t'is done with vs, and all our seede.
And after this, th' Immortall shall not see
this alter fume before his maiestee.
VVhē th' Air is calme, & still as dead & deafe,
And vnder heavne quakes not an aspin leafe,
VVhen Seas are calme, and thousand vessels fleete
Vpō the sleeping seas with passage sweete.
And when the variant wind is still and lowne,
the cunning Pylot neuer can be knowne.
But whē the cruell storme doth threat the bark,
to drowne in deepes of pits infernall dark,
while tossing teares both ruther mast & saile,
While mounting seemes the Azur skye to skaile:
while driues perforce vpon some deadly shore,
there is the Pylot knowne and not before.
Alas I pray you then what care and strifes,
Haue we to keepe our honours, goods, and lifes:
Forget not then the care of this same place,
your countreyes weale, gods glorie and his grace:
But humblie giue your selues into the hand
Of god most high, and with a holy brand,
‘repurge your sprits from euerie hatefull sinne,
‘which causeth God his Iustice to begin:
And see what may to God be agreable,
For Iacobs weale, and for you profitable.
This said: an ancient traitour from his youth,
who fostred gall in hart, with hony in mouth,
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(to cloke his malice) spacke as ye shall heare,
My toung me failes, my hair for dread vpstarts,
My heauie spirite, from pensiue corps departs.
VVhen I bethinke me of yone tyrant stout,
who hath bedround the world with bloud about:
Approching threats our townes with firie flames,
Our selfs with death, dishonour to our Dames.
Yet when I call to minde the curtsie great,
That this great Lord doth vse, who doth entreate
Not onely those that beastiall are become,
And haue their hope in brutall Idols dome,
But euen to zealous folke who do embrace,
The faith, and law, like vs of Abrahms race:
who being well aduisde, did humblie sue
His pardon, and escapte his vengeance due,
then thanke I God who sends vs such a foe,
As plagues the proude, and lets the humble goe:
For we assoone, shall vanquish him with teares,
As will be long, to wrak him with our weares.
Then whilest we may haue choice of either state
of peace or warres, his fauour, or his hate.
Let vs not follow (seeing skath at hand)
the follie of our fathers, to gainstand.
But rather let vs beare a lower saile,
And serue his king as best for our a waile.
But thinke not yet, that I this councell giue
for craft, or warrant for my selfe to liue:
For I haue els my dayes so nearly spent,
that for to dye I could be well content.
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His fethred Dart, nor yet his trembling pike:
Yea if my youth to me should eft returne,
And make my youthly bloode within me burne,
So honour I my God, and contrey deare,
that for to dye for them, I would not feare:
As Sampson did, if so my death might yeld:
The victorie of the Vizroy, and the field.
But most (I feare) least we with curious zeale,
Fight for the lawe, yet fight against her weale,
Against our selfs, to bring so great a wracke:
that proude, and cruell tyrants shall vs sacke,
And grow in pride (suppressing Iudaes strength)
For to contemne the glorie of God at length.
For Israell being lost, who shall ensue,
to render here to God deuotions due?
what people sparsed on this earthly ball
From Indian shoare to where the Sunne doth fall,
Or from the Climate of the northren blast,
Vnto that place where sommer aye doth last:
Hath God elect, saue Israell for his owne
Vpon this Hill to haue his glorie showne?
At this: the valiant Cambris of renowne,
with righteous rage grew pale and gan to frowne,
And brake the silence with a vehement stile,
His courage movde the Princes all the while.
Nay rather where I stand let ope the ground
(Quod he) to swallowe me, in pit profound
Yea, rather righteous heauen let firie blast,
Light on my head that thou on Sodom cast,
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In giuing Izac such a councell vile.
For if the Leader of this folke prophane
Vpon our bodies onelie sought to raigne,
Although that we haue dearely bought alwaye
Our freedome from our first maternall daye
(which dearer is then gold for to be kept)
I would assent, the holie Church except,
But since more pride this tyrants hart enroules
to lay a greater burden on our soules:
Who are the vassalles of that onely King,
That thūder sends & Scepters down doth thring:
‘Should we forget him who made vs of nought,
‘More thē al wōdrous things that he hath wroght
who treates and loues vs like our father and king,
Still vnder shadowes of his wondrous wing?
Will he that we receaue a Prince ambitious?
for God, a gods contemner Nemrode vitious?
whose beastly life is of so vile a fame,
That of a man he merits not the name?
Goe to, goe to, let men, for men assaye
with sword and shot, to deale it as we may:
The victorie lyes not in mortall hands,
Nor barded horse, nor force of armed bands.
these are but seconde instruments of God,
VVho, as him list, may send them euen or od.
But if our soueraigne God willes such anoye,
that folke vncircumsisde, our land distroye,
Because we him offend while we haue breath,
Alas, yet honour, honour him in death.
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Let patience winne the glorie of martyrdome.
Forsooth, though Assurs soldiers braue & bold
Extinguish quite the race of Izak old,
yet shall they not deface the liuing lorde,
As these Apostats falsly doe afforde.
For he, who peopled first this world so round,
But with one man, from whome the rest abound
And who long after, in an arke of woode
Repaird the waste, made by the genrall floode:
May he not eke transforme the hardned stone,
To people who will honour him alone?
And may not he do now, as he hath donne,
who gaue to Abrahms barren wife a sonne?
Them giuing Children moe, then in the heauen
Are starrie Circles, light as firie leauen,
And mo, then Northrē winds that driues the Rack
Of Cyrene sands in number can compack
VVho will obserue his law a hundreth fold
More zealously then wee, who should it holde.
‘Then, fathers chose you warres, for better tels,
‘To lose like Iewes, then winne like infidels:
‘Let not the greede of gaine your harts attame,
‘to leaue the right, preferre not, feare to shame.
Scarse ended was th' Oration of this Lord,
when all the Princes with a sound accorde:
By worde and deed confirmde his good aduise:
The chiefe Priest gladdest of this enterprise,
Vnto the heauen held vp his handes and face,
And said, I thanke the lord who of his grace
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‘A sure presage that God is on our parts.
This done, vnto his princes he deuides
The tribes and townes & ordaines them for guides
for feare least some of them led with ambition
In Izrell might stirre vp some new sedition,
So they withdrew, and stoutly did prouide
this furious storme of Mars for to abide.
Then as ye see somtime the honie bees,
Exerse themselfs on buddes of sweetest trees,
where they sometime assault the buzzing waspe,
That comes to neare their flowrs away to claspe,
Or when they hony drawe from smelling time,
Or from the palme, or Roses of the prime:
And how they draw their wax with wōdrous art,
Obseruing iointure iust in euerie part,
Both vp and downe they build tē thousand shops,
with equall space fulfilde vp to the tops:
Or where the maister Bee, of thousand bands,
Conducts the rest in legions throw the lands:
who dayly keeps within their Cities wall:
Their house, their work, their lawes and maners all.
So thus the sonnes of Iacob plyde their paine:
with hote desire their quarrell to sustaine.
Some built the breaches of their brokē towne,
that Heauen, and Panim yre, had casten downe.
Some other found a cautell gainst the Ramme,
to saue the wall vnbroken where it camme.
Thus Iacobs townes on alsides had their flankes,
with Gabions strōg with bulwarks & with banks.
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To terrace towers, some vnder baskets louts:
Some others also wanting time and might,
to strength their towns, yet vsde all kind of slight,
To dig vp ditches deepe for cisterns good,
To draw to them the best and nearest flood.
VVhile th' Armorers with hāmers hard & great
On studies strong the sturdie steele doth beate,
And makes thereof a corpslet or a iacke,
Sometime a helme, sometime a mace doeth make,
whiles sheepherds they enarme vnusde to danger
whiles simple birds, & whiles the wādring strāger.
The tilling Culter then a speare was made,
the crooked Sith became an euened blade:
the people foode forgetes, no ease they take.
Some on a horse, some on his proper backe,
Some on a Cart, some on a Cammell beares,
Corne, wine, and flesh, to serue for many yeares,
As done these Emets, that in sommer tide,
Comes out in swarmes their houses to prouide:
In Haruest time (their toyle may best be seene
In paths where they their cariage bring betwene)
their youth they send to gather in the store,
There sick and old at home do keepe the skore,
And ouer grainels great they take the charge,
Oft turning corne within a chamber large
(when it is dight) least it do sproute or seede,
Or come againe, or weeules in it breede.
FINIS.
| The Historie of Ivdith in Forme of a Poeme | |