 | Nothing for a New-yeares gift |  |
Nothing for a New-yeares gift.
Ovt from the sadnesse of my greeued spirit,
And from the depth of serious contemplation,
Why blooming Vertue should black Enuy merit,
My troubled thoughts recall the first creation.
Searching Arts secrets, at the last I found,
Nothing to be of euery thing the ground.
And from the depth of serious contemplation,
Why blooming Vertue should black Enuy merit,
My troubled thoughts recall the first creation.
Searching Arts secrets, at the last I found,
Nothing to be of euery thing the ground.
Excesse of studie in a traunce denies
My rauisht soule her Angel-winged flight:
Strugling with Nothing, thus my bodie lies
Panting for breath, depriu'd of sences might.
At length recouered by this pleasant slumber,
The straunge effects from Nothing, thus I wonder.
My rauisht soule her Angel-winged flight:
Strugling with Nothing, thus my bodie lies
Panting for breath, depriu'd of sences might.
At length recouered by this pleasant slumber,
The straunge effects from Nothing, thus I wonder.
That power of powers, great, good, pure, bodiles,
Who vncontaind, yet in himselfe confinde:
That liuely word, which no word can expresse,
Who foote-stoole earth, who rides vpon the winde.
Ouer whose throne the Cherubins do houer,
With flaming wings his starry face to couer.
Who vncontaind, yet in himselfe confinde:
That liuely word, which no word can expresse,
Who foote-stoole earth, who rides vpon the winde.
Ouer whose throne the Cherubins do houer,
With flaming wings his starry face to couer.
He that is good, yet voide of qualitie,
In his owne essence, fully excellent:
He that is great, beyond all quantitie,
All pure in substance, free from accident.
But I grow senceles, when I seeke by sence
To sound his infinite omnipotence.
In his owne essence, fully excellent:
He that is great, beyond all quantitie,
All pure in substance, free from accident.
But I grow senceles, when I seeke by sence
To sound his infinite omnipotence.
Then he that farre surmounts all comprehending,
Whose mightines is all inexplicable:
Whose seuerall glories, by his seate attending,
Like to his name, are all vnvtterable.
Though at commaundement euery thing he had,
Each thing that be of Nothing, yet he made.
Whose mightines is all inexplicable:
Whose seuerall glories, by his seate attending,
Like to his name, are all vnvtterable.
Though at commaundement euery thing he had,
Each thing that be of Nothing, yet he made.
The glimpse of Gods great glorie, our pure soule,
Which like a prince within his kingdome seated,
The motions of the bodie to controule,
By heauens high hand of Nothing was created.
Thus God doth stamp; tho past our sence of seeing,
His wisedome in his workes, to proue his beeing.
Which like a prince within his kingdome seated,
The motions of the bodie to controule,
By heauens high hand of Nothing was created.
Thus God doth stamp; tho past our sence of seeing,
His wisedome in his workes, to proue his beeing.
The world of nothing made, doth seeme an Instrument
True-strung, well-tun'd, resounding sweetly shrill,
The praises of the great Omnipotent,
Whose Alleluiaes, all the heauens did fill.
And God yet smiling on his paramoure,
Still in her lap, did Mel and Manna poure.
True-strung, well-tun'd, resounding sweetly shrill,
The praises of the great Omnipotent,
Whose Alleluiaes, all the heauens did fill.
And God yet smiling on his paramoure,
Still in her lap, did Mel and Manna poure.
To nurse this league, all creatures seem'd to striue,
In sweet accord, the base with high reioist,
The liueles clipping mutually the liue,
The hot with cold, the solide with the moist.
But Adam being chiefe of all the strings,
All out of tune, ore-retched quickly brings.
In sweet accord, the base with high reioist,
The liueles clipping mutually the liue,
The hot with cold, the solide with the moist.
But Adam being chiefe of all the strings,
All out of tune, ore-retched quickly brings.
Rebellious man, thus from his God reuolted,
The troubled Sea, the aire with tempest driuen:
Which were his subiects gainst himselfe insulted,
Thorne-bristled earth, the sad and lowring heauen,
As from the oath of their alleageance free,
Reuenge on him, th' Almighties iniurie.
The troubled Sea, the aire with tempest driuen:
Which were his subiects gainst himselfe insulted,
Thorne-bristled earth, the sad and lowring heauen,
As from the oath of their alleageance free,
Reuenge on him, th' Almighties iniurie.
So since his sinne, the wofull wretch findes none,
Hearbe, garden, groaue, field, Fountain, shore, or hauen,
Beast, mountain, valley, Seagate, streame, or stone,
But beares his deaths doombe, openly ingrauen.
In briefe, the whole scope this round Center hath,
Is a true store-house of heauens righteous wrath.
Hearbe, garden, groaue, field, Fountain, shore, or hauen,
Beast, mountain, valley, Seagate, streame, or stone,
But beares his deaths doombe, openly ingrauen.
In briefe, the whole scope this round Center hath,
Is a true store-house of heauens righteous wrath.
First Dearth assaults man, in the forme of Death,
With hollow eies, lanke meager cheeks and chinne:
Still yawning wide, with loathsome stinking breath,
With sharpe leane bones piercing his sable skinne.
And brings besides from hell for to assist her,
Rage, Feeblenes, and Thirst, her ruthlesse sister.
With hollow eies, lanke meager cheeks and chinne:
Still yawning wide, with loathsome stinking breath,
With sharpe leane bones piercing his sable skinne.
And brings besides from hell for to assist her,
Rage, Feeblenes, and Thirst, her ruthlesse sister.
Next marcheth Warre, the mistres of enormitie,
Lawes, Manners, Arts, she breaks, she marres, she chases,
Mother of mischiefe, monster of deformitie,
Bloud, teares, bowers, towers, she spils, swils, burnes and rases,
Sack, Sacriledge, Rape, Ruine, Discord, Pride,
Are stil sterne consorts, by her barbarous side.
Lawes, Manners, Arts, she breaks, she marres, she chases,
Mother of mischiefe, monster of deformitie,
Bloud, teares, bowers, towers, she spils, swils, burnes and rases,
Sack, Sacriledge, Rape, Ruine, Discord, Pride,
Are stil sterne consorts, by her barbarous side.
Then as a man that frunts in single fight,
His suddain for the best aduantage spies,
Thrusts, wards, auoids, his ground doth trauers light,
At last to daze his Riualls sparkling eies,
He casts his cloake, and then with coward knife,
In crimson streames, he makes him straine his life.
His suddain for the best aduantage spies,
Thrusts, wards, auoids, his ground doth trauers light,
At last to daze his Riualls sparkling eies,
He casts his cloake, and then with coward knife,
In crimson streames, he makes him straine his life.
So sicknes Adam to subdue the better,
Brings to the field the faithlesse Opthalmie,
(Whom thousand liues alreadie iustly fetter)
With scalding blood to blind her enemie:
Hauing for aides, cough, casting, yawning, shaking,
Fantastick, rauing, and continuall aking.
Brings to the field the faithlesse Opthalmie,
(Whom thousand liues alreadie iustly fetter)
With scalding blood to blind her enemie:
Hauing for aides, cough, casting, yawning, shaking,
Fantastick, rauing, and continuall aking.
And then foure Captaines, farre more fierce and egar
Then any sicknes, which the bodie seases,
On euery side, the spirit doth beleager,
Alas these are farre worse then death diseases.
Excessiue Ioy, Feare, Sorrow, and Desire,
Striuing with Treason often to aspire.
Then any sicknes, which the bodie seases,
On euery side, the spirit doth beleager,
Alas these are farre worse then death diseases.
Excessiue Ioy, Feare, Sorrow, and Desire,
Striuing with Treason often to aspire.
But God (as thoe forgetting Adams fall)
From the maine ocean of his boundles loue,
With streames of mercy ouerfloweth all,
In that excesse of kindnes man to proue.
So sent his Sonne to be our best Phisition,
Which at this day receiued Circumcision.
From the maine ocean of his boundles loue,
With streames of mercy ouerfloweth all,
In that excesse of kindnes man to proue.
So sent his Sonne to be our best Phisition,
Which at this day receiued Circumcision.
His head is launst to worke the bodies cure,
With angry salue it smarts to heale our wound,
To faultlesse Sonne, from all offences pure,
The faultie vassalls scourges do redound.
The Iudge is cast, the guiltie to acquite,
The Sonne defac'd, to lend the starres his light.
With angry salue it smarts to heale our wound,
To faultlesse Sonne, from all offences pure,
The faultie vassalls scourges do redound.
The Iudge is cast, the guiltie to acquite,
The Sonne defac'd, to lend the starres his light.
Our Rock giues issue, to an heauenly spring,
Teares from his eyes, blood runs from wounded place:
Which showers to branch of ioy an haruest bring,
The vine of life, distilleth drops of grace.
This sacred deawe, let Angels gather vp,
Such daintie drops, best fit their Nactan cup.
Teares from his eyes, blood runs from wounded place:
Which showers to branch of ioy an haruest bring,
The vine of life, distilleth drops of grace.
This sacred deawe, let Angels gather vp,
Such daintie drops, best fit their Nactan cup.
With weeping eyes, his mother rewd his smart,
If blood from him, teares came from her as fast,
The knife that cut his flesh, did pierce her hart,
The paine that Iesus felt, did Mary taste.
His life and hers, hung by one fatall twist,
No blow that hit the Sonne, the mother mist.
If blood from him, teares came from her as fast,
The knife that cut his flesh, did pierce her hart,
The paine that Iesus felt, did Mary taste.
His life and hers, hung by one fatall twist,
No blow that hit the Sonne, the mother mist.
Man sprung from Nothing, if thine humble soule
Did inly see her ill misgouernd life:
With Mary thou wouldst spend whole yeares in dole,
Only to thinke that Christ endur'd this strife.
Thē eyes, hart, tong, would powre, breath out, & send
Teares, sighes, and plaints, vntill their ioyes they find.
Did inly see her ill misgouernd life:
With Mary thou wouldst spend whole yeares in dole,
Only to thinke that Christ endur'd this strife.
Thē eyes, hart, tong, would powre, breath out, & send
Teares, sighes, and plaints, vntill their ioyes they find.
But mans ambitious thoughts (like Eues aspiring)
So wanton-like, are weaned to each wrong:
Giuing stil bridle to his selfe-desiring,
All free to fleshly wil hath liu'd so long.
That those fresh springs whēce penitent harts should flowe,
Presumption hath so stopt that none wil showe.
So wanton-like, are weaned to each wrong:
Giuing stil bridle to his selfe-desiring,
All free to fleshly wil hath liu'd so long.
That those fresh springs whēce penitent harts should flowe,
Presumption hath so stopt that none wil showe.
If Sorrow knock, Remorce is Mercies porter,
And euer opens to let Sorrowe in:
Man to that doore should be a quicke resorter,
Tis much to saue that losse which comes by sin.
He that of Sorrowe is true mournful taster,
Doth feele sins smart, and finde sinnes saluing plaster.
And euer opens to let Sorrowe in:
Man to that doore should be a quicke resorter,
Tis much to saue that losse which comes by sin.
He that of Sorrowe is true mournful taster,
Doth feele sins smart, and finde sinnes saluing plaster.
Els nothing can recure sinnes festred wound,
The soules seuen doubled shield it wil assaile:
Nay Nothing for to ease it wil be found,
And Circumsition Nothing wil auaile.
And so we shall approue the Heathnish writ
Of Aristotle, Exnihilo Nihil fit.
The soules seuen doubled shield it wil assaile:
Nay Nothing for to ease it wil be found,
And Circumsition Nothing wil auaile.
And so we shall approue the Heathnish writ
Of Aristotle, Exnihilo Nihil fit.
FINIS.
| Nothing for a New-yeares gift | |