Mel Heliconium or, Poeticall Honey, Gathered out of The Weeds of Parnassus ... By Alexander Rosse |
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 | VI. | CHAP. VI. F |
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 | CHAP. VI. F Mel Heliconium |  |
143
CHAP. VI. F
FORTUNA.
146
Though fools in their grosse ignorance
Stile providence
A cruell stepdame, wavering, blinde,
Light as the winde,
Which kicks off Princes sacred Crowns,
And makes them objects of her frowns.
Stile providence
A cruell stepdame, wavering, blinde,
Light as the winde,
Which kicks off Princes sacred Crowns,
And makes them objects of her frowns.
And from the dunghill raiseth drones,
To sit on thrones;
And flings man like a Tennis-ball,
From wall to wall:
And makes a sport, to raise a Clown
To honour, then to kick him down.
To sit on thrones;
And flings man like a Tennis-ball,
From wall to wall:
And makes a sport, to raise a Clown
To honour, then to kick him down.
Yet we know Providence to be
That piercing eye
Which sees and orders every thing
That hath being;
Directing them unto that end
Which God Almighty did intend.
That piercing eye
Which sees and orders every thing
That hath being;
Directing them unto that end
Which God Almighty did intend.
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Who blesseth wicked men with wealth,
And ease and health,
And lets them swim in wine and oil,
And know no toil;
And sets them on the pinacle
Of honour, as a spectacle.
And ease and health,
And lets them swim in wine and oil,
And know no toil;
And sets them on the pinacle
Of honour, as a spectacle.
What cuts with wing the liquid air,
Is for the fare:
What silver brooks and lakes contain,
Or glassie main:
What hills, and dales, and woods afford,
Meet altogether on their board.
Is for the fare:
What silver brooks and lakes contain,
Or glassie main:
What hills, and dales, and woods afford,
Meet altogether on their board.
Whereas the just and innocent
Are pinch'd with want;
With banishment, and have no place
To hide their face;
The Fox hath holes, the Bird a nest,
But good men know not where to rest.
Are pinch'd with want;
With banishment, and have no place
To hide their face;
The Fox hath holes, the Bird a nest,
But good men know not where to rest.
Much hunted like the Pelican
By wicked men,
And like the Turtle sit alone,
And make their mone;
And like the Owl with groning strain,
To God of all their wrongs complain.
By wicked men,
And like the Turtle sit alone,
And make their mone;
And like the Owl with groning strain,
To God of all their wrongs complain.
But though the good mans portion here,
Be whipping cheer;
Though bad men surfeit with excesse,
And all possesse
Their hearts can wish; yet we from hence
Must not deny Gods Providence.
Be whipping cheer;
Though bad men surfeit with excesse,
And all possesse
Their hearts can wish; yet we from hence
Must not deny Gods Providence.
For he hath plac'd these men upon.
A slipp'ry stone,
Where they shall quickly slide and fall,
And perish all;
There life shall vanish like a dream,
There glory shall conclude in shame.
A slipp'ry stone,
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And perish all;
There life shall vanish like a dream,
There glory shall conclude in shame.
There vain imaginary joyes,
And fruitlesse toyes,
Like clouds and smoke shall flye away,
And so their day
Shall end in darknesse; none shall know
The place where these green bayes did grow.
And fruitlesse toyes,
Like clouds and smoke shall flye away,
And so their day
Shall end in darknesse; none shall know
The place where these green bayes did grow.
Then why should we our selves displease,
To look on these,
And t'envie such prosperity
Which soon shall dye,
And end in woe, and so be seen
No more then if it had not been.
To look on these,
And t'envie such prosperity
Which soon shall dye,
And end in woe, and so be seen
No more then if it had not been.
Then wealth we see, and worldly state
Is but a bait;
The bad mans Table's but a snare,
And all his share
Of earth is but a heap of sand,
On which his building cannot stand.
Is but a bait;
The bad mans Table's but a snare,
And all his share
Of earth is but a heap of sand,
On which his building cannot stand.
But as the fire refines the gold,
And as the cold
Revives the fire; and as in frost
The stars shine most:
And as the palm lifts up his crest
The higher that it is opprest:
And as the cold
Revives the fire; and as in frost
The stars shine most:
And as the palm lifts up his crest
The higher that it is opprest:
So crosses and affliction
Which fall upon
The just, makes not their faith to fail,
Nor courage quail;
Who shine, burn, sparkle, fructifie
As gold, fire, stars, and the palm tree.
Which fall upon
The just, makes not their faith to fail,
Nor courage quail;
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As gold, fire, stars, and the palm tree.
I'le rather have a blustring gale,
And swelling sail,
Then lye becalmed in the main,
And ne're attain
My wished port; O let the blast
Of troubles drive me home at last.
And swelling sail,
Then lye becalmed in the main,
And ne're attain
My wished port; O let the blast
Of troubles drive me home at last.
That tree is strong and firmly fixt,
Which is perplext
With frequent storms, which when they blow,
The roots below
Take deeper hold; O if I were
Strong as this tree my storms to bear.
Which is perplext
With frequent storms, which when they blow,
The roots below
Take deeper hold; O if I were
Strong as this tree my storms to bear.
The idle sword breeds rust, the cloth
Begets the moth,
Not worm; the standing water dyes,
And putrifies:
We first must tread the Camomell,
Or else it will afford no smell.
Begets the moth,
Not worm; the standing water dyes,
And putrifies:
We first must tread the Camomell,
Or else it will afford no smell.
The Pilots skill how can we know,
Till Tempests blow?
How is that Souldiers valour seen,
Which ne're had been
In fight; they scarse stout Souldiers are,
That have no wound to shew, nor scar.
Till Tempests blow?
How is that Souldiers valour seen,
Which ne're had been
In fight; they scarse stout Souldiers are,
That have no wound to shew, nor scar.
Those Souldiers which the Generall
Culls out of all
His army, to attempt some great
And brave exploit,
Are those sure whom he means to grace
With honour, and some higher place.
Culls out of all
His army, to attempt some great
And brave exploit,
Are those sure whom he means to grace
With honour, and some higher place.
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Except we fight, there is no crown,
And no renown;
Unlesse we sweat in the vineyard,
There's no reward:
Unlesse we climb Mount Calvary,
Mount Olivet we shall not see.
And no renown;
Unlesse we sweat in the vineyard,
There's no reward:
Unlesse we climb Mount Calvary,
Mount Olivet we shall not see.
God loves his sons, and them corrects
Whom he respects,
And whips them when they gad and roame,
And brings them home,
And fits them, that he may advance
Them to their due inheritance .
Whom he respects,
And whips them when they gad and roame,
And brings them home,
And fits them, that he may advance
Them to their due inheritance .
Sick men, although against their wills,
Take bitter pills,
And in their Feaver, think it good
To part with blood;
The fire and lance they can indure,
And all for an uncertain cure.
Take bitter pills,
And in their Feaver, think it good
To part with blood;
The fire and lance they can indure,
And all for an uncertain cure.
All whom God means shall bear his blows,
He hardneth those;
He wrestleth with these sons of his,
Whom he will blesse:
With Jacob if he make thee lame,
He'l blesse thee, and inlarge thy name.
He hardneth those;
He wrestleth with these sons of his,
Whom he will blesse:
With Jacob if he make thee lame,
He'l blesse thee, and inlarge thy name.
If in the Sea God makes our way,
We must obey,
And follow Moses leading wand
To Jacobs land;
Through seas of blood we must all passe
Unto the land of happinesse.
We must obey,
And follow Moses leading wand
To Jacobs land;
Through seas of blood we must all passe
Unto the land of happinesse.
We must drink vineger and gall,
And tears withall;
With whips, nails, spears we must be torn,
And Crowns of thorn:
All this with Christ we must sustain,
Before that we with Christ can raign.
And tears withall;
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And Crowns of thorn:
All this with Christ we must sustain,
Before that we with Christ can raign.
Lord, if this be thy Providence,
Teach me from hence,
How I may patiently drink up
That deadly cup
Which thy Son drank; help me to bear
His crosse, that I his Crown may weare.
Teach me from hence,
How I may patiently drink up
That deadly cup
Which thy Son drank; help me to bear
His crosse, that I his Crown may weare.
When thou correct'st me, quench the fire
Of thy just ire,
With mercies water in thy hand;
And with thy wand
Divide the Sea, that I may go
Where milk and honey still doth flow.
Of thy just ire,
With mercies water in thy hand;
And with thy wand
Divide the Sea, that I may go
Where milk and honey still doth flow.
If in a flaming chariot I
To heaven must hye;
Lord let that flame refine me, but
Consume me not:
Guide thou the coach through all the nine,
Still rowling arches chrystalline.
To heaven must hye;
Lord let that flame refine me, but
Consume me not:
Guide thou the coach through all the nine,
Still rowling arches chrystalline.
| CHAP. VI. F Mel Heliconium | |