Foure Paradoxes Of Arte, Of Lawe, Of Warre, Of Seruice, By T. S. [i.e. Thomas Scott] |
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Artes irritamenta malorum.
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 | Foure Paradoxes |  |
Artes irritamenta malorum.
Farewell vncertaine Art, whose deepest skill
Begetts dissentions, and ambiguous strife,
When (like a windy bladder) thou dost fill,
The braine with groundles hopes, & shades of life.
When thou dost set the word, against the word,
And woundst our iudgment with Opinions sword.
Begetts dissentions, and ambiguous strife,
When (like a windy bladder) thou dost fill,
The braine with groundles hopes, & shades of life.
When thou dost set the word, against the word,
And woundst our iudgment with Opinions sword.
When thou maintain'st all errors, vnder shew
Of plucking error vp: and dost inable
The subtile soule to proue all truth vntrue,
And lies the truth; euen God himselfe a fable.
Euen God, whom euery pore-blinde soule can see,
Thou proouest with seeming reason not to bee.
Of plucking error vp: and dost inable
The subtile soule to proue all truth vntrue,
And lies the truth; euen God himselfe a fable.
Euen God, whom euery pore-blinde soule can see,
Thou proouest with seeming reason not to bee.
Full well thou shew'st thy Author from what spring,
Thy seauen Hydrean heads proceeded first,
When our first father Paradises King,
For thee was then depos'd, and then accurst.
Accurst thou author of all sinne, all euill,
Knowledge, thou fruite of lust, child of the diuell.
Thy seauen Hydrean heads proceeded first,
When our first father Paradises King,
For thee was then depos'd, and then accurst.
Accurst thou author of all sinne, all euill,
Knowledge, thou fruite of lust, child of the diuell.
Thou now instruct'st my milde and gentle Muse,
To raile against thine owne iniquitie,
And gainst the manifold vniust abuse,
Wherewith thou armest foule impietie.
To Epicurian folly, actions euill,
Proouing thy selfe as subtile as the diuell.
To raile against thine owne iniquitie,
And gainst the manifold vniust abuse,
Wherewith thou armest foule impietie.
To Epicurian folly, actions euill,
Proouing thy selfe as subtile as the diuell.
Thou lend'st the guilefull Orator his skill,
To pleade gainst innocence, and to defend
The guiltie cause; thou turn'st the vpright will,
To fauour falsehood, and dost backward bend.
The most resolued iudgement, arming fooles
With dangerous weapons and sharp edged tooles.
To pleade gainst innocence, and to defend
The guiltie cause; thou turn'st the vpright will,
To fauour falsehood, and dost backward bend.
The most resolued iudgement, arming fooles
With dangerous weapons and sharp edged tooles.
Thou keepest the thoughts of man in endlesse dout,
Vnder a shew of teaching mysteries,
And lead'st the gazing scholler round about,
By Paradise of fooles, t'all miseries.
Thou teachest circles in a blotted scroule,
The whilst we loose both body, wit, and soule.
Vnder a shew of teaching mysteries,
And lead'st the gazing scholler round about,
By Paradise of fooles, t'all miseries.
Thou teachest circles in a blotted scroule,
The whilst we loose both body, wit, and soule.
Thou maintain'st Atheisme and Heresie,
Against our faith, our hope, and holy writt:
Impugning the most certaine veretie,
With shamelesse bouldnes and contentious witt.
Religion is a scarre-crow in thy eye,
Not band of zeale, but worldly policie.
Against our faith, our hope, and holy writt:
Impugning the most certaine veretie,
With shamelesse bouldnes and contentious witt.
Religion is a scarre-crow in thy eye,
Not band of zeale, but worldly policie.
Thou dost intice th' inconstant wauering mind,
To lewde forbidden practises; corrupting
The puritie of youth whom thou dost find,
Most tractable to good, still interrupting
Vertue in all her courses foule abuse,
Which take away, and take away thy vse.
To lewde forbidden practises; corrupting
The puritie of youth whom thou dost find,
Most tractable to good, still interrupting
Vertue in all her courses foule abuse,
Which take away, and take away thy vse.
Thou art like gold, gotten with care and thought,
Then brought to bribe the Iudge against the truth,
Or like a sword with all our substance bought,
To kill a friend: O thing of woe and ruth!
Who with this gold th' oppressed doth defend?
Or who doth vse this sword to saue his friend?
Then brought to bribe the Iudge against the truth,
Or like a sword with all our substance bought,
To kill a friend: O thing of woe and ruth!
Who with this gold th' oppressed doth defend?
Or who doth vse this sword to saue his friend?
Th' art like the fire with which for glory sake,
The villane burnt the Temple of Diana,
Or like the tawny weede which gallants take,
In pride, and fetch as farre as rich Guiana.
Thy end is infamie, thy fruite is smoake,
With which the greedy taker thou dost choake.
The villane burnt the Temple of Diana,
Or like the tawny weede which gallants take,
In pride, and fetch as farre as rich Guiana.
Thy end is infamie, thy fruite is smoake,
With which the greedy taker thou dost choake.
Th' art a Camelion, chaunging to the hue,
That's interposd, as obiect to thy eye;
For truth to say, in true men, thou art true,
In euill men, full of damned subtiltie.
The Bee sucks honny from thee: but the Toade,
With doubled force his poysoned bulke doth load.
That's interposd, as obiect to thy eye;
For truth to say, in true men, thou art true,
In euill men, full of damned subtiltie.
The Bee sucks honny from thee: but the Toade,
With doubled force his poysoned bulke doth load.
For when a carelesse villaine sold to sin,
And dedicated wholy to the diuill;
Thy power, and knowledge of thy power doth win
He therewith seekes t'approue and stablish euill.
Perswading both himselfe, and others too,
That what he doth, al wisemen ought to doe.
And dedicated wholy to the diuill;
Thy power, and knowledge of thy power doth win
He therewith seekes t'approue and stablish euill.
Perswading both himselfe, and others too,
That what he doth, al wisemen ought to doe.
From hence my resolution growes, that I
Neglecting Art will vew the naked truth;
Whence my cleere soule with an vnpartiall eye
May best discerne the errors of my youth.
“Truth can defend it selfe; we shew most wit
“And learning, in defending things vnfit.
Neglecting Art will vew the naked truth;
Whence my cleere soule with an vnpartiall eye
May best discerne the errors of my youth.
“Truth can defend it selfe; we shew most wit
“And learning, in defending things vnfit.
Grammer instructs vs to misconster things,
Logicke to wrangle, Rethoricke to flatter;
Arithmitick to tell our gould, not sins,
Geometry, to measure euery matter
Except our liues: Then Poetry to lie,
And Musicke teacheth vs all villanie.
Logicke to wrangle, Rethoricke to flatter;
Arithmitick to tell our gould, not sins,
Geometry, to measure euery matter
Except our liues: Then Poetry to lie,
And Musicke teacheth vs all villanie.
Thus like seauen deadly sinnes these arts agree
Against the trueth, till knowledge of more skill,
Transport vs quite beyond all honestee,
Abusing wit, and ouerthrowing will.
Contemning councel, and deriding faith,
Still contradicting what the Gospel saith.
Against the trueth, till knowledge of more skill,
Transport vs quite beyond all honestee,
Abusing wit, and ouerthrowing will.
Contemning councel, and deriding faith,
Still contradicting what the Gospel saith.
O Art! not much vnlike the fowlers glasse,
Wherein the silly soule delights to looke
For nouelties; vntill the net doth passe
Aboue hir head and she vnwares be tooke.
Thou common Curtizan, thou Bawd to sin
Painted without, but leporous within.
Wherein the silly soule delights to looke
For nouelties; vntill the net doth passe
Aboue hir head and she vnwares be tooke.
Thou common Curtizan, thou Bawd to sin
Painted without, but leporous within.
Th' art a companion for all company,
A Garment made for euery man to weare;
A Goulden coffer, wherein durt doth lie,
A Hackny horse, all sorts of men to beare.
What art thou not? faith thou art nought at all,
For he that knowes thee best knowes nought at all.
A Garment made for euery man to weare;
A Goulden coffer, wherein durt doth lie,
A Hackny horse, all sorts of men to beare.
What art thou not? faith thou art nought at all,
For he that knowes thee best knowes nought at all.
Then farewell nothing something seeming Art,
I doe disclaime thy knowledge, and thy vse;
Nor shalt thou in these Lines haue any part,
Nor euer soile my minds true natiue Muse.
Farewell Lucifrian Art I will go find
Some better thing to please my troubled mind.
I doe disclaime thy knowledge, and thy vse;
Nor shalt thou in these Lines haue any part,
Nor euer soile my minds true natiue Muse.
Farewell Lucifrian Art I will go find
Some better thing to please my troubled mind.
Finis.
Ars ommis à naturali simplicitati recedit, ita dolo affinis est.
Cic.
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