The Blessed Birth-day celebrated in some religious meditations on the Angels Anthem. Lvc. 2. 14. Also holy transportations, in contemplating some of the most obserueable adiuncts about our Saviours Nativity. Extracted for the most part out of the Sacred Scriptures, Ancient Fathers, Christian Poets. And some moderne Approved Authors. By Charles Fitz-Geffry. The second Edition with Additions |
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| XVI. |
Transport. XVI. The Infants slaine.
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 | The Blessed Birth-day |  |
Transport. XVI. The Infants slaine.
Infants prepare your throats, parents your eyes,
Streame you forth teares, for they must streame forth blood,
Turne into sobs and sighes your lullabies,
And place the Coffin where the Cradle stood,
If so much favour yet you may obtaine,
To bury those you beare but to be slaine.
Streame you forth teares, for they must streame forth blood,
Turne into sobs and sighes your lullabies,
And place the Coffin where the Cradle stood,
If so much favour yet you may obtaine,
To bury those you beare but to be slaine.
The pleasing painfull burthen you did carry
Some forty weekes within your weary wombs,
Must not with you at most past two yeares tarry,
Behold the irrelenting slaier comes,
Who will the name of Mothers you deny
Ere the poore Infant yet can Mamma cry.
Some forty weekes within your weary wombs,
Must not with you at most past two yeares tarry,
Behold the irrelenting slaier comes,
Who will the name of Mothers you deny
Ere the poore Infant yet can Mamma cry.
Weepe Mothers all, but let your teares abound
Aboue the rest, whose losse herein is double,
With whom more vnder two yeares old are found,
Whose ofter breeding breeds you greater trouble:
Thus only for the slaughter to giue life,
To haue beene fertile only for the knife.
Aboue the rest, whose losse herein is double,
With whom more vnder two yeares old are found,
Whose ofter breeding breeds you greater trouble:
Thus only for the slaughter to giue life,
To haue beene fertile only for the knife.
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Say cursed Author of this Tragedy,
Sufficed not a bath of Infants blood
To cure thy fowle ambitious leprosie,
But must thou needs enlarge it to a flood?
And must so many thousands dy for one,
Who 'mong so many thousands scapes alone?
Sufficed not a bath of Infants blood
To cure thy fowle ambitious leprosie,
But must thou needs enlarge it to a flood?
And must so many thousands dy for one,
Who 'mong so many thousands scapes alone?
What feare what rage? What rage from feare proceeding?
What causelesse feare? What rage without effect?
He liues for whom rage laies so many bleeding,
What needed feare such dangers to proiect?
None of their earthly Kingdomes to depriue
Comes he, but th'heavenly to his owne to giue.
What causelesse feare? What rage without effect?
He liues for whom rage laies so many bleeding,
What needed feare such dangers to proiect?
None of their earthly Kingdomes to depriue
Comes he, but th'heavenly to his owne to giue.
Once from the forrest Beares by God were sent,
The Prophet-scorning Children to destroy:
This cruell beare devoures the innocent.
What death deseru'd they who could none annoy?
But vnto all suspecting tyranny
The least that liues is great enough to dy.
The Prophet-scorning Children to destroy:
This cruell beare devoures the innocent.
What death deseru'd they who could none annoy?
But vnto all suspecting tyranny
The least that liues is great enough to dy.
Foxes and Wolues on others young doe prey,
Thereby themselues and their owne young to fill:
No beast so savage is, his owne to slay:
Thou thine owne Sonne among the rest dost kill;
Whence to all ages thou this scomme hast wonne,
Better be Herods Swine then Herods Sonne.
Thereby themselues and their owne young to fill:
No beast so savage is, his owne to slay:
Thou thine owne Sonne among the rest dost kill;
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Better be Herods Swine then Herods Sonne.
And yet Octavius, thou hast lost thy jeast:
'Tis better to be Herods Sonne, if he
For Christ were massacred among the rest,
Then Herod, then Octavius to be.
Lesse is the greatest Monarch that doth raigne,
Then the least Infant that for Christ is slaine.
'Tis better to be Herods Sonne, if he
For Christ were massacred among the rest,
Then Herod, then Octavius to be.
Lesse is the greatest Monarch that doth raigne,
Then the least Infant that for Christ is slaine.
Then be no bounds vnto thy rage assign'd
Deluded Herod, let it still proceed:
Wert thou lesse cruell, thou hadst beene lesse kinde,
Mischiefe it selfe doth please with such a meed:
Not all thy loue could them advance so high,
As doth thy rage and cursed cruelty.
Deluded Herod, let it still proceed:
Wert thou lesse cruell, thou hadst beene lesse kinde,
Mischiefe it selfe doth please with such a meed:
Not all thy loue could them advance so high,
As doth thy rage and cursed cruelty.
Base Butchers, who so prompt and ready are
To execute the cursed Tyrants will,
What instruments of Death will you prepare,
Where-with these Lambs that liu'd but now, to kill?
Scarce can you finde a knife so little, but
'Tis greater then the throats you come to cut.
To execute the cursed Tyrants will,
What instruments of Death will you prepare,
Where-with these Lambs that liu'd but now, to kill?
Scarce can you finde a knife so little, but
'Tis greater then the throats you come to cut.
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Penknifes the fittest tooles are you can take:
For of those members you meane to destroy
Their Saviour meanes so many pens to make
Wherewith their names (ere some doe names enioy)
Shall in his Booke of Life be registred,
With their owne blood which for his sake was shed.
For of those members you meane to destroy
Their Saviour meanes so many pens to make
Wherewith their names (ere some doe names enioy)
Shall in his Booke of Life be registred,
With their owne blood which for his sake was shed.
O Tygers into humane shape transchang'd
With more then Tygers thirst of blood possest!
Could men from man-hood be so farre estrang'd,
To snatch the suckling from the mothers brest
And in her sight the Cradle-cloathes defile
With that new bloud which was but milke ere while.
With more then Tygers thirst of blood possest!
Could men from man-hood be so farre estrang'd,
To snatch the suckling from the mothers brest
And in her sight the Cradle-cloathes defile
With that new bloud which was but milke ere while.
Peace, pretty Innocents, forbeare to cry,
Receiue with willing sides the fatall blow:
Best is that Death which comes in infancy,
A longer life had but prolong'd your woe:
He that to day is borne, and dies to day
Comes to his port as soone as sets to sea.
Receiue with willing sides the fatall blow:
Best is that Death which comes in infancy,
A longer life had but prolong'd your woe:
He that to day is borne, and dies to day
Comes to his port as soone as sets to sea.
Your journies end at setting forth you met,
Your whole daies taske you in the morning finisht,
Your Sunne no sooner did arise but set,
Yet was your day produc'd, your night diminisht:
You op'd your eyes and seeing nought but paine
In this base world, you clos'd them vp againe.
Your whole daies taske you in the morning finisht,
Your Sunne no sooner did arise but set,
Yet was your day produc'd, your night diminisht:
You op'd your eyes and seeing nought but paine
In this base world, you clos'd them vp againe.
Death to be priz'd 'bove any lifes deare rate,
Save that best life, which doth such death ensue.
Your Saviours kindnesse you anticipate,
Dying for him ere he do die for you:
How soone are you of Martyrs crownes possessors
Who Martyrs were ere you could be Confessors?
Save that best life, which doth such death ensue.
Your Saviours kindnesse you anticipate,
Dying for him ere he do die for you:
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Who Martyrs were ere you could be Confessors?
Champions, who conquerors were ere you could fight,
Who overcame before you knew your foes,
Subduing them ere you had armes to smite,
Not by inflicting but receiuing blowes:
Swift runners who the goale & Crowne haue won
Before you had the skill or will to runne.
Who overcame before you knew your foes,
Subduing them ere you had armes to smite,
Not by inflicting but receiuing blowes:
Swift runners who the goale & Crowne haue won
Before you had the skill or will to runne.
Rachel although thy cause of griefe be great,
Yet to be comforted refuse no more,
As if thy children were not: They are yet,
And thou and they more happy then before:
Thou who by bearing Martyrs get'st renowne,
They who exchange a Cradle for a Crowne.
Yet to be comforted refuse no more,
As if thy children were not: They are yet,
And thou and they more happy then before:
Thou who by bearing Martyrs get'st renowne,
They who exchange a Cradle for a Crowne.
Why saist thou then they are not? Say thou rather,
Thy children never truely were till now:
They're not with thee, they're with their heavenly Father,
They are aboue, they are not here below:
Why should'st thou then for thē make such complaints
Who never were but Innocents and Saints?
Thy children never truely were till now:
They're not with thee, they're with their heavenly Father,
They are aboue, they are not here below:
Why should'st thou then for thē make such complaints
Who never were but Innocents and Saints?
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O blessed Babes, who from your Mothers womb
To Abrahams bosome fetcht a speedy spring
Ere you can goe! Who ere you speake, are come
Your Hallelujahs vnto him to sing
Who would vnto your Parents only show you
But on his Sonne as choicest Iew'ls bestow you.
To Abrahams bosome fetcht a speedy spring
Ere you can goe! Who ere you speake, are come
Your Hallelujahs vnto him to sing
Who would vnto your Parents only show you
But on his Sonne as choicest Iew'ls bestow you.
He, least you long with sinners should abide
From among men you to himselfe doth take:
Of your short swathing cloathes which red were dyde
With your owne blood, he long white robes doth make
Dyde in his owne, which only hath this might
To dye the deepest scarlet into white.
From among men you to himselfe doth take:
Of your short swathing cloathes which red were dyde
With your owne blood, he long white robes doth make
Dyde in his owne, which only hath this might
To dye the deepest scarlet into white.
O from how many blowes doth one blow free you!
How pure are they whom bloud doth thus baptize!
Nere shall your Parents hence forth weeping see you:
These teares shall wipe all others from your eyes,
With Palms in hands triumphant ore your foes
Follow you doe the Lamb where ere he goes.
How pure are they whom bloud doth thus baptize!
Nere shall your Parents hence forth weeping see you:
These teares shall wipe all others from your eyes,
With Palms in hands triumphant ore your foes
Follow you doe the Lamb where ere he goes.
Why had not I of that blest beavie beene
Who from the shell so soone to heaven did flee,
Ripe for saluation sooner then for sinne,
Whom few small blowes from many great did free?
To whom an Antidote the daughter lent
The Mothers poisned potions to prevent.
Who from the shell so soone to heaven did flee,
Ripe for saluation sooner then for sinne,
Whom few small blowes from many great did free?
To whom an Antidote the daughter lent
The Mothers poisned potions to prevent.
Blind superstition, did no day appeare
On which thine inauspicious Crosse could rest,
To brand it for vnlucky all the yeare,
Saue only this which made so many blest?
Why should that day to Vs disastrous bee
Which them from all disasters did set free?
On which thine inauspicious Crosse could rest,
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Saue only this which made so many blest?
Why should that day to Vs disastrous bee
Which them from all disasters did set free?
If sins soul-clogging shackles off to shake,
If nere to doe nor speake nor thinke a misse,
If all t'enioy that man can happy make,
If that a Crosse-day be that brings all this,
Then all my daies that day await will I,
To crosse and cancell all my misery.
If nere to doe nor speake nor thinke a misse,
If all t'enioy that man can happy make,
If that a Crosse-day be that brings all this,
Then all my daies that day await will I,
To crosse and cancell all my misery.
Quandò erit ille dies? quando erit ille dies?
FINIS.
| The Blessed Birth-day | |