University of Virginia Library

HOSANNA,

OR DIVINE POEMS ON THE PASSION OF CHRIST.

VPON THE DAY OF OVR SAVIOVRS NATIVITY.

This day's a riddle for the God that made
This day, this day from his owne Creature had
His making too; his flesh, and bone, and lim
And breath from her, that had her breath from him.
Th' unbribed Judge of Mans eternall doome
This day was Pris'ner in a Virgins wombe:
And the Lord Paramount of all the Earth
Was wanting a poore Tenement at his birth,
Into the Inne this meane guest must not come.
Strange, he that fills all roomes should have no roome.
The Sunne dropt from his spheare, and did decline
His unshorne head to the Earth; his radiant shine
Peep'd from the windores of the East, to breath
New life on People in the shades of Death.
Deare Sunne since from thy sphere thou once wert sent,
Here is a Soule, make it thy firmament.

Borne of a Virgin.

Although the eye of Faith, not reason can
Behold a Virgin Mother of a Man,
Yet Natralists affirme some things may breed
And have their propagation without seed.
As that rich crop of Pease which Story sayes
Made Orford famous in our Gransires dayes.
Th' admir'd Phœnix which admits no paire
In her persumed ashes leaves an heire.
And this Maiola dares to justifie
To be no fable, but true history.
By seminall commixtion, I had bin
Distain'd, and soiled with originall sin,
Pure must the Pipe, pure must the Conduit bee
That must convey water of life to mee.
Our Sunne of righteousnesse when he would shine
Vpon the world, choose Virgo for his signe.

Borne in Augustus time.

Now was the man of men great Iulius slaine,
And with his blood had dy'd the chaire in graine
Hee sate in, in the Senate: and the flood
Which stream'd from civill warre dri'd in his blood;
And now the milde Augustus sate above
The Sphere of Rome like a propitious love.
And with a milder influence clear'd the skies,
And purg'd these exhalations which did rise
From so much blood effused: or was sent
Like some Apollo to Romes firmament;
For in his sunnie dayes was learnings spring,
All the Arts flourish'd, and each Muse did sing.
The fulnesse of all time, who will not think't?
When Peace and Learning were so fairly link't?
When Wisdome had its flourish on the earth,
Then had the Wisdome of the Father birth.
And when the Olive branch of Peace was showne
Then, not before, the Prince of Peace came downe!

Borne in Winter.

Phlegmatick Winter on a bed of Snow
Lay spitting full of rhewme; the Sunne was now
Inn'd at the Goat; the melancholique Earth
Had her wombe bound, and hopelesse of the birth
Of one poore flowre, the fields, wood, meads, and all
Fear'd in this snowie sheet a funerall,
Nor only senselesse Plants were in decay
Man, who's a Plant revers'd, was worse then they.
He had a spirituall Winter, and bereft
Not of his leaves, but juyce; nay, nothing left
His passive power to live was so abated
He was not to be rais'd, but new created.
When all things else were perished, and when
No flowers were, but in their causes, then
This wondrous Flower it selfe to act did bring,
And Winter was the Flowre of Iesses spring.

Borne in the Night.

The heav'ns was now but mask'd, and now forbids
His eyelike starres to looke out of their lids,
For it had been a shame unto the night
If but one starre had miss'd so great a sight.
Or else it was muffled in silent shade,
And dress'd in sullen blacks, and was afraid
To let one starre gaze out, for had it seene
This sight, it had for ever blinded been.
There was a double night, a night of sinne,
Darke Heav'n design'd the darknesse we were in,
The darknesse, which through heav'n with silence roules
Was the sad Emblem of our darkned soules.
Now when the Sun, which daily rounds the skies
Was gone to bed, this other Sunne did rise;
For haply 'twas not fit there should appeare
Two Suns at once, in the same Hemisphere.

The Angels tell it to the Shepheards.

There is a point of happinesse a time set
Wherein felicity either must be met
Or miss'd for ever; and that certaine now
Is, when w'are at our Callings; from the Plow
Rome painfull Quintus her Dictator makes.
While Matthew gathers toule, and custome takes
Hee's call'd to write a Gospell. At their Net
The sonnes of Zebedee their conversions met.
And while these men stand Centinells and keep
Strict ward, and watch about their charge their sheep,
They from themselves are rapt with sacred Hymnes;
And ravish'd with a noise of Cherubimes,
That sung this infants lullabie. The storie
Hath some proportion with the Auditorie,
They Shepherds were, to them the tydings came,
And the first Gospel of the Holy Lambe.

Of the Starres that appeared to the wise men.

Astrologie hath this rule; Heav'ns seldome shine
With idle fires; like Prophets they devine
Stupendious events; That spark'ling beame
That did so long in Cassiopia streame,
And shot upon the world an angery glance,
Shew'd in its lookes the Massacree of France.
This Starre whose comming Balaam had profest,
(From some wise men, thinke these wise men were guest)
Not fram'd by Natures fingers, but the hand
That framed Nature did not move and stand
A non significant, but it selfe a wonder,
Shew'd that a greater miracle lay under.
How was th' eternall Sonne obscured here
A Stable was his Heav'n, a Crib his sphere,
Never had Sun such an Eclips as this,
To want a Starre to shew men where it is.

Of the wise men.

Let them not boast, that they first saw this Starre,
A brawnie brainlesse Clowne might goe as farre,
The Starre in Cassiopea as I find
Ticho confesse, was shew'd him by a Hinde.
Wise though they were, they'd gone they knew not whether
Had this Starre then been sent to lead them thither.
So that the Starre which did before them goe
Both shew'd them light, and shew'd their blindnesse too.
But why a Starre? when God doth meane to woe us,
He useth meanes that are familiar to us.
Peter a fisher was, and with a draught
Of many fishes was the fisher caught:
These men were vers'd in Starres and well could read them
Therefore a Starre is chosen out to lead them.
How are men drawne to heaven the way they please,
A fish tooke Peter, and a Starre takes these.

Of the Innocents.

Harke what is that I heare? O tis the sound
Of Rachel! cause her children can'nt be found.
Herod that Fox: so is his title good
He slayes the tender Lambs, and sucks their blood.
Strange tempered hearts whose edges would not yeeld
Suppled with all the teares that day were spild;
Hearts of the Rock which like to Diamonds must
Be cut, or ne're be cut, with their owne dust.
There a child giving death a lovely looke
Smiles on his executioner; there another
Asleep is slaine; Sleep chang'd to death his brother.
Dennis who sweats to put on ranke and file
Heav'ns Spirits by nine orders; doth beguile
Himselfe and me; his memorie was too blame
This order of the Innocents not to name.

Of St. Stephen.

Some names are ominous, wherein wise fate
Writes in fare Characters mens future state;
Hippolitus who scorn'd incestuous sports
Was torne with horses, as his name imports.
Stephen was a Crowne, which shew'd in time to come
He should put on the Crown of Martyrdome.
A Crowne enchas'd with stones, nay such a one
Earth cannot boast, 'twas all of precious stone;
The storme of stones which at this Martyr flew
Recoild, inriched with an Orient hue.
The meanest flint which at this Saint was throwne,
Reflects a Rubie, or some richer stone.
The stones advanced to a heap, become
As first our Martyrs Crowne, so now his tombe.
Muse, make a Pagan wonder: thus set down,
Here lyes a man intombed in his crowne.

Of our Saviours Circumcision, or New-yeares day.

The seventh day from his birth, he did begin
Obedience to the Law and pawnd his skin,
He would fulfill it; when Ziskas houre was come
He should expire, he bad them make a Drum
Of's skin, conceited it would scare the foe
'Twas strange antipothie, if it would doe so.
But this small peece of skin was such a spell
It scar'd the sootie Regiments of Hell.
It made the infernall Legions retreit
And did indeed what Zisca but conceit.
The drops this day effused, were but laid
For his Good-Frydayes earnest, when he paid
For our Redemption blood in full summes,
Now it but drops, then in a tempest comes,
The circumcision of this infant did
Christen our New-yeares day: that blood was shed
Did make a double Birth-day to appeare,
One of our happinesse, one of the yeare.

Vpon Our Saviours Passion.

They put a Crowne of Thornes upon his head.

The Earth and Wood, which did the Earth compact
Had the same curse assign'd for the same fact.
Adam did fall from the state he was in,
The Earth and World beare thornes for Adams sin.
When Isaack once, as mankind now, was laid
A Sacrifice; a sheepe the ransome paid.
See here that Sheepe caught in a Thorne, whose blood
Stood then for Isaack, now for mankind stood.
Hee as a Prince a Crowne like Princes weares,
And Thornes are th' Emblemes of a Princes cares:
The Church a Lilly amongst Thornes doth grow,
And as the Churches head himselfe doth so.
When Romes Dictators did a Conquest bring
From some sackt Towne, or from some petty King
Triumphing Palme, and Temples crowning Bayes
Circling their browes shot from their head like rayes.
Here Hell was captive, Death in Triumph borne.
And yet the Victors head but crown'd with Thorne:
Peace; 'twas no thorne, his blood had dide the twigs
And chang'd them to a wreath of Corrall sprigs,
Or stain'd the buds, so that their rosie blush
Out-vied the English or the Province bush.

They gave him Vineger and Gall, Mat. 27. And Wine mingled with Mvrrh, Mark 15.

When one was on the cursed tree to die,
They gave Narcotick drinke to stupifie
And dull the motion of the active sense
So to allay the racking violence
Of his sharpe tortures, and the Rabbins say
That these compounded potions were they
Give Wine to men ready to quit their breath,
Vineger is his preparative to Death;
Hee must have nought but Vineger who hath
Trod in the Wine-presse of his Fathers wrath.
Those lips that once like honey combs distill'd
Are now with gall in stead of honey fill'd.
And he's presented with a draught of gall,
Whose innocence before had none at all.
One of the Wise-men that to Bethlem went
To doe him homage, did him Myrh present.
So they did here, but in a different case
'Twas there in honour, here in his disgrace.

They compell'd Simon of Syrene to beare his Crosse.

He could not beare his crosse, his crosse must try
To beare the burthen of his Majesty,
A burthen which the Legendaries write
Made Christopher to stoope, maugre his might,
Which maz'd him, till 'twas whisper'd in his eare
He had borne him, that all the world did beare.
His Yoke is easie; yet on him they lay
A heavie crosse to carry; who dares say
That this was just? yet thus we men requite
Him, who professed that his burthen's light,
But this 'twas made it heavie, there came in
His Fathers wrath to boot, and the worlds sin.
Poore Simon then comming out of the field
Where haply he had plow'd, not us'd a Shield;
Receives the crosse for's armes; no Herauld can
Produce me such another Gentleman.
So he walkes on to Golgotha, where hee
Commends his Saviour to the fatall Tree
Where Death and Life were wond in mutuall strife,
It was his tree of death, our tree of life.

Crucified.

Those hands, which Heav'n like to a curten spred,
Are spred upon the Crosse: those hands which did
Consolidate the metals in the ground,
One of those metals gave those hands the wound:
See his hands spred, as if he meant to grace
His Executioners with his last embrace,
Nay, all the world: for if his fist can hold
The winds, his armes can all the world enfold.
See there Longinus with his ruder speare
Peirce his Diviner side, from whence appeare
Water and blood, whose white and red present
Th' admitting and confirming Sacrament.
See here his feet nail'd to the Crosse, which done
Those feet with streames of purple did so runne,
That in one sense it might be understood
Our Saviours feet were swift to shed blood:
His hands and feet thus forced to obey
The cruell nailes command; may we not say
The Starre that out of Iacob shin'd so farre
Was then, or never made a fixed Starre?

Crucified between two Theeves.

What, reckon'd amongst rogues? mixt with the rabble
Disvalu'd like the jewell in the fable
Cast in the count 'mongst theeves? what coine is he
In Jury stamp'd, yet there not currant be?
They should not for inscription sake refuse
Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes;
A Peece so rich, no Angell that could make it
So good, the Devill was content to take it.
When mans arreareages for sinne were paid,
And the whole ransome of the world defraid
Those Moralists who anciently did dreame
Vertue was not a meane, but an extreame,
If they had seene him placed thus, would sweare
Vertue was in the midst, for he was there,
And by his presence made it plaine to try
How Vertue look'd set by her contrary.
And yet his glory had not an addition
Of lustre lent it by this opposition;
To set him off, he stood in need of none
No foile was needfull for so rich a Stone.

The Earth did quake.

Rest is the property her creator gave her,
But now a Palsey makes her veins to quaver:
How cam't to passe, that windcholique strove
In the Earths bowels, and did make her move.
Shee once was built so firmely on her base
Shee need not feare a shouldering from her place,
'Tis true; but was't not time to stirre, when hee
That fastned her, was fastned to a tree.
When he was in his lowest declination,
Then dust and ashes had their exaltation.
And the Earth rous'd her selfe, as if shee meant
To be no more the lowest element.
Or since his deaths-men did so bouldly dare,
Shee taught them by example how to feare.
The Earth did put on man, and trembling shooke,
Man put on earth, and no amazement tooke;
Sure this will aggravate those mens offence
The Earth show'd reason, and the men no sense.

The Sunne was in a totall Eclips, and not as naturally it should have been in the Sign with the Moon.

Two Suns were seene, when Charles the Great deceast,
Whose mighty wings ore-shaded all the West.
But when this mightier King of Kings did die
Not one appear'd to beautifie the skie:
For when Great Charles did undergo his doome
One Sunne seem'd added to supply his roome.
But when the God of Natures selfe was gone
Into a Passion, there was use for none.
Nay, when the Sphere of light was puffed out
How could the Sunne poore Taper looke about?
Horrid Eclipse; for now the Moone by right
Was not in the Sunes signe, but opposite;
And the same way our sinnes eclips'd that Sun
Upon the Crosse, by opposition.
Miraculous Eclipse, how could the small
And lesse circumference of the Moone hide all
The larger Sunne, but that our darker sin
To aide the Moone, did bring her forces in.

The Graves opened, and many of the Saints arose.

There was no Trumpet here to raise the dead,
And call them from their graves, nor was there need,
Though no Arch-Angell with a Trumpet cried,
Yet now the Angell of the Covenant died.
And dying cri'd with a loud voice; and those
Mistooke it for the Trumpet, and arose.
They rose, as if it had been their intents
To give him choise of all their Monuments.
And seeing that he must interment have,
Each Saint did seeme to cry, pray take my grave.
When he bow'd downe his head, the dead rais'd theirs
And lookt out of their frighted Sepulchres.
The soules shot out of heav'n in to the dead,
And did a second time their bodies wed.
And though they had not left their blessed thrones
To reassume their ancient flesh and bones:
Yet his last gaspe had been enough to have hurl'd
Soules into all the bodies of the world.

Buried in a Garden.

After his spirituall death, first Adam's cast
Out of the Garden, where he had been plac'd.
After his Corporall, second Adam's put
Into a Garden, and there closely shut.
The first had not gone out but for his sin,
And but for ours, the second not come in.
Hee's in a Garden laid, not as one dead,
But as a living Plant set in a bed:
Set in the Spring, and without aid of showres
Sprung in the spring-time, like to other flowres
To which he gave the beauty that they have,
And that's the reason, that the spring's so brave,
Nay, wholesome as 'tis brave; for in that place
Sprung up (if ever) that rich herbe of grace.
Our Herbalists have writ that Serpents feare
The vertue of that herbe, nor dare come neare
Her soveraigne powre; I care not though they misse
I'm sure th' old Serpent dares not come neere this.

Buried in a new Tombe hewen out of a Rock.

When Emperours were crown'd, Tomb-makers brought
Severall stones, and what the Emperour thought
Best in his choise, that stone was laid aside
To be the Emperours Tomb-stone when he died.
This Emperour was crown'd but choose no stone,
Ioseph supplies that want, and chooseth one,
And such a one, as might be censur'd fit
For him that was to be inclos'd in it.
That wondrous stone, which Daniel saith was cut
Out of the Rock, that stone it selfe was put
Into a stone, which lately had forsaken
The rockie Quarrie, whence it had been taken.
That for his Epitaph it might be read,
Here in a stone, a stone lies buried.
'Twas a new Tombe, and was it not most fit
For that pure body which was put in it?
How like his Tombe and maiden Mother is,
Man never lay with her, nor man in this.
He that was taken from a Virgin Wombe
Where should he lye but in a Virgin Tombe.

The Mount of Olives.

Hee's humble; and that humblenesse will show
By th' Emblem; Nature plants the Olive low.
But as presaging that from hence should bee
The starting of a great ascention, shee
Set these upon a Hill, as if shee meant
They should have theirs, where he had his ascent,
He's a King, and his Majesty will show
By th' Emblem; Oyle annoints the royall brow
Not liquors, unguents, nor rich Palmes we try,
But Oyle; for Oyle denoteth Soveraignty.
Blended with other liquors it will move
In an ambition till it flowes above.
In the compounding of a Majesty,
A chiefe ingredient is humility.
The heightned spirits would be too elate
If humblenesse should not attemper state.
In him like friended Elements they doe
Commix; he was a Lambe, yet Lion too.

Whit-Sunday: There was a noise from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind.

When sad Elijah did by Horeb lye,
A roaring wind so buffeted the skie
As if the musterd vapours had combind
To make one storme; God was not in the wind.
But when th' Apostles by consent were met,
After their parture from Mount Olivet
A bellowing tempest vollied from the Sphere,
And filled all the roome; and God was there.
The spirit and the wind may seeme to bee
Imploy'd in consort for their simpathie.
When th' universe was made, and darknesse strove
For place, the spirit did on the waters move;
When the drown'd world was to be made agen
The wind did move upon the waters then.
Now when th' eternall Spirit was to blow
And breath on them, he sent a wind, as though
The uncreated Spirit had assign'd
Th' other created spirit of the wind
To usher him the way as he should come,
Or be his Harbinger to take his roome.

There appeared unto them Tongues.

When Babel first rear'd her ambitious crest
Upon the Plaine of Shinar, to contest
With heav'n; a different language did beguile
The Founders hopes, and stay the rising Pile,
So when the Church was to be edified,
The builders language was diversified;
But difference of tongues had different power,
It rais'd the Church and ruined the Tower.
Th' Apostles were Ambassadors assign'd
By the King of Heav'n to go to all Mankind;
And 'twas both reason, and their Kings intent
That they should know the tongues before they went.
Yet they had none, but as the haste requir'd
Their language was infused, not acquir'd.
Unletter'd soules, poore Fisher-men that spoke
Hardly more tongues, then the mute fish they tooke.
He who's the Fathers word, a promise gave
That he should send, and they a present have.
This mission did the miracle afford,
He sent the Tongues, who was himselfe the Word.

Tongues of fire, and sate upon each of them.

When fire like the Postilian was past
Elijah; a soft language came at last.
But here was no precedencie in either,
The fire and language did come both together,
For he who Father of all language is,
Was in the Apostles fire, but not in his.
That fierie apparition which did flame
In Moses bush, and not enfire the same,
Helpt not his tongues defect, nor did him store
With any dialects unknowne before.
Here it did both, here the divided blaze
Refin'd their stile, and varied their phrase.
The Prophet had not power to forbeare
Because it was fire in his bones; 'twas here
Fire in their tongues; they needs must silence breake
Tongues tipt with fire, how can they choose but speak?
The Prophets tongue once with a coale had bin
Toucht at the Altar by a Cherubin;
But here it were superfluous to require
Coales for these tongues, these tongues themselves were fire,
These tongues the Spirit would not represent
In the drie, cold, or the moist Element,
That temper were too languishing and weake,
So powerfull an Embassie to speake.
They must be fire, whose doctrine must be hurl'd
Swift as the wings of lightning through the world,
And worke th' effects of lightning; will not hit
A heart of flesh, but gently passe by it.
But grindes these hearts to dust, whose hardnesse dare
Provoke a Nether Mill-stone to compare,
And like the lightnings uncontrouled stroake
Slides by a Reed, but ruinates an Oake;
Like fire they were to separate the gold
From the admixture of th' impurer mould,
To take the masse of the whole rationall creature
To fine, and quintessentiate their nature,
And with the Alchimie of heavenly fire,
Make the extracted spirits to aspire,
Which with repeated heates they so refin'd
That they drew out th' Elixar of Mankind.
Steele-temper'd consciences, and hearts conflate
Of sturdiest metals, as unmov'd as fate
Were by the working of the fire made fit,
Cœlestiall formes, and notions to admit.
Their Sermons were not only heard but felt
And made a leaden Auditory melt.
Which being so dissolved they imprest
Divine Ideas in the softned brest.
Those parted blazes fix'd on them did shine
Like prettie Commets, whence one might divine
Some alteration; and there was; for then
There was the change of soules, and change of men.
Or else like Starres these little flames did slide
With which th' Apostles were all stellified,
And turn'd to the twelve Signs, through which the Sun
Of Righteousnesse should as his Zodiack run,
Or from the Phantasme which did then appeare,
There was some order instituted there.
The badge was fiery tongues, and they may bost
Themselves of th' Order of the Holy Ghost.