University of Virginia Library

MOTTOES.

[The highest Rocks and Hils]

The highest Rocks and Hils,
Which seem the Clouds to threaten,
With roughest Storms are beaten:
The lofty Cedar feels
The Lightnings Flash and Thunder:
So Gods Almighty hand
Soon from aloft brings vnder
The Proudest that withstand.

[What's the Wisdom of Mankinde?]

What's the Wisdom of Mankinde?
What the Works of hand or minde?
What the Vertues of the Rarest?
What is all our Best and Fairest,
Void of Cstrist? Alas! a Grave,
Dungeon, Den or dreadfull Cave,
Lin'd with Winde, with Shades, with Vapors,
Set on fire with deadly Tapers.

[Where, where are now the great Reports]

Where, where are now the great Reports
Of those huge haughty Earth-born Giants?
Where are the lofty Towrs and Forts
Of those proud Kings bade Heav'n Defiance?
When Them I to my Minde revoke,
Mee thinks I see a mighty Smoke
Trick-mounting from quick-burning Matter.
Which in an instant VVindes doo scatter.

[Go, silly VVorms, drudge, trudge and travell]

Go, silly VVorms, drudge, trudge and travell,
Lespising Pain;
So Thou maist gain
Som Honour, or som Golden Gravell:
But Death the while (to fill his number)
VVith sudden Call
Takes thee from All,
To prove thy Daies but Dream and Slumber.

[Art Thou, Man, no more now mindefull]

Art Thou, Man, no more now mindefull
Of thy Childe-hood, brute and blindefull?
Dost thon laugh, and dost thou sing
Th'Errors of thy Youth and Folly?
Canst thou bee so blithe and iolly,
Towards Age now galloping?
Rather wail thy Life's Condition,
Thrall to Sin, Death and Perdition.

[I saw a childe with slender pipe of stubble]

I saw a childe with slender pipe of stubble
(From hollow shell with Soap and Water mixt)
Against a Wall to blowe-vp many a Bubble;
Where many an Ey of many by was fixt:
For, rich they seem'd, and firm round Form did render.
But, when I saw them (and that suddenly)
Break at the Best; behould a Type, said I,
Of World's vain glory, and soon-vading splendor.

[When I read, when I contemple]

When I read, when I contemple,
Th'estate of that happy Temple
Christ hath planted heer belowe
Amid this World; and grafied so
On Durt, in danger of the Divell;
Sad and glad at-once I am:
I imbrace and chase the Evill:
Heav'n I shun, yet seek the same.

[The World is full of Wrong and yet is serv'd too-well]

The World is full of Wrong and yet is serv'd too-well:
'Tis too-well follow'd too, and yet a Tyrant fell:
'T's an vgly Monster-most, and yet the Most contenteth:
'Tis on the Death-bed laid, and yet of Life it vanteth:
'Tis Sorrow, Shame and Losse, and yet is most approved:
'Tis nothing but a Crosse, and yet is best beloved:
'Tis seeking Peace in VVar; choaks whom it seems to cherish:
'Tis hating Heav'n, for Earth; and it in Hell shall perish.

[This World is a Galley fraighted]

This World is a Galley fraighted
With mis-haps (or Haps mis-treated)
Sliding on a sea of Care.
Tears and Fears her Sailers are:
Will, her Pilot (still at Stern, all):
Strong Desires, her Windes (for most):
Bitter-sweet, her Course and Coast:
And her Hav'n is Death eternall.

[What's the World's Progress? what our Gifts, heer living?]

What's the World's Progress? what our Gifts, heer living?
But a foul way, all full of Baulks and Sloughs:
(A foolish Coach-man, false and dangerous,
Through thick and thin our old weak Chariot driving)
A smoaky Lodging, stinking, nastie-most:
A greedy, needy, churlish, filthy Hoste:
A stony Bed, a strange vnquiet Slumber:
Awaakt with Lies, Pride, Perill, and Incumber.

[Monarch's greatest Greatnes heer]

Monarch's greatest Greatnes heer,
Nobles noblest Ranks and Races,
Worthies Tropheis, passing peer;
Sages Worth, for Wisdom cleer;
Time (alas!) and Death defaces.
Why then fix wee heer our Eies
On this glimpse that sudden passes?
Rather rear them to the Skies.

[Why, why should I the World bee minding]

Why, why should I the World bee minding,
Therein a World of Evils finding?
Then farwell, World: farwell thy Iarres,
Thy Toies, thy Toies, thy Wiles, thy Wars.
Truth sounds Retreat: I am not for-ye.
Th'Eternall draws to him my heart
By Faith (which can thy Force subvert)
To crown mee (after Grace) with Glory.

[What Beautie's This, so brave bedeckt in Riches?]

What Beautie's This, so brave bedeckt in Riches?
Whose wanton Looks, whose waving Locks and Song,
As with a Dart, a Chain, a Charm (too-strong)
Self-blindes, self-bindes, and self it self bewitches?
O! 'tis the World t'a Courtisan transformed,
VVho pranks and paints her Body round about:
But all this Beauty onely is without,
And cannot hide the Soule, within, deformed.

[The World and Flesh combin'd with Death and Sin]

The World and Flesh combin'd with Death and Sin,
Against th'immortall Soule were privie-banding;
Selfe Traitor Nature had even let them in;
Had not the Faith for Sentinell bin standing;
Who, by the the Cross, did Sin, Flesh, VVorld subdew:
VVhereby, the Soule re-heartened and revived,
Led by her Head, pursewd the Fight and slew,
Slew Death, which sought Her Life to have deprived.

[Death's dead indeed, the World yet is not]

Death's dead indeed, the World yet is not;
But yet, yet rules the World about;
Of Earth's Affront no more in doubt:
Sith her heer fighting more it sees not.
For, Faith hath now in Heav'n her Station,
Forth of the World; disdaining heer
To see her Seat vsurpt so neer
By Error and Equivocation.

[Why? why build Worlds their Hopes Assurance]

Why? why build Worlds their Hopes Assurance
On this vain Worlds vnduring Durance?
Sith all the Sweet of worldly Pleasures,
Worldly Honours, worldly Threasures,
Is Nothing but a Blast, a Breath,
An addle Hope, an idle Dreaming,
A sudden Storm with fury streaming,
And drowning all in Gulf of Death.

[The World's a Drumm, with loud Alarum stirring]

The World's a Drumm, with loud Alarum stirring
The World to War; and too-too-cruel spurring
Son against Sire. The Means if you would finde,
'Tis by a Mean that is but made of Winde.
But tell mee World, How coms a simple Sound
Sext but from Skins, vpon a Skin but beating,
T'incite thee so, so to be stir thee round
To face thy Force, thy Faces Force so threating?

[Why sleest thou, World? Alas! to seek Assurance.]

Why sleest thou, World? Alas! to seek Assurance.
Where to bee found, if in the World it fail?
There where the World doth not the World assail.
Why? doth the World cause to it self Ill-durance?
Yes; too-too much: for, in Fire, Air, Earth, Water,
The World self-drowns, self-burns, self-hangs self-slaies.
Flee then to Heav'n. Fond Hee that Anchor laies
In th'Euripus of This vain World's Theater.

[Friend Larkin, if the World you figure]

Friend Larkin, if the World you figure,
You must not draw it round of Figure:
For, Sage should the compleat Round
In every part is perfect found.
So never can this VVorld bee; seeing
There wants the Chief, The chiefest Good:
And Nothing there (right vnderstood)
But Nothing hath (inconstant) Beeing.

[Sooner shall all the Heav'ns bright Eies]

Sooner shall all the Heav'ns bright Eies
Cease their set Courses in the Skies:
Sooner shall the Ocean
Have no more Motion:
Sooner them worldly mindes remooved
From vain Deceits
Of Earthly Baits,
By VVorldlings heer too-deer-beloved.

[The World and Death one day them cross-disguised]

The World and Death one day them cross-disguised
To cosen Man (when Sin had once beguil'd him)
Both cald him forth; and questioning advised
To say, whose servant hee would fainly yeeld him.
Man, weening then but to the World t'have given-him,
By the false World becam the Slave of Death:
But, from their fraud Hee did appeal by Faith
To HIM, whose Death kild death, and hence hath driven-him.

[The World's Session, or Assize]

The World's Session, or Assize:
The Counseller is Arrogancy:
Sin the Sollicitor (feed by Fancy)
Th'Attourney is but vain Surmise:
Remorse is Marshall: Conscience, Crier:
Death sits as Iudge in dreadfull room;
Pronouncing for a final Doom,
The Sentence of eternall fire.

[You tanned Tiphyes, whom Gain's love bewitches]

You tanned Tiphyes, whom Gain's love bewitches,
From Inde to Inde, and from the North to Nile,
To sound new seas, to seek new shores, the While
Your Life's best Hope but in a Plank and Pitch-is.
What Pilot have you but your Passion, still?
Your Rudder, Avarice; your Mast, Ambition;
Your Sails, but Priae; which Furies Puffs doo fill:
What think you then to gain, but deep Perdition?

[This World is but a Pilgrimaging]

This World is but a Pilgrimaging,
Where wicked men, most felly raging,
Doo trudge and travell most devout:
But, from the right way wandring out,
They headlong fall in Pit of Terror,
The Gulf of Death. But, O my God,
Guiding my steps in better Road,
Draw mee to Thee from worldlings Error.

An Appendix.

Although thou canst not write so rare a Ditty,
Nor sing so sweetly, bee thou vertuous though:
For, dooing well is more then saying so:
And, to bee Wise, is more then to bee Witty.
The Vertuous, reading and recording sweet
These sacred Songs, is cheered in his Courses:
The Vitious, reading, singing, rather worse is:
Rapt with the Sound; not with the Sense, awhit.
Surcease thy Musick lay aside thy Muses:
Paschal and Pibrac yon have toild too-long:
Seeing that Vertue serves but for a Song
To this vain World, that on all Mischief muses.
Lo, heer in Paper is poor Vertue painted:
Alas, dead Vertue! Thus these Times doo vse-thee:
Yet, if all hands, yet if all hearts refuse-thee,
Remain Thou ever in these Songs imprinted.
As fiercest Lion, freiting in his Cage,
Is somtimes calmed with harmonious sounding
Of Lyrike Strings, and made to leave his Rage,
Let go his Prey, and fall to Dance-like bounding:
So, the vain World, in Pangs and Passions flinging,
Charm'd (as it were) and bound with seventy Chains,
It's Fits and Phansies, for a while, refrains;
Heer, to it Self, it Selfe's Inconstance singing.