I. ISAIAH L. XI
You that walke in the light of your owne fire, and in the sparkes that yee
have kindled, yee shall lie downe in sorrow.
1
Doe silly Cupid snuffe, and trimme
Thy false, thy feeble light,
And make her selfe-consuming flames more bright;
Mee thinke, shee burnes too dimme:
Is this that sprightly fire,
Whose more then sacred Beames inspire
The ravisht hearts of men, and so inflame desire?
2
See, Boy, how thy unthrifty blaze
Consumes; how fast shee waines;
She spends her selfe, and her, whose wealth maintaines
Her weake, her idle Rayes;
Cannot thy lustfull blast,
Which gave it luster, make it last?
What heart can long be pleas'd, where pleasure spends so fast?
3
Goe, Wanton, place thy pale-fac'd light
Where never breaking day
Intends to visit mortals, or display
Thy sullen shades of night:
Thy Torch will burne more cleare
In nights un-Titand Hemispheare;
Heav'ns scornfull flames and thine can never co-appeare;
4
In vaine thy busie hands addresse
Their labour, to display
Thy easie blaze, within the veirge of days:
The greater drownes the lesse:
If heav'ns bright glory shine,
Thy glimring sparks must needs resigne;
Puffe out heav'ns glory then, or heav'n will worke out thine.
5
Goe, Cupids rammish Pander, goe,
Whose dull, whose low desire
Can find sufficient warmth from Natures fire,
Spend borrow'd breath, and blow,
Blow winde, made strong with spite;
When thou hast pufft the greater light,
Thy lesser sparke may shine, and warme the new made night;
6
Deluded mortals, tell mee, when
Your daring breath has blowne
Heav'ns Tapour out, and you have spent your owne,
What fire shall warme yee then?
Ah Fooles, perpetuall night
Shall haunt your soules with Stigian fright,
Where they shall broile in flames, but flames shall bring no light.
S. AUGUST.
The sufficiency of my merit is to know that my merit is not sufficient.
S. GREG. Mor. 25.
By how much the lesse, man sees himselfe, by so much the lesse hee
displeases himselfe; And by how much the more hee sees the light of Grace, by
so much the more hee disdaines the light of nature.
S. GREG. Mor.
The light of the understanding humilitie kindles and pride covers.
EPIGRAM 1.
[Thou blowst heav'ns fire, the whilst thou goest about]
Thou blowst heav'ns fire, the whilst thou goest about,
Rebellious foole, in vaine, to blow it out:
Thy Folly addes confusion to thy death;
Heav'ns fire confounds, when fann'd with Follies breath.
