KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world With an Appendix of Gods resting day, Edon Garden; Mans Happiness before, Misery after, his Fall. Whereunto is added, The Praise of Nothing; Divine Ejaculations; The four Ages of the world; The Birth of Christ; Also a Century of Historical Applications; With a Taste of Poetical fictions. Written some years since by N. B.[i.e. Nicholas Billingsley] ... And now published at the request of his Friends |
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 | KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world |  |
The morrow after, when the light be purl'd
The yearly mantle of the new-made world;
Heav'ns hand, still nilling to be idle, gilded
The earths fair seeling, he before had builded.
Starrs are heav'ns Scutchions, thick as Argus eyes
They hang, and twinckle in the marble skies
Of great or lesser magnitudes, each one
Shine like the Iacynth and the Iasper stone.
But farr more glorious, yea they go beyond
The fy'ry Carbuncle, the Diamond,
And golden Crisolit, their beauty shines
So bright, nay brighter, then the wealthy Mines
Of hot Arabia, or Pactolean Seas,
The tailes of Peacocks, are but toys to these,
The purple Amethist, the Hesphesite,
And costly Opall's nothing neere so bright;
Earths rarest Iewells, mayn't with them compare,
The costliest Gems are not so rich as they're:
These pearls which garnish the ætherial story,
Are lively emblems of their makers glory.
The yearly mantle of the new-made world;
Heav'ns hand, still nilling to be idle, gilded
The earths fair seeling, he before had builded.
Starrs are heav'ns Scutchions, thick as Argus eyes
They hang, and twinckle in the marble skies
Of great or lesser magnitudes, each one
Shine like the Iacynth and the Iasper stone.
But farr more glorious, yea they go beyond
The fy'ry Carbuncle, the Diamond,
And golden Crisolit, their beauty shines
So bright, nay brighter, then the wealthy Mines
Of hot Arabia, or Pactolean Seas,
The tailes of Peacocks, are but toys to these,
18
And costly Opall's nothing neere so bright;
Earths rarest Iewells, mayn't with them compare,
The costliest Gems are not so rich as they're:
These pearls which garnish the ætherial story,
Are lively emblems of their makers glory.
These glittring Sphæres, about the axle roul
Which joyns to th'Arctick and Antarctick Pole:
This part cold Boreas, and the North starr sees:
Hot Auster, vieweth the Antipodes.
The Ursa Major, and the Minor too,
Their backs turn'd to it, round the North Pole go:
The Dragon, which did keepe through watchfulness
The golden Apples of th'Hesperides
Much like the windings of a river flowes,
His widened mouth like a Charybdis showes.
Herc'les beneath him kneels, next whom the Crown
Of Ariadne, on the earth shines down.
Here Snake-engirted Serpentarius stands,
Squeezing the bending Snake in's griping hands,
Under him Scorpio exporrected lies:
There Libra's beame, turnes in the Azure skies.
Arctophylax here drives his waine; in's groyne
The radiant lustre of a lamp doth shine;
He treads on Virgo who a sheafe doth beare,
Next whom appeareth Berenices haire,
The great Bears hind feet, on the Lion tread,
Cancer and Gemini with his double head
Are next, and neere to Leda's egg hatch'd twins
Auriga holds strong wine; close by him shines
The rainy starr of the Olenian Goate;
Iove's nurses next Aïx and Ælice note.
Here prostrate on the floor, behold a Bull,
Whose sublime horns with Starrs are beautifull:
The brood-hen or the rainy Hyades
See there, (some call them the Atlantides)
The taile of Cynosure the little Beare
Points at the widened Arms of Cepheus there,
Whose sad wife Cassiopea next complains
For her Andromeda, bound fast in chaines.
Next winged Pegasus on high doth mount
Whose hoof struck whilom th'Heliconian Fount;
Which joyns to th'Arctick and Antarctick Pole:
This part cold Boreas, and the North starr sees:
Hot Auster, vieweth the Antipodes.
The Ursa Major, and the Minor too,
Their backs turn'd to it, round the North Pole go:
The Dragon, which did keepe through watchfulness
The golden Apples of th'Hesperides
Much like the windings of a river flowes,
His widened mouth like a Charybdis showes.
Herc'les beneath him kneels, next whom the Crown
Of Ariadne, on the earth shines down.
Here Snake-engirted Serpentarius stands,
Squeezing the bending Snake in's griping hands,
Under him Scorpio exporrected lies:
There Libra's beame, turnes in the Azure skies.
Arctophylax here drives his waine; in's groyne
The radiant lustre of a lamp doth shine;
He treads on Virgo who a sheafe doth beare,
Next whom appeareth Berenices haire,
19
Cancer and Gemini with his double head
Are next, and neere to Leda's egg hatch'd twins
Auriga holds strong wine; close by him shines
The rainy starr of the Olenian Goate;
Iove's nurses next Aïx and Ælice note.
Here prostrate on the floor, behold a Bull,
Whose sublime horns with Starrs are beautifull:
The brood-hen or the rainy Hyades
See there, (some call them the Atlantides)
The taile of Cynosure the little Beare
Points at the widened Arms of Cepheus there,
Whose sad wife Cassiopea next complains
For her Andromeda, bound fast in chaines.
Next winged Pegasus on high doth mount
Whose hoof struck whilom th'Heliconian Fount;
And just before the Dwarf in fetters bound
[OMITTED] or Triangulus is found.
Two fishes, linked by their tailes ly forth,
One Southward, and the other tow'rds the North,
A sword in Perseus right hand out is spread,
In's left the snaky haird Medusa'es head.
He sits among the Pleiad's, his wing'd shoes.
Most sweetly there the Lyre of Merc'ry goes.
The Armiger of Iove, spreads here her wings,
And there the Swan that her owne El'gy sings.
See where swift Pegasus his mouth is plac'd,
There Joves Cup-bearer Ganimede is grac'd;
Beneath whom doth arise the Capricorn,
There Sagitarius doth the Heav'ns adorn,
His winged dart flies from his boysterous string
Betwixt the Eagles. and the Vulters wing.
The Dolphin last of all swims in the North,
Which sav'd Arion, in the Sea cast forth.
(Sweet Jesu! beare me to the Port of Sion,
Be thou my Dolphin I'le be thy Arion.
Orion mounteth nigh the Southerne Pole,
With golden belt begyrt; his left-foot sole:
He gently dippeth in the silver streams
Of swift Erid'nus; next the Dog-starr gleams,
Whose yelping frights the Hare; there swims the Whale.
Pegasian Argo next is under saile,
Which bore the Argonauts, and Peers of Greece,
Together with the Colchian golden fleece.
The Southern Garland, called Ixion's wheele,
Lies under horned Sagittarius heele.
Yonder is the Thuribulum divine;
There doth the Kid; and here the Centaur shine.
In folds, the truc'lent Hydra lies, enrould,
On whome stands Corvus, and a cup of gold
The Crater of the Powers: in the skies
By th'egg hatch'd breth'ren, litle Procyon lies.
See there the embroyred Bauldrick, and the starrs
Thereon engrav'd, Supine Astronomers.
The Ram, Bull, Twins, Crab, Lion, Virgo, Scale,
Scorp. Archer, Capri. Aquar. Pisces, call:
The Ram, the Bull, the Twins, shew in the Spring
Crab, Leo, Virgo, doe the Sumer bring.
Scale, Scorpion, Archer, gather corne together,
Goate Gan'med, Pisces, rise in winters weather.
Six Springs, and Harvests Æquinoctials share,
Summer and winter's Solstice six declare.
Seav'n wandring Planets, you may here see soon,
Saturne, Iove, Mars, Sol, Uenus, Merc'ry, Moon.
From these alone, from these ætherial flames
The Seav'n days of the weeke derive their nam's,
God placed in the Firmament of heaven
These pilgrim-planets, all in number Seaven
They and the golden Bauldricks thrice four powers,
Have influence in these bodies of ours:
They rule the Head, Neck, Arms, & Brest compleat,
Back, Bely, Reins, Secrets, Thighs, Knees, Legs, Feet,
Ther's many thousand nameless glittring globe,
Here inter-woven in this spangled Robe.
And in Earth's Tester, all with starrs set round
The Lactea via of Jehova's found:
This way doth lead to the Tribunal Throne
Of thund'ring Iove, this is the way alone
Conducts to bliss, if thou wilt enter in
Thy milk-white conscience must be free from sin:
The way doth ly direct, thou canst not miss:
A pure white conscience is the way to bliss,
[OMITTED] or Triangulus is found.
Two fishes, linked by their tailes ly forth,
One Southward, and the other tow'rds the North,
A sword in Perseus right hand out is spread,
In's left the snaky haird Medusa'es head.
He sits among the Pleiad's, his wing'd shoes.
Most sweetly there the Lyre of Merc'ry goes.
The Armiger of Iove, spreads here her wings,
And there the Swan that her owne El'gy sings.
20
There Joves Cup-bearer Ganimede is grac'd;
Beneath whom doth arise the Capricorn,
There Sagitarius doth the Heav'ns adorn,
His winged dart flies from his boysterous string
Betwixt the Eagles. and the Vulters wing.
The Dolphin last of all swims in the North,
Which sav'd Arion, in the Sea cast forth.
(Sweet Jesu! beare me to the Port of Sion,
Be thou my Dolphin I'le be thy Arion.
Orion mounteth nigh the Southerne Pole,
With golden belt begyrt; his left-foot sole:
He gently dippeth in the silver streams
Of swift Erid'nus; next the Dog-starr gleams,
Whose yelping frights the Hare; there swims the Whale.
Pegasian Argo next is under saile,
Which bore the Argonauts, and Peers of Greece,
Together with the Colchian golden fleece.
The Southern Garland, called Ixion's wheele,
Lies under horned Sagittarius heele.
Yonder is the Thuribulum divine;
There doth the Kid; and here the Centaur shine.
In folds, the truc'lent Hydra lies, enrould,
On whome stands Corvus, and a cup of gold
The Crater of the Powers: in the skies
By th'egg hatch'd breth'ren, litle Procyon lies.
21
Thereon engrav'd, Supine Astronomers.
The Ram, Bull, Twins, Crab, Lion, Virgo, Scale,
Scorp. Archer, Capri. Aquar. Pisces, call:
The Ram, the Bull, the Twins, shew in the Spring
Crab, Leo, Virgo, doe the Sumer bring.
Scale, Scorpion, Archer, gather corne together,
Goate Gan'med, Pisces, rise in winters weather.
Six Springs, and Harvests Æquinoctials share,
Summer and winter's Solstice six declare.
Seav'n wandring Planets, you may here see soon,
Saturne, Iove, Mars, Sol, Uenus, Merc'ry, Moon.
From these alone, from these ætherial flames
The Seav'n days of the weeke derive their nam's,
God placed in the Firmament of heaven
These pilgrim-planets, all in number Seaven
They and the golden Bauldricks thrice four powers,
Have influence in these bodies of ours:
They rule the Head, Neck, Arms, & Brest compleat,
Back, Bely, Reins, Secrets, Thighs, Knees, Legs, Feet,
Ther's many thousand nameless glittring globe,
Here inter-woven in this spangled Robe.
And in Earth's Tester, all with starrs set round
The Lactea via of Jehova's found:
This way doth lead to the Tribunal Throne
Of thund'ring Iove, this is the way alone
22
Thy milk-white conscience must be free from sin:
The way doth ly direct, thou canst not miss:
A pure white conscience is the way to bliss,
| KOSMOBREVIA[Greek], or the infancy of the world | |