Classic Poem

Now Heauens bright Eye (awake by Vespers sheene)
Peepes through the purple windowes of the East,
While Night doth sinke beneath the Earth vnseene;
Fearing with lightnes to be sore opprest;
Then vp my wakefull Muse to worke for Rest.
Thou shalt not soundly sleepe till thou hast view'd
Thy iournies end; wherein who ends are blest:
Then, let thy course be zealously pursu'd
To find the rest of true Beatitude .

Which is Eternall , and alone is so:
Without Beginning , and can haue none End .
Which hath nor First nor Last: for, that doth grow
From First to Last , so rise, and then descend:
But this doth no such Motion comprehend:
For, that's Eternall , that not onely Is ,
But still is such; and doth not paire or mend:
Then must he needs be First , and Last by this,
Because Eternall is that state of his.

Our Mynd alone, confusedly conceiues
Th' unbounded compasse of Eternity :
It's past conceit, sith Notion none it giues:
Being as free from mutability,
As from beginning, end or quantity!
It euer Was ; that was, e're Time had roome
To stirre it selfe, by Heau'ns propulsity:
To which there is nought past, nor ought to come,
But all is present in her boundlesse Wombe!

Our Soules , and Angels are eternall too;
But, their eternity with Time was made:
As were the Places where reside they do;
Which both Beginning and Succession had;
So, seeme to vanish, though they cannot fade:
But, these created were Eternities ,
Which Time , from time, to time stil forwards ladd
And, though Eter'nall , yet Were otherwise:
But G ODS Was euer, Is , and neuer dies!

He is the Author of Eternity:
Then, was before it, else it could not be:
He was before that made, Eternally:
So, is eternall in the highest degree:
Yet not the Author of his owne is he:
His owne Eternity and He are one;
(Sith that's himselfe, that is his Property ,)
So, could not be his owne creation:
And so (vnmade) eternal is alone.

Angels and Soules , though they eternall be;
Yet either may, by nature, haue an end,
That of an Act consist, and Potency ,
Which Compound doth to disolution tend;
Did it not on Gods simple P OWRE depend
The Compound is the Cause that so it may;
" For nought is rent, without a Cause it rend;
But there can be no Cause of his decay
Who is the chiefest Cause , and his owne Stay.

And by that Stay , vnconstant Man he staies
From a relapse to nothing, which he was:
Yet falling finally, he still decaies
But nere determines: for, he still doth passe
From ought, to nought; yet nought is ne rethelasse:
For, (as was said) Man is eternall made;
Though heere he flourisheth and fades like Grasse;
Yet shall he rise againe; and neuer fade,
To Ioy , or Wo , as he is Good or Bad .

What! shall he liue in wo Eternally
If heere he liue, and die in gracelesse state;
So, for a short bad life, for euer die:
Or, liue in death, life still t'excruciate?
This seemes all Mercy quite to ruinate:
For, all neede Grace; sith seuen times sins the best
Ere once the Sunne his Round perambulate;
But seuenty-seauen times do the worst, at least,
Then, if Grace faile, none die to liue in rest.

If for an hundred yeares offending here
[For, that's the longest date of our liues lease]
Millions of Ages we were plagued there
With paines past paine yet that, in time, should cease
And we for That , in mercy haue release:
So, Iustice might with Mercy sympathize;
But, for a short time of our crimes increase
Euer to liue, in death that neuer dyes,
Ah! this makes Iustice seeme to tyrranize!

But stay fraile flesh, and bloud, here Truthes reply:
Thou speak'st thus much as prompted by the Fiend ;
But Truth this Iustice well may iustifie:
For, had'st thou liu'd stil, stil thou would'st haue syn'd;
And, to thy passions euermore beene pynn'd:
Then sith thou sinn'st in thine eternity
It's iust thou should'st in Gods, in Hell be Inn'd:
For, he the Will , for Deede takes commonly,
As well when it wills well, as wickedly.

And, synne's gain'st Goodnesse most most infinite
Are made most infinite, in ill, thereby!
Then, no proportion hold paines definite
To scourge the ill that hath infinity;
Which must be punish't in eternity.
Then O! what life ought mortall Men to lead
That leads to endlesse blisse, or misery?
Then liue w'in Hell, for Heau'n (as did our Head)
Not liue in Heau'n, for Hell, when we be dead.

O how it ought to make flesh freeze with feare,
Or flame in all deuotion of the Sp'rite,
Sith the Word E VER euer doth appeare
So bottomlesse! in length so infinite!
Euer in vtter darkenesse! neuer light!
Ah! this is it, that's able to dissolue
Both Soule, and Body with eternall fright!
And yet to sinne some euer do resolue;
And, E VER , neuer in their thoughts reuolue.

Euer to dye, and neuer to be dead;
Euer to Bee , and neuer be at rest;
Euer in fire, yet neuer minished
Which (E VER ) Patience neuer can digest:
Sith it's most bad when it is at the best!
If euer we did thinke aright of this,
This Fire would neuer cease to moue, at least
And if we be not mou'd with endlesse Blisse:
Such paines will moue aright, or most amisse.

Then fleshly wisedome no let can be more
To let this motion stay a Spirit vnstaid:
For, that Egeriaes doctrine deemes this lore,
And thinkes all holy fraud which Truth hath said;
That Lawes may so the better be obaid.
This wisedomes Eyes are dull, yet sharply see
To go past Truth for Errours greater ayde:
" For, like old Eyes, at hand they blinded be;
" But farre off falsely graunds each quantity.

After this wisedome comes presumption;
After Presumption, blindnesse of the mind:
And after all these foule Affection ,
Then Custome comes insensibly behind,
And makes these ils vnfelt, with craft vnkind:
So, haue the lewd no feeling of offence,
Their pow'r of feeling Custome so doth bind:
Thus fleshly wisedome is the Roote from whence
Spring greatest Synnes, with all impenitence!

These thrust out Reason of her Signiorie
(The Braines ) where erst she sate in Siluer Throne ,
Ruling with Scepter of pure Iuory ,
That is; Commanding nought but Right alone:
For, right is cleare from all corruption
Vpon which Scepters Top an Eagle's fixt
To note that Reason , bee'ng her Wings vpon,
Transcends the Spheares , to see the world vnmixt
With Eyes that see the subtill'st parts betwixt.

If Reason then, retaine her Pow'r , and Place
Shee doth aright informe the Intellect;
Which counsels well the Will in eu'ry case,
That it commaunds the Members , with effect,
To do as she, by Reason, doth direct.
So, wild Affections truely tamed be:
For, by the Raigne of Reason they are checkt,
Then, the Minds Kingdome is as fast, as free
Being a World of all Felicity .

Yet when all Vice is brought in Vertues Bounds,
[Ah! see how Man is here still millitant!]
Prid [ Hydra -like] hath strength from her own wounds
So, growing an vnconquered Combatant,
Doth make the Soule, with endlesse strife, to pant:
Vnlesse she seares Prides euer-springing Heads
With the hot Iron of the Law , to dant,
Her haughty hart (which with that Sharpnesse bleeds)
For, she is conquer'd by her owne misdeeds.

Thus, when we haue subdued eu'ry Synne
The Conquest doth beget sinne, to subdew:
So, lose we more, by how much more we wyn;
To gaine which losse, we must the Fight renew;
Or else lose all that should to vs acrue:
For, not a moment may we cease to fight,
Lest mortall Sinne, to death, should vs pursue:
Sith Hydra -headed Synne gets greatest might
When we haue brought her to the weakest plight.

Shee's strongest to destroy, when we suppose,
We haue destroy'd her by our hardynesse:
So, worst we fall, by her worst Ouerthrowes;
Because we glory in our great successe;
So, make it not so much, or nothing lesse.
O Synne , [damn'd Nothing ] that dost all things damn
Which thou dost touch) where lies thy mightinesse?
If in thy Head, our Head hath bruz'd the same;
Yet liu'st thou in his spight who thee or came.

If maugre him thou liu'st, that's Lord of Might ,
[Whose onely frowne can Hell it selfe confound]
How shall we, froth of Frailty , foyle thee quite
Who art more whole, the more we thee do wound;
And mak'st vs sore, by making thee vnsound!
O help vs Weaklings, Lord of Hoasts , to fight,
Else we to Nothing must be captiue-bound:
For, Nothing ( Synne ) doth nothing day and Night,
But make vs worse then Nothing by her spight.

The Fount of Goodnesse , goodnesse makes to flow
From out the worst of Ils , which we fulfill:
For, he thereby makes vs our selues to know;
And humble vs, in goodnesse, by that ill;
So, thereby betters both our Works , and will:
But, the curst Cause of all impiety
Out of our Best , the Worst extracteth still;
Who drawes high'st Pride , from low'st Humilitie
So, drawes most ill, from Ills most contrary.

Thus, from the high'st intire Eternity ,
Our Muse hath stoopt vnto the low'st Ills ,
Thereby to show their inequality;
Yet each is such, as fils, yea, ouerfils,
The Soule with weale, or wo: so, saues, or spils.
But, Phaebus Horses now their swift Careere
Haue staid, for this day, on the highest Hils;
And fal'n to rest beneath our Hemyspheare ;
Therefore, with them, tir'd Muse , thy toile forbeare.