Treatie of Humane Learning, A - Stanzas 121ÔÇô151
121
As for example; Buildings of all kinds;
Ships, Houses, Halls, for humane policy;
Camps, Bulwarkes, Forts, all instruments of Warre;
Surueying, Nauigation, Husbandry,
Trafficke, Exchange, Accompts, & all such other,
As, like good children, do aduance their mother.
122
For thus, these Arts passe, whence they came, to life,
Circle not round in selfe-imagination,
Begetting Lines upon an abstract wife,
As children borne for idle contemplation;
But in the practise of mans wisedome giue,
Meanes, for the Worlds inhabitants to liue.
123
Lastly, the vse of all vnlawfull Arts
Is maine abuse; whose acts, and contemplation,
Equally founded vpon crased parts,
Are onely to be cur'd by extirpation:
The rule being true, that What at first is ill ,
Grow worse by use, or by refining will.
124
Now as the Bullion , which in all Estates,
The standard beares of Soueraignity;
Although allaid by characters, or rates
Moulded in wisedome, or necessitie,
Gets credit by the stampe, aboue his worth,
To buy, or sell; bring home, or carry forth:
125
Eu'n so, in these corrupted moulds of Art,
Which while they doe conforme, reforme vs not;
If all the false infections they impart
Be shadowed thus, thus formally be wrought;
Though what works goodnesse, onely makes men wise ;
Yet Power thus mask'd may finely tyrannize.
126
And let this serue to make all People see,
The vanity is crafty, but not wise;
Chance, or occasion her prosperitie,
And but aduantage in her head, no eyes:
Truth is no Counsellor to assist the euill,
And in his owne, who wiser than the deuill?
127
In which corrupt confusion let vs leaue
The vanity, with her Sophistications;
Deceiu'd by that wherwith she would deceiue,
Paying, and paid with vaine imaginations;
Changing, corrupting, trading hope, and feare,
Instead of vertues, which she cannot beare.
128
And so returne to those pure , humble Creatures ,
Who if they haue a latitude in any
Of all these vaine, traducing, humane features,
Where, out of one root doe proceed so many:
They must be sparing, few, and onely such,
As helpe Obedience, stirre not pride too much:
129
For in the world, not of it, since they be;
Like Passengers, their ends must be to take
Onely those blessings of Mortality,
Which he that made all, fashion'd for their sake:
Not fixing loue, hope, sorrow, care, or feare,
On mortall blossoms, which must dye to beare .
130
With many linkes, an equall glorious chaine
Of hopes eternall those pure people frame;
Yet but one forme, and metall it containes,
Reason, and Passion, being there the same:
Which well-linck't chaine they fixe vnto the sky,
Not to draw heauen downe, but earth vp by.
131
Their Arts, Laws, Wisedome, Acts, Ends, Honors being
All stamp'd and moulded in th' Eternall breast;
Beyond which truth, what can be worth their seeing,
That as false wisedomes all things else detest?
Wherby their workes are rather great than many,
More than to know, and doe, they haue not any.
132
For earth, and earthynesse it is alone,
Which enuies, strives, hates, or is malecontent;
Which Meteors vanish must from this cleare zone,
Where each thought is on his Creator bent;
And where both Kings and People should aspire,
To fix all other motions of desire.
133
Hence haue they latitudes, wherein they may
Study Sea, Skie, Ayre, Earth, as they enioy them;
Contemplate the Creation, State, Decay
Of mortall things, in them that misimploy them:
Preserue the body to obey the minde,
Abhorre the error, yet loue Humane kinde.
134
Salomon knew Nature both in herbes, plants, beasts;
Vs'd then for health, for honour, pleasure, gaine;
Yet, that abundance few Crownes wel digest,
Let his example, and his booke maintaine:
Kings, who haue trauail'd through the Vanity,
Can best describe vs what her visions be.
135
For we in such Kings (as cleare Mirrors) see,
And reade the heauenly glory of the good,
All other Arts, which borne of euill bee,
By these are neither taught, nor vnderstood,
Who, in the wombe of Gods true Church their mother
Learne they that know him well, must know no other .
136
Which God this People worship in their King
And through obedience trauaile to perfection;
Studying their wills vnder his will to bring,
Yeeld trust, and honour both, to his direction:
And when they doe from his example swarue,
Beare witnesse to themselues they ill deserue.
137
Since Goodnesse, Wisedome, Truth, then ioyn'd in one,
Shew Kings, and People, what the glories be
Of mutuall duties, to make up a Throne,
And weaue protection in humility:
Where else to rockes when men doe fasten chaines ,
Their labors onely draw themselves to paines.
138
Now, if this wisedome onely can be found,
By seeking God, euen in the Faith he giues;
If earth, heauen, sea, starres, creatures be the bound,
Wherein reueal'd his power, and wisedome liues,
If true obedience be the way to this,
And onely who growes better, wiser is:
139
Then let not curious, silly Flesh conceiue
It selfe more rich, or happy when it knowes
These words of Art, which men (as shells) must cleave,
Before the lifes true wisedome they disclose;
Nor when they know to teach, they know not what,
But when their doings men may wonder at.
140
For onely that man vnderstands indeed,
And well remembers, which he well can doe;
The Laws liue, onely where the Law doth breed
Obedience to the workes it bindes vs to:
And as the life of Wisedome hath exprest,
If this you know, then doe it, and be blest.
141
Againe, the vse of Knowledge is not strife,
To contradict, and Criticall become,
As well in bookes, as practise of our life;
Which yeelds dissoluing, not a building doome;
A cobwebs worke, the thinnest fruit of wit,
Like Atomi , things reall seeme to it.
142
But as to Warre the error is one end,
So is her worthiest to maintaine the right;
Not to make question, cavill or contend,
Dazell the earth with visions infinite;
But nurse the World with charitable food,
Which none can doe that are not wise, and good.
143
The chiefe Vse then in man of that he knowes,
Is his paines taking for the good of all,
Not fleshly weeping for our owne made woes,
Not laughing from a Melancholy gall,
Not hating from a soule that ouerflowes
With bitternesse, breath'd out from inward thrall:
But sweetly rather to ease, loose, or binde,
As need requires, this fraile fall'n humane kinde.
144
Yet Some seeke knowledge, meerely but to know ,
And idle Curiositie that is;
Some but to sell , not freely to bestow,
These gaine and spend both time, and wealth amisse;
Embasing Arts, by basely deeming so:
Some to be knowne, and vanity is this:
Some to build others, which is Charity;
But these to build themselues, who wise men be.
145
And to conclude, whether we would erect
Our selves, or others by this choice of Arts;
Our chiefe endeauour must be to effect
A sound foundation, not on sandy parts
Of light Opinion, Selfenesse, Words of men,
But that sure rocke of truth; Gods Word, or Penne .
146
Next that we doe not ouerbuild our states,
In searching secrets of the Deity,
Obscurities of Nature, casualtie of Fates;
But measure first our own Humanity;
Then on our gifts impose an equall rate,
And so seeke wisedome with sobriety:
Not curious what our fellowes ought to doe,
But what our owne creation bindes vs to.
147
Lastly, we must not to the world erect
Theaters, nor plant our Paradise in dust,
Nor build vp Babels for the Diuels elect;
Make temples of our hearts to God we must;
And then, as Godlesse wisedomes follies be ,
So are his lights our true Philosophie.
148
With which faire cautions, Man may well professe
To studie God, whom he is borne to serve;
Nature, t'admire the greater in the lesse;
Time, but to learne; Our selues we may obserue,
To humble vs: Others, to exercise
Our loue and patience, wherein Duty lies.
149
Lastly, the truth and good to loue, and doe them;
The error, onely to destroy, and shunne it;
Our hearts in generall will lead vs to them,
When gifts of Grace, and Faith haue once begun it.
For without these, the minde of man growes numbe,
The body darkenesse, to the soule a tombe.
150
Thus are true Learnings in the humble heart
A Spirituall worke , raising Gods Image, rased
By our transgression; a well-framed art ,
At which the world, and error stand amazed;
A Light diuine , where man sees ioy, and smart
Immortall, in this mortall body blazed;
A wisdome , which the Wisedome vs assureth
With hers euen to the sight of God endureth.
151
Hard Characters (I grant) to flesh and blood,
Which in the first perfection of creation
Freely resign'd the state of being good,
To know the euill, where it found priuation;
And lost her being, ere she vnderstood
Depth of this fall, paine of Regeneration :
By which she yet must raise herselfe againe,
Ere she can iudge all other knowledge vaine.
As for example; Buildings of all kinds;
Ships, Houses, Halls, for humane policy;
Camps, Bulwarkes, Forts, all instruments of Warre;
Surueying, Nauigation, Husbandry,
Trafficke, Exchange, Accompts, & all such other,
As, like good children, do aduance their mother.
122
For thus, these Arts passe, whence they came, to life,
Circle not round in selfe-imagination,
Begetting Lines upon an abstract wife,
As children borne for idle contemplation;
But in the practise of mans wisedome giue,
Meanes, for the Worlds inhabitants to liue.
123
Lastly, the vse of all vnlawfull Arts
Is maine abuse; whose acts, and contemplation,
Equally founded vpon crased parts,
Are onely to be cur'd by extirpation:
The rule being true, that What at first is ill ,
Grow worse by use, or by refining will.
124
Now as the Bullion , which in all Estates,
The standard beares of Soueraignity;
Although allaid by characters, or rates
Moulded in wisedome, or necessitie,
Gets credit by the stampe, aboue his worth,
To buy, or sell; bring home, or carry forth:
125
Eu'n so, in these corrupted moulds of Art,
Which while they doe conforme, reforme vs not;
If all the false infections they impart
Be shadowed thus, thus formally be wrought;
Though what works goodnesse, onely makes men wise ;
Yet Power thus mask'd may finely tyrannize.
126
And let this serue to make all People see,
The vanity is crafty, but not wise;
Chance, or occasion her prosperitie,
And but aduantage in her head, no eyes:
Truth is no Counsellor to assist the euill,
And in his owne, who wiser than the deuill?
127
In which corrupt confusion let vs leaue
The vanity, with her Sophistications;
Deceiu'd by that wherwith she would deceiue,
Paying, and paid with vaine imaginations;
Changing, corrupting, trading hope, and feare,
Instead of vertues, which she cannot beare.
128
And so returne to those pure , humble Creatures ,
Who if they haue a latitude in any
Of all these vaine, traducing, humane features,
Where, out of one root doe proceed so many:
They must be sparing, few, and onely such,
As helpe Obedience, stirre not pride too much:
129
For in the world, not of it, since they be;
Like Passengers, their ends must be to take
Onely those blessings of Mortality,
Which he that made all, fashion'd for their sake:
Not fixing loue, hope, sorrow, care, or feare,
On mortall blossoms, which must dye to beare .
130
With many linkes, an equall glorious chaine
Of hopes eternall those pure people frame;
Yet but one forme, and metall it containes,
Reason, and Passion, being there the same:
Which well-linck't chaine they fixe vnto the sky,
Not to draw heauen downe, but earth vp by.
131
Their Arts, Laws, Wisedome, Acts, Ends, Honors being
All stamp'd and moulded in th' Eternall breast;
Beyond which truth, what can be worth their seeing,
That as false wisedomes all things else detest?
Wherby their workes are rather great than many,
More than to know, and doe, they haue not any.
132
For earth, and earthynesse it is alone,
Which enuies, strives, hates, or is malecontent;
Which Meteors vanish must from this cleare zone,
Where each thought is on his Creator bent;
And where both Kings and People should aspire,
To fix all other motions of desire.
133
Hence haue they latitudes, wherein they may
Study Sea, Skie, Ayre, Earth, as they enioy them;
Contemplate the Creation, State, Decay
Of mortall things, in them that misimploy them:
Preserue the body to obey the minde,
Abhorre the error, yet loue Humane kinde.
134
Salomon knew Nature both in herbes, plants, beasts;
Vs'd then for health, for honour, pleasure, gaine;
Yet, that abundance few Crownes wel digest,
Let his example, and his booke maintaine:
Kings, who haue trauail'd through the Vanity,
Can best describe vs what her visions be.
135
For we in such Kings (as cleare Mirrors) see,
And reade the heauenly glory of the good,
All other Arts, which borne of euill bee,
By these are neither taught, nor vnderstood,
Who, in the wombe of Gods true Church their mother
Learne they that know him well, must know no other .
136
Which God this People worship in their King
And through obedience trauaile to perfection;
Studying their wills vnder his will to bring,
Yeeld trust, and honour both, to his direction:
And when they doe from his example swarue,
Beare witnesse to themselues they ill deserue.
137
Since Goodnesse, Wisedome, Truth, then ioyn'd in one,
Shew Kings, and People, what the glories be
Of mutuall duties, to make up a Throne,
And weaue protection in humility:
Where else to rockes when men doe fasten chaines ,
Their labors onely draw themselves to paines.
138
Now, if this wisedome onely can be found,
By seeking God, euen in the Faith he giues;
If earth, heauen, sea, starres, creatures be the bound,
Wherein reueal'd his power, and wisedome liues,
If true obedience be the way to this,
And onely who growes better, wiser is:
139
Then let not curious, silly Flesh conceiue
It selfe more rich, or happy when it knowes
These words of Art, which men (as shells) must cleave,
Before the lifes true wisedome they disclose;
Nor when they know to teach, they know not what,
But when their doings men may wonder at.
140
For onely that man vnderstands indeed,
And well remembers, which he well can doe;
The Laws liue, onely where the Law doth breed
Obedience to the workes it bindes vs to:
And as the life of Wisedome hath exprest,
If this you know, then doe it, and be blest.
141
Againe, the vse of Knowledge is not strife,
To contradict, and Criticall become,
As well in bookes, as practise of our life;
Which yeelds dissoluing, not a building doome;
A cobwebs worke, the thinnest fruit of wit,
Like Atomi , things reall seeme to it.
142
But as to Warre the error is one end,
So is her worthiest to maintaine the right;
Not to make question, cavill or contend,
Dazell the earth with visions infinite;
But nurse the World with charitable food,
Which none can doe that are not wise, and good.
143
The chiefe Vse then in man of that he knowes,
Is his paines taking for the good of all,
Not fleshly weeping for our owne made woes,
Not laughing from a Melancholy gall,
Not hating from a soule that ouerflowes
With bitternesse, breath'd out from inward thrall:
But sweetly rather to ease, loose, or binde,
As need requires, this fraile fall'n humane kinde.
144
Yet Some seeke knowledge, meerely but to know ,
And idle Curiositie that is;
Some but to sell , not freely to bestow,
These gaine and spend both time, and wealth amisse;
Embasing Arts, by basely deeming so:
Some to be knowne, and vanity is this:
Some to build others, which is Charity;
But these to build themselues, who wise men be.
145
And to conclude, whether we would erect
Our selves, or others by this choice of Arts;
Our chiefe endeauour must be to effect
A sound foundation, not on sandy parts
Of light Opinion, Selfenesse, Words of men,
But that sure rocke of truth; Gods Word, or Penne .
146
Next that we doe not ouerbuild our states,
In searching secrets of the Deity,
Obscurities of Nature, casualtie of Fates;
But measure first our own Humanity;
Then on our gifts impose an equall rate,
And so seeke wisedome with sobriety:
Not curious what our fellowes ought to doe,
But what our owne creation bindes vs to.
147
Lastly, we must not to the world erect
Theaters, nor plant our Paradise in dust,
Nor build vp Babels for the Diuels elect;
Make temples of our hearts to God we must;
And then, as Godlesse wisedomes follies be ,
So are his lights our true Philosophie.
148
With which faire cautions, Man may well professe
To studie God, whom he is borne to serve;
Nature, t'admire the greater in the lesse;
Time, but to learne; Our selues we may obserue,
To humble vs: Others, to exercise
Our loue and patience, wherein Duty lies.
149
Lastly, the truth and good to loue, and doe them;
The error, onely to destroy, and shunne it;
Our hearts in generall will lead vs to them,
When gifts of Grace, and Faith haue once begun it.
For without these, the minde of man growes numbe,
The body darkenesse, to the soule a tombe.
150
Thus are true Learnings in the humble heart
A Spirituall worke , raising Gods Image, rased
By our transgression; a well-framed art ,
At which the world, and error stand amazed;
A Light diuine , where man sees ioy, and smart
Immortall, in this mortall body blazed;
A wisdome , which the Wisedome vs assureth
With hers euen to the sight of God endureth.
151
Hard Characters (I grant) to flesh and blood,
Which in the first perfection of creation
Freely resign'd the state of being good,
To know the euill, where it found priuation;
And lost her being, ere she vnderstood
Depth of this fall, paine of Regeneration :
By which she yet must raise herselfe againe,
Ere she can iudge all other knowledge vaine.
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