Classic Poem

41

Though there most dangerous, where wit serveth might,
To shake diuine foundations, and humane,
By painting vices, and by shadowing right,
With tincture of Probabile prophane,
Vnder false colour giuing truth such rates,
As Power may rule in chiefe through all Estates.

42

For which respects, Learning hath found distaste
In Gouernments, of great, and glorious fame;
In Lacedemon scorned, and disgrac'd,
As idle, vaine, effeminate, and lame:
Engins that did vn-man the mindes of men
From action, to seeke glorie in a den.

43

Yea Rome it selfe, while there in her remain'd
That antient, ingenuous austerity,
The Greeke professors, from her wals restrain'd,
And with the Turke they still exiled be:
We finde in Gods Law curious Arts reprou'd;
Of Mans inventions no one Schoole approu'd.

44

Besides, by name this high Philosophy
Is in the Gospell term'd a vaine deceipt ;
And caution giuen, by way of prophecy
Against it, as if in the depth, and height
Of spirit, the Apostle clearely did foresee
That in the end corrupt the Schoole-men would
Gods true Religion, in a heathen mould.

45

And not alone make flesh a Deity,
But gods of all that fleshly sense brings forth:
Giue mortall nature immortality,
Yet thinke all but time present nothing worth:
An Angel-pride, and in vs much more vaine
Since what they could not, how should we attaine?

46

For if Mans wisedomes, lawes, arts, legends, schooles,
Be built vpon the knowledge of the evill;
And if these Trophies be the onely tooles,
Which doe maintaine the kingdome of the Diuell;
If all these Babels had the curse of tongues,
So as confusion still to them belongs:

47

Then can these moulds neuer containe their Maker,
Nor those nice formes, and different beings show,
Which figure in his works, truth, wisdome, nature,
The onely obiects for the soule to know:
These Arts, moulds, workes can but expresse the sinne,
Whence by mans follie, his fall did beginne.

48

Againe, if all mans fleshly Organs rest
Vnder that curse , as out of doubt they doe;
If Skie, Sea, Earth, lye vnder it opprest,
As tainted with that tast of errors too;
In this Mortalitie, this strange priuation,
What knowledge stands but sense of declination?

49

A Science neuer scientificall,
A Rhapsody of questions controuerted;
In which because men know no truth at all,
To euery purpose it may be conuerted:
Iudge then what grounds this can to others give,
That waued euer in it selfe must liue?

50

Besides, the soule of Man, Prince of this earth,
That liuely image of Gods truth, and might,
If it haue lost the blisse of heauenly birth,
And by transgression dimme that piercing light,
Which from their inward natures, gaue the name
To euery creature, and describ'd the same:

51

If this be stain'd in Essence, as in Shrine,
Though all were pure, whence she collects, diuides
Good, ill; false, true; things humane, or diuine;
Yet where the Iudge is false , what truth abides?
False both the obiects, Iudge, and method be;
What be those Arts then of Humanity?

52

But strange Chimeras borne of mortall sense,
Opinions curious moulds, wherein she casts
Elenches , begot by false intelligence,
Betweene our Reasons, and our Senses tasts:
Binding mans minde with earths imposture-line,
For euer looking vp to things diuine:

53

Whereby, euen as the Truth in euery heart
Refines our fleshly humors, and affection,
That they may easlier serue the better part,
Know, and obey the Wisedome to perfection:
These dreames embody, and engrosse the minde,
To make the nobler serve the baser kind.

54

In lapse to God though thus the World remaines,
Yet doth she with dimme eyes in Chaos'd light,
Striue, study, search through all her finite veines,
To be, and know (without God) infinite:
To which end Cloysters, Cells, Schooles , she erects,
False moulds, that while they fashion, doe infect.

55

Whence all Mans fleshly idols being built,
As humane Wisedome, Science, Power , and Arts ,
Vpon the false foundation of his Guilt;
Confusedly doe weaue within our hearts,
Their owne aduancement, state, and declination,
As things whose beings are but transmutation.

56

Subiect not onely therein vnto time,
And all obstructions of Misgouernment;
But in themselves, when they are most sublime,
Like fleshly visions, neuer permanent:
Rising to fall, falling to rise againe,
And never can, where they are knowne, remaine.

57

But if they scape the violence of Warre ,
(That actiue instrument of Barbarisme)
With their owne nicenesse they traduced are,
And like opinion, craftie moulds of schisme;
As founded vpon flatteries of Sense,
Which must with truth keepe least intelligence:

58

But in a darke successiue Ignorance
Some times lye shadowed, and although not dead,
Yet sleeping, till the turnes of Change, or Chance
Doe (in their restlesse chariots garnished
Among the cloudy Meteors made of earth)
Giue them again, to scourge the world, new birth.

59

Thus, till Man end, his Vanities goe round,
In credit here, and there discredited;
Striuing to binde, and neuer to be bound,
To gouerne God, and not bee governed:
Which is the cause his life is thus confused,
In his corruption, by these Arts abused.

60

Here see we then the Vainenesse, and Defect
Of Schooles, Arts, and all else that man doth know,
Yet shall wee straight resolve, that by neglect
Of Science, Nature doth the richer grow?
That Ignorance is the mother of Deuotion ,
Since Schooles giue them that teach this such promotion?

61

No, no; amongst the worst let her come in,
As Nurse, and Mother vnto euery lust;
Since who commit iniustice, often sinne ,
Because they know not what to each is iust;
Intemperance doth oft our Natures winne,
Because what's foule, vndecent, wee thinke best,
And by misprision so grow in the rest.

62

Man must not therefore rashly Science scorne,
But choose, and read with care; since Learning is
A bunch of grapes sprung vp among the thornes,
Where, but by caution, none the harme can misse;
Nor Arts true riches read to vnderstand,
But shall, to please his taste, offend his hand.

63

For as the World by time still more declines,
Both from the truth, and wisedome of Creation:
So at the truth she more and more repines,
As making hast to her last declination.
Therefore if not to cure, yet to refine
Her stupidnesse, as well as ostentation,
Let vs set straight that Industrie againe,
Which else as foolish proves, as it is vaine.

64

Yet here, before we can direct mans choice,
We must diuide Gods Children from the rest;
Since these pure soules (who only know his voice)
Haue no Art , but Obedience , for their test:
A mystery betweene God, and the man,
Asking, and giuing farre more than we can.

65

Let vs then respite these, and first behold
The World , with all her instruments, waies, ends;
What keepes proportion, what must be control'd,
Which be her enemies, and which her friends?
That so we best may counsell, or decree
The vanity can neuer wiser bee.

66

Wherein to guide Mans choice to such a mood,
As all the world may iudge a worke of merit;
I wish all curious Sciences let blood,
Superfluous purg'd from wantonnesse of spirit:
For though the world be built upon excesse,
Yet by confusion shee must needs grow lesse:

67

For Man being finite both in wit, time, might,
His dayes in vanitie may be mispent;
Vse therefore must stand higher than delight;
The actiue hate a fruitlesse instrument:
So must the World those busie idle fooles,
That serve no other market than the Schooles.

68

Againe the actiue, necessarie Arts,
Ought to be briefe in bookes, in practise long;
Short precepts may extend to many parts;
The practise must be large, or not be strong.
And as by artlesse Guides, States euer waine:
So doe they where these uselesse dreamers reigne.

69

For if these two be in one ballance weigh'd,
The artlesse Vse beares down the vselesse Arts;
With mad men, else how is the madd'st obey'd,
But by degrees of rage in actiue hearts?
While Contemplation doth the world distract,
With vaine Ideas , which it cannot act.

70

And in this thinking vndigested notion,
Transformes all beings into Atomi ;
Dissolues, builds not; nor rests, nor gets by motion,
Heads being lesse than wombes of vanity:
Which Visions make all humane Arts thus tedious,
Intricate, vaine, endlesse, as they proue to vs.

71

The World should therefore her instructions draw
Backe vnto life, and actions, whence they came;
That practise, which gaue being, might giue law,
To make them short, cleare, fruitfull vnto man:
As God made all for use ; euen so must she,
By choice, and vse, vphold her mystery.

72

Besides, where Learning , like a Caspian Sea ,
Hath hitherto receiu'd all little brookes,
Deuour'd their sweetnesse, borne their names away,
And in her greenesse hid their chrystall lookes;
Let her turne Ocean now, and giue backe more
To those cleare Springs, than she receiu'd before.

73

Let her that gather'd rules Emperiall,
Out of particular experiments,
And made meere contemplation of them all,
Apply them now to speciall intents;
That she, and mutuall Action, may maintaine
Themselues, by taking, what they giue againe.

74

And where the progresse was to finde the cause,
First by effects out, now her regresse should
Forme Art directly vnder Natures Lawes;
And all effects so in their causes mould:
As fraile Man liuely, without Schoole of smart,
Might see Successes comming in an Art.

75

For Sciences from Nature should be drawne,
As Arts from practise , neuer out of Bookes;
Whose rules are onely left with time in pawne,
To shew how in them Vse, and Nature lookes:
Out of which light, they that Arts first began,
Pierc'd further, than succeeding ages can.

76

Since how should Water rise rise aboue her fountaine?
Or spirits rule-bound see beyond that light?
So as if Bookes be mans Parnassus mountaine,
Within them no Arts can be infinite;
Nor any multiply himselfe to more,
But still grow lesse than he that went before.

77

Againe, Art should not, like a Curtizan ,
Change habits, dressing graces euery day;
But of her Termes one stable Counterpane
Still keepe, to shun ambiguous allay;
That Youth in Definitions once receiu'd,
(As in Kings standards) might not be deceiu'd.

78

To which true end, in euery Art there should
One, or two Authors be selected out,
To cast the learners in a constant mould;
Who if not falsely, yet else goe about;
And as the Babes by many Nurses doe,
Oft change conditions, and complexions too.

79

The like surueyes that spirit of Gouernment ,
Which moulds, and tempers all these seruing Arts ,
Should take, in choosing out fit instruments,
To iudge mens inclinations, and their parts;
That Bookes, Arts, Natures, may well fitted be,
To hold vp this Worlds curious mystery.

80

First dealing with her chiefe commanding Art ,
The outward Churches , which their Ensignes beare
So mixt with power, and craft in euery part,
As any shape, but Truth, may enter there:
All whose hypocrisies, thus built on passion,
Can yet nor being giue, nor constant fashion.