Where none at all should have a cause to fall,
Christs coate was woven without a seam at all:
Instead of Peace which I desird in haste,
Thou sentst me downe a lovely Virgin chaste,
Noble Urania soberly attired,
Which when I saw, (with joy) I much admired,
Finding a friend (copartner) thus to be,
A fit companion in my miserie.
Great God of Heaven upon my bended knees,
Before that face which every action sees,
Let me but know what good I ever wrought,
That thou in mercy thus on me hath thought?
Or have I not offended much thy will,
That thou my breast doth with Urania fill,
Sending her downe as thou didst send thy son,
To save those Sheep which from thy foald did run.
Eternal God, what shall I give to thee,
For thy great Love and favour shewd to me?
If all the world within my power did stand,
And all therein were sole at my command:
If all the waves within the sea which boyle,
And all the Rivers on this Earth were oil:
With all those things that e'er I did behold
Under heavens cope were fram'd of beaten gold,
In thankefulnesse for all thy mercies sweet,
I'de all surrender, lay them at thy feet.
But soft my muse, whilst thee and I am plaining,
Each others griefs, and still but little gaining:
Time posts away, as if it had forgot
What Adam did (after the Gates were shut)
In Paradise, I meane that sacred door,
Which in my workes I told you of before.
Adam and Eve about the glistning walls
Of Paradise, with mournful cries and calls,
Repenting sore, lamenting much their sin,
Longing but once to come againe within,
In vaine long time about the walls did grope,
Not in despair as those are out of hope:
But all about in every place did feele,
To find the Door with all their care and paine,
To come within, their former state againe.
18.
Like to a man that in a Pallace built.
Of Jasper stone, and coveru rich with gilt,
On every side lined with a golden wall,
And no towne near nor any house at all,
In such a place suppose one should abide,
Be entertaind like to a lovely bride.
Yet in the night for some abuse absurd,
Perchance for drink or some distasteful word:
If he should be fast by the shoulders caught,
Lead forth a doors and set by all at naught,
Haild all along (even in the evening late)
Between his foes, and thrust quite out of gate,
In no place neere, hearing a Dog to bark,
All comfortless wanders about i' th' darke:
Gropes every where, if he can find a door,
And enter in, he will offend no more.
Or like a man that venters for a prize,
Hoodwinckt, and made starke blind in both eyes
Wheeles round about, in every place doth reele,
At every post and corner house doth feele,
To find the door where he should enter in,
With all his toile his wager for to win.
Even so is Adam in that urcked place
The flaming sword still blazing in his face,
On every side the glistering walls to shine,
The sun himselfe just underneath the line,
The radiant splendor of those Cherubims,
Dazles, amates, his tender eye sight dims
Like to a man that gazeth at the Sun,
Is then unfit, farre any way to run,
Least whilst his lookes above the Clouds he pitch,
He chance to fall and tumble in a ditch.
Such is the state of Adam and his wife,
And every man within this mortal life,
To wander, grope, as is the dark be lost,
And farthest off from that they aim at most.
The sacred lustre of Gods word divine,
The Gospels truth which o'er the Earth doth shine, The Son of peace (Christ Jesus) being borne, Whose glorious Light doth all the world adorne : Have made man blind and dazled both his eyes, To see that joy which in the Scripture lies.
When many days were past away and spent,
Finding at last they mist of their intent:
And that their toil and travell to their paine,
Was frustrate quite, their labour still in vaine :
Much discontented for their sad mishap,
Yet once againe upon the walls they rap,
Then weepe and howle, lament, yearne, cry and
call,
But still no helpe nor answer had at all.
Perplext in mind, and dazled with the light,
With grief and care, distempered in their sight,
Amazed both just as the wind them blew,
To Paradise they had their last adieu:
Like those are moapt, with wandering hither, thither,
From when they went, themselves they knew not whither.
The crosses, griefs, vexations, troubles, care,
Befell them after, with their hungry fare,
Stragling about, abiding in no place,
And discontent, upon their late disgrace,
The angry Heavens, for many days that lowerd, The sable clouds which sulphury showres down powred:
The very Earth combining with them both,
Strange hideous sights, of irkesome lights uncouth,
The elements, as all together bent,
Against mans sin, themselves is under rent.
The Sunne ashamed, the inconstant angry Moone
Began to wane, sending a night at noone,
Surcharg'd with Sorrowes, no where now to rest :
Their griefs more great, than can be well exprest.
The discontent some say which Adam found,
Being expulst out of that holy ground,
By Eves foul error to be thus disgracst,
Made him, the world, his wife, and all distaste:
And like a hermit in his wandering weedes,
On little else but grief and sorrow feedes,
Repentant thoughts are harbor'd in his breast,
His mind impatient, finds no place to rest,
But to the East from Paradise doth run,
Towards the rising of the morning sun.
Here, Here (alas) his tender dazled sight,
With the great splendor of that glorious light,
Whose matchlesse grace when up to Heaven it
Much like a Queene forth from her Chamber venters,
Climbs up the skies and tramples on the aire,
With cheerful lookes in glittring robes most faire,
Prances about, in no place long it bides,
Viewes all the world on every side it rides,
The radient rayes which sparkled in his face,
Made Adam thinke that God was in that place.
With this conceit, he tarries in no coast,
But on he goes, and all in haste doth post,
O'er Hill and Dale with toyle, vexation, paine,
Like Siciphus, that labors still in vaine,
To roule a stone against a monstrous mount,
His grief more great than any man can count,
Finds to his cost his travell to no end,
His weary works all to no purpose tend:
So on he runs, on nothing else doth dreame,
Until he came at Ganges watry streame,
And as before, o'er many a little River,
He made away up to his Heart and Liver,
So in this streame, hoping the same to win,
He enters bold, and wade up to his chin.
Heere is a Barre in superstitions way,
Too deepe a Rubbe to make his fury stay,
For all his haste he can no further passe,
By Ganges coast, like to wall of brasse,
Where he is forced, to try his utmost skill,
Against the streame, he strives and labours still:
Until by practise by his active limbs,
A mile or two upon the waves he swims,
But yet too farre in absence of his wife,
May breede a skarre and hazard to his life.
Thus discontented, with that watery wall,
The griefe conceived of his dismall fall,
The losse of her that late before he lost,
When as he thought to passe to God in post,
Himselfe alone bewayling of his sins,
To true repentance faithfully begins:
And as some say did circumcize himself,
Washt all his skin (bemir'd) in dirty pelfe,
Forsakes the world, for certaine days did stand,
Within the streame, and never came at land,
Until his flesh from top to toe was seene
With cold and froath, all overgrowne with greene.
Then God which late upon his fault did frowne,
Now smiles again and sendeth Raziel downe,
One of the three in sacred robes of Light,
That ever stand before the most of might,
Since Sathiel one of their number fell,
From highest Heavens unto the lowest Hell.
Michael, Gabriel, this Raziel stood,
Still to this day the sole archangels good.
This noble angel brings those tidings glad,
And cheers the man to be no more so sad,
Tells him that God is not with him offended
But with the Devil which first his reason blinded,
That his repentance purchast hath his peace,
From further pennance wil'd him to surcease,
Although of sin he hath beene once detected,
Yet his good will was in the Heavens accepted,
Bade him go seeke and comfort up his wife,
People the world and live a joyful life.
The messenger that from the Heavens descended,
To bring these tidings up againe ascended,
Like to a flame of pure celestial light,
So vanisht he from earthly Adams sight,
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