The Complete Poetical Works of George Chapman

by George Chapman

  But these are neuer taught, till they be lou’d,

  And we must teach their loue to; both being mou’d

  With one impulsion; and a third to these

  (Which is good life) doth from one doctrine rise.

  Liberall, and seruile, we may teach all arts

  Whose whole; some cut, into sixhundred parts,

  Which I admire, since th’art of good life lies

  By none profest, and good mens fames that rise

  From that arts doctrine, are as rarely seene

  As Centaures, or Sicilian Giants bene.

  For Gods loue and good life yet, as too true

  We proue, our bodies, meanes haue to imbrue

  Their powers with carnall loue; will any say

  That God doth not as powerfull meanes conuay

  For his works loue, into it as doth man

  Into the body? the soule neuer can

  In no propriety, loue her contrarie:

  Life loues not death, nor death eternity:

  Nor she that deathlesse is, what death doth claime:

  If she then (by Gods grace) at Gods loue aime:

  May she not meanes claime by his liberall word

  (That promiseth his mercie will afford

  His loue to all that loue him) to obtaine

  That which she seeks therein, and hould the chaine

  Of his infusion, that let downe from heauen

  Can draw vp, euen the earth? the flesh is geuen

  A liuer that formes loue; And hath not she

  In all her powrs, one Christ-blest Facultie

  To be her liuer, to informe his loue?

  In all chiefe parts, that in the great world moue

  Proportion and similitude, haue place,

  With this our little world. The great worlds face

  Inserted Starres hath, as lucifluent eies:

  The sunne, doth with the heart analogise.

  And through the world, his heate and light disperse:

  As doth the heart through mans small vniuerse.

  The two vast lineaments, the sea and earth

  Are to the world, as to a humaine birth

  The ventricle, and bladder, and the Moone,

  Being interposd, betwixt the Earth, and Sunne:

  Is as the liuer, plac’t betwixt the heart

  And ventricle: if these then we conuert

  To a resemblance, with our bodies powres:

  Shall not our bodies Queene, this soule of ours,

  For her vse finde, as seruiceable parts

  In her commaund with vse of all her Arts?

  All which are liuers to inflame desire:

  And Eagles eyes to take in three forck’t fire,

  (That doth the dazeling Trinitie intend)

  T’enflame her loue thereof; In sacred end

  Her selfe being th’Eagle; And the Queene of Kings,

  That of our Kings King, beares beneath her wings

  The dreadfull Thunder, the Almightie word;

  All which (called fiction) with sure Truth accord.

  But if men may, teach all arts else but this

  Art of good life; (that all their subiect is,

  And obiect to in this life; And for which

  Both Earth and Heauen, so faire are and so rich;

  Yet this must needes want forme and discipline,

  Reason, and stay: and only fortune shine

  In her composure,) O want wise men eyes

  To see in what suds, all their learning lyes?

  Not such as learne not: but as teach not right

  Are chiefly blamefull. Good life takes her light

  From her owne flame: He that will teach an art,

  Must first performe himselfe the leading part.

  Who kindles fire without fire? He that striues

  Without his owne good life, to forme good liues;

  Motions that all the sacred Booke affords

  But Conjurations makes, with holy words;

  That of the Tempter sauour, more then God:

  Temptations; Not perswasions brings abrode;

  With Tempests, thinks to conjure quick, dead coales,

  Torments, not Comforts, sick, and dying Soules.

  And as the windes, all met at wofull fires

  Kindl’d in Cities; stuffe with all their Ires

  Their puft-vp cheekes; Tosse flames from house to house;

  And neuer leaue till their drie Rage Carouse

  A whole Townes life-bloud, in a generall flame;

  Yet Tapers, Torches, all the lights men frame

  For needefull vses, put directly out;

  So, at the conflagration, that the rout

  Of proude, and couetous zeales, hath so enrag’d,

  In Gods deare Citie; Tempests still engag’d

  In spleenefull controuersies, daily rise;

  Cheekes euer puft with hollow pieties,

  The wilde flames feeding, yet extinguisht quite,

  Of needefull good life; both the heat and light.

  Gods loue; that both inflames, giuen all offence,

  And heauens chaste Kingdome suffering violence.

  Which they incense, and plie with batteries,

  To point at it; and shew men where it is.

  When he, his sparkling forehead euer showes

  Where peace is crownd, and where no vapour blowes;

  Where patience, milde humilitie, and loue;

  Faith, and good workes, with douelike paces moue

  Vnder the shadow of his starrie wings;

  Proue all they owe him; Not with words, but things,

  Contention, cleane puts out zeales quiet flame:

  Truths doctrine rather should be taught with shame,

  Then such proude honors, as her manners change:

  Contempt, and pouertie, her battailes range;

  Plaine, simple life, more propagate her birth,

  Then all the policie, and pompe of earth.

  There is a sweet in good life, that must goe

  Arme in arme with it, which men should teach to.

  The end that should in euery Teacher meet,

  With his beginning; is to make good, sweet:

  Who with meere arte, and place, good life doth plie,

  Attempts with pride to teach humilitie.

  Humilitie, Truths salt; and supple Spirit

  That workes, and seasons all men borne t’inherit,

  The Kingdome, on whose blest shore my foot now

  Is gladly fixt; Let that then season you;

  It makes, and crownes true Nobles, and commends

  Euen to felicitie, our births, and ends.

  Now threw the busie day, through humorous blood

  Her sensuall stings, and strooke the heart from good.

  Things outward, with the Mother of their Grace,

  (The gawdie light) things inward quite out-face,

  To this Pied worlds, austere, and woluish care,

  All things meere trifles seeme, but those that are.

  Eugenia, that from Fame might comfort take,

  Let Trance still shut her eyes, and would not wake,

  But heard all speech, like this worlds counsaile cares:

  As if shee heard not, and betwixt her eares.

  Twixt life, and death, shee lay still; This sowre sweet

  That pietie ministers, doth neuer meet

  With fit secretion, and refining here:

  Being like hard fruit, whose true taste ends the yeere.

  The most enforciue bare Relation

  Of pious offices, is held but fashion:

  Proude flesh, holds out, her customarie will

  And yeelds, resisting; Moues without a will

  To comforts promist, and no bond but faith

  For the performance, and her suretie death.

  And this, euen in the weede Eugenia wore,

  Of humane flesh, cleft like the shirt of gore

  That figurde this fifes, Offall for the graue

  And make
s the Noblest that indues it, raue.

  VIRGILIAE TERTIÆ INDUCTIO.

  By this, the Babell of confused sounds,

  (The clamorous game-giuen world) his mouthlike wounds

  Felt leaue their raging; The sweet Euen had dropt

  Her silent Balms in, and their gaping stopt.

  Mineruas Birds, whoop’t at him as he drew

  His many heads home. Sleepes wing’d Vshers flew

  Off from their Flitches; and about Mens noses

  Plaid buzz. The Beetle, that his whole life loses

  In gathering Muck, still wallowing there, did raise

  With his Irate wings, his most vnwieldie paise;

  And, with his knellike humming, gaue the Dor

  Of Death to Men, as all they labourd for.

  The golden backt, and siluer-bellied Snaile

  His moist Mines melted, creeping from his shell,

  And made crook’t Mazes of his glittering slime,

  To shew in what paths, worldlings spend their time.

  All these, The Euening only, make their morne,

  And thus employ it, as men mock-dayes borne.

  Abroade then crept, the world-scar’d broode of Peace,

  To greet Eugenia; whose Trance still did sease

  Her griefe rackt Powrs, which since her loue did make

  lust ioy to her; Religion would not make.

  In midst of all her sable Chamber, lay

  Eugenia corselike. The despisde of day,

  (The Muses, Graces, Vertues, Poesie

  But then arriu’d there) on the Pauement by

  Sate round: Religion (as of that rich Ring

  The precious stone) did th’ends together bring

  Of their Celestiall circle: All so plac’t,

  As they her Armes were; And shee them embrac’t.

  All then, wisht Fame, to giue her Trump the rest,

  (Euen to the deaths word) of the liuing blest.

  Fame (like the Lyon-frighting Bird, in chere

  Proude to report parts, that so sacred were,)

  Her rosie Throte stretcht, and did thus extend

  To his last motion, his proceeding end.

  VIRGILIAE TERTIÆ.

  Still looking, neuer stooping to his death,

  Like some great Combattant, that though giuen breath,

  Yet eyes his Foe still; No glance cast aside,

  To giue aduantage of a touch vnspied:

  So, those twice seuen daies, that his lifes Foe gaue

  His sicknes breath (though in his sight, his graue

  Gaspt for his dutie, in deaths instant deede)

  He neuer lay, nor wore a sickly weede.

  If Death of him gat; He of Death, got more;

  And fortified himselfe still with the store

  The sacred Magazine yeelded: Where he found

  Weapons that grew; and made each word a wound,

  Of which he gaue his ghastly Enimie one

  To be his Trophey when the fight was done.

  Which was a frailtie in him that would faine

  Haue proued a fainting; But who growes againe

  Vp to his strength, is stronger far then hee,

  Whose forces neuer felt infirmitie.

  He chusde his Funerall Text, that shewd him strooke

  With some distraction; yet the forme he tooke

  From the most learn’d Apostle; chearde him so

  That deaths aduantage, prou’d his ouerthrow.

  The Prophet that was rauisht quick to heauen,

  And neuer fought with Death; Nor those foule seuen

  His vgly Ministers, in that extreme,

  Triumphs in so rich a Diademe,

  As he in heauen weares. The more wrestling here

  (The Garland won) the more our price is there.

  But in our worldly ends, so fraile we are,

  That we the Garland giue to euery care

  That doth assaile vs; each particular misse,

  Of that for which the body carefull is;

  Our other plenties, prouing meerly wants,

  And all that the celestiall prouidence plants

  Still in our reach; is to our vse despisde:

  And, only what we can not compassé prisde.

  When this fault sence proues true, as Reason saies;

  Why let we Sense still interpose delaies

  To our true Reasons comforts? Ruling so

  That either we must rage still in our woe,

  Or beare it with so false a patience,

  As showes no more our ease then our offence;

  Exprest in grudging at our penance still:

  Our grudging showne, in our no more curb’d will,

  To our most iust Imposers; then to leaue

  Moodie, and muddie, our apt powrs to grieue:

  Not, that we may not beare a suffering show

  In our afflictions, weighing grauely how

  We may dispose them to our best amends;

  But, not take so much sorrow as transcends

  Our healths; or shewes, we let griefe further goe,

  Then our Content, that God will haue it so;

  Remayning in such plight; as if we thought

  That this our phisique of affliction wrought

  More painefully, then with a healthfull neede;

  When our all-skil’d Phisition doth proceede

  So strictly in his obiect of our ease,

  (So may he mend vs to and soundly please)

  That not a scruple, nor the slendrest graine

  Of any Corasiue, shall rack our paine

  Past his full point of our most needfull cure;

  Weight, measure, number, all Gods workes assure.

  Which, not because infallible Scripture saies,

  We only may beleeue (though that cause weies

  More then enough to strengthen any Faith:)

  But God to euery sound beliefe conuaith

  A Regular knowledge; to informe vs how

  We may sustaine his burthens, though we bow

  Vnder their sad weight; which when once we proue;

  It will annexe to our beliefe such loue,

  That (as the Sunne, mists) quite shall cleare our care,

  And make our generall peace so circulare;

  That Faith and Hope, at either end shall pull

  And make it come: Round as the Moone at full.

  And this, doe many know, though (as t’is said

  By that most comforable Truth, our head,

  After his Prophet) with the arte of th’eare;

  Yet, nothing vnderstanding yee shall heare;

  Yee, looking on; shall see, and not perceiue,

  As often our diuerted thoughts bereaue

  The vse of both those senses, though we be

  In reach of sights, and sounds; and heare and see.

  For as the eye discernes not black from white,

  Colour, from sound; till with a noble light

  The soule casts on it, it is made descrie;

  So, till the soules blanck Intellectuall eye:

  The worlds soule rinseth in his actiue raies,

  And her Rac’t table fills with formes; it staies

  Blanck to all Notions that informe vs how

  To make our cares with in our comforts grow:

  Our fainting, in the free reach of our faith,

  And, in our lifes fixt peace, all feare of death.

  Which true light to this Lords soule, shining came

  And fixt him Rock-like, till his Faith did flame.

  His conflict past, he to the comfort went,

  That makes those Thornes, Crownes; The blest Sacrament,

  Of which, The powrefull consecrated bread;

  (That cheares the liuing, and reuiues the dead,

  Receiud, with feare, and faith; that one yoke beare;

  Feare, that awes Faith; and Faith that tempers feare,)

  Assum’d by him: This witnesse he did giue

  Of what he tooke: I constantly belieue
;

  That as I take, hold, and by grace shall eate

  This sacred bread; So that flesh that did sweat

  Water and bloud, in my deare Sauiours side;

  I shall in this bread, all exhibified,

  In my Eternall safeties full effect,

  Take, hold, and eate, as his most sure Elect.

  To this effect; Effectually the Wine,

  (Turnd the true bloud, of the eternall Vine

  His most lou’d Sauiour,) Then, as fresh in powre

  As in the very instant of that howre,

  In which ’twas shed for him; he did belieue

  To his saluation; he did then receiue.

  Thus held he combat, till his latest day,

  Walking, and after; Conquerd, as he lay,

  Spake to his latest howre; And when no more

  He could by speach impart, th’amazing store

  Of his assurd ioies, that as surely last;

  His diligent diuine, desird a tast

  Of his still strong assurance by some signe;

  When both his hands, euen then wrought in the mine

  Of his exhaustles faith; that cround his Euen,

  And cast such treasure vp, as purchast heauen,

  Thus his most Christian combat did conclude,

  He conquering most, when most he was subdude.

  Yet, not to leaue him here; his funerall

  Deserues in part, to be obseru’d of all.

  In which, his sonne; his owne kinde zealous spirit

  Did with his honors, and his lands inherit;

  Whose pious nature, paying manly teares,

  (Which stony ioies stoppe in most other heires)

  To his departure: whose attending close

  (Through dust, and heate) the bodie in repose;

  Next Euen; and the whole way to his home:

  Whose there, fresh deawing with kinde Balmes his tombe;

  Whose liberall hand, to nere two thousand pore;

  Whose laying vp, as his most prised store

  His fathers life-bought counsailes; all, as nought

  I will not touch here: None giues these a thought;

  But how his teares led others; all the Phane

  Flowing with such brine; seasoning parts humane

  Offerd to pietie, which kinde, dead to, now

  Yet here so plenteous; me thinks should not show

  Lesse then a wonder; and may argue well

  That from some sacred fount, these riuers fell:

  O why wept, mans great Patterne for his friend,

  But these affections, grauely to commend?

  But these things now are nothing; the proud Morne

  Now on her typtoes, view’d this stuffe, with skorne.

  Scripture examples; parts of manlie kinde;

  The most vpright flames of the godlike minde;

  Like winter lightnings are; that doe portend