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And teach me sing Susannas sacred story,
To all chaste eares delight, and to thy glory.
Whilst Canaans Land lay seauenty yeeres vntilde,
And Sabbaths all prophan'd had nigh fulfilld:
The Abramites that vnder bondage groane,
Sate weeping by the streames of Babylon:
Their Harpes vpon the willow trees then hung,
On which they lately Sions songs had sung;
And though their voices had forgot to sing,
And fingers touch of sweetest warbling string;
Iehouah could not, for his Abrams sake,
Forget the promise he to him did make:
But gaue them fauour in the heathens sight,
And dwellings both for profite and delight:
And, lest they should these benefits despise,
They had, within themselues, t••e exercise
Of their owne Lawes; and Elders euery yeare,
The people chose the gouernment to beare,
Who might by vprightnesse, and skill in law,
Protect the Good, and keepe the bad in awe.
Amongst the ••est, that in that region
Had large possessions; In Babylon
Ioachim had a house most rich and faire,
Most pleasant, fruitfull, healthfull eke for ayre:
But was renowm'd and famous, most of all,
For one faire, large and open goodly Hall,
Whither all Iewish suitours wont resort,
For Iustice; there the Elders kept their Court.
Elders whi••h ought, by Iethros counsell wise,
Be men of courage, hating couetise;
Fearing the Lord; in dealing iust, vpright;
And able to discerne the wrong from right:
But these were Ancients in iniquity,
Malice, Iniustice and Adultery.
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Both like in Ignorance, and base condition:
Both rais'd by bribing, fauour and ambition:
Not vsing Law hard causes to decide,
For they all matters by one ballance tride;
Whose guift weighs heauiest, victory obtaines,
This mickle profit brings with little paines:
Deferring strifes finall determination,
Not thereby to take better information,
But for to groape whose purse did heauiest way,
And vnto him they alwayes giue the day.
These iudged then the congregation
Of captiue Iewes that were in Babylon:
And for Ioachim was a noble man,
To him the people with the Elders came;
Where they till noone the causes ouer call,
As now our Iudges in Westminster hall.
This noble man was not so honorable
For ancestry, or ought that's heritable,
As for his vertues, Iustice, Pietie,
Humblenesse, Meekenesse and Integritie.
These did his minde and actions more adorne,
Than wealth, ambition, fauour, armes with scorne:
These made him of the highest reputation,
And sought vnto of all the Iewish nation;
Who though he Patron was and Aduocate,
And wondrous knowledge had, to rule the State,
By his great skill in Lawes iudiciall,
The Morall and the Ceremoniall;
Yet seeing the corruptions of the Time,
And Folly into Seate of Iustice clime:
And that the most vniust and ignorant,
By bribing, friends, or boldnesse, got the Grant
Of highest Offices; Hee free from charge,
Of publique Office, chose to liue at large:
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But for because, man borne he vnderstood,
Not for himselfe, but for his countreys good,
He tooke more paines, than any Magistrate,
For wronged friends, and good of publike state.
So that his was the House of Iustice hight,
His mouth an Oracle of Law and Right;
The widows, poores, and orphans sure defendour,
Th' Innocents aid, and terrour of th' offendour.
He ware a Lawyers Gowne to keepe him warme,
But sould no Breath, to doe a poore man harme.
He that describe all heauenly Graces can,
May tell the vertues of this noble man;
Which he not only learnd, by contemplation,
But acted to the good of all his nation.
But aboue wealth and all this man possest,
He with a faithful, honest wife was blest,
In whom her husbands heart might safely trust,
In wealth or want contented, true and iust,
Who did him good, not euill all her daies,
Industrious with her mind and hands alwaies:
Like merchants ship that foode from far doth bring,
Early and late her houshould ordering:
Her working hand still open for to feede,
The hungry, and to giue to them that neede:
And in the Sommer for the Winter tide,
She cloathing for her houshould doth prouide.
This made her husband so much set by, and
To sit amongst the Rulers of the Land:
Her mouth was shut, and couered her face,
In one sate modesty, in th' other grace,
In one did angelique sweet beautie shine,
From th' other wisdome flowes, and grace diuine.
To many daughters, Graces rare befall,
But chaste Susannna went beyond them all.
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Amongst the fruits of her Industriousnesse,
Who neuer eate her Bread in idlenesse,
Shee plants an orchard fruitfull, rich and faire,
Whither she with her Lord doth oft repaire,
Themselues awhile from worldly cares to free,
And on their handy workes Gods blessing see:
There might they please, smell, touch, eate, taste and sight,
With flowers, fruits, and musiques sweete delight;
For through the same a pure streame murmured,
To which the Birds sweete trebles warbeled,
The winds amongst the trees a Base did sound,
And flowers all enamelled the ground.
But lo the winds, birds, streames and all were mute,
At nimble touch of Susans trembling Lute,
Brooke staid, Birds ceast, and Aire calme became,
To heare the heau'nly musique of this Dame;
But most it doth her husbands heart reioyce,
To heare her Lute outwarbled by her voice:
Which seem'd a quire of Angels, which did praise
The King of heau'n in Dauids holy laies.
So haue I often heard, in forrest faire,
When Spring begins with calme and gentle aire,
Groaues citizens, which thither doe resort,
Oft sing by turnes, oft ••oyne in one consort;
Till Philomele to welcome Phoebes light,
Hauing their musique heard with due delight:
Sends from her brest such lute-like warbeling,
The other Birds are all asham'd to sing;
And listening, in one straine most sweete and cleare.
Doe all their changes in one Dittic heare.
And so haue I often seene the shepheard swaines,
Wooing the shepheardesses on the plaines,
Challenge their mates by single pipe and voice,
And ioyne in consort with harmonious noise:
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That all the shepheards dance to heare them sing,
And forrests all with ioy aloud doe ring,
Till Phillis with one stroake of warb••ing Lute,
The shepheards pipes, and voices all makes mute;
Yea Collin Clout doth breake his pipe for shame,
To heare the heauenly ditties of his Dame.
Thus oft she solaced for recreation,
But most alone, for holy meditation,
She in her orchyard walketh euery day,
To reade the Scriptures meditate and pray,
Where by sublime pure heauenly contemplation,
With God and Angels she hath conue••sation,
And by true Faith, and her spirituall eye,
As present doth the day of Christ descry.
This Di'mond of invaluable prize,
Was soone discern'd by Elders lustfull eyes,
Lust th••t fierce Fire, which first in eyes conceiues,
And raging enters in, and neuer leaues,
Till all the body it hath set on fire,
And ••eard the soule with wicked strange desire;
L••ke lightning, sent from Heau'n for cursed sinne,
Which first on tops of Towers doth begin,
Then fires the roofe, thence falls downe to the hall,
And is not quench't ti••l it consumeth all.
Sweet kindly heate, when youth kept in loues bounds
A wife not womankind for scope propounds;
But eu'n a sparke of hell, when it doth rage
Amongst the Ancient, politique and Sage.
"G••••y heads incontinent when they were young,
"As they grow weake in limbs, in lust grow strong.
This fire so fierce doth in the Elders burne,
It all their mirth to heauinesse doth turne,
Their cast downe eyes dare not behold the sight
Of Heau'n▪ nor thinke on God that iudgeth right.
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Deepe was indeede Selfe-guilty conscience wound,
But they more violent Lusts fury found;
Each his owne fire but not his fellowes knew,
Not durst one it vnto another shew;
Asham'd their filthy lust to her to tell,
Yet both, to quench their flames, would burne in hel;
Both wickedly doe pro••ect day and night,
That at the least they may enioy her sight:
To haue their will on her both were full faine,
But saw no meanes their longings to obtaine.
As Satan, when he would vs worke despite,
Transformes him to an Angell of the Light,
Lest if we should behold his proper Shape,
Forearmd, forewarnd, we might his malice scape:
So these two Carles in Susans presence sate,
As if they all on Iustice meditate,
And when they chanc'd with Ioachim to dine,
Their table-talke was of all things diuine:
Of a sound conscience, and equity,
Wiues Loyalty, and virgins chastity;
Thus hoping, by their queint Hypocrisie,
To make a way to foule Adultery.
One day from Iudgement seate when both did rise,
And either turned home as was their guise,
Both streight returned, and together mette,
With hope the sight of her alone to gett:
Where either of the other doth enquire,
The cause of their so suddaine backe retire.
Brother, said then, the Senior in degree,
What is the cause I thee so heauy see?
Doth any Ahab hold from thee some ground,
That doth vpon thy house, or vi••eyard bound?
Which thou desir'st for profite or delight,
Tell me, and he shall know a iudges might.
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Or doth there any Mardochee deny
To doe obeisance to thy Seignury?
Hast thou receiued wrong of any wight,
And wouldst againe with sweete reuenge requite?
Or tell mee, some faire Dame doest thou not loue?
Whose Chastity thou art afraid to prooue:
What euer be thy griefe, now tell it me,
And vse my power, as I haue vsed thee.
What doe we both like Kings o're Iudah raigne?
And shall ought crosse our pleasure or our gaine?
No no, wee'le breake or make them all obay;
We rule not if our subiects vs gainesay:
My Lord, replide the puny Iudge againe,
Tis not Reuenge, Ambition, Pleasure, Gaine,
That so afflict my body and my mind,
Tis Loue of Faire: but shame there stopt his wind,
The word Susanna raine he would haue said,
But was of man, though not of God afraid.
As two old theeues, that haue companions bin
Oft times in Murther, Theft and fowler Sinne;
H••uing a Booty in one place espide,
But neither others mind thereto descride,
At diuers windowes slipping in by night,
Into one Hall, which doth both much aff••ight,
(One for the owner first the other taking,
And each a true man, for a Theefe mistaking,)
Till by some secret markes each doth espy
His fellow-theefe, there met vnwillingly,
Wherewith both glad, hope easelier to obtaine,
Their purpose, and be Sharers in the gaine:
E••'n so these Elders; who by might and fraud,
Had often ioind in iudgement to defraud
The fatherlesse, and widowes of their right,
And to oppresse the weaker by their might;
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First feard one by the other to be spide,
But after they had both their lusts descride,
Ioy in their hap, and easelier hope to get,
And share the Booty, for which there they met.
Thrice noble Mate, the elder Iudge replide,
I see one fire in both our hearts doth bide,
Which smothered, smoaking inwardly will bu••ne,
But blowne and stird, to purest flames will turne:
I, by thy meeting here, doe surely ghesse,
It is one Dame doth both our hearts possesse:
For I haue oft beheld thee sixe thine eye,
Vpon her beauty as she passed by,
And therewith heard thee ••nly sigh and groane,
As thou didst wish to be with her alone.
But, since sweete Cupid smites both with one Dart,
Let vs not herein one another thwart,
If discord our desires shall divide,
Our powre and empire can not long abide:
Let name of Rivall which breedes mortall hate,
In youth, in age, our loues conglutinate.
Her beauty that than Sunne doth clearer shine,
Hath heate ynough to warme mine heart and thine,
And both our longings fully satisfie,
Let's share in loues, as in commodity.
As strongest castle which doth fortifie
It selfe t'endure the Siege of enemy,
By force vnited's ••ooner ouercome,
Than if they should assault it one by one:
So shall we finde the Fortresse of this Dame,
By both, than one, more easy to be t••ne:
Yea if through waiwardnesse it shall stand out,
By force or policy wee'le bring't about,
Either with peace our pleasures to enioy,
Or ruine it and vtterly destroy.