The French academie Fully discoursed and finished in foure bookes. 1. Institution of manners and callings of all estates. 2. Concerning the soule and body of man. 3. A notable description of the whole world, &c. 4. Christian philosophie, instructing the true and onely meanes to eternall life. This fourth part neuer before published in English. All written by the first author, Peter de la Primaudaye, Esquire, Lord of Barre, Chauncellour, and Steward of the French Kings house.

Of God and his Workes.

1

SEeing that the true and onely meanes for man (To liue on earth t'attaine eternall blisse,) Who to serue God doth whatsoere he can, Within our Academie shewed is: To further him in all true pietie, I will adde this to my Philosophy.

2

My sole intent in verse is to endite, Of Christian Philosophers estate: And of th' Eternall Deitie to write, Which truely knowne, procureth happy state. Then grant, oh God, (which man of nought didst frame) Me grace herein, t' extoll thy holy name.

3

A Christian Philosopher is he, That doth behold the Maiestie, the Art, The beauty, splendor, and the dignity Of God, and all his workes in euery part. And which in heart and minde doth him adore, And in his Temple grace of him implore.

4

He knoweth that the heauenly Deitie, Is Essence infinite, a gulfe profound, Innumerable, all eternity, Chaos, and of all creatures the ground. And all in euery thing whats 'ere wee see. In heauen, Sea, or Earth, and ere shall bee.

5

He doth confesse Iehoua, God alone To be, without beginning, middle, ende, Fore whom all things are manifest and done, And all vpon his prouidence depend. Most Holy, Pure, Good, Iust, Omnipotent, To wrath and anger slow, to mercy bent.

6

Instructed thus of God, he doth confesse Three persons in a holy Trinitie, The Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost, no lesse In power diuine and heauenly Deity: One of them then the other, yet all three Of them together, but one God to bee.

7

So hath he learn'd, that God by's power begat His Sonne the Word, before the world begon T' apeare, or any Essence had, and that Both from the holy Father and the Sonne, The holy Ghost doth equally proceed, As both of them by heauenly will decreed.

8

He thinkes vpon the great inuisible Eternity, the authour of all blisse, In mans conceite incomprehensible, Yet in him comprehends whatsoeuer is Created. And can all things turne to naught: As of nothing, all things to light he brought.

9

He doth alwaies the Trinity adore, Wherein are that the earthly globe was made, The eternity resided, and before By's mighty and most powerfull hand he had Created man, or heauen and earth did frame In manner as we now behold the same.

10

He knoweth that the Idea and the frame Of th' earthly globe was in th' eternity For euer, and to glorifie his name, By's power diuine, and great benignitie When't pleased him, did fashion and deuise, This world to be mans earthly Paradise.

11

He doth in word and thought still praise his name That did by number, waight, and measure make All things to maintaine nature and the same T' encrease and multiply: and care did take That they should not their sex, nor order change, But vnder his direction alwaies range.

12

Contemplating the beauty of the sphere Celestiall, transparant, vaulted faire, And full of starres and heauenly lights which there With certaine course, still compasse bout the aire. He is perswaded with the Deity, In body and sould to liue eternally.

31

He seeth Ehe-ie by his works emost great And what he is, his word doth well vnfold. The thunders which are heard from heauens seate And lightning (which mens eies cannot behold) And all the admirable things we know That he hath done, his liuely image show.

14

He's taught that God by's powerfull word did frame, Of nothing, in th' infinite the great And spacious world, and round about the same, The heauens, water, fire, and aire, did seate. All which, and all that heauen and earth containe, By's prouidence diuine, he doth maintaine.

15

He doth to God the honor truely giue, Thaue made the world with euery other thing And fishes, foules, beasts, wormes, therein that liue. Subiected hath vnto mans gouerning. And for him th' earth, fire, water, aire ordain'd, Within the center of the world contained.

16

He knowes how out of matter without forme, And rude confused Chaos, without light, God his great worke so admirable t' adorne, Did make and frame that most resplendant light, Which now doth serue to light the world throughout, And by' s diuine decree doth neere goe out.

17

He praiseth God that with admired art, From that great light, the purest sparkes did take, And thereof (fixing them in euery part Of th' orient skies) the glistring starres did make. Whose vertues rare, diuine, and admirable, Are vnto humane kinde innumerable.

18

He doth admire and blesse that puissant Lord, That alwaies without end to man doth speake By's heauenly workes, which still with one accord, By constant order (which they neuer breake) Assistant are in their celestiall robe, Vnto this admirable earthly globe.

19

His thoughts ascend, to the course circulare Of th' asure globes, the which doe alwaies goe, And swiftly wheele about the world, and are Appointed by the eternall so to doe. But in such sort that though they turne alwaies, Yet they doe it not, equally in daies.

20

Hee glorifieth God omnipotent, The which the place most infinite ordaines, Which heauen, th' aire, the firie element, And waters high and low, in it containes, And which hang altogether and apart, As in a vault, by admirable Art.

21

Hee magnifieth God continually, When hee beholds the heauens high and cleare, Transparant, light, and bright perpetually, Which maketh day light orderly appeare, And in a fiue fold circularie round, Inclose and compasse all the world so round.

22

Hee blesseth God our heauenly Father deare, Which placed hath the firmament about Great numbers of small Starres that shine most cleare, And light, and beautefie the same throughout: And in each of the Spheares celestiall One greater light among so many small.

23

Hee knoweth that the same Maiesticke hand Hath made by Art, surpassing Art whats'ere, Saturnus, Mars, and Iupiter, to stand, Each one of them within a seuerall Spheare. Aboue the splendant circle of the Sonne, And vnder't Venus, Mer'crie, and the Moone.

24

He sees how by diuine power vncontrol'd, The Sunne continually doth make the day, And c••mpassing the world, his course doth hold, (Perpetually to doe it without stay.) Within three hundred threescore daies and fiue: And yearely doth his course againe reuiue.

25

He praiseth him that did create the Moone, And Sunne, each one by turnes to make the day, And night, so that as soone as day is done, The night ensues, and when night's gone awayi The day by course doth follow on amaine, Which orderly, all mortall things maintaine.

26

Hee doth admire Gods great industerie, Which limited the elements, and gaue To them a place, fit for their qualitie, And quantitie, the same for ere to haue And hold, distributing to euery one A part, the which it should possesse alone.

27

He knoweth that the Lord hath set the fire, Next to the skies, and th' water, aire, and earth, In distance lower, as nature doth require, That all things which, doe breath life here on earth, From them b'instinct of nature might ingender Their seuerall kindes, and God his glory render.

28

He seeth the three diuisions of the skies, And knowes the reason of their seuerall state Whereof the highest, next to th' asure skie Exceeds in heate, the lowest temperate: That in the middle seated twixst them twaine Is alwaies full of tempests stormes and raine.

29

He praiseth God that by his power sustaines The christ' line watry dew within the sky, (Which all the glistring starres in it containes,) And by the same power also there on high, By admirable meanes vpholds and shrouds, Great seas of waters in the volant clouds.

30

He wonders at Gods might, and powerfull hand. Who with a finger doth vphold, and stayes The great foundation both of sea and land, And by's imperious word in like sort swaies The elements, and easily without Paine, helpe, or aide, doth make them turne about.

31

His soule and sences all the Lord commend, That giues force to the windes in euery place, And diuersly to blow, and doth them send Throughout the world, and in a minute space In seuerall places turnes them as he list, For in his power their power doth consist.

32

He sees Gods mighty force by fearefull sound Of thunder, which out of the skies we heare Vpon the earth, as if he would confound And cleane consume the world, in such a feare He puts mankinde, with admirable wonder, When s'ere it pleaseth him on them to thunder.

33

He knowes that God within his hand holds fast The thunder and commands the lightning cleare, And both of them together in the wast And spacious aire containeth, so that there They cannot passe their bounds without his leaue, Least that they should mankinde of life bereaue.

34

He rendreth thanks to God for many great Effects gainst nature wrought by's puistant might In th' earth below, and heauen aboue to let Vs know his will (by some prodigious sight) That he our sinnes doth punish certainely By famine, plague, or other misery.

35

He lauds the Lord, that hath far ere decreed, The daies, moneths, yeeres, and seasons of the yeere In their due times in order to proceed And follow each the other, euery yeere. According to his will and first intent, When he made man, the earth, and firmament.

36

In all things he giues thanks to God alone That changeth times, and ages at his will, And altreth daies, moneths, yeeres, and euery one Of them, doth vse vnto our good or ill. And yet though at his will he doth them change, In him ther's no inconstancy nor change.

37

He seeth that God doth hold the waters fast That they cannot ore whelme nor drowne the land And holdeth captiue (in like sort) as fast The blustring windes, in his most powerfull hand And in each creature he doth life maintaine, And at his will takes it from them againe.

38

He knowes that God by his power hath ordain'd, The waters to keepe in a certaine place, And then within their limit so contain'd, That to exceede their bounds in any case They cannot, sith all things subiected are To his most mightie prouidence and care.

39

He vnderstands that God by's powerfull hand To make the earth yeeld fruit in seuerall kinds, That all his creatures might finde foode on land: Hath plac'd the Ocean Seas apart, and binds Them so within their bounds, that they no more, Shall drowne the land, as they had done before.

40

He giues to him the honour to haue form'd, All creatures that vpon the earth doe dwell, Wherewith aboundantly it is adorn'd, And vnto man, which doth them all excell, Subiected hath Fish, Fowle, and euery beast, Which hee commands, and they obey his hest.

41

He honours him in's prouidence and care, For all the Fishes in the Ocean, And for th' aboundant sorts of birds that are Aboue in th' aire, and also that for man: So many beasts of euery sort and kinde, He hath created, as on th' earth wee finde.

42

He wonders at the sorts innumerable, Of Fishes great and small which God hath made, And much more at his power admirable, For that no thing on earth is to be had. But that the like for forme and shape wee see, And daily finde, within the Sea to bee.

43

He knowes that God in's hand waighes mountains hie, And doth the earth replenish with all kinde Of flowers faire, which he doth beautifie, With many seuerall colours as we finde, B'eperience in the Spring and Summer time, When they come foorth, and are in chiefest prime.

44

He praiseth God which makes nature produce, And forme Pearles fine, and Christall shining bright, Of liquid matter, (and good for the vse Of man, wherein he takes so great delight.) Which in the bowels of the earth is found, And in the Mines like vaines lies in the ground.

45

He doth extoll the glory of his name, That doth in essence mainetaine euery thing, By him created, sustring not the same To perish, but renewing euery thing, When th'old decaies, and turnes into the earth, The new reuiue, and from them take their birth.

46

He knowes the world was made by God on hie, Wherein so many creatures doe liue, And vnderneath the starrie Canapie, All exequisite and dainty things doth giue Vnto mankinde, to serue him for his vse, While he liues here on earth, without abuse.

47

He doth admire and blesse Gods prouidence, That did create the Angels good and free, Light, beautifull, and his will and pretence To know, and to performe the same, and t'be His m••ssengers, and guides to man in th'way Of heauen, that they should not goe astray.

48

He magnifieth Gods most holy name, That did make man, in whom we may behold A modell of the world, and which did frame The heauens, earth, aire, water, fire and cold. Which things are altogether certainely, A proofe most perfect of the Deitie.