The devout hart or Royal throne of the pacifical Salomon. Composed by F. St. Luzuic S.I. Translated out of Latin into English. Enlarged with incentiue by F. St. Binet of the same S. and now enriched with hymnes by a new hand

IESVS PAINTS THE IMAGES OF THE LAST things in the table of the hart. (Book 10)

THE HYMNE.

O Rare Apelles; loe the frame, My hart; but first prepare the same, Which is al slubbered 'ore with sinne, Wipe al away, and then begin To draw the shapes of vertue here And make the foure last things appeare•• That no Chimeraes of the brayne, Or Phantasies I may retayne. Besides vouchsafe to draw some Saint, Begin, sweet IESV, figure paint, Whom I may imitate, and loue, As did Narcissus. From aboue Descend Apelles, thou diuine, Come euery day and draw some line.

THE INCENTIVE.

1. NOthing is more miserable then the hart when it giues licence to wandring imaginations, and liberty to self loue. My God! what images! what phantasies! what enormityes! what folies are depain∣ted there!

2.But after that IESVS, the di∣uine Painter, hath entred into the shop of the hart, & taken the hart it-self as a table to draw and paint therein, thou maist streight discouer the image of God and Trinity refor∣med; the effigies of IESVS, and MARY drawne, the whole cele∣stial Court represented, and the face of the gallantst vertues expressed; whether with greater lustre of co∣lours, or feeling of piety, or dele∣ctation of the mind I can not say.

3. O most louing IESV, imbue my hart with the colours of Hea∣uen, paint not shadowes, but gen∣uine and natiue images, snowy in∣nocence, greenes of hope, the purest gold of charity; that so the closet of my hart may come to be a certaine Cabinet or Reliquary of al perfe∣ctions.

THE PREAMBLE to the Meditation.

MY hart (my IESVS) is an emptie table, since thou hast wipped away thence the images and fading shadowes of worldly things, and throwne downe the idols which I my self had wicked∣ly erected in thy Sanctuary; take then, I pray, thy p̄ecils in thy hands, and dip them in the liuelyest colours thou hast; that no series or tract of

yeares, nor inclemency of the ayre, nor dust raised from the earth, may blemish or deface what thy al-wor∣king hand from the most absolute idaeas of the eternal wisdome, hath diuinely painted. For thou, o great Artisan, hast set downe in writing with thy hand, those noble soules, Abraham, Isaac, Iacob, and the rest of the family of the predestinate. Thou truly, art that admirable Authour, who didst put the last hand to the azure orbes of Heauen, appliedst the purest gold to the Starres; the greenes of the emerald, to the herbs, the snowy candour to the lillyes, the crimson to the rose, the purple to the violet, pale with yellow mixed. Thou sprincklest cri∣stal on the adamant, the etherean brightnes, on the saphir, the Vulcan flame; on the carbuncle: Lastly, thou hast endowed al things, as wel

sensible as insensible, with such va∣riety of colours, and sweet delecta∣tion as the eye cannot be satisfied with beholding them.a 1.1

And in this huge vastnes of the world, my God, thou hast shewne thy omnipotence, which the eye of the mind may wel admire, though not conceiue or comprehend but in the diuersity of created things, which a strange knot, concording discord, and discording concord most streihtly tyes together: thou hast impressed the liuely image of thy infinit wisdome in the order of this vniuersal Al; but there is not among al thy creatures any one, no not the least of them, wherein con∣spicuous draughts of thy goodnes, shine not euery-where. Since there∣fore my hart is a void table, already sit to be wrought, draw I beseech thee diuine Painter, and here deli∣neate

only these foure images, which deuouring tyme with no age may cancel or were out. And first frame in this table, that last grimme, and dreadful line or period of my life, and let these here be the draughts of this sad image: Let me lye as dying, with eyes sunke into my head, with pale and deadly face, leaden lips, let death stand by threatning with a terrible iauelin in hand, here the deuil menacing with weapons of temptation, there the Guard an Angel breaking his thrusts, in my defence. Aboue be the Iudge seen attending the passage & issue of the soule, let the children houle at the doleful bed; the seruants, each pro∣uiding for himself: adde, if thou list, the cossin lying not farre off, whe∣rein the senselles corps is to be laid, vntil that day, whē the last trumpet's found shal sumon the buried to arise.

Oh holsome and profitable Picturel whole only aspect wil shew me that is, my nothing, to my self; and laying the swelling winds, wil hold me in my earth, that I grow, not proud yea wil giue me a generous and stout hart, that triumphantly I may trample on the trash and trum∣pery of the world, and creeping on the ground with frequent sighes preocupying death, before my death mount vp to heauen.

Now pious IESV, I pray draw, and finish also the other part of the table, of the other side; with due lineaments. Be that maiesty set forth, wherewith as Iudge thou shalt appeare one day, and be seen of al to handle and discusse the causes of the liuing and dead: let me here be∣hold thee sitting in the clouds, with the mouth armed, with a two ed∣ged sword, and with an eternal se∣peration

seuering the sheep from goats. On which image as often as I shal cast mine eyes, I may feele the bit and feare of thy dreadful iustice cast vpon me, whensoeuer I shal lash out like a fury, into the precipices of vnbridled appetites.

Goe on heauenly Artificer, now must thou, paint a Hel, that lake so dreadful for its sulphur and flames, where the vnhappy soules cheyned together, with howling and dispa∣ring cryes fil al things, and with that tragedy publish their wretched∣nes, and miserable condition. So exhibit the whole, as I may seeme to behold the vncleane spirits, touch the darknes self as with the finger, feele the gnashing of teeth, heare the horrible blasphemies, their cries, their pathes, their flegme which in vaine they cast forth against God, their bans and cursings, wherewith

they cruelly teare one another, that being astonished with the sight of this picture, I may eternally sing thy mercies,b 1.2 which hath held me vnworthy a thousand and a thou∣sand times, from this lamentable abysse of infinit euils.

Lastly, my good Painter, looke where the rest of the ample space of my hart, seemes void, I say not expresse, but shadow, I pray, the image at least of eternal glory and beatitude. Exhibit howsoeuer which a rude draught that house & royal seat, where thou layst open the most diuine treasure which thou hast reserued for thy children, with the title of inheritance. Here let that great and blessed City of cele∣stial Hierusalem, built al of goldc 1.3 and precious stones, euen dazle the eyes; there let the Citizens of hea∣uen

be seen clothed with the sunne that graue Senate of Patriarchs and Apostles, with heads crowned with golden diadems, besides those va∣liant Heroes, who with the price of their bloud and life, haue purchased themselues immortal laurels. Figure also that mount, purer then christal, wherein the candid mother of the lamb, and the rest of the virginal flock deliciat with the Lamb him∣self, amid the chast delights and Quires.d 1.4

Now then that these foure pictu∣res may the better be conferued, let them not be enclosed I pray in Mo∣saical work with certain litle stones linked and cimented togeather, least perhaps disagreeing with themsel∣ues they fly a sunder, but let one be set in ebony, another in cypres wood, the other be garnished round with plates of siluer, al enameled and set

with topase stones; and finally the last be deckt with the richest gem∣mes. Take off thy hand now if thou please, the worke is fully finished. Yet one thing more remaines, my diuine Painter, of no smal reguard, forsooth, that to thine exquisit work thou adde a curten, least vnluckily the dust, or moister ayre, or more vntoward mind, may euer taint or least obscure so elegant and terse a picture.

X. MEDITATION.

The preparatory Prayer.

Actiones nostras, &c.

THE PRELVDE.

I Would to God they would be wise, & prouide for the last things.a 1.5

1. Point. Consider IESVS to be an excellent Painter, who with the only pencil of the mouth, to wit, the draught of one litle word of fiat, painted the whole world with so great and artificious a variety of co∣lours; and how in each creature he hath expressed very excellent linea∣ments of his power, wisdome, and goodnes.

2. Point. Thinke what force hath the liuely image and representation of death, perticular iudgement, and Hel, to restraine the lawles liberty of our life and too excessiue mirth; and how much the remembrance of the heauenly glory preuayles to stirre vp the mind in the course of vertue, and to take away the difficulties they vse to meet with, who walk that way.

3. Point. Thinke this also with thy self, how the pictures and the images of the foresaid things expressed, at

no tyme, should be wiped away from the table of the hart, this being the sourse of al our teares and errours, to be so careles and backvvard to conceiue and premeditate before hand, vvhat is to be exhibited in the last act and period of our life.

THE COLLOQVY.

SHal be made to God, beseeching him not to suffer, that either the delights and honours of the vvorld, or prosperity & aduersity may euer raçe out of our minds those pictu∣res, vvhose affect is so necessary for vs to our Saluation.

Pater. Aue.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Eccl. 1.
• b 1.2

  Psal. 88.
• c 1.3

  Apoc. 21.
• d 1.4

  Apoc. 14.
• a 1.5

  Deut. 32.