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

THE HART CON∣SECRATED TO THE loue of IESVS is a flourishing garden. (Book 12)

THE HYMNE.

IESVS, thy power and gratious wil Is alwayes drawing good from il, And life from death, and ioy from grones, And Abrahams childrē mak••st of stones. Behold a quick-set is my hart, With thornes and bryars on euery parte; One drop of bloud alone thou shedst Wil make a rose, wheres'er thou treadst: Oh may my hart sweet odours breath Of vertue! Ah! thy thorny wreath That pear••'d into thy brayne made red And parple roses on thy head. Then for my sinnes, that I may mourne, With roses grant a pricking thorne.

THE INCENTIVE.

1. IF IESVS, be in thy hart, thou needst not feare, the vnlucky accidents of man's life, for he of very thornes makes sweetest roses.

2. The most sweet odour of the white & ruddy rose, which IESVS is, recreates and refreshes men and Angels, kils the rauenous fowles. Hence when the hart with IESVS is beset and closed in with roses, sinne and the deuil get them far enough; for they cannot abide the smel of them.

3. Wilt thou be a soft couch, whe∣rein litle IESVS may like to repose and rest in? let the Hart be crown'd with the roses of vertues with the snowy flower, of innocence, with the purple of patience, and breath the frangrancy of true deuotion.

Here IESVS feedesa 1.1 here he sleepes.

THE PREAMBLE to the Meditation.

Ovr litle bed is flourishinga 1.2 our garden likewise is al beset with flowers. Here the sweet smelling balme exhales an odoriferous breath here amid the snowes of lillyes, the rose-grow al purple; here Cina∣mon with safron, cassia mixed with mirrh, haue a fragrant odour with them; there is nothing here that breathes not admirable sweetenes to the smelling. Come therefore, O loue of my hart, my beloued, that feedst among theb 1.3 lillyes, who delightst in flowers, come into the sweet delicious bed, or rather, if thou wilt walke the spacious allyes of the orchard and in the walkes.

Oh my Sun, dart those fruitful rayes of thine eyes, and with thy sweetest breath more gentle then Zephirus. inspire an odoriferous soule into the flowers, wherewith my hart being hedg'd in, like garden-plot; euen smiles vpon thee. Here the humble violet, fairer for her lownes, euen wooes thee with her soothing flat∣teryes, the higher sending her odours as she stoopes the lower; a noble symbol of a lowly mind; which vertue; as a first begotten daughter thou hast kissed from the cradle and tenderly embraced, Here the lilly rising somewhat higher, from the ground, amidst, the whitest leaues, in forme of a siluer cup, shewes forth her golden threads of sa∣fron in her open bosome; a noble Hierogrisike of a snowy mind, a candid purity, and a cleane hart, which now long since haue been

thy loues: for hence that strange obsequiousnes of thine in those thy yonger dayes, seeking and com∣plying so with thy Virgin-Mother.

Here now besides the pourpour∣rizing rose, the flower of Martyrs dyed with the sanguine tincture of their bloud, represents that incredi∣ble loue which put thee [o loue piously cruel!) and nayled thee on the Crosse; so as it is lesse to be won∣dered, it should dare so afterwards to cast the martyrs into flaming furna∣ces, into cauldrōs of melted lead, into burning fires, with liuing coales; load them with Crosses gibbets, pu∣nishments, and take away those ac∣tiue soules, which yet these gene∣rous and noble Champions, very willingly lay'd downe of their owne accord. Here also that bitter mirrh, but bitter now no more, whose chiefe force consists, in preseruing

bodyes from corruption; distils those firstc 1.4 teares of hers more bitter then the later ones that follow after; but so much sweeter, as more power∣ful: This shewes and represents those teares, sighes, pressures, labours, which thy dearlings, Confessours, Mōks, Anchorites, haue taken volun∣tarily vpon thē, while in the doubtful course of this life the pious Pilgrims hyed them to the heauenly countrey.

But, O most sweet IESVS to rauish thee aboue the rest with ad∣miration, and his loue, the heliotro∣pion of my hart, that flower, the genuine image of the Sun conuerts it-self to thee; whom therefore so assiduously it followes, for hauing so from nature such, a hidden force and sympathy with that eye of the world, the parent of al light. In this flower doe nestle harts enflamed with thy loue, whose

voyce is euen the very same, with that of thy Spouse; My beloued to me, and I to him.d 1.5 Deliciate thy self then, IESV the delight of my hart, amidst these amenityes of flowers, and from those fragrant & odorife∣rous garden beds, let the blessed Spi∣rits thy companions weaue them co∣••onets, & delightful garlands, more pleasing, I dare say, to thy diuine Ma∣iesty, then those of old, so offred vp in Lacharye 1.6 wherewith the head was deckt of the sonne of Iosedech, the high-Priest. Yea wil I be a little bolder with thee; doe thou thy self, my IESV, from thy Garden gather & pluck thee flowers make thee po∣syes, wreath thee chaplets, and doe your Angels only help the while. My litle IESVS first shal choose the gathered flowers himself, then shal you bind them vp with a golden thread, & lastly he with these flowers

these wreaths, these chaplets shal compasse in the hart about, that with this preseruatiue and odour of these flowers, he may banish from the mind al contagion that may vitiat or infect.

Goe to then goe on you blessed Spirits, but I pray giue him the rarest flowers into his hand, euen the pride and honour of the eternal spring, which neither heat of sunne may fade, nor tempest or showers deface nor obscure the lustre, beauty or di∣gnity, which the diuine graces pro∣digally haue powred vpon them.

XII. MEDITATION.

The preparatory Prayer.

Actiones nostras, &c.

THE PRELVDE.

Ovr bed flourisheth, saith the Spouse. a 1.7

1. Point. Consider IESVS to be truly a Nazarean, that is flowry or flourishing; for the loues to be con∣uersant with the sweet odours, and flowers of vertues. Wherefore I wil ponder, how grateful it is to him to repose and rest himself among the lillyes of purity and chastity; the ro∣ses of martyrdome and mortifica∣tion, the violets of humility and prayer; the Sunne-affecting mari∣golds, that is, the noble soules, and pliant to euery beck, of the diuine

wil; and other garden plots, of the rest of vertues, with whose loues, he is so taken, as that euery-where, at al occasions, he sents their odours and hunts after them.

2. Point. These flowers should ne∣uer fade, with any weather, not with the parching heate of the sunne, I say should not wither with the heat of carnal temptations, nor hang the head with the southerly wind of au∣stere sadnes; nor pinched vvith the cold and frozen blust••ring of the north, that is, not nipt or blasted with the euil breath of dulnes in spiritual things: but should rather be conti∣nually watered with the dew of ce∣lestial graces, and from the substance of the hart, deuo'yd of al corruption, draw and deriue their iuice & bloud, where by they might prosper and flourish euer••more.

3. Point. I vvil seeme to behold

the litle IESVS, sporting in this litle flovvry garden of the hart, pic∣king here and there, and plucking with his hand, now those flowers; the Angels remayning astonished at so great familiarity, and adoring the vvhile. But for me I wil resolue vvith my self, to keep especially the lilly of chastity inuiolable, vvithout the least staine or blemish of its candour.

THE COLLOQVY.

TO the most Blessed Virgin, Mo∣ther and Disciple of al chastity, of vvhom I vvil craue the meanes first to keep chastity, and then ear∣nestly beg her help and patronage, to vanquish easily al the temptations of the flesh.

Aue maris stella.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Cant. 1.
• a 1.2

  Cant. 1.
• b 1.3

  Cant. 2.
• c 1.4

  Cant. 1.
• d 1.5

  Cant. 2.
• e 1.6

  Zach. 6.
• a 1.7

  Cant. 1.