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 CROVVNES HIS DEARE HART WITH Palmes and Laurels. (Book 18)

THE HYMNE.

THe restles hart, which heretofore, Could not stand stil, but euermore Was beating oft with throbs opprest Til now could neu••r be at rest. It was ambitious, now I find▪ Naught could content th' aspiring mind: Had honours, pleasures, wealth good store, Yet euer craued, was seeking more: Which shew'd there was yet somthing stil Which this capacious hart might fil. A triangle, the soule, hath three Distinctiue powers. The Trinity Is such, that fils it; rest is found, Loe th' hart is quiet, new its crowned.

THE INCENTIVE.

1. YOu good Angels, weaue you garlands with garlands, lau∣rels with laurels, and crowne the∣rewith the fortunate hart, which then glories and triumphs most when with Olympian study; and labour of vertues and mortification it hath gayned but this prize, for reward, to deserue to be beloued of IESVS.

2. O ioyful! O festiual day! whe∣rin we may behold and gather euen from thornes and toyles the purest roses; from sweat and armes, palmes and laurels; lastly of spitle, vinegre and clay immortal & eternal crow∣nes: which IESVS, himself plants and fastens on with his owne hand.

3. What slookst thou then, o poore hartland tremblest at the mul∣titude

of euils, which enuirone thee and beset thee round. Cast thine eyes rather on the laurels which at∣tend thee after thy victory. For no∣thing can breake or so much as moue him whom the hope and ex∣pectation of palmes erect susteynes.

THE PREAMBLE to the Meditation.

GOe to, you Angels, goe to, o blessed Spirits make hart with your palmes and laurels, from your posyes, weaue you garlands and with them deck you vp the trium∣phant hart, victorious now after so many assiduous labours, Crownes are sacred, free from thunder, pri∣uiledged from the heauens, and si∣gnifye exemption and immunity. Now the winter is passed away the show∣ers blowne ouer and quite vanisheda 1.1

Now the lyonly rage of the sworne and professed enemyes of the hart is repressed, vanquished, & tamed: pro∣uide you eternal laurels, victorious palmes, and giue them into the hands of the most sweet IESVS that he may settle on the hart, the crowns or garlands so prepared.

The magnanimous King Dauid, affecting much the fat and fruitful oliue symbol of mercy, humbly pra∣yes b 1.2 his hart, may be crownd with diuine mercies. The penitent Magdalenc 1.3 and Peterd 1.4 weeping bitterly, resemble the Amaranth, an herb which in the midst of waters retaynes both its natiue bitternes and perpetual greenes. The volup∣tuous, worldly, and licentious men, are wholy taken with roses, and lyl∣••ies. Let vs crowne our selues say they, with roses, before they wither be there no ••eadow which our luxury rūnes not ouer.

e 1.5 O Phrigian luxury? O wanton∣nes! But now a dayes forsooth the Princes and Potentates of the earth, crowne not themselues so much with golden diadems and prec••ous stones, as load them rather. O am∣bition! o pride! But what doth the most sweet IESVS, I pray! he loues the victorious palmes, with these crownes he decks his dearest hart. For they indeed haue truly merited those glorious wreaths who haue not only constantly opposed the hart as a target to receiue the shafts ap∣proaching of aduerse fortune, but euen as daring the enemy more slow to anger, haue scorn'd and derided dead it-self. Surely the squadrons of Martyrs, and Quiers of Virgins, triumphing in Heauen cary Palmes in their hands:f 1.6 howbeit the 24. Seniours ware on their heads crow∣nes of goldg 1.7 which through

their glorious conquests and set triumphs by them made vpon their enemyes they had purchased to themselues. Blesse therefore the Lord h 1.8 thou holy soule, through whose singular and especial fauour thou hast atteined to the top of perfection Praise thy Lordi 1.9 through whose mighty power, thou hast walked and trampled on the sands of the sea,k 1.10 crossed the Iourdan with a dry foot, the people of harts incircumcized, and enemyes professed, looking, on the while, and gazing with amaz∣ment: to whom so vanquished, thou gauest lawes, and laidst perpetual tributes on them, they being not able any wayes to barre thee pas∣sage into the land of promise and ••egion of Pal••st••n••. Blesse thy God ••hen o hart ful of Heauen, and al of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 And since now thou hast ob∣••ned a certaine pledge of felicity,

an infallible hope, enter a Gods name at thy pleasure, with a nota∣ble and triumphant pomp into the Capitol of the heauenly Hierusalem; whereso many purple Kings triūph as haue heretofore repressed their lewd concupiscences, and the insolence as wel of their interiour as ex∣teriour senses.

Ioyne thee to the inuincible Mar∣tyrs, and keep among the Quiers of Virgins; let the body be thy trium∣phal chariot, which Saphirs and Carbuncles, most precious iewels embellish as with so many twinc∣kling starres. Let Clarity, Agility, Subtility, Impassibility, those foure dotes of the blessed body, be as so many wheeles; and permit thy self to be drawne wheresoeuer the di∣uine spirit sitting on the coatch and wheeles shal snatch thee, or fly thou where thou wilt thy self, diuine loue

shal play the Coach-man? Besides the Princes of darknes, sigh and groane as thy runne before the chariot whom thou hast vanquished with the singular demission and lowlynes of mind. Let death it-self be constreined likwise to put on the cheynes and follow after; since by the death of Christ thou hast trium∣phed vpon it also, weakned and bro∣ken, and that already by the same guide and wagoner as before. Let the vanqui••hed world come in and make a part of the said pomp; which then thou stoutly trampledst vnder∣feet; when with a generous scorne and loathing, contemning its wealth and honours, thou madst no more reckoning of its vast immensnes, in∣solent cariages, and flanting promi∣ses, then of a figure drawne in the water, or Chimaera laboriously fra∣med in the folish shop of the phan∣tasy.

Draw I say these ancient cruel enemyes, now happily vanquished and tamed wel loaden with cheines and reproaches, before the oual and triumphant chariot, that is, the rich bootyes, noble spoyles, ample tro∣pheyes and victories atcheiued in many warres. But especially haue care that sensuality aboue the rest, the chiefest part of the triumph, be tyed and bound to the Chariot, which with an heroical fortitude thou hast conquered, & made more like indeed to a dead then a liuing thing, pale, meagre and of so feeble forces as it may neuer after dare to appeare in the field, or make any resistance.

But now in warlike standards and enseignes let the cityes and towers, which thou hast ouer-throwne, be painted; which kind, let the mad tower be first set downe, which thou

had leueld with the ground, and let al the complices and confederates thereof, subdued and braught vnder∣yoke, and so cheyned together be led, as ambition, vanity, arrogance, and the rest of those military troops. Let another banner exhibit the bloudy warres, to be read which thou hast valiantly attēpted, faught, and the victoryes nobly atchiued against luxury and rebellion of the senses. Let those gallant exploits be wouen here in silke, and waued in banners, vp and downe through the ayr as thou passest,; wherewith thou hast mastered and tamed thy flesh, that fierce and cruel beast. Let the inuincible courage of thy mind be here seen and read, as fasts, abstinen∣ces, austerities mortificatiōs, where∣with, as with a sword and buckler, thou hast fought against this fierce and mischeuous enemy.

Let the Stygian Pluto also, that damned loue of riches, be caryed in an other flag; whom long since thou hast trod vnder-foot, in preferring religious pouerty before al the trea∣sures of the world.

Let besides the dastard, weake, and languishing slouth, sitting on her snayl, come forth in this triumph, which slow and sluggish beast, thou hast stirred vp with the sharp prick of generosity and diligence, and beyond al hope prouoked and pre∣uayled with at last.

Lastly in a table, higher then the rest, let this inscription be read, re∣gistred in capital letters, for a re∣cord and perpetual memory.

THROVGH THE HELP, SVCCOVRS, AND MERITS OF THE MOST LOVING IESVS, HAVE WE FAVGHT, AND VANQVISHED AND

ARE NOW CONVEYED TO HEAVEN, TO TRIVMPH THERE AMIDST THE GLORIOVS PALMES AND LAVRELS.

But now what remaines? forsooth this last of al; that when thou shalt consort thy self aboue, with those 24. Seniours, and Quiers of Angels; thou lay downe thy crowne at the feet of the immaculate Lamb,l 1.11 chanting with those blessed Citizens of Heauen this oual and triumphing song: Benediction & clarity, and thanks-giuing honour, vert••e and fortitude, to our Lord for euer and euer. Amen.m 1.12

XVIII. MEDITATION.

The preparatory Prayer.

Actiones nostras, &c.

FIRST POINT.

I Wil fayne my self to be armed at the top of the Hil, whither I had got with great endeauour, and much labour and trouble. I wil cast and reflect the eyes of my mind on the diuers wayes and traces I had passed thither; the precipices I escaped, and the perils of assassinates and wild beasts I haue auoyded: For so it is indeed with such as haue attayned to the top of perfection. For these should attentiuely consider with thēselues as from an eminent place, how many and how great dangers, temp∣tations, and sinister chances, being

assisted by the diuine mercy, they haue escaped from the world, and al the rest of the enemies of mans saluation.

2. Point. I wil consider the lawes of these lifts to be such, that▪ None shal be crowned but who haue lawfully faught & contēded thereina 1.13 The Palme belongs but to the Conquerour:b 1.14 and I wil admire also the goodnes of God, for crowning vs himself with his graces, and commanding the Angels to crowne vs with those laurels, which we haue purchased to our selues with our owne vertues.

3. Point. I wil ponder and weigh with my self, with what riuers of ioyes the hart flowes, to whom is affoarded to arriue to the top of di∣uine loue, and who already beholds his owne perseurance; which only vertue makes vs blessed and secure, without which the rest auayle but

litle, or nothing, for perseuerance alone is it, which is crowned.

THE COLLOQVY.

SHal be directed to the most louing IESVS, to whom of duty al our crowns belong. For we are not con∣querours so much as vanquished, while he indeed hath broken and subdued our refractory and rebel∣lious hart. Wherefore to him as to amost mightie conquerour, and vi∣ctorious Captain, with those 24. Se∣niours in the Apocalipsa 1.15 are we to offer vp our crownes, palmes, lau∣rels, with this solemneverse of theirs; Benediction and clarity, and thancks. gi-uing, honour and vertue, and fortitude for euer and euer be to IESVS the Conque∣rour and triumpher to come. Amen.

Pater. Aue.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Cant. 2.
• b 1.2

  Psal. 102.
• c 1.3

  Luc. 7.
• d 1.4

  Marc. 26.
• e 1.5

  Sap. 2.
• f 1.6

  Apoc. 10.
• g 1.7

  Apoc. 4.
• h 1.8

  Psal. 102.
• i 1.9

  Psal. 147.
• k 1.10

  Exod. 14. Iosue. 3.
• l 1.11

  Apoc. 4.
• m 1.12

  Apoc. 7.
• a 1.13

  2. Tim. 2.
• b 1.14

  Apoc. 7.
• a 1.15

  Apoc. 4. & 7.