The wisdome of Solomon paraphrased. Written by Thomas Middleton

Chapter X.

[verse 1] COrrection followes loue, loue followes hate, For loue in hate, is hate in too much loue, So chastisment is preseruations mate, Instructing and preseruing those we prooue: So wisedome first corrects, then fauoureth, But fortune fauours first, then wauereth.

First, the first father of this earthly world, First man, first father cal'd for after time, Vnfashioned and like a heape was hurl'd; Form'd and reform'd, by wisedome out of slime, By nature ill reform'd, by wisedome purer, Shee mortall life, she better lifes procurer.

[verse 2 3] Alas what was he? but a clod of clay, What euer was he? but an ash••e caske, By wisedome clothed in his best array, If better may bee best, to choose a taske: One gaue him time to liue, she power to raigne, Making two powers one, one power twaine.

But ó maligne ill boading wickednes, Like bursting gulfes orewhelming ve••tues seed, Too furious wrath forsaking happines, Loosing ten thousand ioyes, with one dire deede: Cain could see, but follie strucke him blinde, To kill his brother in a raging minde.

[verse 4] Oh too vnhappy stroke to end two liues, Vnhappy actor in deaths tragedy, Murdring a brother, whose name murder giues, Whose staying action, slaughters butcherie: A weeping part had earth in that same play, For she did weepe herselfe to death that day.

Water distill'd from millions of her eyes, Vpon the long dride carcasse of her time, Her watrie conduites were the weeping skies, Which made her wombe an ouerflowing clime: Wisedome preseru'd it, which preserues all good, And taught it how to make an arke of wood.

[verse 5] Oh that one borde should saue so many liues, Vpon the worlds huge billow-tossing sea, Twas not the borde, twas wisedome which suruiues, Wisedome that arke, that boord, that fence, that bay: The world was made a water-rowling waue, But wisedome better hopes assurance gaue.

And when pale malice did aduance her flagge, Vpon the raging standard of despight, Fiends soueraigne, sins mistr••s, and hells hagge, Dunne Plutoes Lady, empresse of the night: Wisedome from whom immortall ioy begun, Preseru'd the righteous, as her faultlesse sonne.

[verse 6] The wicked perished, but they suruiu'd, The wicked were ensnar'd, they were preseru'd, One kept in ioy, the one of ioy depriu'd, One feeding, fed, the other feeding, steru'd, The foode which wisedome giues, is nourishment, The foode which malice giues, is languishment.

One feeds; the other feeds, but choking feedes, Two contraries in meat, two differing meats, This brings forth hate, and this repentance seeds: This war, this peace, this battails, this retreats: And that example may be truely tride, These liu'd in Sodomes fire, the other dide.

[verse 7] The land will beare me witnes they are dead, Which for their sakes beare nothing else but death, The witnes of it selfe with vices fed, A smoaky testimony of sins breath: This is my witnes, my certificate, And this is my sinne weeping sociate.

My pen will scarce holde inke to write these woes, These woes, the blotted inkie lines of sin, My paper wrincles at my sorrowes showes, And like that land will bring no haruest in: Had Lots vnfaithfull wife beene without fault, My fresh-inkt pen had neuer calld her salt.

[verse 8] But now my quill the tel-tale of all moanes, Is sauory bent to aggrauate salt teares, And wets my paper with salt-water groanes, Making me stick in agonising feares: My paper now is growne to billowes might, Sometimes I stay my pen, sometimes I write.

O foolish pilate I, blind-harted guide, Can I not see the clifts, but rent my barke, Must I needs hoist vp sailes gainst winde and tide, And leaue my soule behinde my wisedomes arke, Well may I be the glasse of my disgrace, And set my sin in other sinners place.

[verse 9 10] But why despaire I? heere comes wisedomes grace, Whose hope doth lead me vnto better hap, Whose presence doth direct my fore-run race, Because I serue her as my beauties map: L••ke Cain I shall be restored to heau'n, From shipwracks perill to a quiet hau'n.

When that by Cains hand Abel was slaine, His brother Abel, brother to his ire, Then Cain fled, to fly destructions paine, Gods heauie wrath, against his blouds desire: But being fetcht againe by wisedomes power, Had pardon for his deed, loue for his lower.

[verse 11] By his repentance he remission had, And relaxation from the clogge of sin, His painefull labour, labours riches made, His labouring paine, did plesures profit win: Twas wisedome, wisedome made him to repent, And newly plac'd him in his olde content.

His body which was once destructions caue, Blacke murders teritorie, mischiefes house, By her, these wicked fins were made his slaue, And she become his bride, his wife, his spouse: Enriching him which was too rich before, Too rich in vice, in happynes too poore.

Maegera which did rule within his breast, [verse 12] And kept foule Lernas fen within his minde, Both now displease him, which once pleasde him best, Now murdring murder with his being kinde: These which were once his frends are now his foes, Whose practise he retorts with wisedomes blowes.

Yee still lie they in ambush for his soule, But he more wiser keepes a wiser way, They see him; and they barke, snarle, grin, and houle, But wisedome guides his steps he cannot stray: By whom he cōquers, and throgh whom he knows The feare of God is stronger then his foes.

[verse 13 14] When man was clad in vices liuery, And solde as bondman vnto sins commaund, Shee shee, forsooke him not for infamie, But free'd him from his harts imprisoned band: And when he lay in dungeon of despight, Shee interlinde his griefe with her delight.

Though seruile shee with him; shee was content, The prison was her lodge, as wel as his, Till she the scepter of the world had lent, To glad his fortune, to augment his blisse, To punish false accusers of true deeds, And raise in him immortall glories seeds.

[verse 15] Say, shall wee call her wisedome by her name, Or new inuent a nominating stile, Reciting ancient worth to make new fame, Or new-old hierarchie from honours file: Say, shall file out fame for vertues store, And giue a name not thought, nor heard before▪

Then should wee make her two, where now but one, Then should we make her common to each tongue, Wisedome shall be her name, she wise alone, If alter olde for new, we do olde wrong, Call her still wisedome, mistris of our soules, Our liues deliuerer from our foes controules.

[verse 16] To make that better which is best of all, Were to disarme the title of the power, And thinke to make a raise, and make a fall, Turne best to worst, a day vnto an houre, To giue two sundry names vnto one thing, Makes it more commoner in Ecchoes sling.

She guides mans soule, let her be calld a Queene, Shee enters into man, call hir a sprite, Shee makes them godly, which haue neuer beene Call her her selfe, the image of her might: Those which for vertue plead, she prompts their tong, Whose sute no tyrant, nor no King can wrong.

[verse 17] Shee stands as barre betweene their mouth and them, She prompts their thoghts, their thoghts prompts spee¦ches sound Their tongues reward is honours diadem, Their labours hire with duest merit crown'd: Shee is as iudge and witnes of each heart, Condemning falshood, taking vertues part.

A shadow in the day, star in the night, A shadow for to shade them from the sunne, A star in darkenes for to giue them light, A shade in day, a star when day is done: Keeping both courses true, in being true, A shade, a starre, to shade and lighten you.

[verse 18 19] And had she not, the sunnes hot burning fire, Had scorcht the inward pallace of your powers, Your hot affection coolde your hot desire, Two heats once met make coole distilling, showers, So likewise had not wisedome beene your star, You had beene prisoner vnto Phoebes car.

Shee made the red-sea subiect to your craues, The surges, calmes, the billowes, smoothest wayes, Shee made rough winds sleepe silent in their caues, And Aeole watch, whom all the winds obayes: Their foes pursuing them, with death and doome, Did make the sea their church, the waues their tome

[verse 20 21] They furrowed vp a graue to lie therin, Burying themselues with their owne handie deed, Sin dig'd a pit it selfe to bury sin, Seed plowed vp the ground, to scatter seed: The righteous, seeing this same sodaine fall, Did praise the Lord, and ceas'd vpon them all.

A glorious prise, though from inglorious hands, A worthy spoile, though from vnworthy hearts, Tosst with the Oceans rage vppon the sands, Victorious gaine, gained by wisedomes arts: Which makes the dumbe to speak, the blind to see, The deafe to heare, the babes haue grauitie.