The wisdome of Solomon paraphrased. Written by Thomas Middleton

Chapter IX.

[verse 1 2 3] O God of Fathers, Lord of heau'n and earth, Mercies true soueraigne, pitties portraiture, King of all kings, a birth surpassing birth, A life immortall, essence euer pure: Which with a breath ascending from thy thought, Hast made the heau'ns of earth, the earth of nought.

Thou which hast made mortalitie for man, Beginning life to make an end of woe, Ending in him, what in himselfe began, His earths dominion, through thy wisedomes flow: Made for to rule according to desart, And execute reuenge with vpright heart.

[verse 4] Behold a crowne, but yet a crowne of care, Behold a scepter, yet a sorrowes guise, More than the ballance of my head can beare, More than my hands can hold wherein it lies: My crowne doth want supportance for to beare, My scepter wanteth empire for to weare.

A leglesse body is my kingdomes mappe, Limping in follie, halting in distresse, Giue me thy wisedome (Lord) my better happe, Which may my follie cure, my griefe redresse: O let me not fall in obliuions caue, Let wisedome be my baile, for her I craue.

[verse 5] Behold thy seruant pleading for his hire, As an apprentice to thy gospels word, Behold his poore estate, his hot-cold fire, His weake-strong limmes, his mery woes record: Borne of a woman, woman-like in woe, They weake, they feeble are, and I am so.

My time of life is as an houre of day, Tis as a day of months, a month of yeeres, It neuer comes againe, but fades away, As one mornes sunne about the hemispheres: Little my memory, lesser my time, But least of all my vnderstandings prime.

[verse 6] Say that my memory should neuer die, Say that my time should neuer loose a glide, Say that my selfe had earthly Maiestie, Seated in all the glory of my pride: Yet if discretion did not rule my minde, My raigne would be like fortunes, follie-blinde.

My memory, a pathway to my shame, My time, the looking-glasse of my disgrace, My selfe, resemblance of my scorned name, My pride, the puffed shadow of my face: Thus should I be remembred, not regarded, Thus should my labours end, but not rewarded.

[verse 7] What were it to be shadow of a king? A vanitie: to weare a shadow'd crowne? A vanitie: to loue an outward thing? A vanitie: vaine shadowes of renowne: This King is king of shades, because a shade, A king in shew, though not in action made.

His shape haue I, his cognisance I weare, A smoaky vapour hemd with vanitie, Himselfe I am, his kingdomes crowne I beare, Vnlesse that wisedome change my liuerie: A king I am, God hath inflamed me, And lesser than I am I can not be.

[verse 8] When I commaund, the people do obay, Submissiue subiects to my votiue wil, A prince I am, and do what princes may, Decre••, commaund, rule, iudge, performe, fulfill; Yet I my selfe am subiect vnto God, As are all others to my iudgements rod.

As doe my subiect honour my command, So I at his commaund a subiect am, I build a temple on mount Sions sand, Erect an altar in thy citties name: Resemblances these are, where thou doost dwell, Made when thou framedst heau'n, earth and hell.

[verse 9] Al these three casements were containd in wit, Twas wisedome for to frame the heauens skie, Twas wisedome for to make the earth so fit, And hell within the lowest orbe to lie: To make a heau'nly clime, an earthly course, And hell, although the name of it be worse.

Before the world was made wisedome was borne, Borne of heau'ns God, conceiued in his breast, Which knew what works would be, what ages worn, What labours life should haue, what quiet rest: What shuld displease and please, in vice, in good, What should be clearest spring, what fowlest mud.

[verse 10] Oh make my sinfull bodies world anew, Erect new elements, new aires, new skies, The time I haue is fraile, the course vntrue, The globe vnconstant, like ill fortunes eies: First make the world, which doth my soule contain, And next my wisdome, in whose power I raigne.

Illumine earth, with wisedomes heau'nly sight, Make her embassador to grace the earth, Oh let her rest by day, and lodge by night, Within the closure of my bodies hearth: That in her sacred selfe I may perceiue, What things are good to take, what ill to leaue.

[verse 11] The bodies heate will flow into the face, The outward index of an outward deede, The inward sins do keepe an inward place, Eies, face, mouth, tongue & euery function feede: She is my face, if I do any ill, I see my shame in her repugnant will.

She is my glasse, my tipe, my forme, my mappe, The figure of my deede, shape of my thought, My lifes character, fortune to my happe, Which vnderstandeth all that heart hath wrought: What workes I take in hand, she finisheth, And all my vitious thoughts diminisheth.

My facts are written in her foreheads booke, [verse 12] The volume of my thoughts, lines of my words, The sins I haue she murders with a looke, And what one cheeke denies, th' other affords: As white and red like battels, and retreates, One doth defend the blowes, the other beates.

So is her furious moode commixt with smile, Her rod is profit, her correction mirth: She makes me keepe an acceptable stile, And gouerne euery limit of the earth: Through her the state of monarchie is knowne, Through her I rule, and guide my fathers throne.

[verse 13] Mortalitie it selfe without repaire, Is euer falling feebly on the ground, Submissiue body, hart aboue the aire, Which faine would knowe, when knowledge is not found: Faine would it soare aboue the Eagles eie, Though it be made of lead, and cannot flie.

The soule and body are the wings of man, The soule should mount, but that lies drownd in sin, With leaden spirit, but doth what it can, Yet scarcely can it rise when it is in: Then how can man so weake, know God so strong? What hart from thought, what thought from heart hath sprung?

[verse 14 15] We thinke that euery iudgement is alike, That euery purpose hath one finall end, Our thoughts (alas) are feares, feares horrors strike, Horrors our lifes vncertaine course do spend: Feare followes negligence, both death, and hel, Vnconstant are the paths wherein we dwell.

The hollow concaue of our bodies vaultes, Once laden vp with sins eternal graues, Strait bursts into the soule the slime of faults, And ouerfloweth like a sea of waues: The earth as neighbour to our priuy thought, keeps fast the mansion which our cares haue bought

[verse 16] Say, can wee see our selues? are we so wise? Or, can we iudge our owne with our owne hearts? Alas we cannot; folly blindes our eies, Mischiefe our mindes, with her mischieuous arts: Folly raigns there, where wisdom shuld beare sway. And follies mischiefe barres discretions way.

O weake capacitie of strongest wit, O strong capacitie of weaker sence, To guide, to meditate, vnapt, vnfit, Blinde in perceiuing earths circumfluence: If labour doth consist in mortall skill, Tis g••eater labour to know heauens will.

[verse 17] The toyling spirit of a labouring man, Is tosst in casualties of fortunes seas, He thinkes it greater labour than he can, To runne his mortall course without an ease: Then who can gaine or finde celestiall things, Vnlesse their hopes a greater labour brings?

What volume of thy mind can then containe, thoghts, words, & works, which god thinks, speaks, & makes, When heau'n it selfe cannot such honour gaine, Nor Angells know the counsell which God takes: Yet if thy heart be wisedomes mansion, Thy soule shall gaine thy hearts made mention.

[verse 18] Who can in one dayes space make two dayes toile? Or who in two dayes space will spend but one? The one doth keepe his meane in ouerbroyle, The other vnder meane, because alone: Say, what is man without his spirit swayes him? Say, what's the spirit if the man decayes him?

An ill reformed breath, a life, a hell, A going out worse than a comming in, For wisedome is the bodies centinell, Set to guard life which else would-fall in sin: Shee doth correct and loue, swayes, and preserues, Teaches, and fauours, rules, and yet obserues.