To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
— He that spread the skies And fixt the earth, first form'd the soule in man, This true Prometheus first made men of earth, And shead in him a beame of heauenly fier, Now in their mothers wombes before their birth, Doth in all sonnes of men their soules inspire. And as Minerua is in fables fainde From Ioue, without an other to proceed, So our true Ioue without an others aide,
Doth daily millions of Mineruaes breed. I Dauies.
Like as the sunne aboue the light doth bring, Though we behold it in the aire belowe, So from the eternall light the soule doth spring, Though in the body she her powers do showe. Idem.
The soule a substance and a body is, Which God himselfe doth in the body make, Which makes the man; or euery man from this The nature of a man and name doth take. And though the spirit be to the body knit, As an apt meane her power to exercise: Which are, life, motion, sense, and will and wit, Yet she suruiues, although the body dies. Shee is a substance and a reall thing, Which hath it selfe an actuall working might, Which neither from the senses power doth spring, Nor from the bodies humours tempered right. She is a vine which doth no propping need, To make her spread her selfe, or spring vpright, She is a starre whose beames do not proceed From any sinne, but from a natiue light. Idem.
She is a spirit and an heauenly influence, Which from the fountaine of Gods spirit doth flowe, Shee's a spirit, yet not like aire nor winde, Nor like the spirits about the heart or braine, Nor like the spirits which Alchimists definde, When they in euery thing seeke gold in vaine. Idem.
—To shew her powerfull deitie, Her sweete Endimion more to beautifie, Into his soule the goddesse doth infuse, The fierie Nature of an heauenly Muse: Which the spirit labouring by the mind, Partaketh of celestiall things by kind: For why the soule being diuine alone, Exempt from grosse and vild corruption, Of heauenly secrets incomprehensible, Of which the dull flesh is not sensible▪ And by one onely powerfull facultie, Yet gouerneth a multiplicitie, Being essentiall, vniforme in all, Not to be seuered or diuiduall: But in her function holdeth her estate, By powers diuine in her ingenerate: And so by inspiration conceiueth, What heauen to her by diuination breatheth. M. Drayton.
Like as the soule doth rule the earthlie masse, And all the seruice of the body frame, So loue of soule doth loue of body passe, No lesse then perfect gold surmounts the meanest brasse, Ed. Spencer.
Euerie good motion that the soule awakes, A heauenly figure sees from whence it takes, That sweetelesse bloome which by power of kinde, Formes like it selfe an image of the mind, And in our faith the operations be, Of that diuinesse which by fayth wee see,
Which neuer erres but accidentally, By our fraile fleshes in becilitie, By each temptation ouer-apt to slide, Except our spirit becomes our bodyes guide. For as our bodyes prisons bee the towres, So to our soules these bodyes be of ours, Whose fleshly walles hinder that heauenly light, As these stone walles depriue our wished sight. Idem.
— As Phoebus throwes His beames abroade, though hee in clouds bee clos'd Still glauncing by them till she finde oppos'd A loose and rorid vapour, that is fit T'euent his searching beames, and vseth it To forme a twentie coloured eie, Cast in a circle round about the skie. So when our fierie soule, our bodies starre, (That euer is in motion circular) Conceiues a form in seeking to display it, Through all our cloudy parts it doth conuey it: Forth at the eye, as the most pregnant place, And that reflects it round about the face. Idem.
Like as the moysture which the thirstie earth Sucks from the Sea to fill her emptie vaines, From out her wombe at last doth take a birth, And runnes a nymph along the grassie plaines: Long doth shee stay, as loth to leaue the land, From whose soft side she first did issue make, She tasts all places, turnes to euerie hand, Her flowing bankes vnwilling to forsake,
Yet nature so her streames doth leade and carrie, As that her course doth make no finall stay, Till shee her selfe vnto the Ocean marrie, Within whose watrie bosome first shee lay. Euen so our soule within this earthly mould, The spirit doth secretly infuse, Because at first shee doth the earth behold, And onely this materiall world shee viewes. At first our mother earth shee holdeth deere, And doth imbrace the world and worldly things, She flies close to the ground and houers heere, And mounts not vp with her celestiall wings. Yet vnder heauen shee cannot light on ought, That with her heauenly nature doth agree, She cannot rest, she cannot fixe her thought, She cannot in this world contented bee. I. Dauies.
When the soule findes heere no true content, And like Noahs Doue, can no sure footing take, She doth returne from whence shee first was sent, And flies to him that first her wings did make. Idem.
Heuen waxeth old, and all the spheres aboue Shall one day faynt, and their swift motion stay, And time it selfe shall cease in time to mooue, Onely the soule suruiues and liues for aye. Idem.
When as the soule is drowned once in vice, The sweete of sinne makes hell a Paradice▪ M, Drayton,
••s is the fable of the Lady faire,
VVhich for her lust was turnde into a cow, VVhen thirstie to a streame she did repaire, And saw her selfe transformde she knew not how, At first she startles, and she stands amazd, And loathes the watry glasse wherein she gazd: At last for terror she from thence doth flie, And shunnes it still, though she for thirst doe die. Euen so mans soule, which did Gods image beare, And was at first faire, good, and spotlesse pure, Since with her sinnes her beauties blotted were, Doth of all sights her owne sight least indure: For euen at first reflecting she espies Such strange Chimeraes and such monsters there, Such toyes, such antickes, and such vanities, As she retyres, and shrinks for shame and feare. I. Dauis.
Euen as the man loues least at home to bee, That hath a sluttish house haunted with spirits, So she impatient her owne faults to see, Turnes from her selfe, and in strange things delights▪ Idem.
—Tis a sacred cure To salue the soules dread wounds, omnipotent That nature is, that cures the impotent Euen in a moment, sure grace is infusde By diuine fauour, nor by actions vsde: Which is as permanent as heauens blisse, To them that haue it, then no habit is. I. Marston.
That learned Father which so firmely prooues The soule of man immortall and diuine,
And doth the seuerall offices define. Anima.
Giues her that name as she the body moues. Amor.
Then is shee loue imbracing charitie. Animus.
Mouing a will in vs, it is the mind. Mens.
Retaining knowledge still the same in kind. Memoria.
As intellectuall it is the memorie. Ratio.
In iudging, Reason onely is her name. Sensus.
In speedie apprehension it is Sence. Conscientia.
In right or wrong men call her Conscience. Spiritus.
The Spirit, when to Godward it doth inflame. These of the soule the seuerall functions bee. M. Drayton.
Like as two bellowes blowne turne by turne, By little and little make cold coles to burne, And then their fire inflamde with glowing heate, An iron barre which on the Anuile beate, Seemes no more yron, but flies almost all, In hissing sparkles and quicke-bright cinders small. So the worlds soule should in our soule inspire, Th'eternall force of an eternall fire, And then our soule (as forme) breathe in our corse, Her countlesse numbers, and heauens turned force,
Wherewith our bodyes beautie beautified, Should like our (deathlesse soule) haue neuer died. I. Syluester.