A commentary upon the Canticle of Canticles, written first in Italian by Antonio Brucioli, and now translated into English by Th. Iames fellow of New colledge in Oxford

The Text.

8 Come with me frō Lebanon my spouse, euen with me from Lebanon, and looke from the top of Amanak, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the dennes of the Lyons,

and from the mountaines of the Leo∣pardes.

9 My sister, my spouse, thou hast woun∣ded mine heart, thou hast wounded mine heart with one of thine eyes, and with a chaine of thy necke.

10 My sister, my spouse, how faire is thy loue? how much better is thy loue then wine, and the sauour of thine ointments then all spices?

11 Thy lippes, my spouse, drop as honey∣combes: honey and milke are vnder thy tongue, and the sauor of thy garmentes is as the savour of Lebanon.

The Commentarie.

Here in this place we are to consider thus much: that by the foure hilles of Israell is to be vnderstood the vocation of the Church of the Gentils vnto Christ her husbād, which is called, that she may not dwel any longer with Lyons & Leopards, but may be freed frō the power of thē, that is to say, that her body may not bee torne in peeces with the cruelty of bloudy tyrants, or distracted by the diuersity & variety of wicked sects: but that she being reduced, & brought from heresie & errour to

the true vnderstāding of the faith, may make one true Catholike Church of all the elect, which are gathered & assembled together of all nations, tongues, and kingdomes of the earth, as who would say: This my beautifull spouse flyeth vnto me for refuge, not only from Libanus, but from all the corners and quarters of the earth, eschuing the subtil∣ties of Sathan, and treacheries of false tea∣chers and heretikes, such as they haue medi∣tated and thought vpon lying on their beds, to destroy and annoy the Church. And in that he saith, that his heart was wounded, wee are to note the greatnesse of his loue which he beareth towards the Church, which he for good cause calleth his sister and spouse: first, because shee is become his heauenly bedfel∣low, & partaker of the benefit of his celestial bed: and secondly, because hee vouchsafed to take flesh, and put on mans nature vpō him, that he might be our naturall brother. The eyes of the Spouse are the iudgements & pro∣ceedings of the holy Ghost: the necke is faith, and the chaines about the necke, the workes that are done in faith. Againe, the spouse hath two eies whilest she liueth in the flesh, to wit, the iudgemēt of the spirit, & the iudgmēt of the flesh: the first pleaseth Christ greatlie, the secōd displeaseth him as much as the former pleaseth him, because it is cōtrary to the for∣mer,

which the church shal be quite & cleane freed frō, when mortifying the old man, she runneth vnto the tabernacle of the bodie by death. Furthermore she is said to haue two chains about her neck, the one a chain of hy∣pocrisie, that is to say, of seming good works that issue forth frō faith, one of these chaines the bridegrome loueth, and the other he ha∣teth to the death, because it is a sinfull chain, wherefore he saith, thou hast wounded mine heart with one of thine eyes, that is to say, with the iudgemēt and vnderstanding of the ho∣ly Ghost, and with one of thy chaynes, that is to say, with the workes which come from faith, hast thou wounded mine heart, that is to say, thou hast done things very gratefull and acceptable vnto me, and hee repeateth these words, of wounding of his heart twise, to make knowne and declare the singular great loue which Christ beareth towardes his Church. And these loues are better then wine, because neither wine nor any other outward thing, can be more pleasant or acceptable, thē the workes of Christian charitie. And finally the sauour of thine oyntments is better then all spices, because the Church is made partaker of Christs ointments, which yeeld foorth a farre more precious, gracious, and louing smel, then the smell of any outward vnguent or any thing else whatsoeuer. Thy lippes my

spouse droppe honycombes: hony and milke are vnder thy tongue, and the sauour of thy garmēts is as the sauour of Lebanon. Thy lips. The lips of the church are euer like honycombs drop∣ping: but what do they drop or distill? milke and hony which is vnder their tongues. By which words we are to note the hony sweet, and milke white, vnspotted words of God. These words may be said to drop from the mouth of the chast spouse, whiles she deliue∣reth them vnto her neighbours, & they flow from her most easily and fluently, which is signified by these words in that they are said to be vnder her tonge. Indeed she is indewed with her husband Christs spirit, by meanes whereof she both perfectly knoweth, and easily pronounceth all things, because it is a generall rule, the more perfectly we know a thing, the more ready shall we be able to vt∣ter and pronounce the same. And it follow∣eth in the text, and the savour of thy garments is as the sauour of Lebanon. What garments are these which the Church weareth, vnlesse it be these, wherewith shee which is Christs most sacred body is couered and apparelled withall? and these are the garments indeede wherwith the grace of Christ, his iustice spi∣rit, truth peace, and all those good gifts and graces which do accompany them, are great∣ly glorified. The sent & smell of these things

is wonderfull strong and strange: for it is as the sauour of the hill of Lebanon, or of many odoriferous trees, and yet neuerthelesse the garmēts of the spouse are more odoriferous and well smelling, then all these things. But it is God alone, and his Christ, the Angels and elect which do smell the odor thereof, & are delighted therwith; because it is not pos∣sible at all for them to please either God or man, which haue not receiued of the fulnesse of Christs spirit.