Skia nyktos. = The shaddovv of night containing two poeticall hymnes, deuised by G.C. Gent.

Hymnus in Noctem.

GReat Goddesse to w••ose throne in1 1.1 Cyn∣thian fires, This earthlie Alter endlesse fumes ex∣spires, Therefore, in fumes of sighes and fires of griefe, To fearefull chances thou sendst bold reliefe, Happie, thrise happie Type, and2 1.2 nurse of death, VVho breathlesse, seedes on nothing but our breath, In whom must vertue and her issue liue, Or dye for euer, now let humor giue Seas to mine eyes, that I may quicklie weepe The shipwracke of the world: or let soft sleepe (Binding my sences) lose my working soule, That in her highest pitch, she may controule The court of skill, compact of misterie, VVanting but franchisement3 1.3 and memorie To reach all secrets: then in blisfull trance, Raise her (deare Night to that perseuerance, That in my torture, she all earths may sing, And force to tremble in her trumpeting Heauens christall4 1.4 temples: in her powrs implant Skill of my griefs, and she can nothing want. Then like fierce bolts, well rammd with heate & cold In Ioues Artillerie, my words vnfold,

To breake the labyrinth of euerie eare, And make ech frighted soule come forth and heare, Let them breake harts, as well as yeelding ayre, That all mens bosoms (pierst with no affaires, But gaine of riches) may be lanced wide, And with the thr••ates of vertue terrified. Sorrowes deare soueraigne, and the queene of rest, That when vnlight some, vast, and indigest The formelesse matter of this world did lye, Fildst euery place with thy Diuinitie, VVhy did thy absolute and endlesse sway, Licence heauens torch, the scepter of the Day, Distinguisht intercession to thy throne, That long before, all matchlesse rusde alone? VVhy letst thou order, orderlesse disperse, The fighting parents of this vniuerse? VVhen earth, the ayre, and sea, in fire remaind, VVhen fire, the sea, and earth, the ayre containd, VVhen ayre, the earth, and fire, the sea enclosde, VVhen sea, fire, ayre, in earth were indisposde, Nothing, as now, remainde so out of kinde, All things in grosse, were finer then refinde, Substance was sound within, and had no being, Now forme giues being; all our essence seeming, Chaos had sou••e without a bodie then, Now bodies liue without the soules of men, Lumps being digested; monsters, in our pride. And as a wealthie fount, that hils did hide, Let forth by labor of industrious hands, Powres out her treasure through the fruitef••ll strands, Seemely diuided to a hunderd streames, VVhose bewties shed such profitable beames,

And make such Orphean Musicke in their courses, That Citties follow their enchanting forces, VVho running farre, at length ech powres her hart Into the bosome of the gulfie desart, As much confounded there, and indigest, As in the chaos of the hills comprest: So all things now (extract out of the prime) Are turnd to chaos, and confound the time. A stepdame Night of minde about vs cli••gs, VVho broodes beneath her hell obscuring wings, VVorlds of confusion, where the soule defamde, The bodie had bene better neuer framde, Beneath thy soft, and peace-full couert then, (Most sacred mother both of Gods and men) Treasures vnknowne, and more vnprisde did dwell; But in the blind borne shadow of this hell, This horrid stepdame, blindnesse of the minde, Nought worth the sight, no sight, but worse then blind, A Gorgon that with brasse, and snakie brows, (Most harlot-like) her naked secrets shows: For in th'expansure, and distinct attire, Of light, and darcknesse, of the sea, and fire, Of ayre, and earth, and all, all these create, First set and rulde, in most harmonious state, Disiunction showes, in all things now amisse, By that first order, what conf••sion is: Religious curb, that manadgd men in bounds, Of publique wellfare; lothing priu••te grounds, (Now cast away, by selfe lou's para••ores) All are transformd to Calydonian bores, That kill our bleeding vines, displow our fields, Rend groues in peeces▪ all things nature yeelds

Supplan••ing: tumbling vp in hills of dearth, The fruitefull disposition of the earth, Ruine creates men: all to slaughter bent, Like enuie, fed with others famishment. And what makes men without the parts of men, Or in their manhoods, lesse then childeren, But manlesse natures? all this world was namde A world of him, for whom it first was framde, (VVho (like •• tender Cheurill,) shruncke with fire) Of base ambition, and of selfe-desire, His armes into his sho••lders crept for feare Bountie should vse them; and fierce rape forbeare, His legges into his greedie belly runne, The charge of hospitalitie to shunne) In him the world is to a lump reuerst, That shruncke from forme, that was by forme disperst, And in nought more then thanklesse auarice, Not rendring vertue her deserued price: Kinde Amalth••a was transferd by Ioue, Into his sparckling pauement, for her loue, Though but a Goate, and giuing him her milke, Basenesse is flintie; gentrie soft as silke, In heauens she liues, and rules a liuing signe In humane bodies: yet not so diuine, That she can worke her kindnesse in our harts. The sencelesse Argiue ship, for her deserts, Bearing to Colchos, and for bringing backe, The hardie Argonauts, secure of wracke, The fautor and the God of gratitude, VVould not from number of the starres exclude. A thousand such examples could I cite, To damne stone-pesants, that like Typhons fight

Against their Maker, and contend to be Of kings, the abiect slaues of d••••dgerie. Proud of that thraldome: loue the kindest lest, And hate, not to be hated of the best. If then we frame mans figure by his mind, And that at first, his fashion was assignd, ••rection in suc•• God-like excellence F••r his soules sake, and her intelligence: She so degenerate, and growne deprest, Content to share affections with a beast, The shape wherewith he should be now ••nd••de, Must beare no signe of mans similitude, Therefore* 1.5 Promethean Poets with the coles Of their most geniale, more-then-humane soules In liuing verse, created men like these, VVith shapes of Centaurs, Harpie, Lapithes, That they in prime of erudition, VVhen almost sauage vulgar men were growne, Seeing them selues in those Pierean founts, Might mend their mindes, asham'd of such accounts. So when ye heare, the* 1.6 sweetest Muses sonne, VVith heauenly rapture of his Musicke, wonne Rockes, ••orrests, floods, and winds to leaue their cou•••• In his attendance: it bewrayes the force His wisedome had, to draw men growne so rude To ciuill loue of Art, and Fortitude, And not for teaching others5 1.7 insolence, Had he his date-exceeding excellence VVith soueraigne Poets, but for vse applyed, And in his proper actes exemplified. And that in calming the infernall kinde, To wit, the perturbations of his minde,

And bringing his Eurydice from hell, (VVhich Iustice signifies) is proued well. But if in rights obseruance any man Looke backe, with boldnesse lesse then Orphean, Soone falls he to the hell from whence he rose: The fiction then would temprature dispose, In all the tender motiues of the minde, To make man worthie his hel-danting kinde. The golden chaine of Homers high deuice Ambition is, or cursed a••arice, VVhich all Gods haling being tyed to Ioue, Him from his setled height could neuer moue: Intending this, that though that powrefull chaine Of most Herculean vigor to constraine Men from true vertue, or their pristine states Attempt a man that manlesse changes hates, And is enobled with a deathlesse loue Of things eternall, dignified aboue: Nothing shall stirre him from adorning still This shape with vertue, and his powre with will. But as rude painters that contend to show Be••sts, foules or fish, all artlesse to bestow O•• ••••ery side his natiue counterfet, Aboue his head, his name had neede to set: So men that will be men, in more then face, (As in their foreheads) should in actions place More perfect characters, to proue they be No mockers of their first nobilitie: Else may they easly passe for beasts or foules: Soules praise our shapes, and not our shapes our soules. And as when Chloris paints th'ennamild meads, A flocke of shepherds to the bagpipe treads

Rude rurall dances with their countrey loues: Some a farre off obseruing their remoues, Turnes, and returnes, quicke footing, sodaine stands, Reelings aside, od actions with their hands; Now backe, now forwards, now lockt arme in arme, Not hearing musicke, thinke it is a charme, That like loose froes at Bacchanalean feasts, Makes them seeme franticke in their barraine iestes. And being clusterd in a shapelesse croude, VVith much lesse admiration are allowd. So our first excellence, so much abusd, And we (without the harmonie was vsd, VVhen Saturnes golden scepter stroke the strings Of Ciuill gouernement) make all our doings Sauour of rudenesse, and obscuritie, And in our formes shew more deformitie, Then if we still were wrapt, and smoothered In that confusion, out of which we fled. And as when hosts of starres attend thy flight, (Day of deepe students, most co••tentfull night) The morning (mounted on the Muses6 1.8 stead) Vshers the sonne from7 1.9 Vulcans golden bed, And then from forth their sundrie roofes of rest, All sorts of men, to sorted taskes addrest, Spreade this inferiour element: and yeeld Labour his due: the souldier to the field, States-men to counsell, Iudges to their pleas, Merchants to commerce, mariners to seas: All beasts, and birds, the groues and forrests range, To fill all corners of this round Exchange, Till thou (deare Night, ô goddesse of most worth) Letst thy sweet seas of golden humor forth

And Eagle like dost with thy starrie wings, 8 1.10 Beate in the foules, and beasts to Somnus lodgings, And haughtie Day to the infernall deepe, Proclaiming scilence studie, ease, and sleepe. All things befor•• thy f••rces put in rout, Retiring where the morning fir'd them out. So to the chaos of our first descent, (All dayes of honor, and of vertue spe••t) VVe basely make retrait, and are no lesse Then huge impolisht heapes of filthinesse. Mens faces glitter, and their hearts are blacke, But thou (great Mistresse of heauens gloomie racke) Art blacke in face, and glitterst in thy heart. There is thy glorie, riches, force, and Art; Opposed earth, beates blacke and blewe thy face, And often doth thy heart it selfe deface, For spite that to thy vertue-famed traine, All the choise worthies that did euer raigne In eldest age, were still preferd by Ioue, Esteeming that due honor to his loue. There shine they: not to sea-men guides alone, But sacred presidents to euerie one. There fixt for euer, where the Day is driuen, Almost foure hundred times a yeare from heauen. In hell then let her sit, and neuer rise, Till Morns leaue blushing at her cruelties. Meane while, accept, as followers of thy traine, (Our better parts aspiring to thy raigne) Vertues obscur'd, and banished the day, VVith all the glories of this spongie sway, ••risond in flesh, and that poore flesh in bands Of stone, and steele, chiefe flowrs of vertues Garlands.

O then most tender fortresse of our woes, That bleeding lye in vertues ouerthroes, Hating the whoredome of this painted light: Raise thy chast daughters, ministers of right, The dreadfull and the iust Eumenides, And let them wreake the wrongs of our disease, Drowning the world in bloud, and staine the skies VVith their spilt soules, made drunke with tyrannies. Fall Hercules from heauen in tempestes hurld, And cleanse this beastly stable of the world: 9 1.11 Or bend thy brasen bow against the Sunne, As in Tartessus, when thou hadst begunne Thy taske of oxen: heat in more extreames Then thou wouldst suffer, with his enuious beames. Now make him leaue the world to Night and dreames. Neuer were vertues labours so enuy'd As in this light: shoote, shoote, and stoope his pride: Suffer no more his lustfull rayes to get The Earth with issue: let him still be set In Somnus thickets: bound about the browes, VVith pitchie vapours, and with Ebone bowes. 10 1.12 Rich-tapird sanctuarie of the blest, Pallace of Ruth, made all of teares, and rest, To thy blacke shades and desolation, I consecrate my life; and liuing mone, VVhere furies shall for euer fighting be, And adders hisse the world for hating me, Foxes shall barke, and Night-rauens belch in grones, And owles shall hollow my confusions: There will I furnish vp my funerall bed, Strewd with the bones and relickes of the dead. Atlas shall let th'Olimpick burthen fall,

To couer my vntombed face withall. And when as well, the matter of our kind, As the materiall sul stance of the mind, Shall cease their reuolutions, in abode Of such impure and vgly period, As the old essence, and insensiue prime: Then shall the ruines of the fourefold time, Turnd to that lumpe (as rapting Torrents ri••e) For euer murmure forth my miseries. Ye liuing spirits then, if any li••e, VVhom like extreames, do like affections giue, Shun, shun this cruell light, and end your thrall, In these soft shades of sable funerall: From whence with ghosts, whō vengeance holds frō rest, Dog-fiends and monsters hanting the distrest, As men whose parents tyrannie hath slaine, VVhose sisters rape, and bondage do sustaine. Bu•• you that nere had birth, nor euer prou'd, How deare a blessing tis to be belou'd, VVhose friends idolatrous desire of gold, To scorne, and ruine haue your freedome sold: VVhose vertues feele all this, and shew your eyes, Men made of Tartar, and of villanies. Aspire th'extraction, and the quintessence Of all the ioyes in earths circumference: VVith ghosts, fiends, monsters: as men robd and rackt, Murtherd in life: from shades with shadowes blackt: Thunder your wrongs, your miseries and hells, And with the dismall accents of your knells, Reuiue the dead, and make the liuing dye In ruth, and terror of your torturie: Still all the powre of Art into your grones,

Scorning your triuiall and remissiue mones, Compact of fiction, and hyperboles, (Like wanton mourners, cl••yd with too much ease) Should leaue the glasses of the hearers eyes Vnbroken, cou••ting all but vanities. But paint, or else create in serious tr••th, A bodie figur'd to your vertues ruth, That to the sence may shew what damned sinne, For your extreames this Chaos tumbles in. But wo is wretched me, without a name: Vertue feeds scor••e, and noblest honor, shame: Pride bathes in teares of poore submission, And makes his soule, the purple he puts on. Kneele then with me, fall worme-like on the ground, And from th'infectious d••nghill of this Round, From mens brasse wits, and golden foolerie, VVeepe, weepe your soules, into felicitie: Come to this house of mourning, serue the night, To whom pale day (with whoredome soked quite) Is but a drudge, selling her beauties vse To rapes, adultries, and to all abuse. Her labors feast imperiall Night with sports, VVhere Loues are Christmast, with all pleasures sorts: And whom her fugitiue, and far-shot rayes Disi••yne, and driue into ten thousand wayes, Nights glorious mantle wraps in safe abodes, And frees their neckes from seruile labors lodes: Her trustie shadowes, succour men dismayd, VVhom Dayes deceiptfull malice hath betrayd: From the silke vapors of her Iueryport, Sweet Protean dreames she sends of euery sort: Some taking formes of Princes, to perswade

Of men deiect, we are their equals made, Som•• clad in habit o•• deceased fri••nds, For whom we mournd, and now haue wisht a••••nds, And some (deare fauour) Lady-like attyrd, VVith pride of Bea••ties full Meridian fir••d: VVho pitie our contempts, reuiue our harts: For wisest Ladies loue the inward parts. If these be dreames, euen so are all things else, That walke this round by heauenly sentinels: But from Nights port of horne she greets our eyes VVith grauer dreames inspir'd with prophesies, VVhich o••t presage to vs succeeding chances, VVe proouing that awake, they shew in trances. If these seeme likewise vaine, or nothing are V••ine things, or nothing come to vertues share: For nothing more then dreames, with vs sh••e findes: Then since all pleasures vanish like the windes, And that most serious actions not resp••cting The second night, are worth but the neglecting, Since day, or light, in anie qualitie, For earthly vses do but serue the eye. And since the eyes most quicke and dangerous vse, Enflames the heart, and learnes the soule abuse, Since mournings are preferd to banquettings, And they reach heauen, bred vnder sorrowes wings. Since Night brings terror to our frailties still, And shamelesse Day, doth marble vs in ill. All you possest with indepressed spirits, Indu'd with nimble, and aspiring wits, Come consecrate with me, to sacred Night Your whole endeuours, and detest the light. Sweete Peaces richest crowne is made of starres,

Most certaine g••ides of ho••••rd Mari••ars, No pen can any thing eternall wright, That is not ••••eept i•• h••m••r of the Night. Hence beasts, and birds ••o caues and b••shes then, And welcome Night, ye noblest heires of men, Hence Phebus to thy glassie str••••pets bed, And neuer more let The•••••• d••••ghters spred,11 1.13 Thy golden harnesse 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thy rosie horse, But in close thickets 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thy oblique c••••rse. See now asce••ds, the glorio•••• ••ride of Brides, N••ptials, and triumphs, glittring by her sides, Iuno and Hymen do her traine adorne, Ten thousand torches ro••••d about them bor••e: Dumbe Sile••ce 〈◊〉〈◊〉 on the Cyprian starre, VVith becks, reb••kes the winds before his carre, VVhere she 〈◊〉〈◊〉; beates downe with clo••die ••ace, The feeble light to blacke Saturnius pallace: Behind her, with a brase12 1.14 of siluer Hynds, In Iuorie chariot, swifter then the winds, In great13 1.15 Hyperions horned daughter drawne Enchantresse-like, deckt in disparent lawne, Circkled with charmes, and incantations, That ride h••ge spirits, and outragious passions: Musicke, and moode, she lo••es, but lo••e she hates, (As curious Ladies do, their publique cates) This traine, with ••eteors, comets, lightenings, The dreadfull presence of our Empresse sings: VVhich grant for euer (•• eternall Night) Till vertue flourish in the light of light.

Explicit Hymnus.

Notes

• 1 1.1

  HE cals these Cynthi•• fiers of Cynthius or the Sunne. In whose beames the fumes and vapors of the earth ar•• exhald. The earth being as an a••lter, and those fumes as s••crificing smokes, becau••e they seeme pleasing to her in resembling her. That the earth is cald an aulter, Aratus in Astronimicis testifies in these verses:

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 &c. Nox antiqua suo curru conuoluitur Ar•••• Hanc circum, qua•• signa dedit certissima ••a••tis Commiserata vir••m metue••dos vndi{que} cas••s.

  In which verses the substance of the first foure verses is ex∣prest.
• 2 1.2

  Night is cald the nurse or mother of death by Hesiodus in Theogonia, in these verses repeating her other issue:

  Nox peperit fatum{que} malum, Parcam{que} nigrantem Et mortem & somnum, diuersa{que} so••nia: natos Hos peperit, nulli dea nox coniuncta marito.
• 3 1.3

  Plat•• saith dicere is nothing else but reminisci.
• 4 1.4

  The heauenly abodes are often called, celestiall tem∣ples by Homer & alijs.
• * 1.5

  ••e cals them Promethe••n Poets in this high conceipt, by a figurat••ue compari••on be∣twixt thē, that as 〈◊〉〈◊〉. with fire ••etcht frō hea∣uen, made men: so Poets with the fire of their soules are sayd to create those Harp••es, and Cen••aures, and thereof he calls their soules Geniale.
• * 1.6

  Call••ope is cald the swee∣test Muses, her name being by signification, Cautus suaui∣tas, vel mod••∣l••••io.
• 5 1.7

  Insolence is here taken for rarenesse or vnwontednesse.
• 6 1.8

  Lycophron in Alexandra, affirmes the morning vseth to ride vpon Pegasus in his verses:

  Aurora montem Phagium aduoluerat V••locis altum nuper alis Pegasi.
• 7 1.9

  Vulcan is said by Natalis Comes in his Mythologie, to haue made a golden bed for the Sunne, wherein he swum sleeping till the morning.
• 8 1.10

  Quae lucem pellis sub terras: Orpheus.
• 9 1.11

  Here he alludes to the fiction of Hercules, that in his la∣bor at Tartessus fetching away the oxen, being (more thē he liked) heat with the beames of the Sunne, he bent his bow against him, &c. Vt ait Pherecides in 3. lib. Historiarum.
• 10 1.12

  This P••riphrasis of the Night he vseth, because in her the blest, (by whom he intēds the vertuous) liuing obscure∣lie are relieued and quieted, according to those verses before of Aratus, Commiserata virum metuendos vndi{que} casus.
• 11 1.13

  Themis daughters are the three houres, viz. Dice, Ire••e, and E••••omia, begottē by Iupiter. They are said to make rea∣dy the horse & chariot of the Sun euery morning. vt Orph.

  Et louis & Themidis Horae de se••ine 〈◊〉〈◊〉, &c.
• 12 1.14

  Cynthia or the Moone, is said to be drawne by two white hindes, vt ait Cali••ach••••:

  A••rea nam d••mitrix Tityi sunt arma Diana Cuncta tibi & zona, & fuga qua•• cer••icibus a••rea Cer••arum imponis currum c•••• d••cis ad a••re••••.
• 13 1.15

  Hesiodus in Theogonia cals her the daughter of Hype∣rion, and Thya, in his versibus.

  Thia parit Sole•• 〈…〉〈…〉 Auroram quaefert luce•• mortalibus 〈◊〉〈◊〉 C••elicolis{que} Deis cunctis, Hyperionis al•••• Semine concepit, nam{que} illos Thia d••cora

  So is she said to weare partie-coloured garments: the rest intimates her Magick authoritie.