Emblemes by Francis Quarles.

II.

[illustration]

PSALM 69. 3.

O Lord, thou knowest my foolishnesse, and my sinnes are not hid from thee.

SEest thou this fulsome Ideot? In what measure He seems transported with the antick pleasure Of childish baubles? canst thou but admire The empty fulnesse of his vain desire? Canst thou conceive such poore delights as these Can fill th' insatiate soul of man, or please The fond aspect of his deluded eye? Reader, such very fools are thou and I: False puffs of honour; the deceitfull streams Of wealth; the idle, vain, and empty dreams Of pleasure, are our traffick, and ensnare Our souls, the threefold subject of our care: We toyl for trash, we barter solid joyes For airy tr•…•…s; sell our Heav'n for toyes: We snatch at barly grains, whilst pearls stand by Despis'd; such very fools art thou and I. Aym'st thou at honour! does not the Ideot shake it In his left hand? fond man, step forth and take it: Or would'st thou wealth? see how the fool presents thee With a full basket; if such wealth contents thee: Wouldst thou take pleasure? if the fool unstride His prauncing Stallion, thou mayst up and 〈◊〉〈◊〉: Fond man, such is the pleasure, wealth, and honour The earth affords such fools as dote upon her;

Such is the game whereat •…•…ths ideots sly; Such ideots, ah, such fools are thou and I: Had rebell-mans fool-hardinesse extended No further then himself, and there had ended, It had been just; but, thus enrag'd to sly Upon th' eternall eyes of Majesty, And drag the Son of Glory from the breast Of his indulgent Father; to a•…•… rest His great and sacred Person; in disgrace, To spit and spaul upon his Sun bright face; To taunt him with base terms; and being bound, To scourge his soft, his trembling sides; to wound His head with thorns; his heart with humane 〈◊〉〈◊〉; His hands with nails, and his pale slank with spears: And then to paddle in the pure•…•… stream Of his spilt blood, is more then most extreme: Great builder of mankind, canst thou propound All this to thy bright eyes, and not confound Thy handy-work? O, canst thou choose but see, That mad'st the eye? can ought behid from thee? Thou seest our persons, Lord, and not our guilt; Thou seest not what thou maist, but what thou wilt: The Hand that form'd us, is enforc'd to be A Screen set up betwixt thy work and thee: Look, look upon that Hand, and thou shalt spy An open wound, a through-fare for thine eye; Or if that wound be clos'd, that passage be Deny'd between thy gracious eyes and me, Yet view the scarre; that scarre will countermand Thy wrath: O read my fortune in thy hand.

S. CHRYS. Hom. 4. Joan.

Fools seem to abound in wealth, when they want all things; they seem to enjoy happinesse, when indeed they are onely most miserable; neither do they understand that they are del•…•…ded by their fancy, till they be delivered from their folly.

S. GREG. in Mor.

By so much the more are we inwardly foolish, by how much we strive to seem outwardly wise.

EPIG. 2.

Rebellious fool, what has thy folly done: Controul'd thy God, and crucisi'd his Sonne? How sweetly has the Lord of life deceiv'd thee? Thou shedst his bloud, and that shed blood has sav'd thee.