Historie & policie re-viewed, in the heroick transactions of His Most Serene Highnesse, Oliver, late Lord Protector; from his cradle, to his tomb: declaring his steps to princely perfection; as they are drawn in lively parallels to the ascents of the great patriarch Moses, in thirty degrees, to the height of honour. / By H.D. Esq.

The fifth Ascent. (Book 5)

MOses lived a long retired life in his youth, contemning the pomp and great∣nesse, of Pharaohs Court, and all the World besides: choosing rather to passe as a private Shepherd in a Desert, and to keep his father in Law Jethro's Flocks,* 1.1 than to be made a Companion of Kings. Now, here I must be bold to assert, that none but high bred, as well as high born, souls, are capable of un∣derstanding, much lesse of undergoing, such a blessed solitude, as this our old Master Moses did. In this he shewed himself, to have at∣tained to the very highest pitch of Philosophy, and all Learning, in so discreet a contempt of all the profits, pleasures, glories, and vanities, of the World.

Here, then, behold, and admire, (all you pittiful plaistered Puppits of the World) this grand Master of Honour, and Learning, Mo∣ses; who, though enriched, with all the fair perfections of mind, and body, requisite to the accomplishment of a Courtier, could not be brought, by all the powerful allurements of Pharaohs Daughter; no, nor yet by the so∣licitations, of his poor brethren, then in bon∣dage,

who stood in no little need, (God knows) of such a helper, lying then, under a most Tyrannical oppression: or, could be per∣swaded, to accept the charge, of any publick employments; but, chose rather for a great while, to retire himself, and to live a free, and harmlesse Shephered, in a Desert, than to em∣broil his celestial soul, in any mundane mat∣ters, or to idolize his sinful captivity, in a Court.

This is the highest point of Philosophy in the World, for a man, especially in his youth, to know how to make himself his own, to set light by, and trample under-foot, all that is without him; to look on all the pomps, and pleasures, of this World, as the old Egyptians did, upon those dangerous theeves, whom they then termed Philistas, that were wont to tickle, fawn upon, and embrace, whom they had a purpose to strangle. And truly, if the headach, should seize upon us, before drunk∣ennesse, we should all beware of too much drinking; but sordid sensuality, the better to entrap us, makes her apparent pleasures, to march still before us, and hides perpetualy, her too rugged, and repentant track from us. If we can arrive at so happy a knowledge, as to see into those miserable consequences be∣forehand, it must be onely, by the pure help of Philosophy, or the immediate grace of God. And this was that, which our Patri∣arch Moses did see, and accordingly practice; not making, neither, such a sad, and vale∣dictory

retreat, as some Princes, and great Persons have done, to quit, and forsake the World, when either they have been weary of it, or that has been of them: but a true Mo∣saical retreat, a retreat of improvement, a re∣treat, to bring us on afterwards (as at a jump) with greater advantage, a retreat to cultivate, and enrich a soul: This was that, I say, our Moses did, who, when he had devoured all the learning of the Egyptians, he would retire him∣self a while, to disgest it in the Land of Midian: when he had suckt in all the seeds of good li∣terature from the Schools, he withdrew a while, to improve the growth of them in the fields; so avoiding all commixture of weeds, which many times, does strangle the best and most sublime parts in men: And, to conclude all this, our great Master Moses, chose to a∣void all those pestilences, that usually attend upon Courts, and most Companies, to go to fructify in the Desert.

The Parallel.

Now, as we have seen our first Moses, make∣ing his rich retreat, and preferring it before all the delicacies of Pharaohs Court; so we shall see our glorious second, making hast after him, whose inspired wisdom, knew full well, even in those his youthful years, how to set a just value, upon all those empty nothings,

pomps, pleasures, and glories, of the World, and look upon the Court then, no otherwise, than as his grand Master Moses before him had done, as the nest of envy, and ambition; and as a late Writer▪ most excellently extracts out of divers ancient Authors, that it was a meer den of darknesse, where the heavens and stars, are scarcely to be seen, but through a little crevis: As a Mill, alwayes skreaking with perpetual clatter, where men inchained like beasts of labour, are condemned to turn the stones: As a prison of slaves, who are all ty'd in the golden gyves of a specious servitude; yet, in all that glitter, suffer themselves to be gnaw'd upon, by the vermin of base abomin∣able passions. As a list, where all the Com∣batants are stark mad, that enter, their arms nothing but fury, their prize smoak, their ca∣reer glasse, or ice, and utmost bounds, but precipices. As the house of Circe, where rea∣sonable creatures, are transformed into savage beasts, where Bulls gore, Lions roare, Dogs bark, and worry one another; Vipers hiss, and Basilisks carry death in their looks. To conclude, as the House of winds, a perpetual tempest on the firm land, shipwrack without water, where vessels are split, even in the haven of hope: In fine, as a most miserable place, where vice reigns by nature, misery by neces∣sity; and if any vertue be found there, it must be by miracle:* 1.2 So that we may fitly apply to those old Courtiers, that passage in Job, so much insisted on, by the great Gregory; Gigantes

gemunt sub aquis, the Gyants or great Men of the Earth, do groan under the waters, that is, being drawn into a little disgrace, by a fu∣rious torrent of envy, they sigh and mourne, as overwhelm'd in an ocean of calamities. One frown of their Prince, is more formidable to them, than the look of a Basilisk, and more terrible than the crack of Canon, or thunder it self. Besides, what more base, abject, ser∣vil sort of men, is there in the World? they will bend, and bow, like a fishers angle, they must stoop, turn, and wheel about, to all pur∣poses, that they may arrive, at their preten∣sions? They buy all their honour, at the price of pitifull submissions, their Scarlet, at the rate of sordid ambition, and glory, with the coin of slavery, as is most excellently il∣lustrated by eloquent Cyprian thus,* 1.3 Qui a∣mictu clariore conspicuus, fulgere sibi videtur in Purpura, &c. Quibus hic sordibus emit ut ful∣geat? quot arrogantium fastus prius pertulit? quas superbas fores matutinus salutator obsedit? quot tumentium contumeliosa vestigia ante prae∣cessit, un ipsum etiam salutantium comes postmo∣dum turba praecederet? This silly Courtier, saith he, gazeth upon himself in Scarlet, but how many base submissions has the luster of those cloths cost him? how many scorns, contempts, and repulses, has he swallowed from some more arrogant than himself? how many proud gates has he besieged every day, to perform his complements? and how many times hath he made himself a stirrup-holder,

or foot-boy, for the service of some disdainful Prince, to gain this train, that now attends up∣on himself.

Indeed, such a condition, is more to be pi∣tied, than envyed; so it was well answered of an old Courtier, when askt, How he could continue so long in Court? Injurias accipi∣endo, saith he, & gratias agendo, by receiving injuries thankfully. Thus some men will fat∣ten with affronts, and disgraces, as slavish dogs with bastenado's. My Lords High Mosaick prudence, in the mean time, more feared, than envyed, that course of life, and chose rather to lie hidden for many years, in his little pri∣vacy of a safe and sweet retreat, and a learned solitude, like a true Princely Pearle, under the waves, then to be worn about the necks of Monarchs.

* 1.4One of the greatest wits, as well as Princes, and the most vertuous man of a Pagan, that ever was under heaven, the Emperour Marcus Au∣relius Antoninus, in his Book, that he writ of his own Life, so much commends this kind of retirement, which a wise man makes within himself; that he assures us, that in all the Pa∣laces, Gardens, Orchards, and Delicacies, of all the Kings of the World, there is nothing so delightful as it. In which kind of life it is, that a vertuous and knowing soul, involves it self, in its little shell, and withdrawing it self out of the saltwaters of the World, lives pure∣ly with the dew of heaven. There it is where the soul, which is scattered in an overwhelm∣ing

multitude of affairs, foldes it self within it self: there it is, where it begins truly to suck in its own sap: there it is, where it ac∣commodates, and prepares its hive, like a busie Bee, and endeavours to gather its honey, to communicate to all the World. There it is, and onely there, where it enters into a new world, an intelligible world, a peaceable world, a world smiling with sweet serenity of air, and radiant lights, as becomes such a blessed solititude, a true Temple of repose. This was the Noble rich retirement, that our glo∣rious second Moses chose to place his soul in, winding him••elf up in his private recesses, as within his own bottom, after the example of his great Prototype; nor could he ever fear to faint, or droop, through any ted••ous mind-tiring idlenesse, (the consequent of most solita∣rinesses) having such a stock of soul to improve, as he had, his Highnesse knew as well as that Scipio, nunquam minus solus esse quàm cum solus: and, ut in solis sit sibi turba locis, never to be less alone, then when he was alone, and to supply himself with company of himself, as we shall see by the great profit he reaped, by his lear∣ned solitude; which will more clearly appear, in the processe of our following Parallels.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Exod. 3.
• * 1.2

  Greg. in Job. 20.
• * 1.3

  Cyprian ad Donatum.
• * 1.4

  Marc. Aur. Ant. de vit. sua, l. 4.