Mount-Orgueil: or Divine and profitable meditations raised from the contemplation of these three leaves of natures volume, 1. Rockes, 2. Seas, 3. Gardens, digested into three distinct poems. To which is prefixed, a poeticall description, of Mount-Orgueil Castle in the Isle of Jersy. By VVilliam Prynne, late exile, and close prisoner in the sayd Castle. A poem of The soules complaint against the body; and Comfortable cordialls against the discomforts of imprisonment, &c. are hereto annexed.
About this Item
Title
Mount-Orgueil: or Divine and profitable meditations raised from the contemplation of these three leaves of natures volume, 1. Rockes, 2. Seas, 3. Gardens, digested into three distinct poems. To which is prefixed, a poeticall description, of Mount-Orgueil Castle in the Isle of Jersy. By VVilliam Prynne, late exile, and close prisoner in the sayd Castle. A poem of The soules complaint against the body; and Comfortable cordialls against the discomforts of imprisonment, &c. are hereto annexed.
Author
Prynne, William, 1600-1669.
Publication
London :: printed by Tho. Cotes, for Michael Sparke Senior, and are to be sold by Peter Inch of Chester,
1641.
Rights/Permissions
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.
Subject terms
Jesus Christ -- Poetry -- Early works to 1800.
Christian literature -- Early works to 1800.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A91224.0001.001
Cite this Item
"Mount-Orgueil: or Divine and profitable meditations raised from the contemplation of these three leaves of natures volume, 1. Rockes, 2. Seas, 3. Gardens, digested into three distinct poems. To which is prefixed, a poeticall description, of Mount-Orgueil Castle in the Isle of Jersy. By VVilliam Prynne, late exile, and close prisoner in the sayd Castle. A poem of The soules complaint against the body; and Comfortable cordialls against the discomforts of imprisonment, &c. are hereto annexed." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A91224.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 17, 2024.
Pages
Meditations of the first Kinde.
1.
FIrst then, a garden paints out to our EyesAnd Hearts, its primee 1.1 Inventor, God most wise;Whose peerelessef 1.2 Wisedome, Art, skill shine most brightIn every Tree, Plant, Herbe, Flower which our sightBeholds in Gardens; whose variety.In smell, taste, colour, forme, fruite, quality,And usefull vertues for all maladies,Wounds, Ulcers, Aches, stripes, InfirmitiesOf Man and Beast, (so many that Mans ArtHath not as yet found out the thousand partFrom Adams fall till now,) at large descryGods matchlesse Art and wisedome to each eye.View we the goodly Colours, Beauty, Frame,Embroidry, carving, fruites, leaves, rootes (which
shameAnd pose all Artists) with the Joynts, and sweeteProportion of those Parts, which in them meete;And we must needes confesse himg 1.3onely wiseWho these rare peeces did at first devise,Without a Patterne; and doth dayly raiseSuch worlds of goodly Fabrickes to his praise.
O let our Hearts, words, workes, still celebrateHish 1.4boundlesse wisedome, who did these create.
2.
That most transcendent Beauty which we seeWith dayly admiration in each Tree,Plant, Herbe, Carnation, Lilly, Tulip, Rose,With worlds of other Flowers, which the NoseAffect withi 1.5 pleasant smels, and beautifieThe Earth and Gardens, more than starres the skie,Shining with rarest Colours of each kinde,So fresh, mixt, sorted, that they rap the MindeInto amazement; sweetly manifest,In some darke measure, to each pious Breast,Gods most surpassingk 1.6 Beauty; to whosel 1.7 LightThe Noone-day Sunnes more darke than any Night.Why doe we then like doting Fooles admireA comely Face, necke, hand, bush, brave Attire,Or waxe proud of them? (as most doe,) since grasse,Trees,m 1.8 Lillies, flow'rs, In beauty farre SurpasseThe fairest Kings Queen's, Ladies, whose hands, faceAnd rich Array, compar'd to these, are base.O! if we dote on Beauty, let the RayesOfn 1.9 Gods Eternall Glory, past all praiseAnd Comprehension, pierce, melt, rap, transportOur Soules witho 1.10Love, & scorch them in such sort,That they may ever burne with its sweete flame,And deeme all Beauty else not worth the Name;Being imperfect,p 1.11 fading every Houre,Not halfe so lovely, comely as a flower.
Each Plant, Herbe, Roote, Grasse, Flower which doth
grow,In Gardens,q 1.12 Gods Almighty power forth show.Since all the Monarches, Artists, Men that live,With all their might, wit, skill, can never giveLife to existence to the smallest flower.Much lesse an Essence: O what little powerIs there in greatest Kings; who cannot makeOne Grasse, Herbe, Plant, though Nestors yeares
they takeTo doe it! O, what wondrous PotencyIs there in God! whoser 1.13word did instantlyCreate all Creatures, Herbes, Trees, Plants that grow,In Gardens, Orchards, Woods, Fields here below?O let our Minds, when we these Creatures see,Upon hiss 1.14 mighty Power still fixed be:Which as itt 1.15 dayly makes the fairest Trees,Plants, Herbes, and Flowers, spring by sweete degreesOut of the vilest dust; can likewise raiseUs from the very grave, his power to praise.Be then ourv 1.16 Cases, Crosses ne're so ill,Take courage, God can mend them when he will;And in due season make us spring againe,Like withered Plants, Herbes, Flowers, after raine.
4.
Gardens shew forthx 1.17 Gods goodnesse to mankinde,Which he who seeth not in them, is quite blinde.For, doth not that great, sweete, varietyOf garden Plants, Fruites which delight the EyeAnd other Senses; ease, helpe, and redresseAll paines, wounds, sores, diseases that oppresse
Both Man and Beast; yeelding them Physick, Food,Salves, Sauce, Cates, Cordialls, Fumes, Cloathes, all
that's goodOr usefull for them, plainelyy 1.18manifestGods gracious Bounty to each Man and Beast?O what abundant Service,z 1.19 thankes, praise, Love,Are due from Man unto his God above?Who hath thus stored Gardens, fields, each place,With such great plenty of these gifts of grace?O, let us blush that we serve, love, no moreGod, who hath blest us with this happie store.And hence conclude in our Necessity,That this good God willa 1.20 all our Wants supply:He who our Gardens doth with these things store,Our Bodies, Soules, will feed, feast, fill much more.
5.
A Garden like a Glasse, Godsb 1.21ProvidenceReflects most clearely, to the dullest sense;Who for Mans use and Service in each Clime,Makes Trees, Plants, Herbes, Flowres, Seedesc 1.22 spring
in due time,Which are most usefull, fit to ease, heale, feede,And helpe those in the countries where they breed.And placed neare him great varietyOf Herbes, Salves, Phisicke, for each Malady,Both easie, cheape and ready still at hand,If He their vertues did but understand.O what a tenderd 1.23 Care hath God of Man,Thus to provide for each disease that can,Or doth befall him, such cheape, ready Cures!Oe 1.24 praise him for this care which still endures.And sith that He our wealth doth so respect,Let usf 1.25 take heede, we never him neglect;Nor yet our selves, but thankefullyg 1.26make useOf what may to our Health, or ease conduce.
Lord, when we walke in Gardens to delightOur mindes, or sences, let the sweetest sightOf Thee, and these thy Attributes, which theyPresent most clearely to us day by day;Rap up our Soules into such Extasies,That they nought else but Thee; may love or prise.