Salue deus rex iudæorum containing, 1. The passion of Christ, 2. Eues apologie in defence of women, 3. The teares of the daughters of Ierusalem, 4. The salutation and sorrow of the Virgine Marie : with diuers other things not vnfit to be read / written by Mistris Æmilia Lanyer ...

A preamble of the Au∣thor before the Passion.

¶ These high deserts inuites my lowely Muse To write of Him, and pardon craue of thee, For Time so spent, I need make no excuse, Knowing it doth with thy faire Minde agree So well, as thou no Labour wilt refuse, That to thy holy Loue may pleasing be: His Death and Passion I desire to write, And thee to reade, the blessed Soules delight.

But my deare Muse, now whither wouldst thou flie, Aboue the pitch of thy appointed straine? With Icarus thou seekest now to trie, Not waxen wings, but thy poore barren Braine, Which farre too weake, these fiely lines descrie; Yet cannot this thy forward Mind restraine, But thy poore Infant Verse must soare aloft, Not fearing threat'ning dangers, happening oft.

Thinke when the eye of Wisdom shall discover Thy weakling Muse to flie, that scarce could creepe, And in the Ayre aboue the Clowdes to hover, When better 'twere mued vp, and fast asleepe; They'l thinke with Phaeton, thou canst ne'r recover, But helplesse with that poore yong Lad to weepe: The little World of thy weake Wit on fire, Where thou wilt perish in thine owne desire.

But yet the Weaker thou doest seeme to be In Sexe, or Sence, the more his Glory shines, That doth infuze such powrefull Grace in thee, To shew thy Love in these few humble Lines; The Widowes Myte, with this may well agree, Her little All more worth than golden mynes, Beeing more deerer to our loving Lord, Than all the wealth that Kingdoms could afford.

Therefore I humbly for his Grace will pray, That he will give me Power and Strength to Write, That what I haue begun, so end I may, As his great Glory may appeare more bright; Yea in these Lines I may no further stray, Than his most holy Spirit shall giue me Light: That blindest Weakenesse be not over-bold, The manner of his Passion to vnfold.

In other Phrases than may well agree With his pure Doctrine, and most holy Writ, That Heavens cleare eye, and all the World may see, I seeke his Glory, rather than to get The Vulgars breath, the seed of Vanitie, Nor Fames lowd Trumpet care I to admit; But rather strive in plainest Words to showe, The Matter which I seeke to vndergoe.

A Matter farre beyond my barren skill, To shew with any Life this map of Death, This Storie; that whole Worlds with Bookes would fill, In these few Lines, will put me out of breath, To run so swiftly vp this mightie Hill, I may behold it with the eye of Faith; But to present this pure vnspotted Lambe, I must confesse, I farre vnworthy am.

Yet if he please t'illuminate my Spirit, And giue me Wisdom from his holy Hill, That I may Write part of his glorious Merit, If he vouchsafe to guide my Hand and Quill, To shew his Death, by which we doe inherit Those endlesse Ioyes that all our hearts doe fill; Then will I tell of that sad blacke fac'd Night, Whose mourning Mantle covered Heavenly Light.