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Aleph. I Knowe, O Lord, right well, that we must yeeld vnto thy will, and that we do but kicke a∣gainst the pricke in complayning of thee. Neuerthelesse, I can not keepe in my griefes, much lesse my sighs, when as I behold this strange desolation. And although my soule biddeth me hold my peace, yet can not mine heart
keepe it selfe from sighing. For, who, ô Lord, would not haue pitie of this, to see all the beawtifull golden walls of thy temple bescrabled, and scraped, all the goodly golden vessels so finely wrought, now melted, and clipt in pie∣ces, & all the ritch Iasper & Porphirie of thy sanctuary, brokē, layd in gobbets, & cast about all the corners of the Ci∣tie; in so much, that that place which shone as bright as the Sunne, is now become like a ruinous darke dungeon.
Beth. Besides, who would not grone, to see the children of the best hou∣ses, who were so much made of, and so beloued, as that they were accomp∣ted as pretious as any gold, to be now cast vpon the leystalles like the shards of a broken pot? Ha, ô Lord our God, this was not mens worke, but thine owne: Yea, why forsookest thou after this sort thine owne most deare and most excellent workemanship? crea∣tedst thou them, to destroy them?
Gimel. O, I would thou haddest shewed as great fauour at the least vn∣to the childrē of Ierusalem, as thou did∣dest vnto the most vile & abiect crea∣tures on the earth, for the very yong
serpents them selues finde their dams teats, who bring them vp vntill such time as they are able to shift for them selues. Alasse, thou hast made the wo∣men of Ierusalem to become more cruell then serpents, more sauage then the women of Lamia, which haue no womanlike shape no•• condition but the very face, for, their hearts, and the rest of the members of their bodies are most hidious and fearefull. Nay, there is not so little amitie amongst the very Ostridges, who, amongst the foules of the ayre, are the most wilde and vn∣tameable, as there is in the women of Ierusalem, by reason of their continuall affliction which hath so degenerated them.
Daleth. Wee haue seene the yong children, that there lay streaking out them selues, yawning and gaping, with lips as dry as sticks, their tongs clee∣uing vnto the rooffes of their mouthes with very drought, and sucking winde instead of milke: for, their mothers at the first offered them their breasts, but they were so dry, as that they yel∣ded nothing but bloud. In so much that the poore wretches hauing nothing to
breede any iuice or moysture in them, dryed vp, whereby they fell into a con∣sumption, and so most pitifully langui∣shing and wearing away, forthwith dyed. And they that were somewhat bigger, ranne after their fathers, and hanging about their heeles, cryed so lamentably vpon them for bread, as that it would haue made the stones in the streete to haue rent in sunder with compassion. But what shall I say? vere∣ly, they had nothing to geue them, for, all that their fathers could do for thē, was to wish them dead, and curse the day that euer they begot them, to see them now in so miserable an estate.
He. O Lord our God, what an alte∣ration of life was this? yea, what an in∣exorable crueltie? This is a miserie which scourgeth the whole world, and whippeth both hye and lowe. For, they that were wont to liue most delicately, and pamper their bodies, begged in the hye wayes, and dyed of honger, yea, and they that were wonted to lye on their downe beds, and had their co∣uerings of veluet and silke, and troad vppon nothing but vppon Tapistry, thought them selues now to be in very
good case, if so be they could get a dunghill to lye vpon.
Vau. In so much, that for any thing that I can see, ô Lord, thou iudgest our sinnes to be more haynous, then the sinnes of Sodome. For, thou hast punished vs more cruelly, then euer thou diddest them. For, they were o∣uerthrowne in a moment, and fire from heauen deuoured them present∣ly. And besides, there was none but thy selfe that dealt in this, for, she was not committed vnto the mercy of men, left vnto the discretion of her enemies, nor yet vnto the iniuries that follow the taking of Cities.
Zain. It is a common saying, that there is no right iudging of misery but by way of comparison, and then begin∣neth it to touch the quicke, when as a man compareth his estate wherein he presently standeth, with that wherein he sometime was. As when I bethinke me of the magnificence of those of Na∣zareth, and see what miserable caytifes they now are, For, it was a maruellous glorious thing to see them come vnto Ierusalem to the feast, in their robes as white as the driuen snow, so neate and
white were their clothes, their faces were smoothly paynted, and glistered like yuorie, and their cheekes as rud∣die as any rose, or rather as ruddie as any rubie.
Het. But they that had seene them now might haue sayd, that they had blowne the cole all their life long at a smythes forge, or had bene begrimed for the nonce, and would haue rather taken them for the Lazars of a spittle house then otherwise, for, their bones beare out their skins, and a man would haue sayd that their skins had bin like parchmēt wrapt about a dead carrion, and I verely beleeue that there is as much moysture in a dry slough or ditch, as was in any of their bodies.
Thet. Yea, and they which past the edge of the sword, came to a far better market then they, for their misery was not long, & they were acquitted once for all. But to dye of cruell famine, and to see and feele one so long a dying, is a most miserable thing, they felt them selues continually wither away, and knew not how their strength went frō them, without a man would haue sayd, the earth had consumed it. For they
were like vnto a plant, whose roote was cleane dried vp, which in the be∣ginning waxeth yellow in the neither parts, and so by little and little the boughes and armes thereof, dye, and in the end the whole body dryeth vp, and is good for nothing else, but to be cast into the fire.
Iod. Ye may thinke, that I haue ve∣ry much spoken of things, and yet they are but flowres, in respect of the rest of the miseries which necessitie hath suggested vnto vs, and which, if I had an hundreth tongs, I were neuer able to expresse. Shall I tell them, ô Lord? Alasse, I will not, for then I should accuse thine ouergreat seueritie, in deliuering out the exces∣siue miseries, wherein thou hast plun∣ged vs. Notwithstanding I will do it, I will tell them, ô Lord, to the end thou mightest at the last haue compassion of vs, and somewhat hold backe thy reuengefull arme. For, thou hast layd it ouer heauely vpon vs, we haue seene it, and must we needs see it ô Lord? and shall our eyes be our owne still, after we haue seene it? We haue seene the mothers, I say, through famine and
want, so degenerate from their kind, as that they haue dismembred their owne children, puld them in pieces, boy∣led them on the fire, and deuoured them with their teeth, to satisfie that cruell famine, wherewith they were afflicted.
Coph. Ha, ô Lord our God, what thoughtest thou to haue done with vs? meantest thou to shew thy selfe to be almightie, as well in thy fury, as in thy mercy, to shew, all thine actions to be infinite, to shew, that when thou go∣est about to set thy selfe to be cruell, that thou art out of all measure cruell, and to shew thy self wheresoeuer thou passest when thou art in choller, to be a deuouring fire, which setteth on fire, raueneth, & consumeth, and to be such a one, as thou hast shewed thy self to be in visiting poore Syon, euen vnto the cōsuming the very foundatiōs thereof.
Lamed. O most strange, and most incredible thing, these newes haue bene told vnto other Kings and Prin∣ces of the earth, & to all other strange people, but they could neuer beleeue any iote of it. For thus they haue sayd, What? is it possible, that this holy Ci•…•…
which God hath chosen for his dwel∣ling place, where he hath set vp his throne on the earth, where he will be worshipped, whither all nations haue carried their offrings, where he hath appeared and answered vnto the cryes of those that haue prayed vnto him; the same onely, to be taken, and to fall into the hands of her enemies? Surely, we will neuer beleeue it, nay, we do not beleeue, that if they found the gates thereof stand wide open, that they durst once enter into it.
Mem. And ••et for all this, ô Lord, it is euen so, the poore cittie is vtterly vndone and razed, but after what sort? and wherfore? Forsooth, for the sinnes ô Lord, of our prophets, and for the sinnes of our priests, who haue shed the bloud of the righteous, euen in the middest of Ierusalem.
Nun. They haue run vp and downe in the streats like mad men, and reeled too and fro', as men drunken with the bloud of innocents. They are so pollu∣ted and defiled, as that all the world is a feard to touch them, for feare of be∣ing imbrued with them. Yea and they themselues are ashamed to go into the
temple, for feare of violating it with the bloud which commeth frō their cloths.
Samech. I do assure ye, that the very heathen themselues haue bene afeard of them, I say, euen they that know not God, but by the light of nature, and haue cried out against them, saying; O ye wicked and cruell caitiues, hence and away, and defile not the place which is delicated vnto your God, and they againe with great indignity de∣spitefully haue said, no, no. Beleeue ve∣rily, that God dwelleth not amongst such kinde of people.
Phe. For, a man may easily see, that their God hath forsaken them, hath dabd them in the necks, and set them at diuision and discord. They haue ta∣sted of nothing so little as of godlines, and therfore they must looke no more for any helpe from heauen. What? the very ancient seruants of God, appoin∣ted to serue at his aulter, haue not so much as once blushed, in committing most horrible and great wickednesses, & the elder sort which should haue bin the most modest, haue bin most mad? and had no compassion of their equals: neither could the age of their afflicted
companions driue them to any com∣passion? And seeing that all humani∣tie is rooted out of their harts, how is it possible for God to dwell in them? Beleeue me, these are no men, but counterfet Tygres. And therefore God will deale with them as he dealeth with brute beasts, and make one of them praye vpon another.
Ain. Ha, ô Lord, these people haue sayd rightly, Thou hast made vs to feele it in deed: for, after all these our furious pranks, the time of punishment came vpon vs: for, our enemies enui∣roned vs on euery side, and whilst we were gaping and looking for ayd from men, and looked so wishlie for them, as that we were weery of looking, & could see none at all come, wee were very foolish in looking for helpe from men, to defend vs from thee, ô Lorde, which makest warre against vs. A∣lasse, what are mens forces able to do against thee? What rampart in all the whole world is able to defend vs against thy wrath?
Sade. We haue bene taken as Par∣triges in the cod of a net, thou hast driuen vs together on a Couie, and
afterward coueredst vs: wee thought to haue escaped, and our feete slid, we are fallen, and are snared in the net: we haue assaied to fleet from one place to another, and we haue bene alwaies staied. And why so? forsooth, because the day was come. We haue hastened the punishment by our per∣seuering in euill doing, and haue in the end enforced God to pronounce the ineuitable iudgement of our condem∣nation against vs.
Coph. When God hath resolued to do a thing, all things both in heauen and earth, are ready to execute his will, euery thing maketh it selfe ready to serue his purpose, our enemies are more swift to pursue vs, then are the Eagles, the Stock doues. For, they haue followed vs euen to the tops of the mountaines, and met with vs in the deserts. I do verely beleeue, that if we were in the deepest dungeons that e∣uer were, that they would there finde vs out.
Resch. And what shall I say? where found they out our good Iosias, euen him, whom thou haddest annointed to raigne ouer vs, and whom we esteemed
and made more of, then of our owne liues, who was alwaies in our hearts, and euer in our mouthes? him they tooke, & led captiue aswell as the rest. Nothing could keepe him from their hands. I do verily beleeue, that our sinnes are the cause of his taking, and for our sinnes, did he suffer and abide the same, and therefore we haue said thus vnto him for his comfort, We beseech thee, ô King, patiently to beare the affliction which the Lorde thy God hath sent thee, which is the shadowe and figure of the passion of him, who by his death shall establish againe our former felicity, make vs raigne ouer the Gentiles, and subiect all the nations of the world vnto our law.
Sin. But in the meane while he is bound and shackled, ô most heauy and lamentable aduenture. Laugh thou, yea laugh thou thereat, ô thou daugh∣ter of Edome, which dwellest in the plaines of Arabia, there is enough thereof left for thee, yea, thou shalt drinke of the cuppe when thy turne commeth about, and be made drunke with the bitter wine aswell as wee.
They shall make thee hazarde thy throate, and thou shalt beleeue it, make a good reckoning of our spoiles. There is small ioy and comfort in be∣holding anothers misery, and that ioy and comfort shall we haue, for, we shall see them lament and be sory for their owne punishment, euen to see them∣selues to be sory for their owne, that laughed at ours.
Tau. And therefore I beseech thee ô poore desolate Syon, begin to take heart vnto thee, for God hath eft∣soones made an end of that which he had ordained for thy punishment, he will adde no more affliction vnto thy dolours past, for he hath done that which he had a desire and minde to do. He will now suffer thee by little and little to restore thy selfe, to build a∣gaine thine houses, to rere vp againe thine aulters, and to reedifie thy temples. Feare now no more any new banishment. For he will come vnto thee himselfe, to reassure thee, com∣fort, and strengthen thee. And as for thee ô thou daughter of Edome, he will now come and visit thy turne, and teach thee that hee right well
knoweth thy life and conuersation, that he maketh a good accompt of thy sinnes, and art no more exempt from his iustice then any of the rest: and will make thee haue compassion of thy selfe, seeing thou wilt haue none of an∣other, and bewaile thine owne mise∣ries, because thou hast laughed at the miseries of others.