Quin hîc dona licet licet relinquas,
Agnellumque repone, turturemque,
Audax ingrediare inanis ædes
Dei, tange Deo sacrata, tange
Quæ non concubitu coinquinata,
Agnellum peperitque, Turturemque,
Exclusit, facili Deo litabit

Agno cum Deus insit, et columbæ.

Nor can I so much say as much I ought,
Nor yet so little can I say as nought,

In praise of this thy worke, so heauenly pend,
That sure the sacred Dove a quill did lend
From her high-soaring wing: certes I know
No other plumes, that makes man seeme so low
In his owne eyes, who to all others sight
Is mounted to the highest pitch of height:
Where if thou seeme to any of small price,
The fault is not in thee, but in his eyes:
But what doe I thy flood of wit restreine
Within the narrow bankes of my poore veyne?
More I could say, and would, but that to praise
Thy verses, is to keepe them from their praise.
For them who reades, and doth them not aduance,
Of envie doth it, or of ignorance.

F. NETHERSOLE.1

1 NETHERSOLE was 'Public Orator' of the University (of Cambridge), in which office he was succeeded by GEORGE HERBERT, who, like GILES FLETCHER, was a protege of Dean Nevile. Lowndes calls him Sir Francis as author of a forgotten Latin tractate (See s. n.) Nethersole fell under the scorpion lash of JOHN GOODWIN, who had been assailed by him very grossly and unrighteously. G.

CHRIST'S

VICTORIE AND TRIUMPH.

THE ARGUMENT.1

The Argument propounded in generall: Our redemption by Christ: st. 1, 2.— The Author's inuocation for the better handling of it: st. 3, 4.-The Argument [in particular]: Man's redemption expounded from the cause-Mercie dwelling in heauen, and pleading for man now guiltie, with Justice described by her qualities: st. 5—11. Her retinue: st. 12-14.-Her subiect: st. 15, 16.-Her accusation of man's sinne: st. 17. And (I.) of Adam's first sinne: st. 18, 19. -Then of his posteritie's, in all kinde of Idolatrie: st. 20-24. How hopelesse any patronage of it: st. 25-27.-All the creatures hauing disleagued themselues with him for his extreame vngratefulnes: 28-34,-So that beeng destitute of all hope or any remedie, he can look for nothing but a fearful sentence: st. 3539.-The effect of Iustice, her speech: the inflammation of the heauenly Powers appeased by Mercie, who is described by her cherfulnes to defend man; st. 40-42. Our inabilitie to describe her: st. 43, 44.-Her beautie resembled by the creatures, which are all fraile shadows of her essentiall perfection: st. 45, 46.-Her attendants: st. 46, 47.-Her persuasiue power: st. 48-50.-Her kind offices to man: st. 51, 52.-Her garments, wrought by her owne hands, wherewith shee cloaths herselfe, composd of all the creatures: st. 53.-The Earth st. 54.-Sea; st. 55, 56.-Ayre: st. 57, 58.-The celestiall bodies st. 59, 60.-The third heauen: st. 61, 62.-Her obiects: st. 63.-Repentance: st. 64-66.-Faith: st. 67-69. Her deprecative spech for Man; in which she translates the principal fault vnto the Deuill; and, repeating Iustice her aggravation of man's sinne, mittigates it. (1) By a contrarie inference: (2) By interessing her selfe in the cause, and Christ: st. 70-75.—that is, as sufficient to satisfie, as Man was impotent: st. 76, 77. Whom shee celebrates from the time of His natiuitie: st. 78. From the effects of it in Himselfe : st. 79, 80.-Egypt: st. 81.-The angels [and] men: st. 82, 83.-The effect of Mercie's speech: st. 84.-A transition to Christ's second victorie st. 85.

1 In the author's own edition and in those of 1632 and 1640, 'The Argument' is dispersed over the margins opposite the several stanzas. It has been thought better to bring it together at the commencement of each Part. G.

2 Richardson, Southey, and Cattermole, misprint 'intercessing' =interceding; Fletcher himself as supra. G.

Christ's Victorie in Heaven.

I.

THE birth of Him that no beginning knewe,

Yet giues beginning to all that are borne;

And how the Infinite farre greater grewe,

By growing lesse, and how the rising Morne,

That shot from heau'n, did1 backe to heau'n retourne ;
The obsequies of Him that could not die,

And death of life, ende of eternitie,

How worthily He died, that died unworthily ;

X

2.

How God and Man did both embrace each other,
Met in one person, Heau'n and Earth did kiss ;
And how a Virgin did become a Mother,
And bare that Sonne, Who the world's Father is,
And Maker of His mother; and how Bliss

Descended from the bosome of the High,
To cloath Himselfe in naked miserie,

Sayling at length to Heau'n, in Earth, triumphantly-2

1 Southey and Chalmers misprint here 'and' for 'did.' G.

2 I may be allowed to refer to my "Lord Bacon not the Author

+

P

P

3.

Is the first flame, wherewith my whiter Muse a
Doth burne in heauenly loue, such loue to tell.
O Thou that didst this holy fire infuse,

And taught'st this brest-but late the graue of hell,

Wherein a blind and dead heart liu'd-to swell

With better thoughts, send downe those lights that
lend e

Knowledge, how to begin, and how to end

The loue, that neuer was, nor euer can be pend.1

с

4.

'Ye Sacred Writings, in whose antique leaues
The memories of Heau'n entreasur'd lie,

Say, what might be the cause that Mercie heaues
The dust of sinne aboue th' industrious skie,

And lets it not to dust and ashes flie?

Could Iustice be of sinne so ouer-wooed,

Or so great ill be cause of so great good,

That bloody man to saue, man's Sauiour shed His blood?

of The Christian Paradoxes,' being a re-print of Memorials of Godliness and Christianity, by Herbert Palmer, B.D. With Introduction, Memoir and Notes." 8vo, 1865. Probably Palmer had the Paradoxes' suggested by Fletcher. G.

1 'Penned' written or described: but cf. stanza 17, line 7 =confined. G.

2