CHRISTS VICTORIE , AND TRIumph in Heauen , and Earth , over , and after death .

CAMBRIDGE Printed by C. LEGGE . 1610.

THear are but fewe of many that can rightly iudge of Poetry , and yet thear at many of those few , that carry so left-handed an opinion of it , as some of them thinke it halfe sacrilege for prophane Poetrie to deale with divine and heauenly matters , as though David wear to be sentenced by them , for vtte●…ng his graue matter vpon the harpe : others something more ●…olent in their censure , but sure lesse reasonable ( as though ●…oetrie corrupted all good witts , when , indeed , bad witts cor●…pt Poetrie ) banish it with Plato out of all well-ordered Commonwealths . Both theas I will strive rather to satisfie , ●…en refute .

And of the first I would gladlie knowe , whither they sup●ose it fitter , that the sacred songs in the Scripture of those he●oicall Saincts , Moses , Deborah , Ieremie , Mary , Simeon , Da●id , Salomon , ( the wisest Scholeman , and wittiest Poet ) should ●ee eiected from the canon , for wante of grauitie , or rather this ●rroure eraced out of their mindes , for wante of truth . But , it maye bee , they will giue the Spirit of God leaue to breath ●hrough what pipe it please , & will confesse , because they must ●eeds , that all the songs dittied by him , must needs bee , as their Fountaine is , most holy : but their common clamour is , who may compare with 〈◊〉 , & yet as none may compare without presum●… all may imitat , and not without commendation : which made Nazianzen , on of the Starrs of 〈◊〉 Greeke Church , that nowe shines as bright in heauen , as 〈◊〉 did then on earth , write so manie diuine Poems of the Ge●… alogie , Miracles , Parables , Passion of Christ , called by him h●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which when Basil , the Prince of the Fathen●… and his Chamberfellowe , had seene , his opinion of them was , that he could haue deuised nothing either more fruitfull to others : because it kindely woed them to Religion , or more honourable to himselfe , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , because by imitating the singing Angels in heau'n , himselfe became , though before his time , an earthly Angel . What should I speake of Iuvencus , Prosper , & the wise Prudentius ? the last of which liuing in Hieroms time twelue hundred yeares agoe , brought foorth in his declining age , so many , & so religious poems , straitly charging his soule , not to let passe so much as one either night or daye without some diuine song , Hymnis continuet dies , Nec nox vlla vacet , quin Dominum canat . And as sedulous Prudentius , so prudent Sedulius was famous in this poeticall diuinity , the coetan of Bernard , who sung the historie of Christ with as much deuotion in himself , as admitation to others ; all which wear followed by the choicest witts of Christendome : Nonnius translating all Sainct Iohns Ghosipel into Greek verse , Sanazar , the late-liuing Image , and happy imitator of Uirgil , bestowing ten-yeares vpon a song , onely to celebrat that one day when Christ was borne vnto vs on earth , & we ( a happie change ) vnto God in heau'n : thrice-honour'd Bartas , & our ( I know no other name more glorious then his own ) Mr. Edmund Spencer ( two blessed Soules ) not thinking ten years inough , layeing out their whole liues vpon this one studie : Nay I may iustly say , that the Princely Father of our Countrey ( though in my conscience , God hath made him of all the learned Princes that euer wear the most religious , and of all the religious Princes , the most learned , that so , by the one , hee might oppose him against the Pope , the peste of all Religion , and by the other , against Bellarmine the abuser of all good Learning ) is yet so far enamour'd with this celestiall Muse , that it shall neuer repent mee — calamo triuisse labellum , whensoeuer I shall remember Hac eadem vt sciret quid non faciebat Amyntas ? To name no more in such plenty , whear I may finde how to beginne , sooner then to end , Saincte Paule , by the Example of Christ , that wente singing to mounte Oliuet , with his Disciples , after his last supper , exciteth the Christians to solace themselues with ●ymnes , and Psalmes , and spirituall songs ; and thearefore , by their leav's , be it an error for Poets to be Divines , I had rather ●…rr with the Scripture , then be rectifi'd by them : I had rather ●dore the stepps of Nazianzen , Prudentius , Sedulius , then fol●owe their steps , to bee misguided : I had rather be the deuoute Admirer of Nonnius , Bartas , my sacred Soueraign , and others , the miracles of our latter age , then the false sectatie of these , that haue nothing at all to follow , but their own naked opinions : To conclude , I had rather with my Lord , and his most divine Apostle sing ( though I sing sorilie ) the loue of heauen and earthe , then praise God ( as they doe ) with the woorthie guift of silence , and sitting still , or think I dispraisd him with this poetical discourse . It seems they haue either not read , or clean ●orgot , that it is the dutie of the Muses ( if wee maye beeleeue ●indare , and Hesiod ) to set allwaies vnder the throne of Iupiter , ●ius & laudes , & beneficia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which made a very worthy German writer conclude it Certò statuimus , proprium atque pe●uliare poetarum munus esse , Christi gloriam illustrare , beeing good reason that the heavenly infusion of such Poetry , should ●nde in his glorie , that had beginning from his goodnes , fit o●ator , nascitur Poeta .

For the secound sorte thearfore , that eliminat Poets out of ●heir citie gates ; as though they wear nowe grown so bad , as ●hey could neither growe woorse , nor better , though it be ●omewhat hard for those to bee the onely men should want cities , that wear the onely causers of the building of them , and somewhat inhumane to thrust them into the woods , to liue among the beasts , who wear the first that call'd men out of the woods , from their beastly , and wilde life , yet since they will needes shoulder them out for the onely firebrands to inflame lust ( the fault of earthly men , not heauenly Poetrie ) I would gladly learne , what kind of professions theas men would bee intreated to entertaine , that so deride and disaffect Poesie : would they admit of Philosophers , that after they haue burnt out the whole candle of their life in the circular studie of Sciences , crie out at length , Se nihil prorsus seire ? or should Musitians be welcome to them , that Dant sine mente sonum — bring delight with them indeede , could they aswell expresse with their instruments a voice , as they can a sound ? or would they most approve of Soldiers that defend the life of their countrymen either by the death of themselues , or their enemies ? If Philosophers please them , who is it , that knowes not , that all the lights of Example , to cleare their precepts , are borowed by Philosophers from Poets ; that without Homers examples , Aristotle would be as blind as Homer : If they retaine Musitians , who euer doubted , but that Poets infused the verie soule into the inarticulate sounds of musique ; that without Pindar , & Horace the Lyriques had beene silenced for euer : If they must needes entertaine Soldiers , who can but confesse , that Poets restore againe that life to soldiers , which they before lost for the safetie of their country ; that without Uirgil , Aeneas had neuer beene so much as heard of . How then can they for shame deny commonwealths to them , who wear the first Authors of them ; how can they denie the blinde Philosopher , that teaches them , his light ; the emptie Musitian that delights them , his soule ; the dying Soldier , that defends their life , immortalitie , after his owne death ; let Philosophie , let Ethiques ▪ let all the Arts bestowe vpon vs this guift , that we be no● thought deadmen , whilest we remaine among the liuing : it is onely Poetrie that can make vs be thought liuing men , when we lie among the dead , and therefore I thinke it vnequall to thrust them out of our cities , that call vs out of our graues , to thinke so hardly of them , that make vs to be so well thought of , to deny them to liue a while among vs , that make vs liue for euer among our Posteritie .

So beeing nowe weary in perswading those that hate , I commend my selfe to those that love such Poets , as Plato speakes of , that sing divine and heroical matters . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , recommending theas my idle howers , not idly spent , to good schollers , and good Christians , that haue ouercome their ignorance with ●eason , and their reason , with religion .