Abuses Stripped and Whipped, Book · Satire 11
OF DESPAIRE.
SATY. 11.
NO more of feare, for lo his impious brat,
Lookes now to be admitted; this is that;
We call Dispaire, with ghastly looks he stands,
And poisons, ropes, or poin-yards fills his handes,
Still ready to do hurt; one step, no more,
Reaches from hence vntounto dam nations dore.
This is that Passion giues a man instruction,
To wrest the Scriptures to his owne destruction;
And makes him think while he on earth doth dwel
He feeles the very torturing pangs of hell;
It makes men rage, like furies screeeh and houle,
With exclamations horrible and foule,
Like Monsters more then men. OnelyOnly damnation
Is in their mouthes; no mercy nor saluation
They seeme to hope for: they extreamely feare
Some monstrous shapes which seeme for to appeare
Through their imaginations; and the paine
That they in soule and conscience do sustaine,
All earthly tortures doth so much exceed,
That they hauehave thought them selues in hell indeed
Oh what repentant liues, some vow to liue,
If God would but once more vouchsafe to giuegive
Their health and hope againe: then they would spend
Their liues, and good, vntounto no other end
But wholly for his glory: yet theres now
Some liuing that hauehave quite forgot that vow,
God giuegive them grace to looke into their error,
Or they wil one day find a double terror,
Some in this agony hauehave little will,
To any thing, vnlesse it be to kill,
Or make themselues away; whereto the Diuell,
The author and chiefe causer of this euill,
(Vnlesse that God in mercy him preuents)
Is ready to prouide him instruments,
I euen quake to thinke what humors be,
Attending on this hellish maladee;
And for some cause I mean not here to shew them,
But pray that all had grace for to eschew them:
Now some do thinke this passion being taken,
Can very hardly be again forsaken;
But let none thinke so; for why? God in distresse
Doth neuer leaue man quite without redresse:
Nor can we say that he hath left vsus voyd,
Of helpe for this, when ere we are anoy'd
Through Satans guile; for pittying our case,
He leaues vsus hope of fauour and of grace,
If wee'l lay hold on't; which to make more cleare,
He let his euerlasting louelove appeare,
In highest measure, by the sacrifice
Of CHRIST his sonne for our iniquities;
And also, did not sinne thus make vsus blind,
For eueryevery greefe of body and of mind,
He hath ordain'd a salue: All Christians know
(Or should at least) the spring from whence doth flow,
A pretious liquor that will quickly cure,
Our strongest Passions, (if the cup be pure)
Or if we do not so presume as stand,
And lap it here and there with our owne hand,
For thats the way to sooth vp many a passion,
And the all-only cause of Desperation;
Which from all good-men I do wish as farre,
As earth's low center from the highest star,
But now dispaire or▪, distrust is twofold,
One sort of which I hauehave already told,
Being concerning matters of saluation,
The horriblest and feareful'st desperation,
But th' other is alone of earthly things,
Yet mighty disaduantage with it brings,
VVhere it gets entrance; this makes many loath,
To vndertake great matters cause through sloth
They do dispaire to reach them; yea it breeds
A carelessnesse in man, and thence proceeds
Not a few treasons; for the breach of law,
Makes many times the subiect in such awe,
That he dispaires of pardon for his ill;
And therefore not alone remaines in't still,
But being guilty, for to salue one sore
Incurs the danger of a thousand more;
And for because he thinkes himselfe vndone,
Wil for assurance to Rebellion runne:
Besides, theres some dispairing of their cause,
And being brought to triall by the lawes,
For some offence are obstinately mute:
To these forsooth the commons do impute
A manly Resolution; cause thereby,
They saue their landes to their posterity;
But sure there is no wise-man wil commend
Him that so desperately seekes his end;
And wilfully doth cast away him…el…e
(Body and soule perhaps) to saue his pelfe,
To some suruiuors; where as if he bide
On hope, and not dispaire for to be tride
According to the lawes, he may be cleer'd,
And quitted of the danger he so fear'd,
As some hauehave beene: Besides, if we indure,
But a small paine, if we despaire of cure,
Ease or amends, 'twil make it seem to be
Vnsufferable; whereas if that we
HaueHave any Hope, the ease we looke to win
VVill mittigate the torture we are in;
His winter toyle what Ploughman could sustain▪
If he despaired of his haruest gaine?
And the strong'st army needs must faint and …ly,
If it despaire before of victory.
But to conclude it must be vnderstood,
Dispaires a Passion that is no time good,
'Tis alway hurtfull; and I can obserue
Nothing whereto a man may make it serue,
Vnlesse to helpe a troope of coward fight:
For could a man lead them past hope of flight,
VVhere they should see there were no remedy,
But they must dye or get the victory;
Despaire in that case may giuegive them the day,
That would hauehave lost it to hauehave run away.