King Solomons Solace, Book · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Zabud ſpeaketh againe, reporting ſome other emphatical ſpeeches of King Solomon.
SOlomons Lordes hauing thus farre proceeded in order to report, what wordes they remembred, vttered by the King in his affliction: Zabud the Kinges familiar ſpake againe and ſaid: Well remembred (my Lords) And now beſides the former, I call to mind, what the king hath ſaide concerning thoſe Rich men of the world, The Rich men of the world.whome the moſt part of all men do eſtéeme happy in this life He ſaith, that there is no man rich vnderunder the ſunne: for where much riches appeareth to be, there be alſo many ready to ſpend and conſume the ſame: He that hath much riches cannot reſt or ſléepe in the night: he that hath riches, is oftentimes hurt and annoyed therewith: and at length thoſe which hauehave riches depart hence with ſore anguiſh and ſorrow of mind: (for there is no man, but at length he muſt yeeld to death) and ſhall carry away none of theſe thinges, but are conſtrained to leaue all behind them: that ſo they depart hence,One man getteth, another ſpendeth the riches of the world, Cap. 6.1. as naked and bare as they came into this worlde, notwithſtanding their great trauels and long labours for their riches in all their life.
And this he eſteemeth as a mighty miſery, (which is ſo often ſeene vnderunder the Sunne,) that God giueth a man riches and goodes and honor: ſo that he wanteth nothing of all that his heart can deſire, Cap. 6.1.and yet God giueth him not leave to enioy them, but another man ſpendeth them. The which (as it ſeemeth) he applieth to himſelfe, whome it chiefly concerneth. In concluſion, he ſeeth that many thinges encreaſe vanity, and that a man vnderunder the Sunne findeth nothing elſe as long as he liueth.
Cap. 7.Furthermore, the king (though ſo wiſe) did complaine that he could not yet get wiſedome, but that the more hee ſought after it, Solomon acknowledged his owne imperfection.the farther it went from him, yea, and ſo far, that he might not reatch vntounto her. In this ſort, whiles hee would expreſſe the profoundnes of wiſedome, hee abaſed himſelfe beyond all mens expectation: for there is no man which knoweth the king, but eſteemeth him moſt wiſe. I hauehave alſo lately heard him to ſpeake much againſt Women, ſo farre, that whiles hee found the wiſemen to be ſo rare,Scarcitie of wiſemen and wiſe women. as one to a thouſand in compariſon: He found not ſo much as one woman among them al. Further, he ſpeaketh much of this, that eueryevery thing wil hauehave an oportunitie and iudgement, EueryEvery thing will hauehave his iudgement.which cauſeth mee to dread, what he thereby entendeth towardes any of vsus: and the ſooner, becauſe he added; That one man hath lordſhip or rule ouer another man to his owne hurt; which ſeemeth to touch vsus, and others, which are placed in authority,There be which iuſtifie the vngodly which are dead before any of them which are yet liuing. and the more, becauſe he ſaith, that ſome are contented to commend them which are deade, and gone, before them which be yet liuing: Yea, they praiſe ſuch as were in their liues diſtained with vngodlineſſe and ſin, for the which they were worthily condemned and executed accordingly, being ſuch as iuſtifie Adoniah and his cauſe, Shemei and his cauſe, and Ioab and his cauſe againſt the king, notwithſtanding, that eueryevery one of them, were both execrable wicked, and their workes abhominable before the Lord & his holy annointed, for the which they were iuſtly brought into iudgement, and died without honour.
* But after that Zabud had a little pauſed, and none of the reſt had interrupted him, he procéeded and ſhewed, that the King declared the occaſion of ſuch raſh Cenſores, and the boldnes of malepert perſons: Becauſe that euil workes are not ſpeedily puniſhed, the heart of man giueth over himſelfe vntounto wickednes. And yet it cannot be denied, but that there bee ſome iuſt, to whome it befalleth, as vntounto the wicked in this life,The confuſion of worldly thinges. in the which many thinges be carried confuſedly to mans vnderſtanding, (for hee cannot comprehend eyther the thinges themſelues, or the cauſes and occaſions of them by any his wit, wiſedome, ſtudy or endeuours) and therefore by any thing which is done vnderunder the Sunne, and ſo in the kingdome of vanity, No man knoweth whether he be beloued or hated of God: for it often happeneth to one man as it doth vntounto another, yea to the good as to the euill: to the righteous as to the vngodly, to the cleane as to the polluted, to him that offereth as to him that offereth not, to the vertuous as to the ſinner, to the periured, as to him that is afraid of an oath: whereof there ariſeth great enuy of one againſt another, that the heartes of men are ful of wickednes and madde fooliſhnes, as long as they liue, vntill they die. I hauehave heard him alſo to ſay, that it helpeth not to the ſwift in running, nor to the ſtrong in battell,Thinges happen to men by chance, as touching their foreknowledge or forecaſt▪ therefore men ſhould be euer prouident and prepared. Mans ingratitude. Cap. 10. Ignorance of princes. nor to the wiſe in feeding, nor to the vnderſtanding man in enriching: nor in finding fauour to be cunning; but that all lieth in time and fortune. And that a man knoweth not his time, but he is taken in the perilous ſeaſon: as the fiſhes are taken with the angle, & the birdes in the ſnare. But he complaineth much, and that daily of the great ingratitude of worldly men, which doe not onelyonly not care to requite, but alſo do forget the greateſt benefites of their bountifull benefactors. Yea, they ceaſe not malitiouſly to ſlaunder and defame them, that hauehave worthily merited honour in their liues, hee greatly lamenteth the palpable ignorance of Princes, which before all others, ſhould bee wiſe, learned, and well nurtured, thereby the better able to perform their duties in their places: he yerneth in his bowels, to behold how ſeruants ride on horſes, and Princes goe on their feete, princes abaſed ſeruants exalted.as it were ſervants. And that whoſeeuer aſſaieth to redreſſe this monſtrous abuſe of the worlde, is hurted and annoyed by them that ſtriue to maintaine ſuch abuſes: hee hath vttered, and dayly vttereth many parabolicall ſayinges and darke ſentences, and I hauehave much pondered of the ſenſe thereof, Caſt forth thy bread, (ſaith he) on the face of the running waters: Cap 11.Geue a part ſeuen dayes, when the cloudes be full, they powre down raine, where the tree falleth there it lyeth: he that regardeth the winde ſoweth not: he that reſpecteth the cloudes reapeth not. Theis and many ſuch other thinges hauehave I heard the kinges Grace to vtter in this time of his contrition and ſorrow.Cap. 12. Aboue all, he hath exhorted men to remember God in the dayes of their youth, before the times of affliction ouertake them, and therin hath made a right excellent deſcription of mans Old age, with all mans infirmities, being as preambles to his natural death: Here hee telleth of the (a)A deſcription of mans old age, miſeries and death.dayes of aduerſitie, of the yeares of diſpleaſure, of the darkening of the ſunne, the moone and the ſtarres, of the turning againe of the cloudes after the raine: of the (b)Hands and armes.trembling of the houſe-keepers: of the bowing of the (c)The legs.ſtrong men: of the ſtanding still of the (d)The teeth.grinders: (e)The eyes,of the dimneſſe of the windowes: of the ſhutting of the (f)The mouth.ſtreet dores: of the ſilence of the (g)The great chaw teeth.Milner: of the waking vp at the (h)Watchfulnes in old menCocke-crowing: of the abaſing of the (i)The cleare voice or throat, & the hearingMuſicall daughters: of the dread of high (k)Fearing to climb or stooping, as if they feare.climbing: of the flouriſhing of the (l)gray hairesAlmond tree: of the Graſhoppers (m)Sharpe ſhoulders in age & vnable to beare.loading: of the paſſing away of (n)The heate or the ſtrength of nature.Concupiſcence: of mans trauaile towardes his (o)The pit or graue.long home: of the (p)Lamentatiō ouer the dead.Mourners which goe about the ſtreetes: of the taking away of the (q)The marrow of the backe bone, or vitall ſpirite.ſiluer lace: of the breaking of the (r)The braine encloſed in a yellow skinne.golden Ewer: of the breaking of the (s)the veines.pitcher at the (t)the liuer.well: of the renting of the (v)Heade.wheele vponupon the (w)Heart.Ciſterne: of the turning of (x)the naturall death.duſt into duſt from whence it came: and of the (y)the immortality of the ſoule. EueryEvery man in ſuch caſes, ſhould firſt examine himſelfe and his owne waies.Aſcenſion of the Soule to God who gaue it. All theſe, and many other ſuch like are the ordinary wordes and ſpeeches of the king, the which are intermixed with many deepe motions of the Spirite, and diuine doctrines to draw men from the vanities of the world, and to perſwade them to the feare of God, and the obſeruation of his lawes. Surely, I hauehave much muſed thereof in my mind, yea, I hauehave many times examined mine owne conſcience, and wayes, whether there reſted or appeared any thing in mee, whereof the king might take any offence: for I hauehave verily thought, that eyther the whole cauſe, (or at the leaſt) ſome part of the cauſe of the kinges ſorrow and trouble hath riſen, or beene taken from ſome of vsus, that hauehave beene and are daylie ſo neare and about his royall perſon. Therefore it ſhall not be amiſſe (in my iudgement) that wee firſt examine our owne wordes, workes and dealinges, and with an vpright conſcience, trie and iudge our ſelues ſecretly with our ſelues, and finding with vsus any part of the cauſe, or th'occaſion of this diſpleaſure, that we endeuoure ſpéedily, and ſéeke how to recure or mitigate the ſame: leſt whiles we delay, the king be ſo ouercome in thoſe his perilous paſſions, that hee may be hardly recouered.
After that thoſe forenamed Lordes had thus ſpoken, eueryevery of them in his turne,zadock. Zadock the Prieſt opened his mouth againe, and with great grauity vttered theſe wordes in effect. And my ſelfe (alſo my Lordes) hauehave with theſe mine eares, heard thoſe and others the like words to bée ſpoken by our moſt Soueraigne Lord: But yet (as I hauehave conceiued & thereof duely pondered) the King in ſuch his wordes by you before remembred and recorded, hath not ſpoken of vanitie,Solomon hath not vſed any vaine talke. that is, hee hath not vttered any vaine or idle thing, nor hath his tongue talked of deceit, but hee hath wel refrained that, and will doe (as he hath proteſted with patient Iob) as long as his breath is in his body: for, as the King is of al other the wiſeſt, ſo hath he had (eſpecially ſithens the time that thoſe paſſions afflicted him) a due regard both of his place and calling. And truely (in my iudgement) he hath made, and yet dayly maketh and augmenteth, A Catologue of mans vanities vnderunder the Sunne, right worthy to be lamented and abandoned. And by this he would that men ſhould learne to contemne the wicked world, with the pompe and vanities thereof:The deceit & vanitie of the world. for why? he hath found, and yet perceiueth the world to be very deceitfull, the euent horrible, and the paine thereof intollerable, wherein not to feare, not to lament, not to be afflicted, not to bee in perill, not to bee tormented, it is moſt impoſſible. Surely, as the King could not finde, ſo neither can I report any good or profitable thing of the World. Therefore, O ye louers of the world, for whoſe ſake yee ſtriue and make warres, your hope can bee no greater, then that yee ſhall be made the friendes of the worlde: and what gaine ye by that? ſurely, yee ſhall finde therein, that the fleſh will infect you, Sathan will deceiue you, and the worlde herſelfe will daunt you: beſides that, the world paſſeth away with her luſts: and if yee louelove thoſe thinges that be hers, yee ſhall paſſe away with her and her luſtes, and through many perils ye ſhall fall at length into eternall torments. Therfore would our king, that yee ſhould leaue and contemne all thoſe vaine things of the world which periſh, as that wherof ye can gather no profite at all in the end, but paine and ſorrowes vnſpeakable. And ſurely, neither hath the king ſpoken or done this without the argumentes of many godly and diuine motions of minde, from whence, as from the treaſure-houſe of a godly wiſe man, he hath brought foorth many heauenly Oracles and ſweet Sermons tending to the higheſt honour of the euerlasting God, and the chiefe felicity of man: being worthily eſteemed the two principall endes of mans election and creation, the which is to be inquired, ſought after, and effected in the feare of God, and the obſeruation and performance of his commaundementes, according to that ſaying of the Lord, which David the Kings father receiued from his ſpirite, and committed vntounto Aſaph that excellent ſinger:
pſal. 50.23.He doth me glorifie indeed, that prayſes yeeldes to me,
And he that leades a godly life, my ſaving health ſhall ſee.
I thinke (vndoubtedly) that this ſodaine Metamorphoſis of the king,The former good counſell approued by zadock. is not occaſioned by any of vsus here preſent. Neuertheleſſe, I diſlike not your aduiſe (right noble Zabud) that eueryevery one of vsus ſhould enter into himſelfe, and duely examine and trie his wordes and actions, eſpecially thoſe which in any ſorte may touch our Lord the King and endeuour with ſpeede to redreſſe and amend that whatſoeuer wee ſhall finde, or at the leaſt ſuſpect to bee faulty or amiſſe. Nor may this bee diſliked of any man liuing: nay rather it is to bee highly cō mended in euerie man,It is profitable for men to examine their owne wayes. as a vertue whereby hee may the better know himſelfe, of the which, whiles many men (though otherwiſe wiſe in this world) hauehave remained ignorant, or at the leaſt forgetful, they hauehave not onelyonly neglected the duties of their vocations, but miſſed the right ſcope of their life, and ſo the higheſt happineſſe. But would to God, that the king were now, as he was ſometimes in thoſe monethes paſt,Iob, 29.2. and in the dayes when God proſpered him! when his light ſhined vponupon his head, when he went forth after the ſame light and ſhining, euen through the darkenes, as it ſtoode with him, when hee was young, when God proſpered his houſe, and when the Almighty was yet with him, and when hee had, ioy and gladneſſe in that his proſperity amongſt vsus and his people! Then ſhould not ſorrow oppreſſe his heart, nor dread of future dangers daunt our hope. But let the Lord be true (as hee is) and eueryevery man a lyer: that ſo hee may worthily bee extolled in his iudgements, and prayſed in his mercies: which doubtleſſe is not the leaſt cauſe, that God in his wiſedome hath ſuffered many of his Saintes (which hauehave been and may ſtand for ſingular examples of pietie and godly vertues vntounto vsus) not onelyonly to ſhew forth their humaine imperfection and infirmitie by ſome certaine ſlidinges and blemiſhes, but alſo to taſte of afflictions cuppe, aſwell for a correction of their faults, as for an exerciſe of their ſpirites, no leſſe neceſſary vntounto man, then his daily foode in this wretched worlde.