The Court of the Gentiles Part 2, Encomium 3
On the Second Part of this Learned WORKE.
1.
THough beauteous Nature, with her numerous Race,
Does ſtill repleniſh this unbounded Space;
Is ſtill in vigor Seen,
Of all harmonious things the Queen:
Has nothing of her ſtrength by Age, or Labours ſpent,
Throughout the teeming Earth, or Rolling Firmament:
But ſtill in numbers ſmooth and fleet,
With aſ…ery all and ſilent feet,
Holds on the mighty Dance,
Her Maker bad her firſt advance:
Though too as he of old throughout the forming Maſſe,
Whilſt in the boundleſs womb of Nothing 'twas,
Did ſtrength, and beauty ſow:
Shee yet retains them both, and with eternall love
Payes gratefull homage to the King above:
And uſefull Tribute to the Prince below.
2.
Yet ſtrange it is Philoſophie alone,
For Natures proſpect borne, and contemplation;
Should not ſo conſtant, and ſo faithfull prove;
Should the diſeaſe of age, not reaſon have:
Not nakedneſs of truth, but ſhadows love:
And ſeem ſo neer her grave:
That in the World's great Room when ſett,
Her ſelfe, and ſetled buſineſs ſhould forget:
Her ſelf in learned Mazes looſe;
Some pretty Scheams of things, not the ſupream Idea chooſe,
Which was intire and bright,
In the Original light;
But rather will deſcend the vaſt Abyſſe,
Where darkneſſe is,
With rocks of horrid Termnes, and hard Hypotheſes;
Where all the Arts, like the fal'n Angels, lye
In chains of darkneſs bound:
The worſe becauſe ſo knowing Miſerie:
And ſtill with dreadful noiſe doe ſound.
Thus with dejected Eye
In ſtanding pooles we ſeek the skye:
To find the milkie way,
Not only loſe the day:
But down to Caverns, and vaſt tracts of night
Go to improve the ſight.
Mean while neglect the glories, and the gentle influence
Of all the wide and faire Circumference;
Loſing both God, and his Intelligence.
3.
Were't not a too unkind Relief
To preſent griefe,
Our bliſſe to think upon,
That's paſt and gon;
I'd bleſſe the day, when Arts proportion'd right,
Fram'd more for uſe, then wild delight,
Did not ſome Private Patron raiſe,
But ſolemniz'd their greater Authors praiſe;
Large as his Works, unbounded as his Rule,
That's founder of the Ʋniverſe his Schoole.
When none of numbers made this mighty Frame,
Pythagoras did find
In's Arithmetick mind,
Thoſe we may Cyphers name.
Arts did not then deſigne to dwell
In ſome inglorious Cell:
The Rigours of the Stoa, to maintain;
Or from Stagira date their Reign;
Nor from the Gardens ſhade,
Which Epicurus made:
As if the Tree of Knowledge were
Replanted, and to flouriſh there.
4.
'Twas never thought of then, Des-Cartes pride
Should over Schooles, and God in triumph ride;
That e're from matters liquid bowles ſhould fall
This Univerſal greater Ball;
Or from his Whirle-pooles ſhould e're ehbe, and flow
All this vaſt Tyde of things below.
At firſt there was no place for Fancies ſtage;
Or the wild images of learned rage:
Arts cloſe to things, and natures buſineſſe ſit,
Shēw'd then the Strength, and Innocence of witt.
But Knowledge like a River in its Courſe;
Making to its Original ſourſe;
Its purity does loſe, and to the ſpring
In foaming Torrents filth does bring.
5.
Thanks to this Learned Authors pen,
Truth now appears in Innocence agen;
Through all the Vailes of things, and Men.
Sure he came from the Holy Place,
So bright is all the Face:
And in his Gentiles Court ſo Sacred is the view,
We luſtre find, and Inſpiration too.
He doth with Rods correct the Heathen School:
As the great Saviour did in's Temple rule.
Truth now extends her Conqueſt far,
The Heathen Oracles ſtruck dumb, and Authors are.
They to ſo juſt a Triumph their ſubmiſſions owe,
And now congratulate their overthrow.
Dethron'd they are, yet Priviledge enjoy:
Highly promoted while they bow
I th'Houſe of God ſo low;
As he was deem'd, who ſo himſelf demean'd
In Rimm…n's Houſe, while on his hand his Maſter lean'd
How great then our Triumphal joy!
When that proud Empire of the Arts we ſee
A tributary Province to Divinitie.
The Heathen Authors are corrected ſo,
Their poyſon now for Antidote may goe.
Through their profane we ſee Diviner Theames,
Since thus our ſkilful Joſeph has explain'd their Dreams.