Deborahs Prayer Against Gods Enemies, Title page – Dedication
Papiſto-Maſtix, OR DEBORAHS Prayer againſt Gods Enemies, Judg. 5.31. Explicated and Applyed, In the Cathedrall of Saint Peter in Exon, November the fift, 1641.
By WILLIAM SCLATER, Batchelar in Divinity, Prebend of that Church.
Pſal. 68.1.
Let God ariſe, and let his Enemies be ſcattered: Let them alſo that hate him, flie before him, &c.
LONDON, Printed by Ric. Hodgkinſonne for Daniel Frere, and are to be ſold at his ſhop at the ſigne of the red-Bull in little-Britaine, 1642.
TO The truly Noble, and eminent Example of the beſt worth, Mr. HENRY MURRAY Eſquire, one of the Groomes of his Mties. Bedchamber, The Happines of both Worlds.
Noble Sir,
AFTER much agitation of thoughts, where (in theſe diſmembred times) this poore piece of my worthleſſe endeavours might beſt find ſhelter; at length it was directed, as Noah's Dove unto the Arke, to ſeeke your Patronage; as in whoſe breaſt ſo many lines of piety, drawne from a large circumference meet as in the proper Center; as who have, by a ſacred kinde of Chymiſtry, extracted the beſt ſpirits, and quinteſſence of the choiceſt vertues; which vertues, like ſome rich Carbuncles that ſhine beſt in varied lights, are by ſo much more glorious and full of luſtre, by how much the predominant and moſt enchanting vices of this vile age can no way damp or ſully them: nor doth it, indeed, a little glad me, to ſee that early ſanctity, which dyed you (to my known experience) in grayne, in the woull of your youth, now you have been woven in the loomes of Time into more yeeres, ſtill to keep its colour: Beſides this, it is your excellence (nor can it be conſisted) that though ſome other Courtiers have ſometime been knowne, like ſome fair coloured ſilkes, by too much ayring to have loſt their gloſſe; yet your retiring Holineſſe (which is the Diamond ſet in the Ring of your merited commendations) hath preſerved you ſtill, asaSic tibi cum fluctus ſubterlabere ſicanos, Doris amara ſuam non intermiſceat undam: Vargil. Eclog. 10. Alpheus gliding ſilently under the brackiſh Doris, untainted and unſt yned by the worſt of times: and (which I cannot but add) your rare: kill in Arts, and various literature, is that which doth enamell and embelliſh all the reſt: ſo that whileſt the tottering of the times hath rocked many aſleep in ſecure vanity, the very mention of your name, like a box of ſpikenard broken, hath filled us with a ſweet perfume, and the ſavour thereof drawne me, thus farre, to ſhrowd this naked iſſue of my thoughts under the wings of your favour; ſome few caſt feathers whereof may ſo ympe and fledge it, that it ſhall adventure with more alacrit, to fly abroad.
Daigne then, Honored Sir, (being a knowne Patron of goodnes) to beſtow a looke upon this importunate ſuitor, and to ſpread your protection over it, and him; who, asbRuffinus, in Symbol. Apoſt. inter opera Cypriant, initio. Ruffinus apologized for the edition of his Comment on the Apoſtles Creed, cannot (chiefly in ſo great inſufficiency) but know, Non eſſe abſque periculo, multorum judiciis ingenium tenue & exile committere; how full of jeopardy it is, in ſo ſlender a ſchallop, to adventure on the deepes of ſo many greater judgements; or, as S.cS Hierom. in proaem. ad Obad. Hierome ſaid unto Pammachius, of ſome things written in the beat of his youth; Infans ſum nec dum ſcribere noſco; nunc ut nihil aliud profecerim, ſaltem Socra. icum illud habeo, Scio, quod neſcio. But ſith I was willing to let you …ee, on this occaſion, how much I value your Patronage, Let it be your Nobleneſſe to ſtoup to the entertainment of this bearty Teſtimoniall of my reſpects; and wi…hall, to caſt ſome few ſtrictures of favour upon him, the thirſt of whoſe ambition could not be quenched, till be had declared himſelfe to be,
Your true honourer, devoted to doe you ſervice, WILLIAM SCLATER. Febr: 7. 1641.