A Considering Glass, Handwritten poem – Dedication
England this fable plainly ſhew's,
a ſtrong Allie no partner know's.
The Bull the Goat, and patient Sheep one day,
Leagu'd with the Lion, ſought a common prey;
A pray they took, an high and mighty hart;
of which each thought to hauehave his equal part:
Soft, quoth the Lion, I the firſt ſhaire claim,
Cauſe Lion King o'th foreſt is my mane;
The ſecond you ſhall giuegive me as my due,
Cauſe I am valiant, able to ſubdue:
The third I take by force, and for the reſt,
Touch it who dares; yield it all, you had beſt.
Speculum Speculativum: OR, A CONSIDERING-GLASSE; Being an INSPECTION Into the preſent and late ſad Condition Of theſe NATIONS; With ſome CAUTIONAL EXPRESSIONS made thereupon, by GEORGE WITHER, Immediately after His MAJESTIES Reſtauration: To preſerve in himſelf and others a Chriſtian Obedience to GOD's various Diſpenſations. Hereby alſo are ſome Glimmerings diſcovered Of what will probably enſue hereafter.
Fiat Juſtitia, Ruat Coelum:
Rather than Juſtice ſhould bee made a ſcorn,
Let all the Planets, from their Sphears bee torn.
And Jeremiah ſaid to Seraiah, When comeſt to Babylon, thou ſhalt read theſe words; and when thou haſt made an end of reading this Book, thou ſhalt binde a ſtone to it, and cast it into the midſt of Euphrates, and ſay, Thus ſhall Babylon ſink,
Jer. 51. 63.
London, Written June XIII. MDCLX. and there Imprinted the ſame year.
To the KING'S MAJESTY, If this Conſidering Glaſs comes accidentally to his View.
SIR, Bleſt is hee that in Gods Name doth come,
In which Name I pronounce your welcome home;
And, for your Health more heartily do pray,
Than any one who drinks it every day.
As often too, I have you in my thought
As they, who with the firſt your favour ſought;
Which, if my heart you could as plainly ſee
As what you now read, would beleeved bee.
When I had firſt compos'd what here enſues,
I wiſht it, where you might the ſame peruſe:
For men unknown (or known without reſpect)
So juſtly are affronted with neglect,
For proffer'd Services to thoſe, that have
More Off'rings daily than they can receive,
That, I commitred this to his Diſpoſe,
Who orders every thing that comes or goes.
If Providence hath brought this to your hand,
Give up to REASON ſtraight, the ſole command
Ov'r all your Paſsions; Make her of your Iſle,
(Your Iſle of MAN) Queen-Regent, all the while
You are peruſing it; and let it bee
Read through, elſe it will wrong both You and Mee.
(Or you like Caeſar, unperus'd perchance,
May leave that, which your welfare might advance)
To be her Subject, but ſo long endeavour
As till that's done, and then, be King for ever,
(Reigning with her) as abſolute a Prince,
As ever had ov'r men pre-eminence:
For, then, ſhall that, to you more glory add,
Than hitherto from any Pen you had;
And, be to you, a true Mnemoſyne,
When, peradventure, none ſo dares to be.
This Glaſs (though form'd it be of Common matter
And, made by him, who knows not how to flatter)
If, to a Prince, who needs it, it were ſold,
Were worth to him three times his weight in gold,
If he knew how to uſe it as he ſhould:
Yet I had rather you for nothing had it,
So that it wrought th' effect for which I made it,
Than, from another, to receive that price
In ready money paid mee over twice:
For, then, this Book (which hath not to your praiſe
One ſingle Page) thereto ſhould Trophies raiſe
More glorious, than, your LONDONS wealth could rear
If wholly, thereupon conſum'd it were.
Your Happineſs and Honour it intends:
By not commending, it much more commends,
Than all their Panegyricks who beſtrow
Thoſe men with praiſes whom they do not know;
And, magnifie, when they aſcend the Throne,
All Kings alike; which praiſe is leſs than none;
For, 'tis a Mock, deſerving but returns
Of ſharp reproofs, or of neglect and ſcorns.
If, wiſe and pious, you I had not thought,
I, ſuch like Gew-gaws could to you have brought
To put out of your minde, what GOD for you
Hath lately done; and what you ought to do
For Him and His. But neither ſelf-eſteem,
Nor verbal Attributes can perfect him
By whom, here, ſhall bee an Eſtabliſhment
Of Juſtice in a Righteous Government.
For, none elſe, but a ſelf-denying King,
Shall that great Bleſsing to theſe Nations bring;
And, his Name will be thereby honour'd more
Than all his Predeceſſors heretofore.
And, they, who then live ſhall fulfill'd behold
What Britains Genius, long ago foretold:
For, I beleeve, that ſuch a one will be,
And alſo, much deſire, you may be hee.
A King you are, who, now twice born hath been
To Royalty; and therefore, by that Mean
A Childe of honour, by Regeneration
You ſeem to be: and in the common faſhion
To celebrate your double birth, it could
With your condition no proportion hold;
For that Cauſe in a path, by no man trod,
I ſeek to do you honour in this Mode,
Which if accepted, your true praiſe will be;
And, peradventure no diſgrace to mee.
For as a Lady looking in a Mirrour,
Puts on her Dreſs, and Jewels without errour,
Heeding what is miſ-placed, or forgot,
And to her Handmaid alwaies truſteth not;
So, by this Glaſs, you may have by reflection
A ſight of what pertains to your perfection.
See, not with others, but, with your own eyes,
Whether true Ornaments, or ſome Diſguiſe,
Be put upon you, which may render you
Leſs lovely, when you come in open view.
Herein, a Catalogue to you is ſhown
Of many long-loſt Jewels of the Crown;
And ſuch as add the moſt Eſſential Glory
Unto thoſe Crowns that are but tranſitory.
A Courſe is offered here, whereby you may
Out-do, all that, which Flatterers can ſay:
(Or, by but ſo far forth endeav'ring it,
As Humane Frailties will the ſame permit)
To praiſe you here, I do not undertake;
But, that your ſelf praiſe-worthy you may make
Is my deſign by bringing things to minde,
Which written in your own heart you ſhall finde.
This ſhews the Means to make you honourable
With what ſhould alwaies be inſeparable
From your own perſon, and doth alſo tend
To your Immortal Glory, without end:
It, ſuch an honour gives, as will increaſe
In their deſpight, who ſeek to make it leſs:
An honour which depends not on mens tongues,
Which Envy blaſteth not, nor Malice wrongs;
Which neither Degradations, nor Advances,
Or, any humane Changes or Miſchances
Can blemiſh: for, it will be much more clear
Than that Star, which within our Hemiſphear
Shin'd on your Birth-day, whilſt the Sun at height
Diſplay'd his beams to hide it from our ſight.
Somewhat, by that, perhaps, portended was;
So will there be by this Conſidering-Glaſs.
God grant my meaning be ſo underſtood,
That, now it may an Omen be for Good.
By great Afflictions you were lately prov'd,
Which are in mercy totally remov'd.
At preſent, by as great proſperities,
Your Temper, and your Faithfulneſs God tries.
And that things uſeful ſlip not out of thought,
This, to your hands, by Providence was brought.
Be pleaſed ſeriouſly to look thereon,
For, you will finde it a true Lydian-ſtone;
And, if you bide the Touch, WORDS are too poor
To celebrate your Worth; who can ſay more?
Your Majesties Loyal Subject, GEO. WITHER.