A Triple Paradox, Introduction
For an INTRODUCTION, the AUTHOR flings this Expreſs to the WORLD.
A Parlie, unto thee diſdainful WORLD,
I ſound; and have to thee this Paper hurl'd.
Yet, neither for a Treaty or Compliance,
But, rather, ſtill, to bid to thee Defiance;
For, what thou wer't, thou art; and I yet am
And will be, whilſt I live, to thee the ſame.
Thou art become the Miſtreſs of the Field;
Haſt me beleaguer'd, ſummond me to yield
My Fortreſs, and thou ſo proceedeſt on,
As if thou wert aſſur'd, it ſhould be wonn:
But, thereon thou perhaps, mayſt yet attend
As long as did th' Infanta for Oſtend;
And as ſhe nothing had at laſt but Stones,
Get nothing but dead fleſh, and rotten bones.
I ſee thine inſolence, and every day
Hear what thy favourites are pleas'd to ſay,
How they extol thy Power, how they debaſe
My ſuccours, and my helpers would diſgrace.
I well obſerve, thou round begirt me haſt;
That, having all my Outworks quite laid waſte,
Thou, to compleat a Conqueſt, doſt begin
A fierce aſſault to ruine all within.
That, to prevent the ſending of ſupplies,
Thou fright'ſt my friends with ſlanders and with lies.
My Accuſatrix too, become thou art;
And, juſtly (I acknowledge) in ſome part,
But, not in all: for, chiefly, thy temptations
Inducements were to thoſe prevarications
Whereby, my Talents were ſometime abus'd:
Though therefore, I ſeem worthily reduc'd
To what I am; thou undeſervedly
Haſt me purſued with malignity;
Becauſe the love which I once bore to thee
Was more, than thou deſervedeſt it ſhould be;
Thou moſt injuriouſly requited haſt
That love, which in my youth on thee I plac't;
For, though I never totally was thine,
Thou had'ſt (when leaſt) more of me then was mine:
And, him, of his right, to whom all was due
I robbed then, thy ſervice to purſue.
But, he, now gives me grace, thy wiles to hate,
And to obſerve them ere it is too late,
That what thou by thy falſhoods doſt intend,
Shall croſs thine own Deſignments in the end.
Thou, having into many errors run me,
Thought'ſt by undoing me, to have undone me,
But art deceiv'd: for, that which thou haſt done
Hath brought me to the knowledge of that Stone,
Which turneth droſs to gold; and from offences
Inſtructs me to extract thoſe Quinteſſences,
Which will preſerve my Freedome in all places,
Supply all Wants; Convert all my Diſgraces
To honours; and in every eſtate,
With all things needful, me accommodate.
The Devil by thine aid, hath long time ſought
How, he his ends upon me might have wrought;
But, neither Thou nor He, nor both conjoyn'd,
Had power to bring to paſs what was deſign'd,
Untill the FLESH, my Dalilah, you got
To be a third Aſſociate in the Plot;
And then, both to her damage, and to mine
You, ſuch progreſſion made in your deſign,
That by deluding her, you ſoon prevail'd,
In that, whereof you otherwiſe had fail'd;
So, by her Frailty, more than by your Power,
(I, being in your clutches at this hour)
Am openly expoſed (in ſome ſort)
Like Sampſon for a while, to make you ſport;
But, ſtretched your malignity ſo far
That your own Actings, your own works will mar:
For, though my Dalilah your Vaſſal be,
And you by her means have ſurprized me,
Your Cords and Chains will off again be flung,
So that, we ſhall redeemed be ere long
From our Captivities, and in concluſion
Your own contrivements will be your confuſion.
When thou pretendedſt kindneſſes to me
(And by them, didſt intend to ruine me)
Thou gav'ſt me then, one of Pandora's Boxes,
Which, I return thee full of Paradoxes
That ſhall uncharm thy Witchcrafts, and deſtroy
Thoſe Gins which thou againſt me doſt employ:
For, if thou open it, (as it is ſed
Prometheus opened what ſhee's fabuled
To have beſtow'd on him) from thence will flow
Thoſe Truths, which will thy falſhoods overthrow,
And make ſome who admire them, to contemn
Thoſe Iuglings wherewithall thou fooleſt them:
As likewiſe all thoſe Bugbear-Tyrannies,
Which thy oppreſſing-Inſtruments deviſe
To fright us from our duties, and adhere
To thy allurements, out of love or fear.
To batter down my petty ſingle Sconce,
Thy three great'ſt Engines thou haſt rais'd at once,
And ſo ſurrounded me within my Fort,
That, I have ſcarce one little Sally-port
Whereby I may have egreſs to offend
My Foes, or to give ingreſs to a friend.
Thy Ragged Regiment of POVERTY,
(And they which by RESTRAINT of LIBERTY,)
Commanded are) encloſe me ſo about
With double Trenches, that, here can to nought
For my Relief, admittance now be given,
Except it comes immediately from Heaven:
Moreover, at the four Winds, raiſed high,
Are four Mounts, whereupon thy Batteries lie
So diligently man'd by Major SLANDER
(An old and well experienced Commander
In ſuch like ſervices) that, ſeveral wayes
His great Artillery upon me playes.
At me perpetually his tongue-ſhot flies,
And his whole Culverings charg'd full with Lies,
Send poyſoned Bullets, which I often hear,
Making loud cracks, or whizzing by mine ear.
But, I, at laſt, ſhall rout all this Brigade,
Quite fruſtrate thoſe attempts which thou haſt made
And raiſe again thy ſeige, or do as well
By dying nobly in my Citadel,
And, that it will to thee (when batter'd down)
Prove like the Houſe by Sampſon overthrown.
Then, thoſe things, plainly will to thee appear,
Which thou at preſent, wilt not ſee nor hear;
And I ſhall be the ſame to thee and thine,
Which thou haſt lately been to me and mine;
For, then, my Ghoſt, arrayed in white ſheets
Shall haunt thy houſes, walk about thy ſtreets,
And fright thee day and night with repetition
Of what is haſting on, for thy perdition,
And will deſcend upon thee at thoſe times
Wherein thou fill'ſt the meaſure of thy Crimes.
Mean while, to comfort others, and prevent
The tediouſneſs of my Beleagurement,
Ile draw a Map, wherein Ile ſo expreſs
The vanity of thy maliciouſneſs,
That, they who liſt ſhall know how much I ſlight
Thy Triple-Forces, and contemn thy ſpight;
And I to thee, their weakneſſes apart
Will ſo declare, that, unleſs blind thou art
Thou ſhalt perceive, I cannot be deſtroy'd,
By thoſe whom thou againſt me haſt employ'd
Although in one united: for, theſe three
SLANDER, IMPRISONMENT and POVERTY,
To fall upon me, all at once began
Before, thou didſt repute me for a Man;
And though they charge me all at once agen,
Grown weaker by old age, than I was then,
My Helper is the ſame; and ſuffring long
Hath by his Grace, now made my power more ſtrong.
I know thy pride this Confidence contemns:
For, faith and hope, are now thought but the dreams
Of thoſe men, whom thou doſt Phanaticks call:
But, whatſoev'r thou thinkſt, proceed I ſhall.
And, if thou heedſt what follows, thou ſhalt hear
How little, either thee, or thine I fear.
With that part of thy Forces Ile begin
Which, with the firſt Trench hath now ſhut me in.
Thou knowſt, what outwardly, thou haſt bereft;
Now, thou ſhalt know, what is within me left
But, never ſhalt attain to apprehend
How far my hidden ſtore-houſe doth extend.