Inquisition upon Fame and Honour, An - Stanzas 1ÔÇô40
1
What are Mens liues, but labyrinths of error ,
Shops of deceit , and Seas of misery?
Yet Death yeelds so small comfort, so much terror;
Gaine, Honour, Pleasure , such illusions be;
As though against life, each man whet his wit,
Yet all Mens hearts, and sense, take part with it.
2
Of which three baytes, yet Honour seemes the chiefe,
And is vnto the world, like goodly weather,
Which giues the spirits life, the thoughts reliefe,
Delight, and trauell reconciles together;
So as the Learn'd, and Great, no more admire it,
Then euen the silly Artisans aspire it.
3
This made the foure rare masters, which begun
Faire Artemysia's husbands dainty tombe,
When death tooke her, before their worke was done,
And so bereft them of all hopes to come;
That they would yet their own work perfect make,
Euen for their workes, and their selfe-glories sake.
4
Among the Worthies, Hercules is noted,
For Fame , to haue neglected Gaine, and Pleasure;
Cleombrotus to haue beene so deuoted
To pease his deeds by her nice weights and measure,
As he, that to his state made his life thrall,
Yet to saue both, would not let Honour fall.
5
Which great desire, hatch'd vp in these vast Spirits,
Liues as a relicke of Mans discreation;
When he affected to be Iudge of merits;
Or eccho , which giues all Sounds moderation:
An image too sublime for Thrones to beare,
Who all what they command not, euer feare.
6
What was it then, made Aristotle raise
These imbound spirits to so high a rate?
Call them ingenious, ciuill, worthy praise?
The Answer's plaine, that neuer any State
Could rise, or stand, without this thirst of Glory ,
Of noble workes, as well the mould as story.
7
For else, what Gouernour would spend his dayes,
In enuious trauell, for the publike good?
Who would in Bookes , search after dead mens wayes?
Or in the Warre , what Souldier lose his blood?
Liu'd not this Fame in clouds, kept as a crowne;
Both for the Sword, the Scepter, and the Gowne.
8
It therefore much concernes each publike State,
To hoyse these costlesse sayles vp to the skye,
For it is held a symptome of ill fate,
When Crownes doe let this thirst of Glory dye;
Which doth enlarge States, by enlarging hearts,
And out of deedes teach Schooles to fashion Arts.
9
Thus see we, both the force, and vse of Fame ;
How States and Men haue honour by her stile,
As Ecchoes that enuiron orders frame,
Which disproportion waiteth to beguile.
Fame walls in Truth , and cherisheth her end,
Knowes neither why, nor how, yet is her friend.
10
For in the worlds corrupted trafficke here,
Goodnesse puts onely tincture on our gall,
The light of Truth, doth but in clouds appeare,
Hardly discern'd, and not obey'd at all:
No man yeelds glory vnto him that makes him,
For if he doe, he sees the world forsakes him.
11
Now in this twilight of Deliberation,
Where Man is darke, because he will not see:
Must he not trust to his selfe-constellation?
Or else grow confident, he cannot be?
Assuming this, hee makes himselfe his end,
And what he vnderstands, that takes to friend.
12
In which strange oddes, betweene the earth and skie,
Examine but the state of euery heart:
Flesh feeles and feares strong inequality;
Horrors of sinne cannot be free'd by art:
Humours are mans religion, Power his lawes,
His Wit confusion, and his Will the cause.
13
Nor is it thus, with Man himselfe alone.
His theaters, and trophies, are not free;
I mean all States, all Gouernments, all Thrones,
That haue no basis , but his Policy;
They all alike feele dissolution ready,
Their owne subsistence failing, and vnsteady.
14
Rebellion in the members to the head,
Aduantage in the head, to keepe them vnder,
The sweet consent of sympathie quite dead,
Selfenesse euen apt to teare it selfe asunder:
All Gouernments, like Man himselfe within,
Being restlesse compositions of the sinne.
15
So as in this estate of Mans defection,
Confus'd amongst the good, and ill, he goes;
Both gathers and distributeth infection,
Chuseth and changeth, builds and ouerthrows;
For Truth and Goodnesse, hauing left his heart,
He and his Idols are but words of Art.
16
Among which number, men must reckon Fame ,
Wit, Superstition, Learning, Lawes that binde,
Without our Maker, this worlds crased frame,
All which constraine, but not instruct the minde;
Gouerne the euils part, with her confusion,
Which haue no throne nor being, but delusion.
17
Then to cast faith on Fame , or these foundations,
Or not to thinke, as all these nothing were,
So backe to nothing, they shall haue gradation,
Since Time must ruine all that she did beare ,
Were not to know these drams of mortall seed,
In curing one, still more diseases breed.
18
And yet to part this worlds declining frame,
And let some pillars stand while others fall,
I meane make Vertues bodies vnto Fame ,
That be indeed hypocrisies of hell,
And smother Fame againe with Vertues name,
Must needs exile all hope of doing well:
God being vnbeleeued, or vnknowne,
And humane Wisdome with it selfe o'rethrown.
19
For to be good the world finds it too hard,
And to be nothing to subsistence is
A fatall, and unnaturing award;
So as betweene perfection, and vnblisse,
Man, out of man, will make himselfe a frame,
Seekes outward helpe, and borrowes that of Fame .
20
Yet doth there rise from abstract contemplation,
A gilt or painted image in the braine,
Of humane vertues, Fames disestimation,
Which, like an Art, our nature so restraines,
As while the pride of action wee suppresse,
Man growes no better, and yet States grow lesse.
21
Hence they that by their words would Gods become,
With pride of thought depraue the pride of deeds,
Vpon the actiue cast a heauy doome,
And marre weake strengths, to multiply strong weeds:
While they conclude Fames trumpets, voice, and pen,
More fit for crafty States, than worthy Men.
22
For Fame they still oppose euen from those grounds,
That proue as truely all things else as vaine.
They giue their vertues onely humane bounds,
And without God subuert to build againe
Refin'd Ideas , more than flesh can beare,
All foule within, yet speake as God were there.
23
Mans power to make himselfe good, they maintaine;
Conclude that Fate is gouern'd by the wise;
Affections they supplant, and not restraine;
Within our selues, they seat Felicities;
With things as vaine, they vanity beat downe,
And by selfe-ruine, seeke a Sampsons crowne:
24
Glory's dispraise, being thus with glory tainted,
Doth not as goodnesse, but as euils doe
Shine, by informing others beauties painted,
Where bashfull Truth vayles neighbours errors too;
All humane pride is built on this foundation,
And Art on Art, by this seekes estimation.
25
Without his God, Man thus must wander euer,
See moates in others, in himselfe no beames ,
Ill ruines good, and ill erecteth neuer,
Like drowning torrents, not transporting streames:
The vanity from nothing hath her being,
And makes that essence good, by disagreeing.
26
Yet from these grounds, if Fame wee ouerthrow,
We lose mans eccho , both of wrong and right;
Leaue good and ill, indifferent here below;
For humane darkenesse, lacking humane light,
Will easily cancell Natures feare of shame,
Which workes but by intelligence with Fame.
27
And cancell this, before Gods truth be knowne;
Or knowne, but not beleeued, and obeyed;
What seeming good rests in us of our owne?
How is corruption from corrupting staid?
The chaine of Vertues, which the flesh doth boast,
Being since our fall, but names of Natures lost .
28
In humane commerce, then let Fame remaine,
An outward mirrour of the inward minde,
That what man yeelds, he may receiue againe,
And his ill doing, by ill hearing finde:
For then, though Power erre, though Lawes be lame,
And Conscience dead, yet ill auoyds not shame .
29
But let vs leaue these stormy orbs of passion,
Where humours onely ballance one another,
Making our trophies of a mortall fashion,
And vanity of euery act the mother;
For inward peace, being neuer wrought by Fame ,
Proues mans worth is no Nature, but a name.
30
Therefore let this cleare streame, beare downe together
Fame , and Philosophie her slie opposer;
As hauing nothing of their owne in either,
Worthy to make each by the other loser:
Since if by Christian rules, their depths be taken,
The body and the shadow both are shaken.
31
For where the father of Philosophie,
Vpon the common vertues, but aboue,
Doth raise and build his Magnanimity ,
A greatnesse not with little Fame in loue,
Hard to finde out, as Goodnesse is with vs,
And without Goodnesse, meere ridiculous:
32
Let Truth examine where this vertue liues,
And hold it vaine, if not produc'd in act;
Man is corrupt, and no perfection giues,
What euer in him others praise enact:
So as if Fame be vnto goodnesse due;
It onely can in God, be great and true:
33
For Mans chiefe vertue, is Humilitie ;
True knowledge of his wants, his height of merit;
This pride of minde, this Magnanimity ,
His greatest vice, his first seducing spirit;
With venimous infection of his fall,
To Serpent like appearance euer thrall.
34
Further we vrge against this masters grounds,
That our first Adam , imag'd is to vs,
In that mixt pride, that worth-exceeding bounds,
Where on Schooles build their true Magnanimous:
Since to be like his Maker he affected,
And being lesse still thought himselfe neglected.
35
Which spirituall pride (no doubt) possesseth still
All fleshly hearts, where thirst of Honour raues,
For sit vpon the seat of God they will,
As did those Princes, who in stead of graues
Made Idols, Altars, Temples to be rais'd,
Wherein, like gods, they were ador'd and prais'd.
36
And such againe, hath Gods seene Church brought forth,
As doe in Peters chaire Gods power assume:
Such was Menecrates of little worth,
Who Ioue , the Sauiour, to be call'd presum'd,
To whom of incense Phillip made a feast,
And gaue pride scorne and hunger to digest.
37
Againe, to take the true Anatomy
Of these, and search in life what sure foundation
For humane good, or greatnesses there be,
In all the swelling stiles of Ostentation;
What hopes they promise, on what grounds they build,
What pain they ask, & then what fruit they yeeld.
38
Wee shall discerne the roote of this Ambition
To be conceipt, that glory doth containe
Some supernaturall sparke, or apparition,
More than the common humour can attaine:
Since to be reuerenc'd, lou'd, obey'd, and knowne,
Man must effect, with powers aboue his owne.
39
Ah silly Creature, curst Mortality!
What canst thou know, that knowest not Mans estate
To be but Vice , gilt with hypocrisie;
Which doth the life it most resembles, hate,
And yet affects that cleare vnshadow'd light,
Wherein her darke deformities show bright?
40
So that for thee to passe the piercing eyes,
Light tongues, and listning eares of curious Fame ,
Where to vse trafficke to thy preiudice,
As with a trumpet publishing thy shame;
Which all but fooles, who know their own hearts least,
Rather seeke to conceale, than manifest.
What are Mens liues, but labyrinths of error ,
Shops of deceit , and Seas of misery?
Yet Death yeelds so small comfort, so much terror;
Gaine, Honour, Pleasure , such illusions be;
As though against life, each man whet his wit,
Yet all Mens hearts, and sense, take part with it.
2
Of which three baytes, yet Honour seemes the chiefe,
And is vnto the world, like goodly weather,
Which giues the spirits life, the thoughts reliefe,
Delight, and trauell reconciles together;
So as the Learn'd, and Great, no more admire it,
Then euen the silly Artisans aspire it.
3
This made the foure rare masters, which begun
Faire Artemysia's husbands dainty tombe,
When death tooke her, before their worke was done,
And so bereft them of all hopes to come;
That they would yet their own work perfect make,
Euen for their workes, and their selfe-glories sake.
4
Among the Worthies, Hercules is noted,
For Fame , to haue neglected Gaine, and Pleasure;
Cleombrotus to haue beene so deuoted
To pease his deeds by her nice weights and measure,
As he, that to his state made his life thrall,
Yet to saue both, would not let Honour fall.
5
Which great desire, hatch'd vp in these vast Spirits,
Liues as a relicke of Mans discreation;
When he affected to be Iudge of merits;
Or eccho , which giues all Sounds moderation:
An image too sublime for Thrones to beare,
Who all what they command not, euer feare.
6
What was it then, made Aristotle raise
These imbound spirits to so high a rate?
Call them ingenious, ciuill, worthy praise?
The Answer's plaine, that neuer any State
Could rise, or stand, without this thirst of Glory ,
Of noble workes, as well the mould as story.
7
For else, what Gouernour would spend his dayes,
In enuious trauell, for the publike good?
Who would in Bookes , search after dead mens wayes?
Or in the Warre , what Souldier lose his blood?
Liu'd not this Fame in clouds, kept as a crowne;
Both for the Sword, the Scepter, and the Gowne.
8
It therefore much concernes each publike State,
To hoyse these costlesse sayles vp to the skye,
For it is held a symptome of ill fate,
When Crownes doe let this thirst of Glory dye;
Which doth enlarge States, by enlarging hearts,
And out of deedes teach Schooles to fashion Arts.
9
Thus see we, both the force, and vse of Fame ;
How States and Men haue honour by her stile,
As Ecchoes that enuiron orders frame,
Which disproportion waiteth to beguile.
Fame walls in Truth , and cherisheth her end,
Knowes neither why, nor how, yet is her friend.
10
For in the worlds corrupted trafficke here,
Goodnesse puts onely tincture on our gall,
The light of Truth, doth but in clouds appeare,
Hardly discern'd, and not obey'd at all:
No man yeelds glory vnto him that makes him,
For if he doe, he sees the world forsakes him.
11
Now in this twilight of Deliberation,
Where Man is darke, because he will not see:
Must he not trust to his selfe-constellation?
Or else grow confident, he cannot be?
Assuming this, hee makes himselfe his end,
And what he vnderstands, that takes to friend.
12
In which strange oddes, betweene the earth and skie,
Examine but the state of euery heart:
Flesh feeles and feares strong inequality;
Horrors of sinne cannot be free'd by art:
Humours are mans religion, Power his lawes,
His Wit confusion, and his Will the cause.
13
Nor is it thus, with Man himselfe alone.
His theaters, and trophies, are not free;
I mean all States, all Gouernments, all Thrones,
That haue no basis , but his Policy;
They all alike feele dissolution ready,
Their owne subsistence failing, and vnsteady.
14
Rebellion in the members to the head,
Aduantage in the head, to keepe them vnder,
The sweet consent of sympathie quite dead,
Selfenesse euen apt to teare it selfe asunder:
All Gouernments, like Man himselfe within,
Being restlesse compositions of the sinne.
15
So as in this estate of Mans defection,
Confus'd amongst the good, and ill, he goes;
Both gathers and distributeth infection,
Chuseth and changeth, builds and ouerthrows;
For Truth and Goodnesse, hauing left his heart,
He and his Idols are but words of Art.
16
Among which number, men must reckon Fame ,
Wit, Superstition, Learning, Lawes that binde,
Without our Maker, this worlds crased frame,
All which constraine, but not instruct the minde;
Gouerne the euils part, with her confusion,
Which haue no throne nor being, but delusion.
17
Then to cast faith on Fame , or these foundations,
Or not to thinke, as all these nothing were,
So backe to nothing, they shall haue gradation,
Since Time must ruine all that she did beare ,
Were not to know these drams of mortall seed,
In curing one, still more diseases breed.
18
And yet to part this worlds declining frame,
And let some pillars stand while others fall,
I meane make Vertues bodies vnto Fame ,
That be indeed hypocrisies of hell,
And smother Fame againe with Vertues name,
Must needs exile all hope of doing well:
God being vnbeleeued, or vnknowne,
And humane Wisdome with it selfe o'rethrown.
19
For to be good the world finds it too hard,
And to be nothing to subsistence is
A fatall, and unnaturing award;
So as betweene perfection, and vnblisse,
Man, out of man, will make himselfe a frame,
Seekes outward helpe, and borrowes that of Fame .
20
Yet doth there rise from abstract contemplation,
A gilt or painted image in the braine,
Of humane vertues, Fames disestimation,
Which, like an Art, our nature so restraines,
As while the pride of action wee suppresse,
Man growes no better, and yet States grow lesse.
21
Hence they that by their words would Gods become,
With pride of thought depraue the pride of deeds,
Vpon the actiue cast a heauy doome,
And marre weake strengths, to multiply strong weeds:
While they conclude Fames trumpets, voice, and pen,
More fit for crafty States, than worthy Men.
22
For Fame they still oppose euen from those grounds,
That proue as truely all things else as vaine.
They giue their vertues onely humane bounds,
And without God subuert to build againe
Refin'd Ideas , more than flesh can beare,
All foule within, yet speake as God were there.
23
Mans power to make himselfe good, they maintaine;
Conclude that Fate is gouern'd by the wise;
Affections they supplant, and not restraine;
Within our selues, they seat Felicities;
With things as vaine, they vanity beat downe,
And by selfe-ruine, seeke a Sampsons crowne:
24
Glory's dispraise, being thus with glory tainted,
Doth not as goodnesse, but as euils doe
Shine, by informing others beauties painted,
Where bashfull Truth vayles neighbours errors too;
All humane pride is built on this foundation,
And Art on Art, by this seekes estimation.
25
Without his God, Man thus must wander euer,
See moates in others, in himselfe no beames ,
Ill ruines good, and ill erecteth neuer,
Like drowning torrents, not transporting streames:
The vanity from nothing hath her being,
And makes that essence good, by disagreeing.
26
Yet from these grounds, if Fame wee ouerthrow,
We lose mans eccho , both of wrong and right;
Leaue good and ill, indifferent here below;
For humane darkenesse, lacking humane light,
Will easily cancell Natures feare of shame,
Which workes but by intelligence with Fame.
27
And cancell this, before Gods truth be knowne;
Or knowne, but not beleeued, and obeyed;
What seeming good rests in us of our owne?
How is corruption from corrupting staid?
The chaine of Vertues, which the flesh doth boast,
Being since our fall, but names of Natures lost .
28
In humane commerce, then let Fame remaine,
An outward mirrour of the inward minde,
That what man yeelds, he may receiue againe,
And his ill doing, by ill hearing finde:
For then, though Power erre, though Lawes be lame,
And Conscience dead, yet ill auoyds not shame .
29
But let vs leaue these stormy orbs of passion,
Where humours onely ballance one another,
Making our trophies of a mortall fashion,
And vanity of euery act the mother;
For inward peace, being neuer wrought by Fame ,
Proues mans worth is no Nature, but a name.
30
Therefore let this cleare streame, beare downe together
Fame , and Philosophie her slie opposer;
As hauing nothing of their owne in either,
Worthy to make each by the other loser:
Since if by Christian rules, their depths be taken,
The body and the shadow both are shaken.
31
For where the father of Philosophie,
Vpon the common vertues, but aboue,
Doth raise and build his Magnanimity ,
A greatnesse not with little Fame in loue,
Hard to finde out, as Goodnesse is with vs,
And without Goodnesse, meere ridiculous:
32
Let Truth examine where this vertue liues,
And hold it vaine, if not produc'd in act;
Man is corrupt, and no perfection giues,
What euer in him others praise enact:
So as if Fame be vnto goodnesse due;
It onely can in God, be great and true:
33
For Mans chiefe vertue, is Humilitie ;
True knowledge of his wants, his height of merit;
This pride of minde, this Magnanimity ,
His greatest vice, his first seducing spirit;
With venimous infection of his fall,
To Serpent like appearance euer thrall.
34
Further we vrge against this masters grounds,
That our first Adam , imag'd is to vs,
In that mixt pride, that worth-exceeding bounds,
Where on Schooles build their true Magnanimous:
Since to be like his Maker he affected,
And being lesse still thought himselfe neglected.
35
Which spirituall pride (no doubt) possesseth still
All fleshly hearts, where thirst of Honour raues,
For sit vpon the seat of God they will,
As did those Princes, who in stead of graues
Made Idols, Altars, Temples to be rais'd,
Wherein, like gods, they were ador'd and prais'd.
36
And such againe, hath Gods seene Church brought forth,
As doe in Peters chaire Gods power assume:
Such was Menecrates of little worth,
Who Ioue , the Sauiour, to be call'd presum'd,
To whom of incense Phillip made a feast,
And gaue pride scorne and hunger to digest.
37
Againe, to take the true Anatomy
Of these, and search in life what sure foundation
For humane good, or greatnesses there be,
In all the swelling stiles of Ostentation;
What hopes they promise, on what grounds they build,
What pain they ask, & then what fruit they yeeld.
38
Wee shall discerne the roote of this Ambition
To be conceipt, that glory doth containe
Some supernaturall sparke, or apparition,
More than the common humour can attaine:
Since to be reuerenc'd, lou'd, obey'd, and knowne,
Man must effect, with powers aboue his owne.
39
Ah silly Creature, curst Mortality!
What canst thou know, that knowest not Mans estate
To be but Vice , gilt with hypocrisie;
Which doth the life it most resembles, hate,
And yet affects that cleare vnshadow'd light,
Wherein her darke deformities show bright?
40
So that for thee to passe the piercing eyes,
Light tongues, and listning eares of curious Fame ,
Where to vse trafficke to thy preiudice,
As with a trumpet publishing thy shame;
Which all but fooles, who know their own hearts least,
Rather seeke to conceale, than manifest.
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