The Grecians knew this, when they judg'd the body Of Ajax, who had flain himself, unworthy The common rites of burial. Careful nature Has fenc'd our hearts about with certain bones, Fashion'd like fwords; and fhall we break the guard? No, rather let us wait the will of th’heav'ns, And when we hence are warn'd by their ord'hance, Let us depart with glad and joyful hearts ; And think ourselves deliver'd from a gaol, Eafed of gyves and fetters; that we may Remove unto our own eternal dwelling: For, without doubt, that pow'r that gave us being, Did not beget and fofter us for this; That having fuffer'd on this ftage of life, Thousand afflictions, infinite calamities, Quotidian toils, and all in virtue's caufe; We fhould for guerdon, fall into the gulph Of an eternal death, and non-fubfiftence: Yea, rather let us cherish this belief, That there's another heaven provided for us; A bleffed refuge for our longing fouls. Arm'd with a fettled confidence of this; Like Socrates, I will out-face my death, And with the fame fix'd fpirit refign my breath. Marcus Tullius Cicero.
The danger of fuch cruel thoughts: Take heed How you do threaten heav'n, by menacing Yourfelf; as we have no authority
To take away the being of another, whom
Our pride contemns; fo we have lefs, t'annihilate Our own, when it is fall'n in our dislike.
Sir W. Davenant's Diftreffes.
Self-murder, that infernal crime,
Which all the gods level their thunder at ! Why, 'tis an act the gods admire, and envy, Because they cannot do't: And where's the wrong May I not mow my grafs, reap my own corn,
Cut my own woods, lay down this load of life, Without injuftice or to gods, or men? Self-prefervation, nature's higheft law, Is beit obey'd, when our fublimer part, Tir'd out with troubles, and chain'd up with griefs, Strives to shake off her fleshly manacles,
And fly to nobler dwellings.
Fine quirk to falve the confcience, to let others kill me! Well, 'tis all one, as if I kill'd myself:
And that's no harm, fince I'm no more myself: The magiftrate in me deftroys the malefactor; And this form pleases beft, a comelier shape Of death.
ACH thing by nature tendeth to the fame Whereof it came; and is difpos'd alike : Down finks the mold; up mounts the fiery flame; With horn the hart, with hoof the horse doth ftrike; The wolf doth spoil, the fubtle fox doth pike; And to conclude, no fifh, flesh, fowl, or plant, Of their true dame, the property doth want.
Phaer in the Mirror for Magiftrates. Oh noble ftrain!
O worthiness of nature, breed of greatnefs! Cowards father cowards, and bafe things fire the bafe: Nature hath meal and bran; contempt and grace.
For nature, crefcent, does not grow alone In thews and bulk; but, as this temple waxes, The inward fervice of the mind and foul Grows wide withal.
Nature is motion's mother,
The spring whence order flows; that all directs, And knits the causes with th'effects.
Is ftill in hers, and not our government.
That nature, fince herself decay doth hate; Should favour those that strengthen their eftate.
Tourneur's Atheist's Tragedy
Nature hath made nothing fo base, but can Read fome instruction to the wisest man.
And in her work of man, prefers not names Of ancestors; fhe fometimes forms a piece For admiration from the baseft earth, That holds a foul; and to a beggar's iffue Gives thofe perfections make a beauty up;
When purer moulds, polifh'd and glofs'd with titles, Honours and wealth, bestow upon their bloods Deform'd impreffions; objects only fit
Nor let us fay fome things 'gainst nature be, Because fuch things as thofe we feldom fee: We know not what is natural; but call Thofe acts, which God does often, natural; Where, if we weigh'd with a religious eye The pow'r of doing, not the frequency; All things alike in itrangeness to our thought Would be, which he in the creation wrought: But in those rare and wond'rous things, may we The freedom of that great creator see ; When he at first the course of things ordain'd, And nature within certain bounds reftrain'd, That laws of feeds and seasons may be known, He did not then at all confine his own
Almighty pow'r; but whenfoe'er he will, Works 'gainst the common course of nature still; Thofe works may we view with a wond'ring eye, And take delight in that variety.
May's Henry II. There nature wanton was, and the high way Did feem inclosed, though it open lay
Heav'n ftudy more in nature, than in schools; Let nature's image never by thee pass Like unmark'd time; but thofe unthinking fools Defpife, who spy not Godhead through her glass. Sir W. Davenant's Gondibert.
'Tis the first fanction nature gave to man, Each other to affift in what they can ; Juft or unjust, this law for ever stands ;
All things are good by law, which fhe commands.
As to exceed man's ufe, though not his mind.
Prologue to Sir R. Howard's Indian Queen.
Nature's an occan endlefly profound,
Where line could never yet difcover ground: We only fee what on the furface fwim, And what we often fee, we ne'er esteem:
If one by chance a monster brings to fhore; The monfter we admire, the fifher more.
Crown's Second Part of the Deflruction of Jerusalem. NAVIGATION.
Wife nature from this face of ground,
Into the deep taught man to find the way; That in the floods her treasure might be found, To make him fearch for what the there did lay: And that her fecrets he might throughly found, She gave him courage, as her only key;
That of all creatures, as the worthieft he,
Her glory there, and wond'rous works should fee. Drayton's Barons Wars.
By armies, ftow'd in fleets, exhaufted Spain Leaves half her land unplough'd, to plough the main; And still would more of the old world subdue,
As if unfatisfy'd with all the new.
Sir W. Davenant's Siege of Rhodes.
For this effectual day, his art reveal'd
What has fo oft made nature's fpies to pine, The loadstone's myftick ufe, fo long conceal'd In close alliance with the coarfer mine.
And this, in fleepy vifion, he was bid To regifter in characters unknown; Which heav'n will have from navigators hid, Till Saturn's walk be twenty circuits grown. For as religion, in the warm east bred,
And arts, which next to it most needful were, From vices fprung from their corruption fled; And thence vouchsaf'd a cold plantation here : So when they here again corrupted be,
For man can ev'n his antidotes infect, Heav'n's referv'd world they in the west shall fee; To which this ftone's hid virtue will direct.
Religion then, whofe age this world upbraids, As fcorn'd deformity, will thither steer ; Serv'd at fit distance by the arts, her maids;
Which grow too bold, when they attend too near. And fome, whom traffick thither tempts, fhall thence In her exchange, though they did grudge her fhrines, And poorly banish'd her to fave expence,
Bring home the idol, gold, from new-found mines. Till then, fad pilots must be often loft,
Whilft from the ocean's dreaded face they shrink; And feeking safety near the coz'ning coast, With winds furpriz'd, by rocky ambush fink.
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