EPIGRAMMATA Sacra Selecta, CUM ANGLICA VERSIONE. SACRED EPIGRAMS Englished. LONDON, Printed for John Barksdale, Bookseller in Cirencester, 1682. EPIGRAMMATA SACRA Selecta, cum Anglica version. Sacred Epigrams Englished. 1. Pharisaeus & Publicanus, Luc. 18. EN duo Templum adeunt, diversis mentibus ambo Ille procul trepido lumine signat humum: It gravis hic in alta ferox penetralia ridens, Plus habet hic Templi, plus habet ille Dei. Two men unto the Temple went to Pray: That with a downcast look stood far away, This near the Altar himself highly boar; This of the Temple, that of God hath more. 2. Dominus apud suos vilis, Luc. 4. En consanguinei! patriis en exul in oris Christus, & hae villa eam peregrinus erat. Qui socio demum pendebat sanguine latro, O consanguineus quam fuit ille magis! See O my Kinsmen, what strange thing is this! Christ in's own Country a great stranger is. The Thief which blessed upon the Cross with me, Is more allied in Consanguinity. 3. Primo Maria Magdalena, Luc. 20. Tu matutinos praevertis sancta rubores, Magdula, sed jam tum Sol tuus ortus erat. Magdalen, thou prevent'st the morning light: But thy Sun was already in thy sight. 4. Aethiops lotus, Act. 8. Ille niger sacris exit (quam lautus!) ab undis: Nec frustra Aethiopem nempe lavare fuit. Mentem quam niveam piceae cutis umbra fora●it: Jam volet & nigros sancta columba lares. How fair this Ethiop comes from th' holy fount? To wash a Black we may not vain account. How bright a Soul is in a cloudy skin! The Dove now loves a black house to dwell in. 5. Maria assidens ad prandium, Luc. 10. Tune epulis adeo es (soror) officiosa juvandis. Et sinis has (inquit) Martha, perire dapes? O Sister, spare thy labour and thy cost, And suffer not these dainties to be lost. 6. Non praestant fidem, Joh. 12. Non praestant? neque te post tot miracula credunt? Miraclum, qui non credidit, ipse fuit. After so many Miracles done well, He that believes not is a Miracle. 7. Ad Infants Martyrs, Matth. 2. Fundite ridentes animas, effundite coelo: Discet ibi vestra (o quam bene!) lingua loqui. Nec vos lac vestrum, & maternos quaerite fontes: Quae vos exspectat lactea tota via est. Depart the smiling Souls, to heaven departed: Your Tongues may there term best the speaking art. Stay not to suck, sweet Children, do not stay: Cry not: For you shall go the milk y way. 8. Non sum dignus, Matth. 8. Illum ergo acccipies, quoniam non accipis; ergo In te jam veniet, non tua tecta Deus. Thou receiv'st, and receiv'st not Christ, for he Comes not into thy House, but into thee. 9 Lux venit in mundum, Joh. 2. Luce sua venit, ecce Deus, mundoque refulget: Pergit adhuc tenebras Mundus amare suas. At stygiis igitur Mundus damnabitur umbris: Pergit adhuc tenebras Mundus amare suas? Behold the day of Christ! God comes with light, Yet the world loves the darkness of the night. Therefore the world to Stygian darkness will Be damned. And doth the world love darkness still? 10. In aquam Baptismi Dominici, Matth. 3. Felix, o, sacros cui sic licet ire per artus! Felix! Dum lavat hunc, ipsa lavatur aqua. Gutta quidem sacras quaecunque perambulat artus, Dum manet hic gemma est, dum cadit hinc lacryma. Happy the water, washed his sacred side! In washing Christ itself is purified. Each drop which trickled down his body, there Staying a Gem, thence falling was a tear. 11. Nunc dimittis, Luc. 2. Jam satis est, Ego te vidi, puer auree, vidi Nil post te nisi te, Christ, videre volo. Enough! I have seen, have seen my Saviour▪ Beside thee, Christ, I would see nothing more. 12. johannes Matri suae. O mihi cur dextram, mater, cur (oro) sinistram Poscis, ab officio, mater, iniqua tuo? Nolo manum Christi dextram, mihi, nolo sinistram: Tam procul a sacro non libet esse sinu. Mother, why ask you right, or left for me? The benefit would be an injury. Nor right nor left for me convenient are: From his sweet bosom either is too far. 13. Si filius Dei es, Matth 4. Ni se dejiciat Christus de Vertice Templi, Non credes, quod sit filius ille Dei: At mox te humano de pectore dejicit. Heus tu! Non credes quod sit Filius ille Dei? Cast thyself from the pinnacle, whereon I set thee, or I think thee not Gods Son. No, but he'll cast thee from the hearts of men, Satan, Wilt not believe he's God's Son, then? 14. Dominus flens ad Judaeos, Luc. 19 Discite vos miseri, veninetes discite flammas; Nec facite, o, lacrymas sic periisse meas. Nec periisse tamen poterunt, mihi credit, vestras Vel reprimet flammas haec aqua, vel faciet. Think on the coming flames I would prevent: Let not my tears for you in vain be spent. And yet they can't be spent in vain: for sure This water flames will quench, or else procure. 15. In Saulum nimio fulgore excaecant●m, Act. 9 An Saulus fuerit coecus, vix dicere possum: Hoc scio, quod captus lumine Saulus erat. That Saul was blind, I will not say: Sure, Saul was captus lumine. 16. Beati oculi qui vident, Luc. 10. Cum Christus nostris ibat mitissmus oris, Atque novum caecos jussit habere diem; Felice's oculos qui tunc habuere, vocantur: Felice's, & qui non habuere, voco. When Christ with us on Earth did sympathise, And to the poor blind men restored their eyes; Happy they, who had eyes. Not they alone: I call them also happy who had none. 17. Piscatores vocati, Matth. 4. Ludite jam pisces secura per aequora: pisces Nos quoque sed varia sub ratione sumus. Non potuisse capi, votis spes una salutis: Una salus nobis est potuisse capi. Play Fishes in your waters, safely play: We become Fishes too, another way: Not to be taken, to your safety brought; But we are then most safe, when we are caught. 18. Aquae in vinum versae, Joh. 2. Numen, convivae, praesens agnoscite numen: Nympha pudica Deum vidit, & erubuit. See, o my Guests: A deity is here: The Nymph saw a God, and blushed for fear. 19 Quid timidi estis, Mar. 3. Tanquam illi insanus faceret sua fulmina ventus! Tanquam illi scopulos noret habere fretum! Vos vestri scopuli, vos estis ventus & unda: Naufragium cum illo, qui metuit, meruit. As if to him the winds their thunder threw! As if to him hard Rocks the water knew! Ye are your rocks, ye are your wind and wave: Shipwreck with him, who fear, deserve to have. 20. In gregem Christi Pastoris, Joh. 10. O Grex! O, nimium tanto Pastore beatus! O, ubi sunt tanto pascua digna grege! Ne non digna forent tanto grege pascua, Christus Ipse suo est Pastor, pascuum & ipse gregi. O Flock! o, too much in thy Shepherd blest! Where are fields worthy thee, to feed and rest! Lest worthy pastures no where should be found, Christ is to thee the Shepherd and the ground. 21 An is sit, Luc. 17. Tu, Quis sit Christus, rogitas? Et quaeris ab ipso? Hoc tibi vel mutus dicere quisque potest. Is he the Christ? And the Inquiry is Of himself? Why, the dumb can answer this. 22. Manus arefacta sanatur, Mar. 3. Quae nec in externos modo dextera praefuit usus, erit illa tuae jam manus & fidei. The hand of no use, by the word Christ saith, Restored, is now become the hand of Faith. 23. In Pontium ruente lautum, Matth. 27. Illa manus lavat unda tuas, vanissime Judex; Ah, tamen illa scelus non lavat unda tuum. Nulla scelus lavat unda tuum: vel si lavat ulla, O, valet ex oculis illa venire tuis. The unjust Judge washed his hands at the time: Ah, but no water can wash out thy crime: No water wash it out: If any will, 'tis that which must from thy own eyes destil. 24. Ego vici mundum, Joh. 16. Tu contra mundum Dux es meus, optime Jesus! At Tu (me miserum!) Dux meus ipse jaces. Si Tu dux meus ipse jaces, spes nulla Salutis: Immo, ni jaceas Tu, mihi nulla salus. Jesus, my Captain give me victories? Alas! Jesus himself my Captain dies. And if my Captain fall, what hope have I? No hope at all, unless my Captain die. 25. Columba in Christum, Matth. 3. Sola avis haec nido hoc non est indigna cubare: Solus nidus hic est hac bene dignus ave. Most worthy nest, this, for the bird above: Most worthy of this nest is th' holy Dove. 26. Comedit cum peccatoribus, Luck. 15. Istis cum Christus conviva adjungitur: istis, O, non conviva est Christus, at ipse cibus. Sinners do entertain Christ, as a guest, They spread the table, but He is the feast. 27. De voto filiaerum Zebedoei, Matth. 20. Sit tibi Joannes, tibi sit Jacobe, quod optas: Sit tibi dextra manus, sit tibi laeva manus. Coeli hanc aut illam nolo mihi quaerere partem: O, Coelum, Coelum da pater alme, mihi. John and James take your place at God's Command, One at the right, th' other at the left hand. I ask not to be placed so, or so: To Heaven, to Heaven, good Father, let me go. 28. Ad hospites coenae miraculosae, Joh. 6. Tunc pane hoc Christi recte satur, hospes, abibis; Panem ipsum Christum si magis esurias. These loaves of Christ are well bestowed, if fed With these they hunger after living bread. 29. Graeci disputatores, Act. 9 Hoc argumentum in causam quid, Graecule, dicit? Dicit, te in causam dicere posse nihil. By your opposing force, Greeks, what is meant? That you have no convincing argument. 30. Esto minimus, Luc. 22. O bone, discipulus Christi vis maximus esse? At vero fies hac ratione minor. Hoc sanctae ambitionis iter, mihi crede, tenendum est; Haec ratio; Tu, ne sis minor, esse velis. The greatest of Disciples wouldst thou be? Whoever's so ambitious, less is he. That thou mayst not go less, to every one Submit. This, this is Christ's ambition. 31. Coeci Confitentes Christum, Matth. 9 Tu (Pharisaee) nequis in Christo cernere Christum: Ille videt coecus, coecus es ipse videns. Thou (Pharisee) canst not in Christ, Christ find: The blind man sees him, and the seer's blind. 32. Relictis omnibus, Luc. 5. Quas Matthaeus opes ad Christi jussa reliquit, Tum primum verê caepit habere suas. To be rich, truly rich, Matthew did take, The right way, when he left all for Christ's sake. 33. Ad B. Lucam Medicum. Nulla mihi, Luca, de te medicamina posco, Ipse licet medicus sis, licet aeger ego: Quip ego in exemplum fidei dum te mihi pono, Tu, Medice, ipse mihi es, tu medicina mihi. No medicine of thee, O Luke, I seek, Tho thou art a Physician, and I sick: Th' example of thy faith before my eyes, To me (Physician) is the medicine. 34 Coecus natus, Joh. 9 Felix quam potuit, tantae, post nubila noctis, (O dignum tanta nocte!) videre diem: Felix ille oculus, felix utrinque putandus, Quod videt, & primum quod videt ille Deum. Happy the man who was endued with sight, And saw a day well worth so long a night: Happy the eye, twice happy is the eye, That sees, and at first look a Deity. 35. In Stabulum, Luc. 2. Illa domus stabulum? Non est, puer auree, non est: Vix Coelo dici vult minor esse tuo. This House a Stable? No. Thy blessed birth, Jesus, converts it to a Heaven and Earth. 36. Joannes oleo ferventi illoesus. Illum ignem extingui, bone Domitianes, laboras? Hoc non est oleum, Doimtiane, dare. John is Christ's flame, Domitian, in thine ire Canst thou ere hope, with oil, to ' extinguist fire. 37. Sanavit omnes, Matth. 4. Fac colubros jam tota suos, tua vibret Erinnys; Collige, Collige te, fortiter ut pereas. Do, Dragon, do: thy snakes together call; That by Christ's virtue they may perish all. 38. Leprosus Dominum implorans, Matth, 8. Tu modo, tu faciles mihi Sol meus exere vultus: Non poterit, radios nix mea ferre tuos. Shine forth, my Sun; soon as thy beams are felt, Thy gracious healing beams, my snow will melt. 39 Christus in tempestate, Matth. 8. Quod fervet tanto circum te, Christ, tumultu; Non hoc ira Maris, Christ, sed ambitio est: Haec illa ambitio est, hoc tanto te rogat ore, Posset ut admonitus, Christ, tacere tuos. That the Sea with such violence falls on; 'tis not his malice, but ambition: This the ambition, this the loud request, At thy Command, o Christ, to take his rest. 40. Mulier Canaanitis, Matth. 15. Femina tam fortis fidei? Jam credo fidem esse Plusquam Grammatice faeminei generis. O Woman! How great is that Faith of thine! Fides, more than a Grammar's Feminine. 41. Petrus timuit, Matth. 14. Pondere pressa suo subsidunt caetera: solum, Petre, tuae mergit te levitatis onus. All things subside by their own weight: I think, Thy lightness only, Peter, makes thee sink. 42. Nunc dimittis, Luc. 2. Primum est, quod potui te, Christ, videre: secundum, Te viso, rectà jam potuisse mori. To see thee Christ, was first in my desire: Next, having seen thee, forthwith to expire. FINIS.