Author: Poems and Fancies Research Assistant

¹

 

When Nature first the world’s foundation laid,²
She called a counsel how it might be made.³
Motion was first, who⁴ had a subtle wit,
And then came Life, and Form, and Matter fit.
First Nature spake:⁵ “My friends, if we agree,             5
We can and may do a fine work,” said she,
“Make some things to adore us,⁶ worship give,
Whereas now we but to⁷ ourselves do live.
Besides, it is my nature things to make,
To give out work, and⁸ you directions take.               10
Wherefore if you will pleasure have therein,⁹
You’ll¹⁰ breed the Fates in housewif’ry to spin,
And make strong Destiny to take some¹¹ pains,
Lest she grow idle, let her¹² link some chains.
Inconstancy and Fortune turn a wheel,                      15
Since both are¹³ wanton, cannot stand, but reel.
And as for moisture, let it water give,¹⁴
Which heat suck up, to make things grow and live,¹⁵
And let sharp cold stay things that run about,
And drought stop holes, to keep the water out.         20
Vacuum and darkness they will domineer
If Motion’s power make no¹⁶ light appear;
Wherefore produce a light, the world to see,¹⁷
My only child from all eternity—
Beauty, my love, my joy and dear delight—                25
Else darkness rude will cover her with spite.”
        “Alas!” said Motion, “all pains I can take¹⁸
Will do no good, Matter a brain must¹⁹ make,
And Figure²⁰ draw a circle, round, and small,
Where in the midst must stand a glassy ball,              30
Without convex, but inwardly²¹ concave,
And in its middle²² a round small hole must have,
That species may thorough pass, and Life²³
May view all things as through a prospective.”²⁴
        “Alas!” said Life, “whatever we do make,           35
Death, my great enemy, will from us take:
And who can hinder his strong,²⁵ mighty power?
He with his cruelty doth²⁶ all devour,
And Time, his agent, brings²⁷ all to decay:
Thus neither Death nor Time will you obey.               40
He cares for none of your commands, nor will
Obey your laws, but doth what likes him²⁸ still.
He knows his power far exceedeth ours,
For whatsoe’er we make, he soon devours.
Let me advise you ne’er to take²⁹ such pains              45
A world to make, since Death hath all the gains.”
        Figure’s opinion did agree with Life,
“For Death,” said she, “will fill the world with strife.
What Form soever I do turn into,
Death finds me out: that Form he doth undo.”            50
Then Motion spake: “None hath such cause as I
For to complain, for Death makes Motion die.
’Tis best to let alone this work, I think.”
Says Matter, “Death corrupts, and makes me stink.”
Says Nature, “I am of another mind:                            55
If we let Death alone, we soon shall find
He wars will make, and raise a mighty power,
If we divert him not, may us devour.
He is ambitious, will in triumph sit,³⁰
Envies my works, and seeks my State to get.³¹            60
And Fates, though they upon great Life attend,
Yet fear they Death, and dare not him³² offend.
Though two be true, and spin as Life them bids,
The third is false, and cuts short the long threads.³³
Let us agree, for fear we should do worse,                   65
And make some work for to employ³⁴ his force.”
Then all rose up: “We do submit,” said³⁵ they,
“And³⁶ Nature’s will in every thing obey.”
        First Matter she materials in did bring,³⁷
And Motion cut, and carved out every thing.               70
And Figure, she did draw the forms and plots,
And Life divided all out into lots.
And Nature, she surveyed, directed all,
And with four elements³⁸ built the world’s ball.
The solid earth she as foundation³⁹ laid;                       75
The waters round about as walls were raised,⁴⁰
Where every drop lay close, like⁴¹ stone or brick,
Whose moisture like to⁴² mortar made them stick.
Air, as the ceiling, keeps all close within,⁴³
Lest some materials out of place might spring.            80
And presses down the seas, lest⁴⁴ they should rise
And⁴⁵ overflow the Earth, and drown the skies.
For as a roof is⁴⁶ laid upon a wall,
To keep it steady, that no side may⁴⁷ fall,
So Nature in that place air wisely stayed,⁴⁸                   85
And fire, like tile or slate, the highest laid⁴⁹
To keep out rain, or wet, else it would rot:
So⁵⁰ would the world corrupt if fire were not.
The planets, like as weather-fans, turn round;
The sun a dial in the midst is found,                                90
Where he doth give so just account of time⁵¹
And⁵² measures all, though round, by even line.
But when the Earth was made, and seed did sow,⁵³
Plants on the Earth, and minerals down grow,⁵⁴
Then creatures made, which Motion did give⁵⁵ sense, 95
Yet reason none to give⁵⁶ intelligence.
But Nature found, when she to make Man came,⁵⁷
It was more difficult than worlds to frame;⁵⁸
For she did strive to make him long to last,
And so into eternity him⁵⁹ cast.                                         100
Who⁶⁰ in no other place could be kept⁶¹ long,
But in eternity, that castle strong.
There she was sure that Death she could keep⁶² out,
Although he is a warrior strong and stout.
Man she would make, but not like other kind:⁶³            105
Though not in body, like a God in mind.
Then she did call her counsel once again,
Told them the greatest work did⁶⁴ yet remain.
“For how,” said she, “can we ourselves new make?⁶⁵
Yet Man we must like to ourselves create,⁶⁶                    110
Or else he never can⁶⁷ escape Death’s snare;
To make this work requires⁶⁸ both skill and care.
But I a mind will mix⁶⁹ as I think fit,
With knowledge, understanding, and with wit.
And Motion, you your servants⁷⁰ must employ,              115
Which Passions are, to wait still in the eye,
To dress, and clothe this⁷¹ mind in fashions new,
Which none knows better how to do⁷² you,
That, though his body die,⁷³ this mind shall⁷⁴ live,
And a free will we must unto it give.                                 120
But Matter, you from Figure form must take,
And Man from other creatures different⁷⁵ make.
For he shall upright go;⁷⁶ the rest shall not.
And Motion, you in him must tie a knot
Of several motions, there to meet in one.                         125
Thus Man like to himself shall be alone.
You, Life, command the Fates a thread to spin,
From which small thread the body shall begin.
And while the thread doth last, not cut in twain,
The body shall in motion still remain.                                130
But when the thread is broke, he⁷⁷ down shall fall,
And for a time no motion have at all.
But yet the mind shall live and never die;
We’ll raise the body too for company.
Thus, like ourselves, we can⁷⁸ make things to live          135
Eternally, but no past times can give.

When Death did hear what Nature did intend,
To hinder her he all his force did bend.
But finding all his forces were too weak,
He always strives the thread of Life to break,
And strives¹ to fill the mind with black despair,        5
Lets it not rest in peace, nor free from care.
And since he cannot make it die, he will
Send grief and sorrow to torment it still.
With grievous pains the body he displeases,
And binds it hard with chains of strong diseases.    10
His servants Sloth and Sleep he doth employ
To get half of the time before they die:
But Sleep, a friend to Life, oft disobeys
His master’s will, and softly down her lays
Upon her² weary limbs, like birds in nest,                  15
And gently locks her³ senses up in rest.

Small atoms of themselves a world may make,
For, being subtle, every shape they take.¹
And as they dance about, they² places find;
Such forms as³ best agree make every kind.
For when we build a⁴ house of brick or⁵ stone,      5
We lay them even, every one by one:
And when we find a gap that’s big or small,
We seek out stones to fit that place withal.
For when as they⁶ too big or little be,
They fall away and cannot stay, we see.                   10
So atoms as they dance find places fit;
They there remain, lie close, and fast will stick.⁷
Those which not fit,⁸ the rest that rove about
Do never leave, until they thrust them out.
Thus by their several motions, and their forms,⁹   15
As several workmen serve each other’s turns.¹⁰
And so¹¹ by chance¹² may a new world create,
Or else, predestinate, may work by¹³ Fate.

¹

The square flat atoms as dull earth appear;
The atoms round do make the water clear.
The long straight atoms like to² arrows fly,
Mount next the sharp³ and make the airy sky.
The sharpest atoms into fire do turn,⁴                            5
And⁵ by their piercing quality do⁶ burn:
That figure makes them active, active light,
Which makes them get above the rest in flight.
And by this figure they stick fast, and draw
Up other atoms, which are round and raw.                 10
But water is⁷ round drops, though ne’er so small,
Which shows⁸ its figure to be⁹ spherical.
That figure makes it spongy, spongy wet,
And¹⁰ being hollow, softness doth beget.
And being soft, that¹¹ makes it run about;                   15
More solid atoms thrust it in, or out.
But sharpest atoms have most power thereon,¹²
For cold doth nip it, and heat makes it run.¹³
But atoms flat,¹⁴ are heavy, dull, and slow,
And sinking downward¹⁵ to the bottom go.                 20
These¹⁶ figured atoms are not active, light,
Whereas the long are like the sharp in flight.
For as the sharp do pierce and get on high,
So do the long shoot straight and evenly.
The round are next the flat, the long next round;        25
Those which are sharp are still the highest found.
The flat turn all to earth and¹⁷ lie most low,
The round to water clear, which¹⁸ liquid flow.
The long to air, from whence the clouds do grow;¹⁹
The sharp to fire do turn²⁰, which hot doth glow.        30
Thus these four figures th’elements²¹ do make,
And as their figures do incline, they take.
For they²² are perfect in themselves alone,
Not taking any shape, but what’s their own.
And whatsoever form is elsewhere found,²³                35
Must take from long or square or sharp or round.²⁴
For²⁵ those that are like to triangles²⁶ cut,
Part of three figures in one form is put.
And those that bow and bend like to a bow
Like to the round, and jointed atoms²⁷ show.               40
In those that²⁸ branched, or those which crooked be,
You may both the long and²⁹ sharp figures see.
Thus several figures several tempers make,
But what is mixed doth of the four partake.

Long atoms, which the streaming air do make,¹
Are hollow, from which form air softness takes.²
This makes that air and water ne’er agree,
Because in hollowness alike they be.
For airy atoms made are like a pipe,³                        5
And wat’ry atoms, round and cymbal-like.⁴
Although the one is long, and th’other⁵ round,
Yet in the midst a hollowness is found.
This makes us think that water turns to⁶ air,
And air runs often⁷ into water fair.                           10
And like two twins they are mistaken⁸ oft,
Because their hollowness makes both them soft.

The reason why air is¹ so equal spread,
Is atoms long, at each end balancèd.
For being long, and each end both alike,²
Are like to weights, which keep it steady, right.³
For howsoe’er it moves,⁴ join to what form it will,⁵       5
Yet lies in every line that figure still.⁶
For atoms long, their forms as thread are spun,⁷
And like a cobweb interwoven run;⁸
And thus air, being thin, so⁹ subtle grows,
That into every empty place it goes.                                 10

Why’s earth¹ not apt to move, but slow and dull?
Flat atoms have no vacuum, but are² full.
That form admits no empty place to bide;
All parts are filled, having no hollow side.³
And where no vacuum is, motion is⁴ slow,                   5
Having no empty places for to go.
Though atomes all are small, as small may be,
Yet by their forms doth motion⁵ disagree.
For atoms sharp do make themselves a way,⁶
Cutting through other atoms as they stray.                 10
But atoms flat will dull and lazy lie,⁷
Having no edge or point to make a way.⁸

 

If¹ atoms are as small as small can be,
They must in quantity² of matter all agree.
And if consisting matter of the same be right,³
Then every atom must weigh just alike.⁴
Thus quantity, quality, and weight, all⁵                          5
Together meet⁶ in every atom small.

 

When I say¹ atoms small as small can be,
I mean quantity, quality, and weight agree.²
Not in the³ figure, for some may show⁴
Much bigger, and some lesser: so⁵
Take water fluid and ice, and you will see,⁶                            5
They do in weight but not in bulk agree.⁷
So atoms: some are⁸ soft, others more knit,
According as each atom’s figurèd.⁹
Atoms whose forms are hollow, long, and round¹⁰
Bend more than flat¹¹ or sharp, which close are bound.¹²  10
And being hollow, they are spread more thin
Than other atoms which are close within.
And atoms which are thin are softer much,¹³
When atoms close are of a harder touch.¹⁴

 

When several¹ figured atoms well agreeing
Do join, they² give another figure being.
For as those figures join in³ several ways,
So they the fabric of each⁴ creature raise.