Book X, Chapter 60

OF holy Dauid, and his House, the Man approu'd to be
By Gods owne Mouth, to Gods owne heart, the […]y Troubles see.
His Soule was euer godly firme, though fraile in flesh as Man,
For who of Adams Seede from sinne acquite them could or can.)
Our walls of flesh, that close our Soules, God knew too weak, & gaue
A further Guard, euen euery Man an Angell Guide to haue:
And Men to vs be Angels, whilst they worke our Soules to saue.
For, eare his Fall, Man was not left vnto himselfe so free,
But that he had a Law, and Those that should his Temptors be,
And tempted, then the Spirit, that for God himselfe was made,
Was dared by the Flesh, that to the Spirit earst obayde:
The Soule by either laboured to thriue, or be betraide.
To erre is proper then to Men, but brutish to persist:
With Praise, and Praier, still to God, as Dauid thriu'd, or mist,
He plied: more in louing God, than liuing godly blist.
Vngratefull Saule distressing him, or what eare then befell,
Or afterwards, nor other then Domestick Greefes we tell.
The troublous Sequels Nathan tould of Dauids House, when as,
To wanton it with Bethsabe, Vrias murthred was,
Effecting now, is onely it whereto our Pen shall pas.
Thamar, Ammon, Absolom, Adoniah, also wrought
Vnto their Father woe enough: let these on Stage be brought.

Now to the Tribes was Dauid as the Zodiack to the Signes,
Euen Signifer to euery Prince that circled his Confines.
A Monarche great, in Acts and Fame more great, but great'st of all,
In that he was belou'd of God, nor ceast on him to call,
Who rai[…]d him, often falling, for his Crosses weare not small.
Loue-[…] M[…], […] King of Geshurs Daughter, baire
To Dauid […] Abram, and Thamar peereles faire.
No[…] […]a[…]rer ye[…] than virtuous, though disastrously she speade:
Su[…] is admyred Bewtie that hath Worlds of Mischiefes breade.
Ammon, whom Ahinoam bore to Dauid, was the cause
Of hers and his owne griefe, in that he gaue his Eyes no lawes.
For Loue is but a Terme, like as is Eccho but a Voyce,
That This doth babble, That doth breed, or not, is ours the choyce.
And Virtue curbs[…] Affection, and for Conscience flyeth sinne:
To leaue for imperfection, feare, or shame, no praise doth winne.
But not so happy he as feare, or shame, or ought, might stay
His rankled thoughts, but sicke, luste sicke, for Thamar Ammon lay:
And subtell Ionadabs Aduise did her to him betray.
For neuer was Pretence so fowle but some would flatter it:
No any thing so pestilent as mis-applied Wit.
Seeme feeble sicke, and when the King thy Father visits thee,
Then faine an Appetite to Meate by Thamar drest (quoth he:)
Aske that she dresse it in thy sight, and of her hand to take it,
When priuate so, thy Market bee as thou doest mar or make it,
Well pleasde this Counsell: Ammon askes, and Dauid yeelds anon:
Nor readier Dauid to bid goe, than Thamar to be gone:
Like Philomela, […]attering […]on she might go
With Tereus, that prepos'd her shame, was Thamar forward so:
When either Virgin was surprisde, wheare least they look't a Foe.

So gratious, portly, […]resh, and faire, and (which no lesse attract)
So modest, wittie, affable, had Nature her compact,
That such as, in his Canticles, her Brother hath purtrayde
His Loues Idea, litrally might Thamar such be saide.
Goodly thus, and gladly then, and not suspecting harme,
She, entring wheare he lodged, did afresh the Leacher warme.
His leasing Sicknes then to acte by Arte was more thau neede,
For, seeing her, imagine all his Senses sick in deede.
More could she nor, more should she not, than she in kindnes did:
All adding Fewell to the Fier, which yet from her lay hid.
Now, saue of him and her, the Roome was cleard by his deuise,
When he did aske to eate, which she did bring him in a trise:
Full glad (good Soule) her Cookerie might please him any whit,
When not her Cookrie, but her selfe, his appetite did fit.
Concerning which he breakes with her, indeuoring her consent:
Whereto, amaz'de, she counter-works, nor would for ought relent.
How pretious her Virginitie, what sinne it to defile,
How for their Fathers Luste much woe was prophesied ere-while,
How Incest was much more a sinne, she wished him to way,
How permanent the Shame to both: Enough did Thamar say,
To haue preseru'd Virginitie, if lust had brook't a Nay.
But pleading teares and words lackt waite, by force he rauisht her,
And hauing forst, he forced not to hide how he did erre:
Nor more he loued her ere while, but hates her now as much:
Of Lust and vnchast Coiture still is the Sequell such.
Her now vn-virgin'd Eyes did shame to view the common Light:
She therefore would haue stayde, at least not come in cōmon Sight,
Supposing, by her Blusshings, all would ayme her altred Plight.
But out his Doores by violence he shutteth her, wherefore
Aloude she cride, with bitter teares, her faire attier she tore,
And did all Signes of sorrow, whilst the cause admired was.
But when her Brother Absolom found how had come to pas,
He comforts her in all he might, and to his house conuaies
His wofull Sister, wheare thenceforth, as desolate, she states:
Like Prognes sister pensiue, but her moodes weare milder still,
This wanting will, not speech to rayle, That wanting speech not will.
Contrary-wise thought Absolom of nothing but Reuenge,
And with his choler thinke ye him these thoughts among to menge:
Did Cadmus, for his Sister rapt'e, so many Countries rome?
And shall I sleepe my Sisters Rape, that may be quit at home?
For Rape of one, scarce honest, was at Troy such tenne-years Fight?
And shall one easie bloe seeme much, sweet Thamers wrong to right?
Simean and Leui, worthy Sonnes of Israel our grand Sier,
Yee in reuenging Dinas Rape haue set mine heart on fier,
Euen mine, that for a greater wrong should greater things acquier.
Poore Sychem, thou didst loue in deede, and Marriage Rites affect:
Lewde Ammon, thou did'st lust in deede, and then thy Rape reiect:
Poore Sichem, she a Stranger was whom thou so much didst wowe:
Lewde Ammon, she thy Sister was with whome thou hadst to doe:
Poore Sichem, thou to prize thy loue, didst leaue thy Godes for hers:
Lewde Ammon, thou to please thy luste, no God at all prefers:
But howsoeare in these, in this no diffrence shall remaine:
Poore Sichem he was slaughtred: lewd Ammon shall be slaine.

Nor more Maachas goodly Sonne in stomaking did threate,
Then did this Newes his Father now offensiuely disqueat[…] […]
At poynt almost to act as much as Absolom did plot,
Euen Ammons death, had not he been his Isiue first-begot.
For which he earst had hild him Deare, and present Nature wrought,
And that himselfe had amorous Slyps, is likely too, hee thought:
But howsoeare, in woe enough, he ouerpafseth it
Which Absolom, in wroth enough, nor could, nor would, forgi[…]:
Two yeares in silence, neartheles, he labord of that fit.
To his Sheep-shearing Dauid and his Brethren he inuites,
(Such as our Wakes, conuenting Kinnes to Feastings and Delightes)
Now listen what Catastropha this Stratagem behightes.
The King excus'd his comming, whome his Sonne importunes so,
As Ammon, and his other Sonnes, had leaue, and will, to goe.
Vnwilling though (by what Presage I wot not) Dauid seem'd
Of Ammens going: but what Fate ordain'd hath none redeem'd:
Go did he, wheare full merily he frollicked that tyde,
When, by his Ostes Attendants there, of sudden Wounds he dyde:
(Which after Bar quet did their Lord for onely him prouide.)
More skar'd than hurt the other Sonnes of Dauid flead with speede,
Yeat eare their home-returne the King had notice of the deede,
And feared much their safetie, till them he saw, and then
Was such confused sorrow, more was neuer seene among'st Men.
To Geshur Absolom escapes, three yeares an Exile thear,
Till Dauids kinde relenting heart to Ioah did appeare:
By meanes of whome, recalled home, he lastly purchast Grace,
Yea well-appay'd was Dauid, if weare Absolom in place.

Lou'd neuer Father more a Sonne than him his Father lon'd,
Prou'd neuer Sonne vngratefull more than he vngratfull prou'd:
For hauing stolne the Peoples hearts, by affable Pretexts,
He faines his vowes at Hebren, but the Diadem affects:
And, by collected Forces theare, distressed Dauid more
Than S[…]le, the Cananites, or all, hap't after, or before:
Enforcing him to flie the Land. But dwell we not of this:
God neuer fauor'd such Attempts, or euer sayled His.
When Dauid seem'd, in common Sence, already on the hip,
Was Absolom himselfe ore-throne, whom God made ouer-slip,
What, wisely, false Achitophel had counseld him to doe,
Whose Counsell not receau'd, he hong himselfe, and worthie too,
Ambitious Absolom, now foyl'd, as on his Mule he flead,
Was carried vnderneath an Oke, wheare, caught-vp by the head,
(Euē by those bewtious Locks, of which, & him, such praise is read)
He sighte (and cause he had) and said (or say he might) that All
Which so vniustly seeke to clime, most iustly so doe fall.
But whatsoeare he thought or spake, this holds autenticall:
We thinke no greater blisse than such to be as be we would,
When blessed none, but such as be the same that be they should
Had one Man all that all Men haue, he nothing had, vulesse
He also had a Soule that All as nothing did possesse.
Natures Mynion, Eyes Admier, and now in-ayred Earth,
(For, hanging, Ioabs ruthles speare had vented vitall breath,
Although the King his counter-maunde should haue contraried so)
Effected had his Fathers heart no Substance else but woe:
So kinde and ouer-kinde was he in mouing such a Foe.
But thus of this, and thus to him this following Crosse did groe.