Читать книгу The Totall Discourse of the Rare Adventures & Painefull Peregrinations. The Long Nineteene Yeares Travayles from Scotland to the most famous Kingdomes in Europe, Asia and Affrica онлайн

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Sterne Radamanth attends, such stinking vermine;

There Hippolitus, slaine Pirothous stay

Neere t’Acheron, (all faithles lovers way)

To welcome Fiendly, fright Eremiall guests

With flame-flash’d firebrands, sulphur scorching tasts:

Chaynd fury-brangling, in remorseles paine,

Where Belzebub, and Lucifer remaine.

In this umbragious Cell, there lurks a hound

To beare Sarpedons Scepter; helpe to sound

Your Cleopatran clamours; and I thinke

The Ferrier Charon, makes such wretches drinke

Upon the Stigian bankes. Then gnashing Spirits

That howling waile, Hells inexpugnat merits:

Where’s all your gentry? for I dare conclude,

That vertue’s better borne, then noble blood:

This Epitomizd Epilogue, I send

To them who best can censure’t, there’s an end.

But by your leave, let me enter into consideration of the intractable passage of my malecontents past, and these importunate designes thereupon ensuing: And thus, have I, in the late dayes of my younger yeeres beene grievously afflicted? Ah; yea; and with more then desastrous injuries overclowded, O heavy under-prop’d wrongs. But hath not the like accident befallen to man before? [I. 7.]yea; but never the like condition of murther: Nay, but then preponderate seriously this consequent? may not the scelerate hands of foure blood-shedding wolves? facily devoure, and shake a peeces, one silly stragling lambe? yea, and most certaine, that unawares, the harmelesse innocent; unexpecting evill, may suddenly bee surprised by the ambushment of life-betraying foes. All this I acknowledge; but whereupon grew this thy voluntary wandring, and unconstrayned exyle? I answere, that being young, and within minority, in that occurrent time, I was not onely inveigled, but by seducements inforced, even by the greatest powers, then living in my countrey, A Dialogue betweene the Author and Himselfe.to submit my selfe to arbitrement, satisfaction and reconciliation. But afterward growing in yeeres, and understanding better the nature or such unallowable redresses, and the hainousnesse of the offence; I choosed rather (voti causa) to seclude my selfe from my soyle, and exclude my relenting sorrowes, to be entertained with strangers; then to have a quotidian occular inspection, in any obvious object of disastrous misfortune: or perhaps any vindicable action, might from an unsetled ranckour be conceived. O! a plaine demonstrate cause, and good resolution; for true it is, that the flying from evill, is a flying to grace, and a godly patience is a victorious freedome, and an undaunted conquerour over all wrongs; Vengeance is mine (saith the Lord) and I will repay it. To this I answer; mine eyes have seene the revenging hand of God upon mine adversaries, and these night-gaping foes, are trampled under foote, whiles I from strength to strength, doe safely goe, through the firy triall of calamities. My consolation arising from his eternall dictum, quos amo castigo, whom I love I correct: And to say my part in my soules experience,

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