Biblical Passage

Puritans:

Biblical Passage:

Genesis 26: 2-5

2TheLordhad appeared to Isaac and had said, “Do not go to Egypt; stay in this land, where I tell you to stay.3Live here, and I will be with you and bless you. I am going to give all this territory to you and to your descendants. I will keep the promise I made to your father Abraham.4I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and I will give them all this territory. All the nations will ask me to bless them as I have blessed your descendants.5I will bless you, because Abraham obeyed me and kept all my laws and commands.”

Numbers 14: 7-9

7and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land.8If theLorddelights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey.9Only, do not rebel against theLord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us; their protection is removed from them, and theLordis with us; do not fear them.”

Poetry:

Upon a Spider Catching a Fly
by Edward Taylor

Thou sorrow, venom Elfe:
Is this thy play,
To spin a web out of thyselfe
To Catch a Fly?
For Why?
I saw a pettish wasp
Fall foule therein:
Whom yet thy Whorle pins did not clasp
Lest he should fling
His sting.
But as affraid, remote
Didst stand hereat,
And with thy little fingers stroke
And gently tap
His back.
Thus gently him didst treate
Lest he should pet,
And in a froppish, aspishheate
Should greatly fret
Thy net.
Whereas the silly Fly,
Caught by its leg
Thou by the throatetookst hastily
And ‘hinde the head
Bite Dead.
This goes to pot, that not
Nature doth call.
Strive not above what strength hath got,
Lest in the brawle
Thou fall.
This Frey seems thus to us.
Hells Spider gets
His intrails spun to whip Cords thus
And wove to nets
And sets.
To tangle Adams race
In’s stratigems
To their Destructions, spoil’d, made base
By venom things,
Damn’d Sins.
But mighty, Gracious Lord
Communicate
Thy Grace to breake the Cord, afford
Us Glorys Gate
And State.
We’lNightingaile sing like
When pearcht on high
In Glories Cage, thy glory, bright,
And thankfully,
For joy.

A Recommendation of New-England
By William Morrell (fl. 1625)
[Resident in Plymouth. 1623–24. Nova-Anglia. 1625.]
FEARE not poore muse, ’cause first to sing her fame,
That’s yet scarce known, unless by map or name;
A grand-childe to earth’s paradize is borne,
Well lim’d, well nerv’d, faire, rich, sweete, yet forlorne.
Thou blest director, so direct my verse, / 5
That it may winne her people, friends, commerce;
Whilst her sweet ayre, rich soile, blest seas, my penne
Shall blaze and tell the natures of her men.
New-England, happie in her new true stile,
Wearie of her cause she’s to sad exile / 10
Expos’d by her’s unworthy of her land,
Intreates with teares Great Brittaine to command
Her empire, and to make her know the time,
Whose act and knowledge onely makes divine.
A royallworke well worthy England’s king, / 15
These natives to true truth and grace to bring.
A noble worke for all these noble peares
Which guide this state in their superiourspheres.
You holy Aarons let your sensors nere
Cease burning, till these men Jehovah feare. / 20
Westward a thousand leagues a spatious land
Is made unknown to them that it command.
Of fruitfullmould, and no lessefruitlessemaine
Inrich with springs and prey high-land and plaine.
The light well tempred, humid ayre, whose breath / 25
Fils full all concaves betwixt heaven and earth,
So that the region of the ayre is blest
With what earth’s mortals wish to be possest.
Great Titan darts on her his heavenly rays
Whereby extreames he quells, and overswayes. / 30
Blest is this ayre with what the ayre can blesse,
Yet frequent ghusts doe much this place distresse;
Here unseeneghusts doe instant on-set give,
As heaven and earth they would together drive.
An instant power doth surprize their rage, / 35
In their vast prison, and their force asswage.
Thus in exchange a day or two is spent,
In smiles and frownes: in great yet no content.
The earth grand parent to all things on earth,
Cold, dry, and heavie, and the next beneath / 40
The ayre, by nature’s arme with low discents,
Is as it were intrencht; againe ascents
Mount up to heaven by Jove’s omnipotence,
Whose looming greenessejoyes the sea-manssence.
Invites him to a land if he can see, / 45
Worthy the thrones of stately soveraigntie.
The fruitfull and well watered earth doth glad
All hearts, when Flora’s with her spangles clad,
And yeelds an hundred fold for one,
To feede the bee and to invite the drone. / 50
O happie planter, if you knew the height
Of planter’s honours where ther’s such delight;
There nature’s bounties, though not planted are,
Great store and sorts of berries great and faire:
The filberd, cherry, and the fruitful vine, / 55
Which cheares the heart and makes it more divine.
Earth’s spangled beauties pleasing smell and sight
Objects for gallant choyce and chiefe delight.
A ground-nut there runnes on a grassiethreed,
Along the shallow earth as in a bed, / 60
Yealow without, thin filmd, sweete, lilly white,
Of strength to feede and cheare the appetite.
From these our natures may have great content,
And good subsistance when our meanes is spent.
* * * * *
The fowles that in those bays and harboursfeede, / 65
Though in their seasons they doe else-where breede,
Are swans and geese, herne, phesants, duck and crane,
Culvers and divers all along the maine:
The turtle, eagle, partridge, and the quaile,
Knot, plover, pigeons, which doe never faile, / 70
Till sommer’sheate commands them to retire,
And winter’s cold begets their old desire.
With these sweete dainties man is sweetly fed,
With these rich feathers ladies plume their head;
Here’s flesh and feathers both for use and ease / 75
To feede, adorne, and rest thee, if thou please.
* * * * *
The costly codd doth march with his rich traine:
With which the sea-man fraughts his merry ship:
With which the merchant doth much riches get:
With which plantations richly may subsist, / 80
And pay their merchants debt and interest.
Thus ayre and earth, both land and sea yeelds store
Of nature’s dainties both to rich and poore;
To whom if heavens a holy vice-roy give,
The state and people may most richly live: / 85
And there erect a pyramy of estate,
Which onelysinne and heaven can ruinate.
Let deepe discretion this great work attend,
What’s well begun for th’ most part well doth end.

Upon a Spider Catching a Fly

Thou sorrow, venom Elfe:

Is this thy play,

To spin a web out of thyselfe

To Catch a Fly?

For Why?

I saw a pettish wasp

Fall foule therein:

Whom yet thy Whorle pins did not clasp

Lest he should fling

His sting.

But as affraid, remote

Didst stand hereat,

And with thy little fingers stroke

And gently tap

His back.

Thus gently him didst treate

Lest he should pet,

And in a froppish, aspish heate

Should greatly fret

Thy net.

Whereas the silly Fly,

Caught by its leg

Thou by the throate tookst hastily

And 'hinde the head

Bite Dead.

This goes to pot, that not

Nature doth call.

Strive not above what strength hath got,

Lest in the brawle

Thou fall.

This Frey seems thus to us.

Hells Spider gets

His intrails spun to whip Cords thus

And wove to nets

And sets.

To tangle Adams race

In's stratigems

To their Destructions, spoil'd, made base

By venom things,

Damn'd Sins.

But mighty, Gracious Lord

Communicate

Thy Grace to breake the Cord, afford

Us Glorys Gate

And State.

We'l Nightingaile sing like

When pearcht on high

In Glories Cage, thy glory, bright,

And thankfully,

For joy.