WHITNEY'S EMBLEMS.

The Lame and the Blind.

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[The engraving represents a lame man on a blind man's shoulders; and the motto is, " Mutuum auxilium.”]

"The blind did bear the lame upon his back,
The burthen did direct the bearer's ways:
With mutual help they served each other's lack,
And every one their friendly league did praise :
The lame lent eyes, the blind did lend his feet,
And so they safe did pass both field and street.
Some land abounds, yet hath the same her want,
Some yields her lack, and wants the other's store;
No man so rich but is in some things scant,
The great estate must not despise the poor;"

He works, and toils, and makes his shoulders bear,
The rich again gives food and clothes to wear.

So without poor, the rich are like the lame;

And without rich, the poor are like the blind;
Let rich lend eyes, the poor his legs will frame.
Thus should it be. For so the Lord assign'd,

Who at the first, for mutual friendship sake,
Not all gave one, but did this difference make:
Whereby with trade and intercourse in space,

And borrowing here, and lending there again;
Such love, such truth, such kindness, should take place,
That friendship with society should reign.

The proverb saith, One man is deemed none,
And life is death, where men do live alone."

Self-Punished.

[The picture is a man fallen asleep backwards, with a sack round his neck, which is strangling him.]

"When silent night did sceptre take in hand,

And dimm'd the day with shade of mantle black,
What time the thieves, in privy corners stand,
And have no doubt to rob for what they lack;

A greedy thief in shambles broke a shop,
And fill'd a sack with flesh up to the top.

Which done, with speed he lifted up the sack,
And both the ends about his neck he knits,
And ran away, with burden on his back,
Till afterwards, as he at alehouse sits,
The heavy load did weigh so hard behind,

That while he slept the weight did stop his wind.

Which truly shews, to them that do offend,

Although a while they 'scape their just deserts,

Yet punishment doth at their backs attend,

And plagues them home when they have merriest hearts; And though long time they do escape the pikes,

Yet soon, or late, the Lord in justice strikes."

It only remains that we mention the most poetical of all our English poets, and not the least Christian-EDMUND SPENSER. His "Faerie Queene" is the vast fragment of a gigantic ethical allegory, in which it was intended that all the Virtues should pass through their various trials and win their respective triumphs. To give a specimen of it is almost as difficult as it would be to give a sample of an evening sky or a sun-gilt sea, so bright, expansive, and ever-varying is it; but a few stanzas, with the old and essential spelling, may give some notion of its mode and measure.

Man the Care of Angels.

"And is there care in heaven? And is there love
In heavenly spirits to these creatures bace,
That may compassion of their evils move?

There is; else much more wretched were the case
Of men than beasts; but O the exceeding grace
Of highest God! that loves His creatures so,

And all His workes with mercy doth embrace,
That blessed angels He sends to and fro,
To serve to wicked man, to serve His wicked foe!
How oft do they their silver bowers leave

To come to succour us that succour want!
How oft do they with golden pinions cleave

The flitting skyes, like flying pursuivant,

SPENSER.

Against fowle feendes to ayd us militant. They for us fight, they watch, and dewly ward,

And their bright squadrons round about us plant; And all for love, and nothing for reward;

O why should heavenly God to men have such regard!

The Seven Good Beadmen.

"Eftsoones unto an holy hospitall,

That was foreby the way she did him bring,
In which seven beadmen that had vowed all
Their life to service of high heaven's King,
Did spend their daies in doing godly thing.
Their gates to all were open evermore,

That by the wearie way were traveiling;
And one sat wayting ever them before,
To call in commers-by that needy were and pore.
The first of them, that eldest was and best,
Of all the house had charge and government,

A guardian and steward of the rest.

His office was to give entertainment
And lodging unto all that came and went;

Not unto such as could him feast againe,

And double quite for that he on them spent ;

But such as want of harbour did constraine,
Those for God's sake his dewty was to entertaine.

The second was an almner of the place;

His office was the hungry for to feed,

And thirsty give to drinke, a worke of grace;

He feared not once himselfe to be in need,
Ne cared to hoord for those whom he did breede;

The grace of God he layd up still in store,

Which as a stocke he left unto his seede;

He had enough, what need him care for more?

And had he lesse, yet some he would give to the pore.

The third had of their wardrobe custodye,

In which were not rich tyres nor garments gay,

(The plumes of pride and winges of vanity), But clothes meet to keep keene cold away, And naked nature seemly to array ;

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With which bare wretched wights he dayly clad,
The images of God in earthly clay;

And if that no spare clothes to give he had,

His owne cote he would cut, and it distribute glad.

The fourth appointed by his office was

Poore prisoners to relieve with gratious ayd,
And captives to redeeme with price of bras,

From Turkes and Sarazins, which them had stayd;
And though they faulty were, yet well he wayd,

That God to us forgiveth every howre

Much more than that, why they in bands were layd; And he that harrow'd well with heavie stowre,

The faulty soules from thence brought to his heavenly bowre.

The fift had charge sick persons to attend,

And comfort those in point of death which lay;

For them most needeth comfort in the end,

When sin, and hell, and death doe most dismay
The feeble soule departing hence away.
All is but lost that living we bestow,

If not well ended at our dying day.

O man! have mind of that last bitter throw-
For as the tree does fall, so lyes it ever low.
The sixt had charge of them that now being dead,
In seemly sort their corses to engrave,
And deck with dainty flowers their brydall bed,

That to their heavenly Spouse both sweet and brave
They might appeare, when He their soules shall save.
The wondrous workmanship of God's owne mould,
Whose face he made all beastes to feare, and gave
All in his hand, even dead we honour should.
Ah, dearest God, we graunt I dead be not defould!
The seventh, now after death and buriall done,
Had charge the tender orphans of the dead,
And wydowes ayd, lest they should be undone;
In face of judgment he their right would plead,
Ne ought the powre of mighty men did dread
In their defence, nor would for gold or fee
Be wonne their rightfull causes down to tread ;
And when they stood in most necessitee,

He did supply their want, and gave them ever free."

PERIOD OF JAMES I. AND CHARLES I.

JAMES THE FIRST was brought up a Presbyterian, and at one time seemed really attached to the ecclesiastical system of his native country. When an English divine expressed his wonder why the Church of Scotland was so seldom troubled with heresy, he answered, "I'll tell you how, man. If it spring up in a parish, there is an eldership to take notice of it; if it be too strong for them, the Presbytery is ready to crush it; if the heretic prove too obstinate for them, he shall find more witty heads in the Synod; and if he cannot be convinced there, the General Assembly, I'll warrant you, will not spare him." And at a memorable Assembly held in 1590, in the fulness of his heart he pronounced an eulogy on the Church of Scotland, which was anything but complimentary to the sister churches. "praised God that he was born in such a place as to be king in such a kirk, the sincerest kirk in the world. The Kirk of Geneva keepeth Pasch and Yule.* What had they for them? They had no institution. As for our neighbour kirk in England, their service is an evil-said mass in English, wanting nothing but the liftings. I charge you, my good people, ministers, doctors, elders, noblemen, gentlemen, and barons, to stand to your purity, and to exhort the people to do the same; and I, forsooth, as long as I brook my life and crown, shall maintain the same against all deadly."+

He

When, therefore, in March 1603, this lover of "sincerity" became king of England, it was natural that the Puritans, many of whom were Presbyterians like himself, should expect some relief to those scruples for which the imperious and

* Easter and Christmas.

+ The elevation of the host. Calderwood's History, vol. v. p. 106.

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