The Game ended, Kings, Queens, Bifhops, Knights, Pawns pell-melled are confufedly thrown into the Box, the Conclufion of all earthly Actions and Greatness. If Hieronymus Vida can be found with Baptista Marino his Adone, we fhall not fpare fome Hours of the Night and Day at their Chefs; for 1 affect that above the other; and here have we played without a Chefs-board on Paper for a Preamble to our Meeting. W. Drummond. 21. To the Right Honourable the Earl of Perth. My Noble Lord, N this Storm of the State I had refolved to fet my Affairs in Order, expofing all to the Hazard of what might fall forth, and fly to the Shadow of your Lordship; finding, at this Time, that not to prove true, Minima parvitate fua tuta funt; for the Humility of my Fortune, and my retired and harmless Form of living, could not fave me from being imployed to ferve here the Ambition of the great Masters of the State, as if I had no more to do with Time, I was appointed to spend it in attending the Committee of the Shire; at my firft Initiation charged to be at that fatal Service, and horrible Execution of Dunglaß; they directed me to ravage and plunder the more peaceable Neighbours about. This Trojan Horfe laboured to give me a Command over Horfes. All which Imployments being contrary to my Education and Estate, knowing, that Pareil fur Pareil a nulle Puiffance, and that they were not my lawful Mafters, 1 fhun'd and performed no more than pleafed me, which acquired me no fmall Spite. If the Parliament of England, and Matters fince fallen forth, had not a little cooled your Lordship,' this Fervency or Frenzy, I knew not where to have found Sanctuary, fave with nor knew I what Thanks to render your Lordship,for your gracious Protection, and many Courtefies offered me. If I fhould facrifice my Fortunes, Liberty, and Life, I would rather lofe Your Lordship's Favours fhall ever be rethem for your Lordship, than for any Democracy. membred, and fought to be deferved, in what is within the Compafs of performing, and the Power of Hawthornden, Decemb. 1. 1640. Tour Lordship's Humble Servant, W. Drummond: I 22. To his Worthy Friend, M. A. G. Never found any greater Folly in the Actions of Men than to fee fome bufy themselves to understand the future Accidents of their Lives. This Knowledge of Things to come not revealed to us, is noways needful for us. Wherefoever this Superftition is once received, Men are driven, and, as it were, haunted with Furies, and are deprived of all Calmness, Quietness and Reft. I never knew any who had Recourfe to thofe unlawful Curiofities who liv'd the ordinary Age of Man. God Omnipotent removing his Grace from them giveth them over to fall under the Fate of their own Fears. By the Credulity and violent Defire of him who inquireth to know thefe Things, Aftrological Predictions come to pafs, not by the Nature of the Things themselves, which are fortuitous Events, and have no natural Caufes, being voluntary. The Miftakings and Uncertainties of thefe Predictions fhould make us contemn them, Aftrologi fingunt, non docent. The Truth of Aftrological Predictions is not to be referr❜d to the Conftellations of Heaven, the Genethliaticks have other Obfervations than the Stars; they conjecture by the Difpofition, Temper, Complexion of the Perfon, by the Phyfiognomy, Age, Parents, Education, Acquaintance, Familiarity, and Converfation, out of all which they collect many Appearances, Poffibilities, Likelyhoods: and their Prophefies are referr'd ad Sortem ad Pata, ad Prudentiam confultorum, & ftultitiam Confilentium: the Sagacity of the Aftrolo Pp 2 ger the Blockishnes of the Confulter. Of Contingencies,no certain Knowledge can be obtained by Art. ger, But all thofe Events, which Aftrologers averr to come,are fortuitous and cafual Contingents,then they cannot be learned or known by any Precepts of Art. How can a Chaldean by that thort Minute, Inftant, or Moment of Time in which a Man is born, fet down the diverfe Changes, Mutations and Accidents of his Life? If we were to confider of thofe Things, it would appear we should not be folicitous fo much, and take Notice how the Air is affected at the Infant's coming in this World,as we fhould obferve and refpect the Matter and Difpofition of the whole Body, in which a greater Virtue is infufed, or of the Time of the Conception. Then how unlikely is it, and without any Semblance of Truth, that the many almoft numberles Conjunctions of Stars, which occurr and prefent themfelves in the Progrefs of a Man's Life, fhould match and countervail that one Horofcope or Conjunction which is found at his Birth? Morcover, to find out and know theActions of the Free-wil of Man,of what Importance fhould we hold Nourishment Education, Age, the Place, and his Converfation, every one of which after their own Manner contributing to the Conftitution and Complexion of the Perfon, how great Effects must all thefe together produce? If that Moment of the Time of Birth be of fuch Moment, Whence proceedeth the great Differences of the Conftitutions of Twins, which, though together born, have strange, divers and contrary Fortunes in the Progrefs of their Lives? All that Knowledge (if there be any fuch) of Things contingent, to which we attain by the Afpects of Stars, is uncertain, frivolous and changeable. This the Devils themselves confeffed, when,upon Confultations of Things to come, for the most part they gave doubtful and ambiguous Anfwers. The Stars are not malignant, mifchievous and fpiteful, nor by their Afpects malicious; if they were fuch, that fhould be either by Election or Nature: They are not by Election, for then they fhould have Senfes and Souls, and, as Animals, be troubled with Perturbations, and toffed like unto us, which followeth Election. They are not malicious by Nature, fince God created them, and God is not a Creator of what is Evil, nor is the Framer of what's not Good; the Heavens are all Good, and in every Degree and Figure the Divine Bounty fhineth. Why do not Aftrologers at their Pleasure procreate Kings; for they have no great Labour but to choose out opportu nam horam, and ask Counfel of the fatal Stars Had Gyges, who of a Servant became a King, a Kingly Afpect; or Servius Tullus, or that Tartar Tamerlane, Royal Images and Figures? Vain fhould all Laws be, all Sentences and Dooms of Judges, vain the Rewards of Virtue and good Men, vain the Punishments of Vices and Evils, if the great Beginnings and Originals of them were compelled, driven and forced, and if what is Juft or Wrong were not in a Man himself. The Thief fhould not be a Thief, the Murtherer a Murtherer, Wicked and Unjuft they fhould not be, the one being neceffitated to Steal, the other to fhed Blood by the Stars. Truit in the Firft Caufe, God Almighty, and fcorn vain Predictions. That infinite, eternal Effence, though the Stars fhould incline, yea neceffitate, and be averfe, can countermand and turn them propitious: All Things turn unto the beft unto fuch as rely on his Eternal Goodness. W. Drummond. LETTERS LETTERS Never before Printed: 1 1. To his very worthy Friend, Mr. Wil liam Drummond of Hawthornden. SIR, HAVE fent you here a Sonnet, which the King made the last Week, moved by the Roughness of the Seafon, as you may perceive by his Allufion to Saturn and Fanus Meeting. This forced the Other from me. The laft Day being private with his Majefty, after other Things, wè fortuned to difcourfe of English Poefy, and I told one Rule that he did like of exceedingly, which was this; That, to make a good Sound there must still be first a short Syllable, and then a long, which is not long pofitively of it felf, but comparatively, when it followeth a fhorter: So that one Syllable may be long in one Place and fhort in another, according as it is matched for a Syllable feems fport when it is as it were born down with a longer. Though this Letter would feem idle to fome; yet I know it will prove ferious to you, and I feek in this but to fit your Humour to whom I write. You will find this, by your own Obfervation, better than, a Man can express it with Words, though few or none have ever remark'd it. I have presently written a Number of ferious Letters; and laft of all have recreated my Mind with this, wherewith I end, Newmarket, the 4th of February, 1616. Tour Brother, W. Alexander: A Sonnet by King James VL H OW cruelly thefe Catives do confpire; What loathfome Love breeds fuch a baleful Band, That Melancholy, Old, and Angry Sire, Curs'd be that Love, and mought continue bort, Q q A Poem by Sir William Alexander. WHEN Britain's Monarch, in true Greatness great, His Council's Counsel, did Things past unfold, He (eminent in Knowledge as in State) And when far rais'd from this Terrestrial Round, This Day, defign'd tofpoil the World of Peace, Since ftain'd by Treafon forfeiting the Place. More length we wish, but what thou wantft of Ligth 2. To his very worthy Friend Mr. William Drummond of Hawthornden. BROTHER, I Have perufed thofe Pieces, which you fent me, but in fuch Hafte, that I have rather marked the Faults than mended them; which are very few, fome of the Printer, fome of the Accent,and others in the Congruity according to the Phrafe here. This is only in a few Particulars, but the whole is good, efpecially your Song. I may have miftaken fome Defects which I find; but I am too free a Friend not to be a Čritick at fuch Times. Be plain with me again, for no Fortune can change me from what I am to you. Yesterday M. John Murray died. Eight Days ago I wrote a Sonnet, divining his Death, which you fhall receive here: The King commended it much, but thought that I gave him too much Praife,at least it was a generous Error. I envy no Man,and fhall never be a Niggard to any Man's Worth in that which I can afford. It may be I come to Scotland the Year for a Forth-night; if I do, I will forwarn you to be where we may meet, and I shall be loath to want you all the Time. Commend me to Scots-Tarbet. So continues London, 12 of April, 1615. Tour loving Brother, W. Alexander. MOURN MOURN TOURN Mufes, mourn, your greatest Gallant dies, He grac'd your Band, and not your Bays bis Brow, 3. To his very worthy Friend Mr. Wil liam Drummond of Hawthornden. Worthy Friend, Received your Letter and your Verfes, which I liked very well, and am glad that you exercife your Mufe, fince Samuel Daniel is dead. I doubt not you have heard how Sir Robert Ker hath kill'd Charles Maxwell in Combat, which was fo much preffed upon him, and fo well carried, that my Lord Maxwell and the Gentleman's Brother who are here, and know all the Circumftances thereof, have very generously protested, that they fhall never quar rel nor diflike hm for it: So remembring my Love to your worthy Brother Sir John and his Lady, I reft, Newmarket, 7. Februa ry, 1620. I 4. BROTHER,' Your truly loving Friend, W. Alexander. Received your laft Letter, with the Pfalm you fent, which I think very well done: I had done the fame, long before it came, but he prefers his own to all elfe, tho' perchance, when you fee it, you will think it the worft of the Three. No Man muft meddle with that Subject, and therefore I advise you to take no more Pains therein; but I, as I have ever wifhed you, I would have you to make choice of fome new Subject worthy of your Pains, which I fhould be glad to fee. I love the Mufes as well as ever I did, but can feldom have the Occafion to frequent them. All my Works are written over in one Book, ready for the Prefs, but I want leifure to print them: So referring all further to our old Friend, Sir Archbald Archifon, who is coming Home, I continue, London, 18. I 5. My Noble Friend, Your loving Friend, W. Alexander. Was very glad to fee your Letter, but difpleafed with that Part thereof, whereby you excufe the Discontinuance of Writing to me; for no Distance of Degree nor Place, fhould tinued have Power to interrupt the Courfe of fo harmonious an Unitedness, as hath fo long con Q92 |