Nicetas or the Triumph Over Incontinencie
Nicetas
OR
THE TRIUMPH.
over
INCONTINENCIE
Written in Latin by
F. Hier. Drexelius of
the Society of
JESUS.
AND
Translated into
English by R. S.
1633
1.
[Page 270]
[...]
O heare and see; but be not * silent tho,
For silence 'twas which caus'd Amiclas woe
Oh! be not partial when thou dost confesse,
Conceale not great, & little sinnes expresse.
For when a sicke man bleedes, if forth comes good
They say 'tis dangerous; for corrupted bloud,
Lyes lurking in the veines: So many times,
It is observ'd, some tel their petty crimes,
Or els make knowne how oft they have done good,
And so are letting forth their bares best bloud,
While sinne like rancke and peccant humours find
A latent veine to lurke and stay behind.
Whatere it be, the Priest hath prower t' unlose.
[Page 271]
Then to the Priest, what so e're it be, disclose.
Ah! sinner when thy consoience findes ve [...]se,
Help is at hand; some maist thou stint the course,
Of fluent sinne, that swels into a floud:
The surgian is prepar'd to let thee bloud.
Raphaelfor Tobie, but a man's for thee,
Assign'd by Christ to cure thy malady.
No Seraphin ; the keyes 'tis Peter [...]res,
Heave[n]s gates he opneth: hece then sham [...] feares.
If Josue, to gaine time, sayd to the sunne:
Stand; and it stood, when he almost had runne
His wonted course: If God his voice obeyd,
And in a trice confirm'd what he had said,
When Priests say I absolve(ma [...]gre our foes)
He can, be wil, he doth thy sinnes unlose.
And as in time of dearth, when men forlorne
Are pining, like to starve for want of corne,
The careful farmer beares a watchful eye,
And keepes the keyes of his rich granary.
But when againe both rich and poore have store,
The wary farmer keepes the keyes no more,
But gives them to his man: Even so we find,
When Adam caus'd a dearth among mankind,
God kept the keyes, and famish'd soules half dead
Were not sustain'd, because they wanted bread.
But Christ being came, who by his death brought flore,
[Page 272]
He gives the keyes to [...], and now no more
Shutes heaven gates, nor openeth them, until
Peterabsolves; the keyes are at his wil.
If he unbind, then 'tis unbound be sure:
And if he bind, fast bound it shal endure.
Oh! what is man that tho hast rais'd him so?
[...]