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THE THREE WISE SENTENCES,

From the First Book of ESDRAS Chap. III. and IV.

In gentle Numbers fain my Muse would sing
Of great Darius, Persia's royal King;
That potent Monarch, whose imperial Sway
So many mighty Kingdoms did obey;
From India's Coast, to Ethiopia's Land,
All people did submit to his Command. 

The King with Feasting, in most noble Sort
Did entertain the Princes of his Court,
Till Night came on, and all retired were,
Then to his Chamber did to Rest repair;
Whereseveral** Custom among the Eastern Monarchs.
nobleYouthsstrictWatchdidkeep,
To guard his sacred Person in his Sleep:
Among them three young Men of virtuous Mind,
Whose Hearts to study Wisdom were inclin'd,
[Page 18]15  Had privately, between themselves, agreed
To leave in Writing, for the King to read,
What, in their Judgments, did in Strength excel
All other Things, for they discerned well
Their Sovereign's bounteous Disposition so,
What they could wish, he would on them bestow. 

The first of them, in Writing did declare,
That nothing could for Strength with Wine compare;
The second then his Sentence in did bring,
Nothing for might, is equal with the King;
With like Assurance did the third decree
Women do bear away the Victory
From all on Earth; but yet he knew full well
Great was the Truth that did in Heaven dwell. 

These Papers seal'd, where secretly convey'd
Beneath the Pillow where Darius laid,
Until Aurora did her Light display,
And Phoebus rising, usher'd in the Day;
Then they withdrew, and when the King did rise,
His Servants on the Writings cast their Eyes,
And to his sacred Majesty made known
What in the Night had by his Guards been done. 
The King was pleas'd on hearing the Report
How the brave Youths had acted in his Court;
[Page 19]39  And straightway did his royal Mandate send,
Commanding all his Princes to attend;
All his wise Men, and Captains, he did call
Strait to assemble in the Council-Hall:
The King himself in Judgment takes his Place,
And with his Presence will the Senate grace;
His Resolution doth to them declare,
Impartially to end this nice Affair. 

And now the several Writings being read,
That with the greater Force they may proceed,
The King commands the young Men in with Speed,
And bids them freely speak their whole Intent,
What either of them by his Sentence meant:
Then having Leave, the first did Silence break,
And to this Purpose he before them spake. 

Most mighty Powers! doth not Wine exceed
In Strength? — It overcometh all indeed:
By freely drinking many are misled;
By Wine the strongest have been conquered:
The needy Orphan it will quickly bring
To be as gay and pleasant as the King;
Enslaveth him that heretofore was free;
Makes Servants think they have their Liberty:
[Page 20]62  The poor Man and the rich alike are found,
While Mirth and Jollity go freely round;
Remembrance of all Evils, past and gone,
Sorrows and Debts, no more are thought upon
When sparkling Wine their Heart begins to cheer,
Nor King, nor Governor they seem to fear;
They speak at large, each would be Chief of all,
Till Friends and Brethren at Variance fall:
Drawn Swords sometimes the Pow'r of Wine attend,
But when 'tis gone, the Quarrel's at an End;
Their Wrath forgot, their Mirth thought on no more,
Each Man is in the State he was before. 
The Force and Pow'r of Wine, consider'd well,
Must needs in Strength all other Things excel,

76 He having spoke, the second did begin

77 Thus to declare the Power of the King.

Most noble Lords! Of all Things that were made,
Or ever on the Earth a Being had,
Men do excel in Strength: To their Command
All Things are subject, both by Sea and Land:
How strong then is the King, whose regal Sway
All Men on Earth submissively obey! 
They yeild Obedience to his princely Will,
And ready are his Pleasure to fulfill;
[Page 21]86  To his Dominion, High and Low submit,
He over them bears Rule as he thinks fit. 
If he in hostile Manner draws his Sword,
Whole armed Legions strait attend his Word;
Whate'er he bids, they do with Heart and Hand,
Walls, Tow'rs, nor Bulwarks can before them stand:
When into foreign Lands he doth them send,
They, in his Quarrel, even their Blood do spend,
And fight till Vict'ry doth on them attend;
Then with glad Hearts submissively they bring
The choicest Spoils with Homage to the King:
While those whose Bus'ness is to till the Ground,
With whom a Sword or Spear is seldom found,
Manure their Land, their fruitful Vineyards dress;
They reap their Corn, and luscious Clusters press:
And when the Harvest doth their Toil reward,
They bring their Tribute to their Sovereign Lord. 
If any hapless Wretch the King displease,
His Neighbours ne'er dispute, but on him seize;
If he bid spare, they spare; if he bid kill,
They ready are his Pleasure to fulfil;
If Cities to destroy, or Buildings burn,
They into Heaps of Ruin Kingdoms turn:
If Clemency within his Breast take Place,
His People all adore his princely Grace,
And build, and plant, what late they did deface. 
[Page 22]112 Whene'er he please he lays him down to sleep,
While armed Bands strict Watch do round him keep;
Nor dare depart, nor their own Bus'ness mind,
But serve the King, as Duty doth them bind. 
Then what can equal him for Strength, I pray,
Whom in such Sort all Men on Earth obey? 

Wise Zorabable then appears in place,
A royal Youth of David's kingly Race,
(Much nobler he than those that spoke before,
Because he did the living GOD adore)
And thus his Mind and Writing did declare
Before them all, that fate in Judgement there,

Most worthy Princes! I do freely own
The Strength of Kings throughout the World is known;
The Force of Wine all Mortals know full well;
Yet neither of them doth in Might excel:
Women alone must bear the Prize away,
Whom all Mankind do honour and obey. 
And well they may, because from them do spring
The Poor and Rich, the Peasant and the King;
The greatest Heroes that the World can know,
To Women their Original must owe;
They nourish those that plant the fruitful Vine,
From whence you vainly boast the Pow'r of Wine:
[Page 23]136  The Glory and the Praise of Men they are,
And make the Garment which they daily wear:
Nay, without Women, Men can't be at all,
But soon the Species would to Ruin fall. 
When Men have gather'd Gold, and Treasures great
Of precious Things, and live in Pomp and State,
No true Content their captive Hearts attain,
Unless they can a Woman's Favour gain;
Her Beauty to adore they are inclin'd,
Her noble Virtue does attract the Mind,
With Gold and Silver they will freely part,
To gain admission to a Female's Heart;
Her rare Perfections are so much admir'd,
Nought in the World can be like her desir'd;
For if his native Country lay at Stake,
The Husband quits it for his Spouse's Sake;
His Parents, Friends, and Kindred he doth leave;
Unto his Wife alone his Heart doth cleave:
Nought comes amiss, he's happy if he find
A Consort virtuous, loving, fair, and kind;
A willing Homage he to her doth pay;
In Toil and Labour hard he spends the Day,
To gather Wealth, that so he may provide
Treasure to bring unto his dearest Bride:
Another boldly, with a Sword in Hand,
Will cross the Seas, and wander on the Land;
[Page 24]162  No horrid Dangers can procure his Stay,
He bravely dares a Lyon in the Way;
Laden with Booty to his Mistress flies,
And at her Feet presents the golden Prize. 
Some Men, for love of Women, oft we see
Have been reduc'd to utmost Misery,
And lost their Senses, if they chanc'd to find
A beauteous Female cruel and unkind. 
How oft have wretched Mortals been misled,
With murd'rous Hands their Rival's Blood to shed? 
While some as desp'rately have sought for Death,
And by Self-Murder stopt their vital Breath! 
The King is strong, no People can deny
The Honours due to sovereign Majesty:
All stand in fear of him; his Pow'r is such,
'Tis Death to strike, no less than Death to touch. 
This mighty Monarch I did lately spy
In's Chair of State, fair Apame sitting by;
At his Right Hand this youthful Beauty bright,
Appear'd like Cynthia's glitt'ring Rays of Light;
Altho he did the Persian Scepter sway,
This blooming Lady took his Crown away;
The Diadem that on his Head was worn,
Her lovely Brows and Temples did adorn;
Nay furthermore, when she had done this Thing,
With her Left Hand she struck this puissant King;
[Page 25]188  Yet no Displeasure did in him arise,
Who was Captive to her conqu'ring Eyes:
Her radiant Beauty did such Beams display,
From her he could not turn his Eyes away:
If this illustrious Lady deign'd to smile,
Oe'rcome with Joy, the King would laugh the while;
If ought displeas'd her, then the King would try
With gentle Words the Dame to pacify. 
What mortal Strength with Women can compare,
Since crowned Heads to them obedient are? 

The King and Princes then began to gaze,
And look upon each other with Amaze;
For now they very plainly did descry
This noble Prince would have the Victory
Who, having paus'd, began to speak again,
Not doubting but he should Acceptance gain. 

Most noble Counsellers, assembled here! 
Women are strong, as I have made appear;
The Earth is large, wherein all Creatures dwell;
The Heavens stupendious doth in Height excel;
The glorious Sun does Heat and Light display,
And with his Beams gives ev'ry Region Day:
How great then He, by whose divine Command,
All Things at first were made, Earth, Sea, and Land! 
[Page 26]212 Strong is the Truth, who did create all Things;
From that blest Fountain all Perfection springs:
The heav'nly Host with Rev'rence all adore,
While Men on Earth with trembling Fear implore
Almighty Truth, which ever shall endure,
When worldly Pomp and Splendour are no more. 

That Kings are wicked, all wise Men agree;
Women are so we know assuredly;
When to excessive Drinking Men incline,
The worst of Evils has been caus'd by Wine:
All Men on Earth of high and low Degree,
Are subject unto Sin and Vanity;
Destruction does on Wickedness attend,
But mighty Truth shall never know an End;
Not only strong, but good beyond compare;
No wicked Men with Him accepted are:
No rich Reward, no golden Bribe can buy
License from Truth to act unfaithfully:
Fraud or Deceit in Truth we never find;
Good Men embrace it with a ready Mind:
Whatever Thing is virtuous, good, and great,
In Truth we find it perfect and complete:
Then prais'd be Truth to all Eternity,
In whom alone is Strength and Majesty! 
[Page 27]

He having finish'd, the attentive Crowd,
With joyful Acclamations shout aloud;
The Truth applauding, they, as one, agree
This brave young Prince should have the Victory:
The King and Council did his Wisdom praise,
Affirming he had doubly won the Bays. 
Straitway the King Darius did declare
That Purple and fine Linnen he should wear;
That all his royal Bounty might behold,
Commanded he should eat and drink in Gold;
A regal Chariot too he did decree,
Adorn'd with Gold, at his Command should be;
A massy Chain of Gold his Neck does grace,
And next unto himself assigns his Place:
And to increase his Honour, after all,
Commands that they his Cousin should him call;
And of his royal Grace he doth decree,
What he would ask, performed it should be:
Speak what thou wilt, it shall be done for thee. 
He was not long to seek what Choice to make,
But to the King with low Submission spake. 

Most mighty Prince! I beg thou wouldst pursue
The Thing that thou proposedst long ago. 
[Page 28]259 Behold Jerusalem in Ruins laid! 
Perform the Vow which thou thyself hast made,
When first thou didst the Persian Sceptre weild,
That thou the peerless City wouldst rebuild;
That glor'ous Temple, which was once the praise
Of all the Earth, thou vowdst again to raise;
That goodly Pile by Edomites destroy'd,
Each goodly Building now in Ashes laid,
And all the holy Vessels to restore,
As Cyrus did design long time before;
That then Judea's Sons may bless thy Name,
And Babes unborn thy matchless Grace proclaim. 
No other Thing great Prince! do I require;
No earthly Pomp or Grandeur I desire:
But if this one Request thou grant to me,
Immortal Honour thy Reward will be. 

The King observing how he stood inclin'd,
To serve his Country with a willing Mind,
Rose from his Seat, and in that very Place,
Before the Council, doth the Prince embrace;
Grants his Request, and doth his Letters send,
Commanding all his Captains to attend,
Both him and his, that so they might convey
Them to their ancient Land without Delay:
[Page 29]283  Not only from all Tribute set them free,
But gave much Treasure to them lib'rally;
The City built, the Temple up did raise,
For solemn Worship, as in former Days. 
This brave young Man having his End obtain'd,
And Liberty, beyond his Wishes gain'd;
With thankful Heart, and joyful Lips, did raise
His Voice to sing his great Creator's Praise. 

To Thee, great God! I render Praises due,
From whom comes Victory, and Wisdom too:
Thy worthless Servant I myself do own,
Yet thou to me thy Strength and Might hast shown
Thine be the Glory, now and evermore! 
I thankfully thy gracious Name adore;
Prostrate before Thee would I gladly lie,
And praise thy Name to all Eternity. 

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Title (in Source Edition): THE THREE WISE SENTENCES, From the First Book of ESDRAS Chap. III. and IV.

Author: Mary Collier

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Genres: heroic couplet; imitation

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Collier, Mary, c.1690-c.1762. Poems, on Several Occasions, by Mary Collier, Author of the Washerwoman's Labour, with some remarks on Her Life. Winchester: Printed by Mary Ayres; for the Author. MDCCLXII., 1762, pp. []-29. 68p. (ESTC T125590)

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Typography, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation have been cautiously modernized. The source of the text is given and all significant editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. This ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

THE THREE WISE SENTENCES,

From the First Book of ESDRAS Chap. III. and IV.

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