John Donne - Delphi Poets Series (67 page)

III. That by Discord things increase.

Nullos esse Deos inane Coelum
Affirmat Coelius, probatq; quod se
Factum vidit, dum negat hæc, beatum.

SO I asseuere this the more boldly, because while I  maintaine it, and feele the
Contrary repugnancies
and
adverse fightings
of the
Elements
in my Body, my Body increaseth; and whilst I differ from common opinions by the
Discord
, the number of my
Paradoxes
increaseth. All the rich benefits we can frame to our selues in
Concord
, is but an
Euen
conseruation of things; in which
Euennesse
wee can expect no change, no motion; therefore no increase or augmentation, which is a member of Motion. And if this
vnitie
and
peace
can giue
increase
to things, how mightily is
discord
and
warre
to that purpose, which are indeed the onely ordinary
Parents
of
Peace
.
Discord
is neuer so barren that it affords no fruit; for the
fall
of one
estate
is at the worst the inceaser of another, because it is as impossible to find a
discommodity
without
aduantage
, as to find
Corruption
without
Generation
: But it is the
Nature
and
Office
of
Concord
to
preserue
onely, which property when it leaues, it differs from it selfe, which is the greatest
discord
of all. All
victories
&
Emperies
gayned by warre, and all Iudiciall decidings of doubts in
peace
, I doe claime children of
Discord
. And who can deny but
Controuersies
in
Religion
are growne greater by discord, and not the
Controuersie
, but
Religion
it selfe: For in a
troubled misery
Men are alwaies more
Religious
than in a
secure peace.
The number of
good
men, the onely charitable nourishers of
Concord
, wee see is thinne, and daily melts and waines; but of
bad discording
it is infinite, & growes hourely. Wee are ascertained of all
Disputable
doubts onely by arguing and differing in
Opinion
, and if formall
disputation
(which is but a painted, counterfeit, and dissembled
discord
) can worke vs this benefit, what shall not a full and maine
discord
accomplish? Truly me thinkes I owe a
deuotion
, yea a
sacrifice
to
discord
, forecasting that
Ball
vpon
Ida
, and for all that businesse of
Troy
, whom ruin’d I admire more than
Babylon
,
Rome
, or
Quinzay
, remoued
Corners
, not only fufilled with her
fame
, but with
Citties
and
Thrones
planted by her
Fugitiues
. Lastly, betweene
Cowardice
and
dispaire
,
Valour
is gendred; and so the
Discord
of
Extreames
begets all vertues, but of the
like things
there is no issue without a miracle:

Uxor pessima, pessimus maritus
Miror tam malè conuenire.

He wonders that betweene two so like, there could be any
discord
, yet perchance for all this
Discord
there was nere the lesse
Increase
.

IV. That good is more common than euill.

I Haue not beene so pittifully tired with any
vanity
, as with silly
old Mens
exclaiming against these times, and extolling their owne: Alas! they betray themselues, for if the
times
bee
changed
, their manners haue changed them. But their senses are to
pleasures
, as
sicke Mens
tastes are to
Liquors
; for indeed no
new thing
is done in the
world
; all things are what, and as they were, and
Good
is as euer it was, more plenteous, and must of necessity bee
more common than Euill,
because it hath this for nature and perfection to bee
common
. It makes
Loue
to all
Natures
, all, all affect it. So that in the
Worlds
early
Infancy
, there was a time when nothing was
Euill
, but if this
World
shall suffer
dotage
in the extreamest
Crookednesse
thereof, there shalbe no time when nothing shall bee
good
. It dares appeare and spread, and glister in the
World
, but
Euill
buries it selfe in the night and darkenesse, and is chastised and suppressed when Good is cherished and rewarded. And as
Imbroderers
,
Lapidaries
, and other
Artisans
, can by all things adorne their workes; for by adding better things, the better they shew in
Lust
and in
Eminency
; so Good doth not onely prostrate her
Amiablenesse
to all, but refuses no end, no not of her vtter contrary
Euill
, that she may bee the more
common
to vs. For
Euill manners
are
Parents
of
good Lawes
; and in euery
Euill
there is an
excellency
, which (in common speech) we call
good
. For the fashions of
habits
, for our mouing in
gestures
, for phrases in our
speech
, wee say they were
good
as long as they were vsed, that is, as long as they were
common
; and wee eate, wee walke, onely when it is, or seemes, good to doe so. All
faire
, all
profitable
, all
vertuous
, is good, and these three things I thinke embrace all things, but their vtter
contraries
; of which also
faire
may be
rich
and
vertuous
;
poore
, may bee
vertuous
and
faire
;
vitious
, may be
faire
and
rich
; so that
Good
hath this good meanes to be
co[m]mon
, that some subiects she can possesse entirely; and in subiects poysoned with
Euill
, she can humbly stoope to accompany the
Euill
. And of
Indifferent
things many things are become perfectly good by being
Common
, as
Customes
by vse are made binding Lawes. But I remember nothing that is therefore
ill
, because it is Common, but
Women
, of whom also;
They that are most Common, are the best of that Occupation they professe.

V. That all things kill themselues.

TO affect, yea to effect their owne
death
, all
liuing
things are importun’d, not by
Nature
onely which perfects them, but by
Art
and
Education
, which perfects her.
Plants
quickened and inhabited by the most vnworthy
soule
, which therefore neither
will
nor
worke
, affect an
end
, a
perfection
, a
death
; this they spend their spirits to attaine, this attained, they languish & wither. And by how much more they are by mans
Industry
warm’d, and cherished, and pampered; so much the more early they climbe to this
perfection
, this
death
. And if amongst
Men
not to
defend
be to
kill
, what a haynous
selfe
-
murther
is it, not to
defend it selfe
. This defence because Beasts neglect, they kill themselues, because they exceed vs in
number, strength,
and a
lawlesse liberty:
yea, of
Horses
and other beasts, they that inherit
most courage
by being bred of
gallantest parents,
and by
Artificiall nursing
are bettered, will runne to their owne
deaths
, neither sollicited by
spurres
which they need not, nor by
honour
which they apprehend not. If then the
valiant
kill himselfe, who can excuse the
coward
? Or how shall
Man
bee free from this, since the
first Man
taught vs this, except we cannot kill our selues, because he kill’d vs all. Yet lest something should repaire this
Common ruine,
wee daily kill our
bodies
with
surfets
, and our
minds
with
Anguishes
. Of our
powers
,
remembring
kills our
memory
; Of
Affections
,
Lus
ting our
lust
; of
vertues
,
Giuing
kills
Liberality
. And if these things kill themselues, they doe it in their best and supreme
perfection
: for after
perfection
immediately followes
excesse
, which changeth the natures & the names, and makes them not the same things. If then the best things kill themselues soonest, (for no
Affection
endures, and all things labour to this
perfection
) all trauell to their owne
death
, yea the frame of the whole
World
, if it were possible for
God
to be
idle
, yet because it
began
, must
dye
. Then in this
idlenesse
imagined in
God
, what could kill the
World
but it selfe, since
out of it, nothing is
?

VI. That it is possible to find some vertue in some Women.

 Am not of that fear’d Impudence that I dare defend Women, or pronounce them good; yet wee see Physitians allow some vertue in euery poyson. Alas! why should we except Women? since certainly, they are good for Physicke at least, so as some wine is good for a feauer. And though they be the Occasioners of many sinnes, they are also the Punishers and Reuengers of the same sinnes: For I haue seldome seene one which consumes his substance and body upon them, escape diseases, or beggery; and this is their Iustice. And if suum cuiq; dare, bee the fulfilling of all Ciuill Iustice, they are most iust, for they deny that which is theirs to no man.

Tanquam non liceat puellanegat.

And who may doubt of great wisdome, in them, that doth but obserue with how labour and cunning our
Iusticers
and other
dispensers
of the
Lawes
study to imbrace them: and how zealously our
Preachers
dehort men from them, only by vrging their
subtilties
, and
policies
, and
wisdome
, which are in them? Or who can deny them a good measure of
Fortitude
, if he co[n]sider how
valiant men
they haue ouerthrowne, & being themselues ouerthrown how much, and how patiently they
beare
? And though they be most
intemperate
I care not, for I vndertooke to furnish them with
some vertue
, not with all.
Necessity
, which makes euen bad things good, preuailes also for them, for wee must say of them, as of some sharpe pinching
Lawes
; If men were free from
infirmities
, they were needlesse. These or none must serue for
reasons
, and it is my great happinesse that
Examples
proue not
rules
, for to confirme this
Opinion
, the World yeelds not
one Example
.

VII. That Old men are more fantastique than Young.

WHO reades this
Paradoxe
but thinks me more
Fantastike
now, than I was yesterday, when I did not thinke thus: And if one day make this sensible change in men, what will the burthen of many yeares? To bee
fantastique
in
young men
is
conceiptfull distemperature
, and a
witty madnesse
; but in
old men
, whose senses are withered, it becomes
naturall
, therefore more full and perfect. For as when we
sleepe
our
fancy
is most strong; so it is in
Age
, which is a
slumber
of the
deepesleepe of death
. They taxe vs of
Inconstancy
, which in themselues
young
they allowed; so that reproouing that which they did reprooue, their
Inconstancy
exceedeth ours, because they haue changed
once more
than wee. Yea, they are more idly busied in
conceited Apparell
than wee; for we, when we are
Melancholy
, wee are
blacke
; when
lusty
,
Greene
; when
forsaken
,
Tawney
; pleasing our owne
inward
affections, leauing them to others indifferent; but they presecribe
lawes
, and constraine the
Noble
, the
Scholler
, the
Merchant
, and all
Estates
to a certaine habit. The
Old men
of our time haue changed with patience their owne
bodies
, much of their
lawes
, much of their
languages
; yea their
Religion
, yet they accuse vs. To be
amorous
is proper and
naturall
in a
Yong man
, but in an
old man
most
fantastike
. And that
ridling humour
of
Iealousie
, which seekes and would not find, which requires and repents his knowledge, is in them most common, yet most
fantastike
. Yea, that which falls neuer in
young men
, is in them most
fantastike
and
naturall
, that is,
Couetousnesse
; euen at their
iourneyes end
to make great prouision. Is any
habit
of
young men
so
fantastike
, as in the hottest seasons to be
double-gowned
or
hooded
like our
Elders
? Or seemes it so
ridiculous
to weare
long
haire, as to weare none. Truly, as among the
Philosophers
, the
Skeptike
, which
doubts all
, was more contentious, than either the
Dogmatike
which affirmes, or
Academike
which
denyes all
; so are these vncertaine
Elders
, which both calls them
fantastike
which follow others
inuentions
, and them also which are led by their owne humorous suggestion, more
fantastike
than other.