A dialogue between a blind-man and death Standfast, Richard, 1608?-1684. 1686 Approx. 14 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2009-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A35858 Wing D1291 ESTC R184577 19618950 ocm 19618950 109210 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A35858) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 109210) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1685:16, 2046:4) A dialogue between a blind-man and death Standfast, Richard, 1608?-1684. 1 broadside. Printed by George Larkin ..., London : 1686. In verse. Attributed to Richard Standfast by NUC pre-1956 imprints. "Licensed, According to Order." Reproduction of original in the Bodleian Library. Item at 1685:16 identified as D1291; entry cancelled in Wing (2nd ed.) Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Death -- Religious aspects -- Christianity. Dialogues. 2008-05 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2008-06 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2008-07 John Pas Sampled and proofread 2008-07 John Pas Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A DIALOGUE Between a Blind-Man and Death . Blind-Man . The more men see , the less they do enquire ; The worse they see , the more they do desire Others to grant what Blindness cannot give , And for Intelligence grow inquisitive . They ask to be inform'd , who cannot see ; I know 't by sad experience , Wo is me ! Death Where are you , Sir ? What sitting all alone ? I did suppose 't was you by that sad moan : Coming this way to gather what 's my due , I thought it not amiss , to call on you . Blind-Man . I do not know that voice ; 't is sure some Stranger ; And by his words , he seemes to bode me danger . Death . You guess aright , Sir ; and before I go , I 'll make you know me , whether you will or no. Blind-Man . Why what are you ? Pray tell me what 's your Name , And what 's your bus'ness , and from whence you came . Death . I will declare what no man can deny , There 's none so great a Traveller as I : Yet you must know , I am no wandring Rover , For my Dominion lies the World all over ; I march through Court and Country , Town and City , I know not how to fear , nor how to pity . The highest Cedar , and the lowest Flower , Sooner or later do both feel my Power : The mightiest Emperour doth submit to me , Nor is the poorest tatter'd Beggar free ; In Peace , I glean here one , and there another ; Sometimes I sweep whole streets , both one and t'other . In time of War , thus much I can divine ; Whoever gets the day , the Triumph's mine . I am a potent and a high Commander , 'T was I that conquer'd the Great Alexander , Though mighty Nations under 's foot he trod , And had th' Ambition to be thought a God ; Yet , after all the Victories he had won , I made him know he was but Philip's Son. Were you Goli●●h great , or Sampson-strong , Were you as wise , as rich as Solomon : Were you as Nestor , Old ; as Infant , Young ; Had you the fairest Cheeck , the sweetest Tongue ; Yet you must stoop , all these will nought avail : For my Arrest does not admit of Bail ; And to deal plainly , Sir , my name is Death , And 't is my bus'ness to demand your Breath . Blind-Man . My Breath and Life shall both go out together , Death . And on that Errand 't was , that I came hither . I 'll have both Breath and Life without delay : You must and shall dispatch ; come , come , away . Blind-Man . What need such Posting haste ? Pray Change your mind ; 'T is a poor Conquest to surprise the Blind . Death . You may not call it Posting , nor Surprise ; For you had warning when you lost your Eyes . Nor could you hope your House could long be free , After the Windows were possest by me . Blind-Man . But Life is sweet ; and who 'ld not , if he might , Have a long day , before he bid good Night ? O spare me yet awhile ! slight not my Tears . Death . Hard Hearts and hungry Bellies have no Ears . Blind-Man . I am not yet quite ready for the Table . Death . All 's one to me ; I am inexorable . Blind-Man . Yet , by your favour , I may step aside . Death . Be not deceiv'd , for 't is in vain to hide : My forces are dispersed through all places ; And act for me without respect of Faces : I have a Thousand ways to shorten Life , Besides a Rapier , Pistol , Sword , or Knife : A Fly , a Hair , a splinter of a Thorn , A little Scratch , the cutting of a Corn , Have sometimes done my bus'ness heretofore , So to the full , that I need wish no more . Should all these fail , enough of humours lurk Within your Body , Sir , to do my work . Blind-Man . Well then , let some one run to my Physitian , Tell him I want his aid in this Condition . Death . Run , Boy , and fetch him ; call th' whole Colledge , do : For I intend to have them shortly too . I value not their Portions and their Pills , Nor all the Cordials in the Doctors Bills : When my time 's come , let them do what they can , I 'll have my due , so vain a thing is man. Should Gallen and Hippocrates both joyn , And Paracelsus too , with them Combine , Let them all meet to Countermand my strength Yet shall they be my Prisoners at length . I grant that Men of Learning , Worth and Art , May have the better of me at the Start ; But in long Running they 'll give out and tire , And quit the field , and leave me my des●●● As for those Quacks , that threaten to 〈◊〉 me , They are my Friends ; and speed some Patients to me . Blind-Man . Well , If I must , I 'll yeild to you the day T is so Enacted , and I must Obey : Henceforth I count my self among you 〈…〉 rs , For 't is , I see , the measure of my Bett 〈…〉 But tell me now , when did your Power 〈…〉 ce ? Death . My Power began from Adam's first Off●nce . Blind-Man . From Adam's first Offence ! O base beg●ning ! Whose very first Original was Sinning . Death . My Rising did from Adam's Fail begin ; And ever since , my strength and sting's 〈◊〉 Sin. Blind-Man . To know wherein the Enemies strength doth lie , In my Conceit is half a Victory : Have you Commission now for what you do ? Death . I have Commission : what 's all this to you● Blind-Man . Yes very much ; for now I understand I am not totally at your command : My Life 's at his who gave you this Commision ; To him I 'll therefore make with my Petition : I 'll Seek his Love , and on his Mercy trust ; And when my Sins are pardon'd , do your worst . Death . That you may know how far my Power exterds I will divorce you from your dearest Friends You shall resign your Jewels , Money , Plate : Your Earthly Joyes shall all be out of date . I will deprive you of your dainty fare ; I 'll strip you to the skin , naked and bare . Linnen or Woolen you shall have to wind y 〈…〉 As for the rest , all must be left behind y 〈…〉 Bound hand and foot , I 'll bring you to my D●●● , Where constant dreadfull Darkness reigns , and then Your only Dwelling-house shall be a Cave ; Your Lodging-Room , a little narrow Grave ; A Chest , your Closet ; and a Sheet , your Dress ; And your Companions , Worms and Rottenness . Blind-Man . If this be all the mischief you can do , Your Harbingers deserve more dread than you . Diseases are your Harbingers , I 'm sure ; Many of which , 't is grievous to endure ; But when once dead , I shall not then Complain Of Cold , or Hunger , Poverty or Pain . Death . There 's one thing more , which here to mind I call , When once I come , then come I once for all : And when my stroke doth Soul and Body sever , What 's left undone , must be undone for ever ! Blind-Man . That 's a great Truth , and I have learnt to know That there 's no working in the Grave below . To be before hand therefore I will try , That then I may have nought to do but dye . But tell me , Sir , do all men dye alike ? Death . To me they do ; for whom God bids , I strike ; Look how the Foolish dye , so dye the Wise ; As do the Righteous , so the Sinner dyes . There 's afterwards a difference , though , 't is true ; But that 's a thing with which I 've nought to do . That I to some prove better , to some worse ; To some a Blessing , and to some a Curse ; That 's none of mine ; I may not undertake it ; 'T is Gods appointment , and mens works , that make it . Hence 't is that Sinners Troubles never cease , And that the End of th' Upright Man is peace . Blind-Man . There now remains but only one thing more ; Will not thy pow'r be one day out of door ? Death . Yes , I must needs confess 't is very true ; There is a Death for Me , as well as You ; And mine 's the worst , for I must die for ever ; You may revive again , but I shall never . Blind-Man . By all that hath been said , I now do see , You needed not have been so rough with me . Death . Come , let that pass — The kinder to appear , I will reveal a secret in your Ear. The Death of Christ upon the painful Cross , Which seem'd to be my Gain , turn'd to my Loss . As in his Hair , the strength of Sampson lay , And with his Hair , went Sampson's strength away . So I 've no strength , but what I had from Sin ; Nor have I Sting , but what lies hid therein : Christ Suffering Death , to put this sting away , Hath made me his , whom I suppos'd my Prey . My Strength is now decay'd , my Sting rebated : My Boldness Check'd , and my Dominion mated ; And I am now both faint and feeble grown , Much like poor Sampson , when his streagth was gone : In my own Craft I was Compleatly routed , My Jaws are broken , and my Holders outed . What now I catch , I have no pow'r to keep ; My very Name is chang'd , from Death to Sleep : I seiz'd on Christ indeed , that I did do ; Nay more , I bound him in my Prison too ; But all my strongest Doors , Bars , Bolts , and Bands , Were but meer Nothing in his mighty Hands : He broke them all , and left my doors wide ope , And all his Servants Prisoners of Hope : For though they dye , yet with devout Affection , They do expect a joyfull Resurrection ; And with their Master to be brought again , That they with him for ever may Remain . Thus Christ by dying , did become Victorious : And from his Bed of Darkness rose more glorious : And I by Binding Him , made my self fast ; And His , I know will prove my Death at last . Blind-Man . These words give Comfort and Instruction too ; Henceforth I shall be better pleas'd with you . Decreed it is for all men once to dye ; After that Judgment , then Eternity . To Prayer therefore will I joyn Endeavour , So to live here , that I may live for Ever . And seeing they that have , and keep Christs words : Whether they live or dye , be all the Lords ; Repentance , Faith , and New Obedience shall Fit and prepare me for my Funeral . From whence I trust , my Saviour will translate me , In Season due , beyond their reach that hate me ; Even to that place of Life and Glory too , Where neither Death , nor Sin , hath ought to do This hope in me , that Word of his doth cherish , He that believes in Me , shall never perish . Now welcome Death , upon my Saviours Score ! Who would not dye , to live for Evermore ? Death . Sir , I perceive you speak not without Reason : I 'll leave you now , and call some other Season . Blind-Man . Call when you please , I will await that Call ; And while I stand make ready for my Fall ! In the mean time , my constant Prayer shall be , From Sudden and from Endless Death , Good Lord deliver me . The Conclusion . Judge not of Death by Sence , least you mistake it ; Death 's neither Friend nor Foe , but as you make it . Live as you should , you need not then Complain ; For where to Live , is Christ ; to Dye , is Gain . FINIS . LICENSED , According to Order . LONDON : Printed by George Larkin , at the Coach and Horses without Bishopsgate , a little beyond Old Bedlam . 1686.