As touching iron, for a hard and rigorous oppression, according as it is hard and inflexible of its nature, and which doth suppeditate almost all; I will rule them with a rod of iron in the 2. Psalm. and in the 4. of Deut. I have brought thee out of the iron fornace of Ægypt; there where iron denotes servitude, wherein they were, for the oppression of their persons, and the fornace of fire, was that of their souls and consciences constituted amidst so many Idolatries and impieties, which must be unto them a servitude, more intolerable then all travails and afflictions; and the most cruell and pitilesse usages of their bodies, for as much as the soul excels it, for the zeal which they carry to their God, with the same locution the Ecclesiasticke served himself in his 28. speaking of a wicked tongue; happy is he that can save himself from a wicked tongue, for the yoke thereof is as iron, and his band as the band of brasse. But for affliction and anguish, all openly in the 105. Psal. v. 18. Iron pierced his soul, speaking of Joseph a prisoner in Ægypt, until his word came. To be short, there is not a point of locution figurative, more frequent in the Prophets, then those that are drawn from metals and from fire, which for the reason of its proprieties and effects, as it is one of the most commodious and necessary things of all others, according as it is said before, for it bakes our viands, it warms us, and doth revigour us against the colds; it clears and lightens in the darkness, in lieu of the suns brightnesse, and other infinite usages, and chiefly for the execution of arts and trades: Otherwise we may say that without iron, fire it selfe would as it were be almost unprofitable for this respect. And Plato doth not exempt one onely art from fire, but the pottery of clay, in the 3. of his Lawes, where he treats very excellently of the life of the first men; and although iron and copper had brought them commodities to civilize themselves and to polish them to a more humane life. So that not without cause, these poor beastly Savages of the West Indies, did wonder in their grosse understanding, how people in these parts, so well advised and industrious, for a little piece of gold or silver, unprofitable to all uses, should offer them so liberally hatchets, sithes, reaphooks, and other iron work, commodious for all usages, and which they could so shorten that which they had with so great pain perfected but to the halfe with fire, which was to them for all instruments and tools, with some base pointed flints. But we may here likewise alledge to the contrary the hurts and incommodities that iron bringeth, for of it, are forged all offensive arms, wherewith men shorten their dayes by their reciprocall Massacres: for that, it is Mars his true Minister, and exterminator and ruine of mankinde, as Jupiter qualifies it in the 5. of the Iliads,
Mars, Mars, the plague and ruine of men, contaminated
with murders, overthrower of wals.
Which he could not do, at the least very uneasily without the means and aid of fire. Also they give it the name of Mars. But let us here a little consider a pleasant allegory covered under the fiction of Venus, Vulcan, and Mars. Venus without doubt is mankind, which is continued by venereall propagation of linage. Its lawfull spouse is Vulcan, which by conjugall love, brings him all or the greatest part of his necessary commodities, by reason of Mars, which is iron. But for that he is his adulterer, he also destroyes the greatest part of what shee procreates; and the husband maintains iron for a double use, good, and bad; for we must not measure the works of the Creator by their apparent incommodities or commodities. For God saw all that he had made, and they were very good; for this goes according as the Creatures apply it. Is there any thing more fair, more pleasant or more delectable to the sight, then a cleare shining flame? any thing that doth more rejoice then light? And on the other side, there is nothing more hurtfull, fuller of damage, nor more dangerous then fire, which burneth and consumeth all that comes neare it. A Satyre the first time he saw it, he rejoiced strangely to see it so fair, so clear, but thinking to approach nearer, to embrace, and to caresse it, when he perceived it so offended, with extreame griefe, hee was never after able to come near it. We may also say the same of iron, as Plinie cals it the best and the worst instrument of life; for therewith (saith he) we til the earth, graffe trees, prune vines, with other infinite commodities and usages, as chiefly to build houses for our covert and safety. But on the other side, we imploy it no lesse, if not more, in our mutuall assassinates and massacres to shorten our life; as if it were troublesome to continue so long. Yet it is so short without the inconveniencies that shorten it and make of iron the most pernicious minister and instrument of all others. To which purpose Istodorus said very well,
From whence a long while agone earth was drawn
from thence now bloud shed,
Which proceeds rather from our malice and depravation, then from the fault of this inanimate insensible substance, which neither moves to good or to bad, but by our selves.
And yet, saith the same Plinie, it seems that nature was not willing wholly to excuse it, but to punish it onely, rendring it subject so to rust, more then any other of the brother hood, and principally by mans bloud, which it is so apt to spill.