THE FIRST BOOK.

C

Now it sounds absurd that the existence
Of a being, which once began, and whose nature tells
That it knows a beginning, would start from itself.
One must necessarily then—if reason is to win the day—
Conclude that there must be a necessary being original: "nootwendigh wezen". In philosophy, this refers to a being that cannot not exist, as opposed to "contingent" beings (like humans) that depend on something else for their existence.,
Which is eternal, from whence all things in succession
Began in time. One cannot soar any higher
Than this necessity, which is attributed to God alone.

God is the supreme good of all.

The world presents us with a magnificent stage
Of every kind of good. Each thing enjoys a portion,
Either more or less, of the first and best good of all,
In beauty, virtue, and power, as their various gifts fall
From heaven’s full lap; which pours out more or less,
According to His discretion, to all that partake
In this benevolence. It can then in no way fail
That everything must draw from one source—the origin of gifts—
Their sustenance and treasure, shaken out from above,
While the fountainhead springs, which is never exhausted.
If one asks for the highest good, and climbs through all the celestial spheres;
They point higher still, to where it is found,
And where it sits enthroned at the peak, and, eternally honored,
In such a rich possession it neither diminishes nor increases,
No matter how much it bestows, or how many tongues thank God,
In a single sense, though in many different sounds,
Offered up to the Godhead like a censer original: "wierockvat". An incense burner used in religious ceremonies; here, the prayers and thanks of creation are compared to sweet-smelling incense.
And a pleasant fragrance, in return for that received treasure.

God's being is evident from His excellence above man, who was created by Him.

One can read the certainty of the divine being
From God’s excellence, His radiant script.
Humanity surpasses all other beings here
In knowledge; and man, the noblest creature original: "dier". While this literally translates to "animal," in the 17th century it referred to any living, breathing being (from the Latin anima, soul). Vondel follows the Aristotelian definition of man as a "rational animal."
And most worthy creation, enters the world according to the order
And the rule of nature. He did not, then, come into being
From eternity: for whatever is procreated has a beginning.
Thus, this conclusion now implies a nobler being,