my soule did apprehend Poore soule of myne deseruer of thy thralle VVhose fault no manner skuses can defend Only vnfayned teares told my destresse And with my grief declar'd my guiltinesse In sorrowes iayle thus captiue did I ly And there lament and there my case complaine And there did pittie ouer-heare my cry And did in my behalf accesse obtaine To sue to him whome I deny'd to know To let him know my grief for doing so VVho daigning then vpon my hart to look vpon my hart the spectacle of wo Hee there-vpon so great compassion took That hee on it sweet mercy did bestow Sweet mercy that it self so far extends As to accept contrition for amends And that the world heer of might witnes bee His mercy renouated al his loue Th' effects whereof all men in mee might see But none more then my self did euer prooue The good I had before that stil I hild Only my guylt hee only hath annild For where my soule for mercy only sought It mercy found eu'n in the moste degree And mercy loue with it vnited brought Deer loue my dying soules restauratie Lyf of my lyf which did me now restore To lyuely strength which I did lack before The wound is heal'd yet must the skar remaine The skar my stil remembrance of the sore For which kynde grief stil wil I entertaine That neuer may sufficiently deplore Kynd-grief it is close in my hart it lies To vrge the euer-dutie of myne eyes For though my hart all comfort haue receaued That heauens comfort did on it bestow Yet can it not of that grief be bereaued That doth eu'n out of that self comfort grow For in admyring so great grace extended I grieue that I so sweet a Christe offended My deerest Lord oh might I dy for thee That brag'd to dy with thee and the deny'd By thy strong ayd I must assisted bee For neuer thought shal in my brest abyde To say I wil and not assistance craue Because my wil must thy wil also haue That shepe was I which did his way mistake And he the shepheard that recalled mee Of mee his mercies-miracle to make By abling mee his deputy to bee For hee my self a shepheard did ordain That not deseru'd to bee a shepheards swain Thus not my cry me and punishment therefore His pardon only stretched to deface But he me rais'd to what I was before And did renew and ampliphy his grace And I that fel the lowest of eleauen Stil hold my charge to keepe the keyes of heauen The Rock of stone hee hath confirmed mee VVhereon the buylding standes that cannot fail Gainst which helles puissance and superbitie May offer force but neuer shal preuail Thus I that late through feeble fainthes fel Support the force that breakes the force of hel Do'st thow mee loue thryce did he ask of mee In three demaundes of fayned doubtfulnes For what my loue to him was bound to bee And what it was I needed not expresse VVel hee it wist and would but let mee see By such demaundes how wel he loued mee And more then these do'st thow mee loue quoth hee God wot more cause had I my Lord to loue Yet such hee did allow my loue to bee As that it did a more reward behooue Giuing to mee the office for my meed At parting hence his lambes and sheep to feed Loue is my debt for loue and mercy due And gratitude the intrest thereon rising The obligation standes in heauens view And was set downe by equities deuising The date it beares is endlesse to auail My soule the pawne to forfait yf I fail Performance of thy promis Lord I see Strengthned am I my brethren strength to giue My faith shal neuer fail thow warrant'st mee Then in my mouth truthe must for euer liue And though I dy succession wil supply Vndying truthe vnto posteritie And all the graces thow ha'st giu'n to mee To bynd and lose the free and bond of sin Must not in my liues-ending ended bee Though by thy gift they do in mee begin But in successiue power remaine for euer To yeild the lasting graces of the giuer O endlesse comfort ending thus my care Vn-ending thankes must therefore bee my parte VVhich for thy due I duly wil prepare To offer on the Alter of my hart VVhereas the syre of loue for euer lies To serue for my eternal sacrifise SACRVM CONVIVIVM WHen tyme approched that the lamb of lyf Must yeild himself among the wolues to dy VVho did repay his peace with mortal stryf And his meek patience with most crueltie Then in the space that yet to him remaynd For his few freindes his fare-wel hee ordaynd It was the night before the dismol day He caus'd prepare his last and fare-wel feast Desyr'd before deferred by delay Delayed wel to tyme befitting best For woordes and deedes at parting donne or said In memories conseruance best are laid And as his wil and custome had decreed That at this feast a lamb must bee the meat So hee that was th' unspotted lamb indeed Gaue them therein his Image for to eat Retayning yet for their more greater good Far better meat then his self-seeming food For that no sooner was the Paschal donnâ— And custome and their bodies satisfy'd But that eft soones another feast begonne And of a lamb and that before he dy'd Himself was hee and hee himself did giue Eaten to bee the whyle himself did liue VVhich to ordayne he bread and wyne did take And with his sacred breath did blesse thesame And did thereof his blood and body make Through that self might that all of nought did frame And could not now bee destitute of arte One thing into an other to conuert And as the lamb their bodies had suffys'd The true Lambes body turned into bread VVas now the supper for their soules deuys'd True bread of lyf alyue and seeming dead Flesh of his flesh bread his true body made VVhen as eternal truth the woord had said Take eat this is my body were the woordes VVhich vnrepugnant hartes did so receaue For humble faith gainsaying not affoordes And wel they wist hee would them not deceaue And in his wisdome he right wel foreknew VVhat faith their would should heeron ensue For from that instant in succeeding space In en'ury region that is far or ny VVhere Christian lore did paganisme displace As all fore-going tymes do testify Thus was the faith this is the faith of old Held by the whole now by the parte controld Christ said not eat this in my memorie But that his body take and eat they should Nor said hee that it did him signify But was himself that for them giue hee would His truth and iustice could not beare the staine One thing to say and it vnsay againe And for he would that those whose soules hee fed By his example so should others feed Least but themselues none might bee nowrished His plenteous goodnesse hereupon decreed That they in memorie of him
stone VVas caste into the sea But Angels ayded her to land VVhere shee more woes did taste And as an arrow strake her hart Her soule to heauen paste VVhen Fausta in her faithful mynde Resolued did remaine The Idol priest wild with a saw To cut her corps in twain But when he saw it hurt her not Hee in her faith affied And comfort from the heauens receau'd VVith her when as he dyed â—udelia many did conuert Vnto her lordes belief VVhich in the Persian pagans did Enkindle irefull grief Vnto the Sun shee would not pray Nor yet the fyre adore And had the skin flead from her face And lastly dy'd therefore Sout Iuliâ—na did endure The torments of the euil And did in combat ouercome Th' accursed cruel deuil And after all her conquests gaynd Then gayned shee renowne For by the swoord vnto her due Remaynd a martirs crowne Victoria wel might called bee That woorthy mynded mayd That in her self subdued sin VVith courage vndismayd And gayned virgins vnto Christ And actes of woonder wrought And did by martirdome attain The garland that shee sought Because the Idoles to adore Lucia did refuse Shee threatned was shee should bee thrust Into the comon stewes No no quoth shee the mynd beeing pure The body is vnstaynd Then with the swoord shee martrid was And glorie so shee gaynd To Fortunata for her faith Much euil did betyd VVho fyrie flames fierce beastes clawâ—â— VVas willing to abyde And tortures and lim-streâ—ching â—ack From whence her sauiour pleased To cal her blessed soule to blis VVhere with her woes were eased Febronia with resolued force For chastitie and faith Endur'd with patience to the end The woorst of tyrants wrath The rack the fyre and rods shee felt Teeths losse and either brest And with the swoord all losse of wo And gaine of lasting rest Macra a mayd of heauenly mynde No earthly thinges did moue For prison fyre nor losse of brests Might not her faith remoue All naked o're hot-sheards of pots Her body rolled was VVhyle shee in praying vnto God To paradise did pas Zâ—a a glorious martyrs * Nicostrâ—tus wyf Before the aulter prayd VVhere-vnder blest saint Pâ—â—ters bones The faithful had conuayd And for this fact surprised then VVas hanged on a tree Both by her heâ—â—â— and by her neck And so her crowne had shee Charitina with fyre annoyd And cast into the seas Came foorth and had no hurt at all Nor feeling of vnease Then were her handes and feet cut of But he whome shee did loue Eu'n as shee prayd receau'd her ghoste Into his ioyes aboue Eulalia ardent in her zeal Vnto her louing lord To suffre torments many wayes Most midly did accord And lastly in the burning fyre Lauding his holy name To him her soule shee sacryfys'd And died in the â—lame The lyke in loue the lyke in zeal In some succeeding space A second good Eulaliâ— was A lyke endu'd with grace The rack she felt and sundry grieues The last of lyf the losse VVhen foes of Christe for faith of Christe Did naile her on a crosse VVhyle Emerâ—â—â—iâ—na yet was taught in Christian lore Her foster-sister 〈◊〉 tombe Shee prayd and kneeld before And taken at this martres tombe A martres shee was made And vnto happy heauenâ— ioyes Her ghoste straight was conueyd Chaste Theodora to the stewes To be deflowred led Gat thence in habyt of a youth That stayd there in her sted But for this fact for his faith VVhen hee was led to death Shee came and yeilded vp her self And with him yeilded breath Crispina of renowmed race Did by her vertues mynde More honour in her self atchiue Then came to her by kynde Shee would vnto the Idol Gods No sacrifise affoord But yeided for her Lord and God Her neck vnto the swoord Susanna of a woorthy stock VVas of as woorthy fame As shee that false defamed was And first did beare her name Shee Christe his seruants did relieue And liued in his lore And for the same shee lost her head And gayned heauen therefore Imprisned Leocadia long Did for her faith remayne VVhose faithful mynde remained free In moste afflicting payne Til God at length for her release Her ghoste tooke thence away Her suffrance by a martirs crowne In glory to repay The virgin Bibiana was Establisht in belief VVhich faithlesse foes could not subuert By guerdon nor by grief So long her body lashed was VVith knotted whips with lead That her sweete soule to heauen past And left it lying dead Euphrasia with more maidens chaste In place vnchaste was placed But hee their puritie preseru'd That purely him embraced Then by their death-contryuing-crue Stones to their nectes were bound And so into the water cast The innocentes were drown'd Antonia had her tender limmes Beyond all measure payned And three dayes hanged by one arme Moste constant stil remayned And two yeares hauing prisned bene Receau'd at last her hyre VVhat tyme her soule her body left Consuming in the fyre Lucretia not that Lucres once VVhich did her self destroy Did for true faith and faithful loue Beare wrongful griefes annoy The one in earth her glory left The other in heauen and earth Because more woorthy was the cause VVhy shee endured death VVith tearing hookes and iron combes VVas Tatiana torne Cointha trayld along the streetes Her flesh from bones was worne Paula that gathred martyrs blood Her owne for Christ did shed Crescentia for her faith to Christ VVas thrust in boyling lead Corona torne betwene two trees Her crowne in blis did fynde As did Cirilla when shee left Her bleeding corps behynde Balbina daughter to a saint * S. 〈◊〉 Her fathers steps did trace And Aquilina by her death Did deathlesse lyf embrace Helconis that great grief endur'd Did lastly lose her hâ—d Calliopa her scortched corps Left with tormentors dead Felicula by tortur kild And Paula ston'd to death And with the swoord Constantia Constantlyâ—yeilded breath Regina many paynes endur'd Heau'ns diademe to gayne Mustiola did suffer wo For gayning ioyes againe Irene that good bookes did hyde Her lyf for Christe bestowed Dominica that Idoles brake By death her feruour shewed Dafrosa that to martirdoâ—e Her husband * Fabiâ—â—â— hath ensued And Marciona with whose blood The wyld beastes were imbrued Mannea that with her three sonnes And with her husband dy'd Valeria saint Vitals wyf Gainst death her courage tryd Pelagia in a brazen Ox Red hot aliue was thrust Anthusia throwne into a wel To please the tirants lust Maxima vnto cruel death VVith cudgels beaten was Agathoclia lost her toung Ere shee to blis did pas Blanda with her deer husband dyd VVhose heddes on stakes on hic Through pagan pollicy were set Christians to terrify VVith Leonis and Libia The faithful sisters twaine Eutropia twelue yeares old â—ndur'd Death and moste deadly payne The vertuous virgin Sophia Cornelia loyal euer Albina and Asteria Did vnto death perseuer Prisca and Lâ—ocâ—itia Martha and Antoâ—ina VVith
repyne Since that the woork man of his woork Hath freedome to â—esigne And each in each degree Sufficient hath in charge And hee the more whose mighty rule Extendeth moste at large For how more great the charge Cares burden greater weyes And greatnesse beares the greatest brunt And breedes the lesser ease And vertue can aswel In cottages remaine As honor may in high estate In courtes of Princes raigne Let each him then dispose VVel in his charge to serue To haue the hyre that at the last VVel-doing doth deserue For when a whyle on earth Each hath seru'd in his turne Earths fragile woork earst made of earth Must vnto earth returne VISIONS OF THE vvorlds instabillitie I. WHen musing on this worlds vâ—sted fastnes Ere sleep attain'd my sences to surprise Agreeued at the woful wretchednes That sad examples set before myne eyes It chanced mee in this perturbed plight By Morpheus arrested for to bee In whose close prison lying in the night Srange visions then there did apeer to mee A spatious Thâ—â—…re first mee thought I saw All hang'd with black to act some tragedie VVhich did mee vnto much attention draw To see the sequel of the misterie About the which my braine oft haue I broken To skan what such phantasmataes betoken II. I saw a Holly sprig brought from a hyrst And in a princely garden set in was VVhere of all trees it stroue to bee the first In stately height whereto it grew a pace Talle Cedar trees it ouertopped far And all with coral berries ouerspred It seem'd the roses beauty for to maâ— And to deface it with a skarlet red VVhere at the Gardner when hee it suspected Or might perhaps misweene this trees intent For all first fauour now grew il affected And all the Toughes a way did race and rent Thus stood disgrac'd the stock so braue before VVhich now of grief grew dead and sprong no more III. Two stately pillers then to mee appered Of Ruby th one of Saphir thother waâ— That on their bases strongly stood vp reared VVhose vnder-groundâ—woork was a rocky place And through transparent lusture shyning bright They not alone their beauty did extend But they did serue as lanternes in the night The trauailors from straying to defend Yet it befel hee that the soyle did owe Gan to dâ—uyse these pillars downe to take On his new buyding them for to bestow And woorkmen brought theretro ginnes did make But out alas in langor I complaine In forceing them they fel and burst in twayne IIII. I saw a bird of Egles race I deeme For that shee hatched was in Egles nest VVhich of a Lord was held in high esteeme And to his lure shee only her adrest But it so fel that hee a Hauke espyde And tooke such pleasure in her speckled plume That hee for her his faire foule thrust a syde In vndeserued sorrow to consume But lo this Haâ—ke he now bore on his fist Oblyg'd and taught to come when as hee lured VVould not by him bee lured as hee list But was by stelth to others lures enured VVhich when hee saw in wrath and in despyte He wrang her neck of from her body quyte V. A pleasant crop of trees then did I see On which sweet nightingales did sit and sing Til one that sem'd to hate their melody Sought how hee might them to destruction bring He sat vp snares and grinnes and lymy twigs And all deuyses that might them betray And brake their nestes that were among the sprigs And many kild and many chaste away And that they should no more come there againe The very trees vnto the ground hee threw That scarsly any one he let remaine But see how iust reuenge did soone ensue His foot sâ—ipt in a pitfal hee had cast And downe hee fel and so his neck he brast VI. A Giant then mee thought there came in place VVho dreaded was for greatnesse of his stature And many trembled to behâ—ld his face And mused at the strangenesse of his nature for hee a swoord did hold in either fist And freindes and foes he cared not to kil For few could in his fauour long persist Because to keep his loue was such a skil At last a monster all compact of bones Came traytor-lyke and with a darte him â—ent That downe hee fel and so was dead at once And as it seem'd few did his losse lament And where alyue he monuments defaced Now dead no monument on him was placed VII VVhen all these thinges were vanisht from my view At such vnwonted sights I greatly mused And though I not the certaine meaning knew Yet did it seeme although it seem'd confused That thinges which are the cause of others wrong Themselues do often also suffer wrack VVhereby is seene that sway endures not long And that reuenge not alwayes cometh slack And that theirs none on earth hath leaue to tarry And that when bearing-rule hath taken end Fame doth suruyue and takes an inuentarie Of rulers actions and whereto they tend And vnto after ages shee it shewes To learne them what of good or il ensues VERSES OF THE worldes vanitie supposed to bee made by S. Bernard And translated into English to bee sung to the tune they beare in Latin WHy doth this world contend For glorious vanitie VVhose welth so subiect is To mutabilitie As earthen vessels faile Through their fragillitie So standeth wordly force Vnsure and slipperie Caracters ra'st in yce Think rather permanent Then earthly vanities Vading incontinent Shadowed with vertue pure But fals in recompence At no tyme yeilding vs True trust or confidence To men more credit giâ—â— That want fidelitie Then trust in worldly welth VVhich is but 〈◊〉 Falshood in fond-delight Pleasures in â—ranticknes Desyred vanities Of fleeting ficklenes VVhere now is Salomon Somtyme in royaltie Or Sampson with his great Inuincibillitie Or gentle Ionathas Praised for freindlynesse Or fairest Absalon So rare in comlynesse VVheare now is Ceaser goâ— High in authoritie Or Diues with his fare And sumptuofitie Tel now where Tullie is Cleerest in eloquence Or Aristotle fled VVith his intelligence O silâ—y vermens food O masse of dustynesse O dew o vanitie VVhence is thy loftinesse To morrow for to liue Thow haste no certainty Do good to all therefore VVhyle thow haste liberty This wordly glorie great How short a feast it iâ— And lyke a shadow here Lo how it vaniâ— hes VVhich takes rewardes away Of long continuance And leades vs in the wayes Of erring ignorance This earthly glory moste VVhich here is magnifyde In Scripture termed is As grasse that 's withered And as the lightest leaf The wynde a way doth blow So light is lyf of man For death to ouerthrow Think that which thow maist lose Is not thyne certainly This world wil take againe These gifts of vanitie Think then on thinges aboue On them thy harte adresse Contemne all worldly welth For endlesse blessednes FINIS