forst to lie One here one there in prison yet vnbound Heart-striuing life and death to liue and die Nor were they ignorant of fates decree In being tolde before what they should bee verse 20 There falsest visions shewde the truest cause False because fantasies true because haps For dreames though kindled by sleep-idle pause Sometime true indices of dangers claps As well doth proue in these sin-sleeping lines That dreames are falsest shewes and truest signes By this time death had longer pilgrimage And was encaged in more liuing breasts Now euery ship had fleeting anchorage Both good and bad were punisht with vnrests But yet Gods heauie plague indur'd not long For anger quencht her selfe with her selfe wrong verse 21 Not so for heat can neuer coole with heat Nor colde can warme a colde nor ice thaw ice Anger is fire and fire is angers meat Then how can anger coole her hot deuice The sunne doth thaw the ice with melting harme Ice cannot coole the sunne which makes it warme It was celestiall fire terrestriall cold It was celestiall colde terrestriall fire A true and holy praier which is bolde To coole the heat of angers hot desire Pronounced by a seruant of thy word To ease the miseries which wraths afford verse 22 Weapons and wit are double linkes of force If one vnknit they both haue weaker strength The longer be the chaine the longer corse If measurde by duplicitie of length If weapons faile wit is the better part Wit failing weapons haue the weaker hart Praier is weake in strength yet strong in wit And can do more then strength in being wise Thy word ô Lord is wisdome and in it Doth lie more force then forces can surprize Man did not ouercome his foes with armes But with thy word which conquers greater harms verse 23 That word it was with which the world was framde The heauens made mortalitie ordain'd That word it was with which all men were namde In which one word there are all words containde The breath of God the life of mortall state The enimie to vice the foe to hate When death prest downe the sin-dead-liuing soules And draw'd the curtaine of their seeing day This word was vertues shield and deaths controules Which shielded those which neuer went astray For when the dead did die and end in sin The liuing had assurance to begin verse 24 Are all these deeds accomplisht in one word O soueraigne word cheefe of all words and deeds O salue of safrie wisdomes strongest sword Both food and hunger which both starues and feeds Food vnto life because of liuing power Hunger to those whome death and sins deuoure For they which liu'd were those which vertue lou'd And those which vertue lou'd did loue to liue Thrice happy these whom no destruction mou'd Shee present there which loue and life did giue They bore the mottoes of eternall fame On diapasans of their fathers name verse 25 Here death did change his pale to purple hue Blushing against the nature of his face To see such bright aspects such splendent view Such heau'nly paradice of earthly grace And hid with lifes quick force his ebon dart Within the crannies of his meagre hart Descending to the place from whence he came With rich-stor'd chariot of fresh bleeding wounds Sore-greeued bodies from a soules-sick name Sore-greeued soules in bodies-sin-sick sounds Death was afraide to stay where life should be For they are foes and cannot well agree Chapter XIX verse 1 2 AVant destroier with thy hungry iawes Thy thirsty heart thy longing ashie bones The righteous liue they be not in thy lawes Nor subiects to thy deepe oppressing mones Let it suffice that we haue seene thy show And tasted but the shadow of thy woe Yet stay and bring thy empty car againe More ashie vessells do attend thy pace More passengers expect thy comming waine More groaning pilgrimes long to see thy face Wrath now attends the passage of misdeeds And thou shalt still be stor'd with soules that bleeds verse 3 Some lie halfe dead while others dig their graues With weake-forst teares to moyst a long-drie ground But teares on teares in time will make whole waues To bury sin with ouerwhelming sound Their eies for mattocks serue their teares for spades And they them selues are sextons by their trades What is their fee lament their paiment woe Their labour waile their practise miserie And can their conscience serue to labour so Yes yes because it helpeth villanie Though eies did stand in teares and teares in eyes They did another folishnes deuise verse 4 5 So that what praier did sin did vndoe And what the eies did win the heart did loose Whom vertue reconcilde vice did forgoe Whom vertue did forgoe that vice did choose Oh had their hearts beene iust eyes had bin winners Their eyes were iust but hearts new sins beginners They digd true graues with eyes but not with hearts Repentance in their face vice in their thought Their deluing eies did take the Sextons partes The heart vndid the labour which eies wrought A new strange death was portion for their toyle While vertue sate as iudge to end the broyle verse 6 Had tongue bin ioynde with eies tong had not strai'd Had eyes bin ioyn'd to heart heart then had seene But oh in wanting eye-sight it betrai'd The dungeon of misdeeds where it had beene So many liuing in this orbe of woe Haue heau'd-vp eyes but yet their hearts are low This chaunge of sin did make a chaunge of feature A new strange death a misery vntoulde A new reforme of every olde-new creature New seruing offices which time made olde New liuing vertue from an olde dead sin Which ends in ill what doth in good begin verse 7 When death did reape the haruest of despight The wicked eares of sin and mischiefes seed Filling the mansion of eternall night With heauy-leaden clods of sinfull breed Life sowde the plants of immortalitie To welcome olde-made new felicity The clouds the gloomy curtaines of the aire Drawne and redrawne with the foure-winged winds Made all of borrowed vapours darkesome faire Did ouershade their tents which vertue findes The red seas deepe was made a drie trod way Without impediment or stop or stay verse 8 9 The thirsty windes with ouertoyling puffes Did drinke the ruddy-oceans water drie Tearing the Zones hot-cold whole-ragged ruffes With ruffling conflicts in the field of skie So that drie earth did take wet waters place With sandy mantle and hard grounded face That way which neuer was a way before Is now a troden path which was vntrod Through which the people went as on a shoare Defended by the stretcht-out arme of God Praising his wondrous workes his mighty hand Making the land of sea the sea of land verse 10 That breast where anger slept is mercies bed That breast where mercy wakes is angers caue When mercie liues then Nemesis is dead And one for eithers coarse makes others graue Hate furrowes vp a graue to bury loue
my day Deprauers and depriuers of my gaine The wicked hearing this descending sound Feare strucke their lims to the pale-clothed ground Amazed at the freedome of her words Their tongue-tide accents droue them to dispaire And made them change their mindes to woes records And say within themselues lo what wee are We haue had vertue in derisions place And made a parable of her disgrace verse 4 See where she sits enthronizde in the skie See see her labours crowne vpon her head See how the righteous liue which erst did die From death to life with vertues loadstaâ—re led See those whome we derided they are blest They heauens not hels we hells not heauens guest We thought the righteous had beene furies sonne With inconsiderate speech vnstayed way We thought that death had his dishonour wonne And would haue made his life destructions pray But we were mad they iust we fooles they wise We shame they praise we losse they haue the prise verse 5 We thoght theÌ„ fools when we our selues were fooles We thoght them mad when we our selues were mad The heate which sprang from them our follie cooles We find in vs which we but thought they had We thought their end had beene dishonors pledge They but surueyd the place we made the hedge We see how they are blest how we are curst How they accepted are and we refusde And how our bands are tied their bands are burst Our faults are hourely blamde their faults excusde See how heauens gratulate their welcomd sight Which comes to take possession of their right verse 6 But oh too late we see our wickednesse Too late we lie in a repentant tombe Too late we smoothe olde haires with happinesse Too late we seeke to ease our bodies doome Now falshoode hath aduauncde her forged banner Too late wee seeme to verefie truths manner The sunne of righteousnes which should haue shinde And made our hearts the cabines of his East Is now made cloudy night through vices winde And lodgeth with his downefall in the west That summers day which shuld haue bin nights bar Is now made winter in her icie carre verse 7 Too much our feet haue gone but neuer right Much labour we haue tooke but none in good We wearied our selues with our delight Endangering our selues to please our moode Our feete did labour much t was for our pleasure We wearied our selues t was for our leasure In sinnes perfection was our labour spent In wickednes preferment we did haste To suffer perills wee were al content For the aduancement of our vices past Throgh many dangerous waies our feet haue gone But yet the way of God we haue not knowne verse 8 9 Wee which haue made our harts a sea of pride With huge risse billowes of a swelling minde With tossing tumults of a flowing tide Leauing our laden bodyes plungde behinde What trafficke haue we got our selues are drownd Our soules in hell our bodies in the ground Where are our riches now like vs consumde Where is our pompe decaide wher 's glory dead Where is the wealth of which wee all presumde where is our profit gone our selues misled All these are like to shadowes what they were There is nor wealth nor pompe nor glory here verse 10 The diall giues a caueat of the houre Thou canst not see it go yet it is gone Like this the diall of thy fortunes power Which fades by stealth till thou art left alone Thy eies may well perceiue thy goods are spent Yet can they not perceiue which way they went Lo eu'ne as ships sailing on Tethis lap Plowes vp the furrowes of hard grounded waues Enforced for to go by Eoles clap Making with sharpest teeme the water graues The ship once past the trace cannot be found Although shee digged in the waters ground verse 11 Or as an Eagle with her soaring wings Scorning the dusty carpet of the earth Exempt from all her clogging gesses flings Vp to the ayre to shew her mounting birth And euery flight doth take a higher pitch To haue the golden sunne her wings enrich Yet none can see the passage of her flight But onely heare her houering in the skie Beating the light winde with her being light Or parting through the ayre where she might flie The eare may heare the eye can neuer see What course she takes or where she meanes to bee verse 12 Or as an arrowe which is made to goe Through the transparent and coole-blowing ayre Feeding vpon the forces of the bowe Else forcelesse lies in wanting her repaire Like as the branches when the tree is lopt Wanteth the forces which they forcelesse cropt The arrow being fed with strongest shot Doth part the lowest elementall breath Yet neuer separates the soft ayres knot Nor neuer woundes the still-foote windes to death It doth seioyne and ioyne the ayre together Yet none there is can tell or where or whither verse 13 So are our liues now they beginne now end Now liue now die now borne now fit for graue As soone as we haue breath so soone we spend Not hauing that which our content would haue As ships as birds as arrowes all as one Euen so the traces of our liues are gone A thing not seene to go yet going seene And yet not shewing any signe to go Euen thus the shadowes of our liues haue beene Which shewes to fade and yet no vertues shew How can a thing consumde with vice be good Or how can falshoode beare true vertues foode verse 14 Vaine hope to thinke that wickednes hath bearing When she is drowned in obliuions sea Yet can she not forget presumptions wearing Nor yet the badge of vanities decay Her fruites are cares her cares are vanities Two both in one destructions liueries Vaine hope is like a vane turnde with each winde T is like a smoake scattred with euery storme Like dust sometime before sometime behinde Like a thin some made in the vainest forme This hope is like to them which neuer stay But comes and goes againe all in one day verse 15 View Natures gifts some gifts are rich some poore Some barren grounds there are som clothd with fruit Nor hath all nothing nor hath all her store Nor can all creatures speake nor are all mute All die by nature being borne by nature So all change feature being borne with feature This life is hers this dead dead is her power Her bounds begins and ends in mortall state Whom she on earth accounteth as her flower May be in heauen condemnde of mortall hate But he whom vertue iudges for to liue The Lord his life and due reward will giue verse 16 The seruant of a king may be a king And he that was a king a seruile slaue Swans before death a funerall dirge do sing And waues their wings agen ill fortunes waue He that is lowest in this lowly earth May be the highest in celestiall birth The rich may be vniust in being rich For riches do corrupt and not correct The poore
to flye sin run into sin And thinke to end when they do new begin God made the earth the earth denies their sute Nor can they harbor in the centres womb God knowes their thoughts although their tongs be mute And heares the sounds from forth their bodies tomb Sounds ah no sounds but man himselfe hee heares Too true a voice of mans most falsest feares verse 10 Oh see destruction houering ore thy head Mantling her selfe in wickednes array Hoping to make thy body as her bed Thy vice her nutriment thy soule her pray Thou hast forsaken him that was thy guide And see what followes to asswage thy pride Thy roaring vices noyse hath cloyd his eares Like foaming waues they haue orewhelmde thy ioy Thy murmurings which thy whole body beares Hath bred thy waile thy waile thy lifes annoy Vnhappy thoughts to make a soules decay Vnhappie soule in suffering thoughts to sway verse 11 Then sith the height of mans felicitie Is plung'd within the pudle of misdeedes And wades amongst discredits infamie Blasting the merit of his vertues seedes Beware of murmuring the chiefest ill From whence all sin all vice all paines distill O heauie doome proceeding from a tong Heauie light tong tong to thy owne decay In vertue weake in wickednesse too strong To mischiefe prone from goodnesse gone astray Hammer to forge misdeedes to temper lies Selling thy life to death thy soule to cries verse 12 Must death needs pay the ransome of thy sin With the dead carcasse of descending spirit Wilt thou of force be snared in his gin And place thy errour in destructions merit Life seeke not for thy death death comes vnsought Buying the life which not long since was bought Death and destruction neuer needs a call They are attendants on liues pilgrimage And life to them is as their playing ball Grounded vppon destructions anchorage Seeke not for that which vnsought will betide Nere wants destruction a prouoking guide verse 13 Will you needs act your owne destruction Will you needs harbour your owne ouerthrowe Or will you cause your owne euersion Beginning with dispaire ending with woe Then die your hartes in tyrannies arraie To make acquittance of destructions pay What do you meditate but on your death What doe you practise but your liuing fall Who of you all haue any vertues breath But ready armed at a mischiefes call God is not pleased at your vices sauour But you best pleased when you lose his fauour verse 14 He made not death to be your conqueror But you to conquer ouer death and hell Nor you to bee destructions seruitor Enhoused there where Maiestie should dwell God made man to obay at his beheast And man to be obayde of euery beast He made not death to be our labours hire But we our selues made death through our desart Here neuer was the kingdome of hell fire Before the brand was kindled in mans hart Now man defieth God all creatures man Vice flourisheth and vertue lieth wan verse 15 O fruitefull tree whose roote is alwaies greene Whose blossomes euer bud whose fruites encrease Whose toppe celestiall vertues seat hath been Defended by the soueraintie of peace This tree is righteousnes ô happy tree Immortalized by thine owne decree O hatefull plant whose roote is alwaies drie Whose blossomes neuer bud whose fruites decrease On whom sits the infernall deitie To take possession of so foule a lease This plant is vice O too vnhappy plant Euer to die and neuer fill deaths want verse 16 Accursed in thy growth dead in thy roote Cancred with sin shaken with euery winde Whose top dooth nothing differ from the foote Mischiefe the sappe and wickednesse the rhinde So the vngodly like this withered tree Is slacke in doing good in ill too free Like this their wicked growth too fast too slowe Too fast in slouth too slow in vertues hast They thinke their vice a friend when t is a foe In good in wickednes too slow too fast And as this tree decayes so do they all Each one copartner of the others fall Chapter II. verse 1 INdeede they doe presage what wil betide With the misgiuing verdict of misdeeds They knowe a fall will follow after pride And in so foule a hart growes manie weeds Our life is short quoth they no t is too long Lengthned with euill thoughts and euill tong A life must needs be short to them that dies For life once dead in sin doth weakely liue These die in sin and maske in deaths disguise And neuer thinke that death new life can giue They say life dead can neuer liue againe O thoughts ô wordes ô deeds fond foolish vaine verse 2 Vilde life to harbor where such death abodes Abodes worse then are thoughts thoughts worse then words Wordes halfe as ill as deeds deeds sorrowes odes Odes ill inchaunters of too ill records Thoghts words and deeds conoyined in one song May cause an Eccho from destructions tong Quoth they t is chaunce whether we liue or die Borne or abortiue be or neuer bee Wee worship fortune shee 's our deitie If she denies no vitall breath haue wee Here are wee placed in this orbe of death This breath once gone we neuer looke for breath verse 3 Betweene both life and death both hope and feare Betweene our ioy and griefe blisse and dispaire We here possesse the fruite of what is here Borne euer for to die and die deaths heire Our heritage is death annexde to life Our portion death our death an endlesse strife What is our life but our liues tragedy Extinguishde in a momentary time And life to murder life is cruelty Vnripely withering in a flowrie prime And vrne of ashes pleasing but the showes Once dry the toiling spirit wandring goes verse 4 Like as the traces of appearing clouds Giues way when Tytan resalutes the sea With new-changd flames guilding the Oceans flouds Kissing the cabinet where I hetis lay So fares our life when death doth giue the wound Our life is led by death a captiue bound When Sol bestrides his golden mountaines toppe Lightning heauens tapors with his liuing fire All gloomye powers haue their diurnall stoppe And neuer gaines the darknes they desire So perisheth our name when wee are dead Our selues nere cald to mind our deeds nere read verse 5 What is the time wee haue what be our daies No time but shadowe of what time should be Daies in the place of houres which neuer staies Beguiling sight of that which sight should see As soone as the begin they haue their fine Nere waxe still waine nere stay but still decline Life may be cald the shadowe of effect Because the cloude of death doth shadow it Nor can our life approaching death reiect They both in one for our election sit Death followes life in euery degree But life to followe death you neuer see verse 6 Come we whose olde decrepit age doth hault Like limping winter in our winter sin Faultie wee know we are tush what 's a fault A
herbs commixt with sweetest flower Care was my swadling clothes as well as cloth For I was swadled and clothed in both Why do I make my selfe more then I am Why say I I am nourished with cares When euery one is clothed with the same Sith as I fare my selfe another fares No King had any other birth then I But waild his fortune with a watry eye verse 6 Say what is mirth an entrance vnto woe Say what is woe an entrance vnto mirth That which begins with ioy doth not end so These go by chaunge because a changing birth Our birth is as our death both barren bare Our entrance waile our going out with care Naked we came into the world as naked Wee had nor wealth nor riches to possesse Now differ we which difference riches maked Yet in the end we naked nerethelesse As our beginning is so is our end Naked and poore which needs no wealth to spend verse 7 Thus weighing in the ballance of my minde My state all states my birth all births alike My meditated passions could not finde One freed thought which sorrow did not strike But knowing euery ill is curde by praier My minde besought the Lord my griefes allaier Wherefore I prayde my praier tooke effect And my effect was good my good was gaine My gaine was sacred wisedomes bright aspect And her aspect in my respect did raigne Wisedome that heau'nly spirit of content Was vnto me from heau'n by praier sent verse 8 A present far more worthy then a crowne Because the crowne of an eternall rest A present far more worthie then a throne Because the throne of heau'n which makes vs blest The crowne of blisse the throne of God is shee Compared vnto heau'n not earth to thee Her foot-stoole is thy face her face thy shame Thy shame her liuing praise her praise thy scorne Thy scorne her loue her loue thy merits blame Thy blame her worth her worth thy being borne Thy selfe art drosse to her comparison Thy valour weake vnto her garison verse 9 To liken gold vnto her radiant face Were likening day to night and night to day The Kings high seat to the low subiects place And heau'ns translucent breast to earthly way For what is golde her scorne her scorne her ire Melting that drosse with nought but angers fire In her respect t is dust in her aspects Earth in respect of her t is little grauell As dust as earth as grauell she reiects The hope the gaine the sight the price the trauell Siluer because inferiour to the other Is clay which two she in one looke doth smother verse 10 Her sight I called health her selfe my beautie Health as my life and beautie as my light Each in performance of the others dutie This curing griefe this leading me aright Two soueraigne eies belonging to two places This guides the soule and this the body graces The heart sicke soule is cur'd by heart-strong health The heart-strong health is the soules brightest eye The heart-sick body heal'd by beauties wealth Two sunnie windolets of eithers skie Whose beames cannot be clouded by reproach Nor yet dismounted from so bright a coach verse 11 What dowrie could I wish more then I haue What wealth what honour more then I possesse My soules request is mine which I did craue For sole redresse in soule I haue redresse The bodyly expences which I spend Is lent by her which my delight doth lend Then I may call her author of my good Sith good and goods are portions for my loue I loue her well who would not loue his food His ioyes maintatiner which all woes remoue I richest am because I doe possesse her I strongest am in that none can oppresse her verse 12 It made me glad to thinke that I was rich More gladder for to thinke that I was strong For lowest mindes do couet highest pitch As highest braues proceed from lowest tongue Her first arriuall first did make me glad Yet ignorant at first first made me sad Ioyfull I was because I sawe her power Wofull I was because I knew her not Glad that her face was in mine eies lockt bower Sad that my senses neuer drew her plot I knew not that she was discretions mother Though I profest my selfe to be her brother verse 13 Like a rash wooer feeding on the lookes Disgesting beauty apparitions show Viewing the painted out-side of the bookes And inward workes little regardes to know So I feeding my fancies with her sight Forgot to make inquirie of her might Externall powers I knew riches I had Internall powers I scarcely had discerne Vntamedly I learned to be glad Faining I hated veritie I learnd I was not enuious learned to forsake her But I was louing learned for to take her verse 14 And had I not my treasure had bin lost My losse my perills hazard had proclaimde My perill had my lifes destruction tost My lifes destruction at my soule had aimde Great perills hazarded from one poore losse As greatest filth doth come with smallest drosse This righteous treasure whoso rightly vseth Shall be an heire in heau'ns eternitie All earthly fruites her heretage excuseth All happinesse in her felicitie The loue of God consists in her embracing The gifts of knowledge in her wisedomes placing verse 15 I speake as I am prompted by my mind My soules chiefe agent pleader of my cause I speake these things and what I speake I finde By heau'ns iudgement not mine owne applause God he is iudge I next because I haue her God he doth know I next because I craue her Should I direct and God subuert my tongue I worthy were of an vnworthy name Vnworthy of my right not of my wrong Vnworthy of my praise not of my shame But seeing God directs my tongue from missing I rather looke for clapping than for hissing verse 16 He is the prompter of my tongue and me My tongue doth vtter what his tongue applies He sets before my sight what I should see He breathes into my heart his verities He telles me what I thinke or see or heare His tongue a part my tongue a part doth beare Our wordes he knowes in telling of our hearts Our hearts he knowes in telling of our words All in his hands words wisedome workes and arts And euery power which influence affords He knowes what we will speake what we will doe And how our mindes and actions will goe verse 17 18 The wisedome which I haue is heauens gift The knowledge which I haue is Gods reward Both presents my fore-warned sences lift And of my preseruation had regard This teaches me to know this to be wise Knowledge is wits and wit is knowledge guise Now know I how the world was first created How euery motion of the aire was framed How man was made the diuells pride abated How times beginning midst and end was named now know I time times chāge times date times sho And when the seasons come and when they goe verse 19 20
duskie vapours hemde in blacke Behold thy downfall ready at thy hand Behold thy hopes wherein thy hazards stand Oh spurne away that blocke out of thy way With vertues appetite and wisedomes force That stumbling blocke of follie and decay That snare which doth ensnare thy treading corse Beholde thy body falls let vertue beare it Beholde thy soule doth fall let wisedome reare it verse 11 Say art thou yong or olde tree or a bud Thy face is so disfigured with sin Yong I doe thinke thou art in what in good But olde I am assur'd by wrinckled skin Thy lips thy tongue thy heart is yong in praying But lips and tongue and heart is olde in straying Olde in adoring idolls but too yong In the obseruance of diuinest lawe Yong in adoring God though olde in tong Olde and too olde yong and too yong in awe Beginning that which doth begin misdeeds Inuenting vice which all thy body feeds verse 12 13 But this corrupting and infecting foode This caterpiller of eternitie The foe to blisse the canker vnto good The new accustom'd way of vanitie It hath not euer beene nor shall it be But perish in the branch of follies tree As her descent was vanities aline So her descending like to her descent Here shall shee haue an end in hell no fine Vaine glory brought her vainely to be spent You know all vanity drawes to an end Then needs must shee decay because her frend verse 14 Is there more follie then to weepe at ioy To make eyes watrie when they should be drie To greeue at that which murders griefes annoy To keepe a shower where the sunne should lie But yet this folly-cloude doth oft appeare When face should smile and watry eie bee cleere The father mournes to see his sonne life-dead But seldome mournes to see his sonne dead-liu'd Hee cares for earthly lodge not heau'ns bed For death in life not life in death suruiu'd Keeping the outward shadow of his face To worke the inward substance of disgrace verse 15 Keeping a shew to counterpoize the deed Keeping a shadow to be substance heire To raise the thing it selfe from shadowes seed And make an element of liuelesse aire Adoring that which his owne hands did frame Whose hart inuention gaue whose tong the name But could infection keepe one setled place The poyson would not lodge in euery brest Nor feede the hart the minde the soule the face Lodging but in the carcasse of her rest But this Idolatry once in mans vse Was made a custome then without excuse verse 16 Nay more it was at tyrannies commaund And tyrants cannot speake without a doome Whose iudgement doth proceed from heart and hand From heart in rage from hand in bloudy tombe That if through absence any did neglect it Presence should pay the ransome which reiect it Then to auoide the doome of present hate Their absence did performe their presence want Making the image of a kingly state As if they had new seed from sins olde plant Flattring the absence of olde mischiefes mother With the like forme and presence of another verse 17 Making an absence with a present sight Or rather presence with an absent view Deceiuing vulgars with a day of night Which know not good from bad nor false from true A crafts-man cunning in his crafty trade Beguiling them with that which he had made Like as a vane is turn'd with euery blast Vntill it point vnto the windie clime So stand the people at his worde agast Hee making olde new forme in new-olde time Defies and deifies all with one breath Making them liue and die and all in death verse 18 They like to Tantalus are fed with shoes Shewes which exasperat and cannot cure They see the painted shadow of suppose They see her sight yet what doth sight procure Like Tantalus they feed and yet they starue Their foode is caru'd to them yet hard to carue The crafts-man feeds them with a staruing meat Which doth not fill but empty hungers gape Hee makes the idoll comely faire and great With well limnd visage and best fashioned shape Meaning to giue it to some noble view And faine his beautie with that flattring hue verse 19 Enamour'd with the sight the people grew To diuers apparitions of delight Some did admire the portraiture so new Hew'd from the standard of an olde trees hight Some were allur'd through beutie of the face With outward eye to worke the soules disgrace Adored like a God though made by man To make a God of man a man of God T is more then humaine life or could or can Though multitudes applause in error trode I neuer knew since mortall lifes abod That man could make a man much lesse a God verse 20 Yes man can make his shame without a maker Borrowing the essence from restored sin Man can be vertues foe and vices taker Welcome himselfe without a welcome in Can he doe this yea more oh shamlesse ill Shamefull in shame shamelesse in wisedomes will The riuer of his vice can haue no bound But breakes into the ocean of deceit Deceiuing life with measures of dead ground With carued idols disputations baite Making captiuitie cloth'd all in mone Bee subiect to a God made of a stone verse 21 Too stony hearts had they which made this lawe Oh had they beene as stony as the name They neuer had brought vulgars in such awe To be destructions pray and mischiefes game Had they beene stone-dead both in looke fauour They neuer had made life of such a sauour Yet was not this a too sufficient doome Sent from the roote of their sin-oregrowne tong To cloud gods knowledge with hel mischiefs gloome To ouerthrowe truths right with falshoods wrong But dayly practised a perfect way Still to begin and neuer end to stray verse 22 23 For either murders pawe did gripe their harts With whispring horrors drumming in each eare Or other villanies did play their parts Augmenting horror to newe strucken feare Making their hands more then a shambles stall To slay their children ceremoniall No place was free from staine of blood or vice Their life was markt for death their soule for sin Marriage for fornications thawed ice Thought for despaire body for eithers gin Slaughter did either end what life begunne Or lust did end what both had left vndone verse 24 25 The one was sure although the other faile For vice hath more competitors then one A greater troupe doth euermore auaile And villanie is neuer found alone The bloud-hound folows that which slaughter kild And theft doth folow what deceit hath spild Corruption mate to infidelitie For that which is vnfaithfull is corrupt Tumults are schoole fellowes to periury For both are full when either one hath supt Vnthankfullnes defiling and disorders Are fornications and vncleannes borders See what a sort of rebells are in armes verse 26 To root out vertue to supplant her raigne Opposing of them selues against all harmes To the deposing of her empires