speacheles deede doth passe a deedeles worde Without good deedes fewe haue ben caught vp hie But those whiche finest phrase could not aforde Doe naithelesse alday skale vp to the skie Not of the babling speaker god hath neade But of the soule that workes his will in deade An acceptable offring vnto God Most welcome gift to God is manners pure Though thou to him couldst all the world present The gift is not so good thy selfe assure Before all giftes good life doth him content Geue him thy harte as doe the meake that quake Thy coyne an horishe bribe God wyl not take Make no vowe to God Make thou no vowe not in the smalest thing Thou guyles thy selfe to crake that that is thyne Which was gods owne before thou diddes it bring That from indebted vs we should decline May warne vs well in this our mortall life The death of Ananias and his wyfe Mans life a market Beleue this life to be a very marte Great gaine there is if thou wilt plie a whyle Eternall thinges for vayne thou maist by arte Exchaunge and dearest ware for chaffer vile But if thou slougge and loiter liuing here No other tyme hereafter wyl appeare The race of Christian life Farre must we runne in this our drery race But more shal be our guardon great in tyme Take hede thou hast not so the whole timbrace That of the whole thou mis with note of cryme The deuill that would vs all from ioye exempt â–ª On both handes thus doth vse the good to tempte Nor presume nor dispaire Truste not to muche ne yet to much dispayre The one doth make vs dissolutely to bolde That other leades to euerlasting care Correcte the last and firme the former holde Arighte and freely fare vpon thy waye Not enuie pale not malice neade thee staie Kepe on thy course in vertue Proceade in thinges with good aduise begonne To moue at first makes not a good mans state But still to moue vntill the thing be done For we doe counte him curste and worthy hate Not who a litil downwarde slippes awry But he that falles exalted once on hie All occasion of euill is to be shunned A prety sparke doth rayse a mightie flame A Uipers seade doth pestilently kyll Instructed well and warned by this same Eschewe the smalest blot of any ill For being soylde with blemishe very small It draweth daungers manifolde with all Knowe thy selfe Good deedes better then golde Thine owne affaires looke rather thou applie Then to thy neighbours busily attende Thy neighbour he may some thing get thereby The other would thine owne estate amende Good deedes are better muche then fee or golde The one decaye the other stande and holde Study godlines Charme thy tongue To sacred reade thy mynde deuout dispose And to the rules deuine of blessed life Thy tatling tongue let it not glide or glose In bablarie or blablarie too rife Whiche if at randome thou permit to walke I warrant thee no wynner by thy talke Temptation by thy eies Our sight would gladly carie vs away But by resisting tho it is represt We are not booteys for syr Cupides pay No idole myndes to him we haue Idrest The baite was faire disguist but we are gonne Of Satans snares this certainly was one â–ª Temptation by the eares Gainst wanton talke thyne eares with waxe doe shitte And against all sonneites delicate and softe But what so for an honest man is fitte That thou respectiuly must very ofte Both marke with diligent and hedie care And in thy saws and deedes the same declare Temptation by the other senses To odours womannishe and fragrant smell Thy selfe to tender touchinges doe not yealde If these doe maister thee what wilt thou well Deserue with hande in battayle champion fielde The man hath his peculiar proper prayse The woman hirs by other diffring wayes Be not to liberal to thy belly Still geue me geue me crithe the gredy paunche And haue thou shalt if well thou canst it saue But if in dunge it passeth by the haunche Eftsones what bootes it thee so much to haue If thou dost kepe it long to make it more Of dunge thou dost but treasure greater store Laughter must be laughed at Uaine laughter would be laughed at againe And wanton laughter wyttely controlde Immodest laughter oft insueth payne To laughe whyles down thy chekes the teares at rolde And better is a sadde and pewly face Then that which smileth smugge with smirking grace Fauour and deformitie True beautie doth adorne a godly mynde And is to it a furniture no doubte No furniture which tyme can chaunge from kynde Nor such as crafte of hande can braue set out The mynde not practisde doth deformed lye As spieth he which hath an inwarde eye Contempte of vanities Pensiuenesse pleasure shame and penurie Ryches honoure authoritie of throne Fearcenesse and feare let them both flitte and flye Without regarde to where they would begonne Such thinges so tickle fickle vile and vayne Doe nothing moue a suerly setled brayne The highnesse and humblenesse of good vvorkes Be hie not in thyne owne conceite at all For that with sodayne swaye wyll cast the downe If els thou buylst to hie loke for a fall Be hie in vpright lyfe that wyl thee crowne The more that thou exalted art on hie The lesse stande thou on thy maioritie Against vayne glorie and dissimulation Nor thou eche prayse nor too much prayse persue Its wurst to be accompted then to bee Flie praise which sprynges by gaie fonde facions newe In case thou knowest not measure in degree An Ape is he not still a very Ape Though all men iudge he hath a Lions shape Take not pryde in prayse Prayse not rashly If others praysing vardit make thee proude Thou shalt be thought a prayser for to want And rynging out an others prayses loude His manners hauing yet seruaid skant If his demenour be perceyued ill Thy credit that will quyte destroy and spyll Pleasure not in deriding an other It s better much to beare a scoffe or scorne Then thee thy selfe to skorne and scoffe If that vncyuilly thou byst not torne Thy vantage is with bourde to beare it of So shall this mery mockyng kynde of glee Unto the mocker moste vnpleasaunt bee Triumphe ouer no man Eere that thou commes to port boast not thy gayle For many men vpon the very shore Haue wrecke their shippe and sunke adown their sayle And many midst thicke wrastling waues Ibore Haue safe aryvde vpon the sedicke coast To laughe at no mans chaunce is wysdome most Better clere conscience in aduersitie then feare of iudgement in vvelth So that thou lyvst in righteous manner here Though vndersoote and subiect vnto throws Prostrat to God in prayre and conscience clere If that thou byst and him sincerely knowes It s better then berest of grace to smart Though all the worlde were framed to thy harte Almesse measure Whatsoeuer goodes thou hast the same disburse That thou the lorde of life
much and liuelonge toile These our dysloyall lymmes We ought to tame and put to foyle Art thou an honest man Thy selfe to passe contende thou still Unhonest art thou yet Content therfore to be lesse ill But Hypocrites do rayne Those after god will cutt awaye And for ther glosinge life With payne he will them sharply pay The strouted streched fleshe And heauy belly agrauate Will scarcely get to heauen So strayt and narrowe is the gate The felicitie of a Christian is Christ. LEt others gape for gould And followe banquet huffinge cheare Which in short life is short So gliding sliding outworne gear For pastures and for paks For grownd and grayne let others prodd And let them eke commaunde Their Satten suytes and silkes at nodde Let me haue only Christ Whom I in soule may perfitt se What seuer elles their is I pray the take it world to the. The life miserable and synne vnquyet WHy sends thou me o Christ Within this fleshe my soule to tyre Into this gastfull life And dongeon drent in deadly myre If that man be a god As in some points he is they saye Then god I am thy lote And sole on the my life doth staye My knees haue lost their strength Unpuysant are my members all Mée age and great disease And carcke and heauy frinds make fall Yet sinne doth not abate But me it fast pursues apase As when to eat theyr fleshe The dogge the Hare or hart doth chase Or gentle stay this gréefe Or me a man forworne sustayne From warfare me vnwinde And sone acquyt from present payne Let darknesse good induce Forgetfulnesse vnto my brayne The vanitie of this lyef A passage vnto God WHy bore my Mother me Why bore she me into this wooe Into this thorny daye Alas the day why did she so If that she felt no care Nor euer in hir fleshe felt fraye An happie one was she Begotten in a lucky daye But if hir stormes were stearne If many tymes and soore she fought Against hir will it was I thinke that me to world she brought All men haue now their trades And sundry liues they thick pursue He shreds the earth with share And he with shipp the waters blue He hunteth and he haukes And he in cheualry delights He learns the muses art And vaunting verses fresh indites And he by plays and prancks By seafold scornes by termes and trickes Aduances him for price And fast the fées of men he lickes But Christ is my rewarde My fée is longe corosyue care And soiorning disease That maks my carkasse lancke and spare Care cruche me for a tyme Me cruche and crouse nor on me rue In tyme I shal be well And bidd all care and carke adue The knovvlege of the Trynitie is blesfulnesse WHy bore my mother me That god I can not fully knowe Nor eauen so as I would His prayse I can not full out blowe The brightsome leamynge light Of Godhead daseleth quyte my brest Thee smalest parte therof Not fully in my skil doeth reast The light conuayes it selfe I morne nor can it perfit fele No more then leuen I knowe Which downe from heauen doth headlong réele But if aboue o Lord I face to face shall loke on the I will not blame my dame O happie then and well is me O sonne of god me saue And take me from this bitter myre And make me happie with Of latter life the happy hire Wher I shall se the plaine And seing plaine tryumphe aloude And not in parcill wise Thus still suruay the in a cloud A prayer for quiet death KInge Christ the light of men And pilloure bright of Gregory To me that stragling straye And wilsom wander farre and nye Staye tyrante Pharao Do by his hand o Christ I praye Staye those exactinge deuills Whiche on vs tasks so felly laye And from this Egipt yoake And from this mud that doth vs soyle Kidd vs and from this plague So full of death and trudginge toile Geue vs a passage good And quyet saffe addresse our waye If that our fooe arise And giue assault to make vs staie Then to vs fearefull folke In hast the read sea swift deuide That on the sands dryshodde Twixt walles of waues we glade may glyde Forth to the holy lande And cuntry coasts that longe shall duer Which thou Christ gauste to vs To haue and houlde saffe standyng suer That true maye be thy worde Wherin we only put our trust Then which nothing we thinke To be more stable and more iust The straungers fountaynes swéete And brokes of pleasance them imbarre Put by their threatning braggs And dolefull warre set from them farre So when the sacred soile We shal inioy reposd at ease With carrouls goodly swete We euer will the praise and pléese Finall repentaunce All is vanitie MY ende of life is come A shipman I the mayne hath past For me doth now remayne ▪ Due for my sinnes a bitter blast The vggly shade of hell Fercefyers darksome profound night Now all my crymes must come And be detected bare in light But in this latest acte Rue on me Christ and stand me nye And now my neadfull wante O Sauiour deare do thou supplye I suffer in my soule And troblouse feares do me agrize That anger thine on me Should fall in wrekful woofull wise Fayne would I passe from paynes That so my hart consume and eate And carry hence with me My busy destnyes dreadfull great But dying vnto you Which after me suruiue behinde I do protest with faith And tell you truly as I finde Beleue me deare my frinds There is no profit of this lyfe The death ther of doth bring A lasting life deuoide of strife A repulse to the deuill A passage to heauen A Farewell to the worlde DEpart thou from my breast A waye thou subtile deuil and slye Depart thou from my lyfe And from my body by and by Thefe Serpent Bellyall Fyer Beast gaper Dragon death and vice Thou Frensy darknesse night That into guile dost all intyce Inchaunter full of spite That dost in murder pleasure much Our parents that vndost With sinne and death and pestlence such Go get the to the seas Christs so commaunds or to the rockes As did the legion once Take vp thy rome in swinishe flockes Forlorne be faringe hence The death of Christ will ells the paye That death in all my partes That death in all my hart doth staye Christs death before my fete The death of Christ is all my ioye Thou crafty wilt thou not Surceasse to worke me mor annoye Wilt thou not go aside Wilt thou not fling the headlong downe On Sodome set thine eys That now for sinne dispeopled towne To lewd blasphemouse flokes The Godhead great that proude dispise Begonne and do not vexe My hoary head in tempting wise With thy malignaunt thought Thou makst my mynde both blacke bloe Wilt nether thou for me Nor yet for God wilt thou hence gooe Gods will doth the discharge No
they guardon had A nother sort dysease With sectes and frantike scysmes The east and weasterne seas God is not now their God But Paule Apollo Peter Or he is eche mans God To him that semeth meter For men and not for Christ Good iudged must we be So that our Christ in vayne Displayed was on tre And nayled was in vayne Forth whose thrise blessed bludde Issued all our name And all our worshippe good Now Lust before our eyes A clottered cloude hath rould And in vs Christian lyfe Hath caught a crasie could Now auarice doth raygne By stelth she clekes and glenes Nowe pride doth proule for prayse By lewde apparant meanes Nowe enuie clappes her handes An others hurt to spie Althoughe therby the worthe She wynne not of a flye To what so they do preache They God protest before Yet they apertly partes Mayntayne and factions sore They speake not as they thinke Ther saynges and ther mynde Or selde or neuer in one Contunynge shalt thou finde The woulfe in shepishe tyre A simple soule doth loke They couer for the fyshe A mortall hidden hoke Both those whiche haue no guides And those which haue suche guides Without or with suche guids All into mischeife slids Life hooly or prophane Life dissolute or strayte Gods word and mans deuice Are déemed by one rate One custome still we haue And still is like to stande That he that is the worst Best prosperse in the lande The Lord confounde that soule That errors did inuent That hatefull head that first Into the world them sent To them the world giues place To them gods selfe giues place The wills and féese of men They purchase thicke in space Rewards are all their owne Which shal be ours at length Thoughe now we toile in vayne Ormatchde with stéere and strength Our Iudges iudge it so It ruleth what they say Dame iustice from our coasts An outlawe is awaye All 's one Christ man the starrs The sunne the darke the lyght Proude Lusifer the blacke And heuenly angells bright The Trayter Iudas hath With Peter one rewarde Samaria is to Ierusalem comparde Gould siluer stone and brasse An ownce and dramme are one A like the puddles vile And fountaines clere in stone All thinges are nowe alike All thinges are now confusde As matter with out forme Which first they sayd was vsde In buildyng of the world The Amonittes of yore Nor Moabittes might treade With in the Temple doore Bicause they hurt Gods folke And they which with their mockes Disquyeted Gods churche God signd for hewynge blocks And tancards for to beare Thus did the wicked spéede At Gods indifferent hands They had no better méede But Leues ofspringe aye Prehemynence had great With in the temple they Were ministers in seate The seruice they sustaynde The cuers on them did bide All offices of chardge Mongst them they did deuide Within and out the churche Thus they did practise well In hooly deades deuout As then they did excell We we O death to synne Do honoure muche present What planctiue Pooet can These dayes enoughe lament A wake from vyce O world Tyme now for to repent And God with hartie praier Is likly to relent You shall haue happie helthe You shall haue present ayde If warned by my wordes In tyme you wil be staide But yf my whightlie heares And sawes you do dispies If younkers Rashe and bould Yée iudge for to be wise If some with deathfull noyse And foolyshe perlouse dynne Do sott your sensles hart And of me conquest wynne Our light I do protest To darknesse that doth turne And Gods fyre puysant hande That shall make all to burne I will not take their parte I dare not be their mate Nor of their rede peruerse Once will I knowe the state We come not in one shippe We sayle not in one Bardge I will not walke their waye Nor sincke with them for chardge Let them post out the race Which rashly they haue runne And speadely dispatche Whiche lightly they begonne The helthfull arcke of Noys I laboure to assende To skape that is to come Their doolefull dreadfull ende I will steppe from their pathe And voide the shenfull showre That grysely hydeous plague On Sodome that did powre In this our yearthly corps That Sodome hath a place The visage of the wise With duste it doth deface It rangeth vp and downe It doth seduce the harte And is the motiue cause From path to make vs starte I hope to take suche hede To purge this Sodome out That safely I maye smyle At stormes which lowdly route With fixt intentiue mynde And heaunly meanyng will Purposinge godly thinges Not common with the ill Unto the persons thrée One godheade I will fare And to my sauior Christ Which sitts in iudgement chare Wheare alle thinges shal be ope And euident in sight In Gods eauen wayinge hande The skole shall payse aright And vprightlie and iuste Shall all be donne in sighte The othe of Nazensen being made Bishoppe BY Christ I swere aboue With God coeternall Begot before all worldes And not begonne at all His Fathers image true Most like vnto the same Which once for mans great loue From skyes dissendyng came I swere and swere againe By Gods allmightful grace That I no errors false Nor fickle will imbrace Nor that in other sence The sentence of the lorde I le chaunge or with my wordes Make worse his precious worde If of the trynall powre The honoure I deuide Or if I fréet in neade And from thy seruice slide If I for vpmost romes Do euer throng or thrust Or if me captyue drawe With corde suche longing luste If I on mortall man My confidence do laye And on so weke a helpe My flotyue shippe shal staye If that in waues of welth My mynde be pufte with pride Or if to soft delights My wanton hart shall slyde If I a iudge assignde Right iudgment shall renye Or if the higher rome Do make me loke more hie If I treade not aright Or cease from doinge well If I delight to se The wicked beare the bell If malice fréete my fleshe If I do gibe or skorne At any mans myschaunce Or at my fooes forlorne If fansie make me madde If that my breast be blinde If that my tonge doth talke And tattle out of kinde If rashlye I do hate Or seke reuenge on fooe If emptie from my house I let a poore man gooe If I féede not those brestes That thrist for Christ his worde Then other men regarde And loke on them O Lorde The labours ould and great Which me haue ouer loode Comitt them to the wynds To carry them abroade This is my lawe of lyfe The which if I imbrace Nor thought nor deade is myne O Christ it is they grace A spirituall dompe In heuie hard affayres The comfort of my greife My keper trustie true The prope of my beleife Was aye the Godheade bright Releude in these our coasts Ariude at our rude cares