placde in wisedomes might Secure from mischiefes baite or follies clap Wits labour reasons hope and wisedomess merit All three in one make one thrice happy spirit Why set I happinesse fore mortall eyes Which couets to be drencht in misery Mantling their foolish mindes in follies guise Despising wisedomes perpetuitie Sins labour follies hope and vices merit These three in one make a thrice cursed spirit verse 5 Vaine hope must needs consist in what is vaine All foolish laboures flowes from follies teares Vnprofitable workes proceed from paine And paine ill labours duest guerdon beares Their vanities in one and one in three Make three paines one and one vncertaintie A wicked King makes a more wicked land Heads once infected soone corrupts the feete If the tree falls the branches cannot stand Nor children bee their parents indiscreet The man infects the wife the wife the childe Like birdes which in one nest bee all defilde verse 6 The field which neuer was ordainde to beare Is happier farre then a still tilled ground This sleepes with quietnes in euery yeare The other curst if any tares bee found The barren happier then shee that beares This brings foorth ioye the other tares and teares The Eunuch neuer lay in vices bed The barren woman neuer brought foorth sin These two in heauens happines are led Shee fruite in soule hee fruite in faith doth win O rare and happy man for euer blest O rare and happy woman heauens guest verse 1 Who seekes to reape before the corne be ripe Who lookes for haruest among winters frost Or who in greife will followe pleasures pipe What mariner can saile vppon the coast That which is done in time is done in season And things done out of time is out of reason The glorious labour is in doing good In times obseruance and in natures will Whose fruite is also glorious for our foode If glory may consist in labours skill Whose roote is wisdome which shal neuer wither But spring and sprout and loue and liue together verse 2 But euery ground doth not beare blessed plants Nor euery plant brings foorth expected frute What this same ground may haue another wants Nor are all causes answered with one sute That tree whose roote is sound whose grounding strong May firmely stand when others lie along View natures beautie marke her chaunging hue Shee is not alwaies foule nor alwaies faire Chaste and vnchaste she is true and vntrue And some springs from her in a lustfull aire And these adulterers be whose seede shall perish Neuer shall lust and wickednes long florish verse 5 Although the flint be hard the water soft Yet is it molifide with lightest drops Hard is the water when the wind 's aloft Small things in time may vanquish greatest stops The longer growes the tree the greater mosse The longer soile remaines the more the drosse The longer that the wicked liues on earth The greater is their paine their sin their shame The greater vices raigne and vertues dearth The greater goodnes lacke and mischiefes name When in their youth no honour they could get Olde age could neuer pay so yong a debt verse 6 To place an honour in dishonours place Were but to make disparagement of both Both enimies they could not brooke the case For honor to subuert dishonors growth Dishonor will not chaunge for honours roome Shee hopes to stay after their bodies doome Or liue they long or die they sodainly They haue nor hope nor comfort of rewarde Their hope of comfort is iniquitie The barre by which they from their ioyes are bard O olde newe end made to begin newe griefe O new beginning end of old reliefe Chapter IIII. verse 1 IF happines may harbour in content If life in loue if loue in better life Then vnto many happines is lent And long departed ioy might then be rife Some happy if they liue some if they dye Happy in life happy in tragedy Content is happines because content Barenes and barrennes is vertues grace Bare because wealth to pouertie is bent Barren in that it scornes ill fortunes place The barren earth is barren of her tares The barren woman barren of her cares verse 2 The soule of vertue is eternitie All-filling essence of diuinest rage And vertues true eternall memory Is barrennes her soules eternall gage O happy soule that is engaged there And pawnes his life that barren badge to weare See how the multitude with humble harts Lies prostrate for to welcome her returne See how they mourne and waile when she departs See how they make their teares her trophees vrne Being present they desire her being gone Their hot desire is turnde to hoter moane verse 3 As euery one hath not one natures mould So euery one hath not one natures minde Some think that drosse which others take for golde Each difference commeth from a differing kinde Some do despise what others do imbrace Some praise the thing which others do disgrace The barren doth embrace their barrennesse And holde it as a vertue worthy meede The other calles conception happinesse And holde it as a vertue worthy deede The one is firmely grounded on a rocke The other billows game and tempests mocke verse 4 Sometime the nettle groweth with the rose The nettle hath a sting the rose a thorne This stings the hand the other prickes the nose Harming that scent which her sweete birth had borne Weeds among herbs herbs among weeds are found Tares in the mantle of a corny ground The nettles growth is fast the roses slow The weeds outgrow the herbs the tares the corne These may be well compared to vices show Which couets for to grow ere it be borne As greatest danger doth pursue fast going So greatest danger doth ensue fast growing verse 5 The tallest Cedar hath the greatest winde The highest tree is subiect vnto falles High soaring Eagles soone are strucken blinde The tong must needes be hoarse with many calles The wicked thinking for to touch the skie Are blasted with the fier of heauens eie So like ascending and descending aire Both duskie vapours from two humerous cloudes Lies withered the glory of their faire Vnpleasant branches wrencht in follies floudes Vnprofitable fruites like to a weede Made onely to infect and not to feede verse 6 Made for to make a fast and not a feast Made rather for infection than for meate Not worthy to be eaten of a beast Thy taste so sower thy poyson is so great Thou mayst be well compared to a tree Because thy branches are as ill as thee Thou hast begot thine owne confusion The witnesses of what thou dost beginne Thy doomers in thy lifes conclusion Which will vnaskt and askt reueale thy sinne Needs must the new hatched birds bewray the nest When they are nursed in a step-dames breast verse 7 But righteousnes is of another sex Her roote is from an euerlasting seede No weake-vnable grounding doth connex Her neuer-limited memorialles deed She hath no branches for a tempests pray No deedes
lifes and deaths disgrace A fault without amends crime without ease A sin without excuse death without aide To loue the world and what the world did please To know the earth wherein their sinnes are laide They knew the world but not the L. that framde it They knew the earth but not the L. that namde iâ— verse 10 Narcissus drownde himselfe for his selfes shew Striuing to heale himselfe did himselfe harme These drownde them selues on earth with their selues woe Hee in a water-brooke by furies charme They made dry earth wet with their follys weepiÌ„g Hee made wet earth dry with his furies sleeping Then leaue him to his sleepe returne to those Which euer wake in miseries constraints Whose eyes are hollow caues and made sleeps foes Two dungeons darke with sin blind with complaints They called images which man first found Immortall Gods for which their tongs are bound verse 11 12 Golde was a God with them a golden God Like children in a pageant of gay toyes Adoring images for saints abode Oh vaine vaine spectacles of vainer ioyes Putting their hope in blocks their trust in stones Hoping to trust trusting to hope in mones As when a carpenter cuts downe a tree Meet for to make a vessell for mans vse He pareth all the barke most cunningly With the sharp shauer of his kniues abuse Ripping the seely wombe with no entreate Making her woundy chips to dresse his meat verse 13 14 Her bodies bones are often rough and hard Crooked with ages growth growing with crookes And full of wether-chinkes which seasons marrde Knobbie and rugged bending in like hookes Yet knowing age can neuer want a fault Encounters it with a sharpe knifes assault And carues it well though it be selfe-like ill Obseruing leasure keeping time and place According to the cunning of his skill Making the figure of a mortall face Or like some vgly beast in ruddy mould Hiding each crannie with a painters fould verse 15 16 It is a world to see to marke to view How age can botch vp age with crooked thread How his olde hands can make an olde tree new And dead-like hee can make another dead Yet makes a substantiue able to beare it And she an adiectiue nor see nor heare it A wall it is it selfe yet wall with wall Hath great supportance bearing either part The image like an adiectiue would fall Were it not closed with an yron hart The workman being olde himselfe doth know What great infirmities olde age can show verse 17 Therefore to stop the riuer of extreames Hee burst into the flowing of his wit Tossing his braines with more then thousand theams To haue a wooden stratagem so fit Woodden because it doth belong to wood His purpose may be wise his reason good His purpose wise no foolish fond and vaine His reason good no wicked vild and ill To be the authour of his owne liues paine To be the tragick actor of his will Praying to that which he before had fram'd For welcome faculties and not asham'd verse 18 19 Calling to follie for discretions sence Calling to sicknes for sick bodies health Calling to weakenes for a stronger fence Calling to pouertie for better wealth Praying to death for life for this hee praide Requiring helpe of that which wanteth aide Desiring that of it which he not had And for his iourney that which cannot goe And for his gaine her furdrance to make glad The worke which he doth take in hand to doe These windie words do rush against the wall Shee cannot speake t will sooner make her fâ—â—â— Chapter XIIII verse 1 AS doth one little sparke make a great flame Kindled from forth the bosome of the flint As doth one plague infect with it selfe name With watrie humours making bodies dint So euen so this idoll worshipper Doth make another idoll practiser The shipman cannot teeme dame Tethis waues Within a winde-taught-capring anchorage Before hee prostrate lies and suffrage craues And haue a block to be his fortunes gage More crooked then his sterne yet he implores her More rotten then his ship yet he adores her verse 2 3 4 Who made this forme he that was form'd and made T was auarice t was shee that found it out Shee made her crafts-man crafty in his trade Hee cunning was in bringing it about Oh had he made the painted shew to speake It would haue calde him vaine herselfe to wreake It would haue made him blush aliue though hee Did die her colour with a deadly blush Thy pouidence ó father doth decree A sure sure way amongst the waues to rush Thereby declaring that thy power is such That thogh a man were weake thou canst do much verse 5 What is one single barre to double death One death in death the other death in feare This single barre a borde a poore bords breath Yet stops the passage of each Neptunes teare To see how many liues one borde can haue To see how many liues one borde can saue How was this borde first made by wisedomes art Which is not vaine but firme not weake but sure Therfore do men commit their liuing hart To plancks which either life or death procure Cutting the stormes in two parting the winde Plowing the sea till they their harbour finde verse 6 The sea whose mountaine billowes passing bounds Rusheth vpon the hollow-sided barke With rough-sent kisses from the water grounds Raising a foaming heat with rages sparke Yet sea nor waues can make the shipman feare Hee knowes that die he must hee cares not where For had his timorous heart beene dide in white And sent an eccho of resembling woe Wisedome had beene vnknowne in follies night The sea had beene a desolations showe But one world hope lay houering on the sea When one worlds hap did end with one decay verse 7 8 Yet Phoebus drowned in the oceans world Phoebe disgrast with Tethis billow-roules And Phoebus firie-golden-wreath vncurl'd was seated at the length in brightnes soules Man tosst in wettest wildernes of seas Had seed on seed encrease vpon encrease Their mansion-house a tree vpon a waue O happy tree vppon vnhappy ground But euery tree is not ordain'd to haue Such blessednes such vertue such abound Some trees are carued images of nought Yet God-like reuerenc'd ador'd besought verse 9 Are the trees nought alas they sencelesse are The hands which fashion them condemne their groth Cuts downe their branches vailes their forehead bare Both made in sin though not sins equall both First God made man and vice did make him new And man made vice from vice and so it grew Now is her haruest greater then her good Her wonted winter turn'd to summers ayre Her ice to heat her sprig to cedars wood Her hate to loue her lothsome filth to faire Man loues her well by mischiefe new created God hates her ill because of vertue hated verse 10 O foolish man mounted vppon decay More vgly then Alastors pitchie backe Nights dismall summoner and end of day Carrying all
you parde your oregrowne faults Your sin-like Eagles clawes past growth of time All vndermined with destructions vaults Full of olde filth proceeding from new slime Else had you beene deformed like to those Which were your frinds but now becom your foes Those which are worthy of eternall paine Foes which are worthy of immortall hate Dimming the glory of thy childrens gaine With cloudy vapours set at darknesse rate Making new lawes which are too olde in crime Making old-wicked lawes serue a new time verse 5 Wicked no bloudy lawes bloudy yea worse If any worse may haue a worser name Men oh no murdrers not of mens remorce For they are shamefull these exempt from shame What shall I call them slaughter-drinking hearts To good a word for their too ill desarts Murder was in their thoughts they thought to slay And who poore infants harmelesse innocents But murder cannot sleepe it will betray Her murdrous selfe with selfe disparagements One child poore remnant did reprooue their deeds And God destroyd the bloudy murdrers seedes verse 6 Was God destroyer then no he was iust A iudge seuere yet of a kinde remorce Seuere to those in whome there was no trust Kind to the babes which were of little force Poor babes half murdred in whole murders thoght Had not one infant their escaping wrought T was God which breathde his spirit in the childe The liuely image of his selfe-like face T was God which drownd their childrē which defilde Their thoughts with bloud their hearts with murders place For that nights tidings our old fathers ioyd Because their foes by water were destroyd verse 7 Was God a murdrer in this tragedy No but a iudge how bloud should be repaid Wast he which gaue them vnto misery No t was themselues which miseries obaid Their thoughts did kill and slay within their hearts Murdring themselues woūding their inward parts When shines the sun but when the moone doth rest When rests the sun but when the moone doth shine When ioyes the righteous when their foes are least And when doth vertue liue when vice doth pine Vertue doth liue when villany doth die Wisedome doth smile when misery doth crie verse 8 The summer dayes are longer than the nights The winter nights are longer than the dayes They shew both vertues loues and vices spites Sins lowest fall and wisedomes highest raise The night is foe to day as naught to good The day is foe to night as feare to food A king may weare a crowne but full of strife The outward shew of a small-lasting space Mischiefe may liue but yet a deadly life Sorrow may greeue in heart and ioy in face Vertue may liue disturbd with vices paine God sends this vertue a more better raigne verse 9 She doth possesse a crowne and not a care Yet cares in hauing none but selfe-like awe She hath a scepter without care or feare Yet feares the Lord and careth for the lawe Asmuch as she doth rise so much sin falles Subiect vnto her law slaue to her calles Now righteousnesse beares sway and vice put downe Vertue is Queene treading on miscchiefes head The lawe of God sancited with renowne Religion placde in wisedomes quiet bed Now ioyfull hymnes are tuned by delight And now we liue in loue and not in spite verse 10 Strong-hearted vices sobs haue pierst the ground In the deepe cesterne of the centers breast Wayling their liuing fortunes with dead sound Accents of griefe and actions of vnrest It is not sin her selfe it is her seede Which drownd in sea lies there for seas foule weed It is the fruit of murders bloudy wombe The lost fruition of a murdrous race A little stone which would haue made a tombe To bury vertue with a sin-bolde face Me thinkes I heare the ecchoes of the vaults Sound and resound their old-new-weeping faults verse 11 View the dead carcasses of humaine state The outsides of the soule case of the harts Beholde the king beholde the subiects fate Beholde each lim and bone of earthen arts Tell me the difference then of euery thing And who a subiect was and who a king The selfe same knowledge lies in this dead scene Valde to the tragike cipresse of lament Beholde that man which hath a maister beene That king which would haue climde aboue content Beholde their slaues by them vpon the earth Haue now as high a seat as great a birth verse 12 The ground hath made all euen which were odde Those equall which had inequalitie Yet all alike were fashioned by God In bodies forme but not in harts degree One difference had in scepter crowne and throne Yet crown'd rul'd plac'd in care in griefe in mone For it was care to weare a crowne of griefe And it was griefe to weare a crowne of care The king deaths subiect death his empires theefe Which makes vnequall state and equall fare More dead then were aliue and more to die Then would be buried with a mortall eie verse 13 O well-fed earth with ill digesting food O well-ill food because both flesh and sin Sin made it sick which neuer did it good Sin made it well her well doth worse begin The earth more hungry then was Tantall's iawes Had flesh and blood held in her earthen pawes Now could beleefe some quiet harbour finde When all her foes were mantled in the ground Before their sin-enchauntments made it blind Their magick arts their negromantick sound Now truth hath got some place to speake and heare And what so ere shee speaks she doth not feare verse 14 15 16 When Phoebes axletree was limnd with pale Pale which becommeth night night which is blacke Hem'd round about with gloomy shining vale Borne vp by cloudes mounted on silence backe And when nights horses in the running waine Oretook the middest of their iournies paine Thy worde ô Lord descended from thy throne The royall mansion of thy powers command As a fierce man of war in time of mone Standing in midst of the destroyed land And brought thy precept as a burning steauen Reaching from heauē to earth from earth to heauen verse 17 Now was the night far spent and mornings wings Flew through sleepie thoughts and made them dream Hying apace to welcome sunny springs And giue her time of day to Phoebus beame No sooner had she flowne vnto the east But dreamy passage did disturb their rest And then like sleepie-waking harts and eyes Turn'd vp the fainting closures of their faces Which betweene day and night in slumber lies Keeping their wakie and their sleepie places And loe a fearing dreame and dreaming feare Made euery eye let fall a sleepie teare verse 18 19 A teare halfe wet from they themselues halfe liude Poore drie-wet teare too moyst a wet-drie face A white-red face whose red-white colour striude To make anotamy of either place Two champions both resolu'd in faces field And both had halfe yet either scornde to yeeld They which were wont to mount aboue the ground Hath leaden-quick-glude sinewes