that Iudges doo renounce Where hée my Lorde amongs the rest whose handes regard no méede Whose harte Dyes no deceyte at all with honour doth procéede As others eke in soundest sort to Ioyne together aye With Mercy Truth with Iustice Peace in firme and perfecte staye Ah hawtie Hall with honours deckt ah Roofes of royall viewe Ah Seates possest with Iustice self with peace and Iudgements trewe Sith laude sith thankes sith endlesse praise be dewe vnto thy name Swéet lord swéet Christ for these thy gifts we magnifie the same Lord blesse therfore these benefittes Lord giue them large increase Lord let thy mercies still endure Lord let them neuer cease Lord blesse our Quéene Lord prosper her Lord leade her with thine hand Lord teach her aye thy will to know and worde to vnderstand Lord graunt that shée in harte maye loue thy law and thy decrée That shée may knowe how all these giftes proceede good Lord from thée And for thy works of wonder done let her extoll thy praise Let her in truth and holy lyfe continewe all her dayes Let Lorde her graces eyes so pearce into thy Churches state That she with Iudgement sound and pure remooue from thence debate And let her Lorde so loue to heare thy godly Preachers voyce That shée reiecte not what they teache but take the best in choyse Let pompous state be vnto her no stoppe of dew regarde Ne let the faults of faythlesse mates at any time be sparde Let all her royall howsholde so reformed be from sinne That they to all the worlde may showe what vertue is therein That shée may bring a lasting praise and glory to thy name That life and doctrine fownde alike her foes may suffer shame Lorde giue her Iudgement to discerne and that with Counsayle graue Shée may finde out what sownde redresse our common wealth should haue To cut of crafte from wholsome lawes and chiefly to supplant From place of Rule and Iustice such as sownde profession want Whose handes how hurtfull they shall be in times of troublous state Our sondry sortes of troublous heades expressed haue of late Lorde graunt therefore that Lawes be had to bynde each place to choose To office such as loue thy worde and others to refuse That whensoeuer forein driftes or home deuise shall rise Such men of trust prepared so may treasons guile surprise Lorde finally with humbled mindes and Sowles we thee desire Unite both Prince and Peoples harts with loue and zeale entire That th' one with vpright course may rule the other so obaye As Prince may be her peoples Ioye and people Princes staye Lorde graunt that none within this Lande no one that beareth breath Refuse in harte to crie God saue Our Queene Elizabeth Amen ¶ The Authour most humblie to all the Queenes highnes most honourable Counsaylers THough Poets pennes in these our later daies In works of waite gaine credit neare a deale Because that some seduced many waies Their fond affectes and fancies do reueale In rymyng frames wherein they do conceale No want of wyt nor learning dew regarde As in their Bookes full many haue declarde Yet hope I must that truth may take no harme Where she is cloathd with cloake of simple Ryme Deuoyd of dark deuise and Poets charme Which learned wits full rifelye in our time Haue set to view as sootest hearbes in Prime Although the blunt and bitter byting brayne Each rymed truth doth blot with black disdayne You noble wights that win immortall fame By gyding well our english common wealth To you I wryte â–ª as one that loues the same And ioyes in heart to see your Honours health Reiect him not that riming fancies telth But beare him out where he deserues no blame And heere such termes as he in truth shall name Your godly graue and prouident foresightes Thâ—se passed times and blisfull daies forespent Haue so preferd in peace vnto your mightes That calmer daies of yoare were neuer lent Your God therfor that so your harts hath bent Extolle with praise and watch to worke his wyll Seeke tresons soyle and loue your countrey still Beware of forrein fraude and false pretensed loue â–ª Accept goodwill but secreat woorks preuent So ioy in league that close compacts you proue So liue in peace as you to warre were bent Yeeld trust but try for feare ye do repent Geue heede to peace but lyue not vnpreparde The strongest state the longest time is sparde And as you watch each one in your degree T' establish peace and plant right wholsome lawes So noble wights as you true noble be Keepe men opprest from rage of ramping pawes Pluck pluck the spoyle from foorth deuouring iawes And let not Crewes of cruell wasting wightes Thus prank in pride with spoile of pore mens rights To taxe the Trades that wickednes findes out To touch the liues that lewdnesse hath begonne To blase the pride that runnes the Realme throughout To preach the Spoyles the priuate gaine hath wonne To shew the shifts that poore men haue vndone O noble wights and honourable all No pen of mine hath force or euer shall Men craue you graunt men pray you pardon stil Men sweare you trust men crouche you think them mylde Ah out alas heerein is errour styll Heerein your godly meanings are begilde Herein the wastful Crewes lusty heads wax wyld Heerein the trades that wickednesse doth breed On Common welth with priuate pawnche do feed Heerein the pompe of Pride withouten end Hath put it selfe in prease and vaunting spreddes With daringe face where none should dare offende No Caesars looke nor Princes eye it dreddes In frank outrage alas it trampling treddes Heerein the rowtes of cutting roysters grow And bankes of peace with braules do ouer flow Heerein the bloudy papistes do conspire And begging broodes of bankrowts in their kind Do take the course to set our peace on fire By fawnyng force a flithy fetch to finde A few to raise with ryches yll assygnd Though thousands thence doe reape their endlesse neede Whence hate for loue in consequence doth breede Heerein to fâ—â—e the fewest sorts do right Heerein the lawes that godlynes haue fixt Heerein the peace appearing in our sight By pryuate heades with wickednes are mixt And this our peace hath dangers drawne betwixt Heerein therefore to finde redresse with speede Shal make your names true noble still indeede In most humble wife â–ª Edward Hake ¶ Gentle Reader hauing this prayer folowing imparted vnto mee by a learned and worshipfull gentleman very behooufull to be vsed in this the end of our reioysinge I haue according to the dutie of godlynes heere published the same as the fittest seemeliest conclusion to be had in this my lytle Booke A Meditation wherin the godly English geueth thankes to God for the Queenes Maiesties prosperous gouernment hitherto and praieth for the continuance therof to Gods glory AMongst other thy benefites great and innumerable heauenly father our most mercifull Lorde and God by thee of thy
A Commemoration of the most prosperous and peaceable Raigne of our gratious and deere Soueraigne Lady Elizabeth by the grace of God of England Fraunce and Irelande Queene c. Now newly set foorth this .xvii. day of Nouember beyng the first day of the .xviii. yeere of her Maiesties sayd Raigne By Edw. Hake Gent. ¶ Imprinted at London by William How for Richard Iohnes dwellynge without Newgate ouer agaynst S. Sepulchers Churche ¶ To the worshipfull his verie louing Cowsen M. Edwarde Eliotte Esquier the Queenes Maiesties Surueyour of all her Honours Manours Landes and possessions within her highnes County of Essex BEinge entred worshipfull and my beeloued Cowsen into the meditacion of the rare gouernment of our renowmed Queene Elizabeth so high and so aboundaunte matter of admyration offered it selfe to the view of mine vnderstanding that I felt my thoughts in such sorte surprised with the consideration thereof that for the solace of my minde I yeelded my selfe a ioyfull man to set downe in wrytynge some superfitiall discourse vpon the same such as at the least within mine owne soule might styrre vp and procure the prayses of God and draw forwards a dewe thankfulnes vnto his maiesty for the wonderfull benefites that largely thereby haue accrewed to the whole body and to euery particuler member of this our Englishe Nacion And loe no sooner had I accomplished this mocion of my mind in such sorte as you may see it heere set downe in printe but another Cogitacion began with importunitie to assayle me a freshe for beholdinge with the feruencye of my harte the truthe of that matter which I had already compyled and seeing yet farther so gloryous and so plentifull a treasourie remayning to be discouered and that In perpetuam rei memoriam I could not choose but so farre mislike with the sclendernes of that which I had alreadye done as I wished and not slightly that it woulde please almighty God to the eternall praises of his holy name to stirre vp the zeale of some learned and well approued member to geue abroade for an vniuersall view to all Countreies and Nacions of Christendome in the heroyicall garnishment of learning and truth an exact historye and declaration of the same And in this cogitaciō repairing vnto your house for the comforte of your friendlye conference it was the good will of God that I shuld disclose mine affections that way vnto you as also that I shoulde offer vnto you the hearing of this matter as it was at that time thus vnlearnedly penned where findyng by the like good fauour of god your learned friendly neighbour it was recokned for Gods diuine prouidence that I should require him also to be a hearer of the same Which learned man as you know vpon the hearinge thereof so largely dispensed with al those wantes that by learning might peraduenture haue binne supplyed in this booke as that by fauoryng chiefly regarding the vndoubted truth of the matter he perswaded that it wold grow no blemysh at all vnto my credit neither in respect of the breuitie of the woorke nor yet for the playnesse and rudenes of the stile yf I should agree to the publishing of the same in prynt whervnto on the one parte the admyrable works of God so exceedingly aboue humane reason shininge forth vnto the world in the royal person regiment of our most louing gracious Queene and on the other parte the silence of the learned sort silence I may terme it in respect of that vehemency which the woorthines of the cause requireth the more then stoical colde consideraciō of al our english people who are for the greatest part so far from thanking that they haue no thinking of the same these motions I say together with the fauorable cēsure encouragemēts of your said learned neighbor at one instant concurringe I was zealously bold to cast abroad into the view of the world this my smalle treatise as it were to prouoke the pen of some renowmed Homer to prepare the harts of al her highnes subiects to a further deper consideratiō of Gods exceeding superaboundaunt mercies that in the thankfulnes and sinceritie of their hartes they might not for one day supersticiously but for euer kepe holy vnto the Lord the cōmemoratiō of the most prosperous peaceable raigne of the same our gracious dere soueraigne lady queen Elizabeth And now my worshipful cowsen bicause the forces of these my priuate motions haue in this sort effected the nedes they must breake forth I trust to the honor of the highest and the same not meanely by occasion of the encouragemēts which I receiued in your house I cānot resist but coactedly as it were by loue I must confer the dedication thereof digested into this litle boke as you see vpon you before aboue the rest of my beloued friends assuring you that in the great ioy of my hart I haue founde you so equall vnto mine affections in the fauouring of this cause and in the comfort that you take by beholdyng the blisful daies of our sanctified DEBORA as also so Ialous for the Regestryng of her highnesse prayses or rather the prayses of our God vnto posteritie that if I knew by what other meane more acceptably then thus by the first view of these my trauayles employed to the glory of god I might manifest vnto you the sincerity of mine affection vndoubtedly you shuld finde me so forward to accomplishe the same that the deede it self to the vtmost limit of my poore degree shuld be enough to make knowne what vnfayned loue I do beare you And wheras the dedication of all other bookes for the most part doe seeme to craue countinaunce and defence at the hands of the patron this my small booke assure your self for the dignitie of the personage of whom it treateth as also for the truth of the matter that it conteineth shal be able enough besides the defence of it selfe to geue both countinaunce and commendation to your person being indeede the verye man amongst men of your place and calling whose loyall harte and religious minde besides the consideracion of priuate duties of loue may challenge frō me such affection as best of al becōmeth a christian louer to his friend so wel approued And though the booke be but litle yet the personage of whō it treateth is great and so great as that the Booke may sooner be countenaunced with the royaltie of her highnesse name than be able by the thowsande parte to show foorth the number of her princely vertues much lesse of the large benefites that infinitely arise vnto our common wealth of England and to euery member of the same by the goodnesse of her rarest gouernment Some particuler partes whereof are as before is declared in these Quaires though brieflye yet truely discoursed But nowe that you may some way answere the name of a Patron of this my Booke although the matter of the same hath defence sufficient
scepter of sundry and mighty populous nations In her time hath been seen the golden yeeres of the reigne of her Father Dauid and the peacefull kingdome of Salomon to haue ben aduanced The earth not to haue denied her fruitfulnes the sea her encrese the clowdes their drops the heauens their fayrenesse the sun his warmth the yeare her goodnesse But the valleys stand thicke with corne the wyldernesse crowned with gladnesse the furrous watred the mountaines laugh sing the folds full of sheepe our sonnes and daughters grow vp like to the polished corners of the Temple our yongmen see visions and our olde men prophecy HierusaleÌ„ her light shining vnto her and the glory of the Lorde rysen vnto her The Queene bringing her honor vnto the citie of Dauid and the nations walkinge in the light thereof Great is the honour that thou hast heaped vpon vs and honourable in forreine regions is the work that thou hast wrought by thy chosen Yea and so much the more hath the brightnes of this bewty ben powred abroad y whiles Egipt round about hath bene darkned euen the whole world in a manner besides vs whom thou hast gathered into pastures of this Gosen and the thicke mistes of errour hath blinded the eyes of the earth the cloudy piller hath not departed from vs by the day nor the fiery flame by night Whiles other lands round about haue warred to the destructioÌ„ of one another our Moyses hath guided vs in peace whiles other nations lyke Egipt rounde about hath been plaged by the destroyer from the first borne syttinge vpon the princes trone vnto the slaue grindyng at the handmyll our Moyses hath not deminished of her flocke whiles the firme landes haue bene ouerwhelmed by the rage of the seas and waters our Iland hauing dwelt in peace in peace hath sent her ships into Opher for golde and prepared her nauye against the daunger of the enemie Whiles Athalia hath murdered her owne blood our Ioas hath learned the lawe of the Lord of Iâ—hoâ—ada Whiles Achaz consecrateth his owne sonne in the fier and Samaria eateth her owne children on the wals our Eliza directeth the children of the prophets in their offices Whiles Iezabel setteth vp Baal and embreweth Achab with the blood of the Prophetes and of Naboth our Elias gathereth the people of God tâ— mounte Carmell to beholde the wonder of the fire of God lighting from Heauen vpon the sacrifices and replenishing the harts with ioy and toungs with giftes of languages This is then so worthy an instrument of thy goodnesse and expresse Image of thy Maiestie and the ample matter of this daies celebritie And now what doth thy people desire at thine handes but that first O Lorde thou geue vs thankfull hartes make vs al the dayes of our liues mindfull of this thy fatherly and gracious bountifulnes Then as preseÌ„tly the Quéens highnes hath gloriously atchieued the trauayll of full seuentéene yéeres and now the annuell celebritie of our voluntary sacrifice of praise and thanksgeuing therefore returneth so it may by thy benefit full often returne not once or twise but yeere by yeere and yeere heaped vpon yéere we and our ofspring may behold this felycity vntill wee and she satisfied in aboundance the time draw alonge which thou hast appoynted for the veling of her Crowne at the feete of thy sun Iesus and the course of this earthly pilgrimage ouerrunne we and she at our determined seasons be takeÌ„ to raigne in the euerlasting kyngdome of thy glory Agayne where much is the mischief of man great and enormous the rage of SathaÌ„ suttle the practises of Antichrist euyll our desertes lamentable the state of thinges whiles open colouring hideth priuie conspiring poysoned lippes geue sugered words the breath of Cocatrices the embrasings of Scorpions the roringe of Buls the raging of Rabsake the sworde of Herod the destructioÌ„ of Abbadon hath ben séene in our stréets hath bene hard on our walles hath multiplyed before the gates of our cities that thou destroy vs not in the midest of thy workes of thy mercy to leaue vs headlesse and make vs a scorne and prouerbe to the enemye but rather to beholde the number of the faithful subiectes in the dread of their souls and iust ielosye of thyr common interest bowinge the knées of their harts for the long safetie of Quéene Elizabeths sacred Princely person rather then in thy iust fury for auenging of our sins to suffer the deuill with the wicked to preuaile in the vniust zelousnesse of their preposterous vowes gracelesly swearing the death of thy Saints and thine annoynted Lastly that what remaineth of the happye building of thy Church by the hands of thy deare daughter thou plentyfully powre of thy principall spirit vpon her and rauishe her hart with the flame of the loue of thée and thy house with Moyses to lead with Iosue to bring in to the land of promise with Debora to fight thy battaile with Iahel to knock Sisera of Rome in the temples of his vsurped headship to his vtter destruction with Dauid to bring home the Ark with Salomon to finish consecrate to eternity thy Temple amongest thy people on the earth for the time to geeue largelye her foster milke to Hierusalem in Heauen at the time in the purenesse of her virginitie to be presented to the Lambe and sing the song of her weddinge day with thy Angels and thy Saintes to the praise of thy glorious Maiesty the father the sonne and the holy Ghost in one eternall Deitie for euer and euer Amen ¶ FINIS Psal. 116. 17. Nouemb an 18. Elizabeth R.