Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A18748
|
A musicall consort of heauenly harmonie (compounded out of manie parts of musicke) called Churchyards charitie; Churchyards charitie
|
Churchyard, Thomas, 1520?-1604.
|
1595
(1595)
|
STC 5245; ESTC S105039
|
29,766
|
66
|
A MVSICALL CONSORT OF HEAuenly harmonie compounded out of manie parts of Musicke called CHVRCHYARDS CHARITIE Imprinted at London by Ar. Hatfield for William Holn 5. 1595. TO THE RIGHT HONORAble ROBERT DEVEREVX Earle of Essex and Eâ—e Vâ—count of Hereford Lord Ferrer of Chartley Borâ—her and Louâ—ine Master of the Queenes Maiesties horse Knight of the noble order of the garter and one of hir Maiesties honorable priuie Counsell Thomas Churchyard wisheth increase of all wished honor happines of life worlds good will and euerlasting fame A Greater boldnes cannot be committed Right Honorable than to present Pamphlets and Poetrie to noble Counsellors that gouernes a publike state though in all ages reasonable writers that kept an orderly compasse were suffered in verse or prose so their inuentions were not farced ful of vanitie to shew good will in the dedication of some honest labors to such honorable personages as was woorthie of any good volumes or in the woorth of vertue excelled the waight and value of numbers that neither merits laudation nor shew no sufficiency to be saluted with a booke But what I see and the world reports of your Lordship makes me somwhat hardie to offer a present yet simplenes of spirit and want of profound learning hath so muffled my muses that they dare not speake nor I presume to write neuertheles thinking on your twenty fold honorable father my great good Lord matchlesse in our world that caried in his breast the feare of God and wan with his life the loue of men so noble was his minde I stood nothing discouraged bicause a soldier like noble sonne of his is left aliue to follow the steps of so stately a father and to shine aboue and beyond the course of thousands in this time or is likely to come after this age To treate of particulars in that behalfe I should presume too far and vnaduisedly come too short of matter fit for this cause Wherefore I am to leaue those deepe considerations and drop into the shallownes of mine owne studies that brings foorth a booke of the coldnes of charitie bicause a great noble man told me this last wet sommer The weather was too colde for Poets On which fauorable words I bethought me that charitie in court and all the world ouer was become so cold that neither hot sommer feruent fire nor heate of sunne could make warme againe in that comfortable sort as our forefathers haue felt it so my good L. following that onely theame of cold weather being apt to take any theam to write on in as sweete a phrase and termes as I may deuise putting in the praise of Poets withall I smoothly passe ouer without bitter speeches the corruption of this world and disguised maners of men riding by the new fanglenes of a multitude and not dashing any ones infirmitie with blot of disgrace or blemish of credit hoping the best sort shall stand pleased with howsoeuer the woorst happily may be touched do of meere malice wrest awry the honest meaning of a plaine writer For the dutifull regard towards the purchasing of your L. fauor hath so sifted euery word and sentence that no one verse or line shall bee offensiue to a sounde iudgement and good construction And for that now by reason of great age my wits and inuentions are almost wearied with writing of bookes this being one of the last I tooke this taske in hand at large to dilate somewhat of Charitie which would to God I had as great power to reuiue as the world hath occasion to remember Thus ouer-bold to trouble your L. so long with the reading of so simple an Epistle I proceed vnder your honorable supportation to my purposed matter wishing your L. euerlasting fame credit and honor most humbly at commandement THOMAS CHVRCHYARD AN EVERLASTING MEMORIE OF CHRISTIAN comfort to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie O Grashous dame in whose graue iudgment great The heauens hie lies open plaine to sight The earth belowe takes from thy regall seat In darkest daies his hope and cleerest light For at thy feet a world of woorthies fall ELIZABETH a monarke to them all An Empresse heere three kingdoms showes vs plaine On which three realms our Queen may rightly raine O treble Queen the sweete and highest part That we like best and shrillest voice doth sound The onely meane to shew deepe musicks art Where all the skill of well set song is found Grant silly man a grace that meanes to sing Of heaunly loue and of none other thing He sings of peace a song should lull asleepe The fellest feends and fearfull bugs below Peace charms with words the wolfe that wearies sheep That neither lambe nor kid astraie shall goe For as the hen hir chickens keepes from kite So charitie doth saue hir children all From common plagues and wicked worlds despite And all the wrath that from the clouds can fall She spreds hir wings to keepe hir birds from cold And learns poore chicks to picke vp graines of gold This charitie so checkles ore hir broode She scrapes the earth to make hir yoong ones feed And freely from hir selfe doth spare them foode She takes in hart such care for those that neede If charitie were not the onely nurse To nourish vp each thing that life doth beare This backward world would grow from ill to woorse And brutish â—olke would banish loue and feare Warme Christian loue as long as life doth last Doth bide the shocke and brunt of eurie blast And kindled once in any princely hart It burnes and flames as hot as Aethna hill Creepes throw the vains and nerues in euerie parâ— Cannot be quencht with water wit nor skill A heaunly grace maintains a heaunly loue Each thing diuine diuinely is set foorth Planted like rocke that nothing may remoue Garnisht like gold or perle of greatest woorth The charitie I meane is garded so And for hir saith through fire and aire may goe But what is that to him that sings a song â—f twenty parts when he one voice must sound Presumes to tell a tale perchance too long To sacred eares whose iudgement is profound Sing hie or lowe how ere the tune he takes For one small iar the song begins againe No shift may serue for concord musicke makes Most harmonie consists in pricksong plaine Diuision doth but teare in peeces small The minnems long and little crotchets all Full softly blowes a quiet calmie winde A still milde voice doth please the hearers well No note nor ring so much contents the mind As solemne sound of cleere sweet siluer bell O that my muse might get so great a grace As credit win throw any sound it shoes I die to see one fearfull frowne of face VVhere these meeke words and humble verses goes Now mirthles song begin thy new found note As strange a straine as any eare hath hard If world would learne to sing the same by rote Good charitie should grow in more regard Play well thy part so