To free from thrall to make affliction ceasse The more may Sion now sound foorth his fame Ierusalem his praises may proclame VVhere in his Churche his people do accord And whereas kings are subiects to their Lord. VVho may o Lord thy datelesse dayes relate That of all ages ouerpasse the date It 's thow to vs haest put apointed space O stop not me ere half I run my race The world and welkin first by thee were made Thow heauens sphere thow earths foundation laid Thow shalt endure they shal consumed bee Thow madest tyme tyme hath no force on thee Thease elements by alteration strange Shal changed bee and so remaine in change But thow o Lord that woorkes all at thy wil VVa'st earst the same the same remayning stil Vousafe o Lord there ofspring to preserue That thee in feare and faith and loue do serue And in thy wayes directed to remaine A lasting lyf in lasting blisse to gaine Vnto the Father Sonne and holy Ghoste All praise and glory be ascrybed moste As herefore before the world begun And as it now and euer shal be donne AMEN In imitation of the sixt penitential Psal Beginning De profundis clamaui ad te Domine Psal 129. EV'n from the depth of woes VVherein my soule remaines To thee in supreame blis O Lord that highest raignes I do both call and cry T' is deep hart-sorrowes force That moues me thus to waile T' is pittie Lord in thee Must make it to auaile Thyne eares therfore aply If stricktly thow o Lord Obserued haest my sinne Alas what shal I do VVhat case then am I in If rigour thow extend But wel o Lord I know Sweet mercy dwelles with thee And with thy iustice then It must expected bee And I therefore attend My soule doth wait on thee Thy grace confirmes my trust My warrant is thy woord Thow keepest promis iust Keep me o Lord secure Let thy afflicted flock Comfort in thee retaine From dauning day to night From night to day againe Let stil their hope endure There is with our good God Much mercie stil in store Redemption doth remaine VVith him for euer more Aboundant is his grace His people he affects He wil not leaue destrest The thralled he wil free VVith ease of their vnrest And all their faultes deface All glory be therefore O Father vnto thee And so vnto the Sonne The lyke great glory bee And to the holy Ghoste Such as it wonted was Before the world began Such as now yet it is And euer shal remaine Aboue all glorie moste AMEN In imitatiō of the seauenth penitētial Psal Beginning Domine exaudi orationem meam Psalm 142. VOutsafe admit thy gratious eares VVith myld regard for to attend The prayers that a playning hart VVith sorowing sighes to thee doth send And let thereto o louing Lord Thy iustice and thy truthe accord In rigour of thy righteous doome O do not skan thy seruants cause For there is none on earth alyue Through faultlesse lyf free'd from thy lawes Then how may I in sinful plight Seeme iust in thy all-seeing sight The freind of sin the foe of soules Down to the earth my soule hath brought VVhich to the heauen should aspyre Since from the heauen it was wrought O raise it vp againe to blis From earth and all that earthly is Amids the darck mis-led am I VVhere lack of light sinnes view denies I hue a lyf more lyke to death VVhyle dead from grace my body lies And whereas care through secret smart Sends anguysh to afflict my hart But I o Lord recall to mynde VVhat thow hast donne in tyme before And how thy iustice hath bene great But how thy mercy hath bene more Thus hope of help stil comfort giues VVhile mercy stil with iustice liues My stretched hands to thee display The ensignes of my yeilding hart My soule as earth that water wants Of vertues frute can beare no parte I faint send soone relief of raine Least els vnfruteful I remaine Thy face of pittie not of wrath Turne not o louing Lord from mee And let not Lord my owne misdeedes Haue lasting force to anger thee For so might I compare my case To theirs that furthest fal from grace But since my hope is firme in thee Let me betymes thy mercy haue The way of helth make knowne to mee My feete from erring paths to saue Only to thee my soule retyres Only thy mercy it desyres O free mee from my sinful foes To thee I fly to be secure Teach me the lesson of thy wil And let me put it wel in vre Thow art my God and God of all That for thy ayd and comfort call Thow wilt voutsafe to mee o Lord Thy holy spryt to bee my goyd My faith and hope in thee is sutch And sutch it euer shal abyde Reuyue thow wilt mee for thy name Goodnes in thee requyres thesame So that at last by thee o God My soule from bale to blis bee brought And that in mercy thow sub◅ert All those my soules destruction sought And force of foes destroy'd may bee And I made safe for seruing thee All glory bee to thee o God The Father of eternal might And to the Sonne and holy Ghoste Three in an vndeuyded plight As now it is and was of yore And shal endure for euermore AMEN EXTRACTS OF THE SIBYLLAES PROPHESIES OF CHRISTE Sibylla Persica THow serpent fraught with craft and crueltie Shalt by a mightier strength bee troden low And on base earth the high God borne shal bee And from a maid the branch of blis shal grow And that true woord vnseene before of all Shal now be seene and shal be felt withall Sibylla Libyca IN obscure darcknes light shal glistring shyne The Synagogs straight bands vnbound shal bee The king of lyf be seene of mortal eyen And in a maidens lap shal nowrisht bee And high aboue the gentils hee shal raigne And shal in mercie his estate maintaine Sibylla Delphica ATtend o earth thy soueraigne Lord to see And know thy God which is Gods only sonne Chyld of the highest and moste high is hee VVhose beeing by no earthly wight begun Hee shal the great expexted prophet bee Of woorthy greatnesse and great dignitie Sibylla Cumea AMaid excelling all in sainctitie And whose cleere beauty shal the starres exceed Of Chyld in future tyme conceau'd shal be And of the rarest sacred blood and seed And from the heauens the sweet dew downe shal fal Into her brests to nowrish him withal Sibylla Erithrea IN later age high God wil him abase And vnto low estate himself inclyne Mixing his nature with our humaine race His Godheid to our manheid to combyne And lo the litle lamb in strawy bed Shal of a maid be nowrished and fed Sibylla Samia O Fond Iudea why do'st thow neglect The certaine knowlege of thy very God Thy happy dayes why do'st thow so reiect O why do'st thow prepare for him a rod VVith thorny crowne his head why do'st thow presse
ODES IN IMITATION OF THE SEAVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMES VVith Sundry other Poemes and ditties tending to deuotion and pietie HS IMPRINTED ANNO DOMINI M. D.CI TO THE VERTVOVS LADIES AND GENTLE VVOMEN READERS OF THESE DITTIES WHen for my owne priuate recreation I had penned some of these poemes yet not enteÌ„ding to make them publyke for that I feared their soone receauing the deserued censure of the slendernesse of their woorth Yet hauing by chaunce communicated them with a freind I was not a litle vrged to affoord them the libertie of open view but also perswaded to their further augmentation And now hauing yeilded vnto the one aduentured the other I knew no better way then to make dedication of them vnto your selues whose sweete voyces or virginalles may voutsafe so to grace them as that thereby they may be much bettered and the rather yf it shal please you to obtaine of some skilful Musitian such requisite tunes as may vnto them be best fitting And therein crauing your helpful furtherance and for my presumption your fauourable pardon I humbly take my leaue excusing my self with my owne good meaning Vttred as ensueth Vid. The vaine conceits of loues delight I leaue to Ouids arte Of warres and bloody broyles to wryte Is fit for Virgils parte Of tragedies in doleful tales Let Sophocles entreat And how vnstable fortune failes Al Poets do repeat But vnto our eternal king My verse and voyce I frame And of his saintes I meane to sing In them to praise his name Yours in his best endeuours R. V. ODES IN IMITATION OF THE SEAVEN PENItential Psalmes To so-many seueral tunes of Musick In imitation of the first penitential Psalme Beginning Domine ne in furore Psalm 6. WHen my misdeedes o God May thee to anger mooue Amiddes the rigour of thy rage Voutsafe mee not reprooue Nor when for my offence Thy chastisment must bee In thy displeasure o deere Lord Let it not light on mee Thy mercies Lord I craue Of strength I am bereft O salue the sorenesse that my sin Vpon my bones hath left My much agrieued soule In sorrowes doth abound How long o Lord shal they endure Or comfort be vnfound O turne thy self to mee And rid my soule of paine Eu'n for thy mercies which exceed And euer do remaine O hasten thee o Lord To saue and set me free Amongst the dead to their auaile Ther 's none can thinck on thee And in the depth of hel VVhere there is no redresse VVho is it that wil giue the praise Or vnto thee confesse My sighinges for my sinnes Haue past in painful wise And I each night wil wash my bed VVith teares of wailing eyes My sight is vext with feare Of fury in thy rage Oh that my sinnes must be my foes To weare mee out in age A way a way from mee All yee that are vniust Let him my mournful sound receaue In whome I put my trust That I with ioy may say How to my sutes accord Voutsafed hath to condescend My deere and louing Lord. Let shame my foes befall And vexed let them bee Their owne conuersion or their shame Lord let them quickly see Glory o God to thee And vnto Chryste thy sonne As also to the holy ghoste Let endlesly be donne AMEN In imitation of the second penitential Psal Beginning Beati quorum remisse sunt Psalm 31. O How much blest may they remaine That pardon for their guylt obtaine And whose great il and each offence Lies hid in contryte penitence VVhat happy state may hee be in To whome our Lord imputes no sin VVhose conscience doth no guyle retaine That can himself beguyle againe I did my sinnes in sylence hold In grief whereof my bones grew old Mâ—ane whyle my dayes in plaintes of paine VVithout redresse I spent in vaine But when o Lord thy heauy hand No day or night I could withstand But that in anguish ouerworne My conscience prickt as with a thorne Lo then o Lord I did begin To vtter all my secret sin No longer list I ought conceale But each iniustice to reueale Against my self I said wil I My wronges confesse and faultes defy To thee o Lord o Lord to thee That haest from all absolued mee And since I thus thy mercies fynde Let each of good and godly mynde Aproche to thee in happy tyme To pray for pardon of his cryme For such as so do sinck in sin That stil they plunged lie therein Vnable are of thee to gaine VVhat contryte sinners can obtaine O Lord my refuge restes in thee VVhen troubles do enuyron mee O free me then my freedomes ioy From such as seeke mee to annoy Great comfortes Lord I do conceaue Thow mee thy seruant wilt not leaue But wilt instruct and guyd me right And kepe me euer in thy sight O yee that carelesse are of grace Behold and see your brutish case And be not as the horse and mule That liue deuoyd of reasons rule And thow o Lord in mercies ryf Voutsafe restraine their straying lyf VVith bit and brydle make them stay That vnto thee wil not obey Since that for those of sinful trade Ful many scourges there be made VVel him that doth in God repose VVhose mercies may his soule enclose Be therefore ioyful in our Lord All that to righteousnesse accord Let each with gladnesse beare his parte That hath a pure and perfect harte All glory bee O Lord to thee And to thy Sonne in lyke degree As also to the holy Ghoste Perpetual and enduring moste AMEN In imitation of the third penitential Psal Beginning Domine ne in furore Psalm 37. AMiddes thy fury my deere lord Rebuke not mee Nor let thy chasticement befall VVhen wrathful thow shalt bee Thy arrowes in my self I feele Alredy stand I see o Lord thow fixed haest At me thy ayming hand VVithin my self o wo is mee No health I fynde Through feare and terror of thy face That semes to wrath enclynde My very bones disturbed bee Gon is their peace My owne beholding of my sinnes Doth woork my woes encrease And as my sinnes surmounting are I must confesse So are they mounted on my head And heauy me opresse My crymes forepast and pardoned Lyke scarres remaine That putry fyde break out a new Because I sin againe A woful wretche am I become Crooked I grow Each day I waile and whyle I liue I will continew so My members by illusions led Mee so restraine My healthlesse body is vnapt True vertue to retaine By great affliction I am brought Exceeding low Be moued Lord through my lowd groanes Thy mercies to bestow My sutes o Lord tend all to thee Thow knowest my case My plaintes and penance Lord accept That so I may haue grace VVithin my self my silly hart Is vexed stil My force is lost my sight I lack To see and shun my il In my displeasing thee o Lord Right wel I see My freindes are foes my soule is sought And force is wrought on mee They wish
my il and speake my scorns And when they smyle Their hate admittes no tyme of stay To study fraud and guyle But I alas with patience prest Must all for-beare Lyke to the dumb and seeming deaf I neither speak nor heare And for because o gratious God I trust in thee Thow wilt I know my louing Lord Giue eare and ayd to mee Let not o Lord my foes preuaile Least they reioyce Sith scars my feet I may remoue But they aduance their voice Of my misdeedes I am prepard To beare the smart Stil is my sin before my sight And sorrow in my hart I wil reuolue my faultes fore-past Amiddes my mynde And those I truly wil confesse That I may mercy fynde Hate hath confirmd on me my foes In wrongful wyse And stil they liue and do encrease VVhose enuy neuer dies They yeild me il that gaue them good And me defy Because I goodnesse would ensue From which they seeke to fly Forsake me not o Lord my God In state destrest Be redy Lord to my relief My lyf in thee doth rest To Father Sonne and holy Ghost All glory bee From former endlesse date to dure To all eternitie AMEN In imitation of the fourth penitential Psal Beginning Miserere mei Deus Psal 50. HAue mercy o good God on mee In greatnesse of thy grace O Let thy mercies manifold My many faultes deface Foule filthy loath-some vgly sin Hath so defyled me VVith streames of pittie wash me cleane Els cleane I cannot bee To wel my foule vnclensed crymes Remembrance do renew To plaine in anguish of my hart They stand before my view To thee alone o Lord to thee Thease euilles I haue donne And in thy presence wo is mee That ere they were begun But since thow pardon promisest VVhere hartes-true-ruthe is showne Shew now thy mercies vnto mee To make thy iustnesse knowne That such as do infringe thy grace Be made asham'd and shent As ryfe thy mercies to behold As sinners to repent VVith fauour view my foule deffects In crymes I did begin My nature bad my mother fraile Conceau'd I was in sin But since thy self affectest truthe And truthe it self is thee I truly hope to haue thy grace From sin to set me free Since to thy faithful thow before The secret scyence gaue VVhereby to know what thow would'st spend The sinful world to saue VVhose heav'nly hysope sacred droppes Shal me besprinckle so That it my sin-defyled soule Shal wash more whyte then snow O when myne eares receaue the sound Of such my soules release How do sin-laden lymmes reioyce At hattes true ioyes encrease From my misdeedes retyre thy sight View not so foule a staine First wype a way my spots impure Then turne thy face againe A cleane and vndefyled hart O God creat in mee Let in me Lord of righteousnesse A spirit infused bee From that most glorious face of thyne O cast me not away Thy holy Ghoste voutsafe o God VVith mee that it may stay The ioy of thy saluation Lord Restore to me againe And with thy spryte of graces chief Confirme it to remaine That when at thy most gracious hand My sutes receaued bee The impious I may instruckt How they may turne to thee For when o Lord I am releast From vengeance and from blood How ioyful shal I speak of thee So gratious and so good Thow Lord wilt giue me leaue to speak And I thy praise wil shew For so the graces do requyre Thow doest on me bestow If thow sin-offringes had'st desyr'd As wonted weere to bee How gladly those for all my illes I would haue yeilded thee But thow accepts in sacrifise A sorowing soule for sin Despysing not the hart contryte And humbled mynde within Deale gratiously o louing Lord In thy free bounties wil VVith Syon thy dere spouse in earth And fortify it stil That so thow maiest thence receaue That soueraigne sacryfise From alter of all faithful hartes Deuoutly where it lies To thee o Father glory bee And glory to the Sonne And glory to the holy Ghost Eternally be donne AMEN In imitation of the fyft penitential Psal Beginning Domine exaudi orationem meam Psal 101. O Let o Lord thyne eares enclyned bee To heare the prayers that I make to thee And my hartes grief that breaketh forth in cryes O let it haue the power to pearce the skyes Turne not from me thy fauourable face VVhat day or howre I am in heauy case But when I call to thee in my destresse O heare me Lord and send me soone redresse My dayes and yeares alas with litle gaine Lyke vnto smoke how are they past in vaine My forces Lord how are they partch'd and dry Deuotions lack yeilds moisture no supply The blasted grasse my image now can shew My withered hart confirmes that it is so And I forgotten haue vnto my grief To eat the bread of my soules best relief And my too much regard of earthly care Before my self for grace I could prepare Made reason to abandon reason quyte And to affection fast it self vnyte Bur now o Lord since that I do begin To see my self and know the shame of sin From earthly traine I wil retyre my mynde Thee wil I seeke my sauing helth to fynde In desert lyke as liues the Pelicane Or as the crow that doth day light refraine Or chirping sparow sitting all alone I shrowd I watche retyr'd I make my mone But whyle O Lord I do endure this lyf Expecting peace by fleeing wordly stryf Old freindes I fynde become new noysome foes O loue me Lord for losse of loue of those My penance not restraind through scorne of theirs My food I take with ashes with teares Thee more I feare least thow on me should'st frowne That can'st mee raise and raising cast me downe My dayes declyne as doth a shadow passe And I as hay that whylome was as grasse But thow from age to age shalt euer bee Then euermore o Lord forget not mee Voutsafe o Lord in puissance to aryse To raise thy Sion that depressed lies Now is the tyme the tyme doth now expyre It mercy wantes and mercy doth desyre This glorious woork was first begun by thee Thy seruants earst were glad the stones to see And they wil grieue with hartes-afflicted care If so the ruynes thow do'st not repare But when o Lord thy woorks shal shew thy fame The faithlesse people then shal feare thy name And eartly kinges shal bend their glory downe At thy celestial glorie and renowne Because thy Churche thy Syon thow did'st buyld VVhere thow would'st euer haue thy honor hild And haest not vnregarded hard the plaint Of faithful folk thrall'd in vntruths restraint And that no tyme remembrance may impare Of thy maintayned woork and mercy rare Let people now for people to ensew Thy prayse record thy praises to renew For from high heauen to this low earthly place From blis to bale our Lord enclynes his face The groanes to hear the greiued to releasse
my soule did apprehend Poore soule of myne deseruer of thy thralle VVhose fault no manner skuses can defend Only vnfayned teares told my destresse And with my grief declar'd my guiltinesse In sorrowes iayle thus captiue did I ly And there lament and there my case complaine And there did pittie ouer-heare my cry And did in my behalf accesse obtaine To sue to him whome I deny'd to know To let him know my grief for doing so VVho daigning then vpon my hart to look vpon my hart the spectacle of wo Hee there-vpon so great compassion took That hee on it sweet mercy did bestow Sweet mercy that it self so far extends As to accept contrition for amends And that the world heer of might witnes bee His mercy renouated al his loue Th' effects whereof all men in mee might see But none more then my self did euer prooue The good I had before that stil I hild Only my guylt hee only hath annild For where my soule for mercy only sought It mercy found eu'n in the moste degree And mercy loue with it vnited brought Deer loue my dying soules restauratie Lyf of my lyf which did me now restore To lyuely strength which I did lack before The wound is heal'd yet must the skar remaine The skar my stil remembrance of the sore For which kynde grief stil wil I entertaine That neuer may sufficiently deplore Kynd-grief it is close in my hart it lies To vrge the euer-dutie of myne eyes For though my hart all comfort haue receaued That heauens comfort did on it bestow Yet can it not of that grief be bereaued That doth eu'n out of that self comfort grow For in admyring so great grace extended I grieue that I so sweet a Christe offended My deerest Lord oh might I dy for thee That brag'd to dy with thee and the deny'd By thy strong ayd I must assisted bee For neuer thought shal in my brest abyde To say I wil and not assistance craue Because my wil must thy wil also haue That shepe was I which did his way mistake And he the shepheard that recalled mee Of mee his mercies-miracle to make By abling mee his deputy to bee For hee my self a shepheard did ordain That not deseru'd to bee a shepheards swain Thus not my cry me and punishment therefore His pardon only stretched to deface But he me rais'd to what I was before And did renew and ampliphy his grace And I that fel the lowest of eleauen Stil hold my charge to keepe the keyes of heauen The Rock of stone hee hath confirmed mee VVhereon the buylding standes that cannot fail Gainst which helles puissance and superbitie May offer force but neuer shal preuail Thus I that late through feeble fainthes fel Support the force that breakes the force of hel Do'st thow mee loue thryce did he ask of mee In three demaundes of fayned doubtfulnes For what my loue to him was bound to bee And what it was I needed not expresse VVel hee it wist and would but let mee see By such demaundes how wel he loued mee And more then these do'st thow mee loue quoth hee God wot more cause had I my Lord to loue Yet such hee did allow my loue to bee As that it did a more reward behooue Giuing to mee the office for my meed At parting hence his lambes and sheep to feed Loue is my debt for loue and mercy due And gratitude the intrest thereon rising The obligation standes in heauens view And was set downe by equities deuising The date it beares is endlesse to auail My soule the pawne to forfait yf I fail Performance of thy promis Lord I see Strengthned am I my brethren strength to giue My faith shal neuer fail thow warrant'st mee Then in my mouth truthe must for euer liue And though I dy succession wil supply Vndying truthe vnto posteritie And all the graces thow ha'st giu'n to mee To bynd and lose the free and bond of sin Must not in my liues-ending ended bee Though by thy gift they do in mee begin But in successiue power remaine for euer To yeild the lasting graces of the giuer O endlesse comfort ending thus my care Vn-ending thankes must therefore bee my parte VVhich for thy due I duly wil prepare To offer on the Alter of my hart VVhereas the syre of loue for euer lies To serue for my eternal sacrifise SACRVM CONVIVIVM WHen tyme approched that the lamb of lyf Must yeild himself among the wolues to dy VVho did repay his peace with mortal stryf And his meek patience with most crueltie Then in the space that yet to him remaynd For his few freindes his fare-wel hee ordaynd It was the night before the dismol day He caus'd prepare his last and fare-wel feast Desyr'd before deferred by delay Delayed wel to tyme befitting best For woordes and deedes at parting donne or said In memories conseruance best are laid And as his wil and custome had decreed That at this feast a lamb must bee the meat So hee that was th' unspotted lamb indeed Gaue them therein his Image for to eat Retayning yet for their more greater good Far better meat then his self-seeming food For that no sooner was the Paschal donnâ— And custome and their bodies satisfy'd But that eft soones another feast begonne And of a lamb and that before he dy'd Himself was hee and hee himself did giue Eaten to bee the whyle himself did liue VVhich to ordayne he bread and wyne did take And with his sacred breath did blesse thesame And did thereof his blood and body make Through that self might that all of nought did frame And could not now bee destitute of arte One thing into an other to conuert And as the lamb their bodies had suffys'd The true Lambes body turned into bread VVas now the supper for their soules deuys'd True bread of lyf alyue and seeming dead Flesh of his flesh bread his true body made VVhen as eternal truth the woord had said Take eat this is my body were the woordes VVhich vnrepugnant hartes did so receaue For humble faith gainsaying not affoordes And wel they wist hee would them not deceaue And in his wisdome he right wel foreknew VVhat faith their would should heeron ensue For from that instant in succeeding space In en'ury region that is far or ny VVhere Christian lore did paganisme displace As all fore-going tymes do testify Thus was the faith this is the faith of old Held by the whole now by the parte controld Christ said not eat this in my memorie But that his body take and eat they should Nor said hee that it did him signify But was himself that for them giue hee would His truth and iustice could not beare the staine One thing to say and it vnsay againe And for he would that those whose soules hee fed By his example so should others feed Least but themselues none might bee nowrished His plenteous goodnesse hereupon decreed That they in memorie of him