fame with lewde and ill report Reporting that he wrought by sorcerie Such wonders great as at that time they sawe And that he gouernde all by tyrannie Misvsing men without all right or lawe Oppressing poore men with extremitie And better so to keepe them vnder awe Inuented eke a fond religion vaine Deuised only by his suttle braine The righteous Job that perfite was and iust In whom the deuill himselfe no fault could finde That serued God with earnest faith and trust Obedient alwayes to his sacred minde Despised the world despised all fleshly lust And neuer yeelded to affection blinde Yet felt the tongue and sting of slaunderous fame That found in him things worthy still of blame The holye prophetes that liued long agoe Like Gods on earth with vertue shining bright Who planted vertue where vice before did floe And on the heauens set their whole delight In teaching men the right way here to goe Were oft reuilde with great reproche and spite And counted were seditious men and nought And such as all things out of order brought That happy messenger that brought the ridings glad That made the heauie hart for to reioyce And cast away their dolefull couninance sad Reuiued with his healthfull heauenly voyce While as he preached with skinnes of Camell clad And brought them there of heauen happie choyse This cursed sort that all things wrong doe wrest Reporteth that the deuill him possest The almightie Lord that downe from heauen hie Amongst vs came to saue such as were lost In whome no sinne nor kinde of vice did lie All full of grace and of the holy ghost Relieued all that vnto him did crie And healed the sicke and sore in euerie cost For all his vertue for all his state deuine Was called a glutton a drinker deepe in wine What should I call to minde the lewde report His good disciples gat for all their paine The infamies that toucht that sacred sort That gaue their liues to encrease the heauenly raigne Who made of cruell torments but a sport And laught to scorne the Heathenish follies vaine The slaundrous tongues yet blased in euerie place How they ne had religion God nor grace What should I tell the cancred carlish spite Shewed openly at this same present daye Of such as boast in Gods behalfe to write Whose diuelish tongues their hellish harts bewraye With blasphemies the heauens hie they smite And open mouthed with Woluish voyce théy braye Christ neuer taught no such vncourteous stile Ne seemes a Christian such lothsome language vile His sprite was meeke his talke was alwayes milde With wordes of comfort euermore he spake All bitter speach from him was quite exilde Wherefore he bad all his example take And therefore he that thinks to be the childe Of God yll tongue must vtterly forsake Uncourteous speach of heauen doth not smell Nay rather stinketh of the pit of hell The Fiends that low beneath in Limbo lie Condemned to perpetuall paine and shame This churlish speach doe vse continuallie And barke and banle at euerie vertuous name Their hellish throtes with hatefull noyse doe crie And still accuse the saintes of God with blame Malebouche their maister doth them euer teache With cursed speach and poysned tongue to preache For slaunder there is counted vertue great In hatefull words they most of all delight Foule Infamie hath there the chiefest seate A companied with malice and with spite Who drops of enuie continually doe sweate With hatefull show and foule ylfauored sight Repining still at all men that doe well And fearing God doe shun the pit of hell But thou that seekest the happie heauenly seate Keepe not this course but well therof beware With spitefull tongue doe thou no man intreate Of others faults haue neuer to much care But of thine owne that liuest in daungers great Such toyle is much and well thou mayst it spare Of others faults what needst thou babble so When thou thy selfe hast vices many mo Let no mans life by thee defaced bee Take not awaye that thou canst not restore And looke what faults in others thou doest see Take heede that in thy selfe it be not more Report not yll speake well of eche degree Encrease not griefe but rather salue the sore Good woordes of all men gayneth laude and prayse Where as yll tongues are counted castawayes The gentle minde doth plainly represent A liuely forme of God himselfe on hie Whose gracious will to goodnesse alwayes bent Delightes in myldenesse and in clemencie Who chiefly framed man for that intent To beare some showe of sacred maiestie But cursed speach this picture out doth race And setteth vp the deuill in the place Auoyde this daunger and further from it flie Let not such mischiefe thy destruction bee For feare of losing all sayle not to nie The losse is great some safer shore goe see Where as at ancor thou mayst safely lie And rest least to much trauaile wearie thee In daungers great we may not run at length But rest a while to gather farther strength Hoyse by thy sayles and giue them to the winde These daungers past the fewer do remaine Take courage good and shew thy valiant minde And wey that pleasure followes after paine As after troubles quiet rest we finde That farre surmounts our toyles and trauailes vaine For who so shrinkes with painfull things to meete Is farre vnworthy for to taste the sweete Sayle on thy course and cast a carefull eie About thy selfe within these seas so tost And euer marke what perils nere doe lie Least that thy negligence thee dearly cost And sounding sure the hurtfull places trie Upon the which haue thousand soules bene lost That carelesly with vnaduised minde Haue blindly folowed euery puft of winde Before thy face at hand thou shalt beholde A foule great flat most lothsome for to see All ouerspred with limmes and bodies colde And Barkes and Boates that all to broken bee From whence the fraight vpon the sands are rolde And tumbled out thereon both he and shee That sprawling lie vpon this wretched place With pitcous looke and unserable face About the broken Barkes doe scattred lie Great tunnes of wine of euery kinde of sort And sumptuous tables with dishes heaped hie And costly bankets painted with disport The more to please the greedie gluttons eie That vnto them oft vseth to resort No kinde of flesh or fish there can be got But may be seene heaped vp vpon this plot All ready drest and furnisht to the eie With sundrie sauces the stomacke to allure Great platters there with wilde fowle full doe lie And spits full charged that scarce their weight endure Of deintie beasts and deintie birdes them bie As greedy lust can for the paunch procure Ech dish drest vp as best may please the taste With great expence and sinall account of waste About these dishes round attending stand Ech vile disease that may be named or found The groning gowte with shackled foote and hand That scarse can staye
A newe Booke called the Shippe of safegarde wrytten by G. B. Anno. 1569. Imprinted at London by W. Seres ¶ To hys verie good Sisters Mistresse Phillyp Darell and Mistresse Fraunces Darell of the bouse of Scotney OFTEN WITH MY SELFE considering my nowne good Sisters your vertuous and well disposed minds in these your yonÌ„g and tender yeares I thought it meete as well to shewe my good will towards you as to satisfie your well inclined affectioÌ„s to take some trauaile in finding out such matter as neither I might accoÌ„pt my time vainly spent in wryting nor you yours euill employed in reading Debating thus a whyle with my selfe what matter myght best herein serue both our turnes I was thorowly resolued with asmuch diligence as I could to make some discourse vpon the perfite estate of a true christian an estate aboue all others most happie and worthy if it were as well renowmed for lyfe as it is reuerent for name and perceyuing the lyues of Christians in these dayes so farre differing from the sinceritie that is required in a Christian professour I gaue for tytle to my Booke the counterfeyt Christian wherein I declared the great disorders of this our tyme as also the wonderfull vertues and puritie of lyfe that gloriously shyned among the first and auncyent professours of Christ whiche Booke beyng encreased to some largenesse of volume and euen almost readie to be publyshed vnder the patronage and protection of your two names by yll fauourd misfortune perished Wherwithal somthing discontented that both I should thus bee defrawded of the effect of my long trauayle and you of that which so long and so earnestly I ment you With a scarse quiet mind I hastily began this volume which bicause of the dauÌ„gers of this worlde whereby the soule enclosed in the barke of sinfull fleshe wyth great hasard passeth I named the Ship of safegarde a Ship but rudely furnished and God knowes symply rygged as the great haste and small tyme enforced wanting both strength of tymber and comlynesse of proporcion two euydent signes of an vnskilfull workeman Notwithstanding howsoeuer it be I dedicate it vnto you as an earnest token of my good wyll towardes you not doubting but you will so accept it whervnto I had also thought to haue added bicause I know you delight in stories the lyues and actes of dyuers men in the primatiue Church whereof I began with one or two but bicause they were tedious and my leisure but little I left then and proceeded no farther God poure vpon you his plenteous blessyng graunt you long and prosperous yeres on earth and after your passage from this vale of wretchednesse euerlasting rest and ioy in the kingdome of Heauen From London the fourtenth of Februarie Your louing brother in lawe G. B. To the Reader WHo seekes to treade that happie path â–ª that leades to perfite blisse And faine would finde the certayne way that many wandring misse Must banish ease and bend himselfe to abyde both care and paine And seeke to conquer eche delight and worldly pleasure vaine For as the way but narrow is that leadeth straight to ioy So is it all beset with thornes and briers that anoy In eurie place are stubbles and prickes that stayes the feeble Feete And lothsome for the time it seemes that after prooues most sweete A fearefull hart refuseth quite to walke that painefull way But carefull mindes regarde not paine such pleasure to assay Both wayes before the eyes doth lye and view of eurie braine The tone both narrow sowre and sharpe the other smooth and plaine The tone doth after smart and griefe bring men where God doth raine The other after pleasures sweete bringes euerlasting paine The tone doth glifter in the eyes with faire and pleasant ground The other lothsome seemes and darke and scarcely to be found But hardest thinges experience tries are often found most sweete And high attempts for valiant hartes are thought of all most meete Thou therefore that doest minde to see the ioyes celestiall And to beholde that happie face that neuer perishe shall For sake this waye that pleasant is at first vnto the eye And as a daunger foule and great such flattring pleasures flye Tread thou the path that mounteth vp to place where God doth liue And doth for euerie paine on earth a thousand pleasures giue Such pleasures as doe farre surmount the fading pleasures here As farre as doth the Sunne excell the Moone in shyning clere Faynt not for anye griefe or paine nor neuer wearie be Well may the way be passed and God himselfe shall succour thee For God doth ayde all those that giue themselues with all their might To finde his wayes and courage giues to all that well doe fight Against the flattrings of the worlde and fansies vaine of minde No better Capitaine canst thou haue nor guide of better kinde The Ship of safegarde THe wandring wight that in the raging seas Wyth sayling Barke doth seke the happy port No leysure hath to giue himselfe to ease Ne time he findes wherein to play or sport Eche long delay eche calme doth him displease Hym listeth not to lynger in such sort In nothing ioyes in nothing pleasure findes Saue in the blastes of prosperous happie windes His carefull braine is busied euermore In vewyng well his Compasse and his Carde And minding still what daungers lye before What swelling sands what rocks what Hauens barde Wyth skilfull head he seekes the safest shore And the therwarde doth sayle with good regarde Brings home his Bark through storms teÌ„pests great To happie port and long desired scat The vnskilfull head and rechelesse ydle minde Contrariewise doth giue himselfe to rest Not fearing stormes nor boystrous blasts of winde But in the middest of daungers feareth least And thinkes the Hauen happily to finde When stormes are past and tempests clâ—erely â—â—ast Thus guyded euill his shyp on rocks doth fall And castes awaye both frayght and foole and all Euen so the will and fansie vayne of man That through this worlde his paâ—nefull passage makes Who ought to seeke by all the meanes he can Through daungers deepe and lothsome lowring lakes That happie port for which his course began For which eche carefull minde his trauaile takes In thousand harmes and thousand daâ—â—â—ers preit Doth giue himselfe to carelesse ease and rest Regarding not the hasard of himselfe Nor taking heede his fleshly foyst to guide Full fraught with sin and care of worldly pelfe Makes no account of wether winde or tide But blindly strikes himselfe on euerie shelfe And in the flouds of mischiefe wanders wide Till on the rocks he desperately doth light And loseth all for lacke of guiding right Within the seas of fonde affection blinde That through the world in euerie place doth flowe Sayles euerie Wight that liueth here by kinde And runnes the race that fancie forth doth blowe And kepes the course that pleaseth best his minde With sayles full thwackt with winde and lustie showe But
auoyde this rocke and hasard great Strike thou thy sayles and beare thy countnance low Shun sumptuous shew regard not Lordly seat Nor to be knowne seeke rather God to know Who being Lord and prince of glory great Came downe from hie and liued on earth below In poore attire and simple show beside To teache vs men for to beware of pride Remember still how that the loftie minde That in this world doth seeke to glister so Blowne on this rocke by fonde vainglorious winde Fall headlong downe to euerlasting wo Where no release of torments shall he finde But as he wont in colours bright to go So bright in flames of fires shall he blase Who flamed afore for euerie eye to gase Be neuer prowde of what so nature giues For what she giues in time she takes away The fairest creature the finest wit that liues In shortest time we see dath cleane decay Away goeth all though neuer so sore it grieues No pleasant thing can here haue longer stay What follie then is it to set delight On fading smokes and lose the heauens bright Be lowly minded of meeke and humble cheare Thinke glory vnmeete for men of base degree Since God for pride with Angels would not beare Be well assured he will not beare it in thee To late thou shalt repent when thou shalt see The sober sort most simply clothed heare With glistring robes amongst the Angels hiâ— And thou thy selfe with Deuils low to lie The griefe beside is great of troubled minde That in this world they often time sustaine As want of wealth that stops their fancies blinde Whereby they fare like Tantalus in paine In euerie place men costly clad they finde And they themselues can not thereto attaine Sometime diseases sore doth them deface Then farewell ioy a ground is all their grace The Christall Glasse wherein they wont to prie With ioyfull hart to see their beautie cleare Giues out a shape vnpleasant to the â—ie Whereas their crabbed countnaunce doth appeare All fret with holes where Pockes of late did lie Downe falles the visage then with heauie cheare And mourning tho from thence apace they goe As men amased with some sodeine woe The pleasant fame for euer now is gone That wonted was their eares for to delight Of marke him well lo yender goeth one In whom hath Nature sought to shew hir might A comlier creature you can not looke vppon Of better fauour or framed in better plight Now no such sounde but scornde on eurie side While eche one sayth beholde the ende of pride Therfore take heede that in these seas dost sayle Let not this vaine delight deceiue thy minde But rather striue against it to preuayle And seeke the chanell of lowlynesse to finde Which when thou gettest no tempest can thee quayle Thou needest not feare no storme nor chaunging winde For there is harbrow safe for eurie Wight That in this happy Chanell haps to light This daunger past and left aleofe behinde Before thine eyes doth straight againe appeare A fowle deformed pile and hasard blinde That castes awaye all such as trauaile neare A lothsome rocke and hurtfull to the minde All ouer growne with mosse and rustie geare Deformed to the eye yet doth allure Of earthly men the earthy mindes vnpure A daungerous place that numbers doth destroy Of such as carelesse are of sayling right Whose brutish mindes haue here no other ioy Then on the drosse of earth to set delight This mischiefe great doth besest mindes anoy And neuer hurts the hawrie heauenly sprite But greedy mindes and such as are not wise This lothsome place is called Anarice A number great of wrackes here shalt thou see That thicke in thousands about this place dee swarme That neuer could aliue admonishde bee For to beware of this so great a harme Nor to eschew this present icoperdie Suffysed no words their Gracelesse mindes to charme Nor no aduise could cause them sayle aright Till on this rocke they wilfully doe light With countnance pale and wan thou shalt beholde Their carcasse quite consumed vnto nought Their wearish limmes with cares congealed colde Their bloud dried vp with sorow and with thought Their feeble fingars still clasping in of golde Desire whereof to them this mischiefe brought Hanged round about with bags on euerie side The poyse whereof doth cause them there to bide Upon the sands great Caskets heaped lie And Cofers stuft with euerie kinde of coyne Scraped vp by fraude and filthy vsurie Now here now there wheresoeuer they could purloyne By force by fraude or any villanie Of rich of poore of Courtier or of Cloyne They wey not where nor how they doe it get For all is fish with them that comes to net A filthie minde that trauailes to no ende But for to please the still desiring eye Esteemes no paine regardes no foe nor frende Helpes not himselfe nor no man else thereby In sparing ioyes and pineth if he spende Is neuer good vntill the time he die Which time he pleasures many with his hoord As doth the Swine when as he comes to boord A brutish fort that neuer can reioyce Whyle here they liue for carke for feare or toyle Still dreaming that they heare the dreadfull voyce Of thiefe at hand or souldier them to spoyle Or sodeine death that makes of them no choyse But takes them hence amid their most turmoyle And rakes them vp in earth enclosed deepe Where voyde of gaine and kept for paine they sleepe What profites them their heapes of riches great For which aliue they tooke such care and paine Oft wanting sleepe forbearing often meat With greedie minde to encrease their treasure vaine When lothsome wormes their carcasse vile shall eat And Fiendes conuay their soules to Plutocs raigne Kung downe to hell with Cursings of the poore Whose wiues and children lie weeping without doore What helpes the welth that doth not setue the neede What good doth Golde that doth but feede the eie What gaine but griefe haue they for all their neede That labour here for money till they die Which long kept in is spent at length with sprede Perhaps of him that was the enimie A goodly thing to pine for riches so And know not who shall haue them when we go O wretched beasts that neuer haue no ende Of this your vile and couetous desire Why spare you thus that other folkes shall spende You toyle and moyle like Bayard in the mire Your selues to graue before your time you sende And so from thence to euerlasting fire Where you shall finde the fruites of all your gaine In broyling flames and neuer ceassing paine The poore opprest whom in this world you polde Your selues shall see to glister in the shie And call and ball to them for water colde To coole your heate in torments where you lie But all in vaine for this you haue bene tolde By him that preached with Lasarus from his And since you would not by others harmes take heede Blame no man