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
Reprobates the most assured signe The damned sprites continually doe sweare Without respect of any godly feare Next this hath carlish crueltie the place A mischiefe that doth hellish mindes assayle With lothsome looke and foule and deadly face Whereon a number great of ships doe quayle That wanting gentle windes and voyde of grace To neare this dreadfull daunger hastily sayle Whereas they leese themselues in wretched plight And neuer finde the blisfull hauen bright Then hatred showes his hurtfull head aloft A hatefull harme and hurtfull vnto many Which ouerthroweth the suttie sayler oft â–ª And drowneth deepe the spitefull companie â–ª Who while they deeme the bed of malice soft Doe rest themselues vpon this miserie Brought here a sleepe with fonde malitious minde They neuer seeke the hauen faire to finde Here Murder all embrued with blond doth stand That giues vnto the eye a fearefull sight On top whereof wiâ—h shaking sword in hand Is Furie placed a foule deformed sprite Who suffers none to attaine the happie land That once vpon this mischiefe happes to light The Fiend himselfe that guides the damned raigne First found this place and hither brings his traine Hereby stands theft a foule and foolish yll That doth allure the greedie gracelesse minde Traynde vp from youth in witlesse wretched will And robberie sister to this vice by kinde May here be seene about hir swarming still These iustic blouds that here will soner finde A pound than lose a penie willinglye Who riding here at oken ancour lye Not farre from thence stands sinfull sorcerie A mischiefe founded by the deuill first With charmes enchantments and astrologie The practisers whereof are all accurst And ioynd with this stands infidelitie Togither linked as of all other worst The one thinkes all things by the starres are donne The other that all at randon here doth ronne To this apace our learned maisters hie That teach vs what shall happen yeare by yeare And what sore plagues are threatned from the skie As famine warres and other pituous geare Great learned Clarks and such as seldome lie As by their worthy doings doth appeare Who faine would be esteemed cunning men While as they steale the fruits of others pen. Now last of all two daungers great appeare Betweene the which thou canst not choose but run Therefore thou must looke circumspectly here As other saylers heretofore haue done Sayie iust betweene them both sayie not to neare To any of them for strong the tide doth run And often driues the herdlesse Earkes thereon That in the middle safely might haue gon The one of them with lofty looke doth rise And seemes to touch the place where saints doe dwell All blacke the other lies before the eies The plateforme plaine and Image right of hell There shalt thou heare continuall shrikes and cries Of damned soules that pitcously doe yell And lothsome showes and shapes doth eke appeare Of cursed sprites that houer here and there Presumption hath the one of these to name That makes men like their doings here to well The other Desperation full of blame That throwes men headlong to the pit of hell To mischiefes great that mans destruction frame And makes men low with damned sprites to dwell These are the hurts that in these seas doe lie Regarde them well and warely from them flie Remaineth nothing for thee nowe behinde But gracious markes that leade the sayler right That comforts much the godly vertuous minde And teacheth them to finde the port of light Passe thou by these so shalt thou surely finde The chiefest succour for the werie sprite For who so runnes by these shall neuer misse The hauen faire of euerlasting blisse The formost of these sure and happie guides Is earnest Prayer that giues a goodly show And keepeth safe the Barke from troubious tides That moued with helitsh tides contrarie flow In safetie here the wandring vessell rides Whatsoeuer hap what winde soeuer blow Though deuill world and flesh against it striue Yet vnder sayle it safely here may driue A thousand happy hands may here be seene Helde vp with hart vnfeyned vnto the skies Washed in the waters of repentance cleane And purged pure with teares of weeping eies A thousand tongues from mindes that well doe meane Yeelde vp to God their feruent suites and cries At morning noone and night continuallye Here shalt thou see them on their faces lye The next is Peace a quiet happie place Where as no strife nor rancor can be found Rest thou thy Barke within this roade of grace And trauaile for to touch vpon this ground They alwayes come to good that run this race Thou needest not here for feare of daunger sound For those that here most peaceably remayne Haue daily traffique with the heauenly raigne Hereby doth Loue another beautie stand That brings thee streight vnto the rode of rest And poynteth out directly with hir hand The perfite way by which thou mayst be blest No harmfull Boate may euer here take land But only those that please the almightie best And seeke to sayle according to his will This Loue doth all the hestes of God fulfill Next Mercie stands a goodly marke and plaine That leadeth streight vnto the blissfull port And is possessed of the heauenly traine And most frequented of the vertuous sort Who doe not thinke the words were spoken in vaine Wherewith our Sauiour did the Jewes exhort Assuring those that mercie shewde to men That mercie should be shewed againe to them Not farre from hence may Pacience plaine be seene The Bulwarke strong against all iniurie The souereigne Ladie and most victorious Queene In trouble toyles and worldly miserie Which euermore assuredly hath beene The Buttresse chiefe of Christianitie By which the soules of vertuous men haue saylde That neuer yet in storme or tempest quaylde Here liuely Faith may well discerned bee The chanell safe that leades to heauenly blisse Whereby the Fathers olde attainde to see The hauen faire and port of perfite blisse This made the Martyrs flame in such degree That life they weyed not in respect of this By which they knew assuredly to finde The blissfull place conceyued in their minde These are the markes whereto thou must take heede By these thou mayest thy selfe in voyage guide If that thou seekest luckily to speede To passe the flattes and scape the raging tide Upon this course haue Mariners agreed That long time since these seas haue fully tride No other way they here haue left behinde Whereby we may the happie hauen finde Sayle therfore as the perfite course doth lie And run the race that is to thee assignde For who so runneth otherwise awrie The hauen faire of blisse shall neuer finde But drownde in seas for euermore shall die With torments great and death of dreadfull kinde Where they that kepe the course that Christ hath tought Shall vnto euerlasting ioyes be brought Here would I playne set out before thine eies This happie place wherein thy Barke shall rest What show it hath
from falling to the ground The Dropsie pale stands shaking on the sand With bellie swolne that yeeldes a hollowe sound The Feuer hote sittes gaping here for winde Whose scorched tongue no taste in meate can finde Quotidians there and Quartans shalt thou see Now quaking colde now burning all on flame There double halfe and bastard Certians bee Continuars and those that Hecticke haue to name With many more of this fraternitie Whereat Phisitions oft make pleasant game Attaining vnto treasure and to welth More weping golde than any pacients helth A number great of sicknesses beside With piteous face and miserable show May euerie where about this place be spide That in these full fed fooles doe often grow As Pleuresies with torments in the side And iaundises in mouing faint and slow With falling sicknesse that foming foule doth lie And Apoplexies murdring sodeinlie Most grieuous paines and swimming in the head With Letharges forgetting euerie thing And strangling quinsies with flaming humors fed That many men vnto their graues doe bring Consuming Ptisicks long lingring in the bed And painfull Colicks whose griefe the guts do wring Both Stone Strangurie lie here with grieuous pain And many more that to rehearse were vain This fearefull place is called Gluttonie Wherein great numbers haue bene cast awaye While as with greedie lust they sayled bie And ran their course by negligence astraye Shun thou this daunger and from this mischiefe flie And let not such an yll be thy decaye Let thousands dying there before thy face Example be for thee to shun this place A wretched vice a sinfull crime it is To pamper vp the flesh with his delight Whereby more prone it is to liue amisse And more meete for to resist the sprite That Creature neuer seekes the place of blisse Nor neuer thinkes vpon the heauens bright That studies here his greedie lust to please And for to passe his time in rest and ease The flesh will neuer here subdued bee Nor made obedient to the heauenly minde While as we farce it vp in this degree With meate of euerie daintie sort and kinde These fine fed folkes as daily we may see Are bent to lust and fleshly affections blinde But few of them that vertuous are or chast That haue their guts thus inwardly bumbast As wood heaped vp a hie vpon the fire Or oyle cast in doth more augment the heate So doth this foule and filthie fonde desire Of surfetting and cramming in of meare Encrease the flame of lecherous desire And makes the bodie blase with vices great Unmeete to follow any vertue good While as it is so cherished with foode The feeble braine with stinking vapors dased That boyling in the stomacke vpward rise Astonished and vtterly amased Cannot aspire vnto the hautie skies So weake it is and so with surfets crased That in the body all a sleepe it lies Applying not it selfe the way to finde For to restraine the affections of the minde O what a sort may at this day be found That only giue themselues to eate and drinke Like brutish beasts that grasing on the ground Continually of nothing else doc thinke What greater shame to Christians can redound What more before the face of God doth stinke â–ª Than thus to feede the paunch continually That to the soule is such an enimy What folly greater can committed bee Then where we here may liue long time in heith With moderate diet and fobrietie All voyd of sicknesse that farre surmounteth welth We rather choose to liue in miserie And for to lacke both quietnesse and helth Esteeming more a gracelesse pleasure vaine Than for to keepe our bodies out of paine And where as nature doth well hir selfe content With slender diet wherein she most delights Of which hath God sufficient alwayes sent To serue our neede and to refresh our sprites We neuer ceasing to feede with belly bent Still cramming in like greedy rauening Kites Both God displease and nature quite destroy And for our labour lose eternall ioy Therefore eschew thy beastly greedy minde This gurmandise this filthie foule delight For brutish beasts and not for men assignde Helpe not the flesh to ouerthrow the sprite But helpe the sprite to daunt affections blinde So shalt thou make both soule and body light When both in one shall happily agree To seeke the skies where thou shalt blessed bee Eate not to much but often vse to fast Both Nature biddes and Christ commaundeth so Our fathers olde that liued in ages past Found great reliefe by this in present wo Who striuing long thus tamed their flesh at last And ouerthrew by this their deadly fo Whyle as forbearing meate and sinne withall With feruent prayer on God they vsed to call A vertue great is abstinence no dout Of euerie man to be esteemed much A helping hand to them that goe about The sacred skies with heauenly minde to touch No better fence to keepe the deuill out No greater force no ayde nor succor such Phisitions count it Natures chiefest frende And God himselfe doth highly it commende Beare of therefore and come not neare the place That all embrued with Giuttons bloud doth lie Whose soules in hell in miserable case With piteous plaint and howling noyse doe crie Lamenting sore their former lacke of grace While here they led their life licenciously When as thou hast escaped this ieoperdie Before thy face againe thou shalt descrie A gorgeous Ile an earthly paradyse Wherein there wants no kinde of pleasant sight No glistring show nor costly fine deuyce That may encrease the trauailers delight All garnisht round with things of greatest pryce The sight whereof reuiues the gasers sprite Doth please the eye and doth allure the minde Of men that thinke safe harbour there to finde Of compasse large and full of beautie faire The sightly show doth lie before thy face Which seemes as Nature there had set hir chaire And chosen that hir happie resting place From whence there comes a sweete and pleasant aire That farre surmounts the Amber Grece in grace With musicke sweete and pleasant heauenly sound That round about doth in the aire resound The Cliues are hie and all of Chrystall shine Upon the top where of in order growes Hie hautie trees with maiestie deuine That glistring greene farre of in shadowes showes There stately stands the lostie Lordlye Pine With Ceders placed and Firre trees set in rowes Thick groues of Mirtels comly to be seene With couerts close of pleasant Laurell greene Beyond these same are mountaines rising hie Clad round about with trees of diuerse kinde That placed in order much delight the eie And thither draw the saylers wandring minde Who thinke they see these hilles to touch the skie In vewe whereof they pleasure great doe finde There round about in euerie place below Faire purple Roses ioynde with Jasmins grow In euerie place may beautie there be seene In euerie place is pleasure for the eie Throughout the woods and pleasant forrests greene Great
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