and take to wife In wedlocke to liue so As that I might not grieue my friends nor yet reioyce my foes And still my mind did runne on you as fittest match for me Among you madens in these parrs Or any I can see You are no gadding gosseper No proud nor peacocke dame No night bird walker as some are That liue not in good fame No stage play runner nor no shrew Of shrill or pratling tongue No scould nor brawler or stout peice That hurts both old and yong No selfe wild person sowre or crosse To please or to intreate No idle houswife or the like That can but play and eate No sweet mouth'd triflles longing still For all things farre or neere And with the first to craue ripe fruite Though it be scarce and deere I know that you can reade and write Yea sing and sweetly play On instruments of sundry sorts For your delight all way The needle and the loome also You handle cunningly The knitting needles of all sorts Your fingers can apply Yet this doth nothing hinder you From wheele and distaffe plaine Which is the mistris sport sometimes And is not without gaine I know that you liue soberly Content with meane estate Abhorring pride and vanities To liue at simple rate A great Paines taker in an house For all works that belong To women sexe both small and great Though you not very strong All this doth come from God aboue For you liue in his feare And Parents haue tooke paines with you Which winnes praise every where Blessed and happy is that man Which can winne loue of thee Or of thy like in some good part Though some should wanting be I pray you now to vnderstand That all my words doe tend To get your favour and your loue In Marriage or I end And for my selfe you know me well I am a neighbours sonne And you a neighbours daughter are You know then whence I come I must not prayse my selfe at all My deedes and godly men Shall be sufficient in this point Wherefore I spare my Pen. Yet giue me leaue a word or two In things that all know not Concerning me my life and state Which may fall to thy lot I feare and worship God on hie And what the scripture saith That I beleeue unfainedly And there on build my faith All po-pe-ry I doe detest With Sects and Schismes all In Christ and his Apostles words I stay and euer shall Now my profession sure it is Befitting your degree Which may induce thy heart to loue And thinke the more on me I am no vnthrift any way No prodigall or such No Naball niggard Churll or Clowne At kindred for to grutch I am no cosening cogging knaue No shifter vile or base No drunkard whoremaister or theefe That dares not shew their face I am no slothfull or drone Bee To sucke away the honey That other men haue laboured for I owe no debts nor mony I stand not bound in suretieship For any man aliue I take no goods or wares on trust For then I should not thriue I brag it not in brokers suites Of veluet silke or Sattine VViddowes or maydens to deceiue By tongue that runnes on pattine I meddle not with vserers That eate men out of all Lands goods and leases paunes and what May bring a mans great fall I follow my vocation still And on the Sabboth day VVith all my seruants goe to Church To heare gods word and pray House land and mony some I haue My parents left it me Enough to bring a woman to If married I should be And something I haue purchast since If children I should haue That they in time may be possest Of that we get or saue What wealth you haue I doe not know Nor will I that enquire It is sufficient if you like and all I doe desire Our Parents thine and mine are dead Else would I out of hand Make suit to them for their good wills as Gods word doth command But seeing God hath called them And you at liberty To marry whom you will in God That course now stay will I. But if that you haue other men In such a worke to use There good aduise I wish you take And doe it not refuse The better euery thing shall goe With you and eke with me For that with good advise this worke Our friends shall euer see Now will I draw vnto an end Till I may heare from you What hope there may be of my suite Or what shall now ensue The Lord direct your heart aright That I thine owne may be If God hath so ordained it And thus farewell to thee Your louing friend your friend indeede That will not faile in time of neede A. B. FINIS Certaine verses or English Meeters concerning locking in of our doors at Night and of opening them in the Morning with prayer and then of following some lawfull vocation or other To the Tune of the 25. Psalme AT night thy doores shut in With Prayer to the Lord Repent and leaue thy sinnes betimes And so escape the sword For one day we shall count For thoughts for words for deedes Therefore let not the soule of thine Be pestered with such weedes No quiet can there be To them that sleepe in sinne And are not reconciled to God By Christ our helpe therein When Morning doth appeare And thou intendst to rise Prayse God for thy good rest and sleepe and shake of slothfull guise Vnlocke thy doores againe With prayer as before And willingly take paines some way In goodnesse euermore For they that liue at ease And have no calling knowne Liue not a Christian life be sure Though they liue on their owne As the eues such are to God And to his Children deare The slothfull idle spending life Is no way in Gods feare If thou be but a childe At schoole let be thy worke And doe not lose thy golden time In corners for to lurke If thou a seruant be A man or else a mayde Doe that which doth belong to thee To sinne be thou afraid If Gentleman or Knight Or if young Lord thou be Let study good and exercise Be pleasant unto thee Thy house thy name and wealth Will else be ouer throwne And thou a man of no esteeme When thy bad life is knowne The streets of euery Towne are to to full each day Of idle and vnthrifty men That seekes their owne decay The Lord our God amend This sinne and all the rest That now doth raigne in Englishmen For God doth it detest FINIS A song in praise of Musicke against all Stoickelike Natures Which may be sung to the Tune of In Create when Dedalus THe Poets write in Musickes praise That Orpheus with his tuned Harpe The stones could moue the trees could raise And make the warbling Birds to carpe And all to shew that Musickes art Can mollifie a stony heart The silly infants mournfull cry The fostering Nurse with songs doth stay The Ploughmans whistling melody Doth passe
their iollitie and say it is but vanitie Refraine the santasies deere friends aske mercy for your former sinnes Accompt this world to be but lent praise God and alwayes be content His benefits both great and small we must giue reckning for them all Our time is short right well we know and none is sure when he shall goe With speed then let 's prepare to die for sure this word is vanitie Death is the end of mortall life and death doth cease all worldly strife He bridles vp the brainsicke foole and doth dispute in fancies schoole Where dainty damsels he doth meet and laps them all in shrowding sheet All Adams amorous impes beside which decke them selues in pomp pride With vgly face most tufully he takes them from their vanity If I might moue the minde of man onely in heart to way and scan How I haue now in verse displaid nothing but truth in that is sayd Repentance sure with teares would call helpe Lord forgiue thy people all O guide our steps still with thy word deliuer us from euill good Lord Inflame our hartes with ioyes on hie so shall we hate all vanitie In this song we are put in mind of our fraile and weake estate and we are taught how to lull and bring asleepe our affections that we may goe to God To the tune of the 15. Psalme SIng lullaby as women doe wherewith they bring their babes to rest And lulaby can I sing too as womanly as can the best With lulaby the child they still with sugred songs they sing out shrill Such wanton babes God knowes have I that must be stild with lulaby First lulaby my youthfull yeares it is now time to goe to bed For crooked age and hoarie haires haue wonne the haven in my head With lulaby then youth be still with lulaby subdue thy will Sith courage quailes and comes behind goe sleepe and so beguile thy mind Next lulaby my wanton playes let reasons rule restraine thy thought Since that I finde by sundry wayes how deere thou hast thy sporting bought With lulaby take thou thine ease with lulaby thy dumps appease Blest is that wight which ere he die doth sing aright this lulaby Now lulaby my gasing eyes that wonted were to glance apace For every glasse may now suffice to shew the furrowes in my face With lulaby then winke a while with lulaby thy lookes beguile Let no faire face nor beauty bright entice thee vnto vaine delight And lulaby my body eke which once was clad in trim attire Warme furs to cloth thee now goe seeke in chayer keepe thee by the fire And lulaby let some man sing while thou to God doest make reckning Prepare thy selfe alwayes to dye forget not this my lulaby With lulably then bring asleepe dispaire which commeth by mistrust And Sathans doubts which faine would creep into our hearts that are but dust Put confidence in Gods mercy and euermore sing lulaby Commit thy selfe to Christ alone with him to ioy when life is gone Last lulaby in graue we make amidst the greedy wormes in clay Vntill that Christ accompt shall take of euery one at the last day Wherefore let vs sing lulaby till all his sinnes sleepe quietly And then to God make hast away in heauen with him to liue for aye The lamentable mone of a sorrowfull soule IN trouble thus I heard one cry Vpon his knees with weeping eye Saying O whither should I flie Where might I wish my selfe to be That God take no account of me For why my sinnes are growne so great That if I come to iudgement seat In vaine it is for to intreat A place therefore to hide me in I craue by reason of my sinne If in the heauens I seeke to be There must I needes be seene of thee In hell is no defence for me Thy presence fills each place I know In heauen aboue and earth below If I had wings at will to flie Beyond the seas that farthest lie Yet there thy hand and power is nie To bind and bring me backe againe In place where I should still remaine Thou doest possesse me every whit My heart my raines my head my wit My sinewes that my joynts doe knit Thou broughtst me from my mothers womb And thou shalt raise me from my tomb Thy passing power thy workes declare Thy threats shew what thy terrors are Thou seest all secrets every where My soule therefore that is in woe Alas then whether shall it goe As I was in this great distresse One spake and sayd to me doubtlesse Despaire not man through heavinesse For God delighteth not to see The death of sinners credit me By faith on these words I tooke hold And yet I durst not be too bold But tremblingly as one acold I prayd and gaue God thankes withall For comfort in such wo full thrall And thus I was received well As one releast from paines of hell My horror sure no tongue can tell Those pinching paines that I did feele Would surely breake an heart of steele A Christian promise then made I And vow'd a vow to God on hie That from henceforth continually His faithfull servant I will be Which to performe Christ strengthen me You sinners obstinate and ill That daily doe resist Gods will Giue eare now to my crying shrill Amend your liues while you haue space Or else you are in wofull case For our good King now let us pray The Lord preserue him night and day His counsell eke God keepe for aye This Realme good Lord saue and defend From euery foe to the worlds end A ditty declaring the fervent desire of a christian soule To the tune of O Lord of whom I doe depend SWeete Iesus who shall giue me wings of pure and perfect loue That I may mount from earthly things and rest with thee aboue For heere beneath I flie about in weake and weary case Like to the Doue that Noe sent out which found no resting place Euen thou O Iesus by thy power must giue me wings to flie Else shall I neuer know thy lure to stoope obediently Ne can I rise off from the fist of worldly pleasures vaine But stubbornely thy will resist to mine eternall paine My wearie wings sweete Iesus marke and grant me my request Put forth thy hand out of thine Arke and take me to thy rest For sure with thee are endlesse ioyes and no man there laments But here with vs are great annoyes whereof each one repents In heauen thy Saints doe sing to thee without all strife and feare But we on earth at variance be and subiect much to care Deggerly conceipts and base O toyes of deepe contempt From which sweet Iesus by thy grace my silly soule exempt For I have learn'd to loath those things wherein I did delight And unto thee the King of kings I come with all my might Craving a place with thy great host where I may sing alwayes To Father Sonne and holy Ghost all honour laud and praise
Two most excellent songs or Ditties made by Queene Elizabeth as it is credibly reported and as it is very likely by some words in it in the yeare 1588 When the Spaniard came to possesse this land and is in manner of a prayer to God DEliver me O Lord my God from all my foes that be And eke defend all Christian soules that put their trust in thee Preserve us now and evermore from all the wicked traine Who long and thirst for Christians bloud and neuer will refraine Mine enemies O Lord be strong and thou the same dost know And that without offence in me they seeke mine ouerthrow My hope and helpe in all distresse hath euer beene in thee And thou O Lord of thy goodnesse didst still deliuer me Come now and end this strife likewise the cause is wholly thine Wherfore to thee my selfe and suite I wholly doe resigne The other song of Queene Elizabeth made in manner of a thankes giuing to God for her and our deliverance from the inuincible Nauie of the Spaniard as he termed it which thanks and praise was performed at Saint Pauls crosse in London LOoke and bow downe thine eare O Lord from thy bright spheare behold and see Thy handmaid and thy handy worke among thy Priests offring to thee Ecco's resounding vp the skies my selfe and scepter sacrifice My soule ascend his holy place ascribe him strength and sing him prayse For hee restraineth Princes spirits and hath wrought wonders in our dayes He made the windes and waters rise and did destroy mine enemies This Iacobs head this Israels God the fiery piller and the cloud Which kept the Saints from Pharoahs rod and drencht the honour of the proud He hath preserued now in loue the soule of me his turtle doue A Carroll for Christmas day To the tune of Rogeero VVE come to sing of Christ our King According to the time Therefore prepare and giue good eare Let hearts and all incline Divinitie our cheife Story which speakes of mans Saluation Shewes that the Lord by his pure word made all good by creation Mankind did beare Gods Image faire the creatures all were blest Then sathans evill made him a divell and he gave man small rest But tempted him by Eva's sinne till Paradice was gone Thus they and we were left you see in fearefull state each one Then God above in tender love to men that was but dead Said that indeed the womans seed should breake the Serpents head To Abraham to Isaack then to Iacob and the Iewes A covenant sure aye to endure God made of this good newes Before their eyes in Sacrifice our Saviour was displayd In figure types and other rites on Altar he was laid To Priests to Kings were shew'd these things to Prophets and the rest Who did assure that Virgin pure should beare this heavenly guest Realmes now in peace all warres did cease Iohn Baptist came to preach And he likewise did some baptize that heard when he did teach The time full come God sent his Sonne in shape of sinfull flesh Thus God and man one Christ became our soules for to refresh Angels did bring newes of this thing to Shepheards in the night To whom they said be not afraid at this so heavenly sight But goe your way and make no stay Christ is at Bethelem Behold him there borne poore and bare for sinne of mortall men Then gloriously from heaven hie the Angels they did sing Praise to Gods name peace without blame on earth to men living Shepheards did goe and found it so as Angels had foretold Christ meekly lay swadled in hay within the stable cold This child he is our soules chiefe blisse our tree of life and all Our Abell slaine our Isaack plaine our Ioseph left in thrall Our paschall lambe that hether came for his deere Spouse to die Our Manna sweet our Rocke so deepe our Arke of Sanctuarie Our mercy Seate our altar great ou Lampe and lauor faire Our priest our King and euery thing that we might not despaire What thankes and praise in all our daies ought we and ours to giue Vnto Gods name that wrought the same Long time ere man did liue This is the day of our great ioye if we will ioy therein And not assigne this blessed time to vanitie and sinne But euermore in vertues store to spend our daies aright Which God grant vs through Christ Iesus to doe with all our might Another Carroll for Christmas day made as if it were spoken by Christ to Adam and his posteritie REmember O thou man O thou man O thou man Remember O thou man thy time mis-spent Remember O thou man how thou camst to me than And I did what I can therefore repent Remember Adams fall O thou man O thou man Remember Adams fall from heaven to hell Remember Adams fall how we were condemn'd all To hell perpetuall there for to dwell Remember Gods goodnes O thou man O thou man Remember Gods goodnes and promise made Remember Gods goodnes his son should come doubt lesse Our faults for to redresse bee not afraide The Angels all did sing O thou man O thou man The Angels all did sing on the Shepheards hill The Angels all did sing praise to our heauenly king And peace to man living with a good will The Shepheards amazed was O thou man O thou man The Shepheards amazed was to heare Angels sing The Shepheards amazed was how that should come to passe That Christ our Mesias should be our King To Bethelem do they goe O thou man O thou man To Bethelem doe they goe these Shepheards three To Bethelem doe they goe to see if that were so That Christ were borne or no to set us free As the Angels before did say O thou man O thou man As the Angels before did say it came to passe As the angels before did say they foūd the babe wher it lay In manger wrapped in hay so poore it was Give thanks to God alway O thou man O thou man Give thankes to God alway with hearts most jolly Give thanks to God alway for this most joyfull day Let all men sing and say Holy Holy Holy A Carroll for S. Stephens day The holding of the same O Lord our God poure downe thy grace and holy Spirit from heauen That we may celebrate aright Christs birth as did Saint Stephen The Dittie it selfe When Iesus Christ ascended was into the heavens hie His twelve Apostles spent much time in praying earnestly And when the holy Ghost was sent they preached bold by skill The word of God in every place according to his will The number of the Church increas'd and grew exceedingly So that the Apostles lacked helpe in that their ministrie Wherefore they chose seuen worthy men of good report and fame That tooke the almes vp for the poore the blind the halt and lame Saint Stephen that worthy Martyr he was one of them they chose A man full of the holy Ghost against whom there
arose A proud sect of the Libertines that did enuie him sore Still seeking him to persecute that he should speake no more They hyred some to sweare and say that Stephen spake blasphemie Against the Lord and Moses law for which he ought to die Then to the Counsell he was brought to purge him of that crime Which thing he did most worthily before them at that time When they had heard these words and saw he feared not the chiefe Their hearts for anger burst and they gnasht on him with their teeth They gaue a shout with voyces loud and lead him straight away Then did they stone him unto death yet he for them did pray O Lord forgiue their sinne quoth he and doe my soule still keepe Vpon his knees he prayed thus and so did fall a sleepe Such patience grant to us O Lord and eke such constancie When for thy truth or otherwise we shall be brought to die A Carroll for Saint Iohns day The holding of the same BEfore the Lord now let vs sing with all the ioy we can That we may rightly celebrate Christs birth with good Sainr Iohn The Carroll it selfe According to Gods promise made in mercy to Mankind Christ Iesus came into the world as we in Scripture find Of whom the Prophets prophecied long time ere he was sent That he should be a Sauiour to all that doe repent Our Sauiour Christ both God and man when these things ended were And he had led his life on earth the space of thirtie yeere He did begin to call the twelue and taught them earnestly To preach his fathers will in all the Regions farre and nie And as he walked by the Sea he saw both Iames and Iohn The sonnes of simple Zebedie who was a fisher-man Christ called them and they forthwith obeyed him and came Wherefore Apostles they were made to preach still in his name Saint Iohn was borne by mothers side of great and royall stocke Though he were once a fisher-man and after fed Christs flocke He came of Mary Sallome of Davids braunch most deere And Sister to the Virgin pure that bare our Saviour deere The words of this Euangelist hath sounded euery where Vnto the comfort of all those that serue the Lord in feare Wherefore let vs with cheerefull hearts sing prayses to Gods name And in our Christian life like John still imitate the same FINIS A Carroll for Innocents Day The holding of the Carroll VVEeping mourning there was heard in Rama did complaine That wofull woman Rachel shee her children they were slaine The words of the Carroll it selfe When that th' eternall Sonne of God by providence diuine Into this sinfull world did come mankind for to redeeme Then Bethelem Iuda thought her selfe thrise happy and thrise blest That shee was found a worthy place to lodge that heauenly guest Wise-men there came from the East parts to worship this yong King Farre they had seene his starre appeare which did foretell this thing VVhen Herod heard of this strange newes O he was troubled sore And all Hierusalem with him they were in an vprore He called the Priests and asked them where this great King should be They answered at Bethelem if he would search and see In secret then did Herod call the wise men vnto him To know what time the starr appeared of this the new borne king And when he knew the certaintie he bid the wisemen goe And bring him word that he might come and worship him also But in a dreame God warned them the King not to obey Wherefore as they returned home they went another way When Herod knew of this he said this yong King I will quaile Ten thousand for his sake shall die with blood I will prevaile The Infants young of two yeares old by Herods campe were slaine Their guiltlesse soules God hath receiu'd in Heauen with him to raigne To Ioseph then an Angell spake in sleepe as we may read Saying take Mary and the child and hast away with speede To Nazareth then was Iesus brought and there he nursed was Vntill such time as he was cal'd vnto an other place A Carroll for New yeares day setting out vnto vs the true circumcision of the heart with out the which the circumcision of the outward members was of none effect To the tune of any ordinary Psalme REioyce we in the Lord our God for this ioyfull new yeare And let our holinesse of life from day today appeare The law of Circumcision now we humbly call to minde Yeelding most hearty thanks therefore to God that is so kind He made his sonne our sauiour Christ obedient to the law For vs that disobedient were and would not liue in awe Not to the end we should abide in sin as heretofore But that we might repent and pray henceforth to sinne no more This law of circumcision first God gaue to Abraham And to the fathers euery one long time before Christ came As we haue Baptisme now in vse so did they hold and keepe This ordinance which was a signe betweene God and his sheepe The badge the marke the Sacrament whereby all men did know They were his chosen people then and he their God also The eight day after that their sonnes into the world were borne The Priests did circumcise them all or else thy were forlorne The foreskinne of their privie parts with sharpe knife they did pare And cald the children by that name which then was given there The women children were contain'd vnder the males each one Wherefore they gaue them not the signe of circumcision This signified and did set forth unto the peoples view The Circumcision of the heart in all Gods children true And this the Lord did oft recite by all his prophets then And in like sort by Preachers now he shewes it to all men That God may haue his honour due and euery man his owne That Iustice may be ministred to make the truth well knowne That helpe may still be granted to the blinde the halt and lame The prisoners that afflicted are for Christ his truth and name Then shall we tightly hold and keepe this day cal'd New-yeares day By putting euill out of our hands the which God grant we may To whom be honour laud and praise from whom be given grace To vs that we may magnifie his name in euery place The father Sonne and holy Ghost that euer loued vs deere Increase true amitie in vs and send a good new yeere A Carroll for Twelfe day On the Feast of the Epiphanie The holding of the Carroll CHrist manifested in the flesh to Iewes and Gentiles all Still shew himselfe to vs and ours when we doe cry and call The Carroll it selfe This feast of Christs Epiphanie or open setting out Vnto beleeving Gentiles all to put vs out of doubt That he the God and Sauiour is of Iewes and Gentiles too And makes one people of them both which none but he could doe He now saluted is of kings of